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Liberty In Peril

formerly,

The Llano Ledger

5-22-20

Good news. Appeals court reinstates Emoluments Clause lawsuit against our fuhrer, the Trump nazi. The Associated Press reports:

"A lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of illegally profiting off the presidency through his luxury Washington hotel was revived Thursday by a divided federal appeals court. The lawsuit brought by the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia alleges that Trump has violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution by accepting profits through foreign and domestic officials who stay at the Trump International Hotel. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice said the DOJ will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case."

No surprise. The nazi in the Oval Office and his henchmen consider the 'president' above the law and the U.S. Constitution.

"Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and District Attorney General Karl Racine — both Democrats — said they hoped Thursday’s ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond would jumpstart efforts by the two jurisdictions to obtain financial records showing how much state and foreign governments have paid the Trump Organization to stay at the hotel and hold events there. More than three dozen subpoenas issued to various government agencies were put on hold while Trump’s appeal was pending. The lawsuit was filed almost three years ago. U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte refused to dismiss it, but his ruling was overturned in July by a three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit. The judges found that Maryland and the District of Columbia lacked standing to pursue their claims against the president."

-- Nazi 'judges' in the pocket of their fuhrer.

"But on Thursday, the panel’s ruling was overturned by the full court of 15 judges. In a 9-6 ruling, the court found that the three-judge panel overstepped its authority when it ordered Messitte to dismiss the lawsuit. “We recognize that the President is no ordinary petitioner, and we accord him great deference as the head of the Executive branch. But Congress and the Supreme Court have severely limited our ability to grant the extraordinary relief the President seeks,” Judge Diana Gribbon Motz wrote for the majority in rejecting Trump’s request to dismiss the lawsuit. All nine of the judges in the majority were nominated by Democratic presidents. The six judges who disagreed — all nominated by Republican presidents, including three by Trump — wrote a scathing dissenting opinion, saying the lawsuit should be thrown out. “The majority is using a wholly novel and nakedly political cause of action to pave the path for a litigative assault upon this and future Presidents and for an ascendant judicial supervisory role over Presidential action,” Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III wrote."

The Emoluments Clause is crystal clear despite best efforts of the nazi element on the court to support their fuhrer by bastardizing the Constitution:

"DOJ spokeswoman Brianna Herlihy said the department is disappointed in the ruling. “As the six dissenting judges noted, this unprecedented suit seeking to enforce the Emoluments Clauses against the President of the United States should have been dismissed, and the court of appeals erred by not even considering the merits of the President’s defenses,” Herlihy said in a statement. The hotel, just blocks from the White House, quickly became a hot spot for lobbyists and foreign officials after it reopened in 2016 shortly before Trump was elected president. Trump’s lawyers had argued that Frosh and Racine lack authority to sue the president in his official capacity. They also insisted that the emoluments clause only bars compensation made in connection with services provided in his official capacity or in “an employment-type relationship” with a foreign or domestic government."

That's not what's in the Constitution. These shysters are bastardizing the Constitution to support and defend their client, the Trump nazi.

"Frosh and Racine argued that hotels in their jurisdictions suffer “competitive injury” because officials hoping to curry favor with the president are more likely to stay at his hotel. “This confirms our fundamental assertion in this case — that the emoluments clause is our nation’s original anti-corruption law and President Trump is not above the law,” Frosh said of Thursday’s ruling. “It is a huge victory for the rule of law,” Racine said."

Too little, too late:

"In October, Trump’s company said it is exploring the sale of the hotel after nearly three years of complaints alleging he is profiting off the presidency. The Trump Organization said it will consider offers to buy out the 60-year lease on the hotel. The lawsuit brought by Maryland and the District of Columbia was one of several that accuse Trump of illegally profiting off the presidency through his business interests. In February, a federal appeals court in Washington dismissed a lawsuit filed by Democratic members of Congress who accused the president of violating the emoluments clause by accepting benefits to his businesses from foreign governments without congressional approval. The court did not rule on whether Trump violated the law. It just found that the 29 senators and 186 members of the House of Representatives involved in the lawsuit “do not constitute a majority of either body” of Congress and therefore didn’t have the power to bring the lawsuit."

Trump is lining his pockets off the presidency.

NPR reports:

"President Trump will not be able to shake off a lawsuit that accuses him of violating the Constitution by continuing to own his businesses while serving as president, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. The 9-6 decision by the full 4th Circuit Court of Appeals opens the way for the governments of Washington, D.C., and Maryland to get documents and financial records in the case. In a 21-page decision, Judge Diana Gribbon Motz described some of the Department of Justice's arguments on behalf of Trump as "puzzling." "[I]n the United States, every person — even the President — has a duty to obey the law," wrote Motz."

Trump and his henchmen certainly don't think so.

"The case centers on the once-obscure emoluments clauses of the Constitution, which prohibit the president from receiving gifts or favors from foreign and state governments. Trump's downtown Washington hotel, which occupies a building leased from the federal government, has been at the epicenter of the ethics disputes around the president. Officials from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other countries have collectively spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at the hotel, just a few blocks from the White House. The lawsuit's plaintiffs say those profits are funneled directly to Trump's business coffers."

Bribes.

"The District of Columbia and Maryland say planners of major events are booking gatherings at Trump's hotel over their own taxpayer-owned facilities, making them lose profits because, they allege, doing business at Trump's hotel is now seen as a way to curry favor with the president."

Precisely, what the Emoluments Clause was designed by the Founders to prevent.

"A smaller panel of the court's judges had initially ruled against D.C. and Maryland. The case involving Trump's hotel is one of multiple lawsuits that seek to pry open Trump's business records in light of his decision to neither divest his assets nor disclose his financial records. After his 2016 election, Trump broke with decades of practice by past presidents and decided to maintain ownership of his businesses, which include hotels, resorts and office buildings around the world. He says his sons manage the day-to-day operations, however."

Helping the old man line his pockets and their own.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve. Forfeiture of liberty. At the hands of outrageously corrupt and abusive government.

5-22-20

Another Trump henchman under scrutiny. In follow up to an earlier edition of this publication and elsewhere, United Press International reports:

"North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr said Thursday he will step down as chairman of the Senate intelligence committee after reports that he's being investigated for a mass selloff in stock at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced the move. "Sen. Burr contacted me this morning to inform me of his decision to step aside as chairman of the intelligence committee during the pendency of the investigation," he said in a statement. "We agreed that this decision would be in the best interests of the committee." McConnell said Burr will resign as committee chair at the end of Friday's Senate session."

Here's the problem:

"Earlier Thursday, the Los Angeles Times, NBC News and CBS News reported that FBI agents seized Burr's cellphone this week as part of an investigation into his stock selloff in the middle of February. Burr sold shares in dozens of different transactions around the same time the intelligence committee was receiving daily coronavirus briefings. The sales occurred about a week before the U.S. stock market began to see heavy losses related to the pandemic. The Justice Department is trying to determine whether Burr violated any possible insider trading laws with his decision to sell stock. Burr has previously said he won't run for re-election in 2022."

What took so long for the 'Justice' Department to seize the cellphone?

5-22-20

Whistleblower has his say. The Associated Press reports:

"Whistleblower Rick Bright warned on Thursday that the U.S. lacks a plan to produce and fairly distribute a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available. The nation could face “the darkest winter in modern history” unless leaders act decisively, he told a congressional panel. Bright alleges he was ousted from a high-level scientific post after warning the Trump administration to prepare for the pandemic. Bright said, “We don’t have (a vaccine plan) yet, and it is a significant concern.” Asked if lawmakers should be worried, he responded, “absolutely.” Bright, a vaccine expert who led a biodefense agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, said the country needs a plan to establish a supply chain for producing tens of millions of doses of a vaccine, and then allocating and distributing them fairly. He said experience so far with an antiviral drug that has been found to benefit COVID-19 patients has not given him much confidence about distribution. Hospital pharmacies have reported problems getting limited supplies."

Trump remains all talk, no action.

"Appearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Bright said one of his lowest moments came when his repeated efforts to jump-start U.S. production of respirator masks went nowhere. Bright recalled getting emails in late January from Mike Bowen, an executive at a medical supply company called Prestige Ameritech, indicating that our N95 mask supply was “completely decimated.” “And he said, ‘We’re in deep shit. The world is. And we need to act,’” Bright said. “And I pushed that forward to the highest levels I could in HHS and got no response. From that moment I knew that we were going to have a crisis for our health care workers because we were not taking action. We were already behind the ball.”

Nazi gutlessness:

"Republican lawmakers on the panel for the most part were careful not to attack Bright directly. But Rep. Markwayne Mullins, R-Okla., slammed Bright for continuing to collect his $285,000 salary while first on sick leave for a spike in blood pressure, and now on vacation as he tries to straighten out his work situation. “You’re too sick to go into work, but you’re well enough to come here while getting paid,” said Mullin. “I have a hard time understanding that.”

You and all your colleagues, both parties, aren't equally worthless if not far worse, Congressman? Give me a break.

"A federal watchdog agency has found “reasonable grounds” that Bright was removed from his post as head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority after sounding the alarm at the Department of Health and Human Services. “Our window of opportunity is closing,” Bright said in his prepared testimony. “If we fail to develop a national coordinated response, based in science, I fear the pandemic will get far worse and be prolonged, causing unprecedented illness and fatalities.” Bright’s testimony follows this week’s warning by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, that a rushed lifting of store-closing and stay-at-home restrictions could “turn back the clock,” seeding more suffering and death and complicating efforts to get the economy rolling again."

At the same time, think that a pending failed economy won't ultimately kill far more than the pandemic?

Expect better of the congenital liar currently occupying the Oval Office? Get this:

"President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed Bright in a tweet as “a disgruntled employee, not liked or respected by people I spoke to and who, with his attitude, should no longer be working for our government!” It’s a sentiment some of the president’s political allies have expressed about Fauci as well.

"I don’t know the so-called Whistleblower Rick Bright, never met him or even heard of him, but to me he is a disgruntled employee, not liked or respected by people I spoke to and who, with his attitude, should no longer be working for our government!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 14, 2020"

Same could be said of you, Mr. 'President.' Sadly and without question, you, your fascist ideology and henchmen present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"In his prepared testimony, Bright said, “The undeniable fact is there will be a resurgence of (COVID-19) this fall, greatly compounding the challenges of seasonal influenza and putting an unprecedented strain on our health care system.” “Without clear planning and implementation of the steps that I and other experts have outlined, 2020 will be darkest winter in modern history,” Bright wrote. Bright, who has a doctoral degree in immunology, outlined a path forward that would be based on science, even as researchers work to develop better treatments and an effective vaccine. The steps include:

"— Establishing a national testing strategy. The White House has urged states to take the lead on testing, even as the federal government pushes to make more tests and better ones widely available. Trump says the U.S. has “prevailed” on testing through this strategy, but in Congress Democrats are demanding a federal framework to encompass the whole nation.

"— Doubling down on educating the public about basic safety measures such as frequent hand-washing and wearing masks in public places as guidelines indicate. “Frankly, our leaders must lead by modeling the behavior,” said Bright, in a not-too-subtle reference to a president who conspicuously goes maskless.

"— Ramping up production of essential equipment and supplies, from cotton swabs for testing to protective gear for health care workers and essential workers.

"— Setting up a system to fairly distribute equipment and supplies that are scarce and highly sought. Eliminating state vs. state competition would increase efficiency and reduce costs, he wrote."

5-22-20

Joining forces to fight back against the nazi element abrogating the constitutional right to abortion. The Associated Press reports:

"Conservative lawmakers in Alabama last year tried to enact the nation’s most stringent abortion ban, but the attempt to outlaw the procedure may have had one ironic twist."

Did it ever. LOL. The nazi element got the surprise of a lifetime. LOL. Get this:

"An Alabama-based abortion rights group used a flood of donations that poured in from across the country after the ban to purchase the state’s busiest abortion clinic to ensure it stays open."

How about that? LOL.

"Yellowhammer Fund — a group founded to help low-income women access abortion — announced the purchase of West Alabama Women’s Center on Friday, the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Alabama ban. “I said this a year ago. What they didn’t anticipate they would do is help us increase abortion access in Alabama,” said Amanda Reyes, executive director of Yellowhammer Fund. Reyes said the flood of donations helped the group purchase the clinic from the owner who was looking to retire."

The nazi element in our formerly great country is certainly doing all it can to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus:

"Energized by new conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court, abortion opponents in several conservative states are launching direct legal challenges to the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationally. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey last year signed into law legislation that would make performing an abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony punishable by up to 99 years or life in prison for the abortion provider. A federal judge blocked the Alabama law from taking effect while a challenge plays out in court. International attention on the Alabama ban prompted an outpouring of donations as celebrities shared information on their social media accounts about the group and the fight in Alabama. “It was like a deluge. It was literally like a deluge of grassroots donations,” Reyes said."

How about that? What is sad is the fact liberty is under such ferocious attack in our formerly great country.

"Gloria Gray, who has owned the clinic since 1993, said in a statement issued through Yellowhammer that she was looking to retire but had been concerned about keeping the clinic doors open. “I’ve been waiting years, holding out until I could sell my interest in the company without affecting the clinic, without preventing women from being able to get abortions in Alabama,” Gray said. Yellowhammer did not disclose the purchase price. There are three clinics in Alabama that perform abortions. West Alabama, with its proximity to Mississippi, is the busiest. The clinic in 2017 performed about half of all abortions in the state, according to statistics from the Alabama Department of Public Health. Reyes said it is particularly important to keep the Tuscaloosa clinic open in “a region that is particularly abortion-hostile.” “The stars just aligned in a kind of way where we had the resources at the right time. Now we are going to be able to more robustly fulfill our mission,” Reyes said."

Courageously standing up to the nazi element in our formerly great country. Uncommon Valor.

5-22-20

Trump gutlessly fires inspector general who courageously stood up against him. The Washington Post reports:

"State Department Inspector General Steve Linick was fired Friday in a late-night ouster that drew condemnations from Democrats, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warning of an acceleration in a “dangerous pattern of retaliation” against federal watchdogs. Linick, a 2013 Obama appointee who has criticized department leadership for alleged retribution toward staffers, will be replaced by Stephen J. Akard, a State Department spokesperson confirmed Friday. It was the latest in a string of weekend removals of oversight officials who have clashed with the Trump administration. Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D.-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, claimed the State Inspector General was fired after opening an investigation into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and said the timing suggested “an unlawful act of retaliation.” The State Department did not explain Linick’s removal or address criticism, and the White House did not immediately respond to an inquiry Friday night. A Democratic congressional aide said that Linick was looking into Pompeo’s “misuse of a political appointee at the Department to perform personal tasks for himself and Mrs. Pompeo.”

How about that? LOL.

"President Trump said in a Friday letter to Pelosi that the inspector general no longer had his “fullest confidence” and would be removed in 30 days, the required period of advance notice to lawmakers. The firing came weeks after Trump removed Christi Grimm as principal deputy inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, after Grimm’s office criticized the administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — detailing “severe shortages” of testing kits, delays in getting coronavirus results and “widespread shortages” of masks and other equipment at U.S. hospitals. Trump had lashed out publicly at Grimm. Last month the president ousted intelligence community Inspector General Michael Atkinson, who handled the explosive whistleblower complaint that led to Trump’s impeachment. He also pushed out Glenn Fine, the chairman of the federal panel Congress created to oversee his administration’s management of the government’s $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package."

Clearly, Trump and his supporters consider him (Trump) above the law.

The president’s critics responded with outrage Friday to the move against Linick. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) slammed “another apparent act of retaliation and cover up” meant to “shield a loyal Cabinet secretary from oversight and accountability,” while Pelosi said in a statement that Linick was “punished for honorably performing his duty to protect the Constitution and our national security, as required by the law and by his oath.” Pelosi expressed concern that the move came as the House passed coronavirus legislation that includes funding that the State Department’s inspector general would oversee."

Other than empty rhetoric, what are you and fellow Democrats going to do about it, Madam Speaker?

"Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) called the firing “shameful” in a late Friday tweet. “Another late Friday night attack on independence, accountability, and career officials,” he wrote. “At this point, the President’s paralyzing fear of any oversight is undeniable.”

Like the Speaker, you're all talk, no action, Senator.

"Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), also on Twitter, said “inspectors general are inconvenient, pesky brutes if your goal is turn the government into a cash cow for your friends, cronies and family.”

Wake up, Senator. When are you and fellow Democrats finally going to get up off your sorry asses and do something about our nazi fuhrer?

"Linick has previously been critical of alleged misconduct by officials. An August report by the inspector general concluded that leadership of a leading department bureau mistreated and harassed staffers, accused them of political disloyalty to the Trump administration and retaliated against them. Linick’s office also faulted actions by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. His replacement, Akard, is a former Foreign Service officer who leads the State Department’s Office of Foreign Missions. Akard was nominated in 2017 to become director general of the Foreign Service but withdrew amid opposition."

Must be nice having a personal valet at taxpayer expense, no? The Washington Post reports:

"The State Department inspector general fired by President Trump was looking into allegations that a staffer for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was performing domestic errands and chores such as handling dry cleaning, walking the family dog and making restaurant reservations, said a congressional official familiar with the matter. Steve Linick, the quasi-independent watchdog whose job it was to expose waste and malfeasance within the agency, investigated a number of issues at the State Department that agitated senior Trump administration officials, but it remains unclear what specifically triggered his ouster Friday night."

What do you think? LOL.

"The congressional official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the matter remains highly sensitive, said that the State Department staffer was a political appointee and that at least one congressional committee learned of the allegations around the time of Linick’s firing. Congressional Democrats are investigating whether Linick’s firing was an effort to shut down the investigation, the official said. "The White House said Trump’s late-night ouster of Linick came at the recommendation of Pompeo, a decision that has prompted criticisms from Democrats and some Republicans as a threat to good governance and oversight. Inspectors general serve as internal government watchdogs conducting oversight of federal agencies. They are political appointees, but their independence is supposed to be protected. Linick’s firing amounted to the fourth such ouster in recent weeks."

Trump summarily dumps anyone who attempts to rein in the 'president' and his henchmen.

"Trump replaced Linick with Stephen J. Akard, a trusted ally of Vice President Pence and the official in charge of the Office of Foreign Missions."

Think Akard won't conveniently look the other way? LOL.

NBC News reports:

"The State Department inspector general who was removed from his job Friday was looking into whether Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a staffer walk his dog, pick up his dry cleaning and make dinner reservations for Pompeo and his wife, among other personal errands, according to two congressional officials assigned to different committees. The officials said they are working to learn whether former Inspector General Steve Linick may have had other ongoing investigations into Pompeo. The officials say the staffer who was alleged to have been made to do personal tasks is a political appointee who was serving as a staff assistant. CNN reported last year that congressional Democrats were investigating a different complaint, this one from a whistleblower, alleging that Pompeo's diplomatic security agents were made to perform similar personal tasks."

Must be nice, no? LOL. Think it appropriate in what is supposed to be a democratic republic?

"The House first obtained details of the inspector general investigation late last week after learning of Linick's sudden removal. Congressional oversight officials investigating the matter believe the firing was direct retaliation for his pursuing the investigation."

Hard to believe it could be anything else. LOL.

"A White House official told NBC News that Pompeo "recommended" Linick's ouster and that President Donald Trump agreed with the move."

Surprised? LOL.

Get this:

"House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said Saturday that they're launching an investigation of Linick's removal. They asked the Trump administration to turn over records and other details related to the firing by Friday. In a statement Monday, Engel said that he has learned there might have been another reason for Linick's firing. "His office was investigating — at my request — Trump’s phony declaration of an emergency so he could send weapons to Saudi Arabia," Engel said. "We don’t have the full picture yet, but it’s troubling that Secretary Pompeo wanted Mr. Linick pushed out before this work could be completed. The administration should comply with the probe I launched with Senator Menendez and turn over all the records requested from the Department by Friday." Linick's removal drew criticism from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a co-chair of the Whistleblower Protection Caucus, who said Congress needs written reasons justifying a removal. "A general lack of confidence is simply not sufficient," he said. During the coronavirus pandemic, Trump has also fired the intelligence community's watchdog, Michael Atkinson, and replaced acting Inspector General Glenn Fine at the Defense Department."

5-22-20

Trump's continuing distortion of reality and congenital lies. Fact check. The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump and his GOP allies are misrepresenting the facts behind the legal case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn as they seek to allege improper behavior during the Obama administration in the presidential campaign season. Broadly dubbing his allegations “Obamagate,” Trump points to unspecified conspiracies against himself in 2016 and suggests the disclosure of Flynn’s name as part of legal U.S. surveillance of foreign targets was criminal and motivated by partisan politics. There’s no evidence of that. In fact, the so-called unmasking of Americans’ names like Flynn’s is legal, and such requests have been more frequently sought in the Trump administration than in the last stretch of Obama’s tenure. In a politically tumultuous week, the president also mischaracterized messages between FBI employees and again alleged without evidence corruption involving Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, in China. Meanwhile, Trump continued to spread falsehoods about the availability of tests needed to help stem the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S."

Report goes on and on in great detail. Yet, Republicans and supporters of Trump continue to shamelessly support and defend the congenital liar. Fascinating, isn't it?

5-22-20

Time to wake up. The Associated Press reports:

"The day he declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, President Donald Trump made a cryptic offhand remark. “I have the right to do a lot of things that people don’t even know about,” he said at the White House. Trump wasn’t just crowing. Dozens of statutory authorities become available to any president when national emergencies are declared. They are rarely used, but Trump last month stunned legal experts and others when he claimed — mistakenly — that he has “total” authority over governors in easing COVID-19 guidelines. That prompted 10 senators to look into how sweeping Trump believes his emergency powers are. They have asked to see this administration’s Presidential Emergency Action Documents, or PEADs. The little-known, classified documents are essentially planning papers. The documents don’t give a president authority beyond what’s in the Constitution. But they outline what powers a president believes that the Constitution gives him to deal with national emergencies. The senators think the documents would provide them a window into how this White House interprets presidential emergency powers. “Somebody needs to look at these things,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said in a telephone interview. “This is a case where the president can declare an emergency and then say, ‘Because there’s an emergency, I can do this, this and this.’” King, seven Democrats and one Republican sent a letter late last month to acting national intelligence director Richard Grenell asking to be briefed on any existing PEADs. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., wrote a similar letter to Attorney General William Barr and White House counsel Pat Cipollone. “The concern is that there could be actions taken that would violate individual rights under the Constitution,” such as limiting due process, unreasonable search and seizure and holding individuals without cause, King said. “I’m merely speculating. It may be that we get these documents and there’s nothing untoward in their checks and balances and everything is above board and reasonable."

Think so?

"Joshua Geltzer, visiting professor of law at Georgetown University, said there is a push to take a look at these documents because there is rising distrust for the Trump administration’s legal interpretations in a way he hasn’t seen in his lifetime. The most publicized example was Trump’s decision last year to declare the security situation along the U.S.-Mexico border a national emergency. That decision allowed him to take up to $3.6 billion from military construction projects to finance wall construction beyond the miles that lawmakers had been willing to fund. Trump’s move skirted the authority of Congress, which by law has the power to spend money in the nation’s wallet. “I worry about other things he might call an emergency,” Geltzer said. “I think around the election itself in November — that’s where there seems to be a lot of potential for mischief with this president.” The lawmakers made their request just days after Trump made his startling claim on April 13 that he had the authority to force states to reopen for business amid the pandemic. “When somebody’s the president of the United States, the authority is total,” Trump said, causing a backlash from some governors and legal experts. Trump later tweeted that while some people say it’s the governors, not the president’s decision, “Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect.” Trump later backtracked on his claim of “total” authority and agreed that states have the upper hand in deciding when to end their lockdowns. But it was just the latest from a president who has been stretching existing statutory authorities “to, if not beyond, their breaking point,” said Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas."

Trump presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Unlike any other president to date.

Get this:

"Questions about Trump’s PEADs went unanswered by the Justice Department, National Security Council and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of a national security program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, said PEADs have not been subject to congressional oversight for decades. She estimates that there are 50 to 60 of these documents, which include draft proclamations, executive orders and proposed legislation that could be swiftly introduced to “assert broad presidential authority” in national emergencies. She said the Eisenhower administration had PEADs outlining how it might respond to a possible Soviet nuclear attack. According to the Brennan Center, PEADs issued up through the 1970s included detention of U.S. citizens suspected of being subversives, warrantless searches and seizures and the imposition of martial law. “A Department of Justice memorandum from the Lyndon B. Johnson administration discusses a presidential emergency action document that would impose censorship on news sent abroad,” Goitein wrote in an op-ed with lawyer Andrew Boyle published last month in The New York Times. “The memo notes that while no ‘express statutory authority’ exists for such a measure, ‘it can be argued that these actions would be legal in the aftermath of a devastating nuclear attack based on the president’s constitutional powers to preserve the national security.”’

All this is truly frightening and an exigent threat to the U.S. Constitution.

"Goitein said she especially worries about any orders having to do with military deployment, including martial law. “You can imagine a situation where he (Trump) engineers a crisis that leads to domestic violence, which then becomes a pretext for martial law,” said Goitein, who insists she’s simply playing out worst-case scenarios. “What I worry about is the extreme interpretation under which he asserts the authority to declare martial law and take over all the functions of government, including running the elections.” She also wonders if there is a PEAD outlining steps the president could take to respond to a serious cyberattack. Would the president aggressively interpret telecommunications law and flip an internet kill switch, or restrain domestic internet traffic? she asks. Bobby Chesney, associate dean at the University of Texas School of Law, said some fears might be exaggerated because while Trump makes off-the-cuff assertions of authority far beyond past presidents, he doesn’t necessarily follow up with action. Says Chesney: “His actions don’t match the rhetoric always — or even often.”

Precisely, why our out of control, fuhrer, the Trump nazi presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Our formerly great country is divided to both political extremes quite like it's never been before. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Time to wake up. Before too late.

5-22-20

Mismanagement of a do-nothing government during a national crisis. The Washington Post reports:

"A $500 billion Treasury Department fund created by the Cares Act in March to help stabilize the economy has lent barely any money, according to an initial report issued by a new Congressional Oversight Commission. The money was supposed to be used to help prop up large segments of the U.S. economy at a time when millions of Americans had lost their jobs or were ordered to work remotely. The Treasury Department has speedily implemented other parts of the Cares Act, but its work on the $500 billion fund has so far led to little action at a time when a growing number of firms are seeking bankruptcy protection and continuing to lay off employees.

"The Congressional Oversight Commission was created by the law to help oversee how the taxpayer money is being used, and the group issued its first report Monday even though it still doesn’t have a chairman. That person must be appointed jointly by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). They still haven’t agreed on an appointment — an example of how oversight of the trillions of dollars Congress approved to fight the coronavirus is getting off to a slow start."

5-22-20

Democrats finally finding some modicum of courage, finally trying to get it right? Think so? United Press International reports:

"House Democrats have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to gain access to secret grand jury evidence from the Justice Department's Russia investigation to determine if President Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses. In their brief, Democrats of the House judiciary committee said they need to see the grand jury evidence gathered by former special counsel Robert Mueller because it's key to determining whether Trump obstructed justice during the inquiry. Mueller said in his report last year his investigation found several "episodes" in which Trump potentially obstructed the investigation. House general counsel Douglas Letter said the committee's investigation into Trump's activities "is ongoing." "If this material reveals new evidence supporting the conclusion that President Trump committed impeachable offenses ... the committee will proceed accordingly -- including, if necessary, by considering whether to recommend new articles of impeachment," Letter wrote."

What took so long?

"Mueller's investigation found no solid evidence that Trump or members of his campaign colluded with Russia to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, but left open the possibility that he worked to sidetrack investigations that followed. Monday's filing was a response to a Justice Department request to vacate an appellate court ruling in March that upheld a lower-court finding that Congress has a right to obtain the grand jury materials. Letter's brief also suggests the judiciary committee's investigation of potentially impeachable offenses has broadened to include recent actions by Justice Department in cases involving Trump allies Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, each of whom were indicted as a result of the Mueller investigation. Stone was convicted last fall of lying to Congress and obstructing the Russia investigation. In February, four federal prosecutors quit the case after their recommended sentence of nine years was overruled by Justice Department brass following criticism from Trump. Stone was ultimately sentenced to 40 months. Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with a former Russian ambassador. The Justice Department moved to drop the case earlier this month."

5-15-20

The following is a stunning example of Uncommon Valor in the corporate management suite. CBS News reports:

"An Amazon executive said he quit his job at the online retailer "in dismay" over the firing of employees who spoke up about the conditions inside the company's warehouses and its record on climate change."

Uncommon Valor. Hat's off, Mr. Bray:

"Tim Bray, a vice president at the company, wrote in a blog post on Monday that he left his job last week after Amazon fired several workers last month who publicly criticized the company. The dismissals are "evidence of a vein of toxicity running through the company culture," he said. The firings came amid growing concerns from workers who walked off the job at warehouses in New York, Detroit and Chicago, drawing attention to issues such as a lack of personal protective equipment. Bray specifically cited the firings of two employees who criticized the company's warehouse operations and climate policies, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, as a breaking point for him. "The justifications were laughable; it was clear to any reasonable observer that they were turfed for whistleblowing." Bray wrote in his post. "At that point I snapped. VPs shouldn't go publicly rogue, so I escalated through the proper channels and by the book." Bray said he wasn't at liberty to disclose those conversations. He added that continuing working at Amazon would have meant "signing off on actions I despised. So I resigned."

Time for the corporate management suite to finally wake up:

"In a statement, a spokesperson for Amazon said, "We support every employee's right to criticize their employer's working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies. We terminated these employees for repeatedly violating internal policies." Among those fired was a New York warehouse worker who led a strike last month, pushing Amazon for more protections for workers against the coronavirus. At the time, Amazon said the worker was fired for not obeying social-distancing rules. The Amazon spokesperson said in a statement that the company is investing in employee safety: "Our top concern is ensuring the health and safety of our employees, and we expect to invest approximately $4 billion from April to June on COVID-related initiatives to get products to customers and keep employees safe." Bray, who said he worked at Amazon's cloud business for more than five years, said his resignation will cost him personally because of the loss of salary and company stock. "This will probably cost me over a million (pre-tax) dollars, not to mention the best job I've ever had, working with awfully good people," he wrote. "So I'm pretty blue."

Principle trumps greed. Amazing, isn't it?

5-15-20

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.

Another savage in the Border Patrol sued along with the government. ABC News reports:

"The family of a 20-year-old Guatemalan woman shot dead in 2018 by a U.S. Border Patrol agent filed a civil rights lawsuit Tuesday against the agent and the U.S. government. The family of Claudia Gómez González is suing in federal court in Laredo, Texas for unspecified actual and punitive damages. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas filed the lawsuit one year after filing a $100 million federal claim on the family’s behalf. The claim was filed one year after the May 23, 2018, shooting. Gómez González crossed the Texas-Mexico border with several other migrants when border agents confronted them in a vacant lot near Laredo. One agent shot Gómez González in the head, and she took moments to die, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit only refers to one of the 21 defendant agents by name, referring to the others as “Does 1-20.” The lawsuit alleges that one of the agents, or a combination of them, were responsible for the woman's death and that she was the victim of excessive violence and a civil rights violation."

5-15-20

No justice for Trump's henchman. The Associated Press reports:

"The Justice Department on Thursday said it is dropping the criminal case against President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, abandoning a prosecution that became a rallying cry for the president and his supporters in attacking the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation."

Forget? Our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, runs and owns the 'Justice' Department.

"The action was a stunning reversal for one of the signature cases brought by special counsel Robert Mueller. It comes even though prosecutors for the past three years have maintained that Flynn lied to the FBI in a January 2017 interview about his conversations with the Russian ambassador."

Here's the kicker:

"Flynn himself admitted as much, pleading guilty before asking to withdraw the plea, and became a key cooperator for Mueller as the special counsel investigated ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign."

Nazi justice in Trump's Nazi America:

"Thursday’s action was swiftly embraced by Trump, who has relentlessly tweeted about the “outrageous” case and last week pronounced Flynn “exonerated.” It could also newly energize supporters who have taken up the retired Army lieutenant general as a cause. But it will also add to Democratic complaints that Attorney General Barr is excessively loyal to the president, and could be a distraction for a Justice Department that for months has sought to focus on crimes arising from the coronavirus."

Our fuhrer is a congenital liar. The following is simply not true:

“He was an innocent man,” Trump declared of Flynn after the announcement. He accused Obama administration officials of targeting Flynn and said, “I hope that a big price is going to be paid.”

Flynn admitted his guilt. Did so more than once. The public has indeed paid the price for this egregious abrogation of justice by our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, and his bought and paid for 'Justice' Department. Wake up. Top of the food chain is virtually free to do as it pleases in what has become Nazi America in the last three and a half years.

The Washington Post reports:

"More than 1,900 former Justice Department employees on Monday repeated a call for William P. Barr to step down as attorney general, asserting in an open letter he had “once again assaulted the rule of law” by moving to drop the case against President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn. The letter, organized by the nonprofit group Protect Democracy, was signed by Justice Department staffers serving in Republican and Democratic administrations dating back to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The vast majority were former career staffers — rather than political appointees — who worked as federal prosecutors or supervisors at U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country or the Justice Department in downtown Washington.

"The new letter asserted that its signers “continue to believe that it would be best for the integrity of the Justice Department and for our democracy for Attorney General Barr to step aside.” The group also called on Congress to formally censure Barr and asked a federal judge in Washington to hold a hearing to scrutinize whether to dismiss the case against Flynn. “Our democracy depends on a Department of Justice that acts as an independent arbiter of equal justice, not as an arm of the president’s political apparatus,” the group wrote."

Get this:

"Among the signers were several high-profile Republican appointees, including Donald Ayer, a deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush; Charles Fried, solicitor general under President Ronald Reagan; and Stuart Gerson, who led the Justice Department’s civil division under Bush and served as acting attorney general briefly in the Clinton administration. Justin Vail, a policy advocate with Protect Democracy, said the group was “inundated with calls from former Department of Justice attorneys who wanted to speak out” after the action in the Flynn case.

"Barr’s decision Thursday to reverse course and ask a federal judge to throw out Flynn’s case has roiled the Justice Department and renewed questions about whether the attorney general is bending federal law enforcement to the president’s will. Flynn had pleaded in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about his interactions during the presidential transition with Sergey Kislyak, at the time the Russian ambassador to the United States. Trump ousted Flynn for, the president said, misleading the vice president about the matter.

"But as he awaited sentencing, Flynn changed legal teams and sought to withdraw his plea and get the case thrown out, alleging Justice Department misconduct including entrapment by the FBI agents who interviewed him. Barr tapped Jeff Jensen, the U.S. attorney in St. Louis, to review how the case had been handled. Jensen said publicly last week that he recommended it be dropped."

Nazi justice in Nazi America. Sad, isn't it?

The Washington Post reports:

"A U.S. judge put on hold the Justice Department’s move to drop charges against Michael Flynn, saying he expects independent groups and legal experts to argue against the bid to exonerate President Trump’s former national security adviser of lying to the FBI. U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan said in an order Tuesday that he expects individuals and organizations will seek to intervene in the politically charged case. Having others weigh in could preface more aggressive steps that the federal judge in Washington could take, including — as many outside observers have called for — holding a hearing to consider what to do. Sullivan’s order came after the government took the highly irregular step Thursday of reversing its stance on upholding Flynn’s guilty plea. The action by Sullivan, a veteran 72-year-old jurist with a national reputation for advocating defendants’ rights to full government disclosure of evidence, appears to rule out immediate action on the Justice Department’s decision to reverse course and throw out Flynn’s December 2017 guilty plea.

"Sullivan has not hesitated to personally question Flynn in court before, as he did during a 2018 hearing, when he rejected a defense motion supported by the government for probation. Sullivan had said he was not satisfied by the former three-star Army general’s cooperation with special counsel’s probe. “Arguably, you sold your country out,” Sullivan told Flynn. Flynn was convicted of lying to investigators about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador about easing U.S. sanctions during Trump’s presidential transition in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of interference in the 2016 election. Flynn had initially repeated that he was guilty of lying, that no one had coerced him to admit his guilt and that he had no intention of taking back that plea. Flynn also said he took responsibility for wrongdoing that also culminated in his firing by Trump for misleading Vice President Pence, White House aides and the public."

5-15-20

No justice. A failed U.S. Supreme Court. United Press International reports:

"In a unanimous decision Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned two fraud convictions for former aides to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie that stemmed from the "Bridgegate" scandal seven years ago. Bridget Ann Kelly and Bill Baroni orchestrated the closure of two local access lanes on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge for three days in 2013 after the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., failed to support Christie's re-election bid. The move was intended to create large traffic jams to disrupt the flow into Fort Lee. The high court wrote in its 15-page opinion that former deputy chief of staff Kelly and Baroni, Christie's deputy executive director at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, could not be prosecuted under federal fraud laws. The ruling overturns a decision by a U.S. District Court that upheld their convictions. Kelly's attorney had argued that the move to close two traffic lanes was motivated by politics, and doesn't constitute fraud. "The realignment of the toll lanes was an exercise of regulatory power -- something this court has already held fails to meet the statutes' property requirement [under federal corruption law]," Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court. "And the employees' labor was just the incidental cost of that regulation, rather than itself an object of the officials' scheme. We, therefore, reverse the convictions." "As Kelly's own lawyer acknowledged, this case involves an 'abuse of power,'" Kagan added. "The evidence the jury heard no doubt shows wrongdoing -- deception, corruption, abuse of power. But the federal fraud statutes at issue do not criminalize all such conduct." Kelly and Baroni have been free pending the Supreme Court decision. Baroni had served three months of an 18-month sentence in federal prison. David Wildstein, a former Port Authority official, pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors to testify at trial in 2014 against the two aides."

Clearly, the problem is not just the five Republican national socialist, fascist, nazis on the Court, but the Democrats as well. We've clearly lost ourselves somewhere along the way.

5-15-20

A national socialist, fascist, nazi federal 'judge' forces his perverse religious views on the aggrieved. United Press International reports:

"A federal court on Thursday denied a motion to block an Arkansas directive preventing patients from receiving abortion care. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit by Arkansas abortion providers and the American Civil Liberties Union seeking to block the directive restricting access [to] procedural abortions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller said the directive should be upheld on the grounds that it was related to preventing the spread of COVID-19 and was "not beyond all question, a plain, palpable invasion of a woman's right to an abortion." Miller added the decision was "agonizingly difficult" in part because it affects four specific women named in the case as well as other women seeking abortions. "There is a strong urge to rule for them because they are extremely sympathetic figures, but that would be unjust," he wrote."

Have you lost your mind, 'Judge?'

Think not? Wake up. Get this:

"Under the directive, patients are not permitted to obtain a procedural abortion unless they test negative for COVID-19 within 48 hours. Jennifer Dalven, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, noted the state's sole provider of procedural abortions, Little Rock Family Planning Services, said patients have been unable to obtain testing and the directive is "outright barring people who have decided to have an abortion from getting one and instead forcing them to stay pregnant and have a child against their will." "A state should never prevent people from making a decision about a pregnancy that is best for themselves and their families. But doing so during the pandemic, when people are losing their jobs and doing everything they can to keep their families healthy and make ends meet, is beyond cruel," Dalven wrote."

Nazi justice in Nazi America.

5-15-20

Senate refuses to rein in the Trump nazi. United Press International reports:

"The Senate on Thursday failed to override President Donald Trump's veto of a resolution to limit presidential war-making authority against Iran. The chamber voted 49-44 to override the veto issued by Trump on Wednesday, falling short of the two-thirds threshold required to push through the War Powers measure that would limit the president's ability to take military action against Iran without congressional approval. Trump described the measure as a "very insulting resolution" in his veto and said it would "greatly" damage his responsibility to protect the United States. "We live in a hostile world of evolving threats and the Constitution recognizes that the president must be able to anticipate our adversaries' next moves and take swift and decisive action in response," he said."

Trump presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

5-15-20

Think the following doesn't at least partially explain the insanity? The Associated Press reports:

"Reflecting on Mother’s Day this weekend, President Donald Trump said Friday that he could do no wrong in his mother’s eyes and perhaps that’s what framed his personality today. “I had a great mom. I loved my mom and she loved me, which ... is probably not easy to do,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” in an interview. “She was so good to me. I couldn’t do any wrong, which is a big problem. Maybe that’s why I ended up the way I ended up. I don’t know. I couldn’t do any wrong in her eyes.”

5-8-20

Guess who's lying? Couldn't be, could it? CBS News reports:

"A group of immigrants in U.S. government custody clashed with officials at a Massachusetts detention facility late Friday, according to advocates and local authorities, who reported the latest episode of growing dissent and frustration among detainees amid the coronavirus pandemic. The disturbance at the Bristol County House of Corrections in the town of Dartmouth is at least the ninth instance since President Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus in which staff at detention facilities have used pepper spray on protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, according to statements from the agency to CBS News. It is also at least the tenth incident since then in which detention center personnel have responded to disturbances by immigrants."

Gulags.

Not surprisingly:

"The descriptions by the local sheriff and ICE of what unfolded on Friday were significantly different from those of advocates and family members of detainees. However, all accounts depicted a major escalation."

Certainly, did.

Here's the Sheriff's version of events:

"According to the Bristol County Sheriff's Office, Friday's incident started after "about 10 detainees" at one of the facilities in the complex reported having symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. "The detainees refused to get tested for COVID-19, then when notified they were required to be tested because of reporting symptoms, rushed violently at Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson and corrections officers, barricaded themselves inside the facility, ripped washing machines and pipes off the wall, broke windows and trashed the entire unit," the office said in a statement. The sheriff's office claimed that corrections officers, a K9 dog unit and a "special response team" were "attacked" by immigrant detainees upon entering a detention facility housing area. The immigrants were later restrained, the office added. Three immigrants were transported to a hospital; "one for a pre-existing medical condition and another for a medical incident after being removed from the ICE wing. All three are expected to be fine," according to the sheriff's office."

Where's video of the incident, Sheriff? Why hasn't it been released?

"Sheriff Hodgson, an ardent supporter of Mr. Trump and controversial figure in Massachusetts politics, said the disturbance was sparked after detainees refused to allow a medical team to conduct coronavirus tests. "Our medical team alerted me, and I advised the detainees that for their health and the health of their fellow detainees and our staff, they needed to be tested at the medical unit. The detainees refused to comply, became combatant and ultimately put the lives of themselves and many Bristol County officers at risk with their reckless actions," Hodgson said in a statement."

Where's video to confirm your allegations, Sheriff? Where?

"The sheriff's office, which confirmed to CBS News that pepper spray was used on Friday, said the disturbance caused $25,000 worth of damage. "Detainees have been moved to single cells in the special housing unit pending disciplinary action, COVID-19 testing and criminal charges," the office added in its statement. On Saturday, ICE officials echoed the description offered by the Bristol County sheriff, saying detainees who were "refusing mandatory testing" caused "severe damage to jail property, breaking windows, washing machines and causing other property damage." The officials also said 25 immigrants in their custody came in contact with pepper spray during the altercation, and were evaluated by medical staff."

Where's video of the incident? Why wasn't it quickly released? The public has the right to know who the hell is telling the truth, who is lying like hell.

Here's the problem:

"Local advocates, immigration lawyers and family members of detainees disputed this version of events. The sister of a detainee inside the detention center said in a legal declaration prepared by an attorney that her brother called her at around 6:16 p.m. on Friday to tell her that guards had pepper sprayed immigrants who refused to sign papers which said "everything is okay with the conditions" at the facility."

Couldn't be, could it? The jackbooted bastards in ICE wouldn't do anything like that, would they?

"Officials started grabbing us and pushing us with force and then they started throwing pepper spray. The people on the inside could not breathe and many of us fainted. Our skin started to swell up as if we had an allergy," the detainee told his sister, according to the declaration. "Officials started breaking glass, so they could blame us for causing a disturbance. There were more people outside with dogs."

Where's the video, Sheriff? Why hasn't it been released? Why is the public forced to take your word and that of ICE?

"The detainee later told his sister to "help them" and that he had to hang up, according to the declaration. Benjamin Haldeman, the attorney who prepared the declaration, told CBS News the sister and her family requested anonymity. Sasha Wright, a resident of New Haven, Connecticut, said her fiancé, Conroy Lewis, a Jamaican immigrant held by ICE at the Bristol County House of Corrections, called her at around 5:45 p.m. on Friday to tell her that guards wanted to move him and other detainees to another facility for coronavirus testing. At around 6:35 p.m., Wright said Lewis called again and told her an altercation had broken out. During a brief phone call, Lewis said windows were broken and pepper spray was used, according to Wright. "He was scared and did not know what to do." Wright has not spoken to her fiancé since Friday evening. "I don't know what they're doing to them — and I'm worried right now," she told CBS News on Saturday. The wife of another detainee at the facility, an immigrant from West Africa, described a similar incident. She requested anonymity to speak freely. According to the woman, her husband told her on Friday evening that the incident started after detainees were told they would be moved to another facility to be tested for coronavirus. She said her husband and other immigrants were scared of being moved to an area where detainees may have been exposed to the virus. "It's not that he was refusing to be tested. It was just a matter of making sure that it was safe to move," the woman told CBS News. "He told me he was pepper sprayed and that they had all these people there with dogs," she added."

Where's the video, Sheriff?

"On Saturday afternoon, the American Civil Liberties Union branch in Massachusetts called for an independent investigation of Friday's incident. "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has an obligation to ensure basic human rights of people it holds in detention," Carol Rose, the group's executive director, said in a statement. "During this time of pandemic infection, the state should allow people to safely self-isolate by releasing them or arranging for home confinement." The Boston-based group, Lawyers for Civil Rights, filed a lawsuit in late March against the Bristol County sheriff and ICE, demanding the release of detainees during the pandemic. So far, it has secured the release of 48 immigrants from the Bristol County House of Corrections, the group said Saturday."

ICE has clearly failed to properly care for inmates in its gulags:

"At least 522 detainees in more than two dozen ICE detention centers across the country have tested positive for the highly contagious coronavirus, according to the agency's latest tally. They make up more than 48% of the 1,073 immigrants in ICE custody who have received testing. Coronavirus infections inside ICE's sprawling system of private prisons and county jails have increased dramatically in the past two weeks, with the agency reporting 398 new cases since April 17. At least seven detention centers now have more than 20 cases each."

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? Two hundred eleven 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?

5-8-20

Same old, same old. Taxpayers fleeced. The Washington Post reports:

"Publicly traded companies have received more than $1 billion in funds meant for small businesses from the federal government’s economic stimulus package, according to data from securities filings compiled by The Washington Post. Nearly 300 public companies have reported receiving money from the fund, called the Paycheck Protection Program, according to the data compiled by The Post. Recipients include 43 companies with more than 500 workers, the maximum typically allowed by the program. Several other recipients were prosperous enough to pay executives $2 million or more. After the first pool of $349 billion ran dry, leaving more than 80 percent of applicants without funding, outrage over the millions of dollars that went to larger firms prompted some companies to return the money. As of Thursday, public companies had reported returning more than $125 million, according to a Post analysis of filings. Other companies have said they plan to keep the funds, saying the loans had been awarded according to the program’s rules and that they would use most of it to pay workers, as required, in order for the loans to be forgiven. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has defended the program as a success, saying three-quarters of the loans were for totals of under $150,000. But after the first batch of loans was issued, the administration also scrambled to release new guidance for the program to discourage large public companies from applying. Officials have urged publicly traded firms with access to other capital to return the money by May 7. Mnuchin said this week that all loans of more than $2 million would be audited with potential penalties for those who don’t comply."

Why wasn't this done right the first time?

“I want to be very clear it’s the borrowers who have criminal liability if they made this certification," of being a small business he said on CNBC."

Think any of them will be criminally prosecuted? Top of the food chain nearly always accorded special treatment. Despite f--king customers out of millions, the Wells Fargo corporate management suite was civilly sued, fined millions of dollars. Not one of the bastards wound up in prison.

Insult to injury? Get this:

"The Small Business Administration has refused to release the names of companies that have received the loans, despite having released such information on its loan programs for years. Some of the companies that received the loans were large in another way: Their CEOs have been making millions."

Their sorry asses belong in prison.

"Veritone, a company based in Costa Mesa, Calif., that provides artificial intelligence technology, paid chief executive Chad Steelberg $18.7 million in total compensation in 2018, the last year for which data is available. His brother, Ryan Steelberg, the company’s president, made $13.9 million. The company received $6.5 million in funding from the program. The company did not respond to a request for comment."

What could it say? -- "F--k you, we do as we please? Forget? We're entitled?" LOL. Think these Aryan arrogant bastards don't believe it? Wake up.

Report goes on and on. None of this, sustainable. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. As both major political parties preside over the needless, pending demise of our formerly great country, -- at least as we knew it.

5-8-20

Trump's lining his pockets off the taxpayer dime. Think not? Wake up. The Washington Post reports:

"The Secret Service rented a room at President Trump’s Washington hotel for 137 consecutive nights in 2017 — paying Trump’s company more than $33,000 — so it could guard Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin while he lived in one of the hotel’s luxury suites, according to federal documents and people familiar with the arrangement. Mnuchin, a financier from New York, lived in the Trump International Hotel for several months before moving to a home in Washington. Mnuchin paid for his hotel suite himself, a Treasury Department spokesperson said. But during his stay, the Secret Service also rented the room next door at taxpayer expense, to screen Mnuchin’s visitors and packages, according to three people familiar with that arrangement who spoke on the condition of anonymity. For that room, the Trump hotel charged the maximum rate that federal agencies were generally allowed to pay in 2017: $242 per night, according to the billing records. The Secret Service checked in Jan. 25, according to billing records obtained by The Washington Post, and didn’t make its last payment until June 12. The total bill was $33,154."

Been an issue since our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, took office. Yet, Trump, his henchmen, and supporters deny the truth:

"The Post has identified dozens of instances where the Secret Service paid money to Trump’s businesses — spending taxpayer dollars, often with little or no disclosure at the time. Often, these payments were triggered by Trump’s own travel to his properties. This case is different, because it was set in motion by Mnuchin, one of Trump’s top appointees. In 2017, he chose a living arrangement that produced two revenue streams for Trump’s company. One came from Mnuchin. The other came from taxpayers. In a written statement, a Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed that the Secret Service had rented the room next to Mnuchin’s. The Post asked if Mnuchin had considered that cost to taxpayers, in deciding how long he would stay. “The Secretary was not aware of what the U.S. Secret Service paid for the adjoining room,” the spokesperson said."

Ole Donny Boy is certainly cleverly fleecing taxpayers:

"Trump still owns his business but says he has given day-to-day control to his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. while he is in the White House. The Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment, and the White House declined to comment. The Secret Service also declined to comment, saying it would not discuss “the means and methods we utilize to carry out our protective responsibilities.” The Constitution bars presidents from taking payments from the federal government, beyond their annual salary, now set at $400,000. But Trump — who says he donates his salary — has argued that this provision was not meant to prohibit business transactions such as a hotel-room rental. Lawsuits challenging this practice have stalled in the federal courts."

Couldn't be bought and paid for, could they?

Here's the problem:

"Neither the Trump administration nor the Trump Organization has provided an accounting of how much federal agencies have paid to Trump’s company since Inauguration Day in 2017. The Post has sought to compile its own, using documents obtained via public records requests. The Post has identified more than 170 payments from the Secret Service to Trump properties, totaling more than $620,000. In many cases, the Secret Service was paying to rent hotel rooms at Trump’s properties to accompany the president while he traveled. The actual total is likely to be higher, because the records released so far largely date from 2017 and 2018. The $33,154 payment to Trump’s D.C. hotel was already known. The Secret Service had not explained why it had spent the money. But recently, in response to a public records request from The Post, the Secret Service released hotel bills that show the answer: a single, very long stay. “Arrival Date: 01/25/2017,” reads a five page-long bill from the Trump hotel to the Secret Service, released after a public-records request. “Room Number: 531.” Room 531 itself is nothing unusual: a standard room with two queen beds, according to a former Trump hotel employee and internal Trump hotel documents obtained by The Post. But it happens to adjoin one of the hotel’s jewels: the 2,000-square-foot Franklin Suite, with marble bathrooms, a dining table for six and views across to the Environmental Protection Agency building. In recent days, even with the hotel largely empty because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Franklin Suite was listed at $8,300 per night."

Fascinating, isn't it?

"That was Mnuchin’s suite in 2017, according to one former Trump hotel staffer. The Treasury Department spokesperson said Mnuchin did stay in a suite at the hotel but could not recall the suite’s name. The spokesperson said Mnuchin negotiated a discounted rate with the hotel manager but declined to disclose it. The Secret Service, which has protected treasury secretaries for decades, took Room 531 to screen packages, visitors and laundry, according to two people familiar with the arrangement, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of sensitivity about security protocols."

Convenient, isn't it?

"People familiar with Secret Service practices said that was standard procedure when an official stayed in any hotel. During the Clinton administration, for instance, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin lived in the Jefferson Hotel near the White House for years, and the Secret Service used the room next door, according to news reports. The difference, in this case, is that Mnuchin and the Secret Service were paying for rooms in a hotel owned by the same president who had appointed Mnuchin. “Normally, you would deliver any deliveries to the Secret Service and then they would give it to the person under protection,” the former Trump employee said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to stay on good terms with a former employer. The rate, according to the newly released documents, was $242 per night for every night of the 137-night stay."

Amazing how the hopelessly greedy bastards on the top of the food chain never get enough.

Gutless pieces of thieving human excrement:

"The Trump Organization did not respond to questions about how that rate was chosen. One possible reason: For much of 2017, $242 was the maximum amount that federal employees could spend on a hotel room in Washington, according to rules set by the General Services Administration. That was less than the rates Trump’s company has charged the Secret Service for rooms at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, which have ranged from $396 to $650. That exceeded the maximum government rate, but the Secret Service is permitted to exceed those limits while on protective duty. And the $242 rate was probably less than what Trump’s D.C. hotel might have gotten from a nongovernment customer in Washington. In 2018, for instance, Room 531 rented for as much as $616 per night, according to Trump hotel records obtained by The Post. But for the Trump hotel it was also a steady rental at a time when only about 42 percent of rooms were occupied, according to previously released data. “We were not anywhere near full occupancy at the hotel,” the former hotel employee said."

Poor, poor babies. LOL.

"Mnuchin bought a $12.6 million home in Washington in February 2017 and moved out of the Trump hotel sometime in “late spring,” the Treasury Department spokesperson said. The spokesperson did not give an exact date when Mnuchin left the hotel. For the Secret Service, the last payment on Room 531 was made June 12. But other payments to the Trump hotel continued: The Post has identified $126,000 in additional payments from the Secret Service to the hotel between January 2017 and February 2018. The Secret Service has not explained any of the others. But some do seem to follow the pattern from this case, with dollar amounts in multiples of the $242 nightly room rate. For instance: On June 28, 2017 — a night when Trump visited the hotel for a fundraiser dinner — the Secret Service paid the hotel $33,638. That is an even bigger payment than the one for Room 531. It is exactly enough to rent 139 rooms at the $242 rate. But the Secret Service has not said what it was paying for in that case."

Taxpayers are fleeced, royally butt f--ked by the Trump nazi and his henchmen. Yet, his supporters couldn't care less. Worse, don't believe the taxpayers are being fleeced by the fascist bastard. Amazing, isn't it?

5-8-20

Deception unabated. Shameless. NBC News reports:

"The federal government placed orders for well over 100,000 new body bags to hold victims of COVID-19 in April, according to internal administration documents obtained by NBC News, as well as public records. The biggest set was earmarked for purchase the day after President Donald Trump projected that the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus might not exceed 50,000 or 60,000 people. That batch is a pending $5.1 million purchase order placed by the Department of Homeland Security on April 21 with E.M. Oil Transport Inc. of Montebello, California, which advertises construction vehicles, building materials and electronics on its website. The "human remains pouches" have not been paid for or shipped to the Federal Emergency Management Agency yet, according to the company's marketing manager, Mike Pryor. "I hope to God that they don't need my order and that they cancel it," Pryor said in a text message exchange with NBC News."

Here's the problem:

"Body bag contracts bid by Homeland Security and the Veterans Affairs Department are just one illustration of how Trump's sunny confidence about the nation's readiness to reopen is in conflict with the views of officials in his own administration who are quietly preparing for a far worse outcome. Around the same time it wrote the contract for the body bags, FEMA opened up bidding to provide about 200 rented refrigerated trailers for locations around the country. The request for proposals specifies a preference for 53-foot trailers, which, at 3,600 cubic feet, are the largest in their class. The cache of internal documents obtained by NBC News includes an April 25 "pre-decisional draft" of the coronavirus task force's "incident outlook" for the response, a summary of the task force leaders' meeting the same day and various communications among officials at several agencies. The documents show that task force members remain worried about several major risks ahead, including insufficient availability of coronavirus tests, the absence of a vaccine or proven treatments for the coronavirus, and the possibility of a "catastrophic resurgence" of COVID-19."

A problem, Trump is exacerbating:

"When asked in the past about the contrast between his assessments and those of senior officials on his task force, Trump has described his role as "cheerleader" for the country. "I want to give people in this country hope," he said in March."

What the public needs, demands, remains non-negotiable about is the truth. Not all the bullshit, lies, deception.

"The president has also said testing "is not going to be a problem at all." But officials from FEMA and the Department of Health and Human Services clearly disagree. They flagged concerns with the testing plan in the draft of the incident outlook report, which was circulated to task force members along with a summary of the meeting. The list of testing problems includes: "Limited number of diagnostic supplies. Limited capacity of test facilities. Limited trained response personnel to administer the tests. Unknown epidemiological information regarding COVID-19. Access to testing sites by underserved areas and at risk populations. Effective vaccines and therapeutics will not be available in sufficient quantities to meet the need. PPE is required by [medical countermeasures] developers and manufacturers." Task force officials raised those possibilities as they developed the "incident outlook" two days before Trump unveiled his "Reopening America Again" plan Monday. That strategy is designed to hand off more responsibility for the response to governors and local officials. The documents show that the White House and its coronavirus task force are making a quick transition toward an advisory role in public health decisions made by states while maintaining the power to acquire goods and allocate them. Simultaneously, the administration is preparing for many more casualties."

Report goes on and on. You're being bamboozled by Trump and his henchmen.

5-8-20

More of the same old shit from Trump and his outrageously incompetent bastards. The Washington Post reports:

"Federal prosecutors are examining the communications of a New York family doctor who appears frequently on Fox News and has been in touch with the White House to tout an anti-malarial as a treatment for the novel coronavirus, according to people contacted as part of the inquiry. The examination of Vladimir “Zev” Zelenko’s records began when an associate, conservative commentator Jerome Corsi, accidentally sent an email intended for Zelenko to another “Z” name in his address book — federal prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky, who as a member of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team had spent months scrutinizing Corsi’s activities during the 2016 presidential election. During episodes of his daily podcast this week and in a YouTube video he posted late Thursday in response to questions from The Washington Post, Corsi said that Zelinsky responded to the unexpected email by reaching out to Corsi’s lawyer and requesting all of Corsi’s communications with Zelenko. Corsi said he and Zelenko are collaborating on a website designed to connect people with doctors. They have acted lawfully, Corsi added, but he plans to cooperate with the request and has handed over his communications. Zelinsky is tasked now with investigating coronavirus-related crimes in the Maryland U.S. attorney’s office, as part of a directive from U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr to prioritize such cases. The department already has charged a medley of fraudsters for peddling fake cures, selling personal protective equipment they didn’t actually have or running more complicated Medicare reimbursement schemes, and officials say tips are coming in droves. Gregory Rigano, a lawyer who said he is working with Zelenko, said in a brief telephone conversation Thursday night that they had not been contacted by federal prosecutors and that he was not aware of any possible law enforcement interest in Zelenko. “It’s not something I’m familiar with,” Rigano said. “We’re just saving people’s lives that have coronavirus and getting rid of this virus from America as soon as possible.”

Think so?

"In his YouTube video, Corsi displayed the email he inadvertently sent to Zelinsky. In it, he wrote that Zelenko had “an FDA approved randomized test of HCQ underway” — a reference to hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial. Despite a lack of scientific evidence, President Trump has enthusiastically promoted the drug as a potential treatment for patients infected with covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration, citing reports of “serious heart rhythm problems” associated with hydroxychloroquine, warned doctors against its use outside of a hospital or clinical trial."

Hasn't stopped Trump and others from touting it. Fascinating, isn't it?

"It is unclear how seriously prosecutors are scrutinizing the matter. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment. But even passing interest from federal authorities into efforts to promote the anti-malarial is likely to chafe the president and his allies, particularly given the involvement of a former member of Mueller’s team."

Tough shit.

“I’m very concerned about the government intrusion here on our freedoms,” Corsi said on his podcast. “I see the government demonizing a medicine … this hydroxychloroquine, that’s been around for 70 years, and is fully FDA approved for various illness.”

Above, achingly disingenuous. That drug does have legitimate uses. Treatment of the pandemic is not one of them. Not supported by studies conducted by the scientific community for that particular use.

Trump remains a congenital liar lying out his ass:

"Trump spent weeks promoting the anti-malarial during his daily televised briefings, calling it at one point a “game-changer” that could help the nation quickly overcome the coronavirus. His comments echoed frequent segments on Fox News, some of which featured interviews with Zelenko, who described how he had successfully treated hundreds of suspected covid-19 patients with what he called a cocktail of hydroxychloroquine, the antibiotic azithromycin and zinc sulfate. Experts, including Trump’s leading infectious disease specialist Anthony S. Fauci, have repeatedly cautioned that while there is some anecdotal evidence the drug shows promise, its efficacy must be validated through controlled scientific studies."

5-8-20

Not only is our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, unfit for office, he's gutless. The Washington Post reports:

"The White House is blocking Anthony S. Fauci from testifying before a House subcommittee investigating the coronavirus outbreak and response, arguing that it would be “counterproductive” for him to appear next week while in the midst of participating in the government’s response to the pandemic."

The gutless bastard in the Oval Office and his henchmen know the questioning in front of the Democratic-controlled House would be ferocious. Worse, Fauci would tell it like it is. Not bullshit. Not lie. Not reinforce or kowtow to his fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"The White House issued a statement about Fauci’s testimony shortly after The Washington Post published a story Friday afternoon quoting a spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee, who said the White House was refusing to allow Fauci to appear at a subcommittee hearing next week. “While the Trump Administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counterproductive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at congressional hearings,” said White House spokesman Judd Deere. “We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time.”

What a load of shit. That, the best you could do, Mr. Deere? LOL. Pitiful.

Think it's not? Wasn't gutlessly engineered by the Trump nazi? Wake up. Consider the goddamned hypocrisy of this piece of crap in the Oval Office:

"In fact, Fauci is expected to appear at a Senate hearing related to testing the following week, according to a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning."

The following? Not only bullshit, a goddamned lie:

“It’s not muzzling, it’s not blocking, it’s simply trying to ensure we’re able to balance the need for oversight, the legitimate need for oversight, with their responsibilities to handle covid-19 work at their respective agencies and departments,” said the official, who noted that health risks entailed in moving around in public places were also a factor."

But it's okay to have him testify the following week in front of the Republican-controlled Senate? Give me a break. Buy the bullshit?

"Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been a prominent face in the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus as a lead scientist in the coronavirus task force."

Fauci should courageously testify, regardless. Willingly suffer the consequences. He's being manipulated by Trump and his henchmen:

"He has walked a fine line in delivering scientific information to the public that at times has contradicted President Trump’s statements. Trump at one point retweeted a Twitter post that called for Fauci to be fired, but he later denied he was considering firing him. Fauci has urged extreme caution as some cities and states move to reopen businesses, warning that doing so imprudently could lead to a resurgence of the coronavirus. When Trump began holding daily briefings about the pandemic, Fauci was a frequent presence, answering numerous questions and offering medical expertise. As time went on, though, Fauci appeared at fewer and fewer of the briefings. His more cautious approach had often clashed with Trump’s eagerness to reopen states and businesses as quickly as possible."

Democrats in the House remain hopelessly gutless:

"In a statement Friday evening, DeLauro and House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.) said that “Congress and the American public deserve a clear-eyed view of the path forward for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Their statement did not address their inability to hear from Fauci next week."

Why not? Why haven't you quickly challenged the stonewalling in court? Let Trump clearly, unequivocally know nothing the bastard wants will pass the House until the stonewalling ends. Why are you tolerating this ongoing shit? Where'd you lose yourselves?

The response of all levels and branches of government to the pandemic has been remarkably ill-considered, poorly implemented. This fiasco continues indefinitely, more will be dying from the failed economy than the pandemic. Time to wake up. End the bullshit. End both major political parties and our nazi fuhrer's game playing, self-serving political maneuvering. Before too late. ... Hear the rumble?

NPR reports:

"Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will join Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield and other administration representatives in testifying before a Senate committee on May 12. The announcement comes as members of President Trump's coronavirus task force are being asked to limit their appearances on Capitol Hill despite ongoing calls from lawmakers for more oversight into the administration's coronavirus response. Last week, the Trump administration blocked Fauci from appearing before a House committee on the subject of spending on coronavirus testing. President Trump told reporters Tuesday that he doesn't want the officials appearing before House Democrats. "The House is a setup," Trump said. "The House is a bunch of Trump haters."

The public deserves far better than this outrageously incompetent, achingly self-serving, hopelessly gutless piece of human excrement.

The Washington Post reports:

"The White House revealed on Monday that members of its coronavirus task force – and their deputies – are barred from testifying before Congress unless they get special permission from chief of staff Mark Meadows. The reason being given for blocking public health officials is that they’re busy trying to get control of a contagion that has now killed at least 68,172 and infected 1,175,000 Americans. But this is just the latest in a growing list of power plays by President Trump to thwart congressional oversight and independent watchdogs from scrutinizing his administration’s response to the novel coronavirus and the way trillions of dollars are being distributed by the government. A memo to congressional staff directors said this restriction on testimony also applies to the departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and State. It decrees that committees are limited to no more than four virus-related hearings this month. “Given these competing demands in these unprecedented times, it is reasonable to expect that agencies will have to decline invitations to hearings to remain focused on implementing of COVID-19 response, including declining to participate in multiple hearings on the same or overlapping topics,” the memo states. Last week, the White House blocked Tony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases official, from testifying before a House committee, which is controlled by Democrats. But Fauci received permission from Meadows to testify next week before the Senate’s health committee, which is controlled by Republicans. Trump hinted at a more partisan motivation than the memo let on as he boarded Marine One on Tuesday morning, telling reporters that Fauci is not being allowed to testify before the House because its members are “Trump haters.” During his Fox News interview on Sunday night, the president grumbled that House Democrats are trying to embarrass him. “When you see all these committees, seven or eight committees, we haven’t even started, and they have all these committees looking for trouble, just looking for trouble,” Trump said at the Lincoln Memorial. “Every enemy I have is put on a Democrat committee.” Democrats are outraged. “President Trump should learn that by muzzling science and the truth, it will only prolong this health and economic crisis,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). “The president’s failure to accept the truth, and then his desire to hide it, is one of the chief reasons we are lagging behind so many other countries in beating this scourge.” The Monday memo signaled that this will be the administration's modus operandi. With GOP-controlled Senate committees, Trump allies on Capitol Hill acknowledge that administration witnesses can bank on friendlier questions and exert more influence over ground rules for hearings. Then the White House might feel freer to say that an official has already appeared on the Hill and therefore will not return any time soon."

Time to impeach a second time this gutless, incompetent, jackass fascist, would-be dictator occupying the Oval Office. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

Eventually, Republicans will finally wake up. Hopefully, before too late. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms as our formerly great country continues to be torn apart. Trump presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

5-8-20

'Do as I say, not as I do.' The Washington Post reports:

"Vice President Pence’s office has threatened to retaliate against a reporter who revealed that Pence’s office had told journalists they would need masks for Pence’s visit to the Mayo Clinic — a requirement Pence himself did not follow."

Imagine that. Give me a break. LOL.

"Pence’s trip to the clinic Tuesday generated criticism after he was photographed without a surgical mask — the only person in the room not wearing one. The Minnesota clinic requires visitors to wear masks as a precaution against spreading the coronavirus. Pence’s wife, Karen Pence, said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday that he was unaware of the mask policy until his visit was over. But Steve Herman, who covers the White House for Voice of America, suggested that there was more to the story after Karen Pence’s interview. “All of us who traveled with [Pence] were notified by the office of @VP the day before the trip that wearing of masks was required by the @MayoClinic and to prepare accordingly,” tweeted Herman, who covered the trip as part of his rotation as one of the pool reporters, who share information with other reporters in limited-space situations. The tweet apparently enraged Pence’s staff, which told Herman that he had violated the off-the-record terms of a planning memo that had been sent to him and other reporters in advance of Pence’s trip."

Tough shit. -- A little touchy, aren't they? LOL. Especially, since nothing was disclosed before the trip by the reporter.

Get this:

"Herman said he was notified by the White House Correspondents’ Association that Pence’s office had banned him from further travel on Air Force Two, although a spokesperson in Pence’s office later told VOA managers that any punishment was still under discussion, pending an apology from Herman or VOA."

Jesus Christ. An apology for what? Telling the truth? LOL.

"VOA is continuing to talk with Pence’s staff, said Yolanda Lopez, the director of VOA’s news center. She said it wasn’t clear how the vice president intended to proceed. Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, declined to comment. The issue, according to people involved, is whether Herman’s tweet violated the off-the-record terms of a planning document sent via email Monday evening by the vice president’s office to reporters who planned to travel with Pence to the clinic. A copy of the document obtained by The Washington Post explicitly stated that masks are required for the visit and instructed reporters to wear them. “Please note, the Mayo Clinic is requiring all individuals traveling with the VP wear masks,” the document said. “Please bring one to wear while on the trip.” The directive confirms that Pence’s staff was well aware of the need for masks, raising the possibility that none of his aides alerted him to the requirement or that Pence had intentionally flouted it, perhaps to avoid being photographed in a mask. (Pence himself told reporters after the visit that because he doesn’t have the coronavirus — he is tested frequently — he decided he could “speak to these researchers, these incredible health-care personnel, and look them in the eye and say thank you.”)"

Give me a break. LOL. Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the ass backwards world of the nazi element in our formerly great country.

"However, the planning document is marked, “OFF THE RECORD AND FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY.” The off-the-record designation is standard for such logistical memos, indicating reporters are obligated not to publish or report the information. The White House typically keeps planning information confidential to maintain security for official trips. But there’s some question about how long the obligation lasts — whether it is permanent or only applies to the period before and during the trip. Herman’s tweet came nearly 48 hours after the vice president’s trip had ended, suggesting the vice president’s staff was more embarrassed by the disclosure than concerned about security."

You think? LOL.

“My tweet speaks for itself,” Herman said in a statement. “We always have and will strictly adhere to keeping off the record any White House communications to reporters for planning purposes involving logistics that have security implications prior to events. ... All White House pool reporters, including myself and my VOA colleagues, take this very seriously.” As is, the vice president’s office took no action against another reporter, Gordon Lubold of the Wall Street Journal, who traveled with Pence and tweeted something similar to Herman’s tweet Thursday. “Everyone in the entire Mayo Clinic had a mask on, everyone, and we were all told the day before we had to wear a mask if we entered the clinic,” Lubold tweeted. In a now-deleted tweet, the clinic said it had alerted Pence to its mask policy before his visit. A later statement from the clinic said only that it had informed Pence’s office of the policy, not Pence personally. Voice of America is a government-funded but independent news agency that has lately been the object of White House criticism. The Trump administration accused VOA this month of promoting Chinese government propaganda in its reporting about the coronavirus. The VOA’s director, Amanda Bennett, has defended its independence. On Thursday, Pence wore a mask as he toured a General Motors auto plant in Indiana that has been converted into a factory making ventilators for hospitals around the country."

