trump26

Liberty In Peril

formerly,

The Llano Ledger

11-20-20

Trump has done great damage to the military establishment. The Washington Post reports:

"A major shake-up of the Pentagon’s civilian leadership has thrust top military officers into a fraught position amid mounting concerns that the White House could use a chaotic transition period to push through potentially destabilizing decisions or attempt to block the handover to a Biden administration. The role of Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the country’s top officer, and other military leaders takes on new significance in the wake of President Trump’s ouster this week of Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and the installation of White House loyalists in powerful Pentagon roles. Trump named Christopher Miller, a counterterrorism official who only months ago was assigned to a mid-level Defense Department job, as acting Pentagon chief, and elevated others from the White House orbit to key policy and intelligence roles. The arrival of civilian leaders seen as zealous proponents of Trump’s foreign policy goals, which have collided with traditional Pentagon positions, has the effect of isolating military leaders such as Milley, who with Esper has counseled a cautious approach to matters including NATO and shielding the military from partisan politics."

Presents an exigent threat to national security. Where is the outrage of Republican nazis supporting their fuhrer? Aren't these fascist bastards supposedly strong proponents of the military and national security?

"The changes could be particularly consequential in defining the endgame in America’s longest war, as Trump pushes for a swift withdrawal of remaining forces from Afghanistan and military leaders seek to avert what they believe could be a rash and calamitous outcome.

"The military, with its nonpartisan traditions and career workforce accustomed to constant command rotations, represents an important element of continuity in ordinary presidential transitions. As presidents and parties change, military leaders often straddle administrations. But the events of recent days have generated alarm among many Pentagon officials. “Chris Miller: Where the hell did he come from?” one Pentagon official said. “It’s hard not to feel like there is an ulterior motive for their selection, and people recognize that.” “It’s ‘The Twilight Zone,’” the official said. “No one knows what’s going to happen next.” The Pentagon turmoil occurs as Trump increases pressure on the military brass to end the war in Afghanistan before the end of his term. Some White House and Pentagon officials have argued that the United States should cut the size of the force in Afghanistan from about 5,000 to a small counterterrorism force consisting of several hundred troops by the end of the year.

"As violence surges in Afghanistan despite faltering peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, the official said, the Pentagon remains resistant to an immediate exit, arguing that a hasty withdrawal would necessitate abandoning billions of dollars worth of military equipment and leave the Afghan government vulnerable to being overrun by militants.

"It's not clear whether Trump is willing to buck his generals who fret that such a speedy withdrawal would be logistically difficult and a recipe for chaos or a return to civil war in Afghanistan. The plan, proposed earlier this year, set a goal of getting down to a few hundred troops by May 2021, assuming the peace talks moved forward and conditions on the battlefield allowed for it. But some top White House officials, including Trump, are pressing to accelerate that timeline even though peace talks do not appear to be progressing. For now, no decision has been made."

With Trump leaving office shortly, this decision should be left to Biden.

"Milley’s handling of a potential rush of final decisions related to Afghanistan or the election will be crucial in the transition period, which security experts say can present particularly vulnerable moments when adversaries can seek to exploit leadership changes. Potentially most charged for Milley, who has emphasized that the armed forces’ commitment to the Constitution above all else, would be any attempt to pull the military into Trump’s attempts to assert an electoral win. “The last thing you want in national security is gaps and short-term changes that bounce back and forth,” said Anthony Zinni, a retired Marine Corps general who oversaw U.S. Central Command. “You’re really jacking around the military if that happens.” Retired Adm. James Stavridis, who served as supreme allied commander of NATO from 2009 to 2013, expressed confidence that Milley and the military leadership would “resolutely” stay out of politics and said they were standing by to work with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition teams to facilitate the turnover as soon as the Trump administration allows government agencies to do so. “That it has not begun already is dangerous to our national security,” he said."

The Associated Press reports:

"The words spoken by America’s top military officer carried a familiar ring, but in the midst of a chaotic week at the Pentagon, they were particularly poignant. “We are unique among militaries,” said Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We do not take an oath to a king or a queen, a tyrant or a dictator. We do not take an oath to an individual.”

That's right. They take an oath to protect and defend the United States Constitution.

"Milley was speaking Wednesday at the dedication of an Army museum in a week that saw President Donald Trump fire Defense Secretary Mark Esper and install three staunch loyalists to senior Pentagon policy positions. The abrupt changes have raised fears about what Trump may try to do in his final two months of office — and whether the military’s long held apolitical nature could be upended. Milley’s comments, made as he stood alongside Esper’s successor, acting defense chief Christopher Miller, reflected a view he has long been passionate about: the military’s unequivocal duty to protect and defend the Constitution — what he called the “moral north star” for everyone in uniform."

Certainly, distinguishes the United States Military from all others.

"But his message in a time of turmoil — Trump has refused to concede his election loss — was unmistakable: The military exists to defend democracy and is not to be used as a political pawn. “We take an oath to the Constitution,” Milley said, adding that every service member “will protect and defend that document regardless of personal price.”

Uncommon Valor. Again, distinguishes the United States Military from all others.

"Trump’s motives for the Pentagon shakeup are unclear, but it has created a great deal of unease within the building. Was he simply striking out at Esper and others he deemed not loyal enough? Is there a broader plan to enact policy changes that Trump could tout in his final days as commander in chief? Or, in the most extreme scenario, would Trump try to get the military to help him stay in office beyond Inauguration Day? Milley has pushed back against that last possibility, telling Congress that “In the event of a dispute over some aspect of the elections, by law U.S. courts and the U.S. Congress are required to resolve any disputes, not the U.S. military.” He said service members must not get involved in the transfer of power after an election."

This clearly distinguishes the United States Military from all others.

"Swift and radical changes in Trump’s final 10 weeks are unlikely in a building that prides itself on exhaustive planning. The Pentagon is a massive bureaucracy and doesn’t turn on a dime. And while the department is rooted in the democratic bedrock of a civilian-controlled military, the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are powerful presidential advisers with decades of experience, and armed with documents detailing the potential consequences of national security actions. As yet, military commanders have gotten no new orders. And top military leaders — including Milley — are counseling patience and stability. They are projecting an America that remains a strong and reliable world power, where things remain steady.

"The abrupt personnel changes this week, however, have amped up the anxiety of civilian and military staff in the five-sided building. In addition to replacing Esper with former National Counterterrorism Center director Miller, Trump installed loyalists Anthony Tata in the undersecretary for policy job and Ezra Cohen-Watnick as the acting intelligence undersecretary. James Anderson, who had been acting undersecretary for policy, and Joseph Kernan, who was undersecretary for intelligence, both resigned Tuesday. Miller also brought in his own chief of staff, Kash Patel, who was among the small group of aides who traveled with Trump extensively during the final stretch of the campaign. And he has brought in Douglas MacGregor, a fervent voice for an Afghanistan withdrawal, as a senior adviser. Miller has said little about his plans. During his first meetings with top defense leaders this week, he took time to lay out his biography — it includes his service as an Army Green Beret and a stint as the Pentagon’s assistant secretary for special operations. He has joined video calls, including on the pandemic, and has spoken to combatant commanders. Wednesday’s opening of the National Museum of the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, was his first public event, and he used it to talk about his enlistment and pride in military service. Flanking him were Milley, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville. All spoke and Trump’s name and the election were never mentioned."

Fascinating, isn't it? With Trump not conceding the election, his increasing instability, couldn't be the fascist bastard is engineering a coup, could it? Will never fly. Would trigger the unwanted, unthinkable. A second American revolution catastrophically looming quite some time.

NPR reports:

"In the past 10 days, President Trump has fired the defense secretary as part of a leadership shake-up at the Pentagon. His administration has announced troop cutbacks in Afghanistan and Iraq. And the president huddled with his national security team and discussed possible military action against Iran. Critics say the moves appear motivated by anger, revenge and an attempt to keep campaign promises dating to 2016. In addition, they say the president is taking steps that lack strategic coherence, complicate a transition to a Joe Biden presidency, confuse allies of the U.S. and harm American standing in the world."

Cowardly fail to financially and/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.

11-20-20

Think Biden won't have difficulty reversing at least some of the damage done by Trump and his henchmen? NBC News reports:

"The Biden administration will have limited options to scrap Title IX regulations implemented three months ago that control how schools deal with sexual assault cases. The Trump administration's rules, which were opposed by anti-rape activists and K-12 and college administrators, gave more rights to students accused of assault and restricted how schools are allowed to investigate sexual misconduct allegations. Proponents of the new rules, including Republicans and the civil liberties nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, celebrated them as a balanced approach to the gender equity law Title IX. But Democrats and advocates for assault victims, including the National Women's Law Center, argued that the regulations would discourage students from reporting assaults. President-elect Joe Biden months ago promised a "quick end" to the Trump administration's Title IX regulations if he assumed office. His campaign's policy director, Stef Feldman, told reporters last month that Biden planned to "return to and then build on" the Obama administration's policies, which emphasized the rights of accusers and allowed more ways for schools to adjudicate sexual misconduct allegations. However, because Education Secretary Betsy DeVos put her framework in place through a formal rule-making process, unless there is congressional action, the Biden administration will have to go through the same procedures to overhaul the Title IX regulations, which could take as long as two years. DeVos has said her team was "methodical about our rule-making and regulatory moves" to make it more difficult for a subsequent administration to make changes."

Fascinating, isn't it? ... Don't Republicans claim to be the party of law enforcement? Why are they relying on schools to investigate sexual assault cases? Increasing the rights of alleged perpetrators even more than law enforcement already does? Precisely, why many victims choose not to report these crimes fearing they won't be believed. That nothing will be done.

11-20-20

Increasing instability. The Associated Press reports:

"Donald Trump spent 10 minutes in public Wednesday honoring America’s war veterans — a veneer of normalcy for a White House that’s frozen by a defeated president mulling his options, mostly forgoing the mechanics of governing and blocking his inevitable successor."

Dangerous times in what is supposedly a democratic republic.

"Trump’s appearance at the annual Veterans Day commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery was his first public outing for official business in more than a week. He’s spent the past few days in private tweeting angry, unsupported claims of voter fraud. The president has made no comments in person since Democrat Joe Biden clinched the 270 electoral votes on Saturday needed to win the presidency. All the while, his aides grow more certain that legal challenges won’t change the outcome of the election, according to seven campaign and White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the thinking of the president and others in the executive mansion."

Yet, Republican nazis continue to support this abomination who has clearly lost the election.

"Before setting off for the solemn commemoration at Arlington, Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday to slam “fake pollsters” and grouse that a Republican city commissioner who defended the vote tabulation in Philadelphia wasn’t a true Republican. He also sought to draw attention to a Pennsylvania poll worker who recanted allegations of voter fraud on Tuesday before reasserting his allegations on Wednesday."

Pitiful, isn't it? Think it presidential?

Gets worse:

"Trump later posted a debunked video that had purported to show poll workers collecting ballots too late. “You are looking at BALLOTS! Is this what our Country has come to?” Trump fumed."

What's that, Donald? An insane 'president' who lost an election and is creating his own reality?

Growing instability of our fuhrer, the Trump nazi:

"Trump’s moods have vacillated over recent days. At times, he has seethed with anger, fuming that he lost to a candidate he doesn’t respect and believing that the media –- including what he views as typically friendly Fox News -- worked against him. In addition to misdoings with mail-in ballots. But aides say he has been calmer than his tweets suggest, showing greater understanding of his predicament and believing that he needs to keep fighting almost as performance, as a show to the 70 million people who voted for him that he is still battling. In recent days, some aides, including his daughter Ivanka, have started to talk to him about an endgame, questioning how much longer he wants to fight."

Fight for what? His growing insanity?

"Outside the White House, one prominent former ally turned Trump critic warned that the president was doing potentially irreparable damage to the Republican Party. “The real issue is the grievous harm he is causing to public trust in America’s constitutional system,” former Trump national security adviser John Bolton wrote in a Washington Post op-ed Wednesday. “Trump’s time is running out, even as his rhetoric continues escalating.” But no one in his inner circle — West Wing staff or Cabinet — is forcefully pushing him to stop."

Too goddamned gutless to stand up to this abomination.

"Trump has also begun talking about his own future upon leaving office. He has mused about declaring he will run again in 2024, and aides believe that he will at least openly flirt with the idea to enhance his relevance and raise interest in whatever money-making efforts he pursues. While he ponders his options, his involvement in the day-to-day governing of the nation has nearly stopped: According to his schedule, he has not attended an intelligence briefing in weeks, and the White House has done little of late to manage the pandemic that has surged to record highs in many states."

Think that presidential?

"Denis McDonough, who served as White House chief of staff during the Obama administration and is now a public policy professor at the University of Notre Dame, said that even as Trump has tried to stymie the transition, significant progress still has been made. The Biden transition team has published an ethics plan and the Trump administration earlier established a White House Transition Coordinating Council as required by law."

11-20-20

Trump repudiated by an agency in the Department of Homeland Security. The Associated Press reports:

"It’s hard to put it any more bluntly: “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised.” Rejecting President Donald Trump’s persistent claims and complaints, a broad coalition of top government and industry officials is declaring that the Nov. 3 voting and the following count unfolded smoothly with no more than the usual minor hiccups. It was, they declare, resorting to Trump’s sort of dramatic language, “the most secure in American history.” The statement late Thursday by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency amounted to the most direct repudiation to date of Trump’s efforts to undermine the integrity of the contest, and echoed repeated assertions by election experts and state officials."

Not surprisingly, our fuhrer, the Trump nazi couldn't, wouldn't be confused by the truth:

"The president was not impressed. He tweeted on Friday that Democrats have complained for years about unsafe elections but “Now they are saying what a wonderful job the Trump Administration did in making 2020 the most secure election ever.” “Actually this is true, except for what the Democrats did. Rigged Election!” Trump tweeted. He didn’t elaborate, but he and his supporters have charged repeatedly — and filed legal challenges — complaining that their poll watchers were unable to closely watch the voting and counting. They also have raised objections to problems that are typical in most elections: Questions about signatures, late votes and postmarks on mail-in ballots, as well as the potential for a small number of ballots miscast or lost. Many of those challenges have been tossed out by judges, some within hours of their filing, though some are still pending. With Democrat Joe Biden leading Trump by wide margins in key battleground states, none of the issues would have any impact on the outcome of the election."

Trump and his henchmen continue to present an exigent threat to national security stonewalling obvious, clear results of the election. -- Results that have been affirmed by election officials from both parties. Have made our formerly great country the laughing stock of the world, encouraged our enemies.

"And if there are legitimate problems to be found, they will be, the coalition declared. Its statement said that all of the states with close results have paper records, which allow for the recounting of each ballot, if necessary, and for “the identification and correction of any mistakes or errors. ... Right now, across the country, election officials are reviewing and double checking the entire election process prior to finalizing the result.” Thursday’s statement was written for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which spearheaded federal election protection efforts, and was tweeted by its director, Chris Krebs. Hours earlier, he was the subject of a Reuters story that said he had told associates he expected to be fired by Trump. Krebs has been vocal on Twitter in repeatedly reassuring Americans that the election was secure and that their votes would be counted."

Uncommon Valor:

"Taking a shot at Trump and his supporters, the statement said, “While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should too.” The statement’s authors include the presidents of the National Association of State Election Directors and the National Association of Secretaries of State — who run elections at the state level — and the executive committee of the government-industry coordinating council that includes all the major voting equipment vendors."

Hopefully, this insanity will not go on much longer:

"As of Friday, most top congressional Republicans were still supporting Trump’s efforts to challenge the election process and results. But cracks were beginning to emerge in that support. A number of GOP leaders were saying it was time for the White House to begin briefing Biden on the latest intelligence reports so he will be prepared when he takes over on Jan. 20. And a few Republicans out in the states were saying it was time to treat Biden like the president-elect he is. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who endorsed Trump’s reelection, became the latest Republican official to say what Trump and his allies refuse to accept. He acknowledged that Biden’s lead was getting “bigger and bigger by the day” and Trump’s legal options were dissipating. “Joe Biden is the president-elect, and I think like most Americans, we suspect he’ll be taking the oath of office in January,” Sununu told reporters. He insisted there was no fraud in his state, which Biden easily carried."

NPR reports:

"Efforts to protect U.S. elections from disinformation are proceeding amid reports that the head of the agency in the Department of Homeland Security that oversees election security expects to be fired soon by the White House. Christopher Krebs, director of DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, spearheaded an agency campaign to counter rumors about voter fraud and election irregularities. It was intended primarily to target foreign disinformation but has ended up instead rebutting many of the rumors and baseless allegations about the election being spread by President Trump and his campaign, and it has apparently drawn the ire of the White House. As of Friday, Krebs was still on the job, and CISA officials held a regularly scheduled meeting with private sector members of a coordinating council set up after the 2016 election to work with the agency to protect U.S. elections against cyberattacks and other disruptions. That council, along with a separate one representing state and local elections officials, put out a joint statement Thursday calling the 2020 election "the most secure in American history." It added, in boldface, that "there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised." According to one council member, the statement, which CISA released, was a direct response to the president's tweet Thursday morning citing a baseless claim that voting equipment provided by Dominion Voting Systems had "deleted 2.7 million Trump votes nationwide" and switched hundreds of thousands of other Trump votes to Joe Biden."

The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump fired the nation’s top election security official, a widely respected member of his administration who had dared to refute the president’s unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud and vouch for the integrity of the vote. While abrupt, the dismissal Tuesday of Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was not a surprise. Since his loss, Trump has been ridding his administration of officials seen as insufficiently loyal and has been denouncing the conduct of an election that led to an embarrassing defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. That made Krebs a prime target. He had used the imprimatur of Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security, where his agency was based, to issue a stream of statements and tweets over the past week attesting to the proper conduct of the election and denouncing the falsehoods spread by the Republican president and his supporters — without mentioning Trump by name. Krebs stood by those assertions after his ouster. “Honored to serve. We did it right,” he said in a brief statement on Twitter. “Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow.” He closed with the phrase “Protect 2020,” which had been his agency’s slogan ahead of the election."

Uncommon Valor. Hat's off, Mr. Krebs. Did the right thing, sir. Stood tall. For the truth.

"The firing of Krebs, a Trump appointee, came the week after the dismissal of Defense Secretary Mark Esper, part of a broader shakeup that put Trump loyalists in senior Pentagon positions. A former Microsoft executive, Krebs ran the agency, known as CISA, from its creation in the wake of Russian interference with the 2016 election through the November election. He won bipartisan praise as CISA coordinated federal state and local efforts to defend electoral systems from foreign or domestic interference. Hours before being dismissed, Krebs tweeted out a report citing 59 election security experts saying there is no credible evidence of computer fraud in the 2020 election outcome. Trump responded on Twitter later in the day. He repeated unsubstantiated claims about the vote and wrote “effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.”

11-20-20

Trump's legal options rapidly dwindling. NPR reports:

"President Trump's legal challenges to the election met with a series of defeats and setbacks on Friday as judges found the Trump campaign's arguments and evidence that there was widespread fraud and irregularities with the vote to be lacking. An appeals court in Pennsylvania rejected an objection by Trump's lawyers to practices involving mailed ballots; a Michigan judge threw out claims made by the campaign as "incorrect and not credible." In a case in Arizona, where Democrat Joe Biden holds a slender lead over Trump, the president's lawyers admitted the judge no longer needed to weigh in because "the tabulation of votes statewide has rendered unnecessary a judicial ruling as to the presidential electors." "Trump's legal strategy seems to be aimed at denying the inevitable," said Marc Elias, the top Democratic election lawyer, during a call with reporters Friday. Trump's efforts haven't been defeated in every single case, but even victories don't seem likely to turn the tide. In Pennsylvania on Thursday, a judge ordered that the state could not count ballots that had been set aside because they had been cast under a policy changing the relevant deadline. However, the number of ballots isn't sufficient to change the outcome of the election."

11-20-20

Trump's lackey makes a fool of himself in court. The Associated Press reports:

"Representing a client inside a courtroom for the first time in nearly three decades, Rudy Giuliani showed some rust as he tried to make the case that President Donald Trump has been robbed of re-election. The former federal prosecutor and New York City mayor, who has taken over Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results, entered a courthouse in the small Pennsylvania city of Williamsport on Tuesday with a few dozen Trump supporters cheering him from across the street. Over the next several hours, he fiddled with his Twitter account, forgot which judge he was talking to and threw around wild, unsupported accusations about a nationwide conspiracy by Democrats to steal the election. No such evidence has emerged since Election Day."

Didn't stop the fascist bastard from lying like hell.

Gets worse:

"Giuliani needled an opposing lawyer, calling him “the man who was very angry with me, I forgot his name.” He mistook the judge for a federal judge in a separate Pennsylvania district who rejected a separate Trump campaign case: “I was accused of not reading your opinion and that I did not understand it.” And he tripped himself up over the meaning of “opacity.” “In the plaintiffs’ counties, they were denied the opportunity to have an unobstructed observation and ensure opacity,” Giuliani said. “I’m not quite sure I know what opacity means. It probably means you can see, right?”

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. LOL.

“It means you can’t,” said U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann.

“Big words, your honor,” Giuliani said."

Pitiful. LOL.

"At times, the Philadelphia lawyer working alongside Giuliani, Linda Kerns, took over in answering Brann’s questions. At one point, an opposing lawyer, Mark Aronchick, disputed Giuliani’s repeated contentions that it was illegal for counties to help people vote. “I don’t expect that he would know the Pennsylvania election code,” Aronchick said, suggesting — without saying it — that Giuliani was an unprepared out-of-towner."

No kidding. Sad, isn't it?

"The Trump campaign is seeking to prevent Pennsylvania from certifying its election. The lawsuit is based on a complaint that Philadelphia and six Democratic-controlled counties in Pennsylvania let voters make corrections to mail-in ballots that were otherwise going to be disqualified for a technicality, like lacking a secrecy envelope or a signature. It is not clear how many ballots that could involve, although some opposing lawyers say it is far too few to overturn the election result. President-elect Joe Biden won the state by more than 70,000 votes."

An horrendous amount of time, money, and effort are being squandered. Not to neglect to mention the credibility of the government, national security during the transfer of power. ... Or, the unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming on this and many, many other long-term issues. ... Hear the rumble?

"On Tuesday, opposing lawyers asked Brann to throw out the case, calling the evidence cited “at best, garden-variety irregularities” that would not warrant undoing Pennsylvania’s election results, which delivered the White House for Biden."

Be interesting to see how quickly this is resolved. To date, been no evidence produced to support Trump's allegations.

Rudy should have quit while he was way, way ahead:

"Once a hard-nosed federal prosecutor who made a name for himself going after New York mobsters in the 1980s, Giuliani had not appeared in court as an attorney since 1992, according to court records. Giuliani was the U.S. attorney in charge of the high-profile Southern District of New York before he won his second race for New York City mayor in 1993. He was still the mayor during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack but was term-limited and left office in early 2002. He ran for president in 2008. Long in Trump’s orbit, Giuliani became a fierce attack dog on Trump’s 2016 campaign, lending his celebrity to the underdog effort and earning Trump’s gratitude. He emerged as a major player when the president made him the public face of his legal team during special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Giuliani later drew blame from others close to Trump for putting unproven conspiracy theories in front of the president about work that Biden’s son, Hunter, did in Ukraine. Trump was impeached in the aftermath of pushing Kiev to investigate the Bidens."

Should have been convicted in the Senate. -- Republican nazis refused to convict the fascist bastard. Pitifully, gutlessly, exonerated their nazi fuhrer.

"Giuliani burst back into the public eye in the stretch run of this election but has little to show for the Trump campaign’s legal efforts. And he became a punchline when he held a news conference in front of a Philadelphia landscaping company, across from an adult bookstore, when the race was called for Biden. As he left the courtroom Tuesday night, he seemed unconcerned whether he’d lose that case — “well, obviously if we lose it, we’ll appeal it” — and suggested that the Trump campaign’s eggs are not in one basket. “There are eight cases, I’m afraid to tell you,” Giuliani said."

All likely equally devoid of substance.

11-20-20

Trump continues to shamelessly lie. Delusionally believe that presidential? CBS News reports:

"President Trump falsely and flat-out claimed in an all-caps tweet late Sunday night that he won the election. The tweet was quickly flagged by Twitter, which said, "Official sources called this election differently."

"I WON THE ELECTION!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2020

"The tweet culminated a day in which Mr. Trump worked to take back an apparent acknowledgement that Joe Biden had won the White House. Mr. Trump's earlier comments had given some critics and supporters hope that the White House was ready to begin working on a transition with Mr. Biden's team. Not so fast, Mr. Trump would soon make clear. Mr. Trump, without using Mr. Biden's name but referring to him, said "He won" as part of a tweet that made baseless claims about a "rigged" election. But as the president saw that his comments were being interpreted as his first public acknowledgment of a Biden victory, Mr. Trump quickly reversed course. "He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA," Mr. Trump subsequently tweeted. "I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!" There was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election. In fact, election officials from both political parties stated publicly that the election went well, and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities. Mr. Trump's campaign has tried to mount legal challenges across the country, but many of the lawsuits have been thrown out and none has included any evidence that the outcome might be reversed."

The Associated Press reports:

"In the face of conclusive evidence that he lost, President Donald Trump is claiming “I won.” His tweet Monday sought to perpetuate the mathematically impossible and thoroughly debunked myth that he pulled out a victory from the election that definitively chose Democrat Joe Biden as the next president. Trump’s refusal to acknowledge the outcome nearly two weeks after Election Day is denying Biden access to the money, information sharing and machinery of presidential transitions as the coronavirus pandemic rages in the U.S. and as the incoming president’s team is left in the dark about any national security threats that Trump’s departing team might know about.

"Trump’s allegations of massive voting fraud have been refuted by a variety of judges, state election officials and an arm of his own administration’s Homeland Security Department. Many of his campaign’s lawsuits across the country have been thrown out of court. No case has established irregularities of a scale that would change the outcome. Lawsuits that remain do not contain evidence that would flip the result. Indeed, a coalition of state election officials and the Trump administration’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has declared that the election was the most secure in history, with “no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised.” A small but growing number of Republican officeholders are asking Trump to face the reality of his defeat so that the Biden administration will have a better chance of getting off to an effective start in a time of crisis. Even Republican lawmakers who are refusing to buck Trump on the election’s outcome say he should not be denying intelligence briefings to Biden. They are mindful of the 9/11 Commission Report on the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which warned of the risk of delaying presidential transitions. That transition was rushed because of the delay in discerning the 2000 election’s winner, leaving critical high-level positions vacant for months and perhaps helping terrorists advance their plot without the U.S. being sufficiently on guard. But with Trump holding out and attempting to sow confusion, his appointee at the General Services Administration has yet to make a formal designation of Biden as the president-elect. Doing so puts the Presidential Transition Act in unfettered operation."

Where is the patriotism of increasingly nazi Republicans? Do they pledge allegiance to their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, -- or to their falsely sworn oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution?

11-20-20

U.S. Supreme Court brazenly moves Nazi Right thanks to Trump. ABC News reports:

"Justice Samuel Alito set off fresh calls for Supreme Court reform on Friday after delivering a highly opinionated speech to a conservative legal group that touched on polarizing issues currently under review by the court. "If there were enforceable recusal standards at the high court, this would be a ripe opportunity for a motion to disqualify," said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, a nonpartisan independent watchdog group that has lobbied for a formal code of conduct for the justices. "It would encourage them to think twice before making political speeches to partisan organizations and further eroding the public's trust in their impartiality," Roth said."

Snowball's chance in a de facto fascist police-state clearly dominated by the Nazi Right to date.

"Alito's remarks, delivered virtually on Thursday night to a conference hosted by the Federalist Society, focused on what he called the "unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty" imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. He also spoke about abortion rights, same-sex marriage and the Second Amendment. The justice criticized state governors who have exercised broad discretion in setting policies aimed at taming the virus's spread. He singled out capacity restrictions on houses of worship, lamenting Nevada's 50-person cap on religious gatherings, which the Supreme Court refused to strike down by a 5-4 vote in July. "Take a look at the Constitution. You will see the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, which protects religious liberty," Alito said. "You will not find a craps clause or a blackjack clause or a slot-machine clause." "Religious liberty is in danger of becoming a second-class right," he said, noting that many of Nevada's casinos have reopened with much higher caps."

Follow your own advice, Mr. Justice, and review the First Amendment. Have you read the Establishment Clause recently? Who the hell is the Nazi Right to force their perverse religious views on everyone else vis a vis abortion? Who the hell are these religious nazis to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus?

"Both the tone and substance of the speech were quite political, which has long been viewed as inappropriate for Supreme Court justices," said Kate Shaw, ABC News Supreme Court analyst and professor at Cardozo School of Law. "I doubt Chief Justice Roberts was happy with the speech or the reactions it's drawn," Shaw said. "Roberts' goal seems to be to keep the court out of the political fray, and with this speech Alito seems to be trying to plunge the court right into the center of it." While it's not uncommon for justices to speak generally about matters of societal importance or debate during public appearances, commentary on specific cases or issues currently pending before the court is rare. Some legal experts were also troubled by Alito's discussion of the 1990 Supreme Court decision Employment Division v. Smith, which said that an individual's religious beliefs cannot excuse compliance with an otherwise valid law. That precedent is at the center of a case argued before the Supreme Court earlier this month involving religious liberty and a municipal anti-discrimination policy toward LGBT people. The Catholic plaintiffs are asking the justices to overturn the Smith decision. "It pains me to say this, but in certain quarters, religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right. And that marks a surprising turn of events," Alito said. "Alito's discussion of Employment Division v. Smith squarely implicates one of the questions presented in the Fulton case argued just the other day, still pending," said J.P. Schnapper-Casteras, a Supreme Court litigator and former special counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. "Given everything that just happened around the court, one would think the new majority would want to take down the temperature and mollify concerns about impartiality. Justice Alito did neither," Schnapper-Casteras said, referencing the acrimony around the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett. Alito stated at the outset of his speech that he was not intending to offer a definitive public statement on any matters of law. "I'm a judge, not a policymaker," he said."

Then, proceeded to do the direct opposite, that is, dictate policy. Would indeed be laughable if not presenting such a direct, exigent threat to all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. What a goddamned hypocrite. Blatant double talk. A fascist bullshitter.

"But his commentary drew critics from across the political spectrum. "My agreement with some of Alito's points does not alter the concerns over the messenger rather than the message," tweeted Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University Law professor, who was the sole Republican legal witness during President Donald Trump's impeachment hearings. "I still maintain that justices should speak primarily, if not exclusively, through their opinions." Some progressive Democrats, who have been calling for an expansion of the Supreme Court to counter the rushed confirmation of Barrett, said Alito's comments added urgency to their cause. "Justice Alito's wildly inappropriate speech is a reminder that Republicans have packed the Supreme Court with extremist politicians in robes -- and they're planning a partisan revenge tour," said Aaron Belkin, director of Take Back the Court, a progressive group advocating court expansion. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called Alito's speech "nakedly partisan" and said she wants to enact legislation to "force justices to follow the ethics rules other federal judges follow." Supreme Court justices are not currently bound by any formal code of conduct and largely answer only to themselves on matters of ethics and recusal."

