1-31-20
Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.
Raw nazism. CNN News reports:
"US border officers working at Canadian border crossings were directed to stop travelers of Iranian descent for questioning following the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, an unnamed Customs and Border Patrol officer alleged in an email to an immigration attorney. Dozens of American citizens of Iranian descent were stopped at a port of entry in Blaine, Washington, in the days following the January 3 killing of Soleimani. Some were detained for hours and reported they were asked detailed questions about their country of birth. Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington tweeted earlier this month that she was "deeply disturbed" by the reports. At the time, CBP confirmed there were increased wait times "to an average of two hours on Saturday evening, although some travelers experienced wait times of up to four hours due to increased volume and reduced staff during the holiday season." But the agency categorically denied there was any directive to stop and question people of Iranian descent."
They're goddamned liars. Think not? Read on.
"CBP press secretary Matt Leas said in a January 5 statement "social media posts that CBP is detaining Iranian-Americans and refusing their entry into the U.S. because of their country of origin are false. Reports that DHS/CBP has issued a related directive are also false." In a message sent to congressional staff the next day and obtained by CNN, CBP officials reiterated that there was no directive or memo "from DHS or CBP leadership with instructions to detain Iranian-Americans." An email sent to immigration attorney Leonard Saunders by a Washington state CBP officer tells a different story. The officer claimed that there was indeed such a directive which was only lifted, "as soon as it hit the national news." The officer did not provide a copy of the initial directive or the email that apparently lifted the directive on January 5. The officer's email was first reported by CNN news partner CBC and provided to CNN by Saunders, who did not reveal the officer's name. A former CBP officer told CNN the person who wrote the email worked with him at the agency and was told by current CBP officers that the individual is still an active officer at the Blaine border crossing. Saunders, who does not represent the source, said the officer reached out to him, "probably because I was at the border when the Persian 'roundup' happened and have been very vocal about my concerns." "I just know him as an experienced CBP officer," the attorney said. In the email to Saunders, the officer wrote, "I am worried that doing the right thing will get me in trouble" and detailed what he said happened that weekend on the US-Canada border at multiple ports of entry. "This thing that happened was Seattle Field Office wide," the officer wrote. "Multiple Americans of Persian birth were held and interrogated at length." The officer said he was involved in the questioning of Iranian-born travelers. "We asked them standard counter terrorism inspection questions. Was there an Immigration reason for detaining them? No. Was there a Customs reason for detaining them? No. Was the sole reason we detained and questioned them due to their national origin? Yes. Was it the right thing to do? No. Where (sic) their constitutional rights violated? Probably."
CBP continues to stonewall:
"When asked about the officer's claims, CBP spokesman Jason Givens told CNN the agency "stands behind the statements we have previously provided and has nothing further to add." Earlier this month, the National Iranian American Council filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties after reports first surfaced about US citizens being held for additional questioning at the border. The NIAC did not immediately return a CNN request for comment Thursday. Negah Hekmati said she and her family were stopped at a US-Canada border crossing in Washington state for hours. "As soon as they realized that we were born in Iran, they led us to the office and they held us there for five hours. They asked many questions, many personal questions, like our Facebook accounts and like my parents' full names and birth date," Hekmati, a US citizen, told reporters in a news conference on January 6."
Should have told the bastards to go f--k themselves. Endured the bullshit as long as it took, then found an attorney willing to sue the living out of the jackbooted pieces of shit.
"Darian Vaziri, a 21-year-old college student from Los Angeles, had been visiting Seattle when they decided to go to Vancouver for a quick visit. He said they were stopped on the way back into the US. "They took us into a room," Vaziri told CNN. "We noticed it was only minorities in there. As time went on, we realized it was only Iranians in there." At one point he said there were as many as 40 people held in the room, with no food or water available and only one bathroom. Vaziri, who was born in the US, said he was not questioned after they said they were US-born American citizens. But his parents, both born in Iran, were questioned. His mother was apparently asked if she had any cult affiliation. "That's what she said. Was she connected to any Shia group. She just said she had no idea what they were talking about." Shortly after midnight, Vaziri told CNN, "They literally just handed our passports back and said, 'You're free to go.'"
Find an attorney. Sue the living shit out of the traitorous, treasonous nazi bastards in uniform who falsely swore an oath to protect and defend the United States Constitution.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
1-31-20
Impeachment saga continues. The Associated Press reports:
"Democratic House prosecutors argued Thursday in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial that the president was swept up by a “completely bogus” Ukraine theory pushed by attorney Rudy Giuliani and that led to his abuse of presidential power and then impeachment. As the Democrats pressed their case for a second day before skeptical Republican Senate jurors, they displayed video images of the nation’s top FBI and Homeland Security officials warning the public off the theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 election. “That’s what Donald Trump wanted investigated or announced — this completely bogus Kremlin-pushed conspiracy theory,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who is leading the prosecution. Trump is accused of seeking the investigation — and probes of political foe Joe Biden and Biden’s son — for his own political benefit while holding back congressionally approved military aid as leverage. Schiff said, “You can imagine what a danger that presents to this country.”
Trump presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. As stated repeatedly in this publication, the articles of impeachment could, and should, have extended well beyond two.
"The Democrats’ challenge is clear as they try to convince not just fidgety senators but an American public divided over the Republican president in an election year. With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding, Democrats argued on Thursday that Trump’s motives were clear. “No president has ever used his office to compel a foreign nation to help him cheat in our elections,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told the senators. He said the nation’s founders would be shocked. “The president’s conduct is wrong. It is illegal. It is dangerous.” They scoffed at Trump’s claims that he had good reasons for pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political foes. It was Trump who engaged in a shocking abuse of power, not former Vice President Biden or other Trump foes, said Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Texas. There is “no evidence, nothing, nada” to suggest that Biden did anything improper in dealings with Ukraine, said the former judge."
To date, that's certainly true. The appearance, alone, stinks. Should have advised his son not to have accepted the position. If his son refused, could then have tended his resignation as Vice President. That would certainly have avoided the following:
"Trump, with Giuliani, pursued investigations of Biden and his son, Hunter, who served on a Ukrainian gas company’s board, sought the probe of debunked theories of what nation was guilty of interference in the 2016 U.S. election."
Also, true. Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit, right, Mr. 'President?'
"Senators were permitted Thursday to review supplemental testimony submitted by an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, Jennifer Williams, who testified in the House impeachment inquiry. Democrats said the supplemental testimony, which is classified, bolsters their impeachment case. A lawyer for Williams declined to comment."
Where's the transparency?
NPR reports:
"Nadler also did a bit of trolling in his presentation, playing a 1999 video clip of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., arguing for the conviction of President Bill Clinton. Graham was a House impeachment manager at the time. Graham argued that a "high crime" — a constitutional requirement for removing a president — "doesn't even have to be a crime. It's just when you start using your office and you're acting in a way that hurts people, you've committed a high crime." Nadler also showed a clip of Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, now one of Trump's defenders, who argued in 1998 that a high crime doesn't have to be "a technical crime." (Dershowitz has more recently argued that evidence of a crime is in fact necessary for impeachment, falling in line with the Trump White House's argument on the matter.)
"The president's misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box, for we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won," Schiff, who also chairs the House Intelligence Committee, said on Wednesday. "In corruptly using his office to gain a political advantage and abusing the powers of that office in such a way to jeopardize our national security and the integrity of our elections, in obstructing the investigation into his own wrongdoing, the president has shown that he believes that he's above the law and scornful of constraint," Schiff said."
UPI reports:
"The third day of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate began Thursday with Democratic manager Rep. Jerrold Nadler arguing the president didn't necessarily need to commit a crime to be removed from office."
Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the world of the GOP. All ass backwards from reality:
"Nadler's comments support the Democrats' overall plan to focus Thursday on the Constitution and lay out legal justification for Trump's removal. In making his point, Nadler cited Trump attorney and Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz and played a video that showed him speaking about the impeachment proceedings against former President Bill Clinton 20 years ago. "It certainly doesn't have to be a crime if you have somebody who completely corrupts the office of president and who abuses trust and poses great danger to our liberties," Dershowitz said in the video. "You don't need a technical crime." Now a member of Trump's legal team, Dershowitz told CNN on Monday his view is "far more correct now," and that there must be a criminal act to justify removal from office."
How much were you paid, Counselor?
"Nadler's opening statement supported the House Democrats' charge of abuse of power against Trump. "The president's conduct is wrong. It is illegal. It is dangerous. And it captures the worst fears of our founders and the framers of the Constitution," he said. "First, he withheld the release of $391 million in vital military assistance as appropriated by Congress on a bipartisan basis which Ukraine needed to fight Russian aggression. And second, President Trump withheld a long-sought-after White House meeting which would confirm to the world that America stands behind Ukraine in its ongoing struggle." The meeting in question would have involved Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky."
The Washington Post reports:
"Late Thursday evening, lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) turned to the most important question facing the senators sitting in judgment of President Trump: With an election looming, why is it important that Trump be removed from office? Schiff began by pointing to Trump’s approach to his position. “Does anybody really question whether the president is capable of what he’s charged with?” Schiff said. “No one is really making the argument ‘Donald Trump would never do such a thing.’ Because, of course, we know that he would. And of course, we know that he did.” “It’s a somewhat different question, though, to ask, okay, it’s pretty obvious — whether we can say it publicly or we can’t say it publicly” — a nod to the Republican majority listening to his speech — “we all know what we’re dealing here with this president,” he said."
This Democrat was remarkably brilliant:
"Schiff then outlined why that assessment of Trump’s motives meant that Trump needed to be removed from office. “Donald Trump chose Rudy Giuliani over his own intelligence agencies. He chose Rudy Giuliani over his own FBI director. He chose Rudy Giuliani over his own national security advisers. When all of them were telling him this Ukraine 2016 stuff is kooky, crazy Russian propaganda. He chose not to believe them. He chose to believe Rudy Giuliani.” “That makes him dangerous. To us. To our country.” “That was Donald Trump’s choice. Now, why would Donald Trump believe a man like Rudy Giuliani over a man like [FBI Director] Christopher Wray? Okay. Why would anyone in their right mind believe Rudy Giuliani over Christopher Wray? Because he wanted to and because what Rudy was offering him was something that would help him personally. And what Christopher Wray was offering him was merely the truth. What Christopher Wray was offering him was merely the information he needed to protect his country and its elections. But that’s not good enough. What’s in it for him? What’s in it for Donald Trump? This is why he needs to be removed.”
Precisely.
"This is the heart of Schiff’s point: When push comes to shove, whose side will Trump take, his own or the country’s? He used the example of possible Russian interference in the upcoming election, something that Trump’s own intelligence agencies say is underway. “Can you have the least bit of confidence that Donald Trump will stand up to [Russia] and protect our national interests over his own personal interest? You know you can’t,” Schiff said. “Which makes him dangerous — to this country.”
Precisely.
"That first question, whether Trump can be trusted to put the national interest first, is one most Americans would answer in the way that Schiff does: You can’t. A poll released by Fox News in October put the question directly. More than half of respondents said that they thought Trump found that doing what was best for himself was more important than doing what was best for the country. That included nearly a fifth of Republicans. But, of course, that also means that three-quarters of Republicans disagreed. A CNN-SSRS poll released the following month asked respondents if they felt that Trump’s focus on Ukraine was meant to benefit himself personally as opposed to fighting corruption in that country — a claim which Schiff spent much of Thursday trying to prove. On that question, too, most thought Trump was putting himself first, though three-quarters of Republicans again disagreed. Those poll results cast Schiff’s remarks Thursday night in a particular light. While most agreed with his line of argument, the people he most wanted to reach, those Republican senators — or, really, their constituents — say they don’t accept it. Schiff nonetheless pressed the point."
An heroic performance by Schiff. Stood tall.
“Can any of us really have the confidence that Donald Trump will put his personal interests ahead of the national interest?” Schiff asked, apparently accidentally reversing the intent of his statement. “Is there really any evidence in this presidency that should give us the iron clad confidence that he would do so? You know you can’t count on him to do that. That’s the sad truth. You know, you can’t count on him to do that. The American people deserve a president they can count on to put their interests first.” He invoked testimony from Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman during a public impeachment hearing last year. Vindman noted that his father, an immigrant from Ukraine, was concerned about Vindman’s publicly opposing the president since, where he came from, that was “the ultimate risk.” Asked why he was nonetheless confident in doing so, Vindman replied: “Because this is America. This is the country I have served and defended, that all of my brothers have served. And here, right matters.”
Certainly, used to. Clearly, no longer to Republicans defending their criminal fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Where did they lose themselves? Ferociously pointedly, where have the Democrats been until recently?
“No constitution can protect us if right doesn’t matter any more,” Schiff said Thursday night. “And you know you can’t trust this president to do what’s right for this country. You can trust he will do what’s right for Donald Trump.” Schiff was visibly emotional as he made the point, no doubt a function in part of the lengthy day that was reaching its end. He completed his remarks and stepped away from the lectern."
Schiff was clearly at his best. Despite the fact Republicans remained achingly, hopelessly clueless:
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rose and moved that the Senate adjourn for the day. As is almost always the case, he did not himself appear to be particularly emotional."
The Associated Press reports:
"Democratic House prosecutors are launching their final arguments Friday at Donald Trump’s impeachment trial after an impassioned plea to senators to convict him because in the U.S. “right matters.” As Democrats press their case before skeptical Republican senators for the third day, the president’s legal team is preparing its defense, expected to start Saturday. Trump, eyes on the audience beyond the Senate chamber, bemoaned the schedule in a morning tweet, saying “looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday, which is called Death Valley in T.V.”
Tough, isn't it? Poor baby. Life's a bitch. No problem. Your fellow Republican national socialists, fascists in the Senate will likely disgrace themselves and rubber stamp your criminal activity. In direct violation of their falsely sworn oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution.
"The Senate jurors faced another long day Friday armed with pens and paper — and, for Republicans, the gift of fidget spinners — for the historic trial. Trump is accused of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in seeking politically motivated probes from Ukraine of political foe Joe Biden and Biden’s son while holding back congressionally approved military aid as leverage. Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, made an emotional plea late Thursday for senators to consider what was at stake. “Let me tell you something. If right doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter how good the Constitution is,” Schiff told a pin-drop-quiet room. “If you find him guilty you must find that he should be removed. Because right matters.”
No longer in Nazi America. A fascist police-state since 9/11, courtesy of both Democrats and Republicans, i.e. USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, etc., eviscerating all civil and constitutional rights and liberties, now transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"The Senate is heading next week toward a pivotal vote on Democratic demands for testimony from top Trump aides, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton who refused to appear before the House. It would take four Republican senators to join the Democratic minority to seek witnesses, and so far the numbers appear lacking."
A kangaroo trial perpetrated by Republican nazis hell-bent on rubber stamping their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
"With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding, Democrats argued on Thursday that Trump’s motives were apparent, that he abused power like no other president in history, swept up by a “completely bogus” Ukraine theory pushed by attorney Rudy Giuliani. They argued that Trump’s abuse was for his own personal political benefit ahead of the 2020 election, even as the nation’s top FBI and national security officials were publicly warning off the theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 election. “That’s what Donald Trump wanted investigated or announced — this completely bogus Kremlin-pushed conspiracy theory,” Schiff declared. The Democrats’ challenge is clear as they try to convince not just fidgety senators but an American public divided over the Republican president in an election year."
The Democrats are idiots. Have been since Trump took office three years ago. Refused to proverbially hold the nazi's feet to the fire. Two articles of impeachment? Goddamned gutless. Mueller included ten examples of obstruction of justice perpetrated by the Trump nazi in his Report.
Went unprosecuted due to the 'Justice' Department's ruling a sitting president is indeed above the law, that is, cannot be prosecuted while in office. Since when is anyone above the law in a democratic republic? What about Trump's criminal activity vis a vis his personal use of Trump Foundation money?
What about his acceptance of money from foreign dignitaries at his resorts in direct violation of the Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution currently slowly litigated in the court system? Above just scratches the surface. There is so much more that needed to have been addressed by recalcitrant Democrats.
"A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed the public slightly more likely to say the Senate should convict and remove Trump from office than to say it should not, 45% to 40%. But a sizable percentage, 14%, said they didn’t know enough to have an opinion."
If that's indeed true, it's simply because they've paid no attention last three years this criminal has been in office.
"One issue with wide agreement: Trump should allow top aides to appear as witnesses at the trial. About 7 in 10 respondents said so, including majorities of Republicans and Democrats, according to the poll. After both sides have concluded their arguments next week, senators will face the question of whether to call witnesses to testify. But that issue has seemed all but settled. Republicans rejected Democratic efforts to get Trump aides, including Bolton and Mulvaney, to testify in back-to-back votes earlier this week."
Republicans are obstructing justice. What are they so afraid of? The truth? Their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, is a dictator. This is no longer a democratic republic.
"As for the Ukraine connections, evidence has shown that Trump, with Giuliani, pursued investigations of Biden and his son, Hunter, who served on a Ukrainian gas company’s board, and sought the probe of debunked theories of what nation was guilty of interference in the 2016 U.S. election. It’s a story line many in the president’s camp are still pushing. Giuliani, in an appearance Friday on “Fox & Friends,” insisted he would present evidence on his new podcast of “collusion going on in Ukraine to fix the 2016 election in favor of Hillary” Clinton. Pressed by one of the TV hosts as to what that evidence was, Giuliani claimed he had “witnesses” willing to speak on the record next week. Democrats, in their Senate prosecution, seemed to be anticipating arguments expected from the president’s defenders. At one point, they showed video of a younger Lindsey Graham, then a South Carolina congressman and now a GOP senator allied with Trump, arguing during Bill Clinton’s 1999 impeachment that no crime was needed for impeaching a president. Trump’s defense team is now arguing that the impeachment articles against him are invalid because they do not allege he committed a specific crime."
... 'Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.'
"The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, acknowledged that many senators “really don’t want to be here.” But Schumer said Schiff has been outlining a compelling case that many Republicans are hearing for only the first time. He contended they can’t help but be “glued” to his testimony."
Don't flatter yourself, Senator. Much too little. Far too late. Where have you bastards been last three years? Never once walked out the Senate in protest during that time. Not once. Dragged your feet on impeachment in the House until recently.
“No president has ever used his office to compel a foreign nation to help him cheat in our elections,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told the senators. He said the nation’s founders would be shocked. “The president’s conduct is wrong. It is illegal. It is dangerous.”
All true. Been going on last three years. Where you been?
"Senators were permitted Thursday to review supplemental testimony submitted by an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, Jennifer Williams, who was among those who had concerns about Trump’s actions. Democrats said the testimony, which is classified, bolsters their impeachment case. A lawyer for Williams declined to comment."
If true, why haven't Democrats demanded it be declassified? If Republicans refused, why didn't you walk out the Senate?
NBC News reports:
"While most of the senators appeared to be paying attention and taking notes, some kept themselves occupied with fidget spinners. Richard Burr, R-N.C., handed out the toys to several of his fellow senators before proceedings got underway Thursday. Burr was seen playing with a blue one while listening to arguments by Nadler. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., was spotted playing with a purple one, while Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., had a white one on his desk. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., read a hardcover book — "Resistance (At All Costs): How Trump Haters Are Breaking America" by Kimberley Strassel, according to her press secretary — and occasionally underlined passages."
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump’s legal team in his impeachment trial began its defense on Saturday morning with a slightly more lawyerly version of one of Trump’s favorite tweets: read the transcript. “They didn’t talk a lot about the transcript of the call,” White House counsel Pat Cipollone told the assembled senators in the Senate chambers at the outset of his remarks, “which I would submit is the best evidence of what happened on the call.” That line, in itself, is a neat encapsulation of Trump’s case. It focuses on the rough transcript of Trump’s July 25, 2019 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as exculpatory — while also asserting that the central issue is the call itself. It isn’t. The presented evidence shows a broad campaign of pressure of which that call was only one part, a campaign that is harder for Trump’s team to refute."
No question. Extremely difficult to effectively, cogently argue against the cold hard truth carefully laid out in exceptional detail by House Democrats, former prosecutors, in twenty four hours over a period of three days. Trump's attorneys did no more than simply deny the truth in their first two hours of 'defense.' Provided nothing in support of that false claim. No evidence. Nothing. Just empty rhetoric.
"Cipollone soon transitioned to Michael Purpura, the deputy White House counsel. Purpura began by articulating a six-point defense that his team would offer during its presentation. Those six points, like Cipollone’s claim about the rough transcript: carefully worded, constrained — and often not hard to undercut. Here’s each point as he stated it, and what the available evidence says about the claims.
1. “The transcript shows that the president did not condition either security assistance or a meeting on anything. The paused security assistance funds aren’t even mentioned on the call.”
"Remember what’s at issue here. Trump, on the July 25 call, asked Zelensky to launch two investigations, one focused on former vice president Joe Biden and unfounded allegations about his actions in Ukraine in 2016, and another centered on a bizarre conspiracy theory in which Ukraine is implicated in 2016 election interference. To compel Ukraine to launch those investigations, the Democrats argue, Trump delayed a White House meeting sought by Zelensky and withheld military and security aid scheduled to be sent to Ukraine. Purpura’s right that the transcript doesn’t include any conditioning of the requested investigations on a meeting or aid during the call. What he doesn’t mention, though, is evidence sitting just outside that call which makes clear that Trump’s team made that conditionality clear to Zelensky’s team. Trump spoke with Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland that morning. Sondland then reached out to then-Ukraine special envoy Kurt Volker, asking Volker to call him. Shortly after, Volker sent a text message to Andriy Yermak, a key adviser to Zelensky, with whom he’d earlier had lunch in Kyiv. “Heard from White House,” Volker wrote. “[A]ssuming President [Zelensky] convinces trump he will investigate / ‘get to the bottom of what happened’ in 2016, we will nail down date for visit to Washington.”
No quid pro quo? Wake up.
Gets worse. Get this:
"Volker then sent a message to Sondland. “[H]ad a great lunch with Yermak and then passed your message to him,” Volker wrote. “He will see you tomorrow, think everything in place.” Sondland testified about that message, which he said, “likely I would have received that from President Trump.” During the call, Zelensky at one point seems to make explicit reference to the investigate-for-visit mandate mentioned by Volker. “I also wanted to thank you for your invitation to visit the United States, specifically Washington D.C.,” Zelensky said, according to the rough transcript. “On the other hand, I also wanted (to) ensure you that we will be very serious about the case and will work on the investigation.”
"No, Trump didn’t say that Zelensky wasn’t getting a meeting without the investigation. He didn’t need to. His team had already passed that along."
Precisely, why attorneys are so despised. LOL. All the disingenuous bullshit. Never ends. Blatant sophistry. LOL.
"To Purpura’s second point, it is true that there was no mention of the aid during the call. We’ll get to that in a moment.
"2. “President Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said that there was no quid pro quo and no pressure on them to review anything.” In its careful wording, this is also true. Zelensky, sitting with Trump in a meeting on Sept. 25, was asked if he felt pressure from Trump in the call. After indicating that he didn’t want to get involved in the politics of the question, he conceded that he hadn’t felt pushed. That admission, as he obviously understood, was what Trump wanted to hear. Trump quickly jumped on it: “In other words, no pressure,” he said, paraphrasing his counterpart. David Holmes, a political staffer at the embassy in Ukraine, explained why he felt that Ukraine would not only have felt pressure but also pressure not to concede that they were being pressured. He was speaking about how Ukraine would have tried to navigate the hold on aid, but the point is broader. “Whether the hold, the security assistance hold, continued or not, Ukrainians understood that that’s something the president wanted, and they still wanted important things from the president,” Holmes said. “So I think that continues to this day. I think they’re being very careful. They still need us now going forward.” Purpura suggested that treating Zelensky’s claims with skepticism was akin to reading Zelensky’s mind. Taking the assertions of Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials at immediate face value, though, offers no more assurance of yielding an accurate interpretation."
It's all the disingenuous bullshit that remains the problem. Blatant sophistry. Precisely, why all levels and branches of government can no longer be trusted.
"This conflict gets to the heart of what Trump is alleged to have done. Either the United States has the ability to exert pressure on Ukraine or it doesn’t. Trump asks that we assume there is no implicit pressure at play and that everything that occurred is no more complicated than the most basic reading of events. That request can be evaluated on its own merits."
Disingenuous bullshit engaged in by the Trump nazi and his henchmen. Blatant sophistry. Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the world of these clueless, lying assholes.
"3. “President Zelensky and high-ranking Ukrainian officials did not even know — did not even know the security assistance was paused until the end of August. Over a month after the July 25th call.” Cipollone and Purpura lamented that the House impeachment managers had failed to offer evidence exculpating the president, as though prosecutors are generally in the habit of doing so. Included in that overlooked evidence were statements from administration officials indicating that Ukraine and Zelensky weren’t aware of the hold on aid — introduced in early July — until late August when Politico broke the story. Several of those who testified said that this was the first point at which the issue was raised by their contacts in Ukraine. Trump’s lawyers mostly skipped the evidence that contradicts this, of course. Emails sent on July 25 itself to staffers at the Defense Department indicated that the Ukrainian Embassy was aware of the hold, which had been announced within the administration a week earlier. A former senior Ukrainian official, working in Zelensky’s administration at that point, indicated that she was aware of the hold by late July. Catherine Croft, a State Department official, testified that she was surprised at how quickly her Ukrainian colleagues learned about the hold soon after it was known in the administration, though she didn’t know when precisely that occurred, as Purpura pointed out."
Attorneys have gotten quite skilled at disingenuously passing off bullshit as gospel truth. Blatant sophistry. Precisely why the profession is no longer trusted by the public.
"4. “Not a single witness testified that the president himself said that there was any connection between any investigations and security assistance, a presidential meeting or anything else.” This is a valid point. While several witnesses linked Trump’s personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani specifically to a meeting-for-investigations quid pro quo, no one testified that they’d been told that Trump made that conditionality clear. The only person who did make such a link was acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney during a news conference in October. But, of course, Mulvaney declined to actually testify. Trump’s team, justifiably, has long focused on the extent to which Trump himself has been kept at a distance from the allegations. There’s little question that, to some extent, that distance was intentional. Trump told Sondland, Volker and then-Energy Secretary Rick Perry to work with Giuliani, for example, just as he told Zelensky he’d put him in contact with his personal attorney. Giuliani himself told the New York Times and other outlets that he was working on Trump’s political behalf in seeking the investigations. Giuliani was also at the center of an effort to link a White House meeting to the announcement of investigations in a series of interactions in early August."
'Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.
"5. The security assistance flowed on Sept. 11, and a presidential meeting took place on Sept. 25 without the Ukrainian government announcing any investigations. To undercut the idea that the aid or the meeting were conditioned on the announcement of investigations, Trump’s team (as his allies have done in the past) noted that Ukraine got both the aid and the meeting. The aid was, in fact, released on Sept. 11, 2019. The two presidents did meet, in fact, two weeks later. However. That aid was only released after attention had been drawn to its being withheld publicly. House Democrats had launched an investigation into the hold. The Washington Post editorial board had explicitly connected the hold to the desired investigations. Trump had already been briefed on a complaint from an anonymous whistleblower in which that connection was mentioned as part of a broad campaign to pressure Ukraine. Trump had faced questions from both Sondland and political allies, like Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), about why the aid was being held and if it was being held to pressure Ukraine. The tables, in other words, had turned: now Trump faced significant pressure to release the aid."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"6. The Democrats’ blind drive to impeach the president does not and cannot change the fact, as attested to by the Democrats own witnesses, that President Trump has been a better friend and stronger supporter of Ukraine than his predecessor. This is a subjective claim, but it’s true that, in prior years, Trump had authorized aid to Ukraine including military aid which hadn’t been provided under Barack Obama. It raises an important question, though: Why did that support collapse in 2019? House Democrats argue that there’s an obvious answer. In April 2019, Joe Biden announced his candidacy. On the morning of July 25, Trump watched a Fox News broadcast showing Biden leading Trump in 2020 polling. We’re asked to believe that this was not a consideration for a president who has tweeted scores of times about his political opponents. We’re asked to believe instead that he was focused on corruption in Ukraine, something he’d tweeted about only once before early September — and only then in the context of Joe Biden."
Above just scratches the surface. The article is extremely detailed.
The Associated Press reports:
"President Donald Trump’s lawyers plunged into their impeachment trial defense Saturday by accusing Democrats of striving to overturn the 2016 election, arguing that investigations of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine have not been a fact-finding mission but a politically motivated effort to drive him from the White House. “They’re here to perpetrate the most massive interference in an election in American history,” White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told senators. “And we can’t allow that to happen.”
That's the best you can articulate, Counselor? Pathetic. Why did you spend no time carefully rebutting twenty four hours of carefully crafted argument made by the Democrats? Is it because you have no credible defense?
"From the White House, Trump added name-calling, tweeting that his team was making his case “against lyin’, cheatin’, liddle’ Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, Nervous Nancy Pelosi” and others of “the Radical Left.”
Not to worry, Donny boy. Your fellow GOP colleagues in the Senate appear to be marching in goose step.
"Republicans accused Democrats of cherrypicking evidence and omitting information favorable to the president, casing in a nefarious light actions that the president was legitimately empowered to take. They focused particular scorn on Schiff, playing clips of past statements meant to undercut his credibility. Schiff responded on Twitter that Republicans were “trying to deflect, distract from, and distort the truth.” He later added: “What was most striking to me was ... they don’t contest the basic architecture of the scheme.”
Certainly, true. They have no case. Doesn't matter, however. GOP Senators continue to march in goose step with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
In a second article, the Associated Press reports:
"President Donald Trump’s lawyers opened his Senate impeachment defense Saturday with the false assertion that Democrats tried to shut the president’s team out of the congressional inquiry that preceded the charges. Actually, Democrats invited Trump to participate and he declined.
"TRUMP lawyer PAT CIPOLLONE: “Why would you lock everybody out of it from the president’s side? ... It’s evidence they themselves don’t believe in the facts of their case.”
"THE FACTS: Trump wasn’t locked out. He rejected an invitation from the House Judiciary Committee to participate in the hearings that ultimately produced the articles of impeachment."
Just like their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, his attorneys lie. LOL.
Here's the truth:
"On Nov. 29, the committee’s chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., sent a letter to Trump “to determine if your counsel will seek to exercise the special privileges set forth in the Judiciary Committee’s Impeachment Procedures ... and participate in the upcoming impeachment proceedings. In particular, please provide the Committee with notice of whether your counsel intends to participate, specifying which of the privileges your counsel seeks to exercise. ...” On Dec. 6, Cipollone signaled Trump would not participate, telling Nadler in a letter that “House Democrats have wasted enough of America’s time with this charade.” Trump and his team did not take part."
Wouldn't want to be confused by the truth, would they? LOL.
"CIPOLLONE: Democrats “hid evidence” from the Senate impeachment trial in their opening arguments.
"THE FACTS: This is an iffy definition of hiding something. Cipollone spoke about the July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukraine’s president, which is at the heart of the impeachment case, and cited certain passages that Democrats did not play up or mention in their prosecution argument. The rough transcript of that conversation is a matter of public record, having been released by the White House, and is far from hidden. The passages in question were when Trump complained about Germany and other European countries doing nothing to help Ukraine, putting the burden on the United States. For the record, his complaint, which he has voiced many times since, is inaccurate. European Union institutions have given far more development assistance to Ukraine than the U.S. has provided, and individual countries in Europe as well as Japan and Canada have contributed significantly, too. The U.S. is the primary supplier of military aid. In the July 25 phone call, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country wanted more anti-tank missiles from the U.S. to help defend itself against Russia, Trump then and repeatedly pressed him to investigate Joe Biden, Trump’s potential 2020 election rival, and Democrats. Trump held up nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine until Congress got wind of the freeze."
That's the truth. Tough, isn't it?
NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump's legal team began their defense of the president in Trump-ian fashion on Saturday, charging Democrats were the ones who are trying to interfere in the 2020 election and accusing lead House manager Adam Schiff of being dishonest."
Offered absolutely no proof. None. Empty rhetoric they failed to back up.
"Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow
also gave an astonishing explanation for why his client turned to outsiders
for his dealings with Ukraine — he doesn't trust his own officials. Here
are five takeaways from Saturday's abbreviated opening arguments in the
president's Senate trial, which will continue on Monday.
"1. Dems are the real
danger
"The House of Representatives impeached Trump for abuse of power, essentially charging that Trump was trying to force Ukraine into interfering in the 2020 U.S. election. In his opening argument, White House counsel Pat Cipollone argued the Democrats were the ones trying to interfere."
Pathetic. No substance to it. Nothing to back up the bullshit.
"They're asking you to remove President Trump from the ballot in an election that's occurring in approximately nine months, they're asking you to tear up all of the ballots across this country on your own initiative — take that decision away from the American people, and I don’t think they spent one minute of their 24 hours talking to you about the consequences of that for this country," Cipollone told the Senate."
The country would be rid of a corrupt, abusive, criminal liar-in-chief.
"Removing the president, he said, would be "an irresponsible abuse of power." "Let the people decide," Cipollone said."
The Constitution is clear. Congress has the mandate to impeach, convict, and remove a corrupt, abusive, criminal chief executive from office.
"2. Targeting Schiff
"Trump's team also took aim at Schiff, the California congressman who the president regularly derides as 'Shifty Schiff' (and did again on Saturday), telling the senators he'd made several misleading comments. White House deputy counsel Mike Purpura, a member of Trump's defense team, focused on Schiff's summary of the president's July 25 call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a hearing in the House, which Schiff said sounded like a "shakedown." "That's fake, that's not the real call," Purpura said. "That’s not the evidence here."
Unadulterated bullshit. Trump clearly asked the Ukrainian for a favor, -- to investigate Biden and his son. Held up military aid and an Oval Office meeting to pressure the Ukrainian to do his bidding.
"3. Matter of trust
"Sekulow said Trump engaged in what Democrats have called "shadow diplomacy" in Ukraine because his faith in U.S. intelligence agencies was badly shaken by former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference. "In his summation on Thursday night, Manager Schiff complained that the president chose not to go with the determinations of his intelligence agencies regarding foreign interference and instead decided he would listen to people that he trusted, and he would inquire about the Ukraine issue himself," Sekulow said. "Mr. Schiff did not like the fact that the president did not apparently blindly trust some of the advice he was being given by the intelligence agencies." "The president had reason to be concerned about the information he was being provided. Now we could ignore this. We can make believe this did not happen. But it did," Sekulow said."
The above is not true. Trump didn't hear what he wanted to hear from these officials. Precisely, why he went with his hired gun, his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, New York City's former Mayor.
"He also accused Ukraine of interfering in the 2016 election, something FBI Director Chris Wray has denied."
Does Trump delusionally believe Wray is lying?
"4. The Bidens
"What happened? After expectations that Trump's lawyers were going to after Joe and Hunter Biden and Burisma — Sekulow said earlier in the day that Democrats had "opened the door" to discussing the Bidens — it didn't happen. Joe Biden was mentioned only in passing. But that doesn't mean they won't be in their crosshairs when the president's team picks up their arguments again on Monday."
Disingenuous bullshit promulgated by Trump and his henchmen. To date, no evidence either Biden did anything improper.
"5. Short day
"Trump's team had said they anticipated Saturday's arguments, which they described as "coming attractions," would last about three hours but lasted only two. A senior administration official told NBC News that Trump's defense won't take as much time as the House managers did to present their case, and might even wrap up their presentation on Monday."
A short day Saturday and a short defense coming apparently because Trump's henchmen have no credible defense.
The Associated Press reports:
"Pressure is increasing on senators to call John Bolton to testify at President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial after the revelation that a draft of a book by the former national security adviser undercuts a key defense argument — that Trump never tied withholding military aid to Ukraine to his demand the country help investigate political rival Joe Biden. Bolton writes in the forthcoming book that Trump told him he wanted to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in security aid from Ukraine until it helped him with investigations into Biden. Trump’s legal team has repeatedly insisted otherwise, and Trump tweeted on Monday that he never told Bolton such a thing."
Expect better of a congenital liar? Especially, with the walls closing in?
"Republican senators faced a pivotal moment as they arrived on Capitol Hill to resume Trump’s trial. Democrats are demanding sworn testimony from Bolton and other key witnesses, and pressure is mounting on at least four Republicans to buck GOP leaders and form a bipartisan majority to force the issue. “John Bolton’s relevance to our decision has become increasingly clear,” GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah told reporters. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she has always wanted “the opportunity for witnesses” and the report about Bolton’s book “strengthens the case.”
Republicans can't, won't be confused by the truth.
"The White House has had Bolton’s manuscript for about a month, and has challenged his use of certain material it considers classified, according to a letter from Bolton’s attorney. Democrats are saying that Trump’s refusal to allow administration officials to testify in the impeachment proceeding only reinforces that the White House is hiding evidence. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said: “We’re all staring a White House cover-up in the face.”
This shit, that is the abuse of power and worse, has been going on last three years. Where have Democrats been?
"Schumer drew on polls that show the public wants to hear from witnesses. “We want the truth,” he said. “So do the American people.” Rep. Adam Schiff, who is leading the House prosecution team, called Bolton’s account a test for the senators sitting as jurors. “I don’t know how you can explain that you wanted a search for the truth in this trial and say you don’t want to hear from a witness who had a direct conversation about the central allegation in the articles of impeachment,” Schiff said on CNN."
Time to wake up. We remain a democratic republic in name only.
"Bolton’s account was first reported by The New York Times and was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the manuscript on the condition of anonymity. “The Room Where It Happened; A White House Memoir” is to be released March 17. John Ullyot, a spokesman for the National Security Council that Bolton used to lead, said the manuscript was submitted to the NSC for “pre-publication review” and had been under initial review. “No White House personnel outside NSC have reviewed the manuscript,” he said. When the Times report went online Sunday night, the seven House Democratic managers immediately called on all senators to insist that Bolton be called as a witness and provide his notes and other relevant documents. Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, issued the same call."
Should that not happen, time to walk out the Senate in protest. Refuse to cooperate in what has become no more than a goddamned charade.
"Trump denied the claims in a series of tweets early Monday. “I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens,” Trump said. “If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book.”
Readers are reminded Trump is a congenital liar:
"Trump said people could look at transcripts of his call with Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelinskiy to see there was no pressure for such investigations to get the aid. In that call, Trump asked Zelinskiy to “do us a favor” with the investigations as he was withholding nearly $400 million in military aid to the U.S. ally at war with Russia. Trump falsely claimed Monday that the Democrat-controlled House “never even asked John Bolton to testify.” Democrats did ask Bolton to testify, but he didn’t show up for his deposition. They later declined to subpoena Bolton, as they had others, because he threatened to sue, which could lead to a prolonged court battle."
Although on the Extreme Right, Bolton is a straight shooter:
"Schiff said Bolton — known to be a copious notetaker — should also provide documents. Bolton, who sent this book manuscript to the White House for review, is now enmeshed in a legal dispute with the White House over the manuscript’s use of direct quotes and other material from meetings and foreign leader discussions. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person wasn’t authorized to speak on the record. The White House has requested that Bolton remove material it considers classified, the person said, which has the book behind schedule. Bolton acrimoniously left the White House a day before Trump ultimately released the Ukraine aid on Sept. 11. He has already told lawmakers that he is willing to testify, despite the president’s order barring aides from cooperating in the probe."
CBS News reports:
"As President Trump's attorneys resume defense arguments in his Senate impeachment trial, new revelations about the president's attempts to get Ukraine to investigate his rivals reverberated through the Capitol, ramping up pressure on the Senate to allow new witnesses. On Sunday, The New York Times reported former national security adviser John Bolton wrote in a manuscript of his upcoming book that Mr. Trump explicitly refused to release nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine in 2019 unless the country pursued investigations into his political rivals, including the Bidens. The Times reported Bolton had submitted the manuscript to the White House for a standard prepublication review for classified information. Democrats seized on the report to accuse the White House of a cover-up and to urge Republican senators to join them in supporting a subpoena for Bolton, who has said he's willing to testify. Several Republican senators who have been open to hearing new testimony reiterated their view that witnesses should be called, including Mitt Romney and Susan Collins. Bolton's reported accusations directly contradict the argument put forward by Mr. Trump's attorneys, namely that there was no connection between the delay in aid and the president's requests for investigations. Bolton would be the first official to testify that the president personally connected the two issues. The president denied Bolton's account in several late-night tweets, saying he never told Bolton the aid was tied to investigations and accusing his former aide of trying to sell his book."
The Associated Press reports:
"Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment prosecutor against President Donald Trump, says senators should “not turn away” from calling former national security adviser John Bolton as a witness because of the “very relevant evidence.” Schiff spoke to reporters just before Trump’s Senate trial was set to resume Monday afternoon. He says Bolton should testify under oath and in public so everyone can “evaluate John Bolton’s credibility.” His comments come after Bolton wrote in an upcoming book that Trump told him he wanted to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in security aid from Ukraine until that country helped him with investigations into his Democratic rival Joe Biden. The account has given Democrats fuel in their pursuit of testimony from Bolton and other witnesses. Schiff says he can’t see how the impeachment trial would be fair without testimony from witnesses like Bolton."
The Associated Press reports:
"President Donald Trump stated falsely Monday that House Democrats never called his former national security adviser to testify in their impeachment inquiry. Actually they did. Trump’s tweet about John Bolton came as the Senate enters the second week of the impeachment trial and followed a fresh disclosure that Bolton claims Trump told him directly that he wanted to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in security aid from Ukraine until it helped with investigations into Joe Biden and Democrats. Bolton’s assertion, in his forthcoming book, contradicts key assertions by Trump and his defense team’s argument that there is no evidence the president conditioned aid to Ukraine on an investigation of his political rivals. The disclosure prompted Trump to strike out on Twitter, where he misrepresented what happened in the impeachment inquiry. As well, in their opening defense arguments on the weekend, Trump’s attorneys perpetuated a baseless claim that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election as they argued that Trump had good reason to withhold military aid to the country."
NPR reports:
"In a new recording made public on Saturday, President Trump can be heard speaking with two men he has claimed to not know and ordering the firing of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. The hour-long recording from April 2018 captures a meeting between Trump and a group of donors that includes two associates of his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who in recent weeks have emerged as central figures in the impeachment inquiry: Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas. In the recording, Parnas can be heard telling Trump that the ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, had been disparaging the president, and that he should "get rid" of her. "She's basically walking around telling everybody, 'Wait, he's going to get impeached, just wait,' " Parnas says in the recording. "Get rid of her," the president responds. "Get her out tomorrow. I don't care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out." In an interview with NPR on Saturday, Deputy White House Press Secretary Steven Groves said the president's comments were directed to then-aide John DeStefano, not to Parnas. The recording was released by an attorney for Parnas, Joseph A. Bondy, and appears to support an account of the exchange that Parnas shared during an interview this month with the MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. "I told him she's badmouthing him and she's saying bad things about him," Parnas says in the interview. He goes on to concede that he did not actually believe that to be true."
No conspiracy on the part of Trump and his henchmen? No increased desperation as the walls continue to close in?
"Yovanovitch was not immediately removed from her posting in Kyiv, but in the months that followed she became a frequent target of criticism among allies of the president, who accused the career diplomat of disloyalty. She was ultimately recalled as ambassador last spring. Her recall has become a key episode in the pressure campaign against Ukraine that Trump is now on trial for in the Senate following the House's vote to impeach him. On his now-infamous July 25 call with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Trump said of Yovanovitch, "She's going to go through some things." During her testimony before House impeachment investigators, Yovanovitch denied ever speaking disparagingly of the president, but did tell lawmakers she felt threatened by Trump. Yovanovitch said she was told by the State Department that she was being recalled because of concerns about her "security."
Trump continues to lie:
"The recording, which was first reported by ABC News on Friday, contradicts repeated claims by the president that he does not know Parnas, even though they have been photographed together on multiple occasions. In October, Parnas and Fruman were arrested and charged with making illegal campaign contributions – charges for which they have pleaded not guilty. In the three months since, Parnas has begun cooperating with congressional investigators as they work to unspool his role in the Ukraine affair. Parnas worked closely with Giuliani in a smear campaign against Yovanovitch and in efforts by Giuliani to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. Earlier this month, materials released by the House show Ukraine's former top prosecutor offering Parnas damaging information about Biden in exchange for help getting rid of Yovanovitch. In her time as ambassador, Yovanovitch developed a reputation for fighting corruption in Ukraine. Speaking to Fox News on Friday, Trump defended his decision to fire Yovanovitch and denied that Parnas factored into his decision to recall her. "I have a right to hire and fire ambassadors, and that's a very important thing," Trump said. The recording released Saturday was filmed at the Trump International Hotel in Washington on a phone belonging to Fruman. Bondy, the attorney for Parnas, said it was being released in "an effort to provide clarity to the American people and the Senate as to the need to conduct a fair trial, with witnesses and evidence."
The shit is certainly beginning to hit the fan.
UPI reports:
"President Donald Trump's legal team on Monday argued that Democrats do not have the evidence to charge him with a crime and were employing "politically loaded and promiscuously deployed terms" to turn an un-impeachable offense into one during its second day of arguments in the impeachment trial. The defense team, led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump personal attorney Jay Sekulow, sought to discredit the argument made by Democratic House managers last week by stating Trump did not condition the release of military aid to Ukraine on the country announcing investigations into Trump's political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden. Deputy White House counsel Mike Purpura said "the managers are wrong" about the timeline in which Trump released the aid saying Trump released military aid to Ukraine on Sept. 11 and met with Ukrainian President Voldomyr Zelensky later that month because his concerns had been "addressed in the ordinary course." Purpura said Trump decided to release the aid because his concerns about Ukrainian corruption were eased, not because he was "caught" by the House, which launched an investigation into Trump's alleged effort to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate the Bidens. Trump attorney Kenneth Starr said the current impeachment trial differed from those of former Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton because Trump has not been charged with a crime. "Were crimes alleged in the articles in the common law of presidential impeachment? In Nixon, yes. In Clinton, yes. Here, no," he said."
Sophistry. ... Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.
NBC News reports:
"After previewing their case in a short session on Saturday, Trump’s legal team doubled down on Monday, insisting that there was nothing improper about his dealings with Ukraine's government and casting blame on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. The president's defense largely avoided direct mention of a bombshell report involving John Bolton. Lead House manager Adam Schiff ripped into Trump's defense team Tuesday morning, saying they are afraid to let John Bolton testify because "he would tell, in a captivating way that the public would watch, the most pernicious part of the president's scheme — the withholding of hundreds of millions of dollars of military aid to an ally at war in order to coerce these sham investigations. "They don't want the country to hear it," he continued. "They just want to sweep it under the rug." Appearing on appeared on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe," Schiff singled out arguments about Rudy Giuliani, who was central to the Ukraine saga, and those presented by Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz. "It's hard to know where to begin with the arguments that Giuliani is just a bit player here, even though, of course, the president brought up Rudy Giuliani, I think, more than anyone else in that phone call with Zelenskiy. It was 'talk to Rudy,'" Schiff said. The argument presented by Trump lawyer Pam Bondi that Giuliani is "merely a distraction" wasn't "the least bit credible," he added. On Starr and Dershowitz, Schiff said, "I was leaning over to my staff counsel and basically saying, 'This is the same Ken Starr that we're talking about, right? This is the same Ken Starr?' And then you've got the debate between 60-year-old Alan Dershowitz and 81-year-old Alan Dershowitz. You know, the weight of their own legal team doesn't believe their legal constitutional theory."
"But I think, at the end of the day, it all boils down to this: You know, they're reading between the lines of their defense," Schiff continued. "It's basically, 'Yeah, he did it, we know he did it, the president knows he did it. We just don't want the American people to see any more evidence that he did it.' "
Should Republicans refuse to allow Bolton and others to testify, will Democratic Senators walk out the Senate in protest?
The Associated Press reports:
"President Donald Trump’s legal team prepared to wrap up arguments in his impeachment trial Tuesday as Senate Republicans wrestled with whether to allow witnesses, including John Bolton who appeared ready to contradict a key Trump claim. The arguments from defense lawyers have jostled for public attention with revelations from a forthcoming book by former National Security Adviser Bolton, who says Trump wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine until it committed to helping with investigations into Democratic rival Joe Biden. Trump and his lawyers have repeatedly insisted he never tied the security aid to political investigations."
Trump and his henchmen are liars.
"News of the book clouded White House hopes for a big finish Tuesday as well as a swift end to the impeachment trial. Democrats are demanding witnesses, and some Republicans are expressing openness to the idea. One Republican, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, is floating an idea to subpoena Bolton’s book manuscript so senators can see the evidence themselves — in private. It’s an idea that may be gaining traction even as other Republicans have warned against a protracted legal dispute with the White House, which has tried to block administration officials. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote on Twitter that he “totally” supports Lankford’s proposal. Graham, a key Trump ally, said the Bolton document should be made available to the Senate, in a classified setting, “where each Senator has the opportunity to review the manuscript and make their own determination.” However, Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, called the proposal, which would keep Bolton out of public testimony, “absurd.” “We’re not bargaining with them. We want four witnesses, and four sets of documents, then the truth will come out,” Schumer said. Senate Republicans were to meet behind closed doors to consider next steps."
Aren't we, the people, lucky? LOL. A kangaroo 'trial' in the Senate perpetrated by Republican national socialists, fascists, nazis determined to rubber stamp their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Raw nazism. With recalcitrant Democrats gutlessly unwilling to walk out the Senate in protest if Republicans continue to stonewall additional testimony and documents.
"The Bolton revelations distracted from hours of arguments Monday by Trump’s lawyers, who declared anew that no witness has testified to direct knowledge that Trump’s delivery of aid was contingent on investigations into Democrats. Bolton appeared poised to say exactly that if summoned by the Senate."
Called the truth. Not bullshit promulgated by the Trump nazi's shyster bastards:
“We deal with transcript evidence, we deal with publicly available information,” Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said. “We do not deal with speculation.”
Precisely, why the legal profession is as despised as it is. -- How do you know when a lawyer is lying? ... His or her lips move. LOL.
Here's the truth:
"Trump is charged with abusing his presidential power by asking Ukraine’s leader to help investigate Biden at the same time his administration was withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in security aid. A second charge accuses Trump of obstructing Congress in its probe."
There were ten examples of obstruction of justice in the Mueller Report that Democrats failed to include as articles of impeachment. -- Ten examples that went unprosecuted due to a 'Justice' Department ruling that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, that is, remains above the law. Not to neglect to mention examples of Emoluments Clause violations by the Trump nazi currently making their way in the courts at a snail's pace. To say nothing of Trump's bribes of a porn star and former Playboy Playmate he allegedly had sex with for their silence during the 2016 election. List can go on and on.
The Associated Press reports:
"President Donald Trump’s legal team argued forcefully against the relevance of testimony from John Bolton Tuesday as they concluded their impeachment trial defense and the Senate braced for debate on whether to summon Trump’s former national security adviser and other witnesses into the trial. “This should end now, as quickly as possible,” White House counsel Pat Cipollone declared, capping a defense presentation that painted Trump as a victim and took dismissive swipes at Bolton, the potential witness who has scrambled Republican hopes for a swift end to the trial. A day after the defense team largely brushed past Bolton, attorney Jay Sekulow addressed the controversy head-on by dismissing his manuscript — said to contradict a key defense argument about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine — as “inadmissible.” The argument was meant to dissuade Republicans from pursuing witnesses including Bolton, who writes in a forthcoming book that Trump told him he wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine until it helped with investigations into Democratic rival Joe Biden. “It is not a game of leaks and unsourced manuscripts,” Sekulow said. The argument built on a separate one Monday night from Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz, who said that nothing in the manuscript — even if true — rises to the level of an impeachable offense. Sekulow also sought to undermine the credibility of Bolton’s book by noting that Attorney General William Barr has disputed comments attributed to him by Bolton."
Blatant sophistry. Unbridled desperation. Unadulterated bullshit:
"The legal team, in hours of arguments, delved into areas that Democrats see as outside the scope of impeachment, alleging law enforcement bias and seizing on surveillance errors the FBI has acknowledged making in its Russian election interference probe. Trump’s attorneys also argued that the Founding Fathers took care to make sure that impeachment was narrowly defined, with offenses clearly enumerated. “The bar for impeachment cannot be set this low,” Sekulow said. “Danger. Danger. Danger. These articles must be rejected. The Constitution requires it. Justice demands it.”
That's all you disingenuous shyster bastards have? Blatant sophistry.
"The case now moves toward written questions, with senators on both sides getting 16 hours to pose queries. By late in the week, they are expected to hold a vote on whether or not to hear from any witnesses. While scoffing at the manuscript, Trump and the Republicans have strongly resisted summoning Bolton to testify in person about what he saw and heard as Trump’s top national security adviser."
Imagine that.
"Senate Republicans spent two days behind closed doors discussing ideas to satisfy those who want to hear more testimony without prolonging the proceedings -or jeopardizing the president’s expected acquittal. The ideas appear to be losing steam as quickly as they emerge. One Republican, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, was floating an idea backed by Sen. Lindsey Graham to subpoena Bolton’s book manuscript so senators can see the evidence themselves — in private. However, Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, called the proposal, which would keep Bolton out of public testimony, “absurd.” “We’re not bargaining with them. We want four witnesses, and four sets of documents, then the truth will come out,” Schumer said. Added Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee and the lead Democratic prosecutor in the trial: “I don’t see how the oath of impartiality can be interpreted in any other way than demanding a fair trial that includes witnesses and documents.”
No kidding.
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.
1-31-20
Pompeo, -- clone of his fuhrer, the Trump nazi? NPR reports:
"One day after a contentious interview that was followed by an expletive-filled verbal lashing of NPR host Mary Louise Kelly, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is publicly accusing her of lying to him — "twice." In a statement released by the State Department on Saturday, Pompeo says Kelly first lied "in setting up our interview." He does not explain how and offers no evidence. In their recorded interview from Friday, the nation's top diplomat declined to respond when Kelly asked whether he owed an apology to Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. She was ousted from that post last year after allies of President Trump accused her of disloyalty. "I agreed to come on your show today," Pompeo replied, "to talk about Iran."
Although American correspondents and show hosts are way too passive confronting stonewalling officials they're attempting to interview, Kelly took no crap from this disingenuous, lying piece of human excrement:
"Kelly pushed back, telling Pompeo, "I confirmed with your staff last night that I would talk about Iran and Ukraine." She later said she specifically flagged her intention to do so in writing, noting, "I never agree to take any topics off the table." Pompeo asserts Kelly again lied "in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record." That unrecorded conversation took place when the Pompeo aide who cut off the formal interview summoned Kelly to the secretary's private living room. Kelly told her All Things Considered co-host Ari Shapiro on Friday that Pompeo, who had walked out of the interview only after "he leaned in, glared at me," was waiting for her in his private quarters. "He shouted at me for about the same amount of time as the [9-minute] interview itself had lasted," Kelly told Shapiro. "He was not happy to have been questioned about Ukraine. He asked, 'Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?' He used the F-word in that sentence and many others."
Apparently, the Secretary of State is taking lessons from his fuhrer, the Trump nazi in how to behave like an achingly clueless asshole:
"Pompeo then had a pop quiz for Kelly, a veteran national security correspondent who has reported from China, Russia and, most recently, Iran. "He asked if I could find Ukraine on a map; I said yes," she continued. "He called out for his aides to bring him a map of the world with no writing, no countries marked. I pointed to Ukraine. He put the map away. He said, 'People will hear about this.' "
Should have asked the haughty son of a bitch if he knew where to wipe his ass.
"Contrary to Pompeo's claim, Kelly said she did not agree that their conversation would be off the record. She said that while the staffer who led her to Pompeo's private quarters had stipulated that she not bring a recorder, "she did not say we were off the record, nor would I have agreed." In his statement on Saturday, Pompeo further berates Kelly. "It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency," he writes. "This is another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this Administration. It is no wonder that the American people distrust many in the media when they so consistently demonstrate their agenda and their absence of integrity."
Aren't you talking about yourself, fellow Trump henchmen, and the nazi dictator himself?
"He ends the statement with an assertion that appears to falsely imply Kelly was unable to locate Ukraine on a map. "It is worth noting," he concludes with no further explanation, "that Bangladesh is NOT Ukraine." Five Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — ranking member Bob Menendez of New Jersey; Cory Booker, also of New Jersey; Ed Markey of Massachusetts; Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Tim Kaine of Virginia — responded caustically on Saturday to Pompeo's statement. "We write to express our profound disappointment and concern regarding your irresponsible statement this morning about NPR Reporter Mary Louise Kelly and the corrosive effects of your behavior on American values and standing in the world," the senators wrote in a letter to Pompeo. "At a time when journalists around the world are being jailed for their reporting — and as in the case of Jamal Khashoggi, killed — your insulting and contemptuous comments are beneath the office of the Secretary of State."
Truly shows how increasingly desperate Trump and his henchmen are becoming as the walls close in.
"NPR Senior Vice President for News Nancy Barnes issued a statement on Saturday supporting Kelly. "Mary Louise Kelly has always conducted herself with the utmost integrity," Barnes writes, "and we stand behind this report." And in a Saturday interview with All Things Considered, NPR President and CEO John Lansing also came to Kelly's defense. "Mary Louise Kelly is one of the most respected, truthful, factual, professional and ethical journalists in the United States, and that's known by the entire press corps," Lansing told host Michel Martin. "And I stand behind her and I stand behind the NPR newsroom, and the statement from the secretary of state is blatantly false." Lansing allowed that tensions can and do arise when journalists ask officials hard questions. "But this goes well beyond tension — this goes toward intimidation," Lansing said. "And let me just say this: We will not be intimidated. Mary Louise Kelly won't be intimidated, and NPR won't be intimidated."
Saddest of all? NPR and other American news sources are nowhere near as pointed in their interviews with recalcitrant assholes in government as the BBC is in its handling of such situations. When the pieces of shit are lying like hell, the only way to get at the truth is to figuratively 'take no prisoners.' That is, lay it bare. Emulate a prosecutor. Kelly came nowhere close to doing precisely that. Yet, Pompeo went ballistic. LOL.
Low class trash demonstrably show their true colors. Glaring lack of pedigree. NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump took a moment from presenting his plan for peace in the Middle East on Tuesday to praise his secretary of state — for blasting an NPR reporter. "That reporter couldn't have done too good a job on you yesterday. I think you did a good job on her, actually," Trump told a chuckling Mike Pompeo during his speech at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump was referring to an interview Pompeo did with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly last week, which he cut off after she pressed him on why he has never publicly defended former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. After Pompeo abruptly ended the interview, an aide called Kelly back to Pompeo's private living room where the correspondent said he "shouted" and "used the F word." "He was not happy to have been questioned about Ukraine. He asked, 'Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?' He used the F word in that sentence, and many others," Kelly said in a statement afterwards. Pompeo claimed Kelly "lied to me" by asking about Ukraine instead of Iran, and maintained that their exchange afterward was off the record, which Kelly denies."
Pompeo, like his fuhrer the Trump nazi, is a liar.
"Emails between NPR and the State Department obtained by the Washington Post from before the sitdown show Kelly agreed the bulk of the interview would be about Iran — which it was — but noted that she'd also ask about Ukraine. "And who knows what the news gods will serve up overnight. I never agree to take anything off the table," the email reads. Trump made the comment after Pompeo got a loud round of applause for what Trump said was his "hard work" on the proposed peace deal. The president then noted Pompeo's earlier flirtation with running for the Senate in Kansas. "Are you running for Senate? I guess the answer’s no, after that," Trump quipped."
What a piece of shit. An embarrassment to himself, the Oval Office, and the United States.
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.
1-31-20
A delusional narcissist. The Associated Press reports:
"President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East peace plan Tuesday, calling for the creation of a State of Palestine with its capital in portions of east Jerusalem, saying it is a “win-win” opportunity for both Israel and the Palestinians."
Think so?
"The plan calls for the creation of a State of Palestine with its capital in portions of east Jerusalem, ending speculation as to whether his administration, in preparing a proposal without input from Palestinian leaders, would abandon a “two-state resolution” to the conflict. Trump, releasing the plan before a pro-Israel audience at the White House with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, acknowledged that he has done a lot for Israel, but he said he wanted the deal to be a “great deal for the Palestinians.” Trump said the deal is a “historic opportunity” for Palestinians to achieve an independent state of their own."
A 'deal' achingly lopsided in favor of the Israeli aggressor.
"The plan more than doubles the territory currently under Palestinian control, although it also recognizes Israeli sovereignty over major settlement blocs in the West Bank, something to which the Palestinians will almost certainly object. The Palestinians have already rejected the proposal, accusing Trump of being biased in favor of Israel as he has adopted policies that bolster Israel at their expense."
Certainly, true. No question.
"The plan does call for a four-year freeze in new Israeli settlement construction, during which time details of a comprehensive agreement would be negotiated. However, it was not immediately clear if the freeze could be extended if a final deal is not concluded in the four years. The 50-page political outline goes further in concessions to the Palestinians than many analysts had believed was likely. However, it would require them to accept conditions they have been previously unwilling to consider, such as accepting West Bank settlements. It builds on a 30-page economic plan for the West Bank and Gaza that was unveiled last June and which the Palestinians have also rejected."
For damned good reason.
"Under the terms of the “peace vision” that Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has been working on for nearly three years, the future Palestinian state would consist of the West Bank and Gaza, connected by a combination of above-ground roads and tunnels. Netanyahu and his main political challenger in March elections, Benny Gantz, had signed off on the plan."
Why wouldn't they? Favors the Israeli aggressor at the expense of the Palestinians. So what else is new?
Here's the problem:
"In the run-up to the March 2 election, Netanyahu had called for annexing parts of the West Bank and imposing Israeli sovereignty on all its settlements there. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Jordan Valley in particular is considered a vital security asset. Security responsibility for the Jordan Valley would remain in Israel’s hands for the foreseeable future but could be scaled back as the nascent Palestinian state builds its capacity, under the terms of the plan, which says that statehood will be contingent on the Palestinians meeting international governance criteria."
Why would Palestinians agree to this?
Wishful thinking based on fantasy:
"U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the plan’s release, said they expected negative responses from the Palestinians, as well as Turkey and Iran, but were hopeful that Jordan and Egypt, the only two Arab nations to have peace treaties with Israel, would not reject it outright. The officials said they expected Gulf Arab states like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and others to cautiously welcome the plan. The reaction of Jordan, which would retain its responsibilities over Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque under the plan, will be particularly significant, according to the officials, who said Kushner and others were reaching out to Arab leaders ahead of the rollout."
Here's the reality:
"The Palestinians see the West Bank as the heartland of a future independent state and east Jerusalem as their capital. Most of the international community supports their position, but Trump has reversed decades of U.S. foreign policy by siding more blatantly with Israel. The centerpiece of his strategy was recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the American Embassy there. He’s also closed Palestinian diplomatic offices in Washington and cut funding to Palestinian aid programs."
Precisely, why the Palestinians walked away from the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"Those policies have proven popular among Trump’s evangelical and pro-Israel supporters and could give him a much-needed boost from his base as he gears up for a reelection battle this year. But the Palestinians refuse to even speak to Trump and they called on support from Arab leaders. The Palestinian leadership also has encouraged protests in the West Bank, raising fears that the announcement in Washington could spark a new round of violence. Ahead of the announcement, the Israeli military said it was reinforcing infantry troops along the Jordan Valley."
Expect less of the Israeli aggressor?
In a second article, The Associated Press reports:
"President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East plan Tuesday, winning immediate praise from a beaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but a swift rejection from the Palestinians, who called it “nonsense.”
Surprised?
"Trump’s plan calls for the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, but it falls far short of minimal Palestinian demands and would leave sizable chunks of the occupied West Bank in Israeli hands."
Deal breaker.
"Netanyahu said he would move forward on Sunday and ask his Cabinet to approve plans to annex West Bank territory — an explosive move that is likely to be met with harsh international reaction."
No question.
"Trump called his plan a “win-win” for both Israel and the Palestinians, and Netanyahu called it a “great plan for Israel.” At a speech in the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the plan as “nonsense.” “We say 1,000 no’s to the Deal of the Century,” Abbas said, using a nickname for Trump’s proposal. “We will not kneel and we will not surrender,” he said, adding that the Palestinians would resist the plan through “peaceful, popular means.”
Worse? The 'plan' ensures continued violence.
Following speaks volumes:
"With Netanyahu standing beside him, Trump presented the plan at a White House ceremony filled with other Israeli officials and allies, including evangelical Christian leaders and wealthy Republican donors but no Palestinian representatives."
Surprised? Why? With the deck stacked against the Palestinians from the outset, what other outcome could be expected?
"The ceremony came amid Trump’s impeachment trial and a U.S. election year, and after Netanyahu was indicted on counts of fraud, breach of trust and bribery in three separate cases. The longtime Israeli leader, who denies any wrongdoing, also faces a March 2 parliamentary election, Israel’s third in less than a year."
Trump and Netanyahu? Two peas in a pod.
Here's why the 'plan' is dead on arrival:
"The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem — areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war — for an independent state and the removal of more than 700,000 Israeli settlers from these areas. But as details emerged, it became clear that the plan sides heavily with Netanyahu’s hard-line nationalist vision for the region and shunts aside many of the Palestinians’ core demands."
... A national socialist Israeli aggressor "vision." Forget? Trump and Netanyahu are marching in goose step. Trump, his henchmen, and the United States are no honest brokers of peace in the Middle East. Sadly, quite the opposite.
"Under the terms of the “peace vision” that Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has been working on for nearly three years, all settlers would remain in place, and Israel would retain sovereignty over all of its settlements as well as the strategic Jordan Valley."
Unworkable. Unsustainable. Ensures no end to the violence.
Here's the reality:
"The proposed Palestinian state would also include more than a dozen Israeli “enclaves” with the entity’s borders monitored by Israel. In addition, the areas of east Jerusalem offered to the Palestinians consist of poor, crowded neighborhoods located behind a hulking concrete separation barrier."
The following is galling, pathetic bullshit. No more than a congenital liar at his haughty worst:
"Trump acknowledged that he has done a lot for Israel, but he said he wanted the deal to be a “great deal for the Palestinians.” He said his vision gives the Palestinians the time needed for them to meet the challenges of statehood."
The following ensures the continuation of violence:
"The only concession the plan appears to demand of Israel is a four-year freeze on the establishment of new Israeli settlements in certain areas of the West Bank. But Netanyahu clarified later that this only applied to areas where there are no settlements and Israel has no immediate plans to annex, and that he considered the plan to impose no limitations on construction."
Think this will end well?
"Thousands of Palestinians protested in Gaza City ahead of the announcement, burning pictures of Trump and Netanyahu and raising a banner reading “Palestine is not for sale.”
Precisely, how Trump and his henchmen have cluelessly approached this fiasco:
"Trump said he sent a letter to Abbas to tell him that the territory that the plan has set aside for a new Palestinian state will remain open and undeveloped for four years. “It’s going to work,” Trump said. “If they do this, it will work. Your response to this historic opportunity will show the world to what extent you are ready to lead the Palestinian people to statehood.” “President Abbas, I want you to know, that if you chose the path to peace, America and many other countries ... we will be there to help you in so many different ways. And we will be there every step of the way,” Trump said."
You remain a liar, Mr. 'President.' The Palestinians know this. So does the American public. So do your goose stepping Republican supporters. The bloom certainly is long since off the rose.
"The 50-page plan builds on a 30-page economic plan for the West Bank and Gaza that was unveiled last June and which the Palestinians have also rejected. The plan envisions a future Palestinian state consisting of the West Bank and Gaza, connected by a combination of roads and tunnels. It also would give small areas of southern Israel to the Palestinians as compensation for lost West Bank land. But the many caveats, and ultimate overall Israeli control, made the deal a nonstarter for the Palestinians. Netanyahu and his main political challenger in March elections, Benny Gantz, had signed off on the plan."
Why wouldn't they? Benefits only the Israelis. Ensures the Palestinians will remain under the boot heel of the Israeli aggressor:
“Mr. President, because of this historic recognition and because I believe your peace plan strikes the right balance where other plans have failed,” Netanyahu said. “I’ve agreed to negotiate peace with the Palestinians on the basis of your peace plan. It’s a great plan for Israel. It’s a great plan for peace.”
It ensures the Palestinians will remain under the boot heel of the Israeli aggressor. Worse? The violence will continue.
"Arab League chief, Ahmed Abuel-Gheit said the Palestinian reaction would define the Arab response. He spoke after meeting with Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. The reaction of Jordan, which would retain its responsibilities over Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque under the plan, is particularly significant, according to the officials, who said Kushner and others were reaching out to Arab leaders ahead of the rollout. The Palestinians see the West Bank as the heartland of a future independent state and east Jerusalem as their capital. Most of the international community supports their position, but Trump has reversed decades of U.S. foreign policy by siding more blatantly with Israel. The centerpiece of his strategy was recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the American Embassy there. He’s also closed Palestinian diplomatic offices in Washington and cut funding to Palestinian aid programs. Those policies have proven popular among Trump’s evangelical and pro-Israel supporters. But the Palestinians refuse to even speak to Trump and they called on support from Arab leaders. The Palestinian leadership also has encouraged protests in the West Bank, raising fears of a new round of violence. Ahead of the announcement, the Israeli military said it was reinforcing infantry troops along the Jordan Valley."
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.
1-31-20
The following is precisely why the growing cancer of national socialism, i.e. fascism, nazism in our formerly great country must be vigorously challenged. The Associated Press reports:
"Survivors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp prayed and wept as they marked the 75th anniversary of its liberation, returning Monday to the place where they lost entire families and warning about the ominous growth of anti-Semitism and hatred in the world. “We have with us the last living survivors, the last among those who saw the Holocaust with their own eyes,” Polish President Andrzej Duda told those at the commemoration, which included the German president as well as Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders. “The magnitude of the crime perpetrated in this place is terrifying, but we must not look away from it and we must never forget it,” Duda said."
History is indeed repeating itself. We, in the United States, politically, are about where Nazi Germany was in 1933 when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor.
"About 200 camp survivors attended, many of them elderly Jews and non-Jews who traveled from Israel, the United States, Australia, Peru, Russia, Slovenia and elsewhere. Many lost parents and grandparents in Auschwitz or other Nazi death camps during World War II, but were joined by children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. They gathered under an enormous, heated tent straddling the train tracks that had transported people to Birkenau, the part of the vast complex where most of the murdered Jews were killed in gas chambers and then cremated. Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet army on Jan. 27, 1945."