Better late than never. LOL.

5-8-20

Double standard. In a Washington Post editorial, Steven Pearlstein brilliantly opines:

"Over the past several weeks, you might have found it rather curious that at a time when coronavirus deaths were still climbing and economists and business leaders were warning of a long and deep recession, a rally was underway on financial markets. Stock prices have regained half of what they lost since their peak in February, while on the bond market, companies were borrowing near-record amounts, and the interest rates paid by the most heavily indebted companies were going down, not up. It’s not only curious — it’s disturbing. What it suggests is that American capitalism has entered a new and dangerous phase, one in which the Federal Reserve has assumed the role as a financial backstop and lender of last resort to every major corporation, along with the banks and investors that provide them with capital."

Delusionally believe that's not a problem, a big problem? Wake up. It's precisely why our economy was not sustainable even before the pandemic. Had become a zero-sum, winner-take-all fiasco where the bottom and middle class were, and are, fleeced by the top of the food chain. Mercilessly. Rich got richer, poor and middle class taken to the cleaners. Fleeced.

"By declaring that it will do “whatever it takes” to assure that a corporate sector that borrowed too much can borrow a bit more, the Fed has effectively put a floor under stock and bond prices. As a result, it’s no longer just banks that are too big to fail — it’s now the entire corporate sector. The Fed would have us believe that it has offered no such guarantees and sent no such signal to investors. Rather, it is simply fulfilling its mandate to keep U.S. workers fully employed by providing “liquidity” to companies during a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic that nobody could have anticipated. But that is only half the story. The other half is that because of loose money and the lax regulatory policies it has embraced for most of the past 30 years, the Fed has made it possible for corporations, banks and investment funds to take on so much debt, with so little of their own capital at risk, that whenever a recession or financial crisis threatens, the government has no choice but to bail them out."

--While the bottom and middle class take the ungreased shaft hard up the ass. ... Hear the rumble?

"As a result, Wall Street and the corporate sector have now achieved that state of financial nirvana in which private investors earn outsize rewards during good times, while in bad, outsize risks are socialized through government rescues."

Carefully re-read the above quote. Socialism for the top of the food chain, capitalism for everyone else. LOL. Clever of the hopelessly greedy bastards, isn't it?

Here's the problem:

"To someone from outside Wall Street — and even to a few inside — this looks less like capitalism than state control of the economy through the credit channel. What the Agriculture Department does for farmers through crop supports, the Fed now does for Wall Street and the rest of the corporate sector. Fed officials have learned to play a cute messaging game around this creep toward corporate and investor socialism, denying it in public speeches and news conferences even as their actions send the unmistakable signal to Wall Street that “we’ve got your back.”

While the bottom and middle class take the ungreased shaft.

Report goes on and on in great detail. Here's the bottom line:

"Chair Jerome H. Powell and his Fed colleagues have been bold and creative in rescuing the financial system and the economy from the ravages of the coronavirus. What they have yet to demonstrate is that they can summon the same boldness and creativity to rein in a runaway shadow banking system and wean the economy off its addiction to cheap and easy credit. The bet on Wall Street is that they never will."

Precisely, why an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms on this and many, many other issues and unsustainable inequities built into the system. ... Hear the rumble? Too deaf to hear? Or, sadly, bought and paid for?

5-8-20

True colors come out as shit about to hit the fan. The Washington Post reports:

"Congressional leaders are girding for a huge fight over the reentry of millions of Americans to the workplace, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) insisting that employers be shielded from liability if their workers contract the coronavirus. He appears to have the backing of top White House officials."

Surprised? Why?

"Democratic leaders have declared they will oppose such blanket protections, putting Washington’s power brokers on opposite sides of a major issue that could have sweeping implications for health care and the economy in the coming months. The battle has unleashed a frenzy of lobbying, with major industry groups, technology firms, insurers, manufacturers, labor unions, and plaintiffs lawyers all squaring off."

Think the corporate management suite won't win this battle? Forget? The hopelessly greedy bastards own all levels and branches of government. Bought and paid for.

"The Democratic-run House remains largely shuttered for at least another week, with leaders citing the health risks. And Democratic leaders want to focus their next legislative effort at pumping more money into the economy, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) pointing to $1 trillion in needs for cities and states. But for McConnell, one of the biggest concerns appears to be the threat of lawsuits against businesses. He has described the potential for a “second pandemic” of litigation, and he and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) say discussion of liability protections will be “absolutely essential." Democratic leaders, however, have not expressed any interest in advancing such protections at a time when workers are risking their health by laboring at manufacturing jobs, grocery stores, hospitals and other businesses that have stayed open throughout the crisis. “Providing some kind of blanket immunity shield is an idea that’s the result of the majority leader’s imaginary bogeyman of a flood of lawsuits, a parade of horribles that is a political ploy,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Friday. He said the proposal would be “a non-starter.”

"The debate over legal liability and tort reform has divided the parties for years, with Democrats accusing Republicans of doing the bidding of big business while Republicans contend that Democrats are in the pocket of trial lawyers. Powerful business lobbies like the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and the insurance industry are now lobbying heavily in support of liability shields for businesses, while trial lawyer associations, unions and groups representing plaintiffs and consumers are pressuring Democrats to oppose any such measures."

Sadly, lawyers have been bloodsuckers for generations. Need to be limits on how much they can soak their clients. Regulation would drop the dollar amount of settlements giving both defendants and the aggrieved some breathing room. Instead, the legal profession gets filthy rich while defendants and the aggrieved get soaked.

"An April 29 letter to congressional leaders signed by scores of unions and advocacy and consumer groups including the AFL-CIO and the National Consumers League said they “strongly oppose any legislation that would establish nationwide immunity for businesses that operate in an unreasonably unsafe manner, causing returning workers and consumers to risk COVID-19 infection.” Linda Lipsen, chief executive of the trial lawyers lobby American Association for Justice, alleged that Republicans and business groups are trying to use the pandemic to advance their long-standing agenda of limiting people’s ability to sue when they are harmed."

Great truth to that, but at the same time she ignores bottomless greed of trial lawyers. Convenient, isn't it?

“Sen. McConnell has been promoting immunity for companies that act unreasonably for over 30 years, and this is an extension of that,” Lipsen said. “This move to hold this Covid package hostage with his agenda items is unpatriotic.”

It is. Worse, it's Right Wing Republican nazi. Think gutless Democrats will courageously walk out the Senate in protest should the opportunity come to pass? LOL.

5-8-20

Gutless, incompetent boob in the Oval Office strikes again. The Washington Post reports:

"A former top vaccine official removed from his post last month alleged in a whistleblower complaint on Tuesday that he was reassigned to a less prestigious role because he tried to “prioritize science and safety over political expediency” and raised health concerns over a drug repeatedly pushed by President Trump and other administration officials as a possible cure for coronavirus. Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, was removed from his post on April 20 after having served as BARDA director for nearly four years. He was reassigned to a narrower role at the National Institutes of Health that the Department of Health and Human Services touted as part of a “bold new plan” to defeat covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Bright portrays himself in the complaint as one of the administration’s health officials trying to sound the alarm about the virus as early as January. He said he called for the rapid development of treatments and vaccines, as well as the stockpiling of additional N95 masks and ventilators, at a time when HHS political leadership, including Secretary Alex Azar, appeared to him to be underestimating the threat. He also notes that he clashed with his boss, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS Robert Kadlec, for at least two years, according to the complaint. Bright alleged that Kadlec and others pressured him to buy drugs and medical products for the nation’s stockpile of emergency medical equipment from companies that had political connections to the administration and that he resisted such efforts. After the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., Bright asserts that he resisted pressure from HHS political leadership to make “potentially harmful drugs widely available,” including chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which Trump has repeatedly heralded as a treatment for covid-19, and urged people to take both from his Twitter account and the White House podium. Associates including Fox host Laura Ingraham and Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani have also pushed the drug in private Oval Office meetings and phone calls."

5-8-20

More of the same old shit. ... If it at first you don't succeed, try, try again. NPR reports:

"Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas., assured both Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that if confirmed as director of national intelligence, he would not apply a partisan filter to reporting, shade conclusions to please Trump, or apply inappropriate tests to workers in the intelligence community. "My loyalty is to the Constitution and the rule of law and I have made that clear to everyone including the president," Ratcliffe said at his confirmation hearing."

Think so?

"Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., asked the nominee whether Trump had asked him for his personal loyalty or whether Ratcliffe has volunteered that he would act independently. "I made that proactively clear," Ratcliffe said. He said Trump had not asked him to be personally loyal."

Believe it?

"The DNI position and the intelligence community have been the target of sustained enmity from Trump's camp since before his inauguration, then especially through the Ukraine affair and the Russia investigation. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and other committee members asked Ratcliffe about past Trump comments that the intelligence community had "run amok" and needed to be "reined in." Ratcliffe said he didn't think the spy agencies had "run amok" and that he appreciates the need to present what he called unvarnished findings and analysis to leaders in Washington, especially Trump."

Believe it? If true, think Trump won't gutlessly fire his ass?

"None of those things, regardless of what he says or how he says them or how [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi or [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell or anyone says about intelligence or the intelligence community — will not impact the intelligence that I will deliver," Ratcliffe said."

Believe it? Think it credible in light of the following? Get this:

"Ratcliffe already was nominated once, and then withdrew, from consideration to serve as director of national intelligence. News accounts suggested the Texas congressman had overstated some of his bona fides on counterterrorism and he asked not to move ahead with the nomination process before his Senate confirmation hearing. Since then, Trump and Ratcliffe evidently have assessed that the political climate is at least no worse than it was last summer, the first time they tried. Republicans control a majority in the Senate, but a few key members often hold the key to moving ahead via its procedural processes. It isn't clear whether Ratcliffe's confirmation is guaranteed, but he does appear to have sold at least one of those often-critical gatekeepers: Maine's Collins said she thought Ratcliffe has the experience sufficient to serve as the top spy."

Democrats remain hopelessly gutless. Should have walked out the Senate in protest:

"Democrats on the panel seemed as though they may not go along. Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., invoked the many firings by Trump of top ODNI leaders and what he called lingering concerns about Ratcliffe himself and the Ukraine affair. "I have to say that, while I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt in this hearing, I don't see what has changed since last summer. ... This includes some particularly damaging remarks about whistleblowers, which has long been a bipartisan cause on this committee. I'll speak plainly: I have the same doubts now as I did then," Warner said."

5-8-20

Israeli aggressor again in the news. The Washington Post reports:

"Israel’s largest bank will pay more than $900 million after admitting it helped U.S. customers evade taxes in illegal offshore accounts and, separately, that it laundered money as part of a bribery scheme in the ranks of international soccer, U.S. prosecutors said Thursday. Bank Hapoalim and its Swiss subsidiary pleaded guilty to aiding U.S. customers in setting up accounts under false names and avoiding U.S. reporting requirements for more than a decade, prosecutors said in a release, helping them evade taxes on more than $7.6 billion in deposits. The banks have agreed to pay $874 million in penalties, tax arrears and forfeited assets. The payment represents the second-largest penalty in an ongoing crackdown of offshore tax evasion by the U.S. Department of Justice. Hapoalim’s activities involved at least four senior executives, including two former members of the bank’s board of directors, prosecutors said. “Israel’s largest bank, Bank Hapoalim, and its Swiss subsidiary have admitted not only to failing to prevent but actively assisting U.S. customers to set up secret accounts, to shelter assets and income, and to evade taxes,” said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman of the Southern District of New York. “The combined payment approaching $1 billion reflects the magnitude of the tax evasion by the Bank’s U.S. customers, the size of the fees the Bank collected to provide this illegal service, and the gravity of the illegal conduct.”

Anyone imprisoned?

"A spokeswoman for Bank Hapoalim said the company had no comment on either investigation. The bank filed a required report on an event “outside the normal business of the corporation” with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Thursday, acknowledging the plea agreements and the amounts, totaling $904 million, to be paid. In the money laundering case, prosecutors said Bank Hapoalim and its Swiss affiliate had agreed to pay more than $30 million in forfeited assets and fines after admitting that some employees helped launder millions in bribes and kickbacks paid to officials in FIFA, the international soccer body. For five years between 2010 and 2015, according to prosecutors, the bank’s Miami branch laundered illicit payments to officials that included Luis Bedoya, the former head of Colombian football and a member of FIFA’s executive committee. Bedoya, who was banned from international soccer in 2015, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to racketeering and wire fraud in New York. In November 2015, Bedoya pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy in the Eastern District of New York. He is awaiting sentencing."

Think he'll wind up in prison?

"Accounts in the Miami branch were also used by an Argentine sports marketing company to pay bribes and kickbacks to FIFA officials, according to prosecutors. The activities continued despite concerns raised by Hapoalim’s own compliance teams, they said. “Instead, the banks’ relationship managers continued executing illicit bribe and kickback payments on behalf of Full Play,” said a statement by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, which has pursued the FIFA bribery scandal. “For nearly five years, Bank Hapoalim employees used the U.S. financial system to launder tens of millions of dollars in bribe payments to corrupt soccer officials in multiple countries,” Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowsk said in the statement. “Today’s announcement demonstrates the Department’s commitment to holding financial institutions to account when they knowingly facilitate corruption and other criminal conduct.” In addition to its international business, Hapoalim is a familiar retail bank in Israel, with more than 250 branches across the country."

Walk into any local business and steal, guess what? Your sorry ass rightfully winds up in jail. Why not the top of the food chain who fleece far more? Why the double standard?

5-1-20

The following is an insane waste of taxpayer money. Courtesy of the Trump nazi and his henchmen. Especially so at a time our formerly great country is enduring a pandemic-related financial catastrophe of mammoth proportions. Due to incompetent government at all levels and branches that failed to carefully consider consequences of its achingly ill-conceived response. ABC News reports:

"It isn't President Donald Trump's opening bid. But his administration announced Thursday it will provide a $12 million aid package to Greenland for economic development, raising eyebrows in Denmark, which has sovereignty over the island, and firing off a volley in the emerging competition with Russia and China for power in the Arctic. The world's largest island, Greenland is home to the only permanent ice sheet outside of Antarctica, covering four-fifths of its 836,000 square miles. As the planet's temperature rises and its climate changes, that ice sheet has seen historic melting, potentially endangering life on Earth. But with that melt, the Trump administration sees an important strategic opportunity, racing to push back on Russia's growing military presence in the Arctic and China's economic push into the region. In what was mistaken for a joke at first last August, Trump said his administration was looking into purchasing Greenland, which may hold vast oil or mineral resources beneath that ice sheet and sits at a critical location at the intersection of the Atlantic Ocean's northernmost stretches and the Arctic Ocean. His offer was rebuffed by Greenlandic and Danish officials. Greenland is a territory of Denmark with limited self-government -- its own parliament and premier, but no foreign policy. After Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed the idea of a sale as "absurd," Trump set off a diplomatic incident by canceling a state visit to the NATO ally where he was supposed to be hosted by the country's Queen Margrethe II. A senior State Department official said, "There's no plan or interagency process underway involving the purchase of Greenland." Instead, this $12.1 million assistance is for "sustainable" economic development, the official said, focused in particular on developing energy and natural resources, expanding educational exchange, and boosting Greenland's fledgling tourism industry."

5-1-20

The public is finally waking up to Trump's utter lack of credibility. The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump has made himself the daily spokesman for the nation’s coronavirus response. Yet few Americans regularly look to or trust Trump as a source of information on the pandemic, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 28% of Americans say they’re regularly getting information from Trump about the coronavirus and only 23% say they have high levels of trust in what the president is telling the public. Another 21% trust him a moderate amount. Confidence in Trump is higher among his supporters, though only about half of Republicans say they have a lot of trust in Trump’s information on the pandemic — and 22% say they have little or no trust in what he says about the COVID-19 outbreak. But even as many Republicans question Trump’s credibility during the pandemic, the overwhelming majority — 82% — say they still approve of how he’s doing. That’s helped keep the president’s overall approval rating steady at 42%, about where it’s been for the past few months."

That's insanity. So is the following:

"Lynn Sanchez of Jacksonville, Texas, is among those who backs Trump despite reservations about his credibility. Sanchez, who identifies as a political independent, said she trusts “only a little” of what the president says about the crisis, but believes he’s “doing the best he can.” “He’s contradicted his own health experts a couple of times. I believe he gets carried away and doesn’t sit down and think things through,” said Sanchez, a 66-year-old retired truck stop manager."

Clearly, nearly half the population of our formerly great country has lost itself. No question, it's insane to support a president whose credibility Republicans themselves question. LOL. Then again, readers are reminded Americans laughed at newsreels of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini decades ago. Only to have to later defeat both national socialist, fascist bastards at horrendous cost. History appears to be repeating itself. Right here. Right now. Time to wake up. Before too late.

5-1-20

Another surprising ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Associated Press reports:

"The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that sewage plants and other industries cannot avoid environmental requirements under landmark clean-water protections when they send dirty water on an indirect route to rivers, oceans and other navigable waterways. Rejecting the Trump administration’s views, the justices held by a 6-3 vote that the discharge of polluted water into the ground, rather than directly into nearby waterways, does not relieve an industry of complying with the Clean Water Act. “We hold that the statute requires a permit when there is a direct discharge from a point source into navigable waters or when there is the functional equivalent of a direct discharge,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court. The decision came in a closely watched case from Hawaii about whether a sewage treatment plant needs a federal permit when it sends wastewater deep underground, instead of discharging the treated flow directly into the Pacific Ocean. Studies have found the wastewater soon reaches the ocean and has damaged a coral reef near a Maui beach. The Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump reversed the agency’s position that Breyer noted has appeared to work well for more than 30 years. That’s among many actions the administration has taken to change course on environmental regulations, including making official just days ago a sweeping rollback of the Clean Water Act that would end federal protection for many of the nation’s millions of miles of streams, arroyos and wetlands. Public health and environmental groups and some Western states, among other opponents, say the rollback would leave the waterways more vulnerable to pollution from development, industry and farms, and they have promised court fights."

Apparently, the Court is beginning to hear the rumble. An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

5-1-20

Economy in free fall. The Associated Press reports:

"Unemployment in the U.S. is swelling to levels last seen during the Great Depression of the 1930s, with 1 in 6 American workers thrown out of a job by the coronavirus. More than 4.4 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, the government said Thursday. In all, roughly 26 million people — the population of the 10 biggest U.S. cities combined — have now filed for jobless aid in five weeks, an epic collapse that has raised the stakes in the debate over how and when to ease the shutdowns of factories and other businesses.

"In the U.S., the economic consequences of the shutdowns have sparked angry rallies in state capitals by protesters demanding that businesses reopen, and President Donald Trump has expressed impatience over the restrictions. Some governors have begun easing up despite warnings from health authorities that it may be too soon to do so without sparking new infections. In Georgia, gyms, hair salons and bowling alleys can reopen Friday. Texas has reopened its state parks. Few Americans trust Trump as a source of information on the outbreak, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About 23% said they have high levels of trust in what he tells the public, while 21% said they trust him a moderate amount. Few economics experts foresee a downturn as severe as the Depression, when unemployment remained above 14% from 1931 to 1940, peaking at 25%. But unemployment is considered likely to remain elevated well into next year and probably beyond, and will surely top the 10% peak of the 2008-09 recession."

Government response to the pandemic has not been well thought out. This shutdown continues much longer, there will indeed likely be more dying from the failed economy than the pandemic. Worse, could spark an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution as our formerly great country continues to deteriorate, remains highly divided on this and many, many other issues. ... Hear the rumble? Time to wake up. Before too late.

5-1-20

Abbott feels the heat. CNN News reports:

"Abortions in Texas can resume following a legal battle over a governor's order that was interpreted as restricting the procedure to preserve personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic. A new executive order by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott loosens limits put in place last month. It allows elective medical procedures to resume if a health care facility agrees to "reserve at least 25% of its hospital capacity for treatment of COVID-19 patients" and "not request personal protective equipment from any public source throughout the pandemic." Both points must be certified in writing to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) under the new order, which took effect Wednesday. Abbott in late March had ordered all procedures that weren't medically necessary to be postponed, and Texas' attorney general clarified that the rule included abortions that were "not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother." The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals this week upheld the original order and ruled it included abortion. Abortion providers sought an injunction. As the second executive order took effect, abortion providers said they meet its criteria, and the attorney general's office did not dispute that in a court filing Wednesday. "All the Plaintiff abortion clinics have submitted certifications, and HHSC has acknowledged receipt of those certifications," the state wrote, adding the providers have "no legal basis" for an injunction because there is no longer an issue. The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to CNN's request Wednesday night for comment."

What could they say? Pressure had to have been enormous, -- and growing.

"Finally, women in Texas can get the time-sensitive abortion care that they are constitutionally guaranteed. Women never should have had to go to court to get essential health care," Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents some of the providers, said in a statement. "We will be vigilant in ensuring there are no future interruptions to services, including by assessing the appropriate next steps to take in the case," the statement said."

5-1-20

Insanity continues unabated. The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump’s comment that disinfectants perhaps could be injected or ingested to fight COVID-19 received heavy pushback from health and other officials Friday and even prompted the maker of Lysol to warn its product should never be used internally."

Trump is insane. Sadly, losing ground.

“As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route),” said the statement from Reckitt Benckiser, parent company of the maker of Lysol and Dettol."

Wise of the corporate management suite to quickly respond to the insanity.

"The White House claimed Trump’s comment was misrepresented, but the government also leapt in to caution the nation."

Absolutely, had to.

"The Surgeon General’s office tweeted Friday: “A reminder to all Americans- PLEASE always talk to your health provider first before administering any treatment/ medication to yourself or a loved one. Your safety is paramount, and doctors and nurses have years of training to recommend what’s safe and effective.”

Had to combat the following insanity:

"Trump noted Thursday that researchers were looking at the effects of disinfectants on the virus and wondered aloud if they could be injected into people, saying the virus “does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.”

CBS News reports:

"During a signing ceremony for the second block of funding for the Paycheck Protection Program Friday, President Trump claimed he was being sarcastic when he floated the possibility of injecting COVID-19 patients with disinfectant. Hours earlier, the White House press secretary had given a different explanation for the remarks, saying they were taken out of context. "I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen," the president told CBS News' Weijia Jiang in the Oval Office."

You're an idiot, Mr. 'President.' Or, more likely, a disingenuous congenital liar losing ground.

"In Thursday night's briefing, the president suggested that health experts look into the possibility of using disinfectant for coronavirus patients, perhaps by injection. Since then, the U.S. surgeon general and Lysol have come out strongly discouraging people from trying to ingest the product in any way. "And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute," the president said Thursday. "One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning. Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that. So that, you're going to have to use medical doctors with. But it sounds — it sounds interesting to me." The president also suggested Thursday night that health officials should look into shining light into the body as a potential treatment."

The Associated Press reports:

"State and local governments across the United States have obtained about 30 million doses of a malaria drug touted by President Trump to treat patients with the coronavirus, despite warnings from doctors that more research is needed."

Called aggressive stupidity. State and local governments bought the bullshit. Amazing, isn't it? As insane as their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"At least 22 states and Washington, D.C., secured shipments of the drug, hydroxychloroquine, according to information compiled from state and federal officials by The Associated Press. Sixteen of those states were won by Trump in 2016, although five of them, including North Carolina and Louisiana, are now led by Democratic governors. Supporters say having a supply on hand makes sense in case the drug is shown to be effective against the pandemic that has devastated the global economy and killed nearly 200,000 people worldwide, and to ensure a steady supply for people who need it for other conditions like lupus. But health experts worry that having the drug easily available at a time of heightened public fear could make it easier to misuse it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned doctors against prescribing the drug, hydroxychloroquine, for treating the coronavirus outside of hospitals or research settings because of reports of serious side effects, including dangerous irregular heart rhythms and death among patients. It’s the latest admonition against the drug that Trump mentioned 17 times in various public appearances, touting its potential despite his own health advisors telling him it is unproven. Oklahoma spent $2 million to buy the drugs, and Utah and Ohio have spent hundreds of thousands on purchases. The rest of the cities and states received free shipments from drug companies or the U.S. government over the last month. Ohio received a large donation from a local company. Several states including New York, Connecticut, Oregon, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas received donations of the medication from a private company based in New Jersey called Amneal Pharmaceutical. Florida was given 1 million doses from Israeli company Teva Pharmaceutical. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday it has sent out 14.4 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to 14 cities, including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore, from the federal government’s national stockpile, a source that also provided South Dakota and California with supplies. The agency said earlier this month it had sent 19 million tablets and didn’t explain the discrepancy between the two figures. The U.S. government received a donation of 30 million doses from Swiss drugmaker Novartis on March 29 to build up the stockpile, which does not normally stock the drug. “If he (Trump) hadn’t amplified the early and inappropriate enthusiasm for the drug, I doubt if the states would have even been aware of it,” said Dr. Kenneth B. Klein, a consultant from outside of Seattle who has spent the last three decades working for drug companies to design and evaluate their clinical trials. Klein said it’s understandable that government and health officials looked into hydroxychloroquine — which is approved for treating malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus — as a possible remedy during a frightening pandemic, but the time and energy has been misspent. The potential side effects are worrisome, especially because many coronavirus patients already have underlying health conditions, he said. “The states and the federal government are reacting in light of that fear. But it’s not a rational response,” Klein said."

Report goes on and on. Where did we lose ourselves? We're not reacting rationally. Egregiously failed to think this through.

5-1-20

In follow up to last week's edition of this publication, NBC News reports:

"The government's $349 billion small business lending program was designed to keep merchants afloat during the COVID-19 crisis. But critics say the structure of the program allowed the haves to scoop up aid meant for the have-nots, shutting out small merchants who were desperate for cash and awarding funds to public companies that could have raised money from investors."

The American Way. Forget? That is, f--k the people on the bottom of the food chain and the middle class. To say nothing of small business. Line your pockets no matter who gets f--ked and how badly. Then, distribute the loot to shareholders and the corporate management suite.

"While the government has not yet identified the entities that received the funding under the program, an in-depth analysis of almost 200 recipients by NBC News raises questions about some of them. The analysis shows three companies with ties to the Trump administration received a total of $18.3 million under the program. Another recipient received a loan from a bank that previously employed its board's chairwoman. Four companies received more than the $10 million maximum by applying for multiple loans through subsidiaries. Four other companies receiving more than $20 million in aggregate have wealthy investor board members in common. "The entire program was set up to benefit well-connected, well-banked businesses," said Amanda Ballantyne, executive director of the Main Street Alliance, an advocacy group for small businesses. She called on policymakers to change the program to "prioritize actual small businesses." The Small Business Administration has said its initial program helped more than 1.6 million small businesses across 50 states. Another $320 billion plan has passed Congress. Still, the program ran dry on April 16, less than two weeks after its launch. Legions of merchants applied for the assistance, hoping to secure funds to pay workers, utilities and other operating costs. Many got nothing. Through public company filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, NBC News has identified 173 loans totaling almost $600 million under the program. At least 15 companies that reported receiving money under the program have stock market values of at least $100 million, according to a report from Morgan Stanley — even though Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday the program was not meant to benefit "big public companies that have access to capital."

Where is the regulation? Why are these pieces of human excrement allowed to do as they please? Why do 'We The People' tolerate this shit? Clearly, we're gutless.

"Among them is Zagg Inc., a maker of cellphone protective gear that received $9.4 million. Zagg's board is chaired by Cheryl A. Larabee, a lecturer at Boise State University's College of Business & Economics. Larabee was previously a high-level executive at KeyBank, the institution that made the loan to Zagg. NBC News asked KeyBank and Zagg if Larabee had been involved in securing the PPP loan. Jeff DuBois, a spokesman for Zagg, said, "As chairman of the board, Ms. Larabee plays no role in finance negotiations, including with KeyBank. These funds will play a critical role in ensuring we have our team in place as the economy reopens."

Unbridled Aryan arrogance of the nazi element in our formerly great country. Report goes on and on. We tolerate this. Get what we deserve. This shit is nothing new. Been going on decades.

The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump signed a $484 billion bill Friday to aid employers and hospitals under stress from the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 50,000 Americans and devastated broad swaths of the economy. The bill is the latest effort by the federal government to help keep afloat businesses that have had to close or dramatically alter their operations as states try to slow the spread of the virus. Over the past five weeks, roughly 26 million people have filed for jobless aid, or about 1 in 6 U.S. workers. Trump thanked Congress for “answering my call” to provide the critical assistance and said it was “a tremendous victory.” But easy passage of this aid installment belies a potentially bumpier path ahead for future legislation to address the crisis. The measure passed Congress almost unanimously Thursday as lawmakers gathered in Washington as a group for the first time since March 27. They followed stricter social distancing rules while seeking to prove they can do their work despite the COVID-19 crisis. “Millions of people out of work,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “This is really a very, very, very sad day. We come to the floor with nearly 50,000 deaths, a huge number of people impacted, and the uncertainty of it all.”

Wake up, Madam Speaker. You and your colleagues failed to get the last bill right. Precisely why corporate mammoths were able to so quickly decimate it in less than two weeks.

"Anchoring the bill is the Trump administration’s $250 billion request to replenish a fund to help small- and medium-size businesses with payroll, rent and other expenses. This program provides forgivable loans so businesses can continue paying workers while forced to stay closed for social distancing and stay-at-home orders. The legislation contains $100 billion demanded by Democrats for hospitals and a nationwide testing program, along with $60 billion for small banks and an alternative network of community development banks that focus on development in urban neighborhoods and rural areas ignored by many lenders. There’s also $60 billion for small-business loans and grants delivered through the Small Business Administration’s existing disaster aid program. Passage of more coronavirus relief is likely in the weeks ahead. Supporters are already warning that the business-backed Payroll Protection Program will exhaust the new $250 billion almost immediately. Launched just weeks ago, the program quickly reached its lending limit after approving nearly 1.7 million loans. That left thousands of small businesses in limbo as they sought help. Pelosi and allies said the next measure will distribute more relief to individuals, extend more generous jobless benefits into the fall, provide another round of direct payments to most people and help those who are laid off afford health insurance through COBRA."

Again, why didn't you get it right the first time?

"Democrats tried to win another round of funding for state and local governments in Thursday’s bill but were rebuffed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who says he’s going to try pump the brakes on runaway deficit spending. McConnell says he doesn’t want to bail out Democratic-governed states for fiscal problems that predated the pandemic, but there’s plenty of demand for state fiscal relief among Republicans, too."

McConnell's assertion is bullshit. GOP red states paid far less in taxes than Democratic blue states yet got far more in pandemic federal relief.

"After the Senate passed the bill Tuesday, McConnell said Republicans would entertain no more coronavirus rescue legislation until the Senate returns to Washington in May. He promised rank-and-file Republicans greater say in the future legislation, rather than leaving it in the hands of bipartisan leaders. Pelosi attacked McConnell for at first opposing adding any money to his original $250 billion package and saying cash-strapped states should be allowed to declare bankruptcy, a move that they currently cannot do and that would threaten a broad range of state services. McConnell’s comments provoked an outcry — including from GOP governors — and he later tempered his remarks. The four coronavirus relief bills approved so far by Congress would deliver at least $2.4 trillion for business relief, testing and treatment, and direct payments to individuals and the unemployed, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The deficit is virtually certain to breach $3 trillion this year. Among the candidates for aid in the next bill is the Postal Service, which has more than 600,000 workers but is getting clobbered by COVID-19-related revenue losses."

The truth of the matter is neither party is worth a shit. For totally different reasons.

The Washington Post reports:

"A Federal Reserve program expected to begin within weeks will provide hundreds of billions in emergency aid to large American corporations without requiring them to save jobs or limit payments to executives and shareholders. Under the program, the central bank will buy up to $500 billion in bonds issued by large companies. The companies will use the influx of cash as a financial lifeline but are required to pay it back with interest. Unlike other portions of the relief for American businesses, however, this aid will be exempt from rules passed by Congress requiring recipients to limit dividends, executive compensation and stock buybacks and does not direct the companies to maintain certain employment levels."

Why not?

"Critics say the program could allow large companies that take the federal help to reward shareholders and executives without saving any jobs. The program was set up jointly by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department. “I am struck that the administration is relying on the good will of the companies receiving this assistance,” said Eswar Prasad, a former official at the International Monetary Fund and economist at Cornell University. “A few months down the road, after the government purchases its debt, the company can turn around and issue a bunch of dividends to shareholders or fire its workers, and there’s no clear path to get it back.”

Get this:

"Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin defended the corporate aid program, saying that the lack of restrictions on recipients had been discussed and agreed to by Congress. “This was highly discussed on a bipartisan basis. This was thought through carefully,” he said in an interview with The Washington Post. “What we agreed upon was direct loans would carry the restrictions, and the capital markets transactions would not carry the restrictions.”

Unf--king believable.

"Democrats asked for restrictions on how companies can use the money from the central bank’s bond purchases but were rebuffed by the administration during negotiations about the Cares Act, said a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). The spokesman said Democrats won meaningful concessions from the administration on reporting transparency in the final agreement. (Transparency requirements do not apply to the small-business loans, the biggest business aid program rolled out to date.)"

Why not?

"Mnuchin also said the program had already bolstered investor confidence in U.S. capital markets, which in turn helped firms raise capital they used to avoid layoffs. “The mere announcement of these facilities, quite frankly, led to a reopening of a lot of these capital markets,” Mnuchin said in an interview. “Even before these facilities are up and running, they’ve had their desired impact of having stability in the markets. Stability in the markets allows companies to function, and raise money and allows them to keep and retain workers and get back to work."

Trump's henchmen live in their own little world.

"The U.S. has thrown more than $6 trillion at the coronavirus crisis. That number could grow."

Guess who pays?

5-1-20

Hypocrisy, incompetence reign supreme. The Associated Press reports:

"Trump approved of Georgia’s plan to reopen before bashing it.

"President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly told Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp that they approved of his aggressive plan to allow businesses to reopen, just a day before Trump pulled an about-face and publicly bashed the plan, according to two administration officials. The green light from Pence and Trump came in separate private conversations with the Republican governor both before Kemp announced his plan to ease coronavirus restrictions and after it was unveiled on Monday, the officials said. Trump’s sudden shift came only after top health advisers reviewed the plan more closely and persuaded the president that Kemp was risking further spread of the virus by moving too quickly. “I told the governor of Georgia Brian Kemp that I disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities,” Trump said Wednesday, just a day after telling reporters that he trusted Kemp’s judgment. “He knows what’s he’s doing.” On Thursday, he was even harder on the governor: “I wasn’t happy with Brian Kemp, I wasn’t at all happy.” The extraordinary reversal — and public criticism of a GOP ally — is only the latest in a series of contradictory and confusing messages from the president on how and when he believes governors should ease stay-at-home orders intended to stop the spread of the deadly virus. It demonstrates the political risk for governors in following the unpredictable president’s guidance. Trump on Friday tried to distance himself further from the matter, claiming in a tweet that neither he nor Pence “gave Governor Brian Kemp an OK on those few businesses outside of the Guidelines. FAKE NEWS! Spas, beauty salons, tattoo parlors, & barber shops should take a little slower path, but I told the Governor to do what is right for the great people of Georgia (& USA)!”

Trump is not stable:

"Trump has been urging states to begin reopening for two weeks, believing that certain portions of the country were now ready to resume aspects of normal life even against the recommendations of many of his own health experts. Even though few states have met the benchmarks established by the White House, the president has cheered on efforts to “Liberate!” some states and has offered encouragement to the states that announced plans to forge forward. Kemp was among the first Republican governors to take the cue. His order, announced Monday, allows businesses like gyms, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys to open on Friday under certain restrictions. When asked Tuesday about Kemp’s decision, Trump supported the governor, saying “He’s a very capable man. He knows what he’s doing. He’s done a very good job as governor.” Behind the scenes, the administration had also been supportive. The president spoke to Kemp more than once about the plan and both Trump and Pence called Kemp on Tuesday to praise his performance as governor and his plan to reopen, according to the two administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because were not authorized to publicly discuss the conversations. But on Wednesday, members of the White House’s virus task force revisited the plan and felt it was too soon and would be difficult to defend in that afternoon’s press briefing. Dr. Deborah Birx, who helps lead the White House’s coronavirus response, then spoke to the president after the meeting and suggested that it was too soon to reopen Georgia, an assertion with which the president agreed, according to the officials."

Trump and his henchmen are all over the place. Can't seem to get their act together:

"Trump then called Kemp and asked to slow down his plan, to which the governor said no, said the officials. The governor suggested the two men continue to the discussion on another call, but they did not speak again before the briefing in which Trump said he opposed some of the particulars of the plan to reopen. Trump noted that Kemp’s reopening violated the White House guidelines and suggested he would intervene if he saw “something totally egregious.” On Thursday, he suggested he was particularly concerned by the idea that Kemp would reopen spas. “I want the states to open more than he does, much more than he does. But I didn’t like to see spas at this early stage nor did the doctors,” he said. Trump acknowledged he consulted his health advisers -- Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci -- and considered trying to block the proposal but “I decided, and we all agreed. You’ve got to watch it closely. So we’ll see what happens.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted a denial that Trump had changed his position. “No one ‘changed’ President Trump’s view. I was with him all throughout the day. His mind was made up. His priority has always been to reopen the country SAFELY,” she posted Thursday."

Report goes on and on. More of the same old shit. Trump and his henchmen can't seem to get their act together.

5-1-20

Another Navy ship infected. The Associated Press reports:

"Another Navy ship at sea has reported a coronavirus outbreak and is returning to port, the Navy said Friday. Navy officials said at least 18 members of the crew of a destroyer, the USS Kidd, have tested positive and it expects the number to grow. It said it is evaluating the extent of the outbreak aboard the ship. The Kidd is off the Pacific coast of Central America, where it has been operating as part of a U.S. counter-drug mission. The Navy said it has a crew of about 350. It is only the second Navy ship, among about 90 deployed around the world, to report a coronavirus outbreak at sea. The other is the USS Theodore Roosevelt. One sailor who displayed symptoms was flown off the Kidd on Thursday to a medical facility at San Antonio, where he tested positive for the virus. After the positive case was confirmed at San Antonio, the Navy deployed a specialized medical team to the ship to conduct contact tracing and additional onsite testing."

There is good news:

“The first patient transported is already improving and will self-isolate. We are taking every precaution to ensure we identify, isolate, and prevent any further spread onboard the ship,” said Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson, commander U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet. “Our medical team continues coordinating with the ship and our focus is the safety and well-being of every Sailor.” The Navy said the ship will return to port, where the crew will continue to clean and disinfect the ship, observing protocols in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Navy-specific guidelines. The Navy continues to struggle with a coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier that is docked in Guam and has more than 800 confirmed virus cases. Asked whether the Pentagon fears that the Kidd may become another Roosevelt crisis, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, said the Navy acted quickly once learning of the first symptomatic sailor aboard the Kidd. “The Navy has lessons learned from prior experience with a COVID crisis, and they have been quickly applying those to this case,” Hoffman said. “Fingers crossed, the Navy is doing everything they can right now, and we’re going to hope for the best outcome, but they are going to take all of the prudent steps that they possibly can.”

The military usually learns very, very quickly when faced with an exigent threat.

5-1-20

In follow up to last week's edition of this publication, NPR reports:

"In what could amount to a stunning about-face for the Pentagon, congressional sources have confirmed to NPR that top Navy leaders have recommended that Capt. Brett Crozier be put back in command of the coronavirus-plagued aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. After Crozier's emotional letter pleading for a more decisive response to his ship's COVID-19 outbreak leaked to the news media on March 31, he was removed as the ship's skipper on April 2 by then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly. The Navy's top civilian in turn resigned after denigrating Crozier in widely criticized remarks to sailors aboard the Roosevelt, who had hailed Crozier as a hero when he left the ship. Adm. Michael Gilday, the Navy's top officer, is reported by The Associated Press to have met with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley on Tuesday and with Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday to recommend the fired captain's reinstatement. Esper's spokesman confirmed the Friday meeting. "This afternoon, Secretary Esper received a verbal update from the acting Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations on the Navy's preliminary inquiry into the COVID-19 outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt," writes Jonathan Hoffman in a statement emailed from the Pentagon. "After the Secretary receives a written copy of the completed inquiry, he intends to thoroughly review the report and will meet again with Navy leadership to discuss next steps. He remains focused on and committed to restoring the full health of the crew and getting the ship at sea again soon." The AP quotes Hoffman as saying before that meeting that Esper "is generally inclined to support Navy leadership in their decision" regarding Crozier. But Esper is also reported to have asked for a delay in any public announcement while he weighs Crozier's fate. The Democrat who chairs the House Armed Services Committee reacted sharply on Friday to Esper's decision to hold back the results of the Navy investigation that concluded with a recommendation to give Crozier his command back. "The Secretary of Defense needs to reinstate Captain Brett Crozier as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt," Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said in a statement emailed to NPR. "While Captain Crozier's actions at the outset of the health crisis aboard the TR were drastic and imperfect, it is clear he only took such steps to protect his crew." Smith also blasted the former acting navy secretary's decision to remove Crozier. "Modly's subsequent decision to board the U.S.S. Roosevelt and deliver a petty, obscenity-laced speech attacking Captain Crozier while the crew of the Roosevelt dealt with the COVID-19 outbreak should seriously call into question Modly's decision making ability in general," Smith wrote, "and makes it all the more clear that his decision to relieve Captain Crozier was completely wrong."

5-1-20

Trump loses another. United Press International reports:

"A federal judge in California has ordered the Trump administration to speed up the release of migrant children held in custody, citing the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee said late Friday that the federal government is once again violating the so-called Flores Agreement. The 1993 settlement said, among other things, that children cannot be detained longer than 20 days. The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law sought an order to release the children, saying the COVID-19 crisis in the United States has delayed work to release the children to guardians. The organization said the Office of Refugee Resettlement halted efforts to reunite the children with their parents or other guardians in places such as California, New York and Washington, to avoid the difficulties of dealing with those states' stay-at-home orders amid the pandemic. Meanwhile, coronavirus cases are increasing in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, where at least 287 migrants have tested positive for the virus. ICE has so far conducted 425 tests for tens of thousands migrants in detention. Additionally, one of the BCFS facilities holding migrant children in Baytown, Texas, has been placed under a 14-day quarantine on April 7 because multiple staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Gee quoted the plaintiffs' medical expert, Dr. Julie Graves, in her order: "Postponing the release of children in facilities with known COVID-19 exposure is like leaving them in a burning house rather than going in to rescue them and take them to safety."

5-1-20

Delusionally believe the oil and gas industry is doing a good job managing resources? CBS News reports:

"Oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin, the largest oil-producing area in the United States, are spewing more than twice the amount of methane emissions into the atmosphere than previously thought — enough wasted energy to power 7 million households in Texas for a year. That's the result of a new study by researchers at Harvard University and the Environmental Defense Fund."

Think it bullshit? Wake up.

"The Permian Basin stretches across a 250-mile by 250-mile area of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, and accounts for over a third of the crude oil and 10% of the natural gas in the U.S. The study, published this week in the journal Science Advances, also found that the rate of leakage of methane gas makes up 3.7% of all the gas extracted in the basin, which is about 60% higher than the national average leakage rate. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and since the Permian Basin is so large, this excess waste is a significant contribution to our already warming climate. "These are the highest emissions ever measured from a major U.S. oil and gas basin," said study co-author Dr. Steven Hamburg, chief scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). To map the methane emissions, the team employed a space-borne sensor on a European Space Agency satellite called the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) from May 2018 to March 2019. Since 2005, the rapid increase in oil and natural gas production in the United States has been driven primarily by hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking) and horizontal drilling."

Two-pronged problem:

"While some see the leaked methane gas as a big waste of natural resources, others are focused on the danger posed by methane. Methane is an extremely powerful heat-trapping greenhouse gas, much more potent than its more well-known counterpart, carbon dioxide (CO2). There is 225 times less methane in the atmosphere than there is CO2, but because of its powerful heat-trapping qualities, methane is contributing about 25% of the current rate of global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution, global methane concentrations have doubled due mostly to human activities like livestock farming, decay from landfills, and from burning fossil fuels. "I am very concerned about increasing methane emissions," said Dr. Robert Howarth, a biogeochemist and expert on methane from Cornell University, who was not involved with the study. "Methane is 120 times more powerful than CO2 as a greenhouse gas, compared mass-to-mass for the time both gases are in the atmosphere," he explains."

Carefully consider the following:

"According to Hamburg, the methane gas escaping the Permian Basin is so excessive that it has tripled the typical heating impact it would have otherwise had through burning the gas. Evidence of this massive leakage undercuts the case made by proponents of natural gas who tout its cleaner-burning qualities over that of its normally dirtier-burning cousin, coal."

So not only are we wasting resources, that waste is contributing to warming of the planet. Aggressive stupidity.

"The most up-to-date thinking is that for comparing coal and natural gas to generate electricity, gas is worse than coal if the methane emission rate is greater than 2.7%," said Howarth. However, this research found the Permian Basin's emission rate is higher than that — 3.7% of the gross gas extracted. Therefore, the leakage in the Permian Basin is so high it makes gas and oil emissions more intensive than even coal."

Why are we burning all three when alternative energy is highly competitive, prices precipitately dropping as the technology advances?

"After staying level for the first decade of the 21st century, methane emissions have been rising quickly over the past decade," said Howarth, "My research indicates that shale gas development in the U.S. is responsible for at least one-third of the total increase in these emissions globally." The Harvard/EDF paper attributes the high methane leakage rate to extensive venting and flaring, resulting from insufficient infrastructure to process and transport natural gas. On the other hand, the paper concludes, the higher-than-average leakage rate in the Permian Basin implies an opportunity to reduce methane emissions through better design, more effective management, regulation and infrastructure development. But over the past few years, regulations on fossil fuels have gone in the opposite direction. "Trump's EPA has proposed to substantially weaken or even eliminate regulations, adopted during the Obama administration, to control methane emissions from oil and gas facilities," said Romany Webb, a senior fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School."

Lack of effective government regulation is a problem:

"Webb says the Texas Railroad Commission — the state's oil and gas regulator — has its own rules controlling venting and flaring. Venting and flaring is permitted up to 10 days after completion of well drilling; after that operators can apply for an exemption from the commission. "Recently, the number of exemptions granted by the commission has increased dramatically, leading to concerns that it is simply acting as a rubber stamp," said Webb. "To detect emissions takes sophisticated approaches and highly trained personnel," Howarth said. "To date, the best any government has done is to come up with regulations that rely on industry self-reporting. I find that rather useless." If the world has any hope of meeting the target for reducing emissions outlined in the Paris climate agreement, reducing CO2 cannot accomplish this alone — the climate responds far more quickly to methane, explains Howarth. To keep the level of warming below the international goal of 2 degrees Celsius and prevent the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, controlling methane leakage is essential. Without it, humanity is bound to fall short."

Not only is this costing us money, it's damaging the environment. All to line the pockets of the corporate management suite and shareholders. Meanwhile, the public foots the bill.

5-1-20

Trump and his henchmen lose another. The Associated Press reports:

"The Supreme Court ruled Monday that insurance companies can collect $12 billion from the federal government to cover their losses in the early years of the health care law championed by President Barack Obama. Insurers are entitled to the money under a provision of the “Obamacare” health law that promised the companies a financial cushion for losses they might incur by selling coverage to people in the marketplaces created by the health care law, the justices said by an 8-1 vote. The program only lasted three years, but Congress inserted a provision in the Health and Human Services Department’s spending bills from 2015 to 2017 to limit payments under the “risk corridors” program. Both the Obama and Trump administrations had argued that the provision means the government has no obligation to pay. But Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in her opinion for the court that the congressional action was not sufficient to repeal the government’s commitment to pay. “These holdings reflect a principle as old as the Nation itself: The Government should honor its obligations,” Sotomayor wrote. In dissent, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the court’s decision “has the effect of providing a massive bailout for insurance companies that took a calculated risk and lost. These companies chose to participate in an Affordable Care Act program that they thought would be profitable.” The companies, which sold insurance in Alaska, Illinois, Maine, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington, cite HHS statistics to claim they are owed $12 billion. The case is separate from a challenge to the health care law that the court has agreed to hear in its term that begins in October."

5-1-20

Israeli aggressor back in the news. The Associated Press reports:

"The United Nations’ Mideast envoy is warning that Israeli moves to annex parts of the West Bank and accelerate settlement expansion, combined with the coronavirus pandemic’s devastating impact, can “ignite” the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and “destroy any hope of peace.” Nickolay Mladenov told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that annexation would also “constitute a serious violation of international law, deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution, close the door to a renewal of negotiations, and threaten efforts to advance regional peace.” He urged Israelis and Palestinians to support U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for a global cease-fire to all conflicts to tackle the pandemic. Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival Benny Gantz signed a coalition agreement that includes a clause to advance plans to annex parts of the West Bank, including Israeli settlements, starting on July 1. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, told the council that “whatever technical coordination has been achieved between the two sides in recent weeks to combat COVID-19 has been undercut by incessant violations,” most flagrantly Israel’s annexation push which he claimed is being done in full coordination with the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says annexation is “an Israeli decision.”

The hell it is. Wake up, Mr. Secretary. Your head remains figuratively speaking, securely lodged up your clueless ass.

"Mansour also warned that the U.S. plan for Mideast peace and Israel’s decision to proceed with annexation “will destroy the two-state solution and entrench Israel’s military control over the Palestinian people and land.” He said the Palestinians are urging the international community to enforce concrete measures “to hold Israel accountable for its perverse impunity” and salvage prospects for peace."

The American public will eventually wise up to the fact the Israeli aggressor is out of control. When, not if, that happens, U.S. support for the aggressor will disappear. Alone without the support of the United States, Israel will sadly wind up in the sea over run by its long-term enemies. All this could have been avoided. All of it. The United States, Britain, Europe, and the United Nations have miserably failed since 1948 to get this right.

4-24-20

In follow up to an earlier edition of this publication, The Washington Post reports:

"As a coronavirus outbreak swept through a U.S. aircraft carrier crippled off the coast of Guam, the ship’s commander tapped out an e-mail urging senior Navy leaders to evacuate most of the 4,800 sailors onboard. Capt. Brett Crozier opened his March 30 message to three admirals by saying he would “gladly” follow them “into battle whenever needed.” But he shifted to his concern that the Navy was not doing enough to stop the spread of the virus, and acknowledged being a part of the sluggish response. “I fully realize that I bear responsibility for not demanding more decisive action the moment we pulled in, but at this point my only priority is the continued well-being of the crew and embarked staff,” Crozier wrote in previously unreported comments obtained by The Washington Post. “... I believe if there is ever a time to ask for help it is now regardless of the impact on my career.”

Uncommon Valor.

"The email, copied to a handful of Navy captains, is at the heart of a crisis that erupted into public view after a four-page memo attached to it was published in the news media. The note set off a chain reaction that included acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly’s decision to relieve Crozier from command and Modly’s resignation amid an outcry after audio emerged of him insulting the captain in an address to Theodore Roosevelt sailors. But while the attachment circulated widely, Crozier’s email did not. The email shows that Modly mischaracterized the message, accusing Crozier of sending it to 20 or 30 people, as he cited it as justification for removing him from command."

Like his fuhrer, the Trump nazi, Modly is a congenital liar.

"The crisis has become a defining story for the U.S. military during the coronavirus pandemic. It also has underscored thorny challenges for the Navy, including a lack of clarity about how to respond to President Trump’s concerns, disagreements about transparency and questions about whether officers who flag problems should face retribution. This account of the USS Theodore Roosevelt’s crisis is based on memos, emails and text messages obtained by The Post, as well as interviews with about two dozen people familiar with the case, including senior defense officials, sailors and their loved ones. Many of them spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issues and concerns about retaliation. The service is still testing sailors from the vessel. As of Thursday, 655 sailors had tested positive among 4,574 examined -- more than 14 percent. One Theodore Roosevelt sailor with covid-19 died on Tuesday, marking the first fatality in the active-duty military during the pandemic. Six more sailors are hospitalized, including one in intensive care, the Navy said. Thousands of others are quarantined in hotel rooms under guard, with food that is often cold delivered a couple of times per day."

Outrageous. Our best and brightest. F--ked over. Under guard. Prisoners.

"Crozier spoke with at least one senior Navy admiral in Washington on March 28, and with Robert Love, Modly’s chief of staff, on March 29, said a senior defense official who declined to identify the admiral. Love told Crozier that Modly was interested in visiting the ship and wanted to know how he could help. Crozier responded that he could host the acting secretary, but that it would be a distraction and come with some risk of exposure to the virus. The secretary’s office decided to wait on a visit, and Love conveyed that Crozier could contact Modly’s office directly, the senior defense official said. Love reached out to Crozier again on March 30. Modly’s office didn’t know it yet, but Crozier already had sent his email, which left off Modly’s and Gilday’s staffs. Crozier transmitted his email in a manner that some Navy officials found inappropriate, and nearly all considered unconventional. He addressed it to Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, his immediate commanding officer; Adm. John Aquilino, the top commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet; and Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller, the officer overseeing all naval forces in the Pacific. Crozier copied the message to seven Navy captains but left off Vice Adm. William Merz, who oversaw the Roosevelt as commander of the Navy’s 7th Fleet. It arrived in the continental United States late March 29 due to the international dateline, a point that has been confused in some accounts. Crozier and each of the 10 men who received the email either declined to comment through spokespeople or did not respond to a request to speak to The Post."

Uncommon Valor:

"Friends of Crozier’s have described him as calm and unlikely to have sent the message unless he thought it was necessary. Medical staff on his ship had warned that if they didn’t get the virus under control quickly, dozens of sailors could die, a detail first reported by the New York Times. Crozier’s friends have said that the captain pushed “send” after several days of the Navy struggling to settle on a plan that would remove sailors quickly. A senior defense official acknowledged that Crozier wanted to remove sailors more quickly but said his effort wasn’t immediately realistic. “The problem was there was no place to put them at that time,” the senior defense official said. “The governor of Guam had started working with the hotel industry to get the hotels reopened. But that doesn’t happen overnight.” The official added that if Crozier wanted to make an urgent point as a commander, the Navy has a way to do so. He could have sent a “personal for” message, known colloquially as a “P4,” to senior service leaders. That would have flagged the discussion as sensitive and important without opening it up to a relatively large group of people, the official said. Crozier, in his email, said that military officials at Naval Base Guam were “doing the best they can” but that they did not have adequate facilities, and that the crew couldn’t wait much longer. “While I understand that there are political concerns with requesting the use of hotels on Guam to truly isolate the remaining 4,500 Sailors 14+ days, the hotels are empty, and I believe it is the only way to quickly combat the problem,” Crozier wrote. Crew members, meanwhile, grew increasingly anxious and worried that they were being forgotten in Washington. “Very little can be done on our ship to prevent the spread of COVID 19,” one sailor texted a family member on March 31. “A lot of us want to just go home, we are all pretty stressed.” “Everything is pretty upside down at the moment,” he added. “We are not prepared for COVID and the GOVT doesn’t care.” The memo attached to Crozier’s e-mail was leaked and published in the San Francisco Chronicle within a day after the captain sent it. “We are not at war, and therefore cannot allow a single Sailor to perish as a result of this pandemic unnecessarily,” he wrote, proposing that 90 percent of the USS Roosevelt’s sailors be moved off the ship as soon as possible."

Here's the problem:

"The public attention was an embarrassment to Pentagon leaders, who had taken pains to project calm and poise. The following day, more than 1,000 sailors were moved off the ship, some of them into hotel rooms in Guam. Modly, traveling in California, was blindsided by the newspaper article. As the controversy grew, the Navy’s leaders announced the start of an investigation of communication breakdowns during the response to the virus. But before they got very far, Modly decided Crozier had to go. “He sent it out pretty broadly, and in sending it out pretty broadly, he did not take care to ensure it couldn’t be leaked,” Modly told reporters. Modly knew the decision would be controversial, according to one current and one former senior defense official aware of his thinking. But after Trump’s direct intervention in other military issues, including war-crimes cases last year, he thought relieving the captain of command was the best thing he could do to keep order and respond to what he considered Crozier’s panicking, the officials said. Trump initially agreed. “I thought it was terrible, what he did, to write a letter. I mean, this isn’t a class on literature,” Trump said. However, as pressure built following Crozier’s removal, Modly acted out of character, the officials said. After spending the better part of a day flying from Washington to Guam to visit the Theodore Roosevelt, he delivered a 15-minute speech over a loudspeaker in which he said without evidence that Crozier either had written the memo to be leaked to the media, or was “too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this.” A senior defense official who agreed with Modly’s decision to oust Crozier said Modly’s use of profanity was unusual for him. Modly resigned a day later, even as other senior administration officials at the Pentagon suggested that he apologize and let the issue blow over. Crozier, meanwhile, is in isolation with the virus, as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise. More than 4,000 sailors had been removed from the ship as of Thursday — leaving just a few hundred more than Crozier recommended. About 80 percent of the ship has been cleaned, the Navy said. The senior defense official said leaders are still considering Crozier’s fate. They could uphold his removal, reinstate him as captain, or bring him back and give him another command. “My gut is they’re not going to punish him any more,” the official said.

NPR reports:

"Top U.S. defense officials are not ruling out restoring Navy Capt. Brett Crozier to his former command of the coronavirus-sidelined aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Crozier was abruptly removed from that post on April 3 after going outside of his chain of command and emailing an impassioned plea for a more decisive response to the outbreak. Such a reinstatement of a sacked warship skipper would be without precedent in the Navy. There have been numerous calls by congressional Democrats to have Crozier, who remains in isolation in Guam after testing positive for coronavirus, put back in command of the Roosevelt. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper was asked about a New York Times report that the Navy is looking into reinstating Crozier. "I've got to keep an open mind with regard to everything," Esper said of such a reversal of the Navy's action on NBC's Today show. "We've got to take this one step at a time, let the investigation within the Navy conclude itself, if you will, at it — as they brief it up, and we'll take things as they can, and we'll make very reasoned opinions and judgments as this progresses."

Certainly, hope so. The Captain put his sailors before himself. Stood tall. Rose to the occasion. Jeopardized his career to do the right thing. Not in combat when this happened.

"Crozier was removed from his command by then-acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly before an investigation of the captain's actions had been completed, a highly unusual move in the military. Modly then resigned following a storm of criticism for a profanity-laced speech he delivered aboard the Roosevelt defending his firing of Crozier while calling the deposed skipper "naive" and "stupid." Modly's decision to remove Crozier prior to the investigation's conclusion had been opposed by both Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday, according to officials quoted by the New York Times, which added that Modly, "believing that [President] Trump wanted him fired, ignored them."

If true, goddamned gutless.

"The probe into Crozier's actions was led by Adm. Robert Burke, the Navy's second-ranking officer. Members of the Roosevelt's crew told the Times Burke had earlier called the ship's chief medical officer, who had been pushing for a more decisive response to the viral outbreak, and labeled him a "failed leader." "I am taking no options off the table as I review that investigation," said Gilday, the Navy's top uniformed official, in a conference call with reporters last week. "I think that's my responsibility — to approach it in a way that's with due diligence to make sure that it's completely fair and as unbiased as I can possibly make it." Esper told NBC that the report of the investigation had been completed late last week and that he expected it would eventually be sent to him after first being reviewed by the Navy. "Adm. Gilday has received, and is reviewing the preliminary Inquiry," Cmdr. Nate Christensen, Gilday's spokesman, said in a statement Wednesday. "It will take time for the report to be reviewed and endorsed by Adm. Gilday. No final decisions have been made." The Roosevelt is currently docked in Guam and Capt. Carlos Sardiello, who was its skipper prior to Crozier, has been placed back in command on an interim basis. About 4,000 of the ship's 4,865 sailors are undergoing quarantine on shore in Guam. One of the crew died of COVID-19 on April 13. On Thursday, the Navy identified the ship's first fatality in the outbreak as Aviation Ordnanceman Chief Petty Officer Charles Robert Thacker Jr, 41, of Fort Smith, Ark. Five other sailors have been hospitalized, one in critical condition. More than 650 of the crew have tested positive for the coronavirus. "What's disconcerting is a majority of those — 350 plus — are asymptomatic," Esper said on NBC. "So it has revealed a new dynamic of this virus — that it can be carried by normal, healthy people who have no idea whatsoever that they're carrying it." Meanwhile, efforts to thoroughly sanitize the Roosevelt continue, an operation that a Navy publication says crew members have dubbed "bleach-a-palooza." "The team's mission is to fully sanitize the ship," Cmdr. Chad Hollinger, the ship's weapons officer, is quoted as telling the Navy. "To complete the mission we are going to clean this ship from top-to-bottom and forward-to-aft to create a clean zone for everyone coming back to the ship, so we can get back to business." Esper, for his part, insisted on NBC that the Roosevelt could resume its mission immediately if that were necessary. "The key is getting her back to sea," Esper said. "This was a special case. We're going to get it behind us, and I'm sure the TR will be back to sea soon, performing its important wartime mission."

4-24-20

Resistance grows. CNN News reports:

"Protesters gathered in several state capitals this week to voice their opposition to stay-at-home orders issued to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina and Utah -- states led by both Republican and Democratic governors -- have all seen protests in recent days as people grow more concerned about the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. "A small segment of the state is protesting and that's their right," Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, told CNN. People are getting "stir crazy" at home, she said, and they're worried about paying the bills. "The sad part is, though, that the more they're out and about, the more likely they are to spread Covid-19," Whitmer said, "and the more likely we're going to have to take this posture for a longer period of time."

That's insanity. Has not been well thought out. This continues indefinitely more will die from the failed economy than the pandemic.

"Protesters in Whitmer's state crowded the streets of the capital on Wednesday by staying in their cars. The action, dubbed "Operation Gridlock" by its organizers, choked Lansing with traffic for miles. "I realize how important this virus is, but now we're getting to the point where we're shutting too much stuff down," protester Tom Hughey, who said he has a small business and works for Ford Motor Company, told CNN affiliate WILX. Whitmer has extended the state's stay-home order through April 30. It includes restrictions like prohibiting most people from traveling between residences unless they're taking care of a relative or dropping off a child. But not everyone stayed in their cars, per WILX -- some stood on the grounds of the state Capitol. "I think every single person here is probably going to get coronavirus, we're all within six feet of each other," Nick Somber told WILX. The Michigan Nurses Association issued a statement calling the protest "irresponsible" and saying it "sends exactly the opposite message that nurses and healthcare professionals are trying to get across: we are begging people, please stay home."

Clearly, they can't afford to. Not the way this system is set up. Time to wake up. Government aid is unsurprisingly slow to arrive. Woefully inadequate. Band Aid on an arterial wound. Not sustainable.

"Some protesters met Thursday outside the governor's mansion in St. Paul to voice opposition to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's stay-home order, which has been extended through May 3. A spokesperson for the protesters told CNN affiliate WCCO they were demonstrating because Minnesotans are suffering from financial setbacks and depression, among other issues. The group believed residents can go back to work while continuing to fight the coronavirus, WCCO reported. "The Governor has said that we can't lose our democracy during this pandemic, and this extends to people exercising their First Amendment rights," Walz's office said in a statement. "We ask that for the health and safety of themselves, their families, and their fellow Minnesotans that those demonstrating exercise good social distancing behavior." Walz previously emphasized that expanding testing and tracing would be important before the state can reopen, saying both had to be done "on a massive scale."

Government under the Trump nazi has failed to rise to the occasion. Worse, what has been done in response by Trump and all levels of government is simply not sustainable.

"Protesters demonstrated in the Kentucky capital of Frankfort, where Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, had to speak over the noise during a news briefing Wednesday. "We do have some folks up here in Kentucky today, saying we should reopen Kentucky immediately, right now," Beshear said. "Folks, that would kill people. It would absolutely kill people."

So will maintaining the status quo.

"One protester told CNN affiliate WKYT that she agreed with Beshear's measures at first, but had since changed her mind. "I understand the need for caution," she said, "but I think it's gone way past, you know, anything reasonable."

"Protestors yell "Open Up Kentucky!" and "You're not a king, we won't kiss your ring" outside the room where Gov. Andy Beshear was giving his daily coronavirus update on April 15 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Protesters initially heeded social distancing, spacing out on the capitol grounds, according to WKYT. But that went out the window when they began chanting just outside the room where Beshear was holding his news briefing. "Lot of fresh air out here. I don't think I'm endangering anyone," the woman told the station. "I think the governor is endangering a lot of people by not letting families work."

Report goes on and on. Status quo not sustainable. Time to re-think this insanity. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms as our formerly great country continues to sadly deteriorate due to this and many, many other issues.

ABC News reports:

"More than 200 protestors gathered in Huntington Beach, California, in what was the latest demonstration in the United States against stay-at-home orders under the novel coronavirus pandemic. The "March for Freedom" event took place Friday afternoon at the intersection of Walnut and Main streets in the downtown area of Huntington Beach, about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles."

Clearly, protest is not limited only to the Trump nazi's supporters:

"Some protestors held signs reading "Quarantine the sick, not the healthy!" and "Open Cali now." One protestor wore what appeared to be a faux hazmat suit, donning a sign that said the virus was a "lie." The event described itself as a march for "freedom, liberty and reopening the California economy." Like other demonstrations across the country, some protestors struck a partisan tone and waved "Trump 2020" flags. Police said in a statement they were called to the scene and that while it was initially small, "it quickly grew to a group of over 200 people." "We are asking our community and those that visit Huntington Beach to remember we are under an Executive Order by the State, which specifically states all residents of California should stay at home in an effort to help flatten the curve in regard to community spread of COVID-19," Huntington Police said in a statement. "The more people are out and gathered in groups, the more COVID-19 will spread in our community and endanger lives."

These executive orders are outrageously unconstitutional. Deliberately abrogate all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Should this continue indefinitely more will die from the failed economy than the pandemic. Remains aggressive stupidity at its very worst. Worse, comes at a time when our formerly great country is hopelessly divided on a multitude of issues. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms as conditions continue to deteriorate due to this and many, many other issues.

"Police noted that they understood "emotions are high and many are frustrated with the current Executive Order." No arrests were made at the protest, police said."

Law enforcement needs to wisely exercise restraint.

4-24-20

Texas women are indeed overcoming egregious abrogation of the right to abortion by our nazi Governor and Texas Attorney General. NPR reports:

"Planned Parenthood clinics in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada are reporting an influx of patients from Texas, after an order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott suspending most abortions in that state during the coronavirus pandemic. New data provided to NPR by Planned Parenthood show a more than sevenfold increase in patients traveling from Texas to clinics across the Southwest for abortions since the order took effect in late March. "It clearly shows that when individuals aren't able to access abortion care in their own state, they will travel — or at least the patients who have the means to travel will travel," said Dr. Kristina Tocce, medical director at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, in an interview with NPR."

Goddamned right. F--k the nazi element. Who the hell are these fascist bastards to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus? Republican national socialists don't seem to understand reproductive freedom is more than a man keeping it in his pants, a woman with her panties on, legs crossed.

"According to Planned Parenthood, clinics in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada saw 129 patients from Texas between March 23 and April 14, compared with 16 Texas patients during the entire month of February, a 706% increase. During the same period in 2019, a Planned Parenthood official said those clinics saw 14 patients from Texas. Tocce said she recently saw a patient who traveled 16 hours for a procedure. She said some patients are flying or making long drives at a time when travel is being discouraged because of the pandemic. "This really is frustrating as a provider because it seems to be putting patients at additional risk of being exposed to COVID themselves as they travel and risk them getting an infection, versus them possibly unwittingly transmitting COVID if they are an asymptomatic individual who's positive," Tocce said."

National socialists, fascists, nazis in the Republican Party are congenital liars, -- just like their fuhrer, the Trump nazi:

"Republican state officials and organizations opposed to abortion rights have argued that the procedure should be treated as nonessential during the pandemic, in order to preserve medical supplies for coronavirus patients, and to reduce the risk of exposure at clinics."

Unadulterated horse shit. These fascist bastards are desperately trying to force their perverse ideological and religious views on the rest of the population. Raw nazism. Democrats have done nothing to effectively combat this rise of fascism in Republican circles. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"Tocce said her health centers are taking steps to mitigate those risks, including screening patients for symptoms, having patients wear masks at clinics and relying on technologies like telemedicine when possible. Major medical groups say delaying abortion can be harmful to pregnant women. Abortion-rights groups have challenged bans in several states and have succeeded in scaling them back or blocking them, but some patients seeking the procedure have been turned away. A federal appeals court recently ruled that medication abortions could continue in Texas, along with surgical procedures for patients approaching the state's 22-week cutoff."

United Press International reports:

"A federal judge in Tennessee ruled that the state's stay-at-home order can't block abortions because they're "time-sensitive procedures." District Judge Bernard Friedman said Gov. Bill Lee's order barring non-emergency medical procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic must not infringe on women's constitutional rights to an abortion. "Abortion is a time-sensitive procedure," the ruling issued Friday said. "Delaying a woman's access to abortion even by a matter of days can result in her having to undergo a lengthier and more complex procedure that involves progressively greater health risks, or can result in her losing the right to obtain an abortion altogether." Lee issued a stay-at-home order March 31, shutting down non-essential businesses and banning elective, non-emergency medical procedures, and urging residents to remain at home whenever possible. A group of abortion advocacy groups and individuals -- CHOICES Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, Adams & Boyle P.C., and Dr. Kimberly Looney -- sued the state over the restrictions on abortions, which Lee's order considered elective. "We thank our hard working dedicated lawyers and the judge's level-headed verdict protecting women's constitutional rights to bodily autonomy ... even and especially during this pandemic," the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health said in response to the ruling. Several other states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Alabama, have faced similar legal battles over whether abortions should be allowed during COVID-19-related shutdowns."

The following is a press release from the Office of the Texas Attorney General:

"AG Paxton: Fifth Circuit Once Again Upholds Governor’s Order Halting Unnecessary Medical Procedures, Including Abortion

"April 20, 2020 | Press Release
AG Paxton: Fifth Circuit Once Again Upholds Governor’s Order Halting Unnecessary Medical Procedures, Including Abortion
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"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today applauded the ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which once again upheld Gov. Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-09. That order requires all health care facilities and professionals to postpone medical procedures that are not immediately medically necessary in order to preserve precious medical supplies for those combating the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The court ruled that the district court’s second temporary restraining order on Executive Order GA-09, which granted abortionists an exception to the rule, was legally erroneous. The Fifth Circuit’s ruling recognized that states have the authority to take action during public health emergencies, and that federal judges cannot usurp that authority.

“I am pleased that the Fifth Circuit once again ruled in favor of the health and safety needs of our communities and hardworking medical professionals during this unprecedented medical crisis. Without exception, Texans must continue to work together to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Governor Abbott’s order ensures that hospital beds, supplies and personal protective equipment remain available for the medical professionals on the frontlines of this battle.”

Like his fuhrer, the Trump nazi, our attorney general remains a congenital liar determined to impose his perverse ideological and religious views on all in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion.

A raucous, boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil!, Mr. Attorney General? Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

The Associated Press reports:

"Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s attempt to ban abortions during the coronavirus pandemic cannot be enforced, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Charles Goodwin issued a preliminary injunction late Monday after abortion providers sued Stitt over the ban. The injunction replaces a temporary restraining order that the same judge issued last week that allowed most abortions to continue. The injunction ensures that abortions can be performed in Oklahoma while the case continues in federal court. Stitt’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokesman for Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said he intends to appeal the decision. Stitt attempted to ban abortions in Oklahoma as part of a prohibition on elective surgeries aimed at preserving personal protective equipment, such as surgical masks, gowns and gloves, during the public health crisis. Governors across the country have issued executive orders halting nonessential medical surgeries to free up hospital staff, space and equipment, and Republicans have said abortions should be included under those mandates. Those bans, including Oklahoma’s, have been challenged in courts by Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Reproductive Rights and local lawyers in each state. “Abortion is essential, time-sensitive medical care that should not be caught in the crosshairs of political agendas, especially during a public health crisis,” Brandon Hill, president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said in a statement."