Needs to change. Now. Before too late.

NBC News reports:

"Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito criticized same-sex marriage as a harbinger of the erosion of free speech in America, drawing renewed concern from LGBTQ advocates about the future of this recently gained right. In a virtual address Thursday to the conservative Federalist Society, Alito took aim the landmark 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that guaranteed gay marriage rights across the country, as well as restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus and talk of restructuring the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary more broadly. “You can’t say that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Until recently, that’s what the vast majority of Americans thought. Now, it's considered bigotry,” Alito said in his speech. “That this would happen after our decision in Obergefell should not have come as a surprise.” Alito then cited his dissent in which he theorized that the majority’s opinion in the case would lead to those who “cling to traditional views on marriage” being “labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers and schools.” He then warned that freedom of speech is “falling out of favor in some circles” and at risk of becoming a “second-tier constitutional right.”

Who the hell are you, Mr. Justice and other nazis like you, to force your perverse religious views on anyone?

"Paul Smith, a professor at Georgetown Law School, told NBC News that while Alito has spoken at Federalist Society events for years, his latest address was “aggressive in tone,” in contrast to past talks. That contrast, according to Smith, could be due to the event being streamed live, instead of behind closed doors as other Federalist Society events have been. “I'm not really sure where all the anger and victimhood are coming from,” said Smith, who successfully argued the landmark 2003 Lawrence v. Texas case, which decriminalized same-sex sexual activity across the country. “Conservatives control the federal courts, and politically the country is about evenly divided. There is no great liberal overtaking of the law or the government.”

Can't confuse the Nazi Right with the truth. 'Can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.'

11-20-20

The following is well beyond pathetic. It's insane. The Washington Post reports:

"Jodi Doering, an emergency room nurse in South Dakota, was overwhelmed Saturday night. Her patients were dying of covid-19, yet were still in denial about the pandemic’s existence. It’s like a “horror movie that never ends,” Doering wrote on Twitter. Her anxiety and despair are shared by many health-care workers who are facing a dramatic surge in covid-19 patients. But some front-line workers, like Doering, also face the emotional toll of treating patients who, despite being severely ill, are reluctant to acknowledge that they have been infected with a virus that President Trump has said will simply disappear. Doering said she has covid-19 patients who need 100-percent-oxygen breathing assistance and who will also swear they don’t have the illness that has ended the lives of nearly a quarter-million people in the United States since February. “I think the hardest thing to watch is that people are still looking for something else and a magic answer and they do not want to believe covid is real,” Doering told CNN in an interview Monday. “Their last dying words are, ‘This can’t be happening. It’s not real,’” Doering said, adding that some patients prefer to believe that they have pneumonia or other diseases rather than covid-19, despite seeing their positive test results."

'Can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.' They've figuratively drunk the Kool Aide. Psychotically, bought their fuhrer's bullshit. -- How does that happen in what is supposed to be a democratic republic?

"Doering’s weekend tweets went viral and prompted reaction from residents, health-care workers and local officials. “COVID is amplifying the feeling of frustration and helplessness our front-line healthcare workers are experiencing,” Brookings, S.D., City Council member Nick Wendell wrote on Twitter. “We are in the midst of the storm right now. When we see our way through to the other side, the accumulated grief of healthcare workers in our state will be among the debris.”

Wake up. Here's the truth:

"The United States surpassed 11 million coronavirus cases Sunday, and health experts warn of even bleaker weeks ahead, urging the public to take the pandemic seriously and abide by strict social-distancing rules. They have also urged public officials to implement more restrictions, such as statewide mask mandates, to stem the spread."

How is it half the population accepts the word of an insane nazi fuhrer over that of the scientific community? How is that possible? How does that happen?

"Coronavirus cases are increasing rapidly across the country, but North and South Dakota led the nation in new cases and deaths per capita last week, according to Washington Post data. In North Dakota, where cases have rocketed in the past month, Republican Gov. Doug Burgum has also acknowledged the phenomenon of disbelief among the population. Burgum pleaded with fellow residents late last week to take precautions, as the state’s hospitals are overwhelmed with patients."

Time to wake up. Smarten up.

“You don’t have to believe in covid, you don’t have to believe in a certain political party or not, you don’t have to believe whether masks work or not. You can just do it because you know that one thing is very real. And that’s that 100 percent of our capacity is now being used,” Burgum said."

The following is abject insanity:

"South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R) has opposed mask mandates and other measures despite the rapid spread in her state. Noem has become a star in Trump’s circle by joining in his antagonism toward mainstream scientific opinion: She is one of the few governors who refused to issue a stay-at-home order in the spring, has repeatedly questioned the validity of using masks to reduce viral spread and hosted the president for a massive, tightly packed Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore."

The following is the result:

"Last week, South Dakota reported an 18.2 percent increase in daily deaths and a 26.5 percent jump in hospitalizations, according to data tracked by The Post. The South Dakota Department of Health reported 2,020 new coronavirus infections Thursday, a record for positive results in a 24-hour period. “It is hard and sad because every hospital, every nurse, every doctor in the state is seeing the same things,” Doering told CNN. “These people are getting sick the same way, you treat them in the same way, they die in the same way, and then you do it all over again.”

Question asked is remarkably simple. How many of the quarter million who died to date bought the Trump nazi's bullshit? How many?

11-20-20

Trump loses a big one in the Senate. ... For now. United Press International reports:

"The Senate on Tuesday voted against advancing the nomination of Judy Shelton to a seat on the Federal Reserve's board of governors. Senators voted 50-47 against advancing the process by limiting debate. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell changed his vote to "no" after it became apparent the measure would not succeed, allowing him to preserve the right to bring up the nomination again. Republican Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee have opposed Shelton's nomination and two others, Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sens. Rick Scott of Florida were absent during Tuesday's vote as they quarantined following exposure to COVID-19. Shelton's path to a seat on the Fed board is also likely to become more difficult as Sen.-elect Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., could take the place of Sen. Martha McSally, R.-Ariz., as soon as Nov. 30 and the Senate is not scheduled to meet next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. "We remain confident that Judy Shelton will be confirmed upon reconsideration," White House spokesman Judd Deere said."

Think so? We'll see.

"Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said he voted in favor of advancing Shelton's nomination because he believes the Fed "plays too much of a role" shaping the nation's economy. "I believe Judy Shelton shares my belief that relying on the Federal Reserve to boost asset prices is no substitute for a strong American economy," he said. Senate Democratic leader Chuch Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized Shelton as "an economic weathervane, pointing whichever direction she believes the partisan winds are blowing." Shelton formerly served as the economic adviser to President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. During her nominee hearing in February, she faced criticism for her past writings on the gold standard and foreign exchange."

11-13-20

Presidential election follow-up. The Associated Press reports:

"Judges in Georgia and Michigan quickly dismissed Trump campaign lawsuits Thursday, undercutting a campaign legal strategy to attack the integrity of the voting process in states where the result could mean President Donald Trump’s defeat. The rulings came as Democrat Joe Biden inched closer to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. In Pennsylvania, meanwhile, the Trump campaign won an appellate ruling to get party and campaign observers closer to election workers who are processing mail-in ballots in Philadelphia. But the order did not affect the counting of ballots that is proceeding in Pennsylvania. Biden campaign attorney Bob Bauer called the Republican legal challenges meritless. “I want to emphasize that for their purposes these lawsuits don’t have to have merit. That’s not the purpose. ... It is to create an opportunity for them to message falsely about what’s taking place in the electoral process,” Bauer said Thursday, accusing the Trump campaign of “continually alleging irregularities, failures of the system and fraud without any basis.”

Trump and his henchmen have no credibility. 'Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.'

"Biden said Wednesday the count should continue in all states, adding, “No one’s going to take our democracy away from us — not now, not ever.” But Trump campaign officials accused Democrats of trying to steal the election, despite no evidence anything of the sort was taking place. Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, in a call with reporters Thursday morning, said that “every night the president goes to bed with a lead” and every night new votes “are mysteriously found in a sack.”

Bold-faced lie. No substance. Highly indicative of the increasing desperation of the Trump nazi and his henchmen.

"Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller said additional legal action was expected and would be focused on giving campaign officials access to where ballots were being counted. “We will literally be going through every single ballot,” he said of the count in hotly contested Nevada. Trump’s campaign has also announced that it will ask for a recount in Wisconsin. Stepien previously cited “irregularities in several Wisconsin counties,” without providing specifics. The Associated Press called Wisconsin and Michigan for Biden on Wednesday. The AP has not called Georgia, Nevada or Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania and Michigan complaints largely involved access for campaign observers in locations where ballots are being processed and counted. The Georgia case dealt with concerns about 53 absentee ballots in Chatham County. It was dismissed by a judge after elections officials in the Savannah-area county testified that all of those ballots had been received on time. Campaign officials said earlier they were considering similar challenges in a dozen other counties around the state."

NBC News reports:

"President Donald Trump, who hadn't spoken publicly since an address early Wednesday, delivered remarks Thursday evening about the state of the undecided presidential election that were largely false. Here's what Trump said from the White House, and the facts. 'If you count the legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us.' This is entirely false. There's no evidence that any fraudulent ballots have been counted, no winner has been called in the race, and what's happening right now in the battleground states isn't the counting of "illegal ballots."

That's right. It's not. Quite the contrary:

"In Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina — all states that are too close to call — the regular counting and reporting of valid ballots are ongoing. Behind the president's claims is the fact that officials in those states weren't permitted to begin processing mail ballots until Election Day. Democrats were more likely to vote by mail. The in-person vote Tuesday favored Trump, but as larger metro counties continue to count and report the millions of stored-up early ballots, Joe Biden has cut into Trump's early leads in Pennsylvania and Georgia. (Trump, meanwhile, has chipped away at Biden's lead in Arizona as more votes are tallied.) NBC News contributor David Wasserman, the U.S. House editor for The Cook Political Report, wrote about this scenario before the election here. The president spent months condemning mail balloting, and more Democrats chose to use that voting method. But the timing of counting absentee ballots and Democrats' use of it aren't indications of fraud. Election officials in states like Arizona, where races have taken days to call in the past, have urged patience. Arizona's Republican governor, Doug Ducey, thanked the "voters of Arizona for having patience" Thursday evening on Twitter. Mail-in voting 'really destroyed our system. It's a corrupt system. They want to find out how many votes they need, and then they seem to be able to find them.' This claim, casting doubt on the integrity of American elections, is false. There's no evidence of widespread voter fraud, according to numerous studies, and there are a number of safeguards in place to ensure the security of mail ballots and prevent fraud. Ballots aren't being found, as Trump claims. The regular process of counting mail ballots in these key states is simply ongoing."

That's right. Gets worse. Get this:

"'In Georgia, a pipe burst in a faraway location, totally unrelated to the location of what was happening, but they stopped counting for four hours, and a lot of things happened.' While a pipe burst and it did delay ballot counting for two — not four — hours, there's no evidence that any wrongdoing occurred during this time frame."

Nor did Trump produce any.

Insult to injury? Out of control desperation? More of the same? Get this:

"'The election apparatus in Georgia is run by Democrats.' False. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is a Republican whom Trump endorsed."

LOL. The joke is on Trump, his henchmen, unbridled insanity.

"The race has tightened between Biden and Trump in the state as eligible ballots are counted and reported. "Officials in numerous counties are continuing to count ballots, with strong security protocols in place to protect the integrity of our election," Raffensperger said in a statement Thursday evening. "We have long anticipated — and said publicly — that counting would most likely take place into Wednesday night and perhaps Thursday morning. We're on pace to accomplish that responsibly, ensuring that the voice of every eligible voter is heard. It's important to act quickly, but it's more important to get it right."

That certainly appears to be happening.

"Of Pennsylvania, 'They don't want us to have any observers.' This claim is false, as is this one that the president made later in his remarks: "Our campaign has been denied access to observe any counting in Detroit." There are poll observers in both states, although the Trump campaign went to court over where Republican watchers were allowed to stand in Philadelphia. In Detroit, absentee ballots were being counted in the convention center, and the GOP was allowed 134 poll watchers, according to The Associated Press."

More Trump bullshit:

"It's amazing how those mail-in ballots are so one-sided," Trump said during his news conference. The president spent months urging his supporters to vote in person, condemning mail voting as fraudulent. More Democrats chose to vote by mail during the pandemic."

What did Trump expect to happen? LOL. The joke is on him.

"Trump made a string of claims about what happened in Tuesday's election, essentially claiming to have won — or nearly won — every swing state. "We were ahead in the vote in North Carolina by a lot, tremendous number of votes, and we are still ahead by a lot, but not as many, because they are finding ballots all of a sudden," Trump said. "I won Pennsylvania by a lot, and that gets whittled down to — I think they said we're up to 90,000. "Likewise, in Georgia, I won by a lot," he said. "In Michigan, we're way up in Michigan, won the state. In Wisconsin we did likewise, fantastically well, and that got whittled down. In every case, they got whittled down." All of these claims are false. Officials aren't "finding ballots" in North Carolina; they are continuing to count ballots. NBC News has characterized Pennsylvania and Georgia as too close to call, and NBC News has projected that Biden won Michigan and is the apparent winner of Wisconsin. Trump also claimed that Republicans "kept the Senate." That isn't yet decided. Five Senate races haven't been called by NBC News. Republicans need to win two to three more seats to officially keep control of the Senate, depending on who wins the presidential election. "We lost zero races in the House," Trump said. In North Carolina, two open seats previously occupied by Republicans were won by Democrats. North Carolina's voting maps were redrawn ahead of the election."

Can't confuse a racist nazi with the truth. Too damned aggressively stupid.

NPR reports:

"From the White House on Thursday, President Trump claimed, without evidence, that election fraud was the reason for his diminishing leads in several key states. With former Vice President Joe Biden inching closer to the 270 Electoral College votes he needs to win, President Trump and his campaign have ramped up their efforts to delegitimize the vote-counting process. Those efforts have come both in public comments, with Trump airing unfounded conspiracies and incorrect information about voting during remarks Thursday night, and in lawsuits that have thus far had almost no success."

Increasingly sad to see. Unbecoming a president of the United States. 'A last hurrah' from a man unfit to sit in the Oval Office from Day 1.

"It's a playbook the president has telegraphed for much of the year, as he has amplified a false narrative that there is rampant fraud in mail-voting systems, without providing the necessary evidence to back up such claims. "If you count the legal votes, I easily win," Trump said Thursday. "If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us." Research has found no evidence of widespread fraud, and states with Republican and Democratic election officials at the helm have used the voting method for years without major issues."

That's right. Trump has provided no proof of his allegations. None.

"This week, the campaign has latched specifically onto the vote-counting process around mail ballots in an attempt to inject uncertainty into the results. Those results have slowly begun to lean in Biden's direction, especially as more absentee votes continued to be counted in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania. "I think probably the political goal here is to sow discord, to undermine the legitimacy of the election," said Joshua Douglas, a professor at the University of Kentucky who specializes in election law. "Trump has been doing this for years, and now it's come to a head."

A failure of leadership at a massive level previously unseen in our formerly great country.

"On Thursday, Trump listed a number of his election issues, but chief among them was transparency. A number of his campaign's lawsuits have centered on who is able to watch election officials count absentee ballots. He claimed that election officials don't want any election observers in Pennsylvania, saying, "They don't want anybody watching them as they count the ballots, and I can't imagine why."

Totally bogus. An indication he knows he's losing, growing increasingly desperate.

"In reality, his campaign and lawyers representing Philadelphia sparred over how many election observers should be watching at one time and how far away they needed to stay from officials who were counting ballots. Observers from political parties are a normal part of the counting process, and officials never tried to argue that Republicans should not be allowed to watch. Still, the Trump campaign tried to use the issue to argue that the counting of ballots in the city should be halted, a request a federal judge denied. Similar requests were denied in Michigan and in Georgia earlier in the day. "It seems like the relief the Trump Campaign keeps asking [for] is patently ridiculous," said Justin Levitt, an election law professor at Loyola Law School. "They keep saying 'stop the count!' and the courts keep saying no."

For damned good reason.

"Trump said Thursday there would be more litigation coming, as his campaign has "so much evidence, so much proof" of illegal wrongdoing that he thinks the election may end up decided by the Supreme Court. That's a possibility Levitt, and other legal experts, dismiss as "increasingly unlikely." "Before [the election], I thought voters would decide this election, not the courts," Levitt said. "And with every passing day, I think that's more true." The ongoing litigation is not about actually affecting the results at this point, Levitt added, but instead it is about shaping a narrative or "retroactively bending reality" to fit Trump's false claims about voting. Levitt then corrected himself: "No, I'll discount that to 90% of it — because at least 10% of it is the ability to keep fundraising."

Would be laughable had our formerly great country not been at such a dangerous crossroads. ... Hear the rumble?

Think Steve Bannon hasn't lost his mind? NPR reports:

"Twitter permanently suspended an account associated with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon after he suggested in a video posted online Thursday that Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray should be beheaded."

Is this fascist piece of shit trying to incite violence?

"Bannon made the comments calling for medieval violence during a livestream of his talk show and podcast, War Room: Pandemic. "I'd put the heads on pikes. Right. I'd put them at the two corners of the White House. As a warning to federal bureaucrats: Either get with the program or you're gone," he said in the now-deleted video previously posted on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. However, it has been recirculated through other accounts. CNN reported the video was viewed at least 200,000 times on Facebook before it was deleted. The show's Twitter account, @WarRoomPandemic, was suspended after it posted the video. It violated the social media website's "policy on the glorification of violence," a Twitter spokesperson told NPR. Facebook and YouTube removed the video, saying it violated their policies against inciting violence and harassment, according to company spokespeople."

Time for the FBI to investigate Mr. Bannon. ... Think there's a snowball's chance?

"Bannon's message comes as some members of President Trump's inner circle have amped up inflammatory rhetoric while the election results remain unresolved. Donald Trump Jr. said this week the president should "go to total war" over the election. Twitter has notably beefed up its response to tweets viewed as harassment or incitement of violence in recent months. The social media company also created a "civic integrity policy" focused on flagging tweets that are considered sharing disputed or misleading information related to the election. At times, the president's posts have been flagged as a result of this policy."

Why aren't these outrageously fascist pieces of shit investigated, then prosecuted for inciting violence? -- As many all across our formerly great country have been forced to endure (prosecution) after protesting murderous police officers, as well as the out of control Trump nazi himself.

Readers are reminded:

"In August, Bannon pleaded not guilty to wire-fraud and money-laundering charges over his alleged involvement in the "We Build the Wall" online scheme. Prosecutors said Bannon and three others advertised the campaign as a fundraising effort to build portions of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, defrauding hundreds of thousands of people in the process. Bannon or representatives from War Room couldn't be immediately reached for comment."

The galling hypocrisy of these fascist, two-faced nazi motherf--kers is stunning. Outrageously, incomprehensible.

The following certainly complements and expands on the above. NPR reports:

"Domestic terrorism analysts have warned for weeks about the possible triggers of election-related violence: a protracted vote count. Claims of rigging. Rampant disinformation. Protesters and vigilantes. For all the worry about voter intimidation on Election Day, the aftermath was always the more urgent concern for groups and scholars who track how political disagreements spiral into street violence or extremist mobilizing. Now, the moment they dreaded has arrived, with a contentious vote count plunging the U.S. into an open-ended danger zone. "As I've said repeatedly, the period between Election Day and election results is dicey," tweeted researcher J.J. MacNab of George Washington University's Program on Extremism. "When definitive information is lacking, conspiracy theories thrive."

No question. Trump, himself, is sadly leading the charge.

"Increasingly, extremism trackers say, the threat of unrest isn't just from a radical fringe but from ordinary people who are whipped up by partisan, conspiratorial messages. Already, Trump voters are coalescing by the tens of thousands in Facebook groups associated with the hashtag campaign "Stop the Steal"; one group amassed more than 350,000 members before it was removed for spreading disinformation. The group had called for "boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote."

How? Why? To incite violence?

"In many cases, right-wing organizers are reactivating the same channels they used over the summer to protest pandemic lockdown orders or to form vigilante groups against the perceived threat of militant leftists. After months of arranging pro-Trump convoys and gathering disparate factions under the "Liberate" or "Reopen" banners, organizers have ready conduits for moving grievances to the streets."

The threat is indeed from the well-organized Nazi Right:

"You can see the same thing happening over and over again," said Melissa Ryan, chief executive of Card Strategies, a consulting firm that tracks disinformation. "They try to create this impression that it's people spontaneously showing up to protest because they're angry, but it's the exact opposite. It's the same folks that show up every time, and it's the same groups giving them directives and messaging." Most right-wing media outlets are spinning a narrative of rampant irregularities, echoing President Trump's attempts to undermine the integrity of the election. The relentless attacks prompted the beleaguered registrar of Clark County, ground zero for the Nevada count, to announce beefed-up security measures for his staff. "We will not allow anyone to stop us from doing what our duty is and counting ballots," Clark County Registrar Joe Gloria told a news conference."

Certainly, hope so.

The Trump nazi himself, however, is again leading the charge:

"Some of the most inflammatory language is coming from the White House and Trump himself. Twitter took the extraordinary measure of adding warning labels to several of the president's tweets. Trump repeatedly has suggested that there's something nefarious about the mundane, laborious process of counting an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots in the middle of a pandemic. His supporters also promoted "Sharpiegate," the debunked claim that Trump voters were given Sharpie markers to fill out their ballots with, the idea being that the heavy ink might invalidate them. When it comes to fueling unrest, "the bully pulpit is going to be one of the main factors," said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. "From what we've been seeing, the sustained nature of the invective, particularly when it's coming from the highest transmitter in the land, can result in multiple spikes," Levin said. The wild card, Levin added, is that 2020 isn't like previous years. This time, a disputed election is unfolding in a polarized nation that's in the throes of a pandemic and a recession. Usually, Levin said, a burst of political violence is triggered by one big event. He's worried that prolonged uncertainty could bring waves of unrest. "This is a whole different circumstance because usually the catalytic event has a beginning and end time," Levin said. "This is going to go on for some time."

Here's the problem:

"So far, only small street protests have taken place, drawing activists from both the left and the right in several cities. But the worry is that those could spiral once the vote is called. A Trump loss, Levin said, could help reunite the mishmash of his supporters who came together over the summer to fight lockdowns. "We not only had small-business people and outdoor enthusiasts, as well as anti-vaxxers, but we also had QAnon folks, we also had Second Amendment insurrectionists and even some racists get into this milieu," Levin said. "When we see groups and movements that have their issues or connections to the mainstream severed or eroded," he warned, "they tend to act more as an insurgency." In an October report about the risk of domestic terrorism, the Center for Strategic and International Studies concluded that "in the event of a Democratic presidential victory, the threat could involve specific attacks by radicalized white supremacists, militias, and other related individuals."

These are increasingly dangerous times:

"A roundup of memes and social media posts compiled by MEMRI, a group that monitors extremist messaging, shows hate groups and neo-Nazi commentators promoting racist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about the election. In some cases, the posts amount to clear calls for violence. But analysts emphasized that the threat is no longer confined to the far-right extremist world — it's much closer now. "I fully anticipate that we're going to see some events in the coming weeks that are going to be troubling and unfortunate. And they're not all going to be committed by individuals that are neo-Nazi skinheads that have dedicated their lives to this," said Michael Jensen, a researcher at the University of Maryland who led a new study on hate crime offenders. "They're going to be committed by seemingly regular folks that have gotten kind of caught up in the madness of the moment around the election."

It's worse than that. Our formerly great country, inexplicably, has been embracing national socialism, fascism, nazism last seven decades since the McCarthy Era of the early 50s. ... This, despite the fact hundreds of thousands of our best and brightest died fighting this tyranny not even a decade before. Second World War European Theater. History is indeed repeating itself. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter. The affinity for fascism in our county dates back even further to early Nazi Germany before Hitler invaded Poland in 1939. The famous aviator Charles Lindberg and many others were proponents of Nazism and Hitler before it became clear what the Fuhrer was up to.

The Associated Press reports:

"Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by a historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil. His victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge of mail-in votes that delayed the processing of some ballots. Biden crossed 270 Electoral College votes with a win in Pennsylvania. Trump refused to concede, threatening further legal action on ballot counting.

"Biden, in a statement, said he was humbled by the victory and it was time for the battered nation to set aside its differences. “It’s time for America to unite. And to heal,” he said. “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation,” Biden said. “There’s nothing we can’t do if we do it together.”

With a country more divided than ever, hard to believe that will occur any time soon. The reaction, however, needs to remain non-violent. If not, the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue will take it as carte blanche to murder on the job. With impunity.

"Biden was on track to win the national popular vote by more than 4 million, a margin that could grow as ballots continue to be counted. Trump was not giving up. Departing from longstanding democratic tradition and signaling a potentially turbulent transfer of power, he issued a combative statement while he was on his Virginia golf course. It said his campaign would take unspecified legal actions and he would “not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands.”

Sadly, more of the same old empty, hollow rhetoric with no substance. False allegations with no proof, no evidence to back them up.

"Trump has pointed to delays in processing the vote in some states to allege with no evidence that there was voter fraud and to argue that his rival was trying to seize power — an extraordinary charge by a sitting president trying to sow doubt about a bedrock democratic process."

A congenital liar:

"Trump is the first incumbent president to lose reelection since Republican George H.W. Bush in 1992. Early Saturday he left the White House for his Virginia golf club dressed in golf shoes, a windbreaker and a white hat as the results gradually expanded Biden’s lead in Pennsylvania. Trump repeated his unsupported allegations of election fraud and illegal voting on Twitter. One of his tweets, quickly flagged as potentially misleading by Twitter, claimed: “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!”

A lie.

"In Wilmington, Delaware, near a stage that has stood empty since it was erected to celebrate a potential victory on Election Night, people cheered and pumped their fists as the news that the presidential race had been called for the state’s former senator arrived on their cell phones. On the nearby water, two men in a kayak yelled to a couple paddling by in the opposite direction, “Joe won! They called it!” as people on the shore whooped and hollered. Harris, in workout gear, was shown on video speaking to Biden on the phone, exuberantly telling the president-elect “We did it!” Biden was expected to take the stage for a drive-in rally after dark. Across the country, there were parties and prayer. In New York City, spontaneous block parties broke out. People ran out of their buildings, banging on pots. They danced and high-fived with strangers amid honking horns. People streamed into Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, waving signs and taking cellphone pictures. In Lansing, Michigan, Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter demonstrators filled the Capitol steps. The lyrics to “Amazing Grace” began to echo through the crowd, and Trump supporters laid their hands on a counter protester, and prayed."

Defeat of a congenital liar, a racist nazi, an insane dictator.

"Trump’s refusal to concede has no legal implications. But it could add to the incoming administration’s challenge of bringing the country together after a bitter election. Throughout the campaign, Trump repeatedly refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, arguing without evidence that the election could be marred by fraud. The nation has a long history of presidential candidates peacefully accepting the outcome of elections, dating back to 1800, when John Adams conceded to his rival Thomas Jefferson. It was Biden’s native Pennsylvania that put him over the top, the state he invoked throughout the campaign to connect with working class voters. He also won Nevada on Sunday pushing his total to 290 Electoral College votes. Biden received congratulations from dozens of world leaders, and his former boss, President Barack Obama, saluted him in a statement, declaring that the nation was “fortunate that Joe’s got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way.” Reaction from Republican lawmakers was initially muted, though some, like, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, amplified the president’s baseless accusations of fraud while Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, a frequent Trump critic, quickly sent congratulations to Biden."

In another article, The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump has returned to the White House and a very different Washington, D.C., after losing his reelection bid. Trump’s motorcade returned from his golf club in Virginia via roads largely cleared of other cars and people Saturday afternoon. But as he approached the White House, he was welcomed home with boos and raised middle fingers. Chants of “Loser, loser, loser” and profanities were also heard as his motorcade drove by. Trump has so far refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden and is promising legal challenges. He is the first president to lose reelection since George H.W. Bush in 1992.

"Republicans on Capitol Hill are giving President Donald Trump and his campaign space to consider all its legal options after his election defeat by President-elect Joe Biden. That’s according to one Republican who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation. It’s a precarious balance for Trump’s allies as they try to be supportive of the president but face the reality of the vote count. Trump is so far refusing to concede.

"Several hundred people have gathered outside President Donald Trump’s Virginia golf club after his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden. The crowd includes dozens of Biden supporters celebrating his win, singing, “Hey hey hey, goodbye” and chanting, “Lock him up!” — a chant frequently heard at Trump rallies, directed at people he doesn’t like.

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who found himself at the center of President Donald Trump’s impeachment, is congratulating Trump’s replacement, President-elect Joe Biden. In a Saturday tweet, Zelenskiy said “Ukraine is optimistic about the future of the strategic partnership with the United States.” He added that the two countries “have always collaborated on security, trade, investment, democracy, fight against corruption. Our friendship becomes only stronger!”

"Sen. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, is congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The Utah Republican tweeted Saturday that he and his wife know Biden and Harris “as people of good will and admirable character.” He says, “We pray that God may bless them in the days and years ahead.” Romney, President Donald Trump’s most vocal critic within the Republican Party, said Friday that Trump was “damaging the cause of freedom” and inflaming “destructive and dangerous passions” by claiming, without foundation, that the election was rigged and stolen from him.

"Leaders of the United States’ traditional Western allies are offering their congratulations to the incoming Joe Biden administration. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement Saturday that the U.S. is the United Kingdom’s “most important ally” and added that he looks “forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security.” Johnson also singled out Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for “her historic achievement” as the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to win national U.S. office. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that “we have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let’s work together!” And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he’s eager to start “tackling the world’s greatest challenges together.” All three men have had complicated and at times strained relationships with President Donald Trump. Biden comes to the presidency with extensive foreign policy experience and said throughout his campaign that he’d immediately work to shore u[p] U.S. relationships with traditional allies."

NBC News reports:

"President Donald Trump vowed Saturday to press forward with a legal fight, pushing unfounded claims of voter fraud in response to the news that President-elect Joe Biden won the election.

"Hours ticked by after Biden was projected to be the winner without a public appearance by Trump nor a post on Twitter. He released a statement within minutes of the announcement claiming that the "election is far from over." "Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated," Trump said. "The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots." When asked, neither Trump nor his campaign have presented evidence that illegal ballots were counted. Despite having repeated the claim for days now, the Trump campaign has failed to provide any sound evidence of voter fraud. Trump sought to depict the decision by news networks to project Biden as the winner as evidence that forces were working against him."

... You mean by reporting the truth, Mr. 'President?' Doing their jobs? Exposing you as a congenital liar? A fascist out of control nazi dictator? Insanely unfit for office?

"We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is this election is far from over," Trump said in his statement. He added, "I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands."

... Talking out your ass, Mr. 'President?'

Here's the truth:

"Election administrators around the country have also worked to make the process transparent, allowing representatives from both political parties, as well as the news media, into the room to watch votes being tabulated. Philadelphia offered a live streamed video to allow the public to watch. Still, Trump's team of lawyers pressed on with their strategy to litigate the election results even as some privately acknowledged that the efforts would have little impact. "Now that there’s a call, I’m sure the lawsuits will continue but the fact remains: you can’t un-count votes," a person close to Trump's re-elect effort admitted. On Saturday afternoon, Rudy Giuliani, Trump's lawyer, held a press conference in Philadelphia, claiming that there were "highly suspect ballots" cast that amounted to "absolute fraud."