No words can adequately describe the horror.
"Ronald Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress, brought the crowd to tears with the story of a survivor who was separated from his family: The man watched watched his young daughter, in a red coat, walk to her death, turning into a small red dot in the distance before disappearing forever. After the end of the war, when “the world finally saw pictures of gas chambers, nobody in their right mind wanted to be associated with the Nazis,” he recalled. “But now I see something I never thought I would see in my lifetime, the open and brazen spread of anti-Jewish hatred.” “Do not be silent! Do not be complacent! Do not let this ever happen again – to any people!” Lauder said. As a Jewish survivor recited Hebrew prayers for the dead, the crowd bowed their heads or wiped away tears. Clergymen of other faiths also prayed. Then, with the famous gate and barbed wire illuminated in the dark and cold evening, guests marched in a procession to place candles at a memorial to the victims set amid the remains of the gas chambers. Most of the 1.1 million people murdered by the Nazi German forces at the camp were Jews, but other Poles, Russians and Roma were imprisoned and killed there.
"On the eve of the commemorations, survivors, many leaning on their children and grandchildren for support, walked through the camp where they had been brought in on cattle cars and suffered hunger and illness and came close to death. They said they were there to remember, to share their histories with others and to make a gesture of defiance toward those who had sought their destruction. “I have no graves to go to and I know my parents were murdered here and burned. So this is how I pay homage to them,” said Yvonne Engelman, a 92-year-old Australian who was joined by three more generations now scattered around the globe. She recalled being brought in from a ghetto in what was then Czechoslovakia by cattle car, being stripped of her clothes, shaved and put in a gas chamber. By some miracle, the gas chamber did not work that day, and she later survived slave labor and a death march. A 96-year-old survivor, Jeanette Spiegel, was 20 when she was brought to Auschwitz, where she spent nine months. Today she lives in New York and is fearful of rising anti-Semitic violence in the United States. “I think they pick on the Jews because we are such a small minority and it is easy to pick on us,” she said, fighting back tears. “Young people should understand that nothing is for sure, that some terrible things can happen and they have to be very careful. And that, God forbid, what happened to the Jewish people then should never be repeated.”
Nor to anyone else. Precisely, why it is absolutely necessary to vigorously, tirelessly challenge the growing cancer of national socialism, fascism, nazism perpetrated by the Extreme Right in 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.
1-31-20
A Republican nazi 5-4 majority on the U.S. Supreme Court is certainly an exceptionally pernicious step back in history. To a far darker time. NBC News reports:
"The Supreme Court issued an order Monday allowing the Trump administration to begin enforcing new limits on immigrants who are considered likely to become overly dependent on government benefit programs."
Readers are reminded our UNDOCUMENTED forebears came to this country centuries ago, STOLE it from its native inhabitants, then BROKE every goddamned treaty signed.
"The court acted on a vote of 5-4. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan said they would have left a lower court ruling in place that blocked enforcement while a legal challenge works its way through the courts. The Department of Homeland Security announced in August that it would expand the definition of "public charge," to be applied to people whose immigration to the United States could be denied because of a concern that they would primarily depend on the government for their income. In the past, that was largely based on an assessment that an immigrant would be dependent upon cash benefits. But the Trump administration proposed to broaden the definition to include noncash benefits, such as Medicaid, supplemental nutrition and federal housing assistance."
Raw nazism. Courtesy of the criminal charlatan currently occupying the Oval Office.
"Anyone who would be likely to require that broader range of help for more than 12 months in any three-year period would be swept into the expanded definition. But in response to a lawsuit filed by New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New York City and immigrant aid groups, a federal judge in New York imposed a nationwide injunction, blocking the government from enforcing the broader rule. Congress never meant to consider the kind of time limit the government proposed, the judge said, and the test has always been whether an immigrant would become primarily dependent on cash benefits. The government has long had authority to block immigrants who were likely to become public charges, but the term has never been formally defined. The DHS proposed to fill that void, adding noncash benefits and such factors as age, financial resources, employment history, education and health. DHS official Ken Cuccinelli said the proposed rules would reinforce "the ideals of self-sufficiency and personal responsibility, ensuring that immigrants are able to support themselves and become successful here in America."
The top of the food chain, to line its bottomless pockets, has already long-since self-servingly changed the financial system to zero-sum, winner-take-all for the citizenery. Comes as no surprise it is now more strictly imposed on immigrants, does it?
"Two federal appeals courts — the 9th Circuit in the West and the 4th Circuit in the Mid-Atlantic — declined to block the new rule. They noted that the law allows designating someone as inadmissible if "in the opinion of" the secretary of Homeland Security, that person would be "likely at any time to become a public charge," which the courts said gives the government broad authority."
Indeed, carte blanche to f--k over any and all it pleases.
"The Trump administration urged the Supreme Court to lift the nationwide injunction imposed by the New York trial judge, given that two appeals courts have come to the opposite conclusion. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas said Monday that district court judges have been issuing nationwide injunctions much more often. They called on their colleagues to review the practice, which they said has spread "chaos for the litigants, the government, the courts, and all those affected by these conflicting decisions." But the challengers of the public charge rule urged the justices to keep the stay in place. They said lifting it now, while the legal battle is still being waged, "would inject confusion and uncertainty" to the immigration system and could deter millions of noncitizens from applying for public benefits."
... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms as our formerly great country transitions from the de facto fascist police-state we've lived in since 9/11 (USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, etc., gutlessly passed by both major political parties), 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.
1-31-20
No prison time for the outrageously corrupt and abusive corporate management suite. The Associated Press reports:
"Federal regulators have slapped former Wells Fargo Chief Executive John Stumpf with a $17.5 million fine for his role in the bank’s sales practices scandal. Stumpf also accepted a lifetime ban from the banking industry."
Why isn't his criminal ass in prison?
"Along with its fine against Stumpf, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced Thursday it was suing five other former Wells Fargo executives for a combined total of $37.5 million for their roles in the bank’s poor practices. Two other executives also settled with regulators, paying million-dollar fines as well."
Why weren't their sorry, thieving asses criminally prosecuted? Residing in prison?
The following is nowhere near enough:
"This is the first time regulators have punitively punished individual executives for Wells Fargo’s wrongdoing. The San Francisco-based bank has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and penalties for encouraging employees to open up millions of fake accounts in order to meet unrealistic sales goals. Executives like Stumpf did give up tens of millions of dollars in bonuses and pay, but those actions were taken by Wells Fargo itself."
No justice.
"In its investigation, regulators laid the blame of Wells Fargo’s failures directly at the feet of its former management in its suit against the executives. As part of their settlements and lawsuits against these Wells’ executives, regulators seek to ban all of them from ever working in the banking industry again."
Why aren't they residing in prison the rest of their lives? All assets forfeited?
“The root cause of the sales practices misconduct problem was the Community Bank’s business model, which imposed intentionally unreasonable sales goals and unreasonable pressure on its employees to meet those goals and fostered an atmosphere that perpetuated improper and illegal conduct,” the OCC said in its complaint. “Community Bank management intimidated and badgered employees to meet unattainable sales goals year after year, including by monitoring employees daily or hourly and reporting their sales performance to their managers, subjecting employees to hazing-like abuse, and threatening to terminate and actually terminating employees for failure to meet the goals.”
No more than organized crime.
"The highest profile former executive regulators are also suing is Carrie Tolstedt, who was head of Wells Fargo’s community banking business until her resignation in 2016. Tolstedt was the executive most directly in charge of Wells’ consumer bank, and has been largely blamed for Wells’ poor banking culture. The OCC sued Tolstedt for $25 million for her role in the bank’s scandal, a suit that Tolstedt’s lawyers say they intend to fight. Stumpf’s fine of $17.5 million is less than Tolstedt because Stumpf settled with regulators. “Throughout her career, Ms. Tolstedt acted with the utmost integrity and concern for doing the right thing,” said Enu Mainigi, a lawyer who represents Tolstedt. “A full and fair examination of the facts will vindicate Carrie.”
How much were you paid, Counselor?
"The two other executives who settled and will pay a fine include Hope Hardison, the bank’s top human resources executive, and Michael Loughlin, who was the bank’s chief risk officer. Hardison will pay a $2.25 million fine and Loughlin will pay a $1.25 million fine."
Insult to injury? Height of hypocrisy?
"Wells Fargo, which has cycled through two permanent CEOs and a host of interim ones since the scandal occurred, agreed with the government’s decision. “The OCC’s actions are consistent with my belief that we should hold ourselves and individuals accountable,” said Charlie Scharf, who became Wells Fargo’s CEO late last year. “They also are consistent with our belief that significant parts of the operating model of our Community Bank were flawed.”
LOL.
... Hey, Amanda? Been informed you're no longer at the Kingsland branch. Care to confirm?
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.
1-24-20
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.
American gulags. NBC News reports:
"A group of 45 Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday demanding the agency release all transgender migrants in its custody. “This already vulnerable population faces a heightened and unique set of injustices while in immigration detention,” the letter stated. “Transgender migrants and asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment, solitary confinement, physical assault, and medical neglect. At least two transgender migrants have died in ICE custody in the past two years. Roxsana Hernandez Rodriguez, a Honduran, died of complications from untreated HIV in 2018. Rodriguez did not receive antiretroviral therapy while in ICE custody, despite guidelines mandating that all detainees receive the minimum standard of care, which for HIV infection is ARV therapy. Last year, another HIV-positive transgender migrant, Johana Medina León from El Salvador, died shortly after being released from ICE custody, where she had requested medical assistance. After León died last summer, Kris Hayashi, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, called the two deaths “a direct result of U.S. government policy, and will continue unless we force dramatic change."
Need to start prosecuting these criminal jackbooted bastards in uniform.
"Advocates have long accused ICE of improper treatment of LGBTQ migrants, particularly after Hernandez died from a rare, AIDS-related illness at its Cibola detention center in New Mexico. The Cibola unit — touted by the agency as its premiere detention facility for trans migrants — failed to treat Hernandez’s diagnosed HIV infection for 12 days, despite what ICE has claimed is a maximum 24-hour turnaround on sick-call requests."
Unless and until these bastards are criminally prosecuted for neglect, nothing will change.
"The 45 lawmakers in their letter claim that none of ICE’s detention centers — including Cibola — are contracted specifically for housing trans inmates, a requirement set by ICE’s 2015 transgender detention standards. Speaking on background, a congressional staffer noted that at Cibola, ICE’s “compliance is currently voluntary and their standards could slip at any time with no repercussions.” The letter notes that the “pervasive use of solitary confinement has caused particular harm to transgender migrants in detention.” “ICE consistently utilizes solitary confinement for so-called protective purposes or violates its own guidance by using segregation as punishment, placing transgender people at risk of physical and mental health deterioration and vulnerability to sexual assault by ICE guards,” the letter states."
No greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than all levels and branches of American government.
"Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., spearheaded the effort to demand the release of transgender migrants. In a press release shared with NBC News, he said if “ICE cannot provide appropriate and humane accommodations for these migrants, they must release them from detention.”
ICE does as it pleases. Trump and his henchmen are the problem. Direct cause of all this abuse.
“Immigrants who have faced fear and violence in their pursuit of a new life in the United States should not be confronted with more fear and threats of violence when they arrive at our borders,” he stated. “Unfortunately, too often, that is exactly what many transgender immigrants face when placed in ICE detention facilities.”
Precisely, the intention of Trump, his henchmen, and the rest of the Nazi Right in our formerly great country.
"Immigration Equality, an advocacy group dedicated to LGBTQ immigrants, called the two deaths “tragic examples of the consequences of ICE’s mistreatment,” and endorsed the demands of the 45 lawmakers: “Transgender immigrants are not safe in ICE custody and must be released.” “After fleeing horrific persecution in their countries of origin, our transgender clients seek protection in the U.S.,” Bridget Crawford, legal director of Immigration Equality, said. “However, rather than finding safety, our clients are routinely subjected to shocking mistreatment in immigration detention facilities, including sexual assault and harassment, medical neglect and prolonged solitary confinement as a purported means of ‘protecting’ transgender people from abuse.”
Yet, no one is prosecuted. Quite the contrary. Protected and coddled.
"The lawmakers’ letter requests a detailed ICE plan by Jan. 27 outlining compliance, and requests semi-monthly updates to “demonstrate such compliance.”
Unless ICE is criminally prosecuted for its crimes, nothing will change. Expect worse. Far worse.
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.
1-24-20
Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.
Raw nazism. The Associated Press reports:
"One month after winning her release from immigration detention, a transgender woman from El Salvador was arrested and taken back to the same jail because the U.S. government is appealing the judge’s decision, the woman’s lawyers said Friday."
Expect better of the Trump nazi and his henchmen? Why?
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement re-arrested the trans woman Monday during what her lawyers expected would be a routine check-in. She suffers from seizures as well as symptoms of a traumatic brain injury and had been released from the hospital days before the check-in, said Wes Brockway, a lawyer with the Santa Fe Dreamers Project. She since suffered another seizure Tuesday, Brockway said."
Are taxpayers paying for her healthcare? Certainly, should be while jailed.
"The Associated Press is identifying the trans woman only by her first name, Joselin, because her lawyers say she faces the threat of violence and persecution if she is deported to El Salvador due to her transgender identity."
Trump and his henchmen couldn't care less.
The following is an ongoing problem across the country in all our jails and prisons:
"The case emerges as a group of congressional Democrats called on ICE to release transgender migrants “at risk of sexual abuse and assault” and to bring jails used to hold transgender detainees into compliance with current standards. “Transgender individuals face persecution that ranges from physical and sexual violence to other forms of mistreatment based on their gender identity and expression,” the lawmakers said. “This already vulnerable population faces a heightened and unique set of injustices while in immigration detention.”
Other than unbridled bigotry, why is this woman being detained? Especially, in light of the following:
"Brockway argued Joselin’s continued detention is unnecessary because she had a place to stay and was not a flight risk. ICE did not respond to requests for comment Thursday and Friday. Joselin is being held at the Cibola County Correctional Center in rural Milan, New Mexico, which has a special ICE unit for transgender detainees. ICE has said it made a significant investment when it opened the section for transgender inmates, known as Unit 900. Milan is 70 miles (113 kilometers) from Albuquerque. The agency also says it provides screenings and round-the-clock medical care."
Reporters need to determine whether or not that's in fact true.
"Another transgender woman detained at Cibola County died in May 2018 at a hospital. A state autopsy found Roxsana Hernandez had a rare disorder that developed quickly due to AIDS. Hernandez’s family alleged that Hernandez had deep bruising on her ribs, contusions on her back, and injuries around her wrists likely caused by handcuffs. A second transgender woman, Johana Medina Leon, died in June shortly after her release from another facility in New Mexico. Brockway says Joselin was sexually and physically assaulted by a group of people in 2008 and was hospitalized for about two months in El Salvador. Since then, she has had intermittent seizures, bouts of asthma, and anxiety and depression."
Family stinks:
"Joselin originally crossed the border in 2012, apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol, and released, Brockway said. He said that when the family members serving as sponsors learned of her transgender identity, they did not want to keep her and eventually pressured her to return to El Salvador. She missed an immigration court hearing in the U.S. and had a removal order placed against her. According to Brockway, Joselin left El Salvador again in January 2019, arriving in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in April. She waited several weeks in Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, to request asylum along with thousands of other people under a U.S. government policy known as “metering,” which has required many people trying to seek asylum legally to wait in often-dangerous Mexican border cities. She was eventually admitted in May and sent to Cibola County. Due to her previous removal order, Joselin could not request asylum. Instead, an immigration judge approved her in December for withholding of removal, which requires a tougher standard than an asylum claim, Brockway said."
Under the Trump nazi, ICE remains out of control. Deliberately, determinedly so.
"ICE has since said they would detain her pending an appeal of the immigration judge’s decision, Brockway said. He intends to ask ICE to grant her medical parole. In the meantime, he said he was concerned for her health and safety, particularly after she had a seizure Tuesday. “She’s primarily relying on other individuals, other trans women, to keep a watchful eye on her,” he said. “She’s relying on them to call the attention of the guards when these seizures are happening. Those are not appropriate conditions for someone in her situation.”
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.
1-24-20
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.
TSA remains egregiously out of control. The Washington Post reports:
"The Transportation Security Administration apologized to a traveler at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, who used her social media platform to call out the “unacceptable behavior” she faced Monday from a TSA agent who mimicked using her braided hair as reins during a security pat-down."
Certainly, pulled this shit on the wrong person. Will likely wind up paying dearly for it.
"Tara Houska is an attorney and indigenous rights activist who was in Minnesota to protest the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project. She had flown from Washington, D.C., where she participated in the Fire Drill Friday climate protest. On Twitter, Houska spoke about her treatment at the security checkpoint. “Going through @TSA at @mspairport, the agent said she needed to pat down my braids. She pulled them behind my shoulders, laughed & said “giddyup!” as she snapped my braids like reins,” she wrote."
Jesus Christ. Give me a break.
"It has long been an issue that women of color face in going through TSA checkpoints, where hair worn in braided, twisted or natural styles leads to flags on scanners that prompt agents to pull them aside for more invasive screenings. It was even addressed in an “Ask TSA” response about hair pat-downs in the case that the “hair area alarms for a potential explosive” or when someone’s “hair looks like it could contain a prohibited item or is styled in a way an officer cannot visually clear it.” “My hair sets off those scanners always, like pretty much every single time,” Houska says. “That’s something I’m very used to, and my hair has been patted down hundreds and hundreds of times.”
Agents get their cookies off abusing power.
"In a statement, the agency said: “TSA was made aware of allegations made by a traveler about her screening experience at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Monday morning. TSA officials investigated the incident and on Tuesday afternoon, TSA Federal Security Director for Minnesota Cliff Van Leuven spoke with the traveler. He apologized for actions and a comment that were insensitive and made by a TSA officer to the traveler during the screening experience.” “TSA holds its employees to the highest standards of professional conduct and any type of improper behavior is taken seriously,” the statement continued. In a letter to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (also known by code MSP) staff Tuesday, Van Leuven confirmed the incident took place. “Did it actually happen? Yes. Exactly as described? Yes.” He described the agent’s behavior as “insensitive” during the screening and said he spoke with and apologized to Houska directly for the treatment she endured. Van Leuven said Houska wasn’t seeking discipline for the agent involved but rather wanted the incident to be a learning opportunity for TSA to “educate staff about the many Native American Tribes/Bands in our state and region to better understand their culture.” Houska said TSA extended an offer for her to come speak to agents or do a training video on sensitivity toward indigenous issues, which she plans to accept."
Certainly, be a wake up call for agents.
“We all make mistakes,” Van Leuven said. “Treating the public we are sworn to serve and protect with dignity and respect is our calling — every passenger, every day. We’ll learn from this.”
Better vetting of personnel during the hiring process is certainly required.
"Houska acknowledged the apology on Twitter and was emphatic that training be taken seriously. Her takeaway is that she wants people to show more empathy toward one another and to highlight the poor treatment indigenous people continue to face to this day. “I really, really hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else moving forward,” she wrote."
This crap goes on because it's tolerated.
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.
1-24-20
Another example of raw nazism. NBC News reports:
"David Holden, the president of a small synagogue in rural Michigan, had never heard of The Base until his house of worship was defaced last fall. Vandals targeted Temple Jacob, one of the oldest continuously operating synagogues in the state, by spray-painting swastikas and two SS bolts in black, and authorities believed that members of The Base, a neo-Nazi network, were behind the anti-Semitic graffiti. The jarring incident came flooding back to Holden after he learned of the arrests Thursday of three alleged members of the group in a separate case on the East Coast, which has put a renewed focus on the largely decentralized movement spanning chapters in North America and around the world. The FBI's pursuit of alleged members of the group widened, with authorities in Georgia announcing charges Friday against three additional men accused of belonging to The Base and plotting to overthrow the government and murder a couple. Luke Austin Lane, 21; Michael John Helterbrand, 25; and Jacob Kaderli, 19, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and participation in a criminal gang, according to police in Floyd County. Investigators said the men targeted a couple because Lane, Helterbrand and Kaderli suspected them of being active in the liberal antifa movement. A fourth man was also arrested this week in connection with The Base."
Hundreds of thousands of our best and brightest were killed in action fighting this cancer. Second World War European Theater.
"Yousef Omar Barasneh, 22, from Wisconsin, allegedly traveled to Silver Creek, Georgia, in September to train with other members of The Base, including those arrested Thursday. According to the criminal complaint, Barasneh conspired to vandalize minority-owned properties in what the group called "Operation Kristallnacht," a reference to night raids conducted by German Nazis against Jewish homes and businesses in 1938. Members of The Base allegedly spray-painted at least one synagogue in Racine, Wisconsin, with swastikas and anti-Semitic language, officials said. Authorities suspect the case is linked to the one at Temple Jacob. "We welcome the arrests," Holden said Friday. "As a first-hand witness to their mischief-making, I can easily believe law enforcement has good reason to be concerned."
We all do. This ideology presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
"But experts who track hate groups say the vandalism in Michigan is merely a tamer example of the larger, apocalyptic vision that members harbor: Their ideology supports a race war against minorities and the establishing of white ethno-states. The group's name is the English translation of al Qaeda, according to The Soufan Group, a nonprofit security intelligence firm. "Just like al Qeada, The Base does not believe in any political solution to what they see as a threat to the white race," said Mollie Saltskog, an intelligence analyst with the firm. "Violence is the only option." Saltskog said that while the ideologies of a white supremacist group such as The Base and a jihadist organization such as al Qaeda appear disparate, their shared desire for bloodshed only incites their followers. "They feed off each other in a pretty sick way," she added."
Raw insanity.
"The Base, which took root about two years ago, maintains it is not a political organization and denies being a paramilitary group or militia with no formal membership or official leadership. Its membership numbers are unclear, but Saltskog said The Base's chapters extend beyond the United States and Canada, with support in Europe and Australia. One of those arrested in the U.S. this week is Canadian national Patrik Mathews, 27, who was allegedly a main recruiter for the group in Winnipeg. Mathews was a combat engineer in the Canadian Army Reserve, and his disappearance last summer put a spotlight on the group's efforts to attract new blood and its use of paramilitary training camps. Federal prosecutors say Mathews illegally crossed into Minnesota in August, and was picked up by two men from Maryland: Brian Lemley, Jr., 33, and William Bilbrough IV, 19. In December, Mathews and Lemley, a former cavalry scout in the U.S. Army, constructed a functioning assault rifle, according to an affidavit, and the men bought 1,650 rounds of ammunition this month and used the assault rifle at a Maryland gun range. Law enforcement officials said they moved in to arrest the men after learning they planned to attend the upcoming gun-rights rally at Virginia's state Capitol in Richmond. Gov. Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency for the event after receiving "credible intelligence" that armed militias and hate groups are expected to be present — increasing the potential for civil unrest at a gathering expected to draw thousands. Northam, whose decision to temporarily ban firearms at the Capitol was met with resistance from gun rights groups, is trying to avoid the same deadly violence that marked an alt-right and white nationalist rally in Charlottesville in 2017. The trio arrested this week face various federal charges, including transporting a machine gun and harboring an illegal alien. Their court-appointed attorneys could not be reached for comment Friday. The FBI said during its surveillance, the men communicated about The Base, its activities and membership."
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.
1-24-20
Justice? What's that? ABC News reports:
"Federal prosecutors are recommending a 25-year prison sentence for a Coast Guard lieutenant accused of stockpiling guns and targeting Supreme Court justices, prominent Democrats and TV journalists for attacks inspired by racist killers. But defense attorneys are seeking leniency for Christopher Hasson, disputing the government's claim that he is a domestic terrorist. Hasson’s lawyers are urging a federal judge in Maryland to spare him a prison term and sentence him to jail time served since his arrest and three years of supervised release. “Chris is eager to put this chapter behind him and try to rebuild his life,” his lawyers wrote last week in court filing ahead of his sentencing hearing. Hasson, 50, has pleaded guilty to gun and drug charges and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 31. Ahead of the hearing, the prosecutors and defense lawyers explained their sentencing recommendations in separate memos filed last week."
Here is the problem:
"Prosecutors say Hasson is a white nationalist intent on carrying out mass killings, but they filed no terrorism-related charges against him after his February 2019 arrest. “The defendant — inspired by racist murderers — stockpiled assault weapons, studied violence, and intended to exact retribution on minorities and those he considered traitors. But for the diligent actions of multiple federal law enforcement agencies, we now would be counting bodies of the defendant’s victims instead of years of the defendant’s prison time,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Windom wrote. Hasson’s lawyers provided the court with a report prepared by Stephen Hart, an expert in violence risk assessment. Hart examined the evidence cited by prosecutors and rejected their theory that Hasson intended to carry out an attack. “There is no plausible scenario whereby Mr. Hasson engages in violence that might threaten public safety or public order, including but not limited to mass casualty attacks or domestic terrorism," Hart wrote."
Think so? Consider the following:
"He researched how to make homemade bombs, studied sniper training and used his government computer to search for information about Nazis and Adolf Hitler, prosecutors said. In a 2017 letter he sent to himself as a draft and apparently wrote to a neo-Nazi leader, Hasson identified himself as a white nationalist for over 30 years and “advocated for 'focused violence' in order to establish a white homeland," according to prosecutors. Hasson appeared to be planning attacks inspired by the manifesto of Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian right-wing extremist who killed 77 people in a 2011 bomb-and-shooting rampage, prosecutors said. Hasson’s online history shows searches that included the phrases “how to bring down the us government,” “most liberal fed judges usa” and “how to rid the us of jews,” prosecutors say. In February 2018, Hasson searched whether Supreme Court justices are "protected,” two weeks before he searched for the home addresses of two Supreme Court justices, according to Windom. “There is no question the defendant intended and planned to turn his thoughts into action,” the prosecutor wrote. Hasson pleaded guilty in October to possessing unregistered and unserialized silencers, being a drug addict in possession of firearms and illegal possession of tramadol, an opioid painkiller. In September, U.S. District Judge George Hazel refused to dismiss the gun charges against Hasson. The judge rejected a defense argument that charging Hasson with unlawful possession of firearm silencers violates his Second Amendment right to bear arms.
"Prosecutors claimed Hasson drew up what appeared to be a computer spreadsheet hit list naming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic presidential hopefuls, including Elizabeth Warren. He also mentioned several network TV journalists, including MSNBC's Chris Hayes and Joe Scarborough and CNN's Chris Cuomo and Van Jones. Prosecutors say Hasson spent roughly $12,000 in a three-year period to buy dozens of items “to outfit himself for his ultimate mission,” including smoke grenades, camping supplies, body armor, tactical vests and a $1,300 rifle scope. Windom said Hasson has been a “closet skinhead” his entire adult life. Defense lawyers dispute that their client has any “sincerely held” extremist, racist or white nationalist views. Hasson's attorneys describe him as a disaster “prepper” who stockpiles survivalist gear for "doomsday-type scenarios.” Hasson’s lawyers say he missed the camaraderie of military service after leaving the Marine Corps in 1994 and started hanging out with “people in the punk rock world,” many of whom identified as white supremacists. But his lawyers say Hasson cut ties with most of those people and joined the Army National Guard in Virginia less than six months after he left the Marine Corps. Hasson ordered at least 4,650 tramadol pills from internet distributors and had them shipped to his homes in Maryland and Currituck, North Carolina, according to Windom. The prosecutor said Hasson consumed most of the pills, including at times when he was working at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington. Hasson’s lawyers say his drug use impaired his judgment and led to behavior that was “inconsistent with his true character.” “He is an asset, not a danger, to our society,” they wrote."
Think so?
"Hasson worked at Coast Guard headquarters on a program to acquire advanced new cutters for the agency. He has remained on active duty pending the outcome of the criminal case. “His career, reputation, and life as he knew it are destroyed. And after all of this, the criminal case against Mr. Hasson has turned out to be little more than a run-of-the mill firearms-possession case,” his lawyers wrote."
Certainly, seems like it went well beyond firearms-possession. Needless to say, this case will be carefully followed.
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.
1-24-20
Noose figuratively tightens. The Associated Press reports:
"The White House violated federal law in withholding security assistance to Ukraine, an action at the center of President Donald Trump’s impeachment, a federal watchdog agency said Thursday. The Government Accountability Office said in a report that the Office of Management and Budget violated the law in holding up the aid, which Congress passed less than a year ago, saying “the President is not vested with the power to ignore or amend any such duly enacted law.” The aid in question was held up last summer on orders from Trump but was released in September after Congress pushed for its release and a whistleblower’s complaint about Trump’s July call with the Ukrainian leader became public. The independent agency, which reports to Congress, said OMB violated the Impoundment Control Act in delaying the security assistance Congress authorized for Ukraine for “policy reasons,” rather than technical budgetary needs. “Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,” wrote the agency’s general counsel, Thomas Armstrong, in the report."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"Capitol Hill Democrats seized on the report as evidence of a lawless White House. led by Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who is a key figure in the impeachment investigation of Trump. He is still officially the OMB director. “The OMB, the White House, the administration broke — I’m saying this — broke the law,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “Congress makes funding decisions, and the Trump Administration’s illegal impoundment of these vital national security funds was a brazen assault on the checks and balances inherent to our democracy,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. “Given that this illegal conduct threatened our security and undermined our elections, I feel even more strongly that the House has chosen the right course by impeaching President Trump. No one is above the law.”
The 'Justice' Department claims otherwise. States a sitting president is indeed above and beyond the law. Nazi America. A democratic republic in name only. In reality, a fascist police-state since 9/11, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"OMB has argued the hold was appropriate and necessary. “We disagree with GAO’s opinion. OMB uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the President’s priorities and with the law,” said OMB spokeswoman Rachel Semmel."
Rubber stamp of the Trump nazi by his henchmen.
"The GAO finding concludes that the White House budget office “withheld the funds for an unauthorized reason in violation” of the Impoundment Control Act, a federal law that requires the executive branch to spend money that is appropriated by Congress. The impoundment control law is rigorously adhered to by career officials in agency budget offices, who can face severe trouble for violating it."
Plot thickens. UPI reports:
"The House has released more documents related to their impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump -- this time linking Rep. Devin Nunes and a congressional candidate to dealings in Ukraine. The information comes from the third set of documents House Democrats released this week from Lev Parnas, a Ukrainian-American associate of Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. The House released the new trove Friday evening. The documents include text messages between Derek Harvey, Nunes' top aide, and Parnas in 2019, apparently discussing U.S. military aid to Ukraine and Trump's desire for Ukraine to investigate his political rival, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. Harvey also appears to give Parnas Nunes' phone number in the days before a House intelligence committee report said Nunes, R-Calif., had a phone conversation with Parnas. House Democrats accuse Trump of withholding millions in military aid -- and a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky -- from Ukraine in exchange for an announcement of the Biden investigation. A probe into this allegation resulted in the House approving two articles of impeachment against the president, including obstruction of Congress. In the messages, Harvey and Parnas set up interviews with Ukrainian officials and meetings at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., with Giuliani. One planned meeting included former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, whose firing former Vice President Joe Biden urged. Trump and Giuliani have both said they have encouraged Ukraine to carry out the investigation into the Bidens.
"The new trove of documents also appeared to show efforts to surveil Yovanovitch. There are screenshots of text exchanges between Republican congressional candidate Robert Hyde and a phone number in Belgium. The unknown person using the Belgian number tells Hyde about Yovanovitch's whereabouts. "Nothing has changed she is still not moving they checked today again," the person texted. Parnas' attorneys said he provided the documents to House investigators in response to a September subpoena. Records released by House Democrats earlier in the week included 59 pages of communications describing an attempted meeting between Giuliani and Zelensky, and the effort to oust Yovanovitch. Parnas and his business partner Igor Furman were arrested Oct. 9 and charged with conspiracy to commit campaign finance fraud, making false statements to the Federal Election Commission and falsifying records as part of a supposed scheme to "funnel foreign money to U.S. candidates."
The Washington Post reports:
"House Democrats released new documents Friday evening showing extensive contact between an associate of President Trump’s personal attorney and an aide to the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee regarding the effort to obtain material from Ukrainian prosecutors that would be damaging to former vice president Joe Biden. The text messages between Lev Parnas, who functioned as Rudolph W. Giuliani’s emissary to Ukrainian officials, and Derek Harvey, an aide to Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, indicate Nunes’s office was aware of the operation at the heart of impeachment proceedings against the president — and sought to use the information Parnas was gathering. The newly released texts show that Parnas was working last spring to set up calls for Harvey with the Ukrainian prosecutors who were feeding Giuliani information about Biden. “Also do you want to interview the general prosecutor who got [ditched] by Biden ? Also the anti corruption prosecutor ? Let me know,” Parnas wrote on April 19. “Does tomorrow work?” Harvey responded. The messages also show that Harvey met with Parnas and Giuliani at the Trump hotel in Washington. Harvey and a spokesman for Nunes did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The text messages corroborate Parnas’s previous claims that he arranged conversations with the Ukrainian prosecutors for the Nunes aide. And they deepen questions about how much Nunes knew about the pressure campaign — even as he served as one of Trump’s most vociferous defenders during the House impeachment hearings.
“I was in shock when I was watching the hearings and when I saw Devin Nunes sitting up there,” Parnas told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow this week. “I texted my attorney. I said, ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’ ” Records that the House Democrats released in December first showed calls between Parnas and Nunes. At the time, Nunes said he couldn’t remember speaking with Parnas."
Lied? LOL.
"On Thursday, Nunes told Fox News that he had reviewed his records, which refreshed his memory of having one conversation. “I checked it with my records and it was very clear — I remember that call, which was very odd, random, talking about random things, and I said, ‘great,’ you know, ‘talk to my staff,’ and boom, boom, boom. That’s just normal operating procedure,” Nunes said. However, the documents released Friday show extensive interactions between Parnas and Nunes’s aide beginning in early 2019. In March, Parnas sent Harvey a link to a story by conservative columnist John Solomon suggesting the Ukrainians sought to help Hillary Clinton win in 2016. “Any documents for us or are you going to keep working through Solomon?” the Nunes aide texted back a few days later. Parnas responded that he was out of the country but would meet with Harvey upon his return. In April, Harvey sent Parnas contact information for the congressman, the messages show. And Harvey set up several in-person meetings, including with key individuals around Giuliani who were most involved in the Biden effort. “We are at trump with Rudy and John Solomon and joe in private room,” Parnas wrote the Nunes aide on May 7, apparently inviting him to the Trump International Hotel to meet with Giuliani, as well as Solomon and Joe DiGenova, a lawyer working with Giuliani. “Can you come now,” Parnas continued. “Yes,” Harvey responded. The texts also indicate that Parnas passed a copy of one of the Ukrainian prosecutor’s résumés in English to Harvey. Parnas also seemed to have sent him a copy of the Ukrainian passport of the tycoon who owns the gas company that placed Biden’s son Hunter on its board. How the copy of the passport was obtained, and what Harvey was planning to do with it, if anything, is unclear. Parnas, who is facing federal campaign charges and has recently broken with Giuliani and turned against the president, told MSNBC this week that Nunes and Harvey “were involved in getting all this stuff on Biden.” “Derek Harvey had several interviews, Skype interviews I set up, with different prosecutors like [Nazar] Kholodnytsky, which is the anti-corruption prosecutor of Ukraine [and] Konstantyn Kulyk, one of the major guys that’s had this whole Biden stuff,” Parnas said. Parnas suggested to MSNBC he was told to communicate with Harvey instead of Nunes directly because “Devin Nunes had an ethics, something to do with an ethics committee, and he couldn’t be in a spotlight.” The materials released Friday also include screenshots that Robert F. Hyde, a former Marine and candidate for Congress in Connecticut, sent to Parnas discussing surveillance of then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch."
The Washington Post reports:
"A month ago, when phone records showed contact between Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Lev Parnas, Nunes said he didn’t recall Parnas’s name and couldn’t confirm the call. On Wednesday, with Parnas about to appear on TV for the first time, Nunes suddenly offered a (very conveniently timed) confirmation, but he downplayed the call as being about “random things.” Now, Nunes’s claims about his ties to Parnas are even more questionable. Newly released documents Friday night showed Parnas in repeated contact with a Nunes aide, Derek Harvey. He appeared to be looping Harvey into the Ukraine effort led by Rudolph W. Giuliani, and the messages show the three of them met at the Trump hotel in Washington. Parnas also set up calls for Harvey with the same Ukrainian prosecutors who were working with Giuliani. And in one exchange, there is an indication Harvey may have known this was all about Joe Biden: “Also do you want to interview the general prosecutor who got [ditched] by Biden? Also the anti corruption prosecutor? Let me know,” Parnas wrote on April 19. “Does tomorrow work?” Harvey responded. Harvey even apparently became angry that Parnas and Giuliani were sharing documents with conservative journalist John Solomon, rather than Nunes’s office. The combined picture is a Nunes aide who was pretty abreast of what Giuliani and Parnas were up to — to the point where he was meeting with them and expressing frustration at not being the recipient of their information. And that isn’t easy to square with the picture painted by Nunes. Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, has suggested Parnas was just a person he didn’t know who was spouting a bunch of stuff that he wasn’t clued in on. “I checked it with my records, and it was very clear — I remember that call, which was very odd, random, talking about random things, and I said, ‘great,’ you know, ‘talk to my staff,’ and boom, boom, boom,” Nunes said on Fox News on Wednesday. “That’s just normal operating procedure.” The newly revealed text messages suggest this was a call that Harvey set up for his boss. Harvey sent Parnas Nunes’s contact information on April 10, which is two days before phone records indicate the call took place. The call, according to the phone records, lasted eight minutes. There is some indication that perhaps Nunes wasn’t as intimately involved in the situation as Harvey was. In one of his TV appearances, Parnas said he was told to work with Harvey because of Nunes’s ethics investigation. “The reason why Derek Harvey was more — I understood, I was told at that time [that] because Devin Nunes had an ethics — something to do with an ethics committee, and he couldn’t be in a spotlight,” Parnas told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. So it’s possible Harvey siloed himself off from his boss — and deliberately so. But he also set up a phone call for his boss with Parnas. To reconcile Nunes’s version of the call, Harvey did this without actually telling his boss what the call was to be about and what he had been working on with Parnas. And that’s on top of everything else that he was up to with Parnas and Giuliani, which Nunes’s comments suggest Harvey was freelancing on. It’s plausible, but it certainly raises plenty of questions. If you’re trying to keep the boss out of it, connecting him on a phone call with Parnas would seem to be the last thing you want to do."
NBC News reports:
"Less than 12 hours after the White House announced President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial defense team, new questions have emerged about connections between some of his lawyers and figures at the center of the Ukraine investigation."
Plot thickens.
"A document dump from the House Judiciary Committee overnight Friday included more information about Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, who is currently under federal indictment for his alleged role in the political pressure campaign in Ukraine. The released documents included photos of Parnas with President Trump as well as shots of him with Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who is among the lawyers on the president's impeachment team."
All in the family, no? LOL.
"Trump has repeatedly said he does not know Parnas."
Couldn't be lying, could he? LOL.
"Bondi, in an interview on NBC's "TODAY" on Saturday morning, dismissed the photos."
Not surprising, is it? LOL.
“Clearly, Lev Parnas liked to take pictures with a lot of people,” she said. "He showed up at events pretty much everywhere where Republicans were.”
Buy it? LOL.
"The Judiciary Committee's release also included information obtained by the FBI when they searched Parnas’ electronic devices. According to his electronic calendar, Parnas had a breakfast meeting scheduled with Trump in September, just days before Parnas was arrested. “I don’t know what that matters, what they’re planning on doing with it,” Bondi said when asked about how apparent evidence of the president’s relationship with Parnas might figure into Democrats' strategy at the trial. “We’re going to stick to the facts and stick to the law in this case.”
... Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit? LOL.
"Besides questions about possible connections of Parnas to the president and Bondi, another person on Trump's defense team drawing attention is Kenneth Starr, who in the 1990s oversaw investigations into President Bill Clinton that led to his impeachment. At that time, Trump called Starr a “lunatic” and a “disaster.” Asked about Trump's prior comments on Starr, Bondi said, “Clearly he does not think this now.”
... Bet he doesn't. LOL.
“Ken Starr knows what he’s doing," she said. "He has experience in this field.”
LOL. Certainly, does. LOL.
"Bondi also addressed the question of whether new witnesses might be called at the Senate trial, which is set to begin on Tuesday. “If they want to force a witness to be called, that’s going to be discussed,” Bondi said."
LOL.
Reality check. NBC News reports:
"On Tuesday, the impeachment trial of President Donald John Trump will begin in the United States Senate. It ought to be a moment of pride in our constitutional order, a testament to the framers’ vision that no one, not even a president, is above the law. And as such, it also ought to be a moment of patriotic duty, when all members put the Constitution and the rule of law above party and personal interests. But instead it’s an occasion dominated by something quite different. Fear. Fear of Trump drives the actions of the spineless GOP caucus, as does fear of the truth, and fear of a partisan base to which none dare speak the truth. Perhaps that should come as no surprise. For it was fear that brought us to this critical juncture in American history. Fear was what Trump used to spin up the Republican base, using stereotypes, lies and hyperbole to dismantle decades of American political discourse. Fear of facing off against former Vice President Joe Biden was what led Trump to demand, as a price for vital military and security aid, that Ukraine help him smear Biden. Fear drives Republican members of the Senate today. Fear is what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is acting upon as he attempts to limit the length and scope of Trump’s trial. Fear of Trump drives the actions of the spineless GOP caucus, as does fear of the truth, and fear of a partisan base to which none dare speak the truth."
Report goes on and on. Somewhere along the way Republicans have lost themselves. So have Democrats. Forget? Took three years to get to this point. Sad, isn't it? Above quote is courtesy of two gifted, most insightful writers, George Conway and Reed Galen.
The Associated Press reports:
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell abruptly changed his proposed rules for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial , backing off the condensed two-day schedule to add a third for opening arguments after protests from senators, including Republicans."
Tough, isn't it?
"The trial quickly burst into a partisan fight at the Capitol as the president’s lawyers opened arguments Tuesday in support of McConnell’s plan. Democrats objected loudly to McConnell’s initially proposed rules, and some Republicans made their concerns known in private. Without comment, the Republican leader quietly submitted an amended proposal for the record, after meeting behind closed doors with senators as the trial opened. He added the extra day and allowed House evidence to be included in the record. “It’s time to start with this trial,” said White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, the president’s lead lawyer as the proceedings opened in public. “It’s a fair process,” he said. “There is absolutely no case.”
How much were you paid to say that, Counselor?
"Chief Justice John Roberts gaveled open the session, senators having taken an oath last week to do “impartial justice” as jurors."
How many of them lied?
"Senators were stunned by McConnell’s shift, and aides offered no immediate answers."
Why would anything stun anyone any longer at any time under any circumstances in the current political atmosphere? LOL.
"But a spokeswoman for Republican Sen. Susan Collins said that she and others had raised concerns. The Maine senator sees the changes as significant improvements, said spokeswoman Annie Clark. Democrats had warned that the rules package from Trump’s ally, the Senate GOP leader, could force midnight sessions that would keep most Americans in the dark and create a sham proceeding. “This is not a process for a fair trial, this is the process for a rigged trial” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Ca., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee leading the prosecution, told reporters. He called it a “cover-up.”
The Senate Majority Leader remains remarkably adept at being a jackass until confronted with opposition from fellow Republicans. Must not be forgotten the GOP enjoys a slight majority in the Senate. Fortunately for the Nazi Right in the Republican Party beholden to its fuhrer, the Trump nazi, a two-thirds majority is required for conviction.
"McConnell opened the chamber promising a “fair, even handed” process — and warned that the Senate would stay in session until his proposed rules package was adopted. “The president’s lawyers will finally receive a level playing field,” the Kentucky Republican said, contrasting it with the House impeachment inquiry."
Unadulterated bullshit promulgated by Ol' Mitch "The Bitch." Conveniently, forget? His fuhrer, the Trump nazi, stonewalled all subpoenas from the House. Obstructed justice. Would have taken years to resolve in the courts. Precisely, why the Trump nazi stonewalled.
"The Democrats say the prospect of middle-of-the-night proceedings, without allowing new witnesses or even the voluminous House records of the trial, would leave the public without crucial information about Trump’s political pressure campaign on Ukraine and the White House’s obstruction of the House impeachment probe. “The McConnell rules seem to be designed by President Trump for President Trump,” said the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer. He vowed to call for a series of votes to amend the rules and demand testimony and documents, but it seemed unlikely Republicans would break from the party to join Democrats. “This is a historic moment,” Schumer said. “The eyes of America are watching. Republican senators must rise to the occasion.” If the senators agree to McConnell’s proposal for speedy trial and acquittal, Schiff said, “It will not prove the president innocent, it will only prove the Senate guilty of working with the president to obstruct the truth from coming out.” Rep. Jerry Nadler, the Judiciary Committee Chairman also leading the House team, said: “There’s no trial in this country where you wouldn’t admit relative witnesses.”
Raw insanity:
"On the night before the trial, Trump’s lawyers argued for swift rejection of the “flimsy” charges in a trial that never should have happened. “All of this is a dangerous perversion of the Constitution that the Senate should swiftly and roundly condemn,” the president’s lawyers wrote in their first full filing Monday. “The articles should be rejected and the president should immediately be acquitted.”
Jesus Christ. In the world of the Nazi Right, day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet. All ass backwards from reality.
Gets worse. Get this:
"Trump’s legal team doesn’t dispute Trump’s actions — that he called the Ukraine president and asked for a “favor” during a July 25 phone call. In fact, the lawyers included the rough transcript of Trump’s conversation as part of its 110-page trial brief submitted ahead of the proceedings. Instead the lawyers for the president, led by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and a TV-famous legal team including Alan Dershowitz, say the two charges against the president don’t amount to impeachable offenses and Trump committed no crime. Legal scholars have long insisted the framers of the Constitution provided impeachment as a remedy for “other high crimes and misdemeanors,” a particularly broad definition that doesn’t mean simply specific criminal acts. Democrats in prosecuting the case against the president point in particular to a General Accountability Office report that found the White House violated federal law by stalling money to Ukraine that had been approved by Congress. House Democrats, responding Tuesday to arguments by Trump’s legal team, said the president’s legal filing confirmed that “his misconduct is indefensible.” They wrote, “President Trump’s lengthy brief to the Senate is heavy on rhetoric and procedural grievances, but entirely lacks a legitimate defense of his misconduct.” The president would “rather discuss anything other than what he actually did,” the Democrats wrote.
"Also Tuesday, the House Democratic managers overseeing the impeachment case asked Cipollone, the president’s lead lawyer at the trial, to disclose any “first-hand knowledge” he has of the charges against Trump. They said evidence gathered so far indicates that Cipollone is a “material witness” to the allegations at hand."
Fascinating, isn't it?
NBC News reports:
"The Senate passed Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's resolution laying out a blueprint for President Donald Trump's impeachment trial along party lines early Wednesday after a day of back and forth between House prosecutors and attorneys for the White House. The Republican majority had voted down several amendments proposed by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to subpoena documents and call witnesses. The vote came just before 2 a.m. Wednesday after Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., one of the House impeachment managers, suggested that senators were voting for a "cover-up," which drew sharp responses from the president's legal counsel. Chief Justice John Roberts admonished House managers and Trump's counsel "in equal terms to remember that they are addressing the world's greatest deliberative body." "I do think those addressing the Senate should remember where they are," Roberts said.
"The vote wasn't a total loss for Democrats, however. McConnell changed two contested provisions at the last minute: one that would have required both sides to make their 24 hours of arguments in just two days and another that could have barred evidence gathered by the House. Democrats complained that the two-day limit would have meant that they would be making arguments until 1 a.m. or later, depriving much of the public of the chance to watch the proceedings. The other provision could have barred entering all of the evidence House Democrats gathered against Trump into the Senate record. The evidence now will be admitted automatically unless there's an objection, rather than depend on a proactive vote to admit it."
NPR reports:
"Opening arguments are under way in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump. The seven House managers are formally making their case that the Senate should convict President Trump on two articles of impeachment, which charge him with abusing the power of his office and with obstructing Congress. In his opening statement, the lead impeachment manager, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., addressed the 100 senators acting as jurors in the impeachment trial. "I recognize that there will be times during the trial that you may long to return to the business of the Senate," Schiff said. "The American people look forward to the same. But not before you decide what kind of democracy you believe we ought to be, and what the American people have a right to expect in the conduct of their president." Schiff said that unless Trump is convicted by the Senate and removed from power, his "abuse of his office and obstruction of Congress will permanently alter the balance of power among our branches of government, inviting future presidents to operate as if they, too, are also beyond the reach of accountability, congressional oversight, and the law." Wrapping up his lengthy opening statement, Schiff said: "We all, Democrats and Republicans alike, must ask ourselves whether our loyalty is to our party or whether it is to our constitution." Earlier, as he met with reporters just before heading to the Senate, Schiff said the managers "will lay out all the facts and chronology," in the coming days. "We believe we will make an overwhelming case for the president's conviction on both Article 1 and Article 2," he added.
"It is still possible but unclear whether the Senate will hear witnesses after the two sides have made their opening arguments. A number of GOP senators have expressed support for hearing from some witnesses. It would take four Republican senators voting with the 47-member Democratic caucus to call for witnesses. But that would likely not happen until next week."
More on all this in the next edition.
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.
1-24-20
Establishment Clause violations by the Trump nazi and his henchmen. The Associated Press reports:
"The U.S. Supreme Court says it will consider whether employers should be allowed to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage to their workers because of moral or religious objections. At issue are Trump administration regulations allowing employers to claim such exemptions to the contraceptive insurance coverage mandate in the Affordable Care Act, which requires most employer-provided plans to include birth control coverage without a copay. Churches and other religious organizations already can opt out of the requirement, but the Trump administration has sought to expand that exemption to include a wider array of businesses and organizations. Pennsylvania and New Jersey challenged the Trump administration regulation and won a nationwide injunction temporarily blocking the rules. Brigitte Amiri, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's Reproductive Freedom Project, called the Trump administration rules "an attempt to rob people of their contraception coverage." The ACLU filed an amicus brief in the case opposing the Trump rule. It's not the first time the Supreme Court has considered the issue. In 2014, the court sided with the conservative Christian owners of the national craft chain Hobby Lobby in a case challenging the contraceptive mandate on religious grounds. Amiri said that this case goes further and that it's hard to predict how many employees could be affected if the court sides with the administration. "What we're talking about is very concrete and fundamental to people's daily lives," Amiri said. "Nobody should be at risk of losing their contraceptive coverage because of where they work or where they go to school."
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.
1-24-20
U.S. fixing to get the boot out of Iraq? CNN News reports:
"Donald Trump hasn't pulled his troops out of Iraq, despite his pledge to end America's grinding wars. It turns out he may not have to. The US is facing the possibility of being kicked out, and that would be a big win for Iran. Officials in Iraq's parliament, where powerful blocs have unbreakable ties to Tehran, started a process to end the presence of foreign troops in the country, in a clear riposte to the US after it killed top Iranian commander Qasm Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad two weeks ago. In the wake of the strike, joint US-Iraqi operations against ISIS were put on hold, and Iraq's caretaker prime minister said a US troop withdrawal was the only way to "protect all those on Iraqi soil," though this week he said that decision would be up to the next government. But a US withdrawal could bring even more trouble, experts say. ISIS continues its attacks in the country, and without US and other foreign troops, the group would have more room to resurge. At the same time, Iran will be able to expand its already far-reaching powers in Baghdad."
Same old bullshit. Not our problem. Never has been. Time to get out. Time to reverse the egregious mistake made by Ol' George "The Tush" Bush and his henchmen invading under false pretenses, i.e. no weapons of mass destruction.
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.
1-24-20
Fact Check. The Associated Press reports:
"Size matters to President Donald Trump. So much that he exaggerates continually, sometimes spectacularly, the size of what he does. Just as his tax cuts are far from the biggest in history, the economy isn’t the best ever and his election victory in 2016 was no landslide of historic proportions, Trump’s two trade deals don’t stand atop the field of presidential endeavors. One is a partial settlement of trade grievances with China; the other is a refresh of what past presidents created for North America. The opening of the Senate impeachment trial stirred other fabrications from the president this past week while Democratic presidential contenders engaged in their final debate before the first votes of the 2020 campaign, in Iowa.
"A sampling from a week in political rhetoric:
"TRADE
"TRUMP on his trade agreement with China: “This is the biggest deal there is, anywhere in the world by far.’’ — remarks Wednesday at the signing.
"TRUMP on the China deal and his updated North American trade agreement: “So we’ve done two of the biggest trade deals. They are the two biggest trade deals in the world ever done.” — remarks at the White House on Thursday.
"THE FACTS: Neither claim is true.
"The China agreement is not nearly as big as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement, so it’s not the largest ever, much less “by far.” The deal with Canada and Mexico was an update of the long-standing North American Free Trade Agreement worked out by Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The North American agreement also is not the largest ever. For instance, 123 countries signed the Uruguay Round agreement that liberalized trade and produced the World Trade Organization in 1994. The organization’s initial membership accounted for more than 90% of global economic output, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found, and that was before China joined the organization. Also bigger: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would have joined North America with Pacific Rim countries in freer trade. Trump took the U.S. out after the deal was negotiated and before the U.S. ratified it. The European Union was formed from a giant deal. The China deal leaves tariffs in place on about $360 billion in imports from China and pushes substantial remaining disputes ahead to a second phase of negotiations."
Report goes on and on. Lie after lie. Distortion of reality after distortion of reality.
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.
1-24-20
A congenital liar. Incapable of telling the truth. The Washington Post reports:
"Three years after taking the oath of office, President Trump has made more than 16,200 false or misleading claims — a milestone that would have been unthinkable when we first created the Fact Checker’s database that analyzes, categorizes and tracks every suspect statement he has uttered. We started this project as part of our coverage of the president’s first 100 days, largely because we could not possibly keep up with the pace and volume of the president’s misstatements. We recorded 492 claims — an average of just under five a day — and readers demanded that we keep it going for the rest of Trump’s presidency. Little did we know what that would mean. In 2017, Trump made 1,999 false or misleading claims. In 2018, he added 5,689 more, for a total of 7,688. And in 2019, he made 8,155 suspect claims. In other words, in a single year, the president said more than total number of false or misleading claims he had made in the previous two years. Put another way: He averaged six such claims a day in 2017, nearly 16 a day in 2018 and more than 22 a day in 2019. As of Jan. 19, his 1,095th day in office, Trump had made 16,241 false or misleading claims. Only 366 days to go — at least in this term."
LOL. Certainly, far from done:
"The president added to his total on Sunday evening with more than 20 Trumpian claims — many old favorites — during a triumphant speech at the annual conference of the American Farm Bureau Federation. He incorrectly described trade agreements — suggesting Canadian dairy tariffs were eliminated and an agreement with Japan to reduce tariffs on $7 billion of farm products was “a $40 billion deal” — and also falsely asserted that “tough” farmers and ranchers were crying as he signed a repeal of Obama-era regulations. A video of the event shows no one crying. In 2018 and 2019, October and November ranked as the months in which Trump made the most false or misleading claims: October 2018: 1,205; October 2019: 1,159; November 2019: 903; and November 2018: 867. In 2018, Trump barnstormed the country in an effort to thwart a Democratic takeover of the House. The two biggest false-claim days were before the election: Nov. 5: 139, and Nov. 3: 128. The key reasons for last year’s surge in October and November was the uproar over a phone call on July 25 in which Trump urged Ukraine’s president to announce an investigation of former vice president Joe Biden, a potential 2020 election rival — and the ensuing House impeachment inquiry. Almost 1,000 of the false and misleading claims made by the president deal with the Ukraine investigation, even though it only became a category four months ago."
Yet, his supporters on the 'Christian' Nazi Right believe every word he says. LOL. Take it as gospel truth.
The mark of a congenital liar:
"The president apparently believes he can weather an impeachment trial through sheer repetition of easily disproved falsehoods. For instance, nearly 70 times he has claimed that a whistleblower complaint about the call was inaccurate. The report accurately captured the content of Trump’s call and many other details have been confirmed. Nearly 100 times, Trump has claimed his phone call with the Ukrainian president was “perfect,” even though it so alarmed other White House officials that several immediately raised private objections. Three claims about the Ukraine investigation have now made it onto our list of Bottomless Pinocchios. (It takes 20 repeats of a Three- or Four-Pinocchio claim to merit a Bottomless Pinocchio, and there are now 32 entries.) Besides the claim about the whistleblower, the two other claims on the Bottomless Pinocchio list are that Biden forced the resignation of a Ukrainian prosecutor because he was investigating his son Hunter Biden and that Hunter Biden scored $1.5 billion in China after hitching a ride on Air Force Two with his father. Trump crossed the 10,000 mark on April 26. From the start of his presidency, he has averaged nearly 15 such claims a day. About one in five of these claims are about the economy or jobs."
Report goes on and on. The 'Christian' Right seems to have forgotten the Ten Commandments. Particularly, the one about not lying. 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.
1-24-20
Another example of Uncommon Valor. -- Someone courageous enough to stand up to the Trump nazi. ABC News reports:
"When Kelly Holstine first heard that teachers who were to be honored at the NCAA football championship game had the option to not put their hand over their heart during the national anthem, she wondered, "Is that enough?" She decided that, for her, it wasn't. The teacher chose to kneel. Before Monday night's game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans between Clemson and Louisiana State University, 54 teachers were brought onto the field for a ceremony to honor the 2019 Teachers of the Year. The teachers remained on the field while the national anthem played. Also on the field as the national anthem played was President Donald Trump, who has been vocal about his distaste for people who kneel in protest during the anthem."
How about public distaste for a congenital liar, Mr. 'President?'
Uncommon Valor:
"Holstine, who was the Teacher of the Year for Minnesota, said the president's presence and "his choice to consistently discriminate against marginalized and oppressed humans definitely factored into my decision to kneel."
Expect better of a national socialist, a clueless fascist, madam?
"She has long advocated that educators need to be more than just allies and stand up for those who are oppressed or marginalized. "It just felt like it was an opportunity to be an advocate," Holstine told ABC News on Friday. "If I had chosen not to take it, it wouldn't have felt authentic to what I believe in my heart is the right thing to do." Since 2016, kneeling in protest has become somewhat synonymous with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee to protest police brutality against black Americans. "I really respect the work he's done and the fact that he just paved the way for this movement," Holstine said. She decided to kneel as a peaceful protest right before she went on the field but had been toying with it since the day before, when she and the other honorees were going through a rehearsal for the ceremony. She spoke with a few other teachers and researched kneeling."
Nothing quite as powerful as a principled decision to protest no matter the personal cost:
"In making her decision, Holstine referenced Retired Army Green Beret Nate Boyer, who spoke with Kaepernick in 2016 to discuss his protest. Boyer has said that if one is not going to stand for the national anthem, kneeling is more respectful than sitting down, according to an interview he did in 2018 with NPR."
No question. Also, irritates the living shit out of the Nazi Right.
"People assume that if you feel that there's some room for growth in the U.S. that it automatically means you're anti-U.S.," Holstine said. "That's not the case." "I really appreciate the country … but I think there is a lot of room for improvement and that's the beautiful thing about our country. We have the First Amendment and we can express that," she added. In April 2019, she was one of two "Teachers of the Year" who skipped a White House ceremony for them. During a 2017 rally, discussing the NFL, Trump referred to a person who kneels during the anthem as a "son of a b----."
Referring to himself? LOL.
"Kneeling on Monday and her choice to skip the 2019 ceremony are aligned with Holstine's belief that "our current administration is making choices through words and behaviors and actions that is disrespectful to our marginalized and oppressed humans in our country." She hopes to speak out for those who can't, and some of her former students at the Tokata Learning Center, where she taught English and language arts from 2012 to 2019, have reached out to her to express their gratitude, she said. "I just really feel like when you're given the honor of becoming Teacher of the Year and represent your state, it also comes with a responsibility," Holstine 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.
1-24-20
Taxpayers fleeced. Courtesy of the Trump nazi. NPR reports:
"A new section of the border wall is seen in November 2019 south of Donna, Texas. Trump's 576-mile border wall is expected to cost nearly $20 million per mile, which is more expensive than any other wall under construction in the world. The pricetag for President Trump's border wall has topped $11 billion — or nearly $20 million a mile — to become the most expensive wall of its kind anywhere in the world. In a status report last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is overseeing wall construction, reported that $11 billion has been identified since Trump took office to construct 576 miles of a new "border wall system." And the Trump administration is on the hunt for funding to build even more. The Department of Homeland Security has asked the Defense Department to come up with money for 270 additional miles of border wall that DHS says is needed to block drug smuggling routes on federal land. The Pentagon is studying the request, which did not come with a dollar figure. If the Trump administration completes all of the wall projects it has set in motion, three-quarters of the U.S. southern border would be walled off from Mexico. The government inherited about 650 miles of border structures erected under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. "You're going to have a wall like no other. It's going to be a powerful, terrific wall," President Trump said at a rally in Milwaukee last week. "A very big and very powerful border wall is going up at a record speed, and we are fully financed now, isn't that nice?"
Trump remains an idiot. Doesn't seem to understand any wall can be gone over, under, or through.
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.
1-24-20
No question. Capitalism is certainly the best system to live under. Must be regulated, however. Not laissez-faire, that is, unregulated, -- or extremely poorly regulated as it is here in our formerly great country. The following is a glaring example. NPR reports:
"It costs just $16 to buy a one-way ticket on the Amtrak train from Chicago to Bloomington, Ill., unless you're the two people who use wheelchairs and tried to buy tickets recently. They were told their tickets will cost not $16 — but $25,000."
That's right. $25,000. Not a typo.
"When Adam Ballard saw what Amtrak wanted to charge, he couldn't believe it. "I thought it was a mistake. That's the price of a car," Ballard says. "How can that be possible? I was sure it was a mistake. But I've seen it in writing. So I know it's not."
Called corporate greed. Unbridled.
"Ballard works for a disability service and advocacy center in Chicago called Access Living. He is its housing and transportation policy analyst, and a group from his office is headed to Bloomington next Wednesday for a work retreat. There are 10 of them, and five — including Ballard — use wheelchairs. Their train has three cars. Each car has one space for a wheelchair. That makes three spaces for five people in wheelchairs. In the past, when Access Living gave advance notice that it was sending a large group, Amtrak took out more seats to fit more wheelchairs. Once, it took out seats in the dining car and charged a few hundred dollars extra. "I use a power wheelchair. It is standard size for a power chair, but it's larger than most manual chairs. So I take up a little extra space," Ballard says. "But always in the past, no matter what kind of assortment of people and devices we had together for our group, it was never a problem to get everybody on board."
It is now. Unbridled greed.
"On Dec. 30, an Amtrak agent for group sales based in Philadelphia wrote: "I received a cost regarding the removal of seats and I've been advised this will be over $25 K. Would you like for me to proceed with the request?"
Jesus Christ. Take your head out of your ass. LOL.
"Someone from the group wrote back: "Am I reading this correctly?" The answer came back on Jan. 2. "The cost is correct," the agent wrote, citing a new policy for taking out those seats. The agent explained that it's expensive to take out extra seats and that it means taking a car out of service. "With removal of seats, it can be quite costly," the agent wrote. "In previous years, the removal of seats from the coach cars incurred fees that Amtrak absorbed ... We understand and appreciate your loyalty with Amtrak. Going forward, we cannot continue to absorb these fees. These policies have changed nationwide as of 2019."
Aryan arrogant bullshit. Time for all riders to wake up. Boycott these pieces of shit. Send 'em a wake up call. Consumers seem to have forgotten they're the ultimate force that determines what stands and what doesn't vis a vis unbridled corporate greed.
"Officials at Access Living then reached out to senior officials at Amtrak asking for a "return to the prior arrangement," according to Bridget Hayman, director of communications for Access Living. She says Amtrak officials agreed to "present the situation to upper management" and give the disability group an answer by Jan. 13. But there was no response by the promised deadline, Hayman says, and then no communication when officials at Access Living tried to follow up."
Boycott en masse. F--k 'em. Take control of the status quo. When cash flow becomes critical, amazing how fast minds are changed.
"Jonathan Mook is an attorney who advises companies about their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. He was surprised by the $25,000 figure. "The $25,000 ... that's a Hobson's choice. It's no choice at all. Obviously, the group can't pay $25,000," Mook says. The ADA, which became law 30 years ago this year, is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in jobs, schools, public places and transportation — including trains. It requires companies like Amtrak to make "reasonable accommodations" so that people with disabilities have comparable access to transportation as do people without disabilities. The law says a business can get an exemption from the requirement to make an accommodation if doing so would require an "undue burden" on the company. Mook, who is with the Virginia-based law firm DiMuro Ginsberg, says that's mostly a protection for small businesses, or maybe for a big project — like a renovation that adds ramps and elevators to a historic train station."
Under the Trump nazi, businesses across the board seem more than willing to flout the law.
"Still, he says, it's a "gray area" in the law to determine how much money a company is required to spend. But even if it really costs Amtrak $25,000 to take a train car out of service and pull up the seats, Mook says, "that doesn't end the story ... [Amtrak] has to reach out and say, 'Let's talk about some alternatives here. What can we devise?' " That is what it did with Access Living in the past. NPR contacted Amtrak several times. One spokesperson noted that the policy about reconfiguring seats is not directed at people with disabilities but applies to anyone who makes a request that requires "removing seating or making other physical changes to the service."
Called bullshit. Unadulterated. The assholes are flouting the law believing Trump will support the bullshit.
"The official referred NPR to a page on Amtrak's website. It doesn't mention a new policy for people with disabilities or pulling up seats. At the top of the page it says: "Amtrak is happy to provide accessible transportation to all of our guests." In fact, many wheelchair users — like Adam Ballard — prefer trains to buses and airplanes. "We've looked at other options, like buses," Ballard says. "And nothing compares to Amtrak." On the train, the bathrooms are spacious, large enough to fit a wheelchair. And Ballard can stay in his wheelchair, instead of checking it like luggage — and then worrying that this expensive piece of equipment that is hard to fix and crucial to his mobility — will be damaged. Ballard still plans to go to the meeting next week. Access Living is using one of its vans to take him and a colleague. The other eight people in the group will buy those $16 one-way tickets on the train. For $25,000, they could buy more than 1,500 tickets. After publication of the NPR story, Amtrak released a statement reiterating its earlier comments that the charges were part of the company's policy to charge passengers "an additional fee when any group requires reconfiguration of our railcars."
Goes well beyond. Called defense of the indefensible. Should this stand, time to boycott the bastards.
"The statement went on to say: "We will contact Access Living and suggest costs could be avoided by using the two separate trains on this route, with each train separated by about three hours and having three spaces for wheelchairs without any reconfiguration. We will also confirm the pricing for a railcar reconfiguration given to this important and valued customer."
Needless to say, will be most interesting to see how or if this is resolved.
Didn't take long for the shit to hit the fan. LOL.
NPR reports:
"Amtrak has rescinded its charge of $25,000 each for two wheelchair users and will charge them just the normal ticket price. Amtrak has reversed course — at least partly — on its plan to charge two wheelchair users $25,000 for a short train ride, after hearing criticism, including from a U.S. senator. On Friday, NPR reported that two riders, who use power wheelchairs, were told they'd have to pay at least $25,000 for a two-hour train ride from Chicago to the station in Bloomington-Normal, Ill. It's a ticket that usually costs $16. The two are part of a group from a disability service and advocacy organization, Access Living, headed to a statewide conference. On Monday, two senior Amtrak officials called a lawyer at Access Living to offer a solution. They said Amtrak could find extra space on the train after all and the two could ride for the regular price of the ticket."
Imagine that. Couldn't be, could it? LOL.
"Access Living accepted the offer."
No reason not to. LOL.
Shit then hit the fan a second time:
"Then there was another complication. Another disability group is sending staff to the same statewide conference. Two wheelchair users from that group want to take the same train. On Monday afternoon, Amtrak agreed to find space for all of them."
Imagine that. Amazing how some truly bad publicity can wind up working wonders. LOL.
"Access Living is taking 10 staff members to the conference, including five who use wheelchairs. The train has three cars and each car has one space set aside for a wheelchair user, following regulations set out under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Amtrak had said that to add space for the two additional wheelchair users, it would need to take a train car out of service to unbolt extra seats. An Amtrak group sales agent, writing to Access Living on Dec. 30, explained that would cost $25,000."
Corporate greed. Cost of doing business. Not like this happens every day of the year. What the hell is their problem? Think the good will it could have generated had Amtrak included the story in a public service announcement.
Instead, Amtrak chose aggressive stupidity rather than a permanent solution:
"When the group objected, the agent wrote back on Jan. 2 to explain the charge was in line with Amtrak policy about reconfiguring a rail car. "With the removal of seats, it can be quite costly," she wrote. "In previous years the removal of seats from the coach cars incurred fees that Amtrak absorbed ... We understand and appreciate your loyalty with Amtrak. Going forward, we cannot continue to absorb these fees. These policies have changed nationwide as of 2019."
Who the hell can afford a $25,000 gouging by a clueless corporate management suite?
"Bridget Hayman, a spokeswoman at Access Living, says the group appreciates that the riders will all be able to take the train on Wednesday at no additional cost. But she says they are seeking a long-term solution so that Amtrak won't charge those high rates in the future. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is asking the same. "I believe Amtrak must do better moving forward," Duckworth said in a statement issued Sunday. "To prevent future incidents, I will be requesting that Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson meet with me to discuss eliminating Amtrak's nationwide policy of refusing to absorb any costs associated with reconfiguring a railcar to accommodate a group of wheelchair users." Duckworth called the high bill from Amtrak "outrageous" and said it was "disappointing" that Amtrak had "failed to offer a public apology for its initial mistake." Amtrak, in a statement to NPR on Monday, said it had contacted Access Living, and "we apologize for their inconvenience as we have been working through how to serve their travel needs." Amtrak said it would review its policy and meet with Duckworth, who is the ranking member on the Senate subcommittee on transportation and safety."
Certainly, in the best interests of Amtrak to avoid further bad publicity:
"Duckworth is also an Army veteran who was injured in Iraq after the Blackhawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Duckworth walks on two prosthetic legs and uses a wheelchair. Duckworth understands the added difficulty of traveling in a wheelchair. She's the author of a recent rule that requires airlines to report when a wheelchair gets damaged in transit. That's a common problem for wheelchair users. It had happened to Duckworth three times in three years."