4-24-20

Hard to believe the following ever could have been an issue. The Associated Press reports:

"The Supreme Court ruled Monday that juries in state criminal trials must be unanimous to convict a defendant, settling a quirk of constitutional law that had allowed divided votes to result in convictions in Louisiana and Oregon. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court that the practice is inconsistent with the Constitution’s right to a jury trial and that it should be discarded as a vestige of Jim Crow laws in Louisiana and racial, ethnic and religious bigotry that led to its adoption in Oregon in the 1930s."

Especially remarkable coming from a normally national socialist, achingly fascist Republican Supreme Court Justice with quite a checkered history.

“In fact, no one before us contests any of this; courts in both Louisiana and Oregon have frankly acknowledged that race was a motivating factor in the adoption of their States’ respective nonunanimity rules,” Gorsuch wrote. The justices’ 6-3 vote overturned the conviction of Evangelisto Ramos. He is serving a life sentence in Louisiana for killing a woman after a jury voted 10-2 to convict him in 2016. Oregon is the only other state that allows for non-unanimous convictions for some crimes. Louisiana voters changed the law for crimes committed beginning in 2019. Now the same rules will apply in all 50 states and in the federal system: Juries must vote unanimously for conviction. “We are heartened that the Court has held, once and for all, that the promise of the Sixth Amendment fully applies in Louisiana, rejecting any concept of second-class justice,” Ramos’ lawyer, Ben Cohen, said in a statement. “In light of the COVID-19 crisis, it is essential that prisoners who are wrongfully incarcerated be given the chance for release as soon as possible.” The outcome will affect defendants who are still appealing their convictions. But for defendants whose cases are final, it will take another round of lawsuits to figure out whether the high court ruling applies to them."

Judiciary needs to get up off its sorry ass and quickly do something about this egregious injustice.

"The Supreme Court last took up the issue in 1972, when it ruled that nothing in the Constitution bars states from allowing some convictions by non-unanimous verdicts, even as it said that the Sixth Amendment requires unanimous verdicts in federal criminal cases. The case turned on the vote of Justice Lewis Powell. The 1972 decision left the jury trial right as one of the few rights guaranteed by the first 10 amendments to the Constitution that does not apply uniformly to the states as well as the federal government. Last year, the court held that the Constitution’s ban on excessive fines applies to the states and the federal government alike. “There can be no question either that the Sixth Amendment’s unanimity requirement applies to state and federal criminal trials equally,” Gorsuch wrote Monday. The decision produced an unusual lineup of justices, with liberals Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor and conservatives Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Gorsuch supporting Ramos. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, two conservatives, were in dissent along with liberal Justice Elena Kagan. That’s because a key part of the case was whether to jettison the 1972 decision, and overturning precedent is a fraught issue on the current court, principally because the additions of Gorsuch and Kavanaugh have made the court more conservative and, perhaps, more likely to undermine landmark abortion rights rulings."

Apparently, the Court is beginning to understand an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms as our formerly great country continues to deteriorate, fall apart, extremely divided. ... Hear the rumble?

"Gorsuch, Sotomayor, Kavanaugh, Thomas and Alito addressed the issue of precedent in majority, dissenting and concurring opinions. Kavanaugh has said that prior decisions must be not just wrong but egregiously so. The 1972 decision, he wrote Monday, “is egregiously wrong.” Sotomayor said the old case was wrong both on the Sixth Amendment and in its ignorance of the bigoted roots of allowing non-unanimous verdicts. The case, she wrote, represents a “universe of one — an opinion uniquely irreconcilable with not just one, but two, strands of constitutional precedent well established both before and after the decision.” Alito, however, noted that some justices in Monday’s majority might find it more difficult to complain about abandoning other precedents. “I assume that those in the majority will apply the same standard in future cases,” he wrote."

What's so entirely and remarkably striking is the fact it shouldn't matter whether a Justice is Extreme Right, Left, or Center in personal ideology. The Constitution is the Constitution, blueprint of a democratic republic. Personal ideology and religious beliefs should not be a factor in their interpretation and application of this founding document. Yet, it is. That has to change if we are to remain a democratic republic. Precisely, why an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms as this country continues to fall apart.

4-24-20

In contrast to the above, the following is a striking example of an egregious failure of the U.S. Supreme Court to do what's in the best interest of property owners outrageously aggrieved by an out of control corporate management suite solely motivated by unbridled greed. The Associated Press reports:

"The Supreme Court delivered a setback Monday to Montana homeowners who are seeking additional cleanup of arsenic left over from years of copper smelting. The court said the homeowners cannot proceed with efforts to decontaminate their own property near the shuttered Anaconda smelter without the permission of the Environmental Protection Agency. But it did not order an end to the state court lawsuit that was under review. The smelter, near the town of Opportunity, Montana, belongs to BP-owned Atlantic Richfield Co. and sits at the center of a 300-square-mile Superfund site. The company says it has spent $470 million to clean the site. Homeowners who are dissatisfied with the EPA-ordered cleanup want Atlantic Richfield to pay for the removal of more arsenic-tainted soil from their properties. And the Montana Supreme Court ruled in 2017 that their claims could proceed in state court. But Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the high court that federal environmental law requires the homeowners to seek EPA approval for additional cleanup. “That approval process, if pursued, could ameliorate any conflict between the landowners’ restoration plan and EPA’s Superfund cleanup, just as Congress envisioned,” Roberts wrote. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a dissent that Justice Clarence Thomas joined that the court’s reading of the Superfund law “strips away ancient common law rights from innocent landowners and forces them to suffer toxic waste in their backyards, playgrounds, and farms. Respectfully, that is not what the law was written to do; that is what it was written to prevent.” An EPA spokesperson said the agency is reviewing the decision. The EPA backed Atlantic Richfield in the Supreme Court, urging several ways in which the justices could rule against the homeowners."

4-24-20

More of the above from our fuhrer, the Trump nazi. CBS News reports:

"The Trump administration on Thursday gutted an Obama-era rule that compelled the country's coal plants to cut back emissions of mercury and other human health hazards, a move designed to limit future regulation of air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants. Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler said the rollback was reversing what he depicted as regulatory overreach by the Obama administration. "We have put in place an honest accounting method that balances" the cost to utilities with public safety, he said."

How many will die as a result of this unbridled greed?

"Wheeler is a former coal lobbyist whose previous clients have gotten many of the regulatory rollbacks they sought from the Trump administration."

Expect better of this hopelessly greedy, achingly avaricious piece of human excrement?

"Environmental and public health groups and Democratic lawmakers faulted the administration for pressing forward with a series of rollbacks easing pollution rules for industry — in the final six months of President Trump's current term — while the coronavirus pandemic rivets the world's attention. With rollbacks on air pollution protections, the "EPA is all but ensuring that higher levels of harmful air pollution will make it harder for people to recover in the long run" from the disease caused by the coronavirus, given the lasting harm the illness does to victims hearts and lungs, said Delaware Sen. Tom Carper, the senior Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The EPA move leaves in place standards for emissions of mercury, which damages the developing brains of children and has been linked to a series of other ailments. But the changes greatly reduce the health benefits that regulators can consider in crafting futures rules for power plant emissions. That undermines the 2011 mercury rule and limits regulators' ability to tackle the range of soot, heavy metals, toxic gases and other hazards from fossil fuel power plants. The Trump administration contends the mercury cleanup was not "appropriate and necessary," a legal benchmark under the country's landmark Clean Air Act."

Forget? Our fuhrer's corporate cronies come before the best interest of the long-suffering public.

"The Obama rule led to what electric utilities say was an $18 billion cleanup of mercury and other toxins from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants. EPA staffers' own analysis said the rule curbed mercury's devastating neurological damage to children and prevented thousands of premature deaths annually, among other public health benefits. Most coal-fired power plants have already made the technological upgrades required by the 2011 mercury rule. Many utilities have urged the Trump administration not to go ahead with Thursday's rollbacks, fearing expensive legal battles will result."

Certainly, most likely will. Tough shit.

"Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund advocacy group, said the Obama-era mercury standards already had proved to be "a resounding success," reducing mercury pollution from coal plants by more than 80 percent. "Thanks to these vital clean air protections, we all have less poison in the air we breathe and the food we eat," Krupp said in a statement."

Can't have that, can we? LOL.

"Coal power plants in this country are the largest single manmade source of mercury pollutants, which enter the food chain through fish and other items that people consume. In 2017, Wheeler, while still a lobbyist, accompanied coal magnate Robert Murray on some of Murray's calls to Mr. Trump's new Cabinet members. Murray was pushing a list of desired rollbacks of regulations on coal, as well as asking for major staffing cuts at the EPA and other changes at government boards. Mr. Trump and his administration have granted several of Murray's requests, including scrapping an Obama-era climate change effort that would have encouraged utilities to move to cleaner forms of energy than coal. Falling, and now plummeting, prices for natural gas and cheaper costs for solar and wind power have made it tough for coal-fired power plants in the U.S. marketplace, leading to drops in coal production and coal energy in the country despite Mr. Trump's rescue efforts."

Tough shit. Time for desperately needed change.

4-24-20

The following is highly demonstrative of the failure of the Trump nazi and his henchmen to control egregious wasteful spending. CBS News reports:

"The rush to distribute nearly $350 billion in federal aid from a popular — and now empty— small business relief fund resulted in the government sending billions to areas of the country with relatively few novel coronavirus cases, to companies in industries that have not been the hardest hit by the shutdown, and to companies that are not even small businesses. So where did the Paycheck Protection Program's ultra-low-interest loans to small businesses go so quickly? Here are early details from the latest available U.S. Small Business Administration data: Businesses in Texas got more PPP loans than any other state, although Texas has nearly 16,500 COVID-19 cases, or the tenth biggest coronavirus disease caseload in the U.S, according to Friday data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New York, with about 216,000 cases, by far the most of any state, ranked fourth in the number of PPP loans."

Consider the waste:

"The owner of the Ruth's Chris Steak Houses chain got $20 million from the small business loan program, despite having more than 5,000 employees and $468 million in revenue last year. It is one of more than 50 publicly traded companies that have already disclosed nabbing nearly $250 million in PPP funds. Construction businesses received the most aid of any industry from the PPP, more than the Main Street retail stores that have essentially shut down and become the public face of the coronavirus recession. Construction firms, meanwhile, have been deemed an essential business in all but six states, allowing most to continue operating. University of Chicago Booth School of Business accounting professor Michael Minnis has co-authored a preliminary study on the Paycheck Protection Program and set up a website tracking the program and its loans. He sees few links between where the biggest economic need is during the COVID-19 crisis and where the government funds are going. Instead, Minnis said, PPP loans appear to be going to the eligible firms most able to retain their workforces, even before receiving assistance. "The irony of the program is that if your businesses were still operating and had a large payroll you got more money," Minnis said. "The worst-hit firms had already laid off some or all of their people by the time the program got started, so they may not have gone for it."

Amazing how the rich take care of themselves and their cronies.

"The U.S. Small Business Administration announced on Thursday that the Paycheck Protection Program wouldn't be accepting any more applications. The agency reported approving nearly 1.7 million PPP loan applications, and that the $349 billion earmarked for the loans had been "exhausted." The fund opened for applications less than two weeks before it was drained. The PPP loans charge a mere 1% interest rate, and the interest on the loans does not have to be paid for the first six months. The program is focused on helping businesses with 500 or fewer employees. But the program allocated loans based on payroll on a first-come, first-serve basis. Applicants had to check a box that said they thought their companies would be impacted by the coronavirus, but didn't have to say by how much or prove it that was the case. Minnis says that's what set the program up for what he calls disaster. Based on those criteria, Minnis estimates the PPP would need to be more than doubled, to $720 billion, in order to satisfy all of the small businesses in the U.S. that could be eligible. If the fund had been means-tested, Minnis believes, it might have been able to satisfy all its requests without being refunded. "With no means testing, it is most certainly not the case that the firms that got the money needed it the most," said Minnis. "There are going to be many firms that need help badly that are still in line."

Think the fact Gov. Abbott and Texas Attorney General Paxton march in goose step with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, may have been a factor in the following?

"Texas was an early winner in the Paycheck Protection sweepstakes. Businesses in Texas collectively were approved for 134,737 PPP loans totaling just over $28 billion, according to data released Thursday evening from the SBA. That was nearly 22,000 more loans than granted to small businesses in California, which had the second greatest number of loans but the top statewide total amount, $33 billion. Nearly 82,000 small businesses in New York got PPP loans, for a total of just over $20 billion. From his headquarters In San Antonio, Texas, Frost Bank CEO Phil Green said his bank has been busy taking applications for PPP loans since the first day of the program. He said he switched all employees not working on essential bank business to processing PPP loans. "If you weren't working on essential bank business, you were working on PPP," Green said. "We wrestled the program to the ground." In the end, Green says 10,600 of his mid-sized bank's customers ended up getting approved for PPP loans for a total of $3 billion, close to the amount of loans processed by some of the nation's much larger banks. According to SBA numbers, Green's loan approvals would rank his bank 14th among all banks in the U.S. in terms of loan approvals. Green said he didn't think the program's first come, first serve policy lead to firms getting money they did not deserve. "There are very few businesses that were not hurt by this," said Green. "So it's very hard to say money is going to firms that don't need it."

Think so? Give me a break. How many got nothing who were in far, far worse financial shape?

Get this:

"Oxford Economics recently did a study of what states it thought would be most impacted by the coronavirus economic slowdown. Texas ranked 32. One reason was because Texas had relatively few workers on small business payrolls as a percentage of the state's overall employment. Gregory Daco, Oxford's chief U.S. economists, said the drop in oil prices wasn't factored into his firm's study, but he said even if that was included, Texas would not rank among the states most impacted. "The bigger firms were better equipped to get the Paycheck Protection loans," Daco said. "A family-run restaurant with less than 10 employees probably did not have the ability to act quickly enough to get a loan."

Most convenient for the high and mighty, no? LOL.

"The Paycheck Protection Program was in general limited to companies that had 500 employees or less. An exception was given to companies in the hotel and restaurant industry. A number of large restaurant chains appear to have taken advantage of the exception. The owner of Ruth's Chris Steak Houses, for example, got $20 million from the small business loan program, despite having more than 5,000 employees and $468 million in revenue last year. That was double the $10 million limit that any one borrower was supposed to be allowed to receive from the fund. Ruth's Hospitality Group applied for loans for two of its divisions separately."

This inequity runs rampant in our formerly great country. One of the reasons why our nation is falling apart.

"Other restaurant chains tapping the PPP fund include the sandwich chain Potbelly and the U.S. division of Kura Sushi, which has over 450 locations in Japan, where its parent company has a stock market value of $800 million. The Shake Shack chain also said it got a $10 million PPP loan, despite laying off 1,000 employees. The Paycheck Protection Program is supposed to encourage companies to retain and keep paying employees even if businesses were shut. But even outside the hospitality industry a number of not-so-small businesses were able to land PPP loans. Quantum, a publicly traded company that makes computer storage devices, disclosed on Friday it had gotten a $10 million loan from the Paycheck Protection Program. Quantum is 16% owned by a $500 million investment firm that specializes in buyouts. It reported more than $400 million in sales last year and its CEO, Jamie Lerner, was paid nearly $2.3 million in 2019. The company's most recently filed annual report said it had 800 employees. Nor is the company shut down. A note on the company's website says that Quantum is "providing ongoing service" to its clients, and that "all employees are expected to work remotely." A Quantum spokesperson said that company is a small business as defined by the loan program, and that its revenue fell as much as 13% in the first three months of the year due to the coronavirus. "The PPP loan is saving jobs at Quantum," said the spokesperson. "Without it we would most certainly be forced to reduce headcount."

Believe the bullshit?

Wake up. Here's the problem:

"Even though retailers, hotels and entertainment companies have been the worst hit by the coronavirus, they aren't the companies getting the most assistance from the Paycheck Protection Program —or even the second most frequent recipient. According to SBA data released Friday afternoon, construction companies got nearly $45 billion in PPP funds nationwide, more than any other industry. That was nearly 50% more than the hotels and restaurants, which collectively received $30 billion in assistance from the program nationwide. Construction firms have certainly lost business, but they are considered more equipped to continue to operate than other industries. Indeed, construction companies have been deemed essential businesses that can operate in 44 states. Professional services have also gotten a large share of PPP funds, despite the fact that it is an industry in which working remotely is more common and easier than many others. Small business deemed to offer professional, scientific or technical services have gotten just over 200,000 loans from the Paycheck program, or just over $43 billion."

... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Think this egregious continuing inequity sustainable? That delusional?

The Washington Post reports:

"The federal government gave national hotel and restaurant chains millions of dollars in grants before the $349 billion program ran out of money Thursday, leading to a backlash that prompted one company to give the money back and a Republican senator to say that “millions of dollars are being wasted.” Thousands of traditional small businesses were unable to get funding from the program before it ran dry. As Congress and the White House near a deal to add an additional $310 billion to the program, some are calling for additional oversight and rule changes to prevent bigger chains from accepting any more money.

"Ruth’s Chris Steak House, a chain that has 150 locations and is valued at $250 million, reported receiving $20 million in funding from the small business portion of the economic stimulus legislation called the Paycheck Protection Program. The Potbelly chain of sandwich shops, which has more than 400 locations and a value of $89 million, reported receiving $10 million last week. "Shake Shack, a $1.6 billion burger-and-fries chain based in New York City, received $10 million. After complaints from small business advocates when the fund went dry, company founder Danny Meyer and chief executive Randy Garutti announced Sunday evening that they would return the money. They said they had no idea that the program would run out of money so quickly and that they understood the uproar. “Late last week, when it was announced that funding for the PPP had been exhausted, businesses across the country were understandably up in arms,” the two wrote in a letter posted online. “If this act were written for small businesses, how is it possible that so many independent restaurants whose employees needed just as much help were unable to receive funding?”

"Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has tried to defend the program in recent days, wrote on Twitter that he was “glad to see” Shake Shack return the money. In all, more than 70 publicly traded companies have reported receiving money from the program, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) criticized the program, saying that “companies that are not being harmed at all by the coronavirus crisis have the ability to receive taxpayer-funded loans that can be forgiven.” “I am concerned that many businesses with thousands of employees have found loopholes to qualify for these loans meant for small businesses,” Scott said. “Unfortunately, when it comes to the PPP, millions of dollars are being wasted.”

You think? LOL.

"Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), chairman of the committee overseeing small businesses, addressed the criticism Monday morning on CNBC, saying that hotels and restaurants are some of the first and hardest-hit companies and that many of their locations are owned by true small businesses or individuals. But he said that there have been “some people approved, some companies, that I believe should not have been, even under the intent of the law, and that comes down to the certification process and how they were certified into the system.” Some of the companies receiving money are clients of JPMorgan Chase, adding fuel to criticism that Wall Street banks had helped their clients obtain large amounts. The bank put out a statement Sunday saying that it is “proud to have secured more funding for small businesses than anyone else in the industry” and that 80 percent of its PPP loans have been for businesses with less than $5 million in revenue. JPMorgan explained that larger companies may have been served more quickly because its commercial banking unit, which serves larger clients, was able to complete “most of the applications it received” while many more applications poured in from traditional small businesses."

Time to rein in the big banks.

"The PPP program was intended to benefit workers at businesses and nonprofit employers with fewer than 500 employees that are unable to obtain credit elsewhere, according to the Small Business Act, which formed the basis for the program. But after intensive lobbying by the restaurant and hotel industries during the weeks leading to the passage of the $2 trillion Cares Act economic stimulus package, Congress allowed separate subsidiaries and locations to apply as businesses, even if they were part of a national or international chain. Thus multiple Ruth’s Chris locations could apply under separate entities even though the parent company employed about 5,740 people at the end of last year, according to public filings. Other industries and advocates lobbied against affiliation rules as well, including the private equity industry. Hotels, with three-quarters of their rooms empty and nearly 4 million people out of work, have been taking advantage of the program. Philadelphia’s Hersha Hospitality Trust and Condor Hospitality Trust, a Maryland-based owner of 15 hotels in eight states, reported last week that they had applied for loans. Mnuchin has called the PPP a success, saying in a statement Friday that the program provided funding to more than 1.6 million small businesses in all 50 states. “The vast majority of these loans — 74 percent of them — were for under $150,000, demonstrating the accessibility of this program to even the smallest of small businesses,” Mnuchin said. He told CNN on Sunday that an additional $300 billion “should be sufficient to reach almost everybody.”

... Hear the rumble?

"Executives at some chains have defended the PPP the way it is written, saying that the size of the parent company matters little because most of the money is required to go to workers, as a minimum of three-quarters of each loan must go to payroll in order for the government to forgive the debt. “Employees don’t care if we’re big or we’re a small business. They just want their job back,” said Jon E. Bortz, founder and chief executive of Bethesda-based Pebblebrook Hotel Trust and board chairman for the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the industry’s top lobbying group. The AHLA has also argued that hotel owners should not have to spend three-quarters of stimulus funding on payroll. Ruth’s Chris, a steakhouse chain based in Florida, sought the stimulus money so that the company would be “well positioned to emerge from this situation a strong and viable entity,” it said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal. As the program ran out of money, however, leaving thousands of small businesses without money to pay their workers, criticism mounted about some of the money going to national brands. The initial PPP “was flawed from top to bottom,” said Florida small business owners Duncan and Rita MacDonald-Korth. “The program has done very little to help genuine small businesses and instead has benefited large companies who have used subsidiary entities to benefit disproportionately and unfairly.” The couple created a petition asking that the program be limited to companies with fewer than 250 employees and that half of it be reserved for those with 50 employees or fewer."

Not sustainable:

"Some critics point out that executives at larger chains often receive multimillion-dollar annual compensation packages. Other chains, such as Marriott and Hilton, have been criticized for inflating the value of their shares in recent years with share buybacks and dividend payments that left less cash on hand to pay workers once the pandemic hit. Some chains, including those big hoteliers, have since cut executive pay and paused buybacks and dividends. Hilton said it is not seeking support from the Treasury Department. In their letter, the Shake Shack executives said they were trying to do the best they could for their employees under the rules created by the government, but they acknowledged that other businesses could use the money more than they could."

You think? LOL.

“Our people would benefit from a $10 million PPP loan but we’re fortunate to now have access to capital that others do not. Until every restaurant that needs it has had the same opportunity to receive assistance, we’re returning ours,” they wrote. Transparency of the small business spending has also become a paramount issue, as the legislation does not require the Small Business Administration to disclose the recipients, even though the agency typically discloses the name, address and executives for loans received. Leading congressional Democrats are pressing the Trump administration to provide more data about how the money is being distributed. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), along with Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), wrote to Mnuchin and Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza on Friday asking that PPP be replenished. President Trump said at his daily coronavirus briefing Sunday that he hoped to reach an agreement for additional funding on Monday. “I think we are getting close to a deal,” he said."

Guess who ultimately pays? Wake up.

NPR reports:

"Banks handling the government's $349 billion loan program for small businesses made more than $10 billion in fees — even as tens of thousands of small businesses were shut out of the program, according to an analysis of financial records by NPR."

Managed to do this in less than two weeks.

"The banks took in the fees while processing loans that required less vetting than regular bank loans and had little risk for the banks, the records show. Taxpayers provided the money for the loans, which were guaranteed by the Small Business Administration."

How about that? Remarkable, isn't it? Delusionally believe it sustainable as our formerly great country continues to come apart at the seams?

"According to a Department of Treasury fact sheet, all federally insured banks and credit unions could process the loans, which ranged in amount from tens of thousands to $10 million. The banks acted essentially as middlemen, sending clients' loan applications to the SBA, which approved them. For every transaction made, banks took in 1% to 5% in fees, depending on the amount of the loan, according to government figures. Loans worth less than $350,000 brought in 5% in fees while loans worth anywhere from $2 million to $10 million brought in 1% in fees. For example, on April 7, RCSH Operations LLC, the parent company of Ruth's Chris Steak House, received a loan of $10 million. JPMorgan Chase & Co., acting as the lender, took a $100,000 fee on the one-time transaction for which it assumed no risk and could pass through with fewer requirements than for a regular loan. In total, those transaction fees amounted to more than $10 billion for banks, according to transaction data provided by the SBA and the Treasury Department."

Re-read the above. Taxpayers took it hard up the ass without the Vaseline or K-Y. Ferociously pointedly, couldn't these big banks have done their part, that is, provided these services at cost, or better yet, donated them? Especially, at a time of what has now become a national catastrophe. Instead, greedily lined their pockets off the bonanza. At taxpayer expense.

"NPR reached out to several of the largest banks involved in collecting the fees, including JPMorgan, PNC Bank and Bank of America. Many did not respond to specific questions, but said they were working to help as many small business clients as they could. In a statement, Bank of America said the bank had more than 8,000 employees working for clients and preparing to get them in on the next round of the program should it be passed by Congress. The program has "significant vetting requirements," the bank said in an email, including "collecting, personally examining, and storing data" that is required for each application. Still, Treasury Department guidelines make clear the requirements are less rigorous for the banks compared to processing regular customer loans where banks must verify clients' asset claims. "Lenders are permitted to rely on borrower certifications and representations," the department told lenders. To be sure, banks do collect fees when processing any SBA loan, but rarely, if ever, have banks processed this volume of loans this quickly with fees ranging past $10 billion in a two-week period. The SBA did not respond to detailed questions about the program."

Unbridled corporate greed. More to come. Get this:

"Congress is now poised to add $320 billion more into the program, called the Paycheck Protection Program, as it looks to pass a $484 billion additional stimulus package this week. President Trump said on Twitter that he supports the bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, said on the Senate floor that the program was "saving millions of small-business jobs and helping Americans get paychecks instead of pink slips." Even so, Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, called on the Government Accountability Office to look into the program after tens of thousands of small businesses were left out and larger companies got millions."

Sadly, the way this egregiously dysfunctional system operates. No proper regulation. None. Whatever little regulation there is remains bought and paid for by the corporate management suite which owns all levels and branches of government. Not sustainable. Unless that changes, our formerly great country is doomed to failure.

Surprised by the following? Why? Get this:

"One law firm, the Stalwart Law Group, filed five class action lawsuits this week — four in California and one in New York — alleging that banks processed clients with larger loans first because they stood to generate more money in fees. By the time the banks tried to process loans from their smaller clients, the lawsuit alleges, the program had run dry."

Forget? The American Way.

"Rather than processing Paycheck Protection Program applications on a first-come, first-served basis as required by the rules governing that program," the lawsuit says, "[the banks] prioritized loan applications seeking higher loan amounts because processing those applications first generated larger loan origination fees for the banks." Banks dispute these allegations. JPMorgan said it handled the applications fairly. "We funded more than twice as many loans for smaller businesses than the rest of the firm's clients combined," the bank said in a statement to clients. "Each business worked separately on loans for its customers. Business Banking, Chase's bank for our smaller business customers, processed loan applications generally sequentially, understanding that a given loan may take more or less time to process. Our intent was to serve as many clients as possible, not to prioritize any clients over others."

When this goes to court, we'll see precisely what the truth is.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve. Forfeiture of liberty. At the hands of outrageously corrupt and abusive government.

4-24-20

Delusionally believe this entire fiasco sustainable? NBC News reports:

"Across the country, state and local governments are clamoring for the federal government to rescue them from what could quickly become a fiscal catastrophe, saying that they may need as much as three-quarters of a trillion dollars as the coronavirus pandemic dries up many of their revenue sources. Though Democrats sought to include roughly $150 billion in funding to state and local governments in the latest coronavirus aid package, set to pass this week, it did not make it into the final bill. Already, Congress approved $150 billion in funding for state and local governments as part of earlier coronavirus legislative aid — assistance governors and local leaders said would ultimately not be enough. A Congressional Research Service report last week on initial coronavirus aid said that "early evidence suggests that the COVID-19 economic shock will have a notable impact on state and local budgets," pointing to the "sizable share of economic output" that derives from state and local governments."

Here's the problem:

"Linda Bilmes, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and a leading expert on public budgetary and financing issues, told NBC News that the nature of the crisis prevents states from raising new revenue in traditional ways."

Already bled the 'peasants' dry. Could never get enough. Greed rules. Forget?

"Can you increase property taxes, retail taxes, income taxes, special investments? Can you increase service fees? Well, no," she added. "Nobody's using services, toll roads. Can you expand the number of fees? Can you increase traffic violations? Well, nobody's driving."

Tough shit. Time for all levels and branches of government to finally wake up. Sound asleep way too long.

"These governments will need to instead lay off or furlough workers, reduce benefits, cancel projects, defer construction and maintenance, and more."

Been doing so quite some time anyway. About to get far, far worse. Shit about to hit the fan.

"But the problem is that by doing all of those kind of things and canceling a lot of those kind of capital projects, those are the things that create employment and activity in the community and in the economy," Bilmes said, adding, "It's certainly capable of derailing a recovery or creating a second wave of recession."

Get what we deserve. Out to lunch last half century. Chickens finally coming home to roost. Will be quite a wake up call to the middle class. On the other hand, bottom and lower middle class endured this shit decades. Egregious, f--king old hat to them. -- People who worked for less than a livable wage to ensure the high and mighty, that is the upper middle class and rich, live life in the lap of unearned, stolen luxury.

The Rush Limbaugh nazi for decades falsely labeled this 'class envy.' It's not. Rather, unbridled class injustice. Perpetrated by the nazi element in our formerly great country that remains too achingly ignorant, self-impressed, self-absorbed, with a phony, false sense of entitlement to rise above its profound ignorance. Worse? Lacks ability to effectively respond to ferocious criticism rationally. Sad, isn't it?

Carefully, consider the implications of the following:

"Already, governors, mayors and county executives are planning for substantial budget cuts. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, slashed roughly $235 million in planned spending. In Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, estimates suggest that billions in projected revenue over the next year will vanish. At the county-level, the National Association of Counties estimates close to $150 billion in lost revenue. Matthew Chase, executive director of the National Association of Counties, said counties are watching as revenue from sales and gas taxes, court filing fees and mortgage transactions evaporate. The losses mean "you're going to see a cut in the staff at the exact wrong time, when their residents actually are going to need more services."

Delusionally believe that will remedy growing instability in our formerly great country? Or, exacerbate it.

Moreover:

"State and local governments employ more than 10 percent of the overall U.S. workforce, including police officers, firefighters and public-school teachers. State governments heavily subsidize public universities and finance significant construction projects, while local governments handle everything from trash collection to filling potholes."

... Of course in Kingsland, road 'maintenance' leaves much to be desired. LOL. -- To grossly understate the more than obvious. LOL.

"Nan Whaley, the mayor of Dayton, Ohio, said her administration felt the impact of the outbreak on its budget "right away," and quickly furloughed nearly a quarter of the city's employees and have since instituted a hiring freeze. She's asked her departments to provide guidance on what an 18 percent spending cut would look like, which she said would affect police, fire and trash pickup, among other services. "In 2009, in the Great Recession, most midsized cities in the middle of the country were decimated. We cut like 40 percent of our employees then," said Whaley, a Democrat. "So we are on bare bones as it is." This crisis, Whaley believes, "will be even worse than the Great Recession — by a factor of at least two." In Oklahoma City, Mayor David Holt, a Republican, said his city faces budget cuts of 3.3 percent for police and firefighters and 11.25 percent for all other departments for the upcoming fiscal year. But Holt says his city is buoyed by a more than $100 million reserve fund. "We're always prepared for bad stuff to happen," he said. "Nevertheless ... these are probably some of the biggest cuts here in Oklahoma City that we've taken in the last two decades." Federal intervention will be needed within a couple of months, Holt said. The National Governors Association has called for $500 billion in funding to state governments to account for budget shortfalls, while counties and mayors have called for an additional $250 billion in emergency relief. On Monday, Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Bob Menendez, D-N.J., unveiled a legislative proposal for $500 billion in state and local funding. "In this crazy and political environment where you can't get Democrats and Republicans to agree on anything," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said, "all the governors agree and have said to Washington, 'Make sure you fund the states in any next bill you pass.'"

Report goes on and on. The point is simple. Obvious. Instability increases exponentially as the system continues to fail. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Time to wake up. Before too late.

4-24-20

Insanity. The Associated Press reports:

"Returning to a divisive issue at a time of national crisis, President Donald Trump says he will sign an executive order “to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States” because of the coronavirus."

Pandemic is already here.

“In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!” Trump tweeted late Monday. He offered no details about which immigration programs might be affected by the order."

Has he a clue? LOL.

Get this:

"But much of the immigration system has already ground to a halt because of the pandemic. Almost all visa processing by the State Department has been suspended for weeks. Travel to the U.S. has been restricted from much of the globe, including China, Europe, Mexico and Canada. And Trump has used the virus to effectively end asylum at U.S. borders, turning away even children who arrive by themselves — something Congress, the courts and international law hadn’t previously allowed.

Our nazi fuhrer does as he pleases.

"Criticism to his new announcement was swift, especially the timing during the pandemic. Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum, noted that thousands of foreign-born health care workers are currently treating people with COVID-19 and working in critical sectors of the economy. Trump’s call “ignores the reality of our situation,” he said. “The fact is that immigrants are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. citizens on the front lines helping us get through this pandemic.” Andrea Flores of the American Civil Liberties Union said, “Unfortunately, President Trump seems more interested in fanning anti-immigrant flames than in saving lives.” But Jessica Vaughn, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors lower rates of immigration, said that eliminating millions of work permits and visas would “instantaneously create” new jobs for Americans and other legal workers — even though most businesses are shuttered because of social distancing dictates and stay-at-home orders."

Delusionally believe Americans will work as indentured servants at less than a livable wage?

Here's why this gutless piece of human excrement is likely doing this:

"Trump has often pivoted to his signature issue of immigration when he’s under criticism. It’s an issue he believes helped him win the 2016 election and one that continues to animate his loyal base of supporters heading into what is expected to be a brutal reelection fight. Trump also has been using the crisis to push many of his long-standing, stalled priorities, including moving manufacturing from China to the U.S. In a statement, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany described the order as aimed at protecting both the “health and economic well-being of American citizens as we face unprecedented times.”

Unadulterated horse shit elicited by increasing desperation of Trump and his equally clueless henchmen.

“At a time when Americans are looking to get back to work, action is necessary,” she said without offering details on what programs the order might cover and when it might be signed."

Clearly, hasn't a clue. Just winging it. Like her fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

4-17-20

ICE does as it pleases. In an editorial, NBC News reports:

"Though the federal government has repeatedly assured Americans that it is doing all it can to stop the spread of the coronavirus, one controversial agency may well be enabling its spread rather than actively participating in slowing it down, while claiming the mantle of protecting “national security.” But there is nothing more essential to the security of the American people than overcoming this immediate public health disaster — especially not institutionalized racism. Somebody, however, ought to tell Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to a March 19 tweet from Department of Homeland Security acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, ICE “will continue to prioritize arresting and removing criminal aliens and other aliens who pose a threat to public safety.” And where, exactly, will those people go? Well, many will go into ICE's detention centers — and local prison facilities that hold detainees for ICE — all of which have been identified as significant potential coronavirus transmission centers for both detainees and workers alike."

4-17-20

What nazi dictator wants or needs advice? The Associated Press reports:

"President George W. Bush turned to one of the world’s most exclusive clubs for help raising money after an Indian Ocean tsunami killed more than 200,000 people in 2004. He paired his father, George H.W. Bush, and the man who defeated him to win the presidency in 1992, Bill Clinton. It worked so well that he signed the duo up again after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans less than a year later. President Barack Obama followed the same playbook and sent Clinton and the younger Bush off on a fundraising effort for Haiti after a devastating earthquake in 2010. Not President Donald Trump, who has no plans to seek his predecessors’ counsel during the coronavirus pandemic, a complex crisis with profound public health and economic consequences. “No, not really. We’re doing a great job,” Trump said recently when asked if he would contact any of the living former presidents."

Trump remains delusional. Unfit for office.

"Even in the face of the greatest challenge of his presidency, Trump has expressed confidence in his team, and said he didn’t want to “bother” the former presidents. He added that he would reach out if he thought he could learn from them."

This man is not only insane, but a sociopathic narcissist impressed with himself. Combining both aforementioned factors with a high level of intelligence makes him extremely dangerous. An exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. A nazi dictator following in the footsteps of Adolf Hitler. -- Only thing slowing him down is two other co-equal branches of government. ... Certainly, not his rabid, delusional Republican supporters who march in goose step with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"Instead, he has frequently criticized his predecessors, disparaging Obama’s handling of the H1N1 virus pandemic of 2009-2010 that killed nearly 12,500 Americans, and George W. Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, in which more than 1,800 people were killed, mostly in New Orleans."

A congenital liar, hopelessly insane, egregiously unfit for office:

“Look, I respect everybody, but I feel I have an incredible team and I think we’re doing an incredible job,” Trump said at the White House. “So I don’t want to disturb them, bother them. I don’t think I’m going to learn much. I guess you could say that there’s probably a natural inclination not to call.” “Now, if I felt that if I called I’d learn something and that would save one life — it would save one life, OK? — I would make the call in two minutes,” he said. “But I don’t see that happening.”

Get this:

"That hasn’t stopped Clinton, Bush and Obama from getting involved in their own ways. Obama, who has been deliberate about keeping a low profile during Trump’s presidency, has become more of a presence on social media during the pandemic. The Democrat has been posting health and safety tips from public officials, news reports and uplifting accounts of the ways Americans are coming together during the crisis. His decision to share with his 115 million Twitter followers a recent Washington Post article about how viruses spread and can be slowed made it the newspaper’s most-read story ever, spokeswoman Molly Gannon said in an email. Obama on Thursday addressed leaders from more than 300 cities around the world who were discussing the pandemic at a New York event sponsored by former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s philanthropic organization. Obama encouraged the leaders to “speak the truth” and “speak it clearly” with compassion and empathy. His comments appeared to carry an implicit criticism of Trump, who sought early on to minimize the severity of the outbreak. Bush, a Republican, hosted a teleconference this month with more than 500 mayors and local leaders who are working to keep their communities from being overrun by the virus. He is also using the Bush Institute to highlight how people across the country are helping each other, Bush spokesman Freddy Ford said in an email. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush are also social distancing “to the max” at their ranch in Crawford, Texas, Ford said. Democrats Bill and Hillary Clinton recently sent hundreds of pizzas to hospitals in Westchester County, New York, where they live. Michael Chertoff, homeland security secretary when Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast, said Bush leaned on the former presidents because he “understood that presidents bring to the table a unique perspective that no other official has.”

Exactly, right. Precisely, why a wise incumbent maintains contact.

"Bush was widely faulted for a lackluster response to the unfolding disaster in New Orleans, which became a permanent blot on his two terms in office. Chertoff, who commented at a recent event hosted by The Cipher Brief, an online intelligence newsletter, said presidents have to be the “ultimate decision-maker,” often relying on information that is fast-moving and changing. “So I think getting the perspective of your predecessors is very helpful,” Chertoff said."

Trump's ego, apparently, won't allow it.

“Former presidents are a rarity and they are a precious, valuable informed commodity,” Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, said in an interview. And it’s not only because they know issues, “but they also have the experience of being president.” Trump was liberal in criticizing some of his predecessors, especially Obama, even before he took office. He has torn into Bush over the Iraq war, criticized Clinton’s treatment of some women, and even tried to stoke the false notion that Obama was not born in the United States. In office, Trump has routinely criticized or blamed Obama for things that go wrong, including aspects of the current pandemic. Last year, he responded to Carter’s suggestion that Russian interference in the 2016 election rendered Trump’s presidency illegitimate by publicly calling Carter a “terrible president.” Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said President George H.W. Bush kept his living predecessors briefed on issues big and small in case a situation arose where he would need to seek their counsel. The fact that Trump doesn’t “go outside of his own info bubble” to seek advice is perhaps among the biggest problems of his presidency, Engel said. “You don’t know the information that you don’t know that you don’t know,” he said."

4-17-20

How revolutions spawn. NBC News reports:

"Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed one of the most restrictive stay-at-home orders in the country late last week in hopes of containing the coronavirus outbreak in her state — one of the hardest hit. The backlash has been immense."

For damned good reason. Life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties are under ferocious assault.

"Michiganders, many from the more conservative areas of the state, believe Whitmer's latest order went too far. They accused her of stripping them of their constitutional rights. Online, they pledged to protest, signed petitions calling for her recall and joined Facebook groups dedicated to having the order curtailed."

Shouldn't matter whether the public is Left, Right, or Center. An assault on the Constitution is an assault on the Constitution.

"Whitmer's executive action extended her prior stay-at-home order through the end of April and toughened it up. For at least until then, Michiganders won't be allowed to travel to in-state vacation residences. They are not permitted to use a motor boat. Business restrictions have been tightened, including that large stores must close areas "dedicated to carpeting, flooring, furniture, garden centers, plant nurseries, or paint," among other measures. Violators could be fined or charged with a misdemeanor, though the practicality of strict enforcement was unclear. Whitmer spent much of her Monday news conference responding to the push back on the new measures. Prominent conservatives circulated a petition to have her recalled — one that generated more than 200,000 signatures — while more than 300,000 Facebook users joined a group titled "Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine" in recent days. "The reason we started this group wasn't that we were against the quarantine. We're not," the group's founder, Garrett Soldano, a chiropractor and former Western Michigan University football player, said in a Facebook Live on Monday. "We were against our very constitutional rights taken away from us."

4-17-20

Our nazi fuhrer simply doesn't have the constitutional authority. NPR reports:

"When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total," President Trump said on Monday."

The United States Constitution states otherwise. Reinforced by the sacrifice of millions of our best and brightest on all the battlefields in all the wars since foundation of our democratic republic in 1776.

"President Trump at a briefing Monday night made an assertion that likely would have surprised the framers of the U.S. Constitution: that as president, his authority is "total" and that he has the power to order states — which have told businesses to close and people to remain at home to limit the spread of the coronavirus — to reopen. "The president of the United States calls the shots," Trump said. "They can't do anything without the approval of the president of the United States."

Tromp remains a delusional traitor who has embraced a national socialist ideology and is treasonously attempting to execute it. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"Trump said there were "numerous provisions" in the Constitution that give him that power but he didn't name any."

There aren't any. Trump is a congenital liar.

"When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total," he said."

Not so. Trump presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"But Trump's assertion is simply without merit or grounding in the Constitution, legal experts say. "The President's powers are not 'total,' " Susan Low Bloch, a professor of constitutional law at Georgetown Law School, said in an email. "Our government is a government of divided powers. We call it 'separation of powers' with 'checks and balances.'" The president has the powers articulated in Article II of the Constitution, she says. "But the Congress, the judiciary, and the states also have powers - as articulated in the rest of the Constitution (particularly in Article I, Article III, and the 10th Amendment respectively). The President is not a king. His powers are broad, but they are definitely not 'total.' "

"It's so plain and obvious it's not even debatable," added Kathleen Bergin, a professor at Cornell Law School. "Trump has no authority to ease social distancing, or to open schools or private businesses," she said. "These are matters for states to decide under their power to promote public health and welfare, a power guaranteed by the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. Despite what he claims, no president has absolute authority over domestic policy, and he certainly has no power to override the type of measures that have been taken across the country that have proved successful in flattening the curve."

"Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, told NPR's Morning Edition Tuesday: "The reality is that the president does not have the authority to tell the states what to do in this regard. We put the executive orders in place. We're the ones who are responsible for the safety and health of the people of our states."

"New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, said on MSNBC's Morning Joe: "The president basically declared himself King Trump, right? And all that annoying federal-state back and forth our Founding Fathers went through, he just disregarded that." Cuomo vowed to challenge in court any presidential order to reopen the state against his will.

"Bradley Moss, a Washington attorney who specializes in national security law, said: "Quite simply, there is no provision that gives a president 'total' authority, and particularly none in the context of a public health crisis." Moss said the Constitution delegates most public health authorities to the states, not the federal government. The president can declare national emergencies, Moss says, which Trump did on March 13, and even designate select groups for quarantine, but none of his authorities permit him to dictate how entire states open or close. "President Trump is gaslighting us," Moss said, "nothing more."

"Cornell's Bergin said the president does have some additional powers, for instance to lift international travel restrictions and to issue directives to the military or federal agencies. And Congress could provide states with financial incentives to change course, though it's doubtful lawmakers would agree to that at this stage. "Could Trump try to flex some muscle here? Sure," Bergin said. "But he doesn't get constitutional authority simply by claiming it. What he tries to do and what he's authorized by the Constitution to do are two different things."

4-17-20

The fight for the right to abortion continues in Nazi America. ABC News reports:

"A federal judge has ordered that Texas abortion clinics may continue to perform abortions in some cases, either those using medication or those involving patients for whom delays would pose an essential ban. The ruling came in a 16-page opinion filed Thursday by U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel of Austin and appears to fly in the face of an appeals court ruling that upheld a ban imposed by Gov. Greg Abbott last month. In an executive order, Abbott last month had banned all but essential medical procedures during the emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and abortions were among the procedures banned. Yeakel had put the total ban on hold, but enforcement of the order was upheld by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Planned Parenthood and other clinics then asked Yeakel to allow abortions in some cases, including medication abortions and abortions in which a delay would push a pregnancy past the state's legal cutoff of 22 weeks, making the procedure illegal. Such a delay would constitute "an absolute ban on abortion," which the U.S. Supreme Court has deemed unconstitutional, Yeakel concluded in his opinion."

Goddamned right. Who the hell are national socialist, fascist Republicans to force their perverse ideology and religious views on the rest of us in direct violation of The First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion? Readers are reminded abortion was illegal in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

"Abbott’s original March 22 order was to expire April 21 but can be extended. Similar legal fights are being waged in Alabama, Ohio, Oklahoma and Iowa."

Fail to stand up to nazi tyranny, get precisely what you deserve. Loss of liberty. Too bad the rest of us have to suffer from your gutlessness.

"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton lashed out against Yeakel's latest order, saying it “defies” the appeals court ruling and “demonstrates a lack of respect for the rule of law.” He vowed, "We will once again ask the Fifth Circuit to uphold Governor Abbott’s decision to stop all elective medical procedures during the COVID-19 crisis.”

Republicans in Texas have no respect for the rule of law or the United States Constitution. Aryan arrogantly do as they please. Democrats are gutless. Refuse to stand up to the growing nazism embraced by GOP fascists. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

NPR reports:

"Governors across the country are banning elective surgery as a means of halting the spread of the coronavirus. But in a handful of states that ban is being extended to include a ban on all abortions. So far the courts have intervened to keep most clinics open. The outlier is Texas, where the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit this week upheld the governor's abortion ban. Four years ago, Texas was also the focus of a fierce legal fight that ultimately led to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in which the justices struck down a Texas law purportedly aimed at protecting women's health. The court ruled the law was medically unnecessary and unconstitutional. Now Texas is once again the epicenter of the legal fight around abortion. In other states--Ohio, Iowa, Alabama, and Oklahoma--the courts so far have sided with abortion providers and their patients. Not so in Texas where Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order barring all "non-essential" medical procedures in the state, including abortion. The executive order was temporarily blocked in the district court, but the Fifth Circuit subsequently upheld the governor's order by a 2-to-1 vote, declaring that "all public constitutional rights may be reasonably restricted to combat a public health emergency."

That's called nazism. Hard to believe a Texas Governor could embrace a national socialist, fascist philosophy.

"No more elective medical procedures can be done in the state because of the potential of needing both people ... beds and supplies, and obviously doctors and nurses," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an interview with NPR."

The Attorney General remains a disingenuous liar. Does he truly delusionally believe the majority of Texans believe his bullshit?

People are beginning to courageously stand up to this pernicious, growing abrogation of all civil and constitutional rights and liberties:

"Nancy Northrup, CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, sees things very differently. "It is very clear that anti-abortion rights politicians are shamelessly exploiting this crisis to achieve what has been their longstanding ideological goal to ban abortion in the U.S.," she said. Paxton denies that, saying Texas "is not targeting any particular group." The state's "only goal is to protect people from dying," he said."

Paxton, like his fuhrer the Trump nazi, remains a congenital liar.

"Yet the American Medical Association just last week filed a brief in this case in support of abortion providers, as did 18 states, led by New York, which is the state that has been the hardest hit by the coronavirus. They maintain that banning abortion is far more dangerous, because it will force women to travel long distances to get one. A study from the Guttmacher Institute found that people seeking abortions during the COVID-19 outbreak would have to travel up to 20 times farther than normal if states successfully ban abortion care during the pandemic. The AMA also notes that pregnant women do not stop needing medical care if they don't get an abortion. Northrup, of the Center for Reproductive Rights, sees this as more evidence that the ban is a calculated move by the state: what "puts the lie to this is the fact that they're trying to ban medication abortion as well; that's the use of pills for abortion. "Those do not need to take place in a clinic and they can be done, taken effectively by tele-medicine. So it shows that the real goal here, tragically, is shutting down one's right to make the decision to end the pregnancy, not a legitimate public health response."

No foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than all levels and branches of government.

"Affidavits filed in the Texas case tell of harrowing experiences already happening as the result of the Texas ban. One declaration was filed by a 24-year-old college student. The week she lost her part-time job as a waitress, she found out she was pregnant. She and her partner agreed they wanted to terminate the pregnancy, and on March 20 she went to a clinic in Forth Worth alone; because of social distancing rules, her partner was not allowed to go with her. Since she was 10 weeks pregnant, still in her first trimester, she was eligible for a medication abortion. Under state law, she had to wait 24 hours before getting the pills at the clinic, but the night before her scheduled appointment, the clinic called to cancel because of Abbott's executive order."

Raw nazism. Deliberate abrogation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion.

"Her partner was with her and we "cried together," she wrote in her declaration. "I couldn't risk the possibility that I would run out of time to have an abortion while the outbreak continued," and it "seemed to be getting more and more difficult to travel." She made many calls to clinics in New Mexico and Oklahoma. The quickest option was Denver--a 12-hour drive, 780-mile drive from where she lives. Her partner was still working, so her best friend agreed to go with her. They packed sanitizing supplies and food in the car for the long drive and arrived at the Denver Clinic on March 26, where she noticed other cars with Texas plates in the parking lot, according to the affidavit. At the clinic, she was examined, given a sonogram again, and because Colorado does not have a 24-hour waiting requirement, she was given her first abortion pill without delay and told she should try to get home within 30 hours to take the second pill. She and her friend then turned around to go home. They were terrified she would have the abortion in the car, and tried to drive through without taking breaks. But after six hours, when it turned dark they were so exhausted they had to stop at a motel to catch some sleep. The woman finally got home and took the second pill just within the 30-hour window. She said that despite the ordeal she was grateful she had the money, the car, the friend, and the supportive partner with a job, to make the abortion possible. Others will not be so lucky, she wrote. But "I was desperate and desperate people take desperate steps to protect themselves."

Paxton remains determinedly clueless. A shill for our nazi Governor:

"Paxton, the Texas attorney general, does not seem moved by the time limitations that pregnancy imposes, or the hardships of traveling out of state to get an abortion. He told NPR "the narrative has always been 'It's a choice' ... that's the whole narrative. I'm a little surprised by the question, given that's always been the thing."

It's a choice to you, you fascist son of a bitch. Not to this woman and others like her. On the contrary, it is your choice to embrace nazism that is the issue, Mr. Attorney General. To impose your perverse ideology and religious views on fellow Texans is traitorous, treasonous, direct abrogation of your falsely sworn oath of office. To protect and defend, uphold the United States Constitution that makes you and others who think like you an exigent threat. To life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"On Thursday abortion providers and their patients returned to the district court in Texas instead of appealing directly to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Fifth Circuit's ruling from earlier this week. The district court judge, who originally blocked the governor's ban, instead narrowed the governor's order so that medical abortions--with pills--would be exempt from the ban, as well as abortions for women who are up against the state-imposed deadline. Abortions in Texas are banned after 22 weeks. In the end, though, this case may well be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. And because of the addition of two Trump appointees since 2016--the composition of the court is a lot more hostile to abortion rights."

Our formerly great country is coming apart at the seams. An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. ... Hear the rumble? Time to wake up before too late.

A nazi appeals court quickly reversed the lower court ruling. Texas women are again denied their constitutional right to abortion. CBS News reports:

"A federal appeals court again allowed most parts of Texas' near-total ban on abortion to continue on Friday, striking down a lower court ruling from less than 24 hours ago that would have allowed some procedures to continue. It's the latest decision in a legal battle over abortion access that many say will reach the United States Supreme Court. For a brief moment, some abortion services were allowed to resume Friday morning after a district judge granted Texas' abortion providers the ability to perform some abortion services despite the state's near-total ban on the procedure. Per Thursday evening's order, clinics could offer medication abortion as well as surgical abortions to patients who would be past the legal gestational limits by April 22, when the ban is set to lift. In his decision, Judge Lee Yaekel wrote, "A ban within a limited period becomes a total ban when that period expires. As a minimum, this is an undue burden on a woman's right to a previability abortion." But Friday afternoon's decision out of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reverses part of that decision. Medication abortion must again be halted, but patients who would be past the legal gestational limit can still seek the procedure. A three-judge panel — including Judge Kyle Dennis, Judge Kyle Duncan and Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod — granted Texas officials a writ of mandamus, which effectively appeals the lower court's decision and allows the near-total ban to resume."

Nazi 'judges' who have repeatedly abrogated their falsely sworn oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution. Repeatedly denied women their constitutional right to abortion. Need to be impeached, convicted, and removed from office. Remain an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

This ruling is an egregious example of raw nazism:

"Having already painstakingly explained those standards in our opinion, we reiterate our holding: [W]hen faced with a society-threatening epidemic, a state may implement emergency measures that curtail constitutional rights so long as the measures have at least some "real or substantial relation" to the public health crisis and are not "beyond all question, a plain, palpable invasion of rights secured by the fundamental law," the judges wrote in their decision."

Goddamned nazi 'judges.' Traitors. Clearly, we are no longer a democratic republic. In name only. In reality, a fascist police-state.

"Judge Kyle Dennis, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, dissented in part, disagreeing that any of Thursday's lower court ruling should be reversed. "Once again, Texas women cannot access abortion—with the important exception of those close to the legal limit," Nancy Northup, the president and chief executive officer of the enter for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement to CBS News on Friday. "The court is unjustifiably forcing women to wait until the eleventh hour to get the time-sensitive, essential healthcare that they are constitutionally guaranteed." The Center for Reproductive Rights, along with Planned Parenthood and the Lawyering Project, are challenging Texas' suspension of abortion services amid the coronavirus outbreak on behalf of the state's abortion providers. For nearly three weeks, the vast majority of abortion services in Texas have been mostly unavailable. On March 23, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued guidance that abortion services would be included in the Governor's suspension of "non-essential" medical procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic. The order included all pregnancy termination "not medically necessary to preserve the life or health" of the patient. Doctors who violate the order face "penalties of up to $1,000 or 180 days of jail time. An email to the Texas Attorney General's Office was not immediately returned. Attorneys on both sides of the issue expect the case will eventually lead to the United States Supreme Court. In an exclusive interview with CBS News, Attorney General Paxton said that if the courts were to block the state's ban, he'd appeal the decision all the way up to the high court. Texas is among five states facing legal battles over restricting abortion access during the pandemic, and the one furthest along in the judicial process. In a sweep of legal filings, a coalition of abortion rights groups challenged similar bans in Alabama, Iowa, Ohio and Oklahoma. So far, judges have ordered bans to be at least partially lifted everywhere but Texas. "We are in a time of crisis - and the state of Texas is sowing fear, confusion, and chaos about whether people can access health care," Alexis McGill Johnson, the acting president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood, said in a statement to CBS News. "This is a nightmare inside of a nightmare."

If there is no reproductive freedom, there is no freedom at all. The nazi element in the Republican Party does not seem to understand that reproductive freedom is far more than a man keeping it in his pants, a woman with her panties on, legs crossed. An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms on this and many, many other issues. ... Hear the rumble?

Planned Parenthood reports:

"April 11, 2020 - Today, Texas abortion providers — represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Lawyering Project, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America — asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take emergency action to restore essential, time-sensitive medication abortion services while the case proceeds. This comes after Gov. Greg Abbott tried to block virtually all abortion services through his COVID-19 order. The emergency request comes after the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals granted most of the state’s request to stay a federal district court’s second temporary restraining order. Under the 5th Circuit’s latest ruling, only patients who will be over the state’s gestational age cutoff by April 22 (the day after Gov. Abbott’s executive order lifts) can access an abortion procedure.

"For almost three weeks, providers — including Planned Parenthood Center for Choice, Planned Parenthood Greater Texas Surgical Health Services, Planned Parenthood South Texas Surgical Center, Whole Woman’s Health, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance, Southwestern Women’s Surgery Center, and Austin Women’s Health Center — have had to cancel appointments for hundreds of patients while Gov. Abbott continues to exploit a pandemic in order to score political points.

"Meanwhile, leading medical experts, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology told the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals that abortion should not be delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Doing so, they said, only creates a greater strain on the hospital system during this global public health crisis.

"Statement of Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
“The past few weeks have been untenable for Texans in need of time-sensitive abortion procedures. We’ve heard patients grow increasingly more desperate for care. Gov. Abbott has blocked abortion access for mothers who have lost their jobs because of COVID-19, people quarantined with abusive partners, and patients with fatal fetal diagnoses. Now is the time to be making abortion more accessible, not less. Medical professionals everywhere are being trusted to make necessary but difficult decisions about if and when to treat patients. Doctors who provide abortions are asking to do the same — because they, not politicians, know what’s best for their patients. This is a matter of health care, not political opinion.”

"Statement from Rupali Sharma, senior counsel and director, Lawyering Project:
“Texans who seek abortion care deserve dignity and compassion — particularly during a public health crisis. Instead, they’ve been thrown into a tailspin of uncertainty, unsure if and when they'll be able to obtain essential, constitutionally protected healthcare. These extraordinary circumstances require urgent intervention. That’s why we're asking the Supreme Court to step in and stop Texas from blocking abortion access as its residents contend with unprecedented challenges.”

"Statement from Nancy Northup, president and CEO, Center for Reproductive Rights:
“It is vital that the Supreme Court step in and protect the health, lives and futures of Texas women. This is an extraordinarily difficult time, but this is an easy case. Texas is blatantly abusing its emergency power to obliterate Roe v. Wade. This tactic of using bogus health and safety justifications to close clinics is nothing new. In fact, we have another case before the Supreme Court right now challenging a different sham law designed to shut down clinics. These thinly veiled attempts to end abortion must stop.”

"Already, courts in Alabama, Ohio and Oklahoma are allowing abortion providers, just like all other doctors, to decide when to provide essential abortion care while conserving needed resources during this pandemic. Texas should be no different. In fact, forcing people to carry their pregnancies to term against their will only creates a heavier burden on a hospital system that’s already stretched thin caring for COVID-19 patients.

"Texans already have to navigate a long list of restrictions that force patients to have medically unnecessary face-to-face contact with providers, and for some, push abortion out of reach altogether. These harmful restrictions include state-mandated in-person counseling and a mandatory 24-hour waiting period. For many people, traveling out of state or waiting weeks for their procedure will mean they won’t be able to access an abortion at all.

"The Texas plaintiff abortion providers are represented by attorneys from Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Lawyering Project and the Law Offices of Patrick J. O’Connell PLLC. "

The Associated Press reports:

"The coronavirus outbreak has fueled attempts to ban abortions in some states, but providers where the procedure remains available report increased demand, often from women distraught over economic stress and health concerns linked to the pandemic. “The calls we’ve been getting are frantic,” said Julie Burkhart, who manages clinics in Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City. “We’ve seen more women coming sooner than they would have because they’re scared they won’t be able to access the services later.” Some clinics are seeing patients who traveled hundreds of miles from states such as Texas, which has banned abortions during much of the pandemic on grounds they are nonessential. Dr. Allison Cowett of Family Planning Associates in Chicago said one recent patient was a teen who drove from Texas with her mother. In Atlanta, Dr. Marissa Lapedis said her clinic accommodated a woman who received her initial abortion consultation in Texas but flew to Georgia when the Texas ban postponed a second visit to receive the abortion pill. An influx of women from Texas contributed to the upsurge of abortions at Burkhart’s clinic in Wichita. She said it performed 252 abortions in March, up from 90 in March 2019. Dr. Jen Villavicencio, an abortion provider in Michigan, predicts that demand for abortions will continue to increase during the pandemic. “I hear it in my patient’s voices and questions daily,” she said via email. “They’re worried about how they will make their rent, feed their family, access a ventilator if the need arises.”

As the struggle against the Nazi Right continues, Uncommon Valor by those fighting for liberty:

"The pandemic has prompted Planned Parenthood, the national’s largest abortion provider, to make adjustments. In New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S., Planned Parenthood has modified medication abortion procedures to minimize travel and potential COVID-19 exposure for patients and staff. Dr. Meera Shah is chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, which serves New York’s northern suburbs. She says her staff is expanding telemedicine as they see an uptick in patients seeking abortions, often convinced that “having a child right now isn’t best for them.” “We provided a medication abortion to an EMT while she was sitting in her ambulance,” Shah said. “We provided abortion care to a mother who was at home with her children running around behind her.” Dr. Anne Davis, an OB-GYN at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, said all services at her hospital are under stress and COVID-19 patients are numerous. In most cases, her team refers women seeking abortions to non-hospital clinics. She cited one patient who had wanted to be pregnant but requested an abortion when it became clear her medical condition would require multiple hospital visits. Davis said the woman had received comparable treatment during her first pregnancy but decided this time that the hospital wouldn’t be as safe."

Sad the Republican nazi element is forcing the following:

"The push for new bans has added urgency to a campaign providing information about relatively safe options for do-it-yourself abortions. Already, many abortions are induced at home with a two-drug combination, under the guidance of a health professional. Advocacy groups say home abortions using one of the drugs — misoprostol — can be done without professional oversight. Misoprostol is available only by prescription in the U.S. but is available online from some countries where it sells over the counter. Attorney Jill E. Adams, executive director of If/When/How, supports that option and urges prosecutors not to target women who use this method. “More people will need abortions during this pandemic,” she said. “Targeting people who end their pregnancies at home is wrong as a matter of law and dangerous as a matter of public health.” Amid debate about whether abortion is an essential service, anti-abortion protesters have mobilized outside numerous clinics — in some cases triggering confrontations with police over whether they’re violating social-distancing rules. In North Carolina, eight of about 50 protesters were arrested April 4 after refusing to disperse outside a clinic in Charlotte. Even as many businesses close temporarily, anti-abortion pregnancy centers remain open. Virginia-based Care Net, which oversees about 1,100 centers, evoked the pandemic in a fundraising appeal, noting that unplanned pregnancies may rise during isolation and “our centers need to find creative ways to serve these parents and empower them to choose life.”

Adolf and Benito would have been proud of Abbott and Paxton.

CBS News reports:

"A federal judge on Sunday ruled that Alabama cannot ban abortions as part of the state's response to coronavirus. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson issued a preliminary injunction sought by clinics to prevent the state from forbidding abortions as part of a ban on elective medical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thompson said abortion providers can decide whether a procedure can wait. "Based on the current record, the defendants' efforts to combat COVID-19 do not outweigh the lasting harm imposed by the denial of an individual's right to terminate her pregnancy, by an undue burden or increase in risk on patients imposed by a delayed procedure, or by the cloud of unwarranted prosecution against providers," Thompson wrote in an opinion. The ruling was a victory for abortion rights advocates who are fighting efforts in Texas, Ohio, Alabama and other states to prohibit abortion services during the COVID-19 pandemic. States have argued they need to conserve medical equipment and potential hospital beds during the pandemic.

"A lawyer representing clinics praised the decision. "Preventing someone from getting an abortion doesn't do anything to stop the COVID-19 virus, it just takes the decision whether to have a child out of their hands," said Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union's Reproductive Freedom Project."

The Associated Press reports:

"A federal appeals court panel ruled that medication abortions, in which pills are taken to terminate a pregnancy, can be provided in Texas during the coronavirus pandemic. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order last month that bars non-essential medical procedures so that health resources can go to treating coronavirus patients. Texas’ Republican attorney general has said that providing abortions other than for an immediate medical emergency would violate the order. In a ruling Monday, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that medication abortions can go forward. In a concurrence, Judge James L. Dennis wrote that Texas’ move to ban medication abortions “is a strong indication that the enforcement is pretextual and does not bear a ‘real or substantial relation’ to the public health crisis we are experiencing.” Over the weekend, Texas abortion clinics asked the Supreme Court to step in to allow medication abortions. Such an abortion involves taking one pill at a clinic, then taking a second pill 24 to 48 hours later, typically at home. Clinics have argued that medication abortions do not require personal protective equipment like masks, gloves and gowns that might be needed for coronavirus patients. “Now it’s time for Gov. Abbott to end his exploitation of this pandemic to ban all abortion access,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “None of it is medically justified, all of it is unconstitutional, and women are being thrown into a state of fear and uncertainty.”

4-10-20

More of the same. The Washington Post reports:

"Leading disease forecasters, whose research the White House used to conclude 100,000 to 240,000 people will die nationwide from the coronavirus, were mystified when they saw the administration’s projection this week. The experts said they don’t challenge the numbers’ validity but that they don’t know how the White House arrived at them. White House officials have refused to explain how they generated the figure — a death toll bigger than the United States suffered in the Vietnam War or the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They have not provided the underlying data so others can assess its reliability or provided long-term strategies to lower that death count."

Imagine that. ... Just talking out the ass. LOL. Couldn't be, could it? LOL.

"Some of President Trump’s top advisers have expressed doubts about the estimate, according to three White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. There have been fierce debates inside the White House about its accuracy."

Surprised?

"At a task force meeting this week, according to two officials with direct knowledge of it, Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told others there are too many variables at play in the pandemic to make the models reliable: “I’ve looked at all the models. I’ve spent a lot of time on the models. They don’t tell you anything. You can’t really rely upon models.”

Interesting, isn't it?

"Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the vice president’s office have similarly voiced doubts about the projections’ accuracy, the three officials said."

At least a few of our fuhrer's advisors enjoy some degree of sanity. Encouraging, isn't it? LOL.

"Jeffrey Shaman, a Columbia University epidemiologist whose models were cited by the White House, said his own work on the pandemic doesn’t go far enough into the future to make predictions akin to the White House fatality forecast. “We don’t have a sense of what’s going on in the here and now, and we don’t know what people will do in the future,” he said. “We don’t know if the virus is seasonal, as well.”

One great quality of the scientific community is the fact truth, not fiction or conjecture, usually rules the day.

"The estimate appeared to be a rushed affair, said Marc Lipsitch, a leading epidemiologist and director of Harvard University’s Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics. “They contacted us, I think, on a Tuesday a week ago, and asked for answers and feedback by Thursday, basically 24 hours,” he said. “My initial response was we can’t do it that fast. But we ended up providing them some numbers responding to very specific scenarios.”

Why go along to get along? Nearly always results in self-serving bullshit, more often, blatant lies from our fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"Other experts noted that the White House didn’t even explain the time period the death estimate supposedly captures — just the coming few months, or the year-plus it will take to deploy a vaccine."

Trump and his henchmen are desperate. Care more about the coming election, not best interests of the American public.

"Almost the entirety of what the public knows about the death projection was presented on a single slide at a briefing Tuesday from the White House coronavirus task force. A White House representative said the task force has not publicly released the models it drew from out of respect for the confidentiality of the modelers, many of whom approached the White House unsolicited and simply want to continue their work without publicity."

Need this information to assess the reliability of the conclusions. What are Trump and his henchmen so afraid of? The truth?

"A representative for Fauci did not respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for Vice President Pence declined to comment. On a Thursday call with conservative leaders, Pence said it was “difficult” to view the models but “the president thought it was important to share with the American people.”

Fascinating, isn't it? Could it be the incompetent jackass in the Oval Office is simply desperately trying to cover his sorry ass?

"Among epidemiologists, the estimate raised more questions than it answered — not just about methodology and accuracy but, perhaps more importantly, about purpose. The primary goal of such models amid an outbreak is to allow authorities to game out scenarios, foresee challenges and create a coherent, long-term strategy — something some experts worry doesn’t exist within the White House. “I wish there were more of a concerted national plan. I wish it had started a month and a half ago, maybe two months ago,” Shaman said."

Forget? Trump's been out to lunch quite some time. Lied like hell, fraudulently assuring the public he had it all under control.

Natalie Dean, a biostatistician who was not involved in the White House effort but is working on coronavirus vaccine evaluation with the World Health Organization, pointed out that “the whole reason you create models is to help you make decisions. But you have to actually act on those projections and answers. Otherwise, the models are useless.”

... Like our not-so trusty fuhrer, himself? LOL.

More bullshit:

"At Tuesday’s briefing, Trump unveiled the government’s projected death count, saying it was based on data “that has been, I think, brilliantly put together.”

Do you, Donny? Imagine that. Mr. 'Reliability.' LOL.

"The coordinator of Trump’s coronavirus task force, Deborah Birx, then projected a slide with a high-arcing mountain showing the worst-case scenario: 1.5 million to 2.2 million deaths if Americans and the government did absolutely nothing to stop the virus. And a smaller — but still imposing — hill with 100,000 to 240,000 deaths if measures such as social distancing are taken. Birx said the projection was based on five or six modelers, including from Imperial College in Britain and Harvard, Columbia and Northeastern universities. “It was their models that created the ability to see what these mitigations could do, how steeply they could depress the curve,” Birx said. But two models appeared to have been particularly influential: the one by Imperial College and one from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington (IHME). At a news briefing Sunday, Birx explained the process this way: Her task force initially reviewed the work of 12 models. “Then we went back to the drawing board over the last week or two, and worked from the ground up, utilizing actual reporting of cases,” Birx said. “It’s the way we built the HIV model, the TB model, the malaria model. And when we finished, the other group that was working in parallel — which we didn’t know about,” referring to the IHME group. The IHME model initially estimated deaths through this summer would total 38,000 to 162,000 — a lower projection than many others and beneath the White House’s own estimate. But because of its lower figure and Birx’s comments, experts believe it to be a main source for the White House’s best-case scenario of 100,000 to 240,000 deaths. Meanwhile, the White House appeared to rely on Imperial College for its worst-case scenario. That study estimated as many as 2.2 million U.S. deaths if no action was taken, 1.1 million deaths if moderate mitigation strategies were adopted, and an unspecified number if drastic measures were taken."

Here's the bottom line:

"But as a common mathematician’s refrain goes: A model is only as good as the assumptions it is built on. Knowing the assumptions built into the White House officials’ projected number could tell us a lot: exactly how contagious and deadly they believe the virus to be. It also would reflect their beliefs on how the federal government and states will behave in coming months and whether they will do enough to make a difference. The IHME model assumes every state will quickly impose stay-at-home orders, which some states, including Alabama and Missouri, have yet to do. It also assumes the entire country will maintain these restrictions until summer. But Trump has extended the White House’s restrictions until only April 30 and made clear he wants to reopen the country as soon as possible."

Such restrictions in activity will quickly eviscerate the economy. More will likely wind up dying from the failed economy than the pandemic depending on how long the lockdown continues. Either way, our fuhrer shits in his pants, knowing either alternative likely results in his boot from office.