Show us the proof, Counselor.

"Pennsylvania was the state that put Biden over the 270 electoral votes needed to win. When votes began to be tabulated on election night, Trump was initially leading in the Pennsylvania count when polls first closed. This lead was anticipated — Trump had discouraged mail voting and his supporters were expected to utilize in-person voting compared to Biden supporters, who made up a greater share of mail-in votes. As mail-in and absentee votes were counted throughout the week, Trump's lead in the state shrunk. "You don't lose leads like that without corruption," Giuliani argued without providing evidence. Trump also tried to cast doubt on the Pennsylvania results Saturday, writing in his statement that "legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process," adding that "legal votes decide who is president, not the news media." Poll watchers have always been in the room where votes were being counted and were never denied access, but they were asked to stand a distance away from the ballot counting machines due to the coronavirus. "Obviously he's not gonna concede when at least 600,000 ballots are in question," Giuliani said but provided no basis for the number. But allies have began spectating about what happens next for Trump and whether he will remain the most influential figure in the Republican Party. “He’ll be able to say they stole it and he’ll go down to Florida and continue to be the most influential Republican in the country,” predicted one former White House official close to the campaign."

The next couple of months will be most interesting. While Biden should receive the benefit of the doubt unless and until proven otherwise, must not be forgotten, however, the electorate wisely selected the lesser of two evils. ... Must not be forgotten the lesser of two evils is still evil, -- just less so.

NPR reports:

"For weeks, the world wondered whether President Trump would win a second term. Now that election officials and observers have declared his opponent "President-elect Joe Biden," the world wonders whether Trump will concede. So far, the president has not. Instead, he has said that he won the election "if you count the legal vote" and that he will pursue numerous challenges to the vote-counting process in court. Earlier in the fall, he had said he would agree to a peaceful transfer of power unless the election was "rigged." It seems increasingly inevitable that Trump will need to either give a concession speech or explain why he is refusing to do so. There is no legal requirement for it, and a refusal would not lengthen his lease on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. or extend his powers beyond noon on Jan. 20."

Certainly, true.

Here's why concessions are so extremely important in what is supposed to be a democratic republic:

"But concessions have become all-but-official touch points in the process of American elections. And they have been of special value as part of that process when one party cedes the presidency to another, because that is the clearest signal of commitment to the peaceful transfer of power. Such a situation arose in 2000, when the Democratic nominee was the sitting vice president, Al Gore. He wound up conceding twice, first on election night and then again five weeks later. His first concession, in a phone call to Republican George W. Bush, was retracted a few hours later as more results came in and pivotal Florida, called once for each candidate that night, seemed to still be in play. After five weeks of messy vote counting and recounting and countless legal maneuvers, the federal case of Bush v. Gore reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 that the Florida fracas should stop. Gore could have carried his case further, to the House and Senate and the public at large. But he decided that while his prospects of success were uncertain, the costs and dangers were too high. "Just moments ago, I spoke with George W. Bush and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the United States, and I promised him that I wouldn't call him back this time," Gore said. Gore also quoted Stephen Douglas, who lost to Abraham Lincoln in the fateful election of 1860: "Partisan feeling must yield to patriotism," Douglas wrote then. "I'm with you Mr. President, and God bless you." Douglas was as good as his word. He not only conceded but embarked on a speaking tour of the South to urge his fellow Democrats to accept the election outcome and "preserve the Union." Douglas was not successful. Eleven states seceded, and the Civil War ensued. But his effort was more than a beau geste — it was a statement of the importance of abiding by the popular will in a democracy. This has been at the essence of the concession all along. It is not just one 19th-century gentleman bowing to another; it is the affirmation of what the Founders had in mind when they rebelled against the crown of England in the name of "the people."

What is so remarkable is the fact our formerly great country is currently extremely divided. More so than at any other time in recent history. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms on a variety of different issues. Has for quite some time. Unlike decades ago, partisanship, sadly, now trumps patriotism.

Consider the following:

"Gore's decision and concession ended the standoff and allowed a measure of healing to begin. It illustrated and amplified the value of the concession tradition, which has deep roots in U.S. history and has provided ineffable benefits at fraught moments in the past. "When it comes down to it, it's not the Army or the Navy that keeps the United States together," John R. Vile, a professor of history at Middle Tennessee State University who is a student of the concession, told National Geographic magazine. "It's the notion that we are bound together by certain great principles and that our similarities are more binding than our differences are."

Sadly, that's been lost.

"Another recent example frequently saluted for its class and eloquence was Republican Sen. John McCain's in 2008. McCain, too, was handing off the White House to the opposing party. Moreover, his own long and frustrating pursuit of the presidency had been ended that night by a junior fellow senator, Barack Obama. The 2008 election was often bitter and ended in the midst of an economic crisis, but McCain chose to be gracious and patriotic in his remarks. "The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly," said McCain. "A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Sen. Barack Obama to congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love." McCain also took note of a salient fact of the moment — Obama's achievement as the first African American to reach the Oval Office. "This is a historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight," he said. "Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for this country. I applaud him for it."

The late Senator, indeed, a class act, -- and a patriot.

"Democratic nominee Al Smith had already made the first broadcast concession speech on radio in 1928 (ceding to Hoover), and Adlai Stevenson introduced television to the tradition in 1952. Since then, we have come to expect to see even incumbent presidents do the deed on the tube. Which brings us to the present moment. Will Trump do it on Twitter? Will he make a speech and stick to the teleprompter version? Or will he just say no? The concession is not, after all, for the sake of its maker. It does nothing for the losing candidate but get it over with. The concession is, rather, for the sake of everyone who needs closure. That includes the losing candidate's family, staff, campaign workers and party rank and file. In other words, concession speeches are for everyone else but the candidate. But it is the candidate who must finally decide who and what he cares most about. Stay tuned."

Remarkable insight courtesy of NPR's Ron Elving. Hat's off.

Trump places self before country. The Washington Post reports:

"A Trump administration appointee is refusing to sign a letter allowing President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team to formally begin its work this week, in another sign the incumbent president has not acknowledged Biden’s victory and could disrupt the transfer of power."

Precisely, what's happening.

"The administrator of the General Services Administration, the low-profile agency in charge of federal buildings, has a little-known role when a new president is elected: to sign paperwork officially turning over millions of dollars, as well as give access to government officials, office space in agencies and equipment authorized for the taxpayer-funded transition teams of the winner. It amounts to a formal declaration by the federal government, outside of the media, of the winner of the presidential race. But by Sunday evening, almost 36 hours after media outlets projected Biden as the winner, GSA Administrator Emily Murphy had written no such letter. And the Trump administration, in keeping with the president’s failure to concede the election, has no immediate plans to sign one. This could lead to the first transition delay in modern history, except in 2000, when the Supreme Court decided a recount dispute between Al Gore and George W. Bush in December."

If not immediately resolved, Biden needs to get this into court. The following is double talk bullshit:

“An ascertainment has not yet been made,” Pamela Pennington, a spokeswoman for GSA, said in an email, “and its Administrator will continue to abide by, and fulfill, all requirements under the law.”

Here's the problem:

"The GSA statement left experts on federal transitions to wonder when the White House expects the handoff from one administration to the next to begin — when the president has exhausted his legal avenues to fight the results, or the formal vote of the electoral college on Dec. 14? There are 74 days, as of Sunday, until the Biden inauguration on Jan. “No agency head is going to get out in front of the president on transition issues right now,” said one senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. The official predicted that agency heads will be told not to talk to the Biden team. The decision has turned attention to Murphy, whose four-year tenure has been marked by several controversies involving the president, an unusually high profile for an agency little known outside of Washington. “Her action now has to be condemned,” said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), who leads a House oversight panel on federal operations. “It’s behavior that is consistent with her subservience to wishes of the president himself, and it is clearly harmful to the orderly transition of power.”

Precisely, why Biden needs to quickly challenge this in court.

"The delay has implications both practical and symbolic. By declaring the “apparent winner” of a presidential election, the GSA administrator releases computer systems and money for salaries and administrative support for the mammoth undertaking of setting up a new government — $9.9 million this year. Transition officials get government email addresses. They get office space at every federal agency. They can begin to work with the Office of Government Ethics to process financial disclosure and conflict-of-interest forms for their nominees. And they get access to senior officials, both political appointees of the outgoing administration and career civil servants, who relay an agency’s ongoing priorities and projects, upcoming deadlines, problem areas and risks. The federal government is a $4.5 trillion operation, and while the Biden team is not new to government, the access is critical, experts said. This is all on hold for now. “Now that the election has been independently called for Joe Biden, we look forward to the GSA Administrator quickly ascertaining Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the President-elect and Vice President-elect,” a Biden transition spokesman said in an email. “America’s national security and economic interests depend on the federal government signaling clearly and swiftly that the United States government will respect the will of the American people and engage in a smooth and peaceful transfer of power.”

Placing personal interests ahead of the will of the electorate is a treasonous, traitorous act by Trump. Presents an exigent threat to national security:

"As the campaign wound down, President Trump gave signals that he would not easily hand over the reins to his successor, if there was one. But for people who have been through them, a presidential transition is a massive undertaking requiring discipline, decision-making and fast learning under the smoothest circumstances. Each lost day puts the new government behind schedule. “The transition process is fundamental to safely making sure the next team is ready to go on Day One,” said Max Stier, president and chief executive of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, which has set up a presidential transition center and shares advice with the Biden and Trump teams. “It’s critical that you have access to the agencies before you put your people in place.” The Biden team can move forward to get preliminary security clearances and begin FBI background checks on potential nominees requiring Senate confirmation. Another senior administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly said each agency has drafted detailed transition plans for a new administration, but they will not be released to the Biden team until a winner is formally declared. Trump has been resistant to participating in a transition — fearing it is a bad omen — but has allowed top aides to participate as long as the efforts do not become public, administration officials said. He is unlikely to concede he has lost or participate in traditional activities, the officials said."

The Trump nazi and his henchmen continue to stonewall:

"In a call on Friday with administration officials, Mary Gibert, the head of the presidential transition team at the GSA, told colleagues the agency was in a holding pattern and not to host people from Biden teams until there is “ascertainment.” She gave no specific timeline on when it was expected. The delay has already gummed up discussions on critical issues, including plans to distribute a possible coronavirus vaccine, this official said. GSA has been part of transition planning since the Presidential Transition Act was signed in 1963. Since then, the agency has identified the winner within hours or a day of media projections, and weeks before the results were made official by the electoral college."

Trump has again placed personal interests ahead of national security. The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday, an unprecedented move by a president struggling to accept election defeat and angry at a Pentagon leader he believes wasn’t loyal enough. The decision, which could unsettle international allies and Pentagon leadership, injects another element of uncertainty to a rocky transition period as Joe Biden prepares to assume the presidency. Presidents who win reelection often replace Cabinet members, including the secretary of defense, but losing presidents have kept their Pentagon chiefs in place until Inauguration Day to preserve stability in the name of national security. Trump announced the news in a tweet, saying that “effective immediately” Christopher Miller, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, will serve as acting secretary, sidestepping the department’s No.2-ranking official, Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist. “Chris will do a GREAT job!” Trump tweeted. “Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service.”

Achingly, hypocritical. Self-serving Aryan arrogance. The treasonous, traitorous Trump nazi has again placed himself before country. His increasing instability raises dire security concerns:

"Trump’s abrupt move to dump Esper triggers questions about what the president may try to do in the next few months before he leaves office, including adjustments in the presence of troops overseas or other national security changes. Biden has not said who he would appoint as defense chief, but is widely rumored to be considering naming the first woman to the post — Michele Flournoy. Flournoy has served multiple times in the Pentagon, starting in the 1990s and most recently as the undersecretary of defense for policy from 2009 to 2012. She is well known on Capitol Hill as a moderate Democrat and is regarded among U.S. allies and partners as a steady hand who favors strong U.S. military cooperation abroad."

Readers will recall:

"Esper’s strained relationship with Trump came close to collapse last summer during civil unrest that triggered a debate within the administration over the proper role of the military in combating domestic unrest. Esper’s opposition to using active duty troops to help quell protests in Washington, D.C., infuriated Trump, and led to wide speculation that the defense chief was prepared to quit if faced with such an issue again."

Stood tall. Against the Trump nazi. Uncommon Valor.

"Presidents historically have put a high priority on stability at the Pentagon during political transitions. Since the creation of the Defense Department and the position of defense secretary in 1947, the only three presidents to lose election for a second term — Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush — all kept their secretary of defense in place until Inauguration Day. Esper, who was the official successor to former Marine Gen. James Mattis, routinely emphasized the importance of keeping the military and the Defense Department out of politics. But it proved to be an uphill struggle as Trump alternately praised what he called “his generals” and denigrated top Pentagon leaders as war-mongers devoted to drumming up business for the defense industry."

Served himself. Not his country.

"Esper’s departure has appeared inevitable ever since he publicly broke with Trump in June over the president’s push to deploy military troops in the streets of the nation’s capital in response to civil unrest following the police killing of George Floyd. Esper publicly opposed Trump’s threats to invoke the two-centuries-old Insurrection Act, which would allow the president to use active-duty troops in a law enforcement role. And Trump was furious when Esper told reporters the Insurrection Act should be invoked “only in the most urgent and dire of situations,” and, “We are not in one of those situations now.”

Stood tall. Uncommon Valor.

"The June civil unrest initially drew Esper into controversy when he joined a Trump entourage that strolled from the White House to nearby St. John’s Episcopal Church for a photo op featuring Trump hoisting a Bible. Critics condemned Esper, saying he had allowed himself to be used as a political prop. Esper said he didn’t know he was heading into a photo op, but thought he was going to view damage at the church and see National Guard troops in the area. He was accompanied by Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who later expressed public regret at having been present in uniform. Trump hinted at Esper’s shaky status in August, making a snide response to a reporter’s question about whether he still had confidence in Esper’s leadership. “Mark ‘Yesper’? Did you call him ‘Yesper?’” Trump said, in what appeared to be an allusion to suggestions that Esper was a yes man for the president. Asked if he was considering firing Esper, Trump said, “At some point, that’s what happens.”

A raucous boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil, Mr. 'President?'

11-13-20

Screws tighten as the Trump nazi continues to stonewall. CBS News reports:

"The Biden-Harris transition team is considering pursuing legal action if the head of the federal agency overseeing the mechanics of a transfer of power doesn't move in the coming days to free up funding and access to agencies. "We believe that the time has come for the GSA administrator to promptly ascertain Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as president-elect and vice president-elect," an unidentified Biden-Harris transition official said Monday night on a telephone briefing with reporters. When asked if the transition team would possibly consider legal action to hasten the mechanics of the transition, the official replied: "There are a number of options on the table, legal action is certainly a possibility, but there are other options as well that we're considering." CBS News and several other news outlets were not invited to participate in the call, but a separate transition official confirmed the quotes. The General Services Administration (GSA) is responsible for overseeing a presidential transition, including access to Washington office space for the victorious candidate as well as easy access to all federal agencies so that "review teams" hired by the winning candidate can begin visiting agencies to meet with career officials and determine what potential policy changes need to be made.

"By law, GSA Administrator Emily Murphy, a Trump administration appointee, holds an important though rarely discussed role: It's up to her to sign the paperwork handing over millions of dollars and access to office space and equipment to begin the latter stages of the transition. In essence, it serves as the federal government's formal acknowledgement of a winner in the presidential race. But so far, Murphy isn't budging. On Sunday, the agency said her position hasn't changed and that she cannot yet ascertain the winner of the presidential race. Previously, the agency said Murphy "ascertains the apparent successful candidate once a winner is clear based on the process laid out in the Constitution." It added that so far the agency "has met all statutory requirements under the [Presidential Transition Act] for this election cycle and will continue to do so."

Clearly, she continues to march in goose step with her fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"Aides of Mr. Biden expressed frustration Monday that the president has refused to concede and is thus holding up the transition. They noted that the rare delay in beginning the next steps of the transition means the Biden team is unable to access classified information for national security appointees; begin background checks for top government appointees; work with the State Department to help facilitate calls from foreign leaders expressing congratulations; and access to secure facilities. Aides also noted Monday that it means Mr. Biden and his aides can't yet learn the full details of Operation Warp Speed, the Pentagon's complex plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines."

NPR reports:

"Richard Pilger resigned as head of the Justice Department's election crimes branch Monday night, protesting Attorney General William Barr's memo authorizing federal prosecutors to pursue allegations of voting irregularities. Barr's policy is seen as a step toward validating President Trump's baseless attacks on the integrity of an election in which he has been declared the loser. Pilger said Barr's memorandum breaks with the Justice Department's policy on avoiding interference with elections that has stood for 40 years. The policy had set a high bar for launching a public investigation into any election that has not yet been certified. Important deadlines to certify the U.S. presidential election arrive in December. Pilger announced his resignation from his leadership role in a letter to colleagues and staff. The letter was shared online by Vanita Gupta, the former head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

"Because of the sensitive nature of the election process, the policy has long required a U.S. attorney's office to consult the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section before moving beyond a preliminary investigation. On Monday, Barr, one of Trump's most steadfast allies, authorized federal prosecutors to pursue "substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities" in U.S. states. He criticized the existing guidance, calling it "a passive and delayed enforcement approach." Barr qualified his stance by requiring any inquiries or reviews to be based on "clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities" that could — if proven true — affect the outcome of a federal election in an individual state. The attorney general also said his memo should not be taken to suggest the Justice Department has "concluded that voting irregularities have impacted the outcome of any election." Despite those caveats, Barr's policy is regarded as contributing to Trump's "disinformation campaign about voting," as NPR reported Monday night. And former Justice Department officials were quick to criticize the memo as overtly partisan."

Barr has again disgraced himself. Continues to talk out both sides his ass. Claims there are "clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities" while denying that the 'Justice' Department has "concluded that voting irregularities have impacted the outcome of any election." That's called double talk, i.e. bullshit. To protect the sorry ass of his fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

NBC News reports:

"Democratic House committee chairmen on Tuesday sent letters to the White House and more than 50 federal agencies demanding that they preserve all records now that Joe Biden is projected as president-elect. "As the Trump Administration prepares for the transition of power to the new Biden Administration, we write to remind you that all Executive Office of the President employees and officials must comply with record preservation obligations set forth in federal law and preserve information relevant to congressional oversight," the chairmen wrote to White House Counsel Pat Cipollone. The White House and Biden transition team did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC News. The letters state that the administration must preserve records in accordance with the Presidential Records Act and other federal regulations regarding record-keeping. The Democrats demanded that the administration retain "all documents that are or may be potentially responsive to any congressional inquiry, request, investigation, or subpoena that was initiated, continued, or otherwise undertaken during the 116th Congress." The records, the Democrats said, include both hard copies, electronic messages and metadata pertaining to official government business from both official and personal accounts and devices. "Over the last four years, the administration obstructed numerous congressional investigations by refusing to provide responsive information," the chairmen wrote. "You are obligated to ensure that any information previously requested by Congress — and any other information that is required by law to be preserved — is saved and appropriately archived in a manner that is easily retrievable." The Presidential Records Act, passed in 1978, requires the president to preserve and eventually make public all records pertaining to their official duties. Last month, a dozen pro-transparency groups wrote to the National Archives and Records Administration, urging it to outline how it was ensuring such records were being preserved."

NBC News reports:

"As President Donald Trump continues to fight the presidential election results, numerous people close to him are expressing concern that he's spiraling into rage and hurting his own legacy, as well as the Republican Party. Those concerns were exacerbated Monday when Trump blindsided officials throughout the White House and at the Pentagon by firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper with a tweet, multiple people close to the president said. The hope, these people said, is that this week ends differently from the last and that the president's lawsuits challenging the election results in multiple states quickly run their course. The moment is particularly perilous, even for a White House that has powered through on chaos for nearly four years, with all the uncertainty unfolding against the backdrop of a new coronavirus outbreak among the president's closest advisers — including his chief of staff and the top lawyer on his campaign legal team. "There needs to be a candid conversation with the president. There is no path to victory," said a person close to Trump, who said Trump "deserves his day in court" but added that continuing to cast doubt on the election results "destroys his legacy." "It distracts from the legacy he has to be proud of and marginalizes him," this person said. "It does not behoove him to drag this out much further." Another Trump ally described the goal of the lawsuits and public statements alleging voter fraud as "branding Trump as something other than a loser."

Trump is precisely that, -- a loser. A failure. A failed presidency. History will not be kind, nor forgiving.

"Most of those close to the president recognize that the legal battles aren't going to change the outcome, but few, if any, are telling him that."

They're hopelessly gutless.

"Some officials' actions, allies said, made it clear how little confidence there is that Trump's legal strategy will prevail. Vice President Mike Pence, for example, is scheduled to leave Tuesday for vacation in Florida through the weekend. "All you need to know is that Pence is going on vacation," a person close to Trump said when asked about the prospects for his legal fight. Even before the election, Trump had doubts that he would win. According to a person familiar with the conversations, Trump told advisers in the weeks before Nov. 3 that he would consider a presidential run in 2024 if he lost. He's mentioned the idea again over the past week, and his allies have discussed his possibly setting up a super PAC. And there is division and tension within Trump's team over whether he should appear at so-called recount rallies his campaign has suggested it might hold. Trump has told people he wants to thank and honor his supporters in some way, according to a person familiar with the discussions. But allies are concerned about the optics of and fallout from "recount" rallies when the electoral writing is very clearly on the wall. There is also concern that Trump has not addressed the public since Thursday. Trump's mood has vacillated in recent days between somewhat entertaining the idea that he has lost re-election to defiantly refusing to accept defeat, some of his allies say. White House and Trump campaign officials, however, have begun to update their résumés. "Everybody's worried about their post-presidency legacy," one Trump ally said. Over the weekend, when Trump spent time at his golf club in Virginia, there were moments when he brought up the idea that he might lose and how he might proceed in the White House over the next nine weeks and then after he leaves office. But then Trump became more dug in on the notion of election fraud and at times was ranting about it to guests at his club. "He's never, ever going to admit he didn't win," another ally said."

That's called insanity. Sad, isn't it?

11-13-20

As frightening as all the above remains, there is worse, far worse. The Washington Post reports:

"As president, Donald Trump selectively revealed highly classified information to attack his adversaries, gain political advantage and to impress or intimidate foreign governments, in some cases jeopardizing U.S. intelligence capabilities. As an ex-president, there’s every reason to worry he will do the same, thus posing a unique national security dilemma for the Biden administration, current and former officials and analysts said. All presidents exit the office with valuable national secrets in their heads, including the procedures for launching nuclear weapons, intelligence-gathering capabilities — including assets deep inside foreign governments — and the development of new and advanced weapon systems. But no new president has ever had to fear that his predecessor might expose the nation’s secrets as President-elect Joe Biden must with Trump, current and former officials said. Not only does Trump have a history of disclosures, he checks the boxes of a classic counterintelligence risk: He is deeply in debt and angry at the U.S. government, particularly what he describes as the “deep state” conspiracy that he believes tried to stop him from winning the White House in 2016 and what he falsely claims is an illegal effort to rob him of reelection. “Anyone who is disgruntled, dissatisfied or aggrieved is a risk of disclosing classified information, whether as a current or former officeholder. Trump certainly fits that profile,” said David Priess, a former CIA officer and author of “The President’s Book of Secrets,” a history of the top-secret intelligence briefings that presidents and their staff receive while in office. The White House did not respond to a request for comment."

What could they say? They've known from the day Trump took office he presented a security risk. Wasn't playing with a full deck. Yet, remained gutlessly silent. Placed their best interests first. Over country and the public they egregiously failed to serve.

"As president, Trump has access to all classified information in the government and the authority to declassify and share any of it, for any reason. After he leaves office, he still will have access to the classified records of his administration. But the legal ability to disclose them disappears once Biden is sworn in January."

Small comfort, isn't it? Yet, there may be hope:

"Many concerned experts were quick to note that Trump reportedly paid scant attention during his presidential intelligence briefings and has never evinced a clear understanding of how the national security apparatus works. His ignorance may be the best counterweight to the risk he poses. “A knowledgeable and informed president with Trump’s personality characteristics, including lack of self-discipline, would be a disaster. The only saving grace here is that he hasn’t been paying attention,” said Jack Goldsmith, who ran the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department in the George W. Bush administration and is the co-author of “After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency.” “He probably doesn’t know much about collection details. But he will have bits and pieces,” said retired Brig Gen. Peter B. Zwack, who served as a military intelligence officer and was the senior U.S. defense attache to Russia from 2012 to 2014. The chances are low that Trump knows the fine details of intelligence, such as the name of a spy or where an intelligence agency may have planted a surveillance device. But he almost certainly knows significant facts about the process of gathering intelligence that would be valuable to adversaries."

That alone is a national security threat.

“The president is going to run into and possibly absorb a lot of the capacity and capabilities that you have in intelligence,” said John Fitzpatrick, a former intelligence officer and expert on the security systems used to protect classified information, including after a president leaves office. The kinds of information Trump is likely to know, Fitzpatrick, said, include special military capabilities, details about cyber weapons and espionage, the kinds of satellites the United States uses and the parameters of any covert actions that, as president, only Trump had the power to authorize. He also knows the information that came from U.S. spies and collection platforms, which could expose sources even if he did not know precisely how the information was obtained. In a now infamous Oval Office meeting in 2017, Trump told Russia’s foreign minister and ambassador to the United States about highly classified information the United States had received from an ally about Islamic State threats to aviation, which jeopardized the source, according to people familiar with the incident."

Yet, the Republican Nazi Right stood behind him. Sadly, to date.

"By bragging about intelligence capabilities, Trump put them at risk. And he has been similarly careless when trying to intimidate adversaries. In August 2019, he tweeted a detailed aerial image of an Iranian launchpad. Such photos are among the most highly guarded pieces of intelligence because they can reveal precise details about technical spying capabilities. Using publicly available records, Internet sleuths were able to determine which satellite took the image and identify its orbit based on the image Trump disclosed. Experts worry that Trump’s braggadocio may lead him to spill secrets at a rally or in a tete-a-tete with a foreign adversary. One former official imagined Trump boasting about the technical features of Air Force One, or where the United States had dispatched spy drones."

This has clearly been a problem since Trump took office. Yet, Republicans have remained gutlessly silent. Democrats engage in empty rhetoric.

"Trump has also demonstrated a willingness to declassify information for political advantage, pushing his senior officials to reveal documents from the 2016 probe of Russian election interference and possible links to Trump’s campaign."

That's called aggressive stupidity from an idiot unfit for office.

"Last month, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, a Trump loyalist, made public a set of handwritten notes and a referral to the FBI concerning intelligence that the United States had obtained on Russia, and its belief that Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign would try to tie the hacking and leaking of Democratic Party emails to Russia to deflect from the controversy around Clinton’s use of a private email server. Those declassified documents were heavily redacted. But according to people familiar with their contents, they may have revealed enough information to point the Russian government to a valuable source of intelligence the United States has, and is now at risk of losing."

In view of all the above, why has the intelligence community remained nearly silent vis a vis this ongoing, exigent threat from the Trump nazi the last four years?

Clearly, the threat is real:

"Experts agreed that the biggest risk Trump poses out of office is the clumsy release of information. But they didn’t rule out that he might trade secrets, perhaps in exchange for favors, to ingratiate himself with prospective clients in foreign countries or to get back at his perceived enemies. When he leaves office, Trump will be facing a crushing amount of debt, including hundreds of millions of dollars in loans that he has personally guaranteed. “People with significant debt are always of grave concern to security professionals,” said Larry Pfeiffer, a veteran intelligence officer and former chief of staff to CIA Director Michael V. Hayden. “The human condition is a frail one. And people in dire situations make dire decisions. Many of the individuals who’ve committed espionage against our country are people who are financially vulnerable.”

Frightening, isn't it?

"As a practical matter, there’s little that the Biden administration can do to stop Trump from blurting out national secrets. Former presidents do not sign nondisclosure agreements when they leave office. They have a right to access information from their administration, including classified records, said Fitzpatrick, who served as the director of the Information Security Oversight Office at the National Archives and Records Administration, which houses former presidents’ records."

Time for all that to change. In the interest of national security. Have we forgotten the president is not a king? That in a democratic republic the people are sovereign?

"They’re expected to safeguard information, as they did while in office. “But outside the confines of the Presidential Records Act, there is no boundary except the president’s behavior,” he said."

Needs to immediately change.

"A President Biden could refuse to give Trump any intelligence briefings, which ex-presidents have received before meeting with foreign leaders or embarking on diplomatic missions at the current president’s request. “I think that tradition ends with Trump,” Priess said. “It’s based on courtesy and the idea that presidents may call on their predecessors for frank advice. I don’t see Joe Biden calling up Trump to talk about intricate national security and intelligence issues. And I don’t think Biden will send him anywhere as an emissary.” The last line of defense, like so many chapters in Trump’s presidency, would pose unprecedented considerations: criminal prosecution. The Espionage Act has been successfully used to convict current and former government officials who disclose information that damages U.S. national security. It has never been used against a former president. But as of Jan. 20, 2021, Trump becomes a private citizen, and the immunity he enjoys from criminal prosecution vanishes."

Sadly, the system no longer works when partisanship trumps patriotism. The failure of Republicans in the Senate to convict their fuhrer, the Trump nazi during his impeachment trial speaks volumes. So does their continued goose stepping with the bastard as he continues to fail to acknowledge his loss to Biden in the recent election.

11-13-20

U.S. Supreme Court tips its hand? The Associated Press reports:

"The Supreme Court seemed likely Tuesday to leave in place the bulk of the Affordable Care Act, including key protections for pre-existing health conditions and subsidized insurance premiums that affect tens of millions of Americans. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, among the conservative justices, appeared in two hours of arguments to be unwilling to strike down the entire law — a long-held Republican goal that has repeatedly failed in Congress and the courts — even if they were to find the law’s now-toothless mandate for obtaining health insurance to be unconstitutional. The court’s three liberal justices are almost certain to vote to uphold the law in its entirety and presumably would form a majority by joining a decision that cut away only the mandate, which now has no financial penalty attached to it. Congress zeroed out the penalty in 2017, but left the rest of the law untouched. “Would Congress want the rest of the law to survive if the unconstitutional provision were severed? Here, Congress left the rest of the law intact,” Roberts said. “That seems to be a compelling answer to the question.” For his part, Kavanaugh said recent decisions by the court suggest “that the proper remedy would be to sever the mandate and leave the rest of the act in place.” A week after the 2020 election, the justices heard arguments by telephone in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in the court’s third major case over the 10-year-old law, popularly known as “Obamacare.” Republican attorneys general in 18 states and the administration want the whole law to be struck down, which would threaten coverage for more than 23 million people. California, leading a group of Democratic-controlled states, and the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives are urging the court to leave the law in place.

"A decision is expected by late spring."