Outrageous, isn't it?
Duckworth's involvement may be just what's needed to get Amtrak off the dime:
"Last Friday night, after the NPR story aired, Amtrak sent a statement that said the group of disabled passengers could make other plans to travel. Some could take an earlier train, or the later train. That didn't go over well with Access Living staff who already find it more difficult to find accessible ways to travel. All of the riders want to be on the 7 a.m. train. That is the first train in the morning. The next train, a few hours later, would mean getting in late for the conference. Going the night before would add the expense of staying in a hotel."
Time for Amtrak to find and implement a permanent solution to a problem that will certainly grow worse as our population continues to age.
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.
1-24-20
Apple stands tall. NBC News reports:
"Two iPhones have put Apple back into the FBI’s sights. The phones belonged to a deceased Saudi national accused of fatally shooting three people at a Florida naval base in December. They could contain important information about his connections and motivation, but the phones are locked and the FBI says it can’t get in. It wants Apple’s help to unlock the phones. But Apple is saying no, and it has its reasons, even at the risk of attracting mocking tweets from President Donald Trump. Apple and technology security experts have heard this kind of request before. And they say it’s not about the phones — it’s about a yearslong push by the Department of Justice for broader government oversight of mobile technology. If Apple says yes to this request or anything like it, they say, it would jeopardize the privacy of every single iPhone user."
Unacceptable. Liberty is not free. The cost is security. Can't have both. Not possible. Moreover? Liberty trumps security. Without liberty, a former democratic republic becomes a fascist police-state. Precisely, what's now happening in our formerly great country.
"Almost four years after a nearly identical situation ended with the FBI backing down — when private companies helped them crack the iPhone's security — the debate about whether Apple should create a way to break into their own phones is back."
A malignant cancer has overtaken our formerly great country.
"The circumstances, however, have changed. Apple has limited its own capability to break the encryption of iPhones, so it may not be able to do much even if it were willing to, while Facebook and other tech companies have moved to embrace encryption in other forms such as messaging apps, raising the stakes of the fight."
If that's indeed the truth, it's the first time in recent history the corporate management suite has indeed stood tall.
"And politically, the tech industry may be vulnerable in a way that it’s never been before. “There’s blood in the water,” said Riana Pfefferkorn, associate director of surveillance and cybersecurity at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society. “And this becomes a way for law enforcement to try to draw attention to encryption.”
Law enforcement remains out of control. Presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties unlike at any other time in the last half century.
Here's the bottom line:
"While the core argument remains the same — there’s no way to give the government access without introducing an opening that can be exploited by nefarious actors — it’s taking place at a time when tech companies are now routinely grilled on Capitol Hill and the public is less likely to trust that they know best. Tech industry veterans and academics believe the Justice Department sees an opportunity to not just crack a couple iPhones but also to capitalize on growing skepticism of tech companies to spur legislative change that will render encryption moot in all contexts."
Raw nazism. An exigent threat to all our formerly great country used to stand for. Founders? Spinning in their graves.
"Nicholas Weaver, a computer scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, said that the FBI’s efforts to push Apple to crack its own iPhones were “more disingenuous than normal.” “It’s entirely about legislation, not the courts,” he said. At issue are two iPhones owned by the gunman who carried out a shooting last month that killed three people at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, in Florida. There are some parallels with the FBI efforts four years ago to get Apple to unlock an iPhone from the San Bernardino shooting that killed 14 people — a dispute that ended with the government breaking the phone’s security with the help of an outside vendor. In the Pensacola case, the phones have been described as earlier model iPhones 5 and 7, which many technology experts say the FBI should also be able to unlock with the help of outside security vendors. So if the FBI can break into the phones, why is Attorney General William Barr formally asking Apple to provide the key? The answer appears to lie in the legal history of the matter, and the government’s desire for a permanent solution."
Our government is out of control. No terrorist organization, no foreign government presents a greater threat to liberty.
"In the time since the San Bernardino dispute, government officials have been dealt two major setbacks in court: a 2016 ruling in an unrelated but similar case in Brooklyn, New York, siding with Apple and never appealed, and a 2018 ruling out of Fresno, California, though the details of that case and ruling are sealed and the case is on appeal. That’s left the Justice Department with narrower legal options to push tech companies to crack their own security systems. “They have recognized that the law as it stands is not on the government’s side,” Pfefferkorn said."
That's good. Certainly, encouraging if true.
"Morgan Reed, president of The App Association, a trade group for software companies that says it has more than 5,000 members, met on Thursday with staff from the White House National Economic Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. He said that despite the president’s tweets, the two offices are concerned that the FBI’s efforts could hurt U.S. companies. “They want to solve the problem, as well, but they want to solve the problem in a manner that protects the economic security of the United States,” he said. Reed also said the Justice Department's efforts were more to spur legislative change than to gain access to any particular iPhone. “They’re using this crisis to essentially drive for a policy change that ultimately would require some potentially devastating technological changes that would put people’s personal information at risk,” he said."
No greater threat to liberty. Time to 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.
1-17-20
Republicans beginning to wake up? Couldn't be, could it? NPR reports:
"GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah says he found a classified military briefing from administration officials Wednesday so "upsetting" that he will now back a proposal to limit President Trump's power to take military action against Iran and to reassert Congress' role in authorizing the use of military force. Lee says the Senate briefing about the military strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani was led by administration officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and CIA Director Gina Haspel. He said the briefers instructed lawmakers not to ask tough questions about the president's ability to use military force against Iran."
Surprised? Why? Republicans en masse have determinedly, concertedly, gutlessly remained shills for their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, to date. Why wouldn't Trump's henchmen expect all to march in goose step?
"It was terrible. It was an unmitigated disaster," Lee told Morning Edition host Rachel Martin on Thursday. Lee says his frustration is not over Soleimani's killing. "It was instead about the possibility of future military action against Iran. And it was on that topic they refused to make any commitment about when, whether and under what circumstances it would be necessary for the president — for the executive branch of government — to come to Congress seeking authorization for the use of military force," he says. "I find that unacceptable."
What took so long, Senator? Where you been? Out to lunch? At least you finally woke up. Where are your Republican colleagues?
"Lawmakers pressed the administration officials on scenarios and circumstances that would require a congressional authorization for use of military force. They refused to answer, Lee says. "I think it was unprofessional, inappropriate and reflective of a certain cavalier attitude toward the Constitution," he says. "Ours is not a system in which we can be taken into war by the executive, and it never should be."
Precisely, why the Founders reserved war-making power alone to Congress, not the president. Far better to have 535 legislators collectively make that decision than one lunatic dictator in the Oval Office.
"Lee told NPR that at least one of the briefers discouraged a public congressional debate that would limit the president's ability to deploy military force against Iran, because it might "embolden the Iranian regime."
That's insane.
"Lee says the meeting changed his mind about whether he should support limits on the president's military authority. Before the meeting, he was not sure whether he'd support a war powers resolution. After the meeting, Lee says, he's going to support one proposed by Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. "Not only will I be voting for it — I'll be a co-sponsor of it." Only two Republicans — Lee and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky — have signaled support for Kaine's resolution. Senate Democrats need two more Republican votes to pass it."
Time to stand up to the Trump nazi, Senator. Time to pressure your Republican colleagues to do the same. Each one of you swore an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Not goose step in unison with the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. Hundreds of thousands of our best and brightest were killed in action fighting this goddamned ideology. Second World War European Theater.
Our fuhrer remains achingly clueless, hopelessly insane, full of himself:
"Trump defended Wednesday's Capitol Hill briefings. "I had calls from numerous senators and numerous congressmen and women saying it was the greatest presentation they've ever had," the president told reporters."
Pitiful. 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.
1-17-20
'Collateral damage?' The U.S.-Iran debacle continues unabated. The Associated Press reports:
"Evidence indicates it is “highly likely” that an Iranian anti-aircraft missile downed a Ukrainian jetliner near Tehran late Tuesday, U.S. and Canadian officials said Thursday. They said the strike, which killed all 176 people on board, could well have been a mistake amid intentional airstrikes and high tensions throughout the region. The crash came just a few hours after Iran launched a ballistic attack against Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops amid a confrontation with Washington over the U.S. drone strike that killed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general. Four U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence, said they had no certain knowledge of Iranian intent and the airliner could have been mistaken for a threat."
Sad, isn't it? No matter how the tragedy went down. Needless loss of life. Why even fly into or out of the region during the current crisis between Iran and Trump? Why take the risk?
"Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose country lost at least 63 citizens in the downing, said in a Thursday press conference in Toronto: “We have intelligence from multiple sources including our allies and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.” Earlier Thursday, President Donald Trump suggested he believed Iran was responsible for the shootdown but wouldn’t directly blame the Iranians. He dismissed Iran’s initial claim that it was a mechanical issue. “Somebody could have made a mistake on the other side.” Trump said, noting the plane was flying in a “pretty rough neighborhood.” “Some people say it was mechanical,” Trump added. “I personally don’t think that’s even a question.”
Considering what has been going on between Iran and the United States last few days, why were international flights flying into and out of Iran? Again, why take the risk?
"The U.S. officials wouldn’t say what intelligence they had that pointed to an Iranian missile. But they acknowledged the existence of satellites and other sensors in the region, as well as the likelihood of communication interceptions and other similar intelligence. Two additional U.S. officials said the intelligence pointing to likely Iranian responsibility became clearer overnight into Thursday. It was not immediately clear how the U.S. and its allies would react to the downing of the airliner. At least 63 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians were among the dead. Despite efforts by Washington and Tehran to step back from the brink of possible war, the region remained on edge after the killing of the Iranian general and Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes. U.S. troops were on high-alert."
All the more reason not to have taken the risk of flying into or out of the country. -- To say nothing of the region.
"Eyewitnesses, including the crew of another flight passing above, described seeing the plane engulfed in flames before crashing at 6:18 a.m., the report said. The crash caused a massive explosion when the plane hit the ground, likely because the aircraft had been fully loaded with fuel for the flight to Kyiv, Ukraine. The report also confirmed that both of the “black boxes” that contain data and cockpit communications from the plane had been recovered, though they sustained damage and some parts of their memory was lost."
Interestingly:
"Hours before the plane crash the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had issued an emergency flight restriction barring U.S. carriers and pilots from flying over areas of Iraqi, Iranian and some Persian Gulf airspace warning of the “potential for miscalculation or misidentification” for civilian aircraft due to heightened political and military tensions."
NPR reports:
"Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that evidence suggests an Iranian missile strike brought down the Ukrainian jetliner that plunged from the sky Wednesday outside Tehran. "We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile," Trudeau said during a news conference in Ottawa, one day after all 176 people aboard — including dozens of Canadian passengers — died in the crash. "This may well have been unintentional," he added.
"Prior to Trudeau's address, a spokesperson for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the idea that such a mistake could have happened — suggested by President Trump during a news conference Thursday and reported by multiple U.S. media outlets at that point — is simply "impossible." "We are at a point that satellite images can read our [license] plate numbers, so if there was a missile hitting a plane, then ... the satellite footage would have been available," Iranian presidential spokesman Ali Rabie told NPR's Mary Louise Kelly on Thursday. "Apart from that, we have the 'black box' [flight data recordings]. We have asked the government of Ukraine to come, and we can give them the black box and analyze it together. Everything will become clear that it was just an accident."
"Several reports Thursday — including from Newsweek, The Associated Press and CNN — have also cited unnamed U.S. officials who say it's "highly likely" that an Iranian anti-aircraft missile downed the jetliner by accident. NPR has not independently confirmed these reports. Rabie rebutted these assertions, noting that "Ukraine and any other country can come and they can open" the black box flight data and cockpit recordings — though he added that they did not give them to U.S. officials because "we don't trust them and how they might read the information there." "There is no issues regarding this that we are trying to hide," he said."
The Associated Press reports:
"The Trump administration on Friday announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran following this week’s missile strikes by the Islamic Republic on U.S. bases in Iraq. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new sanctions will target eight senior Iranian officials involved in “destabilizing” activities in the Middle East as well as Tuesday’s missile strike, which came in retaliation for the U.S. killing of a senior Iranian general in a drone strike. Mnuchin said President Donald Trump will issue an executive order imposing sanctions on anyone involved in the Iranian textile, construction, manufacturing or mining sectors. They will also impose separate sanctions against the steel and iron sectors. “As a result of these actions we will cut off billions of dollars of support to the Iranian regime,” the treasury secretary said."
Resultant outcome? Increased terror. Aggressive stupidity at its very worst. Clearly, we've learned nothing since 1948 vis a vis the Middle East, that is, the thinking of its inhabitants.
"The administration has already reinstated all the U.S. sanctions that were eased under the 2015 nuclear deal, which has caused significant economic hardship in Iran and cut its oil exports to historic lows."
Massive failure. Has done nothing to slow down the terror, nor has it led to capitulation. ... If at first you don't succeed, repeat the same failed tactics ad infinitum. -- One classical definition of insanity. LOL.
"Iran this week launched the strikes in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the country’s most powerful commander, in Baghdad last week."
While this assassination victim was indeed no choir boy, Trump exacerbated the problem. Ensured there will be no resolution any time soon to this entire ongoing fiasco.
NPR reports:
"The White House announced Friday it is imposing additional economic sanctions against Iran, including officials in the Iranian government. The penalties, promised earlier this week by President Trump, "will cut off billions of dollars of support to the Iranian regime," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The restrictions are a response to Iran's missile attack on Ain al-Assad air base in Iraq, where U.S. and coalition service members are stationed. There were no injuries in the attack, but some of its facilities were damaged. Iran fired the missiles after the U.S. killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike. Speaking in the White House press briefing room alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Mnuchin said Trump is issuing an executive order authorizing sanctions against "any individual owning, operating, trading with or assisting sectors of the Iranian economy, including construction, manufacturing, textiles and mining." In addition, Mnuchin outlined 17 specific sanctions against Iran's largest steel and iron manufacturers, along with three entities based in the Seychelles and a vessel involved in the transfer of products. Other targets of the sanctions include the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, the commander of the Basij militia of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and other senior leaders close to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."
The more draconian the punishment imposed, the higher the level of terrorism. Clearly, we've learned nothing all these decades.
"Pompeo said the goal of the sanctions "is to deny the regime the resources to conduct its destructive foreign policy," adding: "We want Iran to simply behave like a normal nation."
We don't. Consistently do as we please regardless of international law. Again, can you imagine the reaction of the American public had an Iranian murdered an American general responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Iranians?
"These are just the latest sanctions the Trump administration has placed on Iran in an effort to punish Tehran for promoting instability and terrorist activities in the Middle East and to deter it from future attacks."
Hasn't worked to date. Must not be forgotten terrorism costs far less to engage in than playing by the rules of war. Far less. Precisely why and sadly, it will continue for the foreseeable future.
Yet, an idiot refuses to be confused by the truth. LOL. Get this:
"Mnuchin insisted on Friday that the sanctions are having their intended effect. "I think we have 100 percent confidence and we are consistent in our view that the economic sanctions are working," he said. Without the sanctions, "literally Iran would have tens of billions of dollars," which he said would be used to promote terrorist attacks throughout the region."
Already are. Wake up, fool. ... Or, are you simply lying?
Get this:
"Pompeo said the sanctions have caused Iran "big, challenging problems." He suggested Iran must choose between underwriting groups such as Hezbollah or Hamas, "or do you allow your people to have the opportunity to live the life they want and grow your economy?"
Been underwriting their proxies for decades. No matter the cost to their population. ... Won't be confused by the truth, Mr. Secretary?
Amazing how we no longer respect the sovereignty of the world community. Certainly, not in the Middle East. Case in point? Ongoing fiasco in Iraq fueled by Iran. The Associated Press reports:
"Iraq’s caretaker prime minister asked Washington to start working out a road map for an American troop withdrawal, but the U.S. State Department on Friday bluntly rejected the request, saying the two sides should instead talk about how to “recommit” to their partnership."
Jesus Christ. Why are we still there nearly twenty years? Why were we there in the first place? Forget? No weapons of mass destruction. Bush "The Tush" lied. Now, that they want us out, certainly, time to go.
"Thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in the capital and southern Iraq, many calling on both Iran and America to leave Iraq, reflecting anger and frustration over the two rivals — both Baghdad’s allies — trading blows on Iraqi soil. The request from Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi pointed to his determination to push ahead with demands for U.S. troops to leave Iraq, stoked by the American drone strike on Jan. 3 that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. In a phone call Thursday night, he told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that recent U.S. strikes in Iraq were an unacceptable breach of Iraqi sovereignty and a violation of their security agreements, his office said. He asked Pompeo to “send delegates to Iraq to prepare a mechanism” to carry out the Iraqi Parliament’s resolution on withdrawing foreign troops, according to the statement. “The prime minister said American forces had entered Iraq and drones are flying in its airspace without permission from Iraqi authorities, and this was a violation of the bilateral agreements,” the statement added."
Time to go. We're, in effect, no more than an occupying force that is clearly unwanted.
"Abdul-Mahdi signaled he was standing by the push for the American forces to go despite recent signs of de-escalation between Tehran and Washington after Iran retaliated for Soleimani’s death with a barrage of missiles that hit two Iraqi bases where U.S. troops are based but caused no casualties. Iraqis have felt furious and helpless at being caught in the middle of fighting between Baghdad’s two closest allies. Abdul-Mahdi has said he rejects all violations of Iraqi sovereignty, including both the Iranian and U.S. strikes. On Friday, the U.S. State Department flatly dismissed the request. It said the presence of U.S. troops was crucial for the fight against the Islamic State group and it would not discuss removing them."
If that stands, if that is indeed U.S. policy, we are now an unwanted occupying force infringing on the sovereignty of another country.
If the following is indeed now U.S. policy, we've lost ourselves, lost all sense of right and wrong:
“Any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how to best recommit to our strategic partnership — not to discuss troop withdrawal, but our right, appropriate force posture in the Middle East,” said spokesperson Morgan Ortagus. “We want to be a friend and partner to a sovereign, prosperous, and stable Iraq,” she added."
Not if they don't want us. Might does not make right. If this stands and is indeed now U.S. policy, there'll be a skyrocketing increase in the level of terror. If this indeed stands and is now U.S. policy, we've become hopelessly amoral.
"Iraqi lawmakers passed a resolution Sunday to oust U.S. troops, following the Jan. 3 U.S. drone strike that killed Soleimani and senior Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad’s airport. The nonbinding vote put the responsibility on the government to formally request a withdrawal. Abdul-Mahdi, addressing lawmakers at the time, called for “urgent measures” to ensure the removal of the troops."
It's their country. Not ours.
"Speaking to Pompeo, Abdul-Mahdi stopped short of requesting an immediate withdrawal and appeared to give the U.S. time to draw up a strategy and timeline for departure. In its initial readout of the call, the State Department made no mention of Abdul-Mahdi’s request on the troops. It said Pompeo initiated the call and reiterated the U.S. condemnation of the Iranian missile strikes on the two bases, underscoring that President Donald Trump “has said the United States will do whatever it takes to protect the American and Iraqi people and defend our collective interests.”
Again, it is their country. Not ours. If they order us out, time to go.
'Symbolism over substance.' NPR reports:
"The House of Representatives approved a resolution that would force President Trump to seek consent from Congress before taking new military action against Iran. The move comes nearly a week after President Trump greenlighted a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general and led to increased tensions with Tehran. The nonbinding war powers resolution was approved in a mostly party-line vote of 224-194. Only three Republicans and one independent joined Democrats to pass the measure. Eight Democrats opposed it. The Senate could consider a similar measure — but one that has the force of law — as early as next week, but it is unclear if it has enough votes to clear the chamber. Trump administration officials maintain the president already has the authority to take action against Iran under a 2002 war authorization passed by Congress in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. The House vote also comes after briefings for lawmakers on Wednesday from top Trump administration officials left Democrats — and some Republicans — unhappy with a lack of transparency about what fueled the decision to strike the Iranian general."
This remains an out of control dictator in the Oval Office who continues to egregiously abuse power.
The following is blatantly untrue, patently false, a disingenuous re-write of reality:
"In response to the vote, the White House said the president "has the right and duty to protect this nation and our citizens from terrorism. That's what he continues to do, and the world is safer for it."
Last few days in Iraq and Iran prove otherwise. Compounded by what is reportedly the mistaken shoot-down of a Ukrainian airliner.
"This House resolution tries to undermine the ability of the U.S. Armed Forces to prevent terrorist activity by Iran and its proxies, and attempts to hinder the President's authority to protect America and our interests in the region from the continued threats," White House Spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement Thursday evening. "These Congressional actions are completely misguided. In fact, this ridiculous resolution is just another political move because, under well-established Supreme Court precedent, it's non-binding and lacks the force of law." The White House reiterated its stance that the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani was authorized under "his constitutional powers as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive as well as the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force."
Simply, not true. The president would have indeed remained free to act militarily on an emergency basis. The problem is he did not act on an emergency basis perpetrating the murder of the Iranian general. Has failed to deliver evidence to support this action.
Imagine, readers, had it been an Iranian who had killed an American general, that is, what the response would have been here in the United States? Does the nazi in the Oval Office truly believe an 18-year-old Authorization for Use of Military Force grants carte blanche to murder?
"The war powers measure crafted by House Democrats was written as a concurrent resolution, which is traditionally considered nonbinding and doesn't require the president's signature. Earlier Thursday, Pelosi said they purposely took this approach to ensure that the chamber could send a clear message to the president. "We are taking this path because it does not require ... a signature of the president of the United States," she said. "This is a statement of the Congress of the United States, and I will not have that statement be diminished by whether the president will veto it or not."
Wake up, Madam Speaker. You accomplished nothing. 'Symbolism over substance.' Best you could do?
"The concerns touch on a years-long discussion over whether the president's war powers are woefully outdated. Under the Trump administration, Democrats and some Republicans have renewed calls for new legislation addressing the president's authorization for use of military force. Congress has debated how to craft a new AUMF specifically focused on Iran, but it has failed to get consensus on language that would satisfy the broad ideological spectrum that wants the legislative branch to reassert its power to declare war."
Trump does not have authorization to do what he's doing. He's abusing power.
"However, some Senate Republicans have expressed interest in recent days to support a similar measure in their chamber. Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, who is sponsoring the war powers resolution, says he could bring up his measure for a vote as early as Tuesday. He said it would likely have to be coordinated with a potential trial if articles of impeachment are sent to the chamber beforehand. Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, have already said they will support the measure. And Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Todd Young, R-Ind., have also been in talks with Kaine about the legislation and could line up support. "We are at the brink of war right now. So I think the stakes are much higher now," Kaine said in arguing for the measure. "I think it increases the necessity of the bill."
No question.
The Washington Post reports:
"On the day the U.S. military killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, U.S. forces carried out another top secret mission against a senior Iranian military official in Yemen, according to U.S. officials. The strike targeting Abdul Reza Shahlai, a financier and key commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen, did not result in his death, according to four U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The unsuccessful operation may indicate that the Trump administration’s killing of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani last week was part of a broader operation than previously explained, raising questions about whether the mission was designed to cripple the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or solely to prevent an imminent attack on Americans as originally stated. U.S. military operations in Yemen, where a civil war has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, are shrouded in secrecy. U.S. officials said the operation against Shahlai remains highly classified, and many declined to offer details other than to say it was not successful. Officials at the Pentagon and in Florida were monitoring both strikes and had discussed announcing them together, had they gone well, officials said. “If we had killed him, we’d be bragging about it that same night,” a senior U.S. official said, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a classified military operation. Another senior official said the two strikes were authorized around the same time and that the United States did not disclose the Shahlai mission because it did not go according to plan. The official said Shahlai may be targeted in the future, though both countries have signaled an interest in de-escalating the crisis. The rationale for the Trump administration’s decision to kill Soleimani has come under scrutiny in Congress, with House lawmakers approving a resolution on Thursday to restrict the president’s authority to strike Iran without congressional approval. Defense and State Department officials said the strike against Soleimani saved “dozens” if not “hundreds” of American lives under imminent threat. The strike against Shahlai potentially complicates that argument. “This suggests a mission with a longer planning horizon and a larger objective, and it really does call into question why there was an attempt to explain this publicly on the basis of an imminent threat,” said Suzanne Maloney, an Iran scholar at the Brookings Institution."
Our government is out of control. This is a problem. A big problem. We remain a democratic republic in name only.
The Associated Press reports:
"Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Saturday acknowledged that it accidentally shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 people aboard, after the government had repeatedly denied Western accusations and mounting evidence that it was responsible. The plane was shot down early Wednesday, hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on two military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in an American airstrike in Baghdad. No one was hurt in the attack on the U.S. bases. The admission raised a host of new questions, such as why Iran did not shut down its international airport or airspace when it was bracing for a U.S. reprisal. It also undermined the credibility of information provided by senior officials, who for three days had adamantly dismissed allegations of a missile strike as Western propaganda. Iran’s acknowledgment also alters the narrative around its confrontation with the U.S. in a way that could anger the Iranian public. Iran had promised harsh revenge after Soleimani’s death, but instead of killing American soldiers, its forces downed a civilian plane in which most passengers were Iranian and none survived. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guard’s aerospace division, said his unit accepts full responsibility for the shootdown. In an address broadcast by state TV, he said that when he learned about the downing of the plane, “I wished I was dead.” He said he raised the possibility to his superiors that his forces shot down the plane as early as Wednesday morning because “the simultaneous occurrence of the launch and crash was suspicious.”
Iran should not have sat on that information.
"Hajizadeh said Guard forces ringing the capital had beefed up their air defenses and were at the “highest level of readiness,” fearing that the U.S. would retaliate. He said he suggested Tehran should close its airspace but no action was taken. He said the airline’s pilot and crew had done nothing wrong, but an officer made the “bad decision” to open fire on the plane after mistaking it for a cruise missile. “We were prepared for an all-out conflict,” he said."
No excuse.
"Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, expressed his “deep sympathy” to the families of the victims and called on the armed forces to “pursue probable shortcomings and guilt in the painful incident.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the crash investigation should continue and the “perpetrators” should be brought to justice. He said Iran should compensate victims’ families, and he requested “official apologies through diplomatic channels.” The Ukrainian airline criticized Iran’s decision to leave its airspace open despite the hostilities. “It’s absolutely irresponsible,” Ukraine International Airlines vice president Ihor Sosnovskiy told reporters. “There must be protection around ordinary people. If they are shooting somewhere from somewhere, they are obliged to close the airport.”
"The U.S. and Canada, citing intelligence, said they believed Iran shot down the aircraft with a surface-to-air missile, a conclusion supported by videos verified by The Associated Press."
The Associated Press reports:
"Popular anger swelled Monday in Iran over the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian jetliner and the government’s attempt to conceal its role in the tragedy, as online videos appeared to show security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse protests in the streets. Iranians, already suffering under crippling U.S. sanctions, expressed shock and outrage over the plane crash that killed scores of young people. They also decried the misleading statements from top officials, who only admitted responsibility three days later in the face of mounting evidence."
Iranian leadership remains appalling. Certainly, an abysmal failure during this latest crisis. To say the least, the citizenry under the dictator is not a happy camper.
"The country began last week engulfed in mourning after a U.S. drone strike killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who led Iran’s regional military interventions. Then on Jan. 8, it responded with a ballistic missile attack on two bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq, although there were no casualties. Hours after that barrage, as it braced for a U.S. counterattack that never came, Iranian forces accidentally shot down the Ukraine International Airlines jetliner, killing all 176 people aboard shortly after it took off from Tehran for Kyiv."
No excuse.
"For a growing number of critics — from ordinary citizens to notable athletes and artists — the events have revealed a government that is incapable of following through on its incendiary rhetoric and willing to mislead its own people about a national tragedy in order to avoid embarrassment."
The mark of a dictator.
"Those sentiments first boiled over late Saturday, shortly after the Revolutionary Guard admitted to shooting the plane down by mistake. A candlelight vigil at a university rapidly turned into an anti-government demonstration."
For damned good reason. Took great courage to stand up to the dictator.
“They are lying that our enemy is America! Our enemy is right here!” students shouted."
Goddamned right. Sadly, the same is true right here, right now in the United States. The Trump nazi presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
"On Sunday night, protesters massed in Tehran’s Azadi, or Freedom, Square. Videos sent to the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran and later verified by The Associated Press show a crowd of demonstrators near Azadi Square fleeing as a tear gas canister lands among them. People cough and sputter while trying to escape the fumes, with one woman calling out in Farsi: “They fired tear gas at people! Azadi Square! Death to the dictator!”
That woman has exceptional courage. Could have been killed. An example of Uncommon Valor.
The following woman was not so fortunate:
"Another video shows a woman being carried away in the aftermath of the violence, a trail of blood visible on the ground. Those around her cry out that she has been shot in the leg. “Oh my God, she’s bleeding nonstop!” one person shouts. Another shouts: “Bandage it!” Photos and video after the incident show pools of blood on the sidewalk."
Her presence there in protest, willingness to take the risk is another example of Uncommon Valor. The very best in humanity.
"Tehran’s police chief, Gen. Hossein Rahimi, later denied that his officers opened fire. “Police treated people who had gathered with patience and tolerance,” Iranian media quoted Rahimi as saying. “Police did not shoot in the gatherings since broad-mindedness and restraint has been the agenda of the police forces of the capital.”
Somebody's lying.
"The semi-official Fars news agency reported that police had “shot tear gas in some areas.” Fars, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard, carried videos purportedly shot Sunday night showing demonstrators chanting: “We are children of war. Fight with us, we will fight back.” Another Fars video showed demonstrators in Tehran tearing down a poster of Soleimani."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"On Sunday, authorities deployed forces across Tehran — police, members of the Revolutionary Guard on motorcycles and plainclothes security men. The heavy security presence continued into Monday, when protests were largely confined to universities and there were no reports of clashes. President Donald Trump has openly encouraged the demonstrators, even tweeting messages of support in Farsi and warning the government not to fire on them. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted that “we are following the protests in Tehran very attentively,” adding that Iranians “have a right to free expression without repression and persecution.”
The problem is Trump. Trump is responsible for this latest crisis. His predecessors both Democratic and Republican wisely chose not to kill Soleimani.
"But earlier, larger waves of protests going back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution have been crushed by security forces. Amnesty International says more than 300 people were killed in November during days of protests sparked by an increase in gasoline prices."
Just a matter of time before the Iranian dictator is overthrown. Nothing goes on forever.
"On Saturday, Iranian authorities briefly arrested British Ambassador Rob Macaire, who said he went to the candlelight vigil to pay his respects and left as soon as the chanting began. Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador Sunday to protest what it said was his presence at an illegal protest. Britain, in turn, summoned Iran’s ambassador on Monday “to convey our strong objections” over the weekend arrest. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman, James Slack, said the envoy’s detention was “an unacceptable breach of the Vienna Convention.” “We are seeking full assurances from the Iranian government that it will never happen again,” he said."
Nothing lasts forever. Neither in Iran or here in the United States.
CBS News reports:
"President Trump authorized the targeted killing of Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran's elite Quds Force, last summer or fall, two sources familiar with the matter tell CBS News. NBC News, citing five current and former senior administration officials, reported on Monday that Mr. Trump authorized Soleimani's killing seven months ago if Iran's increasingly belligerent actions led to the death of an American. NBC News said the president reserved the right to greenlight the specific operation himself.
"Over the weekend, The New York Times reported that officials had discussed the possibility of taking out Soleimani for the past 18 months. The Times said U.S. intelligence officials focused on developing sources to track Soleimani's travels across the region, with the military becoming involved in planning a potential operation by September. Mr. Trump has said that he ordered the strike that took out Soleimani after the U.S. received information of "imminent" threats to American personnel in the region. He later told Fox News in an interview that Soleimani was orchestrating an attack on four U.S. embassies, including the embassy in Baghdad. But Defense Secretary Mark Esper told "Face the Nation" on Sunday that he "didn't see" specific evidence that Soleimani was planning assaults on four embassies, but agreed with the president's belief that they would be targeted."
Trump lied.
NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump authorized the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani seven months ago if Iran's increased aggression resulted in the death of an American, according to five current and former senior administration officials. The presidential directive in June came with the condition that Trump would have final signoff on any specific operation to kill Soleimani, officials said. That decision explains why assassinating Soleimani was on the menu of options that the military presented to Trump two weeks ago for responding to an attack by Iranian proxies in Iraq, in which a U.S. contractor was killed and four U.S. service members were wounded, the officials said. The timing, however, could undermine the Trump administration's stated justification for ordering the U.S. drone strike that killed Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3. Officials have said Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, was planning imminent attacks on Americans and had to be stopped. "There have been a number of options presented to the president over the course of time," a senior administration official said, adding that it was "some time ago" that the president's aides put assassinating Soleimani on the list of potential responses to Iranian aggression. After Iran shot down a U.S. drone in June, John Bolton, Trump's national security adviser at the time, urged Trump to retaliate by signing off on an operation to kill Soleimani, officials said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also wanted Trump to authorize the assassination, officials said. But Trump rejected the idea, saying he'd take that step only if Iran crossed his red line: killing an American. The president's message was "that's only on the table if they hit Americans," according to a person briefed on the discussion."
UPI reports:
"Iranian authorities have arrested several people in connection with the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane last week, Tehran's judiciary commission said Tuesday. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said an unspecified number of people were arrested Tuesday following an initial round of investigation, the semi-official FARS News Agency reported. The announcement came shortly after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani promised Tuesday those responsible for shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 with a missile would be held accountable. He also called for the establishment of a special court. "We will do the follow-up in order to detect all aspects of the event and punish those responsible," Rouhani said at a meeting with farmers in Tehran.
"Tehran denied Monday it tried to cover up the accidental shootdown, saying the initial reaction was based on the best information available at the time. Iranians vented anger over the crash, however, in protests Saturday, Sunday and Monday, during which they demanded the removal of religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."
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.
1-17-20
Trump impeachment saga continues. The Associated Press reports:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday the House will take steps next week to send articles of impeachment to the Senate ending Democrats’ blockade of President Donald Trump’s Senate trial."
Capitulating, Nancy? To the hopelessly insane fascist son of a bitch ensconced in the Oval Office?
"In a letter to her Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said she was proud of their "courage and patriotism” and warned that senators now have a choice as they consider the charges of abuse and obstruction against the president."
Goddamned bullshit. Republicans continue to goose step in unison with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. You're caving in, Madam Speaker. You and your fellow Democrats have granted this piece of crap near carte blanche last three years. Been hopelessly ineffective in reining him in. Democrats in the Senate are so goddamned gutless they won't walk out in protest.
Refuse to gum up the works, slow the bastards down in their (Republican) effort to transform the de facto fascist police-state we've lived in since 9/11 to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. Pitiful. You and your Democratic colleagues, by gutlessly capitulating to ol' Mitch "The Bitch" McConnell, ensure this 'trial' in the Senate will be no more than a kangaroo charade.
The following is indicative of your aching naiveté, profound aggressive stupidity:
“In an impeachment trial, every Senator takes an oath to do ’impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws," Pelosi wrote. ”Every Senator now faces a choice: to be loyal to the President or the Constitution.”
They've already made that choice. Continue to goose step with their fuhrer. No witnesses? No stonewalled subpoenaed documents? Even if several Republicans honor their oaths of office to uphold the Constitution, you're nowhere near the two-thirds majority required for conviction and removal from office.
"Pelosi has been in a standoff with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that has consumed Capitol Hill and scrambled the political dynamics more than three weeks after the House impeached Trump."
Why have you gutlessly failed to stand tall, stand firm?
"She said she has asked House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler to be prepared to bring to the floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate. “I will be consulting with you at our Tuesday House Democratic Caucus meeting on how we proceed further,” Pelosi wrote. She did not announce a date for the House vote."
You have no backbone, Madam Speaker.
"In the weeks since Trump was impeached, Democrats have focused on new evidence about Trump’s effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals and they pushed the Senate to consider new testimony, including from former White House national security adviser John Bolton. Republicans are just as focused on a speedy trial with acquittal. Republicans have the leverage, with a slim 53-47 Senate majority, as McConnell rebuffs the Democratic demands for testimony and documents. But Democrats are using the delay to sow public doubt about the fairness of the process as they try to peel off wavering GOP senators for the upcoming votes. It takes just 51 senators to set the rules. “When we say fair trial, we mean facts, we mean witnesses, we mean documents,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., promising votes ahead. “Every single one of us, in this Senate, will have to have to take a stand. How do my Republican friends want the American people, their constituents, and history to remember them?”
Wake up, Senator. They don't care. Neither do you gutless bastards in the Democratic Party. You rushed this impeachment. Failed to include ten examples of obstruction of justice in the Mueller Report. Why? Jesus Christ. These goddamned offenses were not prosecuted because the 'Justice' Department conveniently opined a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, that is, remains above the law. In a democratic republic? Wake up, Senator. Remove your head from your ass.
What about all Emoluments Clause violations currently slowly adjudicated in the court system? That is, effective bribes presented Trump at his resorts by foreign dignitaries. What about the bribes paid by Trump to buy the silence of two women, a former Playboy model as well as a porn star, who are alleged to have had sex with the Trump nazi? All the wheeling and dealing, questionable financial activities, to say nothing of the personal use of charitable funds from his now defunct foundation? The bastard wasn't even criminally prosecuted. Settled in a civil suit. List can go on and on. Clearly, Democrats were, and are, unwilling to hold this bastard's feet to the fire vis a vis impeachment. Failed miserably.
Our formerly great country is coming apart at the seams. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms as both major political parties fail to act in the best interest of the American public. Egregiously fail to honor their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution.
NPR reports:
"Pelosi plans to move ahead by transmitting the articles and naming impeachment managers who will present the House case in the Senate trial. She said in a letter to House Democrats that she would consult with the caucus on Tuesday about next steps. "In an impeachment trial, every Senator takes an oath to 'do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws.' Every Senator now faces a choice: to be loyal to the President or the Constitution," Pelosi said in the letter. Asked whether she thought the Senate trial would be "fair," she said no."
Then why have you capitulated to Trump, his henchmen, and the Senate Majority Leader?
Get this. ABC News reports:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi waited more than three weeks to deliver the impeachment articles for President Donald Trump -- a seemingly odd move after Democrats spent weeks arguing that removing Trump was urgently needed to protect the integrity of the 2020 election."
That happened after the Senate Majority leader indicated the 'trial' would be kangaroo in nature, stonewalled, that is, no witnesses, no documents.
"Even as some Democrats joined Republicans in calling for the articles to move, Pelosi coolly responded that she would do so only when she was good and ready. "It cracks me up to see on TV, ‘Oh, the pressure,'" Pelosi told reporters Friday, just moments before telling her colleagues in a letter that she was ready to send the articles -- even without seeing the text of impeachment trial rules from Senate Republicans she had insisted was necessary. “Where’s the pressure? I have news for them. You don’t have a story,” she said. In the end, Pelosi’s maneuvering might have some Americans scratching their heads. Democrats insist her delay was about maximizing leverage, and that she got as much as she could. Republicans counter she undercut her own argument of urgency and lost momentum."
She capitulated.
"Nadeam Elshami, Pelosi’s former chief of staff, said he thinks she got what she wanted. By the time the Republican majority votes to acquit Trump as expected, Democrats will insist it was a “tainted trial,” he said. “This has been a strategy that essentially shines a bright light on the question of fairness,” Elshami said. Jim Manley, a former senior aide to Democratic Sens. Harry Reid and Ted Kennedy, agreed. "Among other things, it drove the president nuts while also forcing Republicans repeatedly to defend their lack of willingness to call witnesses as part of a determined effort to hold a real trial in the Senate," he told ABC News."
Not good enough. No more than capitulation. Should have held out as long as it took. Trump would have grown increasingly 'nuts.' Pelosi should have held out indefinitely. Right up to the election if necessary.
"One concern among Democrats was that Trump’s acquittal in the Republican-controlled Senate would be swift without allowing for witnesses and documents, essentially flipping headlines from “Trump impeached” to "Trump acquitted" without giving voters time to absorb the details."
Trump would have likely lost the election under delayed circumstances right up to the election. The public would have reacted negatively to the stonewalled 'trial' where there would be no witnesses and documents. This may very well turn out to be a critical mistake on the part of the Democrats. We'll see.
"Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell had already mocked the House inquiry as “weak” and promised to conduct a Senate trial “in total coordination” with White House lawyers."
Jesus Christ. Trump and his henchmen stonewalled all document and witness requests during the House impeachment process. Voters would have likely 'rewarded' him for the stonewalling. Especially, if Democrats made that point throughout the campaign. Exposure of the unvarnished truth.
“We all know how it’s going to end,” McConnell said in a December interview with Fox News Sean Hannity. “There is no chance the president is going to be removed from office.”
... Not since Pelosi and the Democrats are refusing to delay the 'trial' much longer. Called caving in to the Trump nazi and his equally stonewalling, national socialist, fascist GOP colleagues.
"Those comments though triggered GOP moderate Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to speak out, telling a local news affiliate she was "disturbed" by the comment and stirring speculation she might side with Democrats to propose certain rules or subpoena witnesses or documents. Then came the unsolicited offer by John Bolton – Trump’s former national security adviser -- to testify. Another witness had already testified in the House that Bolton had privately compared the White House pressure campaign on Ukraine to a “drug deal” cooked up by Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. New evidence surfaced, too. An Aug. 30 email leaked to the public quoted a White House budget official telling the Pentagon that it was “clear direction from POTUS to hold” military assistance for Ukraine despite repeated warnings that doing so was probably illegal. The result was mounting pressure on moderate or vulnerable Republicans to agree to allow new witnesses and other evidence introduced into the Senate trial. “I’d like to hear what John Bolton has to say,” said Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah."
So would the rest of us.
Here's the problem:
"McConnell ultimately said he would propose rules “similar” to those agreed to by Senate Democrats for President Bill Clinton’s trial. Those rules would allow for new witnesses and documents, but later in the trial if 51 senators agree. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he wasn't happy with the idea, noting differences in the Clinton and Trump cases. But he seemed pleased with what Pelosi had done. “If she had sent them (the impeachment articles) right away, McConnell could have well just voted for dismissal the day before or after Christmas," he told ABC's "This Week." "Now, in the last two weeks, where we haven't had the articles, lots of new evidence that bolsters our case for witnesses -- for witnesses and documents has come out.”
Not good enough. The Trump impeachment is far, far more complex than that of Clinton as repeatedly reported in this publication and elsewhere. Orders of magnitude.
"Pelosi's caucus fell in line without argument. “I think her judgment has been uncanny, and I am not about to second-guess her,” Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., a progressive and early impeachment advocate who was critical of her stance on impeachment early last year."
Democrats and Independents will likely regret this. Here's why:
"For Republicans, Pelosi’s delay only undercut Democrats’ own argument that they needed to act urgently because Trump’s actions were so dire. “For months, House Democrats said @realDonaldTrump was a national security threat and that impeachment was urgent,” wrote Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, in a tweet refired by Trump. “Where’s the urgency now?” The delay also gave McConnell space to assert himself and take control. All eyes were on the GOP leader this month as he delivered blistering floor speeches knocking Democrats for playing politics. “House Democrats are treating impeachment like a political toy -- a political toy -- treating their own effort to remove the commander like some frivolous game,” McConnell said shortly before Pelosi announced she would transmit the articles. “These bizarre stunts do not serve our Constitution or our national security. They erode both.”
So do the Trump nazi, his henchmen, their fellow Republicans.
"McConnell also was able to cobble together a party agreement to support the Clinton trial rules. While that approach includes an opportunity for Democrats to demand witnesses, it’s not guaranteed and Democrats wouldn’t be able to raise the idea until after opening arguments are made and senators have submitted questions."
That's a problem. Will enable Republicans to continue stonewalling. The following is bullshit. The reason why will follow the quote:
“What was good enough for President Clinton is good enough for President Trump,” he said.
Readers are reminded Clinton did not stonewall all documents and witnesses as Trump and his henchmen have done.
NPR reports:
"The House of Representatives has formally voted to transmit the articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate, setting up a trial that is expected to begin next week. Earlier in the day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named seven Democratic members of Congress as the managers to argue the case for impeachment before the Senate. Pelosi appointed Reps. Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, Zoe Lofgren, Val Demings, Hakeem Jeffries, Sylvia Garcia and Jason Crow as impeachment managers. Pelosi said Schiff will be the lead manager."
NBC News reports:
"The Trump administration violated the law by withholding military aid to Ukraine, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a decision released Thursday."
More on this in the next edition 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.
1-17-20
Judiciary continues to abrogate its oath to protect and defend the United States Constitution. NPR reports:
"A federal appeals court has handed the Trump administration a victory by allowing the president to tap military construction funds to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border."
Outrageously, unconstitutional. Congress decides on what and how much is to be spent. Not the president. Not the judiciary.
"A divided 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the decision late Wednesday, reversing a lower court order that stopped Trump from using $3.6 billion in U.S Defense Department money to construct the long-promised border wall. The court noted that in July, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a similar freeze on a separate source of military funding that Trump would like to use to pay for border barriers. "The Government is entitled to the same relief here," wrote the three-judge panel in the opinion."
Is it? The Constitution is clear. The Supreme Court now enjoys a 5-4 majority ruled by five Republican national socialist, fascist 'justices,' who are clearly abrogating their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution for partisan reasons.
"On Thursday, the White House welcomed the court's action, calling the nationwide injunction put in place by the lower court "illegitimate."
What is illegitimate, an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties, is what is now residing in the Oval Office and his henchmen. To say nothing of his shills throughout the Judiciary and Congress.
"This is a victory for the rule of law. We are committed to keeping our borders secure, and we will finish the wall," said White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham."
Rule of law? Horse shit. Simply, not true. Quite the opposite. Congress did not authorize this expenditure as required by the Constitution. The wall will do nothing other than waste looted taxpayer dollars. Trump is doing this for political purposes, support of his base. Not for national security.
"Opponents say pulling money that was approved by Congress for other military projects in order to pay for border wall construction is an abuse of power."
No question. For political purposes.
"Lawyers for El Paso County and the Border Network for Human Rights, who originally sued over the controversial funding mechanism, suggested that the legal fight isn't over. "We're confident the district court's ruling that the president can't usurp Congress's power on this spending decision is correct," said Kristy Parker, a lawyer for the Protect Democracy Project, which is representing groups that sued the administration. "Even though border wall construction can move forward for now, we expect that in the end, the people of El Paso and the border community will prevail," Parker 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.
1-17-20
What took so long? Why weren't these Saudi military personnel properly vetted before allowed to train here in the United States? NPR reports:
"The Trump administration is planning to announce on Monday that more than 20 Saudi students receiving military training in the United States will be sent back to their home country, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The expulsions come in the wake of a Pentagon review of the Saudi officer who opened fire last month at a naval base in Pensacola, Fla., leaving three young sailors dead and wounding eight others. Earlier reports indicated that about 12 Saudi trainees would be kicked out of the country. However, those reports did not include Saudis who will be expelled from military bases other than Naval Air Station Pensacola, according to the U.S. officials who spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity. The Saudis who will be removed from the country raised a number of concerns among federal investigators, the officials said."
Here are the issues:
"Some Saudi trainees failed to alert authorities about the shooter's extremist leanings. Investigators believe the gunman and other Saudi trainees watched videos of other mass shootings at a party before the attack. Some Saudis are being expelled because they viewed child pornography, according to the officials. Other Saudi officers in the U.S. were involved in extremist online chat rooms, according to one of the officials. The shooting prompted the Pentagon to suspend operational training of all Saudi Arabian military students in the U.S. indefinitely, as federal investigators conduct a security review of the some 850 military students in the U.S. from Saudi Arabia."
What are they doing here? The Saudis have been shamelessly looting us since January 1973. At that time, these bastards caused the price of gasoline to double in price. Caused long gas lines, fuel shortages to increase prices. -- While oil tankers waited off the coast for the price increases.
"The Justice Department, which has been investigating the incident as an act of terrorism, is planning on Monday to publicly announce the Saudi removals and the results of its criminal investigation into the Pensacola shooting. In Saudi Arabia, news of the expulsions is expected to be greeted as unwelcome news, according to Daniel Byman, a Middle East expert and professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. "They don't like public embarrassment. So having have these individuals be expelled, having it make the news, is not something the Saudi regime wants," Byman said."
Tough shit.
"Byman said pushing out the students could make a precarious situation with Iran even more uncertain."
How so?
"If there's going to be efforts to do diplomacy with Iran, no matter which direction the United States wants to go in, Saudi Arabia is going to be important for that," according to Byman."
Precisely, the problem. Why do we kowtow to the Saudi dictatorship? We export more oil currently than we import. Why don't we set our own oil prices? Instead of following OPEC's guidance? Why do we, the people, allow these sons of bitches in the corporate management suite to royally f--k us?
"Authorities identified the victims of the December attack in Pensacola as Joshua Kaleb Watson, 23, of Enterprise, Ala.; Mohammed Sameh Haitham, 19, of St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Cameron Scott Walters, 21, of Richmond Hill, Ga. Some members of Congress used the incident to renew attention on foreign military exchange training programs, which bring thousands of students from dozens of countries to be taught at U.S. bases. Top military officials view the programs as a way to boost relationships with foreign militaries and to increase the sharing of intelligence around the globe as a national security measure."
The Saudis have been royally f--king us for nearly a half century. Why do we continue to put up with this shit? The answer is remarkably simple. Lines the pockets of Big Oil both here and abroad.
"When asked on Fox News Sunday about the move to kick out Saudi trainees, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, are exhibiting caution in the aftermath of the bloody rampage. "I think we're being very careful. Obviously, Pensacola showed that there had been errors in the way that we vetted, and out of an abundance of caution Secretary Esper has taken these actions to protect our service men and women," O'Brien said."
Certainly, haven't adequately done so up to this point. Last three deaths remain proof positive. Not to neglect to mention eight wounded.
"The Saudis set to be expelled from the U.S. are not accused of aiding the 21-year-old Saudi gunman who carried out the attack, according to CNN, which first reported Saturday night that more than a dozen Saudi servicemen would be removed from the country. Federal investigators believe the Saudi gunman, who legally purchased a handgun before the shooting, acted alone and was not part of a larger network. A sheriff's deputy shot and killed him. Shortly after the shooting, an account linked to the gunman surfaced showing vitriolic posts on social media criticizing American foreign policy and military action, saying the country had become "a nation of evil." The Department of Justice, Department of Defense and the Federal Bureau of Investigation all declined to comment on the pending announcement about the Saudi students being expelled."
Gutless. Pitiful. Un-American.
In update, NPR reports:
"Attorney General William Barr announced Monday that 21 Saudi military cadets studying at U.S. military bases are being sent back to their home country after investigators found child pornography, "jihadi or anti-American content" on accounts or devices associated with the students. The announcement comes a month after a Saudi national opened fire in a classroom at a naval base in Pensacola, Fla., killing three young sailors and wounding eight others. "This was an act of terrorism." Barr said, adding that the shooter was "motivated by jihadist ideology." Federal authorities said Monday that investigators have not identified any co-conspirators in the attack. The gunman does not appear to have acted on behalf of any terrorist organization. "Social media attributed to the shooter suggests that he harbored anti-U.S. military and anti-Israel sentiments," said FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich. "And that he thought violence was necessary to defend Muslim countries." The incident renewed scrutiny on foreign military exchange programs. Some 850 Saudi trainees currently study alongside U.S. military under such programs, but federal officials halted all Saudis training in the U.S. in the wake of the shooting. Of the 21 Saudis now in the process of being removed from the U.S., investigators found that 17 had shared social media posts that were either jihadi or anti-American in nature, Barr said. About 15 individuals, had "some kind of contact" with child pornography, Barr noted. "While one of these individuals had a significant number of such images, all the rest had one or two images, in most cases posted in a chat room by some other person or received over social media," Barr said. The move by the U.S. was made in consultation with the Saudi government. Barr said federal prosecutors did not find that any of the material unearthed or actions by the 21 Saudi trainees rose to the level of criminal charges in the U.S. "However, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia determined that this material demonstrated conduct unbecoming an officer in the Royal Saudi Air Force and in the Royal Navy. And the 21 cadets have been disenrolled from their training curriculum from the U.S. military and will be returning to Saudi Arabia later today," Barr said Monday.
Barr should have stated precisely why none of the material found was criminal in nature despite the fact it involved "some kind of contact" with child pornography."
The following is just as interesting:
"Barr also said federal authorities are struggling to gain access to digital evidence on two Apple phones used by the gunman, despite having court orders to be able to review the phones. "It is very important for us to know with whom and about what the shooter was communicating before he died," Barr said. "We have asked Apple for their help in unlocking the shooters' phones. So far, Apple has not given any substantive assistance." Apple has said it would not assist the Justice Department by turning over private information on the gunman's phones on messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Signal."
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.
1-10-20
Yet another act of aggressive stupidity on the part of Donald Trump. Apparently, anything to distract attention from the impeachment saga. The Associated Press reports:
"Iran vowed “harsh retaliation” for a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad’s airport that killed a top Iranian general who had been the architect of its interventions across the Middle East, and the U.S. said Friday it was adding troops to the region as tensions soared in the wake of the targeted killing. The killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, marks a major escalation in the standoff between Washington and Iran, which has careened from one crisis to another since President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions."
Trump's head remains, figuratively, securely lodged up his clueless ass.
"The United States said it was sending nearly 3,000 more Army troops to the Middle East and urged American citizens to leave Iraq “immediately” following the early morning airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport that Iran’s state TV said killed Soleimani and nine others. The State Department said the embassy in Baghdad, which was attacked by Iran-backed militiamen and their supporters earlier this week, is closed and all consular services have been suspended."
The following remains an ongoing issue, -- a problem that's gone on decades:
"Around 5,200 American troops are based in Iraq to train Iraqi forces and help in the fight against Islamic State group militants. Defense officials who made the announcement about the new troops spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a decision not yet announced by the Pentagon. A Pentagon official who was not authorized to be identified said the U.S. also had placed an Army brigade on alert to fly into Lebanon to protect the American Embassy there. U.S. embassies also issued a security alert for Americans in Bahrain Kuwait and Nigeria."
Why are we still there? Why did we invade in the first place decades ago? There were no weapons of mass destruction. If there had been, would have been none of our goddamned business since the U.S. and a number of other countries have the same, and the Iraqis had presented no exigent threat.
"Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that “harsh retaliation is waiting” for the U.S. after the airstrike, calling Soleimani the “international face of resistance.” Khamenei declared three days of public mourning and appointed Maj. Gen. Esmail Ghaani, Soleimani’s deputy, to replace him as head of the Quds Force. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the killing a “heinous crime” and vowed his country would “take revenge.” Iran twice summoned the Swiss envoy, the first time delivering a letter to pass onto the United States."
When will we finally smarten up? Mind our own goddamned business? Instead of dictating to others? Lining the pockets of the military-industrial complex with undeclared war after war after war, etc., since the Korean debacle? Time to end this shit. This latest adventure by our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, will not end well for anyone. Including our country.
"Iranian Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dubbed the U.S. attack a “cowardly terrorist action” and said Iran has the right to respond “in any method and any time.“ Iran also had discussed the attack with the secretary-general of the United Nations and was preparing a letter for the world body, Zarif added. Thousands of worshippers in the Iranian capital Tehran took to the streets after Friday Muslim prayers to condemn the killing, waving posters of Soleimani and chanting “Death to deceitful America.”
The following will likely be the end result of Trump insanity:
"The targeted strike, and any retaliation by Iran, could ignite a conflict that engulfs the whole region, endangering U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and beyond. Over the last two decades, Soleimani had assembled a network of heavily armed allies stretching all the way to southern Lebanon, on Israel’s doorstep. However, the attack may act as a deterrent for Iran and its allies to delay or restrain any potential response. Oil prices surged on news of the airstrike and markets were mixed."
-- Bet the greedy bastards in Big Oil aren't 'high-fiving?'
"The killing promised to further strain relations with Iraq’s government, which is allied with both Washington and Tehran and has been deeply worried about becoming a battleground in their rivalry. Iraqi politicians close to Iran called for the country to order U.S. forces out."
Should have been out long ago. Instead of getting our cookies off dictating to the region what is and is not acceptable to us.
"The Defense Department said it killed the 62-year-old Soleimani because he “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.” It also accused Soleimani of approving the orchestrated violent protests at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad."
What do they expect? Iran will magically, compliantly goose step in unison with our views, wants, and needs? Play by our rules? With rare exception, not happening across most of the world. Time to wake up, fully understand we don't get to rule the planet. From 1950 to present, we seem to have forgotten this most salient fact. At tremendous cost in terms of blood, treasure, international support, and trust.
Here's how the attack went down:
"The strike, on an access road near Baghdad’s airport, was carried out Friday by an American drone, according to a U.S. official. Soleimani had just disembarked from a plane arriving from either Syria or Lebanon, a senior Iraqi security official said. The blast tore his body to pieces along with that of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces. A senior politician said Soleimani’s body was identified by the ring he wore. Iran’s state TV said Friday 10 people were killed in the airstrike, including five Revolutionary Guard members and Soleimani’s son-in-law, whom he did not identify. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters."
Trump is increasingly desperate as the walls close in:
"The attack comes at the start of a year in which Trump faces both a Senate trial following his impeachment by Congress and a re-election campaign. It marks a potential turning point in the Middle East and represents a drastic change for American policy toward Iran after months of tensions. The tensions are rooted in Trump’s decision in May 2018 to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, struck under his predecessor, Barack Obama. Since then, Tehran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone and seized oil tankers. The U.S. also blames Iran for other attacks targeting tankers and a September assault on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry that temporarily halved its production."
Will get far worse before it gets better. The following is insane. Does not jive with reality or the history of the region:
"Supporters of Friday’s strike said it restored U.S. deterrence power against Iran, and Trump allies were quick to praise the action. “To the Iranian government: if you want more, you will get more,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted."
Keep dreaming, Lindsey, talking out the ass. Makes you look like a fool. Exposes you for whom and what you are. A clueless idiot.
“Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran,” Trump’s former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, wrote in a tweet."
Have you lost your mind, John? Only serves to reinforce determination of the enemy. -- Learn nothing from Afghanistan and the Middle East all these years, Mr. Bolton? You have no grasp or understanding of the psychology behind this. You clueless bastards have been spouting this very same ineffective Right Wing nazi bullshit for decades. To no avail.
"Others, including Democratic White House hopefuls, criticized Trump’s order. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Trump had “tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox,” saying it could leave the U.S. “on the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East.”
That may or may not happen. Depends how all parties react to this escalation by Trump.
"Trump, who is vacationing at his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, said in a tweet the airstrike was ordered because Soleimani was “plotting to kill” many Americans. “He should have been taken out many years ago!” Trump tweeted."
Short-sighted and stupid, Mr. 'President.' Someone quickly replaced him. Always happens when we kill anyone in a leadership position. The resilience of opposition in the region has been most remarkable, unshakable since 1948. They never, ever, never give up.
Over seven decades, now. No matter the losses. No matter the personal cost. The failure was that of the UN, Britain, rest of Europe, and the United States not to have included the Palestinians in the mix when the State of Israel was created. Been paying the price ever since in terms of terror, war after war in the region.
"The potential for a spiraling escalation alarmed U.S. allies and rivals alike."
For damned good reason:
“We are waking up in a more dangerous world,” France’s deputy minister for foreign affairs, Amelie de Montchalin, told RTL radio. The European Union warned against a “generalized flare-up of violence.” Russia condemned the killing, and fellow Security Council member China said it was “highly concerned.” Britain and Germany noted that Iran also bore some responsibility for escalating tensions, while Saudi Arabia urged restraint."
Here's the problem:
While Iran’s conventional military has suffered under 40 years of American sanctions, Iran can strike asymmetrically in the region through its allied forces like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iraqi militias and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called on “the resistance the world over” to avenge Soleimani’s killing. Frictions over oil shipments in the Gulf could also increase, and Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard has built up a ballistic missile program."
Delusionally, believe Iran won't use all resources it has at its disposal? Won't use them effectively to reek great havoc? Most likely, against innocent civilians.
"Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi condemned the strike as an “aggression against Iraq.” An emergency session of parliament was called for Sunday, which the deputy speaker, Hassan al-Kaabi, said would take “decisions that put an end to the U.S. presence in Iraq.”
Should have happened decades ago. Time to move on.
"Ordering out American forces would heavily damage Washington’s influence and make the U.S. troop presence in neighboring Syria more tenuous. But Iraq’s leadership is likely to be divided over such a step. President Barham Salih called for “the voice of reason and wisdom to dominate, keeping in mind Iraq’s greater interests.”
The above is the real, ongoing, exigent, bottom line issue. Unresolved dilemma. We need to get out. They need to resolve their own problems. Won't happen any time soon since Big Oil continues to line its pockets.
Get this:
"On Sunday, U.S. airstrikes killed 25 fighters from an Iranian-backed militia in retaliation for the killing of a U.S. contractor at an American base in a rocket attack the previous week. The strikes prompted two days of protests orchestrated by the militias at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, where their supporters breached the compound and set fires, though no one was wounded."
Remarkable, isn't it? We keep severely kicking their asses. They keep coming back for more.
The Associated Press reports:
"Did President Donald Trump have the legal authority to order the killing of a top Iranian general in Iraq? The short answer: Probably. But it depends on facts that aren’t publicly known yet. And legal experts are quick to point out that even if it was legal that doesn’t make it the right decision, or one that will be politically smart in the long run. Iran and its allies are vowing revenge. In its limited explanation so far, the Pentagon said Gen. Qassem Soleimani was “actively developing” plans to kill American diplomats and service members when he was killed in a U.S. drone strike Friday near the Baghdad airport shortly after arriving in the country. That would appear to place the action within the legal authority of the president, as commander in chief, to use force in defense of the nation under Article II of the Constitution, said Bobby Chesney, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law who specializes in national security issues. “If the facts are as the Defense Department said, then the president relatively clearly has Article II authority to act in self-defense of American lives,” Chesney said. That justification would apply even if Soleimani hadn’t already launched an attack under the established doctrine of “anticipatory” self-defense, according to Jeff Addicot, a retired Army officer and expert in national security law at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio. “Legally there’s no issue,” Addicot said. “Politically, however, it’s going to be debated, whether it’s the correct response. In my opinion it’s the appropriate response, but it’s certainly legal.” Self-defense would be a legal justification under both U.S. law and the laws of international armed conflict, though the experts consulted by The Associated Press repeatedly stressed that this would depend on what intelligence prompted the killing, and American authorities may never release that information. “Under international law, self-defense, to be lawful, will need to be invoked in situations where there is an imminent attack against the interest of the territory, in this case of the United States,” said Agnès Callamard, United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions. “At this point in time, the United States has not thus far provided any information suggesting that there was an imminent attack against the American interest.”
Endlessly debated as in the past. Ad nauseum to no avail. Same old bullshit. Same old excuses. Same old phony promises and predictions. The bastards do as they please. Not held accountable. Imperial presidency. Henchmen march in goose step with their fuhrer. Nothing changes. Shit happens. So what else is new? Decades of the same old crap.
Yet, old battle wagons like John Bolton delusionally believe they're enlightened. Know what's best. Military personnel and civilians continue to get killed, maimed. Taxpayers foot the bill, see no end to the looting. Military-industrial complex continues to enrich itself, while the bottom and middle class take it hard in the ass. Without the Vaseline, K-Y.
The following is the current issue:
"In a news conference, Connecticut Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, both Democrats, urged Congress to reconsider the laws that govern congressional authorization of military action. They questioned Trump’s motives, noting that the political conversation would otherwise be focused on impeachment."
Trump is likely doing this to divert attention from his growing impeachment problem. The walls are closing in with new revelations.
"Murphy said he did not question whether Soleimani had U.S. blood on his hands, but he asked whether it had been necessary to kill him, when the action seems likely to prompt a higher level of danger for Americans around the world. “I do not believe the administration has gamed out how very badly” this could end, he said."
Clearly, hasn't. ... Or worse, doesn't give a f--k. Come as a surprise? Expect better of a self-centered narcissist? Wake up.
Trump remains delusional. CBS News reports:
"Addressing the public for the first time since ordering the strike on Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, President Trump declared from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that the United States' intention was to quash a war, not to begin one."
You're insane, Mr. 'President.' You've stupidly strengthened their resolve.
The following demonstrates Trump remains determinedly detached from reality:
"Taking to the podium after reporters were rushed back from the Palm Beach International Airport, Mr. Trump declared the death of Soleimani a victory for freedom."
Freedom for whom? Long-suffering Palestinians? Iraqis? Bottom and quickly vanishing middle class in our formerly great country, Mr. 'President?' Lost your mind, Donny boy.
Gets worse. Get this:
"We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war," the president said, while critics of his decision fear the strike will prompt retaliation."
It will. Always has. Decades, now.
"Despite the strike, Pompeo has insisted the U.S. is committed to deescalation in the region."
What planet do you live on, Mr. Secretary? In the world of the national socialist, fascist, nazi, day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet. All ass backwards from reality.
"Leading Democratic members of Congress have voiced concerns that they were not notified and expressed doubts that the president possessed the authority to conduct the strike without congressional approval. Lawmakers and experts have also voiced concern that the escalation will prompt retaliation and unforeseen consequences from Iran."
Trump grows increasingly desperate to divert attention from the impeachment fiasco. Expect more of the same as he continues to deteriorate. Our military and innocent civilians will pay the price.
The Washington Post reports:
"On Sunday, President Trump’s most senior national security advisers joined him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Trump was beginning the second week of his holiday vacation. The officials told reporters that U.S. F-15 Strike Eagles had just attacked Iranian-sponsored militia groups at their bases in Iraq and Syria, in response to a series of rocket attacks that had culminated in the death of an American contractor two days earlier. But privately, a different topic had come up with an agitated president: whether to kill Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, whom military leaders described as responsible for the attack on an American citizen and likely to kill more."
Increasing desperation. As the walls close in vis a vis impeachment. Anything to distract the nation. No matter the ultimate cost.
"Why Trump chose this moment to explore an operation against the leader of Iran’s Quds Force, after tolerating Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf for months, was a matter of debate within his own administration. Officials gave differing and incomplete accounts of the intelligence they said prompted Trump to act. Some said they were stunned by his decision, which could lead to war with one of America’s oldest adversaries in the Middle East. “It was tremendously bold and even surprised many of us,” said a senior administration official with knowledge of high-level discussions among Trump and his advisers, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations."
'Boldness?' Wake up. Aggressive stupidity. His predecessors had the exact same opportunity to take out this bastard. Chose not to. For damned good reason. Unwanted consequences. Increase in terror. Increased regional instability. Forget? The assassinated target has already been replaced by the Iranians.
There's always someone to take the place of an assassinated target. Always. No one is irreplaceable. No one. Moreover? The replacement quickly gets up to speed. Precisely, how military systems are designed to operate. What planet does Trump live on? Delusionally believes what works in the boardroom works on the battlefield.
"On Friday, hours after a U.S. drone killed Soleimani and an Iraqi militia leader at the Baghdad airport, senior State Department officials told reporters that Iran had been plotting “imminent attacks directed at killing hundreds of Americans” but declined to offer specifics. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN on Friday that Soleimani “was actively plotting in the region to take actions, the big action as he described it, that would have put dozens if not hundreds of American lives at risk. We know it was imminent.”
Congress was not properly consulted prior. Worse? The Trump nazi and his henchmen have yet to provide evidence of an imminent attack.
"On Capitol Hill, officials briefed lawmakers and staff but did not provide any details about the alleged Iranian targets or what made them imminent, according to people who were present."
Why not?
"Some analysts were skeptical about the need to kill Soleimani. “There may well have been an ongoing plot as Pompeo claims, but Soleimani was a decision-maker, not an operational asset himself,” said Jon Bateman, who served as a senior intelligence analyst on Iran at the Defense Intelligence Agency. “Killing him would be neither necessary nor sufficient to disrupt the operational progression of an imminent plot. What it might do instead is shock Iran’s decision calculus” and deter future attack plans, Bateman said."
Wishful thinking. These bastards don't fit the norm. No history of doing so.
CBS News reports:
"In 2007, U.S. commandos watched as a convoy carrying a powerful Iranian military leader made its way to northern Iraq. It was a prime opportunity to take out Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who had been accused of aiding Shiite forces that killed thousands of American troops in Iraq. But ultimately, military leaders passed on a strike, deferring to deep concerns about the potential fallout of such a provocative attack. "To avoid a firefight, and the contentious politics that would follow, I decided that we should monitor the caravan, not strike immediately," retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal wrote last year in Foreign Policy."
Called judgment.
Here's the problem:
"Fears about the repercussions and reverberations of a targeted killing of Soleimani persisted throughout the administrations of President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama according to officials who served under both. Soleimani, they calculated, was just as dangerous dead and martyred as he was alive and plotting against Americans."
Goddamned right.
"That approach came to an end this week when President Donald Trump authorized an airstrike that killed Soleimani. But some former administration officials argued that despite Soleimani's role in orchestrating deadly attacks on U.S. troops, Mr. Trump's decision may ultimately put Americans in the region at heightened risk."
No question. Not only there, but elsewhere throughout the world. Trump has no vision. Only, immediate here and now.
"Previous presidents have had the opportunity to take measures like what we saw last night but have held back because of the risks entailed and the questions that were there about where this would all lead," said Derek Chollet, an assistant secretary of defense during the Obama administration. "Unfortunately, those questions are not any clearer today." Indeed, Mr. Trump's strike against Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, thrusts Washington and Tehran into uncharted territory after months of rising tensions. It's unclear how or when Iran will respond, or whether that response will pull the U.S. deeper into a military conflict abroad.
"Previous administrations weighed concerns about Iranian retaliation as they monitored Soleimani, who kept a low profile and traveled only to countries like Iraq where the Quds Force already had strong security. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan and former CIA analyst who tracked Soleimani's activities, said there was a "simple question" that prevented both the Bush and Obama administrations from targeting the Iranian leader. "Was the strike worth the likely retaliation and the potential to pull us into a protracted conflict?" Slotkin said. "The two administrations I worked for both determined that the ultimate ends didn't justify the means." Former Obama administration officials told The Associated Press discussions about taking out Soleimani never reached an operational phase. Beyond the risk of escalation with Iran, officials said they were uncertain that taking the Quds leader off the battlefield would have any impact on Tehran's regional aggression or support for terror groups."