"Another key question is what time period the White House’s 100,000-to-240,000 projection covers. Imperial College’s worst-case scenario calculated the toll exacted by the virus over a couple of years. But if the White House’s projection covers only the next few months, like the IHME model does, the true death toll will almost certainly be larger because the United States will probably see additional waves of covid-19 until a vaccine is deployed. And it is important to note, experts say, that the IHME model differs from many epidemiological models — another reason its death estimate may be lower, experts say. Epidemiological projections are often based on what is called the Susceptible Infectious Recovered model (SIR). It is a mathematical way to represent three different populations in an outbreak: those vulnerable to infection, those who are infectious and those gradually removed from the equation by death or recovery. IHME, however, took an entirely different approach. It is a statistical model that takes the trending curve of deaths from China, for example, and “fits” that curve to emerging death data from cities and counties to predict what might come next. “It’s a valuable tool, providing updated state-by-state projections, but it is inherently optimistic because it assumes that all states respond as swiftly as China,” said Dean, a biostatistician at University of Florida. In an interview earlier this week, the head of the IHME group, Christopher Murray, said his model was created for a different purpose from Imperial College’s. “The reason we created our model is to help hospitals plan. How many beds you’ll need, how many ventilators, when the peak is likely coming,” Murray said. The purpose of Imperial’s model “is to make people realize government intervention is crucial and what would happen without that.”

Apples and oranges. Think Trump understands that?

"For the past decade, the federal government has been nurturing a group of about 50 epidemiologists and math modelers at universities. The U.S. government launched the effort when it became apparent that U.S. expertise in disease modeling was outstripped by England’s world-class experts, said Dylan George, a former Obama administration official at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy who was involved in that effort. Since January, the CDC has been working with that larger group of modeling teams but it has been unclear, especially in recent weeks, how much the White House was listening to their data and projections."

Apparently, not at all. LOL. Here's why:

"The handful of projections the task force has plucked from the group and used in White House discussions, administration officials said, are sometimes deployed with an audience of one in mind: Trump."

BINGO! LOL. Pitiful. ... Like trying to please a 3-year-old. LOL.

"Officials have said the Imperial College’s eye-popping 2.2 million death projection convinced Trump to stop dismissing the outbreak and take it more seriously. Similarly, officials said, the new projection of 100,000 to 240,000 deaths is what convinced Trump to extend restrictions for 30 days and abandon his push to reopen parts of the country by Easter, which many health experts believe could have worsened the outbreak."

Trump couldn't care less about casualties, -- only effect they'd certainly have on his re-election.

"But what remains unclear and alarming to many modelers is whether the White House is using their data to create a coordinated, coherent long-term strategy. What’s the plan?"

There is none. Trump thinks moment to moment, the here and now.

"Such a national strategy is critical because of the lag time in data that comes with outbreaks. Any numbers we see today — confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths — lag two to three weeks behind how the virus is spreading. So decisions made by authorities based on that present-day data are, almost by definition, reactive and potentially come too late. To get ahead of a virus like this one, authorities must use projections of the future to act in the present."

Here comes the bullshit from a Trump henchman:

"A White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak by name said the administration does have long-term plans and has been addressing those concerns in the daily briefings."

Think so? LOL.

“Repurposing a [car] plant to make ventilators is great, but honestly — I’m not one to cast stones — but it could have been done earlier,” said Shaman, the Columbia University epidemiologist whose models have been reviewed by the White House."

Forget? Trump denied the seriousness of the threat until just several weeks ago. Claimed he was taking care of the matter.

"But Shaman doesn’t think the White House’s death projection is too low, nor does he think it’s too late to act decisively. “I think we can come in under 100,000 deaths. I do,” he said. “The jury is not yet in on this.”

An acceptable death toll? Think so? Give me a break. This guy's resided in his ivory tower way too long.

Aryan arrogance. Blatant nepotism. NPR reports:

"Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, criticized governors Thursday, saying they don't have a handle on their own supplies of masks and ventilators needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak."

How does this arrogant piece of human excrement know that? How? Think each governor is as incompetent as your father-in-law, Jared? Wake up. Aggressive stupidity is unbecoming. Who should know better than you and your fuhrer? Forget? Taxpayers took the ungreased shaft hard up the ass when Trump went repeatedly bankrupt. Forget?

"In a rare appearance in the White House briefing room, Kushner urged governors and some senators to be more resourceful in their own states instead of looking first to the federal government for help."

"What a lot of the voters are seeing now is that when you elect somebody to be a mayor or governor or president, you're trying to think about who will be a competent manager during the time of crisis," he said. "This is a time of crisis, and you're seeing certain people are better managers than others."

Jesus Christ. Kettle calling the pot black. Give me a break. Same assessment can be made of your fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"Kushner, a real estate executive with no public health expertise, generally works behind scenes at the White House. So, critics have been curious about his role in the administration's efforts to confront the coronavirus pandemic. He has emerged with a central role working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to oversee the distribution of vital medical supplies to hospital and health care providers. On Thursday, he explained that Trump and Vice President Pence came to him looking for new ideas and "outside of the box" thinking."

Amazing how Aryan arrogant the nazi element remains in our formerly great country as this nation comes apart at the seams. Faces a far greater death count from a failed economy than the pandemic should this shutdown continue indefinitely.

Trump couldn't care less about the toll on his fellow countrymen, however. Only loss of personal fortune and political power. This piece of human excrement has apparently failed to notice there is no hitch on a hearse, that is, you can't take it with you. Kushner is no more than an incompetent shill for his fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

Aggressive stupidity of the highly ignorant:

"But his lack of experience has drawn scrutiny, especially when he referred to the national stockpile of medical supplies as "our stockpile." "The notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile," he said. "It's not supposed to be states' stockpiles that they then use."

Jesus Christ. Time to wake up, Jared. LOL.

"The backlash was quick and harsh. "I would dismiss what Mr. Kushner said," Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, told NPR's Here & Now. "That is absolutely not the way it is supposed to work." Kelly said that the national stockpile was supposed to be a backup for states — and that the Trump administration should have done more to fill it. A day after Kushner made his remarks, language on a government website about the national stockpile was changed to more closely reflect his description. But a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said the department had been using the new language for weeks. The assistant secretary for preparedness and response "first began working to update the website text a week ago to more clearly explain to state and local agencies and members of the public the role of the" Strategic National Stockpile, the spokesperson said."

Galling. Pitiful. Expect better of the nazi element? Why?

Gets worse. Get this:

"When asked Friday about his son-in-law's remarks, Trump said Kushner was "talking about our country." "We need it for the government and the federal government," he said, complaining that state governments should have had their own stockpiles. "The federal government needs it, too, not just the states," he said."

This incompetent piece of human excrement doesn't even have the ability to rise to the occasion. ... Hey, Donny? Precise reason the federal government stockpiles is to provide backup to the states. Not the other way around, you clueless jackass. Clearly, 'stupid is as stupid does.' What a self-serving piece of crap.

NBC News reports:

"President Donald Trump's top trade adviser Peter Navarro said Monday that Dr. Anthony Fauci's caution about the effectiveness of an anti-malaria drug that the president has been urging as a treatment for coronavirus warrants a "second opinion." Asked about an Axios report that he and Fauci got into a heated argument about the drug during a coronavirus task force meeting on Saturday, Navarro told CNN, "There was that discussion on Saturday, and if we didn't have disagreement and debate in the Trump administration, this administration would not be as strong as it is."

Goddamned bullshit. Outrageously, untrue. Direct opposite is the case. Trump dictates. Henchmen, like Navarro, goose step in formation with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"A source told Axios the dispute started when Navarro said the studies he'd seen on the effects of the drug, hydroxychloroquine, show "clear therapeutic efficacy." Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Navarro there's only anecdotal evidence, leading Navarro to angrily declare the studies he'd seen are "science, not anecdote."

LOL. Navarro disputes a doctor, a scientist who has worked in this field decades?

"Three sources familiar with the meeting confirmed to NBC News that the pair had a testy exchange. One source told NBC News that Navarro was “a little hot" during the exchange and officials found it "jarring" that Navarro became so animated in front of the vice president and Cabinet secretaries."

Expect better of a clueless, out of control sycophant of the fuhrer?

"Fauci sounded a similar note of caution on the drug in an interview with CBS on Sunday, saying there'd been some reports of the drug helping — and other reports of it having zero effect. Asked to comment on Fauci's statement, Navarro told CNN, "I'll let him speak for himself," but "I have two words for you — second opinion."

One for you, Mr. Navarro: Asshole.

"Navarro, an economist, was then asked his qualifications to give medical opinions. "Doctors disagree about things all the time. My qualifications in terms of looking at the science is that I'm a social scientist. I have a Ph.D. And I understand how to read statistical studies, whether it's in medicine, the law, economics or whatever," Navarro said."

Full of himself. Full of shit. Just like his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Pitiful.

"Asked if he wanted a doctor making trade deals, Navarro said, "touché" before accusing anchor John Berman of engaging in a "false narrative."

Jesus Christ. Parroting his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Best you can do, Mr. Navarro? All you got? LOL.

Aryan arrogance of an incompetent fool:

"Trump has touted the drug as a potential "game changer" on an almost-daily basis. When Fauci was asked a question about the drug at the White House press briefing on Sunday, Trump stepped in and said, “I’ve answered that question — maybe 15 times." "You don’t have to answer," he told Fauci. “There’s signs it works on this — very strong signs,” Trump said. “I’ve seen things that I sort of like. What do I know? I’m not a doctor, I’m not a doctor, but I have common sense."

At that point, Fauci should have immediately resigned in protest. Did so publicly. Exposed the Trump nazi for the narcissistic goddamned fool he sadly remains.

Trump wants exclusive oversight of the 2.3 trillion pandemic package. The Washington Post reports:

"President Trump has removed the chairman of the federal panel Congress created to oversee his administration's management of the $2 trillion stimulus package. Glenn Fine, who had been the acting Pentagon inspector general, was informed Monday that he was being replaced by Sean W. O’Donnell, currently the inspector general at the Environmental Protection Agency. Fine is a career official who had served as acting Pentagon inspector general for four years and three months. Before that he was inspector general at the Justice Department for 11 years. The move, which was first reported by Politico, will be seen by some as another instance of the president chafing at independent oversight. On Friday, he notified Congress that he was removing Michael Atkinson as the inspector general of the intelligence community — a decision that Trump acknowledged was in response to Atkinson’s having alerted lawmakers to the existence of a whistleblower complaint about the president’s dealings with Ukraine. The matter ultimately led to Trump’s impeachment. “Mr. Fine is no longer on the pandemic response accountability committee,” Defense Department spokeswoman Dwrena K. Allen said in a statement. He will, however, continue to serve in his current position of principal deputy inspector general at the Pentagon. He had until now held both the acting and deputy positions. Because Fine is no longer acting inspector general, he is ineligible to hold the spending watchdog role. On Monday, Trump nominated Jason Abend, senior policy adviser at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to be the permanent inspector general at the Defense Department. The $2 trillion coronavirus emergency spending law created several layers of oversight, including a Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which is supposed to be overseen by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Late last month, a number of inspectors general selected Fine to serve as panel chairman. The new law tasked the group to conduct and coordinate audits, with investigators looking for waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer money that the law directed be spent on loans, loan guarantees, and financial payments to households and businesses. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said she is creating a select committee of the House to scrutinize the Trump administration’s implementation of the new law as well. “President Trump has been engaged in an assault against independent Inspectors General since last Friday in order to undermine oversight of his chaotic and deficient response to the coronavirus crisis,” said Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. His actions, she said, “are a direct insult to the American taxpayers — of all political stripes — who want to make sure that their tax dollars are not squandered on wasteful boondoggles, incompetence, or political favors.”

4-10-20

Uncommon Valor. An outstanding skipper who placed the men and women under his command before his career. NPR reports:

"The U.S. Navy captain who wrote an anguished and widely publicized letter this week to his superiors about a coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, which he commanded, has now been relieved of that command. "I lost confidence in his ability," acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly said of Capt. Brett Crozier while briefing reporters late Thursday at the Defense Department on the commander's dismissal. Modly charged that by having "widely distributed" a letter highly critical of the management of a coronavirus outbreak that has sickened more than 100 of the Roosevelt's crew members, Crozier had "allowed emotion" to color his judgment and that the captain's letter "was sent outside the chain of command" by failing to alert his immediate supervisor, strike wing commander Rear Adm. Stuart Baker. At the same Thursday briefing, the chief of naval operations, Adm. Michael Gilday, said the Navy expects commanders to handle matters "calmly and unemotionally."

Stuffed shirt bullshit. Here's why:

"In his letter, Crozier criticized what he called an inappropriate focus on testing crew members that slowed his efforts to have them removed from the ship to be quarantined in Guam. "We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," Crozier concluded in his missive. "If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our Sailors."

No shit. Thousands of them. For nothing. -- Other than hurt high-command Navy pride.

"The letter did appear to spur efforts to move thousands of crew members ashore. Modly said Thursday that 2,700 of the 4,865 sailors aboard the Roosevelt would be disembarking this week. A skeleton crew would remain aboard to maintain the nuclear-powered vessel. On Thursday, Modly said that 114 sailors on the carrier have tested positive for the coronavirus and that the number would go up, "maybe in the hundreds."

Get this. Seatbelts on. NBC News reports:

"A cheering and applauding crowd of sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt said goodbye to their captain, who was relieved of command after he raised concerns about a coronavirus outbreak on his ship in a letter that was leaked to the news media, videos show. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said the ship's commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, who was ousted Thursday, "demonstrated extremely poor judgment" in the middle of a crisis. The Roosevelt is an aircraft carrier with a crew of nearly 5,000."

Re-read the last sentence. A carrier is indeed quite a large warship. With some 5,000 on board, however, that's quite a crowd in a comparatively small place. Risk of contagion and death enormous. Had they been at war, would have been quite a different story. Would have had no choice but remain in combat. Accepted the losses. There was a reasonable alternative, however, in this situation. The Navy appeared to drag its feet. Pride came first. The crew certainly showed its appreciation for the man who put his career on the line for his sailors:

"A video posted to Twitter shows sailors chanting "Cap-tain Cro-zier" as he disembarked. The user who uploaded the Twitter video captioned it, in part: "Wrongfully relieved of command but did right by the sailors."

"Wrongfully relieved of command but did right by the sailors. #navy @UncleChaps @katebarstool @ZeroBlog30 @CaptainCons pic.twitter.com/M0aZhHNMXT
— Dylan Castillo (@Sotero269) April 3, 2020

"In a statement provided to NBC News, a group of sailors on the ship said, "Modly has broken faith with the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt." "There was nothing alarming or sensationalist in Capt. Crozier’s letter," the statement said. "It was simply a recitation of the bleak facts facing this warship. Capt. Crozier has the full faith and confidence of this crew, who would sail with him again at a moment’s notice."

Imagine the reaction of the captain who departed the carrier reportedly carrying only a backpack.

"The ship, which was operating in the Pacific, pulled into port in Guam last week, several days after multiple crew members tested positive for the virus. By Wednesday, there were 93 positive test results, and more than 1,000 people were taken off the carrier and placed into isolation on Guam. Modly said Crozier was removed from his post because he sent his letter over "non-secure unclassified email" to a "broad array of people" rather than up the chain of command. "I have no doubt in my mind that Captain Crozier did what he thought was in the best interest of the safety and well-being of his crew," Modly said. "Unfortunately, it did the opposite. It unnecessarily raised the alarm of the families of our sailors and Marines with no plans to address those concerns."

What it did was rightfully ruffle the feathers of our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, his henchmen, and assholes like you, Mr. Modly. Where, when did you lose yourself, sir?

"The decision, which Modly said was his own, was met with backlash, including from Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, who said the Navy's acting secretary "shot the messenger — a commanding officer who was faithful to both his national security mission and his duty to care for his sailors, and who rightly focused attention on a broader concern about how to maintain military readiness during this pandemic."

Goddamned right.

No end, however, to the goddamned stupidity:

"Modly told Reuters on Friday an investigation would determine if Crozier should face disciplinary action. "He'll get reassigned, he's not thrown out of the Navy," Modly said."

No, he'll likely be assigned a shit post nowhere near the level of the one he had, thus forced to retire. You're a piece of human excrement, Mr. Modly. A disgrace to yourself and the country you clearly don't serve. Only yourself and your goddamned hurt pride. This man exposed you for precisely whom and what you are.

The pressure on Modly is ferocious. Proof positive? Get this. Seatbelts on. NBC News reports:

"Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly on Monday delivered a scathing attack against the captain who sounded the alarm over the spread of the coronavirus on his ship. Speaking in Guam to the crew members of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Modly said Capt. Brett Crozier was guilty of a “betrayal of trust” in choosing to express his concerns to a broad audience in an email that ultimately leaked to the media, according to a recording of the speech obtained by the online publication Task & Purpose."

What's the matter, Mr. Secretary? The captain embarrass you and your nazi fuhrer with the truth? You're not fit for office, Mr. Modly. You've disgraced yourself, the Flag, and all the men and women who have fought and died defending that Flag. The captain stood up for his crew. You stand for shit squat.

“If he didn’t think, in my opinion, that this information wasn’t going to get out into the public, in this day and information age that we live in, then he was either A, too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this,” Modly said. “The alternative is that he did this on purpose.”

Jesus Christ. The public has a right to this information. Who gives a shit whether you or your goddamned fuhrer, the Trump nazi, is embarrassed by the unvarnished truth? You clueless bastards didn't even take this pandemic seriously until the last couple of weeks. Out to lunch.

Here comes the bullshit from this incompetent, traitorous piece of shit:

"Crozier was relieved of his command last Thursday. In a news conference, Modly defended the decision as his own and insisted it was made because Crozier went outside the chain of command U.S. But Modly used far more biting language in his speech to the Theodore Roosevelt crew members Monday. “It was betrayal,” Modly said, according to the transcript. “And I can tell you one other thing: Because he did that, he put it in the public’s forum and it’s now become a big controversy in Washington, D.C., and across the country, about a martyr CO who wasn’t getting the help he needed and therefore had to go through the chain of command, a chain of command which includes the media.”

Jesus Christ. You're no better than your clueless fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Self-serving pieces of human excrement. Don't hold a candle to the men and women in that crew. On the contrary to your bullshit, it is you who has betrayed the captain and that crew.

Gets worse. Far worse. Most self-serving:

"Modly, in a statement released after a purported transcript of the remarks was reported by several news outlets, said he stood by his words. "The spoken words were from the heart, and meant for them," Modly said. "I stand by every word I said, even, regrettably any profanity that may have been used for emphasis. Anyone who has served on a Navy ship would understand. I ask, but don't expect, that people read them in their entirety."

Jesus Christ. Wake up, Mr. Modly. The carrier crew stood by its captain. Doesn't that tell you anything at all, sir? That, goddamned stupid? Hopelessly, ignorant?

"Modly delivered the speech to the Theodore Roosevelt crew members two days after video popped up on social media showing dozens of them cheering for Crozier in a rousing farewell as he walked off the ship in Guam."

Think it can't get even worse? Get this:

"Modly said the governor of the U.S. territory told him that the release of Crozier’s letter caused great alarm among local residents who feared an influx of sailors infected with the virus."

These residents are more concerned about themselves than the crew willing to fight and die for them in defense of this country? Give me a break. Where did we lose ourselves?

Gets even worse. More gutless. Modly remarks:

“So think about that when you cheer the man off the ship who exposed you to that,” Modly said. “I understand you love the guy. It’s good that you love him. But you’re not required to love him.”

Achingly, pitiful.

Self-serving delusional bullshit:

"In justifying his decision to remove Crozier, Modly said he lost sight of the ship’s mission and “compromised critical information about your status intentionally to draw greater attention to your situation.” “This put you at great risk,” Modly said."

It is you and your fuhrer, the Trump nazi, who put this crew at great risk, sir:

"Nearly 4,900 crew members were aboard the vessel. According to the latest figures, tests have been performed on 61 percent of the crew. Some 173 have tested positive for the virus. More than 800 others are in isolation at a base on Guam, many of them still awaiting test results. About 1,150 crew members who tested negative were moved off the ship and placed in hotels. Nearly 2,900 sailors remain on board."

Nazi America. Where, when did we lose ourselves?

NPR reports:

"Three days after firing Capt. Brett Crozier as commander of the coronavirus-sickened nuclear aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly boarded the warship docked in Guam and delivered a stinging, profanity-laced denunciation of its deposed skipper. NPR has obtained an audio recording of Modly's remarks. Much of the diatribe delivered by the Navy's top civilian to the ship's audibly grumbling crew was a condemnation of a March 30 letter that Crozier emailed to his superior officials. It describes dire conditions on the Roosevelt as thousands of crew members remained on board despite dozens of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection. The letter leaked and set off a furor on March 31, the day the San Francisco Chronicle broke the first story about it. "It was my opinion that if he didn't think that information was going to get out into the public in this information age that we live in, then he was a) too naive or too stupid to be the commanding officer of a ship like this," Modly said to the sailors (at that point, a voice can be heard yelling, "What the f***?"). "The alternate is that he did it on purpose, and that's a serious violation of the uniform code of military justice, which you are all familiar with."

Crew wasn't buying it. The pressure on this son of a bitch had to have been enormous, apparently, leading to the following:

"Monday evening, Modly issued a statement apologizing for calling Crozier stupid. "Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naïve nor stupid. I think, and always believed him to be the opposite. We pick our carrier commanding officers with great care. Captain Crozier is smart and passionate. I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship. Modly also said he wanted "to apologize directly to Captain Crozier, his family, and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt for any pain my remarks may have caused."

Not good enough. Nowhere near. Should never have happened in the first place. Modly is unfit for office.

"Last Thursday, while announcing that he had relieved the 50-year-old former Navy helicopter and F-18 fighter jet pilot of his command, Modly insisted he had "no information" that Crozier had anything to do with the leaking of the emailed letter to the Chronicle. But aboard the Roosevelt, the acting Navy secretary painted a more damning portrait of the sacked commander's alleged intentions. "It was a betrayal, and I can tell you one other thing: Because he did that, he put it in the public's forum, and it's now become a big controversy in Washington, D.C., and across the country about a martyr [commanding officer] who wasn't getting the help he needed and therefore had to go through the chain of command, a chain of command which includes the media," Modly asserted. "And I'm gonna tell you something, all of you: There's never a situation where you should consider the media a part of your chain of command." Modly warned the crew, who gave Crozier a rousing hero's send-off as he left the ship Thursday, that the news media "has an agenda." "And the agenda that they have depends on which side of the political aisle they sit, and I'm sorry that's the way the country is now, but it's the truth," said the man who has been acting Navy secretary since last November, when former Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was forced out. "And so they use it to divide us, they use it to embarrass the Navy, they use it to embarrass you, while you're out here, dealing with something that this country hasn't had to deal with in over a hundred years."

Modly is delusional. Paranoid. None of that is true. All bullshit coming from the Nazi Right, centered now in the Republican Party. -- Not that Democrats are any better. Gutlessly failed to walk out the Senate to deny the Republican majority a quorum before the failed impeachment vote. Consequently, the nazi continues in office. ... This after Republicans skewered the fascist bastard when he first ran for president in 2016.

"Pivoting from pillorying the news media, Modly assured the sailors that the American people "think, of all the people in the world that can keep their s**t together in something like this, it's the United States Navy and our sailors," he said, adding that it is their duty not to complain. "If this ship was in combat and there were hypersonic missiles coming at you, you'd be pretty f*****g scared too. But you do your jobs."

The crew didn't buy his bullshit:

"Modly also defended his decision, which he insists was his own, to remove Crozier from his command. "The former vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, suggested just yesterday that my decision was criminal," Modly said, apparently referring to comments Biden made Sunday on ABC's Meet the Press and subsequently posted on Twitter. "I assure you it was not, because I understand the facts, and those facts show that what your captain did was very, very wrong in a moment when we expected him to be the calming force on a turbulent sea." Modly alleged that Crozier's letter had also demoralized those working in the U.S. territory of Guam with respect to accommodating sailors leaving the Roosevelt to be quarantined onshore. "So think about that when you cheer a man off the ship who exposed you to that," he added. "I understand you love the guy. It's good that you love him, but you're not required to love him."

This is one f--ked up sick puppy.

"The Defense Department initially made no mention in its public advisories of Modly personally calling on the Roosevelt. It provided no transcript of the remarks he made there, calling it "a private visit " by the Navy's top civilian. On Monday, several hours after an audio recording of his remarks was leaked, Modly issued a statement. "I have not listened to a recording of my remarks since speaking to the crew so I cannot verify if the transcript is accurate. The spoken words were from the heart, and meant for them," he wrote in a message emailed by the Pentagon's press operation. "I stand by every word I said, even, regrettably any profanity that may have been used for emphasis." Asked at a White House news conference Monday evening about the dispute between the acting Navy secretary and Crozier, President Trump suggested he may personally intervene to resolve the matter. "You have two good people and they're arguing," he said. "I'm good at settling these arguments."

LOL. Why don't you do the right thing, Mr. 'President,' do the country a favor, resign in disgrace. Gets worse. Get this:

"Trump said Crozier should not have sent the letter. "It shows weakness," he said, calling it unfair to the families of the warship's crew."

It exposed your sorry ass for what you truly are, Mr. Trump.

The following is delusional bullshit, distortion of reality by a president unfit for office:

"His career prior to that was very good," Trump said of Crozier. "I don't want to destroy somebody for having a bad day."

The Associated Press reports:

"The Navy’s acting secretary has been forced to apologize after a profanity-laden broadside in which he called the fired commander of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt “too naive or too stupid.” Thomas Modly issued a written apology Monday hours after President Donald Trump, at a White House news conference, described his comments about Capt. Brett E. Crozier as “rough.” At least 173 sailors aboard the ship had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Monday, and about 2,000 of the 4,865 crew members had been taken off the ship to be tested. Modly had relieved Crozier of command of the ship last week, saying he had lost confidence in him for having shown “extremely poor judgment” in widely distributing a memo pleading for an accelerated evacuation of the crew members to protect their health. On Sunday, Modly flew to Guam to address sailors on the aircraft carrier who had cheered their support of Crozier as he departed the ship on Friday. He reprimanded them, saying they were overlooking their most basic duty to defend U.S. interests. “So think about that when you cheer the man off the ship who exposed you to that,” he said. “I understand you love the guy. It’s good that you love him. But you’re not required to love him.” Late Monday, Modly backtracked. “I apologize for any confusion this choice of words may have caused,” he wrote, referring to his speech aboard the Roosevelt on Sunday. “I also want to apologize directly to Captain Crozier, his family, and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt for any pain my remarks may have caused.” Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s staff told Modly he must apologize, according to a person familiar with the conversation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation.

"Modly, in his apology, reframed his earlier remarks that Crozier was “too naive or too stupid” to command. Instead, he said he believes Crozier is “smart and passionate.” “I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship,” Modly wrote. On Sunday aboard the ship, Modly had urged the crew to stop complaining. “It is the mission of the ship that matters,” he said. “You all know this, but in my view your Captain lost sight of this and he compromised critical information about your status intentionally to draw greater attention to your situation.”

"In his remarks aboard the Roosevelt, Modly raised issues likely to please Trump. He accused the news media, for example, of manipulating a political agenda to divide the country and embarrass the Navy. He said China “was not forthcoming” about the coronavirus when it began spreading there months ago, echoing Trump’s oft-repeated statement that China could have done more to prevent a pandemic. And Modly invoked the name of Trump’s chief Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, noting that the former vice president had said Modly’s decision to fire Crozier was almost criminal. “I assure you it was not,” Modly said.

"After an unofficial transcript of Modly’s remarks and an audio recording circulated widely on the internet Monday, at least one member of Congress urged that he be fired, and others blasted his words as inappropriate. “It’s deeply disappointing that he would deliver a speech on board a U.S. aircraft carrier suggesting that Captain Crozier might be ‘stupid’ and bashing the media for trying to report the truth,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. “These dedicated sailors deserve better from their leadership.” Rep. Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat and Navy veteran, called for Modly to be fired, saying his remarks show he is “in no way fit” to lead the Navy. Asked Monday afternoon whether Esper still had full confidence in Modly, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman declined to discuss the matter."

ABC News reports:

"Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly submitted his resignation on Tuesday morning and Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Twitter that he'd accepted the resignation and named Under Secretary of the Army James McPherson to be his temporary replacement. Modly resigned Tuesday morning following his controversial remarks to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt about their fired captain, where he labeled him "too naive" and "too stupid." In a statement Esper wrote that Modly "resigned on his own accord, putting the Navy and the Sailors above self so that the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, and the Navy as an institution, can move forward." "His care for the Sailors was genuine. Secretary Modly served the nation for many years, both in and out of uniform," Esper wrote. "I have the deepest respect for anyone who serves our country, and who places the greater good above all else. Secretary Modly did that today, and I wish him all the best."

Truly believe that, Mr. Esper? You're no more fit for office than the nazi son of a bitch himself.

Self-serving disingenuous bullshit:

"In his final "Vector" message to all Navy sailors, Modly said, "It's my fault. I own it," about the week's events with the aircraft carrier and its crew."

Gets worse.

Patronizing, condescending, self-serving bullshit:

"Modly wrote that the words he used on the Roosevelt were "poor," and he told the sailors that they "are justified in being angry with me about that."

Then, insults the intelligence of the crew:

"When I walked on the quarterdeck of the TR I lost situational awareness and decided to speak with them as if I was their commander, or their shipmate, rather than their Secretary," he wrote. "They deserved better, and I hope that over the passage of time that they will understand the words themselves rather than the manner in which they were delivered."

The bastard remains full of himself. Full of shit. Out of touch with reality:

"The crew deserved a lot more empathy and a lot less lecturing -- I lost sight of that at the time and I am deeply sorry for some of the words and for how they were spread across the media landscape like a wildfire," he added. "I had hoped to transmit a message of love, and duty, and mission, and courage in the face of adversity. Those words are in there, but they are now lost, because of me, and I will regret that for the rest of my life."

Impressed with himself. Out to lunch. A phony.

4-10-20

Trump has again disgraced himself. The Washington Post reports:

"Leading congressional Democrats attacked President Trump’s decision to fire the intelligence community inspector general who flagged the whistleblower complaint at the center of the president’s impeachment, as Trump defended his decision at a Saturday White House briefing."

Our fuhrer not only remains unfit for office, but achingly gutless.

"Trump alerted Congress Friday night that he planned to remove Michael Atkinson from his post. On Saturday afternoon, he went on an extended riff about the decision during the White House coronavirus task force briefing. “I thought he did a terrible job. Absolutely terrible,” Trump said. “That man is a disgrace to IGs.”

He did his job, Donald. Precisely, what he was hired to do. That is, hold the ass of an incompetent criminal accountable for his crimes. The failure remains not with him, but with you and your fellow Republicans in the Senate who betrayed their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution. Sustained an incompetent boob unfit for office. History will not be kind to you or them.

"Last September, Atkinson alerted Congress to an “urgent” and “credible” whistleblower complaint he’d received against Trump that accused the president of asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a phone call to open an investigation into former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Leading congressional Democrats expressed deep concern over Trump’s decision to fire Atkinson, especially with the nation in the throes of the coronavirus outbreak. “This latest act of reprisal against the Intelligence Community threatens to have a chilling effect against all willing to speak truth to power,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement. “The President must immediately cease his attacks on those who sacrifice to keep America safe, particularly during this time of national emergency.”

Your fellow Democrats in the Senate gutlessly failed to walk out, deny the fascist son of a bitch a quorum during the final vote. Republicans miserably failed their oaths of office to uphold the Constitution. ... After criticizing Trump when he first ran for office. Rightfully, so. Where did they lose themselves? Party before country? Gutless, self-serving pieces of shit. Democrats, no better. Just a different set of f--ked up issues.

"The president’s ousting of Atkinson comes as the nation is in the grip of a global pandemic that has upended Americans’ lives. And some Democrats accused Trump of taking a divisive action while the country is distracted by the public health crisis. “President Trump is using a global pandemic as cover to exact political revenge against the Intelligence Community Inspector General who revealed his misconduct. Firing IG Atkinson is corruption, and it threatens our national security during a global crisis,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tweeted Saturday morning."

What are you doing about it, Senator? Other than shit squat.

"Others described the timing of Atkinson’s termination in foreboding terms. Weakening our national security institutions is bad enough during a time of global calm; during the current instability we’re faced with, it’s particularly dangerous,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)."

You're all talk, Senator. No action. Just talk. Empty rhetoric.

"House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) similarly said, “At a time when our country is dealing with a national emergency and needs people in the intelligence community to speak truth to power, the president’s dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk.”

Other than talk, what are you doing about it? While you rightfully secured the impeachment of the nazi in the House, what are you doing now about this abomination, threat to all civil and constitutional rights and liberties?

Your head figuratively remains securely lodged up your achingly clueless, sorry ass, Congressman:

"Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a vocal Trump advocate during the impeachment probe, mocked Schiff for being upset about Atkinson’s firing, calling him Schiff’s “key impeachment enabler.” Republicans slammed Schiff, who led the House’s impeachment investigation, for refusing to make public a transcript of a closed-door interview with Atkinson."

You're not fit for office, Congressman. Egregiously failed to uphold the United States Constitution. Treasonously, traitorously, gutlessly placed your nazi fuhrer ahead of country.

"Other Republicans, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and House Intelligence Committee ranking Republican Devin Nunes (Calif.), made no public comment on Trump’s decision."

Too goddamned gutless to stand up for what's right.

Remarkably, heroically, one did:

"Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) issued a statement Saturday afternoon that praised Atkinson for his “professionalism and responsiveness.” “Like any political appointee, the Inspector General serves at the behest of the Executive. However, in order to be effective, the IG must be allowed to conduct his or her work independent of internal or external pressure,” Burr said. “It is my hope the next nominee for the role of ICIG will uphold the same important standards laid out by Congress when we created this role.”

NBC News reports:

"The inspector general whose firing was disclosed in a letter to Congress on Sunday defended his handling of a whistleblower complaint that led to President Donald Trump's impeachment. The inspector general of the intelligence community, Michael Atkinson, said in a statement that it was hard not to think Trump fired him because he "faithfully discharged my legal obligations as an independent and impartial" inspector general. Atkinson, a career prosecutor who was confirmed by the Senate in 2018, urged government employees and contractors to use "authorized channels to bravely speak up." "There is no disgrace in doing so," he said."

Goddamned right. You did exactly what you were hired to do. Did so heroically at great risk and personal cost. Honored your oath to uphold the United States Constitution. The national socialist, fascist, nazi Republican Senators who voted to acquit the Trump nazi, did not. Traitors. Gutless. Placed partisan interests before country.

"Atkinson believed the whistleblower complaint was "an urgent concern" and said he was required by law to provide it to congressional intelligence committees."

4-10-20

Trump again demonstrates egregious incompetence. United Press International reports:

"President Donald Trump on Friday nominated Justin Walker, a Kentucky judge who was a controversial pick for the federal bench when he was appointed on a party-line vote five months ago, for a seat on the Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals. Walker was approved for the Kentucky seat despite having never before been a judge and holding a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association for his lack of trial experience. Walker, 37, was a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, as well as Brett Kavanaugh when he was an appellate judge in Washington. Walker was a speechwriter for former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld before attending law school."

Trump and his henchmen are warped. Ideology trumps competence. No pun intended:

"In a statement announcing his nomination, the White House touted his work in private practice, his clerkships with Kennedy and Kavanaugh and his graduation magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was the notes editor for the Harvard Law Review. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a fellow Kentuckian, praised Walker and cited what he said is a need to assign a judge outside of Washington, D.C. to that particular court. "I think you cannot credibly argue that Justin Walker is not a judicial all-star," McConnell said. "I thought it might be a good idea to go outside the Beltway. There are plenty of D.C. lawyers that salivate over this job."

Jesus Christ. -- Mitch, you remain hopelessly clueless. Head, figuratively, remains securely lodged up your sorry ass.

"Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer pointed to Walker's poor ABA rating and his lack of experience as reason to cast doubt on the nomination. "Mr. Walker is less than 10 years out of law school, has never tried a case, has never served as co-counsel, and it's not clear how much of his 10 years has even been spent practicing law," Schumer said."

Wouldn't want to confuse them with the truth, would you, Senator? Then again, what are you and your fellow Democrats doing to combat this crap, -- other then empty rhetoric, that is, shit squat?

4-10-20

Thanks to nazis in Texas state government, women are denied convenient access to a constitutional right. CBS News reports:

"The average patient seeking an abortion in Texas must now travel more than 20 times farther than usual because of the state's temporary ban on the procedure, according to a new study from the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research organization. For some, it puts the procedure out of reach entirely."

Exactly as intended by Republican nazis desperate to force their outrageously perverse ideological and religious views on all. Currently, the Governor and Attorney General have denied access to abortion other than to save the life of the woman. Goddamned nazi bullshit. Direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion:

"Abortion services across Texas have been suspended since last Monday, when the Attorney General declared that the procedure must be temporarily halted as part of the state's ban on "non-essential" and "elective" medical procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, hundreds of patients have had their appointments canceled, leading some to travel to nearby states for the procedure despite stay-at-home orders."

Outrageous bullshit. The nazi element truly believes it has the right to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus. Liberty? What's that? No longer truly exists in a de facto fascist police-state. Why should women have to put up with this shit? Get this:

"Though abortion services are already limited in Texas and patients ordinarily face long travel times to receive care — the state is home to 21 clinics for its 6 million women of reproductive age — the temporary ban has made the situation more difficult, increasing travel distances from an average of 12 miles to 243 miles, a 1,925% increase, according to Guttmacher."

Nazis on the Right cheer this shit. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms as our formerly great country continues to come apart at the seams. Time to wake up. Before too late.

"The greater the increase in travel distance, the greater the hardship it causes, and the more likely it becomes that some individuals will not be able to obtain the care they need," said Rachel Jones, Guttmacher's principal research scientist and one of the authors of the study, in a statement shared with CBS News on Thursday ahead of the report's release."

Exactly as intended by our nazi Governor and Attorney General. Both of whom have repeatedly directly abrogated their falsely sworn oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution.

"Forcing people to overcome these challenges in the middle of a global pandemic places unconscionable burdens on them, and the consequences fall hardest on people who are already struggling to make ends meet and those who are marginalized from the health care system."

The Republican nazi element in our formerly great country couldn't care less. Democrats refuse to walk out the Senate in protest. Neither party is worth a shit.

Republicans are lying. Using the current pandemic crisis to deny a constitutional right. Like their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, they're congenital liars:

"In what officials say is an effort to preserve personal protective equipment for medical professionals, states across the Midwest and South have included abortion services in directives to suspend "non-essential" medical procedures. But abortion rights groups, as well as major medical professional organizations, say that abortion is essential healthcare, and by nature of pregnancy, time-sensitive."

No question. -- Don't want an abortion, don't have one. Don't, however, force your perverse ideological and religious views on the rest of us.

"In Guttmacher's report, the research group found that in every state that has limited abortion access amid the coronavirus outbreak, patients have faced increased travel times to receive the procedure, ranging from a 58% increase in distance in Kentucky to nearly 2,000% in Texas. For some, the increase in travel time and the costs associated with travel put the procedure out of reach. Guttmacher warned that those impacted the most by states' temporary bans on abortion will likely be low-income women and single mothers who won't be able to afford the time off work or travel costs."

Republican nazis are cheering like hell. Worthless Democrats, again, not walking out the U.S. Senate, Texas House, Texas Senate in protest. Sad, isn't it?

"Under ordinary circumstances, the burdens of extended travel—including taking time away from work, lost wages, finding childcare, securing lodging, and arranging transportation — can be incredibly difficult for people seeking abortion care," said Jones. "While we face the COVID-19 pandemic, all of these conditions are amplified as many individuals are dealing with lost jobs, concerns about exposure and, in some cases, various travel restrictions." Texas's suspension of abortion services is currently at the center of a high-profile lawsuit that will likely dictate whether other states will be allowed to continue their bans on the procedure. On Tuesday, a three-judge panel reversed a lower court's decision, allowing the ban to be reinstated until further review by the court. Until then, abortion services are not available in the state."

Raw nazism.

4-3-20

Reining in the Trump nazi? The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump declared that “I’ll be the oversight” as lawmakers were in the final days of drafting what became a $2.2 trillion rescue plan for American businesses. In the end, Congress ensured that won’t be the case."

LOL. Surprised?

"The legislation, designed in part to help businesses and corporations hammered by closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, creates multiple layers of accountability for the billions of dollars in loans, grants and direct cash that will soon flow from the federal government. The House passed the bill by voice vote on Friday and Trump immediately signed it. The new oversight system will test the relationship between the White House and Congress, which frayed after Democrats won the House and deteriorated severely during Trump’s impeachment as officials flouted requests for witnesses and documents."

Our fuhrer certainly doesn't like his 'authority' questioned or restricted:

"Trump immediately threw the oversight provisions into question, writing in a signing statement Friday night that the new law contains “several provisions that raise constitutional concerns." Trump said a new inspector general intended to monitor spending under the law would not be bound by requirements to report to the Congress ”without delay.” His administration “will continue the practice of treating provisions like these as advisory and non-binding.,” Trump said."

Haul his sorry ass to court as soon as that happens. Rein in our nazi fuhrer. Republicans are directly at fault for treasonously failing to rein in this insane, traitorous dictator. Democrats no better. Failed to walk out the Senate owned and operated by Republican national socialists, -- fascists who've shown no appearance of conservatism since the days of Barry Goldwater some six decades ago.

"Trump’s assertion of responsibility for the coronavirus funds came Monday evening as his Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, was on Capitol Hill crafting the package in late-night meetings with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had each introduced their own proposals, and Democrats said the Republican bill wasn’t strong enough, arguing that it would create a “slush fund” for corporations."

American Way, forget?

"In the end, the bipartisan final package incorporated much of what Democrats wanted, creating a trio of watchdogs, plus other checks, to try to ensure the money isn’t misused. It establishes an oversight board made up of inspectors general, called the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, stands up a separate dedicated inspector general position at the Treasury Department and creates a new committee of experts that reports to Congress. Other accountability measures include more money for watchdogs in multiple federal agencies and requirements that the administration file detailed reports that analyze the flow of cash as it happens. “Whenever you are appropriating over $2 trillion it’s important to ensure the money is spent the way it’s intended,” said Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Peters helped negotiate the oversight provisions with Schumer and the GOP chairman of the panel, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson. “This needs to be outside of politics, that’s the only way it has any credibility,” Peters said. Both Peters and House Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., suggested lawmakers could consider additional oversight provisions when Congress takes up more legislation to deal with the pandemic. Maloney praised the economic relief bill, but said Democrats “think it could go even further to protect American taxpayers, and we are continuing to examine additional options.”

Certainly, encouraging they're willing to do so.

"Watchdog groups that track government spending and oversight said the bill wasn’t perfect, but provides essential resources. Sean Moulton, a senior policy analyst at Project On Government Oversight, said his group is encouraged that there is “more than one lens of accountability” for the businesses that will be receiving the money. “We’re pleased that they aren’t putting all of their oversight eggs in one basket,” Moulton said. Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs for the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said she believed that Trump’s declaration that he could personally oversee the process likely ensured that stronger provisions were included. “It showed his hand,” Gilbert said. The bedrock of the new oversight is the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which will be made up of independent inspectors general. Modeled after a similar board created to monitor the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Program that rescued banks, the panel will have the ability to obtain documents, coordinate audits and identify waste and abuse. The board will report what they find on a central website. Separately, Trump will appoint a special inspector general inside the Treasury Department who will be able to inspect records and review how the money is doled out. That position will be confirmed by the Senate — a process that could take weeks if the chamber stays out until April 20, when senators are currently scheduled to return. Democrats also secured the creation of a congressional oversight commission that will oversee the Treasury Department. Experts on the panel will be appointed by House and Senate leaders. Maloney said “the ideal makeup” of the panel would be a diverse set of experts “to complement the other oversight bodies established under the bill.” The legislation also includes a provision ensuring that bailout funds are not given to companies where a federal official, including the president, has at least a 20% interest. Language directed at airlines would block stock buy-backs and limit executive compensation."

All is not peachy keen, however:

"Oversight groups fret that the legislation doesn’t give the inspector generals panel subpoena power. They also note that Trump will be the one to appoint Treasury’s inspector general, a potential wild card. “It’s all very personality driven,” said Scott Ellis of the group Taxpayers for Common Sense. “(Inspectors general) can be very effective and not so effective.” Negotiations on the bill churned until the end, with Democrats complaining in the hours before the vote that bipartisan language requiring the government to publish weekly lists of companies and entities that gain financing through the bailout funds was left out. Without this language, this information could have been kept secret from the public, the Democrats argued. The language ended up in the final version. And though the end product was bipartisan — the Senate vote was 96-0 — the two parties had sharp disagreement. Republican Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said during Senate debate that Democrats “wanted to make sure there was great transparency because they didn’t trust the Trump administration. So they built in an inspector general and additional people to watch the Treasury through the process." Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, senior Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said Democrats pushed for the provisions to put workers first. Lawmakers need to “make sure money actually ends up in the pockets of workers, not CEOs,” Brown said."

Good luck. LOL.

NPR reports:

"President Trump signed an historic $2 trillion coronavirus relief package on Friday just hours after the House approved it amidst the deepening crisis over the pandemic. "This will deliver urgently needed relief to our nation's families, workers and businesses. And that's what this is all about," Trump said at a signing ceremony in the Oval Office. The legislation signed on Friday was the subject of bipartisan agreement in Congress and is one of the largest relief packages in American history. The bill includes billions in business loans, along with direct payments to Americans and an expansion of unemployment insurance. With that action and with the U.S. now past 100,000 coronavirus cases, the White House task force convened its latest briefing early Friday evening."

Aryan arrogance of our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, remains unparalleled:

"Trump said he believed the federal government has been working well with most states in the disaster but he griped about complaints reported by Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, both Democrats."

Tough shit.

"Trump didn't identify the governors but alluded to Inslee's failed presidential primary bid and to criticism of the federal response by Whitmer. "I want them to be appreciative," Trump said. "I think the media and governors should appreciate it."

That right? Full of yourself, full of shit, Mr. 'President.' A goddamned narcissistic disgrace. -- Behavior akin to a national socialist, fascist dictator, a nazi fuhrer, not the president of the United States.

"The president gave a description that suggested that Pence has continued to serve as an interlocutor for those cases or others but Trump bristled about Inslee and "the woman in Michigan."

"Hi, my name is Gretchen Whitmer, and that governor is me ??

"I've asked repeatedly and respectfully for help. We need it. No more political attacks, just PPEs, ventilators, N95 masks, test kits. You said you stand with Michigan — prove it. https://t.co/FtWlTLZdqW
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) March 27, 2020

"Whitmer said on Twitter late Thursday that all she wanted was for the federal government to execute its responsibility to help the Wolverine State with medical equipment and supplies."

The narcissistic fascist currently occupying the Oval Office certainly doesn't like criticism, does he? LOL.

The Associated Press reports:

"Siding with public health experts’ dire projections, President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to extend restrictive social distancing guidelines through the end of April, while bracing the nation for a coronavirus death toll that could exceed 100,000 people."

Depending how long draconian restrictions continue, highly likely more people die from the shutdown of the economy than the pandemic.

Trump vacillates more frequently than he changes clothes:

“The worst that could happen is you do it too early and all of a sudden it comes back,” Trump said during a nearly hour-long call-in interview with “Fox & Friends” as members of his coronavirus task force fanned out across other media outlets to warn the virus’ spread was only just beginning. The comments came a day after Trump made a dramatic course reversal and announced that he would not be moving to ease the guidelines and get the economy back up and running by Easter, as he said last week he hoped to do. In the face of stark projections from his team and searing images of overwhelmed hospitals in his native New York City, Trump instead extended to April 30 the social distancing guidelines, which had been set to expire Monday. Many states and local governments already have stiffer controls in place on mobility and gatherings. Trump’s impulse to reopen the country, driven by pleas from business leaders, met a sober reality check from health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, who on Sunday said the U.S. could experience between 100,000-200,000 deaths and millions of infections from the pandemic."

The cash pay out to the poor and middle class is likely weeks away. $2.3 trillion remains a piss hole in the snow. Will evaporate quickly necessitating a return to the well. Not sustainable.

"For weeks, Trump had minimized the gravity of the pandemic, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday accused Trump of “denial” in the crisis and called it “deadly.” Asked whether she believes that attitude cost American lives, Pelosi told CNN: “Yes, I am. I’m saying that.” Trump lashed back on Fox Monday morning. “She’s a sick puppy in my opinion,” Trump said. “I think it’s a disgrace to her country, her family”

Proof positive neither political party is worth a shit.

NPR reports:

"President Trump is repeating his claim that the United States is doing more testing for the coronavirus than any other country. "We have more cases because we're doing far more testing than anybody in the world," the president said in a White House briefing on Sunday. The U.S has ramped up testing, but still lags other countries like Italy and South Korea, when it comes to testing on a per capita basis. The U.S. has performed 894,000 tests as of Saturday, according to Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, who is leading the testing effort. But the U.S population is around 327 million, which means about 1 in 366 people are getting tested. For comparison, Italy has a population of about 60 million and has done approximately 454,000 tests, meaning 1 in 133 people are being tested there — about three times more, per capita, than in the U.S. A new test that could speed things up was just granted "emergency-use authorization" by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday and will be rolled out this week. Abbott, the company that makes the test, says they can do about 50,000 tests per day. Some clinicians say this will be a game-changer, as it can provide results in under 15 minutes, instead of days. With the new test, patients will be able to swab themselves, reducing the risk of infection for health care workers."

The Washington Post reports:

"The Trump administration is requiring Americans who receive Social Security to file a tax return to receive their $1,200 economic stimulus payment, an added step that is causing confusion and could prevent millions from easy access to relief. Many lawmakers and advocates for the poor say filing a tax return shouldn’t be necessary for people on Social Security because the government already knows how to send this population monthly checks. The $2.2 trillion aid legislation, passed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, said that if someone has not filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return, the U.S. Treasury should get their information from Social Security, if applicable. But, the Internal Revenue Service posted a notice on its website on Monday instructing Social Security recipients who do not normally send in a return to file a “simple” tax return, which will be available soon. “People who typically do not file a tax return will need to file a simple tax return to receive an economic impact payment," the IRS said. “Low-income taxpayers, senior citizens, Social Security recipients, some veterans and individuals with disabilities who are otherwise not required to file a tax return will not owe tax.” A request to IRS and the Treasury Department for comment about the discrepancy was not returned. Democrats and some Republicans are upset that the Trump administration isn’t doing more to help ensure that as many Americans as possible get these payments during this national health emergency."

Our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, cares only for himself and the top of the food chain. To say nothing of his cronies in the corporate management suite.

"Thirty-four Democratic senators sent the White House a letter Wednesday asking why the Trump administration is placing this “significant burden” on senior citizens and the disabled. GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri called it “ridiculous."

"Despite language Congress passed in #COVID-19 relief bill to ensure Social Security beneficiaries would NOT have to file taxes to receive direct relief, IRS issued guidance saying seniors DO have to file taxes. That’s ridiculous. IRS should follow the law that Congress passed
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) April 1, 2020

“My colleagues and I strongly urge Treasury Secretary [Steven] Mnuchin and Social Security Administrator [Andrew] Saul to find a solution that will allow vulnerable groups to receive these funds automatically, without needing to file an additional return," said Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee."

Haul our nazi fuhrer into court.

"More than 15 million Americans on Social Security do not file an annual tax return because their income is so low, according to the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. During the last recession, when the U.S. government sent most Americans a stimulus check and required a filed tax return to get it, 3.5 million Social Security recipients were left out because they never sent a return, according to a 2008 Treasury Department analysis. There is concern that even more people won’t file during the pandemic. Many older Americans are worried about their health and safety, and it’s harder to get help with a tax return while stuck at home."

Apparently, what our traitorous fuhrer desperately wants.

“There is no need for Treasury to require those millions of Social Security recipients to file,” said Chye-Ching Huang, a tax expert at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “We just hope it’s a misunderstanding and they clear it up quickly. It’s a really simple fix.” Congress and the Treasury Department wanted to get the money out as quickly as possible, so they largely based the rules governing who gets the payments on the standards used in 2008, in the hope that the IRS could move faster. With so many millions of Americans out of work, the Trump administration is under pressure to quickly deliver these $1,200 payments to adults earning less than $75,000 a year and $500 payments to families with children younger than 17.

"Beyond the tax-filing hurdle, millions of other Americans are realizing that they don’t qualify for a coronavirus relief check. Most high school seniors and college students won’t get any money. The bill gives nothing to families for their children older than 16, a shock to many households already reeling from canceled graduations, and college students readjusting to life at home with so many universities shut down. Many immigrant families are also learning that they are ineligible. In order for anyone in the family to receive a payment, each person in the household — including children — is supposed to have a valid Social Security number."

4-3-20

Out of control nazis in our formerly great country doing all they can to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus. United Press International reports:

"The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood Federation of America filed a lawsuit Monday against Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' order halting abortions amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pat Garrett, a spokesman for Reynolds, told the Des Moines Register Friday that the governors' proclamation earlier this week to suspend "non-essential" medical procedures through mid-April included surgical abortion."

The fascist bastards are shamelessly forcing their perverse religious and ideological views on the rest of us in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion.

"The lawsuit filed in Johnson County District Court against Reynolds and other state officials "asks the court for an emergency injunction to block the Governor's Proclamation as it applies to abortions," an ACLU of Iowa statement said Monday. The suit was filed on behalf of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which offers services at health centers in Iowa and Nebraska, its medical director Jill Meadows, and the abortion clinic called Emma Goldman Clinic, based in Iowa City. "Abortion is an essential, time-sensitive medical procedure," Planned Parenthood's Iowa Executive Director Erin Davison-Rippey said in a statement. "We are in a critical moment for our state when we must come together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, not politicize health care services that are constitutionally protected. Iowans are doing all they can to protect their families and communities during this pandemic and Planned Parenthood is focused on providing our patients with crucial services they need." The Iowa Constitution grants women a fundamental right to abortion, according a recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling, which the lawsuit cites."

Sadly, the nazi element is too damned stupid to have a clue:

"Reynolds has been a vocal pro-life advocate for years and in 2018 signed one of the most restrictive state abortion bans in the nation into law, known as the "heartbeat" bill, banning the procedure after six weeks. The pro-life governor has defended her position and said it is not because of her ideology, but part of plan to deal with national shortage in medical equipment during the pandemic."

The Governor, just like her fuhrer the Trump nazi, is a goddamned liar.

"However, the lawsuit says the governor calling abortions non-essential procedures "flagrantly defies clear and binding constitutional precedent," showing "protected liberty interest in terminating an unwanted pregnancy." Officials in Texas, Ohio and Mississippi have also halted abortion procedures amid the pandemic."

In follow up to the last edition of this publication, CNN News reports:

"The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is allowing a controversial Texas executive order that blocks elective abortions during the coronavirus pandemic to remain in effect for now. The case tees up a battle between supporters of abortion rights and a handful of conservative states arguing that bans on elective abortions and other medical procedures are necessary to help preserve medical supplies."

They're liars deliberately imposing their perverse religious and ideological views on all in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion. Are deliberately, concertedly abrogating their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution.

"A divided panel of the appellate court on Tuesday put on hold a lower court opinion that blocked Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order -- requiring that health care providers "postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately medically necessary" to preserve a patient's life or condition -- from applying to elective abortions. The lower court had published its opinion on Monday. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had specified that "any type of abortion that is not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother" was included in the order, prompting a challenge from state abortion providers and national abortion rights groups last week."

The Governor and Texas Attorney General remain national socialists, fascists imposing their perverse religious and ideological views on all. 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 bullshit coming from the two nazis on the appeals court that voted for this outrageously unconstitutional decision:

"In Tuesday's 2-1 decision, the appeals court said it wants to give itself "sufficient time" to consider an emergency petition filed by Paxton. Judge Jennifer Elrod, a George W. Bush appointee, and Judge Kyle Duncan, a Donald Trump appointee, voted to freeze the lower court opinion."

Two treasonous nazis more than willing to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus.

"Judge James Dennis, a Bill Clinton appointee, dissented from the order. He noted that the lower court had already concluded that "irreparable harm would flow" from allowing the executive order to go into effect as it applies to abortions."

Goddamned right. These outrageously fascist 'judges' remain unfit to sit on the bench. Highly reminiscent of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, -- where abortion was indeed illegal in both national socialist dictatorships.

More abject bullshit:

"The court has ordered more briefings in the case. Paxton praised the court's ruling on Tuesday, asserting that the temporary stay "justly prioritizes supplies and personal protective equipment for the medical professionals in need."

You're a congenital liar just like your fuhrer, the Trump nazi, Mr. Attorney General. Why do you keep delaying your own day in court, Mr. Paxton? Extraordinarily hypocritical of you, sir, isn't it? Why is it the top of the food chain can do as it pleases usually with impunity while the bottom and middle class get the shaft rammed hard up the ass by Aryan arrogant fascist assholes like you, sir? Called nazi justice, Mr. Attorney General.

"But supporters of abortion rights accused Texas of playing politics. "Let's be clear, it is never the right time to play politics, but doing so in the wake of Covid-19 is a despicable low," Aimee Arrambide, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, said in a statement."

Expect better of the nazi element in our formerly great country, madam?

"Texas' case is the first such challenge to a coronavirus state order to reach the appeals court, but several others may follow."

Sue the living shit out of the nazi element. Expose them for precisely whom and what they truly are. National socialists, fascists, nazis. All three labels interchangeable.

"In addition to in Texas, federal judges in Alabama and Ohio also blocked state orders on Monday banning nonessential medical procedures from limiting abortion access during the outbreak after state abortion providers and abortions rights groups filed challenges earlier that day."

Good to see we still have judges willing to stand up to the nazi element.

"A similar challenge filed Monday awaits judicial consideration in Oklahoma, and other states, including Mississippi and Kentucky, that have also opted to issue such orders could face challenges."

Expose these treasonous, traitorous bastards for precisely whom and what they are. Fascists.

"Not all clinics have clashed with their state's governor in court. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky said they would comply with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb's executive order to postpone or cancel all elective or non-urgent procedures, including abortions, to conserve medical equipment. Holcomb said Tuesday that he would leave it up to a doctor to determine if postponing or canceling any of those procedures would cause harm to the patient."

Will prosecutors do the same? Certainly, be harm if a pregnant woman is forced to bring her pregnancy to term. Called nazism.

"Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky CEO Chris Charbonneau said the group would comply with the governor's directive but noted that their top priority is "ensuring that every person can continue accessing essential health care, including abortions."

Abject bullshit. Galling double talk. You're turning your backs on the women you serve, placing trust in government which is clearly unwarranted.

3-27-20

Insider trading? NBC News reports:

"Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., is facing calls to resign after reports Thursday that the powerful Intelligence Committee chairman had privately warned well-connected donors of the dire impacts of the coronavirus pandemic last month while selling off up to $1.6 million of his own stocks. ProPublica reported that Burr — who co-wrote an op-ed for Fox News in early February saying "the United States today is better prepared than ever before to face emerging public health threats, like the coronavirus" — unloaded the stock around mid-February, about a week before the market started to plunge because of coronavirus concerns. That included selling off up to $150,000 worth of shares of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, which has lost two-thirds of its value, ProPublica reported. He also dumped to $100,000 of shares of another hotel chain, Extended Stay America."

How about that? No end to the greed?

"ProPublica discovered, and NBC News has confirmed, the stock sell-offs in Burr's publicly available financial disclosure reports. The exact figures are unclear because the reports offer ranges of transactions. The Senate Intelligence Committee received a number of briefings and intelligence reports in January and February that included non-public information about the growing coronavirus pandemic, Senate aides have told NBC News. The intelligence remains classified — it's unclear what warnings were given and exactly when. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter that as chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Burr "got private briefings about Coronavirus weeks ago. Burr knew how bad it would be. He told the truth to his wealthy donors, while assuring the public that we were fine. THEN he sold off $1.6 million in stock before the fall. He needs to resign." The stock market has declined about 30 percent since Burr dumped the shares."

Fascinating, isn't it?

"A spokesperson for Burr said the sales were "personal transactions made several weeks before the U.S. and financial markets showed signs of volatility due to the growing coronavirus outbreak." "As the situation continues to evolve daily, he has been deeply concerned by the steep and sudden toll this pandemic is taking on our economy," the spokesperson said."

Covering his ass? LOL.

"Disclosure records also show that three other senators sold major holdings around the same time, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., and James Inhofe, R-Okla., according to The New York Times. In two tweets Thursday night, Loeffler, whose husband is the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, defended the stock sales and said the investment decisions are made without knowledge of her and her husband.

"I want to set the record straight: This is a ridiculous & baseless attack. I don’t make investment decisions for my portfolio. Investment decisions are made by multiple third-party advisors without my or my husband's knowledge or involvement.
— Kelly Loeffler (@KLoeffler) March 20, 2020"

Think so?

"She said in a follow-up tweet, "As confirmed in the periodic transaction report to Senate Ethics, I was informed of these purchases and sales on 02/16/2020 — three weeks after they were made." Meanwhile, a Feinstein spokesman told NBC News Friday: "Senator Feinstein did not sell any stock. The transactions you're referencing were made by her spouse. All of Senator Feinstein's assets are in a blind trust, as they have been since she came to the Senate. She has no involvement in any of her husband's financial decisions."

... No pillow talk? LOL. Give me a break.

"Earlier Thursday, NPR reported that Burr had delivered a stark warning on the likely fallout of the virus at a luncheon with donors and well-connected constituents on Feb. 27. "There's one thing that I can tell you about this: It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history," Burr said, according to a recording of the remarks obtained by NPR. "It is probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic." He also warned: "Every company should be cognizant of the fact that you may have to alter your travel. You may have to look at your employees and judge whether the trip they're making to Europe is essential or whether it can be done on videoconference. Why risk it?" Burr's office confirmed his attendance at the event and the authenticity of the recording to NBC News, but it disputed the characterization of the event. Burr pushed back on Twitter, as well, saying the lunch was hosted "by the North Carolina State Society. It was publicly advertised and widely attended. NPR knew, but did not report, that attendees also included many non-members, bipartisan congressional staff, and representatives from the governor's office." "Every state has a state society. They aren't 'secretive' or 'high-dollar donor' organizations. They're great civic institutions that bring people in D.C. together for events, receptions, and lunches. And they're open to anyone who wants to get involved," Burr tweeted. NPR reported that it had obtained a copy of the RSVP list for the event and that it included dozens of invited guests representing companies and organizations from North Carolina. The companies or their political committees donated more than $100,000 to Burr's election campaign in 2015 and 2016, NPR reported. NBC News has not seen the RSVP list and cannot confirm that independently. Burr's office said his comments at the luncheon were in line with other comments he's made publicly encouraging the government to use every tool at its disposal to fight the virus.

"On the same day Burr was speaking at the luncheon, President Donald Trump was telling reporters that the coronavirus is "going to disappear." "It could get worse before it gets better. It could maybe go away. We'll see what happens," Trump said."

The Associated Press reports:

"Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., is asking for an ethics review after coming under criticism for selling off as much as $1.7 million in stocks just before the market dropped in February amid coronavirus fears. Senate records show that Burr and his wife sold between roughly $600,000 and $1.7 million in more than 30 separate transactions in late January and mid-February, just before the market began to fall and as government health officials began to issue stark warnings about the effects of the virus. Several of the stocks were in companies that own hotels. In a statement Friday morning, Burr said he had asked for the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate the matter, “understanding the assumption many could make in hindsight.” Burr said he relied “solely on public news reports,” specifically CNBC’s daily health and science reporting out of its Asia bureaus, to make the financial decisions. There is no indication that Burr, who is not running for reelection when his terms ends in 2022, had inside information as he sold the stocks. The intelligence panel he leads did not have any briefings on the pandemic the week when most of the stocks were sold, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person declined to be identified to discuss confidential committee activity. Senators did receive a closed-door briefing on the virus on Jan. 24, which was public knowledge. A separate briefing was held Feb. 12 by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which Burr is a member of. It’s unclear if he attended either session. The stock sales were first reported by ProPublica and The Center for Responsive Politics. Most of them came on Feb. 13, just before Burr made a speech in Washington, D.C., in which he predicted severe consequences from the virus, including closed schools and cutbacks in company travel, according to audio obtained by National Public Radio and released Thursday. Burr told the small North Carolina State Society audience that the virus was “much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history” and “probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic.” Burr’s remarks were much more dire than remarks he had made publicly, and came as President Donald Trump was still downplaying the severity of the virus. In a tweet on Thursday, Burr said that Americans were already being warned about the effects of the virus when he made the speech to the North Carolina State Society. “The message I shared with my constituents is the one public health officials urged all of us to heed as coronavirus spread increased,” Burr wrote. “Be prepared.” Burr’s North Carolina colleague, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, tweeted Friday that Burr “owes North Carolinians an explanation” and that his referral to the ethics panel is appropriate. Tillis is up for re-election this year. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not answer questions about Burr’s stock sales when asked in the Capitol on Thursday."

"Also Friday, the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a Senate ethics complaint against Burr and Loeffler. “It appears that in a time of crisis, these senators chose instead to serve themselves, violating the public trust and abdicating their duty,” said Noah Bookbinder, the director of that group. “They must be immediately investigated.”

Burr sued. ABC News reports:

"An investor in Wyndham Hotel stock has sued Sen. Richard Burr in federal court, alleging the North Carolina Republican used inside information he learned as chairman of the Senate’s intelligence committee -- and which other investors could not have known -- to sell off his shares before they plummeted in value amid the coronavirus pandemic. "Senator Burr owed a duty to Congress, the United States government, and citizens of the United States, including Plaintiff, not to use material nonpublic information that he learned by virtue of his duties as a United States Senator in connection with the sale or purchase of any security," the lawsuit says. "Senator Burr breached that duty by selling stock, including Wyndham stock, based on that material nonpublic information." The senior Republican faced intense backlash last week after news reports revealed he sold up to $1.7 million in stocks -- many of them in key industries later crippled by the fallout from novel coronavirus -- on Feb. 13, before the markets began to tumble.

"Thomas P. O’Brien, a former federal prosecutor who filed the lawsuit on behalf of an investor named Alan D. Jacobson, said the civil case offers one potential remedy for investors who believe the senator gained an unfair advantage in knowing to sell the stock before it lost almost two-thirds of its market value. "The senator made an unusual trade," O’Brien said. "Our client was one of many people who traded without benefit of information that the senator had." O’Brien said he believes the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should investigate to determine whether Burr ran afoul of the STOCK Act, a law passed in 2012 that specifically precludes lawmakers from using their access to confidential or secret information to guide their investing. Burr was one of two senators who voted against the legislation. The lawsuit alleges Burr violated the STOCK Act."

Why no criminal investigation?

"Burr has disputed those allegations. He issued a statement on Twitter saying he did not use inside information to make his investment decisions, but elected to sell his holdings after he "closely followed CNBC’s daily health and science reporting out of its Asia bureaus at the time." Washington ethics experts from both political parties told ABC News they believe authorities should look into the details of the classified intelligence briefings Burr received during that timeframe. Matthew Sanderson, a Republican, is an ethics lawyer with the Washington, D.C., firm Caplin & Drysdale. His firm is not involved in the civil case. He told ABC News he harbors doubts about Burr’s statement, calling it a "last gasp type of defense." He said Burr’s assertion that he sold off his stocks based on television coverage of the outbreak would not explain why he, and not many other investors, acted on that public reporting. "To me that doesn’t hold any water," Sanderson said."

No kidding.

3-27-20

Trump makes a jackass of himself. NBC News reports:

"President Donald Trump excoriated an NBC News correspondent as a “terrible reporter” on Friday after he asked the president to calm Americans who were scared because of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump’s latest personal broadside on the media came at a news briefing in which he appeared to minimize the fears of the American public by saying there was cause for optimism about drug therapies for coronavirus — treatments that one of his top government scientists had said were not at all proven. At the Trump administration's coronavirus task force's daily briefing, Trump’s director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, made clear that any evidence about drug therapies being tested at the moment was strictly “anecdotal” and not the product of a “clinical trial.” “You really can’t make any definitive statement about it,” Fauci said. Moments earlier, Fauci was asked whether there was any evidence that one such drug— hydroxychloroquine — might be used as an effective prophylactic measure against coronavirus. "The answer is no," Fauci replied. Trump nevertheless said that he felt "good" about the treatments and that the federal government had already ordered "millions of units" of them."

Expect better of a congenital liar?

"NBC News’ Peter Alexander, a White House correspondent and a weekend anchor of "TODAY," then asked Trump whether his “positive spin” regarding the potential treatments was giving Americans false hope. “Is it possible that your impulse to put a positive spin on things may be giving Americans a false sense of hope?” Alexander asked. “No, I don’t think so,” Trump replied. “It may work, it may not work, Trump said. “I feel good about. That’s all it is, it’s a feeling.” Alexander responded by asking Trump to talk directly to Americans who are scared by the pandemic, which triggered the president to reply with an insult. "What do you say to Americans who are scared though? I guess, nearly 200 dead, 14,000 who are sick, millions, as you witnessed, who are scared right now," Alexander asked. "What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?" “I say that you’re a terrible reporter,” Trump said. “That’s what I say. I think that’s a very nasty question.” "The American people are looking for answers and they’re looking for hope, and you’re doing sensationalism," Trump said. "Let’s see if it works," the president added about possible treatments. "It might and it might not. I happen to feel good about it, but who knows, I’ve been right a lot. Let’s see what happens," he added."

Think this piece of shit fit for office?

"NBC News Chairman Andy Lack defended Alexander. “Peter Alexander is an outstanding reporter. His line of questioning at today’s White House briefing was fair, straightforward, and necessary," he said in a statement Friday."

Indeed. No question.

"U.S. stocks, which had been up for the day before Trump began the news conference, tumbled steadily as the president spoke. In recent trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down nearly 200 points, or about 1 percent. Trump returned to the topic of media coverage later in the news conference, using another question from another reporter to levy an additional attack on Alexander. Trump was asked if he felt "going off on Peter" was "appropriate when the country is going through something like this," "I do," Trump replied. "I’ve dealt with Peter for a long time," Trump said. "And I think Peter is not a good journalist."

Why? Because he rightfully challenges a lying jackass?

3-27-20

Democrats have finally found some semblance of courage. Think it'll last? LOL. The Washington Post reports:

"Democrats blocked a $2 trillion coronavirus rescue bill for the second day in a row Monday, as near-pandemonium erupted on the Senate floor with lawmakers venting fury about their failed efforts to address the pandemic’s impact on the U.S. economy. Ahead of the vote, Senators clashed angrily over delays that had bogged down the giant bill, reflecting uncertainty about whether Congress would be able to reach a deal later in the day. Some lawmakers had hoped to reach an agreement three days ago, but talks kept breaking down even as they negotiated throughout the weekend. The vote was 49-46, far short of the 60 vote threshold needed to advance the legislation for a final debate. “This has got to stop and today is the day it has to stop,” an exasperated Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on the Senate floor. “The country is out of time.”

That right, Mitch? Then why the hell do national socialist, outrageously fascist Republicans insist on using this crisis to line the pockets of the corporate management suite and shareholders?

More bullshit:

"McConnell accused Democrats of holding up the sorely needed rescue package so they can try to add extraneous provisions sought by special interests and organized labor. On Sunday as well Democrats had refused to support the key procedural vote that would have made it easier to pass the bill, with many Democrats complaining that the legislation was tilted too far toward helping corporations and didn’t do enough for health care workers or people who had lost their jobs."

That's right. The top of the food chain does not need a handout. Those on the bottom and middle class desperately need help. You and your cronies, Mitch, haven't a clue. Or, simply don't give a shit.

“Democrats are filibustering programs to keep people on the payroll? And they’re filibustering a huge expansion of unemployment insurance, which they themselves negotiated and put into the bill?,” McConnell said."