11-6-20

Outrageous abuse of federal power. ... Hear the rumble? NBC News reports:

"Feds go after protesters with rarely used civil disorder law enacted in 1960s. The statute has been used in at least two dozen cases across the country. But legal experts worry it can be "a dangerous road to go down."

Called jackbooted nazism.

"When announcing federal charges against four men accused of torching police cars in Philadelphia during a protest in May, U.S. Attorney William McSwain gave a stark warning: He would use the full force of the federal government against others who cause mayhem. "If you engage in violent civil unrest and commit a federal crime in this district, we will come after you as hard as we can," McSwain, of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said at a news conference Thursday. "You will go to jail." In addition to the arson offenses, federal prosecutors said a grand jury had charged the men with one count each of "obstructing law enforcement in the commission of their duties during a civil disorder."

Called nazi bullshit. Adolf and Benito would have been proud. Think they're not wildly cheering on their fiery perches?

"The statu[t]e, which dates back to 1968 and was enacted during a tumultuous period of civil rights and anti-war protests, has rarely been used following the Nixon administration, legal scholars say. But this year, in the aftermath of nationwide unrest set off by the killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis who died after being pinned by a police officer's knee, federal prosecutors have leveled the civil discourse-related charge in at least two dozen cases across the country, a review by NBC News has found."

Clearly, the Trump nazi and his henchmen are stupidly doing all they can to trigger an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming.

"While Philadelphia is now the latest city where the charge has come up, U.S. attorneys have included them in cases in Houston; in Boston; in Chicago; in Delaware; in South Carolina; in Mobile, Alabama; in Rochester, New York; in Erie, Pennsylvania; and in Portland, Oregon, where there has been no fewer than seven cases of protest-related civil disorder charges. "It was almost never used until this current administration," said Stephen Kanter, an attorney and dean emeritus at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland. "It's not normal to have this amount of aggressive, federal law enforcement in situations where the state and local jurisdictions are functioning well and can handle these cases," Kanter said, "and so in some cities, prosecution is being done against the will of even the local prosecutor."

Called raw nazism. Clearly, Trump and his henchmen know our formerly great country remains at a dangerous precipice. There is no way the status quo is sustainable. We live in an intolerable de facto fascist police-state. Too deaf to hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

"This past summer, the newly elected district attorney in Portland, Mike Schmidt, said he would not presumptively prosecute people who have been arrested since late May for minor offenses, including interfering with the police, disorderly conduct and trespassing at protests, unless under extraordinary circumstances. The city became a flash point for daily violence and unrest when residents and local leaders accused federal officers — dispatched under the Trump administration — of acting beyond the scope of protecting federal property while using "police state-like tactics."

Raw nazism.

"Scores of people were arrested on various federal charges by agents guarding the federal courthouse, and the alleged crimes have ranged from arson to setting off explosives. While it is routine for the federal government to seek prosecution of someone who damages federal property or assaults a federal officer, taking on cases with clear, underlying state or local crimes suggests the feds are overstepping and choosing to apply laws that might incur a heavier penalty, Kanter said. The civil disorder charge is a felony offense that carries up to five years in prison. What makes it of federal interest is when the protest in some way obstructs, delays or adversely affects commerce between states, like when demonstrators shut down highways and effectively stop trucks from delivering goods. The civil disorder charges in Philadelphia involve two separate cases. In one case, three men — identified as Khalif Miller, 25, and Anthony Smith, 29, both of Philadelphia, and Carlos Matchett, 30, of Atlantic City, New Jersey — are accused of starting a fire in a Philadelphia police patrol car with a road flare and putting combustible materials in the vehicle, prosecutors said. The other case involves a man — Ayoub Tabri, 24, of Arlington, Virginia — who on that same day is accused of using a road flare to set a Pennsylvania State Police vehicle on fire. A six-page indictment against Miller, Smith and Matchett does not detail who specifically set the patrol car on fire or provide evidence that the men knew one another or were part of a larger network.

"Here are my remarks from today’s press conference. In case you would like a summary, here it is. Peaceful protest = good. Violence and arson = bad. Don’t commit violence and arson. Unless you want to go to federal prison for many years. https://t.co/WMnmrUK0jq
— US Attorney William M. McSwain (@USAttyMcSwain) October 29, 2020"

Called insurrection. Prelude to the unthinkable, unwanted, a second American revolution catastrophically looming. -- A revolution law enforcement, the Trump nazi, and his henchmen are doing all they can to incite.

"Supporters of Smith, a Black activist and social studies teacher in West Philadelphia, believe he was specifically targeted by federal prosecutors. He is also a member of the grassroots Philadelphia Coalition for Racial Economic and Legal Justice. "The charges are ridiculous," said coalition spokesperson Deandra Jefferson, adding that Smith has yet to see his lawyer or obtain a bail hearing."

Why hasn't your organization dragged nazi jackbooted federal government goons and their handlers into court? What are you waiting for?

"Another supporter, Jackson Kusiak, of the Human Rights Coalition of Pennsylvania, said the charges are politically motivated by the U.S. attorney. "I think this is case-in-point where they're taking orders from Attorney General William Barr, they're unsealing indictments within a week of an election, and they're applying a law that hasn't been used since the Nixon administration," Kusiak said."

All the more reason these fascist government bastards should have been quickly dragged into court.

"McSwain, the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, denied his office charged Smith because he is a prominent activist, telling reporters on Thursday that "we do not investigate people at the U.S. Attorney's Office; we investigate alleged criminal behavior."

You're a goddamned disingenuous liar, Counselor. Why aren't you dragging the exponentially increasing number of criminal jackbooted bastards in blue into court who are murdering innocent unarmed civilians with impunity?

"McSwain has previously sparred with Philadelphia's district attorney, Larry Krasner, a Democrat, accusing him of supporting anti-law enforcement rhetoric and "making excuses for criminals."

Called the First Amendment Freedom of Speech, Counselor. Time to wake up, you fascist piece of human excrement. Critics are NOT anti-law enforcement. Quite the contrary. They remain opposed to nazi storm troopers in blue who deliberately shit on all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. To abuse authority. Get their cookies off. Time to figuratively remove your clueless head from your sorry ass, Counselor. It's unbecoming. Worse? Highly demonstrative of your hopeless aggressive stupidity. -- 'Can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.'

"Krasner's office on Friday declined to comment about the civil disorder charge brought by McSwain against protesters, but confirmed that the cases against those individuals had not been referred to the district attorney for review. When asked about the use of the civil disorder charge, McSwain's office said Friday that it does not comment on charging decisions but "when the facts of a case fit a particular statute, we use it."

Called jackbooted nazism, you fascist piece of shit.

"The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the apparent rise in civil disorder charges against demonstrators and whether it's part of a larger directive by Barr and the Trump administration to federal prosecutors to aggressively pursue charges for violent actions, which The Associated Press previously reported. President Donald Trump has painted certain protesters in major cities as being affiliated with left-wing extremist groups and attempting to sow anarchy — tied to his broader effort to use "law and order" as a major message of his re-election campaign. An AP report this month found that very few of those arrested during racial injustice protests this year were linked to anti-fascist extremist organizations, and many were young, from the suburbs and had no previous run-ins with police, according to court documents."

The Trump nazi and his henchmen can't, won't be confused by the truth. Too damned aggressively stupid. Forget? 'Can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.'

"In Mobile, Alabama, protester Tia Pugh, 21, became the focus of a federal investigation after authorities say she used a bat to smash the window of a Mobile Police Department cruiser while an officer was in it as demonstrators took to the streets on May 31. Initially, Mobile police arrested Pugh and charged her with inciting a riot and criminal mischief, which are both misdemeanors in Alabama. But a week later, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Alabama announced it was going further, charging her with civil disorder. A trial is set for December, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney said, referring questions about the case to the criminal affidavit. The affidavit argues that although protesters were unsuccessful in getting onto Interstate 10, which provides access to downtown Mobile, "this civil disorder still affected interstate commerce."

Jesus Christ. That's goddamned bullshit. Proof positive how desperate Trump and his henchmen are of insurrection leading to open revolution. -- Gallingly ironic, since it is their nazi behavior which is leading to all this unrest.

"Pugh's attorney, George Armstrong, said he's never had to deal with a civil disorder charge and believes federal prosecutors should have left the case to the local municipal court. "I've been practicing in defense in the federal court system since 1990, and this is the first time I'm aware this has ever been charged or brought in this district," Armstrong said. Pugh has no criminal record, he added, and on the day of the protest, two weeks after Floyd's death, "emotions and passions were still high. She was a young, African American woman reacting to that moment." Kanter, the law professor, said people engaged in illegal activity must be held accountable. But "it's a dangerous road to go down," he added, if the government chooses to misuse the law."

It could lead to the unthinkable, unwanted. A second American revolution catastrophically looming. Ferociously pointedly, consider the hypocrisy. Prosecutors all across our formerly great country are refusing to prosecute criminal, jackbooted bastards in blue who murder innocent, unarmed civilians. They're protecting these criminal sons of bitches.

"It's one thing if state and local officials are asking for the federal government to prosecute," Kanter said, "but the mere fact you did something criminal doesn't mean you somehow violated federal interests."

That's right. Conversely, it's also quite true state and local officers who murder on the job are a threat to federal interests including the rule of law. Yet, seldom are these murderous pieces of shit charged federally.

11-6-20

Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the ass backwards world of the Trump nazi. NPR reports:

"Three civil rights groups filed a federal class-action lawsuit Thursday challenging the Trump administration's recent crackdown on diversity training. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Urban League and National Fair Housing Alliance call President Trump's Sept. 22 executive order "chillingly punitive" censorship that violates guarantees of free speech, equal protection and due process.

"A few weeks ago, I BANNED efforts to indoctrinate government employees with divisive and harmful sex and race-based ideologies. Today, I've expanded that ban to people and companies that do business...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2020

"Trump's executive order prohibits certain diversity training that the administration says amounts to "divisive, anti-American propaganda." In the five weeks since the order was signed, critics say it has had a widespread chilling effect as federal agencies, the military, government contractors and grant recipients scramble to figure out how to comply. The order targets diversity training grounded in what the administration terms a "malign ideology" that "threatens to infect core institutions of our country." Such an ideology, the order says, "is rooted in the pernicious and false belief that America is an irredeemably racist and sexist country." The order applies broadly to federal agencies and the military as well as government contractors and recipients of federal grants, including universities and nonprofits.

"All three of these trainings from @StateDept, @EPA, and @DeptVetAffairs have been cancelled. Thanks for the help. https://t.co/5qkSgnGEtO
— Russ Vought (@RussVought45) September 22, 2020

"The departments of State, Justice and Veterans Affairs are among those that have suspended all diversity and inclusion training programs while they review their content. Many companies and universities have done the same."

Expect better of an out of control racist nazi?

Gets worse. Get this:

"The executive order also directs the Department of Labor to establish a government hotline encouraging "employees and other concerned members of the public" to ask questions or complain about diversity training they find offensive or potentially unlawful, for possible investigation. The hotline has received more than 140 responses in the five weeks since it was set up."

No question. The Aryan arrogance of an Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. Trump, -- reincarnation of both.

"The plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit this week say that hotline carries with it "alarming ... echoes of McCarthyism."

Again, no question.

"A White House memorandum warns that contractors found in violation could have their contracts suspended or canceled. Noncompliance by federal employees, the memo says, "will result in consequences, which may include adverse action."

Achingly, clueless:

"Asked to explain the reasoning behind the order at the Sept. 29 presidential debate, Trump said, "They were teaching people that our country is a horrible place. It's a racist place. And they were teaching people to hate our country. And I'm not going to allow that to happen."

Trump is insane. Presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"When Michelle Kim first heard about Trump's executive order, which is titled "Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping," she says, "My first immediate thought was, here we go." Kim is co-founder and CEO of the company Awaken, based in Oakland, Calif., which provides workshops on diversity, equity and inclusion to businesses. Her apprehension proved justified. It wasn't long after the order was issued that she heard from a concerned corporate client, asking Kim to review her materials to ensure they did not include any of the prohibited concepts. Terms the Trump administration has singled out as potentially problematic include "white privilege," "systemic racism," "unconscious bias," "intersectionality," "racial humility" and "critical race theory." Kim told her client that while she could theoretically avoid use of the term "white privilege" in her talk, if she did so, "I would be agreeing with the spirit of the ask, which is problematic on its own." She offered to nullify her speaking agreement, but in the end, she was able to assuage her client's concerns. Her talk on power and privilege in the workplace went forward. Still, Kim says, damage has been done: "Instead of us being focused on actually fighting racism and being anti-racist, now we are scrambling to figure out the legal ramifications of it. I think in many ways the executive order has succeeded in creating that distraction." The Trump administration's order, Kim believes, is founded on a gross misunderstanding of diversity training: the mistaken belief that it's all about blaming and vilifying white people. (The word "scapegoating" appears seven times in the executive order.) That misconception is not just wrong, Kim says, but it's also dangerous. "Somehow we've gotten to a place where we believe fighting against racism is anti-patriotic," she says. "That's where we are as a society. And that's a really scary place to be."

Raw nazism is what it's called:

"Joelle Emerson, co-founder and CEO of the diversity, equity and inclusion strategy firm Paradigm, admits to being "extremely naive" when she first read the executive order. "I didn't believe that any of our clients would be fazed by this," Emerson says. "I was like, 'This is clearly propaganda. It's fascist propaganda. It's a dog whistle to Trump's base, and organizations that care about diversity, equity and inclusion are going to be just as offended by this order as we are.' And I was wrong." As a result of the order, Emerson lost a client, a government contractor that decided to put all of its diversity training on hold. The president's crackdown on diversity training is part of a broader culture war, Emerson says, a battle that plays on people's fears about what diversity represents. That fear, she says, is that "diversity is not for you. Diversity training is all about making you feel guilty about who you are, depriving you of your rights." "Of course," she says, "none of that is accurate, but that's a fear that many white people have about diversity efforts. And this seems to be speaking directly to that fear, and trying very hard to tap into that fear, and sow division and discord."

That's what nazis do. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were masters at this shit. Readers are reminded we lost hundreds of thousands of our best and brightest during the Second World War European Theater fighting fascism. Time to wake up. Before too late.

"At the employment law firm Littler Mendelson, Chris Gokturk has been fielding a flood of calls from companies that have government contracts. "It's been a rough few weeks!" Gokturk says. "There's not enough hours in the day." Gokturk helps businesses with their affirmative action and diversity programs, and since the order came out, her clients have had a lot of questions. "The most common thing is, should we stop all of our diversity training? Should we just stop?" she says. "And, at first I said, 'No. You've vetted your training, you always review it and everything else.' " Gokturk pauses. "And then the hotline went up." That email and telephone government hotline encourages people to submit information confidentially on training programs that involve "prohibited race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating." "This is asking Americans to be surveilling other Americans, and this is — y'know, it's chilling. It's absolutely chilling," Stanford University sociology professor Shelley Correll says."

It's called nazism. Wake up. History is repeating itself. Great evil.

"She studies gender and organizational diversity, and conducts unconscious bias training. Correll fears the chilling effect could extend beyond what's specified in the executive order and threaten free speech in academia. It's a concern she's heard from fellow faculty across the country. "There's a lot of worry that this is just step one, and that this is going to lead to restrictions in terms of what we teach in the classroom," Correll says. "It may take universities really pushing back as we go forward."

Jesus Christ. Wake up.

The fascist son of a bitch in the Oval Office fails to follow his own advice. Would be laughable if not so exigent a threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties:

"The executive order specifies that "divisive concepts" can be discussed in an academic setting if they're done "in an objective manner and without endorsement." The president's action is both "stunningly off-base" and ill-timed, Correll says: "It's an executive order that has come out at a time when interest in diversity training is higher than it's ever been, at a time when for the first time in polling history, the majority of Americans think that racism in our country is a serious problem. So people are paying attention. And at this moment, the executive order comes out. I don't think that's coincidental."

It's not. Far from it. It's engineered by a racist fascist who knows he's wallowed in the dust heap of nazi ideology.

"Of course, if Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden were to take office in January, he could undo the order with the stroke of a pen. The Biden campaign declined to say whether he would rescind the order but told NPR, "Vice President Biden stands firmly against discrimination of all kinds and his administration will tackle systemic racism and other forms of discrimination across all of our laws, policies, and institutions."

The failure of the Biden campaign to unequivocally state Biden would indeed rescind the order is outrageously chilling in and of itself. Speaks volumes.

11-6-20

Trump's son as delusional as dear old dad. CBS News reports:

"Donald Trump Jr. claimed that COVID-19 deaths have dropped to "almost nothing" Thursday, a day that saw a record-breaking number of new cases in which almost 1,000 Americans died of the virus. In an interview with Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham, President Trump's son said that data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed a declining death rate. "I went through the CDC data, because I kept hearing about new infections, but I was like, 'Why aren't they talking about this?'" Trump Jr. said. "Oh, because the number is almost nothing. Because we've gotten control of this thing, we understand how it works. They have the therapeutics to be able to deal with this." Trump Jr. also pointed to a post on his Instagram account that he claimed gave a more accurate picture of deaths in the U.S. "If you look at my Instagram account, it's gone to almost nothing," Trump Jr. said."

Think so? Wake up:

"Over 228,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and nearly 9 million have contracted the virus. There were nearly 89,000 new cases in the U.S. on Thursday, breaking the single-day record for new cases, and nearly 1,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. Trump Jr.'s words echo those of his father, who has also downplayed the severity of the pandemic. Mr. Trump has appeared at several large rallies in recent weeks where there is limited social distancing and few people are wearing masks. Although Mr. Trump contracted the virus earlier this month, he received treatment most Americans do not have access to, including an experimental therapeutic produced by Regeneron. "With the fake news, everything is COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID," Mr. Trump said in a rally in Nebraska earlier this week. "I had it. Here I am, right?"

Nothing quite like a delusional, congenital liar, is there?

"Meanwhile, several critical swing states in the upcoming election have seen an uptick in cases in recent weeks. Mr. Trump is visiting Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan on Friday, all of which have seen an increase in cases in the past week."

A racist nazi can't, won't be confused by the truth.

11-6-20

The following is inexplicable, but certainly not surprising considering the Trump nazi. NPR reports:

"The ICU at Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Fla., was 99% full this week, according to an internal report produced by the federal government. It's among numerous hospitals the report highlighted with ICUs filled to over 90% capacity. As coronavirus cases rise swiftly around the country, surpassing both the spring and summer surges, health officials brace for a coming wave of hospitalizations and deaths. Knowing which hospitals in which communities are reaching capacity could be key to an effective response to the growing crisis. That information is gathered by the federal government — but not shared openly with the public."

Why not? Why are Trump and his henchmen sitting on this?

"NPR has obtained documents that give a snapshot of data the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services collects and analyzes daily. The documents — reports sent to agency staffers — highlight trends in hospitalizations and pinpoint cities nearing full hospital capacity and facilities under stress. They paint a granular picture of the strain on hospitals across the country that could help local citizens decide when to take extra precautions against COVID-19. Withholding this information from the public and the research community is a missed opportunity to help prevent outbreaks and even save lives, say public health and data experts who reviewed the documents for NPR."

'Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.'

"At this point, I think it's reckless. It's endangering people," says Ryan Panchadsaram, co-founder of the website COVID Exit Strategy and a former data official in the Obama administration. "We're now in the third wave, and I think our only way out is really open, transparent and actionable information." The documents show that detailed information hospitals report to HHS every day is reviewed and analyzed — but circulation seems to be limited to a few dozen government staffers from HHS and its agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health, according to distribution lists reviewed by NPR. Only one member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Adm. Brett Giroir, appears to receive the documents directly."

Fascinating, isn't it?

"Our goal is to be as transparent as possible, while still protecting privacy," an HHS spokesperson wrote in an email to NPR. "HHS and the White House Coronavirus Task Force utilize hospital capacity data to gain greater insights into how COVID-19 is spreading and impacting the population, and to better inform response efforts like staff deployments and supply shipments." What data is being collected and shared internally? The daily reports show county, city and hospital-level details, as well as national analyses that HHS does not post online."

Why not? Because it does not goose step in line with the Trump nazi and his henchmen?

"For instance, the most recent report obtained by NPR, dated Oct 27, lists cities where hospitals are filling up, including the metro areas of Atlanta, Minneapolis and Baltimore, where in-patient hospital beds are over 80% full. It also lists specific hospitals reaching max capacity, including facilities in Tampa, Birmingham and New York that are at over 95% ICU capacity and at risk of running out of intensive care beds."

The public is entitled to this information. Would serve as an indicator of Trump Administration success or failure in controlling the pandemic.

"In reviewing the analysis obtained by NPR, Panchadsaram says the local and hospital-level data HHS is collecting would be very useful to researchers and health leaders. "That stuff isn't easy to find at a national level," he says. "There's no one place [publicly] you can go to get all that data."

Why not? That's outrageous. Trump and his henchmen are figuratively burying their heads in the sand.

"Hospitalization data is invaluable in looking ahead to see where and when outbreaks are getting worse, says Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. "Right now, as we head into the fall and winter surge," Murray says, "we're trying to put more emphasis on predicting where systems will be overwhelmed." But what's missing for this kind of planning, he says, is "exactly the information" that appears in the internal report."

Fascinating, isn't it? Delusionally believe Trump and his henchmen are operating in the best interests of the public they purportedly serve? ... Or, far more likely, self-servingly, their own.

"NPR has reviewed several of these reports generated in the past month. They present trends in hospital use, including increases in ventilator usage, along with a growing number of inpatient and ICU beds being occupied by COVID-19 patients. The Oct. 27 report showed that all three measures have increased by 14%-16% in the past month. About 24% of U.S. hospitals are using more than 80% of their ICU capacity, based on reporting from nearly 5,000 "priority facilities," and more hospitals have joined their ranks in recent weeks. A page from a report shared internally to HHS staffers shows the rising percentage of hospital ICUs that are at or above 80% capacity. It reflects data as of Oct. 27. Researchers say observing these trend lines can help the nation know how to prepare for surge and be ready to intervene before systems become overwhelmed. Daily hospitalization numbers in particular are key measures for tracking pandemic hotspots, Murray says, because they reflect the number of severe COVID-19 cases in a community. "The best possible measure of where we are in the pandemic, and the one we would want to anchor modeling to, is daily hospitalizations," he says, which give an early warning of deaths that will likely follow. Panchadsaram's data-tracking site COVID Exit Strategy pulls state-level hospital capacity estimates from HHS when they're updated, which generally happens once a week. In reviewing the reports obtained by NPR, Panchadsaram says it's clear that vital data is flowing into HHS daily. "But sharing with the public seems to be an afterthought," he says."

Trump and his henchmen couldn't care less.

"HHS tells NPR that more than 800 state-level employees have access to the daily hospitalization data it gathers, but only for their own state, unless another state grants them permission to view its data."

Why is that? Called aggressive stupidity.

"Without a larger view into national or regional data, some states — like Tennessee, which has eight bordering states — are missing out on valuable regional data, says Melissa McPheeters, who directs the Center for Improving the Public's Health through Informatics at Vanderbilt University. "Hospitals in Tennessee serve patients who are from Arkansas and Mississippi and Kentucky and Georgia and vice versa, and so we're a little bit blind to what's going on there," she says. "When we see hospitals that are particularly near those state borders having increases, one of the things we can't tell is: Is that because hospitals in an adjacent state are full? What's going on there? And that could be a really important piece of the picture."

Trump and his henchmen can't, won't be confused by the truth.

"Lisa M. Lee, former chief science officer for public health surveillance at the CDC, now at Virginia Tech, says the federal government could help states work together across borders. "It's very challenging for states to get the multistate view of things," she says. "It's just a lot easier when there's a knowledgeable third-party who can pull the data together, make them consistent across states and actually tell the story of what the information shows." Typically, she says, this role would be fulfilled by the CDC, but the agency was stripped of its role in collecting COVID-19 hospital data in July."

Why? Why did that happen? Wake up. You're being bamboozled by Trump and his henchmen.

"This kind of visibility into data could help policymakers decide how best to curb the spread of the virus. McPheeters and colleagues at Vanderbilt put out a report this week that found that Tennessee counties without mask mandates had more rapid increases in hospitalizations. That kind of analysis and insight would be possible at a much larger scale if HHS shared more granular hospitalization data, she says. It could influence behavior among the public, says Lee. "The neighborhood data, the county data and metro-area data can be really helpful for people to say, 'Whoa, they're not kidding, this is right here,'" she says. "It can help public health prevention folks get their messages across and get people to change their behavior."

Clearly, Trump and his henchmen want no part of that. Won't wear masks, refuse to engage in social distancing, etc.

"Experts who reviewed the internal documents for NPR say that even for the limited group of federal employees who get them, the daily reports are not as useful as they could be. "We're so focused on counting things but not contextualizing them," explains McPheeters. A community hospital might become overwhelmed at a different point than a big academic hospital, and without that context, she says, it's impossible to tell: "Is 75% [full] a good thing or is 75% a bad thing?" Health data experts NPR consulted had ideas on how to improve the analysis. For instance, Panchadsaram suggested that some of the county-level charts, currently presented as raw numbers, would be more useful if analyzed per capita. "You really need to adjust it to the number of people [in an area] to get a sense of where things are being overwhelmed," he says. And the quality of the underlying data is a concern. Health experts say the data quality was compromised by a controversial shift in data collection from the CDC to HHS in July, and that the issues with data quality have not been fully resolved. Hospitals have had to adjust to onerous new reporting requirements, and the hospital data is no longer checked and analyzed by seasoned epidemiologists and other experts at CDC. The daily trend documents circulated at HHS include this disclaimer: "This analysis depends on the data reported by hospitals. To the extent that the data is missing or inaccurate, this analysis will also reflect those issues." According to HHS data posted on Monday, just 62% of the nation's hospitals reported all the required information last week. But greater transparency, even of incomplete data, can be invaluable in a crisis, experts say."

Trump and his henchmen couldn't care less. Delusionally believe this pandemic will cure itself.

"HHS told NPR that since it took over collecting hospital capacity data, it has "consistently displayed state-level hospitalization data to help inform the public about COVID-19 prevalence in their communities." But public health experts say the state level data isn't detailed enough — and since the government is putting the effort into generating more granular daily analyses, it should share them. "Even though they're collecting all these things and putting so much effort behind it, it gets blocked when it tries to get out of the door," Panchadsaram says."

11-6-20

Retired Admiral stands tall. In an NBC News editorial, Adm. Steve Abbot opines:

"Earlier this week, President Donald Trump essentially rejected the legitimacy of ballots cast by thousands of military personnel serving overseas. “It would be very, very proper and very nice if a winner were declared on Nov. 3, instead of counting ballots for two weeks, which is totally inappropriate and I don't believe that that's by our laws” he told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. “I don't believe that. So we'll see what happens.” The 2020 election is a completely different ball game for military and veteran voters. The president recently commented that the troops love him, but the Pentagon brass don’t. To begin with, counting ballots after Election Day is in accordance with election law and the rules and regulations established by the individual states for the conduct of elections. Furthermore, it’s how overseas military ballots have been counted for years. Either Trump fails to recognize that discarding ballots received after Election Day disenfranchises thousands of overseas service members, or he’s aware of that and believes he may be losing their support and would be better off if their votes weren’t tallied."

LOL. Point well-made, Admiral. Sad, isn't it?

"Trump generally enjoyed strong support from the military during his first presidential bid — even after disparaging the late Sen. John McCain for being a prisoner of war, saying, “He’s not a war hero,” and, “I like people who weren’t captured.” An October 2016 Military Times poll of active-duty service members showed that 40.5 percent still planned to vote for Trump, with 34.3 percent intending to vote for a third-party candidate and only 20.6 percent supporting Hillary Clinton. But a Military Times survey conducted this August indicated former Vice President Joe Biden had 41.3 percent support from active-duty troops to Trump’s 37.4 percent. Third-party candidates came to just 12.8 percent — altogether, quite a shift from the 2016 poll. Another Military Times poll conducted earlier this month showed veterans 55 and older were more likely to vote for Trump, while younger veterans and female veterans overwhelmingly supported Biden."

Quite remarkable, isn't it?

"The change is particularly noticeable given that members of the military generally lean Republican. Ahead of the 2018 midterms, for instance, 45 percent of troops polled intended to vote for Republican-backed candidates, in comparison to 28 percent backing Democratic candidates. Military and veteran voters are not all homogenous, of course, and those who have supported Trump have done so for a variety of reasons, just as the Republican Party has usually attracted more military votes for a host of reasons. Among them are a belief that the Republicans are more supportive than the Democrats on defense spending and have greater respect for military culture. Many of these issues were in play at the end of President Barack Obama’s term, when Pentagon spending was cut and troops were still involved in what seemed like interminable conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. So it’s likely that Trump’s promises of defense budget increases and the withdrawal of overseas troops after Obama failed to deliver provided enough justification for many military members to vote for the now-president despite his personal vendetta against McCain, a Navy and national hero. So why is it that Trump is losing the military vote now? Since 2016, several major trends have helped turn the tide. The first is the treatment by the administration of our friends and allies, most notably the disparagement of NATO and its leaders. The second is the president’s relationship with autocrats and dictators. Many active service members and veterans found Trump’s interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin both troubling and puzzling. What would cause the president to say he trusted Putin more than his intelligence professionals? And what did the president accomplish in his chummy relationship with North Korean despot Kim Jung Un other than a more unstable environment in East Asia?"

Excellent questions, Admiral.

"More recently, there’s the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic by the administration and its devastating impact on military families. Additionally, there are the orders Trump gave the military to act on his personal behalf when he used force to clear protesters from Lafayette Square on June 1 so he could have a photo-op on the steps of St. John’s Episcopal Church, accompanied by Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley later apologized for his involvement after the incident was roundly criticized by several senior retired military officers."

For damned good reason.

The following is exponentially worse:

"And, as presaged by his attacks on McCain, the president’s derogatory comments about our soldiers and sailors have only gotten worse. Last month, The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg reported that Trump called Americans who died in war “suckers.” When the commander in chief was scheduled to visit an overseas American military cemetery, he mused to an adviser, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” before canceling his visit altogether."

That's beyond appalling. It's treasonous, traitorous, treacherous:

"Those Americans paid the ultimate price to protect our country and our freedom. Despite what the president has to say, those Americans are indeed our heroes."

They are. Made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

"So now the 2020 election is a completely different ball game for military and veteran voters. The president recently commented that the troops love him, but the Pentagon brass don’t. His words reflect an attitude that the military is just another entity he can manipulate for political purposes, further harming the traditional relationship between the president as commander in chief and our nation’s military leadership and forces. In the vernacular and at its core, Trump is attacking the foundation of the civilian-military relationship. All this is to say that Trump’s actions toward our service members have not gone unnoticed, neither by civilians nor by military personnel. Polling confirms just that. Our nation needs a leader who respects our military and understands the great sacrifice of our servicemen and women, not one who thinks of them as “losers.” Veterans and active-duty members of the military are intelligent, well-informed and capable of making their own decisions at the ballot box. I, for one, have decided that we need a new commander in chief. That’s why I signed onto a letter with more than 200 other retired generals and admirals endorsing Biden for president. Many of us have decided that Trump has crossed a line. Our nation needs a leader who respects our military and understands the great sacrifice of our servicemen and women, not one who thinks of them as “losers.”