Nothing has. These bastards don't think like westerners. Never have. Have been more than willing to pay the price no matter the personal, and/or operational cost.
"The Obama administration also worried that killing Soleimani would undercut diplomatic efforts to forge a nuclear deal with Iran, according to one official, The AP reports. The U.S. and five other nations signed a nuclear accord with Tehran in 2015, but Mr. Trump withdrew from the pact after taking office. The officials insisted on anonymity in order to discuss internal national security deliberations."
Unlike his predecessors, Trump acts on emotion. Not on rational thought based on advice from expert advisors. Our formerly great country continues to pay an exorbitant price for his unbridled narcissism, irrationality.
The Washington Post reports:
"In recent years, the United States has launched several risky military operations to kill individuals it viewed as posing a direct threat to U.S. national security, including raids against the leaders of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. But analysts warned that Friday’s airstrike on a two-vehicle convoy near the Baghdad airport that killed senior Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and several other people differs greatly from earlier strikes on extremist operatives and puts the United States — and the Middle East — in dangerously uncharted territory. “This is a very different level of escalation,” said Anthony Cordesman, the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. After targeted killings of extremists, he said, the greatest cause for concern “might be a brief intensification of fighting or some kind of limited reprisals against the U.S. military.”
Far worse? Increase of terror throughout the world. Murder of innocent civilians in retaliation.
"After the killing of Soleimani, the United States could face direct Iranian reprisals, including potential cyberattacks, analysts said. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened “severe revenge” but gave no indication of what could come."
Why would he?
"Barbara Slavin, the director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said Trump is “trying to do a victory lap here and beat his chest and somehow show this is like killing Baghdadi.” She was referring to the October raid on the hideout of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northwestern Syria. “But it’s not. It’s much more serious,” she said."
No question. Competent leaders think, then act. Not Trump.
NPR reports:
"The U.S. killing of a top Iranian military leader, Qassem Soleimani, in an airstrike in Baghdad this week has raised thorny legal questions. Experts disagree over whether the U.S. had the legal authority to launch the deadly strike. President Trump stated that Soleimani was plotting "imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and American personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him." The powerful Iranian commander led a shadowy elite military organization called the Quds Force. In recent months, the U.S. says the group has backed an Iraqi militia that has launched numerous attacks on U.S. personnel, including Tuesday's attempt to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Experts disagree on how to characterize this killing. "I think the best definition would be either one of assassination or murder," Gary Solis, a retired Marine who taught on the laws of war at West Point, tells NPR. He says what happened is comparable to Iran killing a high-ranking U.S. military official with a bomb on U.S. soil."
Through careful parsing of language, nearly anything can be justified. -- People, always, more than willing to make the attempt. :) Think not? Get this:
"Assassination is prohibited by a U.S. executive order, says Ashley Deeks, a University of Virginia law professor who focuses on the laws of war. She thinks it is unlikely this meets the definition of an assassination: "A lawful killing during an armed conflict does not constitute an assassination," Deeks says. "As a legal matter, if he were intimately involved in planning and blessing these attacks, then that doesn't seem to render it as assassination."
How about when that 'armed conflict' commences at the direction of the president, continues for years, -- with no congressional declaration of war? ... As has been going on nearly continuously since 1950 to the very present? War after war.
Truly believe that constitutional? Forget? That's precisely why the Founders reserved war declaration to the 535 in the House and Senate. Not just an abusive dictator in the Oval Office. We seem to have forgotten this.
Getting back to the parsing of language issue vis a vis the legality of assassinations as well as Trump's targeting of the Iranian leader:
"A State Department official agrees. He was asked by NPR's Michele Kelemen whether this constituted an assassination. "Assassinations are not allowed in the law," the official said, and offered two criteria that authorities weighed. "Do you have overwhelming evidence that somebody is going to launch a military or terrorist attack against you?" the State Department official said. "Check that box."
Where is the evidence? Why wasn't it immediately disclosed by Trump and his henchmen?
"The official added that the administration also explored whether there was another way to stop Soleimani, such as having him arrested, and determined there was "no way."
Beside the point. Far more to consider. Far more at stake in terms of ultimate ramifications. Ultimate loss of innocent civilians worldwide as a result of retaliation. Moreover, an assassination remains an assassination no matter how hard you try to manipulate the definition to suit your agenda:
"Was killing Soleimani legal under U.S. domestic law? "It's clearly lawful," says John Bellinger, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former legal adviser to the "Department of State under the George W. Bush administration. "It's clearly an exercise of the president's constitutional authority as commander in chief and chief executive to use force in the national interest."
The above is bullshit. Same argument can be made to 'justify' war crimes. Where did we lose ourselves? We seem to have cluelessly embraced an 'ends justify the means' approach to ethics and national policy.
Here's the problem:
"The answer is less straightforward for Scott Anderson, a fellow at the Brookings Institution who served as the legal adviser for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during the Obama administration. He notes that in the U.S., "the legal views as to what is permitted by the law in terms of the use of military force really is pretty well-defined by the executive branch itself." That's because Congress has not imposed substantive limits on the executive's use of force and federal courts have appeared reluctant to intervene, he says."
Both branches of government have failed to honor their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution. Clearly abrogated their constitutional duty to serve as check and balance against the Executive Branch.
The following amounts to an achingly hollow excuse for this ongoing failure:
"In recent years, some members of Congress have occasionally criticized the fact that complicated wars grinding on in the Middle East have been justified by legislation passed nearly two decades ago."
Pathetic, isn't it?
Here's the problem:
"U.S. officials did not state a specific legal basis for the strike until Friday evening, when Trump's national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, cited the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which ushered in the war against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. O'Brien also said that the authorization was consistent with the president's constitutional authorities as commander in chief to defend the nation and forces against attacks. O'Brien did not elaborate on the nature of the threat. The strike against Soleimani was carried out without officially notifying Congress ahead of time. Anderson says that the Trump administration's legal justifications are "adopting a stance that pushes a little beyond what it and prior presidential administrations ... have done in the past." He says it's hard to argue that the action against Soleimani is completely unlawful under U.S. law – but said that justifications may rely on interpretations of law that are controversial or antiquated."
Beyond pathetic, truly appalling.
Results in and amounts to a fascist police-state, a dictatorship:
"Jack Goldsmith, a professor at Harvard Law School, notes that presidential war powers have been steadily expanding for years – and that Congress has largely gone along with it. "Our country has, quite self-consciously, given one person, the President, an enormous sprawling military and enormous discretion to use it in ways that can easily lead to a massive war," he said on Twitter. "That is our system: one person decides."
That is, a democratic republic in name only. Founders? Spinning in their graves.
"The legality of this killing under international law, rather than domestic, appears harder to assess. Bellinger says that hinges on the nature of the threat that Soleimani posed. "The administration needs to put out more facts as to why they believe that Soleimani presented an imminent threat to the United States and U.S. forces," he says. Deeks says the U.S. appears to be arguing that the strike was an act of anticipatory self-defense. "The idea there is that you have a right of self-defense against armed attacks," Deeks says. "And many people think you have a right to act before the armed attack has actually hit you, if you have very good reason to think the attack is imminent."
Again, a clear example of parsing of language to justify the unjustifiable. Worse? To excuse it.
"Agnes Callamard, the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, questions whether this strike would meet the standard needed to justify its legality on those grounds. "The test for so-called anticipatory self-defense is very narrow: It must be a necessity that is 'instant, overwhelming, and leaving no choice of means, and no moment of deliberation'. This test is unlikely to be met in these particular cases," she tweeted. "I hope the U.S. has rock-solid, written evidence of a continuing or an ongoing or a planned attack on the United States or its interests," says Solis. "You've got to have more than an assertion that plans were underway."
Matters not to our fuhrer, the Trump nazi and his henchmen. Forget? They do as they please. To date, with near impunity.
"Another complicated legal aspect of this attack is the fact that it occurred within Iraq. "Generally speaking, international law says that states are not supposed to use military force on each other's territories without the consent of the host state," Anderson notes, though he says that the U.S. has argued previously that when a host government is unable or unwilling to address a threat, the state affected by the threat can take action without the host's consent. That's a controversial argument, he says."
For damned good reason. Can, and is, used to justify an occupying force.
"Iraqi leaders are responding angrily at the attack, which also killed an Iraqi official. "The assassination of an Iraqi military commander who holds an official position is considered aggression on Iraq ... and the liquidation of leading Iraqi figures or those from a brotherly country on Iraqi soil is a massive breach of sovereignty," Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said, as NPR reported."
Why are we still in Iraq nearly twenty years? Ferociously pointedly, why did we invade in the first place? There were no weapons of mass destruction. No just reason to invade. Bush "The Tush" and his henchmen lied like hell. Iraqis paid with their lives. So did American military personnel. Taxpayers have been looted billions. Yet, no one held criminally accountable. Nazi America.
If Iraq doesn't want us there, could certainly ask us to leave. Forget? Their country belongs to them, not the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
The Washington Post reports:
"The U.S. military says it will reposition troops within Iraq in preparation for a possible withdrawal. In a draft letter released Monday, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. William H. Seely III says that U.S. forces will be relocated “to prepare for onward movement” and says that “we respect your sovereign decision to order our departure.” A U.S. military official confirmed the letter’s authenticity. A defense official speaking on the condition of anonymity said the letter was an attempt to notify the Iraqis that the U.S. would be moving troops around, not an indication that they would be leaving. The move comes one day after Iraqi lawmakers passed a nonbinding resolution calling for all foreign troops to leave the country. Caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who resigned in November, backed the move, but was not authorized to sign the bill into law. In a meeting Monday, Mahdi told U.S. Ambassador Matthew H. Tueller that the United States and Iraq needed to cooperate to implement the withdrawal."
The Associated Press reports:
"After the U.S. military’s letter describing plans to reposition troops within Iraq in preparation for a possible withdrawal leaked, Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., commander of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East. McKenzie told him the draft letter was an honest mistake, “but used other words that were a little more colorful than mistake,” Milley said. The U.S. military drafted the letter because it is moving forces around the region, within Iraq and from Kuwait into Iraq, and anticipates increased helicopter movement, Milley said, noting that draft letters are often coordinated with partners in advance, but are circulated without the signature of the official sending the communication. The leaked letter wasn’t signed. Milley said that McKenzie, the top U.S. commander overseeing the Middle East, said the letter should never have happened. “We understand U.S. government policy — nobody is leaving, there’s no onward movement, we got all that. Honest mistake. Draft,” Milley said McKenzie told him."
The Associated Press reports:
"Iraq’s prime minister is interpreting Monday night’s letter from the U.S. military as a “withdrawal announcement,” even as Pentagon officials describe its sharing as a mistake. It is unclear how the letter — informing the Iraqi government that troops would be “repositioning” — came to be shared with the country’s premier, Adel Abdul Mahdi. Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Monday that it was an unsigned planning draft discussing new deployments and “should not have been released.” But according to senior officials in the Iraqi prime minister’s office, Milley’s comments are not being officially recognized, and the Iraqi government will now request a withdrawal timetable from Washington. “We don’t deal with statements [made] in the media,” said a senior Iraqi official, referring to Milley’s comments. “As a state, we deal with the official letters that we receive, and we will act in accordance with this letter,” said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media. “The prime minister said that there is no way to organize Iraq stably without the withdrawal of foreign forces.” His account was confirmed by a second official."
Time for us to go. Should never have been there in the first place. Let them settle their own disputes. Solve their own problems.
"According to the prime minister’s office, the letter had to be delivered twice because the Arabic translation in an initial version was identified by Abdul Mahdi as being inaccurate when read side-by-side with the English text. He sent it back, the officials said, and a second translation was returned shortly afterward. “We will tell the U.S. to put in place a timeline to implement this withdrawal. Of course it’s not going to happen within days or weeks, it will take a while, so of course coordination will continue,” said the first official. “We won against ISIS. Having them [the Americans] here now complicates things more.”
If formally told to leave, we need to do precisely that as expeditiously as possible.. Otherwise, we would be no more than an unwanted occupying foreign power.
NPR reports:
"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hopes the Iraqi parliament will reconsider its decision. Meanwhile, President Trump threatened Baghdad with sanctions if U.S. forces were required to leave the country."
ABC News reports:
"Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the United States "will pay" for its actions and must "be prepared for the consequences" in the wake of the death of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force who was killed by an American airstrike in Iraq last week. During a sit-down interview with Zarif in Tehran on Tuesday, ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz asked, "Are you concerned that a strong response from Iran will end in an all-out war?" "That depends on the United States," Zarif said. "The United States took an act of war against Iran; it will have to be prepared for the consequences. Then it will have to decide whether it wants to get itself into a quagmire or whether it wants to stop." Zarif said his country is a "very patient" one and will take action "after necessary deliberation" and "at a time of our choosing." He added that Iran will announce and claim responsibility for whatever counteraction it decides to take."
Consider the following Iranian viewpoint:
"The United States committed three great mistakes, and they will pay for all three mistakes," Zarif said. "The first mistake was they violated the Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity, and because of that they received a response from the Iraqis -- they canceled their agreement, which the United States had already violated by not informing the Iraqis." Zarif may have been referring to the Iraqi Parliament's weekend vote to kick foreign forces out of the country. "Second," he continued, "they had the emotions of a large number of people from India to Russia, not to mention Iran, Iraq. The popular reaction to that I think will be the end of U.S. presence in this region, and that would be a very high price to pay for the adventurism of a couple people. Third, they killed and claimed responsibility for murdering in a 'terrorist' operation one of our highest ranking generals in a foreign territory. The government of Iran is responsible for protecting the lives of its citizens and its officials, and so it's obvious that we will respond."
Long-term, a more serious ramification:
"As for the nuclear deal negotiated by the international community with Iran and signed under then-U.S. President Barack Obama in July 2015, Zarif said his country is "entitled to take certain remedial measures and we did that." Over the weekend, the Iranian government announced it will no longer abide by any of the operational restraints on its nuclear program under the deal, from which the Trump administration withdrew the United States in May 2018. "As soon as Europe recognizes its own interest and decides to stand up for its own interest, we can reverse all of the measures we have taken," Zarif said. "The deal is in a very difficult situation, but the deal can be maintained and must be maintained." Zarif said the American government "has been compounding mistake upon mistake," and that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "is a personification of [the] mixture of arrogance and ignorance."
Pompeo is no more than a shill for Trump. Unwilling to stand up to his fuhrer. Especially egregious, since as a West Point graduate, duty, honor, country rank second to none.
"The U.S. has already started paying for its crimes in Iraq, in the region and in Iran," Zarif said. "I think before making more mistakes, before compounding the mistakes that they already have, the current U.S. regime has to acknowledge that they have adopted the wrong policy, that their policy was based on basically ignorance. Arrogance and ignorance when combined, it's [a] disaster, and this is what's happening in the United States."
Great truth to that. Especially insightful of the Iranian since many in the United States fail to see parallels between the rise of Nazism in Germany in 1933 and what's currently transpiring in our country today. Especially disturbing since hundreds of thousands of our best and brightest were killed in action fighting this very same ideology only eight decades ago. Second World War European Theater.
"We have nothing against the American people," the Iranian foreign minister said during Tuesday's interview with ABC News, adding that Soleimani "did a lot to protect the American people and the rest of the world from the scourge of Daesh," using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. "But their government is taking them into the abyss and they should take charge of their own destiny," he continued."
A mixture of disingenuous bullshit and truth in the above quote. Bottom line? No good will come of any of this. Just continued loss of life, resources, and trust.
NPR reports:
"Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tells NPR that the U.S. "will pay" for a drone strike that killed the commander of the country's elite Quds Force, which he described as an act of "both terrorism and war." Speaking with All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly in Tehran, Zarif said last week's assassination of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani was "a cowardly armed attack" that "amounts to war." "[We] will respond according to our own timing and choice," he said. Pressed on specifics of an Iranian response to the drone strike that killed Soleimani in neighboring Iraq, Zarif said, "We will decide." "[In] exercising our right to self-defense, we are bound by international law, unlike the United States, which is not bound by international law," he told NPR.
"Referring to the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq, Zarif said the reaction to Soleimani's death would "make it almost impossible for the U.S. to continue to stay in this region." In what he said was another consequence of the assassination of Soleimani, Zarif said there would be no further discussions of prisoner exchanges with the United States. A number of American citizens are detained in Iran, and Zarif said, "We had proposed a universal exchange of all prisoners. "I don't think at this time we can discuss those issues. We have to deal with the present issue at hand, unfortunately."
The following is a serious problem:
"The Iranian foreign minister also said that the U.S. had failed to issue him a visa to attend the U.N. Security Council in New York on Thursday, where he was scheduled to deliver an address. Zarif said he had requested the visa 25 days ago, but said the State Department informed the U.N. that it "didn't have enough time to issue a visa."
This man is a diplomat. Why is the Trump nazi and his henchmen denying him access to the UN?
"Regarding the deal between Iran and six other nations, including the U.S., to limit its nuclear program, Zarif said "all limits" on centrifuges used to enrich uranium "are now suspended," insisting that Tehran was still complying with other aspects of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. Zarif told NPR that the decision to lift the limits on the number of centrifuges was primarily due to Europe's noncompliance with the terms of the deal. "But we made it very clear that we are ready to go back to full compliance the minute they start complying with their own," he said. President Trump, who has been a harsh critic of the deal despite international agreement that Iran was complying with its terms, announced in 2018 that the U.S. would unilaterally withdraw from the pact, accusing Iran of violating the deal by actively pursuing nuclear weapons. "If we wanted to build a nuclear bomb, we would ... have done it a long time ago," Zarif told NPR. "Iran does not want a nuclear bomb, does not believe that nuclear bombs create security for anybody. And we believe it's time for everybody to disarm rather than to arm."
The Associated Press reports:
"White House national security adviser O’Brien said Tuesday that the State Department may have refused to give Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif a visa to attend a United Nations Security Council meeting this week because the timing was not right. “I don’t think Secretary [Mike] Pompeo thought that this was the right time for Mr. Zarif to come to the United States,” O’Brien told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning. Zarif told “CBS This Morning” that Pompeo told U.N. Secretary General António Guterres of the U.S. decision. He in turn explained to Zarif “they didn’t have time to review my request,” Zarif said."
That's bullshit. Goddamned bullshit. What are Trump and his henchmen so afraid of? The truth?
Here's the problem:
"Under a 1947 agreement, the United States is required as the host country of the U.N. headquarters to allow entry to foreign diplomats traveling on U.N. business. Zarif had planned to attend a Security Council meeting on Thursday."
Clearly, Trump and his henchmen intend to do all they can to gutlessly stifle free speech rather than courageously argue their viewpoint:
"The State Department, which had no immediate comment on Zarif’s visa, has granted Zarif visas only reluctantly in the past. During the annual General Assembly meeting in September, visas for Zarif and his traveling party were delayed until the last minute, and they were confined to a few blocks in Manhattan between the U.N. headquarters and the offices of the Iranian mission to the United Nations."
Trump and his henchmen can certainly confine diplomats to the UN and their missions. To prevent them from addressing the UN, however, is outrageously gutless. Highly indicative our leaders are incompetent, incapable, and unwilling to effectively verbally combat diplomatic speech of our enemies. Clearly, un-American.
Time for the UN to move its headquarters outside the United States:
"The United States argues that it can make exceptions to the headquarters agreement with the United Nations for reasons of “security, terrorism and foreign policy.” But as the United States and Iran are threatening each other with military reprisals after the U.S. airstrike that killed Suleimani last week, the visa rejection denies Zarif a platform for outlining Tehran’s view of the conflict."
That's gutless. Un-American. Unworthy of us as a supposed democratic republic. Expected of Nazi Germany, China, and the former Soviet Union. Not the United States.
"In addition to speaking at the Security Council, Zarif usually conducts interviews with U.S. news outlets, a practice that has irritated Pompeo."
Tough shit, Mr. Pompeo. As a graduate of West Point, you don't have the rhetorical and diplomatic skills to verbally combat whatever anyone opines at the UN? Jesus Christ. Give me a break. LOL.
"He has complained often about the practice and the fact he never has the chance to be interviewed by Iranian state-run media. He has said U.S. reporters should refrain from giving Zarif a platform for propaganda."
Crock of shit. Unbecoming. Gutless. Why the f--k didn't you publicly challenge Iranian state-run media to interview you with no editing? Had they failed to do so, you would have had a field day criticizing them in U.S. media.
Think Trump will follow through with his threat to commit war crimes should Iran retaliate? NPR reports:
"Iran's cultural heritage is suddenly a topic of urgent global interest, after President Trump threatened to strike such sites if the country retaliates for the United States' killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week. In a series of tweets Saturday evening, Trump wrote that "if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets," the U.S. has targeted 52 Iranian sites — "some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD."
Wanton, intentional, unnecessary destruction of cultural targets is a war crime.
"Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tweeted that targeting Iranian cultural sites would be a war crime."
No question. He's right about that.
Get this:
"On Monday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper indicated that U.S. forces wouldn't carry out Trump's threat, saying, "We will follow the laws of armed conflict." On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had appeared to walk back Trump's statements on ABC's This Week. "We'll behave lawfully. We'll behave inside the system. We always have, and we always will," he said on Sunday morning. Nonetheless, Trump doubled down on his threat. "They're allowed to kill our people. They're allowed to torture and maim our people. They're allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people," he told reporters on Sunday evening. "And we're not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn't work that way."
It's a goddamned war crime, you clueless jackass.
"The targeting of cultural properties by the U.S. is indeed not allowed. The U.S. is a signatory to the 1954 Hague Convention, which requires "refraining from any act of hostility" directed against cultural property. The convention covers "movable or immovable property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people, such as monuments of architecture, art or history, whether religious or secular; archaeological sites; groups of buildings which, as a whole, are of historical or artistic interest; works of art; manuscripts, books and other objects of artistic, historical or archaeological interest; as well as scientific collections and important collections of books or archives or of reproductions of the property defined above," as well as buildings and centers whose main purpose is to house such items. It also bars using a cultural site "for purposes which are likely to expose it to destruction or damage in the event of armed conflict." That means signatory nations can't use such sites to house soldiers or weapons with the goal of shielding them from attack. The convention permits immunity in "exceptional cases of unavoidable military necessity."
Here's the bottom line:
"U.S. military policy agrees. The Department of Defense's Law of War manual mentions cultural property 625 times, repeatedly citing the Hague Convention. It also addresses the subject of military necessity: "Acts of hostility may be directed against cultural property, its immediate surroundings, or appliances in use for its protection when military necessity imperatively requires such acts." Accordingly, the U.S. military educates its soldiers about their responsibilities not to target or destroy cultural property, and to help in its preservation, says Nancy Wilkie, president of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield. The organization is dedicated to the prevention of destruction and theft of cultural heritage. The Pentagon has even distributed playing cards with photos of cultural sites in Afghanistan and elsewhere to remind troops to safeguard heritage sites and artifacts.
"Sparing
cultural sites in war is so important that the Pentagon even went to the
trouble of designing/distributing decks of cards to boost awareness among
troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The president's comments prompted
me to find the deck I was given some years back: pic.twitter.com/CIbYLJDW1O
—
Hannah Bloch (@HannahBloch) January 6, 2020"
Our military is second to none. The problem is not a military problem. The problem is the Trump nazi.
"Cultural sites and cultural objects that can provide sort of a baseline for recovering from strife, whether it's civil war or war against an external agent," says Wilkie, an archaeologist and the former president of the Archaeological Institute of America. "And so one way to demoralize the population is to destroy its cultural heritage."
The United States has a history of doing the right thing:
"As World War II was underway in 1943, then-Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower issued an order to his commanders demanding the protection of historical monuments:
"Today we are fighting in a country which has contributed a great deal to our cultural inheritance, a country rich in monuments which by their creation helped and now in their old age illustrate the growth of the civilization which is ours. We are bound to respect those monuments so far as war allows.
"If we have to choose between destroying a famous building and sacrificing our own men, then our men's lives count infinitely more and the building must go. But the choice is not always so clear-cut as that. In many cases the monuments can be spared without any detriment to operational needs. Nothing can stand against the argument of military necessity. That is an accepted principle. But the phrase 'military necessity' is sometimes used where it would be more truthful to speak of military convenience or even of personal convenience. I do not want it to cloak slackness or indifference."
Eisenhower stood tall. So did our military.
"The Hague Convention was developed after the war brought the destruction of important cultural sites such as the monastery at Monte Cassino, founded in 529 and bombed by the Allies in 1944. The Department of Defense's Law of War manual quotes from Eisenhower's order and repeats some of its language in its current policy. To aid the U.S. military in its obligations not to destroy important cultural heritage sites, the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield has previously provided "no-strike lists" of such sites in countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. The organization has not been able to compile such a list for Iran because it has been difficult for scholars to work there. "Iran is huge," Wilkie says, estimating that such a list would include 5,000 to 10,000 sites. UNESCO has 22 cultural sites in Iran on its World Heritage list, from the ancient ruins of Persepolis to the historic bazaar complex in Tabriz. Wilkie hopes that the U.S. military will stand by its policy to protect cultural sites, despite Trump's threats. Such places are important to local people as sites of honor or worship, she says, while others have worldwide significance. "Culture is what we have," she says. "It reminds us of our past, and it unites us in our desire to preserve our sensibilities and sensitivities to cultural differences, and yet — to the fact that we're all human and we all share human values."
The military has the right, obligation, and duty to refuse an unlawful order.
ABC News reports:
"President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed off his threat to strike Iranian cultural sites, a war crime under international conventions, amid elevated tensions with Iran. Asked about his weekend warnings to Iran that the United States was considering hitting Iranian cultural sites if Iran retaliated for a U.S. airstrike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran's elite Quds Force, Trump acknowledged that international agreements prohibited targeting cultural sites. But he made clear he did not agree with that concept. "They're allowed to kill our people, they're allowed to maim our people, they're allowed to blow up everything that we have and there's nothing that stops them," Trump told reporters at the White House. "And we are, according to various laws, I suppose, to be very careful with their cultural heritage. And you know what? If that's what the law is, I like to obey the law. But think of it. They kill our people, they blow up our people, that we have to be very gentle with their cultural institutions. But I'm OK with it. It's OK with me."
'Big' of you, Mr. 'President.' Clearly, you've lost your mind. Present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
"I will say this: If Iran does anything that they shouldn't be doing, they're going to be suffering the consequences and very strongly," Trump added, speaking in the Oval Office before a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis."
Sadly, tragically, so will innocent civilians all across the globe as a result of your aggressive stupidity, profound ignorance, Aryan arrogance, aching shortsightedness.
The Associated Press reports:
"The U.S. and Iran stepped back from the brink of possible war Wednesday, as President Donald Trump indicated he would not respond militarily after no one was harmed in Iran’s missile strikes on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. Speaking from the White House, Trump seemed intent on deescalating the crisis, which reached a new height after he authorized the targeted killing last week of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force. Iran retaliated overnight with its most direct assault on America since the 1979 seizing of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, firing more than a dozen missiles from its territory at the installations in Iraq. Trump credited an early warning system “that worked very well” for the fact that no Americans or Iraqis were killed. He added that Americans should be “extremely grateful and happy” with the outcome."
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. LOL. This guy's an idiot.
"Trump, facing one of the greatest tests of his presidency, said Wednesday that Iran appeared to be “standing down” and said the U.S. response would be to put in place new economic sanctions “until Iran changes its behavior.”
What precisely is left to sanction, Mr. 'President?'
"The strikes had pushed Tehran and Washington perilously close to all-out conflict and put the world’s attention on Trump as he weighed whether to respond with more military force. The Republican president delivered his remarks surrounded by his national security advisers in the foyer of the White House. His comments came after a late-night tweet in which he insisted “All is well!” after the strikes."
He's insane. Not fit for office. Delusional.
"Despite the conciliatory talk, the region remained on edge Wednesday. Americans forces, including a quick reaction force dispatched over the weekend, remained on high alert. The conflict could still play out in unpredictable ways in the weeks and months to come, with Tehran’s proxies in the region able to carry out attacks. And there was no obvious route toward a rebooting of diplomatic engagement, as Trump pledged to ratchet up the “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions that helped bring on the recent escalation."
At least so far, the Iranians have shown some restraint:
"Iran, for days, had promised to respond forcefully to Soleimani’s killing, but its limited strike on two bases — one in the northern Iraqi city in Irbil and the other at Ain al-Asad in western Iraq — appeared to signal that it was also uninterested in a wider clash with the U.S. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the country had “concluded proportionate measures in self-defense.”
Amazing, isn't it? LOL. Hard to believe the Iranians are behaving more sanely than the Trump nazi. LOL.
The conflict is clearly not resolved:
"Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaking on Wednesday, said the overnight strike was not necessarily the totality of Iran’s response. “Last night they received a slap,” Khamenei said. “These military actions are not sufficient (for revenge). What is important is that the corrupt presence of America in this region comes to an end.”
"The Iranians fired a total of 15 missiles in the latest strikes, two U.S. officials said. Ten hit the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq’s western Anbar province and one targeted a base in Irbil in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Four failed, said the officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about a military operation. U.S. defense officials said American early warning systems detected an incoming ballistic missile well in advance, providing U.S. and coalition forces adequate time to take shelter at both bases. Officials also said that the U.S. was aware of preparations for the attack. It’s unclear if any intelligence identified specific targets or was more general."
The Associated Press reports:
"President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration will immediately impose new economic sanctions on Iran in response to Iranian missile strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq. “As we continue to evaluate options in response to Iranian aggression, the United States will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the Iranian regime,” Trump said in a nationally televised address from the White House. “These powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its behavior.” It was not immediately clear what those sanctions might be, and Trump’s vow left many wondering what is left for the U.S. to sanction in Iran."
Trump remains hopelessly delusional.
"The administration has already reinstated all the U.S. sanctions that were eased under the 2015 nuclear deal. But it still has room to boost the penalties and step up its “maximum pressure campaign” on Iran. Some argue that he could call for the reimposition, or “snapback,” of all international sanctions at the United Nations. The primary agencies involved in implementing sanctions — the departments of Commerce, State and Treasury — do not disclose any actions in advance to prevent targets from taking steps to evade them. Yet, the administration retains broad authority to expand existing U.S. sanctions on Iran’s financial, energy, shipping and military sectors and it can also target individual Iranian officials and their families with penalties, including asset freezes and travel bans. It can also raise the pressure by threatening foreign individuals and companies with U.S. civil and criminal penalties if they do business with designated Iranians, under so-called “secondary sanctions” authority."
Would likely result in increased terror in the region as well as throughout the world. Counterproductive. Government has failed to learn something the psychological community has understood quite some time. Punishment remains ineffective in controlling unwanted behavior long term. Recidivism in criminal behavior is one example. Positive reinforcement when properly administered is far more effective. -- Operant word, 'properly.'
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.
1-10-20
Trump impeachment saga continues. NBC News reports:
"Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday that documents exposed in a newly released report justify the argument by Democrats to hold a full-fledged trial in the Senate to weigh whether President Donald Trump should be removed from office. In a statement Thursday, Schumer pointed to the new report from the website Just Security that details documents relating to the president’s campaign to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens as his administration froze nearly $400[million] in military aid to Ukraine. "The newly-revealed unredacted emails are a devastating blow to Sen. McConnell’s push to have a trial without the documents and witnesses we’ve requested. These emails further expose the serious concerns raised by Trump administration officials about the propriety and legality of the president’s decision to cut off aid to Ukraine to benefit himself," Schumer said."
Get this:
"The new report stems from unredacted versions of documents seen by Just Security, a national security website affiliated with the New York University School of Law. The documents were originally released in heavily redacted form last month by the government, under court order, to the Center for Public Integrity. Just Security said that it had since viewed unredacted copies of those emails. NBC News has not confirmed the emails independently and Just Security declined to provide them."
Interesting, isn't it? Time for transparency. A supposed democratic republic deserves no less.
"The documents, according to the report, reveal that on Aug. 30, after meeting with Trump, Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs at the Office of Management and Budget, told Elaine McCusker, the acting Pentagon comptroller, in an email that there was "Clear direction from [Trump] to hold" the aid and he let her know that he’d soon be sending new paperwork extending the hold."
Walls are closing in on the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"The emails also showcase the growing tensions between the White House and the Department of Defense over the hold on the Ukraine funds amid concerns that the aid would not be released before the end of the fiscal year, after which the appropriation would expire. The new evidence, Schumer said, raises questions that he said can only be answered by four current and former Trump administration officials — Duffey, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, former national security adviser John Bolton and top national security aide Robert Blair. Schumer called on all four to testify under oath about the allegations in a Senate trial."
Justice demands it. If Republicans continue to stonewall, they're traitors. Have abrogated their falsely sworn oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution.
"Importantly, that Mr. Duffey said there was 'clear direction from POTUS to continue to hold' only further implicates President Trump and underscores the need for the Senate to subpoena the witnesses and documents we’ve requested at the onset of a trial," Schumer continued. "The American people deserve a fair trial that gets to the truth, not a rigged process that enables a cover-up."
That's right. Democrats should settle for no less. If denied, need to walk out the Senate. Principle matters.
"An OMB spokesperson said in a statement that, "There was agreement every step of the way between DOD and OMB lawyers, who were responsible for working out the details of the hold, in line with the President’s priorities." House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said that the emails "undermine any claim that the hold on military aid was ordered by the President for some unknown but legitimate reason."
Too little, too late from Pelosi. Could have been far more aggressive holding Trump accountable for all his criminal activity:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted the White House for not releasing the emails during the impeachment inquiry.
"Trump engaged in unprecedented,
total obstruction of Congress, hiding these emails, all other documents,
and his top aides from the American people. His excuse was a phony complaint
about the House process. What’s the excuse now? Why won’t Trump & McConnell
allow a fair trial? https://t.co/S3ZlEJMMDB
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi)
January 2, 2020"
Why all the foot dragging? The following is inexplicable:
"The emails that were originally released by the Center for Public Integrity in December showed that Duffey was the official who told the Pentagon that the president wanted the aid frozen — a request that came just hours after Trump's July phone call with the Ukrainian president that has served as the backbone of the impeachment proceedings against him."
NBC News reports:
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday he has enough Republican votes to start the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump without the support of Democrats, who have been demanding witness testimony."
No more than a 'trial' in a kangaroo court. To rubber stamp his fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
"But his announcement doesn't settle the contentious issue of whether witnesses will be allowed to testify during the Senate trial — which Democrats have called for. Rather, it postpones a vote on the issue — leaving open the possibility that a handful of Senate Republicans could break with the party and back Democratic efforts to call witnesses against the president."
If witnesses are barred, Democrats need to walk out. Refuse to participate in the charade. No matter the personal cost. Honor their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution no matter what national socialist, fascist Republicans traitorously, treasonously opt to do.
"The announcement by McConnell means that once Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., transmits to the Senate the two articles of impeachment against Trump — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — the trial would begin. Under McConnell's rules, the question of whether witnesses would be called would be dealt with later in the trial."
... All the more reason for Pelosi to courageously stand her ground. Refuse to deliver the articles until GOP nazis agree to hold a bona fide impeachment trial. Otherwise, f--k 'em. Let the bastards sweat. Hard to believe the goddamned Democrats have the guts to do the right thing, however. Will likely wind up capitulating to Trump, his henchmen, and their fellow nazis in the Republican Party.
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.
1-10-20
Republican nazis in Congress are lobbying their fellow Republicans on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. CBS News reports:
"Over 200 members of Congress asked the Supreme Court to consider overturning Roe v. Wade, which guarantees the right to an abortion, in a brief urging the court to uphold a Louisiana law severely restricting abortion. The 39 senators and 168 House members submitted the amicus brief in the case of June Medical Services LLC v. Gee, which the Supreme Court will consider this spring. June Medical Services challenged a Louisiana law, passed in 2014 and currently not in effect, which required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital within 30 miles of the facility where the abortion is performed. If the law is allowed to be implemented, all of Louisiana's abortion clinics would close, as first reported in October by CBS News."
According to the medical profession, totally unnecessary for two reasons. First, there are hardly ever complications requiring hospitalization. Second, the patient could simply be transported to the hospital and placed under medical care of another physician.
Also, doctors who perform abortions are routinely denied admitting privileges to hospitals or have their requests gutlessly ignored. Republican nazis are doing all they can to make access to abortion as difficult as possible.
Who the hell are these fascist bastards to force their perverse religious views on the rest of us? Who the f--k are they to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus? That is, for these Aryan arrogant sons of bitches to rule that the woman must forfeit her right to liberty so that the pregnancy is forced to conclusion.
"The federal district court issued a preliminary injunction on the law, which was lifted by the 5th Circuit Court on appeal. The Supreme Court restored the injunction. In 2016, while the lawsuit by June Medical Services was ongoing, the Supreme Court decided in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt that a similar Texas law was unconstitutional."
Matters not to Republican nazis.
The following is horse shit. Simply, not true. Bold faced lie:
"Lawmakers argue in the brief that the Supreme Court should uphold the 5th Circuit decision, which found that the law did not place an "undue burden" on women seeking an abortion."
Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet to these assholes in the Republican Party. All ass backwards from reality.
Here's the phony parsing of language these clueless national socialists engage in:
"In their brief, the members of Congress also maintain that Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt led to "confusion among Congress and state legislatures alike as to which laws might withstand constitutional scrutiny," and they say that the decision by the 5th Circuit court should be upheld. The brief also says that the famous 1992 decision Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, which upheld the right to abortion, caused confusion with its new "undue burden" standard. This standard means that state laws that place an "undue burden" on a "large fraction" of women seeking an abortion are unconstitutional. The court said that an "undue burden" exists if there is a "substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion before the fetus attains viability." "Amici respectfully suggest that the Fifth Circuit's struggle to define the appropriate "large fraction" or determine what "burden" on abortion access is "undue" illustrates the unworkability of the "right to abortion" found in Roe v. Wade ... and the need for the Court to again take up the issue of whether Roe and Casey should be reconsidered and, if appropriate, overruled," the brief says. "Amici" refers to the signatories of the brief."
Sophistry. Blatant. The nazi element in our formerly great country poses an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. All in an effort to force its perverse ideological and religious views on all in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, church-state separation, that is, freedom from religion.
"All 39 of the senators who signed the brief were Republicans. Another Republican senator, Josh Hawley, had previously submitted a separate amicus brief. Only two of the 168 House members who signed the brief were Democrats — Dan Lipinski and Collin Peterson. Lipinski has been singled out by abortion rights groups for his opposition to abortion, and is facing a primary from the left."
Every one of these nazi bastards needs to be defeated at the polls. All present an exigent threat to a democratic republic.
"Of the 13 Republican senators who did not sign the brief, eight are up for reelection in 2020: Susan Collins, Dan Sullivan, Martha McSally, Shelley Moore Capito, Cory Gardner, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham and David Perdue. Collins, McSally and Gardner in particular are considered vulnerable to being unseated by Democrats."
All need to go. Not one of them is worth a shit. All 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.
1-3-20
Trump impeachment saga continues. CBS News reports:
"Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, said she was disturbed to hear Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell say there would be "total coordination" between the White House and Senate over the upcoming presidential impeachment trial. "And in fairness, when I heard that I was disturbed," Murkowski told Anchorage television station KTUU Tuesday before saying there should be distance between the White House and Senate in how the trial is conducted. "To me it means that we have to take that step back from being hand-in-glove with the defense, and so (when) I heard what leader McConnell had said, I happened to think that that has further confused the process."
Here's the problem:
"In a recent interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, described his planning with the White House. "We'll be working through this process, hopefully in a fairly short period of time (be) in total coordination with the White House counsel's office and the people who are representing the president as well as the Senate," McConnell said."
The fix is in. LOL.
"Murkowski also criticized the way Democrats conducted the impeachment process in the House, describing it as rushed."
She's right. It was. Democrats should have courageously ignored partisan interests, stood tall, laid out in extreme, brutal detail all Trump transgressions. Including ten examples of obstruction of justice presented by Mueller in his Report outrageously unprosecuted due to a 'Justice' Department ruling a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, that is, remains above the law.
Not to neglect to mention Emoluments Clause violations currently adjudicated at a snail's pace in the courts where Trump allegedly received what amounts to bribes by foreign dignitaries at his resorts. What about payoffs by Trump to two women he allegedly had sex with to buy their silence during the 2016 presidential campaign? Illegal personal use of funds generated by his charity recently settled in a civil lawsuit but not criminally prosecuted, etc.? List can go on and on.
"Murkowski says the Senate is now being asked to cure deficiencies in evidence to be presented at the trial, particularly when it comes to whether key witnesses should be brought forward to testify, including White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton."
Readers are reminded Trump stonewalled all subpoenas for testimony and documents, necessitating need for doing so during the Senate trial. Clear obstruction to cover his sorry ass. If this is not done, the 'trial' in the Senate will be no more than a kangaroo charade, a rubber stamp of their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
"How we will deal with witnesses remains to be seen," Murkowski said before saying the House should have gone to the courts if witnesses refused to appear before Congress."
Readers are reminded this would have taken years to fully adjudicate through the court system. Precisely, why Trump stonewalled, determinedly obstructed.
"Plans for the Senate trial remain in limbo, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refraining from taking the next steps — appointing House managers and delivering the articles of impeachment to the Senate — until she's assured the Senate trial rules will be "fair." Republicans, meanwhile, have blasted her for dragging out the process, since President Trump's acquittal in the Senate seems all but certain."
Clearly, the fix is in. National socialist, fascist, nazi Republicans in the Senate remain all too willing to rubber stamp their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, in direct violation of their falsely sworn oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution. Should they wind up doing so, will clearly expose themselves for the traitors they are for all to see.
"Mr. Trump, spending the Christmas holiday at Mar-a-Lago, kept up his Twitter campaign on the topic Thursday morning. He quoted former Bush White House aide and frequent Fox News guest Brad Blakeman, who's urged the Senate to dismiss the charges."
That's nuts. Forget? Pelosi has not yet delivered the articles of impeachment. LOL. Goddamned desperate, aren't you, Mr. 'President?'
Trump remains unfit for office, hopelessly delusional:
"'Nancy Pelosi has no leverage over the Senate. Mitch McConnell did not nose his way into the impeachment process in the House, and she has no standing in the Senate.' Brad Blakeman," the president wrote, adding another dig at the House Speaker: "Crazy Nancy should clean up her filthy dirty District & help the homeless there. A primary for N?"
Hopelessly narcissistic, delusional, achingly irrational, out of control, unfit for office. A fascist dictator. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
Trump is growing increasingly rattled. NPR reports:
"President Trump has come under fire after retweeting a post to his 68 million followers on Twitter that included a name linked to the alleged whistleblower whose complaint about the president's dealings with Ukraine prompted the impeachment inquiry. At the time of the complaint, the individual was an intelligence community official who sounded the alarm about Trump's pressure campaign with Ukraine that House Democrats cited in impeaching the president for alleged abuse of power. For months, media outlets that back the president have circulated the name of a person suspected of being the whistleblower. Sen. Rand Paul, Don Trump Jr. and other supporters have either shared the individual's identity or called for the whistleblower to be outed. The retweet marks the first time the president himself has publicly promoted the name of the person believed by some to be the whistleblower at the heart of the Ukraine scandal."
Desperate, isn't he?
"NPR, which has not independently confirmed the identity of the whistleblower, is not disclosing the name that appears in the post retweeted by the president. It is not expressly illegal for the president to unmask the name of the whistleblower. There are, however, federal protections that prevent retaliation against whistleblowers."
Here's the problem:
"Legal experts and government accountability advocates found the president's Twitter post unnerving. "By making public the unsubstantiated name of the whistleblower Trump encapsulated the pathology of his presidency," said Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment and former State Department analyst. "A callous and cruel disregard for the well-being of anyone or anything untethered from his own personal needs and interests."
Expect better of a pathological narcissist? A congenital liar?
"The president's defenders found no issue with Trump spreading the name to millions of online followers, saying Trump has a right to fight back. "The whistleblower absolutely ought to be known and testify. Look, they try to take out a sitting president," said Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. on Fox News Sunday."
Desperate, disingenuous bullshit. Conveniently, forget? The whistleblower had no direct knowledge. Not only that, career employees of the Executive Branch courageously defied Trump's order not to testify. Under oath provided direct evidence against Trump during sworn testimony.
"Yet legal experts critical of the president worried about what kind of example Trump was setting by passing along the name of a person believed to have helped launch a major threat to his presidency. "Who would want to live in a country where its leader could just name the identity of a whistleblower and invite retaliation against him?" asked Neal Katyal, former acting solicitor general and now a law professor at Georgetown University. Barbara McQuade, professor at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, was equally troubled by Trump's retweet. "Outing and shaming whistleblowers harms national security by discouraging government officials from using official channels to report abuses," McQuade said. "Alternatives are leaks or, perhaps even worse, silence."
Precisely, what nazis in the Republican Party, Trump's henchmen, and supporters desperately want.
In an editorial in The Washington Post, former FBI Director James Comey opines:
"In this stage, President Trump seems diminished, much as he has diminished the presidency itself. Foreign leaders laugh at him and throw his letters in the trash. American leaders clap back at him, offering condescending prayers for his personal well-being. The president’s “trusted” advisers all appear to talk about him behind his back and treat him like a child. Principled public servants defy his orders not to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry. His record in the courts is similar to the Washington Redskins’ on the field. Even his secret weapon has lost power. Engagement with his Twitter account — the company’s measure of how often people read, share and comment on a tweet — has steadily declined. Americans have grown tired of the show. They are channel-surfing on him.
"I don’t mean to suggest Trump is not dangerous. The horrific betrayal of allies in northern Syria demonstrates that an impetuous and amoral leader can do great harm, even in shrunken form. And if he succeeds in redefining our nation’s core values so that extorting foreign governments to aid in one’s election is consistent with the oath of office, he will have done lasting damage to this nation — the harm our founders worried about most.
"We are headed into the storm our founders feared. Getting safely to the other side will require all of us to resist complacency and cynicism. Yes, the final stage is a test of the founders’ design, but it is also an opportunity to demonstrate American character. This democracy — made up of citizens and their institutions — is strong enough to weather the storm."
Glenn Kirschner is a former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Now, as NBC/MSNBC legal analyst opines:
"Make no mistake about it, when the executive branch refuses to allow the legislative branch to perform its constitutional duties of oversight and/or impeachment inquiries, when the executive branch refuses to produce documents relevant to the issues being investigated by congressional committees, when the executive branch orders witnesses to ignore and thereby violate lawfully issued congressional subpoenas, this is, indeed, a kind of coup. It’s the executive branch trying to delegitimize — or overthrow — the legislative branch. In a very real sense, Trump is declaring that the executive branch will not allow a co-equal branch of government to do what the U.S. Constitution requires it to do. This executive branch revolt is no different than if Trump refused to comply a Supreme Court decision. This very conflict almost occurred when the court declared it unlawful to include a citizenship question on the national census earlier this year, and the president started hinting he might just include it anyway. Trump blinked, or cooler heads prevailed, and that particular constitutional crisis was avoided."
Only for the moment. Here's the problem:
"Given who Trump was before he became president — a dictator of sorts in his own little forever-financially floundering business bubble — it’s no real surprise he has tried to seize far more power than our Constitution allows. It should surprise exactly no one that Donald Trump is not really a checks and balances kind of guy. But there is one surprising aspect of Trump’s campaign to neuter the legislative branch: the complicity of congressional Republicans. The typical coup involves actual violence or at least the prospect of violence, as those wielding power usually don’t [give] it up without a fight. But there is one surprising aspect of Trump’s campaign to neuter the legislative branch: the complicity of congressional Republicans."
That's right. They've treasonously goose stepped in unison with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
"Republicans could take at least some steps to retain Congress’s status of a co-equal branch of government. As a thought exercise, unrealistic though it may be, congressional Republicans could say, “Mr. President, it’s wrong to enlist or extort foreign interference in our elections. It’s wrong to attach personal conditions designed to assist you politically to money Congress appropriated to help an ally defend against unlawful Russian aggression.” This condemnation would, at a minimum, make it clear to the president that Congress will not take kindly to any future usurpation by the executive branch of legislative branch powers."
Traitorous Republicans gutlessly fear their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Continue to goose step.
"Of course, this is not how the Republicans have responded to Trump’s power grabs. Rather, they have said the president has done nothing wrong, has abused no presidential powers, has not overreached in the least. The Republicans claim that the Democrats are the ones overreacting. It doesn’t take a political scientist to discern that the Republicans’ approach — supporting and defending every Trump overreach — will inarguably serve to encourage continued and likely even more dramatic executive branch abuses. Congressional Republicans, at the very least, seem to be content to let Congress be delegitimized without a fight. This is a passive coup, with the vanquished apparently willing to be taken over, and happy to relinquish their power."
All due to gutlessness on the part of both major political parties to stand up to our insane nazi fuhrer. Democrats rushed the impeachment inquiry, failed to include all Trump transgressions. All Republicans have done is stonewall, rubber stamp their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
"Take the House litigation attempting to enforce the congressional subpoena served on former White House counsel Don McGahn. Democrats believe the lawyer has information related to the Mueller report’s findings that Trump told McGahn to fire Mueller. Trump has ordered McGahn not to comply with the subpoena and the House has filed suit. McGahn’s lawyers claim that administration officials are beyond the reach of congressional subpoenas by virtue of something called “absolute immunity.” The only time this legal theory has been litigated was in 2008, when U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates rejected the argument. If the Supreme Court sides with the White House on McGahn, it would represent a dramatic neutering of both the legislative and judicial branches."
Hear the rumble?
"McGahn has already lost one court challenge, and it is likely he will eventually appeal all the way to the Supreme Court, a battle that may not conclude before the 2020 presidential election. If the Supreme Court sides with the White House on McGahn — or several other major cases involving investigations into Trump — it would represent a dramatic neutering of both the legislative and judicial branches. But even if, someday, the Supreme Court rules in favor of the House and orders McGahn to testify, McGahn very likely invoke executive privilege. To defeat that claim, the House will have to file suit anew, at which point Congress, not to mention the country, will find itself on a seemingly endless road of court rulings and appeals. Suffice it to say, stonewalling works to Trump’s advantage. Indeed, it’s a tactic that actually facilitates Trump’s power grab. The end of America’s story has yet to be written. Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly said no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Will our elected representatives continue to consent to being treated like a lesser branch of government? Will they accede to this slow-moving revolt orchestrated by the executive branch? We either have three co-equal branches of government or we have something that looks more like a dictatorship and less like a democracy."
Already happened. 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.
1-3-20
As covered recently in this publication and elsewhere, Trump pardoned a U.S. Navy SEAL. The following raises serious questions regarding that pardon and what Trump knew or didn't know prior to granting it. CBS News reports:
"Never-before-seen confidential video reveals shocking details from the war crimes investigation of a decorated Navy SEAL. In interviews obtained by "The Weekly," The New York Times' TV series, members of SEAL Team 7 told investigators they witnessed Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher stabbing a young ISIS fighter for no reason. The SEALs call Gallagher "toxic," "evil" and a man who was "perfectly OK with killing anybody that was moving," reports CBS News correspondent David Martin. "I think he just wants to kill anybody he can," one said. The testimony paints a chilling pattern of violence executed by their platoon chief. "Did Eddie say anything when he did this or did he just literally pull out a knife and just start stabbing him?" one SEAL was asked. "He just pulled out a knife and started stabbing him," he replied. The evidence includes bodycam footage in which Gallagher is seen over the limp ISIS fighter's body before the camera is switched off. Asked in the interviews if he interpreted the fighter as a threat when Gallagher stabbed him, one of the SEALs said, "I did not, no." One of the SEALs confirmed that he views what happened that day, as well as other incidents, as war crimes."
Stunning, isn't it? Gets worse:
"In July, Gallagher was found not guilty by a military jury for the stabbing. He was, however, demoted after the jury convicted him of posing for a photo with the ISIS fighter's corpse. Corey Scott, whose testimony in court was crucial to Gallagher's acquittal, was also interviewed in the videos. Asked if the fighter did anything to Gallagher that would justify the chief's actions, Scott said, "No." But on the stand and after being given full immunity, Scott took the fall for the stabbing. The Navy Board also considered stripping Gallagher of his status as a Navy SEAL. But last month, President Trump intervened and restored Gallagher's rank. "They wanted to take his pin away and I said, 'No, you're not going to take it away,'" he said at the time. "These are tough people, and we're going to protect our warfighters." That move angered many in the Navy, including former Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, who was ousted after requesting the president not get involved in Gallagher's case. "I don't think he really understands the full definition of a warfighter. A warfighter is a profession of arms, and a profession of arms has standards that they have to be held to and they hold themselves to," Spencer said."
Goddamned right. Otherwise, they're war criminals, no better than the enemy.
"Gallagher, who just this week met with Mr. Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort, called the SEALs' testimony "blatant lies" in a statement. "My first reaction to seeing the videos was surprise and disgust that they would make up blatant lies about me, but I quickly realized that they were scared that the truth would come out of how cowardly they acted on deployment," he said. "I felt sorry for them that they thought it necessary to smear my name, but they never realized what the consequences of their lies would be." An attorney for Gallagher said he is preparing a lawsuit against The New York Times and correspondent Dave Philipps. "There were sections where the video inexplicably cut off, sections where you could hear the investigator coaching the witness in the hall, and probably the most unprofessional witness interview technique that any of us have ever seen," Tim Parlatore said in a statement. "Philipps' persistent desire to ignore the facts of this case, to continue to publish false and misleading articles months after the acquittal demonstrates clear bias and actual malice, which is why my client has instructed me to prepare a lawsuit against him and the New York Times." Another attorney for Gallagher told CBS News, "The jury heard all the evidence — the prosecution's and the defense's — and acquitted Eddie of every single serious charge. Enough said."
NBC News reports:
"Video interviews and documents leaked to The New York Times reveal how Navy SEALs turned against their own platoon leader with allegations that he killed for the sake of killing. Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher was accused of war crimes in the fatal stabbing of a young wounded fighter for the Islamic State militant group who had been detained by the U.S. military in Iraq in 2017. In July, Gallagher was found not guilty by a military court of six of the seven charges against him, including murder and attempted murder."
Here's the problem:
"Gallagher's fellow SEALs supported the allegations, characterizing the 19-year veteran as "evil" and "toxic,” according to the detailed New York Times report published Friday. “You could tell he was perfectly OK with killing anybody that was moving,” Special Operator 1st Class Corey Scott, a medic in the platoon, told the investigators, according to the Times. “The guy is freaking evil,” Special Operator 1st Class Craig Miller was quoted as saying."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"President Donald Trump pardoned Gallagher in November, restoring him to his rank as chief petty officer. Seven SEALs testified during the trial that Gallagher abruptly stabbed the teen prisoner on May 3, 2017, just after he and other medics treated the boy. NBC News has not spoken to any of the individual SEALS shown in the tapes or quoted in the story, but the paper has reached out to all of them and they declined to comment."
The following may be why:
"Despite having spoken against Gallagher to investigators, Scott testified he was the person who killed the boy when he plugged his breathing tube with his thumb in an act of mercy. But Navy Cmdr. Jeff Pietrzyk had told the jury that Gallagher had texted him, "Got him with my hunting knife." He then showed a photo of Gallagher holding up the dead prisoner's head by the hair."
Jesus Christ. What the hell is going on here? Somebody is lying.
Get this:
"Gallagher was found guilty of one charge for posing in the photo with the corpse. He was sentenced to four months confinement, but it was considered time already served for being held in pre-trial custody. Miller was also quoted having told investigators the incident was "the most disgraceful thing I've ever seen in my life."
This is certainly one highly-convoluted, achingly f--ked up case with many unresolved, unanswered questions.
"On Saturday, Gallagher met Trump at Mar-a-Lago after attending the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit with his wife, Andrea. A photo of the couple with the president was posted on their Instagram account with a message that they gave Trump a "little gift from Eddie's deployment to Mosul." It's unclear in the picture what exactly the gift was."
Readers will recall:
"Last month, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Trump also directed him to allow Gallagher to retire without losing his gold eagle Trident emblem, which signifies that a service member is part of one of the Navy's elite Special Warfare Navy Sea, Air and Land units, or SEALs. Gallagher's case created friction between Trump and the Navy and led to the firing of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer. Trump frequently spoke out about the case, calling Gallagher "a great fighter" and accusing the department of mishandling the disciplinary action against him."
Time for Gallagher's fellow SEALs to step up publicly, disclose precisely what went down, that is, who did what to whom, when, where, and why. No matter personal cost to career, and/or advancement. Their oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution trumps all.
More on this as it becomes available.
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.
1-3-20
Why are we still mired in Iraq? Why did we invade in the first place? The Washington Post reports:
"Hundreds of angry supporters of an Iranian-backed militia shouting "Death to America" broke into the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday, trapping diplomats inside in response to U.S. airstrikes that killed or wounded scores of militia fighters. Tensions eased somewhat later in the day after Iraqi security forces intervened, erecting a steel barrier at the smashed gate into the compound's reception area and forcing the protesters to leave. However, protesters outside periodically threw molotov cocktails into the compound and tried to tear down the razor wire atop its walls, as guards inside fired stun grenades at them. The protesters breached the vast embassy compound's outer security but did not reach the main chancery building where diplomats waited out the intrusion in a safe room. President Trump responded angrily Tuesday to the protesters' actions, charging that Iran was behind a deadly militia attack that led to the airstrikes and blaming Tehran for the embassy siege."
Time to smarten up, Donny boy. Why are we still in Iraq? Had no business invading that country nearly twenty years ago. Huge mistake made by ol' George "The Tush" Bush and his equally clueless henchmen. Cost us dearly in tax dollars, lives lost. Massive failure. Now, you compound the problem by exacerbating the violence, Mr. 'President?'
"Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many," Trump tweeted from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. "We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!"
Wake up, Mr. 'President.' What you and your predecessors have executed for nearly two decades has miserably failed. Like Afghanistan, this is not a conflict we're going to win. No matter what, the enemy is going to continue to fight, resist. No matter the casualties, losses.
Nearly two decades on both war fronts should have long since made that obvious. Only non-option for U.S. to 'claim victory?' Turn Iraq, Iran to glass. That is, nuclear obliteration. Would accomplish nothing. -- Other than turn the entire region far more opposed to us than it already is.
The following is delusional, Donny. Indicative of your rabid desperation:
"He added later in a separate tweet: "To those many millions of people in Iraq who want freedom and who don't want to be dominated and controlled by Iran, this is your time!"
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.
1-3-20
Right to abortion remains under ferocious attack by the national socialist, fascist element in the Republican Party. NPR reports:
"On a recent Saturday morning at Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, La., Kathaleen Pittman was preparing for a day of procedures, as a couple dozen patients sat quietly in the waiting area. Her clinic is challenging a law passed by Louisiana's state legislature in 2014, which requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital in case of an emergency. The case, June Medical Services, LLC v. Gee, is scheduled to go before the U.S. Supreme Court next year, and the court's decision has the potential to chip away at existing precedent protecting abortion rights."
Out of control raw nazism now embraced by the national socialist, increasingly fascist GOP. Determined to force its perverse religious views on all. Direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, church-state separation, that is, freedom from religion.
"The whole process of trying to obtain privileges is crazy," Pittman says. "It's time-consuming. It could be a process of a few months to actually years. There are no guarantees." Pittman has been working here since the early 1990s, when she started as a part-time counselor. Pittman says if the law stands, it would leave few doctors in Louisiana who perform abortions. The clinic currently has two doctors performing abortions — one who has admitting privileges, and one who does not. Pittman says the other doctor has been trying for years to get admitting privileges, without success. She believes concerns about the politics and stigma around abortion have made getting privileges difficult. "We have discovered that not all hospitals will just outright deny privileges," Pittman says. "They just won't take any action, which is the same thing. But it's not in writing. So what do you do?"
Madam, nazis in the Republican Party expect you to goose step along with their national socialist, fascist ideology.
"Not only are admitting privileges hard to get, but the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that requiring doctors who perform abortions to obtain them doesn't provide any substantial medical benefit to patients, but it does put a major hurdle in the way of patients seeking abortions. In its 2016 opinion, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, the court said a Texas law, which included a hospital admitting privileges requirement, "poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions, and constitutes an 'undue burden' on their constitutional right to do so."
With a five-four Republican nazi majority currently on the Supreme Court, all bets are off. Precisely, what our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, his henchmen, and their fellow national socialists in the GOP demand and want.
"What's on the line is the continued protection by the Supreme Court of access to abortion services," says Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing the Hope clinic. "And what's on the line is the Supreme Court's integrity, because nothing has changed since they rendered their decision in 2016." What has changed is the makeup of court since that 5-to-3 decision in 2016. Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the swing vote on abortion, has retired, and President Trump has named two justices — Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — to the bench."
-- Two unabashed fascists who falsely claim to be 'conservatives.' ... Shamelessly abrogate their falsely sworn oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution.
"Northup warns that the law could force most of the state's few remaining clinics to shut down, and "open the floodgates" for similar rules elsewhere."
Precisely, what Republican fascists demand, want, and perniciously intend. Raw nazism. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
"At a crisis pregnancy center in Slidell, outside New Orleans, Cindy Collins counsels women against abortion and offers free baby clothes, diapers, and other assistance to new and expectant mothers. Collins says she had several abortions as a young woman in the 1970s, experiences that inspired her to become an opponent of abortion rights. Collins testified in favor of the hospital admitting privileges bill when it was working its way through Louisiana's state legislature in 2014. "Women deserve [for their doctors to have] emergency admitting privileges, even if it's just one woman," Collins says. "...I believe it's very important. [It] would bring up a level of accountability."
Disingenuous bullshit. A ruse. Simply, not true:
"But several major medical groups say hospital admitting privileges are not necessary for abortion providers and provide virtually no medical benefit to patients. In a friend-of-the-court brief earlier this month, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and others, say abortion is a safe procedure, and that there's no medical reason to require doctors who perform abortions to have privileges. "It is a very rare instance where a patient would have a complication — and even more rare in a case where they would need to be hospitalized," says Dr. Maureen Phipps, ACOG's CEO. In such cases, Phipps, says, a woman should go to the nearest hospital for treatment.
"The case is set to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on March 4, with a decision expected just months before the 2020 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.
12-27-19
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.
De facto fascist police-state since 9/11, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. CBS News reports:
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has set up a new information-sharing initiative with the government agency responsible for taking care of unaccompanied migrant minors, sparking fears it will use biometric data to detain and deport immigrant adults who try to sponsor children family members who are in U.S. custody."
Nazi America.
"In recent weeks, ICE started a new joint effort with the Department of Health of Human Services (HHS) to oversee biometric screenings of adults who try to sponsor children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the agency within HHS that oversees shelters for migrant minors. ICE spokesperson Bryan Cox told CBS News the inter-agency cooperation, which was not publicly announced, is designed to prevent migrant children in U.S. custody from being placed with sponsors who could be dangerous. He said that HHS, unlike ICE, does not have a mechanism to detect fraudulent documents or a government-run system to conduct background checks on potential sponsors. "The intent of the ICE detail was to help decrease these vulnerabilities in HHS screening and vetting procedures, thereby increasing the welfare and safety" of migrant children in custody, Cox said."
More disingenuous bullshit. Believe the ruse?
"The new initiative, which includes increased sharing of fingerprint and criminal history data, was first reported by The Washington Post. Citing HHS officials, The Washington Post reported that the White House recently tried to install a top ICE official at ORR to oversee the increased information-sharing between the two agencies, but the plan was thwarted by HHS leadership. Advocates were quick to denounce the initiative, fearing that ICE could be meddling in the internal affairs of America's refugee agency to continue the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented immigrants. They noted that ICE has previously tried to use data gathered from undocumented immigrant adults seeking to sponsor children family members with the aim of detaining and deporting them."
Hitler and Mussolini would have been proud. Must be 'high-fiving' on their fiery perches.
"We must stop these renewed efforts to use HHS data to deport relatives and families of migrant children — it will only result in more trauma and pain for vulnerable children," Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas said in a statement to CBS News. In March 2018, HHS signed a memorandum of agreement with ICE and Customs and Border Protection, agreeing to provide sensitive information about children in its custody, as well as from people who request to sponsor the minors. A report by advocacy groups found that fewer sponsors were coming forward as result of the agreement because they feared that any information they provided to HHS could be used by ICE for immigration enforcement actions against them."
To be expected of the jackbooted bastards.
"This February, however, House Democrats worked to restrict this through the Homeland Security appropriations bill that became law. They added language designed to limit ICE's ability to go after potential sponsors of children or members of their household. Castro, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, accused White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, one of the architects of the administration's hardline immigration agenda, of being behind the move, which the Texas Democrat said is an attempt to undermine congressional authority."
To be expected from our impeached, narcissistic, insane, nazi fuhrer currently occupying the Oval Office.
"Congress explicitly included a prohibition to prevent ICE from using HHS information to deport sponsors," Castro said. "Nevertheless, Miller is trying to circumvent Congress and create a new crisis at HHS for the sole purpose of inflicting cruelty on immigrants.
"The appropriations law passed this year, he added, does not protect immigrants whose sponsorship requests are rejected by HHS, suggesting they could be targeted for detention and removal. HHS has been sharing information about rejected sponsors with ICE, according to Cox."
Goddamned nazis. When 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.
12-27-19
Trump impeachment. ABC News reports:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday stood by her position that the House will not send the Senate the just-passed articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump until she sees “the process that is set forth in the Senate” -- how a trial would be structured. When asked at her weekly news conference if there’s risk in Republicans saying she is playing games by holding the articles, Pelosi said, "We don't know the arena that we're in. Frankly, I don’t care what the Republicans say.” “We would hope there would be a fair process just as I hope they would honor the Constitution,” Pelosi said of Republicans, adding that she’s said all she’s going to say on the matter until she knows more about what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will agree to."
Smart move. Force Republicans to hold a bona fide impeachment trial in the Senate, not just simply rubber stamp their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Longer she holds out, more stressed the Trump nazi, his henchmen, and fellow Republicans become.
"Notably, she has not said what exactly she needs to see from the Senate and it's still not clear if the Democrats’ demand for live witnesses will be a deal-breaker. "In any event, we are ready. When we see what they have, we'll know who, and how many [impeachment managers], we'll send over. And that's all I have to say on this now,” Pelosi said."
Our fuhrer is growing increasingly unhinged:
"As Pelosi spoke, Trump tweeted, "Pelosi feels her phony impeachment HOAX is so pathetic she is afraid to present it to the Senate, which can set a date and put this whole SCAM into default if they refuse to show up! The Do Nothings are so bad for our Country!"
Jesus Christ. Take a deep breath, Mr. Trump. She's running circles around you, sir. ... Not having a panic attack, are you, Mr. 'President?'
"McConnell, speaking on the Senate floor a short time before Pelosi, said that she and her fellow Democrats were getting "cold feet" and were "afraid" to send their "shoddy" articles of impeachment to the Senate."
Wake up, Mitch. You're behaving like an idiot, sir. That, the best you have to offer in defense of the indefensible?
"The Constitution's framers suspected that "we might might have rogue president," Pelosi said. "I don't think they suspected that we'd have a rogue president and a rogue leader in the Senate at the same time," Pelosi shot back."
... Hey, Mitch? She's running circles around you. Do you, just like your fuhrer the Trump nazi, delusionally believe lies suddenly become truth if you repeat them often enough?
Ol' Mitch "The Bitch" is certainly rattled:
"McConnell later sought out reporters to say, "It's beyond me how the speaker and the Democratic leader in the Senate think withholding the articles of impeachment and not sending them over gives them leverage - is beyond me. Frankly, I'm not anxious to have the trial, if she thinks her case is so weak she doesn't want to send it over, throw me into that briar patch.”
Above is proof positive 'can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.'
The Washington Post reports:
"Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) wants to see the documents being concealed by the White House even more than he wants to hear from the list of current and former aides who followed President Trump’s order not to testify during the investigation that led to his impeachment. The House Intelligence Committee chairman recounted the texts and emails provided by Kurt Volker, the former envoy to Ukraine, and Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union. “The few messages we did get were remarkably incriminating,” Schiff said in an interview on Thursday night. “So you can only imagine, if this is what the small sample of documents that we have shows, just how damning many of the other documents the administration refuses to turn over may be.” The second article of impeachment that passed on Wednesday is for obstruction of Congress. It notes that not a single document was provided in response to subpoenas by the departments of State, Defense and Energy, as well the Office of Management and Budget. Contemporaneous emails don’t perjure themselves. The report Schiff’s committee released on Dec. 3 outlined, from pages 217 to 230, specific records that the administration refused to produce after witnesses testified about their existence. Among them are call logs, briefing materials provided to the president and notes taken by the National Security Council’s top legal adviser when employees expressed alarm about what the president was doing vis-à-vis Ukraine. “If this were a logical and fair trial, it would begin with the production of documents,” said Schiff, a former federal prosecutor. “And those documents tell you what questions you need to ask the witnesses. Sometimes they lead to other witnesses.”
ABC News reports:
"White House officials requested that aid to Ukraine be held around 1 1/2 hours after President Donald Trump's July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to newly obtained documents. While the Trump administration has yet to release a single document subpoenaed by Congress during its impeachment inquiry of the president, the administration was forced to hand over a second round of communications between two government offices that helped withhold $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. According to a rough transcript released by the White House, the July 25 call between Trump and Zelenskiy took place between 9:03 and 9:33 a.m. At 11:04 a.m., an official with the White House's budget office, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Mike Duffey, sent an email to Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist, the chief of staff to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and the Pentagon's chief financial officer telling them to withhold the aid to Ukraine, the documents showed."
Fascinating, isn't it? Certainly, puts the lie to the Trump nazi's bullshit vis a vis no quid pro quo:
"Based on guidance I have received and in light of the Administration’s plan to review assistance to Ukraine, including the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, please hold off on any additional DoD obligations of these funds, pending direction from that process," the email from Duffey said, according to the documents. "Given the sensitive nature of the request, I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know to execute direction," Duffey's email stated."
"The first announcement that the White House had decided to withhold the aid, which Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said was at the direction of the president, came at a July 18 meeting between OMB and other officials. The meeting immediately sparked confusion and concerns from National Security Council officials and diplomats. This prompted a series of NSC-led inter-agency meetings, during which officials came to a unanimous conclusion that the security assistance should be resumed, according to several witnesses' testimony in the House impeachment inquiry."