Disingenuous bullshit, Mitch. Been on the corporate dole so long you have no conception of reality, and/or what's truly going down? Or, are you simply a congenital liar like your fuhrer, the Trump nazi?

"Following McConnell on the floor, Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) insisted he is continuing to negotiate in good faith with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and hopes to secure a deal as long as he can ensure worker protections are included, and that a huge $500 billion fund for industries has appropriate controls. “We have an obligation to get the details right, get them done quickly,” Schumer said. “That doesn’t mean blindly accepting a Republican-only bill.”

Democrats have failed to effectively stand up to the Trump nazi, his henchmen, and Republicans in Congress since our fuhrer took office.

Schumer finally finding some backbone? Get this:

"As markets fell on Monday, the Senate floor then descended into an uproar as Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) sought recognition to speak, which Schumer objected to, prompting Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to exclaim, “This is bullshit!” and Collins to say, “This is unbelievable.” Schumer then argued with Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who was presiding over the Senate, to get recognized and get McConnell to explain the schedule ahead. Once that happened, the Senate agreed to proceed to a repeat of Sunday’s procedural vote, only to have it fail again. The fireworks weren’t over on the floor as Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and McConnell got into it, with McConnell lecturing Manchin about Senate process in an unusual exchange. Summing it all up was Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.), who took his turn on the Senate floor, shaking his head before declaring: “This country was founded by geniuses but it’s being run by a bunch of idiots.”

That's right. Both parties are not worth a shit. For totally different reasons. Aren't we, the people, lucky? LOL.

“You know what the American people are thinking right now?” Kennedy inquired rhetorically. “They’re thinking that the brain is an amazing organ. It starts working in a mother’s womb and it doesn’t stop working til you get elected to Congress.”

Problem, across the board. Sadly, all segments of society, -- throughout educational institutions, the churches, workplace, corporate management suite. Ubiquitous.

"The fiery developments reflected what was at stake as well as rising tensions among lawmakers over the nation’s predicament and what’s happening in the Senate itself, where Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced Sunday he has covid-19 and four other GOP senators are quarantined. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) disclosed Monday that her husband, too, is infected with the virus."

Democrats repeatedly failed to walk out the Senate in protest last three years this insanity has been going on. Failed to combat the growing nazism embraced by the Republican Party.

"The Dow Jones industrial average has lost more than 10,000 points in six weeks, and several million Americans have already lost their jobs as the economy contracts in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. A growing number of states are directing citizens to stay home to avoid more contagion, putting pressure on businesses who are losing workers and customers."

Market long overdue for a correction. Status quo unsustainable. -- More people likely dying ultimately from the failed economy than the pandemic should the draconian measures put into effect stand indefinitely, and/or worsen. To date, all measures put into effect have not been effective in controlling its spread anyway.

"Monday’s talks got underway the morning after Senate Democrats voted to block the bill from advancing, infuriating Republicans. Democrats have alleged the bill does too much to help prop up businesses without directing enough money to households, hospitals and health professionals. White House officials have acknowledged the unprecedented assistance the legislation would steer toward corporations, but they have said this money would help protect millions of jobs."

Unadulterated bullshit. Will wind up lining the pockets of the corporate management suite and shareholders at expense of the work force as has been the problem for decades. Time to wake up.

"The legislation aims to flood the economy with money, from individuals to small businesses to large industries amid a wave of layoffs and a sharp contraction in consumer spending. It would direct $1,200 to most adults and $500 to most children. It would also create a $500 billion lending program for businesses, cities and states and another $350 billion to help small businesses meet payroll costs."

Piss hole in the snow. What happens when that money is quickly exhausted? Wake up.

"Democratic concerns have focused on a $500 billion funding program for loans and loan guarantees Republicans want to create, which some Democrats are labeling a “slush fund” because the Treasury Department would have broad discretion over who receives the money. There is little precedent for a program with a similar size and scope."

No pending viable solution to a rapidly growing problem:

"With more than 35,000 confirmed covid-19 cases in the United States, the impacts of the crisis were growing worse and worse."

Get this:

"Democrats have complained the bill assembled by Senate Republicans gives too many benefits to corporations with little oversight of how the money is spent. Trump on Sunday seemed to acknowledge Democrats’ concerns, while insisting he did not want to offer bailouts. “I don’t want to give a bailout to a company and then have somebody go out and use that money to buy back stock in the company and raise the price and then get a bonus,” Trump said Sunday at the White House. “So I may be Republican, but I don’t like that. I want them to use the money for the workers.”

Think so? LOL.

NBC News reports:

"Tensions are beginning to brew among the president, his advisers and public health experts over how long America needs to be shut down as they weigh the devastating economic cost of social isolation against the public health benefits."

Imagine that. Finally, a dose of reality? Couldn't be, could it? LOL.

"Administration officials, eager to get the country back to business, have grown increasingly concerned in recent days about the economic impact the tight restrictions on movement and social interactions are having. These officials said they worry that the White House went too far in allowing public health experts to set policy and that their actions did not need to be so draconian. Public health officials have pushed the White House to urge Americans to stay at home in an effort to blunt the spread of the virus and "flatten the curve" of new cases. Officials in Italy were slow to isolate affected regions and limit movement, leading to one of the world's worst outbreaks so far."

Already happening here even with the restriction in movement.

"There is hope that the expiration next Monday of the administration’s "15 Days to Slow the Spread" guidelines, which urge people to stay at home if they are older or feeling sick or have been in contact with someone infected, could serve as a light at the end of the tunnel and a possible pivot point to restart the economy.

"Trump’s frustrations spilled into public overnight, tweeting, in all caps, that “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO.” He later retweeted a series of supporters Monday, who appeared concerned about his re-election prospects given the potential long-term impact of this crisis: "After 15 days are over the world can begin to heal," one retweet read."

Prime mover for our fuhrer is indeed his re-election and lining of the pockets of shareholders and the corporate management suite. Certainly, not the bottom and middle class bearing the brunt of this financial f--king imposed not by the pandemic but government in response.

Matters not whether Trump reverses the 15 day executive order. Governors have already imposed far stricter restrictions and are not likely to remove them any time soon. ... Hear the rumble? -- As the financial disaster increases by the day, hoarding continues as supermarkets continue to struggle restocking shelves, and both parties in Congress continue to make jackasses of themselves.

The Associated Press reports:

“I’ve felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic,” Trump insisted last week, adopting a newly somber tone about the crisis enveloping the globe as he urged Americans to work from home and prodded the nation’s cities and states to issue restrictions to promote social distancing. “I’ve always viewed it as very serious.” But his claim doesn’t match his rhetoric over the last two months before the World Health Organization declared the virus outbreak a pandemic. Trump instead repeatedly claimed COVID-19 was under “control” in the U.S. and suggested it would incur little economic damage, possibly disappearing magically by April. He now acknowledges the outbreak could stretch until August with a possible recession along the way. Trump’s statements came in a week of inflated expectations by him about an end game to the coronavirus crisis. He suggested that a drug to treat COVID-19 was at hand and that automakers would be able to manufacture medical ventilators “fast” enough to help fill an acute U.S. shortage of the medical equipment for patients. Neither of those claims is true."

That's right.

"A look at the rhetoric and reality:

"TRUMP: “I’ve always known this is a — this is a real — this is a pandemic. I’ve felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic. All you had to do is look at other countries. ... No, I’ve always viewed it as very serious.” — briefing Tuesday.

"THE FACTS: Not once did Trump describe the COVID-19 outbreak as a possible pandemic until after the WHO declared it so on March 11. On the contrary, from January until March, he repeatedly suggested the virus was under “control” and that cases were going “down, not up” and would even completely disappear with warm weather by April, often contradicting his own health experts. Trump also has described the coronavirus as a “hoax,” although he later made clear that he was referring to Democratic criticism of his handling of the outbreak. Asked, for instance, by CNBC on Jan. 22 if there were worries about a pandemic, Trump said, “No. Not at all. And — we’re — we have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.” In February, he asserted that coronavirus cases were going “very substantially down, not up” and told Fox Business News it will be fine because “in April, supposedly, it dies with the hotter weather. And that’s a beautiful date to look forward to.” “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear,” he added on Feb. 27. “It’s got the world aflutter, but it’ll work out,” Trump told a meeting of the National Association of Counties on March 3."

Report goes on and on. Trump remains a congenital liar.

NBC News reports:

"An Arizona man has died after ingesting chloroquine phosphate — believing it would protect him from becoming infected with the coronavirus. The man's wife also ingested the substance and is under critical care. The toxic ingredient they consumed was not the medication form of chloroquine, used to treat malaria in humans. Instead, it was an ingredient listed on a parasite treatment for fish. The man's wife told NBC News she'd watched televised briefings during which President Trump talked about the potential benefits of chloroquine. Even though no drugs are approved to prevent or treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, some early research suggests it may be useful as a therapy. "We were afraid of getting sick." The name "chloroquine" resonated with the man's wife, who asked that her name not be used to protect the family's privacy. She'd used it previously to treat her koi fish. "I saw it sitting on the back shelf and thought, 'Hey, isn't that the stuff they're talking about on TV?'" The couple — both in their 60s and potentially at higher risk for complications of the virus — decided to mix a small amount of the substance with a liquid and drink it as a way to prevent the coronavirus. "We were afraid of getting sick," she said. Within 20 minutes, both became extremely ill, at first feeling "dizzy and hot." "I started vomiting," the woman told NBC News. "My husband started developing respiratory problems and wanted to hold my hand." She called 911. The emergency responders "were asking a lot of questions" about what they'd consumed. "I was having a hard time talking, falling down." Shortly after he arrived at the hospital, her husband died. On Monday, Banner Health, based in Arizona, said the couple took the additive called chloroquine phosphate. The couple unfortunately equated the chloroquine phosphate in their fish treatment with the medication —known as hydroxychloroquine — that has recently been touted as a possible treatment for COVID-19, which has infected more than 42,000 people in the U.S. and killed at least 462. Dr. Daniel Brooks, medical director of Banner Poison and Drug Information Center, said in a statement: "Given the uncertainty around COVID-19, we understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus, but self-medicating is not the way to do so." On Friday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control pleaded with its people not to engage in self-medication with chloroquine, as it "will cause harm and can lead to death." The country had reported at least two such poisonings.

"#FactsNotFear@WHO has NOT approved the use of chloroquine for #COVID19 management. Scientists are working hard to confirm the safety of several drugs for this disease.

"Please DO NOT engage in self-medication. This will cause harm and can lead to death.#COVID19Nigeria pic.twitter.com/K6kljq0VtW
— NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 20, 2020

"The Food and Drug Administration has not approved chloroquine to treat the coronavirus, and studies of its safety and effectiveness are just beginning. The Arizona woman now warns others to listen to medical professionals for the best coronavirus advice. "Be careful and call your doctor," she said. "This is a heartache I'll never get over."

The Associated Press reports:

"The Trump administration is rejecting appeals to slow its deregulatory drive while Americans grapple with the coronavirus, pushing major public health and environmental rollbacks closer to enactment in recent days despite the pandemic. As Americans stockpiled food and medicine and retreated indoors and businesses shuttered in hopes of riding out COVID-19, federal agencies in recent days moved forward on rollbacks that included a widely opposed deregulatory action by the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposed rule would require disclosure of the raw data behind any scientific study used in the rulemaking process. That includes confidential medical records that opponents say could be used to identify people."

Nazi America. De facto fascist police-state under our fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

The Associated Press reports:

"The White House and Senate leaders announced agreement Wednesday on an unparalleled, $2 trillion emergency bill to rush aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. It’s the largest economic rescue bill in history. The package is intended as a weekslong or monthslong patch for an economy spiraling into recession or worse and a nation facing a grim toll from an infection that’s killed nearly 20,000 people worldwide. Underscoring the effort’s sheer magnitude, the bill finances a response with a price tag that equals half the size of the entire $4 trillion annual federal budget."

What happens when the money quickly runs out with people out of work, businesses shut down indefinitely? What then?

"McConnell and Schumer said passage of the legislation was expected in the Republican-led Senate by the end of the day. After a banner day on Tuesday as the package took shape, the stock market rallied even more on Wednesday. That would leave final congressional approval up to the Democratic-controlled House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the bipartisan agreement “takes us a long way down the road in meeting the needs of the American people” but she stopped short of fully endorsing it. “House Democrats will now review the final provisions and legislative text of the agreement to determine a course of action,” she said. House members are scattered around the country and the timetable for votes in that chamber is unclear. House Democratic and Republican leaders have hoped to clear the measure for President Donald Trump’s signature by a voice vote without having to call lawmakers back to Washington. But that may prove challenging, as the bill is sure to be opposed by some conservatives upset at its cost and scope. Ardent liberals were restless as well.

Subsequent to the above, the Senate passed a $2 trillion package. The legislation now moves on to the House. Unemployment claims stood at 3.3 million last week. A record. More on all this in the next edition.

3-27-20

Republican nazis in Ohio and Texas are taking advantage of the pandemic to restrict access to abortion. The Associated Press reports:

"Orders by the governors of Texas and Ohio to stop all non-essential surgeries in those states have unleashed a new battle over access to abortions during the coronavirus pandemic. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide order Sunday to curb the use of medical supplies hospitals will need as they prepare for escalating infections in the spreading of COVID-19. The order bars hospitals from performing surgeries unless the patient faces an immediate risk for “serious adverse medical consequences or death, as determined by the patient’s physician.” An Abbott spokesman confirmed that would cover abortion in most cases while the order is in place until April 21. Texas anti-abortion activists hailed the move amid the COVID-19 crisis. “The abortion industry has been consuming and hoarding medical supplies that are in desperate need around the state including masks, gloves, and other protective gear for medical professionals,” Texas Right to Life said in a statement Monday."

-- Goddamned bullshit and any excuse at all to force their outrageously perverse ideological and religious views on all. In direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion. ... National socialist, fascist nazis like Hitler and Mussolini who banned abortion in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

"Clinics in Ohio received letters from Republican Attorney General Dave Yost on Friday ordering them to cease all “non-essential” surgical abortions. Yost wrote that the procedures violate a March 17 order issued by the state health director. Clinics, abortion rights groups and some state lawmakers pushed back, saying abortions are both essential and time-sensitive. “During an emergency, there is always a chance of government overreach under the guise of ‘security’ or adherence to ‘law and order,’” the Ohio Democratic Women’s Legislative Caucus said in a statement. “In times of national crisis, we have seen egregious acts that have circumvented our freedoms before. And make no mistake – we are seeing them today.”

Goddamned right. Nazi America. Courtesy of national socialist Republicans and the failure of gutless Democrats to stand up to the nazi element in our formerly great country.

CBS News reports:

"The Texas Attorney General's office on Monday ordered all clinics that provide abortion to immediately stop providing the procedure in order to comply with the state's temporary suspension of surgeries that are not deemed "medically necessary," according to a statement from the office shared with CBS News. Texas is the latest state to halt abortion services amid the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the Attorney General's office, "any type of abortion that is not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother" must be suspended. Those in violation will face "penalties of up to $1,000 or 180 days of jail time."

Raw nazism in a de facto fascist police-state. Courtesy of Republican nazis.

"On Sunday evening, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order "to expand hospital bed capacity as the state responds to the COVID-19 virus." On Monday afternoon, the state's Attorney General, Ken Paxton, clarified that abortion services would need to be suspended as part of that directive. "No one is exempt from the governor's executive order on medically unnecessary surgeries and procedures, including abortion providers," Paxton said in a statement shared with CBS News on Monday afternoon. "Those who violate the governor's order will be met with the full force of the law."

Raw nazism in a de facto fascist police-state. ... How is it, Mr. Attorney General, you've managed to indefinitely stall your day in court? Undue influence on the judiciary, sir? Finest lawyers money can buy?

"At the time of publication, it was not immediately clear whether or not the state's 22 health clinics that offer the procedure would comply with the order. A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood said the organization was reviewing the order, and did not clarify whether its three health clinics in Texas would stop offering all abortion services. "The priority of all Planned Parenthood health centers in Texas is the health and safety of our patients and staff, and ensuring that Texans can access essential health care, including abortion," said Ken Lambrecht, Melaney A. Linton, and Jeffrey Hons, the respective heads of Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast and Planned Parenthood South Texas, in a statement shared with CBS News. Amy Hagstrom Miller, the president of Whole Woman's Health, which operates three health centers in Texas that offer abortion, said abortion was "essential healthcare, and... a time-sensitive procedure." "Emergency actions during a global pandemic should advance health and safety for us all, not force people to delay much-needed care and possibly exacerbate their health situations by doing so," Miller said in a statement to CBS News on Monday. "Patients cannot wait until this pandemic is over to receive safe abortion care." A spokesperson for Whole Woman's Health did not specify whether the clinics planned to comply with Paxton's order."

Need to challenge this in court.

"Texas joins Ohio in ordering the suspension of abortion service as part of state-wide directives to preserve personal protective equipment and other medical resources for those treating coronavirus. Over the weekend, Ohio's attorney general issued guidance that any abortion procedure requiring the use of personal protective equipment, which includes things like gloves and masks, must stop as part of the state Health Department's directive to discontinue "non-essential" surgeries."

Not all are taking this shit lying down:

"But at least five of Ohio's six surgical providers say abortion is essential and time-sensitive. Because of that, they say there won't be any interruption of services. "Planned Parenthood's top priority is ensuring that every person can continue accessing essential health care, including abortion. We know your health care can't wait," said Iris E. Harvey and Kersha Deibel, the respective heads of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, in a statement provided to CBS News. "Abortion is an essential, time-sensitive medical procedure."

It is. Who the hell are national socialist, fascist Republicans to force their perverse religious and ideological views on others in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion?

"In Texas, access to abortion is already limited, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion-rights research organization. Patients seeking the procedure must undergo state-directed counseling designed to discourage them from having an abortion. Doctors are also not allowed to perform an abortion after 20 weeks post-fertilization, or 22 weeks after a patient's last menstrual cycle unless the patient's life was in jeopardy, they faced "severely compromised physical health," or the fetus faced "lethal anomaly," according to Guttmacher."

... Hear the rumble?

Subsequent to the above, Planned Parenthood quickly sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in federal court for his recent ban on abortion. More on this in the next edition.

3-27-20

Trump can't muzzle dissent. The Washington Post reports:

"A federal appeals court in New York on Monday let stand a ruling that prevents President Trump from blocking critical voices from the Twitter account he uses to communicate with the public. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit denied the Trump administration's request to revisit an earlier holding that Trump violated the First Amendment when he blocked individual Twitter users who were critical of the president or his polices. “Excluding people from an otherwise public forum such as this by blocking those who express views critical of a public official is, we concluded, unconstitutional,” wrote Judge Barrington D. Parker."

Indeed.

“Twitter is not just an official channel of communication for the President; it is his most important channel of communication,” the judge concluded in a decision with implications for how elected officials throughout the country use social media platforms to communicate with constituents."

3-20-20

If there is no reproductive freedom, there is no freedom at all. Republican national socialists, fascists delusionally believe they get to dictate what a woman can and cannot do with HER uterus. CBS News reports:

"All six women in the Utah Senate walked out in protest and refused to vote before the chamber passed a bill mandating that a woman be shown an ultrasound before receiving an abortion. Republican Sen. Deidre Henderson said the walkout late Tuesday was a spontaneous decision to underscore concerns about the "invasive nature" of the bill. The six women lawmakers - two Republicans and four Democrats - would not have changed the outcome. Five Republican men voted against the measure that passed 16-7. Henderson said she opposes abortion but the mandatory ultrasound proposal went too far. It would require showing a pregnant woman images and making the fetal heartbeat audible, if possible."

Who the hell is the Nazi Right in our formerly great country to force its perverse religious views on all? First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion.

"Women now get an ultrasound before abortions, but providers aren't required to show them the results. Under the bill, doctors could be fined $100,000 or more if they perform the procedure without showing an ultrasound. "It was sisterhood coming together, so that's what it is," Democratic Sen. Luz Escamilla told CBS affiliate KUTV. "We felt really concerned about how invasive that is."

None of the government's business what a woman does or doesn't do with HER uterus before or after she's impregnated. Republican nazis can't seem to understand this. Haven't a clue. Their perverse ideological and religious beliefs blind them to a basic tenet of liberty, -- the right to determine whether one's uterus will or will not be used to bring a pregnancy to term. Called freedom.

"Republican Sen. Curtis Bramble, who is sponsoring the bill in the Senate, said a woman could look away from the images or not listen to the heartbeat."

Who the hell is an Aryan arrogant Republican nazi to force his perverse ideological and religious views on another?

"If you are going to take the life of a child, if you are willing to terminate that life through an abortion, it seems appropriate that you get the best information about the development, the stage of development, heart beat - we are talking about a human being," Bramble told the Deseret News."

Who the hell are you, Senator, to ignorantly, condescendingly assume a woman does not know precisely what she is and isn't doing when she has an abortion? Time for the nazi element to figuratively remove its head from its ass. No one is forcing assholes who think like you to get an abortion. No one. Mind your own goddamned business. Ferociously pointedly?

Where is your opposition to the fact the law enforcement community murders innocent, unarmed civilians with near impunity throughout our formerly great country? Embraces a 'shoot first, ask questions later' mentality. The hypocrisy of the Nazi Right in our failed nation is staggering. Moreover, your collective gutless silence vis a vis such de facto legalized murder perpetrated by police with near impunity speaks volumes. How do you fascists sleep nights?

"Before the vote, Henderson successfully added an amendment prohibiting a transvaginal ultrasound, a procedure she called "incredibly invasive." The bill now returns to the House for consideration of the amendment. Three medical organizations have asked Republican Gov. Gary Herbert to veto the proposed ultrasound mandate, and a fourth has taken a neutral position, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Sen. Karen Mayne said she was sad that women had to tell their own life stories as they spoke against the bill, and yet their male colleagues didn't appear to believe the proposal was too invasive. "Why do we have to explain to you why this is not right? Why?" she said."

... Hear the rumble? As our formerly great country continues to deteriorate, an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Time to wake up. Before too late.

3-20-20

Trump blocked. NPR reports:

"A federal judge has issued an injunction blocking the Trump administration from adopting a rule change that would force nearly 700,000 Americans off food stamps, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The rule change was set to take effect April 1. In a ruling issued Friday evening in Washington, D.C., U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell called the rule change capricious, arbitrary and likely unlawful. The rule change would have required able-bodied adults without children to work at least 20 hours a week in order to qualify for SNAP benefits past three months. It would also have limited states' usual ability to waive those requirements depending on economic conditions. The preliminary injunction will preserve that flexibility. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it was adopting the rule change in December, but critics have called on the department to suspend implementation, especially in light of the economic crisis spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the department planned to move ahead with the rule. While the rule applies to "able-bodied adults without dependents," anti-hunger advocates note that category can include parents who don't have primary custody of their kids, youths who have recently aged out of foster care and some low-income college students. In her ruling, Howell cited concerns raised by the spread of coronavirus and its effect on the most vulnerable Americans. "Especially now, as a global pandemic poses widespread health risks, guaranteeing that government officials at both the federal and state levels have flexibility to address the nutritional needs of residents and ensure their well-being through programs like SNAP, is essential," she wrote. The change to SNAP is now blocked from taking effect pending the outcome of a lawsuit by 19 states plus the District of Columbia and New York City."

The judge did the right thing. Here's why:

"This is a major victory for our country's most vulnerable residents who rely on SNAP to eat," D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine, who co-led the coalition behind the lawsuit, said in a statement. "The Trump administration's rule would have forced hundreds of thousands of people who could not find work, including 13,000 District residents, to go hungry. That could have been catastrophic in the midst of our current public health emergency." "At a time of national crisis, this decision is a win for common sense and basic human decency," New York Attorney General Letitia James, who co-led the coalition with Racine, said in a statement. Her office noted that the change would have denied SNAP benefits to more than 50,000 people in New York City alone. "As we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic," James said, "the effects of this rule would be more destructive than ever."

3-20-20

In follow up to an earlier report in this publication and elsewhere, The Washington Post reports:

"AFTER A Post investigation showed the Secret Service being charged high rates to stay at Trump Organization properties while guarding President Trump, his son Eric, who helps run the company while his father is in the White House, disputed the account. “I joke all the time,” he said Feb. 14 on “Fox News Rundown,” “that I would like nothing more than to never have another person from the government stay at one of our properties because it displaces a true paying guest.” He suggested the company is actually doing the government a favor in what it charges, claiming it has lost “a fortune.” Turns out the joke is on U.S. taxpayers."

Certainly, is. Taxpayers fleeced. So what else is new? LOL.

"Documents recently released by the Secret Service to the watchdog group Public Citizen in response to a three-year-old public record request reveal that Mr. Trump’s company charged the Secret Service $157,000 more than had previously been known, billing the agency for rooms at Mar-a-Lago and other clubs at rates higher than his company had claimed. Previous reporting by Post reporters who had pieced together receipts from other public record requests identified $471,000 worth of payments, bringing the new known total to about $628,000. Most of the spending detailed so far in the publicly available records is from 2017 and 2018, so the full extent of what the Trump Organization is charging — in an unprecedented business relationship between a president and his own government — is still unknown."

How about that? Couldn't be, could it? LOL.

“That is not how the process is supposed to work. Responding in 2020 with information from 2017 and 2018 is not okay,” said Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen. Indeed. Why has there been such secrecy? The Secret Service has failed to include payments in public databases, as has been past practice, and has not filed the required reports of its spending to Congress. The Trump Organization has refused to provide information, and its claims — “If my father travels, they stay at our properties for free — meaning, like, cost for housekeeping, ” said Eric Trump last year — have been proved false."

Chip off the old block? LOL.

"One of the more revealing — and disturbing — details to emerge from reporting on this matter by ProPublica centered on the difference in the room rate charged to Secret Service agents and to an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The non-Secret Service government employee — unlike the Secret Service — had to adhere to government limits on hotel rates and paid less than half of what was charged to the Secret Service. For the same night."

Interesting, isn't it?

"Previous presidents have not charged the Secret Service to use space on their properties, but then none of them similarly owned or benefited from commercial enterprises while in office. That puts Mr. Trump in a special category. The decent thing would be to accommodate — not to take advantage of — the officers who protect him, and the citizens who pay their way."

No end to greed of the Trump nazi, is there?

3-20-20

Trump struts his stuff. Makes a jackass of himself. ABC News reports:

"President Donald Trump on Wednesday started his latest briefing to the nation on how the government is responding to the coronavirus crisis by saying, "I would like to begin by announcing some important developments in our war against the Chinese virus," again casting the effort in military terms and referring to the disease with a term that has sparked backlash. Trump called himself "in a sense, a wartime president."

Think so?

"Trading on Wall Street was halted as Trump spoke when circuit breakers kicked in as the Dow plunged."

Sad, isn't it? Portend of far worse to come?

"We’ll be invoking the Defense Production Act, just in case we need it," Trump said. "In other words -- I think you will know what it is -- and it can do a lot of good things if we need it, and we will have it all completed, signing it in just a little while, right after I'm finished with this conference. I'll be signing it," he said, giving him the power to direct civilian businesses to help meet orders for products necessary for the national defense."

Think this man fit for office?

"We are sending, upon request, the two hospital ships. They are being prepared right now. They are massive ships. They’re the big white ships with the red cross on the sides. One is called the Mercy and the other is called the Comfort. And they are in tip-top shape," he said."

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. LOL. ... Sounds like he's desperately masquerading as president.

Gets worse. Get this:

"Today I can announce further steps expand testing capacity. We are working with several groups to determine if the self-swab, the much easier process than the current process that is not very nice to do. I can tell you, because I did it it," Trump said. He said that it "would be administered also by a health official, but it would be a lot easier to do."

You and your henchmen sacrifice shit squat. You're lining your pockets on the taxpayer dime at your resorts:

"Now it's our time. We must sacrifice together, because we are all in this together, and we will come through together. It's the invisible enemy. That's always the toughest enemy," Trump said. "But we are going to defeat the invisible enemy. I think we are going to do it even faster than we thought, and it'll be a complete victory. It'll be a total victory."

You've lost your mind, Mr. 'President.' The public is paying the price.

More insanity:

"Asked by ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Cecelia Vega if his use of the term "Chinese Virus" is racist, Trump said, "it's not racist at all." "It comes from China, that's why. It comes from China. I want to be accurate," he continued. "China tried to say at one point that -- maybe they've stopped now, that it was caused by American soldiers. That can't happen. It's not going to happen. Not as long as I'm president. It comes from China." Asked whether he thought China should be "punished," Trump answered, "I don't know if you would say China is to blame. Certainly, we didn't get an early run on it," Trump said. "It would have been helpful if we knew about it earlier. But it comes from China. It's not a question." When Vega asked him to clarify, Trump said, "I don't believe they are inflicting" the virus on the U.S., but "I think they could have given us a lot earlier notice, absolutely." "We would have had a lot of dead people like we haven't seen before," Trump said, if he hadn't acted to limit travel from China. Trump also told Vega that a potential 20 percent unemployment rate, as floated by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as an argument to Senate Republicans to get a stimulus package passed quickly, is a "total worst case" scenario and that the U.S. is "nowhere near it." "Well, I don't agree with that. No, I don't agree, Trump said. "That's an absolute, total worst-case scenario. No, we don't look at that at all. We are nowhere near it."

Band Aid on an arterial wound:

"With regard to his proposal to send direct payments to Americans to stimulate the economy and help workers losing jobs -- checks that an administration official said could be $1,000 or more -- Trump said the amount is "to be determined." "We are looking at different numbers. We are looking at timing that would be different. Splitting the time, splitting the payments. We are looking at a lot of different things. It hasn't been determined yet but it will surely be determined," before repeating a phrase he used in Tuesday's briefing, "Everybody seems to want to go big," he said. "We had the best economy we've ever had, and then one day you have to close it down in order to defeat this enemy. But we are doing it, and we are doing it well. I tell you, the American people have been incredible. For the most part they been really incredible."

You're delusional, Donald. The economy was great for the top of the food chain and upper middle class. Been a royal f--king for the bottom and lower middle class for quite some time.

More achingly delusional bullshit:

"When I use the word 'calm,' that doesn't mean I'm not taking it seriously. We should be calm. We should be extremely calm," Trump said, amid criticism that his administration didn't take the virus seriously from the onset, inhibiting the government's response to it. "Nothing has been so contagious. The level of contagion has been incredible, actually. Nobody's seen anything quite like this," he said, proceeding to again blame previous administrations. "We've inherited a very obsolete system. This was a system that was out of date, obsolete, it was a system that was never meant to take care of the kind of quantity." "If you go back to years past, even recently, like the flu -- nobody had tests before. They didn't test the entire nation to see whether or not they had the flu. They got the flu. They got better," Trump said. "Now all now all of a sudden they do this very complex testing."

"In a series of Wednesday morning tweets, the president continued to referred to the novel coronavirus as "the Chinese Virus" -- despite the Chinese government criticizing the terminology and his own health officials warning that doing so promotes hate incidents against Asians. His Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar told Congress last month, "Ethnicity is not what causes the novel coronavirus."

The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump on Wednesday moved to invoke a federal law that allows the government to marshal the private sector to deal with the coronavirus epidemic, as the economic damage mounted with word that Detroit’s Big Three automakers agreed to shut down all their factories to protect workers. On a day of head-spinning developments, stocks tumbled again on Wall Street, falling so fast they triggered another automatic trading halt. More borders slammed shut across Europe and North America, with the U.S. and Canada agreeing to close their shared boundary to all but essential travel. And the Trump administration pressed Congress to swiftly pass a potentially $1 trillion rescue package to prop up the economy and speed relief checks to Americans in a matter of weeks. Calling himself a “wartime president,” Trump said he would sign the Defense Production Act “in case we need it” as the government bolsters resources for an expected surge in cases of the virus. With a growing number of Americans thrown out of work by the near-shutdown of much of the U.S. economy, he also said the Housing and Urban Development Department will suspend foreclosures and evictions from public housing through April. Two people briefed on the matter said Wednesday that Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler agreed to close all their factories. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because the closings had not been announced. The move would idle about 150,000 workers, who are likely to receive supplemental pay in addition to unemployment benefits. Meanwhile, across the European continent, desperate travelers choked border crossings after countries began shutting the doors against the coronavirus, which has now infected more than 200,000 people worldwide and killed over 8,000. And the Trump administration was said to be considering a plan to turn back all people who cross into the United States illegally from Mexico.

"In releasing the new global infection figures, Johns Hopkins University said more than 82,000 people have recovered from the virus, which causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough in most cases, though severe illness is more likely in the elderly and those with existing health problems. Still, scientists have no doubt the true number of people infected is higher than the 200,000 reported by health authorities because of the possibility that many mild cases have gone unrecognized or unreported, and because of the lag in large-scale testing in the U.S., where the effort has been marked by bumbling and bureaucratic delay. The U.S. reported more than 6,500 cases and at least 116 deaths, almost half of them in Washington state, where dozens of residents from a suburban Seattle nursing home have died. In the first-ever breakdown of its kind in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that coronavirus deaths in the United States mirror what has been reported in other countries, with about 4 out of 5 deaths occurring in people 65 and older — and no deaths in children."

3-13-20

Another egregious example of negligent healthcare. CBS News reports:

"Border Patrol told Congress that officials at a Texas station called for an ambulance "immediately" after a now-deceased man arrested near the border showed "signs of distress." But the local sheriff told CBS News his office, which dispatches EMS, didn't receive a call until up to 26 minutes later."

Goddamned liars. Just like their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"At approximately 3:30 p.m. on February 4, Border Patrol agents arrested U.S. citizen James Paul Markowitz "as a suspect in an alien smuggling incident," according to the notice to Congress. More details about the 32-year-old Texan's arrest have not been released."

Covering their outrageously corrupt and abusive jackbooted asses?

"At around 6:00 p.m., during processing at the Brackettville Station, the man began exhibiting signs of distress," the notification said. "EMT-certified agents immediately administered first aid and contacted local Emergency Medical Services as his health deteriorated. At around 6:40 p.m., EMS arrived and transported the subject by ambulance to a local hospital." But according to Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe, who reviewed his office's phone records for CBS News, the call for help didn't come in until 6:26 p.m. Sheriff Coe said Markowitz was described as "sweating" and "fidgety," when the 6:26 phone call was made. He said his office dispatched an ambulance five minutes later, and that the vehicle arrived at 6:37. Markowitz was brought to a hospital, where he later died. His cause of death has not yet been determined."

Desperately trying to get their story straight?

"Until they were contacted by CBS News, some members of Congress — who received the statement because CBP is required to notify federal legislators — appeared to believe that CBP called for help at "around 6:00," and that it took EMS nearly 40 minutes to arrive. In a letter to Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf sent Wednesday, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Joaquin Castro and Immigration Task Force Chairwoman Linda Sánchez asked, "What help did Mr. Markowitz receive during the 40 minutes it took for EMT to arrive to the Brackettville Station?" Castro and Sánchez wrote in their letter that they "remain troubled twenty-eight days after the death of James Paul Markowitz without any further details or relevant information to his case." Informed of the sheriff's timeline that appears to contradict CBP's Congressional notification, Castro said, "If this account is accurate, it raises serious concerns about CBP's actions and decision to wait 20 minutes after Mr. Markowitz started exhibiting symptoms before calling an EMT." "Such a delay could have played a role in Mr. Markowitz tragic death. That is why we need transparency and answers from the Department of Homeland Security. We will continue holding DHS and CBP accountable for all deaths on their watch," Castro said."

Congress needs to do a far better job of holding these jackbooted bastards accountable for all the deaths under their jurisdiction.

"In a statement to CBS News sent after this story was initially published, CBP said Markowitz first showed signs of distress at 6:05 pm and was immediately examined by a Border Patrol agent certified as an emergency medical technician. At 6:11 the agent took Markowitz outside for fresh air, but then decided Markowitz needed medical care. CBP said by 6:26 it was apparent that "more advanced care was required." "It is devastating that besides all the efforts our EMTs and local medical professionals the life of the individual could not be saved. We will continue to work with local law enforcement to identify the cause of death," said Acting Chief Patrol Agent Doyle E. Amidon. The agency said an investigation into Markowitz's death is ongoing."

Fox 'guarding' the goddamned chicken coop.

3-13-20

No due process. No search warrant. Who's next? NPR reports:

"Starting in April, immigration authorities will start taking cheek swabs to collect DNA from hundreds of thousands of immigration detainees in federal custody each year. The Trump Administration says the policy change will help law enforcement apprehend criminal suspects. The data collected will be transferred to an FBI database, so that in the future, law enforcement officials could check if these samples matched any DNA recovered from a crime scene."

Who's next? Wake up. With a national socialist, fascist U.S. Supreme Court run and owned by five Republican national socialists, think it's not a matter of time before U.S. citizens are subjected to the very same for whatever nazi government deems reasonable and necessary to ensure 'national security,' and/or enforcement of the law?

"Immigrant rights advocates describe it as dehumanizing and a serious breach of privacy against vulnerable populations. "It's about miscasting these individuals, many of whom are seeking asylum in this country ... as people who pose a threat that somehow would justify holding onto the most intimate information about them indefinitely," Naureen Shah, senior advocacy and policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union, tells NPR. She notes the ACLU also opposes DNA collection from people arrested or investigated for crimes, due to concerns about the risk of misidentification."

Sue the living shit out of these nazi bastards. ... Too deaf to hear the rumble?

"The Justice Department said Friday that it is formally amending regulations and pushing forward with the DNA collection plan, which was first floated in October. The final rule is scheduled to publish on Monday. The Department of Justice said the final rule is simply implementing a 2005 law called the DNA Fingerprint Act, which gave authorities broad authority to collect DNA samples from people in federal custody. "Today's rule assists federal agencies in implementing longstanding aspects of our immigration laws as passed by bipartisan majorities of Congress," Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen said in a statement. "Its implementation will help to enforce federal law with the use of science." Until now, however, the law allowed the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive the collection of DNA samples from some migrants "because of operational exigencies or resource limitations." During the Obama administration, federal officials decided it was not feasible to collect DNA in this sweeping fashion from individuals in immigration detention. The Trump administration has removed this option, and now requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to collect DNA from immigration detainees. It says that DNA collection has become easier and cheaper since the 2005 law was passed. The final rule says the DNA information that will be collected is a "sanitized 'genetic fingerprint'" that "can be used to identify an individual uniquely, but they do not disclose the individual's traits, disorders, or dispositions." Shah says the Trump administration officials have "tried to downplay what they can do with this information."

Our nazi fuhrer and his henchmen are congenital liars. Following in the footsteps of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini.

"This isn't DNA from information that's going to be looked at once and then disappear from a database. It's going to stay in governments hands," she says, and she's concerned the way it is used could change over time. "That's why we have a lot of concerns about how this particular program, which targets immigrants in detention, actually is a precursor to deploying this kind of surveillance technology to lots of vulnerable ... communities in the United States and ultimately be used as a tool for full scale surveillance," Shah adds."

Sue the living shit out of the nazi motherf--kers. Get it into court.

"The Trump administration says the DNA information collected would not, and could not, be used for surveillance."

They're liars.

Trump and his henchmen present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Raises the question, who's next?

"According to the final rule, sample collections would be expected to ramp up over several years, eventually reaching about 748,000 new samples annually. The information will be added to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS, which authorities use to search for DNA that matches traces of biological material found at crime scenes. The data that will be gathered from immigration detainees per year is expected to be more than the entire database from almost any individual state."

Wake up. Far worse yet to come. Just the beginning.

"The Trump administration has repeatedly suggested that immigrants in general pose a criminal threat to the U.S., even though studies have shown that they commit crimes at lower rates than people born in the U.S."

Raw nazism. Think Adolf and Benito are not 'high-fiving' on their fiery perches?

3-13-20

Negligence. No justice. Nazi America. The Associated Press reports:

"Roylan Hernandez Diaz’s long journey ended inside a white-walled cell in the solitary confinement wing of a Louisiana prison."

Nazi America. Adolf and Benito would have been proud.

"Nearby were the last of his belongings: a tube of toothpaste, a few foam cups, and a sheet of paper explaining how he could request his release from immigration detention. He had already been denied three times. The Cuban man had been placed in solitary six days earlier because he told his jailers he would refuse all meals to protest his detention. The jailers put him there even after medical staff had referred him for mental health treatment three times and documented an intestinal disorder that caused him excruciating pain. And for at least an hour before he was found to have hanged himself, no one had opened the door to check whether he was alive."

Trump and his nazi henchmen couldn't care less.

"His death might have been prevented. An Associated Press investigation into Hernandez’s death last October found neglect and apparent violations of government policies by jailers under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, at a time when detention of migrants has reached record levels and new questions have arisen about the U.S. government’s treatment of people seeking refuge."

Pitiful. Pathetic. Un-American. Right Wing Nazi.

"ICE requires migrants detained in solitary confinement to be visually observed every 30 minutes. Surveillance video shows a jail guard walking past Hernandez’s cell twice in the hour before he was found, writing in a binder stored on the wall next to his cell door. She doesn’t lift the flap over the cell door window or try to look inside. The last person to look in the window was an unidentified jail employee, 40 minutes before Hernandez was found."

Think the guard will be prosecuted?

"A person who works at the jail and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity says the jail later discovered Hernandez couldn’t be seen from the window."

Jesus Christ. No more than a goddamned gulag.

"Yarelis Gutierrez Barrios was Hernandez’s partner. She had been with him for three years as they voyaged through South and Central America, always looking for a way to reach the United States. The man she knew was resilient, she says, determined to win his asylum case, not the kind of man who would give up easily. “I think they let him die,” she says."

Where did we lose ourselves? Where?When? Remain silent? You're gutless. Un-American. Don't like the truth? Don't want the truth? Read another publication.

"Hernandez spent much of his 43 years in rebellion against the Communist government 90 miles from the United States. In his early years, he had refused to join a youth group. Then he refused compulsory military service and protested the regime of Fidel Castro. In 1994, when he was 18, he tried to flee the island in a boat with his father and brother. But they were captured and imprisoned. Hernandez was jailed for about two weeks. When he tried to escape again, in 2001, he was caught and sentenced to nine years in prison. Upon his release, he continued to be denied jobs and harassed by police. In 2016, he left Cuba for Guyana, a tiny country in South America, because he could travel there without a visa. From Guyana, he set off for the U.S. Hernandez and Gutierrez met in Ecuador in 2016. They were among a group of Cubans camping outside the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador’s capital, to demand visas that would allow them to reach the U.S.-Mexico border and request asylum. Mexico refused to grant the visas and Ecuador moved to deport the protesters to Cuba. So they fled. They sold juice from a cart in Argentina, then lived for a year in Peru. In both Argentina and Peru, Gutierrez recalls, they struggled to support themselves and were told it would be near-impossible to be allowed to settle permanently. “In the end, we were going to come to the United States,” she said."

Sadly, with a nazi in the Oval Office and our formerly great country coming apart at the seams, there is nothing here for the bottom of the food chain.

"Through Ecuador and Colombia, they reached the jungle connecting South and Central America known as the Darien Gap. The region is roadless and lawless, controlled largely by gangs who prey on the thousands of migrants who try to traverse it each year. The couple walked several days in light and dark before reaching a village in Panama. They surrendered at a government border checkpoint. But in the jungle, Gutierrez says, Roylan lost the papers he had carried with him from Cuba documenting his imprisonment and political problems -- papers that would be key to proving his asylum case in America. They were detained 10 days in Panama, then taken to a border town in Costa Rica. One by one, they boarded buses and made it through border checkpoints in each country along the way: Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico. They spent several days detained in Mexico. After five months, on May 18, 2019, they arrived at the border bridge between Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. They waited to be allowed inside. Hernandez requested asylum and was taken into detention. He and Gutierrez were initially taken to the same holding facility near the bridge. Men and women were separated and placed in small, cold cells."

Think a gulag appropriate in a democratic republic?

"She last saw him from across the dining room a few days after they crossed. It was lunchtime, but they weren’t permitted to speak to each other. Gutierrez was eventually released, but an officer at the facility told her Hernandez had been taken to a detention center in Mississippi. After a few weeks, he would be transferred to Louisiana, a state that for thousands of migrants has become synonymous with prolonged detention. He remained jailed, though an initial screening found his asylum claim was credible."

Nazi America. Report goes on and on in great detail. The hypocrisy? Stunning. Readers are reminded our UNDOCUMENTED forebears arrived in this continent centuries ago, STOLE it from its native inhabitants, then BROKE every goddamned treaty signed. The greatest threat to our democratic republic is no foreign power, no terrorist group, not even the criminal element. It is, and remains, the Trump nazi and his henchmen. All failed branches and levels of government as well.

3-13-20

Think Biden has the temperament for the job? ABC News reports:

"Former Vice President Joe Biden angrily confronted a Detroit, Michigan, auto worker on Tuesday morning during an argument over his stance on the 2nd Amendment, at one point telling the man he was 'full of s---' amid the intense exchange. The incident comes on the same day as the state's pivotal Democratic primary, and as Biden tries to put more distance between himself and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, his chief rival for the party's presidential nomination. While Biden was greeted warmly by most of the workers at the new Fiat-Chrysler assembly plant, one man who claimed Biden wanted to "actively take away our second amendment," drew the candidate into a prolonged back and forth as he attempted to push back against the claims. At the beginning of the exchange, the worker confronted Biden with claims that the former vice president was trying to take away "our 2nd Amendment," to which Biden told the man he was "full of s---" and continued to engage despite his aide trying to sweep him away from the conversation. The worker told Biden that he said it in a viral video but Biden attempted to correct the individual, saying, "It’s a viral video like the other ones that have been putting out there that are simply a lie." At one point Biden mistakenly told the worker he was taking away his AR-14's, instead of AR-15's, but he corrected himself later in the exchange."

The Second Amendment is abundantly clear. Who the hell is Biden or anyone else to remove the last best defense against outrageously corrupt, abusive government?

"Biden also said to the man, "don’t be such a horse’s ass," when it was clear the worker was not satisfied with the answer Biden was giving. Biden is also set to appear with gun control advocates later today in Columbus, Ohio, and has made the push to end gun violence a central part of his presidential campaign, tweeting a video Tuesday morning outlining his plan to address the issue."

Where the hell is Biden's criticism of the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue who murder innocent unarmed civilians with near impunity? No foreign power, no terrorist group, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than all levels and branches of government.

"The former vice president’s gun policy plan calls for a total ban on the sale of assault weapons and the establishment of a universal background check system."

Biden and the Democrats clearly wish to severely limit the ability of the citizenship to ultimately defend itself against out of control government by eliminating the right to own assault weapons, and informing government of identity and location of all gun-owning citizens.

"Biden has also repeatedly gone after Sanders for his past votes against gun control legislation in the late 1990's and early 2000's."

“Bernie voted five times against the Brady Bill and wanted a waiting period of 12 hours,” Biden said during the last Democratic debate in Charleston, South Carolina, the site of a mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church, "I’m not saying he’s responsible but that man would not have been able to get that weapon with a waiting period had been what I suggested, until you are cleared.”

Bullshit argument. Achingly bogus, as well. Anyone can purchase a weapon off the street at any time. No law will change that. No matter how draconian. Liberty is not free. Never has been. Never will be. The Founders clearly understood this. Precisely, why we have the Second Amendment, last best defense against corrupt, abusive, out of control government. Yes, some of us will die as a result of criminal use of weapons. A price to be paid if we are to retain our civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"Sanders conceded his past votes against gun control were "bad votes," but noted his D-minus rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA) to argue his views have changed. "I have cast thousands of votes, including bad votes," Sanders responded during the Feb. 25 debate. "I have, today, a D-minus voting record from the N.R.A." Sanders also added that he supported a ban on assault weapons."

Any candidate willing to abrogate a constitutional right is not fit for office. Should not be elected.

CBS News reports:

"Joe Biden had a heated exchange with a construction worker who accused him of trying to take Americans' guns away during a campaign stop in Michigan, one of six states holding primaries on Tuesday. The former vice president was touring an assembly plant under construction for Fiat Chrysler, shaking hands with and praising the electrical workers union members who are building the plant. As Biden was working the room, one man confronted him about his stance on gun ownership. "You are actively trying to end our Second Amendment right and take away our guns," the worker told Biden. Biden replied: "You're full of sh**." "I support the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment — just like right now, if you yelled 'fire,' that's not free speech," Biden continued. "And from the very beginning — I have a shotgun, I have a 20-gauge, a 12-gauge. My sons hunt. Guess what? You're not allowed to own any weapon. I'm not taking your gun away at all." The man repeated his accusation that Biden was "trying to take our guns," and Biden pushed back. "I did not say that. I did not say that." After the worker told him that he had made the remark in "a viral video," the former vice president replied that "it's a viral video like the other ones they're putting out that are simply a lie." "This is not OK, alright?" the man said, to which Biden replied, "Don't tell me that, pal, or I'm going to go out and slap you in the face." "You're working for me, man!" the worker said. "I'm not working for you," Biden said. "Don't be such a horse's ass."

Like every other goddamned politician, Joe, you work for yourself, not the American people. A problem with both major political parties.

3-13-20

Sadly, our formerly great country is coming apart at the seams. The following is an appalling indication. The Washington Post reports:

"Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that he misspoke when he said that two justices appointed by President Trump to the Supreme Court would “pay the price” for a vote against abortion rights, but he defended his passion on the issue, saying his anger reflected that of “women across America.” Schumer spoke on the Senate floor a day after he made comments at a rally outside the Supreme Court. The comments prompted a rare rebuke of a sitting member of Congress by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who said in a statement that “threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous.” “I should not have used the words I used yesterday. They didn’t come out the way I intended them to,” Schumer told Senate colleagues Thursday. “I’m from Brooklyn. We speak in strong language. I shouldn’t have used the words I did, but in no way was I making a threat. I never — never — would do such a thing.” Schumer said he was expressing frustration that Republicans are trying to use the courts to restrict abortion rights in a fashion that they cannot accomplish in Congress. “Republicans are afraid, here in the Senate, to confront this issue directly, so they try to accomplish through the courts what they’d never accomplish in the court of public opinion. And they leave women out in the cold,” Schumer said. “So yes, I am angry. The women of America are angry. And, yes, we will continue to fight for a woman’s right to choose.”

If there is no reproductive freedom, there is no freedom at all. Republican national socialists, fascists don't seem to understand in a democratic republic they don't get to dictate what a woman can and cannot do with HER uterus. That is, the nazi element in our formerly great country doesn't get to impose its perverse religious and ideological views on the rest of us.

Five Republican nazis on the U.S. Supreme Court are, and have been doing precisely that. The four Democrats on the Court seem nearly powerless to combat this rampant nazism. This continues? The unthinkable, unwanted could, indeed, become reality. A second American revolution. Time to take a deep breath. Carefully, consider the road were traveling down. Not just on the abortion issue, but across the board. Before too late.

"Speaking to abortion rights supporters Wednesday morning as the Supreme Court heard arguments in an important abortion case from Louisiana, Schumer called out Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh by name. “I want to tell you, Gorsuch; I want to tell you, Kavanaugh: You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price,” Schumer said. “You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.” The comments prompted widespread condemnation from Republicans, including President Trump, as well as some Democrats. Speaking shortly before Schumer on the Senate floor, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called Schumer’s comments “astonishingly reckless.” “The minority leader of the United States Senate threatened two associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, period,” McConnell said during remarks on the Senate floor. “There’s no other way to interpret that.”

Wake up, Mitch. Time to figuratively remove your head from your clueless ass. Republican nazis are legislating their outrageously perverse ideological and religious views from the bench, Congress, and Oval Office. Our formerly great country is precisely where Nazi Germany was in 1933 when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor. The worst was yet to come. Sadly, so too today.

"Trump also weighed in again anew on Thursday morning, tweeting: “Schumer has brought great danger to the steps of the United States Supreme Court!”

Wake up, Mr. 'President.' Your narcissism, embrace of national socialism, fascism, nazism presents an exigent threat to our formerly great country, all that the Founders stood for, that is: life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. No foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to our democratic republic than you, sir. Not to neglect to mention all levels and branches of government as well. We've lost ourselves.

"Asked about Schumer’s comments at a news conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said he had already acknowledged they were “inappropriate.” “I support him in that,” Pelosi said. She also suggested a double standard was at play when it comes to talking about the Supreme Court. “I think the Republicans say it’s okay if the president does it, but it’s not okay if other people do,” she said. “It wasn’t right for anybody to do, and Chuck recognized those words.” Schumer’s remarks also drew rebukes from some legal scholars, including Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe. “These remarks by @SenSchumer were inexcusable,” he tweeted. “Chief Justice Roberts was right to call him on his comments. I hope the Senator, whom I’ve long admired and consider a friend, apologizes and takes back his implicit threat. It’s beneath him and his office.”

Status quo is not sustainable. Time to wake up before too late.

3-13-20

Trump and his henchmen remain out of control. United Press International reports:

"Senior Health and Human Services Department officials didn't act on staff's warnings of an increase in family separations at the border, leaving the department unable to provide adequate care for separated migrant children, a watchdog report released Thursday said. The HHS inspector general's office conducted the study in response to the Trump administration's so-called zero-tolerance policy implemented in spring 2018 in which all adults accused of illegally crossing the southern border were prosecuted. Because of that, officials separated children from their detained parents and housed them at facilities across the United States. Court battles later required the federal government to reunify migrant children with their parents. The inspector general's office said it investigated how the government responded to the zero-tolerance policy and the order to reunite families. It found that a lack of communication across interagency channels meant there was a lack of planning for how to handle a larger number of children separated from their parents. This "left the department unable to provide prompt and appropriate care for separated children when the zero-tolerance policy was implemented," the report said. "Further, because no procedures or systems had been established to track separated families across HHS and [the Department of Homeland Security] for later reunification, HHS struggled to identify separated children." One Office of Refugee Resettlement staff member told inspector general investigators they noticed an increase in children being separated from their parents a full year before zero-tolerance became the Trump administration's official policy. "I said ORR was seeing much higher levels of separation, and that those separations were impacting particularly babies and young children," the staffer said. "I said this so many times that I was called a broken record. Another ORR staffer told the inspector general: "I told them it was going to traumatize children to separate them unnecessarily. I said that to anyone I could." HHS officials declined to act on the warnings, though, the inspector general report said."

3-13-20

Nothing changes. Same old, same old. An irrational dictator remains an irrational dictator. CNN News reports:

"The Trump administration has tapped Marshall Billingslea, the current undersecretary for terrorism financing at the Treasury Department, as special envoy for nuclear talks, according to two sources familiar. The decision comes nearly one month after US national security adviser Robert O'Brien said the US was preparing to begin negotiating a new nuclear arms agreement with Russia. The National Security Council declined to comment and Billingslea hasn't responded to CNN's inquiry. Billingslea had previously been nominated to be under secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights at the State Department but his confirmation process stalled after Democrats and advocacy groups raised concerns about his views on torture while working for President George W. Bush's administration. As of Wednesday evening, a Democratic Senate aide told CNN that the nomination had not yet been formally withdrawn."

Here's the problem:

"The Guardian first reported this story. "There has been ample evidence that Mr. Billingslea encouraged the use of interrogation methods that amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment while he served in the Bush Administration," Daphne Eviatar, director of security with Human Rights at Amnesty International USA, wrote last September. "This makes a mockery of that important position." During his confirmation hearing last year, Billingslea told lawmakers that he would "advocate for and respect" Congress' 2015 decision to ban torture. Daryl Kimball, the director of the Arms Control Association, noted Billingslea's history as an aide to former Sen. Jesse Helms, a North Carolina Republican who was a vocal opponent of arms control deals. Kimball told CNN that Billingslea was "an odd choice" for the role of special negotiator. Last month, O'Brien said that the US was going to "confront the Russians ... but at the same time I think we'll negotiate," while speaking at the Meridian International Center in Washington to ambassadors from around the world."

Make sense? LOL.

"O'Brien gave that speech as the US and Russia hit the one-year deadline to extend the New START Treaty, the last legally binding agreement limiting their nuclear arsenals -- the world's largest. President Donald Trump has previously criticized new START as a "bad deal" and the administration has demonstrated a pattern of rejecting international agreements, including two other nuclear pacts, the Intermediate Range Forces Treaty and the Iran nuclear deal. Kimball said it may be a "suicide mission" if Trump wants Billingslea to deliver progress on a trilateral arms agreement, especially given that the Chinese have said multiple times that they're not interested in negotiations while there's such a disparity in the arsenal sizes between them and the US and Russia."

Rationality? What's that? LOL.

3-13-20

Barr gets figuratively skewered by judge. NBC News reports:

"A federal judge on Thursday strongly criticized Attorney General William Barr's disclosure of the Mueller report last year, calling early statements about special counsel Robert Mueller's conclusions "misleading." In an order in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking access to the unredacted report, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said Barr's action caused him "to seriously question whether Attorney General Barr made a calculated attempt to influence public discourse about the Mueller report in favor of President Trump."

Apparent to many at the time it happened.

"Walton focused on Barr's initial statement — before the report was released in full — that Mueller's team did not find that anyone in the Trump campaign conspired with Russian efforts to meddle in the 2016 election. The judge said Barr left out the fact that the report identified contacts between members of the Trump campaign and people connected with the Russian government. Barr's "lack of candor," Walton wrote in a 23-page ruling in Washington, calls into question the credibility of Barr and the Justice Department in making redactions to the report. For that reason, Walton ordered government lawyers to give him the complete report so he can evaluate whether the material was properly blacked out. Barr has previously defended his handling of the report, including his decision to make its main conclusions public even before the full document was released. Walton said Barr "can be commended for his effort to expeditiously release a summary." But Walton said he wondered whether Barr's intention "was to create a one-sided narrative about the Mueller report."

Also apparent to many at the time. Quite clear Barr was, and is, indeed, in the pocket of his fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"A spokeswoman said the Justice Department would have no comment on the ruling."

What could they say?

ABC News reports:

"U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton issued an extraordinary rebuke of Attorney General William Barr Thursday in an order to the Department of Justice demanding he be able to review an unredacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. Walton, who was appointed to the D.C. District Court by former President George W. Bush, admonished Barr's handling of Mueller's report and questioned whether his framing of it in his so-called 'principal conclusions' letter prior to the full report's release was "calculated" to help President Donald Trump politically."

Amazing, isn't it? LOL. An honest judge. Can we stand it? LOL.

"The inconsistencies between Attorney General Barr's statements, made at a time when the public did not have access to the redacted version of the Mueller Report to assess the veracity of his statements, and portions of the redacted version of the Mueller Report that conflict with those statements cause the Court to seriously question whether Attorney General Barr made a calculated attempt to influence public discourse about the Mueller Report in favor of President Trump despite certain findings in the redacted version of the Mueller Report to the contrary," Walton wrote. He added: "The speed by which Attorney General Barr released to the public the summary of Special Counsel Mueller's principal conclusions, coupled with the fact that Attorney General Barr failed to provide a thorough representation of the findings set forth in the Mueller Report, causes the Court to question whether Attorney General Barr's intent was to create a one-sided narrative about the Mueller Report—a narrative that is clearly in some respects substantively at odds with the redacted version of the Mueller Report." Walton said such representations cast into doubt whether DOJ can be trusted that the redactions made to the Mueller report don't undermine Barr's case defending the president's behavior."

Indeed. There is no independence between Trump and the DOJ.

"The Court has grave concerns about the objectivity of the process that preceded the public release of the redacted version of the Mueller Report and its impacts on the Department's subsequent justifications that its redactions of the Mueller Report are authorized by the FOIA," Walton wrote. "These circumstances generally, and Attorney General Barr’s lack of candor specifically, call into question Attorney General Barr’s credibility." Walton said that after reviewing the report himself he will decide whether he agrees with DOJ that the redactions were proper. The ruling was in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by Buzzfeed and the watchdog group 'EPIC' seeking a full unredacted version of the Mueller report."

Mueller, himself, could, and should have immediately called a news conference at the time exposing the Attorney General for whom and what he is.

3-13-20

No end to corporate-government waste and chicanery. NBC News reports:

"The 737 Max isn’t Boeing’s only airplane that suffers from malfunctions. Its new aerial refueling tanker — the type of plane that makes it possible for the Air Force’s aircraft to traverse long distances while being based a safe distance away from enemy attacks — is also riddled with problems. And yet, the Pentagon earmarked $2.85 billion in the 2020 budget for 15 Boeing aircraft it can’t use — while retiring 29 refueling tankers that still work fine to free up resources for the new planes. With military leaders headed to Capitol Hill this week to testify about their budget priorities for 2021, lawmakers need to hold them accountable for the decision. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein recently admitted that the Boeings have “profound problems” and are not yet suitable for “day-to-day operations.” Yet the planes that refuel the Air Force’s bombers, fighters, surveillance and cargo planes in mid-air are in near-constant demand, and are frequently called upon to do double-duty as cargo planes themselves. Right now the Pentagon relies upon an unparalleled fleet of around 450 KC-135s and KC-10s for this job. But some of those tankers are now over 60 years old, and the Air Force has been trying since 2001 to find a replacement for the aging planes. Unlike developing cutting-edge new stealth fighters, devising an updated tanker should have been a fairly straightforward matter of outfitting a newer airliner with proven air-refueling technology."

Nothing is ever simple or easy when nearly unlimited sums of money are involved.

"But due to a lengthy odyssey involving overt corruption and poor decisions, nearly 20 years later the Air Force is left purchasing an expensive new aircraft that still doesn’t work. And according to an Air Force general, the replacements aren’t expected to be capable of performing missions abroad for three more years. That means the hard-pressed Air Mobility Command will need to meet the same demands with fewer aircraft — or, some argue, even pay private contractors to furnish additional refueling services — in the meantime."

Think any heads will roll? Wake up. Taxpayers have already taken it hard up the ass. Why did the military pay for and take delivery of aircraft that were defective?

"From the beginning, the tanker replacement program has been beset by scandal. Back in 2003, observers raised eyebrows when the Air Force stated it would lease 100 767-based tankers from Boeing instead of buying them outright, as is the standard practice. Then it emerged civilian Air Force official Darleen Druyun had been essentially working for Boeing from the inside in exchange for a high-paying job with the company. The suspicious leasing arrangement was axed, while Druyun and Boeing’s chief financial officer were convicted of corruption."

Yet, the corruption never ends.

"A new tanker replacement competition saw Boeing’s design, based on its civilian 767 airliner, defeated by a competing offer from Airbus/Northrop Grumman in 2008. But here, too, there was controversy. Boeing complained the competition had been conducted unfairly, and the Government Accountability Office sided with Boeing — so the replacement competition had to be restarted again. Boeing was expected to once more lose to Airbus — but it emerged the winner in 2011, apparently due to having underbid on the price, gambling that it could make money back in the long term through additional sales and exports. Indeed, in 2019 Boeing openly boasted to potential export clients that they would essentially receive free research and development funding for their Pegasus aircraft paid for by U.S. Air Force dollars."

Boeing certainly wasn't done with the f--king:

"Boeing also made another bad bet with its new design: The company decided to outfit its airliner-based aerial refuelers, the KC-46 Pegasus, with an unnecessary but nifty-sounding improvement: a refueling pipe, or boom in Air Force jargon, that could be remotely controlled from the cockpit. (The current stable of Air Force tankers uses a pipe manually guided by a crew member peering through a window in the plane’s belly.) But in testing, the remote video screen sometimes shows distorted imagery, causing the refueling pipe to bang into the receiving airplane and potentially inflicting costly damage."

Why is it government can't seem to get this right? Yet, heads seldom roll.

"Trump’s first defense secretary, James Mattis, opposed accepting deliveries of the Boeing tankers until the problems were fixed, putting the onus on Boeing to correct the issue first. But after he resigned, the new acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, was a former Boeing executive. He recused himself from involvement in the deal, but undersecretary of defense for acquisitions Ellen Lord authorized accepting the deliveries. Soon after in early 2019, the Pentagon began receiving the aircraft despite the persistence of problems that “may cause … major damage to a weapon system.” It’s trying to compensate by withholding up to $28 million from each Pegasus (which cost $230 million each) until the problem is resolved, and Boeing has agreed to bear some of the cost for fixing it."

Some of the cost? Why not all of the cost? Whose pockets got lined?

Never ends. Get this:

"Meanwhile, serious new problems cropped up. The Air Force repeatedly froze deliveries of the unusable planes later in 2019 after maintenance personnel discovered Boeing technicians had left behind tools, nuts, bolts and trash in the airframe that could cause damage mid-flight. And then the fleet was temporarily banned from cargo flights when floor cargo restraints came undone without apparent cause."

Inexcusable. Did anyone wind up in jail? Why not?

"Though senior Air Force officials have sent angry letters and issued stern warnings to Boeing regarding a lack of progress in fixing the faulty remote-control camera system, at this point the Air Force is too committed to the Pegasus to pull out."

Why no criminal prosecution and a hefty civil suit?

"The Pentagon is currently locked in a weird hostage relationship with Boeing in which it has to negotiate over how to spend research and development funding."

Whose pockets are being lined?

"The bulk of its tanker fleet are aging out, and the Pegasus does come with useful improvements, such as more fuel-efficient engines and compatibility with Navy jets, which use a different refueling system. And the planes have new defenses as tankers are expected to become more vulnerable to attack. So now the Pentagon is currently locked in a weird hostage relationship with Boeing in which it has to negotiate over how to spend research and development funding to make sure the non-mission-capable aircraft it has purchased eventually work. It's scandalous that Boeing was forgiven so many past screw-ups that it ended up in a position where the Air Force has to beg it to fix the dysfunctional airplanes the company is delivering."

Not sustainable. Never was. Think it won't affect operations and national security? -- While taxpayers are fleeced and military personnel endangered.

3-6-20

Trump loses two major immigration cases. NBC News reports:

"A federal appeals court on Friday delivered two blows to the Trump administration's immigration policy, ruling against a program to force migrants seeking asylum to wait in Mexico and against a rule severely limiting the number of migrants who were eligible for asylum. In a long-awaited decision, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to reinstate a block on the policy forcing migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to wait in Mexico while their cases play out. The court also ruled 3-0 to uphold a block on a rule seeking to bar asylum eligibility for migrants who cross the border between ports of entry."

Step in the right direction. The courts need to do far more to rein in our nazi fuhrer.

"In the remain-in-Mexico case, the court said it concluded that the policy, known formally as the Migrant Protection protocols, or MPP, “was invalid in its entirety” due to inconsistencies with the law and should be "enjoined in its entirety." "The court has finally affirmed what we always knew to be the case, that the provision on which the government is relying does not apply to asylum-seekers. Full stop," Melissa Crow, senior supervising attorney at the SPLC’s Immigrant Justice Project, told NBC News. In the other case, the court said it upheld an injunction against a policy that "strips asylum eligibility from every migrant who crosses into the United States between designated ports of entry." "Once again the courts have recognized there is tremendous danger facing asylum seekers along the entire southern border, and that the administration cannot unilaterally rewrite the laws,” said American Civil Liberties Union attorney Lee Gelernt in a statement."

Readers are reminded our UNDOCUMENTED forebears arrived in this continent centuries ago, STOLE it from its native inhabitants, then BROKE every goddamned treaty signed. Hypocrisy? Off the chart:

"About 60,000 migrants have been placed under the remain-in-Mexico program since it began more than a year ago on the border separating Tijuana from San Diego. In April, a federal judge temporarily blocked the policy — but just a month later, a court of appeals granted the Trump administration's request to allow the rule to take effect as the legal challenge played out. In October, the appeals court heard arguments in the challenge to the policy. "The ruling is a really big deal," said Jessica Bolter, associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. "But it's unclear how long it will be in effect. The government will likely appeal it to the Supreme Court." "The Supreme Court has tended to side with the administration on most immigration cases, although with some exceptions," she said."

No question, a national socialist, fascist, Court currently ruled by five Republican nazis. ... While Democrats on the Court effectively sit on their hands powerless to rein in the nazi element on the Court.

"Bolter said the court's decision did not directly address what would happen to the tens of thousands of people already in Mexico. The Departments of Homeland Security and Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment."

What could they say? Remain beholden to their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"But the administration has previously defended the remain in Mexico policy. In late January, the anniversary of the policy, spokesperson Heather Swift said in a statement to NBC News that the U.S. and Mexican governments “100 percent support MPP, which is firmly authorized by bipartisan Congressional statute and has allowed the U.S. to provide the opportunity for due process to more than 57,000 migrants.” “DHS is always looking at ways to expand and strengthen the program to include new locations, populations, and procedures in order to further enhance protections for migrants and ensure safe and lawful migration, while deterring smugglers and traffickers,” she said. “We continually work with Mexico and have provided more than $17 million in aid for safety and security measures. MPP is one of the most important and effective tools we have implemented to confront the crisis on the border and we will continue to strengthen and expand.” The government has also defended the restrictions on asylum for those who cross the border between ports of entry."

Trump and his henchmen are liars. Distort reality on a good day. Otherwise, lie like hell to impose their brand of national socialism. Adolf and Benito would have been proud. Likely 'high-fiving' on their fiery perches.

CBS News reports:

"A federal appeals court in California on Friday blocked a centerpiece of the Trump administration's restrictive policies at the southern border, ordering officials there to stop sending asylum-seekers to Mexico, where tens of thousands of Latin America migrants returned by the U.S. have been stranded for months. Through its ruling, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals prohibited the government from implementing its controversial Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program, known as the "Remain in Mexico" policy. The administration has touted the program as one of the main reasons it curbed a migration surge of Central American families last year that overwhelmed officials and stations across the southern border for months. Since early 2019, the U.S. has required nearly 60,000 asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for the duration of their immigration court proceedings under this program, which has drawn scathing criticism from advocates. They believe the policy violates both domestic and international refugee law, pointing to the high levels of violence and insecurity in the areas of northern Mexico where the U.S. has been sending migrants placed in the program."

The Court certainly made itself abundantly clear to the chagrin of Trump and his henchmen. Will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court:

"The court forcefully rejected the Trump administration's assertion that it could strand asylum seekers in Mexico and subject them to grave danger," said Judy Rabinovitz, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawyer spearheading the legal challenge against the "Remain in Mexico" policy. As a result of the policy, tens of thousands of asylum-seekers from Central America, Cuba, Venezuela and other Latin American countries who would otherwise be in the U.S. are stranded in overcrowded shelters and squalid makeshift encampments in northern Mexico, including in crime-ridden cities like Ciudad Juárez and Matamoros, located in a region the U.S. government warns American travelers not to visit due to rampant violence."

Forget? A clueless fascist has no conscience. Remains determinedly amoral:

"Advocates and even some of the asylum officers implementing the program have been withering in their criticism of Remain in Mexico, saying it violates international obligations against returning migrants seeking refuge to dangerous places. The group Human Rights First has denounced hundreds of reported kidnappings and assaults."

Think Adolf and Benito aren't wildly cheering on their fiery perches as the Trump nazi follows in their footsteps?

"A CBS News series last summer detailed the due process concerns about the policy, which makes it extremely difficult for migrants to secure U.S.-based lawyers generally needed for successful asylum claims. According to data by researchers at Syracuse University, only about 5% of migrants in the program have had lawyers represent them in proceedings in the U.S. — which, for many migrants, now occur inside makeshift tent-like courts in the Rio Grande Valley. Out of about 35,500 completed cases in the program, only 263 migrants have been granted asylum or some other form of protection, according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). Despite the criticism, the administration has touted "Remain in Mexico" as an effective tool in reducing border apprehensions, which have dropped for eight consecutive months since May."

At horrendous human cost. When, where, how did we lose ourselves?

"The policy had been briefly blocked by a federal judge in April, but the 9th Circuit ruled in May that the administration could proceed with the policy as it considered the merits of the legal challenge mounted by several advocacy groups. After the panel's decision, the administration dramatically expanded the program, sending back migrants who sought asylum at most of the highly transited border sectors in California and Texas."