"Adm. Steve Abbot

"Adm. Steve Abbot is a retired Navy officer and former deputy Homeland Security adviser during the George W. Bush administration. He currently serves as an adviser for National Security Leaders for Biden and is a co-chair of Count Every Hero."

11-6-20

Election uncertainty continues. The Associated Press reports:

"The fate of the United States presidency hung in the balance Wednesday as President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden battled for three familiar battleground states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — that could prove crucial in determining who wins the White House. It was unclear when or how quickly a winner could be determined. The latest vote counts in Michigan and Wisconsin gave Biden a small lead in those states, but it was still too early to call the races. Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said the president would formally request a Wisconsin recount, citing “irregularities in several Wisconsin counties.” The state allows for an apparent losing candidate to request a recount if the margin is less than 1%. Hundreds of thousands of votes were still to be counted in Pennsylvania. Neither candidate cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, and the margins were tight in several other battleground states. Top advisers for both Biden and Trump on Wednesday morning expressed confidence that they respectively had the likelier path to victory in the outstanding states. The margins were exceedingly tight in states across the country, with the candidates trading wins in battlegrounds. Trump picked up Florida, the largest of the swing states, while Biden flipped Arizona, a state that has reliably voted Republican in recent elections."

Trump remains an exigent threat to all civil and constitutional rights and liberties:

"Trump, in an extraordinary move from the White House, issued premature claims of victory and said he would take the election to the Supreme Court to stop the counting. It was unclear exactly what legal action he could try to pursue. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell discounted the president’s quick claim of victory, saying it would take a while for states to conduct their vote counts. The Kentucky Republican said Wednesday that “claiming you’ve won the election is different from finishing the counting.”

Clearly, the Trump nazi hasn't a clue.

"The president stayed out of the public eye but took to Twitter to suggest, without basis, that the election was being tainted by late-counted ballots. Twitter flagged a number of Trump’s tweets, noting some of the information shared was “disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process.” Biden, briefly appearing in front of supporters in Delaware, urged patience, saying the election “ain’t over until every vote is counted, every ballot is counted.” “It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare who’s won this election,” Biden said. “That’s the decision of the American people.”

That's right. It is.

"Vote tabulations routinely continue beyond Election Day, and states largely set the rules for when the count has to end. In presidential elections, a key point is the date in December when presidential electors met. That’s set by federal law. Several states allow mailed-in votes to be accepted after Election Day, as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday. That includes Pennsylvania, where ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 can be accepted if they arrive up to three days after the election. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he had “promised Pennsylvanians that we would count every vote and that’s what we’re going to do.” Trump appeared to suggest those ballots should not be counted, and that he would fight for that outcome at the high court. But legal experts were dubious of Trump’s declaration. Trump has appointed three of the high court’s nine justices including, most recently, Amy Coney Barrett."

With Republicans enjoying a 6-3 nazi majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, think the fascist bastards on the Court will reject any ballots that come in from overseas U.S. military personnel past November 3? ... Not to neglect to mention any other U.S. citizens abroad at the time of the election? Or, those who have sent in mail-in ballots from states who expanded mail-in balloting due to the pandemic? Republican nazis are well aware more Democrats than Republicans use mail-in ballots. The fascist bastards are doing all they can to suppress the vote. Think a Republican nazi-dominated U.S. Supreme Court will goose step along? We'll see, won't we?

In another update, the Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump says he’ll take the presidential election to the Supreme Court, but it’s unclear what he means in a country in which vote tabulations routinely continue beyond Election Day, and states largely set the rules for when the count has to end. “We’ll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court — we want all voting to stop,” Trump said early Wednesday. But the voting is over. It’s only counting that is taking place across the nation."

That's right. It is. Think Trump's not out to lunch?

"Democratic challenger Joe Biden’s campaign called Trump’s statement “outrageous, unprecedented, and incorrect.” “If the president makes good on his threat to go to court to try to prevent the proper tabulation of votes, we have legal teams standing by ready to deploy to resist that effort,” Biden Campaign Manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “And they will prevail.” Election law expert Richard Hasen wrote in Slate on Sunday that “there has never been any basis to claim that a ballot arriving on time cannot be counted if officials cannot finish their count on election night.” Ohio State University election law professor Edward Foley wrote on Twitter Wednesday: “The valid votes will be counted. SCOTUS would be involved only if there were votes of questionable validity that would make a difference, which might not be the case. The rule of law will determine the official winner of the popular vote in each state. Let the rule of law work.” In any event, there’s no way to go directly to the high court with a claim of fraud. Trump and his campaign could allege problems with the way votes are counted in individual states, but they would have to start their legal fight in a state or lower federal court. There is a pending Republican appeal at the Supreme Court over whether Pennsylvania can count votes that arrive in the mail from Wednesday to Friday, an extension ordered by the state’s top court over the objection of Republicans. That case does not involve ballots already cast and in the possession of election officials, even if they are yet to be counted. The high court refused before the election to rule out those ballots, but conservative justices indicated they could revisit the issue after the election. The Supreme Court also refused to block an extension for the receipt and counting of absentee ballots in North Carolina beyond the three days set by state law. Even a small number of contested votes could matter if either state determines the winner of the election and the gap between Trump and Biden is so small that a few thousand votes, or even a few hundred, could make the difference."

In another update, The Associated Press reports:

"On a day of electoral uncertainty and legal action, Joe Biden won Wisconsin on Wednesday, reclaiming a key part of the “blue wall” that slipped away from Democrats four years ago and narrowing President Donald Trump’s pathway to reelection. A full day after Election Day, neither candidate had cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. Margins remained tight in several fiercely contested states including the Great Lakes battlegrounds of Michigan and Pennsylvania. But Biden’s victory in Wisconsin loomed as an important step to the presidency. Speaking at an afternoon news conference, Biden, joined by his running mate Kamala Harris, said he now expected to win the presidency, though he stopped short of outright declaring victory. “I will govern as an American president,” Biden said. ”There will be no red states and blue states when we win. Just the United States of America.” It was a stark contrast to Trump, who early Wednesday morning falsely proclaimed that he had won the election, even though millions of votes remained uncounted and the race was far from over. The Associated Press called Wisconsin for Biden after election officials in the state said all outstanding ballots had been counted, save for a few hundred in one township and an expected small number of provisional votes. Trump’s campaign requested a recount, in addition to filing lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Statewide recounts in Wisconsin have historically changed the vote tally by only a few hundred votes; Biden led by 0.624 percentage point out of nearly 3.3 million ballots counted. It was unclear when or how quickly a national winner could be determined after a long, bitter campaign dominated by the coronavirus and its effects on Americans and the national economy. But Biden’s possible pathways to the White House were expanding rapidly. After the victory in Wisconsin, he held 248 Electoral College votes, 22 shy of the 270 needed to win the presidency. The former vice president had several possible combinations of outstanding states to win the White House. For example, combining Nevada with either Michigan or Georgia would land him at precisely 270."

In another update, The Associated Press reports:

"Democrat Joe Biden pushed closer Thursday to the 270 Electoral College votes he needed to win the White House, securing victories in the “blue wall” battlegrounds of Wisconsin and Michigan and narrowing President Donald Trump’s path. With just a handful of states still up for grabs, Trump tried to press his case in court in some key swing states. In spite of the aggressive Republican move, the flurry of court action did not seem obviously destined to impact the election’s outcome. Two days after Election Day, neither candidate had amassed the votes needed to win the White House. But Biden’s victories in the Great Lakes states left him at 264, meaning he was one battleground state away — any would do — from becoming president-elect. Trump, with 214 electoral votes, faced a much higher hurdle. To reach 270, he needed to claim all four remaining battlegrounds: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia and Nevada. With millions of votes yet to be tabulated, Biden already had received more than 71 million, the most in history. At an afternoon news conference Wednesday, the former vice president said he expected to win the presidency but stopped short of outright declaring victory. “I will govern as an American president,” Biden said. “There will be no red states and blue states when we win. Just the United States of America.” Trump, in contrast, was escalating his efforts to sow doubt about the outcome of the race. A day after falsely claimed that he had won, he voiced support Thursday for ceasing the tallying of legally cast votes in a tweet, saying, “STOP THE COUNT!” He later falsely asserted that ballots received after Election Day “will not be counted,” a move that if implemented would affect military ballots, as his campaign propagated unsupported allegations of fraud. Elections are run by individual state, county and local governments and Trump’s public comments have no impact on the tallying of votes across the country. Trump’s campaign engaged in a flurry of legal activity to try to improve the Republican president’s chances and cast doubt on the election results, requesting a recount in Wisconsin and filing lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. Statewide recounts in Wisconsin have historically changed the vote tally by only a few hundred votes; Biden led by more than 20,000 ballots out of nearly 3.3 million counted. Biden had an edge nationally over Trump after victories in Wisconsin and Michigan, key Midwestern battleground states. Contests in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and North Carolina were tight with votes still being tabulated."

More on all this in the next edition of this publication.

10-30-20

Prosecutor draws attention to himself. NPR reports:

"In 1991, then-Attorney General William Barr signed the official commissioning papers of an eager young prosecutor preparing to launch his career in Brooklyn. That lawyer went on to take down mob kingpins and corrupt corporate executives before becoming perhaps the most widely known member of the special counsel team investigating Russia's attack on the 2016 election. Andrew Weissmann, now 62, recalled a sense of relief after President Trump announced Barr would return to lead the Justice Department nearly two years ago. But Barr's public summary of the special counsel findings, and the administration's treatment of defendants close to the White House, have prompted Weissmann to level a blistering critique at Justice leaders and his onetime top boss."

Not at all surprising.

"Seeing the rule of law be really trashed by the attorney general is soul-crushing," Weissmann told NPR."

Why take so long to say something?

"[Trump friend] Roger Stone received disparate treatment. The Department of Justice took positions that it rejects in any other case. [Former Trump campaign chairman] Paul Manafort was released when other people who didn't fit the criteria for a [coronavirus pandemic] release were not released. And that, to me, is antithetical to the rule of law." In a new book, "Where Law Ends," Weissmann is one of many lawyers with government experience who has been thinking about what he calls the need to rebuild guard rails to protect the Justice Department from White House interference — and how to help the public better understand the next investigation of alleged presidential misconduct.

What took so long?

"One key area is the president's pardon power, which Weissmann said prevented the special counsel team from getting to the bottom of whether campaign advisers four years ago conspired with people in Russia to help elect Trump. No one in Trump's camp ultimately ever was charged with such a conspiracy, leading the president and allies to declare victory and vindication. Critics observe that Mueller's report explicitly did not clear Trump of wrongdoing and have speculated that he and aides might have done more than authorities could prove definitively. Specifically, Trump's ability to promise to extricate people in his orbit from criminal penalties meant authorities never could put sufficient pressure on them to compel them to truly reveal all they knew, Weissmann argues."

Strongly suspect this is due to insufficient monitoring of highly questionable behavior all along the way.

"For example, investigators have established that Manafort met with a Russian contact linked with its military intelligence agency and gave him internal information from Trump's campaign. But prosecutors' sometime cooperation agreement with Manafort broke down because of what government officials called false statements he began making — possibly because he knew he wouldn't face repercussions for them or anything else thanks to his powerful friend."

Nothing quite like friends in high places, is there?

"Now, in the middle of another election season, Weissmann said the prospect of pardons is looming once again. "I suspect strongly that if the president does not win reelection, that he is going to pardon a lot more people related to the Trump Organization, his family, people who work there, and even himself," Weissmann said. "That's obviously never been done. A president has never pardoned himself and that could be challenged by the Department of Justice if it decided it was going to go ahead with a criminal prosecution." Trump has asserted he has the power to pardon himself but because he says he didn't do anything wrong in the Russia investigation, he never sought to use it. What isn't clear, however, is whether Trump also may be connected with alleged lawbreaking in his business or financial practices — or whether a Justice Department under President Joe Biden might try to prosecute him for what critics have called Trump's alleged obstruction of Mueller's work."

Prosecution is often a strong possibility when partisanship is front and center.

"Longstanding Justice Department legal interpretations, followed by the special counsel team, say that a sitting president cannot be charged with a federal crime. But those interpretations no longer apply once a commander in chief leaves the White House. What's more, presidential pardons only cover charges brought by federal prosecutors, leaving some leeway for state and local authorities. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance is conducting a bank and tax fraud investigation of the Trump Organization but lawyers for Trump have slowed the probe, twice turning to the Supreme Court to block subpoenas from a grand jury."

Fascinating, isn't it, all the legal wrangling and struggle?

"Then, Weissmann said, a deputy on the special counsel team told him not to coordinate with state law enforcement "because we shouldn't undermine any pardons." To Weissmann, who built a national reputation — and faced bitter criticism from defense lawyers — by pressuring lower-level people into cooperating against higher-ups, that sounded exactly wrong. "Having a state investigation would be really useful for the goal of our investigation, which was getting at the truth," Weissmann said. "So I didn't think that that should have been asked for. And I don't think it should have been accepted, even if the risk was that we would get fired."

Far more interesting? Get this:

"For all the complaints then and now by Trump about persecution, Weissmann wonders whether the special counsel team actually was too deferential. "Because at some point, and this is sort of a mantra or or leitmotif in the book, I thought as we progressed: 'What if we pull our punches so much?' It's really: We're not doing what I thought was our job. Other people can disagree. And I thought it was better to just get fired than to not do what we were assigned to do." For his part, Mueller himself issued a rare public statement in response to the Weissmann book. "It is not surprising that members of the special counsel's office did not always agree, but it is disappointing to hear criticism of our team based on incomplete information," Mueller said."

Time to enlighten us, Mr. Mueller.

"Investigating a president and his inner circle is always a fraught enterprise, but Weissmann offers a few suggestions for the future. First, give Congress and the director of national intelligence the ability to name a special counsel, not just the attorney general, he argued. Lawmakers could give that counsel the ability to refer matters to federal prosecutors or to state authorities, to avoid some pardon problems down the road. Second, make it clear that the investigators will prepare a report for release to the public, not just to the leaders of the Justice Department — that would remove the prospect that an attorney general could filter the findings in his public comments. And, third, create a dedicated unit of agents to investigate and prevent election interference, the way the FBI has squads focused on counterintelligence, or financial fraud or other specialized tasks."

Bottom line?

"Interference by foreign adversaries persists to this day, Weissmann's book warns — a message underscored by the FBI and intelligence officials this week who warned about fresh attacks by Russia and Iran."

10-30-20

Rigorous use of federal force by U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr. The Washington Post reports:

"The Justice Department is preparing to announce a new effort to withhold federal grant money from police departments that don’t meet or try to meet certification standards on the use of force — an ambitious idea with so far few specifics to be unveiled days before a national election in which police conduct has been hotly debated. A five-page draft document reviewed by The Washington Post broadly defines how the Trump administration intends to apply an executive order signed by the president on safe policing. Justice Department officials are expected to announce the new initiative in coming days. A spokeswoman for the department did not immediately comment. The draft document says the effort aims to “improve policies and procedures — ensuring transparent, safe, and accountable delivery of services to our communities.” To that end, it says the attorney general will oversee a push toward standards that police departments will have to meet to receive discretionary federal grant money. Jon Adler, former director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance and a career law enforcement officer, said many of the recommendations were included in a 2016 document from the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Adler said the guidance wisely pushes police to intervene when they see fellow officers using excessive force, but that it falls short by failing to require training that would be needed to reach its stated goals. He also said the new guidelines fail to address law enforcement responses to people with mental illnesses or other disorders, a key focus of those advocating police reform amid the nation’s broader reckoning with racial injustice."

Here's the problem:

“Ultimately, human beings police, while policies and procedure collect dust,” Adler said. “Discretionary grant funds should be available to those departments that present a plan for complying with national standards. Otherwise, it’s like telling a runner you have to run a marathon first, then you’ll be eligible for oxygen if you finish the race.” The standards spelled out by the Justice Department are broad and in many cases simply require police departments to have a policy on complex issues such as choke holds, no-knock warrants and firing warning shots. Choke holds should be prohibited “except in situations where the use of deadly force is allowed by law,” the document says."

When exactly is that?

"Police departments, the document says, “should maintain use of force policies and procedures that address when force against individuals who fail to comply with lawful commands should terminate,” including that the employment of force should end “when it is objectively reasonable that a subject is fully in law enforcement’s control.”

What precisely does that mean?

"The death of George Floyd in May, when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for about eight minutes, has sparked nationwide protests about law enforcement conduct, particularly toward minorities. Other cases, such as the killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, by police officers with a no-knock warrant have added to the often bitter arguments about accountability for law enforcement."

Sadly, law enforcement, for the most part, does as it pleases.

10-30-20

Too late for inclusion in the last edition, Trump did follow the rules of the last debate. Apparently, knows he's coming up from behind. Hard to believe it affected anyone's vote, however, since minds seem to have been made up long before.

10-30-20

The U.S. Supreme Court now has a 6-3 nazi majority thanks to the Trump nazi and his hypocritical henchmen. The Associated Press reports:

"Amy Coney Barrett was formally sworn in Tuesday as the Supreme Court’s ninth justice, her oath administered in private by Chief Justice John Roberts. Her first votes on the court could include two big topics affecting the man who appointed her."

If she fails to recuse herself, and should Biden win the election, and the Democrats take the Senate and hold on to the House, time for 'Justice' Barrett to be impeached, convicted, and removed from the Supreme Court.

"The court is weighing a plea from President Donald Trump to prevent the Manhattan district attorney from acquiring his tax returns. It is also considering appeals from the Trump campaign and Republicans to shorten the deadline for receiving and counting absentee ballots in the battleground states of North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County filed legal papers at the court Tuesday arguing that Barrett should not take part in the Pennsylvania case. It’s not clear if she will vote in the pending cases, but she will make that call."

That alone is outrageous. She's clearly in the pocket of the Trump nazi who nominated her.

"Barrett was confirmed Monday by the Senate in a 52-48 virtual party line vote. She is expected to begin work as a justice on Tuesday after taking the second of two oaths required of judges by federal law. No justice has assumed office so close to a presidential election or immediately confronted issues so directly tied to the incumbent president’s political and personal fortunes."

Called outrageous corruption. Worse, 'Justice' Barrett, like her fuhrer the Trump nazi, presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"Barrett declined to commit to Democratic demands that she step aside from any cases on controversial topics, including a potential post-election dispute over the presidential results."

Precisely, why Trump nominated her, -- as insurance.

"Other election-related issues are pending at the high court, which next week also will hear a clash of LGBTQ rights and religious freedoms. The fate of the Affordable Care Act is on the agenda on Nov. 10, and Trump himself last week reiterated his opposition to the Obama-era law. “I hope they end it,” he said in an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes.” On Friday, Barrett, the most open opponent of abortion rights to join the court in decades, also could be called upon to weigh in on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. The state is appealing lower court rulings invalidating the ban. Abortion opponents in Pittsburgh also are challenging a so-called bubble zone that prevents protesters from getting too close to abortion clinics. The court put off acting on both cases before Barrett joined the court, without offering any explanation in the Mississippi case. It ordered Pittsburgh to file a response to the appeal filed by the protesters, who call themselves sidewalk counselors."

Who the hell are these goddamned nazis to force their perverse religious views on others? ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

"It’s not clear that the public will know how Barrett voted in the two abortion cases because the court typically doesn’t make the vote counts public when it is considering whether to grant full review to cases."

This lack of transparency is stunning.

"Barrett is joining the court at an unusual moment. The justices are meeting remotely by telephone because of the coronavirus pandemic, both for their private conferences and public argument sessions, at least through the end of 2020. The public can listen to the arguments as they take place, a change also resulting from the court’s response to the pandemic. After her first private conference with her new colleagues on Friday, two weeks of arguments begin on Monday. In an institution that pays strict attention to seniority, Barrett will go last in the private and public sessions. As she settles into her new office at the court, Barrett will be joined by four law clerks, usually recent law school graduates who have experience working for federal judges. When the court reopens to the public and the justices return to the courtroom, Barrett is expected to assume several duties reserved for the court’s junior justice. She will be a member of the committee that oversees the court’s public cafeteria, and the person who takes notes and answers the door when someone knocks during the justices’ private conferences."

Poor baby. Life's tough, isn't it? Let the games begin.

10-23-20

Why no criminal culpability for Trump and his henchmen? NPR reports:

"Despite a federal judge's order that the government reunite families who had been separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under the Trump administration's "no tolerance" migration policy, the parents of 545 children still can't be found, according to a court document filed Tuesday by the U.S. Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties Union. Thousands of families were separated under the policy before the Trump administration ended the practice in 2018. The ACLU successfully sued the government, winning a court order to reunite families. Thousands of parents and children were reunited within weeks. But about 1,000 families who had been separated in a pilot program in 2017 were not covered by the initial court order — reunification of this group was ordered only last year. The passage of time has made finding both parents and children more difficult. "What has happened is horrific," says Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, who has been leading the litigation. "Some of these children were just babies when they were separated. Some of these children may now have been separated for more than half their lives. Almost their whole life, they have not been with their parents."

Why no criminal culpability for the racist nazi in the Oval Office and his enablers?

"The update on reunification efforts was filed ahead of a status conference scheduled for Thursday before U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego. The filing estimates that two-thirds of the separated parents are believed to have returned to their home countries. Nongovernmental groups appointed by the court have "engaged in time consuming and arduous on-the-ground searches for parents in their respective countries of origin," according to the filing, but those efforts were halted by the coronavirus pandemic and are only now resuming in limited fashion. NPR's Joel Rose reports that the children initially went into a shelter system before being placed with sponsors across the country and that many will likely try to remain in the United States. The ACLU's Gelernt says about 360 of the children still have not been located. The case is Ms. L. v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement et al., in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, 3:18-cv-428."

How does something like this occur in the United States? How is it there's been no criminal investigation of Trump, his henchmen, and all others involved in this atrocity? In a democratic republic no one is above the law. Not even the Trump nazi.

10-23-20

Nothing quite like the truth. -- To put the lie to dictator bullshit. The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump portrays the hundreds of people arrested nationwide in protests against racial injustice as violent urban left-wing radicals. But an Associated Press review of thousands of pages of court documents tells a different story. Very few of those charged appear to be affiliated with highly organized extremist groups, and many are young suburban adults from the very neighborhoods Trump vows to protect from the violence in his reelection push to win support from the suburbs."

How about protecting innocent, unarmed civilians from the murderous criminal jackbooted bastards in blue?

"Attorney General William Barr has urged his prosecutors to bring federal charges on protesters who cause violence and has suggested that rarely used sedition charges could apply. And the Department of Justice has pushed for detention even as prisons across the U.S. were releasing high-risk inmates because of COVID-19 and prosecutors had been told to consider the risks of incarceration during a pandemic when seeking detention."

Nothing quite like aggressive stupidity, is there? -- Defined as doing all one can to prove to the world one's hopelessly ignorant, cannot, won't be convinced by the truth, or simply doesn't care.

"Defense attorneys and civil rights activists are questioning why the Department of Justice has taken on cases to begin with. They say most belong in state court, where defendants typically get much lighter sentences. And they argue federal authorities appear to be cracking down on protesters in an effort to stymie demonstrations."

To please their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Why else?

“It is highly unusual, and without precedent in recent American history,” said Ron Kuby, a longtime attorney who isn’t involved in the cases but has represented scores of clients over the years in protest-related incidents. “Almost all of the conduct that’s being charged is conduct that, when it occurs, is prosecuted at the state and local level.” In one case in Utah, where a police car was burned, federal prosecutors had to defend why they were bringing arson charges in federal court. They said it was appropriate because the patrol car was used in interstate commerce."

Jesus Christ. Would be laughable if not so egregiously f--ked up. ... And 'Trumpian.'

"Not to say there hasn’t been violence. Other police cars have been set on fire. Officers have been injured and blinded. Windows have been smashed, stores looted, businesses destroyed."

Indeed. All state and local offenses.

"Of more than 300 arrested, there are about 286 defendants, others had charges dropped. Some live in cities like Portland and Seattle where local prosecutors declined to bring some protest-related charges. Some of those facing charges undoubtedly share far-left and anti-government views. Far-right protesters also have been arrested and charged. Some defendants have driven to protests from out of state. Some have criminal records and were illegally carrying weapons. Others are accused of using the protests as an opportunity to steal or create havoc. But many have had no previous run-ins with the law and no apparent ties to antifa, the umbrella term for leftist militant groups that Trump has said he wants to declare a terrorist organization."

Called desperation by an out of control, racist nazi gutlessly afraid of not being returned to office Nov. 3.

"Even though most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, Trump has made “law and order” a major part of his reelection campaign, casting the protests as lawless and violent in mostly Democratic cities he says have done nothing to stymie the mayhem. If the cities refuse to properly clamp down, he says, the federal government has to step in. “I know about antifa, and I know about the radical left, and I know how violent they are and how vicious they are, and I know how they are burning down cities run by Democrats,” Trump said at an NBC town hall."

Trump remains a congenital liar. None of the above is true. The FBi Director himself has refused to go along with his bullshit.

"In dozens of cases, the government has pushed to keep the protesters behind bars while they await their trials amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 220,000 people across the U.S. There have been more than 16,000 positive cases in the federal prison system, according to a tracker compiled by the AP and The Marshall Project. In some cases, prosecutors have gone so far as appealing judge’s orders to release defendants. Pre-trial detention generally is reserved only for people who are clearly dangers to the community or a risk of fleeing."

Prosecutors have been pressured by Trump and his henchmen.

"In Texas, Magistrate Judge Andrew Austin repeatedly challenged the prosecutor to explain why Cyril Lartigue, who authorities say was caught on camera making a Molotov cocktail, should be behind bars while he awaits his trial. Lartigue, of Cedar Park, described his actions that night as a “flash of stupidity,” prosecutors said. The 25-year-old lives with his parents in the Austin suburb and had never been in trouble with the law before and wasn’t a member of a violent group. The judge said there are lot of people “who do something stupid that’s dangerous that we don’t even consider detaining.” “I’m frustrated because I don’t think this is a hard case,” the judge said. “I have defendants in here with significant criminal histories that the government agrees to release.” “We have no evidence of him — at least that’s been given to me — being a radical or a member of a group that advocates violence toward the police or others. We’ve got no criminal history. … What evidence is there that he’s a danger to society?” the judge asked. The judge allowed Lartigue to stay out of jail."

Clearly and fortunately, not all judges are Republican nazi assholes.

Get this:

"While some of the defendants clearly hold radical or anti-government beliefs, prosecutors have provided little evidence of any affiliations they have with organized extremist groups. In one arrest in Erie, Pennsylvania, community members raised more than $2,500 to help with bail for a 29-year-old Black man who was arrested after they said white people had come from out of town and spray painted a parking lot. In thousands of pages of court documents, the only apparent mention of antifa is in a Boston case in which authorities said a FBI Gang Task Force member was investigating “suspected ANTIFA activity associated with the protests” when a man fired at him and other officers. Authorities have not claimed that the man accused of firing the shots is a member of antifa. Others have social media leftist ties; a Seattle man who expressed anarchist beliefs on social media is accused of sending a message through a Portland citizen communication portal threatening to blow up a police precinct. Several of the defendants are not from the Democratic-led cities that Trump has likened to “war zones” but from the suburbs the Republican president has claimed to have “saved.” Of the 93 people arrested on federal criminal charges in Portland, 18 defendants are from out of state, the Justice Department said."

Pointless self-serving bullshit:

"This has contributed to a blame game that has been a subplot throughout the protests. Leaders in Minneapolis and Detroit have decried people from out of state and suburbanites for coming into their cities and causing havoc. Trump in turn has blamed the cities for not doing their part. “Don’t come down to Detroit and tear the city up and then go back home. That’s putting another knee on the neck of Black folk because we got to live here,” the Rev. Wendell Anthony of the NAACP said in May. More than 40% of those facing federal charges are white. At least a third are Black, and about 6% Hispanic. More than two-thirds are under the age of 30 and most are men. More than a quarter have been charged with arson, which if convicted means a five-year minimum prison sentence. More than a dozen are accused of civil disorder, and others are charged with burglary and failing to comply with a federal order. They were arrested in cities across the U.S., from Portland, Oregon, to Minneapolis, Boston and New York. Attorneys for those facing federal charges either declined to comment or didn’t respond to messages from the AP. Three of the men arrested are far-right extremists, members of the “Boogaloo” movement plotting to overthrow the government and had been stockpiling military-grade weapons and hunting around for the right public event to unleash violence for weeks before Floyd’s death, according to court documents. After aborting a mission related to reopening businesses in Nevada as the coronavirus pandemic raged, they settled on a Floyd-related protest led by Black Lives Matter. Angry it had not turned violent, they brought carloads of explosives, military-grade weapons, to a meet-up about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the protest site and pumped gasoline into tanks. FBI agents arrested them before they could act, according to a criminal complaint."

The FBI Director certainly doesn't support or enable the phony propaganda of his fuhrer, the Trump nazi:

"FBI Director Christopher Wray recently told a congressional panel that extremists driven by white supremacist or anti-government ideologies have been responsible for most deadly attacks in the U.S. over the past few years. He said that antifa is more of an ideology or a movement than an organization, though the FBI has terrorism investigations of “violent anarchist extremists, any number of whom self identify with the antifa movement.”

Here's the bottom line:

"But the handling of the federal protest cases is vastly different from other recent times of unrest. “Look at Travyon (Martin) verdicts, Eric Garner verdicts,” Kuby said, talking about high-profile cases in which Black people were killed but no charges were filed. “There was a tremendous amount of anger and unrest and activity that was objectively unlawful,” he said. “There were objections about law enforcement being militarized, but you didn’t see following the quelling of those demonstrations any significant federal law enforcement involvement.”

That's right. Virtually, none. Fascinating, isn't it? Clearly, the racist Trump nazi is now running scared, -- afraid he won't be returned to office Nov. 3.

10-23-20

The dog and pony show continues unabated. Think we'll survive it? NBC News reports:

"At 8:08 p.m. Thursday, Joe Biden explained why he trusts scientists, and not President Donald Trump, to tell the truth about the effectiveness of anti-coronavirus vaccines and treatments. "President Trump talks about things that just aren't accurate about everything from vaccines: We're going to have one right away, it's going to happen and so on," Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, said in a town-hall interview on ABC. Seconds later, in a similar interview on NBC, Trump asserted, as he has for months, that the country is "rounding the corner" on neutralizing the disease and that the U.S. is "a winner" on "excess mortality" rates. "What we've done has been amazing," Trump said. "It's rounding the corner, and we have the vaccines coming and we have the therapies coming." For just a moment, to anyone watching the two networks simultaneously, it looked like they were debating each other in a newfangled virtual format. But their dual town-hall duel, brought about when Trump refused to debate remotely after contracting the coronavirus, created a diluted but effective study in contrasts."

Did it ever. To put it mildly, -- and understate it. LOL.