Anything to obfuscate, turn reality into bullshit to protect our fuhrer, the Trump nazi from himself:
"Rachel Semmel, a spokeswoman for OMB, said in a statement on Sunday that it was “reckless to tie the hold of funds to the phone call." "As has been established and publicly reported, the hold was announced in an interagency meeting on July 18," she continued. "To pull a line out of one email and fail to address the context is misleading and inaccurate.”
That so? Here's the problem:
"The documents, obtained Friday by the Center for Public Integrity via an order by a federal judge as part of a Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Defense (DoD) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB), were heavily redacted, but they are the first pertaining to the aid holdup to be released by the Trump administration. The administration has refused to cooperate with Congress's investigation and has prevented documents from being released and blocked administration officials from testifying. The details of the July 18 meeting were only known among officials and were not released to Congress or the public until the Washington Post first reported about it in September. A senior administration official said that the fact that Duffey's email came 91 minutes after the Trump-Zelenskiy phone call concluded was coincidental and that the message was part of a weekslong discussion between OMB and DoD over holding up the aid."
Was it? If so, why all the stonewalling, lack of transparency? If the Trump nazi had nothing to hide, time to release all the documents. That is, offer across the board evidence of your repeated, continued claim of innocence, Mr. 'President.' That is, you're indeed fit for office. Not engaged in criminal activity. That is, Emoluments Clause violations currently litigated in the courts, the Mueller Report's ten examples of obstruction of justice not prosecuted since the 'Justice' Department claims a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, that is indeed above the law, to say nothing of your payoffs of two women prior to the last presidential election to buy their silence vis a vis your allegedly having had sex with them, etc. List can go on and on.
"OMB had been waiting on information from DoD about how it planned to distribute the aid, and on July 25, the budget office finally had enough information to finish the process to withhold the aid by placing a footnote on it in OMB's system, according to the official. Duffey was notifying DoD officials that the process had reached that point, the official said. The official also said that Duffey request the information be "closely held" because of the sensitive nature of foreign assistance and geopolitics in general, accentuated by the fact that just that day Ukraine had seized a Russian ship in the Black Sea. "This new round of documents isn’t enough," Susan Smith Richardson, CEO of Public Integrity, said in a statement Saturday. "But they do reveal how quickly the White House moved to cut off military aid to Ukraine." The White House declined to comment on these documents on Sunday."
What could they say? The walls are indeed closing in. Democrats were stupid, gutless to have rushed impeachment hearings to conclusion for narrow minded partisan self-interest due to the pending presidential election.
"The documents also show that President Trump first started inquiring about the aid as early as June, one month before the call, though the decision wasn't revealed until a July 18 meeting between the OMB and other officials that the White House had decided to withhold the Ukraine aid. Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said the move was at the direction of the president. "The president has asked about this funding release," Duffey emailed DoD deputy comptroller Elaine McCusker on June 19, just one day after DoD first publicly announced the funding. Duffey included a link to a news article about the announcement, suggesting it was the source of the president's renewed interest. "I have been tasked to follow-up with someone over there to get more details," Duffey continues. "Do you have insight on this funding?" In another email chain a week later, titled "POTUS follow up," Eric Chewning, a DoD official, continued the search for more specifics on behalf of the president. "What was the funding used for?....who funded it? What do other NATO members spend to support Ukraine," he asked."
This is an exceptionally complicated, highly sophisticated, nuanced fiasco determinedly, concertedly fueled by governmental lack of transparency perpetrated by the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"The emails released Friday also highlight legal concerns among OMB officials right after the July 25 call and reveal an almost immediate effort to involve legal counsel in the process. "Please share with your [Office of General Counsel] and advise of any concerns today," Sandy asked McCusker just hours after the call. There is no McCusker response in the documents released, though it is clear that lawyers from both offices corresponded on the topic. "I understand our respective OGC's connected this afternoon," Sandy wrote. "I need to complete the apportionment this afternoon, so please let me know if you want to discuss before I transmit soon." As the officials involved their lawyers, they also seem to have engaged in an effort to prevent the information from leaking. "Given the sensitive nature of the request, I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know to execute the direction," Duffey wrote to several OMB and DoD officials the same day of the call."
Called a cover up.
"This effort could be seen as a violation of the Impoundment Control Act-- a law which states that Congress must be alerted and approve of any shift in funds they have already appropriated-- if the intention was to keep the information "closely held" from Congress, according to Public Integrity. Ultimately, the officials shared a sense of relief once the funds were released on Sept. 11, which they seemed to have thought would have put an end to the situation entirely. Duffey told McCusker he was "glad to have this behind [them]" just before he signed the apportionment on Sept. 11. Edna Falk Curtin, another OMB official, expressed a similar sentiment. "Hope this is good news," she wrote."
NPR reports:
"Party leaders in Congress continued to spar Monday over details of an impending impeachment trial in the Senate, with newly released emails giving more ammunition to Democrats in their requests for new witnesses. The emails, released late Friday to the Center for Public Integrity, are heavily redacted, but Democrats have jumped on one in particular to bolster their argument that there is more to know about the saga of President Trump withholding military aid to Ukraine in exchange for political investigations. The message about the hold was from a senior official in the Office of Management and Budget, Michael Duffey, who sent it less than two hours after Trump got off the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on July 25 — and requested that the matter be kept quiet. Duffey said the halt was "based on guidance I have received and in light of the Administration's plan to review assistance to Ukraine." "Given the sensitive nature of the request, I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know to execute the direction," Duffey wrote."
Called a cover up.
"The newly released emails show government officials were grappling with issues raised because of the Trump administration's decision to withhold aid to Ukraine. "There was huge anxiety inside the government that the aid-hold was not only unwise, but that it was illegal," the Center for Public Integrity's R. Jeffrey Smith said on NPR's Morning Edition. A 1974 law compels the president or other government officials to spend money that has been appropriated by Congress. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the Duffey email "explosive" and held up a copy of it at a press conference on Sunday. He is trying to ratchet up pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to agree to call new witnesses when the trial begins in the Senate."
About time gutless Democrats were finally willing to rattle the cage of out of control Republican national socialists, fascists:
"What is a trial with no witnesses and no documents? It's a sham trial," Schumer said — a sign that Democrats are already laying the groundwork to question the legitimacy of the Senate trial. "Until we hear from the witnesses, until we get the documents, the American people will correctly assume that those blocking their testimony were aiding and abetting a cover-up," Schumer said. "Plain and simple." The Senate trial can't begin until the House has transferred the articles of impeachment and named impeachment managers, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says she is putting that off until she has more details about what a Senate trial will look like. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to have sufficient votes to acquit the president, leaving Democrats using their ability to stall the transfer as leverage."
Exactly, why Democrats were incredibly stupid to have rushed the process to completion. Should have laid out all the criminal activity in brutal detail. That is, the ten examples of obstruction of justice in the Mueller report that went unprosecuted due to a 'Justice' Department ruling a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, that is, remains above the law, the ongoing Emoluments Clause fiasco currently adjudicated in the courts where Trump illegally allegedly lined his pockets from foreigners attempting to buy influence at Trump-owned properties, Trump's effort prior to the election to buy the silence of two women he allegedly had sex with, list can go on and on.
Trump grows increasingly unhinged. NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump on Tuesday railed against the impeachment case against him, complaining that he'd been treated "very unfairly." In remarks to reporters following a video teleconference with members of the military the day before Christmas that he fielded from his Mar-a-Lago resort in southern Florida, Trump slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other House Democrats for impeaching him on two articles last week. "She hates the Republican Party, she hates all of the people that voted for me and the Republican party and she's desperate," Trump said."
Aren't you talking about yourself, Mr. 'President?' ... That unstable, sir? No effort at all to hide your increasing insanity, Donald?
"Trump added that Pelosi was "doing a tremendous disservice to the country, she's not doing a good job and some people think that she doesn't know what she’s doing."
Again, sir, aren't you talking about yourself? Pelosi is finally doing what her oath of office demands. That is, holding you accountable for high crimes and misdemeanors. For far too long Democrats were unwilling to impeach your sorry ass. For self-serving partisan reasons. Principle now trumps partisanship. About time.
"He said that House Democrats had "had no evidence at all, they had no crime" and that they treated us very unfairly."
Unadulterated horse shit. Simply, untrue. Employees of the Executive Branch, your people and against your orders, courageously testified under oath against you. Placed country ahead of personal interests. You weren't treated unfairly. That assertion is patently false. You refused to cooperate, refused to release all documents asked for and subpoenaed. Obstructed justice.
The following is evidence you have no grasp on reality, no clue what truth is:
"They didn't give us due process, they didn't give us a lawyer, they didn't give us anything. Now they come to the Senate and they want everything," Trump said."
More horse shit. Direct opposite is the truth. Not your ongoing bullshit. Ferociously pointedly, Democrats seek a bona fide trial in the Senate. Not a rubber stamp exoneration by your equally clueless Republican national socialist, fascist, nazi shills in the Senate.
More horse shit:
"Regarding the rules that would govern his Senate trial, Trump said "it’s up to (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell." "He's going to do what he wants to do. Very smart guy, very good guy, and a very fair guy," he said."
Wake up, Donald. Mitch "The Bitch" by his own admission stated he is not impartial. Will do all he can to ensure a kangaroo trial, no more than a rubber stamp for your sorry ass.
"Earlier Tuesday, Trump, quoting various Fox News Channel commentators, embarked on a Twitter rant against impeachment, posting that the "Do Nothing Democrats have gone CRAZY."
Aren't you talking about yourself, sir? Point the finger at Democrats? Other four point back at you.
"He added that "all" Democrats "even think about is impeachment."
It's you who are obsessed, sir. All you tweet about. How do you find time to do your job when you tweet all day and night, watch Fox News to keep up with impeachment?
"McConnell, R-Ky., said last week that he and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had reached an "impasse" over moving forward with the rules governing a Senate trial of Trump. Pelosi has said she does not intend to transmit the articles over to the Senate until McConnell announces the process by which the chamber will conduct the trial."
Brilliant move on the part of Pelosi. Let Trump and his henchmen sweat. Especially, since Democrats foolishly rushed the impeachment inquiry, failed to include the ten examples of obstruction of justice posited in the Mueller Report but not prosecuted since the 'Justice' Department ruled a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, that is, remains above the law. To say nothing of ongoing Emoluments Clause violations currently adjudicated in the courts, Trump payoffs to two women he allegedly had sex with to buy their silence, etc. List can go on and on. Democrats should have taken their time. Laid it all out in brutal detail. Sadly, partisan interests and the coming election trumped principle.
Saga continues. NBC News reports:
"Rudy Giuliani says he's "more of a Jew" than liberal billionaire George Soros, who survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary as a teen. In a remarkable interview with New York magazine, Giuliani, President Donald Trump's lawyer, painted Soros as a puppet master who has secretly been pulling the strings in Ukraine. Soros is a frequent target of conspiracy theories about Jews controlling the world. “Don’t tell me I’m anti-Semitic if I oppose him,” Giuliani said. “Soros is hardly a Jew. I’m more of a Jew than Soros is. I probably know more about — he doesn’t go to church, he doesn’t go to religion — synagogue. He doesn’t belong to a synagogue, he doesn’t support Israel, he’s an enemy of Israel. He’s elected eight anarchist DAs in the United States. He’s a horrible human being.”
LOL. Hey, Rudy baby? Sound just like your out of control, narcissistic, insane fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Time to take your head figuratively out of your clueless ass, Counselor.
"He said the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who testified in the impeachment inquiry that she'd been smeared and forced out of her job by Giuliani, was "controlled" by Soros. “He put all four ambassadors there. And he’s employing the FBI agents,” Giuliani told the magazine. Asked by NBC News if his comments about being more Jewish than Soros were made in jest, Giuliani, who's of Italian descent and was raised Roman Catholic, responded by text, "I'm more Jewish than half my friends."
Jesus Christ. Rudy has clearly lost his mind. LOL.
"Soros' philanthropy network, the Open Society Foundations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Spokeswoman Laura Silber sounded off on some of Giuliani's conspiracy theories involving the Holocaust survivor in an interview with NBC News earlier this month. “The anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and false allegations espoused by Rudolph Giuliani and his cronies are aimed at fomenting hatred, undermining democracy, as well as distracting from the impeachment process and the critically important national security and constitutional questions before Congress,” Silber said."
Rudy, however, was far from through:
"Soros wasn't Giuliani's only target in the New York interview. He also torched federal prosecutors in the office he used to run, the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York, for investigating his financial dealings after two clients who assisted his Ukraine investigation were indicted for making illegal campaign contributions. “If they’re investigating me, they’re a------s. They’re absolutely a------s if they’re investigating me,” Giuliani said. “If they are, they’re idiots,” he said. “Then they really are a Trump-deranged bunch of silly New York liberals.”
... Following in the footsteps of your insane fuhrer, the Trump nazi, Rudy?
Gets more delusional. LOL. Get this:
"Giuliani also expressed hope that he would be one of the lawyers representing Trump in his Senate impeachment trial, because he could cross-examine Democrats. “I’m great at it. It’s what I do best as a lawyer. That’s what I would be good at,” he said, “Oh, I would love it, I could rip — you know, I hate to sound like a ridiculously boastful lawyer, but cross-examining them would be, I don’t know, I could’ve done it when I was a second-year assistant U.S. attorney. They’re a bunch of clowns.”
Sounds just like his narcissistic fuhrer, the Trump nazi, doesn't he? LOL.
"Giuliani, who was known as "America's mayor" after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks also pushed back against friends who've been urging him to tone down his rhetoric for fear he'll ruin his legacy. “And my attitude about my legacy is, f--- it,” he told New York."
Not to worry, Rudy. What legacy? Gone quite some time.
"Before the interview was published online Monday, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a top Trump ally, questioned the president's use of Giuliani as his lawyer. "You do have to wonder how he was the best the president could think of for a lawyer — 'Hey, get me that guy who spills his guts on CNN and butt dials everyone in Washington. He can keep a secret!'" Paul tweeted."
No shit. LOL.
"Giuliani also has his supporters, and he retweeted one with the user name "women for rudy giuliani" who said, "Americans love our mayor Giuliani!" The tweeter's handle was "QAnonWomen4Rudy," a reference to the far-right, Trump-embracing QAnon conspiracy theory."
Incontrovertible evidence one can 'fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.' LOL.
CBS News reports:
"Lawyers for the House of Representatives suggested the lower chamber could take up new articles of impeachment against President Trump if new evidence of the president's conduct emerges. The possibility of additional articles was raised by House general counsel Douglas Letter in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit as part of a legal dispute over whether former White House counsel Don McGahn should have to testify before Congress. "If McGahn's testimony produces new evidence supporting the conclusion that President Trump committed impeachable offenses that are not covered by the articles approved by the House, the committee will proceed accordingly — including, if necessary, by considering whether to recommend new articles of impeachment," Letter wrote."
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.
12-27-19
Think the following becoming of the president of the United States? CBS News reports:
"President Trump took a swipe at the late Rep. John Dingell during his Battle Creek, Michigan rally Wednesday evening, drawing a quick rebuke from the widow of the longtime Michigan Democratic congressman who succeeded him in the House. Mr. Trump claimed Debbie Dingell had thanked him profusely for providing "A-plus treatment" after her husband's death in February, including ordering flags flown at half-staff. He quoted her as saying, "Thank you so much. John would be so thrilled. He's looking down." Then he added: "I said, 'That's OK. Don't worry about it.' Maybe he's looking up. I don't know."
Jesus Christ. What a piece of crap. Stunning, isn't it?
"The congresswoman was quick to respond. "Mr. President, let's set politics aside," she tweeted. "My husband earned all his accolades after a lifetime of service. I'm preparing for the first holiday season without the man I love. You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder." Mr. Trump's disparaging remarks followed Debbie Dingell and other lawmakers voting to impeach him. Debbie Dingell tweeted a photo showing herself holding hands with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shortly after the impeachment articles were approved:
"The
times have found us. Thank you for strong leadership and an empathetic
hand @SpeakerPelosi. pic.twitter.com/1sBHXdr46d
—
Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) December 18, 2019"
Trump is hopelessly naive, far from politically astute:
"John Dingell was the longest-serving member of Congress ever. He held the seat from 1955 to 2015. Mr. Trump's comments were considered particularly surprising given the Dingells' standing in Michigan. He was viewed as a champion of unions and the auto companies. She comes from an automotive family and has cultivated a bipartisan image back home. They're considered Michigan royalty."
Not lost on one of Trump's inner circle:
"White House press secretary and communications director Stephanie Grisham said on "CBS This Morning" Thursday she didn't hear Mr. Trump's remark about John Dingell maybe "looking up." "But I will say that we do thank her for her service and we are very, very sorry for the passing of her husband," Grisham said. "We thank him for his service. The president did do at her request all that he could. He lowered the flag at the White House, did all that he could to honor him."
Then, Grisham made excuses for the indefensible:
"You've got to remember this president has been under attack now for two and a half years," she said. "Tensions are high. The rally last night, there was a lot of – a lot of passionate people. And I think that a lot of riffing was going on. But at the end of the day, the president did do all he could to honor her husband. And again, we're very, very sorry for the loss."
Wake up, Ms. Grisham. Trump is personally responsible for his impeachment. No one else.
"Debbie Dingell was hardly the only one upset by the president's comment. Republican congressman Fred Upton of Michigan, who voted against impeaching Mr. Trump, also condemned Mr. Trump's remarks. "I've always looked up to John Dingell - my good friend and a great Michigan legend. There was no need to 'dis' him in a crass political way. Most unfortunate and an apology is due," he tweeted. Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, a fellow Democrat, was among others who came to the Dingells' defense. "This is shameful Mr. President. Insinuating that John Dingell, a loving catholic, WWII hero, now rests in hell. How dare you?" she tweeted. "I have no words for the pain you are causing my dear friend Debbie Dingell and the people of Michigan right now." Staunch Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters the president should "apologize" for the comments."
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.
12-27-19
Christian Right smartening up? CBS News reports:
"In a harshly worded editorial, the editor of Christianity Today, the evangelical magazine founded by Billy Graham, called for President Trump to be removed from office. Posted Thursday afternoon, it viewed the evidence from the House impeachment hearings as having made a clear case that Mr. Trump had abused his office for personal gain and violated the Constitution. "The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president's political opponents," Mark Galli wrote. "That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral."
You think?
"More so than the Mueller investigation, Galli said that the impeachment hearings "have illuminated the president's moral deficiencies for all to see." He added, "None of the president's positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character."
Finally, some desperately needed awakening to reality:
"Galli accused the president of having "dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration," pointing out that several of the people he's hired are "now convicted criminals," and noting that Mr. Trump remains "proud of" actions he's taken in dealing with business and with women. "His Twitter feed alone—with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders—is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused," Galli stated."
Certainly, rattled the 'president's' cage:
"Early Friday morning, Mr. Trump fired back on Twitter, saying the magazine would "rather have a Radical Left nonbeliever, who wants to take your religion & your guns, than Donald Trump as your President."
....have
a Radical Left nonbeliever, who wants to take your religion & your
guns, than Donald Trump as your President. No President has done more for
the Evangelical community, and it’s not even close. You’ll not get anything
from those Dems on stage. I won’t be reading ET again!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2019"
The following is well beyond inexplicable. It is true evil:
"Since the beginning of his presidency, Mr. Trump has enjoyed the support of evangelical leaders, many of whom cheered on the president for his focus on nominating conservative judges and emphasizing religious freedom. At the beginning of the impeachment inquiry, 99% of Republican white evangelical Protestants opposed Mr. Trump's impeachment and removal."
Ignores the fact these national socialist, fascist 'judges' are not conservatives. They're nazis intent on destroying all civil and constitutional rights and liberties in a desperate attempt to transition the de facto fascist police-state we've lived in since 9/11 to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter. Short-sighted, achingly delusional. Bought Trump's bullshit. So has the son of Billy Graham, -- Franklin Graham:
"In a Facebook post on Friday, Franklin Graham said his late father would have been "very disappointed" to read this editorial. He claimed his father had voted for Mr. Trump before he died and accused the magazine of launching "a totally partisan attack on the President of the United States." "It's obvious that Christianity Today has moved to the left and is representing the elitist liberal wing of evangelicalism," he wrote. "Is President Trump guilty of sin? Of course he is, as were all past presidents and as each one of us are, including myself. Therefore, let's pray for the President as he continues to lead the affairs of our nation."
Remove your head from your ass, Franklin. Stupidity is unbecoming. Worse, it's dangerous:
"But the editorial warned evangelical leaders that their support for Mr. Trump was making them into hypocrites. Addressing "the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record," Galli wrote: "Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump's immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don't reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation's leader doesn't really matter in the end?"
Remarkable insight:
"In this "political poker game," Galli said, "we are playing with a stacked deck of gross immorality and ethical incompetence. And just when we think it's time to push all our chips to the center of the table, that's when the whole game will come crashing down."
NPR reports:
"A vote to impeach President Trump has come from an unlikely corner: the evangelical magazine Christianity Today, whose editor-in-chief, Mark Galli, says the president's "generally disreputable moral behavior" and his actions in the White House prompted him to write an editorial titled "Trump Should Be Removed from Office." In his magazine piece, Galli called the president's Twitter feed "a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused." From the highest office in the U.S., Trump uses his tweets as a direct pipeline to the public to slander and mischaracterize, to abuse others and outright lie, Galli says."
Finally, some desperately needed insight from the religious community:
"You don't even have to be a religious person to recognize that they're moral problems," Galli tells NPR's Steve Inskeep on Friday, in an interview on Morning Edition. "When a person has serious and longstanding and habitual moral habits like that, it's not something just to condemn, but also suggests kind of a deep psychological and moral confusion. And that's why I use that word," Galli says. "It's not like I have any personal animus against the president. I suspect that if I was in a room with him, we could have a very amiable and delightful conversation. But he does display characteristics that I think, as a leader of a great nation like the United States, are deeply problematic."
What took so long?
"The editorial seems to have infuriated Trump, who attacked Christianity Today on Twitter Friday morning by calling the magazine – which is generally considered to be aimed at moderate and centrist Christian readers – a "far left magazine" that "knows nothing about reading a perfect transcript of a routine phone call."
"A
far left magazine, or very “progressive,” as some would call it, which
has been doing poorly and hasn’t been involved with the Billy Graham family
for many years, Christianity Today, knows nothing about reading a perfect
transcript of a routine phone call and would rather.....
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2019
"Trump accused Christianity Today of preferring to have an unspecified "nonbeliever, who wants to take your religion & your guns" in the White House rather than him. He ended his tweet with what looks to be a typo: "I won't be reading ET again!"
As usual, Trump's head appears to be figuratively, securely lodged up his achingly clueless ass.
"As for why Galli felt the need to publish the editorial now, he says the testimony and other evidence from the House impeachment hearings have convinced him that the president should be removed from office. While Galli found it hard to glean information from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election (he says it produced "quite confusing and ambiguous" findings), he says that when the impeachment hearings began in Congress, "It became pretty clear pretty quickly, unambiguously that the president had misused his office for personal political gain."
The ten examples of obstruction of justice presented by Mueller in his Report were abundantly clear. Were not prosecuted due to the 'Justice' Department's ruling a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, that is, remains above the law.
"Galli says that when revelations about Trump's dealings with Ukraine were viewed along with what he calls "the generally disreputable moral behavior" Trump has displayed in office, the events "culminated in a moment that I just said, you know, it's we've moved beyond 'On the one hand, he does these good things, on the other hand, he's got these problems, too.'
"The Christianity Today editorial has provoked a range of sharp responses, from gratitude to condemnation. Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son, told The New York Times that his father would be embarrassed that the journal he founded was being used to call for Trump's removal. "I disagree with him on that," Galli says. "That's all I can say."
In contrast to Franklin's assessment of Galli vis a vis his father Billy, consider the following:
"In 2011, Billy Graham gave an interview with Christianity Today in which he expressed regret over his ventures into the political world. Graham said he "sometimes crossed the line" in his activities, particularly in his relationship with President Richard Nixon, who resigned months after the House of Representatives began impeachment proceedings against him.
"In his editorial, Galli urged his fellow Christians who steadfastly support Trump to "remember who you are and whom you serve." He added, "Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump's immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency." Galli also said many of the criticisms he leveled at Trump are similar to the magazine's approach to the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton. On Friday, Christianity Today tweeted its stances on both Clinton and Nixon. In 1998, the magazine printed an editorial stating: "The President's failure to tell the truth — even when cornered — rips at the fabric of the nation. ... And while politicians are notorious for breaking campaign promises, while in office they have a fundamental obligation to uphold our trust in them and to live by the law." In 1974, the magazine said of Nixon: "There can be no doubt that a large percentage of those who voted for Richard Nixon in November, 1972, no longer have confidence in him, and that his capacity to execute the functions of his office has been considerably reduced. Whether guilty or innocent of impeachable offenses — 'treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors' — he bears the ultimate responsibility for what Watergate has come to stand for."
Time to wake up, smell the coffee.
ABC News reports:
"Mark Galli, the publication’s editor-in-chief and author of the editorial, writes that the findings of the impeachment inquiry into the president’s alleged attempt to coerce Ukraine into investigating his political rival Joe Biden are “unambiguous.” “That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral,” Galli writes. “The reason many are not shocked about this is that this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration.” Galli continues: “That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.”
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.
12-27-19
In follow up to last week's edition, NPR reports:
"Two years ago today, Republicans in Congress passed a sweeping tax cut. It was supposed to be a gift-wrapped present to taxpayers and the economy. But in hindsight, it looks more like a costly lump of coal. Passed on a party-line vote, the tax cut is the signature legislative accomplishment of President Trump's first term. Trump campaigned hard for the measure, promising it would boost paychecks for working people. "Our focus is on helping the folks who work in the mailrooms and the machine shops of America," he told supporters in the fall of 2017. "The plumbers, the carpenters, the cops, the teachers, the truck drivers, the pipe-fitters, the people that like me best."
Full of himself. Full of shit. Worse? Trump lied:
"In fact, more than 60% of the tax savings went to people in the top 20% of the income ladder, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. The measure also slashed the corporate tax rate by 40%. "It will be rocket fuel for our economy," Trump promised. Boosters of the tax cut insisted the economy would grow so fast, it would more than make up for the revenue lost to lower rates. "The tax plan will pay for itself with economic growth," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. It hasn't worked out that way. "It was unbelievable at the time, and it's proven to be absolutely untrue," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. "The tax cuts were never going to — and have not — come anywhere close to paying for themselves."
Ultimately, never do. A fantasy.
"Corporate tax revenues fell 31% in the first year after the cut was passed. Overall tax revenues have declined as a share of the economy in each of the two years since the tax cut took effect. "Not surprising, if you cut taxes, you get less in revenues," MacGuineas said. "And what we've been doing at the same time is we've been increasing spending. And no surprise, our deficit has exploded." The federal deficit this year was $984 billion — an extraordinary figure at a time when the country is not mired in recession or widespread war. The tax cut also failed to produce a permanent boost in economic growth, despite promises from Republican supporters. "After eight straight years of slow growth and under-performance, America is ready to take off," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said when the tax cut passed two years ago."
Unsurprisingly, not to be:
"In fact, the economy grew 2.9% last year — exactly the same as in 2015. The tax cut, along with increased government spending, did give a short-term lift to the economy and businesses temporarily boosted investment. But the rocket fuel burned off quickly. Business investment declined in the last two quarters. "There was an acceleration in terms of momentum for business investment, but it was rather short-lived," said Gregory Daco of Oxford Economics. "A year further down the road, we're really not seeing much of any leftover of this fiscal stimulus package."
Republicans live in a fantasy world. Don't they claim to be conservatives, not big spenders? In reality? Line their pockets off the corporate management suite. Democrats? Do the same, that is, line their pockets off their corporate masters, pay lip service to the ongoing f--king of the bottom and middle class. All talk, no action. Empty rhetoric. ... As our formerly great country continues to deteriorate.
Will certainly get worse:
"Hampered in part by the president's trade war, the economy is projected to grow only about 2% this coming year. That's below the administration's target of 3%, and slightly below the average growth rate since 2010. To be sure, the stock market is booming and unemployment is near record lows. But while most Americans give the economy high marks, that doesn't extend to the tax cut. A Gallup Poll last tax season found only about 40% of Americans approved of the cut while 49% disapproved. Even though experts say most workers did get a bump in their take-home pay, it was largely invisible to many taxpayers. Only about 14% of those surveyed by Gallup believe their taxes went down. (That figure includes 22% of Republicans, 12% of Democrats and 10% of Independents.)"
Fascinating, isn't it?
"For millions of middle-class Americans, it is not a very happy anniversary," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said while wealthy Americans are celebrating their tax savings from the last two years, working people feel like an afterthought. Perhaps it's an acknowledgment of that sentiment that the president is now talking about another round of tax cuts, after the 2020 election. "We're going to be doing a major middle-income tax cut, if we take back the House," Trump promised in November. The president made similar promises before last year's mid-term election. But the follow-up to his 2017 tax cut never materialized."
... 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.
12-27-19
Sheer callousness. CBS News reports:
"Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders faced pushback Thursday night after mocking former Vice President Joe Biden's comments at the Democratic debate about stuttering. Biden's comment came as he explained how children with stutters have reached out to him for advice. Biden's lifelong struggle with his own stutter was the subject of a recent profile in The Atlantic. At the end of the debate, the moderators asked the candidates which candidate they would ask for forgiveness from or what gift they would give. After Warren gave an emotional answer asking for forgiveness after getting "really worked up" while meeting voters, Biden said "there is not one line I go through where at least half-dozen people come up to me ... and they lay out their problems." He said he and his wife have a "call list" of people who who they keep in touch with who are "hurting very badly." "They keep in touch with me," Biden continued. "A little kid, he says 'I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I can't, I-I-I can't talk, w-w-what do I do?''
Here's the problem:
"His words were quickly mocked by Sanders, who tweeted, "I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I hhhave absolutely no idea what Biden is talking about." After facing harsh blowback on Twitter, Sanders clarified her comments, writing, "To be clear was not trying to make fun of anyone with a speech impediment. Simply pointing out I can't follow much of anything Biden is talking about."
Aggressive stupidity a problem, Ms. Sanders? ... Or, is it abject ignorance?
"Biden responded to Sanders' tweet soon after, writing, "I've worked my whole life to overcome a stutter. And it's my great honor to mentor kids who have experienced the same. It's called empathy. Look it up."
"I’ve
worked my whole life to overcome a stutter. And it’s my great honor to
mentor kids who have experienced the same. It’s called empathy. Look it
up. https://t.co/0kd0UJr9Rs
—
Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 20, 2019"
Certainly, got the attention of Ms. Sanders:
"Sanders then deleted her first two tweets, and responded directly to Biden. "I actually didn't know that about you and that is commendable," she wrote. "I apologize and should have made my point respectfully."
"I
actually didn’t know that about you and that is commendable. I apologize
and should have made my point respectfully. https://t.co/fbmVAqDoWI
—
Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) December 20, 2019"
Apparently, runs in the GOP:
"This isn't the first time Biden's stutter has been invoked by Republicans. After he stuttered on a question about health care in the Detroit debate, the Atlantic profile noted, Fox News edited his stutters into a clip."
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.
12-27-19
Behind the scene action that could have resulted in a government shutdown. Sadly, gutless Democrats caved in to the Trump nazi. The Washington Post reports:
"Senior Trump administration officials in recent days threatened a presidential veto that could have led to a government shutdown if House Democrats refused to drop language requiring prompt release of future military aid for Ukraine, according to five administration and congressional officials."
Gutless cowards:
"The language was ultimately left out of mammoth year-end spending legislation that passed the House and Senate this week ahead of a Saturday shutdown deadline. The White House said President Trump signed the $1.4 trillion package Friday night."
Massive government spending passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by our impeached fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Pitiful. What ever happened to conservatives in the Republican Party?
"The Ukraine provision was one of several items the White House drew a hard line on during negotiations to finalize the spending legislation, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the developments. It would have required the White House to swiftly release $250 million in defense money for Ukraine that was part of the spending package."
Gutless Democrats cowardly failed to stand tall. Failed to stand up to the Trump nazi. -- An ongoing problem last three years.
"The White House this year refused to release congressionally appropriated defense aid to Kyiv during a period when President Trump had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former vice president and 2020 candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who had served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. Trump’s request of Zelensky as the White House delayed the aid was at the heart of House Democrats’ decision to impeach Trump this week on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress."
A quid pro quo the Trump nazi, his henchmen, and Republicans continue to falsely deny. Apparently, delusionally believe continually repeating a lie will somehow, some way eventually make it true.
"Attempting to prevent the White House from withholding Ukraine aid again, House Democrats tried to insert language in this week’s spending package that would have required the White House Office of Management and Budget to sign off on and release Pentagon funding for Ukraine within 45 days. But as talks on the budget package reached their conclusion in the days ahead of the impeachment vote, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House legislative affairs director Eric Ueland made clear that the Ukraine provision was among a handful of absolute non-starters for Trump. “We made crystal clear that no restriction on the president’s apportionment powers would be acceptable to him regardless of topic,” Ueland said in an interview Friday. “And through a lot of negotiation and work back and forth, the administration and Congress were able to reach an appropriate outcome on that issue.”
Clearly, gutlessly caved into our fuhrer:
"House Democrats led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) agreed to the administration’s demands, and the provision was dropped. If they had not, the White House could have issued a public veto threat and raised the prospect of an imminent government shutdown in the days before Democrats moved to impeach the president. Such a scenario would have injected yet more chaos into a Capitol riven by partisan warfare."
Republicans would have ultimately lost the fight. Democrats were too goddamned gutless to stand their ground.
"Ueland and other administration officials said they objected not because the issue related to Ukraine, but to protect executive branch authorities over how the White House handles funding streams that have been approved by Congress."
Disingenuous bullshit. Democrats should have held their feet to the fire. Fought the good fight on the basis of principle, not partisan best interests. Been far too timid last three years the public has had to put up with this narcissistic, insane, Hitler 'wannabe' in the Oval Office. His egregious abuse of authority and repeated abrogation of the United States Constitution remain unparalleled. An exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
"The impeachment inquiry focused in part on a Pentagon program called the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and how it was handled for the 2019 fiscal year. Trump ultimately allowed the money in the program to be released in September after a whistleblower complaint about his July 25 phone call with Zelensky made its way to Capitol Hill. The Ukraine provision that was kept out of this week’s spending bill involved the same program and the same amount of money, but for the 2020 fiscal year, which ends next September. The language would have given the Pentagon a green light to spend Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative money for 2020 within 45 days of enactment of the spending package, by forcing OMB to release it."
Exactly what should have happened to prevent Trump from doing precisely the same next fiscal year on this or some other issue. Time to courageously stand up to our insane dictator regardless of the political cost. Your oaths of office demand it.
"Although appropriations bills are stuffed with arcane language about how and when money should be spent, the provision Democrats sought to insert on the Ukraine program was unusual, reflecting deep concerns on the part of lawmakers."
Rightfully, so. Forget? Their oaths of office demand no less.
There's more:
"Another related provision was also dropped from the spending bill at the last minute at the insistence of the White House. This one would have required “apportionment letters” produced by the White House Office of Management and Budget to be made public. Apportionment letters are the tools OMB uses to authorize release of congressionally appropriated money to agencies. This year, OMB used these apportionment letters to hold up release of the Ukraine aid. The language on the apportionment letters in the spending package was actually written by Democrats before the Ukraine controversy flared. It originated with Democratic concerns over how the administration was handling funds Congress had appropriated for Puerto Rico and reflected broader concerns among Democrats about how OMB is exercising its authority over money Congress had already authorized to be spent."
Excuses made by Democrats ring achingly hollow:
"Pelosi’s spokesman, Drew Hammill, downplayed the disputes and Pelosi’s role in them. “These issues were negotiated primarily by the Appropriations Committee and OMB,” Hammill said. “These matters were two among dozens that had to be resolved in order to reach agreement on the two [spending bills] between both Houses of Congress and the White House." Hammill added that if Democrats had refused to exclude the language, it likely would have resulted in a government shutdown."
Gutless Democrats cowardly caved in. Will only reinforce our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, his henchmen, and fascists in the Republican Party. Clearly, neither party is worth a shit.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
12-27-19
Think Trump doesn't have a screw loose? NPR reports:
"President Trump did not seemed concerned Tuesday when asked about the threat of a "Christmas present" from North Korea if the U.S. doesn't roll back economic sanctions on the country by the end of the year. "Maybe it's a nice present," Trump told reporters at an event at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. "Maybe it's a present where he sends me a beautiful vase, as opposed to a missile test."
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.
12-20-19
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.
In follow up to a mass murder recently covered in this publication and elsewhere, ABC News reports:
"New details have emerged in the deadly shooting at a Florida naval base, including a cryptic message that the suspect wrote just months before the attack, according to a federal report obtained by ABC News. Mohammed Alshamrani, 21, a second lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force who authorities say killed three people and injured eight others after opening fire at the Naval Air Base Pensacola last week, wrote the phrase "the countdown has started" on Sept. 11, 2019 with no further explanation, according to a Joint Intelligence Bulletin released Friday. The post was written about four months before the Dec. 6 shooting, according to the report. The bulletin, which was issued by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, National Counterterrorism Center and the Defense Intelligence Agency, also stated that his social media included references to non-Muslims as "infidels" and defended jihad."
Was our national socialist, increasingly fascist government out to lunch, fast asleep?
"Sources previously told ABC News that investigators determined the shooting was likely a "terror" attack inspired by radical Islamic ideology."
Our failing government is certainly absent without leave under the current occupant of the Oval Office.
Get this:
"One post contained writings that were consistent with a 2010 statement from American-born cleric Anwar al Awlaki, who was killed in 2011 in a CIA-led drone strike, according to the report. "I'm against evil, and America as a whole has turned into a nation of evil," the post read, according to the report. "What I see from America is the supporting of Israel which is invasion of Muslim countries, I see invasion of many countries by its troops, I see Guantanamo Bay. I see cruise missiles, cluster bombs and UAV."
Imagine that. This guy slips under the radar? Despite the fact we've lived in a goddamned de facto fascist police-state since 9/11? Forget? Both Democrats and Republicans gutlessly passed the USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, and other extremely repressive laws effectively decimating all civil and constitutional rights and liberties in response to the catastrophe.
This, after the State Department failed to do full, comprehensive background investigations on the Saudi 9/11 terrorists before allowing them into this country. Worse, ignored warnings from the flight schools these bastards indeed wished to learn only how to fly straight and level, not take off and land. Instead, our formerly great country turned into a de facto fascist police-state, now transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. We've lost our country. Yet, both major political parties egregiously, gutlessly ignore this fact.
"The multi-agency report also detailed new information about what happened inside the classroom where the shooting took place. The attack lasted about 15 minutes, during which time Alshamrani unloaded 180 rounds of his ammo and fired directly at pictures of President Donald Trump and a former president, who was not named, according to the report. Alshamrani purchased a Glock 9 mm pistol legally by taking advantage of a federal gun law exception that allows foreign nationals to purchase weapons -- which is normally prohibited -- for hunting, authorities have said."
Interesting, isn't it?
"A witness told investigators that during the attack, Alshamrani made statements that were critical of U.S. military actions overseas, according to the report. Alshamrani, who was in the United States for flight training, was shot and killed by Escambia County Sheriff's deputies at the scene. The report stresses that federal authorities are not aware of any ongoing specific, credible threats to the public. The FBI-Jacksonville, the lead investigative agency, said the investigation into the shooting remains active and they are working under the presumption "that this was an act of terrorism."
You think?
"Our unified goal remains clear: to determine if the shooter acted alone or if anyone assisted, provided support for, or had knowledge of his attack in advance," according to the FBI's statement."
A bit after the fact, isn't it? Too little, too late.
"The victims in the attack were identified as Ensign Joshua Watson, 23; Airman Mohammed Haitham, 19; and Airman Apprentice Cameron Walters, 21. The Navy posthumously advanced Haitham and Walters to Naval Aircrewman Mechanical 3rd Class on Saturday. "These sailors exhibited the finest warrior ethos and quick decision-making that undoubtedly saved many lives,” Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly said in a statement. “They took action when it was needed most, with the same skill and professionalism that they’d exhibited throughout their service to our nation." Haitham and Walters had previously been proclaimed naval aircrewmen after they were awarded their Wings of Gold."
Uncommon Valor. Best of the best. Hat's off.
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.
12-20-19
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.
The bullshit never ends. NBC News reports:
"The American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups sued Customs and Border Protection Wednesday to release records concerning units they say are deployed at airports to “target, detain and interrogate innocent travelers.” The ACLU filed a lawsuit Wednesday calling for CBP to release records about its Tactical Terrorism Response Teams, which the civil rights group described as “highly secretive units” which operate at airports and U.S. ports of entry to detain, question and deny entry to people “with valid travel documents who present no security risk.” The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, said TTRT officers can target travelers who do not present a security risk “but may hold information or have a connection to individuals of interest to the U.S. government.”
Raw nazism. A de facto fascist police-state since 9/11, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"The ACLU was joined by CUNY Law School's Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility project and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation in the suit. The lawsuit is asking the court to order CBP to disclose requested records to the civil rights groups. “The tools, methods, and criteria TTRT officers use to determine which travelers to target for detention, search, questioning and/or denial of entry remain secret, as are any policies and guidelines that govern TTRT activities,” the lawsuit said."
What took so long?
"In a statement announcing the lawsuit, the ACLU said the “public has a right to know how these teams operate, how their officers are trained, and whether the guidelines that govern their activities contain civil liberties and privacy safeguards.” “We also want to know just how many individuals are subject to detention, questioning, and/or denial of entry into the United States by these teams, and the basis for these decisions,” the ACLU added."
The public has a right to this information. Forget? A true democratic republic has no secret police.
"The statement said that in November 2018, CBP officers detained Andreas Gal, the former chief technology officer at Mozilla and a current Apple employee, at the San Francisco International Airport upon landing from a business trip to Sweden. Gal was allegedly not given a reason for being detained, except that his receipt from a Global Entry kiosk was marked “TTRT.” The officers then allegedly asked Gal, a U.S. citizen, about his activism, according to the ACLU."
It's none of this goddamned government's business. Where did we lose ourselves? Why are we tolerating this shit? That is, the determined, concerted infringement of all civil and constitutional rights and liberties by our increasingly national socialist, fascist government? Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
"Gal is “an outspoken proponent of online privacy and has spoken publicly about his opposition to warrantless mass surveillance and views on the current administration’s policies,” the ACLU wrote. The officers also allegedly repeatedly sought to search Gal’s electronic devices, according to the suit. He was eventually allowed to leave, according to the ACLU."
Nazi America. Where did we lose ourselves?
Gets worse:
"Abdikadir Mohamed, an immigrant, was allegedly detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in Dec. 2017, the ACLU wrote. He was approached by CBP officers on his way to board a flight to reunite with his pregnant wife and daughter in Ohio after he had cleared immigration and security screenings, according to the ACLU. He was allegedly taken to a separate room where he was interrogated for 15 hours before CBP deemed he was “inadmissible” and sought to deport him, the ACLU said. Mohamed fought his deportation and sought asylum in the U.S., which he won after 19 months in detention, according to the ACLU."
A de facto fascist police-state since 9/11, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
“CBP’s treatment of Andreas and Abdi is disturbing, and they are not isolated incidents,” the ACLU wrote. “We now know that the officers that targeted Andreas and Abdi are part of a secretive team CBP has deployed to at least 46 airports and other U.S. ports of entry.”
These jackbooted bastards are traitors. Have treasonously abrogated their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution.
"According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 1,400 people were denied entry to the U.S. as a result of TTRT efforts and information discovered during secondary inspections during fiscal year 2017."
A cancer. An exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Our formerly great country is under dire threat from within. From our own government.
The following is phony. Unadulterated bullshit. Worse? Abject insanity:
"Kevin McAleenan, the former acting Secretary of Homeland Security and former CBP commissioner, described the role the teams play in an interview last year with the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. The teams were “a conscious effort” for officers to use their instincts in “encounters that our officers have with travelers to make decisions based on risk for people that might not be known on a watch list, might not be a known security threat, and they’ve been a tremendous success in identifying previously unknown individuals that present a security risk and in denying entry to folks that were not watch listed prior to their travel.” CBP used a variety of metrics in determining the success of the teams, such “both hard data on individuals that were not watchlisted that were determined to be security risks during a border interview or inspection and were denied entry” and “watchlist nominations that devolve from a good interview at the border.” Customs and Border Protection said it was unable to comment on pending litigation."
No greater threat to our formerly great country since the Second World War. The threat is from the treasonous assholes who run and own our government. We remain a democratic republic in name only. Time to 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.
12-20-19
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.
This increasingly insidious cancer within our government grows. Carefully, consider the following. NPR reports:
"Doubt about the FBI and Justice Department's practices exploded after Inspector General Michael Horowitz released a report finding 17 omissions or other problems with filings connected to Carter Page, who served as a junior foreign policy aide to Donald Trump's campaign for a time in 2016. The secret court that oversees intelligence collection upbraided the FBI and Justice Department on Tuesday with a highly unusual order for them to re-validate their work. The extraordinary order, signed by Judge Rosemary Collyer, presiding judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, requires officials to submit an explanation in writing about how they're remediating the problems identified by the recent inspector general report about the Russia investigation. Federal law enforcement leaders have until Jan. 10 to file a sworn submission about what they have done, or plan to do, "to ensure the statement of facts in each FBI application accurately and completely reflects information possessed by the FBI that is material to any issue presented by the application," she wrote. Collyer also ordered a timetable for reforms and "an explanation of why, in the government's view, the information in FBI applications submitted in the interim should be regarded as reliable." The judge, in short, ordered federal law enforcement officials to explain why the court should trust what they submit when they're requesting warrants to collect the communications of people who figure in investigations."
The problem is not only out of control law enforcement goons. It's the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court itself. A secret court is not compatible with a democratic republic. It enables a fascist police-state.
Here's precisely why:
"Other critics observed that Tuesday was only the latest sign of problems with the secret court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the law that governs it and the activities of the agencies involved. "This was not the first time the government abused its surveillance powers, nor was it the first time the intelligence court was made aware of surveillance abuses," said Neema Singh Guliani, senior legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. She cited findings and admissions from an earlier era, in 2001 and 2000, about problems with surveillance applications. (Guliani's initial statement mistakenly referred to 2002, rather than 2000.) "Congress must radically reform the FISA process to increase accountability, and to ensure that there is a meaningful opportunity to challenge the government's allegations in FISA applications," said Guliani. "We can't trust the secret intelligence court alone to police this process."
This nazi court needs to be abolished. Presents 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.
12-20-19
In follow up to last week's edition, NPR reports:
"DeVos testified before the House education committee one day after NPR published internal memos showing that the secretary overruled her own department's findings that borrowers deserved full relief from their loans, because their college credits are essentially worthless. Hundreds of thousands of borrowers are in limbo, and several members referred to the memos in their questioning."
Abject failure of government to properly vet these 'educational' institutions.' Consequently, students got f--ked over. First, by these outrageously corrupt and abusive scams. Then, by Betsy DeVos. Questions to be asked are again simple. Did DeVos line her pockets courtesy of the bastards running the scams? Why no criminal investigation of DeVos?
"The questioning got heated and personal at times. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., in her trademark cowboy hat adorned with purple glitter, stated that the secretary was "out to destroy public education." Wilson told DeVos, "You are the most unpopular person in our government. ... When many people vote in 2020, they will vote to remove you." Rep. Virginia Foxx, the committee's ranking Republican, called those comments "over the line."
Jesus Christ. What's 'over the line' is the failure of both Democrats and Republicans to rein in the business community to end this goddamned shit. Republicans demand no regulation to line the pockets of those who line theirs. Democrats are all talk, no action. Same old bullshit. Precisely, why nothing changes. Exactly, why an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. ... Hear the rumble? Too deaf?
"In answering questions from the panel, DeVos acknowledged some of the problems. "Yes, there is a backlog of borrower defense claims at Federal Student Aid," she said. "To say that I am frustrated by that is an understatement."
Jesus Christ. Disingenuous bullshit. It's you, Ms. DeVos who are directly responsible for this ongoing failure due to egregious stonewalling, your determined refusal to make this orchestrated f--king of borrowers right.
"While she stated her intention to enforce current regulations in "good faith," DeVos also repeated her position that taxpayers' interests need to be protected when deciding who should get their money back and how much."
Like the Trump nazi, Ms. DeVos, you're a liar. ... Taking care of those who have taken care of you, Madam? It's these outrageously corrupt and abusive 'businesses' that are f--king over taxpayers. The borrowers are victims who are paying the freight while you ignore the criminal activity of these scammers.
"Students are my number one priority," DeVos said in her opening statement."
Again, Ms. DeVos, you're a liar. If students were your priority, you wouldn't be f--king them over.
"They are why I come to work every day."
Shameless liar. Think the public buys your bullshit?
Get this:
"So if students have been deceived by institutions and suffered financial harm as a result, they should be made whole."
Your stonewalling screams otherwise.
"More than 300,000 borrowers have pending claims, DeVos said Thursday. Some have been waiting, in many cases for years, for the Education Department to decide their financial fate. Federal agencies found, starting in 2015, that some for-profit colleges, including the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute, lied to these students about their job prospects and the value of their credits. In the waning days of the Obama administration, the Education Department decided to grant full loan relief to these defrauded borrowers under a previously little-used rule called "borrower defense." But when DeVos took over, she quickly made clear that the department would not be offering borrowers blanket relief. She came up with a new formula that would provide only partial relief to the vast majority of borrowers, based on their present-day income. That idea was stopped by the courts on the grounds that using Social Security earnings data to calculate relief violates borrowers' privacy."
DeVos needs to be criminally investigated to determine whether or not these fraudulent businesses lined her pockets.
DeVos continues to stonewall, obfuscate, and deny reality:
"This week, DeVos came back with a new plan for partial relief that would rely on publicly available income data. In the hearing on Thursday, DeVos defended the principle of providing "fair relief to all borrowers who actually have been harmed. ... They would not be entitled to relief if they can't demonstrate they've been financially harmed." But Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon was among many Democrats to argue that "just because someone is making money doesn't mean they weren't defrauded."
That's right. DeVos can't, won't be confused by the truth:
"The secretary was defiant on Thursday in her opposition to existing regulation and the findings of her own department. After taking office, DeVos had to sign off on thousands of borrower defense claims that had already been approved by the previous administration. As pointed out by Wilson during the hearing, she added three words below her signature: "with extreme displeasure."
Were your pockets lined by these corrupt, abusive 'businesses' you shamelessly defend, Ms. DeVos?
"On Thursday, DeVos said that the Obama administration had "weaponized borrower defense against schools that they didn't like." When asked directly, by Democrat Kim Schrier of Washington state and later by Democrat Andy Levin of Michigan, whether she believed Corinthian students had indeed been defrauded, the secretary did not answer."
Why not, Ms. DeVos? Covering your sorry gluteus maximi?
"Scott in his opening statement referred directly to NPR's reporting this week. "A media outlet published documents revealing that [the department's] own staff conducted research ... and found students deserved full debt relief." He demanded, "Are there other relevant documents the department is withholding?" NPR on Wednesday published previously unreleased internal Education Department memos that show just how strongly career staff in the department's Borrower Defense Unit had come down on the side of defrauded borrowers. According to the memos, the unit reviewed thousands of borrower complaints against Corinthian and ITT Tech. Just weeks before DeVos was sworn in as secretary, the unit recommended to the department's political leadership that these borrowers deserve no less than full relief from their student debts. One memo, dated Jan. 9, 2017, begins: "Corinthian Colleges, Inc. ('Corinthian') consistently represented that all graduates obtained jobs after graduation or, relatedly, that its students were guaranteed employment after graduation. These representations were false and misleading. Accordingly, the Borrower Defense Unit recommends full relief for Corinthian borrower defense (BD) applicants." Another memo, dated the next day — Jan. 10, 2017 — arrived at the same conclusion for California-based students who allege they were lied to by ITT Technical Institute, and likewise recommended full relief."
DeVos made a jackass of herself:
"In an especially tense exchange, Rep. Jahana Hayes, a freshman Democrat from Connecticut, entered the memos published by NPR into the record and scolded DeVos for not reviewing them before her testimony. "Can you explain why you ignored that memo? Did you not know you were coming here today?" Hayes asked. "In December 2019, when NPR ran a story, it didn't cross your mind that I should read this document?" In round after round of questioning, House Democrats shared stories of their constituents who have been personally affected by loans that have not been forgiven, employment dreams deferred and credit reports damaged as a result. Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., pointed out in the hearing that even as a large number of borrowers continue to wait for their cases to be settled, a new set of borrower defense claims may be looming. This week the University of Phoenix, once the largest for-profit college in the U.S., agreed to pay a record fine to the Federal Trade Commission over advertising claims about job placement. The settlement includes $141 million in forgiveness of debts owed directly to the university."
We rightfully prosecute the bottom and middle class when they steal. When will the top of the food chain receive equal treatment? When?
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.
12-20-19
Trump impeachment. NPR reports:
"The House Judiciary Committee on Friday approved two articles of impeachment against President Trump, making him the fourth president in American history to face impeachment. In contrast to Thursday's contentious back-and-forth between the two parties, Friday's session was devoid of rancor, or even any debate. Immediately after calling the session to order, Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., ordered two votes, one for each article. Both were approved 23-17 along party lines. In brief remarks after the votes, Nadler said, "Today is a solemn and sad day. For the third time in a little over a century and a half, the House Judiciary committee has voted articles of impeachment against the president for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress." He promised the House "will act expeditiously." House Democratic leaders are planning to hold the full House vote on articles of impeachment next Wednesday, Dec. 18, according to two Democratic leadership aides."
Too rushed. Too incomplete.
"Judiciary Committee member Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., told reporters that the committee's action was "a travesty for America, and it's really tearing America apart." She added, "I have never in my entire life seen such an unfair, rigged railroad job against the President of the United States."
Wake up, Congresswoman. Trump's own Executive Branch employees testified under oath against him. Were they lying? Or, is it Trump and his henchmen?
"The committee had been expected to approve the articles Thursday evening, but shortly after 11 p.m. ET, Nadler punted the vote to the next morning. "It is now very late at night," he said, adjourning the hearing. "I want the members on both sides of the aisle to think about what has happened over these last two days and to search their consciences before we cast our final votes." Nadler's decision led to vocal objection from Republicans on the committee, including ranking member Doug Collins, R-Ga. "You've just blown up schedules for everyone," Collins said. "This is the kangaroo court that we're talking about."
Wake up, Congressman. Look to the Judiciary to see all the kangaroo 'judges' your fuhrer, the Trump nazi has appointed. To say nothing of the U.S. Supreme Court which now has a GOP national socialist, fascist majority.
The U.S Senate will certainly serve as a kangaroo court on behalf of the Trump nazi:
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in an interview on Fox News on Thursday evening, "There is zero chance the president will be removed from office." McConnell said he was hoping that there would be no Republican defections in the Senate trial and that he was working closely with White House lawyers, pledging "total coordination."
Clearly, the fix is in. Nazi justice. Where did Republicans lose themselves?
CBS News reports:
"White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham condemned the "desperate charade of an impeachment inquiry."
Isn't that precisely what's been going on in the Oval Office last three years, Ms. Grisham? That is, a charade by a national socialist, fascist dictator masquerading as president?
"The President looks forward to receiving in the Senate the fair treatment and due process which continues to be disgracefully denied to him by the House," Grisham said in a statement."
Clearly, you and your fuhrer's other defenders remain cluelessly out to lunch. Fail to defend the indefensible. Have no defense. Forget? Mindless, clueless repetition of lies in no way suddenly makes them truth. Conveniently, forget? Executive Branch employees testified under oath against your fuhrer, the Trump nazi, during the House impeachment inquiry. Were they lying? Or, is it Trump and his henchmen who are the congenital liars?
"Shortly before midnight Thursday, the committee had passed the procedural amendment that precedes the final vote on the two articles by a voice vote. Nadler's sudden announcement that the final votes would be delayed until Friday took Republicans by surprise. Ranking Member Doug Collins called the postponement "inappropriate" on Thursday evening, and argued that Democrats had only moved the vote to get greater media attention. "The chairman's integrity is gone," a furious Collins told reporters after the meeting. "Words cannot describe how inappropriate this was."
Republicans are clearly desperate. Their complaints? Bullshit. Here's why:
"However, a senior House Judiciary committee staffer argued to CBS News that a vote on Friday would be in the interest of greater transparency. "Republican Judiciary members have complained about process and transparency, yet apparently wanted to force the Committee to vote on Articles of Impeachment in the dark of night. In the interests of doing our constitutional duty in a transparent way for the American public, the Chairman scheduled the vote of the Articles for 10 a.m. Friday morning," the staffer said. Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who is a member of the Judiciary Committee, also made that argument, tweeting on Friday morning that "the American people deserve an impeachment vote in the light of day."
Had it happened in the middle of night, Republican national socialists, fascists would have screamed bloody murder about a glaring lack of transparency, how the vote was taken in the dark of night rather than the light of day. Democrats denied them the opportunity. -- Not that Democrats are worth a shit.
Forget? They rushed the impeachment inquiry. Failed to include ten examples of obstruction presented in the Mueller Report, ignored Emoluments Clause violations now pending in the courts, to say nothing of Trump's payoff of two women he allegedly had sex with to buy their silence, etc. List can certainly go on and on.
CBS News reports:
"President Trump lamented Democrats' push for impeachment in his first on-camera remarks since the House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — Friday morning, forecasting that one day there will be a Democratic president and a Republican House will "remember" what is happening now. Mr. Trump made the remarks seated alongside Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez at the White House. "It's a scam, it's something that shouldn't be allowed, and it's a very bad thing for our country, and you're trivializing impeachment," the president said in the Oval Office. "And I tell you what, some day there will be a Democrat president and there will be a Republican House, and I suspect they're going to remember it."
Already happened. To Bill Clinton. Memory gone, Mr. 'President?' Wake up, Donny boy. Republicans already set the stage two decades ago. Clinton was impeached for lying under oath about sex with an intern and obstruction. What's your excuse, sir? What about the ten examples of obstruction in the Mueller Report, pending Emoluments Clause cases pending in the courts? What about your payoff of two women who have accused you of having had extramarital sex with to buy their silence? What about your Executive Branch employees who testified under oath during the impeachment inquiry? Were they all lying? Or, are you and your henchmen congenital liars, sir?
NPR reports:
"Last month, Democratic freshman Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia took a giant, political risk."
Did the right thing. Stood tall.
"The veteran Navy commander released a dramatic, 2-minute video declaring her support for the formal House impeachment inquiry. The move expanded the Republican target on her back, as the GOP vies to take back the seat she flipped to Democrats last year. Now, she has taken another risk, confirming she will vote yes to impeach President Trump next week. "I have always said this was not a political decision," Luria said. "It was about what was wrong and what was right, and if I don't get re-elected in 2020 because of it, I'll know that I did right thing. I was on the right side of history, and I'll be able to look at myself in the mirror."
Indeed. Uncommon Valor:
".@realDonaldTrump didn’t uphold his oath, but I intend to uphold mine.
"Serving
in Congress and 20 years in the Navy, I’ve sworn an oath to support and
defend our Constitution seven times. It’s an obligation I take seriously.
https://t.co/uIRq6RIJR1 pic.twitter.com/aqneKspW27
—
Elaine Luria (@ElaineLuriaVA) November 11, 2019"
Principle matters. Oaths of office remain non-negotiable.
"Luria and other moderates in the freshman class of the House of Representatives will find out in the coming year whether their vote on impeaching the president will cost them their seats in the 2020 elections. Other moderates have already joined Luria in stepping forward to announce their plans to vote yes to impeach the president on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Among those joining Luria are Reps. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, Colin Allred of Texas and Susan Wild of Pennsylvania. "It's very, very important for everyone to understand that nobody in this country, especially those of us in government and the president, are not above the law," Wild said moments before announcing her decision."
That's right. Republicans don't seem to understand this. Neither does the Department of 'Justice.'
Hopefully, Republicans will finally wake up. As they finally did four decades ago during the Nixon debacle. Our formerly great country is far more divided today than it was all those years ago. If Republican fascists in the Senate gutlessly wind up rubber stamping their fuhrer during his impeachment trial before them in the United States Senate, hear the rumble? This is an extremely dangerous time. An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. ... As the de facto fascist police-state we've lived in since 9/11 quickly transitions to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
NBC reports:
" President Donald Trump and his administration fumed Wednesday as the House prepared to vote to impeach him, and they prepared in turn for "war" over the move. Aides and allies said the anger stems from Trump's fear that impeachment will stain his legacy."
Too late. His actions as president have already done so.
"SUCH ATROCIOUS LIES BY THE RADICAL LEFT, DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS. THIS IS AN ASSAULT ON AMERICA, AND AN ASSAULT ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!" Trump wrote, shortly after the White House said in a statement that he was "working all day" but might "catch some of the proceedings between meetings.” “Can you believe that I will be impeached today by the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats, AND I DID NOTHING WRONG! A terrible Thing. Read the Transcripts. This should never happen to another President again. Say a PRAYER!” Trump wrote in another, one of more than 30 tweets and retweets from his account by early afternoon on Wednesday."
You yourself, Mr. 'President,' present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. You are, and remain, unfit for office. Have egregiously abused authority, repeatedly, treasonously abrogated your oath of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution.
"The president spent most of the morning in the residence, according to a White House official. Upstairs in the White House, the televisions were tuned to cable news, which were all carrying the impeachment proceedings live. “We are all mad,” a White House official told NBC News, describing the president's reaction as one of "disbelief" that the process had reached this point, and his team as being “angry this is happening.”
Trump and his henchmen have traitorously brought this on themselves. Not to worry, however. Equally treasonous Republican nazis in the Senate will likely exonerate our fascist fuhrer.
The Washington Post reports:
"The House of Representatives voted late Wednesday to impeach President Trump on charges that he abused his office and obstructed Congress, with Democrats declaring him a threat to the nation and branding an indelible mark on the most turbulent presidency of modern times. After 11 hours of fierce argument on the House floor between Democrats and Republicans over Trump’s conduct with Ukraine, lawmakers voted almost entirely along party lines to impeach him. Trump becomes the third president in U.S. history to face trial in the Senate — a proceeding that will determine whether he is removed from office less than one year before he stands for reelection. On Trump’s 1,062nd day in office, Congress brought a momentous reckoning to an unorthodox president who has tested America’s institutions with an array of unrestrained actions, including some that a collection of his own appointees and other government witnesses testified were reckless and endangered national security."
The particulars:
"The Democratic-controlled House passed two articles of impeachment against Trump — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — related to the president’s attempts to withhold military aid to Ukraine and pressure its government to investigate former vice president Joe Biden, a potential 2020 Democratic opponent. The House voted 230 to 197 to approve the article charging abuse of power, with the gavel falling about 8:30 p.m. On the obstruction of Congress vote, which followed soon after, the tally was 229 to 198. All Republicans voted against both articles. Among Democrats, two voted no on the first article and three on the second, with one — Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) — voting “present” both times. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) framed the day’s proceedings through the long lens of history, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singling out the line “the republic for which it stands.” “Very sadly, now our founders’ vision of a republic is under threat from actions from the White House,” Pelosi said. She added, “If we do not act now, we would be derelict in our duty.”
"After Wednesday’s votes, Pelosi left open the possibility of delaying a procedural step that triggers a Senate trial, saying she might not name House impeachment managers and deliver the articles to the Senate unless Republicans there establish a “fair” process. In doing so, Pelosi was effectively attempting to gain leverage over the Senate’s process for weighing the charges against Trump. “So far we have not seen anything that looks fair to us,” Pelosi 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.
12-20-19
Trump is certainly taking good care of the corporate management suite. -- While the bottom and middle class get royally f--ked. The Washington Post reports:
"About 400 of America’s largest corporations paid an average federal tax rate of about 11 percent on their profits last year, roughly half the official rate established under President Trump’s 2017 tax law, according to a report released Monday."
Corporate welfare. -- While the middle class and bottom of the food chain get hard-f--ked up the ass without the Vaseline, K-Y.
"The 2017 tax law lowered the U.S. corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, but in practice large companies often pay far less than that due to deductions, tax breaks and other loopholes. In the first year of the law, the actual amount corporations paid in federal taxes on their incomes — their so-called “effective rate” — was 11.3 percent on average, possibly its lowest level in more than three decades, according to a report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning think tank."
That tax break for the top of the food chain courtesy of the Trump nazi and his henchmen certainly skyrocketed the deficit:
"The U.S. deficit hit $984 billion in 2019, soaring during Trump era. From 2008 to 2015, under the previous tax code, the corporations’ effective rate was about 21 percent, according to ITEP’s prior research. The report also found that 91 corporations in the Fortune 500, many worth billions of dollars, paid no federal taxes last year."
How about that?
"The findings come amid an explosion in the federal deficit, which this year rose to close to $1 trillion. In October, the U.S. Treasury Department announced the deficit had grown $205 billion, or 26 percent, in the past year, an unusual occurrence during a period of strong economic growth."
Unsustainable.
"Corporate tax revenue fell markedly during the first year of the tax law, from about $300 billion in 2017 to $204 billion in 2018, according to federal data, although it increased slightly from 2018 to 2019. “When drafting the tax law, lawmakers could have eliminated special breaks and loopholes in the corporate tax to offset the cost of reducing the statutory rate,” the report says. “Instead, the new law introduced many new breaks and loopholes, though it eliminated some old ones.”
Big of them, no? LOL.
"Republicans and conservative tax experts contend the cut in corporate tax rates helped generate economic growth and boost business investment in the economy. Democrats, meanwhile, maintain the rate cut went too far and primarily helped enrich stockholders and corporate executives."
Been a problem for decades. Greed rules. Continues to worsen. While a capitalistic system is the best to live under, needs to be carefully regulated. Not laissez-faire as it is in the United States, that is, effectively unregulated.
The nazi element in our formerly great country delusionally believes the supposedly 'free' market serves as regulator, i.e. check and balance. Horse shit. Unadulterated. The market is owned, manipulated, controlled by those with the wealth.
"Many companies said a big drop in corporate tax rates would allow them to invest more in capital and equipment, but the uptick in new investment appears to have been short-lived. Much of the extra capital went into record stock buybacks, which increase share prices without requiring new investment or hiring."
In the corporate world, shareholders and top management come first. Forget? Greed rules. Labor and consumers get f--ked. By design. Forget? The power of the corporate management suite has become such there is no quick and easy remedy. Especially, when they're all doing it. En masse. Until the point of no return is reached. ... Hear the rumble?
"The 91 profitable Fortune 500 corporations that paid no federal tax in 2018 earned a combined $101 billion last year. As a group, their effective federal tax rate was -5.9 percent, meaning many of them received a federal tax refund on top of their profits. Those paying no federal tax include many household names: online retailer Amazon, for instance, received a $129 million rebate on $10.8 billion in profits, primarily due to how the tax code treats stock options included in pay packages. Amazon is headed by Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man and owner of The Washington Post. Video game maker Activision Blizzard had $447 million in profits but received a tax rebate of $243 million, resulting in an effective tax rate of -54.4 percent. The company went on to shed 800 jobs in the early weeks of 2019."
Government in the United States is owned by the corporate management suite. Bought and paid for. Precisely, why effective regulation remains non-existent.
"Globally, countries have struggled to tax corporations as multinational firms have grown increasingly effective at shifting their profits to foreign tax havens. A 2018 study found that in the past three decades, the average corporate tax rate globally plummeted from about 49 percent in 1985 to 24 percent in 2018. The result is nations worldwide have lowered their official tax rates to try to remain competitive internationally. In the United States, corporate taxes have plunged dramatically as a share of the federal budget, from more than 4 percent to around 1 percent, putting strain on other sources of revenue. Only two other times since 1980 have corporate tax revenue represented such a small share of the federal budget, including in 2009 during the Great Recession. ITEP’s report calls for several measures to ensure against corporations from paying such low effective tax rates, including a new minimum tax on all corporations “to act as a backstop” on their federal bills. The report also calls for limiting the ability of tech and other companies to classify executive stock options as “costs” that allow them to reduce their taxes."
Too little, too late. Gone on too long. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms at a time our formerly great country remains hopelessly divided.
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.
12-20-19
Trump takes care of meat packers at expense of public health and safety. NBC News reports:
"America's food inspectors are warning that "unsafe" pork is likely making it to consumers under a change in rules for meat inspection. That change is now set to roll out nationwide to plants that process more than 90 percent of the pork Americans eat. "The consumer's being duped," Food Safety and Inspection Service inspector Jill Mauer told NBC News. "They believe that it actually is getting federally inspected when there's no one there to even watch or do anything about anything." "It's so hard to go to work without feeling physically sick watching this just happen, unfolding in front of you," inspector Anthony Vallone said. "Especially since you took the oath to protect the American people." Mauer and Vallone have both filed whistleblower disclosure forms with the Office of Special Counsel about their concerns, but this is the first time they’ve spoken publicly. NBC News has spoken to five inspectors in person, over the phone and via email about the pilot program, under which eligible pork plants will soon be able to adopt under a change in USDA rules known as the New Swine Inspection System. In traditional plants, as many as seven federal inspectors work on the processing line, handling hog carcasses and checking for defects. Under the new system, that number will be reduced to two or three federal inspectors who have more experience but who will have limited hands-on interaction with the carcasses. Instead, the plant's own employees will be checking and sorting the hog carcasses and letting the federal inspectors, called Consumer Safety Inspectors, check their work from a distance. There is no required federal training for those employees."
Coup de grace? Insult to injury?
Finally, the federal limit on line speed — or the rate at which hog carcasses can be moved for processing and inspection — will be removed. A pilot program for this process, known as HACCP-Based Inspection Models Project, or HIMP, is already in place at five pork processing plants across the country. All five of the FSIS inspectors interviewed by NBC News have worked at HIMP plants, and four other inspectors who've worked at those plants have expressed similar concerns in sworn affidavits sent to federal regulators. "If this continues across the nation, when you open your package of meat, what you're gonna get for a pathogen is gonna be a mystery," Mauer said. Potential defects, according to Mauer, include feces, sex organs, toenails, bladders and unwanted hair. She and other inspectors claim plant employees with little experience or training are doing minimal checking and sorting in an effort to maintain line speeds and keep plant owners happy. "They're doing the same job as we were doing in a traditional plant. And we're, you know, verifying them. You can't really see very much in that time. So there's a lot of contamination heading out the door," Vallone said."