3-6-20

Nazi justice in a de facto fascist police-state. Our fuhrer and his nazi Attorney General are doing all they can to get around the above. The Washington Post reports:

"Attorney General William P. Barr quietly intervened in an immigration asylum case last week when he issued a decision that narrowed the definition of torture for asylum seekers who invoke it as a grounds for staying in the United States. Barr used a process known as “certification,” a historically little-used power of the attorney general that allows him to overrule decisions made by the Board of Immigration Appeals and set binding precedent. Immigration lawyers and judges say the Trump administration is using the power with greater frequency — to the point of abuse — as it seeks to severely limit the number of immigrants who can remain in the United States. The administration is also using it as a check on immigration judges whose decisions don’t align with the administration’s immigration agenda, experts say."

Nazi justice. A democratic republic in name only.

"The decision to intervene in a Mexican national’s otherwise unremarkable asylum case is a warning to immigration board members that even their unpublished decisions are being scrutinized, former immigration judge Jeffrey Chase told The Washington Post via email. “In the past, such decisions flew under the radar,” Chase wrote. Other critics said Barr’s move should concern everyone — not just those in immigration. Half a dozen immigration experts who spoke to The Post said Barr’s use of his certification power in this case erodes the neutrality and due process that should exist in immigration court. They also cited recent moves by Justice Department, such as creating an office to denaturalize immigrants or using an immigrant’s confidential therapy notes in a deportation case against them, as evidence of the Trump administration’s willingness to break norms to achieve its goals."

There is no independence between the president and immigration courts. Immigration 'courts' are not part of the Judiciary. They are part of the Executive Branch, that is, under the thumb of the Trump nazi and his henchmen.

“In American history, what happens to immigrants is a pretty good indication of what’s going to happen to the rest of us,” retired immigration judge J. Traci Hong told The Post. The government required him to see a therapist. He thought his words would be confidential. Now, the traumatized migrant may be deported. The Justice Department did not respond when asked to address concerns from immigration judges and lawyers about the recent decision to narrow the torture definition for asylum seekers. Nor did it respond to questions on whether it views the current remedies available to asylum seekers as overly broad."

Our government remains out of control.

"Hong, who retired as an immigration judge late last year amid what she described as pressure to speed up cases and deport more people, said the sheer number of times that attorneys general under President Trump have used the power to certify cases to themselves is cause for concern. “The power goes back decades, but in other administrations, it was used very rarely — kind of a nuclear option,” Hong told The Post. “Certifying a case is a way for the attorney general to stamp his or her own views on immigration law — and it’s the quickest way to do it.”

It's goddamned nazi justice. Remains a threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. It is a threat across the board to all of us. Today, it's immigrants seeking asylum. Tomorrow? Who's next? Wake up.

"The certification power was used just three times during President Bill Clinton’s two terms, and four times during President Barack Obama’s. President George W. Bush’s attorneys general certified 16 cases over eight years, the highest of any administration since the 1950s, according to NBC News. By contrast, the Trump administration has used the power at least a dozen times in three years; in 2018, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions certified eight cases to himself in an eight-month span."

The threat is real, despite the naysayers:

"Proponents of the certification power argue that it’s a necessary tool to correct erroneous immigration court decisions and quickly enact needed changes. Even immigration advocates who oppose the Trump administration’s rate of certifying cases criticized the Obama administration for not invoking the power often enough over his two terms. Hong cited concern that certification could be used to circumvent the lengthy and detailed regulatory process, which can take years or even decades. Had Barr wanted to propose new standards for defining torture in asylum cases, she said, they would be subject to public notice, debate, revision and public comment. Holly Cooper, co-director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of California at Davis, points to other efforts by the Justice Department to change and speed up the immigration process to the point that, in her view, immigrants fighting their cases are not getting a fair shake. “The Trump administration’s rhetoric has been ‘the rule of law.’ But one principle that has been recognized is whether you’re a citizen or a noncitizen, you deserve due process,” Cooper told The Post. “You’re seeing a lot of really sloppy decision-making done expeditiously with no regard to the individual’s rights. The Fifth Amendment — the due process clause — applies to immigration courts.”

The problem is needlessly complex. Get this:

"Circuit courts under the judicial branch can check decisions made by immigration courts and the attorney general under the executive branch. Cooper said that while circuit courts like to give deference to executive branch departments, they will overturn decisions found to be made with flimsy justification. Dana Leigh Marks, president emeritus at the National Association of Immigration Judges who currently presides over immigration cases, said that can result in judges not knowing what guidance to follow. “The problem for those of us in the field right now is that we’re being whipsawed between these radical departures in past precedent that aren’t necessarily sustained long term,” Marks said, speaking in her role as a NAIJ member. Hong described the resulting environment in even starker terms: “It was like trying to perform surgery on a dodgeball court.” What’s happening with immigration courts could produce ripple effects in the wider justice system, particularly if immigration court decisions put forth by the attorney general clash with the circuit courts, Marks warned. “What’s happening now is that all the norms are breaking,” she said. “All the wheels are coming off the car.”

3-6-20

A poster boy for effective government regulation of the business community died recently. The Associated Press reports:

"Jack Welch, who transformed General Electric Co. into a highly profitable multinational conglomerate and parlayed his legendary business acumen into a retirement career as a corporate leadership guru, has died. He was 84."

Did it at expense of his employees who took the shaft hard up the ass. Without the K-Y or Vaseline.

"His death was confirmed Monday by GE. The cause of death was renal failure, his wife Suzy told The New York Times."

How many others lost their careers as ole Jack "The Belch" Welch shamelessly lined his pockets, those of the corporate management suite, to say nothing of shareholders who engorged themselves on profits and compensation denied GE workers?

"Welch became one of the nation’s most well-known and highly regarded corporate leaders during his two decades as GE’s chairman and chief executive, from 1981 to 2001. He personified the so-called “cult of the CEO” during the late-1990s boom, when GE’s soaring stock price made it the most valuable company in the world."

-- At expense of those who did the work, took it hard in the ass, but did not share in the profits. Guru, my ass. He was poster boy for the worst in capitalism, not the best. While capitalism is indeed the very best financial system to live under, it can't be laissez-faire, that is, unregulated, or as it is in our formerly great country, extremely poorly regulated. Becomes zero-sum, winner-take-all. Not sustainable.

"A chemical engineer by training, Welch transformed the company from a maker of appliances and light bulbs into an industrial and financial services powerhouse. During his tenure, GE’s revenue grew nearly fivefold, and the firm’s market capitalization increased 30-fold. Welch’s results-driven management approach and hands-on style were credited with helping GE turn a financial corner, although some of the success came at the expense of thousands of employees who lost their jobs in Welch’s relentless efforts to cut costs and rid GE of unprofitable businesses."

The writer of the article is indeed way too kind to this son of a bitch. LOL.

"Business success and outspokenness brought him wide fame."

-- Again, way too much credit given the 'guru.' LOL. Aryan arrogance would be far more descriptive and accurate. LOL.

"In 1999, Fortune magazine named Welch as its “Manager of the Century.”

Certainly, did. No surprise there. No end to the Aryan arrogance of the corporate management suite:

"For his first book, “Jack: Straight From the Gut,” Welch received a $7.1 million advance. Although released on the very morning of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the book became a best-seller, and led to frequent speaking engagements where he took his candor on stage. “From the day I joined GE to the day I was named CEO, 20 years later, my bosses cautioned me about my candor,” Welch wrote in ‘Straight from the Gut.’ “I was labeled abrasive and consistently warned my candor would soon get in the way of my career ... and I’m telling you that it was candor that helped make it work.” Welch did not slow down after leaving GE. He became a senior advisor with private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2001. He also taught a course on business leadership at MIT’s Sloan School of Management in 2006. In 2009, Welch founded the Jack Welch Management Institute, an online MBA program that is now part of Strayer University. While Welch was known for being hypercompetitive, he also stressed giving everyone a fair shake."

-- While sticking it to his employees, lining his pockets, and those of shareholders.

"In the 2005 book, “Winning,” Welch wrote that he would like to be remembered “as a huge advocate of candor and meritocracy, and believing everyone deserves a chance. And I’d like to be remembered for trying to make the case that you can never let yourself be a victim.”

What precisely is the philosophy, Jack? F--k the other guy before he f--ks you, sir? LOL.

Jack was certainly poster boy for unbridled greed:

"Along with Welch’s fame came greater scrutiny. Welch found himself defending his retirement compensation. Amid a wave of corporate scandals, details of Welch’s GE perks emerged in court papers during his 2002 divorce from his wife of 13 years, Jane Beasley. He received millions of dollars in benefits, including unlimited personal use of GE’s planes, office space and financial services."

-- While his employees took it hard in the ass. Forget? The American Way. LOL.

"After the perks became public, Welch reimbursed the company for many of them, and paid for use of aircraft and other services."

Jesus Christ. LOL. -- Shamelessly looted the corporation, Jack? ... While laying off the workers who lined the pockets of GE through their labor?

"His first marriage, to Carolyn, ended amicably in divorce after 28 years in 1987. Plans for his second divorce were disclosed shortly after Harvard Business Review editor Suzy Wetlaufer revealed she had become romantically involved with Welch while working on a story about him."

... Hand in the cookie jar, Jack? LOL.

"Welch didn’t blame the media for the attention the affair generated."

-- Could only blame himself? Unlike the Trump nazi? LOL.

“Christ, if I was a journalist, I’d write a scandalous story,” Welch told the CBS television news magazine “60 Minutes” in a 2005 interview. “I mean, it’s a good story, but I don’t care. I fell in love.”

How about that? LOL. Gets better. LOL. Get this:

"Wetlaufer resigned the Harvard editing post in 2002 because of a furor caused by her relationship with Welch. In a January 2012 interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan, when asked how he persuaded Wetlaufer to marry him, Welch replied, “My charm and probably my wallet.” “We had a little scandal at the beginning,” he continued. “And it’s been the greatest 10 years of our lives.” The couple wrote a regular column, called “The Welch Way,” in Business Week magazine for four years. They also wrote management books, including “Winning” in 2005. The Welches resumed writing a regular column in 2012, this time for Reuters. They used the column to dole out advice for business and political figures, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, whom they supported."

Certainly, had the right stuff to climb the corporate ladder in a system that is by design essentially, effectively unregulated where the bastards in management, for the most part, do as they please.

"In his writing and speaking, Welch shared the wisdom he gained in a GE career that began right after he left grad school. He quickly climbed the ranks, and became the company’s youngest chairman and CEO in 1981, at age 45. Welch quickly shook up GE, laying off tens of thousands of employees in his first five years. That earned him the unwanted nickname “Neutron Jack,” after the nuclear weapon that kills people but leaves buildings largely intact. Welch bristled at the name, insisting that successful companies needed to be agile."

That description of him, however, remained more than appropriate. Especially, in a system that remains determinedly unregulated, piss-poor at best.

"But the nickname stuck, and was used by President Donald Trump in a tweet Monday."

Trump remains in a class and world of his own despite similarities in both men. Forget? A stiff dick indeed has no conscience. ... Especially, an amoral one.

"Welch also divested GE of billions of dollars in businesses that didn’t live up to his mantra that they be No. 1 or 2 in their markets. The early moves dismantled GE’s bureaucracy and eliminated many layers of reporting relationships. “He’s quick on the trigger — sometimes too quick,” Noel Tichy, the author of a 1993 book on Welch and a former leader of GE’s vaunted training programs, said in 2001. “He’ll make snap judgments. He’s a human being that has temper tantrums. “With all that, I think he’s the greatest business leader I ever met,” Tichy said."

Some say the same of Trump. LOL. But unlike the Trump nazi:

"Welch freely acknowledged his mistakes. One was Calma, a computer design firm that GE bought in 1981. The company wound up losing $50 million annually until GE sold it in 1988."

2-28-20

Yet another detainee dies in ICE custody. United Press International reports:

"Another Mexican detainee has died in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency said Friday -- the seventh since October. Officials said David Hernandez Colula was found unresponsive in his cell on Thursday at the Northeast Correctional Center in Youngstown, Ohio, a privately-run, medium-security facility. Efforts to revive him failed. The agency said the man's death is under investigation, but officials believe he killed himself."

Where were the guards?

"Colula was taken into ICE custody in December after his arrest in Michigan. Officials said he was first apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol in in Rochester, N.Y., in 2014. After reports of inadequate medical attention for migrant detainees, the U.S. Congress opened an investigation into the matter in December. "ICE is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody and is undertaking a comprehensive agency-wide review of this incident, as it does in all such cases," the agency said in a statement."

Liars. Facilities no more than gulags.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-28-20

In follow up to a case covered repeatedly in this publication and elsewhere, NPR reports:

"Immigration and Border Patrol issues took center stage at the U.S. Supreme Court in two cases on Tuesday. A sharply divided court first ruled that the parents of a Mexican boy fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent cannot sue the officer who killed their son. Then, the court heard arguments in a free-speech case that will determine whether people who encourage illegal immigrants to remain in the country can be prosecuted. In 2010, 15-year-old Sergio Hernandez and his friends were playing chicken at the U.S. Mexican border, running up and touching the border fence, and then running away and hiding. Video of the scene shows Sergio peeking out from behind a railroad trestle on the Mexico side, as Agent Jesus Mesa Jr. points a gun, fires and kills the boy. When the U.S. government declined to prosecute the agent or turn him over to Mexican authorities to face murder charges there, the boy's parents sued the agent for damages, contending that he violated the U.S. Constitution by depriving Hernandez of his life. The suit was brought under a 1971 Supreme Court ruling that allowed such damage claims against officers who act in bad faith. The panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals found that no reasonable officer would have done what Mesa did under the circumstances, but the full appeals court said that it didn't matter whether Mesa had acted unreasonably, his parents couldn't sue because Hernandez was standing on the Mexican side of the border when he was shot."

Legalized murder by the criminal jackbooted bastards in law enforcement:

"On Tuesday, the Supreme Court threw out the suit entirely and went much further, cutting the heart out of much of the court's 1971 decision. The vote was 5 to 4, with the court's conservative justices refusing to allow damage suits for cross-border shootings and the court's liberal justices castigating the court's majority for giving a free pass to the "rogue actions" of law enforcement officers."

This ruling amounts to the legalization of murder by law enforcement in our formerly great country. ... Hear the rumble?

"Writing for the conservative court majority, Justice Samuel Alito said that in essence, the court has come to realize the folly of its earlier decision and has thus sought to limit its effect. "A federal court's authority to recognize a damages remedy must rest at bottom on a statute enacted by Congress," he wrote, "and no statute expressly creates [such] a remedy."

Where did you lose yourself, Mr. Alito?

"Alito said there is "a world of difference between" allowing damage claims that have been allowed in the past and a case like this one, in which, Alito maintained, there were foreign policy and national security issues at stake. Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch, would have gone further and outright overturned the court's 1971 decision and others that followed in its wake."

Raw nazism. Who really won the Second World War European Theater?

"Writing for the dissenters, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that "using lethal force against a person who poses no immediate threat to the officer and no threat to others surely qualifies as an unreasonable" invasion of an individual's constitutional rights. It should not matter "one whit" that the boy was standing on the Mexican side of the embankment, not the U.S. side, she added. Mexico perceives cross-border shootings like this one to be a "persistent problem." The Mexican government, in a brief filed with the Supreme Court, cited U.S. Customs and Border Protection's own statistics showing that its officers reported use of deadly force involving firearms over 200 times through October 2018, with nearly all of the deadly shootings near the U.S.-Mexico border, and "many killings that involved shots fired across the border."

Our formerly great country is out of control. Raw nazism.

"A separate investigation conducted by the Arizona Republic revealed that border patrol agents and CBP officers "killed at least 42 people," all but four of whom were killed along or near the Southwest border between 2005 and 2013. Robert Hilliard, who represents the Hernandez family, was more than disappointed by the ruling, telling NPR that "the path to justice apparently does not travel as far as a bullet."

We are no longer a democratic republic. In name only.

"After the announcement of the ruling in the Hernandez case, the Supreme Court moved on to hearing arguments in another immigration case, but this one involved the First Amendment right of free speech. At issue was a statute that makes it a crime to encourage or advise immigrants in the country illegally to stay. Critics say the law could ensnare grandparents, ministers, lawyers and human rights activists."

Raw nazism.

"The case involves the conviction of Evelyn Sineneng-Smith, a California woman who ran an immigration consulting business that mainly served Filipino home health care workers. Between 2001 and 2008, she collected more than $3 million from clients applying for an adjustment of their immigration status. The adjustment program, however, had ended in 2001, so the clients she applied for were not actually eligible. Sineneng-Smith was subsequently convicted of mail fraud, tax violations and of illegally encouraging or inducing an alien to remain in the U.S. It was this last conviction — for encouraging undocumented people to stay in the U.S. — that was before the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out that conviction, finding it to be a violation of the First Amendment's free speech guarantee. Both liberal and conservative advocacy groups have urged the Supreme Court to follow suit, contending that the statute is so broad that it encompasses lots of perfectly legal expression."

Liberty? What's that? There is none in a fascist police-state.

"Assistant Solicitor General Eric Feigin, representing the Trump administration, took incoming fire from an ideologically diverse set of justices. What about "a grandmother whose granddaughter is in the United States illegally" and "tells [her] granddaughter ... 'I hope you will stay'?" asked Chief Justice John Roberts. Would that grandmother be at risk of federal prosecution? "What about a charity?" followed up Justice Brett Kavanaugh. If it's a charity that "provides food to someone who's in the country unlawfully ... is it covered under the statute?" Feigin acknowledged that it was possible conduct of that sort "might violate the statute" but added that there was no instance of it actually being used in that way. Justice Sonia Sotomayor followed up: "It has been used" to create "a watchlist at the border" for "charitable organizations, people who were giving legal advice at the border ... because they potentially violated this encouragement provision." And, noted Sotomayor, there was a prosecution in the case of a woman who advised her housekeeper that "if you return to your home country, you may not get back." Justice Gorsuch noted that being in the country illegally is not itself a crime, so why is encouraging someone to stay a crime? Arguing on behalf of Sineneng-Smith, the defendant in the case, lawyer Mark Fleming faced a grilling from Alito who wanted to know whether there is any kind of encouraging speech that could be criminalized. For instance, what if a bullied and depressed teenager calls up a friend to say he is going to kill himself, and the friend says, "I'm tired of hearing this from you ... you're a coward, why don't you just do it ... pull the trigger"? Asked Alito, "Is that speech protected by the First Amendment?" No, replied Fleming, because that is inciting imminent harm, which the Supreme Court has said is not protected."

Here's the problem:

"Addressing the government's argument that the statute is not really used to prosecute most speech, Fleming told the justices that while the statute has historically not been used much, the Trump administration has "recently made it a focus of enforcement."

Called engaging in sophistry to 'justify' the unjustifiable:

"Building on Sotomayor's point about government watchlists of charitable organizations and lawyers working at the border, Fleming noted that should the court uphold the law, it could soon be used against "U.S. citizens for their prayer, for their speech, and for their legal advice."

"A decision in the case is expected by summer."

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2-28-20

Yet another vicious attack on privacy by our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, and his henchmen. NPR reports:

"The Justice Department has placed a high national security priority on its probe of the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, insisting that investigators must get access to data from two locked and encrypted iPhones that belonged to the alleged gunman, a Saudi aviation student."

Tough shit. Why should the American public give up its right to privacy by providing the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue a back door?

"The Trump administration has revived the debate over "end-to-end encryption" — systems so secure that the tech companies themselves aren't able to read the messages, even when police present them with a warrant."

Again, tough shit. Provide the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue a back door, think they won't go on fishing expeditions? Think other agencies won't invade privacy? Won't access data with or without a warrant? Think hackers won't hack into these systems? Think the criminal bastards in law enforcement don't have other ways to make their cases against the criminal element?

The following is bullshit:

"It is hard to overstate how perilous this is," U.S. Attorney General William Barr said in a speech last fall. "By enabling dangerous criminals to cloak their communications and activities behind an essentially impenetrable digital shield, the deployment of warrant-proof encryption is already imposing huge costs on society."

The greatest threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties is no foreign aggressor, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element. Wake up. It is government. All levels. All branches.

The following is additional bullshit promulgated by a national socialist, fascist, nazi chief law enforcement officer of our formerly great country and his equally clueless apologists:

"Barr has been concerned about this for years, but he has become more vocal recently as encryption goes mainstream. It's now built into popular services such as Skype and WhatsApp, and even Facebook may soon be encrypted. Republican senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham recently floated legislation that would strip tech companies of their liability protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act unless they comply with as-of-yet undefined "best practices."

Graham and other national socialists, fascists who think like him present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Time to wake up. Before too late.

The following is frightening. Highly reminiscent of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the former Soviet Union, to say nothing of China and North Korea. Again, time to wake up:

"Riana Pfefferkorn, at Stanford University's Center for Internet and Society, says it's a safe bet the best practices would include a requirement that law enforcement get access to encrypted content. "The bill as it's drafted does a bizarre and alarming end run around normal legislative or even agency rule-making processes," Pfefferkorn says, giving the attorney general "the keys for deciding what rules apply on the Internet." Justice Department officials say all they want is a reasonable accommodation for investigators with court orders, similar to the federal law that requires phone companies to make it technically feasible for police to tap phone calls."

At best, disingenuous bullshit. At worst, a blatant lie. This government is out of control. Has been quite some time. Cannot be trusted. No question, our nazi judiciary rubber stamps law enforcement and the executive, both state and/or federal.

"Recent headlines have focused on the FBI's disputes over encryption with Apple, which has refused investigators' requests to "break into" iPhones recovered from high-profile terrorism attacks. But those situations are relatively rare. In practice, it's local law enforcement that more often finds itself frustrated by encryption. "It comes into play at least once or twice every single week," says Capt. Clay Anderson, who supervises investigations at the Sheriff's Office in Humphreys County, Tenn. "Human trafficking and sexual-exploitation-of-minor cases — those are very frequent," Anderson says, "and in those cases you run into dead ends because you can't get past encryption."

There are other far less intrusive methods of investigation then to place the truly innocent public at risk of loss of privacy courtesy of you clueless, criminal jackbooted bastards who constantly abuse authority. Wake up.

You continually, ludicrously, deceptively cry wolf with absolutely no justification:

"There's often little point in getting a warrant for a sexual predator's digital messages, he says, because the messaging company isn't able to produce anything. If they could get those communications, he says, it would be easier to build cases for the prosecution."

Bullshit. What would happen you would routinely use it with or without a warrant to go on fishing expeditions targeting innocent civilians who have committed no crimes. You have no credibility. Constantly, abuse authority. Get your cookies off abusing power. You're determinedly out of control.

"Who needs that kind of encryption, other than maybe the military?" he asks. "We don't even — in law enforcement — use encryption like that."

Wake up, you clueless, lying son of a bitch. We, the majority of innocent civilians need it as protection against corrupt, abusive bastards like you in law enforcement and prosecutors offices.

"Moxie Marlinspike thinks regular people want it. He's the software developer who co-created the encryption system used in WhatsApp and other systems. "People's expectations when they send someone a message is that that message is viewable by themselves and the intended recipient," he says. "And people are always very disappointed when that turns out to not be true." Marlinspike runs Signal, a nonprofit messaging app popular with security-conscious users such as journalists and government officials. He says they rarely get served with warrants anymore because law enforcement agencies have learned there's nothing to get. "That's the whole point," he says. "Not even we, the creators of the software or the operators of the service, are capable of inspecting message content."

Certainly, way it should be. Wake up. Freedom is indeed dangerous. Far more dangerous? Living in a goddamned fascist police-state. The Attorney General has his head figuratively, securely lodged up his clueless, traitorous, treasonous, national socialist, nazi ass.

"It's an anti-government, anti-Big Brother attitude that's common in the tech world, and it was challenged recently by Darrin Jones, assistant director of the FBI's Information Technology Infrastructure Division, at a recent panel discussion with privacy experts. "Most of these folks have never been a victim and have never worked a crime scene," he said. "And if that's not part of your experience, it's easy to make this a philosophical debate."

Beside the point. Forget? Liberty is not free. Always a cost to freedom. Always. Sometimes, the guilty will indeed go free when the criminal jackbooted bastards are reined in, prevented from doing as they please with impunity. No question. Alternative? Far, far worse. Assholes who argue such a backdoor present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"But the privacy activists also have a technological argument against making encrypted messages available to police: It would require companies to create a secret method for decrypting users' messages — a "back door," as some call it — which could end up being exploited by malicious hackers. Marlinspike says systems such as Signal are secure because they're "open source" software, which means they don't have any secret programming code where one might hide a back door. "I think a lot of people might not expect [transparency] to be a good thing for privacy," he says. But because the software is open source, that "allows experts to review that and make sure there are no vulnerabilities."

That's right. Precisely, as it should be.

"One of those experts is Matthew Green, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University's Information Security Institute. "The crypto that's in Signal is really the best stuff out there," he says. "There's no such thing as a perfect piece of software, but it's really well written, and the authors of Signal have thought through a lot of the important security problems." If even part of the app's software were closed, to conceal a back door for police warrants, independent experts like Green wouldn't be able to vouch for the system's security with the same confidence. But law enforcement officials remain dubious that a secure back door can't be created for their warrant requests. "To suggest that this is not possible, I just can't buy that," says the FBI's Jones."

Simply, because you have an agenda. A not so honorable one. Cannot be trusted. Enjoy getting your cookies off abusing power. Has always been a problem with law enforcement. Always will be.

The following is disingenuous bullshit, achingly beside the point:

"He says the security of everyday encryption has to be weighed against the cost to public safety."

Those who prize liberty remain more than willing to take that risk.

Familiar rhetoric, spoken as a jackbooted lying thug in law enforcement with no credibility:

"[It offers] some small incremental increase in security in my messaging or my Amazon shopping list, but I have to accept the premise that there are going to be people that are victims? No, I can't go there."

Tough shit. You don't have to. Conveniently, forget? You get to enforce jackbooted law. Not make it. Nor do you get to create policy. There is no greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than law enforcement, all levels and branches in government. ... 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.

2-28-20

In follow up to the last edition, NPR reports:

"The U.S. district judge presiding over Roger Stone's case swatted down his request to disqualify herself over further proceedings because of alleged bias. In a strongly worded order issued Sunday, Judge Amy Berman Jackson dismissed the Stone defense team's claims, arguing that the motion to have her recuse herself lacked "any factual or legal support." "At bottom, given the absence of any factual or legal support for the motion for disqualification, the pleading appears to be nothing more than an attempt to use the Court's docket to disseminate a statement for public consumption that has the words 'judge' and 'biased' in it," Jackson wrote. Last week Jackson sentenced Stone, a longtime ally of President Trump, to more than three years in prison after a jury found Stone guilty of witness tampering and lying to Congress. Justice Department prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence between seven to nine years. A day later, Stone's defense filed the disqualification motion, asserting that Jackson exhibited bias during Thursday's sentencing hearing when she said the jurors who found Stone guilty "served with integrity."

Laughable. Defense has lost its mind. LOL.

"The defense has a pending motion before Jackson requesting a new trial based on the unsupported claim that a juror "misled the Court regarding her ability to be unbiased and fair." Stone's attorneys further allege that the juror "attempted to cover up evidence" that would have disqualified her. In rejecting the motion to disqualify herself, Jackson wrote, "The Court's very general comment that 'jurors' served with integrity — three words on the 88th page of the 96-page transcript of a two-and-a-half-hour hearing — did not purport to, and did not address" Stone's request for a new trial. Jackson has not yet made a decision on the defense motion for a new trial. The same day that Jackson issued her refusal to disqualify herself from Stone's case, Trump again sought to discredit Stone's conviction. Without offering evidence, Trump told reporters outside the White House on Sunday, "You have a juror that's obviously tainted. She was an activist against Trump, said bad things about Trump and said bad things about Stone. She somehow weaseled her way onto the jury and if that's not a tainted jury, then there is no such thing as a tainted jury."

That's crap. Expression of the facts, although extremely negative, still remain the facts, that is, the truth. The problem for Trump is the fact the truth does not equate with our fuhrer's narrative. That is, the president remains a congenital liar. Conversely for the judge, the problem is she failed to sentence Stone to sufficient time.

In a subsequent article, NPR reports:

"Amy Berman Jackson has worked in the Washington, D.C., legal world for more than 30 years — as a federal prosecutor, white collar defense attorney and now district court judge. But it is her current work presiding over several prosecutions stemming from the Russia investigation, including the case against President Trump's longtime friend and informal adviser, Roger Stone, that have put Jackson in the public spotlight on the national stage. At Stone's sentencing last week, Jackson went point by point through her reasoning before handing down a prison term of three years and four months. And she made clear why Stone's offenses, including lying to Congress, merit punishment. "The truth still exists. The truth still matters," she said before a packed courtroom in remarks that lasted nearly an hour. "Roger Stone's insistence that it doesn't, his belligerence, his pride in his own lies are a threat to our most fundamental institutions, to the very foundation of our democracy."

Sounds just like his fuhrer, the Trump nazi, doesn't he? LOL. The Judge, certainly, was spot on regarding this particular assessment of hers. Regarding the sentence imposed, however, it comes nowhere near reflecting the seriousness of his crimes. It gives the son of a bitch a break he clearly does not deserve. Frustrates prosecutors who worked hard to convict the son of a bitch despite strong public opposition from the Trump nazi, his henchmen, and sick sycophants.

"Jackson's work in Stone's case did not end with his sentencing. Over the weekend, she rejected a defense motion to disqualify her from the case, calling it baseless. And on Tuesday, she'll be back in court to hear from both sides on Stone's pending motion for a new trial. Jackson's handling of the various cases related to former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation points to something that those who know her say has been a constant over the years: She is not going to be surprised in the courtroom. "She will have thought, along with her team, of every potential legal and factual angle that could come up," said Karl Racine, the attorney general for the District of Columbia. "And she'll be crystal clear as to why she is doing what she's doing."

Certainly, thoroughly does her homework.

"At Stone's sentencing, Jackson did not sidestep the chaotic events that preceded the hearing. She pointed to what had transpired as a reason why she argued the country needs an independent judiciary. "This case also exemplifies why it is that this system, for good reason, demands that the responsibility falls to someone neutral, someone whose job may involve issuing opinions in favor of and against the same administration in the same week, and not someone who has a longstanding friendship with the defendant," Jackson said. "The court cannot be influenced by those comments. They were entirely inappropriate — but I will not hold them against the defendant either."

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-28-20

Trump nazi wants only 'yes men.' Surprised? The Washington Post reports:

"President Trump erupted at his acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, in the Oval Office last week over what he perceived as disloyalty by Maguire’s staff, which ruined McGuire’s chances of becoming the permanent intelligence chief, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump announced on Wednesday that he was replacing Maguire with a vocal loyalist, Richard Grenell, who is the U.S. ambassador to Germany."

Our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, wants only lap dogs, ass kissers.

"Maguire had been considered a leading candidate to be nominated for the post of DNI, White House aides had said. But Trump’s opinion shifted last week when he heard from a GOP ally that the intelligence official in charge of election security, who works for Maguire, gave a classified briefing last Thursday to the House Intelligence Committee on 2020 election security. It is unclear what the official, Shelby Pierson, specifically said at the briefing that angered Trump, but the president erroneously believed that she had given information exclusively to Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the committee chairman, and that the information would be helpful to Democrats if it were released publicly, the people familiar with the matter said. Schiff was the lead impeachment manager, or prosecutor, during Trump’s Senate trial on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The president was furious with Maguire and blamed him for the supposed transgression involving Pierson when the two met the next day. “There was a dressing down” of Maguire, said one individual, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. “That was the catalyst” that led to the sidelining of Maguire in favor of Grenell, the person said."

Trump is growing increasingly paranoid:

"The president has been focused lately on officials who are allegedly disloyal to him, particularly at the Justice Department, the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department, aides said, and has heard from outside advisers that “real MAGA people can’t get jobs in the administration,” in the words of an administration official, referring to Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” As acting DNI, Grenell would oversee the intelligence community’s efforts to combat election interference and disinformation, but he has been skeptical of Russia’s role in 2016. “Russian or Russian-approved tactics like cyber warfare and campaigns of misinformation have been happening for decades,” he wrote in a 2016 opinion article for Fox News, playing down the severity of the threat. That view is at odds with the conclusions of senior U.S. intelligence officials, who have said Russia’s operation in 2016 was sweeping and systematic, and unlike previous Russian or Soviet efforts. But Grenell’s view is in line with Trump’s assessment. The president has portrayed disinformation campaigns as commonplace and has compared Russia’s interventions to U.S. efforts to support democracy overseas. Some lawmakers said that Grenell lacks the experience necessary for the job and have said his avid support for the president could impair his duty to speak candidly to Trump and represent the intelligence community as a nonpolitical body."

Precisely, what a national socialist, fascist dictator wants, craves, desperately needs.

"Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that Trump had selected someone “without any intelligence experience” and faulted the president for not nominating a permanent successor, “apparently in an effort to sidestep the Senate’s constitutional authority to advise and consent on such critical national security positions.” Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) has not commented on Grenell’s appointment."

What could he say? How do you credibly defend the indefensible?

In another article, The Washington Post reports:

"An intelligence official briefed the House Intelligence Committee on assessments establishing that Russia would work to aid President Trump’s reelection in November. That briefing was relayed to Trump by his loyal ally, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), leading Trump to reportedly believe that only committee chairman Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) had received the information. In a meeting the next day, Trump blew up at then-acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire about the briefing. Maguire was removed from his position Thursday. Why was Trump angry? According to sources who spoke with The Washington Post, it was at least in part because Trump thought that the information being provided to the committee could be used against him and, further, was a continuation of what Trump has constantly argued is a false narrative about Russia’s efforts to boost his candidacy in 2016. Republicans on the committee pushed back during the hearing in a way that Trump would appreciate: Why would Russia want to aid Trump’s reelection when his administration had levied sanctions against the country?

Report goes on and on. Certainly demonstrates the shallowness, insecurity of our tyrant in the Oval Office.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-28-20

The following is equally disturbing. The mark of an increasingly insane dictator. NPR reports:

"President Trump criticized remarks by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg as "inappropriate" and said the Supreme Court justices should recuse themselves from cases involving the president. "I just don't know how they cannot recuse themselves for anything Trump or Trump related," Trump said Tuesday in a wide-ranging news conference in New Delhi. "What Justice Sotomayor said yesterday was highly inappropriate," Trump added. "She's trying to shame people with perhaps a different view into voting her way."

You've lost your mind, Mr. 'President.' Remain unfit for office. Cannot seem to tell the truth. Over 16,000 documented lies since taking office, sir.

"The remarks are an apparent reference to a recent Sotomayor dissent in which she wrote that the administration had made a habit of turning to the Supreme Court after losses in lower courts. "Claiming one emergency after another, the government has recently sought stays in an unprecedented number of cases, demanding immediate attention and consuming limited court resources in each," Sotomayor wrote. "And with each successive application, of course, its cries of urgency ring increasingly hollow." She added that the Supreme Court was "partly to blame" because it "has been all too quick to grant the government's" requests."

That's the truth, Donald. Highly demonstrative of your unfitness for office. Sotomayor is speaking the truth. Unlike you, sir. Worse? You gutlessly criticize a Supreme Court Justice when out of the country. Do so for self-serving political purposes as the walls close in on your presidency. What does that say about you, sir?

"Ginsburg had previously criticized Trump before he was elected president."

Had every right to do so. Called free speech. First Amendment. What's the matter, Donald? Can't take any criticism? That soft?

"Earlier, Trump tweeted: "Sotomayor accuses GOP appointed Justices of being biased in favor of Trump. ... This is a terrible thing to say. Trying to 'shame' some into voting her way? She never criticized Justice Ginsberg when she called me a 'faker'. Both should recuse themselves."

“Sotomayor accuses GOP appointed Justices of being biased in favor of Trump.” @IngrahamAngle @FoxNews This is a terrible thing to say. Trying to “shame” some into voting her way? She never criticized Justice Ginsberg when she called me a “faker”. Both should recuse themselves..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2020"

Sadly, tragically, called the truth, Donny. Certainly, illustrates your profound insecurity, -- the fact you simply did not wisely ignore the criticism.

"The comments, made on the final day of his three-day visit to India, capped an otherwise positive trip for Trump: He was feted by the Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, covered positively by the Indian media, and greeted by large crowds at a newly built cricket stadium in the western city of Ahmedabad."

Demonstrative, as well, the narcissist cannot control himself. Hide too thin to ignore the criticism.

The 'president's' insecurity is striking:

"Trump has previously criticized the judge in the trial of his ally Roger Stone, prompting pushback from his attorney general, William Barr; and last week, prior to his departure, news reports said that intelligence officials had told a House panel that Russia seemed to favor Trump in the 2020 election. Addressing that issue Tuesday, Trump accused Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who chairs the House Intelligence Committee and who spearheaded the president's impeachment, of leaking details of the intelligence assessment. Schiff has vigorously denied the allegation. The president also said he hadn't been briefed on the intelligence that suggested Russia was helping his campaign and that of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. "Nobody ever told me that," he said. He later added: "I want no help from any country, and I haven't been given any help from any country." The president tweeted repeatedly about many of those developments during his India trip. On Tuesday, he had the opportunity to address them in person."

Equally indicative of Trump's profound insecurity:

"In a meeting with Indian business leaders Tuesday, Trump said he believed the U.S. economy would be hurt "if the wrong person gets elected" in November. "Everything will come to a halt," he said."

That's bullshit. Quite the opposite would likely occur. Tariffs would quickly be removed leading to rapid expansion. LOL.

"Trump also addressed the U.S. stock market's plunge Monday, in which the Dow fell more than 1,000 points, or 3.56%, amid fears that the coronavirus would become a global pandemic. Trump tweeted Monday that the coronavirus "is very much under control in the USA" and that the "stock market starting to look very good to me." Earlier in the day Tuesday he said the stock market's plunge would "work out fine." Dow futures were up slightly after Trump's remarks Tuesday."

Wishful thinking. At best. So much damage already done last three years hard to tell where all this winds up.

Get this. LOL. The Washington Post reports:

"The back-and-forth, as well as events sometimes beyond control of the individual justices, often entangles the court with the White House in an unwelcome political spotlight. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was obligated to preside over Trump’s impeachment proceedings. After Trump criticized Sotomayor and Gorsuch, social media erupted over reports about the role of Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife Ginni in creating lists for the Trump White House about who should be considered loyal to his administration. Ginni Thomas, a longtime conservative activist, was in the cheering crowd at the White House event Trump organized to celebrate his acquittal."

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. What webs we weave. LOL. No end to the bullshit, or hypocrisy. 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.

2-28-20

The following is a most interesting rebuke presented to the U.S. Senate by 70 former U.S. Senators, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. The Washington Post reports:

"The following signers are all former U.S. senators: Dean Barkley (I-Minn.), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), David Boren (D-Okla.), Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), Bill Brock (R-Tenn.), Hank Brown (R-Colo.), Richard Bryan (D-Nev.), James Buckley (R-N.Y.), Roland Burris (D-Ill.), Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.), Jean Carnahan (D-Mo.), Max Cleland (D-Ga.), William Cohen (R-Maine), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Jon Corzine (D-N.J.), Jack Danforth (R-Mo.), Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Mark Dayton (D-Minn.), Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), David Durenberger (R-Minn.), Daniel Evans (R-Wash.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Wyche Fowler (D-Ga.), Slade Gorton (R-Wash.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Gary Hart (D-Colo.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Gordon Humphrey (I-N.H.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Bennett Johnston (D-La.), Ted Kaufman (D-Del.), Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Paul Kirk (D-Mass.), Robert Krueger (D-Tex.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), Bob Packwood (R-Ore.), Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), David Pryor (D-Ark.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Donald Riegle (D-Mich.), Chuck Robb (D-Va.), Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), Jim Sasser (D-Tenn.), Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Bob Torricelli (D-N.J.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), John Walsh (D-Mont.), John Warner (R-Va.), Lowell Weicker (I-Conn.), and Tim Wirth (D-Colo.).

The following is reassuring. Certainly, demonstrates we have not all lost ourselves, forfeited all principles.

"An open letter to the U.S. Senate:

"Congress is not fulfilling its constitutional duties. Much of the responsibility rests on the Senate. We are writing to encourage the creation of a bipartisan caucus of incumbent senators who would be committed to making the Senate function as the Framers of the Constitution intended.

"As their first priority, the Framers explicitly entrusted all legislative responsibility in Article I of the Constitution: “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.” To the extent that Congress doesn’t function as the Framers intended, policymaking is left to the less democratic executive and judicial branches.

"Examples of Congress ceding its powers to the executive through the years include the power to regulate international trade, the power to authorize the use of military force in foreign conflicts and, when the president declares national emergencies, the power of the purse. In addition, the partisan gridlock that is all too routine in recent decades has led the executive branch to effectively “legislate” on its own terms through executive order and administrative regulation. The Senate’s abdication of its legislative and oversight responsibilities erodes the checks and balances of the separate powers that are designed to protect the liberties on which our democracy depends.

Anecdotally, we have been told by sitting members that the diminished state of the Senate has left them doubting whether there is any point in continuing to serve, and it has caused potential candidates to question whether the reality of Senate membership is worth the considerable effort and expense of running for office.

"We do not want to give the impression that we served in some golden age when the Senate operated like clockwork and its members embraced one another as one big happy family. Of course, that was never the case. Senators have always advanced strongly held positions and have vigorously engaged in legislative combat. All of us have vivid memories of tense times with difficult colleagues. But that is just the point. By design, the Senate is the place where Americans with all their competing interests and ideologies are represented and where champions of those positions attempt to advance their causes and work through their differences. Many call the legislative process “sausage making.” That is a fair assessment. Legislating is often messy, but it is America’s way of holding together a diverse nation.

"Our concern is that the legislative process is no longer working in the Senate. Several factors may be cited: Senate committees have lost responsibility for writing legislation. Rules allowing extended debate, a feature of the Senate that is essential to protecting the rights of minorities, have been abused as the filibuster and cloture have shut down action on the Senate floor. It is now commonly said that it takes 60 votes to pass anything in the Senate. This is new and obstructionist; it takes 60 votes to invoke cloture in the once relatively exceptional event of a filibuster. Filibusters are now threatened as a matter of course and are too readily acceded to. Neither in committee nor on the floor do rank-and-file members have reasonable opportunities to advance their positions by voting on legislation.

"We believe a bipartisan caucus of incumbent members that promotes a fair opportunity for senators to participate in meaningful committee work as well as on the Senate floor could help restore the Senate to its essential place in our constitutional system. Its members would need to stand firm in the face of what could be strong opposition from partisans who prefer politicians who take intransigent positions over those who champion a legislative process that celebrates compromise.

"This does not have to be viewed as a judgment on today’s Senate leadership; instead, it’s a bipartisan act of shared responsibility and accountability for how we arrived at this point. We, who once held the office you now hold and who are confident that service in the U.S. Senate is as high a calling for you as it was for us, will stand up for you against any partisan opposition. We will do so publicly and repeatedly in whatever available forums. And we are convinced that many ordinary Americans will stand up for you as well, as they share our concern for the state of our government.

"We know that accepting this challenge may put some of you at political risk. But we are also confident that each of you chose to serve in public life to advance the cause of a “more perfect union.” Our hope is that all of you will accept this challenge to advance that timeless and higher purpose. The Senate — and the proper functioning of our Republic — are simply too important to be allowed to continue on their present course."

Hat's off, Senators. As elected former officials, you took an oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution. -- Not your political party. To current incumbents? Time for change. Before too late. ... 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.

2-28-20

'Real' ID Act crisis pending. NBC News reports:

"The nation's airports are warning of chaos for passengers if the White House doesn't postpone the looming Real ID deadline. The law requires airline passengers to present a Real ID-compliant driver's license or ID card at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in airports as of Oct. 1. Those licenses require more proof of identification than regular licenses and are generally marked with a star on the top. But while states have already issued 95 million Real IDs, that represents just 34 percent of the total, leaving two-thirds of the country with about seven months to get them if they hope to use a license to board a plane. Without a Real ID, airline passengers will be required to present a passport, military ID or Global Entry card to pass through security, even for domestic flights. The Airports Council International-North America, which represents the nation's airports, warned that thousands of passengers could be denied boarding and left stranded. ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin Burke told NBC News that "this is a crisis waiting to happen." "If the government doesn't make a definitive statement now that they're going to extend this, then we're going to have a real crisis on our hands come Oct. 1," he said. Congress passed the Real ID law after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to create a single, robust national standard for all states and territories. Across the country, motor vehicle offices have been flooded with people trying to upgrade to Real IDs. Everyone is required to present four pieces of identification, including a passport or a birth certificate, a Social Security card or a tax return and two documents that provide proof of residence — a mortgage or a rental receipt and a utility bill. To handle the rush, state motor vehicle offices have staffed up and are allowing people to make appointments to present their documents for review. But many states say they're overwhelmed and can't keep up."

Total bullshit. Outrageously unnecessary. Egregious invasion of privacy by nazi government. Forget? The State Department failed to do full background checks on the Saudi 9/11 terrorists. Failed to heed warnings by the flight schools the bastards wished only to learn how to fly straight and level, not take off and land. Instead, clueless legislators in both parties gave us the USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, etc., eviscerating all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. We now live in a de facto fascist police-state 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.

2-28-20

Rabid Trump sick sycophant. NBC News reports:

"A Michigan man was arrested for sending an email threatening to hunt down and "bleed [out]" an attorney for the whistleblower who set in motion President Donald Trump’s impeachment, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday. Brittan J. Atkinson allegedly sent the message to attorney Mark Zaid the day after Trump held up a photo of the Washington lawyer and read some of his tweets at a rally in Louisiana last November. "All traitors must die miserable deaths," the email read in part, the indictment says. "Those that represent traitors shall meet the same fate[.] We will hunt you down and bleed you out like the pigs you are. We have nothing but time, and you are running out of it, Keep looking over your shoulder[.] We know who you are, where you live, and who you associate with [.] We are all strangers in a crowd to you[.]" Atkinson was ordered temporarily detained after he pleaded not guilty to a charge of violating a federal law banning threats communicated across state lines, according to court records. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted. A detention hearing was set for next Monday. Atkinson's lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment. The indictment does not identify Zaid by name but he confirmed that he was the recipient of the email. Politico was first to report on the indictment, which was first spotted by Seamus Hughes, of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. "I hope this indictment sends a message to others that such behavior will not be tolerated by a civil society that is governed by law. It's not appropriate for anyone to threaten another individual's life, regardless of political views," Zaid said in a statement."

That's right.

2-28-20

According to national security officials, history is repeating itself. The Associated Press reports:

"Intelligence officials have warned lawmakers that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election campaign to help President Donald Trump get reelected, according to three officials familiar with the closed-door briefing. Trump pushed back Friday accusing Democrats of launching a disinformation campaign. “Another misinformation campaign is being launched by Democrats in Congress saying that Russia prefers me to any of the Do Nothing Democrat candidates who still have been unable to, after two weeks, count their votes in Iowa. Hoax number 7!” Trump tweeted. The officials, who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence, said Thursday that the briefing last week focused on Russia’s efforts to influence the 2020 election and sow discord in the American electorate. The intelligence warning was first reported by The New York Times and The Washington Post. A senior administration official told The Associated Press that the news infuriated Trump, who complained that Democrats would use the information against him. Over the course of his presidency, Trump has dismissed the intelligence community’s assessment of Russia’s 2016 election interference as a conspiracy to undermine his victory. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private meeting. A day after the Feb. 13 briefing to the House committee, Trump berated the then-director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, and he announced this week that Maguire would be replaced by Richard Grenell, a Trump loyalist. Moscow denied any meddling. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that the allegations are “paranoid reports that, unfortunately, there will be more and more of as we get closer to the elections (in the U.S.). Of course, they have nothing to do with the truth.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted that, “American voters should decide American elections — not Vladimir Putin.” She added that all members of Congress “should condemn the President’s reported efforts to dismiss threats to the integrity of our democracy & to politicize our intel community.” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chairman of the House intelligence committee, tweeted: “We count on the intelligence community to inform Congress of any threat of foreign interference in our elections. If reports are true and the President is interfering with that, he is again jeopardizing our efforts to stop foreign meddling. Exactly as we warned he would do.”

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-28-20

Despite global warning, think Hell may be freezing over? LOL. The Associated Press reports:

"Justice Clarence Thomas has made no secret of his dislike of past Supreme Court decisions written by other justices, including seminal opinions about abortion rights, press freedoms and a defendant’s right to a lawyer."

No question, for the most part, Thomas seems to be mired in the Extreme Right, that is, national socialism, fascism. May be hope for him yet. LOL. Get this:

"On Monday, the 71-year-old justice turned inward, focusing his criticism on himself — a court opinion he wrote in 2005 defending the power of federal administrative agencies."

About time. Never too late. LOL. If indeed, that is what he is really talking about. LOL.

"In the case, known as Brand X, the court sided with the Federal Communications Commission’s decision not to regulate broadband cable providers, rejecting a federal appeals court ruling that would have required regulation."

How about that? Can we stand it? LOL. Then again, who knows where he truly stands. LOL. Or, if it may change yet again as circumstances warrant. LOL. Have to admit, however, Thomas has usually been remarkably consistent in his national socialist views. For years. LOL.

“Although I authored Brand X, ’it is never too late to surrender former views to a better considered position,- Thomas wrote, borrowing language from Justice Robert Jackson in 1950. Thomas wrote a dissenting opinion Monday when the court declined to take on a case asking it to overrule the Brand X decision."

Remarkable, isn't it? Maybe, there is hope for him. LOL. Then again, we'll see. LOL.

"Thomas’ evolving views about federal agencies is part of a growing conservative movement to rein in the powers of the bureaucracy. Advocates for regulation of business practices across a wide swath of the American economy worry that if conservatives succeed in rolling back court decisions like Brand X, it could be much harder to sustain governmental regulations."

Truly make a difference one way or the other? Forget? The corporate management suite owns all branches and levels of government. LOL. Remarkably, bought and paid for.

"The leading Supreme Court decision in this area is Chevron v. NRDC, a 1984 ruling that says when Congress leaves the details of laws vague, courts should rely on federal agencies to fill in the gaps. The opinion by Justice John Paul Stevens has been cited more than 15,000 times."

Certainly, a major part of the problem. 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.

2-28-20

Wells Fargo. Special treatment. No prosecution. The Associated Press reports:

"Wells Fargo agreed Friday to pay $3 billion to settle criminal and civil investigations into a long-running practice whereby company employees opened millions of unauthorized bank accounts in order to meet unrealistic sales goals. Since the fake-accounts scandal came to light in 2016, Wells has paid out billions in fines to state and federal regulators, reshuffled its board of directors and seen two CEOs and other top-level executives leave the company. Wells Fargo’s reputation has never fully recovered from the sales scandal, even four years later. The $3 billion payment includes a $500 million civil payment to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will distribute those funds to investors who were impacted by Wells’ behavior. “Wells Fargo traded its hard-earned reputation for short-term profits” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna for the Central District of California."

Why weren't they criminally prosecuted? Why did they receive special treatment?

"Before the scandal broke, Wells Fargo was considered to have a sterling reputation among the big banks. Bank executives referred to its branches as “stores,” and once had a policy of trying to get each Wells Fargo customer to have eight financial products with the company. Behind the scenes, Wells’ top management was pushing sales goals that were both aggressive and unrealistic. Bank employees were berated for not making bloated quotas, leading sometimes to mental health breakdowns, and ultimately resulting in many employees gaming Wells Fargo’s sales system in order to meet the targets. For example a number of Wells Fargo customers, notably the elderly, were signed up for online banking when they did not have internet access."

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-21-20

Impeachment saga continues. Chickens coming home to roost? NPR reports:

"Barr told ABC News in an interview scheduled to air on Thursday evening that he wants Trump to "stop tweeting" and that the president's comments make it "impossible" to do his job as the head of federal law enforcement. Trump has never asked Barr to intervene in a criminal case, the attorney general said, but he added that Trump's comments surrounding the Stone matter have been corrosive to the image of the Justice Department, which has a tradition of independence."

Certainly, until Trump took office.

“I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody….whether it’s Congress, newspaper editorial boards, or the president," Bill Barr tells @ABC News.

"I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.” https://t.co/14rnEMD65c pic.twitter.com/QuoTgpUVHp
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 13, 2020

"As I said at my confirmation hearing, I think the essential role of the attorney general is to keep law enforcement, the criminal process sacrosanct to make sure there is no political interference in it," Barr says in the material released by ABC." "ABC News' correspondent Pierre Thomas asked Barr, according to an account given by the network, about whether the attorney general is prepared for the potential consequences of openly criticizing the president. "Of course," Barr says, according to ABC, vowing that he won't "be bullied or influenced by anybody."

"Trump forced his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, to resign.

"This week, Trump hailed Barr for "taking charge" of the Stone case, further compounding the perception that the attorney general was taking instructions from Trump. That isn't so, Barr says in the excerpted ABC News interview, but the appearance that he is puts him in a difficult position — which is why the attorney general says he wants the president to keep silent."

Fascinating, isn't it?

ABC News reports:

"Before breaking his silence Thursday in an interview with ABC News, Attorney General William Barr complained privately "for weeks" to President Donald Trump about his tweets and public statements related to Justice Department investigations, a person familiar with the matter said Friday."

Think so? Time will tell.

"Despite those apparent warnings, however, Trump over the past several weeks was unrelenting in his targeting of his various political enemies in speeches and over Twitter like former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and former special counsel Robert Mueller."

Trump is, and remains, out of control. Hard to believe those around him are not having an extremely difficult time dealing with his increasing instability. -- The threat the president himself presents to national security.

"In fact, Barr sat in the front row during a post-impeachment event at the White House where President Trump rattled off what amounted to an 'enemies' list, fumed that Comey had been "caught... in the act," and suggested he belonged in jail. "Had I not fired James Comey, who was a disaster, by the way, it’s possible I wouldn’t even be standing here right now," Trump said. "We caught him in the act. Dirty cops. Bad people. If this happened to President Obama, a lot of people would have been in jail for a long time already. Many, many years."

Raw insanity.

What is not clear is Barr's current veracity after all his past kowtowing to the Trump nazi.

"In his exclusive interview with ABC News Chief Justice correspondent Pierre Thomas, Barr indicated that the culmination of comments by the president this week surrounding the Stone case were what led him to drag his private criticism into the public sphere -- an unprecedented rebuke for a Cabinet official during Trump's time in office."

What took so long, Mr. Attorney General? Where you been? LOL.

"Specifically, Barr took issue with Trump's attack on U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, whom Trump attacked over Twitter this week for her handling of the sentencing of Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. "If you have a case before a judge to be attacking the judge, you know, it is not helpful or productive at all," Barr told ABC News. "And also, you know, I think attacking- for people to attack people here in the department or in the FBI in general terms is unfair."

Lying, and/or distorting reality, for self-serving reasons always destroys all credibility.

"The public pressure facing Barr to reassert the DOJ's independence only further escalated following a tweet by Trump congratulating Barr for "taking charge" of the Stone case, just hours after he ordered the reversal of the previous sentencing recommendation put forward by prosecutors of seven to nine years."

Trump's been doing this shit last three years he's been in office. Again, Mr. Attorney General, where you been? LOL.

"Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought. Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller Scam was improperly brought & tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020."

Got Barr's attention. Certainly, made him look like the dolt and Trump shill the bastard truly is.

"I think I can understand why people are concerned that it could influence the work of the department," Barr said when asked about the tweet."

Already has. Wake up.

The Washington Post reports:

"President Trump on Friday bucked his attorney general’s public request to stop tweeting about criminal cases just as the department prepared to reveal it would not charge a former FBI official Trump considers a political foe — significantly escalating the tension between the commander in chief and his top law enforcement officer."

Tough, isn't it? LOL.

"A day after Attorney General William P. Barr publicly warned Trump not to tweet about the Justice Department, Trump did just that, declaring that he has the “legal right” to ask his top law enforcement official to get involved in a criminal case. Just hours later, the department made a move that might be seen as exerting its independence, revealing that it would not charge former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe with lying to investigators about a media disclosure. McCabe had authorized the bureau to investigate Trump in 2017 and has been a persistent target of presidential attacks. The developments seem to suggest an uncertain future for Barr, who until now has been one of Trump’s most loyal cabinet secretaries and has drawn criticism for protecting the president at the expense of the Justice Department’s independence."

Barr has been Trump's lap dog. Be interesting to see if things have indeed changed:

"Democratic lawmakers and legal analysts, though, remained wary of what Barr was up to, and one development Friday indicated he was far from a complete break with the president. According to people familiar with the matter, Barr has tasked outside prosecutors — in the deputy attorney general’s office and from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in St. Louis — to review the handling of the criminal case against former Trump national security adviser Michael T. Flynn and other sensitive national security and public corruption prosecutions in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington. That has fueled concerns among career prosecutors and others that the department’s political leadership is making a push to exert more control at a key point in sensitive, high-profile cases. Flynn was one of the early people to plead guilty in connection with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe, admitting he lied to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States, though he has since tried to withdraw his plea and allege misconduct on behalf of prosecutors. The review was first reported by the New York Times."

Not precisely clear yet what, if anything, has truly changed.

"The eventful day began — as many in Washington do now — with a Trump tweet. The president quoted Barr from a television interview Thursday in which he asserted that the president had never asked him to do anything related to a criminal case. “This doesn’t mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!” Trump added in his own voice.

“The President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.” A.G. Barr This doesn’t mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2020"

Fascinating, isn't it?

"Barr had said in the interview with ABC News, “I think it’s time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases,” adding that such statements “about the department, about people in the department, our men and women here, about cases pending here, and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors and the department that we’re doing our work with integrity.”

Been a problem quite some time, Mr. Barr. Yet, you gutlessly remained silent.

"The public rebuke of the president by a sitting member of his Cabinet arose from a crisis of confidence at the Justice Department, which had been accused this week of buckling to an angry tweet the president issued after learning of prosecutors’ initial prison recommendation for his longtime friend, Roger Stone. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on Trump’s tweet. Staffers there had informed the White House after the ABC interview was taped, but before it aired, that Barr had talked to the television network, but did not provide specifics, a person familiar with the matter said. In recent weeks, the person said, Barr also relayed privately to Trump that his tweets were causing problems."

His tweets were causing problems last three years. Yet, his GOP shills have remained gutlessly silent.

"Hours later Friday, the Justice Department informed McCabe’s team it was ending the long-running inquiry. As a top law enforcement official, he authorized the FBI to begin investigating Trump personally for possible obstruction of justice in connection with the probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 election. McCabe became the focus of a grand jury probe over allegations from the Justice Department inspector general that he lied to investigators exploring a media disclosure. The investigation was led by the D.C. U.S. attorney’s office; a spokesman for that office declined to comment Friday."

No transparency.

Further proof Trump remains unfit:

"The move to decline prosecution was said to infuriate Trump, who has raged publicly and privately in recent months that McCabe and others he considers political enemies should be charged with crimes. A White House official said Trump was not given a head’s up and was upset, and that White House lawyers moved to calm the president. The official said Trump “believes very strongly that action should be taken.”

What dictator wouldn't?

"Michael R. Bromwich and David Schertler, McCabe’s lawyers, said in a statement that the D.C. U.S. attorney’s office had called and informed them that the case “has been closed,” and hailed the move. “At long last, justice has been done in this matter,” the lawyers said in a statement. In Barr’s interview with ABC on Thursday, he said that Trump would be within his rights to ask for a criminal investigation in an area that didn’t affect his personal interest — such as in a terrorism case or fraud by a bank. But he said an attorney general would not listen to an order to investigate a political opponent."

Unfit for office:

"Trump has publicly and privately raged in recent months about wanting investigations of those he sees as enemies, including former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, former FBI director James B. Comey and McCabe. “If he were to say go investigate somebody, and you sense it’s because they’re a political opponent, then an attorney general shouldn’t carry that out, wouldn’t carry that out,” Barr said."

Stone belongs in prison:

"A federal jury convicted Stone in November on charges of witness tampering and lying to Congress about his efforts to gather damaging information about Trump’s 2016 presidential election opponent Hillary Clinton. Prosecutors quit amid escalating Justice Dept. fight over Roger Stone’s prison term."

For damned good reason:

"On Tuesday, Trump criticized as unduly harsh the initial sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years made by front-line prosecutors. Shortly thereafter, the Justice Department signaled that it would seek a more lenient sentence for Stone, a move that prompted the four career prosecutors to withdraw from the case — and one to resign from the government. Barr has said the decision was made before Trump’s tweet on the matter. His assertions, though, have not fully allayed legal analysts and Democrats on Capitol Hill concerned that he is not adequately protecting the Justice Department’s independence. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asserted on Twitter Friday that Barr had admitted intervening in a case “to cover up for the President.” “He’s only upset that Trump’s tweets made the political nature of his intervention obvious,” Schiff wrote. “Barr fools no one. He’s a witting accomplice to Trump’s attack on the rule of law.”

Be interesting to see if the judge stands tall, honors her oath of office:

"Stone is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday. The outside prosecutors Barr sent to the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office are reviewing his case in addition to Flynn’s; they began their work in recent weeks, coinciding with the transition of office leadership from former U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu to interim U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea, a former Barr counselor."

NPR reports:

"More than 1,100 former Department of Justice officials are calling on Attorney General William Barr to resign after his department lowered the prison sentence recommendation for Roger Stone, a longtime ally of President Trump, in a move that's led to accusations of political interference. In a letter released Sunday, the former DOJ officials, who have worked across Republican and Democratic administrations, wrote that Barr's intervention in the Stone case has tarnished the department's reputation. "Such behavior is a grave threat to the fair administration of justice," the former officials wrote. "In this nation, we are all equal before the law. A person should not be given special treatment in a criminal prosecution because they are a close political ally of the President. Governments that use the enormous power of law enforcement to punish their enemies and reward their allies are not constitutional republics; they are autocracies."

"To Julie Zebrak, who's among the former DOJ officials who signed the letter, Barr's behavior shatters a cardinal norm that has been in place for decades: that the Justice Department's prosecutorial decisions should not be influenced by the White House. Zebrak told NPR that Barr's move "sent shockwaves through the former DOJ alumni." She added: "We are all watching in a really rapid and terrifying way the undermining of the department and the diminishment of the rule of law. We have to sort of speak up and speak out when we can."

The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump is misrepresenting the Justice Department’s handling of the legal case of his confidante, Roger Stone. He’s suggesting rampant bias in the department’s initial recommendation to a federal court that Stone be sentenced between seven and nine years in prison, claiming that all four prosecutors are former members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia team. That’s not true. Trump also says the proposed sentence was put forth in secret. He’s wrong on that, too. The president’s exaggerations came in an extraordinary week in which Justice Department leaders overruled Stone’s prosecutors following a tweet complaint by Trump and lowered the amount of recommended prison time. Attorney General William Barr nevertheless publicly scolded Trump, saying the president’s tweets were making it “impossible” for him to do his job. Meanwhile, Trump spread a variety of distortions at a New Hampshire rally, including about the border wall and voter fraud, and still more in other venues. The release of his proposed budget prompted Democrats to wrongly accuse him of undermining Medicare."

Interesting, isn't it?

"A look at the past week’s political rhetoric and reality:

"TRUMP: “Who are the four prosecutors (Mueller people?) who cut and ran after being exposed for recommending a ridiculous 9 year prison sentence to a man that got caught up in an investigation that was illegal, the Mueller Scam, and shouldn’t ever even have started?” — tweet Tuesday.

"THE FACTS: He’s incorrect on several fronts. Four lawyers who prosecuted Stone did quit the case after Justice Department leaders took the extraordinary step of reducing their recommended sentence. Only two, however, were members of Mueller’s team. There was nothing secret about the proposed sentence for Stone that was purportedly “exposed,” as Trump asserts. Each of the four attorneys had signed onto a public court filing last week that recommended seven to nine years in prison for Stone. The Trump adviser was convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 election. Nor was the Russia probe illegally started. Multiple court rulings upheld Mueller’s appointment as special counsel. While a Justice Department inspector general’s report in December found “serious performance failures” in the FBI’s Russia investigation, it said the FBI was justified in opening the probe. The report also did not find evidence that the bureau had acted with political bias, a conclusion at odds with Trump’s frequent insistence that he’s the victim of a “scam” and witch hunt."

Trump can't, won't be confused by the truth.

"TRUMP, citing a quote by Barr: “‘The President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.’ A.G. Barr This doesn’t mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!” — tweet Friday.

"THE FACTS: As president, Trump technically has the right to compel the Justice Department, an executive branch agency, to open investigations. But historically, when it comes to decisions on criminal investigations and prosecutions, the Justice Department has functioned independently, unmoved and unbound by political sway. Barr made that sentiment clear last week, telling ABC News that Trump’s tweets undermine the department’s perception as independent. “To have public statements and tweets made about the department, about our people ... about cases pending in the department, and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors in the department that we’re doing our work with integrity,” Barr said. Barr was directly asked in the ABC interview whether he believed Trump had the authority to direct him to open an investigation. In many cases yes, such as “terrorism or fraud by a bank or something like that,” he said. However, “If he were to say, you know, go investigate somebody because — and you sense it’s because they’re a political opponent, then an attorney general shouldn’t carry that out, wouldn’t carry that out.”

NBC News reports:

"Progressive prosecutors, coming off one of the biggest years in their movement's short history, are looking to 2020 with hope of winning key district attorney offices around the nation and boosting their influence with an overhaul of the system from within. Attorney General William Barr is standing in their way."

Indeed, he is. A fascist AG, up until recently, securely in the pocket of his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Not clear, however, whether or not there has been any real change in how Barr's conducting himself.

"Tensions reached a peak last week after Barr eviscerated the movement in a speech before the Major County Sheriffs of America. He said the "self-styled 'social justice' reformers are refusing to enforce entire categories of law, including law against resisting police officers." "In so doing, these DAs are putting everyone in danger," Barr added, asserting that their "policies are pushing a number of America's cities back toward a more dangerous past."

Barr is delusional, and/or aggressively stupid. Worse, may be no more than a congenital liar like his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. The overwhelming danger is from out of control, violent, jackbooted bastards in blue as detailed in edition after edition of this publication for nearly 21 years.

"In a response signed by about 40 reform-minded prosecutors from around in the country, the progressives said they "spend every day trying to make our communities safer and healthier." "We hold our jobs because our communities put us in them after we promised a different and smarter approach to justice, one grounded in evidence-based policies that lift people up while prioritizing the cases that cause real harm," they wrote. "Sadly, we are perceived as a threat by some who are wedded to the status quo or, even worse, failed policies of past decades."

The unvarnished truth.

"They added: "This is the same attorney general who in the span of 24 hours attacked reform-minded, elected district attorneys for being soft on crime, while demanding his own federal prosecutors lighten the punishment for an ally of his boss. He touts the importance of the rule of law, yet undermines it in the same breath."

The hypocrisy of the Nazi Right in our formerly great country is indeed breathtaking.

"The attack and counterattack come as progressives' have seen their influence soar over the past few years, winning district attorney races in cities like San Francisco, Philadelphia and Chicago and enacting or furthering policies such as eliminating the use of cash bail — which has become a major flashpoint in New York — overturning wrongful convictions, curbing enforcement of lower-level marijuana offenses, refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and vowing to hold police accountable."

Absolutely necessary to avoid the unthinkable, -- a second American revolution. ... Hear the rumble?

"The most prominent among them — and the one who has faced the most law enforcement pushback — is hard-charging Philadelphia County District Attorney Larry Krasner, whose 2017 election was a watershed moment for the criminal justice reform movement. Krasner has instructed his team to avoid prosecutions "where appropriate" to lower the incarcerated population, opting instead for a more liberal use of diversion programs. He fired 31 prosecutors at the start of his term for their unwillingness to implement his changes, and he put 29 Philadelphia police officers on a "do-not-call list" — meaning they could not be considered credible witnesses at trials."

As reported earlier in this publication, certainly a step in the right direction. Punishment is not effective in controlling long-term behavior. Yet, those who commit serious crimes need to be locked up to protect the public against the continuing threat.

"Especially notable was Chesa Boudin's victory last year in San Francisco's district attorney race. Boudin, a Rhodes Scholar whose parents took part in one of New York's most notorious and deadly botched heists as members of the far left Weather Underground in 1981, pledged to end "mass incarceration" and cash bail while forming a unit to review wrongful convictions. Boudin, who took office last month, plans to move away from prosecuting minor quality-of-life crimes and instead focus on taking on corporations and prioritizing the most serious offenses."

Precisely, what needs to happen. -- Instead of protecting and coddling criminals in government, law enforcement, and the corporate management suite.

"And progressives have their sights set on some big targets this year — like electing reformers in Los Angeles, Houston and Detroit, as well as State's Attorney Kim Foxx's re-election effort in Cook County, Illinois, an election that will test the popularity of the liberal policies. The Justice Department and other law enforcement entities have characterized many of the changes as anti-police and threats to public safety."

Expect rational thought from the Nazi Right? The far greater threat is from out of control murderous officers who kill innocent, unarmed civilians with near impunity. Protected and coddled by the Nazi Right and their bought and paid for shills in government. Hitler and Mussolini would have been proud of these criminal pieces of human excrement in uniform. ... Not to neglect to mention the criminal thugs in the corporate management suite that operate with near impunity.

Law enforcement remains hopelessly clueless:

"Tensions have been "escalating" in recent months, the head of the nation's largest police organization told NBC News. "The path that we're going is not addressing the core issues that are creating poverty and crime in our communities," said Patrick Yoes, president of the Fraternal Order of Police. "There has to be a more holistic approach to it rather than trying to blame law enforcement for everything."

Above quote is half true. First, it certainly is true the reasons for poverty and crime are not being addressed. In an unregulated or poorly regulated capitalistic system that will never change. Status quo is zero-sum, winner-take-all. -- Capitalism is indeed the best system to live under provided it is properly regulated. Ours is not. Has never been. Second it is simply untrue law enforcement is blamed for everything. Simply, bullshit. --Coming from the jackbooted bastards in blue who get their cookies off emulating Nazi SS stormtroopers.

"Barr last month announced the formation of a presidential commission on law enforcement — one that will focus in part on combating the reformers and provide Barr with recommendations in a report that is likely to come just before the November general election. "Sadly, this commission appears to be designed to further false narratives around crime that stoke community fear in an attempt to resurrect failed 'tough on crime' approaches of past decades that fueled mass incarceration and disproportionately impacted communities of color," Miriam Krinsky, executive director of the nonprofit group Fair and Just Prosecution, told NBC News."

It's no longer, and certainly has never been only minorities that are abused by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. ... Right, Sheriff?

"Krinsky called it a "thinly veiled attempt by some wedded to the status quo to undermine new criminal justice thinking grounded in data and built on the recognition that the U.S. is an international outlier in its rate of incarceration." Those efforts come as President Donald Trump has made his record on criminal justice reform a facet of his re-election effort, touting passage of criminal justice legislation known as the First Step Act and launching a Super Bowl ad featuring Alice Johnson, a black woman sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense whose sentence he commuted in 2018. The progressives "really do have the potential to set both a new narrative, but really a new experience for a large number of people," said Rashad Robinson, executive director of the racial justice organization Color of Change. The pushback from Barr and other top law enforcement officials shows "how much power this movement has built over the last several years and how much progress we've made," Robinson added. "It also shows how much of a threat we are to the status quo."

Alternative to change? Unthinkable. Unwanted. ... Wake up. Hear the rumble?