"Biden demonstrated a command of substance at odds with Trump's caricature of him as intellectually diminished, and Trump revealed that he is more inclined to water down his tone than change course. Biden, freed from usual debate strictures to speak at length, spent much of the 90-minute event providing context for his thinking on several controversial topics. For example, he reiterated that he breaks from the progressive "Green New Deal" on climate change because he doesn't believe that harmful emissions can be reduced at the rate, or by all of the means, that the proposal demands. Instead, he said, the economy needs time to "transition" away from fossil fuels, and he dug deep into the soil of some prescriptions for environmental restoration that he does support. "We can do things like pelletize all the chicken manure and all the horse manure and cow manure and they can be — and take out the methane and use it as fertilizer and make a lot of money doing it," he said."

... As long as the shit doesn't hit the fan, right, Joe? LOL.

"Rather than persuading voters that his plans are the right ones, the effect of Biden's performance may have been to reassure them that he's mentally agile after Trump has been saying for more than a year — without evidence, a medical degree or access to conduct tests on his rival — that Biden is suffering from dementia or a similar impairment."

Nothing quite like a congenital liar, is there?

"While he stumbled over his words on occasion, at no point during the 90-minute town hall did Biden seemed to lack command of the substance or a memory, however hagiographic, of his role in past policy battles in the Senate and as vice president. Trump, with a supporter nodding at his every utterance in the background, had no need to compete with an opponent for attention. Though he interrupted moderator Savannah Guthrie repeatedly, he appeared to be studiously lower-strung than he was during a first debate with Biden late last month."

... Trump knew better. LOL. -- Guthrie was already figuratively kicking his ass.

"In that debate, Trump tried to bulldoze Biden and moderator Chris Wallace by speaking incessantly, and he seemed to grow agitated when he was asked to denounce the "Proud Boys," a violent misogynistic hate group that has participated in white-supremacist activities. Trump didn't denounce the "Proud Boys" then — he told them to "stand back and stand by" — but he said Thursday that he denounces white supremacy."

Think so?

The Washington Post reports:

"President Trump had an opportunity at a town hall forum Thursday night in Miami to begin to turn around his struggling candidacy. Instead, under pointed questioning from the moderator, he reverted to the confrontational style that delights his most loyal supporters but that has left him in a deficit position in his campaign against former vice president Joe Biden. The Miami session came two weeks after a debate performance that drew widespread criticism of the president for his belligerence and repeated interruptions, and then the contraction of the coronavirus that slowed his campaign. But much of the hour-long event seemed almost a repeat of what happened in the Cleveland debate, though this time he sparred not with his challenger but with the moderator, NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, over the pandemic, white supremacy, conspiracy theories and his taxes. It was not the kind of performance likely to attract support from the voters Trump needs to win."

Guthrie figuratively kicked his ass. Skillfully, exposed him for whom and what he is.

"Trump defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying, “I believe we’re rounding the corner” in bringing the virus under control. This came on a day the number of new cases hit 60,000 for the first time since August. He equivocated on the use of masks, claiming he is “okay” with that if people do so, but showing no change in his resistance to wearing one personally. He turned churlish when asked about his unwillingness in the past to state consistently his opposition to white supremacy. “I denounce white supremacy,” he said, and then immediately accused the media of failing to push Biden to denounce the far-left activists known as antifa. “They’re vicious. They’re violent,” he said. Asked why he has not distanced himself from the group known as QAnon, an organization that has promulgated conspiracy theories, he said, “I don’t know about QAnon.” But he then went on to say he knew they were against pedophilia “and I agree with that.” Asked about a tweet he sent out that repeated a bizarre conspiracy theory that claimed Osama bin Laden is still alive and that former president Barack Obama and Biden had had SEAL Team Six, which carried out the raid, killed: “That was a retweet,” he said, “and I do a lot of retweets and because the media is so fake and so corrupt.” He claimed, falsely, that thousands of ballots are being dumped in garbage cans and put into dumpsters. When Guthrie noted that FBI Director Christopher A. Wray had testified that there is no evidence of widespread fraud with mail ballots, he shot back, “Well then, he’s not doing a very good job.”

Jesus Christ. That the best you have, Mr. 'President?'

"The president was far less confrontational when asked questions by the people in the audience. But he passed up opportunities to say with any specificity what his plans for a second term would entail. Pressed about health care and the administration’s support for a suit now before the Supreme Court that could end the Affordable Care Act, he said his goal is to “terminate” the law and “replace it with something better” and less expensive. “That’s where we’re aiming,” he said, but could not say what that plan would look like."

Has no plan. Talks out his ass.

"He insisted any replacement would protect coverage for people with preexisting conditions, which already exists under Obamacare. Asked what he would do in a second term to resolve the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) issue, the young people who were brought to the United States as children by their parents and who face possible deportation, he said, “You will be very happy” with what he will do, without anything concrete to back up the statement."

Pitiful. Pathetic. Totally devoid of substance.

"Nor was he specific about what kind of an economic plan he would pursue in a second term to help bring the economy back, pointing to where the economy was before the pandemic and charging that a Biden presidency would mean higher taxes that could destroy any hope of a recovery."

'Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.'

"When the subject turned to his own taxes, the president seemed to confirm key pieces of reports in the New York Times that he has more than $400 million in debt that would come due in the next few years and that he paid only $750 in taxes the year he was elected. On his debts, he said, “It’s a tiny percentage of my net worth.”

ABC News reports:

"Instead of facing voters alongside President Donald Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden had the opportunity to make his case without his challenger on stage with him, participating in an ABC News town hall with Pennsylvania voters at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. During Thursday night's exclusive event, moderated by chief anchor George Stephanopoulos, Biden contrasted what his administration would look like compared to the current one with policy-heavy answers, pitching himself as the leader that he believes Trump hasn't been while in office, and throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"Biden, who has repeatedly dodged giving a clear answer on court packing, told Stephanopoulos he would give voters an answer before Election Day, despite the fact that millions of voters have already cast their ballots. "George, you know if I had answered the question directly, then all the focus would be on what's Biden going to do if he wins instead of on: Is it appropriate what is going on now?" Biden said, adding the president loves to "take our eye off the ball." Biden said he hasn't always been a fan of packing the court, but now, depending on how the Senate handles Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, he may change his mind."

Nothing quite like bullshit, is there?

"It depends on how much they rush this," Biden said. "And you think about it, George, here you got a lot of people not being able to pay their mortgage, not being able to put food on the table, not being able to keep their business open, not being able to do anything to deal with what's going on in terms of the economy as a consequence of COVID, and they have no time to deal with that, but they have time to rush this through." Stephanopoulos pushed back on Biden, asking, "But don't voters have a right to know where you stand?" Biden said they do, Stephanopoulos followed up asking, "So you'll come out with a clear position before Election Day?" "Yes," Biden said, but then quickly followed with a caveat. "Depending on how they handled this." That caveat could be notable as just a week ago, Biden gave a different timeline on when voters would know his stance, telling reporters, "They’ll know my opinion on court-packing when the election is over."

Fascinating, isn't it? With a 6-3 nazi Republican majority on the Supreme Court should Barrett be confirmed as expected, think there wouldn't be enormous pressure on Biden should he win the presidency? Delusionally believe the public will tolerate the Nazi Right dictating to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus?

"Asked by Stephanopoulos if he still believes that "more cops clearly mean less crime," Biden said he did, but the type of policing matters."

Called bullshit. Talking out both sides his ass.

"If they're involved in community policing, not jump squads. For example, when we had community policing from the mid '90s on until -- until Bush got elected, what happened? Violent crime actually went down precipitously," Biden said. "Community policing doesn't mean more people coming up in armored humvees and swarming."

Again, he's talking out both sides his ass. ... Trying to please everyone winds up pleasing no one. The criminal jackbooted bastards in blue need to be held accountable for their crimes. Neither Trump or Biden are willing to do so.

"The former vice president also took the issue on of climate change, insisting that banning fracking -- a key industry in Pennsylvania -- is not something he's proposed, despite the president repeatedly claiming that he would."

Expect better of a congenital liar?

"Asked by Stephanopoulos what Biden thinks it would say about the state of the country if he didn't win this election, Biden said, "Well, it could say that I'm a lousy candidate and I didn't do a good job." But what he hoped a Biden loss wouldn't say was "that we are as racially, ethically, and religiously at odds with one other as it appears the president wants us to be."

Too late, Joe. We're already there. Dangerously, so.

"The second presidential debate was canceled after Trump tested positive for COVID-19, but Biden said he expects to be at the next one, which is still scheduled for Oct. 22, and that he wants the president to take a test that day. For the first debate, candidates were expected to abide by an "honor system," and it was not clear how long before the debate Trump had been tested for the virus. During the president's own town hall on another network Thursday night, that lack of clarity persisted, with Trump, after being asked multiple times whether he was tested the day of the debate, saying he "probably did." Stephanopoulos asked Biden to respond to that, and if he would "demand that President Trump take a test that day and that it be negative before you debate." Biden said he would, and then made the case that doing so is a matter of respect. "Before I came up here, I took another test. I've been taking them every day... if I had not passed that test, I didn't want to come here and not, you know, expose anybody. And I just think it's -- it's just decency," Biden said, making it clear that it's not about him, but rather about everyone else. "I'm less concerned about me than the people, the guys with the cameras, the people working in the, you know, the Secret Service guys you drive up with, all those people," he said."

Trump clearly couldn't care less:

"Biden's persistent message of concern for others, which he follows up with action, is a stark contrast to the actions of the current president. Before and since his diagnosis, Trump has held largely maskless rallies with little social distancing, which health officials have pointed to as the types of events where transmission is more likely. While the president was at Walter Reed Medical Center being treated for coronavirus, he left the premises to go for a ride greeting supporters, and critics blasted him potentially putting his staff -- the Secret Service -- in danger of also being infected. Meanwhile, Sen. Kamala Harris, Biden's running mate, canceled her trip to North Carolina Thursday, making her scheduled events virtual instead, after her communications director tested positive for the virus."

10-23-20

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stands tall, courageously tells it like it is. NBC News reports:

"Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Sunday accused President Donald Trump of inciting “domestic terrorism” against public officials working on containing the coronavirus, pointing to comments he made just days after law enforcement foiled a plot to kidnap her. Whitmer has been a frequent target for Trump during the pandemic — he’s previously criticized her state’s coronavirus-related restrictions as too strict and called on people to “Liberate Michigan.”

From what? Spread of a pandemic that's already killed over 220,000 Americans?

"The day after Trump encouraged his supporters at a rally in the state who were chanting “lock her up” as an attack on Whitmer, the Democrat governor responded with a plea to lower the political volume. “It’s incredibly disturbing that the president of the United States — 10 days after a plot to kidnap, put me on trial and execute me — 10 days after that was uncovered, the president is at it again and inspiring and incentivizing and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism,” she said in an exclusive interview on “Meet the Press.” “It’s wrong. It’s got to end. It’s dangerous, not just for me and my family, but for public servants everywhere who are doing their jobs and trying to protect their fellow Americans. People of good will on both sides of the aisle need to step up and call this out and bring the heat down.”

Clearly, our nazi fuhrer remains egregiously unwilling, worse, grossly incapable of reining himself in. His fellow nazi Republicans remain too self-serving and cowardly to do so themselves. Inexplicably, Democrats have no clue how to effectively combat and bring the racist fascist in the Oval Office under control. Sad, isn't it?

Worse? Too gutless to walk out the Senate in protest during the phony charade of the Barrett Supreme Court nomination 'hearings.' Clearly, neither party is worth a shit. For totally different reasons. Doesn't the public deserve far better of both major political parties? Rather than the same old goddamned shit.

"The latest Trump attacks on Whitmer came during a Saturday night rally in Muskegon, Mich., where he called on her to relax coronavirus restrictions “You’ve got to get your governor to open up your state and get your schools open. The schools have to be open, right?” he said. The criticism prompted supporters to start chanting “lock her up,” a refrain many supporters directed at 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during that campaign."

For what, Mr. 'President?' ... Unlike you, doing her job?

"Shortly after the chants began, the president replied “lock them all up,” stepping back from the microphone as the chanting continued."

Who precisely are you talking about, sir? Millions of Americans willing to stand up and expose you for the racist nazi you truly are? You, Mr. 'President,' remain an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Our formerly great country is now a de facto fascist police-state. A democratic republic in name only.

"Earlier this month, authorities arrested and charged 13 men, who are members of militia groups, in an alleged attempt to kidnap Whitmer. One member allegedly told the FBI that they were considering killing police officers too, and an FBI agent testified that the men had also discussed kidnapping Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam."

-- Encouraging to see FBI agents indeed upholding their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution rather than cowardly kowtowing to the wishes of their nazi fuhrer.

"On Sunday, Whitmer noted that while her state hasn’t had a stay-at-home order since the late spring, “he never lets the facts get in the way of comments that he’s making.” “Every moment we are not focused on the fact that there are 220,000 Americans who have died from this virus is good for him,” she said. “So in that sense, as he incites additional violence against people who are just trying to save one another’s lives, that’s good for him.” There have been 8.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 220,271 deaths attributed to the virus in America so far, according to NBC analysis. The Detroit News reported that Michigan had its highest seven-day average for daily, new cases this past week. Hospitalizations and deaths are also rising, according to the paper."

Despite the above, Trump and his henchmen continue to ignore the pandemic. Remain ineffective, hopelessly out of touch, intentionally devoid of reality:

"When asked on “Meet the Press” to respond to Trump’s attacks on Whitmer, Health and Human Services Sec. Alex Azar sidestepped the question. “I’m not going to get into politics. What I’m going to talk about is: Red state, blue state, open state, closed state, open country, closed country, we see these cases spreading. Why? Because we’ve been in this for many months, people are tired,” he said."

Jesus Christ. The son of a bitch has gutlessly given up. So has his fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

10-23-20

The macho bullshit game continues. Dangerously, so. CBS News reports:

"U.S. fighter jets intercepted four Russian military aircraft in international airspace near Alaska on Monday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said. The Russian planes came within 35 miles of Alaska's shores but didn't enter U.S. or Canadian airspace during the encounter. The American F-22 fighters intercepted two Russian bombers, which were escorted by two Su-35 fighter jets, NORAD said in a statement. The Russian planes were supported by an airborne early warning aircraft. The F-22s were supported by surveillance and refueling aircraft. "NORAD forces remain on alert 24/7/365 to respond to potential threats to Canada and the United States," Air Force General Glen VanHerck, NORAD's commander, said in a statement. "The agility and readiness of our personnel ensures we are successful in addressing potential aerospace threats with the appropriate response at the right time."

... As long as no one on either side does anything stupid.

"Russian military aircraft have been spotted near Alaska several times in the past few months. In September, two bombers and two Su-35 fighters came within 58 miles of Alaska's Nunivak Island in the Bering Sea. In August, F-22s intercepted three groups of two Russian maritime patrol aircraft. In June, U.S. fighter jets intercepted Russian bomber formations on two separate occasions. In all of those incidents, the Russian planes remained in international airspace."

Been going on quite some time. -- Can remember reporting years ago routine encounters between both sides where Russian bombers would open bombay doors and allow American fighter pilots to come up under them to verify they were indeed unarmed. American pilots would then come up alongside, hold up a Playboy centerfold, and give the Russians a most appreciated gander.

10-23-20

The final Trump-Biden debate occurred too late for inclusion in this edition. Will be posted in the next. TC 10-23-20.

10-23-20

NBC News reports:

"The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination Thursday of Amy Coney Barrett to serve as a Supreme Court justice in a 12-0 vote, with Democrats boycotting the day's proceeding. "The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett is the most illegitimate process I have ever witnessed in the Senate. And her potential confirmation will have dire, dire consequences for the Senate, for the Supreme Court and our entire country for generations to come," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned during a press conference following the vote outside the Capitol alongside Democrats on the committee."

10-16-20

The following is a sick portend of far, far worse to come. The Associated Press reports:

"Agents foiled a stunning plot to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, authorities said Thursday in announcing charges in an alleged scheme that involved months of planning and even rehearsals to snatch her from her vacation home. Six men were charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap the governor in reaction to what they viewed as her “uncontrolled power,” according to a federal complaint. Separately, seven others were charged in state court under Michigan’s anti-terrorism laws for allegedly targeting police and seeking a “civil war.” A few hours later, Whitmer pinned some blame on President Donald Trump, noting that he did not condemn white supremacists in last week’s debate with Joe Biden and instead told a far-right group to “stand back and stand by.” “Hate groups heard the president’s words not as a rebuke but as a rallying cry, as a call to action,” Whitmer said. “When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight.”

Indeed, they do. Trump remains an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"The six men charged in federal court plotted for months, consulting and training with members of a group that federal authorities described as a militia, and undertaking rehearsals in August and September, according to an FBI affidavit. They were arrested Wednesday night and face up to life in prison if convicted. Four had planned Wednesday to meet to “make a payment on explosives and exchange tactical gear,” the FBI said in the court filing. The FBI quoted one of the accused as saying Whitmer “has no checks and balances at all. She has uncontrolled power right now. All good things must come to an end.” Andrew Birge, the U.S. attorney in western Michigan, called the men “violent extremists.” “All of us in Michigan can disagree about politics, but those disagreements should never, ever amount to violence. Violence has been prevented today,” Detroit U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider told reporters."

Our formerly great country has never been quite this divided. Not even back in the Sixties and early Seventies during the Vietnam debacle.

"Whitmer, who was considered as Joe Biden’s running mate, has been praised but also deeply criticized by the Republican-controlled Legislature and conservative areas of the state for Michigan’s response to the coronavirus. She put major restrictions on personal movement throughout the state and on the economy, although many of those limits have been lifted. The governor has exchanged barbs with Trump on social media, with the president declaring in April, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” He has referred to Whitmer as the “woman in Michigan.” There’s no indication in the criminal complaint that the men were inspired by Trump. Authorities also have not publicly said whether the men were angry about Whitmer’s coronavirus orders. The Michigan Supreme Court last week ruled that a 1945 law used as the foundation for many of Whitmer’s orders was unconstitutional. The decision was 4-3, with justices who were nominated by Republicans in the majority. The government said the plot against Whitmer was stopped with the work of undercover agents and informants."

Encouraging to see the officers involved honored their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution.

"Whitmer thanked law enforcement for thwarting the alleged conspirators and said she hopes that convictions will bring “these sick and depraved men to justice.” Through electronic communications, two of the alleged conspirators “agreed to unite others in their cause and take violent action against multiple state governments that they believe are violating the U.S. Constitution,” the FBI said. The criminal complaint identified the six as Adam Fox, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, Brandon Caserta, all of Michigan, and Barry Croft of Delaware. All but Croft appeared in federal court in Grand Rapids. They asked for court-appointed lawyers and were returned to jail to await detention hearings Tuesday."

Get this:

"Fox said he needed 200 men to storm the Capitol building in Lansing and take hostages, including the governor, according to the FBI. He said he wanted to try Whitmer for “treason” and would execute the plan before the Nov. 3 election, the government said. The group later shifted to targeting the governor’s vacation home, the FBI said. The government said the scheme appeared to have roots in a June gathering in Dublin, Ohio, attended by more than a dozen people from several states, including Croft and Fox. “The group talked about creating a society that followed the U.S. Bill of Rights and where they could be self-sufficient,” the FBI affidavit said. “They discussed different ways of achieving this goal from peaceful endeavors to violent actions. ... Several members talked about murdering ‘tyrants’ or ‘taking’ a sitting governor.” In a separate but related action, state authorities announced terrorism-related charges against seven men who were said to belong to or were associated with Wolverine Watchmen, which was described as a militia group. The seven men are accused of identifying the homes of law enforcement officers and making violent threats “intended to instigate a civil war,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said. They trained for an operation to attack the Michigan Capitol and to kidnap officials, including the governor, Nessel said."

The Washington Post reports:

"The FBI revealed Thursday that it thwarted a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, unsealing charges against six people who it said contemplated a violent overthrow of the government as state authorities charged seven more who they said wanted to attack police and ignite a civil war. The plotters, according to an FBI affidavit, seemed to be motivated by their belief that state governments, including Michigan’s, were violating the Constitution. One of those involved complained in June that Whitmer (D) was controlling the opening of gyms — an apparent reference to coronavirus shutdown restrictions. But unbeknown to them, the FBI had confidential informants recording many of their discussions, according to the affidavit. President Trump has been publicly critical of Michigan’s leaders because of the state-imposed measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, tweeting in April, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN.” In an afternoon press conference, Whitmer defended the restrictions she imposed — saying she had made “tough choices to keep our state safe” — while taking direct aim at Trump. Just last week, she noted, the president had, “refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militia groups” during a debate and said of one far-right group in particular “stand back and stand by.” “When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight,” Whitmer said. “When our leaders meet with, encourage, or fraternize with domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions, and they are complicit.” Officials announcing the charges also hinted at the nation’s toxic political climate — though they did not single out Trump. “All of us in Michigan can disagree about politics,” said Matthew Schneider, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. “But those disagreements should never, ever amount to violence.” According to federal and state officials, the plotters were extremists who considered a range of actions to foment mayhem. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) said her office had charged seven people who were linked to the militia group Wolverine Watchmen with providing material support to terrorists and other related offenses. They were planning and training, she said, to attack law enforcement officers and the state Capitol and ignite a civil war."

United Press International reports:

"The FBI said in court documents Thursday it thwarted a plot by armed militia members to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and force her to "stand trial." The governor, speaking in an afternoon news conference, called the suspects "sick and depraved." In an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court of Western Michigan, FBI agents said six men connected to militia groups in the state plotted to "take violent action against multiple state governments that they believe are violating the U.S. Constitution" and to abduct Whitmer.

"Whitmer, a Democrat, has drawn vehement opposition from militia groups and others for instituting COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Armed protesters in April filled the streets around the Capitol in a demonstration opposing the measures. They were given encouragement by President Donald Trump, who tweeted, "Liberate Michigan." "The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire," Trump tweeted on May 1. "These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal."

How do you negotiate with racist nazis determined to overthrow government, impose a fascist police-state we're already living in, and abrogate the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights despite phony claims to the contrary?

"Whitmer spoke against Trump during his Thursday news conference, saying he stoked distrust and fear when he "refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militias." She said his comments telling the so-called Proud Boys group to "stand back and stand by" was seen as a rallying cry to such groups."

10-16-20

Trump erratic, increasingly desperate, losing ground. The Washington Post reports:

"There was much about President Trump’s Thursday morning interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo that reeked of desperation and an incumbent president fighting for his political life. He decided to go down the “unlikable” path with Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) and called her a “monster.” He said he wouldn’t participate in a virtual debate with former vice president Joe Biden next week. He suggested he might win heavily blue New York state. He even cast doubt on polls showing him down by double digits — by pointing to boaters and truck owners who support him. But perhaps nothing in the interview reflected his precarious position quite like what he said about some of his most loyal allies. And the theme of each was the same: These people aren’t doing enough to further his political goals by linking his prominent foes to crimes."

That's insane.

“Unless Bill Barr indicts these people for crimes — the greatest political crime in the history of our country — then we’re going to get little satisfaction, unless I win,” Trump said, adding that he “won’t forget it” and that the crime “includes Obama, and that includes Biden.” Trump also said at another point that “Bill has got to move” and that he would go down in history as a “very sad situation” if he doesn’t indict people. He said the Justice Department keeps asking for more information but that it already has all the information it needs. But Obama and Biden weren’t the only ones Trump implicated in crimes and suggested he wanted his Cabinet officials to target. He also expressed rare dissatisfaction with Pompeo, who he said should release some sort of new information on Hillary Clinton’s emails. “They’re in the State Department, but Mike Pompeo has been unable to get them out, which is very sad actually. I’m not happy about him for that reason,” Trump said. “He was unable to get that. I don’t know why. You’re running the State Department; you’re able to get them out.” It wasn’t clear exactly what Trump was referring to, since the State Department has already released emails that it had. While Trump has leaned on Barr before, and Barr has at least attempted to offer a veneer of criticizing Trump, the rebuke of Pompeo was highly unusual. Pompeo has bent over backward for Trump, dating back to his time as CIA director, and there’s rarely been daylight between the two men. Trump also critiqued both men at multiple points in the interview, suggesting this was a concerted push rather than just a couple of one-off comments. “Forget about the fact that they were classified,” Trump said of Clinton’s emails. “Let’s go. Maybe Mike Pompeo finally finds them, okay?” Trump also reserved some of his harshest words to date for Wray, who has recently contradicted Trump’s baseless claims about massive mail-in voter fraud. Trump declined to say whether he would fire Wray. “He’s been disappointing,” Trump said. “He talks about even the voting thing, that he doesn’t see the voting ballots as a problem,” he added before stating a baseless claim about voter fraud. To some degree, this is par for the course for Trump. He often applies pressure on his Cabinet officials to fall in line, particularly when it comes to investigations. He spent much of former attorney general Jeff Sessions’s tenure, for example, attacking Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation. He has even previously floated the idea that Barr’s tenure would be judged by whether he indicts people in the probe into the Russia investigation."

Called increasing desperation from a man clearly unfit for office, -- since taking office January 20, 2017.

NBC News reports:

"Declaring himself "healed" from the coronavirus, President Donald Trump on Friday did a two-hour appearance on Rush Limbaugh's radio show, during which he attacked the Justice Department, Hillary Clinton, Fox News and mail-in ballots, and dropped an F-bomb while talking about Iran."

Busy little f--ker, isn't he? LOL.

"The president sounded short of breath a few times at the start of the lengthy phone-in appearance of what had been billed as a "guest hosting" role, but sounded steadier as the program went on. The conservative commentator welcomed Trump to his "radio rally" with audio of a crowd chanting, "We love you!"

Nazi to nazi. Chilling, isn't it?

"Trump, who tested positive for the coronavirus a week earlier, said doctors were initially more concerned about his prognosis than they've said publicly. "They said you were very bad," Trump said. "This looked like it was going to be a big deal. And you know what that means." He touted the medication. "I was in not great shape and we have a medicine that healed me, that fixed me," he said, adding that he had "a little lingering thing" afterwards. He said he's now not on any drug treatment. Limbaugh also asked the president about a report in Axios that Attorney General William Barr told top Republicans that a review into the origins of the Russia investigation won't be completed before the election, and that they shouldn't expect any new indictments before then either. In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Trump complained about the lack of indictments against Obama officials as a result of the Russia investigation, and said Barr has "all the information he needs" and would be remembered as a "sad case" if he didn't act. Trump told Limbaugh that if the Axios report is accurate, “I’m very disappointed. I think it’s a terrible thing, and I’ll say it to his face,” referring to Barr."

Need to look in the mirror, Mr. 'President.' Take a long, hard look.

"The president, who said the United States' nuclear program "is all tippy-top now," also cursed while discussing Iranian sanctions in the nationally-broadcast interview. “They've been put on notice. If you fuck around with us, if you do something bad to us, we are going to do things to you that have never been done before. And they understand that," Trump said."

... Think it might be the steroids? LOL.

Or, insanity:

"The president also continued his whipsaw approach to another coronavirus relief package, saying "I would like to see a bigger stimulus package, frankly, than either the Democrats or the Republicans are offering. I'm going to the exact opposite now, OK? I mean, I'm telling you this. I'm telling you something I don't tell anybody else, because maybe it helps, or maybe it hurts negotiations. I would like to see a bigger package." He'd tweeted earlier this week that he was ending talks with the Democrats on another stimulus package until after the election."

Nothing quite like 'stability,' is there? LOL.

"Much of the rest of the interview was dedicated to Trump re-airing now familiar complaints. Rival Joe Biden "is out of it" and "in no condition to be a candidate," while 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton should be prosecuted for her deleted emails, Trump said. He also complained about mail-in voting ("Who are they sending them to? Where are they going?"), the mainstream media and even Fox News, where he was interviewed yesterday and was scheduled to make another appearance Friday night. “Fox is a whole different ballgame. Fox is a much different thing than it was four years ago," he complained. “They’re going the way of CNN. They’re going the way of the MSDNC," he said, using his nickname for MSNBC. "And, it’s a shame; I mean, it’s a shame.” He then added that “Fox is 50 percent of what they were … [but] that’s still better than nothing.” Trump, who Thursday backed out of next week's presidential debate because he didn't want to appear virtually, didn't indicate any interest in revisiting that decision, telling Limbaugh, "I don't think the debates mean that much" but added that, "I've done well with debates." Throughout the interview, Limbaugh repeatedly praised the president and urged his listeners to vote for him. "If you love this country," Limbaugh said, "you have no choice but to vote for" Trump. Trump is close with Limbaugh, a conservative commentator with a long history of racist, sexist and homophobic remarks. The president awarded Limbaugh the country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, days after Limbaugh announced he'd been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Trump called Limbaugh "a special man" and thanked him for his "tireless devotion to our country."

'Two peas in a pod,' no? LOL.

10-16-20

Uncommon Valor ignored, egregiously devalued by the nazi in the Oval Office. -- Military personnel killed in action besmirched by Trump. Appalling. Horrendous. Incomprehensible. NPR reports:

"Retired four-star Air Force Gen. Chuck Boyd is one of hundreds of military voices speaking out against President Trump this election. Late last month, Boyd, who fought in Vietnam and spent seven years there as a prisoner of war, joined nearly 500 national security leaders who endorsed Democrat Joe Biden. In a video endorsement, Boyd says that ever since he returned from Vietnam, he has been a Republican, "but quietly." He goes on: "I fervently believe that military officers should not get involved in presidential politics, even when retired. But this year is different." That's because, Boyd tells NPR, he thinks Trump is a danger to democracy."

No question. Sadly, so.

"As I watched him over the years, my unease with his presidency has increased. It increased to the point that I believe that our democracy will be in shatters by the time he has served two terms," Boyd says. "While I am reticent about getting involved in presidential politics by any military men, in this case, keeping out of the political process is something I don't feel like I can do." In the interview, Boyd explains how he came to his decision to endorse Biden."

"Take us back to the moment you decided that you did need to come forward."

"I think the point at which he began telling the American people that the election process itself was fraudulent, that mail-in balloting was a disaster, was terrible. I thought if our citizens lose faith in how they go about electing their leaders, then democracy itself is at risk, at deep risk. That's the point at which I said I've got to get involved in this in some way."

-- No evidence to support Trump's phony claim. It's bogus. He's talking out his ass.

"Are there policy decisions or rhetoric that Trump has used over the last four years that makes you concerned about a second Trump term?"

"What really worries me — and this is one of the objectives of the Russians for a long time — is to cause people to lose faith in democratic processes. A lot of other countries, fragile democracies, look to the United States as an example of democracy in action. And when they see our democratic processes not functioning, then I think other nations lose faith in their own process."

That's true. Look to us to set an example. We've miserably failed last seven decades since the McCarthy era.

The following is beyond appalling. It's horrendous:

"A recently published story in The Atlantic used anonymous sources who said Trump called members of the U.S. military who died in war "suckers" and "losers," and on another occasion on a visit to Arlington cemetery, he reportedly said he didn't understand "What was in it for them?" Trump has denied these statements. How did you respond to the report?"

"I found it sickening — and I believe it by the way. To know that the commander in chief holds those who serve in disdain, that's a knife right straight into the heart of any military man. ... To call those people suckers is one of the most disgusting things I can imagine. That's one of the reasons I've made the commitment to support and endorse Joe Biden for president."