Trump and his henchmen place the corporate management suite ahead of public health and safety.
"The Trump administration is looking to allow these same changes for beef processing."
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.
12-20-19
Surprising twist from U.S. Supreme Court. The Washington Post reports:
"The Supreme Court will not review a lower court decision that protected those experiencing homelessness from being ticketed for sleeping and camping on city sidewalks and parks if no other shelter is available. Without comment or noted dissent, the court turned down a petition from Boise, Idaho, whose law against camping and sleeping on sidewalks was struck down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit as a violation of the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The 9th Circuit decision applies in nine Western states, including California, where cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have seen the population of those experiencing homelessness explode because of soaring housing prices and income inequality."
Unsustainable, as our formerly great country continues to deteriorate. Greed rules. Forget?
"Do the homeless have a right to sleep on city streets? The 9th Circuit said the Eighth Amendment “prohibits the imposition of criminal penalties for sitting, sleeping, or lying outside on public property for homeless individuals who cannot obtain shelter.” The decision added that “just as the state may not criminalize the state of being homeless in public places, the state may not criminalize conduct that is an unavoidable consequence of being homeless — namely sitting, lying, or sleeping on the streets.”
Where are they supposed to go when, in fact, there is nowhere to go?
"Boise, joined by other cities covered by the decision, and activists for those experiencing homelessness differed on its ramifications. “The creation of a de facto constitutional right to live on sidewalks and in parks will cripple the ability of more than 1,600 municipalities in the Ninth Circuit to maintain the health and safety of their communities,” Boise argued."
What about the health and safety of the homeless who have nowhere to go and no resources? If you jail them should they most likely fail to pay a ticket, taxpayers pay their lodging, food, healthcare, etc., at highly inflated cost.
“Public encampments, now protected by the Constitution under the Ninth Circuit’s decision, have spawned crime and violence, incubated disease, and created environmental hazards that threaten the lives and well-being both of those living on the streets and the public at large.”
You offer no solution. Just empty rhetoric.
"But activists, including the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, said the city and its advocates had exaggerated the breadth of the 9th Circuit’s decision to try to win Supreme Court review. “It does no more than prohibit the imposition of criminal penalties against homeless individuals who engage in the simple act of sleeping outside when no alternative shelter is available to them — something that already is supposed to be prohibited under Boise’s current law,” the activists said. “That result is limited in scope and reflects the ought-to-be uncontroversial principle that a person may not be charged with a crime for engaging in activity that is simply a universal and unavoidable consequence of being human,” they said."
Disingenuous parsing of language by all in our formerly great country has become a severe impediment to problem solving.
"The Boise case dates back a decade, when Robert Martin and five other individuals experiencing homelessness were given tickets of $25 to $75 for camping on the sidewalks or in parks. The case is Boise v. Martin."
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.
12-13-19
Uncommon Valor. As always, when law enforcement does something heroic, and/or of exceptional benefit to the community, it leads. Always. The Washington Post reports:
"A Saudi Arabian military pilot training in the United States opened fire Friday morning at Naval Air Station Pensacola, leaving three people dead and several others wounded before Florida sheriff’s deputies shot and killed him. It was the second deadly shooting at U.S. naval base this week. Federal and state officials confirmed that the gunman was participating in aviation training, although they would not disclose details on his status with the Saudi military."
The following rings hollow, lacks credibility:
"President Trump said on Twitter that Saudi King Salman had called him “to express his sincere condolences and give his sympathies.” “The King said that the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the shooter, and that this person in no way shape or form represents the feelings of the Saudi people who love the American people,” Trump tweeted."
Considering the recent brutal murder of a U.S.-based reporter by Saudi authorities outside this country, the 9/11 catastrophe committed by Saudi nationals, as well as the egregious looting of Americans for Saudi crude last four decades, those condolences ring hollow, seriously lack substance.
"Authorities would not release the name of the shooter and have said little else about the shooting, or their investigation into the deadly attack. It was unclear whether the three deceased victims were service members or civilians, said Lt. Cmdr. Megan Isaac, a Navy spokeswoman. Multiple people were taken to area hospitals, including two Escambia County sheriff’s deputies who are expected to survive. “I can tell you lives were saved because of the response of people both in uniform with the Navy and in uniform with Escambia County Sheriff’s Office,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said. “In one of the darkest days, I think, in the base’s history, you still saw some of that bravery and grit come out.”
Indeed, Uncommon Valor. Under horrendous circumstances.
"Reports of an active shooting inside an air station classroom came in at 6:51 a.m., drawing a major law enforcement response in the Florida Panhandle city. The base was placed on lockdown, the Navy said, with its gates secured. After about an hour, the sheriff’s office announced that the shooter was dead. The incident shook a community whose identity is deeply entwined with the base, with many residents either employed there or tied to the industry that sprawls alongside Pensacola Bay. The number of personnel assigned there is almost half the population of the city itself. As the military facility’s gates remained closed into Friday afternoon, authorities stressed that they are in the beginning stages of their investigation. They said they could release only limited information.
"Baptist Health Care said it had admitted eight patients from the shooting but could not yet report on their conditions. “Our teams are treating patients and we are working with Navy personnel to communicate with family members,” the hospital said in a statement. Naval Air Station Pensacola, which hosts 16,000 military personnel and more than 7,000 civilians, is known as the “cradle of Naval aviation.” It’s home to the Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron and is the first stop for training to become Naval pilots or flight officers. The air station schoolhouse also trains pilots from partner militaries around the world."
Better vetting, clearly required. Reconsideration of who our allies truly are, that is, who comes into this country to train and who doesn't.
"Base security and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are investigating, the Navy said in a statement, adding that victims’ names “will not be released until the next of kin have been notified.” DeSantis said the state’s emergency management agency had deployed an official to coordinate mental health resources for those impacted by the shooting. He said he had talked to President Trump about the need for the Saudi Arabian government to help victims, adding that “they’re going to owe a debt here.” “I think there’s obviously going to be a lot of questions about this individual being a foreign national being a part of the Saudi air force and then to be here training on our soil,” he said.
"The shooting in Florida came just two days after a gunman opened fire at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam near Honolulu, killing two and injuring a third before shooting and killing himself. The shooter in that incident was identified as an active-duty U.S. Navy sailor and his three victims as civilian Defense Department employees working on the base’s shipyard."
Low-grade insurrection. Sadly, far worse to come as our formerly great country continues to deteriorate.
CBS News reports:
"Joshua Kaleb Watson was one of three people killed by a gunman Friday at Naval Air Station Pensacola, CBS News has learned. The 23-year-old graduated this year from the United States Naval Academy, CBS News' David Begnaud reports. As a student, the Alabama native made the Dean's List, and he was captain of the rifle team. Watson's brother said in a Facebook post his final act saved countless lives. "After being shot multiple times he made it outside and told the first response team where the shooter was and those details were invaluable," Adam Watson posted. "He died a hero," he said, adding, "we are beyond proud."
Uncommon Valor.
"CBS News has learned the gunman's name was Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a Saudi Arabian national and a pilot-in-training for the Saudi Air Force. He had been training in the United States since 2017. The FBI is investigating Alshamrani's social media posts and whether he acted alone. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., someone matching Alshamrani's identity had an extensive online footprint. In a Twitter post, the writer says, "O American people, I'm not against you for being American, I don't hate you because your freedoms, I hate you because every day you supporting, funding and committing crimes not only against Muslims but also humanity."
Be interesting to see if this post is indeed that of the killer.
"Investigators are looking for any signs of radicalization going back to Alshamrani's upbringing in Saudi Arabia. Investigators are not saying if the shooting was an act of terror. They have not stated a possible motive. "We are not prepared at this hour to confirm what may have motivated the shooter to commit this horrific act today," Rachel Rojas, special agent in charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division, said Friday. The sprawling naval base was locked down on Friday after Alshamrani – one of a few hundred foreign nationals training at the Naval Air Station Pensacola – stormed a classroom and opened fire with a handgun. The FBI is trying to determine how a foreign national obtained a handgun, which is prohibited by law, and brought it onto the base. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday he'll look at the vetting measures that go into accepting foreign nationals to be able to train."
12-13-19
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.
More of the same. Courtesy of an ICE gulag. Seatbelts on. The following is appalling. Unconscionable. CNN News reports:
"A sick Guatemalan boy who died in government custody was lying on the floor for hours before someone found him dead, a video first obtained by ProPublica shows. The boy, identified by a US Customs and Border Protection official as Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez, 16, died on May 20 at a Border Patrol station in Weslaco, Texas, days after he crossed into the US and was apprehended by immigration officials, CBP said."
Nazi America.
"Surveillance video of a holding cell at the Weslaco facility first obtained by ProPublica and published on Thursday show the last moments of the boy's life. ProPublica analyzed the video and compared it with police and emergency services records to create a timeline. CNN later obtained a copy of the video. The boy was waiting to be transferred to the custody of the Health and Human Services Department, as is customary for unaccompanied minors, when he was diagnosed with the flu and taken to the Weslaco facility, the CBP official said. In the video, Carlos first appears walking inside a cell in the Weslaco facility, wearing blue jeans, a dark long-sleeve shirt and a disposable white mask. He lays down on a cement bench as another boy, who was not identified, is sleeping under a Mylar blanket on a bench across from him. The teen shifts around on the bench and moves out of the camera's view for some time before he can be seen again as he collapses, face down on the ground."
Jesus Christ. Where were the guards? Where?
"Carlos stays mostly still on the floor for about 10 minutes, based on ProPublica's analysis of the footage. He gets up, walks to the toilet and appears to collapse soon after. He is moving and bending his legs for a few minutes until he stretches them out and stops moving. Only Carlos' legs, an arm and part of his torso are visible in the video. The rest of his body is blocked by a privacy wall on the toilet area. The video abruptly ends and restarts about four hours later, ProPublica's analysis found, and shows Carlos in the same position as his cellmate wakes up, finds him in the toilet area and flags a Border Patrol agent. The Weslaco Police Department, the agency that provided the video to ProPublica and briefly investigated the boy's death, said the footage was turned over to their investigators, split in two parts, according to the media outlet."
Congenital liars:
"CBP had previously said in a statement that agents at the Weslaco station found Carlos unresponsive during a welfare check. But Border Patrol logs obtained by ProPublica indicate that three welfare checks were done on Carlos over the period in which the video suggests the boy laid on the floor. The logs do not indicate how those checks were done or note that anything was amiss. CNN has not independently obtained the Border Patrol logs. When asked about the video, a CBP spokesperson said the investigation into Carlos' death was ongoing. "While we cannot discuss specific information or details of this investigation, we can tell you that the Department of Homeland Security and this agency are looking into all aspects of this case to ensure all procedures were followed," the spokesperson said."
Simply, not credible.
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.
12-13-19
Amazing how the very top of the food chain can usually literally buy its way out of a criminal jam. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump has paid $2 million in court-ordered damages for misusing funds in a tax-exempt charity he controlled, the New York attorney general said Tuesday. The payment was ordered last month by a New York state judge in an extraordinary rebuke to a sitting president. Trump had been sued in 2018 by the New York attorney general, who alleged that the president had illegally used funds from the Donald J. Trump Foundation to buy portraits of himself, pay off his businesses’ legal obligations and help his 2016 campaign."
Amazing, isn't it?
"The money was split among eight charities, according to a statement from New York Attorney General Letitia James (D). The charities were the Army Emergency Relief, the Children’s Aid Society, Citymeals-on-Wheels, Give an Hour, Martha’s Table, the United Negro College Fund, the United Way of National Capital Area, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, according to the statement. In addition, Trump agreed to distribute the remaining $1.8 million left in the Donald J. Trump Foundation to the same eight charities. In all, each charity received $476,140.41."
Why is it Trump's sorry ass isn't sitting in prison? Why no criminal prosecution?
“Funds have finally gone where they deserve — to eight credible charities,” James said in the statement. “My office will continue to fight for accountability because no one is above the law — not a businessman, not a candidate for office, and not even the president of the United States.”
Again, why wasn't he criminally prosecuted?
"The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday."
What could they say? How do you defend the indefensible?
"The payments bring an end to the life of the Trump Foundation, a small charity that Trump started in 1987 to give away proceeds from his book “the Art of the Deal.” It went nearly dormant during Trump’s lean years in the 1990s. Then, in the 2000s, Trump began to use the charity in ways that benefited himself or his businesses, according to the attorney general’s lawsuit. He used the charity’s cash to buy paintings of himself and sports memorabilia and to pay $258,000 in legal settlements for his for-profit clubs. Charity leaders are barred from using their nonprofits’ money for personal benefit. Trump also used the charity to boost political campaigns — first, Pamela Bondi’s Florida attorney general campaign, and then his own 2016 campaign. Trump gave away Trump Foundation checks onstage at rallies, despite strict rules barring nonprofit charities from participating in political campaigns."
Insult to injury? Get this:
"Now, the foundation will be shuttered. But the consequences of this case will linger for Trump. Under the terms of the settlement, he has agreed to special supervision if he ever returns to charity work in New York."
Why the hell isn't his sorry ass in prison?
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.
12-13-19
Trump has grown increasingly erratic since taking office. More so lately as the strain of impeachment reaches fever pitch. Two Democrats are also showing signs of strain. NPR reports:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced Thursday morning that House Democrats will move ahead with drafting articles of impeachment against President Trump, though she did not define the scope of those articles."
That's a problem. A big problem. Needs to go much further than simply the Ukraine fiasco.
"His wrongdoing strikes at the very heart of our Constitution," Pelosi said, referring to Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate political rivals while hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid were on hold earlier this year."
What about the ten examples of obstruction of justice outlined in the Mueller Report? What about lining his pockets in violation of The Emoluments Clause? What about the paying of hush money to two women he had affairs with? List can go on and on.
Pelosi is certainly showing signs of strain:
"In a later news conference, Pelosi reacted angrily to a question about whether she hates the president. "As a Catholic I resent your using the word 'hate' in a sentence that addresses me," she said. "I don't hate anyone." She added, "I pray for the president all the time. So don't mess with me when it comes to words like that." Trump responded on Twitter, saying Pelosi had "a nervous fit." As to her statement that she prays for the president, Trump said, "I don't believe her, not even close."
"Nancy
Pelosi just had a nervous fit. She hates that we will soon have 182 great
new judges and sooo much more. Stock Market and employment records. She
says she “prays for the President.” I don’t believe her, not even close.
Help the homeless in your district Nancy. USMCA?
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2019"
Wake up, Donny boy. Your behavior has been demonstrably unglued quite some time. Day after day, month after month, year after year. Self-serving, narcissistic at the expense of the public and world community. You've repeatedly disgraced yourself, and our formerly great country. Shamelessly, so. Where did you lose yourself, sir?
"In her earlier remarks from the Capitol on Thursday morning, Pelosi said the president "leaves us no choice but to act because he is trying to corrupt, once again, the election for his own benefit." She said Trump "has engaged in abuse of power, undermining our national security and jeopardizing the integrity of our elections."
No question. Borne out by testimony of members of your own administration under oath, Mr. 'President.'
"Pelosi continued, "Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our Founders and our heart full of love for our America, today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment."
Hurried. Not well thought out. Far from complete. All in a rush with the 2020 election quickly approaching. Should have taken your time. Laid out all of it in extreme detail. The public is not stupid. Would have come around as the criminal activity was laid out in blistering detail.
Already, a majority of the public supports impeachment. As public opinion continued to increase in support of impeachment, Republicans would have been forced to reconsider as they did during the Nixon impeachment fiasco decades ago. ... Or, not be returned to office.
"White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham responded to Pelosi's announcement on Twitter, indicating that the White House is focused on the next stage of the impeachment process — a Senate impeachment trial.
".@SpeakerPelosi
& the Democrats should be ashamed. @realDonaldTrump has done nothing
but lead our country - resulting in a booming economy, more jobs &
a stronger military, to name just a few of his major accomplishments. ....
We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate.
—
Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) December 5, 2019"
"Fair?" How so? Republicans have already placed partisan interests ahead of principle and truth. Economy is booming for the top of the food chain. Bottom, suffering. Middle class, endangered. Money is wasted in the military. We spend more on defense than at least the next five countries combined. How much is enough?
"Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement, "We are less than a year away from Election Day 2020 and Democrats can't possibly explain to the American people why they want to take the decision of who should be president out of the hands of voters."
Disingenuous bullshit. Nothing to do with who should be president. A matter of holding an insane national socialist, a fascist accountable for his crimes and abuse of power. Precisely, what the Founders had in mind when they included provisions for impeachment and removal from office in the Constitution.
"House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Pelosi has "weakened this nation" with her impeachment announcement, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., issued a statement saying, "Salem witches got better deals than this." He accused the speaker of "living in fear of the Squad," the name given to four liberal female members of the House."
Both men have lost themselves. Place partisan interests ahead of principle and the ongoing criminal activity in the Oval Office. Trump presents an increasing exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. So do those who protect and defend this fascist who continues to transform our formerly great country from the de facto fascist police-state we've lived in since 9/11 to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
The following is abject insanity. Like Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Trump has indeed made the insanely desperate attempt to turn truth and reality into deception and lies:
"Trump tweeted ahead of Pelosi's statement. "The Do Nothing Democrats had a historically bad day yesterday in the House. They have no Impeachment case and are demeaning our Country," he wrote in part. The president also urged Democrats to move quickly on impeachment "so that our Country can get back to business."
" .....trial
in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business. We will
have Schiff, the Bidens, Pelosi and many more testify, and will reveal,
for the first time, how corrupt our system really is. I was elected to
“Clean the Swamp,” and that’s what I am doing!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2019"
Trump is a congenital liar. No truth to what he's claiming. Quite the opposite.
NPR reports:
"Presidential candidate Joe Biden squared off with a voter in Iowa on Thursday, calling the man a "damn liar" after he accused Biden of helping to get his son on the board of a Ukrainian gas company in an attempt to win access with the country's president. In the testy exchange at a town hall packed with Biden supporters, the former vice president took umbrage with another accusation from the voter: that Biden was too old to run for president. Biden, who is 77 years old, responded by challenging the voter to a push-up match, a running competition and an IQ test, offers that were greeted with audience applause."
Biden is unfit for the presidency. Clearly, does not have the temperament. Neither does Trump. Age is also a factor. Not only in the case of Biden, but the Trump nazi as well. To say nothing of others running for president. Time for new blood. Someone much younger. Less jaded. Less biased. Less restricted in their thinking.
"Biden then moved to defending his son, Hunter, who previously served as a board member on the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Hunter Biden is a frequent target of President Trump's attacks amid the impeachment inquiry. The House investigation has documented a campaign led by Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to pressure Ukraine to announce it was opening an investigation into the younger Biden. Biden's son has never been accused of any legal wrongdoing related to his time in Ukraine, a point Biden made loud and clear to the voter."
To date, certainly true.
"Nobody has said my son has done anything wrong," Biden. "And nobody has ever said it," he said, before the voter chimed in with: "I didn't say you were doing anything wrong." To this, Biden raised his voice and invoked a stern tone, saying "You said I set up my son to work on an oil company. Isn't that what you said? Get your words straight, Jack!" At one point, a staff member attempted to take the microphone away from the voter, but Biden said, "Let him go, let him go."
Give Biden credit for that. Indeed, let the voter have his say.
"Biden then said that the reason why he is running for president is because he "has been around a long time," and he "knows more than most people know."
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. Crock of shit. Sound like the narcissistic Trump nazi, Joe. Wake up.
"After the nearly two-minute back-and-forth, Biden said "I'm not going to get in an argument with you, man."
Gutless. Wake up, Joe. Can't defend yourself when the going gets tough?
"The voter then said Biden doesn't "have any more backbone" than Trump does."
True statement. LOL.
"The comment elicited boos from the crowd."
To be expected. Tough shit.
"Before sitting down, the man said he was not planning to vote for Biden. And Biden quipped back: "Well, I knew you weren't, man," Biden said. "You're too old to vote for me."
Jesus Christ. Where did you lose yourself, Joe? Sound just like the Trump nazi, sir. You've been in government too damned long. Time to move on. Give others a chance.
"The voter refused to provide his name to reporters, but said he is a 83-year-old retired farmer."
Deserves great credit for standing up to Biden. Indeed, Uncommon Valor.
"Biden has a long history of confronting voters who challenge him on the campaign trail. In 1987, amid questions that Biden had inflated his college and law school resume, Biden told a voter who asked about the matter that "I think I probably have a much higher IQ than you do." Last month in South Carolina, Biden told immigration activist Carlos Rojas that he "should vote for Trump" when Rojas criticized the Obama-Biden administration for its deportation record. Soon after, the most senior Latina on his staff quit. Vanessa Cárdenas was reportedly frustrated by both a lack of input and Biden's rhetoric on immigration."
Clearly, Biden does not have the temperament required for the job. -- Not that Trump does, however. LOL. Both remarkably have a problem with an overbearing, overinflated ego. Must not be forgotten no matter how well-educated, talented, gifted, intelligent you happen to be, there's always someone who has far, far more on the ball. Always. LOL.
Confronted with legitimate criticism, Biden remains clueless. NPR reports:
"Former Vice President Joe Biden is defending himself against criticism over a heated town hall earlier this week in which he called a voter a "damn liar" and challenged him to a push-up contest and IQ test. The voter, an 83-year-old retired farmer, stood up to ask about Biden's and his son Hunter's work in Ukraine, making some false accusations about it. He also said Biden was too old to run for president. In a nearly two-minute exchange caught on video that was widely shared, Biden raised his voice as he forcefully pushed back on the voter's allegations. Biden also seemed to comment on the voter's appearance — after the the man said he saw one allegation on TV, Biden replied, "I know you do ... I'm not sedentary." "The fact of the matter is, this guy stood up and he was, in fact, lying," Biden said in an interview Friday evening with NPR Morning Edition host Rachel Martin on his campaign bus on the way to Decorah, Iowa. "And I just pointed out, you're a liar. It's it's a fact. He lied, period. And so, you know, maybe I shouldn't have kidded with him about that."
You're clueless, Joe. Remain achingly out to lunch. Let me remind you of something you already know far better than anyone. The public will accuse candidates of all kinds of things that are blatantly false. Up to you to retain your cool. Carefully, engage. Make your points without losing your composure. When that happens, you clearly demonstrate your unfitness for office, display an egregious lack of temperament. ... Just as the Trump nazi does day after day, month after month, year after year.
Here are the consequences for a loss of temperament:
"Voters say they felt Biden's tone was off-putting, especially from a candidate who talks a lot about restoring civility. Biden's argues he was just telling it like it is. "That's not civil?" Biden said. "To call someone who lied a liar?" One woman, Mary Clark, who is 94, told NPR before a Biden event Friday in Elkhart, Iowa, that she was "so disappointed in Biden. That is not the Joe I know. He sounded like Donald Trump in that clip." Biden wholly dismissed that comparison. "Donald Trump, he makes fun of people. He belittles people. He lies. I don't do any of those things. Period."
Regardless, in politics, right or wrong, public perception becomes reality, Joe. You'll lose support. Aggressively stupid to allow ego to get in the way.
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.
12-13-19
Unbridled Aryan arrogance. The Washington Post reports:
"Even as the House of Representatives began drafting charges against President Trump this week, his private attorney, who many believe is partly responsible for leading Trump on the path to his likely impeachment, made an audacious trip to the country at the center of the scandal. Rudolph W. Giuliani departed Kyiv after meeting with a range of Ukrainians who have been feeding him unproven allegations against former vice president Joe Biden and helping construct a counternarrative that is taking hold in the Republican Party. The latter story line asserts that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election, including with the baseless theory that Ukraine, rather than Russia, was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee. The purported purpose of the trip was to conduct interviews for a documentary on a right-wing media network. But Giuliani’s travel also appeared designed to send a broader and more brazen signal of the disregard that he and Trump have for the unfolding impeachment process."
Raw nazism. Highly reminiscent of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. Trump and his henchmen present an ongoing, exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. These national socialist, fascist bastards truly believe themselves above the law. Fellow Republicans treasonously, traitorously protect, defend, support the criminal activities of their nazi fuhrer.
"As if to underscore that, Giuliani used his Twitter account while on the trip to describe the impeachment hearings as a “witch hunt,” attack the former U.S. ambassador whom he helped oust earlier this year, and assert that Trump’s demands for politically beneficial investigations by Ukraine’s government were appropriate. The flurry of messages seemed designed to taunt Democrats in Washington."
We remain a democratic republic in name only. ... A de facto fascist police-state since 9/11, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"Current and former officials in Washington expressed astonishment at how Giuliani — apparently on behalf of the president — seemed to be mocking impeachment investigators, if not the very idea that either he or his client should answer any articles of impeachment."
Raw nazism. Time to wake up.
“It’s unbelievable to me the open way in which the administration and Giuliani are still pursuing this,” said Jeffrey Edmonds, who served as Russia director at the White House National Security Council under both Barack Obama and Trump. “It is a way of ... asserting that everything that we’re doing is perfectly normal, perfectly fine and we’re going to keep doing it.”
To be expected of a nazi dictator. This is the most dangerous threat our formerly great country has faced since the Second World War.
"The aftermath of Giuliani’s trip came as the White House signaled that it would not mount a formal defense of Trump in the House impeachment proceedings. White House counsel Pat A. Cipollone sent a letter to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Friday, saying adopting articles of impeachment “would be a reckless abuse of power by House Democrats.”
It is the fascist dictator ensconced in the Oval Office who presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
"Giuliani’s trip also represented an affront to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose government was welcoming a high-level State Department diplomat at the same time and hoping to return relations with the United States to normal after more than two months at the center of an American political maelstrom. Zelensky, who didn’t meet with Giuliani, is preparing for a high-stakes summit on Monday in Paris, where he is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin alongside the leaders of Germany and France in a renewed attempt to bring an end to the war between Russia-backed proxies and Ukrainian forces in the nation’s east. More than 13,000 people have died in the conflict. The disruption in U.S.-Ukraine relations caused by Giuliani’s activities and the resulting impeachment inquiry have led some Ukrainians to fear that Zelensky, who promised an end to the conflict during his campaign, will cut a bad deal with Putin, owing partly to a growing sentiment in Kyiv that Ukraine can no longer count on support from the United States."
Certainly, was a mistake for Ukraine to have allowed Giuliani back into the country. Ukraine had nothing to gain, everything to lose:
"Such concerns appeared to be far from Giuliani’s mind. During his trip, he sat down with a mustachioed Ukrainian lawmaker who has promoted Russian interests in Ukraine and once studied at a KGB academy in Moscow. He was accompanied by a former Ukrainian diplomat who has won renown in U.S. right-wing circles by alleging Ukraine colluded with the DNC to undermine Trump in 2016. He received a bon voyage message from a former Ukrainian parliamentarian, who once sent a peace proposal to the White House that would have lifted sanctions on Russia and recognized the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea. The trip also served a practical purpose ahead of a likely Senate trial of his client. Giuliani brought a correspondent from the right-wing One America News to interview many of the Ukrainians he has interacted with in the past year — people who are willing to make allegations against Biden and the Democrats."
Long since debunked.
"The footage will help inject the theories Giuliani has gathered over the past year even further into the American public discourse, as the Senate prepares to embark on a trial that some Republican lawmakers want to make as much about Biden as it is about the president. Giuliani has alleged that Biden pushed for the 2016 firing of Ukraine’s top prosecutor to help his son, Hunter Biden, who at the time was a board member of a Ukrainian gas company whose owner was under investigation in Ukraine. Apart from a claim by the top prosecutor in question that Biden had him fired for that reason, no evidence has surfaced to show that is why Biden sought his removal. European Union leaders also wanted the prosecutor removed."
Quite true. So did American officials including Obama. Yet, Trump and his henchmen continue to lie, obfuscate, invent their own 'reality,' stonewall.
"During the trip, Giuliani said on Twitter that until the matter is resolved, the issue “will be a major obstacle to the U.S. assisting Ukraine with its anti-corruption efforts.”
Galling, treasonous, traitorous denial of reality. Catch-22 abject bullshit. The seat of corruption, abuse, criminal activity resides in the Oval Office.
"In Kyiv, Giuliani met with two members of Ukraine’s parliament, Andriy Derkach and Oleksandr Dubinsky, who have called for a joint U.S.-Ukrainian parliamentary investigation into the gas company. The One America News correspondent traveling with Giuliani posted photos of them interviewing former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko in Budapest, where they stopped before traveling on to Ukraine. On Capitol Hill, Democrats were shocked by Giuliani’s nerve."
Wake up. Democrats have been out to lunch far too long.
“It’s a brazen move,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, which led the impeachment inquiry. “This is emblematic of this White House: When they are in the wrong, they double down. And in this case, they are tripling down.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the trip an indication of “the arrogance of it all” in comments at a CNN Town Hall on Thursday night. Some Republicans were left scratching their heads. Asked about the trip, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) replied, “Rudy does what Rudy does.” Others were surprised. “The fact that Giuliani is back in Ukraine is like a murder suspect returning to the crime scene to live-stream themselves moon dancing,” said Dan Eberhart, a prominent Republican donor and Trump supporter. “It’s brazen on a galactic level.”
No question. When will Republicans finally wake up? Place principle ahead of partisan interests? Finally uphold their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
12-13-19
DOJ watchdog on Russia probe discloses findings. NPR reports:
"The Justice Department's internal watchdog determined the FBI had sufficient evidence to open the Russia investigation — but sharply criticized the bureau over its surveillance of a former adviser to the Trump campaign. In his highly anticipated 400-page report, inspector general Michael Horowitz also says he found no evidence of political bias in the FBI's decision to launch its investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"The report, which was released Monday, adds further fuel to the political whirlpool that has agitated Washington since President Trump was elected, including over issues surrounding foreign interference, "bias" and the credibility of investigators and institutions. Republicans seized on the finding of flaws and omissions to further their case that the FBI and Justice Department have run amok out of political animus toward Trump. Democrats underscored the overall solidity of the picture about the interference of 2016 and the insights yielded about it by the FBI. Trump, meanwhile, told reporters on Monday that he believed biased officials had been "caught" in an "attempted overthrow," although many of the events involved took place before the election. "It's a disgrace what's happened with the things that were done to our country ... it's incredible, far worse than what I ever thought possible," he said."
So is what's currently ensconced in the Oval Office.
"Attorney General William Barr cited the findings in a statement on Monday that faulted the Russia investigation and echoed the criticism of federal law enforcement voiced for years by Trump and his supporters. Barr criticized what he called "an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken."
Barr is indeed everything Trump wanted and expected him to be. An ardent supporter and shill for the narcissistic nazi currently occupying the Oval Office. No separation, no independence between the 'Justice' Department and the Oval Office. Raw nazism.
"Horowitz's inquiry is not the final word on the Russia investigation. The U.S. attorney for Connecticut, John Durham, was brought in by Barr earlier this year to examine the origins of the investigation, including the actions of U.S. and foreign intelligence services. Durham issued a rare statement of his own on Monday suggesting that he was reaching different conclusions from Horowitz. "Based on the evidence collected to date, and while our investigation is ongoing, last month we advised the inspector general that we do not agree with some of the report's conclusions as to predication and how the FBI case was opened," he said."
Bought and paid for? LOL.
"Horowitz launched his inquiry in March 2018 following requests from the Justice Department and lawmakers. In the run-up to that announcement, Trump and many of the president's allies argued that the Russia investigation was a "witch hunt" to kneecap Trump's presidency. Overall, Horowitz's report found no evidence that the FBI and Justice Department acted with political bias in the broad frame of the Russia investigation. However, investigators discovered 17 significant errors and omissions in the application for surveillance on Carter Page, who had advised Trump's 2016 campaign. Horowitz's report concluded that the problems with the Page surveillance application represented "serious performance failures" by the FBI and other officials involved. Attorneys who were supposed to serve as gatekeepers standing between investigators and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court were "unable to make a fully informed decision because information was kept from them." The investigators wrote: "Although some of the factual misstatements and omissions were arguably more significant than others, we believe that all of them taken together resulted in FISA applications that made it appear the information supporting probable cause was stronger than was actually the case."
If indeed true, that's a problem.
"The report issued today by the inspector general debunks the conspiracy theories about the Mueller report and the Russia investigation that President Trump and Republicans in Congress have pushed for years," the Democrats said."
Indeed, it does.
"Continued Nadler and Maloney: "Those discredited conspiracy theories were attempts to deflect from the president's serious and ongoing misconduct, first urging Russia and now extorting Ukraine into interfering with our elections to benefit himself personally and politically."
"Former FBI Director James Comey told NPR on Monday that he welcomed the Horowitz findings — which covered the actions of the bureau during the time Comey was in charge — because they exploded the myths told by Trump and supporters. "It's all made up. It's all lies. It's all nonsense," Comey said. The former director said he was pleased that Horowitz had uncovered the problem with the Page FISA application because now, he said, "they can be fixed." Overall, Comey said, the report validates what he said he's always argued about the FBI: "It's good people working really hard in unprecedented situations," but it's a "human institution" that makes mistakes and what the bureau must do now, he said, is "figuring out how we make sure they don't happen again."
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12-13-19
Ongoing farce. The Washington Post reports:
"A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable."
Same happened during the Vietnam fiasco. History indeed repeats itself.
"The documents were generated by a federal project examining the root failures of the longest armed conflict in U.S. history. They include more than 2,000 pages of previously unpublished notes of interviews with people who played a direct role in the war, from generals and diplomats to aid workers and Afghan officials. The U.S. government tried to shield the identities of the vast majority of those interviewed for the project and conceal nearly all of their remarks. The Post won release of the documents under the Freedom of Information Act after a three-year legal battle. U.S. officials constantly said they were making progress. They were not, and they knew it. Bush and Obama had polar-opposite plans to win the war. Both were destined to fail."
As did the Russians and many, many others. As repeatedly stated in this publication and elsewhere, no one has been successful defeating the Afghans in centuries.
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.
12-13-19
Articles of Impeachment. NBC News reports:
"House Democrats on Tuesday unveiled articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump about two and a half months after Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., first announced a formal impeachment inquiry into the president. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., announced that his committee will consider two articles of impeachment — one for abuse of power and the other for obstruction of Congress — charging Trump "with committing high crimes and misdemeanors."
Woefully, inadequate. Pathetically, incomplete.
"Nadler said the articles of impeachment were being filed in response to Trump allegedly soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 election, compromising national security, threatening the integrity of the upcoming election and concealing evidence from Congress and the American people. Trump, he said, violated his oath of office."
No question, certainly did. The articles, however, are too narrowly focused, outrageously incomplete.
"Democrats released the draft articles later Tuesday morning. The articles allege that Trump "corruptly solicited the government of Ukraine to publicly announce investigations" into the Bidens and a conspiracy theory alleging Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election. Trump also "conditioned two official acts on the public announcements that he requested," Democrats wrote, citing nearly $400 million in military aid and an official White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "Wherefore President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law," the articles read. "President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States." The second article, focused on obstructing Congress, states that Trump's conduct violated his oath of office and the Constitution, and that through that alleged obstruction, the president "sought to arrogate to himself the right to determine the propriety, scope, and nature of an impeachment inquiry into his own conduct, as well as the unilateral prerogative to deny all information to the House."
Democrats are rushing this fiasco to a conclusion instead of comprehensively including Mueller's ten examples of obstruction. To say nothing of all the Emoluments Clause violations currently being slowly adjudicated in the courts, payoffs to two women for their silence during the campaign, etc. List could go on and on. Democrats are making it way too easy for Republican fascists in the Senate to rubber stamp their fuhrer, the Trump nazi:
"The articles are expected to be revised in the House Judiciary Committee this week and voted on soon after, which would send them to the floor for a vote on impeachment by the full House, possibly this month. If one or more of the articles pass, the Senate would then hold a trial to consider removing Trump. That would take a vote by at least two thirds of the Senate, most likely some time in January."
Highly unlikely Republicans will indeed stand on principle. Rather, GOP fascists will likely place narrow partisan interests ahead of justice, -- traitorously, treasonously ignore what's indeed best for the country. That is, they'll rubber stamp and exonerate their clueless, out of control fuhrer.
"Trump, Nadler said, exercised "the powers of his public office to obtain an improper personal benefit" and engaged in "indiscriminate defiance of the impeachment inquiry." Trump fired back within an hour of the announcement, tweeting, "WITCH HUNT!" "Nadler just said that I 'pressured Ukraine to interfere in our 2020 Election,'" Trump wrote. "Ridiculous, and he knows that is not true. Both the President & Foreign Minister of Ukraine said, many times, that there "WAS NO PRESSURE." Nadler and the Dems know this, but refuse to acknowledge!"
Trump remains a congenital liar. Increasingly, insanely out to lunch, devoid of, divorced from reality. So are his henchmen, shills, and followers.
"The argument, 'Why don't you just wait?' amounts to this: 'Why don't you just let him cheat in one more election. Why not let him cheat just one more time. Why not let him have foreign help just one more time,'" Schiff said. "The president's oath of office appears to mean very little to him," Schiff added, citing Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney's October call to "get over it" when asked about whether there was any link between the president's push for Ukrainian investigations and the withholding of nearly $400 million in military aid to that country. Mulvaney later walked back his comments. Pointing to Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani's recent trip to Ukraine, Schiff said Trump "still wants Ukraine to interfere" in the 2020 election and boost his campaign."
Our fuhrer is certainly demonstrably growing increasingly strained, worse, highly erratic:
"Trump blasted Schiff on Twitter, calling him a "totally corrupt politician." The president also pointed to the call summary of his July 25 conversation with Zelenskiy, saying when he asked Zelenskiy to do "us" a favor and probe Democrats, the president was talking about the country and not himself."
Wake up. A congenital liar increasingly exposed for whom and what he is. No credibility. His henchmen, apologists as ignorantly out to lunch as their fuhrer:
"Speaking at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Forum on Tuesday, Mulvaney said the articles of impeachment "should surprise nobody," adding that "politics can and should influence foreign policy and hopefully always 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.
12-13-19
Assault on abortion rights. CBS News reports:
"The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case challenging a Kentucky abortion law from 2017 that requires people seeking the procedure to first undergo an ultrasound where a technician is required to provide a detailed description of what they see. The court rejected the case, without comment or dissent, leaving the law in place."
A national socialist, fascist, nazi highest court of the land.
"A similar law exists in Louisiana where CBS News spent a week on the ground reporting on the state of abortion access. At the Hope Clinic in Shreveport, one of the state's last three abortion providers, the clinic administrator said it was one of the more emotionally taxing regulations they're required to follow, and patients often cover their ears or turn their head away so as not to see. Planned Parenthood said in a statement that the Supreme Court "continued to chip away at abortion rights" by allowing the law to take effect."
No question. A nazi highest court of the land.
"This is the court's latest action taken against abortion, signaling a troubling road ahead for the fight to preserve abortion access across the country now that Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch have joined the bench and just months before oral arguments in a Louisiana abortion case," the statement said."
No question. ... As our formerly great country continues to transition from the de facto fascist police-state we've lived in since 9/11 to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"Jeanne Mancini, the president of March for Life, celebrated the court's decision on Monday. "Women facing an unexpected pregnancy deserve to have as much medically and technically accurate information as possible when they are making what could be the most important decision of their life," the statement said."
Disingenuous bullshit. Who the hell are you and your fellow nazis to impose your perverse religious and ideological views on all? Who the hell are you nazis to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus?
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.
12-13-19
The top of the food chain usually looks out only for itself and its own. The following is certainly an example of this. NPR reports:
"Documents obtained by NPR shed new light on a bitter fight between defrauded student borrowers and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. These borrowers — more than 200,000 of them — say some for-profit colleges lied to them about their job prospects and the transferability of credits. They argue they were defrauded and that the Education Department should erase their federal student loan debt under a rule called "borrower defense." DeVos disagrees: She says most student borrowers still got value from these schools and deserve only partial relief from their federal loans. Now, internal Education Department memos obtained by NPR show that career staff in the department's Borrower Defense Unit came down firmly on the side of defrauded borrowers. The memos show this unit reviewed thousands of borrower complaints against now-defunct, for-profit colleges, including Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute. Just weeks before DeVos was sworn in as secretary, the unit recommended to the department's political leadership that these borrowers deserve no less than full relief from their student debts."
Certainly, would have been the right thing to do.
"One memo, dated Jan. 9, 2017, begins: "Corinthian Colleges, Inc. ('Corinthian') consistently represented that all graduates obtained jobs after graduation or, relatedly, that its students were guaranteed employment after graduation. These representations were false and misleading. Accordingly, the Borrower Defense Unit recommends full relief for Corinthian borrower defense (BD) applicants." Another memo, dated the next day — Jan. 10, 2017 — arrived at the same conclusion for California-based students who allege they were lied to by ITT Technical Institute, and likewise recommended full relief."
Here's the problem:
"Until now, these internal department memos have been hidden from public view. Lawmakers had previously requested access to them, but DeVos and her department refused to hand them over. Instead, DeVos has criticized the Obama administration for lack of due diligence in processing borrower defense claims. In a Nov. 7 letter to Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the chairman of the House education committee, DeVos wrote, "the clear intent of the prior Administration was to eventually provide blanket relief without review of the facts and evidence." In fact, the memos provide a robust review of the evidence, as well as a thoroughly researched counternarrative to DeVos' position. Instead of limiting students' debt relief by arguing, as DeVos does, that defrauded borrowers still got some value from their educations, these memos arrive at a different conclusion: that credits earned from Corinthian and ITT schools are essentially worthless. "Hundreds of unprompted student statements confirm that lack of value of an ITT education, as ITT students time and again report that their education was sub-standard and that their degree or affiliation with the school was an impediment rather than an asset as they sought employment," reads the Jan. 10, 2017, memo. It concludes: "Given this extensively well-documented, pervasive, and highly publicized misconduct, the Department has determined that the value of an ITT education — like Corinthian — is likely either negligible or non-existent. ... Accordingly, it is appropriate for the Department to award eligible borrowers full relief."
"The education secretary has the authority to override the recommendations of department staff, and DeVos has done just that. On Tuesday, the department unveiled a new plan to calculate how much defrauded students benefited from their educations and thus how much, if any, debt relief they deserve. Under this new model, most borrowers are unlikely to qualify for full relief.
"DeVos' new plan is the department's second attempt at resolving the more than 200,000 outstanding borrower defense claims. The first attempt was blocked in May 2018 by Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Kim said the department's use of income data violated students' privacy, and she ordered DeVos to stop collecting on the debts of certain Corinthian students. In October, Kim fined DeVos $100,000 for contempt of court after it was revealed the department had not stopped collections. The department apologized, calling the collections a mistake, and said it was quickly moving to issue refunds. It is unclear whether DeVos' new use of earnings data will also run afoul of the law. News of the revised plan comes ahead of a much anticipated hearing scheduled for Thursday, when DeVos will testify before the U.S. House's education committee about her handling of borrower defense complaints."
Questions to be asked are simple. Did she line her pockets, receive any remuneration? Why wasn't she investigated, then criminally prosecuted if in fact there was any malfeasance? Why is the top of the food chain afforded special treatment?
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12-13-19
Trump loses another one. NPR reports:
"A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from using $3.6 billion in funds allocated by Congress for military construction projects to help pay for a wall on the southern border. U.S. District Judge David Briones of El Paso ruled that the administration's use of an emergency proclamation last February to divert those funds to the border wall is unlawful. The ruling found that the administration was within the law in using an additional $2.5 billion intended for drug interdiction efforts for border wall construction. "The President's emergency proclamation was a blatant attempt to grab power from Congress," said Kristy Parker, counsel for the nonpartisan organization Protect Democracy, which represented the plaintiffs, in a statement. "Today's order affirms that the President is not a king and that our courts are willing to check him when he oversteps his bounds." The suit was brought by El Paso County and the Border Network for Human Rights. It argued that the administration overstepped its authority by "declaring a national emergency and violating laws of Congress limiting funds for barriers at the United States-Mexico border." The county also argued that it would suffer reputational and economic harm from the border wall project because the president's emergency declaration created the impression that the border city was dangerous. In October, Briones, a Clinton appointee, ruled that such claims had merit."
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.
12-13-19
The following is a shameless, blatant effort by our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, to stifle free speech, abrogate the First Amendment. NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump planned to sign an executive order Wednesday that would effectively interpret Judaism as both a race or nationality and a religion under federal law so that the Education Department can take direct action against what he views as anti-Semitism on college campuses, administration officials said. The interpretation allows the Education Department, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to withhold funding from college or educational programs it believes are discriminating in an anti-Semitic way. The law states that the Education Department can take such action against a program that discriminates based "on the ground of race, color or national origin" — but not on religion. The order comes largely in response to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against the Israeli government for its treatment of Palestinians. The movement has become prominent on some campuses and resulted in actions that have left some Jewish students feeling targeted. In making the change, the Trump administration would be recognizing Jews as having a collective national origin."
The problem with this is the extreme likelihood it will be used to stifle criticism of the Israeli aggressor and its treatment of the Palestinians. That, despite the following:
"The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance defines anti-Semitism as "a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews," though “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-Semitic." The definition also includes "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination," which lists “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor" among such denials. Trump's order mirrors bipartisan legislation that stalled out in Congress, though critics have said the change could be used to stifle free speech and opposition to Israel's government."
That will not be tolerated. First Amendment guaranties free speech. Trump and his henchmen are attempting to change the definition to his political advantage:
"As The New York Times reported, the executive order was welcomed by the Anti-Defamation League and criticized by the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights. "If President Trump truly wanted to address the scourge of anti-Semitism he helped to create, he would accept responsibility for his role emboldening white nationalism, perpetuating anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and repeating stereotypes that have led to violence targeting Jews," Halie Soifer, executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, said in a statement. "Instead, President Trump continues to view Israel and anti-Semitism solely through a political lens, which he attempts to use to his political advantage." The liberal Jewish advocacy group J Street also criticized the order. "This executive order, like the stalled congressional legislation it is based on, appears designed less to combat anti-Semitism than to have a chilling effect on free speech and to crack down on campus critics of Israel," J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said in a statement. "J Street is committed to fighting all forms of anti-Semitism — and we feel it is misguided and harmful for the White House to unilaterally declare a broad range of nonviolent campus criticism of Israel to be anti-Semitic, especially at a time when the prime driver of anti-Semitism in this country is the xenophobic, white nationalist far-right."
The hypocrisy? Stunning:
"Trump has positioned himself as staunchly pro-Israel throughout his presidency, moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli and lambasting progressive Democratic lawmakers critical of Israel and U.S. support for it. The president has also been accused of perpetuating anti-Semitic tropes and emboldening white supremacists. He came under criticism this weekend for comments he made in Florida to the Israeli American Council, in which he said Jews had no choice but to support him in the face of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's proposed wealth tax on Americans whose net worth exceeds $50 million. "A lot of you are in the real estate business because I know you very well. You're brutal killers, not nice people at all," he said. "But you have to vote for me, you have no choice."
Jesus Christ. Full of himself. Full of shit:
"You're not going to vote for the wealth tax. ... Even if you don't like me, some of you don't. Some of you I don't like at all actually. And you're going to be my biggest supporters because you'd be out of business in about 15 minutes if they get it." The remarks drew cheers from the conservative-leaning crowd, but were met with condemnation from some Jewish groups."
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12-6-19
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.
The following is nothing more than blatant entrapment by the Trump regime. CBS News reports:
"Since January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested about 250 foreign students at a fake university in Michigan. It's part of a sting operation by federal agents. The University of Farmington was opened in 2015 as a guise by ICE officials. It was created to entice foreign-born students, mostly from India, who had arrived legally in the U.S. on legitimate student visas. But the government says the phony university was a "pay-to-play" scheme the students used to remain in the U.S. under a student visa. Some of the students were arrested and deported while others await trial in the states."
Blatant abuse of power by national socialist, fascist, nazi government. Founders? Spinning in their graves.
"The Detroit Free Press reported that nearly 80% of those have voluntarily left the country. The Homeland Security Investigations Detroit office told the newspaper that about half of those remaining have received final orders of removal. An ICE spokesperson told CBS News that this type of operation serves as a deterrent because it reminds students to be careful to follow the law while studying in the U.S."
Bullshit. Blatant double talk. Entrapment. Outrageously, unconstitutional. Then again, we now live in a de facto fascist police-state since 9/11, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"But several lawmakers took to social media to express outrage at the operation, including 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren."
Rightfully, so:
"This
is cruel and appalling. These students simply dreamed of getting the high-quality
higher education America can offer. ICE deceived and entrapped them, just
to deport them. https://t.co/t6kQLiV5oh
—
Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) November 27, 2019"
"Abolish
ICE. https://t.co/9uMtKmyEI1
—
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 27, 2019
"Actress Alyssa Milano also reacted to the sting operation.
"OH MY GOD.
"ICE
has arrested about 250 students who were enrolled at a fake university
set up by ICE to lure in students.https://t.co/2P8iZtnMGB
—
Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) November 27, 2019"
Blatant entrapment. Raw nazism:
"The Detroit Free Press reported that seven of eight recruiters charged by the government pleaded guilty and have been sentenced. The eighth person will be sentenced in January. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Helms defended the operation, the newspaper reported. "Their true intent could not be clearer," Helms wrote in a sentencing memo this month for one of the recruiters, the newspaper reported. "While 'enrolled' at the University, one hundred percent of the foreign citizen students never spent a single second in a classroom. If it were truly about obtaining an education, the University would not have been able to attract anyone, because it had no teachers, classes, or educational services."
Entrapment. Blatant. Nazi America. Where did we lose ourselves? Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the de facto fascist police-state we now live in, 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.
12-6-19
Impeachment saga continues. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump’s personal attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani, negotiated this year to represent Ukraine’s top prosecutor for at least $200,000 during the same months that Giuliani was working with the prosecutor to dig up dirt on former vice president Joe Biden, according to people familiar with the discussions."
No quid pro quo? No conflict of interest? LOL.
"The people said that Giuliani began negotiations with Ukraine’s top prosecutor, Yuri Lutsenko, about a possible agreement in February. In the agreement, Giuliani’s company would receive payment to represent Lutsenko as the Ukrainian sought to recover assets he believed had been stolen from the government in Kyiv, those familiar with the discussions said. The talks occurred as Giuliani met with Lutsenko in New York in January and then in Warsaw in February while he was also gathering information from Lutsenko on two topics Giuliani believed could prove useful to Trump: the involvement of Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine, and allegations that Ukraine, not Russia, had interfered in the 2016 election."
What webs we weave. Readers are reminded Giuliani is a product of a Jesuit education. Jesuits don't lie, cheat, steal. Take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Literally, don't own the clothes on their backs. Products of a Jesuit education usually turn out in one of two diametrically opposed ways. No middle ground.
Either, become part of the problem, that is, as corrupt and abusive as the day is long. ... Or, freedom fighters, freedom writers that peacefully, constantly challenge the outrageously corrupt status quo. Suffer, and/or tolerate, no bullshit. No excuse making. Straight shooters. Ferociously pointedly, suffer no fools.
"Trump ultimately pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open investigations into the two issues during a July 25 phone call between the two leaders, a call that sparked a whistleblower complaint and the congressional impeachment inquiry."
Rightfully, so.
"A person familiar with the negotiations described contracts drafted this year in which Giuliani would have worked for Lutsenko or separately, the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice. For Lutsenko, the agreement would have provided a pipeline to Trump’s lawyer and, through him, potentially to other top U.S. officials. For Giuliani, the agreements would have been a way to accrue financial benefit from a person who was also providing him politically damaging information that could help another client, the president of the United States. Giuliani has said he doesn’t charge Trump for legal services. Trump directed U.S. diplomats to work with Giuliani on Ukraine issues. The agreements were never executed, and there is no indication that Giuliani was ultimately paid by Lutsenko or other Ukrainian officials. But the negotiations proceeded far enough that legal agreements were drafted under which Giuliani’s company would have received more than $200,000 to work for the Ukrainians, people familiar with the agreements said."
Get this:
"Some versions of the agreements envisioned Washington husband-and-wife lawyers Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova also playing a role and receiving payment. A February draft retainer agreement with Lutsenko called for the trio to help recover money allegedly stolen from Ukraine. The draft called for Lutsenko to retain Giuliani Partners as well as diGenova and Toensing, and pay a $200,000 retainer to Giuliani Partners. The person said that another retainer agreement, drafted in March, called for Giuliani Partners to receive $300,000 from the Ministry of Justice for help locating the supposedly stolen assets. That draft agreement also stated that Toensing and diGenova would be working on the matter. That agreement called for payments to be made to Giuliani Partners. Yet another proposal called for the Ministry of Justice to hire Toensing and diGenova for asset recovery but did not mention Giuliani."
ABC News reports:
"President Donald Trump said that he did not direct his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to travel to Ukraine on his behalf, despite telling Ukraine's president earlier this year that he should talk to Giuliani."
Clearly, Trump's distancing himself from Giuliani as the shit hits the fan, plot thickens.
"In another sign that he was distancing himself from his personal lawyer's work in the Ukraine -- despite frequently praising Giuliani and endorsing his activities in Ukraine -- Trump said that Giuliani provides legal representation to not just him but for other clients, too."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"I think he's done work in Ukraine for years," Trump said during an interview for former Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly's "No Spin News" program. "He's done a lot of work in Ukraine over the years and I think, I mean that's what I heard. I might have even read that someplace, but he's a good man and he's an honorable guy and he's a great crime fighter, corruption fighter." Giuliani told ABC News in a statement that Trump "is correct" and that he "never went to Ukraine for any probe."
Hard to believe, especially in light of the following:
"But according to a rough transcript of a call Trump held on July 25 with Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Trump brought up Giuliani's name -- calling him "a highly respected man" -- and encouraged the Ukrainian leader to talk to him. "I would like him to call you," Trump told Zelenskiy, according to the call record released by the White House. "I will ask him to call you along with the Attorney General. Rudy very much knows what's happening and he is a very capable guy. If you could speak to him that would be great."
"Giuliani has said in the past that he kept Trump informed about his work in Ukraine."
None of this adds up. Moreover, where there's smoke, there's fire:
"After news broke in May of a trip Giuliani planned to take to Ukraine, the lawyer told The New York Times that the president "basically knows what I'm doing, sure, as his lawyer." Trump himself told Politico at the time that Giuliani had "very briefly" "mentioned" to him what Giuliani was doing in Ukraine -- and Trump said then that he would talk to Giuliani about it more in the coming days."
Someone's lying. Guess who? LOL.
The Washington Post reports:
"The House Intelligence Committee released a report Tuesday that said President Trump placed his political interests above national interests in his conduct toward Ukraine. The report hints strongly at charges of obstruction of justice, among other crimes, but does not recommend specific articles of impeachment. Democrats are seeking to build a case that Trump leveraged military assistance and an Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in exchange for investigations of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden and a debunked theory alleging Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election.
"After the report’s release, an attorney for Lev Parnas — a businessman who helped Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani conduct investigations in Ukraine and pushed for the ouster of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch — again suggested that his client is willing to talk to lawmakers if offered the right protections. Parnas, who is facing federal campaign finance charges in New York, is mentioned frequently in the report, as lawmakers seem to have acquired phone records that show calls between him and various allies of the president. The report specifically details contacts between Parnas and Giuliani, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), journalist John Solomon and Washington lawyer Victoria Toensing. “With appropriate protections, Mr. Parnas would be able to tell this story and fill in all the blanks,” Parnas attorney Edward B. MacMahon Jr. said. “All phone records show you is that a phone call was made. It takes a participant in the phone call to tell you what was said.”
Be interesting to see if the above goes anywhere. Especially, in light of the fact granting immunity would indeed adversely affect the prosecution of this possible witness.
On 12-5-19, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi directed the House Judiciary Committee to draft Articles of Impeachment.
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.
12-6-19
The State Department cannot seem to get its act straight. NBC News reports:
"Mina Chang figured out how to work the levers in Dallas and in the nation's capital, making connections with key figures and cultivating an online image, until her overblown credentials and claims crumbled under scrutiny. Chang resigned last week from a senior State Department post after an NBC News investigation revealed she made misleading claims about her charity work and qualifications — including a fake Time magazine cover with her face on it."
Surprised? Why? Forget? The State Department failed to do full background checks on the 9/11 terrorists. Failed to take action when the flight schools informed them the terrorists wished only to learn how to fly straight and level, not take off and land. Instead, we endured the devastating catastrophe. Worse, in the long-term? We now live in a de facto fascist police-state. A democratic republic in name only.
No longer in reality. Thanks to the USA 'Patriot' Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, 'Real' ID Act, and other equally outrageously unconstitutional legislation passed after 9/11 designed to eviscerate the Bill of Rights in our formerly great country. Both major political parties responsible. Abject cowardice. Failure in leadership. All downhill last two decades. No question, both parties egregiously failed their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution.
"Since Chang's resignation, former colleagues, social acquaintances and government officials have reached out to NBC News, providing more information that helps explain how Chang made it as far as she did. After crafting a public image as a humanitarian "thought leader" with help from paid media and public relations consultants, she ingratiated herself with prominent Republicans in Dallas and former military officers, former colleagues said. She often asked those who performed work for her to sign nondisclosure agreements, the former associates said."
Outrageously ignorant, gullible Republicans fell for her bullshit. Just like they now fall for the bullshit of the Trump nazi. Democrats? Achingly ineffective in forcing change. Despite their minority status, could certainly walk out the Senate before critical votes. Could certainly slow down, gum up the works as traitorous Republicans continue to eviscerate all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
"To secure her job at the State Department in April, Chang leveraged social connections to senior officials who could help open the doors to the administration, including Brian Bulatao, a close friend and deputy to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; a State Department official and former defense contractor who she succeeded as deputy assistant secretary, Pete Marocco; and a congressional staffer for key GOP lawmaker Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, multiple sources said. Marocco endorsed her for the job and McCaul wrote her a recommendation letter."
How about that? What an achingly ignorant, hopelessly clueless, dopey bastard. LOL.
"A spokesman for Chang said Bulatao did not "have any part in Ms. Chang's appointment within the State Department." The spokesman also said that the State Department vetted her background, approved her security clearance along with the FBI, and signed off on her bio for the department's website."
Speaks volumes about the State Department and FBI.
"Chang and her spokesman declined to comment on the role played by the McCaul staffer."
Surprised? Why?
"The State Department and its Diplomatic Security Service, which helps vet appointees, did not respond to requests for comment."
What could they say? Forget? Stupidity rules. Reigns supreme.
"By the time Rep. McCaul issued the recommendation letter, Chang's nomination was moving ahead thanks to her own contacts in the administration, said a spokesperson for the congressman, Kaylin Minton."
With Trump at the helm, surprised?
"The McCaul staffer "was one of many social connections she had in D.C., and she was well on the way to obtaining a position when the letter was sent," Minton said."
How could Republicans be so gullible? Aryan arrogant? Concertedly, determinedly aggressively stupid?
"Marocco declined to comment through a Pentagon spokesperson."
What could ole Pete say? LOL.
"On her path to Washington, Chang pushed some tenuous connections too far."
Did she ever. LOL. Get this:
"In 2015, Chang partnered with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to host cadets for internships at her nonprofit in Dallas. A former West Point faculty member and a source familiar with the matter said the program was quickly scrapped, after it became apparent the nonprofit was not doing much work and the interns were sitting in a mostly empty office. That year the organization reported to the IRS that it had only one employee."
Brazen. LOL.
"After hearing concerns from a cadet working as an intern at the nonprofit, the faculty member, who did not want to be identified, looked up the organization's website and concluded the charity was not worthy of a West Point association. He said, "I realized this is 100 percent bulls---. I said, 'Pull the interns.'"
Jesus Christ. Why didn't you stand tall? Promptly pass it on to the press? That is, courageously expose this shit to the blinding light of day? For all to see. The only way this crap will end is exposure. No better disinfectant than sunlight. Letting the chips fall where they may.
"After the cadet program collapsed, West Point asked Chang's charity to stop using West Point's logo — and the logo of the academy's Center on Civil and Military Operations — in her materials. She took the material down when requested. When Chang was nominated for an even more senior job at the U.S. Agency for International Development, congressional staffers reviewing her background caught wind of the West Point episode."
What did they do about it?
"At a 2018 awards dinner of defense contractors in Washington, Chang made a point of introducing herself to an official who she eventually would succeed at the State Department as a deputy assistant secretary, said a source who attended the event said. She also befriended a key staffer on the House Homeland Security Committee, leading to a recommendation letter from McCaul, according to a former staffer and a congressional source."
Doesn't the State Department carefully vet all employees?
"In a Feb. 8, 2018 letter to the White House, McCaul gave Chang "the strongest recommendation" to serve in a senior leadership position at the State Department, either in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations or in the Bureau of Counterterrorism. McCaul cited her experience as a "seasoned field practitioner" and her work in "academia." But she had no track record in academia or published research."
This woman is a charlatan. McCaul? An inept piece of human excrement. Unfit to hold elective office, or work in government, period. Clearly didn't do his homework. Failed to thoroughly vet her. Bought her bullshit.
"McCaul, through a spokesperson, said he now has a different perspective on Chang's qualifications."
Bet he does. LOL. Not fun being exposed as an inept piece of crap, having had the wool pulled over his eyes.
"While Congressman McCaul offered a recommendation letter based on her previous work and advocacy on issues like global fragility and countering violent extremism, it is clear now she was not entirely forthcoming with the State Department and others," said Kaylin Minton, spokesperson for McCaul. "She must accept the full consequences of her actions."
So should this achingly inept Congressman. ... Don't hold your breath, however.
Get this:
"Before receiving the letter of recommendation, Chang was spotted at numerous events, including the 2018 Aspen Security Forum, with McCaul's staffer. She also showed up at a 9/11 commemoration that McCaul attended and had coffee with members of the lawmaker's staff, the sources said."
LOL. Clearly, ineptness reigns supreme.
Remains universal:
"Apart from her Capitol Hill connection, Chang received support from Marocco at the State Department. Marocco helped circulate her résumé and vouched for her as she sought out a post at State, three sources familiar with the matter said. Marocco, who served in the Marine Corps, is now at the Pentagon as senior official overseeing Africa affairs."
... Think he can tie his shoes?
"Fifteen years ago Mina Chang lived in Dallas and went by her first name, Sharon, attending a flurry of charity events and making social connections with affluent Republicans and retired military officers working in the defense industry."
How hopelessly gullible could they be?
Clearly, fell for a con artist:
"Before she resigned last week and took it down, her Facebook account had 77,000 followers. Her Instagram account, which has 44,000 followers, was filled with pictures of her with big names in national security and politics like former CIA director and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, retired Gen. David Petraeus and former President George W. Bush's adviser Karl Rove. At one point in April 14, 2016, she posted more than 70 Instagram pictures in a single day. Chang hired a succession of public relations consultants to help craft a convincing picture for her non-governmental organization, Linking the World, even though there was not much to go on. "It was like trying to weave a narrative out of whole cloth," said someone familiar with Chang's nonprofit."
Yet, clueless Republicans fell for it. LOL.
Certainly, knew where the money was:
"Unlike the path that other humanitarians typically follow, Chang pursued connections with military contractors. She showed up at international conferences, including a 2015 event in the German city of Stuttgart with defense contractors that carry out work in Africa. The "host" for her charity's dinner on May 2, 2016 in Dallas was AlliedBarton Security Services, a large government security contractor that pledged $10,000 to the organization, according to a press release. Chang's trips to conflict areas in Afghanistan and Iraq were paid for by the defense contractor AMS. At least one trip that yielded pictures of Chang in war-torn Kurdish areas was coordinated by the U.S.-Kurdistan Business Council, according to AMS company documents."
Clearly, greed rules. Blinds the top of the food chain.
"Without any university degrees or work in the policy world, Chang sought out seminars and organizations that would allow her to associate herself with prestigious institutions and convey an aura of credibility and expertise. Some required paying a steep fee. She attended Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program, which "has no formal education requirements" and charges applicants $82,000 for a seven-week course. The program permits people who have finished the program to call themselves alumni, and creates an opportunity for them to tap into the Harvard alumni network. When Chang was mentioned as a possible candidate for ambassador to the Philippines in local media in Manila, newspapers wrote incorrectly that she was a "Harvard graduate." The U.S. embassy in the Philippines at the time dismissed the rumor as inaccurate."
Apparently, greed rules at Harvard. Principle? What's that?
"Chang touted her membership in the Young Entrepreneurs Club and the Forbes Nonprofit Council. Both groups bestow membership through fees, according to Scott Gerber, the CEO of the Community Company, who manages both organizations. Chang also paid to be a member of Ellevate, a women's networking group, which helped Chang place articles promoting herself and her charity in Forbes and the Huffington Post, according to its marketing coordinator, Nazli Tamer."
Coup de grace? Unparalleled brazenness? Get this:
"A fake Time magazine cover with her face on it added credibility to her bio for at least some people who found it online. One House staffer who met her in Washington found the Time cover when Googling Chang's name and assumed it was real, "That made me think she was legit," the former staffer said. The cover is "not authentic," said a spokesperson for the magazine. Chang has denied having any role in creating the magazine cover and her spokesperson said an "enthusiastic fan" created the picture and circulated it online."
Think so? LOL.
"She eventually got a foothold in Washington as a fellow with the New America think tank. While not a paid position, the fellowship provided her a credible platform and a title that could be listed on her résumé and open more doors. The organization recently removed Chang's bio from its website noting, "The content of this page has been deleted due to questions raised about its accuracy." Chang also had a tendency to claim or imply credit for work done by others, former colleagues said."
Where have we heard that before? Couldn't be the Trump nazi, could 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.
12-6-19
Judgment? What's that? CBS News reports:
"A former talk radio show host who promoted fringe theories and suggested dropping nukes on Afghanistan might have been a way to deal with the country is now a top official at the State Department's Bureau of Arms Control. Frank Wuco is a senior adviser at the Bureau of Arms Control, according to the bureau's official Twitter account and as first reported by the Washington Post, after a stint as a senior adviser for the White House at the Department of Homeland Security. It's unclear exactly when Wuco began at the State Department."
That right? LOL
"In a 2016 radio segment on the Dougherty Report, Wuco, who is a former Naval intelligence officer, was asked why the U.S. doesn't just turn Syria and Iran into "glass already." "Um well, I — I mean, I know what you're getting at," Wuco said at the time. "I mean, it's, it's that our, I mean it's been our — I don't think it's been our policy really to just start nuking countries. I think if we were going to have done that, my preference would have been to have dropped a couple of low-yield tactical nuclear weapons over Afghanistan the day after 9/11 to send a definite message to the world that they had screwed up in a big way."
Jesus Christ. Had that happened, all the resultant loss of innocent life which had nothing to do with the 9/11 catastrophe. All the resultant collateral damage. Nothing quite like insanity, is there? Think it appropriate in the State Department?
"But Mr. Trump, who made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Thanksgiving, has also suggested he could also solve issues in Afghanistan with bombs. The president explained this summer he won't pursue that path because it would result in an overwhelming loss of life."
Big of him, isn't it? Highly perceptive as well. LOL.
Gets worse. Get this:
"We're not fighting a war. If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don't want to kill 10 million people. Does that make sense to you? I don't want to kill 10 million people. I have plans on Afghanistan that if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth, it would be gone, it would be over in, literally in 10 days. And I don't want to do, I don't want to go that route," the president said in the Oval Office in July."
Jesus Christ. Readers are reminded 9/11 could have been avoided. Forget? State Department failed to do full background checks on the terrorists. Worse, ignored warnings from the flight schools the bastards wished to learn only how to fly straight and level, not take off and land. Why are we still in Afghanistan 18 years after the fact? Should have withdrawn after bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by U.S. Navy SEALS. Forget? Bin Laden was the reason for our invasion of Afghanistan. Why do we remain engaged?
"Wuco has floated other fringe theories, too, including giving air time to the "birther" conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama was born in Kenya. The president himself was among the most prominent pushers of that baseless claim."
What is Wuco doing in the State Department? How is he qualified?
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.
12-6-19
In follow up to the last edition, NBC News reports:
"Beijing on Thursday lambasted President Donald Trump for backing legislation supporting human rights in Hong Kong, condemning the U.S. for its “stark hegemonic acts” and for interfering in the semiautonomous region’s affairs."
Trump had no choice, politically. Had he vetoed the legislation, Congress would have quickly overridden the veto.
"In response to the U.S. move, activists chanted “Stand with Hong Kong” and "Save Us," and urged the world to follow in America’s footsteps. Joshua Wong, a prominent activist who was among democracy supporters who lobbied for the new U.S. laws, praised them as a “remarkable achievement,” with human rights triumphing over crucial U.S.-China trade talks."
For once in an exceptionally long while, Trump and both branches of Congress finally did the right thing.
"On Wednesday, Trump signed two bills into law. One prescribes economic sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials found guilty of human rights abuses. The second bill bans the export of certain nonlethal munitions to the former British colony’s police."
About time.
“I signed these bills out of respect for President Xi, China, and the people of Hong Kong,” said Trump in a statement released by the White House. “They are being enacted in the hope that leaders and representatives of China and Hong Kong will be able to amicably settle their differences leading to long term peace and prosperity for all.”
Again, Trump had no real choice in the matter. Had he vetoed the legislation, would have not only been excoriated, but quickly overridden.
"China, which has been struggling to contain anti-government protests roiling Hong Kong for nearly six months, responded with a stream of angry replies. “We urge the U.S. to not continue going down the wrong path, or China will take countermeasures, and the U.S. must bear all consequences,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement."
Jesus Christ. It is the Chinese aggressor who will bear full responsibility should it invade Hong Kong, massacre protesters.
"The editor of the Global Times, a newspaper owned by the Chinese Communist Party, responded sarcastically to Trump’s message. “Out of respect for President Trump, the U.S. and its people, China is considering [putting] the drafters of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act on the no-entry list, barring them from entering Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao,” Hu Xijin wrote in a post on Twitter. Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong expressed “extreme anger” toward the U.S., and added that Hong Kong belongs to China and “the Chinese have the ability to deal with Hong Kong affairs.”
The hell it does. Hong Kong needs to be independent. Under no one's boot heel.
Inexplicably and treasonously:
"Hong Kong's government joined in, describing the bills’ passage as “unnecessary and unwarranted,” and warning that they would strike a blow against the “relations and common interests” of Hong Kong and the U.S."