The Associated Press reports:

"A federal judge on Tuesday refused to delay sentencing for Trump confidant Roger Stone on his conviction for witness tampering and lying to Congress. The decision by Judge Amy Berman Jackson came after President Donald Trump tweeted in defense of his longtime ally and said Stone’s conviction “should be thrown out.”

Think Trump won't wind up pardoning the criminal son of a bitch?

"Stone’s defense team has requested a new trial and on Tuesday lobbied to delay the sentencing. But with Stone present on speaker phone from his lawyer’s office, Jackson ruled that delaying the sentencing “would not be a prudent thing to do.” Stone is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday. However, Jackson indicated she would delay the execution of the sentence, pending resolution of the motion for a new trial."

Hopefully, she'll quickly resolve the 'motion for a new trial.' ...Think Stone's shysters won't quickly appeal? LOL. -- Then again, Trump may figuratively 'beat them to the punch' by pardoning the Aryan arrogant, criminal son of a bitch. LOL.

"Prosecutors had originally recommended a tough sentence of between seven to nine years in federal prison. But Attorney General William Barr reversed that decision and recommended a less harsh punishment, prompting the entire prosecution team to resign from the case. At Tuesday’s hearing, two new Justice Department attorneys took the place of the original trial team. Stone was convicted in November of a seven-count indictment that accused him of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 election. Trump’s tweets about the case Tuesday came days after he earned a public rebuke from Barr, who had said the president’s tweets were “making it impossible” for Barr to do his job. On Tuesday, Trump tweeted Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano’s comment that the jury appears to have been biased against Trump and calling out the judge by name, saying “almost any judge in the country” would throw out the conviction. Trump added in a subsequent tweet. “Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation is badly tainted and, in my opinion, should be thrown out.”

In Nazi America, no justice for the top of the food chain. Certainly not for our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, and his henchmen.

CNBC reports:

"Lawyers for President Donald Trump's longtime friend and advisor Roger Stone are eyeing anti-Trump and other social media posts by a woman who says she served as the forewoman of the jury in his case. Stone in November was convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering. The posts by the forewoman, Tomeka Hart, which included one referring to Stone's arrest last year and one made the day he was convicted, came to light Wednesday night and added more fuel to a firestorm of controversy over the upcoming sentencing of the Republican operative. Trump himself on Thursday morning in a Twitter post called out Hart, a Democrat who once ran for Congress, for what he said appeared to be her "significant bias." Trump has repeatedly blasted the prosecution of his former advisor Stone, and has refused to rule out pardoning him. One of Stone's lawyers, Grant Smith, in an interview with CNBC, said, "We are reviewing all of the recently posted new information, and we will evaluate and take the appropriate action."

Bet they will. LOL.

"Smith declined to say whether such action could include a request for a new trial for Stone, who is due to be sentenced Feb. 20. Joseph Tacopina, a New York criminal defense lawyer who is not connected to the case, told CNBC that getting a judge to grant Stone a new trial based on Hart's posts is "going to be monumentally difficult." "Even taking her posts at face value, it doesn't rise to the level of automatic reversal," Tacopina said. He said the defense would face extremely long odds of getting a new trial if it could be shown that Hart did not give false statements during jury selection, and if her social media posts could have been discovered by Stone's lawyers during the selection process but failed to do so. Michael Caputo, a New York Republican strategist who worked on Trump's 2016 campaign, and a friend of Stone's, told CNBC that during the trial he closely watched Hart from the moment she disclosed in jury selection that she had once run for Congress until the verdict came in. "She said [during jury selection that] Donald Trump didn't interest her that much and felt that she could be fair considering justice for one of his aides," Caputo recalled. "We suspected that she was biased," Caputo said, referring to himself and Stone's family. "When I heard that she was selected the foreman I expected the worst." Caputo said that "I was stunned" to learn that Hart had public social media posts critical of Trump that were not discovered or raised by the defense during jury selection in an effort to keep Hart off the panel. "If this wasn't discovered it means it wasn't sought," Caputo said. Caputo, who has organized a committee to push Trump to pardon Stone, said that Stone's sentencing should be postponed pending an inquiry into Hart's answers during jury selection. Hart did not immediately return a request for comment. Her Facebook page was deactivated as of Thursday morning, but her Twitter account remained public. Hart's LinkedIn page identifies her as a senior program officer at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She previously served as president and CEO of the Memphis Urban League, and on the Memphis, Tenn., school board. CNN reported Wednesday that Hart, in a Facebook post this week, said she wanted to "stand up" for the four prosecutors who quit Stone's case after the Department of Justice said it would reduce their recommendation that Stone serve between seven and nine years in prison.

Report goes on and on. We'll see where this ultimately goes, -- if anywhere. Think Trump won't likely quickly pardon the son of a bitch no matter what? LOL.

Additional fallout from the Trump impeachment saga. The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump has gone on a clemency blitz, commuting what he called a “ridiculous” 14-year prison sentence for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and pardoning former New York Police Department commissioner Bernie Kerik, among a long list of others. Others who got a break from Trump include financier Michael Milken, who served two years in prison in the early 1990s after pleading guilty to violating U.S. securities laws, and Edward DeBartolo Jr., the former San Francisco 49ers owner convicted in a gambling fraud scandal after building one of the most successful NFL teams in history. In all, Trump took clemency actions related to 11 people, his latest interventions in the justice system as he is under growing fire for weighing in on the cases of former aides. Trump made clear that he saw similarities between efforts to investigate his own conduct and those who took down Blagojevich, a Democrat who appeared on Trump’s reality TV show, “Celebrity Apprentice.” “It was a prosecution by the same people — Comey, Fitzpatrick, the same group,” Trump said. He was referring to Patrick Fitzgerald, the former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Blagojevich and now represents former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired from the agency in May 2017. The clemency actions come as an emboldened Trump continues to test the limits of his office now that impeachment is over. The actions drew alarm from Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. of New Jersey, who accused Trump of using his unfettered pardon power “to shield unrepentant felons, racists and corrupt scoundrels”

Trump could indeed be the first 'president' to be twice impeached. LOL.

Readers will recall:

"Blagojevich was convicted on charges of political corruption, including seeking to sell an appointment to Barack Obama’s old Senate seat and trying to shake down a children’s hospital. But Trump said the former governor had been subjected to a “ridiculous sentence” that didn’t fit his crimes. “That was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence, in my opinion and in the opinion of many others,” Trump told reporters. Trump also pardoned Kerik, who served just over three years for tax fraud and lying to the White House while being interviewed to serve as homeland security secretary. Trump’s White House lauded Kerik for having “courageously led the New York Police Department’s heroic response to the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001” and said that, “Since his conviction, he has focused on improving the lives of others, including as a passionate advocate for criminal justice and prisoner reentry reform.” And it hailed Milken for having “democratized corporate finance by providing women and minorities access to capital that would have been unavailable to them otherwise.”

All pardoned were people just like Trump. LOL. Fascinating, isn't it? LOL.

"Trump said he had yet to think about pardoning his longtime confidante Roger Stone, who is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday, or granting clemency to several former aides who have ended up in legal jeopardy, including his former campaign manager Paul Manafort and disgraced former national security adviser Mike Flynn. “Somebody has to stick up for the people,” Trump said."

... Ordinary folks just like you, right, Mr. 'President?' LOL.

"As for Stone, in particular, he added: You’re going to see what happens. I think he’s treated unfairly.” As for Tuesday’s actions, Pascrell said “the pardoning of these disgraced figures should be treated as another national scandal by a lawless executive.” He was referring specifically to the actions involving Blagojevich and Milken. And he predicted that, following Trump’s acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate, “outrageous abuses like these will accelerate and worsen.”

No question. Expect better of a national socialist, fascist, criminal dictator?

"Many of the pardons announced Tuesday were advocated by well-heeled friends of the president, including Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate; the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani; Tom Barrack, the chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee; and Fox News personality Maria Bartiromo. Milken’s advocates, for example, included all of the above."

Nazi justice. UPI reports:

"A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Republican strategist and former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone to 40 months in prison Thursday, after he was convicted on seven criminal counts last fall stemming from the Justice Department's Russia investigation. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson also gave Stone two years of probation and ordered him to pay $20,000 in fines. The sentence will not begin, however, until Jackson rules on a defense motion for a new trial."

More on this as the story develops.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-21-20

Apparently, the Senate is attempting to rein in the Trump nazi vis a vis use of force against Iran. NPR reports:

"The Senate approved a bipartisan resolution to curb the president's war powers when it comes to Iran — a rare rebuke and effort to reassert Congress' authority. The vote was 55-45 — with eight Republicans joining all Democrats to pass the measure. The tally fell far short of the two-thirds needed to override a presidential veto."

Still encouraging. Republicans may be beginning to finally wake up.

"Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine led the charge on the resolution, which would ban the president from ordering any new offensive strikes against Iran. It would still allow the president to order strikes in cases of self-defense against an imminent attack. Early on, the legislation garnered three Republican co-sponsors: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah. And at least one other GOP member, Todd Young of Indiana, said he would support the measure, with other Republicans signaling they would vote yes as well. "The resolution just says no war with Iran, unless you come and make that case to Congress. And if you make the case to Congress, in front of the American people, and we all have the discussion, ask the tough questions and conclude, sadly, it's in the national interest, that's one thing," Kaine told NPR. "But if we're not even willing to have that discussion, we shouldn't be forcing people to risk their lives."

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-21-20

More of the same old unconstitutional abuse of authority by our fuhrer, the Trump nazi. NPR reports:

"The Trump administration has notified Congress that it plans to divert $3.8 billion from the Defense Department's budget to build the border wall. This is in addition to more than $11 billion that's already been identified to construct more than 500 miles of new barriers along the southern U.S. border with Mexico. That includes money that Congress has appropriated and funding that was previously diverted from military construction and counternarcotic operations. The latest funding diversion takes $1.5 billion originally allocated for buying equipment for National Guard and Reserve units, such as trucks, generators and spare parts, as well as fighter jets and ships. This administration said the diversion of funds was in support of "higher priority items" that were "necessary in the national interest," according to the notice transmitted to Congress. It continues:

"The Department of Homeland Security] has identified areas along the southern border of the United States that are being used by individuals, groups, and transnational criminal organizations as drug smuggling corridors, and determined that the construction of additional physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the United States border is necessary in order to impede and deny drug smuggling activities." The move drew bipartisan criticism, including from the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry. "The wall should be funded, but the funding must come through the Department of Homeland Security rather than diverting critical military resources that are needed and in law," Thornberry said in a statement."

The Constitution is clear. Spending bills originate in the House. Not the Oval Office. The president is obligated to execute the law, not make it. Some jurists don't seem to understand this. Have failed to hold Trump accountable.

"He added that Congress must act and is weighing how to proceed. "Congress has the constitutional responsibility to determine how defense dollars are spent," he said. "The re-programming announced today is contrary to Congress's constitutional authority, and I believe that it requires Congress to take action. I will be working with my colleagues to determine the appropriate steps to take."

The following assessment is spot on:

"Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, accused the president of being "obsessed with fulfilling a campaign promise" while accusing the administration in a tweet of "stealing billions" from the Department of Defense.

"Today’s reprogramming request confirms once again that the President is obsessed with fulfilling a campaign promise at the expense of our national security. This admin has already stolen billions from the DoD for the President’s vanity wall, and today they are doubling down.
— Rep. Adam Smith (@RepAdamSmith) February 13, 2020"

Republican shills of their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, remain hopelessly clueless:

"Meanwhile, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, the ranking member on the House Committee on Appropriations, championed the President's decision. She blamed Democrats for failing to work on securing the border, which in turn "forced the president to redirect funds." "I unequivocally support President Trump's efforts to secure our nation's borders and support our men and women in uniform. Democrats have refused to work with us on border security, which has forced the President to redirect funds from other defense programs in the short term in order to secure the southern border," she said in a statement. Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell, a Pentagon spokesperson, said the Department of Defense was "committed" to helping Homeland Security to construct fences and roads, and install lighting to thwart drug smuggling. He said the $3.8 billion will build more miles of barrier "to protect our borders." "Last month we received a new request from the Department of Homeland Security asking for assistance in blocking drug-smuggling corridors on Federal land along the southern border of the United States," Mitchell said. "In response, the Secretary of Defense authorized support of $3.8B to build approximately 177 miles of fencing that will help to protect our borders. We will continue to support DHS and other agencies as needed to keep our homeland secure." Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York disagree. They issued a joint statement that said Congress, not the executive branch, has the power of the purse, adding that it's "a power that cannot be nullified so the President can fulfill an outrageous campaign promise."

That's right. The Constitution is clear. The president and military don't make these decisions. Congress does.

"This latest theft of nearly $4 billion in military funds represents another of President Trump's broken promises to our servicemembers, especially our brave sailors who he assured would receive funding for urgently needed, state-of-the-art ships," the press release said. This is not the first time the Trump administration has redirected funds from the Pentagon to go toward a wall along the southern border. Last March the Defense Department announced it would shift $1 billion from a military personnel account in order to pay for a 57-mile section of fencing."

Walls can be gone over, under, or through. There are far better, more effective ways to protect the border.

"The border wall has been controversial since then-candidate Trump made building a barrier a central pillar of his 2016 presidential campaign. He promised back then the wall would come at no cost to U.S. taxpayers and that Mexico would fully fund the project, which it has not."

Trump is delusional, a congenital liar.

"In a status report last month, NPR's John Burnett noted that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is overseeing the barrier construction, said the price tag for project has exceeded $11 billion dollars, making it the most expensive wall of its kind in the world."

Trump is an idiot. Wasting taxpayer dollars to please his base of fellow idiots.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

ICE again disgraces itself. ABC News reports:

"The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas sued the federal government over a raid near Dallas where immigration enforcement officials arrested hundreds of workers. The lawsuit was a response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s refusal to release the search warrants associated with the April raid in Allen, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northeast of Dallas."

... Could it possibly be they had none? LOL. Or, hadn't been properly issued? We'll see. LOL. Or, is it simply Aryan arrogance, that is, refusal to release them to a watch dog hell bent on exposing these criminal jackbooted bastards to the blinding light of day? Might just be. LOL.

"ICE detained 280 workers at CVE Technology Group, which refurbishes and repairs electronics. At the time, ICE said the employees were working in the U.S. illegally. ICE denied ACLU’s open records request for the search warrants used in the raid, which was one of many high-profile busts of businesses around the country as part of an immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Houston, alleges ICE violated the Freedom of Information Act."

Forget? Law enforcement usually does as it pleases. Nearly, always with impunity.

"ICE has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit. The agency didn’t immediately respond to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s request for comment on the lawsuit. David Donatti, attorney for the ACLU of Texas, said reviewing the warrants is crucial to ascertaining whether federal authorities violated people’s civil rights in the raid. “We have serious questions about the way this raid was conducted and whether rights were violated,” Donatti said. While ICE has plausible reason for denying the ACLU’s records request, it has a legal obligation to explain why, Donatti noted. ICE told ACLU in a letter that it denied the request because releasing the warrants would interfere with ongoing investigations. But Donatti said that reason is invalid because the warrants have already been executed. “By filing a lawsuit, we have compelled them to go in front of a court and make that showing to a judge,” he said."

Go for it. Give 'em hell.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

ICE jackbooted use of force. NPR reports:

"In the early morning of June 12, 2017, a group of eight Central American migrants decided to go on a hunger strike to protest conditions at the immigration detention center where they were being held in California. When detainees arrive at the facility, they're given a handbook that states explicitly, "Detention is NOT prison." Immigration detention is where the government holds people while deciding whether to deport them, and most detainees have no criminal record. But this group said the conditions felt like those of a penitentiary. Among their complaints: The guards were discriminating against them, they lacked access to clean water, the bonds for their immigration cases were too expensive and they were receiving information only in English."

Expect better of nazi SS storm troopers under their fuhrer, the Trump nazi?

"When detention officers ordered them to return to their beds for a routine population "count," the eight men refused to move from tables in the facility's day room until they could speak to a supervisor or an official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Surveillance footage obtained by NPR shows what happened next. Detention officers spent several minutes speaking to the detainees, telling them to return to their bunks. They waived a canister of pepper spray in front of them, then attempted to physically move the detainees. The video shows the detainees trying to remain seated with their arms linked. But detention officers would later claim they were inciting a "rebellion" and "assaulting" staff."

Again, expect better of out of control jackbooted storm troopers?

"Detention officers then sprayed pepper spray at the men at least three times and forcibly removed them from the tables. As they visibly recoiled from the spray, some of the detainees were pushed into walls, pulled to the ground or dragged on the floor by guards."

Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini would have been proud. Must be 'high-fiving' on their fiery perches.

Gets worse. Get this:

"Afterward, though not seen on camera, five of the detainees were placed in hot showers. Hot water, however, can worsen the painful burning effect from pepper spray, something an internal oversight office at the Department of Homeland Security noted in a review of the incident. "I couldn't take it," Isaac Antonio Lopez Castillo, one of the detainees, later testified in a deposition. "I was even throwing up from the pepper gas." All eight detainees were then sent to "segregation" — ICE's term for solitary confinement — for 10 days for "engaging in or inciting a group demonstration."

Nothing quite like a de facto fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the out of control Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.

"NPR obtained footage of the incident from a federal courthouse in Riverside, Calif., where the men sued the two detention officers who used pepper spray, as well as the for-profit company that runs the facility, Florida-based GEO Group. Their lawsuit contended that the guards used excessive force and violated their civil rights and that GEO was negligent in its training. In late January, the two sides notified the court that they had agreed to settle the case "for a confidential amount."

Why the egregious lack of transparency? The public is entitled to know.

Especially, in light of the following:

"The announcement of the settlement ends 20 months of legal proceedings that — through the release of documents, depositions and video from ICE's Adelanto, Calif., processing center — have opened a window into a facility that has come under intense scrutiny from federal inspectors and immigration advocates alike. As NPR reported in January, a previously confidential government inspection found that the facility was failing to meet many of the government's own standards for solitary confinement, mental health treatment and medical care. The report also found that staff at Adelanto had retaliated against detainees. Immigration attorneys and advocates say the conditions at Adelanto are emblematic of problems throughout an immigration detention system that has come to increasingly rely on firms like GEO to help enforce the Trump administration's hard-line immigration policy."

-- Our out of control nazi fuhrer ensconced in the Oval Office.

"The acting director of ICE, Matthew Albence, said in 2019 that the Adelanto facility is "representative of all our detention centers." But he disagreed with the criticisms of immigration detention facilities, saying, "They're safe. They're humane. They're secure."

Jesus Christ. How about that? Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the psychotic world of the Trump nazi and his henchmen.

"Overall, more than 40,000 people are in immigration detention nationwide. Adelanto can house roughly 2,000 detainees and is set to expand under a new contract."

Gulags.

Nothing quite like delusional bullshit courtesy of out of control, gutless, jackbooted 'guards.' Get this:

"In their depositions, guards at Adelanto described a hostile situation that threatened to spin out of control because of the detainees' refusal to return to their bunks. "It looked like — like a rebellion," said Sgt. Giovanni Campos, one of the defendants. Commotion from the hunger strikers, he said, was leading other detainees to yell and cause a bigger disturbance. Lt. Jane Diaz, another defendant, also referred to the incident as a "rebellion" and said her fellow officers were elbowed by the detainees as the guards tried to move them. "They were assaulting our staff," she said."

They were responding to abusive treatment, horrendous conditions.

"In that environment, the guards say, their use of pepper spray was appropriate. "If they refuse to go to count, if they refuse verbal commands, and they're disrupting our dorm. ... This is why they got sprayed," Diaz said during a May 2019 deposition."

Wake up, Ms. Diaz. You and your fellow goons stupidly elicited the response. Why the f--k didn't you let them "speak to a supervisor or an official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)?" Instead you sons of bitches reacted violently.

None of the human excrement involved in the fiasco will take responsibility:

"In a statement to NPR, a GEO spokesperson wrote, "GEO strongly rejects the allegations outlined in the lawsuit, which is part of a coordinated effort to undermine immigration policies that our company plays no role in setting." Lawyers for GEO have also argued that the use of hot water to remove the pepper spray was appropriate. "Water, which is the method used at the Facility for decontamination purposes, does reactivate the tingling sensation caused by the OC spray," they argued in one legal filing, "however, it is necessary to remove the spray." The GEO spokesperson also stated, "Independent reviews of the incident conducted and commissioned by the federal government found that our employees acted in accordance with established protocols and procedures."

'Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil." Gutless pieces of shit lining their pockets off the taxpayer dime.

"A spokesperson for ICE declined to comment, but an inspector from the Department of Homeland Security who reviewed the incident concluded that the use of pepper spray "was appropriate given the circumstances." However, the inspector faulted Adelanto for failing to provide cold water when it came time to clean the spray off the detainees, writing that "warm water will exacerbate the burning effect of the OC pepper spray."

Time to wake up. The bullshit perpetrated by ICE is un-American, jackbooted nazi:

"Attorneys for the detainees say that facility staff caused the disturbance by escalating the situation and using more force than necessary. "Our clients fled violence and persecution in their home countries, believing they would find safety and security in the United States," said attorney Rachel Steinback in a statement. "Instead, they were subjected to inhumane treatment at Adelanto — and were violently punished for daring to complain."

Nazi America. Wake up.

"The detainees' attorneys cited GEO's own use-of-force policy, which considers pepper spray a "major use of force." According to the policy, officers can only use "major" force when, "Imminent and immediate danger to employees, inmates, or other persons exist." The detainees said they were clear with GEO staff that they were starting a "peaceful" hunger strike to get facility supervisors to discuss their complaints. "We just wanted to speak and we wanted to be heard," said one of the strikers, Julio Cesar Barahona Cornejo. "At no time did I raise my hands to try to hit them or anything." Their actions, they say, were met with hostility, then physical force, then pepper spray."

Nazi America. Wake up.

"According to the lawsuit, one of the detainees broke his nose and had his tooth knocked out after he was pushed into a wall. GEO's attorneys say it is "uncertain" whether the detainee's nose was broken during the incident, because he didn't report it to a doctor that day."

Jesus Christ. Any goddamned excuse to avoid responsibility for criminal jackbooted tactics.

"What they did to us, you don't even do that to an animal," said another detainee, Josue Vladimir Cortez Diaz. The records in the case also raise questions about Lt. Jane Diaz's record at the facility, including an investigation into a separate pepper spray incident from 2019. A declaration filed by Diaz's own legal defense mentions "an April 2019 complaint/investigation related to Diaz's attempt to use chemical agents on a detainee in violation of GEO policy." According to the legal filing, "GEO personnel found that Diaz obstructed the investigation by not providing complete information to the investigator." The incident "ultimately led to her termination from GEO," according to the filing."

Why wasn't she prosecuted?

No willingness to take any personal responsibility:

"Susan Coleman, an attorney representing Diaz, Campos and GEO, stated in an email to NPR, "We can't comment on personnel actions."

Get this:

"Advocates for immigrants say the allegations from the 2017 incident fit a broader pattern of detainee mistreatment at Adelanto. Under the Freedom of Information Act, NPR has obtained and examined hundreds of grievances filed by detainees at the facility. Several of those complaints allege threats, mistreatment and verbal abuse by Adelanto staff. In February 2018, a female detention officer said, "I won't hesitate to drop all this [sic] dumb bitches off their bunks," according to a detainee's complaint. "How am I safe if she comes angry again?" the detainee wrote. "What they did to us, you don't even do that to an animal."

We've lost our country.

"Another detainee complained that when his family was visiting, a detention officer "mocked me and my family's English." When the detainee's wife spoke to the officer about the comment, the detention officer responded, "Welcome to jail." And a series of complaints refer to a guard "harassing" people and saying, "I don't like Mexicans." In each of these three cases, according to the records, GEO found that the complaints were substantiated. But there is no additional information about how the company or ICE addressed these issues. In a statement, GEO said, "Our company took corrective action, including disciplinary action against employees, where appropriate," but it did not provide specifics on these cases. ICE declined to comment."

ICE should be decommissioned and replaced.

"Steinback, from the detainees' legal team, says she hopes the settlement in this case "emboldens others who are being abused and mistreated to come forward and to expose the horrors that are happening in these private immigration detention centers." Regardless of the outcome, the immigration status for several of the detainees remains in flux. One of them has obtained asylum in the U.S., two had their asylum requests rejected and the five others are still awaiting final decisions. Isaac Antonio Lopez Castillo did not receive asylum. He ended up in Tijuana, Mexico, after the incident, where he found work at a hotel. In his deposition, Lopez Castillo said he had sought asylum in the U.S. to escape violence from gangs and police in El Salvador. But after his experience in immigration detention, he said he changed his mind about America. "Not even in my country was I treated as bad as they treated me in the United States," said Lopez Castillo. "They treated me worse than trash when all I was trying to do was start a life."

All perpetrated by our fuhrer, 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.

2-14-20

Another atrocity perpetrated by a jackbooted ICE bastard. The Washington Post reports:

"The strangers trying to arrest his mom’s boyfriend weren’t wearing uniforms or badges, and they didn’t have a warrant. So 26-year-old Eric Diaz did the only thing he could think of: Outside his front door, on the otherwise quiet Brooklyn street, he confronted the plainclothes officers. Then, one of them shot him in the face — just below his right eye. “He literally points the gun at my brother and didn’t even hesitate,” Kevin Yañez Cruz, who witnessed the scene on Thursday morning, told WABC. “Just pulled the trigger.”

Legalized attempted murder.

"Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that agents discharged “at least one firearm” in the altercation, which landed two officers and two others in the hospital, agency officials said in statements to local news outlets. Diaz and the man they were targeting are now in their custody in the hospital, activists say. The episode spurred day-long protests and swift backlash in New York, which has been locked in an especially tense battle this week with federal immigration officials on enforcement."

Out of control jackbooted motherf--kers.

Carefully consider the following:

"Gaspar Avendano-Hernandez, the longtime boyfriend of Diaz’s mother, had been deported back to Mexico twice, ICE officials said. On Monday, he was stopped by New York police for allegedly driving with a forged Connecticut license plate, a felony criminal charge, WABC reported. Upon the man’s arrest, immigration officials issued a detainer request, asking that Avendano-Hernandez be held in jail past his release date so that they could take him into custody. New York, like other “sanctuary cities,” does not comply with these orders, which many courts have said violate due process."

Has not been resolved by the Supreme Court.

Here comes the bullshit:

“This forced ICE officers to locate him on the streets of New York rather than in the safe confines of a jail,” ICE spokeswoman Rachael Yong Yow said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal. A team of officers tracked him down to a residential street in Gravesend, an ethnically diverse neighborhood in south Brooklyn, arriving around 8 a.m. Thursday to try to arrest him. He would not budge. “He resisted because they didn’t show him no papers, like, ‘Oh, I’m the police,’ no badge, no nothing, no warrant, no nothing,” Yañez Cruz told WABC."

Not in uniform. Why not? No papers. Why not? How would anyone know who the hell they were dealing with?

"They Tasered him. At that point, two sons of his live-in girlfriend, including Diaz, stepped outside, unarmed, to check on what was happening. The officers didn’t say anything at all, Yañez Cruz told the station."

Why didn't these goons identify themselves as officers?

More bullshit:

"According to ICE, that’s when the two agents were “physically attacked.” The ICE spokeswoman did not identify Diaz or say whether he was among the attackers. Meryl Ranzer, an activist with the group New Sanctuary Coalition, told The Washington Post that officers pepper-sprayed Diaz. Then they shot him, she said. He fell to the ground, unable to talk, the New York Daily News reported. “We didn’t know what to do. We just laid on the floor with him,” Yañez Cruz told the Journal. Avendano-Hernandez sprinted back into the house before surrendering, according to the Daily News."

Not in uniform. No warrant. Did not identify themselves.

"ICE officials said that the incident was being investigated by its Office of Professional Responsibility."

Likely no more than a rubber stamp for the jackbooted bastards.

"Following the altercation, agents took Avendano-Hernandez to a hospital further north in Brooklyn, where they continued to watch over him as he was treated for injuries while in serious condition, Ranzer said. At least seven ICE cars arrived on the scene, and protests involving approximately 200 people continued throughout the day."

People are tired of this jackbooted bullshit.

“Whatever the case is, hospitals are supposed to be safe spaces,” said Ravi Ragbir, director of the New Sanctuary Coalition. “And for ICE to come in here and mistreat our community is wrong,” he said."

Forget? These pieces of shit do as they please. Nearly always with impunity.

"ICE has said that hospitals and other health-care facilities are “sensitive locations” in which it generally must not carry out enforcement activity.

"ICE can try to deport New Yorkers but we are stronger. Even in the rain and cold we fight for our neighbors. #AbolishICE @NewSanctuaryNYC @cpc_nyc pic.twitter.com/JZWeQA0Nv0
— Carlyn Cowen (they/she/siya) (@carlyncowen) February 6, 2020

"Despite the rain, more allies are showing up in support of Brooklyn man shot by ICE, currently receiving care at Maimonides Medical Center.

“DRIVE I.C.E. JAILS OUT OF NYC”#AbolishICE pic.twitter.com/luka5bEgpk
— Make the Road NY (@MaketheRoadNY) February 6, 2020"

It's how the jackbooted bastards get their cookies off.

"Activists said that Diaz had also been taken to the hospital, where he was in serious but not life-threatening condition and appeared to be under ICE custody. According to Yañez Cruz, Diaz was visiting family from Mexico on a tourist visa and had arrived last month. Local officials in New York said that ICE was wrongfully trying to point the finger at police for not honoring the detainer. “If people are coming out, not even identifying themselves, jumping out and trying to jump on people, there is a problem,” Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams told the crowd outside the hospital."

That's right. ... Hear the rumble?

"Reps. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, sent a letter to ICE saying they were “concerned by the initial use of force” and calling for a “review of practices and protocol employed by ICE agents in the field.”

"After agents from @ICEgov shot a Brooklyn man today, @RepJerryNadler and I have written the agency demanding answers. Read our letter. pic.twitter.com/0Pg0GRIog5
— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) February 6, 2020"

These jackbooted pieces of human excrement refuse to take responsibility:

"New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), a vocal critic of ICE, said that the federal agency was unfairly directing blame elsewhere. “An ICE official shot someone,” city hall spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein told the Associated Press, “and minutes later they attempted to point the finger at the NYPD.”

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

Yet, another example of abuse perpetrated by ICE. The Associated Press reports:

"The mother of a 5-year-old Guatemalan boy sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the medical care he has received in detention for a head injury suffered before the family was arrested. The lawsuit filed late Friday in California asks a judge to order the child to be taken to a pediatric neurologist or pediatric neurosurgeon. It also seeks to prevent ICE from trying to immediately deport the family. The boy fell out of a shopping cart in December, fractured his skull and suffered bleeding around his brain. About a month later, he and his family were detained by ICE during what they thought was a routine check-in. The boy, his 1-year-old brother and their mother were taken to ICE’s family detention center at Dilley, Texas, while their father was taken to a detention center in California. The child’s relatives and advocates allege that ICE is not properly treating symptoms caused by the accident that began before he was detained. The boy has severe headaches and is hypersensitive to normal levels of sound, according to his aunt and Dr. Amy Cohen, an advocate working with the family. He is also starting to wet himself, according to his aunt. They allege the boy’s mother has pleaded for medical care, but has been disregarded."

Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil:

"ICE has defended the care the boy has received at Dilley. The agency says medical staff at the detention center conducted multiple check-ups and found no lasting neurological issues. After The Associated Press first inquired about the case on Monday, ICE took the boy to the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he was found to have a normal MRI and no signs of continued bleeding in his skull. The boy was not seen at the hospital by a pediatric neurologist, according to medical records obtained by his family’s attorneys. According to the records, hospital doctors consulted the neurosurgery department and determined that no follow-up was necessary because the MRI was clear. Cohen said the boy had an appointment to see a neurologist before the family was detained by ICE. The symptoms his family reported began before their detention and could be caused by a head injury even if the initial bleeding is gone, meaning that an MRI would not be enough, she said. The San Antonio hospital also did not have the paperwork from the California hospital that first treated him, according to the latest records. Doctors at the first hospital determined that the boy needed a neurosurgery follow-up within four weeks. In a statement Thursday, ICE said it was determined that “no issues were present that required the need to elevate the case to another neurological specialist.” It declined to comment Saturday on the lawsuit. The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio declined to comment Friday on the case. The AP is withholding the names of the boy and his family because they fear imminent deportation to Guatemala, where the boy’s mother says she was threatened."

In follow up, The Associated Press reports:

"A federal appeals court in California temporarily halted the deportation of a 5-year-old child who injured his head before immigration agents arrested his family and whose advocates say needs to be seen by a neurologist. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order late Monday that prevents the immediate removal of the boy, his 1-year-old brother, and their mother, who are being held at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s family detention center at Dilley, Texas. The appeals court asked for more information from both sides Tuesday and Wednesday. The child fractured his skull and suffered bleeding around his brain in a December fall, a month before his family was detained. The boy’s father is at a jail in California. The family’s advocates say the child still has headaches and trouble hearing normal levels of sound, indicating he could be suffering from the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury. They have asked that he be taken to a pediatric neurologist. ICE has defended the care given to the child, saying medical staff at Dilley and at a San Antonio hospital determined he did not need to see a neurologist. A district judge on Monday sided with ICE, ruling that the family’s lawyers did not prove that deportation would further injure the child. U.S. government agencies “do not have an obligation to continue ... medical care indefinitely,” U.S District Judge Stephen V. Wilson said. Before the appeals court intervened, the mother and two children were told to prepare to leave Dilley overnight in expectation that they would board a deportation flight to Guatemala, said Amy Maldonado, an attorney for the family. The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment because the litigation was ongoing."

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

Think Bloomberg fit for office? NPR reports:

"Michael Bloomberg is distancing himself from a 2015 speech in which the former New York City mayor defended aggressive police tactics in minority neighborhoods. Audio of the talk began recirculating online, generating fresh debate over stop and frisk, one of Bloomberg's signature policies as mayor, forcing him to back away from the remarks. Bloomberg, in a statement, noted how he had apologized for championing stop and frisk before kicking off his presidential bid. "I should've done it faster and sooner. I regret that and I have apologized — and I have taken responsibility for taking too long to understand the impact it had on Black and Latino communities," Bloomberg said in the statement. "This issue and my comments about it do not reflect my commitment to criminal justice reform and racial equity."

They don't?

"Bloomberg made the remarks at the Aspen Institute on Feb. 5, 2015. In the audio, he can be heard saying: "95% of your murders and murderers and murder victims fit one M.O. You can just take the description and Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops. They are male minorities 15 to 25." He continues: "That's true in New York. That's true in virtually every city in America. And that's where the real crime is. You've got to get the guns out of the hands of the people that are getting killed." Bloomberg's idea of a solution? Flooding minority neighborhoods with law enforcement. "People say, 'Oh my God, you are arresting kids for marijuana who are all minorities.' Yes, that's true. Why? Because we put all the cops in the minority neighborhoods. Yes, that's true. Why'd we do it? Because that's where all the crime is. And the way you should get the guns out of the kids' hands is throw them against the wall and frisk them," Bloomberg says."

Not fit. No better than our fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"Both supporters of President Trump as well as progressive activists shared the speech on social media. Its resurfacing has brought new scrutiny about Bloomberg's views on criminal justice and minority communities as he spends hundreds of millions of dollars on his 2020 presidential bid. Indeed, a new Quinnipiac University poll released Monday showed Bloomberg in third place nationally among Democrats, trailing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden. Much of Bloomberg's gains in the poll come at Biden's expense."

Get this:

"At the time of the talk in 2015, The Aspen Times reported that Bloomberg's representatives sought to have video of the speech suppressed, asking the Aspen Institute to not distribute the footage. The institute agreed, but audio from the event in front of about 400 people was published by the conservative website The Daily Caller. Responding to the comments, Stu Loeser, the former mayor's spokesman, told Newsday in 2015 that Bloomberg made the same kind of remarks while in office, defending the provocative statements as "indisputable, unfortunate facts." "As he said hundreds of times, we need common-sense gun laws in Washington and policing focused on high-crime areas to stop them from getting killed," Loeser said in a statement at the time. Before officially launching his run for the White House, Bloomberg delivered a surprising about-face and apologized for his support of stop and frisk. "I can't change history. History, today, I want you to know that I realize back then, I was wrong," Bloomberg said in November."

A nazi ruling:

"The police tactic was upheld in a 1968 U.S. Supreme Court ruling as long as officers have "reasonable suspicion" that a crime may be afoot. But the practice has been assailed by critics who say officers abuse their discretion and overwhelmingly target minorities on false pretenses. Bloomberg's previous advocacy of stop and frisk has been characterized as a vulnerability in his efforts to court the black and Hispanic vote in 2020. On Tuesday, President Trump tweeted — and then deleted — a post calling Bloomberg "racist." Bloomberg said Trump's now-deleted tweet is Trump's "latest example of his endless efforts to divide Americans." A federal court in New York in 2013 found that stop and frisk systemically violated the civil rights of tens of thousands of mostly black and Hispanic men in New York. The judge called the practice "indirect racial profiling" of young men of color. Compared to 2011 levels, the use of stop and frisk by New York City police officers dropped 98%, the New York Civil Liberties Union found last year."

An outrageous tactic. With no probable cause. Abuse of authority.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

State of the Union. Fallout. NBC News reports:

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday that she felt “liberated” as she lashed out at President Donald Trump for the “falsehoods” she said he had spread in his State of the Union address and defended her decision to tear up a copy of his speech."

Why didn't Democrats have the guts to walk out on the lying son of a bitch?

“I tore up a manifesto of mistruths,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly news conference, referring to the moment on Tuesday when she ripped up a copy of Trump’s address to the nation once he finished speaking. “It was necessary to get the attention of the American people to say, ‘This is not true, and this is how it affects you,’” she said. “And I don’t need any lessons from anybody — especially the president of the United States — about dignity.”

Trump has none. What national socialist, fascist, nazi dictator does?

"The president misrepresented a number of things, the speaker said, falsely claiming that he and Republicans have protected people with pre-existing conditions and taking credit for the economic progress during his presidency, which Pelosi said was a result of President Barack Obama's policies. Pelosi added that it was “entirely appropriate” for her to tear up the speech, and said, “considering some of the other exuberances … [it was] the courteous thing to do.” She also called it a “dignified act.”

Symbolism over substance. Had Democrats truly wanted to make a statement, should have walked out in protest.

"The House speaker said she has tried to be “gracious” with Trump throughout his presidency. “I feel very liberated. I feel very liberated. I have extended every possible courtesy,” she said. “I’ve shown every level of respect.”

Give me a break. You and your colleagues have miserably failed to figuratively hold the fascist's feet to the fire last three years.

"Pelosi said that she had extended a “hand of friendship” to the president as he stepped up to the House chamber’s dais on Tuesday to welcome him — but he did not take her hand. “It was also an act of kindness,” she said, “Because he looked to me like he was a little sedated. He looked like that last year.”

May have been. LOL. ... So as not to come off the clueless asshole he clearly appears to be at his campaign stops. LOL.

"Pelosi said the president’s decision to not shake her hand had nothing to do with her later ripping up his speech. She said she is a speed-reader, and once she got through the first quarter or third of the address, “I started to think there has to be something that clearly indicates to the American people that this is not the truth.” “He has shredded the truth in his speech, he shredded the Constitution in his conduct, I shredded his state of his mind address,” she said before walking away from the podium, ending the news conference."

You and your colleagues failed miserably last three years to hold him accountable. Held back due to partisan considerations, i.e. best interests. Ended up losing big by quickly rushing through the impeachment process, egregiously truncating the articles of impeachment to two. What the hell did you expect?

The Associated Press reports:

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday defended her speech-ripping performance after President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address and took fresh aim at his fitness for office even as he celebrated his impeachment acquittal. “That was not a State of the Union,” Pelosi said. “That was his state of mind.”

Delusional. In his own little world, devoid of reality.

"Pelsosi said she felt “very vindicated" by her shredding of a paper copy of Trump’s speech, an action that incensed Republicans and led to a GOP-sponsored resolution of disapproval."

Yet, GOP national socialists hypocritically ignore their fuhrer's continuous lies, bullying inflicted on anyone who criticizes the nazi bastard, or fails to goose step in unison with this achingly fascist son of a bitch.

“The conduct of Speaker Pelosi was a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House,” the resolution read. Majority Democrats turned it aside on Thursday afternoon."

Tough, isn't it?

"Back in the Capitol, Pelosi again went after Trump’s speech and defended her decision to rip up her copy behind his back, on camera. She said the address revealed “a state of mind that had no contact with reality whatsoever.”

Insanity. Blatant.

“He has shredded the truth in his speech, shredded the Constitution in his conduct. I shredded the address,” she said. “Thank you all very much.”

Don't flatter yourself, Madam Speaker. Forget? You and your fellow Democrats failed miserably to hold this insane fascist accountable for his abuse of authority last three years.

The Washington Post reports:

"An indignant Nancy Pelosi signaled Thursday she was in no mood to reconcile with President Trump and his congressional Republican allies a day after the Senate voted to acquit him of impeachment charges. Instead, the House speaker used her weekly news conference to launch into a fierce attack on Trump’s State of the Union address, his record on the economy and health care, his response to the months-long impeachment process and the swipes he leveled Thursday morning at the National Prayer Breakfast targeting the faith of his political enemies. And the California Democrat defended her decision to publicly tear up a copy of Trump’s speech Tuesday night in the moments after he concluded his speech, saying she did not “need any lessons from anybody, especially the president of the United States, about dignity.” “It’s appalling the things that he says. And then you say to me: ‘Tearing up his falsehoods, isn’t that the wrong message?’ No, it isn’t,” she said, adding: “I feel very liberated. I feel that I’ve extended every possible courtesy. I’ve shown every level of respect.”

You dragged your feet last three years. Did a piss poor job of holding our criminal fuhrer accountable.

"Another breach of comity came early Thursday morning, at the Prayer Breakfast, Pelosi sat on the same dais as Trump as the president suggested his political enemies were being dishonest in invoking their faith in opposition to him. Pelosi, a Catholic, frequently says she prays for Trump, and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Wednesday cited his Mormon faith in deciding to convict Trump on one of two impeachment articles — abuse of power. “I don’t like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong,” Trump said. “Nor do I like people who say, ‘I pray for you,’ when they know that that’s not so.” Speaking to reporters, Pelosi bristled at the remarks: “He’s talking about things that he knows little about, faith and prayer.” She praised Romney — “God bless him for his courage” — and called Trump’s attacks on him “particularly without class,” then said her prayers for the president were genuine and needed. “I pray hard for him because he’s so off the track of our Constitution, our values, our country, the air our children breathe, the water they drink and the rest,” she said. “He can say whatever he wants. But I do pray for him and I do so sincerely and without anguish.”

You failed to hold him accountable. Placed partisan interests ahead of principle. Failed to include the ten examples of obstruction of justice in the Mueller Report, unprosecuted due to a most convenient 'Justice' Department ruling a sitting president is indeed above the law, that is, cannot be criminally investigated and prosecuted. Failed to include Trump's illegal use of funds of his now defunct Foundation. To say nothing of his repeated violation of the Emoluments Clause, that is, his illegal acceptance of money from foreign dignitaries at his resorts. No more than bribes. How about his attempt to buy the silence of a porn star and a Playboy Playmate he is both of which alleged to have had sex with? List can go on and on. Bottom line? Gutless Democrats.

"Pelosi touched briefly on the concluded impeachment proceedings, speaking roughly an hour before Trump marked the occasion at the White House with a raucous event celebrating his acquittal. There, Trump called Pelosi “a horrible person” and continued questioning her sincerity: “She may pray, but she prays for the opposite. But I doubt she prays at all.” Pelosi beforehand said Trump will always be known as an impeached president, the third in the nation’s history. “He’s impeached forever, no matter what he says,” Pelosi said. “You’re never getting rid of that scar. History will always record that you were impeached for undermining the security of our country, jeopardizing the integrity of our elections and violating the Constitution of the United States.” She also did not rule out continuing House investigations of the Ukraine affair that sparked the impeachment or other alleged Trump misdeeds. But her sharpest remarks were reserved for Trump’s State of the Union performance, which at times resembled a campaign rally, with chants of “Four more years” from the assembled GOP lawmakers and made-for-TV moments that included reuniting a deployed soldier with his family and the awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to radio talk-show host and conservative firebrand Rush Limbaugh. Pelosi called the spectacle “beneath the dignity of the White House” and “an insult to the Congress of the United States and the American people.” Rather than a State of the Union address, she added, Trump had offered “a state of mind that had no contact with reality whatsoever.” “We will not allow any president to use that Capitol, that chamber of the House of Representatives, of the People’s House, as a backdrop,” she said before referencing the Limbaugh episode: “Do it in your own office. We don’t come in your office and do congressional business. Why are you doing that here?”

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

Impeachment saga fallout. CBS News reports:

"House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said former National Security Adviser John Bolton refused to submit a sworn affidavit on President Trump's dealings with Ukraine after the Senate rejected additional witnesses and documents. In an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday after the Senate voted to acquit Mr. Trump of charges he abused his power and obstructed Congress, Schiff, a Democrat from California, said House Democrats approached Bolton's counsel after the unsuccessful vote in the Senate. The House "asked if Mr. Bolton would be willing to submit an affidavit under oath describing what he observed in terms of the president's Ukraine misconduct, and he refused," Schiff said. " So for whatever reason, he apparently was willing to testify before the Senate but apart from that, seems intent on saving it for his book. He'll have to answer for that." Bolton said last month before the Senate impeachment trial kicked off that he would testify before the upper chamber if subpoenaed. Democrats had pushed for additional testimony during the proceedings, namely from Bolton, and their efforts were bolstered after details from Bolton's forthcoming book were leaked and reported by the New York Times.

"House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said the House will "likely" subpoena Bolton. But Schiff suggested it's not yet known whether they will seek to compel testimony from him. "There's been absolutely no decision made about whether to subpoena John Bolton or not subpoena John Bolton," he told MSNBC. "What we had decided in discussing this with the speaker is we were going to try the case, we would conclude the trial, and we would consider what next steps we should take afterwards"

Trump retaliates. The Associated Press reports:

"The decorated soldier and White House aide who played a central role in the Democrats’ impeachment case against President Donald Trump is expected to be pushed out of his job at the National Security Council, two people familiar with the expected personnel move said Friday. “I’m not happy with him,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House to head to North Carolina. “You think I’m supposed to be happy with him? I’m not. ... They are going to be making that decision.”

Vindman stood tall. Exposed you for the fraud and charlatan you truly are, Mr. 'President.'

"Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman could leave the White House staff and return to a job at the Pentagon as early as Friday. He could leave as part of a group of staffers exiting the NSC, according to one person familiar with the expected decision. Another person familiar with Vindman’s situation said he was getting ready for retaliation from the White House for his testimony at the House impeachment hearings. Both individuals were not authorized to discuss the case and spoke only on condition of anonymity."

The Lt. Col. is a hero. Displayed Uncommon Valor throughout his career as a soldier. To say nothing of the guts it took to testify against our national socialist fuhrer, the Trump nazi, during the House impeachment hearing.

"Vindman’s status at the NSC, the foreign policy arm of the White House, has been uncertain since he testified that he didn’t think it was “proper” for Trump to “demand that a foreign government investigate” former Vice President Joe Biden and his son’s dealings with the energy company Burisma in the eastern European nation of Ukraine. Vindman’s ouster seemed even more certain after Trump mocked him Thursday during his post-acquittal celebration with Republican supporters in the East Room. “Lt. Col. Vindman and his twin brother — right? — we had some people that — really amazing,” Trump said, referring to Vindman and his brother, Yevgeny, who works as a White House lawyer."

Trump again displayed himself to be both a boor and a bore.

"Vindman, a 20-year Army veteran, wore his uniform full of medals, including a purple heart, when he appeared late last year for what turned out to be a testy televised impeachment hearing. Trump supporters raised questions about the Soviet Jewish immigrant’s allegiance to the United States and noted that he had received offers to work for the government of Ukraine — offers Vindman said he swiftly dismissed. “I am an American,” he stated emphatically."

He is. A naturalized citizen who dedicated his life to service of country. A hero who challenged a corrupt and abusive president knowing full well it could cost him his current job in the White House as well as his military career. Indeed, Uncommon Valor. Hat's off, Lt. Col. Vindman.

Heroically, took no shit from one of Trump's lap dogs:

"When the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, addressed him as “Mr. Vindman,” the Iraq War veteran replied: “Ranking member, it’s Lt. Col. Vindman please.”

Goddamned right. Hat's off, Lt. Col.

"Defense Secretary Mark Esper was asked what the Pentagon would do to ensure that Vindman faces no retribution when he is reassigned from the White House. He referred the question to the Army, in terms of Vindman’s next assignment, but on the retribution aspect, he said, “We protect all of our service members from retribution or anything like that. We’ve already addressed that in policy and other means.”

The Associated Press reports:

"The decorated soldier and national security aide who played a central role in the Democrats’ impeachment case against President Donald Trump was escorted out of the White House complex on Friday, according to his lawyer, who said he was asked to leave in retaliation for “telling the truth.” “The truth has cost Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman his job, his career, and his privacy,” David Pressman, an attorney for Vindman, said in a statement. “He did what any member of our military is charged with doing every day: he followed orders, he obeyed his oath, and he served his country, even when doing so was fraught with danger and personal peril,” Pressman said. “And for that, the most powerful man in the world — buoyed by the silent, the pliable, and the complicit — has decided to exact revenge.” The White House did not respond to Pressman’s accusation."

What could they say?

“We do not comment on personnel matters,” said John Ullyot, spokesman for the National Security Council, the foreign policy arm of the White House where Vindman was an expert on Ukraine."

We now live in Trump's Fourth Reich. A democratic republic in name only. In reality, a fascist police-state.

"The statement from Vindman’s lawyer did not say whether he would be reassigned to the Defense Department where he worked before being detailed to the White House.

"Pressman released a one-page statement claiming that Vindman was among a handful of men and women who courageously “put their faith in country ahead of fear” but have “paid a price.” “There is no question in the mind of any American why this man’s job is over, why this country now has one less soldier serving it at the White House,” Pressman said. “Lt. Col. Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth. His honor, his commitment to right, frightened the powerful.”

The Washington Post reports:

"James B. Comey is a former director of the FBI and former deputy attorney general."

He opines in an editorial:

"The most important thing that happened during President Trump’s post-impeachment rant at the White House didn’t happen at the lectern. Yes, as usual, he called me a sleaze and scum and a dirty cop and said he likely would no longer be president if he hadn’t fired me. Although I still can’t follow the logic of that last bit, it doesn’t matter. The important thing was what happened in the audience, where there were plenty of intelligent people of deep commitment to religious principle. They laughed and smiled and clapped as a president of the United States lied, bullied, cursed and belittled the faith of other leaders. That was the deeply disturbing part of the East Room moment, and should challenge us all. How it is possible that they didn’t get up and walk out — that they seemed to participate actively in something they should know was deeply wrong? How could they smile and laugh? Because they are people. And, like all people, they too easily surrender their individual moral authority to a group, where it can be hijacked by the loudest, harshest voice. I know because I’ve done it."

Uncommon honesty and candor:

"In 1978, I was a college freshman, one of many insecure, homesick, frightened kids living away from home for the first time, although we would admit none of that to each other, or even to ourselves. Because of overcrowding, I was among 17 boys living in a physically separate annex to one of the large dormitories, without any kind of on-site supervision. I shudder now to think of it. My college had inadvertently created a “Lord of the Flies” dorm.

"There was a boy in that annex who was mildly annoying. He was a bit arrogant and uptight and had potted plants in his immaculately neat dorm room. He went his own way most of the time. But somehow the group of boys decided that this boy was not to be tolerated. So the group messed with his belongings, trashed his room and performed other idiocies I can’t remember. I was part of that group. Some things I did, some things I helped do, some things I laughed about after they were done. I caused someone else pain.

"Four decades later, I’m still ashamed of myself. I was raised by parents who constantly emphasized the importance of resisting the group. A thousand times, in many contexts, my mother said, “If everyone is lined up to jump off the George Washington Bridge, are you just going to get in line?” And yet in the face of whatever guilt or hesitation I felt, I surrendered to the laughter and the camaraderie of the group and maybe to a feeling of relief that I wasn’t the target.

"I was a living example of something I knew then, and have come to know even better since, and these days we see it in places as storied and solemn as the East Room of the White House. We all tend to surrender our moral authority to “the group,” to still our own inner voices and assume that the group will handle whatever difficult issue we face. We imagine that the group is making thoughtful decisions, and if the crowd is moving in a certain direction, we follow, as if the group is some moral entity larger than ourselves.

"In the face of the herd, and often to avoid being targeted ourselves, we go quiet and let the group’s brain and soul handle things. Of course, the group has no brain or soul separate from each of ours. But by imagining that the group has these imaginary centers of power, we abdicate responsibility, which allows all groups to be hijacked by the loudest voice, the person who knows how brainless groups really are and uses that to his advantage."

Indeed. Adolf Hitler did the same. So did Benito Mussolini:

"Even though he wouldn’t write those sentences, or read them, Trump knows all this. It is his gift, as it has been the gift of demagogues throughout history, to play on human weakness. He knows that good, principled people — who would never lie, curse or belittle the faith of another person — will go along, be swept along, at a rally, in a meeting, maybe silent, maybe smiling, maybe on their feet waving a MAGA hat. But they will go along. They will still their inner voices."

Ever watch the old newsreels of Adolf Hitler? Hitler was a master at this.

"That’s the scary lesson of the East Room rant. There were good people in that White House on Thursday. And they went along.

"We have passed through the legal and constitutional trials of the Trump era. They were painful, but we now face our greatest trial, because it is about each of us, alone. And especially about those who were, or are, Republicans. Will they assert personal, core values in the face of a powerfully human temptation to surrender them? Or will they still those inner voices, smile tightly in places like the East Room, and drift with the crowd? We will know in just nine months."

Hat's off, Mr. Comey. You got it exactly right. Remain one of a handful of Republicans who place principle first.

UPI reports:

"Lt. Col. Alex Vindman and Gordon Sondland, each of whom provided damaging testimony in the House of Representatives' impeachment hearings, were fired from their government posts Friday. Vindman, a National Security Council aide, and Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, each indicated they had been ousted just two days after President Donald Trump was acquitted on two articles of impeachment. Attorney David Pressman said Vindman was unceremoniously escorted out of the White House on Friday, months before he was scheduled to leave his post as a Ukraine expert on the NSC. "LTC Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth," Pressman said in a statement. "His honor, his commitment to right, frightened the powerful. There is no question in the mind of any American why this man's job is over, why this country now has one less soldier serving it at the White House." Sondland, meanwhile, said in an issued statement that had been recalled from his EU diplomatic posting. "I am grateful to President Trump for having given me the opportunity to serve, to Secretary (of State Mike) Pompeo for his consistent support, and to the exceptional and dedicated professionals at the U.S. Mission to the European Union," he said, adding, "I am proud of our accomplishments. Our work here has been the highlight of my career." House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel called Vindman's firing "shameful, of course. But this is also what we should now expect from an impeached president whose party has decided he is above the law and accountable to no one."

A democratic republic in name only.

"The Ukraine expert and Purple Heart winner testified during the House of Representatives' impeachment hearings in November that he reported concerns about President Donald Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky within hours after it happened. The call was at the heart of the one of the articles of impeachments against Trump that alleged he held up nearly $400 million in military aid to the Ukraine as leverage to persuade Zelensky to announce investigations of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and son Hunter Biden, a former board member at Ukrainian gas company Burisma. "It was improper for the president to request, to demand an investigation into a political opponent, especially a foreign power where there is at best dubious belief that this could be an impartial investigation and that this would have significant implications if it became public knowledge," Vindman said in his testimony. His role on the NSC was expected to last until July, but that seemed thrown into doubt earlier Friday when Trump was asked about the Iraq War veteran's future and responded he was "not happy" with him."

Get this:

"Pressman said Vindman's twin brother, Yevgeny, an NSC lawyer, was also removed from his post and left the grounds walking next to his brother. Sondland's testimony also provided key evidence in the Democrats' case against Trump, saying on Nov. 20 that "everyone was in the loop" about the effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate the president's political rivals. The ambassador said he pressured Ukraine for investigations at the "express direction" of Trump via Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. "Mr. Giuliani's requests were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit for President Zelensky," he said. "Giuliani demanded that Ukraine make a public statement announcing investigations of [claims Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. election] and Burisma. Mr. Giuliani was expressing the desires of the president of the United States, and we knew that these investigations were important to the president."

NBC News reports:

"President Donald Trump suggested the military should consider disciplinary action against Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key witness in the House impeachment inquiry, and said there could be more departures from his administration related to the proceeding. "We sent him on his way to a much different location, and the military can handle him any way they want," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. "General Milley has him now. I congratulate General Milley." Army Gen. Mark Milley is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Trump on Friday removed Vindman, who testified in the House impeachment inquiry about the president's conduct toward Ukraine, from his National Security Council post at the White House and had him escorted off the grounds. Asked by reporters whether Vindman should face disciplinary action, Trump said: "That's going to be up to the military. We'll have to see. But if you look at what happened, they're going to certainly — I would imagine — take a look at that." Trump said he was "wasn't happy" with Vindman and accused him without evidence of having reported "very inaccurate things" about Trump's phone call in July with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "After they said these horrible things and made up these horrible, horrible lies about what was said on the call, and then I said, 'Here's the call,'" Trump told reporters. "If I didn't have a transcript, it would've been my word against their word." Trump also suggested that more departures from the White House could come, telling reporters, "Oh, sure, absolutely, there always are."

Fox News reports:

"White House counselor Kellyanne Conway was asked on "Fox & Friends" Monday about the ousters of two key figures who testified in the House Democrats' impeachment proceedings. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was escorted off White House grounds Friday, two days after President Trump was acquitted in the Senate on the impeachment charges brought by the House last year over his dealings with Ukraine. Also on Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who testified during the House impeachment hearings, said the president recalled him from his position. A senior administration official also told Fox News that Vindman’s twin brother Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman had also left the National Security Council. "Are more heads gonna roll in the wake of the people who testified against the president?" host Steve Doocy asked. Conway made clear that the Vindman brothers are still employed, but Alexander Vindman's White House detail was ended and he has now returned to work at the Defense Department. She said it was "ridiculous" for Democrats, like Sen. Chuck Schumer, to claim there was "retaliation" by President Trump. "This is very typical to have a detailee for a temporary period of time who then returns to what their full-time job is," said Conway. Overall, Conway said there are many "holdovers" from the Obama administration who do not believe in Trump's foreign policy agenda, describing it as "the shallow state."

Ms. Conway has remained a paid shill of her fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Readers will recall she is married to a most vociferous critic of Trump, -- who Trump himself has publicly criticized quite ferociously. LOL. Mr. Conway is himself a lawyer who has managed to repeatedly, figuratively speaking, wipe the floor with his wife's employer. The latest is an editorial in The Washington Post. The Post reports: "George T. Conway III is a lawyer and is also an adviser to the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super PAC."

Mr. Conway opines:

"Trump is right. We might have to impeach him again. “So we’ll probably have to do it again.”

Indeed. LOL. 'If in fact you don't first succeed, try, try again.' LOL.

"So said the already-once-impeached President Trump on Thursday in the East Room, musing about the possibility he could become the first president to be impeached more than once. And on the very next day, as though he were competing for it, Trump showed precisely why he could be destined to achieve that ignominious fate."

No kidding. LOL.

"With essentially no pretense about why he was doing it, the president brazenly retaliated Friday against two witnesses who gave truthful testimony in the House’s impeachment inquiry. He fired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. And he also fired a third man, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, merely for being the brother of the first. Trump essentially admitted his retaliatory motive on Saturday, when he tweeted that he sacked Vindman in part for having “reported contents of my ‘perfect’ calls incorrectly.”

... You don't say. LOL.

"If this were a criminal investigation, and Alexander Vindman and Sondland had given their testimony to a grand jury, this Friday Night Massacre could have been a crime. At the very least, it ought to be impeachable: If Richard M. Nixon was to be impeached for authorizing hush money for witnesses, and Trump himself was actually impeached for directing defiance of House subpoenas, then there should be no doubt that punishing witnesses for complying with subpoenas and giving truthful testimony about presidential misconduct should make for a high crime or misdemeanor as well."

Finally, an attorney who calls it like it is. Engages in no sophistry, bullshit, and/or 'legalese.' LOL.

Gets even better. LOL. Get this:

"But it’s really not about this one day, or this one egregious act. It’s about who Trump is, who he always was and who he always will be. It’s about the complete mismatch between the man and the office he holds. It’s about the fact that the presidency is a fiduciary position, the ultimate public trust. And that Trump’s narcissism won’t allow him to put anyone else’s interests above his own, including the nation’s. Indeed, he can’t even distinguish between his interests and the nation’s — and doesn’t need to, according to his lawyers and now the judgment of the Senate. For Trump, it’s always L’état, c’est Trump, as many observers have trenchantly put it. Or, as Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) said during the impeachment trial, “you know you can’t trust this president to do what is right for this country. You can trust he will do what is right for Donald Trump. He will do it now. He has done it before.” And he will do it again. He did do it again by firing the Vindmans and Sondland. He’s telling us he will do it again. And no one can seriously doubt it, even those who voted to acquit. The ever-hopeful Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who said last week that she was voting to acquit partly because she thought Trump had learned “a pretty big lesson” from being impeached, quickly backtracked to say she was merely being “aspirational.” Such a lofty aspiration — that the president refrain from committing an impeachable offense."

The Senate Republican acquittal of their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, has traitorously, treasonously crowned this piece of human excrement de facto dictator of our formerly great country.

Conway opines:

“Fantastical” would better describe it, actually. On Thursday, Trump portrayed himself as the innocent victim: “Went through hell, unfairly. Did nothing wrong. Did nothing wrong.” “We were treated unbelievably unfairly.” “It was all bullshit.” It was “a very good phone call.” "I call it a ‘perfect call’ because it was.” On the flip side, it was Trump’s opponents who did wrong. He called his impeachment “evil,” “corrupt,” “phony, rotten,” brought about by “dirty cops,” “leakers and liars" and, in general, “very evil and sick people” who were “vicious as hell.” “They made up facts.” “It was a disgrace.”

The disgrace is the human excrement currently occupying the Oval Office.

"So just as we had Nixon’s enemies list, so we have had three years of Trump’s use of presidential power for vindictive ends. Long before the Vindmans and Sondland, the firing of James B. Comey as FBI director. Trump’s alleged directive to the Pentagon to “screw Amazon,” whose chief executive owns this newspaper, which, frankly, ought by itself to have been an impeachable offense. So, too, his threats against Google, Facebook and Twitter. His obvious punishment of Puerto Rico for its politicians’ criticisms of him. His attacks on a British ambassador who dared assess him critically. The Ukraine scandal itself, indeed, was partially an effort to attain vengeance for wrongs — Ukrainian “interference” — Trump imagines were done to him in 2016. He’ll use whatever means he has at his presidential disposal to redress his bottomless pit of grievances."

... As any dictator would do.

"And he’ll only get worse. Narcissistic leaders such as Trump always do. As we’ve now seen, his rage leads to retribution and misconduct, which beget more criticism, and more investigation, and even more rage, retribution and misconduct. Over and over again. So America beware: The state is Trump, and he’s very, very angry. We might, indeed, have to do it again."

We are precisely where Nazi Germany was politically in 1933 when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor. Worst was yet to come.

... Can you imagine what life must indeed be like in the Conway household? LOL. Clearly, must dearly love each other to not allow ferocious political disagreement to upend their marriage. -- Married quite some time, interesting backgrounds, personal histories both professionally and as a couple. To say nothing of several children. -- Have to wonder what they must think. 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.

2-14-20

Think the judiciary isn't in the pocket of the Trump nazi? The Associated Press reports:

"A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday dismissed one of several ongoing lawsuits charging that President Donald Trump has illegally profited off the presidency. The lawsuit the court dismissed was filed by Democratic members of Congress in 2017. The court was not ruling on whether Trump violated the law. It just said that the approximately 200 members of Congress who brought the lawsuit lack the ability to sue."

Jesus Christ. They're elected members of Congress investigating an outrageously corrupt and abusive president. Who has better standing to sue?

"The lawsuit had charged that the president violated the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause by accepting benefits to his businesses from foreign governments without congressional approval. A lower court had allowed the lawsuit to go forward. Trump, speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday, held a copy of the decision and called it a “total win” on “another phony case.”

The 'president' is a congenital liar who fancies himself dictator of the United States.

Get this:

"The 12-page opinion is unsigned. But in it, the panel of judges that heard the case wrote that the 29 senators and 186 members of the House of Representatives involved in the lawsuit “do not constitute a majority of either body” of Congress and therefore don’t have the power to bring the lawsuit."

Nazi justice. Imposed by shills of the Trump nazi.

"The three judges that heard the case were Karen LeCraft Henderson and Thomas Griffith, who were nominated to the bench by Republican Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, respectively, and David Tatel, who was nominated by a Democrat, Bill Clinton. The lawsuit is one of several that have charged the president violated the emoluments clause. A federal appeals court in Virginia recently heard arguments in a separate lawsuit in which the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia accuse Trump of violating the clause by accepting profits through foreign and domestic officials who stay at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. In that case, a judge in Maryland allowed the lawsuit to go forward, but a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit threw the case out. The full appeals court re-heard the case in December, but it has not yet issued its ruling."

Think it won't continue to march in goose step with the Trump nazi?

"Last year, in New York, a federal appeals court revived another emoluments clause case filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and others after a lower court dismissed that lawsuit. The Trump administration has asked the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to re-hear the case."

We'll see where this goes. Founders? Spinning in their graves. Our formerly great country? A de facto fascist police-state since 9/11 when both Democrats and Republicans gutlessly imposed the USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, etc., eviscerating the Bill of Rights. -- A de facto fascist police-state now quickly transitioning 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.

2-14-20

Here's yet another example of the above, that is, a judiciary beholden to the Trump nazi. United Press International reports:

"Federal courts do not have authority to enforce a legal requirement that the president of the United States and their advisers keep adequate records of meetings with foreign leaders, a judge has ruled. Washington, D.C., judge Amy Berman Jackson made the decision Monday in dismissing a suit brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the National Security Archive and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. The groups complained that President Donald Trump and his aides aren't meeting legally required minimums for record-keeping at such meetings. The groups filed suit last May, arguing the White House has failed to comply with the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act by sidelining certain State Department officials from high-level White House meetings with foreign officials. In a 22-page ruling, Jackson said she lacks authority to "oversee the president's day-to-day compliance." The court's powers in the dispute, she ruled, are limited to examining underlying White House policies rather than policing its actions. She added, though, her decision doesn't mean the court endorses White House actions or confirms compliance. The plaintiffs said the suit was motivated by past meetings with foreign leaders that excluded State Department interpreters, including a 2018 summit in Finland between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin."

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

Delusionally believe the 'Justice' Department isn't in the pocket of the Trump nazi? Has any semblance of independence? Doesn't rubber stamp its fuhrer, the Trump nazi? The Washington Post reports:

"The Justice Department plans to reduce its sentencing recommendation for longtime President Trump confidant Roger Stone, after top officials were apparently blindsided by the seven-to-nine year penalty prosecutors urged a judge to impose, a senior Justice Department official said Tuesday. In a stunning rebuke of career prosecutors that will surely raise questions about political meddling in the case, a senior Justice Department official said the department “was shocked to see the sentencing recommendation in the Roger Stone case last night.” “That recommendation is not what had been briefed to the department,” the official said. “The department finds the recommendation extreme and excessive and disproportionate to Stone’s offenses. The department will clarify its position later today.” The statement came hours after President Trump tweeted of the sentence prosecutors recommended, “This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!” The senior Justice Department official, though, said the decision to revise prosecutors’ recommendation came before Trump’s tweet."

Nazi justice in Trump's Fourth Reich.

Readers will recall:

"Stone was convicted by a jury in November of lying to Congress and tampering with a witness. His was the last conviction secured by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III as part of his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election."

Here's the problem:

"Stone has been a friend and adviser to Trump since the 1980s and was a key figure in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign to discover damaging information on Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. As Monday’s court deadline neared for the prosecutors to give a sentencing recommendation for Stone, it was still unclear what the office would do, after days of tense internal debates on the subject, according to people familiar with the matter. Front-line prosecutors, some previously from Mueller’s team, argued for a sentence on the higher end, while their bosses wanted to calculate the guidelines differently to get to a lower prison sentence. The debate centered around whether they should seek more prison time for obstruction that impedes the administration of justice, these people said. In the end, the office filed a recommendation in keeping with the line prosecutors’ goals, and rejecting the lighter recommendation sought by their superiors, the people said. Hours before the filing was due Monday, the new head of the D.C. office, interim U.S. attorney Timothy Shea — a former close adviser to Attorney General William P. Barr — had not made a final decision on Stone’s sentencing recommendation, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Disagreements among prosecutors about sentencing recommendations are not uncommon, especially when it comes to politically sensitive high-profile cases. It would have been unusual, however, for the U.S. attorney’s office to endorse a sentence below the guideline range after winning conviction at trial, according to former federal prosecutors."

Interesting, isn't it? Speaks volumes, doesn't it?

"In a 22-page filing, prosecutors Jonathan Kravis, Michael J. Marando, Adam C. Jed and Aaron S.J. Zelinksky wrote that a sentence of 87 to 108 months, “consistent with the applicable advisory Guidelines would accurately reflect the seriousness of his crimes and promote respect for the law.” Leaving a hearing in federal court in Washington, Jed and Kravis declined to comment. Stone’s defense on Monday asked for a sentence of probation, citing his age, 67, and lack of criminal history. They also noted that of seven Mueller defendants who have been sentenced, only one faces more than a six-month term: former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who is serving 7½ years. Given the hardships and loss of professional standing suffered by Stone and his family, “No one could seriously contend that a [reduced ...] sentence would cause anyone to walk away from these proceedings believing that one can commit the offenses at issue here with impunity,” defense attorneys Bruce S. Rogow, Robert C. Buschel and Grant J. Smith wrote."

Nothing quite like a shyster, no? LOL.

"Federal guidelines typically call for a sentence ranging from 15 to 21 months for first-time offenders convicted of obstruction offenses, such as lying to Congress, making false statements and witness tampering, as Stone was. The range ratchets up steeply, potentially to more than seven years in prison, if the offense involves other factors such as threatening physical injury or property damage to a witness; substantially interfering with the administration of justice; or the willful obstruction of justice. Each was cited by prosecutors. A seven- to nine-year term “will send the message that tampering with a witness, obstructing justice, and lying in the context of a congressional investigation on matters of critical national importance are not crimes to be taken lightly,” prosecutors wrote."

Our fuhrer has spoken. NPR reports:

"President Trump hailed Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday after the Justice Department took the unusual step of intervening in Roger Stone's sentencing recommendation. Four federal prosecutors withdrew from the case. "Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought," Trump said on Twitter. "Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller Scam was improperly brought & tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress!"

"Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought. Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller Scam was improperly brought & tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020"

None of the above is true. Trump is insane. Traditionally, presidents have taken a hands off approach to the 'Justice' Department. No longer. The Department is no longer independent of the Oval Office.