While Biden has his problems, many will look upon him as the lesser of two evils. Sad, isn't it, that it's come down to this? That this is all that both major political parties have to offer.

10-16-20

Disingenuous charade. Epitome of hypocrisy. United Press International reports:

"Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett refused to share her views on the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion in the United States Tuesday at her high court confirmation hearing. Asked by Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif, if she agreed with the view of her late mentor, Justice Antonin Scalia, that Roe vs. Wade was "wrongly decided," Barrett demurred, saying it would be inappropriate to comment on controversial issues such as abortion. "It would be wrong for me to do that as a sitting judge," she said, adding she would not "grade" decisions made by Scalia or other justices. Feinstein pressed further, saying Barrett's views on Roe vs. Wade could affect "millions of women. You could be a very important vote." But Barrett again would not answer, saying, "Senator, I completely understand why you are asking the question, but again, I can't pre-commit or say 'yes, I'm going in with some agenda.'"

Jesus Christ. 'Judge,' you are indeed going in with an agenda. That agenda, sadly, is fascism. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

You will wind up determinedly forcing your perverse ideological and religious views on others who do not agree with them, as did your mentor, the late Antonin Scalia. The five Republican 'justices' currently on the Court routinely do so. So do the Democrats. Certainly, on the Second Amendment.

Neither party will admit to this. Readily engage in a ruse that some way, somehow, they will remain impartial. Simply, not true. Quite the opposite. Ludicrously, indulge in hearings cleverly designed not to determine and disclose the truth, but perpetuate the myth.

The following is a bold-faced lie:

"Earlier Tuesday, President Donald Trump's third high court nominee told committee members she will be able to set aside her own strong religious beliefs and rule with impartiality on all legal matters presented to the high court. Asked by committee chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., if she can put aside her Catholic beliefs as a Supreme Court justice, Barrett was insistent. "I can. I have done that in my time on the 7th Circuit," she answered. "If I stay on the 7th Circuit, I'll continue to do that. If I'm confirmed to the Supreme Court, I will do that."

If she truly believes that lie, she's delusional. Had she any measure of integrity, any semblance of honor, Barrett would have refused the nomination. Would have advised Trump to leave the decision to the next president. That is, let the people decide who was to make the nomination.

The following would be laughable, -- if not so outrageously phony:

"Barrett also vowed in her opening statement on Monday that she would be fair and impartial on the Supreme Court."

How can that be? Forget? Her mentor was Scalia, -- who shamelessly 'legislated' his perverse ideological and religious views from the bench. Her praise of Ginsberg rings hollow considering the fact Ginsberg stood in direct opposition to the ideological views of Scalia, -- despite the fact both justices were, indeed, close friends personally:

"Barrett, 48, praised the conservative Scalia, who died four years ago, as well as the liberal Ruth Bader Ginsberg, whose death last month created the new vacancy on the high court bench."

Rings hollow, -- and disingenuously self-serving.

"During her testimony, Barrett sought to allay Democratic concerns that she would be a conservative activist by saying she has tried in the 7th Circuit "to reach the result required by the law, whatever my own preferences might be."

She's either lying, -- or, sadly, deluding herself.

"Skepticism was evident among the opening statements from Democratic senators Monday, many of whom focused on how Barrett might rule in an upcoming legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act. They voiced fears that Barrett could be the pivotal vote in a case brought by Republican state officials seeking to dismantle the ACA, which Democrats say could strip insurance coverage for 20 million Americans during a pandemic. Barrett testified Tuesday that she has never discussed the ACA with Trump or anyone else, saying under questioning that she has never been pressured to strike it down."

Jesus Christ. What a crock of shit. They didn't have to. Quite clear where she stands on healthcare, abortion, and the rest of the Republican nazi agenda.

"Democrats also voiced demands that Barrett recuse herself from any cases pertaining to the Nov. 3 election after Trump linked her confirmation with the need for nine justices to decide cases arising from a contested presidential race. Barrett's participation in any case involving Trump's election "would immediately do explosive enduring harm to the court's legitimacy and to your own credibility," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in his opening statement Monday. "You must recuse yourself."

Why would she? Allegiance to her ideology, religious views, and her fuhrer, the Trump nazi, literally trump principle, honor, integrity. Worse? Democrats place return to office above all. If not, they would have boycotted this charade of a nomination. To say nothing of the final vote.

The Associated Press reports:

"Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is vowing to bring no “agenda” to the court, batting back senators’ questions Tuesday on abortion, gun rights and the November election, insisting she would take a conservative approach to the law but decide cases as they come."

Clearly, contradicted herself. Would be laughable, -- if not so outrageous. She states she will bring her 'conservative approach,' that is, her ideological views to the law, but somehow, some way she'll put those views aside and not allow them to interfere with her decisions. Again, she's either lying, or deluding herself:

“Judges can’t just wake up one day and say I have an agenda, I like guns, I hate guns, I like abortion, I hate abortion and walk in like a royal queen and impose their will on the world,” Barrett said at the second day of confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee."

You've already done precisely that, 'Judge.' Your views, that is your personal biases, are indeed well-known. For you to deny that is the height of folly. The hypocrisy of the charade is unbecoming. Runs rampant throughout the entire judiciary. Across the entire ideological spectrum, Right, Center, Left.

Barrett claims to be an 'originalist' like Scalia. That is, rigid interpretation of the Constitution as written and intended by the Founders. Had the Founders not intended provision for progressive change, they would not have included an amendment process. 'Originalists' such as Barrett and Scalia conveniently ignore this fact. In a desperate attempt to perpetuate and perpetrate their egregious narrow-mindedness, pernicious fascist ideology.

"The 48-year-old appellate court judge, nominated by President Donald Trump and on track for quick confirmation before the Nov. 3 election, also declined to commit to recusing herself from any cases arising from that election."

That's just abject, disingenuous, lying bullshit, 'Judge.' Conveniently forget? The Trump nazi publicly stated he wanted the Court up to nine justices just in case it had to consider any challenges he might make to the results of the election. To give him a 6-3 winning majority, -- rather than a 4-4 tie. Precisely, why he nominated a like-minded national socialist to the Court.

“I can’t offer an opinion on recusal without short-circuiting that entire process,” she said."

Bet you can't. Your fuhrer, indeed, is counting on you, 'Judge.'

"Trump has said he wants the ninth member on the court to handle any cases that may arise. But Barrett said it would be a “gross violation” of judicial independence to make a commitment on how she’d rule. She insisted she has not spoken to the president or his team about how she would handle such cases."

You didn't have to, 'Judge.' Trump already knew where you stand.

"Barrett, a former law professor, described herself as taking a conservative, originalist approach to the Constitution - “text as text” — and believes a judge “doesn’t infuse her own meaning into it.”

The 'Judge' seems oblivious to the fact the Founders deliberately wrote the Constitution to be a living, breathing document that would remain relevant long after their deaths. Knew full well they could not possibly see into the future and what those needs might be.

That is precisely why this document was written as non-specific and in general terms as it was. To be interpreted by the judiciary as the need arose. Not to be narrow-mindedly restricted to the time of the Founders. Precisely, why this country has remained a democratic republic as long as it has.

Now, threatened by national socialism, fascism, nazism currently embraced by the Republicans. With Democrats achingly incapable of standing up to the exigent threat to liberty presented by the nazi element in our formerly great country.

"Yet Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate, warned that Barrett’s nomination puts in jeopardy everything Ginsburg fought to protect. Testifying from her office because of the pandemic, Harris said that the court is “often the last refuge for equal justice” and that not only health care but voting rights, workers’ rights, abortion rights and the very idea of justice are at stake."

Indeed, they are. Yet, both major political parties leave much to be desired. Both remain egregiously unfit for office for totally different reasons, -- as well as many of the same. Both, interestingly, present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

Do so, however, with radical, diametrically opposed principles. -- Political divide as great as it's ever been. With one exception, Democrats running for president in the primaries were not socialists. Nowhere near. Moreover, the Democratic Party is not as liberal as it was some five decades ago. Far from it.

Both Democrats and Republicans have indeed moved to the Right. Republicans have embraced national socialism, fascism, nazism. Democrats have lost themselves. Have no clue as to how to effectively combat the rise of nazism in our formerly great country.

10-9-16

The deck is stacked. Think not? Wake up. The Associated Press reports:

"The nation’s top federal prosecutors have become less diverse under President Donald Trump than under his three predecessors, leaving white men overwhelmingly in charge at a time of national demonstrations over racial inequality and the fairness of the criminal justice system."

Surprised? Why? Expect better of a racist fascist in the Oval Office?

"The Associated Press analyzed government data from nearly three decades and found that a persistent lack of diversity in the ranks of U.S. attorneys has reached a nadir in the Trump administration. Eighty-five percent of his Senate-confirmed U.S attorneys are white men, according to AP’s analysis, compared with 58% in Democratic President Barack Obama’s eight years, 73% during Republican George W. Bush’s two terms and at most 63% under Democrat Bill Clinton. White men lead 79 of the 93 U.S. attorney’s offices in a country where they make up less than a third of the population. Nine current U.S. attorneys are women. Two are Black, and two Hispanic."

Still think the deck's not stacked?

"Federal prosecutors can have a profound effect on the criminal justice system and leadership holds an immense sway. Without a diverse group considering cases, bias can seep unnoticed into charging decisions and sentencing recommendations, undermine federal leadership with state and local law enforcement and chip away at the perceived legitimacy of the justice system. The enduring imbalance leaves U.S. attorneys looking less like the people they serve, and is in stark contrast to the population of federal prisons, where a disproportionate share of those incarcerated are Black."

Surprised? Why? Forget we live in a racist country?

“When you take it in the aggregate, it becomes very evident that the department, as a whole, is simply not valuing diversity at its highest ranks of leadership and not making the most well-informed decisions when those voices are absent from the decision-making process,” said Kenneth Polite Jr., who served as U.S. attorney in New Orleans during Obama’s second term. “It would be silly for anyone to suggest the department couldn’t do better.” The gap is especially relevant in an era when state and local law enforcement are repeatedly being taken to task over decisions not to prosecute police in the killings of Black people. U.S. prosecutors can serve as a backstop in those scenarios by bringing federal charges. The Trump administration’s inability to hire top prosecutors who reflect the nation has also deepened mistrust in communities frustrated by the Justice Department’s shift away from investigating police practices and Attorney General William Barr’s dismissal of the idea of systemic racism in law enforcement."

Too deaf to hear the rumble? Or, too aggressively stupid to care?

10-9-16

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused of crimes by his top deputies. The Associated Press reports:

"Several top deputies of Texas’ attorney general have reported to law enforcement that their boss engaged in crimes including bribery and abuse of office, according to an internal letter. In a single-page letter to the director of human resources in the attorney general’s office, the seven senior lawyers wrote that they reported Republican Ken Paxton to “the appropriate law enforcement authority” for potentially breaking the law “in his official capacity as the current Attorney General of Texas.” “We have a good faith belief that the attorney general is violating federal and/or state law including prohibitions related to improper influence, abuse of office, bribery and other potential criminal offenses,” the Thursday letter states. It was first reported jointly by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV and subsequently obtained by The Associated Press. The letter does not offer specifics but nonetheless stands as a remarkable accusation of criminal wrongdoing against the state’s top law enforcement officer by his own staff, including some longtime supporters of his conservative Christian politics. It is likely to deepen legal trouble for Paxton, who has spent nearly his entire five years in office under felony indictment for securities fraud, although the case has stalled for years over legal challenges."

Clearly, the system of justice is not working in Texas. ... At least, not at the very top of the food chain. ... A double standard that protects the elite. F--ks everyone else.

"Philip Hilder, Paxton’s defense attorney in the securities case, declined to comment on the new allegations Sunday. Paxton pleaded not guilty in that case but it is not clear whether the new accusations are related. In a statement to the American-Statesman Paxton’s office said: “The complaint filed against Attorney General Paxton was done to impede an ongoing investigation into criminal wrongdoing by public officials including employees of this office. Making false claims is a very serious matter and we plan to investigate this to the fullest extent of the law.”

Empty, achingly hollow rhetoric. No substance. When will the Attorney General receive the same standard of justice as the rest of the population? When?

"The investigation referenced in the statement was unclear. A spokeswoman for the attorney general did not immediately respond to an email and phone call Sunday. “These allegations raise serious concerns,” Gov. Greg Abbott, also a Republican, said in a Sunday statement. He declined to comment further “until the results of any investigation are complete.”

Where have you been all this time, Governor? Out to lunch?

"The letter was signed by the deputy attorneys general for policy, administration, civil litigation, criminal investigations and legal counsel, as well as Paxton’s first assistant, Jeff Mateer, and Mateer’s deputy. None of them responded to messages seeking comment Saturday or Sunday."

Surprised? Why? Lack of transparency is a 'cancer' of the soul suffered throughout the de facto fascist police-state we've been living in quite some time all across our formerly great country.

"Mateer resigned from Paxton’s office Friday to rejoin a prominent conservative nonprofit law firm in the Dallas-area, according to the Dallas Morning News. The First Liberty Institute did not immediately respond to an inquiry about him Sunday. Paxton, a Republican who is in his second term, has raised his national profile as a conservative crusader under President Donald Trump, including leading a lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act that goes before the Supreme Court this fall and leading Lawyers for Trump, a group supporting the president’s reelection. Michelle Lee, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s San Antonio office, said it’s agency policy not to comment on whether it has received allegations of crimes or is investigating. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday. Bill Miller, a veteran Texas political consultant who’s worked for Republicans and Democrats, said he couldn’t think of any precedent for a current elected leader’s staff accusing them of crimes. “It’s like, wow,” he said."

No kidding. Effectively lost our country. Certainly, its heart and soul. Ongoing problem last seven decades. ... As the malignancy progressed culminating in the rampant nazism embraced by the current occupant of the Oval Office, his henchmen, supporters, and most of the Republican Party. Democrats remain gutless, ineffective.

Cowardly unwilling to do what's necessary to stand up to this growing, exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Like Republicans, Democrats have placed political expediency before principle. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

10-9-16

More of the same from Trump and his henchmen. In follow-up to a case covered earlier in this publication and elsewhere, NBC News reports:

"Federal law enforcement officials were directed to make public comments sympathetic to Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with fatally shooting two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, according to internal Department of Homeland Security talking points obtained by NBC News. In preparing Homeland Security officials for questions about Rittenhouse from the media, the document suggests that they note that he "took his rifle to the scene of the rioting to help defend small business owners." Another set of talking points distributed to Homeland Security officials said the media were incorrectly labeling the group Patriot Prayer as racists after clashes erupted between the group and protesters in Portland, Oregon. It is unclear whether any of the talking points originated at the White House or within Homeland Security's own press office."

Where do you think? LOL.

Readers will recall:

"Rittenhouse, 17, supported Trump and police on his social media pages before he traveled from his home in Antioch, Illinois, to Kenosha on Aug. 25 with an AR-15-style rifle, authorities said. Rittenhouse was arrested on first-degree murder charges and is fighting extradition to Wisconsin. His attorneys argue that he was acting in self-defense."

Think so? ... Still believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, etc.?

"Four former Homeland Security officials, two of whom worked for Republican administrations, said it was unusual for law enforcement officials to be instructed to weigh in on a case involving a particular group or individual before investigations had concluded. "It is as unprecedented as it is wrong," said Peter Boogaard, who was a spokesperson for Homeland Security during the Obama administration. "What strikes me about the talking points is that they didn't call for calm among the public,” said Elizabeth Neumann, who served as DHS's assistant secretary for threat prevention and security policy in the Trump administration. “Even in the early hours after the incident, it was known private militias had self-deployed. …They seemed more interested in Rittenhouse's reputation than calling for calm and actual law and order.”

10-9-16

Another sham by Trump and his henchmen. The Washington Post reports:

"A national commission on policing launched earlier this year by President Trump and Attorney General William P. Barr has violated federal law by seating only people in law enforcement and failing to include members with different perspectives such as civil rights activists, defense attorneys or mental health professionals, a federal judge ruled Thursday as he halted the group’s work. The commission also did not file a charter, post public notice of its meetings or open them to the public, so even though it has already sent its draft report and recommendations to Barr for release later this month, the judge prohibited Barr from releasing a final report."

Surprised?

"The ruling by Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Bates in Washington came in response to a lawsuit from the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, which sought an injunction against the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice for violating laws on how federal advisory committees must work. Bates did not issue an injunction yet, but asked both sides to file briefs on what should be included in an injunction, said he would order the commission to change its membership and comply with other aspects of the law, and that it could not issue a report until it had done so. “Especially in 2020,” Bates wrote, “when racial justice and civil rights issues involving law enforcement have erupted across the nation, one may legitimately question whether it is sound policy to have a group with little diversity of experience examine, behind closed doors, the sensitive issues facing law enforcement and the criminal justice system in America today.”

Consider the Aryan arrogance:

"The 18-member commission was composed entirely of state and federal law enforcement officials, with no one from the civil rights, criminal defense, social work, religious or academic fields. Members were sworn in on Jan. 22, and then heard months of testimony by teleconference from experts in a variety of police, prosecutorial and social fields. The commission also formed 15 working groups, with more than 100 members, to draft sections of the report focusing on topics such as “Reduction of Crime,” “Respect for Law Enforcement,” “Data and Reporting" and “Homeland Security.” The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that a committee’s membership be “fairly balanced in terms of the points of view represented and the functions to be performed,” so that its recommendations “will not be inappropriately influenced by the appointing authority.” The working groups were also largely tied to policing, with only five of the 112 members not from law enforcement. After the suit was filed, the speakers who testified before the commission were more diverse in professional backgrounds.

"The law also requires that advisory committee meetings be open to the public, with notice posted in the Federal Register, along with a charter for the committee. The commission did not post a charter or meeting notices in the register, but did send out news releases announcing the virtual meetings as well as posting transcripts and recordings of the meetings. Reporters and others could dial in and listen to the teleconferences. A meeting which Barr held in June with the commission, on the same day Trump signed an executive order on police reform, was not announced and the Justice Department declined to release a transcript or recording. Trump’s order called for the commission to submit its report and recommendations to the attorney general, who was then required to send his final report to the president by Oct. 28. The Justice Department planned to release it at the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in late October, according to an email in the court file. Now, the report and the commission’s months of work are in limbo. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the department, which provided staff and guidance to the commission, declined to comment."

What could they say? No more than a dog-and-pony show orchestrated by the Trump nazi and his closest henchmen.

10-9-16

What could Trump and his sick sycophants, not to neglect to mention his closest White House henchmen, possibly have expected? The Associated Press reports:

"The White House said Friday that President Donald Trump was suffering “mild symptoms” of COVID-19, as the virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans spread to the highest reaches of the U.S. government just a month before the presidential election."

Surprised? Why?

"The revelation came in a Trump tweet about 1 a.m. after he had returned from an afternoon political fundraiser without telling the crowd he had been exposed to an aide with the disease that has infected millions in America and killed more than a million people worldwide."

Thoughtful of him, wasn't it?

"First lady Melania Trump also tested positive, the president said, and several others in the White House have, too, prompting concern that the White House or even Trump himself might have spread the virus further. The Trumps’ son Barron, who lives at the White House, tested negative."

Hopefully, his son will remain so.

Here's the problem:

"Trump has spent much of the year downplaying the threat of the virus, rarely wearing a protective mask and urging states and cities to “reopen” and reduce or eliminate shutdown rules."

"Trump’s diagnosis was sure to have a destabilizing effect in Washington and around the world, raising questions about how far the virus has spread through the highest levels of the U.S. government. Hours before Trump announced he had contracted the virus, the White House said a top aide who had traveled with him during the week had tested positive. “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately,” Trump tweeted just before 1 a.m. “We will get through this TOGETHER!” White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Friday tried to assure the public that Trump was conducting business as usual, even as he confirmed that the White House knew Hope Hicks, the aide, had tested positive before Trump attended a Thursday fundraiser in New Jersey. “I can tell you in terms of Hope Hicks, we discovered that right as Marine One was taking off yesterday,” said Meadows. Several staffers were pulled from the trip, but Trump did not cancel and there was no direct evidence that her illness was connected to his. Many White House and senior administration officials were undergoing tests Friday, but the full scale of the outbreak around the president may not be known for some time as it can take days for an infection to be detectable by a test. Officials with the White House Medical Unit were tracing the president’s contacts. Trump’s reelection campaign said it was putting on hold all events featuring Trump and members of his family but that Pence would resume campaigning since he tested negative."

The following exacerbates the growing pandemic problem:

"Trump has been trying all year to convince the American public that the worst of the pandemic is behind them. In the best of cases, if he develops few symptoms, which can include fever, cough and breathing trouble, it will likely force him off the campaign trail and puts his participation in the second presidential debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, into doubt. Trump’s handling of the pandemic has already been a major flashpoint in his race against Biden, who spent much of the summer off the campaign trail and at his home in Delaware citing concern about the virus. Biden has since resumed a more active campaign schedule, but with small, socially distanced crowds. He also regularly wears a mask in public, something Trump mocked him for at Tuesday night’s debate. “I don’t wear masks like him,” Trump said of Biden. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from me, and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”

Unbridled aggressive stupidity where the 'president' does all he can to reinforce public perception of his profound, unlimited ignorance.

"Trump’s announcement came hours after he confirmed that Hicks, one of his most trusted and longest-serving aides, had been diagnosed with the virus Thursday. Hicks began feeling mild symptoms during the plane ride home from a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday evening, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose private information. She was isolated from other passengers aboard the plane, the person said. Hicks had been with Trump and other senior staff aboard Marine One and Air Force One en route to that rally and had accompanied the president to Tuesday’s presidential debate in Cleveland, along with members of the Trump family. The Trump contingent removed their masks during the debate, in violation of the venue rules."

Aggressively stupid display of their bottomless ignorance, -- emulating that of their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Should have been instructed to put on their masks, -- or leave.

"Multiple White House staffers have previously tested positive for the virus, including Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, national security adviser Robert O’Brien and one of the president’s personal valets. An RNC official confirmed Friday that Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel learned she had tested positive Wednesday afternoon. She has been at her home in Michigan since last Saturday and did not attend the debate. But Trump has consistently played down concerns about being personally vulnerable. He has mostly refused to abide by basic public health guidelines — including those issued by his own administration — such as wearing face coverings in public and practicing social distancing. Instead, he has continued to hold campaign rallies that draw thousands of often maskless supporters. “I felt no vulnerability whatsoever,” he told reporters back in May."

... Think the chickens may have finally come home to roost, -- so to speak?

The Washington Post reports:

"Inside a Cleveland auditorium on Tuesday, everyone watching President Trump debate former vice president Joe Biden wore a mask, with a notable exception: Trump’s guests, including the first family. On Sunday, the debate’s moderator, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, demanded answers from the Trump campaign for flouting the debate host’s rules — especially in light of Friday’s news that both the president and first lady Melania Trump later tested positive for the novel coronavirus. “The rules from the Cleveland Clinic could not have been more clear. Everyone, everyone in the audience was to wear a mask,” Wallace said on “Fox News Sunday.” “After the first family came in, they all took off their masks. So did the White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Do they think that the health and safety rules for everybody else do not apply to them?”

Then, why didn't you promptly instruct them to put on their masks, -- or leave? Why special treatment? Who the hell cares they were Trump's guests?

"When Steve Cortes, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, started arguing that the masks weren’t necessary because attendees had been tested for the virus, Wallace cut him off. “Steve, it doesn’t matter. Everyone in that room was tested. The Cleveland Clinic regulation was, it didn’t matter. Everyone except for the three of us onstage was to wear a mask,” Wallace said. The interview tied off a weekend in which Wallace was a central, often critical, voice in Fox News’s coverage of Trump’s positive diagnosis — a story that could personally affect him after he shared a stage with the president. Wallace has said he won’t be tested until Monday. On Friday, Wallace broke the news that illustrated Trump’s lax approach to safety guidelines, revealing to viewers that the president violated an “honor system” by showing up to the debate without having tested negative. Wallace also said Trump and his staff didn’t wear masks on a walk-through before the debate."

Why was that tolerated?

"On Sunday, Wallace repeatedly grilled Cortes about why Trump’s guests had disregarded mask rules, which both campaigns had agreed to ahead of time. In the audience, the first lady and the president’s adult children, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump, all shunned masks, as did Trump’s other guests, including Meadows and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)."

Should have gotten the boot. Who the hell cares their VIP status?

"When Cleveland Clinic staff members offered the group face coverings, they were rebuffed. “Everybody was told to wear a mask. Why did the first family and the chief of staff believe that the rules for everybody else didn’t apply to them?” Wallace asked. Cortes argued that although President Trump thinks masks are “useful,” “we also believe in some element of individual choice. People were distanced, and they had been tested.”

Mattered not. They were infected. Called Aryan arrogance. Aggressive stupidity. -- Latter defined as doing all one can to demonstrate one's profound ignorance.

Get this:

"Indeed, the Cleveland Clinic did test attendees with PCR tests, the nasal swab considered the best standard, The Washington Post’s Aaron C. Davis, Shawn Boburg and Josh Dawsey reported. But the Trump campaign was allowed to do its own testing and used instead a rapid test that studies have found can miss infections up to 30 percent of the time. Wallace pressed Cortes again. “No,” he said, “those were the rules, and there was no freedom of choice. They broke the rules. Why did they break the rules?” Instead of answering, Cortes accused Wallace of “haranguing” the president during the debate, repeating Trump campaign claims that Wallace had sided too often with Biden. Then Cortes added again, “Everyone there was tested in the crowd, they were distanced from each other, people can make reasonable decisions for themselves.”

Jesus Christ. The fascist bastard had no direct response, no reasonable or unreasonable answer to Wallace's question, direct challenge. Pitiful. Pathetic.

"Wallace scoffed at that — and said the Commission on Presidential Debates had made it clear that not wearing a mask at future debates would lead to an ejection from the venue. “No, actually they can’t,” Wallace responded to Cortes’s claim. “There are the rules, and they’ll be kicked out next time.”

Should have been kicked out the first time. If Trump walked out in sympathy, so be it.

ABC News reports:

"The mystery surrounding the President Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis and condition deepened Saturday after several rounds of confusing and contradictory information from the White House and the president's medical staff."

Expect better of congenital liars?

"Amid the swirl of developments, sources told ABC News that Trump, who remains hospitalized, had been given supplemental oxygen and experienced shortness of breath, a potentially worrisome picture that appeared to contradict both the rosier statements from Trump's doctor and assessments that he was doing well both on Twitter and elsewhere. Speaking outside Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Saturday, Trump's physician would not offer a clear, declarative statement about whether the president had received oxygen treatment since testing positive."

Why not? Where's the transparency?

"The press pool was told soon after by a "source familiar with the president's health" that Trump's "vitals over last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care." The lack of transparency and clarity from the White House contributed to a troubling pattern surrounding the events of the last week, including learning of Hope Hicks' diagnosis by a media leak, as the U.S. faces a potential crisis of governance just a month before the election. Numerous questions remained including how many people at the highest levels of government had been exposed after a week of events involving the president where social distancing and mask-wearing were lax and the integrity of the testing efforts at the White House and elsewhere. Since Trump announced he had coronavirus, Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Thom Tillis, Sen. Ron Johnson, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway have announced they tested positive for COVID-19.

Sources close to Trump tell ABC News the president was having trouble breathing and received supplemental oxygen on Friday at the White House after his oxygen levels dropped. This in part prompted the president to be transferred to Walter Reed Hospital late Friday afternoon. In addition, following that health assessment provided by doctors a Walter Reed, a senior administration official told ABC News that "according to [the president's physician] Dr. [Sean] Conley, the next 48 hours are critical for monitoring of potential illness progression." This official added that some of the president’s vitals Friday morning were "concerning."

NPR reports:

"The White House is struggling on Monday to show that it has a burgeoning public health and political crisis under control as President Trump enters his third day of aggressive and experimental treatment for the coronavirus. Trump fueled the growing alarm with a publicity stunt on Sunday evening, leaving his hospital suite to drive by boisterous supporters who gathered outside the military hospital in Bethesda, Md., where he has been hospitalized since Friday for COVID-19. His doctors have said he could be released on Monday. But they have also admitted that their public statements have been optimistic, aimed at bolstering the spirits of their patient."

Jesus Christ. That's pitiful. ... Are they dealing with an out of control 2-year-old?

"Inconsistencies between medical briefings and White House statements have added to confusion and concern — combined with the refusal by the White House to lay out all the facts about when and how they learned a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 Americans had entered the grounds of one of the most protected complexes in the world."

Nothing this administration claims can be taken at face value. They're congenital liars, -- like their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

"Trump kicked off Monday with a long and furious flurry of all-caps tweets. But unlike other Mondays, he is on the steroid dexamethasone, and a five-day course of the experimental drug remdesivir, after first receiving a cocktail of antibodies.

"SPACE FORCE. VOTE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2020"

Raw insanity. LOL.

"Doctors revealed on Sunday that Trump had been treated with oxygen at the White House on Friday — a time when officials described him as showing "mild symptoms." Doctors had initially refused on Saturday to directly answer questions about whether Trump had needed supplemental oxygen. The White House has insisted Trump is carrying out his presidential duties, taking pains to release photos of him working in the hospital, along with video messages. Vice President Pence, who has not been seen publicly since Trump became ill, was set to leave Washington for Utah and a week of campaign events, highlighted by the vice presidential debate on Wednesday. Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, who has been in and out of Trump's hospital room, deflected concerns that the president had put Secret Service agents and others at risk by getting into a motorcade to show his strength.

"Meanwhile at the White House, several aides are known to have contracted the virus, but there is little public information about how many people have been affected and what is being done to trace the origin and extent of the outbreak. White House officials have insisted that they have taken measures to protect more staff from getting sick, but they have insisted all along that they had protocols in place and have yet to explain how those failed. The White House said on Sunday that Trump's first positive test for the virus came after he returned from a fundraising trip to New Jersey on Thursday. But they have not made clear when his last negative test was. On Sunday night, Trump — who has downplayed the risks of the virus since it emerged in January — said he had "learned a lot about COVID" from his own experience with the illness. "This is the real school," he said in the video, before getting in the SUV motorcade."

Think Trump hasn't lost his mind?

United Press International reports:

"President Donald Trump has drawn criticism for his decision to leave the hospital and return to the White House while he's still infected with COVID-19 -- and for boasting that Americans shouldn't fear the disease."

Think so? Forget? The disease, to date, has already killed more than 210,000 Americans.

"Shortly after his release, Trump tweeted, "Don't be afraid of COVID." "Don't let it dominate your life," he added. "We have developed, under the Trump administration, some really great drugs & knowledge."

Another lie by a congenital liar.

"Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, called Trump's message a "bone of contention." "You look at the now 210,000 people in the United States of America who have died, and you talk about the 7 million who have been infected, the 1 million who have died globally," he said in an interview with the New Yorker. "I think anybody who is looking at this realistically has to say this is a very serious situation. ... It is a very serious disease that we need to reckon with."

No question.