Clearly, Hong Kong's government is already under the boot heel of the Chinese aggressor. Has betrayed its people. -- The public it clearly does not serve, only its Chinese masters.
"Thousands, many waving American flags, gathered in Hong Kong's financial district to celebrate the bills signed by Trump. “This rally is to show our gratitude to America and also President Trump for passing the bill,” said Sunny Cheung, the rally organizer. Student David So agreed. “I think it’s a happy news,” he said. “It’s an international recognition on today’s Hong Kong situation.” “Ultimately it’s up to us. The bills have their deterrent effects but Hong Kongers are the real ones who fight on,” he added."
That's right. Britain, the United States, the United Nations, the entire world community should have guarantied the independence of Hong Kong over two decades ago when the British walked away.
CNN News reports:
"China will ban US warships and military aircraft from making stops in Hong Kong in the wake of Washington passing legislation supporting the territory's pro-democracy protesters, the country's Foreign Ministry said Monday. "In response to the unreasonable behaviors of the US side, the Chinese government decides to suspend the review of requests by US military ships and aircraft to visit Hong Kong as of today," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a news conference in Beijing. Hua also announced that Beijing would impose sanctions on several US non-governmental human rights organizations that have been monitoring and reporting on the protests in Hong Kong."
Pathetic.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
12-6-19
Unlike the Trump nazi and his henchmen, the First Lady stands tall. Unlike her husband, clearly understands the supreme value, true worth of civil and constitutional rights and liberties. ABC News reports:
"The first lady spoke to the attendees of the B’More Youth Summit at the University of Maryland’s Baltimore campus. Melania Trump on Tuesday defended the rights of teenagers who booed her when she addressed them in Baltimore, a city her husband, President Donald Trump, has disparaged as “rat and rodent infested.”
As a naturalized citizen, the First Lady truly appreciates the right to free speech.
"She traveled there to urge hundreds of middle and high school students to avoid misusing drugs, saying that would make it harder for them to achieve their life’s goals. But her remarks drew a mix of boos and cheers, and the audience remained noisy throughout her five-minute address."
Undeserved because she is not her husband, the Trump nazi. Clearly, she is her own person.
"It is highly unusual for a first lady to be booed at a public appearance. Mrs. Trump released a statement hours after she had returned to the White House, defending the principle of freedom of expression while reaffirming her commitment to the issue that drew her to Baltimore. “We live in a democracy and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the fact is we have a serious crisis in our country and I remain committed to educating children on the dangers and deadly consequences of drug abuse,” Mrs. Trump said."
Hat's off, Madam First Lady. Indeed, a class act.
"The first lady has been using her prominence to spotlight programs she thinks can help young people, whether it’s to teach them to be positive online or to avoid drug misuse and addiction. She went to Maryland to address the Baltimore Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness, appearing on behalf of her “Be Best” youth campaign, which includes a focus on the U.S. epidemic of opioid misuse."
Certainly, a growing problem in our formerly great country.
A class act who indeed stood tall when booed:
"Students simultaneously booed and cheered her introduction. When the audience remained rowdy after she began to speak, she interrupted her remarks to say, “Hello, everyone,” before continuing. The first lady said she wants to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic and help educate young people about living drug free. “I am in this fight with you, and I am fighting for you,” she said, and urged anyone struggling with addiction to ask someone for help. “I know each one of you has hopes and dreams for the future, whether it is college, joining the military, or playing a sport. Your future will be determined by the choices you make,” Mrs. Trump said. “Using drugs will only slow you down and prevent you from achieving those goals.”
No question.
In remarkable juxtaposition to her husband:
"President Trump has had a difficult relationship with Baltimore. In July, Trump labeled the city a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,” saying no human would want to live there. The president also criticized U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Democrat who represented parts of the city in Congress for decades. At the time of his death in October, Cummings was a central player in multiple House investigations of Trump and his administration. Trump refused to cooperate with the congressional inquiries. He was met with protests in September, including by a giant inflatable rat, when he went to Baltimore to address a meeting of House Republicans."
No question, most fitting tribute to the clueless national socialist, fascist piece of human excrement currently occupying the Oval Office. 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.
12-6-19
While hard to believe, there was indeed a time decades ago when Republicans stood tall. Heroically, placed principle first. Not partisanship. October 1973. "Saturday Night Massacre." NPR reports:
"William D. Ruckelshaus, the nation's first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and a former deputy attorney general who was perhaps best known for defying President Nixon during the Watergate scandal, has died at the age of 87 at his home in Medina, Wash. A moderate Republican, Ruckelshaus was an Ivy League-trained lawyer from Indianapolis who, in 1969, joined the Nixon administration as head of the Justice Department's civil division. In late 1970, he became the first administrator of the new Environmental Protection Agency where he oversaw the implementation of the Clean Air Act and the banning of the pesticide DDT."
At a time when Republicans were conservatives, not national socialist, fascist nazis. When principle truly mattered.
"With a record and reputation as a pragmatic political trouble-shooter known as "Mr. Clean," Ruckelshaus was tapped as acting FBI director and then deputy attorney general during the early stages of the Watergate scandal. Within months of his arrival at the Justice Department, he would become embroiled in one of the most controversial events in the scandal over the White House-orchestrated break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel."
Uncommon Valor:
"As the investigation into the alleged cover-up of the break-in intensified, Nixon ordered then-Attorney General Eliot Richardson and Ruckelshaus to fire the independent special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox. They both refused and instead resigned. That episode in October 1973 came to be known as the "Saturday Night Massacre" and it led to the eventual downfall of the Nixon presidency a year later."
Younger readers are reminded Nixon was indeed a choir boy in comparison to what's now ensconced in the Oval Office. Nixon covered up criminal activity. Unlike Nixon, Trump engages in it.
"Ruckelshaus left Washington, D.C., and moved to Seattle in 1976. He was a senior vice president for the lumber giant Weyerhauser when he returned to lead the EPA under President Reagan in 1983. He is widely credited with re-energizing the demoralized and scandal-ridden agency before leaving at the beginning of Reagan's second term in early 1985. From 1988 to 1995, Ruckelshaus was chairman and CEO of Browning Ferris Industries (BFI), a large garbage-removal company. Under his leadership, BFI moved into the New York market where it helped break up the Mafia's role in the trash removal business."
At a time when Republicans were true conservatives, stood for principle.
"A noted conservationist, Ruckelshaus led the Puget Sound Partnership from 2007 to 2010. More recently, he has been critical of President Trump's environmental policies. As The Associated Press reports, "In recent years, Ruckelshaus joined other former EPA directors in championing the agency against cuts or efforts to curtail its authority. In an interview with The Associated Press last year, his criticism of President Donald Trump's moves to roll back environmental protections and give more regulatory power to the states was withering. "He said some states don't have the resources to police big polluters, and others lack the will. "'The reason that the ultimate authority to enforce the law was put into federal hands was because the states weren't any good at it,'" Ruckelshaus said. "The idea that you're going to delegate it to the states ... is completely fraudulent.'" Ruckelshaus was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in November 2015."
For damned good reason.
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.
12-6-19
Trump loses another. NBC News reports:
"A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that it would not block congressional subpoenas for President Donald Trump's financial records from Deutsche Bank and Capital One, affirming a lower court ruling and dealing the president another legal blow."
The walls are certainly closing in, as Trump grows increasingly erratic.
"Trump and several members of his family sued Deutsche Bank and Capital One this year seeking to block them from responding to the subpoenas issued by House Democrats, which they said had "no legitimate or legislative purpose."
Load of crap. All part of an impeachment inquiry as provided for by the United States Constitution.
"Jay Sekulow, an attorney for Trump, said in a statement that the president's legal team is considering appealing the ruling to the Supreme Court. “We believe the subpoena is invalid as issued," Sekulow said. "In light of the 2nd Circuit decision, we are evaluating our next options including seeking review at the Supreme Court of the United States."
With five Republican national socialists, fascists ensconced on the highest court of the land, why not? 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.
12-6-19
Increasingly, unhinged. At the NATO summit, NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump came out swinging at friends and foes here Tuesday, accusing Democrats of being "unpatriotic" and calling remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron "very, very nasty." “I think it's very unpatriotic of the Democrats to put on a performance where they do that,” Trump said of the House impeachment inquiry, in his first public comments since arriving in London. “I do. I think it's a bad thing for our country. Impeachment wasn't supposed to be used that way.”
Quite the contrary, Mr. Trump. It is precisely what the Founders intended, sir. That is, exposure of a corrupt, abusive, criminal dictator who fancies himself president, but acts like a nazi fuhrer.
"Later in the day, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seated at his side, Trump called House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., "a maniac" and a "deranged human being."
Aren't talking about yourself, Mr. 'President?'
"The president also rattled markets by suggesting trade deal negotiations with China might not end until after the election next year."
U.S. corporations and the American public are literally footing the bill for this continued insanity on the part of the Trump nazi.
"Trump made the remarks during a trio of wide-ranging question-and-answer sessions. The president spent more than two hours over the course of the day talking to reporters, announcing during his session with Trudeau that next year's G-7 meeting — originally destined for his Doral resort in Florida, amid controversy — would be held at Camp David.
Readers are reminded Trump had previously planned to line his pockets by holding the event at one of his resorts, Doral. Reversed course after the uproar.
"While Trump did have a day of meetings planned with world leaders to review the current status on a range of issues and areas — including Syria, Iran and China — his moment on the international stage was at risk of being upstaged by the intensifying impeachment inquiry back home."
Precisely, why his sorry ass belonged in Washington, not overseas doing more damage at the NATO summit.
"The House Intelligence Committee is due to deliver to the Judiciary Committee its report on the president's dealings with Ukraine. This included witnesses testifying to the particulars of Trump freezing aid to that country while directing top lieutenants to work through his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to pressure officials in Kyiv to open investigations into the Bidens and a conspiracy theory that claimed Ukraine framed Russia for interfering in the 2016 election."
Democrats will likely rue their decision to foolishly limit the impeachment inquiry to only the above. Forget? Mueller laid out ten examples of possible obstruction of justice the 'Justice' Department disingenuously failed to prosecute due to the bogus bullshit a sitting president is above the law, that is, cannot be prosecuted. Blatant nazi justice.
"The House Judiciary Committee's first impeachment hearing is scheduled for Wednesday when Trump will be holding another day of meetings here. Trump said he and administration officials wouldn't testify in the hearings because the process isn't fair, but suggested he might when it is in the Senate. "So when it’s fair, and it will be fair in the Senate, I would love to have Mike Pompeo, I would love to have Mitch, I’d love to have Rick Perry, and many other people testify," Trump said. "I don’t want them to testify when this is a total fix.”
Jesus Christ. What a goddamned crock of shit. His equally corrupt, abusive, self-serving Republican henchmen in the Senate, who enjoy majority status, will likely place party loyalty ahead of principle.
"He added that he didn't expect the inquiry to affect his discussions at the gathering."
Already, has. LOL. Wake up.
Remains determinedly out to lunch. A disgrace, egregiously unfit for office. An out of control charlatan.
“I know most of the leaders, I get along with them. It’s a hoax. The impeachment is a hoax. It’s turned out to be a hoax. It’s done for purely political gain," Trump said. 'Very, very nasty.'
Called the truth, fool. You've made a laughing stock of yourself, and our formerly great country.
"In a sign the relationship between Trump and Macron may be souring, Trump called recent comments by the French president critiquing NATO "insulting" and a “very, very nasty statement.” Trump went on to criticize Macron’s handing of France's economy."
You should talk, Mr. Trump. The bottom of the food chain in our formerly great country remains in great distress. Middle class? Highly endangered. While you and the rest of the top of the food chain continue to line your pockets. Zero-sum, winner-take-all.
Unsustainable status quo. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted. dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. As the United States transforms from a democratic republic to a de facto fascist police-state after 9/11 to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"Macron, who will meet with Trump later in the day, recently warned European allies that they could no longer rely on America to help defend them and that “what we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO.”
Great truth to that. Increasing danger, as well.
"Trump, who as a candidate called NATO “obsolete,” once again threatened to tax French wine in retaliation for a French tax on U.S. tech companies, saying that "if anyone is going to take advantage of those companies it would be the U.S."
You're egregiously out of control, Mr. 'President.' Disgrace to yourself and our formerly great country.
“You have a very high unemployment rate in France. France is not doing well economically at all,” Trump said. He added that “they had a very rough year, and you just can't go around making statements like that about NATO. It's very disrespectful.”
Your hypocrisy is glaring, Mr. Trump. Aren't you talking about yourself, sir?
A failed presidency. The American public and world community are indeed paying the price.
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.
11-29-19
Impeachment saga continues. The Washington Post reports:
"Former White House adviser Fiona Hill testified Thursday that she had warned Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, that his efforts in Ukraine on behalf of President Trump would “blow up.” Hill, a Russia expert who reported directly to John Bolton when he was national security adviser, was testifying alongside David Holmes, a top staffer at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, before the House Intelligence Committee as part of the impeachment inquiry. Democrats are seeking information to bolster the case that Trump sought to leverage U.S. military aid to Ukraine and a White House visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky in exchange for investigations of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, among others."
ABC News reports:
"Senior White House officials, including Jared Kushner, met privately Thursday with a group of Republican senators to discuss an all-but-assured Senate impeachment trial, with participants discussing a potential two-week, abbreviated timetable for the proceedings, a senior Trump administration official told ABC News."
Surprising they'd allow that much time. LOL.
"Six Republicans, mostly from the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Chairman Lindsey Graham, John Kennedy of Louisiana and Mike Lee of Utah met with White House counsel Pat Cipollone and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, among other senior officials, who were said to be in "listening mode." "I don't know what appetite anybody has as for a long, drawn-out trial," Graham told reporters. "There is no consensus. That's just an idea," the senior administration official said about the possible trial duration, as first reported by The Washington Post. "I think two weeks was thrown out as more of an example, not a goal. It's not written on a stone tablet," one GOP aide to a meeting attendee told ABC News."
The following is extremely interesting:
"Graham said the group talked about "what happened in the House and what was the senators' view of a trial." Graham also said he wanted to make sure that the White House understood there are not enough votes to dismiss the case right out of the gate, therefore a trial is a foregone conclusion."
How about that?
"Most everyone agrees there's not 51 votes to dismiss this before the managers present their case," Graham said."
Republicans need to be most careful about how this is handled. Could cost the GOP dearly in terms of lost credibility.
"A senior administration official told ABC News of the White House meeting, "It was the beginning of a conversation and decisions on strategy will be made by one guy who was not at the meeting: the president."
... If that's the case, Trump, indeed, has a fool for a client.
NBC News reports:
"Less than 24 hours after the House wrapped up a marathon round of public impeachment hearings, President Donald Trump on Friday hit back hard, denying all wrongdoing in his dealings with Ukraine, insulting witnesses and key Democrats involved in the inquiry, and defending putting Rudy Giuliani in charge of a parallel policy process in Ukraine."
Trump clearly had his cage rattled:
"Over two weeks of public hearings, multiple witnesses told the House Intelligence Committee that Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, ran a shadow policy team with the goal of pressuring the Ukrainian government to announce investigations into Burisma — the Ukrainian gas company that Hunter Biden joined as a board member in 2014 — and debunked conspiracies that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election. Trump, however, defended his decision to put Giuliani, a private citizen, in the middle of Ukraine policy Friday, citing his experience, decades ago, in fighting corruption as a U.S. attorney and as the mayor of New York City. “Rudy is a great crime fighter,” Trump said during a telephone interview with "Fox and Friends" that stretched nearly an hour. He lauded his old friend as “the best mayor” and “a very legendary figure in our country.” “He’s also a friend of mine,” Trump added. “A great person, an iconic figure in this country.” “He’s got credentials,” the president said. “When Rudy Giuliani goes there and it’s a corrupt country, it means a lot.”
You're delusional, Mr. 'President.' Losing ground. So is Rudy:
"Two associates of Giuliani, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who helped the former mayor dig for dirt in Ukraine on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, were indicted last month on charges that they were funneling money from foreign entities to U.S. candidates in a plot to buy political influence."
Increasing desperation:
"Trump, in his interview, also rebutted the accounts of several key impeachment inquiry witnesses who testified publicly over the last two weeks — including Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, Kurt Volker, the former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, and Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine. When it came to Sondland, who’d testified that he had a direct line to Trump and that there had been clear quid pro quo effort to trade a White House meeting Ukraine wanted for investigations desired by Trump and Giuliani, Trump said Friday the allegations were “total nonsense” and that he “hardly” knows Sondland. Trump also said he didn’t know Volker, who, in revised testimony said that he came to understand that figures in the Trump administration sought an investigation into the Biden family and that they told Ukraine's government that millions in military aid depended on it. When it came to Yovanovitch — whom Trump had already debased on Twitter while she testified — he alleged that Republican lawmakers had told him he should be “kind to her” because “she’s a woman.” He also said he was angry with her because “she wouldn’t hang my picture in the (U.S.) embassy (in Ukraine).” Lawyers representing Yovanovitch said this claim is false. "The Embassy in Kyiv- hung the official photographs of the president, vice president, and secretary of state as soon as they arrived from Washington, D.C.," a person connected to her legal team said Friday. The Washington Post reported in October 2017 that the White House released its official portraits nine months after Trump was sworn in, and that the reason for the Trump administration's delay in making the images available to government offices was unclear."
Incredible, isn't it?
"Trump, in the interview, went on to slam House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who ran the public hearings, as a “sick puppy” and said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was “crazy as a bedbug.” “They tried to impeach,” Trump said. “They looked like fools.” And he wouldn’t back down from his belief in a conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election in a way that favored Hillary Clinton and hurt his campaign — a widely debunked theory that contributed to the impeachment inquiry in the first place because Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart he wanted the accusation investigated. “They have the server from the DNC,” Trump insisted about Ukraine on Friday. “And I still want to see that server.” When asked by the “Fox and Friends” hosts if he was “sure” about that claim, Trump responded, ”Well, that’s what the word is.”
NBC News reports:
"The attorney for an indicted associate of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer says his client is willing to tell Congress that Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., met with Ukraine's former top prosecutor about investigating the activities of Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. An impeachment inquiry is being conducted over allegations Trump held up aid to Ukraine to encourage its leaders to launch an investigation into Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who worked as an energy executive in that country. If true, the allegation would mean that Nunes — the chief defender of Trump as ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, which has been holding impeachment hearings for several weeks — was himself involved in the very plot the committee is investigating."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"As vice president, Joe Biden joined a chorus of global pressure for Ukraine to fire then-state prosecutor Victor Shokin. Trump and Nunes say Joe Biden wanted Shokin out to protect his son when Hunter Biden's employer, Burisma, was under suspicion."
Debunked. Repeatedly. Joe Biden executed precisely what was the policy of the U.S. Government State Department and Obama Administration. There was indeed great concern about the appearance of conflict of interest with Biden's son sitting on the board of a Ukrainian corporation.
Should indeed never have happened. What could Biden and his son possibly been thinking? At the same time, nothing came of it. Debunked. Repeatedly. No criminal activity. Should that change, would certainly be immediately reported here and elsewhere.
"Shokin himself claims he was fired at the behest of the former vice president to ease pressure on Burisma and Hunter Biden."
Again, debunked. Repeatedly. Shokin is a congenital liar. Like Trump, looks out for number one, that is, his sorry ass.
"Joseph A. Bondy, an attorney for Lev Parnas, the indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, confirmed that his client was willing to testify before Congress that Nunes met with Shokin. "I can confirm that Victor Shokin told Lev Parnas that he had met with Nunes in Vienna in late 2018, and that Derek Harvey informed that they were investigating the activities of Joe and Hunter Biden related to Burisma," Bondy told NBC News. Derek Harvey is Nunes' investigator."
Certainly, explains Nunes' repeated, exceptionally ascerbic, achingly meaningless, substanceless commentary during the impeachment inquiry. ... Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit, right, Congressman?
"The story of the offer of testimony was first reported by CNN Friday night. On Wednesday, the Daily Beast reported that Parnas himself helped to arrange meetings in Europe last year for Nunes. Nunes has been one of the president's most ardent supporters as he faces impeachment proceedings."
Unbridled Aryan arrogance:
"In a statement to Breitbart News on Friday night, Nunes called the CNN and Daily Beast reports "demonstrably false and scandalous."
Wake up, Congressman. Bullshit's not working. Making you look like a fool.
"Parnas was indicted last month for allegedly making illegal campaign contributions. He pleaded not guilty while expressing willingness to cooperate with impeachment investigators."
The Committee needs to fully explore all the above. Not rush the investigation due to the quickly approaching 2020 presidential election.
The Washington Post reports:
"A confidential White House review of President Trump’s decision to place a hold on military aid to Ukraine has turned up hundreds of documents that reveal extensive efforts to generate an after-the-fact justification for the decision and a debate over whether the delay was legal, according to three people familiar with the records."
Yet, Trump's sick sycophants can't, won't be confused by the truth.
"The research by the White House Counsel’s Office, which was triggered by a congressional impeachment inquiry announced in September, includes early August email exchanges between acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and White House budget officials seeking to provide an explanation for withholding the funds after the president had already ordered a hold in mid-July on the nearly $400 million in security assistance, according to the three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations. One person briefed on the records examination said White House lawyers are expressing concern that the review has turned up some unflattering exchanges and facts that could at a minimum embarrass the president. It’s unclear whether the Mulvaney discussions or other records pose any legal problems for Trump in the impeachment inquiry, but some fear they could pose political problems if revealed publicly."
The public is entitled to this information. Trump works for the public, -- not the other way around.
"In the early August email exchanges, Mulvaney asked acting OMB director Russell Vought for an update on the legal rationale for withholding the aid and how much longer it could be delayed. Trump had made the decision the prior month without an assessment of the reasoning or legal justification, according to two White House officials."
Not surprising coming from a national socialist, fascist dictator who delusionally believes himself above the law and U.S. Constitution.
"Emails show Vought and OMB staffers arguing that withholding aid was legal, while officials at the National Security Council and State Department protested. OMB lawyers said that it was legal to withhold the aid, as long as they deemed it a “temporary” hold, according to people familiar with the review."
... Not-so-creative parsing of language to defend the indefensible.
"Mulvaney’s request for information came days after the White House Counsel’s Office was put on notice that an anonymous CIA official had made a complaint to the agency’s general counsel about Trump’s July 25 call to Zelensky during which he requested Ukraine investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, as well as an unfounded theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. This official would later file a whistleblower complaint with the intelligence community’s inspector general, which ignited the impeachment push when its existence became public."
Fascinating, isn't it?
Equally interesting? Get this:
"The White House released the funding to Ukraine on Sept. 11. The timing has drawn scrutiny because it came two days after the House was formally alerted to a whistleblower complaint, who raised concerns about the call and whether the president was using his public office for personal political gain."
Trouble within paradise:
"The document research has only exacerbated growing tension between Cipollone and Mulvaney and their offices, with Cipollone tightly controlling access to his findings, and Mulvaney’s aides complaining Cipollone isn’t briefing other White House officials or sharing important material they need to respond to public inquiries, according to people familiar with their relationship."
Doing all they can to protect Trump's sorry ass.
NPR reports:
"On Monday, a federal judge ruled that former White House counsel Don McGahn must testify to House lawmakers who have subpoenaed him, in the face of White House orders that McGahn not comply. A federal judge in Washington has ruled that former White House counsel Don McGahn must testify to House impeachment investigators, despite orders from the Trump administration that he not cooperate with Congress. The decision by U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson clears the way for McGahn's testimony, sought by House Democrats in exploring Trump's possible obstruction of justice related to the Russia probe."
About time.
"Jackson declared in her 118-page ruling that "presidents are not kings" and that "no one is above the law." She added: "However busy or essential a presidential aide might be, and whatever their proximity to sensitive domestic and national-security projects, the President does not have the power to excuse him or her from taking an action that the law requires."
As intended by the Founders. Precisely, why they created three co-equal branches of federal government. Each, check and balance on the other.
"A lawyer for McGahn says that his client will obey the court's ruling to testify. "Don McGahn will comply with Judge Jackson's decision unless it is stayed pending appeal," McGahn's attorney William Burck tells NPR in an email. The Trump administration expressed frustration with the order, saying it "contradicts longstanding legal precedent established by administrations of both parties," according to a statement from White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham."
Indefensible bullshit.
"But Jackson said there is no legal basis of the so-called "legal precedent" the White House has been citing that presidential aides are immune from subpoenas. "Absolute testimonial immunity for senior-level White House aides appears to be a fiction that has been fastidiously maintained over time through the force of sheer repetition," the judge wrote."
No question. Courtesy of Trump and his henchmen who believe him dictator, not president of the United States.
"The ruling could have implications for other key witnesses, such as former national security adviser John Bolton, who has refused to testify until a federal court weighs in on the conflict between Congress and the White House. On Tuesday, the Trump administration filed its notice of appeal and asked the court to pause the McGahn order until the appeal is decided."
No surprise there. To be expected of a national socialist, fascist, nazi dictator.
"Democrats subpoenaed McGahn on May 21, months before the start of the impeachment inquiry. But he is now considered by impeachment investigators to be a central witness to possible instances of obstruction of justice."
Certainly, appears to be the case. Likely why White House lawyers have done all they could to stonewall, including desperate invention of non-existent juris prudence to protect their client:
"White House lawyers have said McGahn is among a small cadre of current and former senior administration officials who cannot be forced to testify about matters related to the president since doing so risks revealing information that is protected under executive privilege. At a hearing last month, a Justice Department attorney said McGahn and other former top White House aides are shielded by "absolute immunity."
The judge would have none of this bullshit:
"Yet Jackson was deeply skeptical about this argument, citing the challenge of enforcing it in light of the high rate of turnover among Oval Office aides. She suggested at the hearing that the legislature would be impeded in carrying out its basic oversight power if lawmakers could not call witnesses as part of an investigation into the president. She called the Trump administration's position that top aides are immune from testifying before Congress "peculiar."
... To say the least.
"In her ruling on Monday, Jackson said Office of Legal Counsel opinion from the White House, which Trump administration lawyers cited in defense of its "absolute immunity" argument, are not legally binding. "Thus—to be crystal clear—what is at issue in this case is solely whether senior level presidential aides, such as McGahn, are legally required to respond to a subpoena that a committee of Congress has issued, by appearing before the committee for testimony despite any presidential directive prohibiting such a response," Jackson wrote. "McGahn 'must appear before the Committee to provide testimony, and invoke executive privilege where appropriate.' "
How about that?
Here's why McGahn is so critical to the impeachment inquiry:
"McGahn was seen as the star witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. He told Mueller's investigators that Trump had ordered him to fire Mueller. McGahn told investigators that a day after the revelation broke in the press, Trump asked him to write a letter denying that the president had wanted Mueller fired. "Each time he was approached, McGahn responded that he would not refute the press accounts because they were accurate in reporting on the President's effort to have the Special Counsel removed," according to Mueller's findings. McGahn said he would rather quit than fire Mueller. McGahn stepped down as White House counsel in October 2018."
Certainly, appears honorable. Caught in a no-win debacle.
The following is short-sighted on the part of Democrats:
"As court battles wage on over witnesses, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., says lawmakers are now writing a report that summarizes key findings about Trump's alleged pressure campaign on Ukraine. In a letter on Monday to House lawmakers, Schiff said the witnesses over the past six weeks have presented "overwhelming, unchallenged, and damning" evidence that Trump abused his office by using military assistance approved by Congress to push Ukrainian authorities to open up politically beneficial investigations. "Over the course of our inquiry, we have uncovered a months-long effort in which President Trump again sought foreign interference in our elections for his personal and political benefit at the expense of our national interest," Schiff wrote. Schiff said he expects to deliver the report to the House Judiciary Committee shortly after Congress returns from Thanksgiving break. From there, the Judiciary Committee can draft articles of impeachment."
You've only scratched the surface in a rush to end the process well before the 2020 election. Clearly, a mistake. Will likely play into the hands of recalcitrant, clueless, unprincipled Republicans.
"Schiff said investigators are still open to additional hearings and witness questioning but said lawmakers would not allow what he called the White House's stonewalling of witnesses to slow down the process."
That's aggressive stupidity at its very worst. You've played into the hands of Republicans who will likely wind up successfully ramrodding the impeachment trial through the Senate where a two-thirds majority is required to convict. Highly unlikely the Democrats will be able to achieve this. Forget? They don't even enjoy a simple majority.
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.
11-29-19
Bolton saga continues. ABC News reports:
"After a more than two-month hiatus from Twitter, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton is back on the platform with a cryptic message amid the impeachment probe."
Come on, John. Cut the shit. If you've something to say, something of substance, get on with it.
“Glad to be back on Twitter
after more than two months. For the backstory, stay tuned........
—
John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) November 22, 2019"
... Give the long-suffering public a break, John. LOL.
"When asked Friday morning during a telephone interview on "Fox and Friends" whether the White House had frozen Bolton’s Twitter account, President Trump denied doing so. “No, of course not. Of course not. I actually had a good relationship with John. We disagreed on some things and some methods but I actually had a good relationship” he said."
That right, Mr. 'President?' LOL. No end to the comedy. Always good for a laugh.
"Hours after the president's interview on Fox, Bolton tweeted again writing, "We have now liberated the Twitter account, previously suppressed unfairly in the aftermath of my resignation as National Security Advisor. More to come....."
Jesus Christ. Get on with it, John. LOL. Cut the shit.
"Bolton, who abruptly resigned from his White House position in September, has been mentioned throughout the impeachment inquiry process as someone opposed to President Trump’s pressure campaign against Ukraine."
The following is most interesting:
"His return to Twitter comes a day after the explosive testimony from Fiona Hill, the former senior director for Europe and Russia on the White House’s National Security Council, who reported to Bolton. Hill testified on Thursday that Bolton told her to report to the NSC's chief lawyer what U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Guliani, were doing to pressure Ukraine. Bolton directed her, Hill said, to relay the message that he was opposed to “whatever drug deal” Sondland and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney were "cooking up."
Why play games, John? Have you lost yourself? If you've something to say, let it rip.
"Bolton has been formally requested to testify before House investigators but his legal team says he will not appear voluntarily. "I stand ready at all times to accept service of a subpoena on his behalf," his lawyer, Charles Cooper, told ABC News. House Democrats decided not to subpoena him to avoid a lengthy court fight."
Above? Result of his game playing.
"At the same time, Cooper recently sent a letter to House Democrats claiming that Bolton has firsthand knowledge of White House meetings related to Ukraine. The letter states that Bolton “...was personally involved in many of the events, meetings, and conversations about which you have already received testimony, as well as many relevant meetings and conversations that have not yet been discussed in testimonies thus far.”
You're all talk, Mr. Bolton. Where's the action? Where's your credibility? Why all the game playing? Got something of substance? Get on with it. Unless and until that happens, it's all bullshit.
The Washington Post reports:
"Former national security adviser John Bolton accused the White House on Friday of holding his personal Twitter account hostage for more than six weeks and suggested on his restored account that the Trump administration might be concerned about information he could share with his followers. Bolton returned to the platform with cryptic tweets promising “the backstory” on his social media absence. He said nothing about whether he might testify or otherwise provide information for the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump. “We have now liberated the Twitter account, previously suppressed unfairly in the aftermath of my resignation as National Security Advisor,” he wrote."
Give me a break. You're all talk, John.
“Since resigning as National Security Advisor, the @WhiteHouse refused to return access to my personal Twitter account. Out of fear of what I may say? To those who speculated I went into hiding, I’m sorry to disappoint!”
If that's the case, why not have gone immediately to the media? Exposed the shit for exactly what it is? Why play games? ... Got a book deal going?
"A senior administration official denied Bolton’s claim but did not elaborate."
Why not? Why all the game playing? Contributes to loss of all credibility.
“The White House did not block Mr. Bolton from accessing his personal Twitter account, and wouldn’t have the technical means to do so,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a former employee."
Certainly, appears someone did. Isn't the account in your name, Mr. Bolton?
"Trump denied any such action during a morning call-in interview on Fox News’s “Fox & Friends” after host Brian Kilmeade asked him, “Did you guys freeze his account?” “No, of course not,” Trump responded. “Of course not. No, I actually had a good relationship with John. We disagreed on some things and some methods, but I actually had a good relationship. No, I didn’t do that. No, I didn’t even know that.”
How could Trump freeze an account? Could he have pressured Twitter? Twitter could certainly quickly put all conjecture to rest. Why hasn't it?
"At the time of the interview, Bolton had announced his return to Twitter in a separate tweet but had not publicly accused the White House of freezing his account.
What the hell is going on here, John?
"Twitter declined to comment."
Why not? Again, what the hell is going on here?
"Bolton has rebuffed efforts by House investigators to get him to testify in the impeachment inquiry that focuses on whether Trump sought to leverage military aid and a White House meeting to get Ukraine’s new president to launch investigations into his political rivals. Bolton’s lawyer, Charles Cooper, teased this month that Bolton could have relevant information to share, saying he was “part of many relevant meetings and conversations” pertaining to the impeachment inquiry, but that he would appear before Congress only if a judge orders him to do so."
Why all the game playing, John? Makes you look like a self-serving jackass. Got a book deal going? Other wheeling and dealing?
"Other witnesses, including his former deputy for Europe, Fiona Hill, testified that Bolton was alarmed and angry over an alternate Ukraine policy that he called a “drug deal.” Bolton had continued to use his personal @AmbJohnBolton account, with nearly 800,000 followers, while he worked in the White House from April 2018 until Sept. 10, when he left over policy disputes with Trump. Bolton had used that account on Sept. 10 to dispute Trump’s assertion that he had been fired. Bolton said he resigned. Then, an unaccustomed silence followed — until Friday."
Get this:
"The White House placed restrictions on the account shortly after Bolton’s Sept. 10 tweet, and did not lift them despite repeated requests, Sarah Tinsley, director of Bolton’s political action committee, said Friday. Bolton appealed to Twitter, which restored access, Tinsley said. “In full disclosure, the @WhiteHouse never returned access to my Twitter account. Thank you to @twitter for standing by their community standards and rightfully returning control of my account,” Bolton tweeted Friday."
Come on, John. If the above is true, why wouldn't you have raised a stink publicly at the time it happened? Why all the tap dancing? Game playing? If Trump pressured Twitter, it's indeed an outrageous abuse of power. Infringement on free speech.
"It is not immediately clear how the White House would have blocked access, but the government does control all tweets sent by government employees in their official capacities. Those communications become government records, no matter whether the account sending them is an official government account or a personal one. Bolton did not seek control of his government tweets, just the account he had used before and during his tenure, said the person familiar with the issue."
Regardless, this happened after Bolton left his job. More to come as it becomes available.
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.
11-29-19
Trump has lost his mind. Continues to embrace debunked conspiracy theories. ABC News reports:
"The day after a former White House Russia expert warned about the danger of propagating a "fictional narrative" that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 presidential election, President Donald Trump went on national TV Friday and pushed that very conspiracy theory."
Pitiful. Clueless.
“A lot of it, they say, had to do they say had to with Ukraine. It is very interesting, it is very interesting, they have the server from the DNC,” the president said in a telephone interview on "Fox and Friends," espousing a debunked narrative that Ukraine was involved in a hack of the Democratic National Committee’s network in 2016. “You know, the FBI’s never gotten that server. Why did they give it to a Ukrainian company?” Trump continued. “Are you sure they did that? Are you sure they gave it to Ukraine?” anchor Steve Doocey asked. “Well, that is what the word is, and that is what I asked in my call as you know,” Trump said, referring to his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the center of the House impeachment inquiry into whether the president held up military aid to Ukraine unless and until the country agreed to announce investigations into the president’s political rivals."
Trump is dangerous. Unfit. A congenital liar.
"The president’s continued fixation on the debunked theory came the morning after former National Security Council official Fiona Hill, during her public testimony to impeachment investigators, warned that advancing the false narrative only plays into Russia’s hands. “Some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country-and that perhaps, somehow, for some reason, Ukraine did. This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves,” Hill said. “I would ask that you please not promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests.”
To date, Republicans have placed partisanship ahead of principle. Remain clueless.
"President Trump also continued to deny in his nearly-hour-long interview with Fox that there was a “quid pro quo” with Ukraine to secure an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. “It’s absolutely not true,” Trump said when asked about testimony from his Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland that there was such a "quid pro quo."
What Trump claims is simply, not true. Our delusional fuhrer remains a congenital liar. Out to lunch:
"Trump maintained his push for investigations was related to concerns about corruption in Ukraine generally and that the military aid was withheld because, he claimed, other European allies weren’t paying their fair share to support Ukraine. Even so, he then went on to rail against Joe Biden as corrupt. “Now, then you have to say, when you see Joe Biden, Joe Biden is corrupt,” Trump said. “I will tell you this about Joe Biden, I never said it specifically on him, but I watched Joe Biden with the prosecutor, who a lot of people said was a great prosecutor and they took him off.” The president is again alleging an unproven theory that Joe Biden, as vice president under President Barack Obama, pushed Ukraine to dismiss its former top prosecutor Viktor Shokin because he was looking into Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company where Biden’s son sat on the firm's board. But Biden’s push for Shokin’s dismissal also had the support of multiple Western allies, as Shokin was widely viewed as corrupt at the time."
Trump delusionally ignores that fact. Also, the fact, to date, that while the appearance alone of Hunter Biden on that Ukrainian corporate board was horrendous, there is no evidence of wrongdoing. None. Should that change, it would be quickly reported here and elsewhere.
"The president also continued to distance himself from Sondland as someone he “hardly knows” and was dismissive of his actions: “He was the European Union ambassador and all of a sudden he is working on this, asking about that.”
Disingenuous bullshit. Ignores the following:
"Sondland testified to multiple direct interactions with the president and said that he was acting on the president’s orders in working with the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to secure an announcement from Ukraine about investigations in exchange for a White House meeting. The president also accused David Holmes, a diplomat at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, of making up his sworn public testimony he gave alongside Hill Thursday regarding a phone call Holmes said he overheard between Trump and Sondland during which Holmes said he could hear Trump asking Sondland about "investigations." Trump said “that was a total phony deal.” “How about the guy with the telephone? I guarantee you that never took place,” Trump said. “I've been watching guys 40 years make phone calls and I can't hear, you could be two feet away I can't hear people making calls.”
Walls 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.
11-29-19
Israeli Prime Minister gets his. CBS News reports:
"Israel's attorney general on Thursday formally charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a series of corruption cases. The indictment throws the country's paralyzed political system into further disarray and threatening the long-time leader's grip on power. Capping a three-year investigation, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit charged Netanyahu with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three different scandals. It is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister has been charged with a crime.
"The indictment does not require Netanyahu to resign but is expected to raise pressure on him to step down. Netanyahu has called the allegations part of a witch hunt, lashing out against the media, police, prosecutors and the justice system."
Where have we heard this before? LOL. Couldn't be from our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, could it? LOL.
"The most serious charges were connected to so-called "Case 4000," in which Netanyahu is accused of passing regulations that gave his friend, telecom magnate Shaul Elovitch, benefits worth over $250 million to his company Bezeq. In return, Bezeq's news site, Walla, published favorable articles about Netanyahu and his family. The relationship, it said, was "based on a mutual understanding that each of them had significant interests that the other side had the ability to advance." It also accused Netanyahu of concealing the relationship by providing "partial and misleading information" about his connections with Elovitch. Two close aides to Netanyahu turned state's witness and testified against him in the case."
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? LOL.
"Police recommended indicting Netanyahu over accepting nearly $300,000 in gifts from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. Police say that in return for jewelry, expensive cigars and champagne, Netanyahu operated on Milchan's behalf on U.S. visa matters, tried to legislate a generous tax break for him and sought to promote his interests in the Israeli media market. Police have not commented on what Packer, who reportedly sought Israeli residency status for tax purposes, may have received, and Netanyahu has said all he received were gifts from friends. Longtime aide Ari Harow is a state witness in this case. The charges include fraud and breach of trust. Police have also recommended indicting Netanyahu for offering a newspaper publisher legislation that would weaken his paper's main rival in return for more favorable coverage. Netanyahu reportedly was recorded asking Arnon Mozes, the publisher of the Yediot Ahronot daily, for positive coverage in exchange for helping to weaken Israel Hayom, a free pro-Netanyahu newspaper that had cut into Yediot's business."
Chickens, coming home to roost.
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.
11-29-19
Barr stymied. Doesn't your heart break? LOL. NPR reports:
"A judge has blocked the U.S. government's plan to begin executing federal prisoners for the first time in nearly 20 years. U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday halting four executions set to begin next month over concerns about the government's lethal injection method. In a memorandum issued with her order, Chutkan wrote that at least one of the four death row inmates — Daniel Lewis Lee, Wesley Ira Purkey, Alfred Bourgeois and Dustin Lee Honken — was likely to succeed in his lawsuit against federal agencies. "Plaintiffs have clearly shown that, absent injunctive relief, they will suffer the irreparable harm of being executed under a potentially unlawful procedure before their claims can be fully adjudicated," the judge wrote.
"The Justice Department announced in July that it intended to resume capital punishment at the federal level. The four convicted murderers filed their complaints later that summer, joining a long-dormant lawsuit against the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. That original suit, filed in 2005 by other inmates, challenged the use of a three-drug cocktail in lethal injections. The case had been on hold since 2011, when the Obama administration effectively halted federal executions as it reviewed possible modifications to the injection protocol. Now, the four inmates — whose complaints were consolidated into a single case before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia — argue that the changes announced earlier this year violate the Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994. They say the July announcement, which outlines the use of a single drug, pentobarbital, rather than the three-drug cocktail used in many states, violates the FDPA's mandate that the federal government follow the practices of the state in which the inmate's sentence was handed down. They've got a point, according to Chutkan. "Given that the FDPA expressly requires the federal government to implement executions in the manner prescribed by the state of conviction," she wrote, "this court finds Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits as to this claim."
Get this:
"The Obama appointee also didn't buy the government's case for urgency."
For good reason:
"While the government does have a legitimate interest in the finality of criminal proceedings," Chutkan added, "the eight years that it waited to establish a new protocol undermines its arguments regarding the urgency and weight of that interest."
Moreover:
"Executions have been rare in recent decades, with only three inmates put to death by the U.S. government since the federal death penalty statute was effectively reinstated in 1988 — and none since 2003, according to the Bureau of Prisons. At the state level, meanwhile, capital punishment is legal in 29 states — though there is controversy over the means with which it is carried out. Several botched executions in recent years have raised serious questions about the effectiveness of drugs used in lethal injections."
Bottom line:
"In a statement issued Wednesday after Chutkan's decision, a lawyer for the four plaintiffs on federal death row celebrated the stay. "This decision prevents the government from evading accountability and making an end run around the courts by attempting to execute prisoners under a protocol that has never been authorized by Congress," Shawn Nolan said. "By granting the preliminary injunction, the court has made clear that no execution should go forward while there are still so many unanswered questions about the government's newly announced execution method."
The Washington Post reports:
"A federal judge late Wednesday halted the four scheduled federal executions, finding that Attorney General William P. Barr’s July proposal seeking to resume the death penalty after a 16-year moratorium appears to be at odds with federal law. The four executions were scheduled to take place in December and January 2020. But U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the District of Columbia ruled Wednesday that the inmates were likely to succeed in their argument that Barr’s proposal to execute all four men using one type of lethal injection contradicts the Federal Death Penalty Act. “Plaintiffs have clearly shown that, absent injunctive relief, they will suffer the irreparable harm of being executed under a potentially unlawful procedure before their claims can be fully adjudicated,” wrote Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment on the ruling. On Thursday, the Justice Department filed a notice of appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Shawn Nolan, an attorney for the inmates facing execution, said he had expected that the federal government would appeal. Nolan praised the judge’s decision in a statement issued after it was handed down. “This decision prevents the government from evading accountability and making an end-run around the courts by attempting to execute prisoners under a protocol that has never been authorized by Congress," Nolan said. "By granting the preliminary injunction, the court has made clear that no execution should go forward while there are still so many unanswered questions about the government’s newly announced execution method.”
Interestingly:
"Some relatives of victims in the first case with a scheduled execution have publicly asked the Justice Department not to carry out the execution. Those pleas have been echoed by public messages from hundreds of other murder victims’ relatives, current and former law enforcement officials and former judges and corrections officials, who signed onto letters asking that the executions be called off.
"The plan Barr announced included a new method of lethal injection, using a single drug -- pentobarbital -- rather than using a combination of three chemicals. The problem with this policy, Chutkan wrote, is that appears to contradict the Federal Death Penalty Act’s requirement that death row inmates be executed “in the manner prescribed by the state of conviction.” Creating a uniform federal method is “very likely” beyond the attorney general’s authority, the judge said. “The FDPA provides no exceptions to this rule,” Chutkan wrote, “and does not contemplate the establishment of a separate federal execution procedure.” In July, the Federal Bureau of Prisons also scheduled the execution of a fifth man, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit blocked his execution last month."
Get this:
"Barr’s decision over the summer to go forward with executions rattled criminal justice groups, who pointed to a nationwide decline in support for the death penalty; however, the decision drew support from victims’ advocates, who say it’s painful for families to wait years, even decades, for a sentence to be carried out."
Not satisfied until they get their 'pound of flesh.' ... How about all those innocent who have been exonerated after decades rotting on death row?
NPR reports:
"In November 1983, 14-year-old DeWitt Duckett was shot in the neck in a Baltimore high school over his Georgetown Starter jacket. Three 16-year-old boys were arrested on Thanksgiving Day 1983 and charged with the murder. Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins and Andrew Stewart were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The three, now in their 50s, were all released from prison on Monday — fully exonerated after spending 36 years incarcerated for a murder they didn't commit. "On behalf of the criminal justice system, and I'm sure this means very little to you, I'm going to apologize," Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Charles Peters said. People in the courtroom erupted in applause as he declared them innocent, The Washington Post reports."
Imagine had it been been capital murder and they had already been executed for a crime they did not commit?
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.
11-29-19
Previous edition article updated. NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will not allow the Navy to take away an emblem signifying membership in the elite SEALs unit from an officer convicted of posing with a teen ISIS fighter's corpse. "The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin. This case was handled very badly from the beginning," the tweet read. "Get back to business!"
"The
Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s
Trident Pin. This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back
to business!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2019"
No justice:
"Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher was acquitted in July by a military jury of murder and war crimes but was found guilty of posing with the corpse of the teenage fighter for the Islamic State militant group. Gallagher was ordered dropped in rank from chief to petty officer first class. But last week, Trump reversed the order, directing Gallagher's restoration as chief petty officer. Trump's order was widely reported to have created a rift with the Navy, and Tuesday night, a defense official said the service would seek to strip Gallagher and three of his supervising officers of the gold eagle Trident emblem signifying that they are members of one of the Navy's elite Special Warfare Navy Sea, Air and Land units, known as SEALs."
Clearly, our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, supports and defends war criminals.
NPR reports:
"The U.S. Navy said Thursday that it will proceed with a hearing to consider the expulsion of Special Operations Chief Eddie Gallagher from the Navy SEALs, despite his support from President Trump. Gallagher and three supervising officers were informed of the administrative review board hearing, set for Dec. 2, on Wednesday. "The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher's Trident Pin," said Trump in a tweet earlier Thursday. "This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!" The Trident Pin is a symbol of membership in the SEALs.
"In a statement issued late Thursday, Rear Adm. Charlie Brown, Chief of Information, said: "The Navy follows the lawful orders of the President. We will do so in case of an order to stop the administrative review of SOC Gallagher's professional qualification. We are aware of the President's tweet and we are awaiting further guidance." The White House didn't respond to an NPR request for comment on the tweet."
The Washington Post reports:
"Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said on Monday that he was “flabbergasted” that his Navy secretary tried to make a secret deal with the White House in which a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes could retire as a member of the elite force if President Trump stayed out of the case. The offer by Richard V. Spencer, who was ousted by Esper on Sunday, contradicted what he had told Esper and other senior defense officials in recent days: that he was considering resigning if Trump forced the issue, Esper said. Esper said that when he met with Army and Navy leaders a few weeks ago to discuss the cases of the SEAL, Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, and two U.S. soldiers, they all agreed to rely on the military’s legal system and administrative processes."
Not possible. Forget? Trump intervened as commander-in-chief. Had every right to do so, but highly ill-advised. Effectively sanctioned war crimes.
"But the defense secretary said he learned Friday from White House officials Spencer had offered an alternative that he had not run by Esper, his superior at the Pentagon. “This proposal was completely contrary to what we agreed to, and contrary to Secretary Spencer’s public position. Chairman Milley and I were completely caught off-guard, and realized that it had undermined everything we had been discussing with the president,” Esper said, referring to Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."
Highly-convoluted situation. Someone's lying. Not clear who.
"Trump intervened on behalf of Gallagher and the two other service members earlier this month despite opposition raised by military justice experts and some senior Pentagon officials."
Trump by his action, essentially, effectively sanctioned war crimes. A problem. A big problem.
"Spencer, in a letter to Trump obtained by The Post, did not mention any disagreement with Esper but said he has tried to ensure that legal proceedings were fair. “Unfortunately it has become apparent that in this respect, I no longer share the same understanding with the Commander in Chief who appointed me, in regards to the key principle of good order and discipline,” Spencer wrote. “I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took in the presence of my family, my flag and my faith to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Esper is certainly a reliable shill for his fuhrer:
"Esper said he told Trump on Saturday that he would ask for Spencer’s resignation, and that the president supported his decision. On Sunday, Trump directed Esper to allow Gallagher to retire as a SEAL, and Esper said he would do so. “While I believe strongly in process, the issue should not now be thrown into the laps of a board of senior [enlisted sailors] to sort out,” Esper said. “As professional as they are, no matter what they would decide they would be criticized from many sides, which would further drag this issue on, dividing the institution. I want the SEALs and the Navy to move beyond this now, and get fully focused on their warfighting mission.”
Delusional. Trump and Esper essentially, effectively sanctioned a war criminal. Will reek havoc within the ranks. Aggressive stupidity at its very worst.
NBC News reports:
"Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday that President Donald Trump had directed him to allow a Navy SEAL acquitted of war crimes to retire without losing his elite status. Esper told reporters during a Pentagon briefing that Trump gave him a direct order to drop disciplinary action against Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher, who was prosecuted by the Navy and later acquitted of war crimes. The decision means Gallagher will be allowed to retire without losing his gold eagle Trident emblem, which signifies that a service member is part of one of the Navy's elite Special Warfare Navy Sea, Air and Land units, or SEALs."
Besmirches all SEALs who do their jobs honorably, committed no war crimes in the process, followed all regulations.
"Gallagher's case created friction between Trump and the Navy and led to the firing of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer. Trump frequently spoke out about the case, accusing the department of mishandling disciplinary action against Gallagher. Gallagher, a decorated officer and 19-year veteran, was accused of fatally stabbing a young wounded fighter for the Islamic State militant group, posing for a picture with the corpse and shooting two civilians from a sniper's perch in Iraq in 2017. A military jury acquitted Gallagher of murder and war crimes charges in July but convicted him of having posed with the corpse of the teenage ISIS fighter. Consequently, he was demoted from chief petty office to petty officer first class. Then, earlier this month, Trump reversed the order, reinstating Gallagher as a chief petty officer. Trump has also intervened in other high-profile murder cases involving U.S. service members, dismissing charges against a Green Beret accused of killing an Afghan man, and pardoning a former Army officer serving 19 years for ordering soldiers to fire on unarmed Afghan men."
Trump has essentially, effectively sanctioned war crimes by his actions.
NPR reports:
"Richard V. Spencer has been terminated as secretary of the Navy after his handling of the case of a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes came under rebuke by the defense secretary. "Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper has asked for the resignation of Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer after losing trust and confidence in him regarding his lack of candor over conversations with the White House involving the handling of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher," the Defense Department said in a statement on Sunday. In a letter to the White House, Spencer wrote: "I hereby acknowledge my termination as U.S. Secretary of the Navy to be effective immediately. The President deserves a Secretary of the Navy who is aligned with his views for the future of the force." Gallagher is the Navy SEAL who was acquitted of murdering a wounded Islamic State militant in Iraq in 2017 but was later convicted of posing with the body of the dead prisoner.
"Earlier this month, President Trump restored Gallagher's rank after he had been demoted to petty officer first class. He also issued pardons to an Army major who faced a murder trial next year and a first lieutenant convicted in 2013 of the murder of two unarmed men in Afghanistan."
While Trump indeed has the authority to do so, it is no more than blatant sanction of war crimes.
"The president did not pardon Gallagher, but he has been insistent that he should be able to retire from the service with his Trident pin. Spencer initially thought there may have been a way that Gallagher could leave with his rank and Trident badge intact, according to a senior Defense Department official. But once President Trump got involved, the official said, it set in motion "processes that needed to go forward to maintain good order and discipline," the official said. "[Spencer] believes in the process the Navy has." "If the president had not intervened, there was a path forward to keep his Trident and retire as chief," the official said, adding that Gallagher "accepted no responsibility" and not once said he was wrong."
Aryan arrogance. Blatant.
"In a series of tweets after the Pentagon announcement on Sunday, President Trump said he was "not pleased" with how Gallagher's case was handled. "He was treated very badly but, despite this, was completely exonerated on all major charges," the president said."
The acquittal on war crimes remains highly questionable:
"I
was not pleased with the way that Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s trial was
handled by the Navy. He was treated very badly but, despite this, was completely
exonerated on all major charges. I then restored Eddie’s rank. Likewise,
large cost overruns from past administration’s.....
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2019"
The following is galling. An insult to those SEALS who commit no war crimes, follow regulations:
"Trump thanked Spencer for his service and said that Gallagher "will retire peacefully with all of the ... honors that he has earned, including his Trident Pin."
Once again, you have disgraced yourself, Mr. 'President.'
Insult to injury:
"Esper said in a statement that he was "deeply troubled" by Spencer's conduct. "Unfortunately, as a result I have determined that Secretary Spencer no longer has my confidence to continue in his position," he said. "I wish Richard well."
A raucous boot-clicking, goose-stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous, Seig Heil!, Mr. Esper?
CBS News reports:
"President Trump's Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said he was fired in the controversy over a Navy SEAL because the president gave him an order he couldn't, "in good conscience," carry out. Secretary Spencer's removal follows a dispute that began when the president reversed the Navy's demotion of Edward Gallagher, who was convicted of posing for a photo with a dead ISIS fighter in Iraq. Gallagher was also accused of murdering a prisoner of war, but was acquitted of that charge. In a statement, Spencer's boss, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, said he fired Spencer "after losing trust and confidence in him regarding his lack of candor."
Here's the problem:
"Either way, the case of the Navy vs. Edward Gallagher has now turned into a full-scale fiasco, complete with conflicting accounts of why the Navy secretary had to go, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.
"Last week, the president tweeted that "The Navy will not be taking Gallagher's Trident pin" – the symbol of his status as an elite Navy SEAL. In a press conference Monday, Esper confirmed that the president ordered him to let Gallagher keep his Trident pin. Spencer said he needed to see an order in writing from the president before stopping Gallagher's appearance before a review board that could have kicked him out of the elite unit. "If the president requests to stop the process, the process stops," Spencer said. But Spencer's resignation letter made it sound like he was fired before he could embarrass the president by resigning on principle. He wrote: "I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took."
How about that?
"That capped a day in which Gallagher appeared on Fox News and made openly insubordinate statements about his superior officers: "This is all about ego and retaliation. This has nothing to do with good order and discipline," he said. It didn't end well for Spencer, but it did for Gallagher. Secretary Esper has directed that Gallagher be allowed to keep his Trident. And in a statement to Fox News last night, Gallagher thanked the president for stepping in multiple times and "correcting all the wrongs" done to him."
Jesus Christ. Our formerly great country has indeed lost itself. Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the delusional world of 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.
11-29-19
Trump figuratively, consistently talks out both sides his clueless ass. Consider the following. NPR reports:
"President Trump said Friday he supports pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong. But he stopped short of saying he would sign legislation requiring sanctions against China for any crackdown on the Hong Kong protesters."
Gutless. Abject bullshit. Has again disgraced himself and our formerly great country:
"We have to stand with Hong Kong, but I'm also standing with President Xi," Trump said in an interview on Fox News program Fox and Friends. "He's a friend of mine."
You've lost your mind, Mr. 'President.' Not fit for office.
"The U.S. House and Senate this week passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act with overwhelming, veto-proof support. The bill calls for stripping Hong Kong of its preferential trade status if China fails to maintain the freedoms guaranteed the former British colony when Beijing took over more than two decades ago."
That was a gutless mistake made by the British. Hong Kong should have been granted independence. Guarantied by the UN, United States, Europe, NATO, the world community, etc. All of what's currently transpiring could have been avoided had the world community indeed stood tall all those years ago.
"Now, it heads to Trump's desk as the U.S. and China attempt to broker a mini trade deal that would boost China's purchases of American farm goods. The talks have stumbled over how much tariff relief the Trump administration is willing to grant China."
Time for Congress to courageously stand tall and reign in the Trump nazi and his insanity.
"If no deal is reached by mid-December, the administration is preparing to impose new tariffs on another $160 billion worth of Chinese imports, including popular consumer items such as cell phones and laptops. "The bottom line is we have a very good chance to make a deal," Trump said Friday, calling the Hong Kong protests a "complicating factor." China could withdraw from the talks if Trump signs the Hong Kong bill."
Trump is increasingly insane. Continues to talk out both sides his clueless ass:
"I stand with Hong Kong. I stand with freedom," Trump said. "But we are also in the process of making the largest trade deal in history. And if we could do that, that would be great."
Crock of shit. Abject insanity. Here's the truth:
"In fact, the mini deal under negotiation would provide limited trade gains, while postponing action on the major structural issues that prompted Trump to launch the trade war with China more than a year ago."
The American public is dearly paying for it. Certainly, not the Trump nazi, his henchmen, as well as the top of the food chain.
"Trump said in the interview that his relationship with China's president has prevented Xi Jinping from taking a harder line against the Hong Kong protests."
Didn't have to. Disingenuous bullshit. Hong Kong law enforcement is already doing that for him.
"He's got a million soldiers standing outside of Hong Kong that aren't going in only because I asked him, 'Please don't do that. You'll be making a big mistake.'" Trump said. "It's going to have a tremendous negative impact on the trade deal, and he wants to make a trade deal."
You're hopelessly delusional, Mr. 'President.' The American public continues to pay dearly for your insanity.
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump suggested Friday that he might veto legislation designed to support pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong — despite its near-unanimous support in the House and Senate — to pave the way for a trade deal with China. Speaking on the “Fox & Friends” morning program, the president said that he was balancing competing priorities in the U.S.-China relationship. “We have to stand with Hong Kong, but I’m also standing with President Xi [Jinping]; he’s a friend of mine. He’s an incredible guy, but we have to stand … I’d like to see them work it out, okay?” the president said. “I stand with freedom, I stand with all of the things that I want to do, but we are also in the process of making one of the largest trade deals in history. And if we could do that, it would be great.”
You've lost your mind, Mr. 'President.' Not thinking straight.
"The House on Wednesday passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act by a vote of 417 to 1. The lone holdout was Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). That came one day after the Senate had approved the measure on a unanimous vote. The veto-proof majorities indicate that Congress could overrule the president if he tries to block the bill from becoming law. “If he does veto this bill, sacrificing American values in the process, Congress should immediately and overwhelmingly override,” tweeted Scott Paul, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, who has often backed Trump’s trade policies. Once a bill is passed by both chambers of Congress, the president has 10 days to sign it into law or veto it. If he does neither, it will become law automatically. That means Trump has until after Thanksgiving to make a decision. The legislation authorizes sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials involved in human rights abuses and requires the State Department to conduct an annual review of the special autonomous status that the U.S. grants Hong Kong in trade matters."
CBS News reports:
"President Trump claimed that he is preventing Hong Kong from being "obliterated" by China, saying that he told Chinese President Xi Jinping not to send soldiers into Hong Kong because it would affect ongoing trade negotiations with the U.S. "If it weren't for me, Hong Kong would've been obliterated in 14 minutes," Trump said in a wide-ranging interview with "Fox & Friends" on Friday morning. He added that Xi has "got a million soldiers standing outside of Hong Kong that aren't going in only because I asked him, 'Please don't do that, it's going to make a tremendous negative impact on the trade deal.'"
Lost your mind, Mr. 'President.'
"Hong Kong has been embroiled in months of increasingly violent protests, as pro-democracy demonstrators demand the right to elect their own leaders without interference from Beijing. After more than 150 years as a British colony, Hong Kong was returned to Chinese control in 1997, but many Hong Kong residents believe that the partial autonomy granted by China does not provide them with enough freedoms."
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.
11-29-19
Our former governor has lost his mind. CBS News reports:
"Outgoing Energy Secretary Rick Perry says he told the president recently that he was the "chosen one" sent to accomplish God's plan. Perry recalled the conversation in an interview aired partially on "Fox and Friends" over the weekend."
Where did you lose yourself, Rick? Your head, figuratively, remains securely lodged up your sorry ass.
Gets worse. More delusional:
"God's used imperfect people all through history. King David wasn't perfect. Saul wasn't perfect. Solomon wasn't perfect. And I actually gave the president a little one-pager on those Old Testament kings about a month ago," Perry said in the clip played over the weekend, referencing biblical kings who were accused of everything from adultery to ordering murders."
Insanity. Raging. Again, Rick, where did you lose yourself?
Gets worse. Far worse:
"And I shared it with him, I said, 'Mr. President, I know there are people that say you know you said you were the chosen one.' And I said, 'you were.' I said, if you're a believing Christian you understand God's plan for the people who rule and judge over us on this planet in our government."
Wake up, Rick. You protect and defend a national socialist, fascist, nazi dictator following in the steps of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
"Fox News' Ed Henry, who interviewed Perry, noted Perry also said former President Obama was chosen."
That why you didn't support his policies, Rick? LOL. Give me a break. You're determinedly shameless, Mr. Perry. Worse? Achingly, clueless. A walking, talking contradiction. LOL.
"Perry becomes just the latest to point to Mr. Trump as divinely chosen. Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders drew headlines in January when she said God "wanted" Mr. Trump to be president."
Sick religion. Used to justify the unjustifiable.
"The comment from Perry touches on a theological divide among Christians — between those who believe God specifically chooses a political leader, like Mr. Trump, and those who believe God knows who the next political leader will be and can use them to further divine purposes, but doesn't necessarily prefer or pick that leader."
Spirituality is indeed a good thing when not used to justify the unjustifiable. Particularly, a problem for national socialist, fascist, achingly clueless Republican nazis. -- Who clearly take great pleasure and solace in bastardizing the teachings of Christ for political gain. -- Not that Democrats are worth a shit. Certainly, not after 9/11.
That is, support by both major political parties of the outrageously unconstitutional USA 'Patriot' Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, 'Real' Id Act, and all other legislation passed into law effectively destroying any semblance of a democratic republic as envisioned by the Founders.
This, after the State Department failed to do full background checks on the 9/11 terrorists, ignored warnings from the flight schools they wished to learn only how to fly straight and level, not take off and land. Coupe de grace? Worse?
Both major political parties egregiously failed to uphold their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution. Massive failure of government both before and after the catastrophe. Precisely, why we remain a democratic republic in name only. In reality, a fascist police-state. Now, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"Perry notified Mr. Trump in October that he plans to resign by the end of the year. Perry has said his departure has nothing to do with the Ukraine scandal he has emerged as a player in recent weeks."
Certainly, part of the problem, however. Aided and abetted the Trump nazi.
No credibility. A walking contradiction:
"Perry was a rival and critic of the president during the primaries leading up to last year's election. During a speech in Washington in July 2015, Perry said, "Let no one be mistaken - Donald Trump's candidacy is a cancer on conservatism, and it must be clearly diagnosed, excised and discarded."
Hypocrisy is indeed alive and well in our formerly great country. Think the Creator is pleased?
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.
11-29-19
The following is frightening. White nationalism, i.e. nazism, remains alive and well in the White House. NPR reports:
"For almost three decades, Jared Taylor has been publishing his ideas about race at the American Renaissance magazine and now at a website called AmRen, which is considered a mouthpiece for white supremacist ideology. "The races are not identical and equivalent," says Taylor, who calls himself a "race realist" and rejects the white supremacist label. "There are patterns of difference. But this is now something that's considered a huge, hateful taboo in the United States." The website is not well-known outside of white nationalist circles — but it found an audience in White House adviser Stephen Miller. Miller has recommended articles on AmRen and another white nationalist site called VDARE. We know this because the Southern Poverty Law Center has uncovered hundreds of emails that Miller wrote to a reporter at Breitbart News before he worked in the White House. Civil rights activists and more than 100 members of Congress — all Democrats — have called for Miller's resignation since the publication of the emails. But the White House is standing behind him. And Republicans have been largely silent."
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.
11-22-19
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.
More of the same. Legalized murder. The Washington Post reports:
"Two U.S. Park Police officers who fatally shot unarmed motorist Bijan Ghaisar in 2017 will not be charged with any crimes in connection with the incident, federal prosecutors said Thursday. The decision came just days before the two-year anniversary of the slaying. Officers Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vinyard pursued Ghaisar down the George Washington Memorial Parkway shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 17, 2017, after he left the scene of a fender bender in Alexandria."
Never, ever, never run from law enforcement. Grants the criminal jackbooted bastards carte blanche to murder with impunity.
"Ghaisar, 25, briefly stopped twice and then drove away, video released by Fairfax County police shows. After a third stop, Ghaisar again pulled away as Vinyard and Amaya aimed their guns at him, the video shows, and the officers fired nine times into Ghaisar’s Jeep."
Judge, jury, executioners. Legalized murder.
"In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District, which has been investigating the case, said they “cannot prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the two USPP officers committed willful violations of the applicable federal criminal civil rights statute when they shot Mr. Ghaisar.”
Jesus Christ. The jackbooted motherf--kers weren't charged with murder. Clearly, murder has been effectively legalized for the jackbooted bastards in blue.
Insult to injury? Height of nazi Aryan arrogance? Get this:
"The Park Police never explained why the officers shot Ghaisar. Police also did not publicly identify the officers; their names were revealed in a civil lawsuit filed by the Ghaisar family in federal court in Alexandria. In that civil suit, the officers contend they fired in self-defense. Video shows Park Police fired nine shots into Bijan Ghaisar’s Jeep at close range, killing him."
Criminal jackbooted murderers.
"Ghaisar’s family, with the support of Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and others, had repeatedly pressed for details of the investigation in the months and years following the shooting. Family and friends demonstrated outside the Justice Department repeatedly and outside the Interior Department. They are planning a vigil at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday to mark the second anniversary of Ghaisar’s death."
... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms all across our formerly great country.
"The shooting also prompted legislation that would require federal officers to wear body cameras."
Why wasn't the above already the law?
"The family was notified of the decision in a letter hand-delivered to their lawyer, Roy Austin, shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday, Austin said. The Ghaisars, who appeared earlier in the day with Warner on the Kojo Nnamdi radio show on WAMU-FM, were preparing a statement. Ghaisar was an accountant with no criminal history, born and raised in Northern Virginia. He graduated from Langley High School and Virginia Commonwealth University, lived by himself in an apartment in Tysons Corner and worked for his father’s accounting firm in McLean. He was single with no children. Ghaisar’s family said he was shot four times in the head. The Park Police waited five hours before notifying Ghaisar’s parents he’d been shot, and they did not tell them who was involved, the Ghaisars said. No weapon was found in Ghaisar’s Jeep."
How can there be any faith and trust in law enforcement?
"Ghaisar lived for ten days before he was removed from life support on Nov. 27, 2017, in the same hospital where he was born."
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 eighty 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.
11-22-19
Both major political parties? Out to lunch. NBC News reports:
"A White House lawyer won Senate confirmation as a federal appeals court judge Thursday despite complaints by lawmakers from both parties about his record on immigration, race, women’s equality and LGBTQ rights."
How does that happen? How?
"Steven Menashi, an associate White House counsel, was confirmed by a 51-41 vote for a seat on the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Maine Sen. Susan Collins was the sole Republican to oppose Menashi, a 40-year-old New Yorker who has never tried a case or argued an appeal."
How is he qualified?
"Sasha J. Buchert, senior attorney at Lambda Legal, an LGBTQ legal advocacy group, called Menashi "one of President Trump’s most dangerous and alarming judicial nominees to date." "Mr. Menashi’s disqualifying record is not only plagued with bias against LGBT rights, but he also has actively undermined the rights of immigrants, women, students, and other vulnerable groups throughout his career," Buchert wrote. "This record clearly demonstrates that he would be unable to administer fair and impartial justice."
How could Democrats, in effect, support this guy by not walking out the Senate in protest before the vote? For decades, they've fought against nominations of bigoted, biased, narrow-minded candidates. Why the change? Why roll over? Why not make a public spectacle by walking out in protest?
"Lambda Legal pointed to a letter the group signed along with 20 other LGBTQ advocacy organizations opposing Menashi's confirmation. Among the groups' concerns was how Menashi “unambiguously asserted his opposition” to same-sex marriage ahead of the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, a landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage across the U.S. Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said Menashi is "yet another extremist" appointee and said he has "used whatever platform he’s handed — from his college newspaper, to legal publications, to a seat at the table at the White House — to undermine our community’s fight for equality."
Sad, isn't it? Why undermine equality? To what end? For what purpose? To force one's beliefs on another? As long as its two consenting adults, who cares?
"Republicans and Democrats complained that Menashi failed to answer questions at his nomination hearing, and Collins joined Democrats in criticizing Menashi’s record on a range of issues, including immigration, race, women’s equality and LGBTQ rights."
Then why confirm him? Why add to the misery already suffered by the LGBTQ community? To what end?
"Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York called Menashi a “disgrace” and ''one of the most contemptible nominees to come before the Senate” in more than 20 years. As a lawyer for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Menashi “helped cook up an illegal scheme to use the Social Security data of students swindled by for-profit colleges in order to deny them debt relief,’’ Schumer said, noting that a federal judge ruled the plan violated federal privacy laws."
If so, why wasn't he criminally prosecuted? Why no equal justice? Ferociously pointedly, why two systems of justice? That is, one for the top of the food chain, the other for the rest of us.
There are no truly effective privacy laws in our formerly great country. While far from perfect, Europe does a far better job.
"Schumer, who has railed against many judicial appointments by President Donald Trump, said Menashi stands out as extreme, unqualified and “almost craven. If there was ever anyone who was too far, it’s Menashi.’’