"Former special counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation are longtime targets of Trump's. Mueller's team documented extensive Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and some contacts with Trump's campaign, but said there wasn't sufficient evidence to bring conspiracy charges. The wrongdoing prosecutors said they did find included Stone, who sought to serve as an intermediary between Trump's team and WikiLeaks, which was fencing material stolen by Russian hackers, released to embarrass political targets in the United States. Stone lied to Congress about his role in the matter and obstructed its fact-finding, prosecutors charged; he was found guilty in November on all seven counts in his trial and is awaiting sentencing. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington had recommended Monday that Stone serve seven to nine years in prison, but Justice Department officials were "shocked" by the "extreme and excessive and disproportionate" severity of that sentence, a senior Justice Department official said. So the department ordered the submission of a second sentencing memo in the case, displacing the first. The second memo, which appeared with court records on Tuesday afternoon, said a sentence "far less" than the prospective seven to nine years in prison "would be reasonable under the circumstances." It did not make a specific recommendation. Judge Amy Berman Jackson has the ultimate decision about what sentence to give Stone."

Be interesting to see whether or not she honors her oath of office, stands tall.

"After the submission of the highly unusual second memo, four prosecutors in the case — Aaron Zelinsky, Jonathan Kravis, Adam Jed and Michael Marando — withdrew, according to court filings. Zelinsky resigned as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the Washington, D.C., office. It appears he continues to work for the Justice Department in his earlier capacity with the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office. Kravis resigned as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. Jed and Marando said they are withdrawing from the case.

"A senior Justice Department official said that department leadership had resolved on Monday evening to challenge the initial sentencing memo, before the president's Twitter post."

Think so?

"All the same, critics blasted what they called improper interference by Trump in the workings of the Justice Department, which had a tradition of independence. Democrats have called for investigations or vowed to launch their own in the House."

"Trump said Tuesday that he hadn't asked the Justice Department for a reduced sentence for Stone."

Didn't have to. Had Barr to cater to his every whim, march in goose step.

"He declined to comment when asked whether he was considering a pardon for his ally."

Surprised?

Worse? Attempted to intimidate the judge:

"Trump did, however, focus some of his commentary on Jackson, who handled other cases during the Muller investigation including that of Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. Trump turned his focus to Jackson in a Twitter post on Tuesday, writing, "Is this the Judge that put Paul Manafort in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, something that not even mobster Al Capone had to endure? How did she treat Crooked Hillary Clinton? Just asking!"

"Is this the Judge that put Paul Manafort in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, something that not even mobster Al Capone had to endure? How did she treat Crooked Hillary Clinton? Just asking! https://t.co/Fe7XkepJNN
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020"

NBC News reports:

"The U.S. attorney who had presided over an inconclusive criminal investigation into former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe was abruptly removed from the job last month in one of several recent moves by Attorney General William Barr to take control of legal matters of personal interest to President Donald Trump, according to multiple people familiar with the matter."

No independence between the Oval Office and DOJ. Fascinating, isn't it?

"A person familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News that Trump has rescinded the nomination of Jessie Liu, who had been the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., for a job as an undersecretary at the Treasury Department. Liu also supervised the case against Trump associate Roger Stone. On Tuesday, all four line prosecutors withdrew from the case — and one quit the Justice Department altogether — after Barr and his top aides intervened to reverse a stiff sentencing recommendation of up to nine years in prison that the line prosecutors had filed with the court Monday. (Liu left before the sentencing recommendation was made.) But that wasn't the first time senior political appointees had reached into a case involving a former Trump aide, officials told NBC News. Senior officials at the Justice Department also intervened last month to help change the government's sentencing recommendation for Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. While the prosecutors had once recommended up to six months in jail, their latest filing now says they believe probation would be appropriate. The new filing came on the same day Liu was removed from her job, to be replaced the next day by a former prosecutor selected by Barr. Liu had been overseeing the criminal investigation into McCabe, who was accused by the department's inspector general of lying to investigators. McCabe has not been charged, despite calls by Trump for him to go to prison."

Here's the problem:

"The resignations and the unusual moves by Barr come as Trump has sought revenge against government officials who testified after congressional Democrats subpoenaed them in their impeachment investigation. In the days since the Senate acquitted him, Trump fired his ambassador to the European Union, a political supporter whom he nominated, and had other officials moved out of the White House. "This signals to me that there has been a political infestation," NBC News legal analyst Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney in Virginia, said on MSNBC. "And that is the single most dangerous thing that you can do to the Department of Justice."

When an occupant of the Oval Office can dictate justice, guess what? There is no justice.

"In the Stone case, a new filing Tuesday says the previous recommendation "does not accurately reflect the Department of Justice's position on what would be a reasonable sentence in this matter." A nine-year sentence "could be considered excessive and unwarranted under the circumstances," the filing says, declining to recommend a specific term and instead asking the judge to consider an "appropriate" sentence. "I've never seen this happen, ever," said Gregory Brower, a former U.S. attorney for Nevada and senior FBI official. "I'd be shocked if the judge didn't order the U.S. attorney to come into court to explain it."

Trump presents an exigent threat to justice:

"Earlier Wednesday morning, Trump appeared to praise Barr for intervening in the Stone case, which was an offshoot of former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. He claimed, without evidence, that the case was improper and "tainted" and that Mueller had "lied" to Congress. "Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought," he wrote. "Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller Scam was improperly brought & tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress!"

"Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought. Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller Scam was improperly brought & tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020"

Get this:

"Barr named Timothy Shea as interim U.S. attorney for Washington on Jan. 30. His announcement noted that it's the largest U.S. attorney's office in the country and highlighted Shea's "reputation as a fair prosecutor." It didn't mention that Liu had been unceremoniously pushed out. Liu had been picked for a job in the Treasury Department, and normally she would have remained as U.S. attorney until the Senate voted on her nomination, current and former officials said. Trump has now rescinded her nomination to be undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes."

Fascinating, isn't it? Our iron fisted fuhrer rules by fiat.

"Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec told NBC News that Barr had no contact with the White House and that the decision to change the sentencing recommendation was made before the Trump tweet. That hasn't stopped critics from questioning Barr's decision to step into a case involving a longtime friend of Trump's who was convicted of lying to Congress for the express purpose, prosecutors made it clear at the trial, of protecting the president. David Laufman, a former counterintelligence chief for the Justice Department, on Twitter called it "a shocking, cram-down political intervention in the criminal justice process. We are now truly at a break-glass-in-case-of-fire moment for the Justice Dept." "The narrative that's been developing for a long time now is that all of these prosecutions of people connected to the president are the product of a hoax or a witch hunt," Brower said. "The president appears to be acting on that belief."

Clearly.

The Washington Post reports:

"As the fallout from the controversy surrounding Roger Stone’s prison term continued Tuesday night, President Trump defended his longtime confidant by firing off a barrage of heated tweets attacking the federal judge and prosecutors involved in the case. Over the course of roughly two hours, Trump cranked out six blasts about the handling of Stone’s sentencing, including one that targeted U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is presiding over the case. He implied that Jackson harbored some broad bias, linking the Stone case to her role in the sentencing of his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and her dismissal of a lawsuit against former secretary of state Hillary Clinton related to Benghazi, Libya. “Is this the Judge that put Paul Manafort in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, something that not even mobster Al Capone had to endure?” Trump wrote, sharing another tweet that named Jackson. “How did she treat Crooked Hillary Clinton? Just asking!” Jackson is scheduled to sentence Stone, who was convicted in November of lying to Congress and witness tampering, on Feb. 20. The timing of Tuesday’s online attack prompted many to accuse Trump, who has a long history of mounting public crusades against judges and courts over unfavorable rulings, of attempting to intimidate Jackson and secure a more lenient sentence for Stone."

Interference:

"In an early-morning tweet Tuesday, Trump lambasted the proposed punishment as “a miscarriage of justice!” Hours later, the Justice Department announced that it would be revising the recommended prison term — a stunning decision that sparked widespread concern about the president undermining the traditional independence of the agency when it comes to individual prosecutions. (The Justice Department said it did not communicate with the White House about Stone’s case this week and Trump told reporters Tuesday that he has “not been involved in it at all,” The Washington Post reported.)"

A congenital liar.

Aryan arrogance:

"Who are the four prosecutors (Mueller people?) who cut and ran after being exposed for recommending a ridiculous 9 year prison sentence to a man that got caught up in an investigation that was illegal, the Mueller Scam, and shouldn’t ever even have started?” Trump tweeted, referencing the Russia investigation overseen by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III that led to Stone’s conviction. In a later tweet, Trump appeared to suggest that he was considering the possibility of pardons for Stone and former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the Mueller investigation. Many seemed to be most taken aback by Trump’s tweet about Jackson, including Clinton, his Democratic opponent in 2016. In the tweet, Trump questioned Jackson’s treatment of Clinton, probably referencing her dismissal in 2017 of a wrongful death claim brought against the former secretary of state in connection with Benghazi. The suit alleged that Clinton’s use of a private email server caused the deaths of two Americans at the U.S. diplomatic compound in the Libyan city. Stone also tried to bring attention to the lawsuit last year when he shared an inflammatory Instagram post targeting Jackson, which earned him a harsh scolding from the judge. “Do you realize intimidating judges is the behavior of failed-state fascists?” Clinton tweeted Tuesday in response to Trump.

"Do you realize intimidating judges is the behavior of failed-state fascists? Just asking! https://t.co/kcEzirsGUF
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 12, 2020"

No question. LOL.

"Trump has repeatedly gone after judges who rule against him and questioned the judiciary’s constitutional authority. The president’s pattern of attacks have been condemned by lawyers and law professors, who have called his rants “worse than wrong” and “dangerous.” His frequent references to “Obama judges” prompted Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to issue a rare rebuke of the president in 2018. On Tuesday, Trump’s swipe at Jackson was similarly received. People rushed to fact-check the tweet and denounced Trump for “siccing his 70 million Twitter followers” on Jackson, as one person put it. Within moments of the tweet getting posted, Trump’s supporters were already chiming in, calling Jackson “truly evil” and slamming her as “a far-left activist Judge.” But, the tweet misrepresented Jackson’s involvement in the Manafort case since the judge only sentenced Trump’s former campaign manager to 7½ years and was not responsible for the conditions of his confinement while awaiting trial."

An idiot can't, won't be confused with the truth. 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.

2-14-20

Trump lies, distorts reality. So what else is new? The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump is telling a skewed story when he boasts about workers who’ve seen their personal retirement savings nearly double under his administration. Gains in the overall stock market are only half of what he implied. Trump made the assertion at his New Hampshire rally Monday, where he also tried to snatch victory from defeat by claiming a shutout victory in the House impeachment vote, which he actually lost. TRUMP, on workers’ 401(k) investments: “Up 90%, up 104%. Is there anybody doing badly with the 401(k)? ... Don’t put up your hand, I don’t believe you. The 401(k)s, they’re up 90%, 95%.” THE FACTS: That’s misleading at best. There have indeed been 401(k) increases of 100% or more since 2017, but those were largely among workers with fewer than four years at their job, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute. The increases are big for recent and younger employees because they generally start with meager savings. The gains come in part from workers setting aside money from their own paychecks and contributions from their employers, not just market returns. In that circumstance, it’s unremarkable to see a $1,000 401(k) account double in a year, for example, when a young worker and perhaps the employer is paying into it. Older workers with more than 20 years on the job have seen gains of roughly 50% over three years in their retirement accounts, thanks both to contributions from paychecks and market gains. Moreover, the S&P 500 — the broadest measure of the U.S. stock market — was up 47.6% from Trump’s inauguration through Monday’s close. Some 401(k) averages are problematic for Trump’s claims to be generating prosperity because many workers lack the savings for a comfortable retirement. The median 401(k) account balance last year was just $22,217, according to the fund manager Vanguard. That’s down from a 2018 median of $26,331."

Interesting, isn't it?

Get this:

"TRUMP, on impeachment: “It wasn’t even close. I want to thank our Republican senators and our Republican House members; they were tremendous. In the House, we won 196 to nothing, and then we got three Democrats.” THE FACTS: By that measure, the San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl 20-0. They actually lost it 31-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs. If you only count your own score, you win every vote and every game. The House impeached Trump on a 230-197 vote on the first article, outlining abuse of power charges, and a 229-198 vote on the second article covering obstruction of Congress. That’s because most of the majority Democrats backed impeachment. Trump went on to say: “In the Senate, other than Romney, we had — we got 52 to nothing.” Again, he ignores votes from the Democrats. Trump was acquitted of impeachment charges after senators in the Republican-controlled Senate narrowly rejected Democratic demands to summon witnesses and extend the trial. The Senate acquitted Trump by votes of 52-48 on abuse of power and 53-47 on obstructing Congress. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote for conviction, doing so on the abuse of power charge."

Yet, his sick sycophants believe every word he says.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

Trump retaliates. New York sues. The Associated Press reports:

"New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday that the state will file a lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to block New Yorkers from participating “trusted traveler programs” in retribution for a new state law that could hinder federal immigration enforcement. “It’s an abuse of power. It’s extortion. It is hurting New Yorkers to advance their political agenda. And we’re going to fight back,” Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a news conference in New York."

Every time retaliation occurs or rights infringed, Trump and his henchmen need to be sued.

"The lawsuit is the latest salvo in an escalating fight over immigration policy between President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders in his home state. In December, a new state law took effect allowing New York residents to apply for driver’s licenses without having to prove they are in the U.S. legally. Part of that law also prohibited the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles from giving records to federal immigration agents. On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security retaliated, saying it would no longer allow New Yorkers to enroll, or renew their membership in, certain federal programs that make it easier for people traveling internationally to get through border security, including Global Entry. In announcing the change, acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said New York had endangered public safety by barring federal agents from quickly accessing vehicle and criminal records to check for fugitive warrants or confirm someone’s identification."

Bullshit. Our outrageously abusive nazi government has many other ways to quickly resolve such issues. Hat's off, to New York for standing up to our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, and his henchmen.

"The ouster is expected to affect at least 175,000 New Yorkers now enrolled in the programs, who will be kicked out as their permits expire, plus around 30,000 commercial truck drivers enrolled in a program that eases their crossings into the U.S. from Canada. Several other states have similar policies of allowing unauthorized immigrants to get driver’s licenses, but New York is the only state that bans the sharing of motor vehicle records with immigration agents, Department of Homeland Security officials said."

Someone has to heroically stand up to outrageously corrupt, abusive, lawless authority.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

Imagine that. Trump is gouging Secret Service protection at his resorts. LOL. Couldn't be, could it? Seatbelts on. The Washington Post reports:

"President Trump’s company charges the Secret Service for the rooms agents use while protecting him at his luxury properties — billing U.S. taxpayers at rates as high as $650 per night, according to federal records and people who have seen receipts. Those charges, compiled here for the first time, show that Trump has an unprecedented — and largely hidden — business relationship with his own government. When Trump visits his clubs in Palm Beach, Fla., and Bedminster, N.J., the service needs space to post guards and store equipment. Trump’s company says it charges only minimal fees. But Secret Service records do not show that. At Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, the Secret Service was charged the $650 rate dozens of times in 2017, and a different rate, $396.15, dozens more times in 2018, according to documents from Trump’s visits. And at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, the Secret Service was charged $17,000 a month to use a three-bedroom cottage on the property, an unusually high rent for homes in that area, according to receipts from 2017. Trump’s company billed the government even for days when Trump wasn’t there. These payments appear to contradict the Trump Organization’s own statements about what it charges members of his government entourage. “If my father travels, they stay at our properties for free — meaning, like, cost for housekeeping,” Trump’s son Eric said in a Yahoo Finance interview last year. The full extent of the Secret Service’s payments to Trump’s company is not known. The Secret Service has not listed them in public databases of federal spending, as is usually required for payments over $10,000."

Why is this not listed in these databases? Taxpayers are entitled to this information.

"Instead, documents have come out piecemeal, through public records requests from news organizations and watchdog groups. The Washington Post compiled available records and found 103 payments from the Secret Service to Trump’s company dated between January 2017 and April 2018. The records show more than $471,000 in payments from taxpayers to Trump’s companies. But — because these records cover only a fraction of Trump’s travel during a fraction of his term — the actual total is likely to be higher. “It is more than a little disconcerting, knowing this is going on, and not knowing what the actual numbers are,” said Jordan Libowitz, of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “That’s kind of crazy that we know the president is benefiting from the presidency, and we do not know how. We do not know how many taxpayer dollars are in his pocket.”

All this should have been included in the Articles of Impeachment against the corrupt, abusive, national socialist dictator.

"The White House did not respond to questions about Trump’s knowledge of these payments."

What could it say? LOL. ... The 'president' is not a crook? LOL.

The following is appalling bullshit:

"In a statement, the Secret Service said that its spending “balances operational security with judicious allocation of resources.” By law, Secret Service agents are exempt from the government’s usual per diem spending limits while they are protecting the president. The Secret Service did not respond to a question about why the purchases weren’t listed in public databases."

The following is disingenuous bullshit. Blatant sophistry:

"In response to questions from The Post, a company spokesperson said Mar-a-Lago does not charge the Secret Service $650 per room but did not address whether it had charged that rate in the past. The company also noted that the rental cottage at Bedminster contains “multiple rooms and [includes] numerous common spaces.” The company did not answer questions about the rates it charges the Secret Service now. “We provide the rooms at cost and could make far more money renting them to members or guests,” Trump Organization Executive Vice President Eric Trump said in a statement. He gave no details about how the company calculates the “at-cost” price."

Fascinating, isn't it? LOL.

Gets worse. Get this:

"During the 2016 campaign, Trump told voters that — if he was elected — he would not have time for travel. “I would rarely leave the White House because there’s so much work to be done,” Trump told the Hill in a June 2015 interview. “I would not be a president who took vacations. I would not be a president that takes time off.”

Jesus Christ. Expect better of a congenital liar?

"But since taking office, Trump has spent more than 342 days — a third of his entire presidency — at his private clubs and hotels, according to a tally by The Post. Trump has said he works during these trips."

LOL. ... Think so? How does he have time with all the continual tweeting, golf, campaigning, etc.?

"The Secret Service always comes with him, as it does with all presidents. But the Trump Organization has assured the public that it is giving the government a great deal. Last year, Eric Trump told Yahoo Finance that when his father does visit his properties, he is legally required to charge something. Eric Trump did not say what law required Trump to charge his own government, and the Secret Service did not respond to questions asking what law he was referring to. The Secret Service is part of the Department of Homeland Security, whose internal directives state, “DHS may accept gifts to carry out program functions.”

No more than bribes? LOL.

Trump's son is certainly a chip off the old block:

“If he stays at one of his places, the government actually ... saves a fortune because, if they were to go to a hotel across the street, they’d be charging them $500 a night, whereas, you know we charge them, like 50 bucks,” Eric Trump said. That appears to be wrong. The Secret Service is required to tell Congress twice a year about what it spends to protect Trump at his properties. But since 2016, it has only filed two of the required six reports, according to congressional offices. The reasons, according to Secret Service officials: key personnel left and nobody picked up the job. Even in those two reports, the lines for Bedminster and Mar-a-Lago were blank. The Secret Service officials said only that they abide by the law, but they did not elaborate. They are probably referring to a provision that requires them to tell Congress about “permanent” costs. They may not consider anything they’ve done at either club permanent."

Incredible, isn't it? Government is out of control. We, the people, have ourselves to blame. We tolerate this shit.

"Senate Democrats have asked the Trump administration to provide more details on the costs of Trump’s travel as part of negotiations over a bill governing the Secret Service. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has told the Senate committee that he opposes a requirement to deliver those details until December 2020 at the earliest, which falls after the election."

Convenient, isn't it?

“They’ve really stonewalled us,” said Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.). “He’s trying to hide the details from the public, because he knows how bad it looks. That’s the truth of it. He’s a billionaire, but we’re spending millions of dollars to support his for-profit clubs and for-profit businesses.”

Report goes on and on. In great detail. We're being royally f--ked over. 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.

2-14-20

Two jackass dictators butting heads? NPR reports:

"At the direction of President Rodrigo Duterte, a fierce critic of the United States, the Philippines announced Tuesday that it would scrap a security pact that allows American forces to train there. Duterte's foreign secretary, Teodoro Locsin Jr., tweeted Tuesday that the Visiting Forces Agreement with the U.S. would be terminated — a move that could have consequences for a counterinsurgency against Islamist extremists in the country's south. "It's about time we rely on ourselves. We will strengthen our own defenses and not rely on any other country," Philippine presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said at a regular press briefing, quoting Duterte. He said Manila would be open to similar agreements with other countries. "As long as it is favorable to us and there is a mutual benefit to both countries, we are open," he said.

"The move to end the pact follows anger over Washington's reported decision last month to cancel the U.S. visa of Philippine Sen. Ronald dela Rosa. The former chief of National Police, dela Rosa, enforced Duterte's brutal war on drugs, which has killed thousands and has been widely condemned by international human rights watchdogs. Since coming into power in 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has executed a dramatic pivot away from the U.S. and toward China, increasingly the dominant regional power. Duterte then demanded that the U.S. restore the visa and began publicly suggesting he would terminate the VFA if it failed to do so. The U.S. Embassy in Manila issued a brief statement on Tuesday calling Duterte's move "a serious step with significant implications for the U.S.-Philippine alliance." "We will carefully consider how best to move forward to advance our shared interests," the statement read."

Have dumped quite a bit of U.S. taxpayer loot on the bastard:

"The U.S., which provided some $550 million in military assistance to the Philippines from 2016 to 2019, conducts joint military exercises, such as the annual joint exercise dubbed Balikatan, or "shoulder-to-shoulder," in Tagalog, with Filipino troops. Balikatan, which sometimes also includes Australian and Japanese forces, is seen as a show of force against possible military adventures by China. The U.S. also has kept as many as 100 special forces troops on the Philippine island of Mindanao on a rotating basis to help in Manila's fight against terrorist group Abu Sayyaf and other militants linked to the Islamic State. U.S. troops were on the ground in 2017 aiding the Philippine military during a siege of militants in the southern city of Marawi. The U.S. Navy is also seen as a bulwark against China's territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. About a third of global shipping passes through its sea lanes, and the U.S. conducts Freedom of Navigation Operations in those waters in a bid to keep them open, to China's displeasure. Such FONOPs could become increasingly dangerous as the two powers find themselves in close proximity."

Consider the following:

"The Philippines, a former U.S. territory that gained independence in 1946, has long viewed Washington as its strongest ally. Besides the VFA, it also has a Mutual Defense Treaty with the U.S. that dates back to the 1950s. But some analysts say that pact, along with the Obama administration's Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, could be in jeopardy if the agreement governing visiting U.S. forces is scrapped."

What webs we weave, no?

"Duterte came to office three years ago with strong words for Washington. Among other things, he has said the U.S. treats the Philippines as "like a dog on a leash" and has accused U.S. forces of clandestine activities in the country. After assuming power in 2016, Duterte executed a dramatic pivot away from the U.S. and toward China, increasingly the dominant regional power. Renato de Castro, professor of international studies at De La Salle University in Manila, told NPR that the decision to jettison the Visiting Forces Agreement is part of "Duterte's desire to do away with the U.S., so there is no obstacle in his pivot to China." He says the cancellation of dela Rosa's visa "is merely an excuse." The U.S. has 180 days to respond to the notice of the VFA's termination. Duterte has said that President Trump wants to save the deal. However, The Philippines Star quotes presidential spokesman Panelo as saying Duterte "will not entertain" entreaties from the U.S. nor will he accept an invitation to visit the White House. But in one tweet, Foreign Affairs Secretary Locsin seemed to suggest the cancellation of the pact was mostly a bargaining tactic aimed at getting some unspecified concessions from Washington."

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

A Republican challenger drops out. ABC News reports:

"Former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh announced Friday that he's ending his long-shot bid to challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. “I’ve suspended my campaign because I’ve concluded that no one can beat Trump in a Republican nomination —not me, not anyone," Walsh said in a statement. He went on, "That was crystal clear to me this week when I stood in front of 3,000 Iowa Republicans and was booed and jeered at for saying we deserve a president who is honest, decent and puts the country first. The Republican party has become a cult."

No kidding. LOL. A three-ring circus of national socialist, fascist, nazis marching in goose step with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Certainly, no longer conservatives.

"The conservative firebrand failed to gain momentum in a Republican Party that still largely backs the president. Walsh first announced his campaign in September 2019 in an exclusive interview with ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week." The controversial former lawmaker argued that conservatives should have an alternative to the president. "I'm running because he's unfit; somebody needs to step up and there needs to be an alternative. The country is sick of this guy's tantrum -- he's a child," said Walsh, who was elected to the House in 2010 and only served one term before becoming a conservative talk radio host. Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld is now the only Republican challenger to Trump."

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

Principle? Or, sweet revenge? The Associated Press reports:

"The former Navy secretary who was fired after criticizing President Donald Trump endorsed Democrat Michael Bloomberg for president on Friday, saying the U.S. needs a leader with integrity who would have “a steady hand on the wheel.” Former Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced the endorsement during a campaign event at a maritime center and museum in Norfolk, Virginia. Spencer said he is a “lifelong Republican” who says he’s “tremendously concerned” that democracies around the world, and international alliances, are under threat."

Sadly, true. Here, in our formerly great country, we remain a democratic republic in name only. Outrageously, a de facto fascist police-state since 9/11. Courtesy of both Democrats and Republicans who gutlessly passed the USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, etc., eviscerating the Bill of Rights. Now, transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.

“I don’t care if you’re a Republican, you’re a Democrat or independent, if we are to sustain this experiment we call democracy, America needs the best leader available,” Spencer said. “I do believe Mike can get it done.”

Think so? ... Or, is Bloomberg all talk?

"Spencer was pushed out of his position after he clashed with Trump and military leaders over the fate of Navy Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL who was accused of war crimes in Iraq."

Have to give Spencer great credit for standing up, doing the right thing. Certainly, another example of Uncommon Valor.

"Bloomberg, a billionaire former mayor of New York City who is skipping campaigning for the Democratic nomination in the four early states, has been focusing on states like Virginia that vote in the March 3 “Super Tuesday” contests, when the largest number of delegates are up for grabs. Speaking in Norfolk, home to one of the largest naval stations, he pledged to support the military, veterans and their families, and to work to rebuild international alliances. Bloomberg also said he is a leader who has built teams and who listens to staff and doesn’t retaliate against people who disagree with him — a not-so-veiled reference to Trump and his decision to fire Spencer."

No true leader retaliates and fires anyone who doesn't agree. In fact, a true leader welcomes dissent. Wants to hear all sides of an argument. Not so, the Trump nazi.

“When a president places more faith in what he is told by Vladimir Putin than by his own director of national intelligence that’s a prescription for disaster,” he said. “Surrounding yourself with a bunch of yes people is the surest way I know to fail.”

No question.

"Bloomberg is running as a moderate who can bring together Democrats, independents and disaffected Republicans to defeat Trump. He entered the race among concerns from establishment Democrats about whether former Vice President Joe Biden, who was seen as the leading moderate in the race, would be able to clinch the nomination over more liberal opponents like Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and he has spent more than $300 million of his own fortune to air television ads."

Certainly, has baggage which will quickly see the light of day if he becomes a credible contender.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

Trump remains delusional. So what else is new? LOL. The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump called Monday for slashing funding for the Superfund hazardous waste program, even as the backlog of clean-ups has grown around the country for lack of money. The $113 million in Superfund clean-up cuts are part of Trump’s proposal for a $2.4 billion, or 26%, cut in overall funding for the Environmental Protection Agency. That’s in line with the president’s vow as a candidate to cut all but “little tidbits” of the environmental agency in a push to cut regulations he sees as unnecessarily burdensome to business. Monday marked the fourth year where Trump has called for cuts nearing one-third of the environmental agency’s budget. Republicans and Democrats in Congress annually have overridden his proposal, keeping funding for the agency’s environmental and public health oversight roughly even."

For damned good reason.

"Trump and his EPA administrators have stressed Superfund clean-ups as one of their top environmental priorities. However, as The Associated Press reported in January, the Trump administration has built up the biggest backlog of unfunded toxic Superfund clean-up projects in at least 15 years, nearly triple the number that were stalled for lack of money in the Obama era, agency figures show. The four-decade-old Superfund program is meant to tackle some of the most heavily contaminated sites in the U.S., which threaten the residents, wildlife and habitat around the sites with dangerous industry pollutants. Trump’s proposal says the cut reflects that his administration is running the Superfund program more efficiently, and “challenges the agency to optimize the use of settlement funds for the cleanup actions” at those Superfund sites where a responsible company has been found to pay for the work."

The corporate management suite is directly responsible for this toxic trashing of the environment. Why aren't they held criminally accountable? Forced to pay entire cost of cleanup? If the offender has gone out of business, seize assets of all surviving former corporate officials. In addition, create a federal agency to impose and collect an environmental protection tax imposed on all publicly-traded corporations to make up the difference. Must not be forgotten it was the corporate management suite that chose to cut corners, pollute the environment to line its pockets.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

How can this government be trusted? The Washington Post reports:

"For more than half a century, governments all over the world trusted a single company to keep the communications of their spies, soldiers and diplomats secret. The company, Crypto AG, got its first break with a contract to build code-making machines for U.S. troops during World War II. Flush with cash, it became a dominant maker of encryption devices for decades, navigating waves of technology from mechanical gears to electronic circuits and, finally, silicon chips and software. The Swiss firm made millions of dollars selling equipment to more than 120 countries well into the 21st century. Its clients included Iran, military juntas in Latin America, nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, and even the Vatican. But what none of its customers ever knew was that Crypto AG was secretly owned by the CIA in a highly classified partnership with West German intelligence."

How about that?

Consider the following:

"These spy agencies rigged the company’s devices so they could easily break the codes that countries used to send encrypted messages. The decades-long arrangement, among the most closely guarded secrets of the Cold War, is laid bare in a classified, comprehensive CIA history of the operation obtained by The Washington Post and ZDF, a German public broadcaster, in a joint reporting project. The account identifies the CIA officers who ran the program and the company executives entrusted to execute it. It traces the origin of the venture as well as the internal conflicts that nearly derailed it. It describes how the United States and its allies exploited other nations’ gullibility for years, taking their money and stealing their secrets."

Might makes right? Anything goes?

"The operation, known first by the code name “Thesaurus” and later “Rubicon,” ranks among the most audacious in CIA history. “It was the intelligence coup of the century,” the CIA report concludes. “Foreign governments were paying good money to the U.S. and West Germany for the privilege of having their most secret communications read by at least two (and possibly as many as five or six) foreign countries.” From 1970 on, the CIA and its code-breaking sibling, the National Security Agency, controlled nearly every aspect of Crypto’s operations — presiding with their German partners over hiring decisions, designing its technology, sabotaging its algorithms and directing its sales targets. Then, the U.S. and West German spies sat back and listened."

Delusionally, believe that very same technology was not used to monitor the activity of law-abiding citizens of the United States? Think this government doesn't have even better technology available presently? Isn't using it against its citizenry?

"They monitored Iran’s mullahs during the 1979 hostage crisis, fed intelligence about Argentina’s military to Britain during the Falklands War, tracked the assassination campaigns of South American dictators and caught Libyan officials congratulating themselves on the 1986 bombing of a Berlin disco. The program had limits. America’s main adversaries, including the Soviet Union and China, were never Crypto customers. Their well-founded suspicions of the company’s ties to the West shielded them from exposure, although the CIA history suggests that U.S. spies learned a great deal by monitoring other countries’ interactions with Moscow and Beijing. There were also security breaches that put Crypto under clouds of suspicion. Documents released in the 1970s showed extensive — and incriminating — correspondence between an NSA pioneer and Crypto’s founder. Foreign targets were tipped off by the careless statements of public officials including President Ronald Reagan. And the 1992 arrest of a Crypto salesman in Iran, who did not realize he was selling rigged equipment, triggered a devastating “storm of publicity,” according to the CIA history."

No problem with any of the above?

"But the true extent of the company’s relationship with the CIA and its German counterpart was until now never revealed. The German spy agency, the BND, came to believe the risk of exposure was too great and left the operation in the early 1990s. But the CIA bought the Germans’ stake and simply kept going, wringing Crypto for all its espionage worth until 2018, when the agency sold off the company’s assets, according to current and former officials. The company’s importance to the global security market had fallen by then, squeezed by the spread of online encryption technology. Once the province of governments and major corporations, strong encryption is now as ubiquitous as apps on cellphones."

Ever wonder how good that encryption truly is?

The report goes on and on. Be interesting to see precisely what effect, if any, it has.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

Ever wonder whether the judge was bribed? The Associated Press reports:

"A federal judge has cleared a major path to T-Mobile’s $26.5 billion takeover of Sprint, as he rejected claims by more than a dozen states that the deal would mean less competition and higher phone bills. Though the deal still needs a few more approvals, T-Mobile expects to close it as early as April 1."

Remarkably fitting, isn't it? April Fool's Day.

"Once that happens, the number of major U.S. wireless companies would shrink from four to three. T-Mobile says the deal would benefit consumers as it becomes a fiercer competitor to the larger Verizon and AT&T. The deal would also create a new, but smaller competitor as satellite TV company Dish pledges to build a next-generation, 5G cellular network. A group of state attorneys general tried to block the deal, arguing that having one fewer phone company would cost Americans billions of dollars in higher bills. Consumer Reports said the three remaining companies would have fewer incentives to compete on prices and quality."

Less competition. Higher prices. Poorer quality.

The following is insanity. This 'judge' is not fit:

"Judge Victor Marrero in New York said Tuesday that the companies’ insistence that the deal would cut prices and the states’ insistence that the deal would raise prices “essentially cancel each other out.” Instead, he chose to rely on what wireless executives have done in the past and what they commit to doing in the future in an industry that is changing rapidly."

Were you bribed, 'Judge?'

"T-Mobile has pushed in recent years such consumer-friendly changes as restoring unlimited data plans. Marrero said he found that T-Mobile executives were credible at trial in promising to continue competing aggressively with AT&T and Verizon. The judge also agreed with the companies that Sprint was “at best struggling to even tread water” and would not last as a national wireless competitor. He also said that he is persuaded that the U.S. Justice Department’s side deal with Dish, which sets up the satellite TV provider as a new wireless company, would reduce the threat to competition."

Receive any 'consideration' for your ruling, sir?

Considering who's currently enthroned in the Oval Office, the following come as any surprise?

"Marrero’s decision comes after the Justice Department already approved the deal. Another judge still needs to approve the Dish settlement, a process that is usually straightforward but has taken longer than expected. A utility board in California also has to approve the deal. New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the leading attorneys general in the case, said her office was considering an appeal. She said Tuesday’s ruling “marks a loss for every American who relies on their cell phone for work, to care for a family member, and to communicate with friends.”

Needs to be an appeal. Certainly, appears the fix was in.

Here's the problem:

"Gigi Sohn, a fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy, said that while consumers are often promised benefits from mergers, “what they are left with each time are corporate behemoths” that can raise prices and destroy competition."

Without question. Happens routinely after such mergers.

Get this:

"Sprint shares jumped $3.42, or 71%, to $8.22 in midday trading after the ruling came out. T-Mobile shares rose $8.64, or 10%, to $93.17. Verizon shares fell nearly 3% and AT&T nearly 1%."

Surprised?

No method to the madness? Wake up. Get this:

"T-Mobile launched its bid for Sprint in 2018, after having been rebuffed by Obama-era regulators. T-Mobile CEO John Legere had seen President Donald Trump’s election and his appointed regulators as a good opportunity to try again to combine, according to evidence during the trial."

Convenient, no?

Could have sat down with all carriers to discuss the possibility of an inter-corporate effort to implement 5G. Combine resources and technical ability to implement a new system that will admittedly be incredibly costly to develop and launch. Why not work together to keep costs down? Or, is prime directive bottomless greed? Think not? Wake up:

"T-Mobile, which promised not to raise prices for three years, repeated previous arguments that the combined T-Mobile and Sprint will be able to build a better 5G network — a priority for the Trump administration — than either company could alone."

Clearly, want all gravy for themselves. Reason for the merger. Otherwise, all carriers would have been approached to see if an agreement could have been reached.

"In his ruling, Marrero said that while both Sprint and T-Mobile will provide 5G service without the combination, their standalone networks would be more limited in scope and take longer to build."

All the more reason all carriers should have been approached to determine whether an inter-corporate agreement could have been reached. Certainly, would be more than enough profit in it for all of them. More than likely, a better 5G.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

Think there isn't a problem? ABC News reports:

"A Frederick County, Md., high school is under investigation after alumni spotted a Nazi flag hanging inside a classroom and posted the "hateful" image that went viral on social media. As spectators were heading into Governor Thomas Johnson High School on North Market Street to watch a boys' basketball game on Friday night, a large Nazi flag was on display inside a window near the entrance. Nicole Hopkins snapped a picture of the red, black and white cloth and posted it on her social media on Saturday, according to The Frederick News Post. The photograph was then shared publicly by Serenity Bush Moore, who alerted her followers to contact the Frederick County Public Schools [FCPS] administrators. "As a graduate of FCPS, I am so regularly disappointed by their poor decisions. The idea that a school system has made a decision to exist in the destructiveness and incapacity dimensions of the cultural continuum demonstrates a total inability to protect all students," wrote Moore. Her post has been shared almost 450 times with almost 1,000 comments. Hours after the photograph circulated on social media, the FCPS issued a statement apologizing to the community and explaining that the flag was inside a classroom where World War II history was being taught. "FCPS sincerely apologizes to our community for this incident as we share your feelings regarding the hatred and intolerance message this flag represents," read a statement posted on FCPS' Facebook page. The flag was taken down and "due diligence" from the staff was promised on Monday "to identify the events leading to this unfortunate incident. We will take the appropriate steps to ensure an incident such as this is not repeated. The values of FCPS are in direct contrast to the message represented by that flag, and we apologize that the display of this flag caused hurt in our community."

Explanation didn't fly:

"Moore wasn't buying it. "Please miss me with it’s a social studies class. What culturally proficient educator has a 'life' size Nazi flag in their tool kit and then has the audacity to hang it OVER THEIR CLASSROOM WINDOW IN THE FRONT OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING BY THE MAIN ENTRANCE," Moore wrote. "Staff and administrative parking is directly in front of this window, so this was seen by a school leader. Irresponsibility and privilege at its highest levels." Request for comment from the county's superintendent, Dr. Theresa Alban, on Monday's investigation was not immediately returned."

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-14-20

No separation of church and state in Trump regime. United Press International reports:

"The Department of Health and Human Services is threatening to withhold healthcare funds from California unless it meets a deadline this month to stop requiring health insurance plans to cover elective abortions."

None of their goddamned business. Not only is it not their uterus, there is church-state separation in this country, that is, the First Amendment Establishment Clause.

"State officials have vowed to fight the move."

Need to. Vigorously.

"On Jan. 24, the HHS Office of Civil Rights notified California that state mandates requiring universal abortion coverage violate federal conscience statutes and that it has 30 days to comply with the law. The notice stemmed from two complaints alleging California engaged in unlawful discrimination when in 2014, the state's Department of Managed Health Care said health plan issuers must offer coverage for elective abortion. HHS says the requirement violates the Weldon Amendment, which bars federal programs and agencies and state and local governments from receiving certain funds if they discriminate against healthcare entities that do not provide, pay for, provide coverage of or refer for abortions."

Outrageously unconstitutional regulation of a constitutional right. Who the hell is the Nazi Right to force its perverse ideological and religious views on the rest of us?

"California has deprived over 28,000 people of plans that did not cover elective abortion, but now must cover abortion," the Office of Civil Rights said in a news release. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a news release that the Trump administration is making baseless allegations of violations and that President Donald Trump "is using the official levers of government to advance his political agenda."

Shamelessly, so.

"In California, we will continue to protect our families' access to healthcare, including women's constitutional right to abortion," the release says. "Nothing changes." Other officials backed up Becerra. Gov. Gavin Newsom told Trump in a tweet that "you sicken me" with his threat to hold up billions of dollars. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., tweeted that Trump has created a hostage situation. "The cruelty has no bounds," Speier tweeted. "Women and the most vulnerable are the casualties. We won't stand for it!"

Sue the living shit out of the bastards.

"The HHS complaints were filed by the Missionary Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit, a Catholic organization in Los Angeles, and Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa, which is in the San Diego area. Each organization also filed a lawsuit -- the Missionary Guadalupanas in state court and Skyline in federal court. After those suits were dismissed at the trial court level, both appealed. The California Court of Appeal upheld the trial judge's decision in the Missionary Guadalupanas case. Skyline took its case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard arguments on Nov. 6. A decision is pending."

Four decades since Roe v. Wade. Should long since been settled.

The following is distortion of reality:

"Churches and other employers should be free to operate according to their beliefs "and not be forced to fund something that goes against their conscience," said Denise Harle, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian nonprofit organization that represents Skyline."

Churches are not funding this benefit. It is the labor of their hired help that does so.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-7-20

Impeachment saga continues. The Associated Press reports:

"Alan Dershowitz delivered a stunning defense of President Donald Trump in the Senate that would essentially make it impossible to impeach a president for anything he might do to boost his reelection prospects. It was a contention quickly and forcefully denounced by a range of legal scholars and historians who said there were clear limits on presidential authority. Dershowitz said on Thursday that his remarks have been misinterpreted, but Democrats seized on them as they pressed their case for Trump’s removal from office for tying the release of military aid to Ukraine to an investigation of his political rivals. His starting point was the benign assertion that every politician believes his election is in the public interest, but he pivoted abruptly to Ukraine, and began to frame an argument that would rewrite most conventional understanding of the scope of presidential power."

How much were your pockets lined, Counselor?

Here's the problem:

"As novel as it was, his premise in many ways tracked the views of Trump who has said he was not bound by some constitutional constraints that other presidents have readily accepted. And several Republican senators seemed to find merit in what Dershowitz said."

If so, treasonously betrayed their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution. Traitors.

“If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,” Dershowitz said Wednesday as senators put questions to Democratic House lawmakers who are prosecuting the case against Trump in the Senate and to Trump’s defense team."

Effectively, grants the Trump nazi carte blanche to do as he pleases with impunity.

"Robert Dallek, a presidential historian who has written books about five presidents, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan, called Dershowitz’s argument unique. “Frankly I’ve never seen that before, that a president’s power extends to wherever his politics are,” Dallek said. “There is a pretty well defined idea of what a president can do and can’t do and when he seems to overstep his bounds, he runs into great difficulty with the Congress or the judiciary.”

Clearly, no longer, since Congress and the judiciary, to date, have effectively granted the dictator in the Oval Office virtual impunity.

"Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, said Dershowitz had it backwards in suggesting that the public interest is whatever serves the president’s reelection campaign. “What we hope is that they at least think in terms of the nation’s interests and then align their personal interest with the public interest, the country’s interest,” Perry said."

No longer, -- with a self-serving criminal occupying the Oval Office.

"What’s more, she said, Dershowitz’s formulation could serve as a dangerous precedent for future presidents who might think they can do anything they want in the political arena, except for violation of a criminal statute. “Then there’s nothing to be done about a president who can make the case that I did it in my self-interest,” she said. She reached back to Richard Nixon’s presidency and the “dirty tricks” carried out to undermine the campaigns of Democratic rivals in 1972. “Nixon was trying to get reelected. Every single thing that happened in Watergate, all of those things would not be impeachable?” Perry said."

Think the Trump nazi hasn't embraced the philosophy of Richard Nixon to the max?

"Both Perry and Dallek said the closest similar invocation of presidential power was Nixon’s statement, made after he resigned the presidency: “Well, when the president does it … that means that it is not illegal,” Nixon told interviewer David Frost in 1977. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., alluded to Nixon in Thursday’s Senate session. “We are right back to where we were a half century ago, and I would argue that we may be in a worse place, because this time, this time, that argument may succeed,” Schiff said."

Frightening, isn't it?

The following is a heartbreaking excuse made by an attorney who has clearly lost himself:

"For his part, Dershowitz, a retired college professor, complained on Twitter that his argument was being “willfully distorted” by media outlets. “They characterized my argument as if I had said that if a president believes that his re-election was in the national interest, he can do anything. I said nothing like that, as anyone who actually heard what I said can attest,” Dershowitz wrote in a series of tweets. “Let me be clear once again (as I was in the senate): a president seeking re-election cannot do anything he wants. He is not above the law. He cannot commit crimes. He cannot commit impeachable conduct. “But a lawful act— holding up funds, sending troops to vote, braking a promise about Syria — does not become unlawful or impeachable if done with a mixed motive of both promoting the public interest and helping his RE-election. Please respond to my argument, not a distortion of it,” Dershowitz wrote."

Sophistry. Pitiful. Pathetic.

Chief Justice stands tall. UPI reports:

"Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Thursday refused to read aloud a question from Sen. Rand Paul that named the alleged whistle-blower whose complaint launched the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Robert, who's presiding over the impeachment trial in the Senate, is responsible for reading senators' individual questions to Trump's legal team and Democratic House managers. The Senate began the question phase of the trial Wednesday and was expected to finish Thursday. "The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted," Roberts said when he looked at Rand's handwritten question. Paul has repeatedly called for the identity of the whistle-blower to be made public. The whistle-blower, a member of the U.S. intelligence community, filed a complaint last year with the office of the director of national intelligence about the July phone conversation in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden. The complaint prompted the House to formally launch an impeachment inquiry and in December, vote to impeach Trump. Paul left the Senate chamber after Roberts' refusal to read the question and tweeted about the justice's decision. "My question was not about a 'whistle-blower' as I have no independent information on his identity. My question is about the actions of known Obama partisans within the [National Security Council] and house staff and how they are reported to have conspired before impeachment proceedings had even begun," he wrote."

Nazi justice. UPI reports:

"The Senate on Friday voted 51-49 against a motion to subpoena witnesses and documents in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial."

What's a 'trial' with no documents, no witnesses? Wake up. A goddamned charade perpetrated by Republican national socialists protecting and coddling their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. In direct violation of their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution. To say nothing of the oaths they took to remain impartial jurors during the impeachment trial.

"Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Mitt Romney voted with Democrats in favor of the measure."

Only the above two principled Republicans stood tall. Their colleagues marched in goose step with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

Gutless Democrats failed to walk out the Senate indefinitely in protest to deny the nazi bastards a quorum to continue the charade:

"Senators took a break immediately after the vote during which Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York described the outcome of the vote a "grand tragedy." "America will remember this day, unfortunately, when the Senate did not live up to its responsibilities, when the Senate turned away from truth and went along with a sham trial," he told reporters."

Think a corrupt, abusive Democratic president some time in the future will not use this as precedent to 'justify' similar behavior? Democrats remain hopelessly gutless. Need to walk out the Senate prior to the final vote. Deny the nazi element in the Republican Party a quorum. Take off to parts unknown. Force the Senate Sergeant-At-Arms to pursue them all over the country to haul their asses back into town.

Never before has there been such a blatant rubber stamp of a criminal president. Precisely, why Democrats must stand on principle. That is, concertedly, determinedly stonewall the sham. We're no longer a democratic republic. In name only. Transitioning from the de facto fascist police-state we've endured since 9/11 to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. Living under a dictator in the Oval Office. Not the U.S. Constitution.

NBC News reports:

"President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial promises to leave him more powerful in Washington — and possibly more vulnerable to defeat on the campaign trail. That's in part because a handful of pivotal Senate Republicans chose to criticize Trump's behavior in office while protecting him from both official sanction and the potential jeopardy of witnesses unraveling his impeachment defense under oath. As a result, Trump is on the verge of emerging from the trial with a tacit green light to defy Congress without fear of reprisal, and also safe in the knowledge that elected representatives will push only so far to find out whether he tells the truth to the public. "It’s arguable that he’s the most politically powerful president in American history," presidential biographer Jon Meacham said on NBC News during a break in the trial Friday. But that power, demonstrated with the Senate's 51-49 vote Friday against considering new evidence, combined with the mild rebukes from GOP senators to dilute the most compelling aspect of his political brand. It will be harder for Trump to cast himself as a victim of the system after allies in the Senate said he overstepped the bounds of his authority and then used their power to bail him out of trouble."

Small comfort. Think he won't take carte blanche to push the envelope further? Sadly, tragically, perniciously, our formerly great country is nearly precisely where Nazi Germany happened to be politically when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor in 1933. Worst yet to come. Wake up.

The Washington Post reports:

"Hours after the Senate voted against seeking new evidence in the impeachment case against President Trump, the administration acknowledged in a midnight court filing Friday the existence of two dozen emails that reveal the president’s thinking about withholding military aid to Ukraine. The Department of Justice filed a response to a lawsuit seeking access to unredacted copies of those communications. Heather Walsh, a lawyer for the Office of Management and Budget, wrote to the court that 24 of those emails were protected under “presidential privilege.” “Specifically, the documents in this category are emails that reflect communications by either the President, the Vice President, or the President’s immediate advisors regarding Presidential decision-making about the scope, duration, and purpose of the hold on military assistance to Ukraine,” Walsh wrote. Heavily blacked out versions of the emails were released in two batches in December in response to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Public Integrity. The filing Friday asked the court to deny the organization’s request for unredacted copies."

If nothing to hide, why lack of transparency when the very behavior of the chief executive is in question? An innocent president would have been eager to provide evidence of his or her innocence.

"The earliest correspondence redacted to protect presidential privilege is from June 24, 2019 between Pentagon officials and has the subject line: “POTUS follow up.” The crux of the impeachment case against Trump is whether he used the $391 million in military aid to Ukraine and a coveted White House meeting for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as leverage to force the foreign leader to conduct political investigations, including one focused on former vice president Joe Biden. In a July 25 call, Trump had asked Zelensky to “do us a favor.”

"Why Trump wanted Congress-approved assistance to Ukraine delayed is the central question of his impeachment and was the greatest point of tension in the Senate trial. Many of the witnesses who did testify in the House impeachment investigation hadn’t been given an official reason. William B. Taylor Jr., the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, recalled during his Oct. 22 deposition that he first learned of the hold on a July 18 conference call, when an OMB aide said the security assistance was being held, but couldn’t say why. “All that the OMB staff person said was that the directive had come from the president to the Chief of Staff to OMB,” Taylor said. “In an instant, I realized that one of the key pillars of our strong support for Ukraine was threatened.” During the Senate trial, House Democratic managers argued there was sufficient evidence to conclude that the president was using the money as leverage to pressure the Ukrainian government to launch a public investigation into Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. But White House defense lawyers argued during the Senate trial that Democrats couldn’t prove motive, and suggested it was possible Trump had mixed motives in placing a hold on the aid, both personal and in the public interest."

Called bullshit. Sophistry. Blatant. Perpetrated by Trump's shysters.

"The House managers said that was why they wanted the Senate to subpoena additional documents and witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the president’s thinking, such as acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), who led the House prosecution case, warned Friday that the contents of such emails will eventually be public. “The facts will come out in all of their horror,” Schiff said in closing remarks. “The documents the president is hiding will come out. The witnesses the president is concealing will tell their stories.”

Truth is never ever ultimately suppressed. Always winds up eventually exposed. The problem is when it occurs after horrendous damage has been done.

NBC News reports:

"House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had humiliated Chief Justice John Roberts in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial by voting against any additional witness testimony. “It is a sad day for America to see Senator McConnell humiliate the Chief Justice of the United States into presiding over a vote which rejected our nation’s judicial norms, precedents and institutions which uphold the Constitution and the rule of law,” Pelosi wrote on Twitter Saturday morning."

Why did Democrats gutlessly fail to walk out the Senate in protest?

"There was some speculation early Friday morning about whether Roberts would break a deadlock in favor of the Democrats should the Senate reach a 50-50 tie on the vote to admit new testimony. When Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., asked Roberts if he would intervene in the case of a tie, the Chief Justice said it would be "inappropriate." "If the members of this body, elected by the people and accountable to them, divide equally on a motion, the normal rule is that the motion fails. I think it would be inappropriate for me, an unelected official from a different branch of government, to assert the power to change that result so that the motion would succeed," Roberts said."

Fascinating, isn't it?

Get this:

"Pelosi was not the only person to suggest Roberts had been put in an unfair position. In a statement announcing her decision Friday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a Republican swing vote, said she did not want to "drag the Supreme Court into the fray." "It has also become clear some of my colleagues intend to further politicize this process, and drag the Supreme Court into the fray, while attacking the Chief Justice," Murkowski wrote. "I will not stand for nor support that effort. We have already degraded this institution for partisan political benefit, and I will not enable those who wish to pull down another.”

So instead, Senator, you gutlessly voted to protect and coddle your fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Called talking out both sides your gluteus maximi. ... That afraid of the Trump nazi?

"Final arguments in the impeachment trial are scheduled to begin next week, with Trump expected to be acquitted on both articles of impeachment on Wednesday."

The Associated Press reports:

"Republicans have decided it was OK. With their expected vote this coming week to acquit President Donald Trump of abusing power and obstructing Congress, GOP senators are giving their express approval to the conduct that landed Trump at the center of the fourth impeachment case in American history. It’s the same message that House Republicans sent late last year with their unanimous votes against sending the case to trial."

Sets precedent. Republicans will scream bloody murder when a future corrupt, abusive Democratic president uses it as an excuse.

"It’s a fitting conclusion for a president who has spent three years testing the boundaries of his office and daring his own party to restrain him as his power and popularity within the GOP grew. It was already clear heading into the impeachment inquiry just how reluctant Republicans were to challenge Trump’s impulses. Coming out of the trial it’s uncertain whether there is anything he can do in office that would draw more than a passing, rhetorical rebuke from his party."

Republican national socialists, fascists, nazis are gutless. Have lost themselves along the way. Have progressed ideologically from conservatives to nazis.

"To Democrats, who initiated the impeachment process in hopes of pulling at least a handful of moderate or retiring GOP lawmakers to their side, Republicans are sending the message that, when it comes to Trump, nothing matters. His grip on the party is complete."

To date, certainly appears to be the case. ... And the problem.

“No,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, one of the House Democratic impeachment managers, said in a retort to Republicans. “Lawlessness matters, abuse of power matters, corruption matters. The Constitution matters.”

Clearly, not to Republican nazis.

"The reasons are clear for Republican lawmakers’ fealty to Trump. When he was a candidate in the 2016 primary, nearly all of them opposed him, often in terms as harsh as Democrats now use. Today, he inspires a loyalty borne of fear and retribution but also of the belief that Republicans’ own political fortunes are directly tied to his."

Called gutlessness. These unmitigated cowards have placed self-interest ahead of country. Abrogated their falsely sworn oaths of office. Called treason.

"Though that brings with it risk in the November election, most vulnerable Republicans cannot succeed without him."

Appears true. If true, extremely frightening. Confirms we are no longer a democratic republic. In name only. Not reality.

"On the brink of the acquittal vote, some Republican senators insist that doesn’t mean they are simply giving Trump a pass. They argue there is more to consider in this moment than a yes or no question on whether Trump violated his oath of office by pushing Ukraine to investigate his Democratic opponents and blocking Congress’ ability to investigate the matter. GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who is not seeking reelection, called Trump’s overtures to Ukraine “inappropriate” and thoroughly proved by House Democrats, but that Trump’s actions did not rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., went so far as to suggest Trump’s actions may have indeed been impeachable, but Rubio argued that removing Trump from office was not the right remedy. “Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a president from office,” Rubio said."

Called rationalized bullshit. Blatant sophistry born of fear, abject gutlessness.

The following is extremely dangerous:

"But behind the flickers of disapproval and the sober, carefully parsed statements, the all but certain acquittal vote Wednesday means Republicans are also accepting Trump’s behavior and establishing a precedent for the ways in which an American president can wield the power of the office for personal political gain. Trump has long made clear that he sees few limits to his power. He saw vindication, not flashing warning lights, after special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into his possible obstruction of justice ended without any consequences. Shortly after that inquiry ended, Trump stated that the Constitution gives him “the right to do whatever I want as president.” Indeed, his phone call with Ukraine’s leader came just a day after Mueller testified before Congress. At times during the impeachment case, Trump’s lawyers echoed those same arguments, most notably when retired Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz said that if a president believes his personal interests are in the national interests, then his actions are not impeachable."

History is repeating itself. Current situation in our formerly great country is remarkably similar to that of early Nazi Germany in 1933 shortly after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor. Worst was yet to come.

"Though Dershowitz later tried to back away from the most expansive interpretations of his remarks, the crux of his argument remained: Trump wasn’t out of bounds in seeking a foreign government’s assistance for personal political gain, nor would he or a future president be if it happened again.

"Trump will now campaign with the stain of impeachment on his record, but it’s unclear whether the case that has tied up Washington for four months will still be fresh in voters’ minds in November. One thing that is certain is that Trump’s acquittal will be followed by new revelations related to the impeachment case. Among them: legal cases pending that relate to Giuliani’s work in Ukraine and documents that have yet to be made public. Then there is the unpublished book from Bolton, who said he was willing to testify under oath if the Senate was willing to hear from new witnesses. Republicans rejected that chance on Friday. His book, which clocks in at 528 pages, is set for a March 17 release."

NBC News reports:

"Failing to remove President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress would “render him above the law,” a House prosecutor argued in closing arguments in the president’s impeachment trial Monday."

Months ago the 'Justice' Department opined a sitting president is indeed above the law, that is, cannot be criminally investigated or prosecuted. Where was the outrage of Democrats? Why didn't they immediately refuse to cooperate with Republicans on anything other than pressing national security matters?

All talk. No action:

“Impeachment is an extraordinary remedy,” Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told the Senate, but “it is in the Constitution for a reason.” “In America, nobody is above the law, not even a person who’s elected to president of the United States," said Crow, one of the House managers in the impeachment trial. "I would say especially the president of the United States."

Rings hollow. Gutless Democrats failed to walk out the Senate after Republican national socialists forced the issue on no witnesses, no enforced subpoenas on documents during the Senate impeachment 'trial.' Kangaroo justice. The fascist bastards rubber stamped their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

Empty, toothless rhetoric:

"Allowing Trump to get away with using the power of his office to try to get Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election, “putting foreign interference between the voters and their ballots,” would render Trump “above the law,” Crow said. Another of the House managers, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., said another reason the Senate needs to take action is because the president has been “unapologetic and unrestrained,” and will only be more so if the Senate closes his eyes to his misconduct. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., alleged Trump has continued his misconduct despite being impeached for it. "Donald Trump hasn't stopped pressuring Ukraine," Jeffries said, noting Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani recently "returned to the scene of the crime" to continue his efforts to get dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. And, Jeffries said, Trump "hasn't stopped obstructing Congress." He "is a clear and present danger to our national security," Jeffries said."

No question. All the more reason you and fellow Democrats need to walk out the Senate. Deny the Republicans a quorum necessary to exonerate the nazi bastard:

"While House Democrats launched their closing arguments on why Trump should be removed from office, the issue appears to be case closed for almost all Senate Republicans. A supermajority of 67 votes is needed to convict a president, and only two members of the Republican majority, Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine, sided with Democrats on Friday in their unsuccessful bid to call relevant witnesses."

The only two principled Republicans. The rest? Abrogated their oaths of office to uphold the U.S. Constitution. De facto traitors.

Clueless, abject insanity:

"Some Republican senators, including Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, said there's no need for witnesses because they believed the House managers had already proven their case, and that Trump's actions, while "inappropriate," aren't worth removing him over."

The following? Pitifully inadequate:

"Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said he believes the verdict is already in on the Senate, saying the body is "guilty of failure to meet its constitutional obligations.” He said he hopes his Republican colleagues, if they have “any sense of respect for the institution,” would introduce a censure resolution against the President. Van Hollen said such a move is necessary because Republicans' statements that Trump's actions are inappropriate are like saying “these constitutional abuses were the equivalent of a parking ticket.”

Jesus Christ. That, the best you have to offer, Senator? Pitiful, pathetic, appalling.

UPI reports:

"Democratic managers on Monday made their final case for removing President Donald Trump from office, arguing that failure to do so would show that a U.S. president is above the law."

Already is. As reported above, a sitting president cannot be criminally investigated and prosecuted according to an earlier ruling issued by the 'Justice' Department.

"Both sides were to be given two hours Monday to make their final arguments. Democrats went first and completed the factual portion of their argument. The Senate then recessed and White House attorneys will give their final presentation starting at 12:30 p.m. EST. After that, Democratic managers will give final closing speeches. "When the history books are written about this tumultuous era, I want them to know I stood up to tyranny," said manager and Rep. Adam Schiff, quoting the late Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. "For those who are standing up to lawlessness and to tyranny, Donald Trump has betrayed his oath to protect and defend the constitution, but it's not too late for us to honor ours, to wield our power to defend our democracy." "In America, nobody is above the law, not even a person who's elected to president of the United States," said Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado. "I would say especially the president of the United States." "Donald Trump hasn't stopped pressuring Ukraine," added Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Jeffries noted that Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani recently "returned to the scene of the crime" to keep up efforts against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden."

No end to the corruption and abuse perpetrated by Trump and his henchmen.

"House manager Rep. Adam Schiff said his team has proven corruption in the Trump administration and cited some Republicans' comments that said Trump's actions may have been wrong, but not impeachable. "That's pretty remarkable when you now have senators on both sides of the aisle admitting the House made its case and the only question is: 'Should the president be removed from office because he's been found guilty of these offenses?'" Schiff said Sunday on CBS News' Face the Nation."

Republicans have lost themselves. No longer stand for principle.

The Associated Press reports:

"Closing arguments in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial are unfolding Monday as much for history as any effort to sway votes, one final chance to influence public opinion and set the record ahead of his expected acquittal in the Republican-led Senate."

Nazi justice courtesy of Republican fascists who somewhere along the way clearly lost themselves.

"The House Democratic prosecutors drew on history, the Founding Fathers and common sense to urge senators — and Americans — to see that Trump’s actions are not isolated but part of a pattern of behavior that, left unchecked, will allow him to “cheat” in the 2020 election. “What messages does that send? ” asked Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. He implored senators to realize that without a vote to convict, the Senate will “allow the president’s misconduct to stand.”

Sets a precedent Republicans will regret when a future corrupt, abusive Democratic president uses it as an excuse.

Laughable irony of ironies:

"Senators acknowledge the House Democratic managers have essentially proven their case, that Trump abused power and obstructed Congress, by leveraging U.S. military aid to push Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden to thwart the 2020 election. But key Republicans have decided the president’s actions toward Ukraine do not rise to the level of impeachable offense that warrant the dramatic political upheaval of conviction and removal from office. His acquittal in Wednesday’s vote is all but assured."

Nazi justice.

"House managers opened with a plea from Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a freshman, who told the chamber: “We cannot and should not leave our common sense at the door.” The former Army Ranger invoked the founding fathers and even Republican Barry Goldwater from the Nixon-era impeachment proceedings to intone: “In America, no one is above the law, even those elected president of the United States. I would say — especially those elected president of the United States.” Rep. Val Demings, a former police chief, argued that the president is not behaving like someone who is innocent. She warned he will try to “cheat” again ahead of 2020. “Innocent people don’t try to hide every document and witness, especially those that would clear them,” she told the senators. “That’s what guilty people do.”

Clearly, Republicans were afraid of what John Bolton might have had to say under oath. When denied an opportunity to testify under oath, Bolton could have stood tall. Called an immediate press conference. Subjected himself to questioning. Although not under oath in such circumstances, think Senate Republicans wouldn't have been under extreme pressure to call him to testify under oath before the final vote of the impeachment 'trial?' ... A 'trial' no more than a charade.

NPR reports:

"House Democrats and President Trump's defense team made their final arguments in the Senate impeachment trial before lawmakers vote later this week on whether to remove Trump from office. Both sides presented opposing versions of the president's handling of aid for Ukraine last summer and the impeachment proceedings so far, before ultimately arriving at divergent conclusions. With Trump's acquittal all but certain, lead impeachment manager, Adam Schiff, used his remarks to push back against those lawmakers who argue that Trump's alleged actions may be inappropriate, but do not rise to the level of impeachment. "What are the odds that (Trump) will continue trying to cheat? I will tell you: 100 percent," Schiff said. "If you have found him guilty and you do not remove him from office, he will continue trying to cheat in the election, until he succeeds."

"The defense team argued Monday that Trump did not attempt to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals by holding up military aid last summer. The lawyers also blasted the House impeachment process, saying that Democrats did not follow the "rules" and were unfair to the president. In sweeping remarks, Trump's lawyer Ken Starr quoted Martin Luther King and talked about freedom and justice. Starr is the former independent counsel whose investigation led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. "The House of Representatives does under our Constitution enjoy the sole power of impeachment. No one has disputed that fact. They've got the power. But, that does not mean that anything goes," Starr said. "It doesn't mean that the House cannot be called into account." Trump's personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said that impeachment had always been the endgame for Democrats. He played a video of various Democrats calling for impeachment since Trump's election."

Nazi justice. Nazi America. No justice. NPR reports:

"Senators voted on Wednesday afternoon to acquit President Trump on two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — after an historically unusual but typically contentious trial. Forty eight senators supported a verdict of guilty; 52 voted not guilty on Article I. Forty seven senators supported a verdict of guilty on Article II; 53 voted not guilty. The result of the process had never been in question after the House voted to impeach Trump in December. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said months ago he considered it "inconceivable" that a sufficient number of Republicans would break ranks and support removing Trump from office. One surprise on Wednesday, however, was that one Republican voted to convict and remove Trump on Article I: Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. Romney, never a close ally of Trump, said in a tearful speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday that he felt compelled by the oath he swore in Trump's case to act on his conviction that the president's actions were "grievously wrong." Although Romney said he expected to be "vehemently denounced," he is believed to the first senator in history to vote to convict in the impeachment of a president of his own party.

"Pelosi, for her part, sought to make clear before the conclusion of the case that she didn't believe Trump could be truly vindicated by the Senate. Impeachment would stay with him, she said, and the trial itself wasn't fair. "You cannot be acquitted if you don't have a trial," she said. "You don't have a trial if you don't have witnesses and documentation."

Ultimate failure of the Trump impeachment indeed lies at the feet of Pelosi and her fellow Democrats. The Speaker did all she could for three years to discourage holding the Trump nazi accountable for his egregious, ongoing abuse of power. No question, Democrats were incredibly stupid to have then rushed the impeachment process to completion.

Should have laid out all the criminal activity in brutal detail. Made it way too easy for Republican national socialists, fascists in the Senate to rubber stamp their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Forget? 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 criminally investigated and prosecuted, that is, remains above the law. Not to neglect to mention continuing Emoluments Clause violations currently slowly adjudicated in the court system. That is, in effect, bribes presented Trump at his resorts by foreign dignitaries.

What about the bribes paid by Trump to buy the silence of two women before the election, 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. Recently, 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 his egregious abuse of power. Failed miserably. Wouldn't even walk out the Senate prior to the final vote to deny Republican nazis a quorum. Clearly, neither major political party is worth a rat's ass. ... Hear the rumble?

This fiasco is far from over. The truth will come out. Always does.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-7-20

State of the Union. The Associated Press reports:

"Standing before a Congress and a nation sharply divided by impeachment, President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to extol a “Great American Comeback” on his watch, just three years after he took office decrying a land of “American carnage” under his predecessor. The partisan discord was on vivid display Tuesday as the first president to campaign for reelection after being impeached made his case for another term: Republican legislators chanted “Four More Years.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trump’s speech as he ended the address."

No credibility. Delusional bullshit:

“America’s enemies are on the run, America’s fortunes are on the rise and America’s future is blazing bright,” Trump declared. “In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back.” Holding out the nation’s economic success as the chief rationale for a second term, Trump’s speech resembled a lower-volume version of his campaign rallies, providing something for every section of his political base.

"Pelosi, a frequent thorn in Trump’s side, created a viral image with her seemingly sarcastic applause of the president a year ago. This time, she was even more explicit with her very text-ripping rebuke. Trump appeared no more cordial. When he climbed to the House rostrum, he did not take her outstretched hand though it was not clear he had seen her gesture. Later, as Republicans often cheered, she remained in her seat, at times shaking her head at his remarks. When Pelosi left, she told reporters that tearing up the speech was “the courteous thing to do considering the alternative.”

The following was not only appalling, but galling:

"Trump, the former reality TV star, added a showbiz flavor to the staid event: He had wife Melania present the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to the divisive conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who recently announced he has advanced lung cancer."

No one deserves lung cancer. No one. No question, a devastating disease. Lost a family member decades ago. Certainly, empathize, sympathize with anyone so afflicted. The problem is not Limbaugh's disease. It's his ideology. He is not a conservative. Has not been decades. Has moved further and further to the Fascist Right. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter. To award a fascist a Medal of Freedom is an insult to everything our formerly great country once stood for.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-7-20

Loss of a gifted diplomat. NPR reports:

"The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who accused the Trump administration of a "smear" campaign against her has retired from the foreign service, NPR has learned. The career diplomat was abruptly forced out of her post in Ukraine amid accusations of disloyalty in a scheme allegedly involving President Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and two of Giuliani's associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were arrested and charged with campaign finance violations in October. After her recall in May, Yovanovitch remained on the State Department payroll, teaching at Georgetown University. But sources tell NPR that she has officially left the department. Yovanovitch had served presidents of both parties during a 33-year career in the foreign service, which included posts in some of the world's most challenging countries. Her ouster has become a key topic in the president's impeachment and Senate trial. In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee's impeachment inquiry in November, Yovanovitch accused Giuliani of leading an "irregular channel" of diplomacy between the U.S. and Ukraine that was driven by the business interests of private individuals. "These events should concern everyone in this room," Yovanovitch said. "Shady interests the world over have learned how little it takes to remove an American ambassador who does not give them what they want." She added that in the days leading up to her removal, she was told to "watch my back" In excerpts from the now-infamous July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president called Yovanovitch "bad news." "She's going to go through some things," Trump added in the call."

This is a diplomat that stood tall. Stood up to corruption within Ukraine. To say nothing of her congressional testimony against the Trump nazi.

"A federal indictment, unsealed in October, alleges that Giuliani associates Parnas and Fruman met with a congressman with the aim of removing Yovanovitch from her post. According to the documents, the two committed to raising $20,000 for the unnamed congressman. In an interview earlier this month, Parnas said Trump pushed to fire Yovanovitch four or five times. Parnas also handed over text messages to Congress suggesting that Robert Hyde, a retired Marine running for Congress as a Republican in Connecticut, had the ambassador under surveillance in Kyiv. The State Department says it is investigating the possible surveillance of Yovanovitch."

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

2-7-20

Fallout. Far from unexpected. UPI reports:

"Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday he has cut ties with the United States and Israel as Arabs rejected the Trump administration's Middle East peace plan. President Donald Trump administration's plan sets aside sections of land for a Palestinian state, but current illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories would be annexed to the state of Israel. The plan, which calls for a demilitarized Palestinian state, was developed through U.S.-Israeli negotiation without any input from the Palestinians, the Middle East Eye reported. Abbas announced he would cut ties at an emergency meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo on Saturday after he and the leaders of Iran and Turkey rejected the plan as one-sided earlier this week. "We've informed the Israelis and Americans of this decision through two letters," he said at the meeting. "We informed them that Israel has abrogated the agreements signed with the Palestinians and violated the international legitimacy on which these agreements are based. "Therefore, we notified them that there will be no relations with Israel and the US. That includes security relations in light of their disregard of the signed agreements and international legitimacy," he continued. "The Israelis need to assume responsibility as an occupying power. We have the right to pursue our national struggle with peaceful means to end the occupation. We're not going to carry rifles."

"Abbas said he was particularly opposed to the plan to retain Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital. "I won't accept the annexation of Jerusalem to Israel," he said. "I won't record in my history that I sold Jerusalem. Jerusalem does not belong to me alone. Jerusalem belongs to all of us. It's our capital." Foreign ministers of the Arab League unanimously adopted a resolution Saturday rejecting the peace plan. "It does not satisfy the minimum of the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people," the Arab League said." The closing statement of the Arab League said the U.S. plan contradicts peace process principles and United Nations resolutions. Abbas added that Palestinians would not accept the Trump administration as the sole mediator in peace talks with Israel, and he would likely present a Palestinian peace plan in a speech at the U.N. Security Council meeting in the coming weeks."

Cowardly fail to financially and/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

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
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