So what else is new? Why didn't Democrats walk out the Senate in protest before the vote? Do so every time a poorly-qualified candidate is up for a vote.
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Menashi an “impressive nominee,’’ citing his degrees from Dartmouth College and Stanford Law School, clerkships for federal judges including Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, and experience teaching and practicing law."
He's a goddamned homophobic nazi, Senator. How does that qualify him to sit in judgment of anyone or anything else? Wake up, Mitch, your ignorance is appalling, achingly pathetic. Worse? Heartrending. Where did you lose yourself, sir?
"Other Republicans were more skeptical. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Menashi “has written some really weird stuff” and is “different than I would have chosen,” but is qualified for the federal bench."
How so, Senator? Because you say so, sir? Because he's a Republican national socialist, a fascist, Mr. Graham?
"Graham was one of several senators who expressed frustration at Menashi’s refusal to answer questions about his record at the White House and the Education Department during his confirmation hearing in September."
Surprised? Why?
"Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the committee’s top Democrat, said Menashi’s silence made it difficult for senators to fulfill their constitutional role to provide advice and consent on presidential nominees."
Then, again, why didn't you and others walk out the Senate in protest? All talk. No action. Pitiful.
"She and other Democrats were especially unhappy about Menashi’s role in denying debt relief to thousands of students swindled by for-profit colleges. “Mr. Menashi should not be rewarded for providing such bad legal advice with a lifetime appointment to the federal bench,’’ Feinstein said."
No kidding. Yet, Democrats gutlessly failed to walk out in protest. Failed to be as royal a pain in the ass as possible.
"Menashi’s “troubling record of undermining critical rights and questions surrounding his involvement in Secretary DeVos’s shameful efforts to ignore the law” disqualify him from a lifetime judgeship, added Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash."
Then, why didn't you walk out the Senate in protest just before the vote?
"Collins said Menashi’s past writings, particularly about women, LGBTQ advocates and racial diversity, raise questions about whether he has the appropriate judicial temperament."
All the more reason you and others should have walked out the Senate in protest at the time of the vote.
Gets worse. Get this:
"Collins, one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents next year, said it was inappropriate for Menashi to refuse to answer questions about his work in the Trump administration during his confirmation hearing."
Jesus Christ. Unbelievable. All the more reason to have walked out the Senate in protest just before the vote. Sent a clear message. Drawn public attention to the abject f--king about to happen.
“His reluctance to answer questions about the family separation policy made it difficult for me to assess his record and impeded my constitutional duty to evaluate his fitness to serve as a judge,’’ she said in a statement. “After careful consideration ... I do not believe he is well-suited to serve on the federal bench.”
All the more reason you should have walked out in protest. Been as big a pain in the ass as possible. Heroically, sent a message to your fellow Republicans.
"Menashi is among more than 150 federal judges nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate, including at least 46 appeals court judges. About one-quarter of federal appeals court judges were nominated by Trump."
The damage done by the Trump nazi vis a vis this issue will last a lifetime. Could wind up in the unthinkable, unwanted, -- a second American revolution.
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.
11-22-19
Trump's lackey gets his. Doesn't your heart bleed? NBC News reports:
"Republican operative Roger Stone was found guilty Friday of all seven counts against him, including witness tampering and making false statements."
How about that? Finally, some small semblance of justice as our formerly great country continues to nazify under Trump.
"Prosecutors portrayed Stone, 67, as a serial liar who tried to bully witnesses into not cooperating with authorities. They charged Stone, a confidant of President Donald Trump, with making false statements, obstruction and witness tampering in a case that was an offshoot of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation."
... Sounds like a 'chip off the old block,' doesn't he? LOL.
"Stone is the sixth Trump aide or adviser to be convicted of charges brought as part of Mueller's probe."
Again, doesn't your heart break?
"His sentencing was set for Feb. 6, and he faces up to 20 years in prison. The jury deliberated for two days."
Tough, isn't it?
Height of hypocrisy? Get this:
"Trump tweeted shortly after the verdict was announced, asking "what about" Hillary Clinton, James Comey, House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff and others. "Didn't they lie?"
"So
they now convict Roger Stone of lying and want to jail him for many years
to come. Well, what about Crooked Hillary, Comey, Strzok, Page, McCabe,
Brennan, Clapper, Shifty Schiff, Ohr & Nellie, Steele & all of
the others, including even Mueller himself? Didn’t they lie?....
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2019"
Nowhere near like you no matter what, Mr. Trump. Some of them didn't lie at all. -- Unlike the congenital liar now residing in the Oval Office, Mr. 'President.' How do you know a congenital liar is lying? His lips move.
"The colorful trial in Washington lasted nearly two weeks and featured references to "The Godfather Part II," threats of dognapping, complaints of food poisoning and a gag order."
Got what he deserved. Convicted. Be interesting to see if Trump pardons him after sentencing. ... Before? 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.
11-22-19
Sadly, more of the same from Trump. The Washington Post reports:
"Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch told lawmakers Friday that when she read how President Trump had talked about her to his Ukrainian counterpart in a July phone call — saying ominously that “she’s going to go through some things” — the color drained from her face. “It sounded like a threat,” she said. Even as Yovanovitch testified, the president continued to go after her, writing on Twitter, “Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad.” The president’s denigration of a widely respected Foreign Service officer — while she calmly but forcefully denounced his earlier attacks against her — drew widespread criticism, with many Democratic lawmakers calling it witness intimidation."
Precisely, what it is. Indicative of Trump's increasing discomfort as the walls close in during the impeachment inquiry.
"House Intelligence committee chairman Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) told reporters during a break in the hearing that the nation had seen “witness intimidation in real time” by the president."
Indeed.
"Conservatives also criticized his tweet."
For good reason.
"Speaking on Fox News, former independent counsel Ken Starr, a frequent Trump defender, said the president “was not advised by counsel in deciding to do this tweet. Extraordinarily poor judgment.”
No question.
"Yovanovitch also described in detail how it felt to read a rough transcript was published of Trump’s July phone call with new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in September — and to learn that the two world leaders had discussed her. On the call, Trump called Yovanovitch “bad news” and then ominously added, “She’s going to go through some things.”
Trump is unfit.
"Yovanovitch testified that when she first read those words, a friend who was with her at the time told her she looked stricken. “I even had a physical reaction,” she said. “Even now, words kind of fail me.” She said Trump’s statements sounded like “a vague threat, so I wondered what that meant.” “I[t] didn’t sound good,” she said. “That the president of the United States would talk about any ambassador like that to a foreign head of state. And it was me! I couldn’t believe it.”
Trump was far from finished:
"Even as she spoke, back at the White House, where aides said Trump did not plan to watch the proceedings, Trump was tweeting. “She started off in Somalia, how did that go?” Trump added, referring one of the numerous hardship postings the veteran diplomat held in her 33-year career. “Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him,” Trump continued. “It is a U.S. President’s absolute right to appoint ambassadors.”
At the very least, Trump has no class. No respect for women or anyone else for that matter. Only himself. Pitiful.
"Back in the hearing room, Schiff informed Yovanovitch the president had been tweeting about her, even as she spoke, and said he wished to give her an opportunity to respond. She at first appeared taken aback. Schiff began to read aloud. A small smile crept onto Yovanovitch’s face, as she heard the president had blamed her for troubles in war-torn Somalia. “I don’t think I have such powers,” she replied. “Not in Mogadishu, Somalia. Not in other places.” She went on to say she believes she and other U.S. diplomats have made things “demonstrably better” in the nations where they have served, particularly in Ukraine, which she said has made strides in strengthening democratic institutions in recent years. But, she testified, the president’s attacks carried weight."
Trump remains increasingly out of control. Presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties as our formerly great country transforms from a democratic republic to a de facto fascist police-state. Trump's Fourth Reich.
“It’s very intimidating,” she said. “I can’t speak to what the president is trying to do. But I think the effect is to be intimidating.”
Clearly, the intent.
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.
11-22-19
Trump and his henchmen can't seem to get their story straight. NPR reports:
"President Trump on Friday released the rough transcript of a brief, 16-minute congratulatory conversation he had on April 21 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, timed to coincide with the beginning of the second day of open hearings in the House impeachment inquiry. It's the second such transcript released by the White House. In September, Trump released the rough transcript of his July 25 phone call with Zelenskiy, which is at the heart of the Democrats' impeachment push. The White House has said releasing the transcripts shows Trump had nothing to hide."
Here's the problem:
"But the rough transcript of the April 21 call differs significantly from the way the White House had initially described the conversation on the day that it happened."
Couldn't be, could it? LOL.
"The White House said in a statement to reporters on April 21 that Trump had emphasized U.S. support for Ukraine, which has been fighting over territory with Russia, and referred to Ukraine's effort to address corruption. In the rough transcript, Trump mentions neither of those issues."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the discrepancy between its April 21 press statement and the rough transcript released on Friday."
Surprised?
"Phone calls between U.S. presidents and foreign leaders are not recorded, but the White House develops a rough transcript of the call using automated transcription software and note takers who try to make the record as accurate and complete as possible. It is rare for these records to be released publicly. At the impeachment hearing, Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, read the rough transcript out loud so that it became part of the public record."
An exceptionally poor part of the public record. Nowhere near the efficacy of an audio recording.
"The White House has not yet explained the discrepancy between the rough transcript and its statement to the press on April 21, describing the call."
What could it say? Trump was caught in yet another lie.
Insult to injury? Full of himself, full of shit:
"In order to continue being the most Transparent President in history,
I will be releasing sometime this week the Transcript of the first, and
therefore most important, phone call I had with the President of Ukraine.
I am sure you will find it tantalizing!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2019"
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. Trump has lost his mind.
Kevin Liptak and Marshall Cohen of CNN report:
"The White House hopes to show that there was nothing untoward in the US-Ukraine relationship by releasing a rough transcript of President Donald Trump's first call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But nobody had accused Trump of doing anything wrong in that initial, congratulatory call. And the transcript raises a few questions that deserve further scrutiny. Here's a breakdown of three discrepancies. In the phone call, Trump said he would look into attending Zelensky's inauguration, and promised that "at a minimum" the US would send a "very, very high level" official to the event in May. Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to attend, but his participation was scrapped, for reasons that aren't entirely clear. Instead, the delegation was led by Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and was joined by then-US Special Envoy for Ukraine and US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. Those three men were referred to as the "Three Amigos," who coordinated with Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on his shadow foreign policy. The whistleblower complaint mentioned this, raising concerns that Trump may have blocked Pence from attending until his team figure out Zelensky would "play ball" on launching investigations into Biden."
Second discrepancy:
"In the call, there is no mention of corruption -- despite a White House readout released on the day of the call, saying the issue arose. And Trump administration officials later claimed that corruption was a persistent issue in Ukraine that Trump was intent on rooting out, begging the question why he didn't bring it up in his first conversation with Zelensky.
"In defending Trump against accusations of a quid pro quo, Republicans have repeatedly said rooting out corruption was a top priority of the President's. But in the phone call, it doesn't arise."
Third discrepancy:
"Trump is effusive in his praise of Zelensky in the phone call -- which doesn't reflect the skepticism Republicans have claimed led to a hold on US military aid over the summer. Trump tells Zelensky: "I have many friends in Ukraine who know you and like you." But Republicans, in defending Trump's move to freeze the aid, have said the administration wanted to ensure the new Ukrainian government was up to snuff. The White House has also defended the aid holdup by saying they needed time to certify that Zelensky's administration was not corrupt, like past Ukrainian leaders. "When it came time to check out this new guy, President Trump said, 'Let's just see, let's just see if he's legit,' So, for 55 days, we checked him out," Rep. Jim Jordan, a top Republican defender of Trump, said during Wednesday's hearing. Jordan later tweeted: "During that time, we verified that President Zelensky was the real deal." But in the phone call, it looked like Trump was already convinced that Zelensky was the "real deal." "We're with you all the way," Trump told him."
Fascinating, isn't it? Absolutely, riveting. Duplicity, inconsistencies, contradictions? Off the chart.
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.
11-22-19
None of the traditional quasi 'independence' between the president and the 'Justice' Department. ABC News reports:
"Attorney General Bill Barr on Friday delivered one of his most effusive defenses to date of his expansive views on executive power, in a speech where he accused Democrats who've sought to thwart President Donald Trump's agenda of "using every tool and maneuver to sabotage" the administration."
One national socialist, fascist, nazi aiding and abetting yet another in our formerly great country. Pitiful.
"In waging a scorched-earth, no-holds-barred war of Resistance against this administration, it is the Left that is engaged in a systematic shredding of norms and undermining the rule of law," Barr said in a speech to conservative lawyers at the Federalist Society's convention in Washington."
Another clueless fascist desperately, traitorously, treasonously emulating Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini.
"Barr went into detail as he assailed the self-described "Resistance" to Trump, accusing them of adopting "dangerous" and "incendiary" language by implying the sitting government is illegitimate. "This is a very dangerous and indeed incendiary notion to import into the politics of a Democratic republic," Barr said. "The fact is, that, yes, while the president has certainly thrown out the traditional beltway playbook and punctilio, he was upfront about what he was going to do and the people decided that he was going to serve as president."
Wake up, Mr. Attorney General. This country is no longer a democratic republic as intended by the Founders. In name only. No longer in reality. Certainly, not since both Democrats and Republicans perniciously, gutlessly, aggressively stupidly passed the USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, etc., after 9/11. -- Doing so after our government failed to do full background checks on the hijackers, ignored warnings from the flight school the bastards wished only to learn how to fly straight and level, not take off and land.
Your pernicious use of a large 'D' rather than a small one in your phrase "Democratic republic" is highly indicative of your intentional, determined distortion of reality and history to disingenuously bash the equally clueless Democrats is highly indicative of a nazi ideology. The majority of voters did not elect this fascist piece of human excrement. The Electoral College did. Certainly, did not represent the majority of voters in our formerly great country, Mr. Attorney General.
While the Electoral College was certainly necessary at the time of the founding of our formerly great nation, it no longer is. Conveniently, forget? Communication is now nearly instantaneous, highly reliable with rare exception unlike back in 1776. Time to amend the Constitution. No need for this obsolete institution (Electoral College) that currently allows the most unfit to more easily attain the presidency.
Equally fascinating? Ironic? Get this:
"The remarks came just hours after prosecutors from Barr's Justice Department secured yet another conviction of one of the president's past informal campaign advisers, Roger Stone, on seven criminal counts that included lying to congressional investigators who were probing Russian interference in the 2016 election."
Ironic, most telling, isn't it? Yet, the Attorney General's remarks are another clear example of the pernicious rise of fascism in our formerly great country. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
Delusional mark of a national socialist, fascist? Get this:
"Throughout the hour-long speech, Barr took shots at the legislative and judicial branches for what he described as years of "encroachment" on the powers of the executive, blaming a "knee-jerk tendency [among Democrats and the media] to see the legislative and judicial branches as the good guys, protecting the people from a rapacious, would-be autocrat."
You give the fascist bastard too much credit, Mr. Barr. His head remains figuratively, securely lodged up his clueless ass, sir. Just like yours.
A further example of equally delusional, achingly clueless fascists just like you, sir:
"Barr earned cheers from the crowd as he repeatedly excoriated, and at times mocked, critics of the "unitary executive" theory, embraced by Barr and others in conservative legal circles who argue for fewer restraints to a president's exercise of his executive power."
Barry Goldwater, William Buckley, and others back in the Sixties were conservatives. Not so current Republicans who have determinedly, concertedly, deliberately crossed the line. These present day nazis are caustically reminded Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler was the most effective, most highly efficient form of government, -- at the same time, most abusive, most evil, most murderous regime certainly at that particular point in history.
Amazing how clueless an Extreme Right shyster can be defending the indefensible:
"One of the more amusing aspects is these breathless attacks on the unitary executive theory -- ah!" Barr said, adopting a ghoul-like accent to mimic critics."
Jesus Christ. Have you lost your mind, Mr. Attorney General? Certainly, have ignored your falsely sworn oath of office, sir. No more than a treasonous piece of human excrement. A nazi.
"Barr specifically cited what he argued were Congress' overly burdensome demands for documents, which he alleged is intended to "incapacitate" the administration rather than exercise oversight."
Re-read the United States Constitution, Mr. Attorney General. Apparently, you haven't done so in quite some time. Or, worse yet, delusionally attempt to bastardize it to fit your outrageously perverse embrace of fascism, sir.
Have you indeed lost your mind, Mr. Attorney General? Get this:
"I don't deny that Congress has some implied authority," Barr said, "but the sheer volume of what we see today in the pursuit of scores of parallel investigations through an avalanche of subpoenas is plainly designed to incapacitate the executive branch and indeed is touted as such."
You're delusional, Mr. Barr. Clearly, you have no ability to sanely defend the indefensible. Worse? Just like your fuhrer, the Trump nazi, you have no grasp on reality, sir. Trump is delusional. So are you, Mr. Attorney General. So are others who 'think' like you, subscribe to your perverse ideology.
Trump is responsible for all that is currently happening to him. Brought all this on himself. The majority of Americans will never accept a nazi in the Oval Office. The Electoral College certainly did not reflect the will of the majority of the voters in our formerly great country. ... Hear the rumble, sir?
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.
11-22-19
Ongoing impeachment saga. NPR reports:
"A State Department aide testifying behind closed doors on Friday confirmed to House impeachment investigators that he overheard President Trump asking a top U.S. diplomat about political investigations that he was seeking from the president of Ukraine. The official, David Holmes, was the aide mentioned Wednesday by William Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, as having overheard a phone call between Gordon Sondland, the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, and Trump. According to Taylor's testimony, a member of his staff — later identified as Holmes — was with Sondland in Kiev when he overheard Sondland speaking to Trump on July 26, a day after the call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that sparked the impeachment inquiry. Holmes, according to Taylor, could hear Trump on the phone asking Sondland "about the investigations," and Sondland told the president the Ukrainians "were ready to move forward."
Walls closing in.
"In his statement, Holmes said that Sondland told Trump that Zelenskiy would do "anything you ask him to," and that the Ukrainian leader committed to "do the investigation." CNN obtained a copy of Holmes' opening statement to the lawmakers. Holmes' lawyer, Kenneth Wainstein, confirmed to NPR that the statement is an accurate copy of his client's opening statement. Holmes said he overheard the conversation between the president and Sondland in a restaurant in Kyiv and said the call was loud enough to hear through the phone earpiece, and that Sondland held the phone away from his ear for a period of time and the president's voice was "very loud and recognizable." He said two other staffers were present at the time. Holmes told the committee Sondland told the president that Zelenskiy "loves your a**." Holmes also acknowledged that he didn't take contemporaneous notes, but said he has "a clear recollection that these statements were made." Following the call, according to Taylor, Holmes asked Sondland what Trump thought about Ukraine, and Sondland said that Trump cared more about the investigations of Biden."
No surprise.
"In his testimony on Friday, Holmes said the call ended and Sondland said the president "was in a bad mood."
Hard to imagine why. LOL.
"Holmes said he then asked Sondland if it was true that the president didn't "give a sh** about Ukraine. Sondland agreed, repeating the president did not "give a sh** about Ukraine." After Holmes asked why that was the case, Sondland responded that the president only cares about "big stuff." Holmes said he noted there was "big stuff" related to Ukraine like the war with Russia, but that Sondland replied he meant "'big stuff' that benefits the president," and cited the "Biden investigation" that Rudy Giuliani, his personal attorney, was pushing."
Truth always has a way of eventually, most inconveniently seeing the light of day. Think Trump's supporters will finally wake up? ... Or, continue to support a national socialist, fascist dictator 'wannabe' currently ensconced in the Oval Office?
"According to the statement, the conversation at the restaurant followed a meeting that Sondland had with Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskiy. Holmes had been attending other meetings with Sondland, Special Envoy Kurt Volker and the acting Ambassador William Taylor. He was asked to join the Yermak meeting as a "note-taker," but when he arrived later than Sondland, he was told by Yermak's assistant that Sondland and Yermak had insisted the meeting be one-on-one."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"The statement appears to be in line with some of the other statements and transcripts released during the impeachment inquiry. Democrats are trying to determine whether Trump sought an investigation into the Bidens from Zelenskiy in exchange for a commitment to a White House visit and the release of U.S. defense aid to Ukraine. Trump says no such offer was made."
Didn't have to be. Ukrainians certainly got the message.
ABC News reports:
"The first Office of Management and Budget official to break ranks amid the House's impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump arrived Saturday for his closed-door testimony. Mark Sandy, a career White House official and former OMB director, is testifying under subpoena -- against White House orders. Acting White House budget chief Russ Vought, along with Michael Duffey, an official with oversight over national security spending, have both refused to comply with congressional subpoenas to testify in the impeachment inquiry. And the agency has spurned repeated demands and subpoenas from House Democrats seeking documents and records relevant to their probe into whether the Trump administration inappropriately withheld foreign aid to Ukraine to pressure the country to launch investigations that could benefit the president's reelection bid."
What are you desperately trying to hide, Mr. 'President?'
"Sandy, who signed off on the initial withholding of the aid, was later replaced in the process by Duffey, according to a person familiar with the matter."
Interesting, isn't it? Increasingly convoluted as well.
"Amb. William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine who testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, told lawmakers that he first learned of the hold in July, after Congress had previously approved nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine from various Defense and State Department initiatives that had been publicly announced. "I and others sat in astonishment. The Ukrainians were fighting Russians and counted on not only the training and weapons but also the assurance of U.S. support," he recounted, adding that the money was frozen by acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, at the president's request. "In an instant, I realized that one of the key pillars of our strong support for Ukraine was threatened."
Expect more from an insane nazi dictator whose equally clueless supporters continue to support?
"Catherine Croft, who as a special adviser on Ukraine at the State Department, recently testified that her foreign counterparts raised concerns about a hold on military aid "very early on," according to a transcript of her deposition released by Democrats. Laura Cooper, a senior Pentagon official who recently testified on Capitol Hill, said that aides were confused by the hold on the financial aid because the Defense Department had certified the financial transfer in May when Ukraine had met the necessary anti-corruption benchmarks. Senior aides also questioned the legality of the hold on money approved by the House and Senate, she said. Trump and White House officials have defended the withholding of aid over the summer, arguing that it was done to pressure European nations to contribute more security aid to Ukraine, and because of concerns about corruption. Republicans have also argued that the hold [on] the aid was eventually lifted before the end of the last fiscal year on Sept. 30, ensuring that Ukraine would receive the assistance."
Trump placed his own best political interests ahead of Ukraine's.
Abject bullshit not backed up by reality:
"In a White House press conference in October, Mulvaney also said the aid was withheld to pressure Ukraine to investigate unsubstantiated theories about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election. Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate the 2016 election and Biden family is at the center of the House impeachment probe. "The look back to what happened in 2016 certainly was part of the thing that he was worried about in corruption with that nation," Mulvaney said. "And that is absolutely appropriate."
No. It isn't and it wasn't. Not at all. It was a desperate act by our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, to cover his sorry ass. Abject cowardice. No honor. No principles. Divorced from reality. Amoral. No morals at all, just self-interest.
NBC News reports:
"Gordon Sondland, the American ambassador to the E.U., pointed the finger at President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former national security adviser John Bolton in explosive public testimony on Wednesday in which he said explicitly that there was a "quid quo pro" linking a White House visit by Ukraine's president to investigations into a political opponent of the president. Under fire from all sides after multiple witnesses contradicted his earlier deposition, Sondland blamed everyone but himself for the pressure campaign on Ukraine now driving impeachment proceedings against Trump. He showed up for his televised hearing with reams of new text messages and emails he said prove the highest levels of the White House and the State Department were in on it. "They knew what we were doing and why," Sondland told the House Intelligence Committee in his opening statement. "Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret." He said he knew that House members have asked "was there a quid pro quo," adding that when it comes to the White House meeting sought by Ukraine's leader, "The answer is yes." Sondland said acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and National Security Council leadership knew about the plan, and he also drew Pompeo more deeply into the effort than has previously been known, including with emails to the secretary and a top aide in which the basic contours of the quid pro quo alleged by Democrats seem clear."
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.
11-22-19
Trump presents a threat to good order and discipline in the military. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump intervened in three cases involving war crimes accusations on Friday, issuing full pardons to two soldiers and reversing disciplinary action against a Navy SEAL despite opposition raised by military justice experts and some senior Pentagon officials."
Trump once again demonstrated his egregious unfitness for office.
"The White House said in a statement Friday night that Trump, as commander in chief, is “ultimately responsible for ensuring that the law is enforced and when appropriate, that mercy is granted.” “For more than two hundred years, presidents have used their authority to offer second chances to deserving individuals, including those in uniform who have served our country,” the statement said."
Readers are reminded these were egregious war crimes:
"The service members were notified by Trump over the phone late Friday afternoon, according to lawyers for Army Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn and former Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, the SEAL. Golsteyn faced a murder trial scheduled for next year, while Gallagher recently was acquitted of murder and convicted of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State fighter in Iraq. The third service member, former Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, was expected to be released Friday night from prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He was convicted of second-degree murder in 2013 and sentenced to 19 years for ordering his soldiers to open fire on three men in Afghanistan."
Trump once again offered proof positive he remains nothing more than a clueless jackass:
"Golsteyn and Lorance received full pardons, while the president will direct the Navy to restore Gallagher to his previous rank before he retires, the White House said. His demotion marked the only significant penalty he received following his acquittal on the murder charge."
Nazi justice. Trump has again disgraced himself, the military, and our formerly great country.
"The news, first reported by The Washington Post ahead of the White House announcement, came at the tail end of a day dominated by impeachment hearings and efforts by some senior Pentagon officials to change Trump’s mind, according to three U.S. officials. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said some commanders have raised concerns that Trump’s move will undermine the military justice system."
Certainly, has. Trump, in effect, sanctioned war crimes.
"Phillip Carter, a former Army officer and Obama administration official, said that presidents have tended to support the military justice system and its verdicts to support good order and discipline. The military, he said, has “worked for decades to lay the ghosts” of the Vietnam War and war crimes committed during it to rest, and Trump’s decision risks undermining that. “Executive clemency like this introduces doubt into the chain of command, and creates uncertainty about accountability for breaches of military rules,” said Carter, who now studies national security for the Rand Corp."
Nazis on the Right in our formerly great country will never be convinced of the truth:
"In all three cases, advocates for the service members had criticized the Pentagon for its handling of their cases, detailing what they saw as questionable actions by prosecutors and investigators. Their cases have been featured frequently on conservative media, as advocates prepared cases for the president behind the scenes. The White House statement on Friday cited the advocacy of several Republican congressmen, as well as Bing West, an author who embedded with Golsteyn’s unit and served in the Pentagon during the Reagan administration, and Pete Hegseth, a Fox News personality who served in the Army."
Clearly, all had an agenda. A nazi agenda. Adolf and Benito would have been proud. Likely, 'high-fiving' on their fiery perches.
NPR reports:
"In May, Trump indicated that he favored leniency towards the service members whose cases were highlighted by conservative media. "Some of these soldiers are people that have fought hard and long," said the president. "You know, we teach them how to be great fighters, and then when they fight sometimes they get really treated very unfairly."
Committed war crimes, Mr. 'President.' ... That stupid, sir? That clueless?
CBS News reports:
"In what will undoubtedly be interpreted by many as an act of defiance against President Trump, the top Navy SEAL, Rear Admiral Collin Green, will notify Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher and three officers that their case is being sent to a review board which could end in their expulsion from the SEALs."
Uncommon Valor. The Rear Admiral stands tall. Could cost him his career. Hat's off to the best the United States Navy has to offer.
"This is a review of their suitability to be a SEAL," a Navy officer said. The action would come less than a week after Mr. Trump intervened in the military justice case against Gallagher by ordering him to be restored to the rank of chief petty officer, despite his conviction for posing for a photograph with a dead ISIS prisoner. The president's restoration of Gallagher's rank and clemency toward two other former Army soldiers, was welcomed by many conservatives but questioned by critics like former Joint Chiefs Chairman General Martin Dempsey, who said in a tweet that that without evidence proving the innocence of or injustice against the accused servicemembers, their "wholesale pardon...signals our troops and allied we don't take the Law of Armed Conflict seriously." He called it an "abdication of moral responsibility."
No question.
"Although the action is being taken by Green, who is the head of the Navy Special Warfare Command, it has the backing of both the secretary of the Navy and the chief of Naval Operations, this officer said. The officer explained that this is an administrative action which was not affected by the president's legal action last week. The other officers are Lieutenant Commander Robert Breisch, who was the troop commander; Lieutenant Jacob Portier, who was the platoon officer in charge and reported to Breisch; and Lieutenant Thomas MacNeil, who was the platoon assistant officer in charge. Gallagher was found not guilty in the 2017 killing of a wounded Islamic State prisoner in Iraq. He was cleared of all charges except for one — for posing for photos with the captive's dead body."
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.
11-22-19
Ladies? Think you own your uterus? Certainly, not in Texas. Nazis in the Republican Party Aryan arrogantly believe they do. NPR reports:
"Over the past few years, abortion providers in Texas have struggled to reopen clinics that had closed because of restrictive state laws. There were more than 40 clinics providing abortion in Texas on July 12, 2013 — the day lawmakers approved tough new restrictions and rules for clinics. Even though abortion providers fought those restrictions all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, and managed to get the restrictions overturned in 2016, most of the affected clinics remain closed."
Nazis in the Republican Party certainly got their wish. Freedom? Liberty? What's that? Ladies, these fascist bastards delusionally believe they own your uterus. That is, they own you.
"Today, there are just 22 open clinics in a state that is home to 29 million people."
Goddamned pitiful. ... Hear the rumble?
"Although abortion providers won the legal battle, they appear to be losing the ground war. Most clinics are clustered in the major cities of Dallas, Houston and Austin, while women who live in smaller cities and towns that once had clinics now have to travel long distances to get an abortion."
Freedom? Liberty? What's that? Ladies, these fascist bastards delusionally believe they own your uterus. That is, they own you.
"Abortion providers in Texas eventually sued the state. But as the legal challenge worked its way through the courts, many of the clinics were forced to stop providing services. At one point, Texas had only 17 clinics, says Kari White, an investigator with the Texas Policy Evaluation Project at the University of Texas, Austin. She says women living in rural Texas were affected the most. "What we saw is that [in] West Texas and South Texas, access was incredibly limited," White says, "and women living in those parts of the state were more than 100 miles — sometimes 200 or more miles — from the nearest facility."
... As intended by the nazi element. Did all they could to deny a constitutional right. To impose their outrageously perverse religious views on all in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion.
"White's research team conducted surveys and interviews with women who were seeking abortions as clinics were shutting down. A 19-year-old woman told the researchers she considered giving up because it was so hard to find an open clinic. "It was a very hard thing to do, like to keep calling and calling and calling," the woman told researchers. "I almost was like, you know, 'Well, forget it.' ... But then, because I knew at the end of the day it was something that I had to do, it was like I don't care how many people I have to call or how far I have to go. I have to do it." That woman eventually found a clinic 70 miles away and was able to get the abortion. But in some other cases, women had to carry unwanted pregnancies to term."
In effect, enslavement. Raw nazism. Aryan arrogant attitude of these achingly clueless, determinedly fascist Republican bastards: Don't want to get pregnant? Keep your legs crossed, panties up.
"Under Texas law, women have to have two appointments with an abortion provider. After an initial appointment at a clinic, the women must wait 24 hours before getting the procedure. That means they often have to make a long trip at least twice, or pay for a hotel nearby. The waiting period is only waived if a woman lives more than 100 miles away from the closest clinic."
Egregious abuse of power by the nazi element in the Republican Party.
"One 23-year-old woman from Waco, a married mother of two, told researchers she made appointments to get an abortion at two different clinics. But both appointments were canceled after the clinics were forced to close. She was unable to end the pregnancy. "I was pretty upset, but I just decided that I guess I'll have to just ride it out," she told researchers. "I didn't know what else to do, who else to call." Eventually, in the summer of 2016 — three years after H.B. 2 passed — the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the tough new restrictions on clinics. But most of the clinics never reopened. "There hasn't been this rush of clinics reopening following the Supreme Court decision," White says. "So there are still just clinics concentrated in the major metropolitan areas of Texas."
Nazi justice. ... Hear the rumble? An wanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms as the de facto fascist police-state we've lived in since 9/11 transforms to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. A raucous boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil!, Mr. 'President?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
11-22-19
The Speaker of the House warns Trump. NPR reports:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a stern warning for President Trump on Sunday: Do not try to retaliate against the intelligence community official whose anonymous complaint helped spur the impeachment inquiry. "I will make sure he does not intimidate the whistleblower," Pelosi said in an interview on CBS' Face the Nation. "I told the president, you're in my wheelhouse when you come after the whistleblower." Pelosi's comments follow Trump's repeated calls for the whistleblower's name to be exposed. Trump claimed on Friday that "everybody knows" who the whistleblower is, calling the person's identity "no great secret." But it is not clear that Trump truly knows who filed a complaint about his July 25 call with the president of Ukraine in which he pressed for the country to open investigations into the Biden family and a disproven theory about 2016 election meddling by Ukraine. The whistleblower wrote that Trump's actions raised national security concerns and constituted an abuse of power."
All that the whistleblower wrote has been backed up to date during ongoing testimony by government officials under oath. What are Republicans pissing and moaning about? The truth? If these disingenuous, lying GOP bastards indeed have a problem with the testimony to date, why not go after the testimony itself and the individuals who presented it?
"Trump and some of his Republican supporters have ramped up their attacks on the whistleblower's credibility as House impeachment investigators continue to call witnesses to testify for nationally televised hearings into the president's conduct."
Trump and his henchmen are doing this because they have no credible rebuttal to that testimony.
"Lawyers representing the whistleblower say respecting the individual's anonymity is important to their client's safety, as well as ensuring that future whistleblowers will not have to fear intimidation in response to reporting government abuse. Pelosi told CBS that the process that allows whistleblowers to come forward anonymously should not be undermined. "This is really important, especially when it comes to intelligence, that someone who would be courageous enough to point out truth to power," she said. Federal law allows the whistleblower to remain anonymous, but it is not expressly a crime for the president to unmask the person. Legal experts have said that if Trump outs the individual, it could prompt an article of impeachment."
Certainly, would. Certainly, should. Would clearly illustrate Trump's increasing desperation as the walls close in.
"The whistleblower's legal team has sent a cease and desist letter to the White House counsel, warning that the president should stop calling for the whistleblower to be publicly revealed. "Let me be clear: Should any harm befall any suspected named whistleblower or their family, the blame will rest squarely with your client," wrote attorney Andrew Bakaj."
These are certainly dangerous times for all who challenge the established order.
"House Democrats say the person's testimony is no longer integral to the impeachment investigation since the whistleblower's complaint has been largely corroborated by other witnesses. Still, the whistleblower agreed to answer written questions from Republicans under oath, but the offer has not been accepted."
Imagine that. ... As the nazi dictator in the Oval Office considers answering House impeachment questions in writing. How about that? LOL. ... As he does all he can to prevent his underlings from honoring House subpoenas. LOL.
"Democrats say Trump tried to bribe the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, by conditioning $391 million in military assistance that was already approved by Congress on Ukraine announcing investigations that would politically benefit Trump. The White House released the aid after Congress learned about the whistleblower complaint. Republicans appearing on Sunday talk shows argued that since the money was eventually delivered to Ukraine without the country launching political investigations, there was nothing wrong with the now infamous July 25 phone call."
Achingly, delusional. Re-write of reality.
"Most importantly, the Ukrainians did nothing to, as far as investigations goes, to get the aid release," Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said on CBS. "So there was never this quid pro quo that the Democrats all promise existed before President Trump released the phone call."
Equally achingly delusional. -- Just because Trump was not successful, does not mean he didn't attempt to bribe the Ukrainians. The disingenuous parsing of language by increasingly desperate Republicans is pathetic. Gutless. Saga continues unabated.
NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump said Monday that he is "strongly" considering testifying before the impeachment probe in light of recent comments from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who said he is more than welcome to present his case personally before the House Intelligence Committee."
Needs to do so in person. Not in writing. Staff lawyers doing the questioning.
"Our Crazy, Do Nothing (where’s USMCA, infrastructure, lower drug pricing & much more?) Speaker of the House, Nervous Nancy Pelosi, who is petrified by her Radical Left knowing she will soon be gone (they & Fake News Media are her BOSS), suggested on Sunday’s DEFACE THE NATION that I testify about the phony Impeachment Witch Hunt," Trump tweeted. "She also said I could do it in writing. Even though I did nothing wrong, and don’t like giving credibility to this No Due Process Hoax, I like the idea & will, in order to get Congress focused again, strongly consider it!"
Big of him, isn't it? Think this unfit piece of crap isn't growing increasingly desperate?
"Speaking with CBS's "Face the Nation" in an interview that aired Sunday, Pelosi said Trump can "come right before the committee and talk, speak all the truth that he wants, if he wants to take the oath of office, or he could do it in writing."
Should be in person, under oath, questioned by panel lawyers. Anything less is meaningless.
"He has every opportunity to present his case," she said, adding that if Trump "has information that is exculpatory, that means ex, taking away, culpable, blame, then we look forward to seeing it.” But Pelosi, calling Trump's efforts at having Ukraine investigate the Bidens and a debunked conspiracy theory about the 2016 presidential election, said the president's conduct "was so much worse than even what Richard Nixon did."
In comparison to Trump, Nixon indeed looks like a choir boy. Forget? Nixon covered up criminal activity. Trump engaged in it. Big difference. Both equally impeachable, however.
"At some point, Richard Nixon cared about the country enough to recognize that this could not continue," she said."
Clearly, Nixon embraced reality, perceived the inevitable, and/or had some honor left. Trump? You decide.
"Public calls for the president to testify before the committee have ramped up recently. After an extended rant during Wednesday's public impeachment hearings from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in which the Trump ally said investigators need to have “the person who started” the probe, meaning the first whistleblower, come testify, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., retorted, "I'd like to see the person who started it come testify. President Trump is welcome to take a seat right there."
If Trump indeed had any honor, any principles, any courage at all, would have courageously demanded to be sworn in and interrogated by committee lawyers.
"Speaking with Fox News on Monday, Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., one of Trump's top allies in battling impeachment, said his advice to the president on testifying before impeachment investigators would be "heck no."
This f--ker certainly knows the congenital liar he serves and defends would be figuratively eviscerated.
Nothing quite like a double standard, raw hypocrisy:
"Earlier this month, Trump decried the idea of the whistleblower providing written answers to Congress, saying they would be "not acceptable." Trump refused to supply former special counsel Robert Mueller with live testimony, instead opting to provide written answers to a series of questions related to Russian electoral interference. In his more than 400-page report, Mueller said those written answers were "inadequate."
... As intended by Trump and his henchmen.
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11-22-19
Trump grows increasingly desperate. Making him all the more dangerous to a democratic republic that remains so in name only. NBC News reports:
"The impeachment inquiry has created the first rift between President Donald Trump and the Cabinet member who has been his closest ally, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to four current and former senior administration officials. Trump has fumed for weeks that Pompeo is responsible for hiring State Department officials whose congressional testimony threatens to bring down his presidency, the officials said. The president confronted Pompeo about the officials — and what he believed was a lackluster effort by the secretary of state to block their testimony — during lunch at the White House on Oct. 29, those familiar with the matter said."
Block them from what? Telling the truth? Trump only has himself to blame. Clearly forgotten the office of president is not that of dictator.
"Inside the White House, the view was that Trump “just felt like, ‘rein your people in,’” a senior administration official said."
They're under subpoena. A valid House impeachment inquiry. Conducted by a co-equal branch of government, the Legislative Branch as provided for by the Founders in the U.S. Constitution. Trump and his henchmen delusionally believe him dictator not president of the United States.
"A crack in the seemingly unbreakable bond between Trump and Pompeo is striking because Pompeo, a former Kansas congressman, is viewed as the “Trump whisperer” who has survived — and thrived — working for a president who has routinely tired of and discarded senior members of his team."
Pompeo is not stupid. Clearly, an ass kisser, however. Had to have known only a matter of time before the jig would be up.
"But the impeachment inquiry has put Pompeo in what one senior administration official described as an untenable position: trying to manage a bureaucracy of 75,000 people that has soured on his leadership and also please a boss with outsized expectations of loyalty. “He feels like he's getting a bunch of blame from the president and the White House for having hired all these people who are turning against Trump,” an official familiar with the dynamic said of Pompeo, “and that it's the State Department that is going to bring him down, so it's all Pompeo's fault.”
Pompeo clearly lost himself, all honor, somewhere along the way. ... What ever happened to that kid at West Point, Mr. Secretary? His commitment to duty, honor, country, the truth, reality, doing the right thing for the right reason?
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.
11-15-19
Hail To The Chief! LOL. CNN News reports:
"The cyclist who flipped off President Donald Trump's motorcade in 2017, and lost her job because of it, has won her bid for local office in Virginia. CNN projected that Juli Briskman on Tuesday night won her race to become supervisor for the Algonkian District in Loudoun County, Virginia. The win comes just over two years after a photo of Briskman flipping off the President's motorcade as it made its way back to the White House from Trump's golf course in Sterling, Virginia, went viral in October 2017. Her lawyer said she was forced to resign from her job as a marketing executive at Akima LLC over the photo."
Certainly, used it to her advantage:
"Briskman was able to leverage her viral rebuke of Trump into Tuesday's win with a campaign that made the image central to her political message. "There's no doubt that that photo and me getting unjustly fired from my position at work kicked off my drive and kicked off my desire to become active politically," Briskman told CNN's Erin Burnett on "Erin Burnett OutFront" Wednesday. "That day that I got fired I went home and signed up to work the polls during the statewides in 2017." "And, you know, I don't know that it helped my name recognition in my community," she added. "I'm very active in my community, but it definitely jump-started my activism."
Sure did. LOL.
"Briskman announced her campaign on Twitter in September 2018 by sharing a Washington Post article titled "The cyclist who flipped off Trump's motorcade is running for public office." "Today, I am filing my organizational papers in a bid for local office in Loudoun County, Va. Loudoun deserves transparency in government, fully funded schools & smarter solutions to growth," she said. "It's time for a change."
No shit. LOL. Across the board.
"I
am running to serve as Supervisor for the Algonkian District where I have
worked, volunteered, organized and raised my kids in public schools. I
have launched my campaign on @Crowdpac because... if not now, when? Let's
Do this! https://t.co/zeYn4QR1pR
—
Juli Briskman (@julibriskman) September 12, 2018
"Speaking to CNN's Jeanne Moos in 2017, Briskman contended she's "really not" the bird-flipping type, but still made her feelings toward Trump clear."
Did she ever. LOL. Think the clueless prick got the message? 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.
11-15-19
Trump loses another one in court. NPR reports:
"A New York judge has ruled that President Trump must pay $2 million in damages to settle claims that the Trump Foundation misused funds. The money will go to a group of charities, and the foundation is in the process of dissolving."
Why weren't he and his children criminally prosecuted?
"The case is tied to a televised fundraiser for veterans held by Trump in Iowa when he was running for president in January 2016. Trump had said the funds raised would be distributed to charities. But according to court documents, the Trump Foundation improperly used $2.82 million it received from that fundraiser. According to the judgment, that money "was used for Mr. Trump's political campaign and disbursed by Mr. Trump's campaign staff, rather than by the Foundation," which is unlawful. However, Justice Saliann Scarpulla says the funds did eventually reach charity organizations supporting veterans."
Still called theft. ... Akin to walking out a convenience store with merchandise without paying for it, then returning several days later to reimburse the owner.
"The Trump Foundation has shut down, funds that were illegally misused are being restored, the president will be subject to ongoing supervision by my office, and the Trump children had to undergo compulsory training to ensure this type of illegal activity never takes place again," New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office filed the case, said in a statement. "The court's decision, together with the settlements we negotiated, are a major victory in our efforts to protect charitable assets and hold accountable those who would abuse charities for personal gain."
Why the hell weren't they criminally prosecuted? Why two standards of justice? One for the top of the food chain, the other for everyone else.
Especially, in light of the following:
"The Trump Foundation agreed to dissolve last December in the face of an investigation from then-New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood. She accused the foundation of a broad pattern of illegal activity, including improper political activities and "repeated and willful self-dealing transactions."
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.
11-15-19
Democratic wins in Kentucky and Virginia were a plus for abortion rights advocates in both states. CBS News reports:
"For Democrats, Tuesday's election was considered a major win, apparently ousting the Republican Governor of Kentucky and capturing all three branches of government in Virginia. But Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion rights activists say the election results in Kentucky and Virginia signaled something even bigger: voters across party lines support candidates that support abortion access."
About time. Who the hell is the Nazi Right to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus? The problem, however, with Democratic wins in Virginia and elsewhere is the fact these bastards will do all they can to eviscerate the Second Amendment, the last best defense against outrageously corrupt, abusive, murderous government.
"Voters made their voices heard loud and clear that when politicians fail to stand up for our rights — including abortion access — we will take that fight straight to the ballot box," Kelley Robinson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes, said in a statement to CBS News on Wednesday. "The stakes for reproductive health care have never been higher, but these victories show that there is an unstoppable momentum for our cause and we have the wind at our backs."
Hopefully, that's true. If not, hear the rumble?
"Just this year, Kentucky passed four anti-abortion restrictions, including a so-called "heartbeat" ban, which outlaws the procedure after about six weeks into a woman's pregnancy. A federal judge blocked that law in March, but Governor Matt Bevin had said he would appeal the decision, the potential first steps in a multi-year journey to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. But Andy Beshear, Kentucky's attorney general, says he supports Roe v. Wade and has rejected the state's abortion restrictions, which are among the strictest in the country. Kentucky is home to just one abortion clinic, Louisville-based EMW Women's Surgical Center, a facility that's spent years in court to stay open."
Goddamned outrageous.
"Planned Parenthood took an active role in Kentucky's gubernatorial election. For the race, the state's political action group, Planned Parenthood Action Kentucky UCC, launched its first "direct voter contact program," an initiative that combined door-knocking, digital ads and direct mail — all highlighting Bevin's anti-abortion politics. Tamarra Wieder, public affairs and policy director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky, said it was the first time the organization had invested in the state's governor race. "Kentuckians showed up to defend their reproductive freedom this election, reaffirming that the majority of people here want increased access to reproductive care, including abortion," Wieder said in a statement to CBS News on Tuesday."
Encouraging to see they're getting the funding to challenge the nazi element in the Republican Party:
"Tuesday's success comes less than a month after Planned Parenthood announced its plan to spend at least $45 million ahead of the 2020 elections, the most it has ever spent during an election cycle. "Yesterday's victories show that there is an unstoppable momentum for our cause, and we're confident we will carry this energy into more victories for reproductive health champions in 2020 and beyond," Robinson said."
Here's the problem:
"With a newly conservative Supreme Court, access to abortion has come under fire across the South and Midwest, where state lawmakers have raced to pass laws that ban the procedure in hopes of overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that effectively legalized the procedure. So far this year, state politicians have introduced 300 bills restricting access to abortion, according to data compiled by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research organization. Twelve states, including Kentucky, have passed abortion bans, none of which are currently in effect."
Rabid nazis. Readers are reminded abortion was illegal in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Who the hell is the national socialist, fascist element in the Republican Party to force its perverse religious views on all in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion?
"Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC, the organization's state political arm, spent more than $1 million on the election, knocking on 68,000 doors to support candidates that supported abortion access. "Tonight's results also make it clear that the misleading, fear-mongering attacks on abortion from Republicans in Kentucky and Virginia failed because voters overwhelmingly support the right for people to make their own health care decisions without politicians getting in the way," Robinson 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.
11-15-19
Walls continue to close in. NPR reports:
"A top State Department aide questioned the legality of a U.S. president asking for an investigation into a political rival in his hours-long, closed-door deposition before congressional impeachment investigators. "Politically related prosecutions are not the way of promoting the rule of law. They undermine the rule of law," said George Kent, deputy assistant secretary in the State Department's European and Eurasian Bureau. The House released a transcript of his deposition on Thursday."
Courageously, blew the whistle. ... But is not the original whistleblower whose identity is still being protected.
"Kent's remarks bolster the accounts of other officials whose depositions have been made public and underscore the intense back and forth within the Trump administration over its Ukraine policy. The policy, as Kent described it, pitted the traditional bipartisan foreign-policy consensus over U.S. relations with Ukraine, a fledgling post-Soviet state that needs Western support, against a parallel policy being advocated by Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer. As Kent described it, Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, put a hold on aid to Ukraine at the president's direction. Kent said "there was a lack of clarity" over the reason for the hold. In subsequent conversations with William Taylor, the charge d'affaires to Ukraine, he said he was told Trump "wanted nothing less than President Zelenskyy to go to microphone and say investigations, Biden, and Clinton."
Interestingly, consider this:
"After Kent's closed-door deposition last month, a Democratic lawmaker said Kent pointed the finger at Mulvaney for ousting career Ukrainian specialists and replacing them with "Three Amigos." U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and and Energy Secretary Rick Perry were seen as more reliable actors in pressuring Ukraine to undertake the investigations that Giuliani was pushing."
The Washington Post reports:
"George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for Ukraine, criticized Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, for engaging in a smear campaign against the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, according to the transcript of his closed-door deposition released by House investigators Thursday. Kent testified that Giuliani’s “assertions and allegations against former Ambassador Yovanovitch were without basis, untrue, period.”
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.
11-15-19
Republicans are growing increasingly desperate. The Washington Post reports:
"House Republicans’ latest plan to shield President Trump from impeachment is to focus on at least three deputies — U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, Trump’s lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, and possibly acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney — who they say could have acted on their own to influence Ukraine policy."
Ludicrous. Trump is a reincarnated Adolf Hitler. His henchmen are marching in goose step with their fuhrer.
"All three occupy a special place in the Ukraine narrative as the people in most direct contact with Trump. As Republicans argue that most of the testimony against Trump is based on faulty secondhand information, they are sowing doubts about whether Sondland, Giuliani and Mulvaney were actually representing the president or freelancing to pursue their own agendas. The GOP is effectively offering up the three to be fall guys."
That's insanity. Beyond ludicrous. The Trump nazi has run the show since taking office, January 20, 2017. Consider all his henchmen who have come and gone. Nothing special about the above three. They're doing their insane fuhrer's bidding.
"Since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) initiated the impeachment inquiry Sept. 24, congressional Republicans have struggled to come up with a consistent and coherent explanation for why Trump tried to coerce a foreign leader to investigate the president’s domestic political rivals."
Surprised? Why? Trump is hopelessly unstable. Changes views and tactics far more frequently than most change underwear.
"Their evolving strategy comes as House Democrats settle on their argument that Trump tried to force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to undertake two politically advantageous investigations as a precondition for U.S. military aid and a White House meeting between the two heads of state. By raising questions about the motivation of Trump’s top lieutenants on Ukraine policy, the GOP hopes to undermine the reliability of otherwise incriminating testimony from several current Trump administration officials."
Called desperation. Do they truly believe the public that stupid?
"The suggestion that Sondland, Giuliani and possibly Mulvaney made demands of Ukrainians without Trump’s explicit blessing has emerged among several theories that Republicans have offered in Trump’s defense, as witnesses testify that they believed Ukraine was being squeezed. In a sign of how the GOP is scrambling, however, many of those theories run counter to each other."
Indeed. Apparently, too aggressively stupid to understand that. ... Or, hopelessly desperate:
"In the past few days, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) has said it doesn’t matter whether Trump made a quid pro quo demand because he didn’t have “criminal intent.” Sens. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) have argued, as Mulvaney did from a White House lectern last month, that such exchanges happen “all the time” in foreign policy and are not a serious offense, let alone impeachable. And Trump ally Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) has floated yet another defense, suggesting Trump’s Ukraine policy was too “incoherent” for officials to successfully execute anything as calculated as a quid pro quo arrangement. “What I can tell you about the Trump policy toward Ukraine: It was incoherent, it depends on who you talk to, they seem to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo,” he said."
Laughable. Time to wake up. Before too late.
"Much of the GOP’s frustration in recent days has focused on Sondland, who amended his original testimony after Taylor and Morrison spoke to House impeachment investigators. Sondland said he did in fact recall telling Ukrainian officials that the release of military aid would be contingent on Kyiv’s opening investigations Trump wanted. Both Taylor and Morrison testified that Sondland told them that Trump had asked Sondland to leverage a head-of-state meeting that Zelensky greatly desired, using it to get the two investigations activated, and that the military aid also would be contingent on the investigations taking place. But Sondland, who told investigators that he was in touch with Trump far more than he was in touch with Giuliani, testified that he never heard directly from Trump on those issues, a contradiction that witnesses have yet to clear up."
Report goes on and on. Republicans clearly can't get their stories straight.
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.
11-15-19
Vindman's testimony damning. The Washington Post reports:
"In vivid and at times contentious testimony before House impeachment investigators, the senior White House official responsible for Ukraine described what he believed was an unambiguous effort by President Trump to pressure the president of Ukraine to open investigations targeting American politicians in exchange for a coveted Oval Office meeting. Under questioning from Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and other Democrats, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman said “there was no doubt” about what Trump wanted when he spoke by phone on July 25 to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — particularly in contrast with an April call between the two shortly after Zelensky’s election. “The tone was significantly different,” Vindman said, according to a transcript of his Oct. 29 deposition released Friday. Vindman went on to tell Welch, “I’m struggling for the words, but it was not a positive call. It was dour. If I think about it some more, I could probably come up with some other adjectives, but it was just — the difference between the calls was apparent.”
A shake down.
"Welch asked Vindman if he had any doubt that Trump was asking for investigations of his political opponents “as a deliverable” — in other words, as part of a quid pro quo. “There was no doubt,” Vindman said. In a crucial discussion of what constitutes a quid pro quo, Vindman was grilled by a Republican member of the committee about why he believed Trump had made a “demand” that Ukraine launch an investigation of Hunter Biden in return for a White House meeting for Zelensky. Biden is the son of former vice president Joe Biden, a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, and was once employed by a controversial Ukrainian energy firm. Vindman, explaining what he called the vast “power disparity” between Trump and Zelensky, told Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Tex.) that Trump’s request for a “favor” from Zelensky was fairly interpreted as a demand. “When the president of the United States makes a request for a favor, it certainly seems — I would take it as a demand.”
Report goes on and on. Extremely damaging testimony.
NBC News reports:
"Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, also outlined a quid pro quo effort linked to the acting White House chief of staff.
"Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, told House impeachment investigators "there was no doubt" what President Donald Trump was demanding during his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. During that conversation, now central to House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, Trump pressed Zelenskiy to launch investigations involving former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden as well as a conspiracy related to the 2016 U.S. election, according to the record of the call released by the White House. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see where the gain would be for the president in investigating the son of a political opponent," Vindman, who was on the call, said, according to the transcript of his closed-door testimony made public Friday. Vindman also testified that Trump administration officials delivered a clear quid quo pro message to Ukraine. According to the transcript, U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland informed Vindman that not only was a White House meeting Zelenskiy wanted contingent on the probes Trump desired, but that this condition "had been coordinated with White House Chief of Staff Mr. Mick Mulvaney."
Total disregard of federal law. No more than a shakedown.
"Vindman said at another point in his testimony that Sondland had told the Ukrainians “would have to deliver an investigation into the Bidens” for a White House meeting. “There was no ambiguity,” Vindman said, according to the transcript. Vindman also said he had become aware "by about July 3" — two weeks earlier than the date other officials have cited in their testimony — that military aid to Ukraine had been frozen, adding that the hold had occurred following “abnormal” questions from the White House Office of Management and Budget. The transcript of Vindman’s October deposition was released Friday alongside the transcript of testimony from Fiona Hill, Trump's former top adviser on Russia and Europe. It's the latest in a series of witness transcripts House Democrats have made public as the impeachment inquiry into Trump enters a new phase.
"The transcripts of witness testimony released by House Democrats so far this week have largely established a narrative that suggests Trump directed officials to tie nearly $400 million in military and security aid to Ukraine as well as the White House meetings to demands that Zelenskiy announce probes into the Bidens and the 2016 election."
A shakedown.
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.
11-15-19
The following is highly indicative of the rabid, unbridled hypocrisy of the Nazi Right in our formerly great country. In a speech given 10-11-2019 at the Law School and the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr opines:
"Today, I would like to share some thoughts with you about religious liberty in America. It’s an important priority in this Administration and for this Department of Justice."
It is. No question. The problem is their determined, concerted ignorance of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion as embraced by our fuhrer, the Trump nazi and his henchmen. Forget? When one swears to uphold the U.S. Constitution, it is their duty to uphold the entire First Amendment, -- not just the portions they accept or approve of.
"We have set up a task force within the Department with different components that have equities in this area, including the Solicitor General’s Office, the Civil Division, the Office of Legal Counsel, and other offices. We have regular meetings. We keep an eye out for cases or events around the country where states are misapplying the Establishment Clause in a way that discriminates against people of faith, or cases where states adopt laws that impinge upon the free exercise of religion."
... While egregiously forcing their perverse religious and ideological views on all by ignoring the Establishment Clause. Imposing their perverse religious views on women by dictating to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus.
"From the Founding Era onward, there was strong consensus about the centrality of religious liberty in the United States."
So was 'centrality' of freedom from religion as embraced by the Founders in the Establishment Clause. The Founders understood the danger of a theocracy. Precisely, why they included the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment. The nazi element in our formerly great country concertedly, determinedly, intentionally ignores this fact, this exigent threat to liberty.
"The imperative of protecting religious freedom was not just a nod in the direction of piety. It reflects the Framers’ belief that religion was indispensable to sustaining our free system of government."
So too the threat posed by a theocracy to freedom. Precisely, why they included the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment. ... Which you fascist bastards on the Nazi Right determinedly ignore.
"In his renowned 1785 pamphlet, “Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments,” James Madison described religious liberty as “a right towards men” but “a duty towards the Creator,” and a “duty….precedent both in order of time and degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society.”
Wake up, Mr. Attorney General. You conveniently cherry pick the views of one of the Founders. Distort those views. Then, determinedly bastardize them to support your jaded national socialist, fascist, nazi ideology. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
"It has been over 230 years since that small group of colonial lawyers led a revolution and launched what they viewed as a great experiment, establishing a society fundamentally different than those that had gone before. They crafted a magnificent charter of freedom – the United States Constitution – which provides for limited government, while leaving “the People” broadly at liberty to pursue our lives both as individuals and through free associations."
... Which nazis like you, sir, have taken a raucous hard dump on. How is the female half of the species free when fascists like you, sir, dictate to them what they can and cannot do with THEIR uterus?
"In the 20th century, our form of free society faced a severe test. There had always been the question whether a democracy so solicitous of individual freedom could stand up against a regimented totalitarian state. That question was answered with a resounding “yes” as the United States stood up against and defeated, first fascism, and then communism."
... Making it all the more galling to witness the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini in your fuhrer, sir, the Trump nazi.
"But in the 21st century, we face an entirely different kind of challenge. The challenge we face is precisely what the Founding Fathers foresaw would be our supreme test as a free society. They never thought the main danger to the republic came from external foes. The central question was whether, over the long haul, we could handle freedom. The question was whether the citizens in such a free society could maintain the moral discipline and virtue necessary for the survival of free institutions."
Precisely. Making it all the more appalling that Trump's sick sycophants, including you sir, would embrace an ideology defeated at the cost of hundreds of thousands of U.S. military personnel killed in action. Second World War European Theater.
"By and large, the Founding generation’s view of human nature was drawn from the classical Christian tradition."
You distort history, Mr. Attorney General. The Founders were a mixture of believers, atheists, and agnostics. Certainly, not just Christians. ... Or, phonies like the current 'president' who claim one thing then do another.
"These practical statesmen understood that individuals, while having the potential for great good, also had the capacity for great evil."
Certainly, highly illustrative of your fuhrer, Mr. Barr, the Trump nazi. ... Conveniently forget, sir?
"Men are subject to powerful passions and appetites, and, if unrestrained, are capable of ruthlessly riding roughshod over their neighbors and the community at large."
Precisely, what the jackass currently occupying the Oval Office has done while building his business empire. To say nothing of what the fascist bastard is now doing to our formerly great country as a nazi dictator.
"No society can exist without some means for restraining individual rapacity."
Exactly, what we're now witnessing in the Trump Regime. Three years into his regime and we're only now seeing Democrats courageously challenging his criminal activity. Pitiful.
"But, if you rely on the coercive power of government to impose restraints, this will inevitably lead to a government that is too controlling, and you will end up with no liberty, just tyranny."
Precisely, what has now happened in our formerly great country. We've lived in a de facto fascist police-state since 9/11, now quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. Both Republicans and Democrats implemented this de facto fascist police-state by passing into law the USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, etc. Eviscerated all civil and constitutional rights and liberties in the process. ... After the State Department failed to do full background checks on the 9/11 terrorists. Ignored warnings by the flight schools the bastards wished only to learn how to fly straight and level, not take off and land.
"On the other hand, unless you have some effective restraint, you end up with something equally dangerous – licentiousness – the unbridled pursuit of personal appetites at the expense of the common good. This is just another form of tyranny – where the individual is enslaved by his appetites, and the possibility of any healthy community life crumbles."
Describes Trump and his henchmen in the Republican Party perfectly, Mr. Attorney General. The hypocrisy and bullshit would be laughable if you bastards did not pose as exigent a threat to liberty as you do.
"In the words of Madison, “We have staked our future on the ability of each of us to govern ourselves…” This is really what was meant by “self-government.” It did not mean primarily the mechanics by which we select a representative legislative body. It referred to the capacity of each individual to restrain and govern themselves."
Give me a break, sir. Once you bastards attain office all bets are off. A problem with both major political parties, Money and power intoxicate. Make you conveniently forget where you came from. A problem for both parties, particularly the Republicans who determinedly make sure the minimum wage is not a livable one. Precisely, why our financial system is now zero-sum, winner-take-all. Bottom and top. Middle class endangered.
Laissez-faire capitalism, that is, no regulation or as in the case of our formerly great country exceptionally poor regulation, is eviscerating the middle class. No such thing as a 'free' market.' The marked is conveniently owned, operated, and manipulated by those with the wealth to do so. Exactly, why the status quo is not sustainable. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms that both major political parties stupidly ignore. -- More interested in lining their bottomless pockets.
The speech goes on and on. All the very same kind of distortion of reality, bastardization of the founding principles of our formerly great country. The following quote highly illustrative of the sick bastards who cluelessly, self-servingly believe in national socialism, fascism, nazism:
"More recently, we have seen the law used aggressively to force religious people and entities to subscribe to practices and policies that are antithetical to their faith."
Unadulterated horse shit. Quite the contrary. They force their achingly perverse views of morality and religion on others. Dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus. No one is forcing the nazi element in the Republican Party to have an abortion. No one:
"The problem is not that religion is being forced on others. The problem is that irreligion and secular values are being forced on people of faith."
Simply, not true. They determinedly distort reality. Self-servingly, deny fact. Barr and those who 'think' like them are insane. ... Or, achingly hypocritical liars. Amoral. That is, with no morals. Say one thing, do another.
"Similarly, militant secularists today do not have a live and let live spirit - they are not content to leave religious people alone to practice their faith. Instead, they seem to take a delight in compelling people to violate their conscience. For example, the last Administration sought to force religious employers, including Catholic religious orders, to violate their sincerely held religious views by funding contraceptive and abortifacient coverage in their health plans. Similarly, California has sought to require pro-life pregnancy centers to provide notices of abortion rights."
Mr. Barr, you conveniently ignore the fact the provision of healthcare, or engagement in any kind of religious business, or any business at all, is not a right, it is a privilege. Government has the duty to regulate these businesses to protect consumers. Moreover, the recipients of healthcare are entitled access to all healthcare and/or options available. If religious organization have a problem with that, they should certainly do the right thing. Get out of the business. Not piss and moan when government rightfully prevents them from forcing THEIR perverse religious views on others they're providing care or benefits to.
Clearly, all the above is highly indicative of the old adage embraced by a comedian decades ago, -- 'can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.'
Moreover, nazis on the Right present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. ... 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.
11-15-19
Republicans remain gutless. Continue to place partisanship ahead of principle. With rare exception. Very rare exception. The following is about three who are courageously willing to stand up to the Trump nazi. NBC News reports:
"While a resolution denouncing the House Democrats' fast-moving probe hasn't received a vote, GOP Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska declined to sign on as co-sponsors — the only ones out of 53 Republicans — leaving the door ajar to the possibility that they could vote to convict President Donald Trump if impeachment moves to its trial phase in the Senate."
Uncommon Valor. Three Republican Senators willing to place principle ahead of partisanship. Hat's off.
"But unlike the blowback Romney and Collins have faced for breaking with the party's defense of the president, Murkowski could end up seeing her part in this micro-rebellion embraced by voters in her state. Experts on Alaska politics told NBC News that the state tends to reward an independent streak in its politicians."
Fascinating, isn't it? Encouraging, as well.
"As far as supporting or opposing the president, we support individualism and we support individual freedom of expression. And that goes for our politicians, too, whatever party they are," said Tuckerman Babcock, who retired as the chairman of the Alaska GOP last year. "Republicans here may disagree with her on certain things, but I can say safely that they respect her independence of judgment."
Precisely, the way things should be. No matter which party. Principle should always reign supreme.
"In other words, Murkowski can fall out of line with Trump — but not fall out of favor with Republican voters in her state."
Should be the case all across our formerly great country. Both parties. Where did we lose ourselves?
"Murkowski voted against the Senate's Trump-backed effort to repeal Obamacare in 2017, but later came out in support of repealing the Obamacare individual mandate. She voted against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh but backed Trump’s tax cut bill. And she votes in line with the president's position on bills about 75 percent of the time, according to a FiveThirtyEight tally."
Needs to be some semblance of separation, independence from legislators and a president belonging to the same party.
"Murkowski has said that she wouldn't support the Sen. Lindsey Graham's resolution condemning the impeachment inquiry because "it's not the Senate's role to dictate to the House how to determine their own rules."
Interesting, isn't it? Clear example of her placing principle ahead of partisanship.
"That statement differed starkly with Romney’s sharply worded criticism of Trump's dealings with Ukraine. The 72-year-old former Republican presidential nominee tweeted that "the President's brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling." Those actions, however, had the effect of isolating Romney from his fellow Senate Republicans and from GOP voters in his own state, many of whom told NBC News last month that they strongly disapproved of his digs at the president and his passive reception of the House impeachment inquiry."
Courageous of Romney to stand tall.
"Collins, meanwhile, faces even a potential stronger backlash from Maine voters, because she's up for re-election next year. A top target of Democrats in 2020 as they try to flip the GOP-controlled Senate, Collins last month called Trump’s public request for China to investigate Biden "completely inappropriate" but has noted she won't take a position on impeachment because she might be asked to serve as essentially a juror during a possible trial in the Senate. Public hearings in the House's inquiry are set to begin next week, and if the chamber votes to impeach, a Senate trial could begin next month. That position seems to have alienated many conservatives who want to see their lawmakers defend Trump from the impeachment inquiry: Her once sky-high favorability ratings have fallen."
Courageous of her. Clearly, placed principle ahead of narrow, self-serving partisanship.
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.
11-15-19
In follow up to a recent edition of this publication, CBS News reports:
"Facing a federal lawsuit and mounting criticism, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Friday said she will forgive loans for more than 1,500 borrowers who attended a pair of for-profit colleges that shut down last year. Students who attended the Art Institute of Colorado and the Illinois Institute of Art from January 20, 2018 through the end of last year will have their federal student loans canceled, DeVos said. Students who attended another 24 schools owned by the same company can get their loans erased if they enrolled after June 29, 2018. The decision involves schools owned by the Dream Center company, which collapsed last year and shuttered campuses across the nation. DeVos has faced criticism over her handling of federal loan forgiveness programs, which were expanded by the Obama administration following the collapse of the Corinthian Colleges. Corinthian was accused of lying to students to get them to enroll."
The American Way. Forget?
"Under DeVos, the Education Department has stopped processing claims from students who said they were defrauded by their schools, leaving tens of thousands of borrowers in limbo as they seek loan cancellations. DeVos has also moved to tighten eligibility rules, prompting backlash from Democrats and a flurry of lawsuits from students and advocacy groups."
This Republican patrician couldn't care less how the bottom and middle class barely get by. Class envy? Hell, no. Egregious class injustice. How the poorly-regulated top of the food chain continually f--ks over the bottom and middle class. Zero-sum, winner-take-all.
"In the latest case, a federal lawsuit against the Education Department alleges that the department illegally released federal student aid to the Colorado and Illinois schools even after they lost the seal of approval from their accreditor. Losing approval should have made the schools ineligible for funding, the suit says — but instead, they were allegedly allowed to keep operating without telling students that the institutions were in trouble."
Criminal, isn't it? Yet, no criminal culpability on the part of DeVos and her henchmen. Double standard. No justice.
The patrician bitch shamelessly passed the buck:
"But despite announcing the loan forgiveness Friday, the department shifted blame to the accrediting group, the Higher Learning Commission, saying it assigned the schools a "newly developed and improperly defined accreditation status." The department said it believes the schools should not have lost their accreditation, and that by revoking it, the accreditor left students with tarnished credits that might not be accepted by other schools."
Only partial relief from this egregious f--king:
"Representative Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and chairman of the House Education Committee, said DeVos' decision grants only partial loan forgiveness to the 1,500 borrowers and falls "well short" of what they deserve. "For the vast majority of defrauded students, this announcement cancels only a small portion of the loans they took out to attend a failing school," Scott said. "These students will continue to face an uphill battle to repay those loans without the benefit of a quality degree." The department did not immediately respond to Scott's comment."
What could it say? How do you credibly defend the indefensible?
"In a separate case last month, a federal judge held DeVos in contempt of court and issued a $100,000 fine after the department violated a court order barring it from collecting loans on former Corinthian students. The department has filed an appeal, asking the judge to reconsider."
Readers will recall the above was covered in this publication and elsewhere.
"Meanwhile, House Democrats are threatening to compel DeVos to appear at a hearing and explain why her agency has failed to provide loan forgiveness that was previously promised to thousands of former Corinthian students. DeVos has declined requests to face the House's Education Committee, and on Thursday suggested a private meeting with Scott."
Bullshit. This outrageously Aryan arrogant, self-serving patrician bitch needs to be grilled in public. Exposed for whom and what she is.
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