"Trump's message also drew angry reactions online, where health professionals, politicians and other prominent figures denounced it as irresponsible, noting the coronavirus has so far killed more than 1 million people worldwide -- and many more will follow before the crisis is over."

No question.

"They showed me [Trump's tweet], he said 'don't let COVID control your life.' Tell that to the 205,000 families that lost somebody," Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden told WPLG-TV in Florida. Biden said Trump picked up COVID-19 because he refused to follow health guidelines and routinely wear a mask. "Where millions of people have lost their jobs, where people are facing hunger and eviction, to say don't be afraid of the COVID-19 is an absurd statement," Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said while campaigning for Biden in Ann Arbor, Mich. "Of course, we should be afraid of it. It has wreaked havoc on our economy and on all of our lives."

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

"I am struggling for words -- this is crazy," said Harald Schmidt, assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania. "It is just utterly irresponsible." "It will lead to more casual behavior, which will lead to more transmission of the virus, which will lead to more illness, and more illness will lead to more deaths," added Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. "A super spreader of dangerous untruths," tweeted David Axelrod, a senior White House adviser under former President Barack Obama. "Do not follow his advice. Yes, BE afraid of COVID, and act accordingly: masks; social distancing; frequent hand-washing." Experts say there are several reasons to be concerned about COVID-19, among them: There is no vaccine yet, the coronavirus is highly contagious, many carriers are asymptomatic and flu season is coming. Some critics pointed to the high level of care Trump received from physicians at the White House and Walter Reed -- care the American public does not have access to. "You've been under round-the-clock care by the best doctors using the best drugs," actor Chris Evans tweeted. "You just don't care. This is reckless to a shocking degree, even for you." "Don't be afraid of COVID? Perhaps if one has access to a team of physicians, experimental treatments, and a four-room hospital suite," tweeted Jesuit priest and magazine editor James Martin. "But for everyone else, take every precaution against the disease that has already killed 1,000,000 people worldwide."

NBC News reports:

"President Donald Trump attempted to claim victory over the coronavirus Monday as he returned to a White House increasingly hollowed out by the disease, with infections among staffers continuing to spread amid widespread confusion. "I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good!" he tweeted shortly before making a dramatic exit through the front doors of the hospital, pumping his fist to cameras. "Don't be afraid of Covid. Don't let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!"

Bet he does. Likely a result of steroids prescribed during his hospitalization.

"Upon returning to the White House, Trump took off his mask before posing for a photo opportunity as Marine One took off. Back inside the West Wing, the mood was less triumphant. "Folks are dropping like flies over here," a White House official said. "S--- is very crazy." Normally a hive of activity, the White House press office was dark and deserted Monday morning, even before press secretary Kayleigh McEnany revealed that she had tested positive for the virus. In one area, the lights hadn't been turned on. In another section, where about half a dozen staffers usually sit tightly grouped together as top administration officials stream in and out, just one aide had come in to work. McEnany joined a string of aides and allies who have tested positive in recent days as the White House has become a center for a coronavirus outbreak affecting low-level aides to senators and some of Trump's closest advisers, like former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is in a hospital."

The following? Achingly, delusional:

"Trump and his allies have looked to reframe the narrative around his diagnosis, pushing an image of the president as a "warrior" battling the virus and arguing that his newly acquired firsthand experience with the illness gives him an advantage over Democratic nominee Joe Biden. At the same time, they tried to project a sense of normalcy, issuing images of Trump working from the hospital even as his doctors and top officials detailed drops in his oxygen level and an aggressive course of therapy. Trump is expected to remain in the residence, where he will receive constant care and monitoring by White House medical staff, and not head to the West Wing until he is cleared by doctors, said a person familiar with the plans."

Hopefully, he'll follow advice of medical staff. ... Think that's even remotely possible?

"Top administration officials have remained "confused" over the lack of information they are getting, said a person familiar with the situation. They described Meadows' contradiction of White House doctors over the weekend as "inexplicable." "Literally no one knows, but everyone was furious," the person said. The main instruction from officials has been that staff members should talk to their managers if they want to work from home but that not all who prefer to work from home will be able to do so. Essential workers are still expected to show up in person — a category that includes some operational and senior staff members in the West Wing, as well as a large part of the National Security Council staff, many of whom deal with classified information and need access to a secure facility to do their jobs. None of the handful of staffers spotted around the West Wing on Monday morning had on masks, except for cleaning staff and the Secret Service agents who still stood at their posts along hallways. But a number of staff members were seen in masks going in and out of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House — a significant change from the previous week, when, a staff member who was there Thursday said, no one had been wearing a mask. It wasn't until Sunday, nearly three days after Trump announced that he had tested positive, that the first campuswide communication went out to White House staff members, repeating the advice the White House has been giving for months and telling them to stay home if they aren't feeling well. It made no acknowledgment of current developments and told staffers that they "should not go to the White House Medical Unit clinic for any Covid-19 testing inquiries."

"Olivia Troye, a former top aide to Vice President Mike Pence who was involved in the coronavirus task force, said the internal dynamic fueling staffers' concerns had been inevitable. "This is the culture inside the White House. It's a culture of paranoia, a culture of fear," Troye said on MSNBC. "Quite frankly, it's a lack of transparency that happens on a daily basis even amongst the White House staff. What you're watching is a breach in protocols."

The Associated Press reports:

"Still sickened by COVID-19, President Donald Trump plunged back on Tuesday into playing down the disease that hospitalized him for three days and has so far killed more than 210,000 Americans. He compared it anew to the seasonal flu and signaled he plans to return soon to the campaign trail. Back at the White House after a dramatic helicopter return from the military hospital where he was receiving an unprecedented level of care for COVID-19, Trump’s attitude alarmed infectious disease experts. And it suggested his own illness had not caused him to rethink his often-cavalier attitude toward the disease, which has also infected the first lady and more than a dozen White House aides and associates. Anxious to project strength just four weeks from Election Day, Trump, who is still contagious with the virus, tweeted Tuesday morning that he is planning to attend next week’s debate with Democrat Joe Biden in Miami. “It will be great!” he said.

"Trump returned to the White House Monday night aboard Marine One, gingerly climbing the South Portico steps before removing his mask and giving a double thumbs-up from the terrace, where aides had arranged American flags for the sunset occasion. He entered the White House, where aides were visible milling about the Blue Room, without wearing a face covering. In a video released later, Trump offered a nonchalant take on the virus, contravening the public health warnings of his own administration that Americans take the threat seriously and to take precautions to avoid contracting and spreading the disease as cases continue to spike across the country. “Don’t be afraid of it,” Trump said. “You’re going to beat it. We have the best medical equipment, we have the best medicines.” His remarks were strong, but he was taking deeper breaths than usual as he delivered them. Left unsaid was that the president’s experience with the disease has been far from typical, as his doctors rushed him onto experimental antiviral drugs and prescribed an aggressive course of steroids that would be unavailable to the average patient. While most must cope with their symptoms — and fear of whether they’ll take a turn for the worse — at home and alone, Trump had been staying in the presidential suite of one of the nation’s best hospitals, and he’s now at the White House, where there is a team of doctors on call with 24-hour monitoring."

No question, a double standard. One for the very top of the food chain. The other for everyone else.

"On Tuesday, Trump also returned to his previous comparisons of COVID-19 to the seasonal flu. “Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu,” he tweeted. “Are we going to close down our Country? No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations far less lethal!!!” In fact, COVID-19 has already proven to be a more potent killer, particularly among older populations, than seasonal flu, and has shown indications of having long-term impacts on the health of younger people it infects. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that influenza has resulted in far fewer yearly deaths than Trump said — between 12,000 and 61,000 annually since 2010. Just days before, Trump suggested he had finally grasped the true nature of the virus, saying in a video, “I get it,” moments before he ventured out of the hospital while contagious to salute cheering supporters by motorcade — an outing that disregarded precautions meant to contain the virus. Trump’s efforts to play down the threat of the virus in hopes of propping up the economy ahead of the election have drawn bipartisan criticism."

In another article, The Associated Press reports:

"The West Wing is a ghost town. Staff members are scared of exposure. And the White House is now a treatment ward for not one — but two — COVID patients, including a president who has long taken the threat of the virus lightly. President Donald Trump’s decision to return home from a military hospital despite his continued illness is putting new focus on the people around him who could be further exposed if he doesn’t abide by strict isolation protocols. Throughout the pandemic, White House custodians, ushers, kitchen staff and members of the U.S. Secret Service have continued to show up for work in what is now a coronavirus hot spot, with more than a dozen known cases this week alone. Trump, still contagious, has made clear that he has little intention of abiding by best containment practices. As he arrived back at the White House on Monday evening, the president defiantly removed his face mask and stopped to pose on a balcony within feet of a White House photographer. He was seen inside moments later, surrounded by numerous people as he taped a video message urging Americans not to fear a virus that has killed more than 210,000 in the U.S. and 1 million worldwide. White House spokesman Judd Deere said the White House was “taking every precaution necessary” to protect not just the first family but “every staff member working on the complex” consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and best practices. He added that physical access to the president would be significantly limited and appropriate protective gear worn by those near him. Nonetheless, the mood within the White House remains somber, with staff fearful they may have been exposed to the virus. As they confront a new reality — a worksite that once seemed like a bubble of safety is anything but — they also have been engaged in finger-pointing over conflicting reports released about the president’s health as well as a lack of information provided internally. Many have learned about positive tests from media reports and several were exposed, without their knowledge, to people the White House already knew could be contagious. Indeed, it took until late Sunday night, nearly three full days after Trump’s diagnosis, for the White House to send a staff-wide note in response. Even then, it did not acknowledge the outbreak. “As a reminder,” read the letter from the White House Management Office, “if you are experiencing any symptoms ... please stay home and do not come to work.” Staff who develop symptoms were advised to “go home immediately” and contact their doctors rather than the White House Medical Unit. Even when Trump was at the hospital, his staff was not immune to risk. Trump had aides there recording videos and taking photographs of him. On Sunday evening, he took a surprise drive around the hospital to wave to supporters from the window of an SUV. The Secret Service agents in the car with him were dressed in personal protective equipment. “Appropriate precautions were taken in the execution of this movement to protect the president and all those supporting it, including PPE,” Deere said."

Get this:

"Trump campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley dismissed media concern about the agents’ safety as “absolutely stupid and foolish.” “How do they think he’s going to leave? Is someone gonna toss him the keys to a Buick and let him drive home by himself? They’re always around him because that’s their job,” Gidley said on Fox News. But agents told a very different story. Several who spoke with The Associated Press expressed concern over the cavalier attitude the White House has taken when it comes to masks and distancing. Colleagues, they said, are angry, but feel there’s little they can do. One, speaking after White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tested positive on Monday, said it felt like he and some of his colleagues had been spared only by a measure of good luck. Others noted the difference between facing outside threats they have trained for — a gun, a bomb or a biohazard — and being put at additional risk because of behavior they characterized as reckless at times. The agents spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing their jobs. The Secret Service has refused to disclose how many of its employees have tested positive or have had to quarantine, citing privacy and security. But in the midst of the election, thousands of agents are on duty and anyone who tests positive can easily be subbed out, officials have said. Secret Service spokeswoman Julia McMurray said the agency takes “every precaution to keep our protectees, employees and families, and the general public, safe and healthy.”

Think so?

ABC News reports:

"Even as President Donald Trump remained infected with the novel coronavirus and contagious, he returned to the Oval Office Wednesday, disregarding isolation rules and putting staffers at increased risk. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows had said earlier in the day that the president was eager to return to his official presidential office -- and that he had been wanting to do so since Tuesday -- telling reporters that safety precautions would be taken to accommodate the president’s request and said that those who have direct contact with the president at this time are wearing “full PPE, masks, goggles, and the like." “If he decides to go to the Oval, we've got safety protocols there that are not only from the PPE standpoint, but from a ventilation standpoint, in the open where we can actually work to that end as well," Meadows said, who removed his mask before taking questions from reporters at a distance Wednesday morning. The president’s return to the Oval Office comes as he is supposed to be observing a period of self-isolation, in accordance with CDC guidelines. The White House had outfitted the Map Room and Diplomatic Reception Room in the White House residence as remote working spaces for the president during his period of expected isolation after his made-for-TV return from three nights in the hospital on Monday. While Meadows expressed confidence that the president's return to the Oval Office could be carried out safely with those around the president outfitted in full PPE, the White House has not said whether the president himself is also wearing a mask while around others and in the Oval Office."

10-9-16

Trump on steroids? NBC News reports:

"Getting sick with Covid-19 didn't change President Donald Trump's approach to politics. If anything, his trip to the hospital amplified it. The strength-at-all-costs messaging Tuesday, which appeared to undermine both the stock market and his own party's strategy on a coronavirus relief bill, represents a more highly concentrated version of the regular Trump. This is the Trump presidency on steroids."

Literally, as well. ... As prescribed by doctors treating him for COVID.

"When he tanked stocks Tuesday by tweeting that he had killed stimulus talks, it was reminiscent of the time in late 2018 when he insisted on taking blame for an impending federal government shutdown. Jaws dropped in Washington and New York, as did the Dow Jones Industrial Average. "The president is living in a pre-COVID economic mindset, and it's a huge miscalculation on his part," Anthony Scaramucci, managing partner of SkyBridge, a hedge fund, and a former Trump White House communications director, said via text message. "He does not want to sign this bill because he views it as [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi's bill and a win for Democrats, ignoring the fact that we've got people all across this country, through no fault of their own, suffering."

"While it's impossible to come to an empirical conclusion about the causes of each upward or downward spike in the stock market, Trump's behavior in the presidency — especially when it comes to fiscal policy that affects businesses — has been so extreme, and so closely timed to market volatility, that most analysts believe pronouncements like Tuesday's have a direct effect on sell-offs. "We are deeply troubled by the sudden halt of negotiations," the Business Roundtable, an association of corporate chief executive officers, said in a statement. "Millions of American workers, families and businesses are suffering from the economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and need the support of their government." Hours later, after the backlash from investors and corporate leaders, Trump shifted his course. Now, he says, he wants to pass stand-alone bills to send out government checks to millions of Americans and provide other limited forms of temporary relief."

Nothing quite like stability, is there?

"The stimulus bill tweet was sent less than 24 hours after Trump played down the virulence of the disease and played up his own strength — "I feel better than I did 20 years ago," he wrote — even though it took supplemental oxygen and a variety of drugs, including actual steroids, to treat him."

No shit. LOL.

"In that way, he became the embodiment of his broader message on a pandemic that has killed 210,000 Americans and crashed the economy: it's not that bad and he has been uniquely suited to combat it. The problem with that tack, from a political standpoint, is that most voters think Trump has mishandled the national response to the coronavirus. It is the issue, according to Democratic and Republican strategists, that has been the biggest drag on his re-election hopes.

"Trump's compulsion to beat his own breast hardest when he is at his weakest appears to be a major force in his loss of credibility with the public. CNN polling released this week shows Biden leading him 58 percent to 33 percent among likely voters on the question of which candidate is most honest and trustworthy. And he's never worked as hard to project strength as he has since he was infected with the coronavirus."

10-9-16

Think Trump mentally stable? Fit for office? ABC News reports:

"What exactly did President Donald Trump mean when he said Monday, after spending three nights in the hospital dealing with a severe case of COVID-19: "I knew there's danger to it -- but I had to do it." In a video Trump tweeted soon after returning to the White House Monday evening, he spoke directly to the camera -- without the mask he had just dramatically taken off -- and seemed to argue his getting sick was a necessary risk to show he was a strong leader. "As your leader, I had to do that," said Trump, flanked by American flags atop the South Portico with the Washington Monument in the distance behind him. "I knew there's danger to it -- but I had to do it. I stood out front. I led. Nobody that's a leader would not do what I did. And I know there's a risk, there's a danger -- but that's okay," he said."

Is it? Think so? Sounds like the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. Raw insanity.

"Trump's language seemed to suggest his contracting COVID-19 -- a disease that has now killed more than 210,000 Americans -- was an act of political courage to help him lead the fight against the virus, not the result of his continued refusal to always wear a mask and social distance throughout the pandemic. Trump didn't mention any COVID-19 public health guidance in the video. Instead, seeking to project a triumphant image, he repeatedly told American instead not to let COVID-19 "dominate" them. He sent a tweet with the same message -- "Don't be afraid of Covid -- announcing his departure from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday."

With over 210,000 of his fellow Americans dead from the pandemic, that assertion is insane. Especially, after enduring the following:

"At least twice since announcing his COVID-19 diagnosis Friday morning, he has required supplemental oxygen -- at the White House Friday and at Walter Reed Saturday -- after dangerous drops in his blood oxygen level."

Gets worse. Get this:

"I learned so much about coronavirus. And one thing that's for certain: Don't let it dominate you. Don't be afraid of it. You're gonna beat it," Trump said in the video. "We have the best medical equipment. We have the best medicines, all developed recently."

Only for the very top of the food chain. Not for everyone else. Certainly, not for the over 210,000 dead from the disease.

"Don't let it dominate. Don't let it take over your lives. Don't let that happen," Trump continued. "But don't let it dominate your lives. Get out there. Be careful." Trump did not acknowledge that he has experienced unparalleled medical care few other Americans receive and that the antiviral cocktail he's being treated with has only been issued to fewer than ten people outside of a clinical trial setting. Trump also claimed in the video, taped four days after testing positive for the virus, "Maybe I'm immune -- I don't know."

Raw insanity. Think not?

"The science on whether recovering from COVID-19 confers immunity has not yet been established, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trump previewed his new political strategy -- that contracting COVID-19 was the best way for him to learn about it -- in another video he tweeted from Walter Reed Sunday, just before he briefly left the hospital in the presidential motorcade to wave to supporters despite still being contagious."

Outrageously, irresponsible.

Gets worse. Get this. Would be laughable if not so achingly delusional:

"It's been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about COVID. I learned it by really going to school. This is the real school. This isn't the, 'Let's read the book school.' And I get it. And I understand it," Trump said. "It's a very interesting thing, and I'm going to be letting you know about it."

Here's the growing problem for Trump:

"But nearly 3 out of every 4 Americans say Trump failed to take steps necessary to avoid contracting the virus, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday which was conducted on Friday and Saturday, following Trump's positive test early Friday morning. In two separate questions, an identical 72% said that Trump did not take the "risk of contracting the virus seriously enough," nor "the appropriate precautions when it came to his personal health."

10-9-16

Walls closing in. The Washington Post reports:

"A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Manhattan's district attorney can enforce his subpoena for President Trump's tax returns, rejecting a bid by Trump's lawyers to kill the request on grounds it's a malicious political ploy and potentially setting up another high-stakes showdown at the Supreme Court. Though the district attorney has agreed not to enforce his subpoena immediately while Trump asks the high court to hear his case again, Wednesday's ruling marks another blow for the president, who has fought for more than a year to shield his financial records from investigators, and follows separate, jarring revelations about the enormity of his debt. The ruling was issued by a panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which concluded, "We have considered all of the President's remaining contentions on appeal and have found in them no basis for reversal."

If nothing to hide, why fight so hard?

"District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. is seeking eight years of the president’s tax returns and related documents as part of his investigation into alleged hush-money payments made ahead of the 2016 election to two women who said they had affairs with Trump years prior. Trump denies the claims. Investigators want to determine if efforts were made to conceal the payments on tax documents by labeling them legal expenses. Trump’s lawyers had argued Vance was on a “fishing expedition” and out to harass the president, saying the grand jury subpoena to Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, was issued in “bad faith.” But the district attorney’s office had indicated recently that its probe also includes dealings at the Trump Organization, the president’s family business that oversees hundreds of subsidiaries. If the company deceived lenders or insurance companies by manipulating the value of its assets, fraud charges would potentially apply, officials have said. The three-judge panel who heard the president's appeal shot down his claim that the district attorney's investigation is limited only to the alleged payments made by Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal — saying in their ruling that the "bare assertion … amounts to nothing more than implausible speculation." "Similarly," the ruling says, "the President's allegations of bad faith fail to raise a plausible inference that the subpoena was issued out of malice or an intent to harass." "It is far from reasonable to infer that a single subpoena would define the entire scope of a grand jury's investigation, particularly in complex financial investigations," the ruling says. Multiple subpoenas are often issued "seeking different information from different recipients" during investigations, as new clues are revealed. Trump's lawyer Jay Sekulow said the president would be petitioning the Supreme Court for a stay, a legal ruling that halts proceedings while an issue is litigated. The district attorney's office declined to comment. Vance’s bid for Trump’s tax records has been stalled since last year, when he issued the subpoena to Mazars. Trump’s lawyers, who have signaled that they would ask the Supreme Court to look at the case again, have already lost at the high court, which in July rejected their initial argument that, as president, Trump is immune from prosecution. The justices said, however, that Trump could try again with a different approach."

Stay tuned.

10-9-16

Vice presidential 'debate?' Total waste of time. Both candidates, particularly Pence, failed to directly answer questions. Quickly, changed topic. Worse? The Vice President insisted on ignoring the moderator when told his time was up. Distorted reality, continued to lie like his fuhrer, the Trump nazi.

Both candidates catered to their base. Ignored whatever undecided voters remained. Harris behaved more like a long-time politician than the prosecutor she is. Could have eviscerated Pence using her prosecutorial skills. Chose not to. Far too politically correct. Apparently, to protect Biden.

Interestingly, Trump, himself, is balking at attending the next presidential debate due to the fact it will a virtual one due to his COVID infection. What's he so afraid of? Being cut off when he fails to follow debate rules? Continually, interrupts? Behaves like an idiot?

10-9-16

Same old shit. NBC News reports:

"Some 1,600 Wells Fargo customers say the bank paused their mortgage payments without their consent, far more than previously known, according to correspondence the bank sent to two U.S. senators in August and September. The letters, obtained exclusively by NBC News, also indicate that the bank didn't know how many customers had been affected by its practice of placing them in so-called forbearance programs, raising questions about Wells Fargo's internal controls. In July, an NBC News investigation detailed how Wells Fargo, in more than a dozen states, had suspended customers' mortgage payments without their permission during the Covid-19 pandemic. Placing customers in unwanted forbearance can harm borrowers' credit reports by making it seem as though they aren't making required payments when they are. The conduct can also prevent borrowers from refinancing their home loans to benefit from record low interest rates. At the time, Wells Fargo said it was trying to help borrowers potentially harmed by the pandemic by proactively pausing their mortgage payments. Following the NBC News report, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Brian Schatz of Hawaii, both Democrats on the Banking Committee, asked the bank for information about the practice, including how many customers had been affected. Wells Fargo responded in August but didn't provide lawmakers with the number of customers whose mortgage payments had been suspended without their consent. The bank said it was "affirmatively reaching out to customers where we do not have evidence of a clear request for a forbearance," one letter said. The bank did report having received 1,600 complaints of unwanted forbearances and said it had identified about 900 customers going through personal bankruptcy who had had their mortgage payments paused even though they hadn't requested it. Wells Fargo said it doesn't "receive, nor do we pay our employees, any incentive fees or other compensation for placing customers in forbearance." Wells Fargo said it had changed its practices "to require an affirmative request from a customer before providing a forbearance." And for customers who received forbearances they didn't request, the bank said, "we are removing the forbearance, adjusting credit reporting, and working to make the customer whole." Warren said the bank's responses were troubling. "These new details reveal that Wells Fargo's culture remains deeply broken and the bank has yet to implement the necessary structural reforms to fix the problems," she said in a statement. Warren forwarded the Wells Fargo responses Wednesday to Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jay Powell, one of the bank's main regulators, telling him that the forbearance actions were "a systemic practice at the institution and a direct result of the company's failure to have the appropriate internal controls in place." She asked that the Fed consider Wells Fargo's problematic conduct as it continues to monitor the bank."

Problems with Wells Fargo have gone on for years as repeatedly detailed in this publication and elsewhere. Where's effective regulation? Why wasn't this bank reined in decades ago? Anyone been paid off to look the other way?

"Since 2018, the Fed has restricted Wells Fargo's ability to grow its assets until it "sufficiently improves its governance and controls." Warren said the bank's forbearance practices show that "much additional progress is necessary before the Fed begins to consider permanently lifting the asset cap."

Why isn't the Fed aggressively reining this bank in?

Empty rhetoric:

"A spokeswoman for Wells Fargo said the bank "continues to work diligently to provide relief to customers experiencing hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including those who need a break in their mortgage payments." She also said the institution has made "transformative changes to our independent risk management structure and control organization, including important work to further strengthen the independent oversight of all risk-taking activities and a more comprehensive view of risk across the company." In recent years, Wells Fargo, the nation's fourth-largest bank, has come under pressure for opening unrequested bank and credit card accounts for clients. It also forced others to buy auto insurance they didn't need and, in some cases, weren't told about. Wells Fargo this year paid the U.S. government $3 billion in a civil settlement and deferred prosecution agreement related to the fake accounts scandal. Setting up the fake accounts was encouraged to prove that the bank could sell customers an array of financial products, a metric closely watched by investors."

Why weren't their sorry asses criminally prosecuted? Why special treatment?

"Under the CARES Act, which provides help with loans backed by the government-sponsored companies Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae and others, borrowers harmed by Covid-19 can ask to suspend their mortgage payments for up to a year. The amounts they owe during the period are either tacked onto the ends of the loans or paid off before. No additional fees, interest or penalties can accrue on the loans while they are in forbearance. Customers of Wells Fargo said they were placed in forbearance after simply having requested information about Covid-19 assistance programs or having clicked on related pages on the bank's website but not signing up. Some said they continued to make their payments to the bank. Unwanted forbearance can be problematic, especially for borrowers in bankruptcy. They might have to pay extra fees to correct the impression that they had stopped paying their mortgages, for example. Even worse, the conduct could jeopardize their court-ordered payment plans, increasing the possibility that they would have to file second bankruptcies or lose their homes to foreclosure. "It does not appear that Wells Fargo took any measures to address its actions with the bankruptcy courts, creating problems for the customers' bankruptcy cases," Warren said in her letter to Powell."

Why isn't the Fed doing its job? ... Again, anyone bribed, paid to look the other way?

"Borrowers in Chapter 13 bankruptcy whose loans were put into forbearance by Wells Fargo without their consent have sued the bank; it recently agreed to a court order barring its forbearance conduct nationwide. Attorneys for borrowers who weren't in bankruptcy when their payments were paused have requested a similar ruling in a separate suit. Correcting customers' credit reports marred by unrequested forbearances takes time. A Wells Fargo customer who has been working with the bank said it expects her credit report to show the correction shortly, about six months after the pause took place."

10-2-20

Think Democrats won't retaliate against Republican intentions to load the Supreme Court with a 6-3 nazi Republican majority? CBS News reports:

"Democrats are fuming over the decision by Senate Republicans to move forward on a vote to confirm President Trump's yet-to-be-named nominee to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, four years after GOP leaders refused to hold a vote on a Democratic president's nominee during an election year. In 2016, Republicans in control of the Senate blocked President Obama's nominee to the court, Merrick Garland, from even receiving a hearing, leaving the Supreme Court with only eight justices for over a year. Now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans argue that the court must have nine justices ahead of the November election. Given the likely legal challenges accompanying the influx of mail-in ballots this year, it's possible that the fate of the election could fall to the Supreme Court, which would have a 6 to 3 conservative majority if Mr. Trump's nominee is confirmed before Election Day. Fury over what they see as rank hypocrisy from Republicans has led some Democrats to ponder options that recently were considered fringe ideas, most notably adding seats to the Supreme Court. Some progressives say expanding the court, an idea known as "court packing," is the only way to restore balance to a body that has become overtly partisan. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told members of his conference that "nothing is off the table" if Democrats retake the Senate, indicating that he is willing to consider expanding the court. Senator Ed Markey, one of the more progressive Democrats in the Senate, has called outright for eliminating the filibuster and expanding the court. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler tweeted that if the Republican Senate confirms a justice after Election Day but before a new Congress is sworn in, "then the incoming Senate should immediately move to expand the Supreme Court." Christopher Kang, the chief counsel and co-founder of Demand Justice, a progressive group advocating for reforms to the Supreme Court, argued in an interview with CBS News that expanding the court would "restore balance and legitimacy to it." "What we're seeing today, over the last couple of days, is the increasing realization that Republicans are going to exercise as much raw political power as they can to ensure that the Supreme Court remains a partisan institution," Kang said. He noted that Democrats have won the popular vote in six of the last seven elections, but the Supreme Court has had a conservative majority for decades."

Certainly, since the end of the Warren Court during the Nixon Administration. -- Some fifty years ago.

"David Faris, an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University, said that if Garland had been confirmed in 2016, the court would have had a liberal majority for the first time in his lifetime. "And I'm not super young," he added. Faris pointed out that, if Mr. Trump's nominee is confirmed, then five of the nine justices on the court will have been nominated by presidents who lost the popular vote. (Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito were nominated by President George W. Bush during his second term. Mr. Bush lost the popular vote in 2000, but won a majority in 2004.) Faris, who wrote an opinion piece in The New Republic arguing in favor of adding seats to the Supreme Court, also noted in an interview with CBS News that the Constitution does not specify how many seats the court must have. Seats can be added or subtracted by acts of Congress, although the current composition of nine seats has been in place since 1869. Faris argued that Republicans had effectively contracted the court in 2016 by leaving it as an eight-person entity for the period of time between the death of Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Neil Gorsuch's confirmation in 2017. "Republicans manipulated the size of the court. They had the full legal right to do so, although it was not conducive to fair play," Faris said. If a Democratic Congress and a Democratic president passed legislation to add seats to the court, it would also be within their legal right to do so, since Congress has the authority to set the size of the court under the Constitution."

The following is certainly a direct threat to a democratic republic:

"In high-profile cases, justices are now typically expected to rule in line with the party of the president who nominated them."

No question.

"Many Republicans, including the president, have criticized Chief Justice John Roberts for siding with the liberal justices on critical cases, even though he was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush. Some believe that adding seats to the court would help neutralize the idea that the court is a completely partisan body. "The argument is that this is a way to counterbalance moves that have been made recently that have pushed the court to one side, and potentially pushed the court to one side in a way that doesn't in fact reflect the will of the people," Steigerwalt said. However, Steigerwalt said that some are worried adding seats to the court could simply reinforce the idea that justices are partisan actors, essentially "legislators in a robe." That may lead to people questioning the legitimacy of the court — and states possibly deciding that they don't need to follow its rulings."

For damned good reason, the Court is already considered a partisan organization.

"If the court issues a federal ruling, and then a new court comes in, and they then reverse the decisions, and the only thing that's changed in the interim is the membership of the court, then it becomes really hard to argue that there's a reason to uphold Supreme Court decisions to guide the rest of the nation," Steigerwalt said. Some opponents of expanding the court also question whether subsequent Congresses would go back and forth in adding and subtracting justices. "Instead of tit-for-tat court packing, why don't they just fix it?" Faris asked."

How? Certainly, no easy way:

"There are a few alternatives to adding seats to the court. Demand Justice supports reforms such as imposing term limits on justices and creating a binding code of ethics for justices. Establishing term or age limits for justices would, however, require constitutional amendments. Although expanding the court still seems like a distant possibility, the likelihood that a Democratic Congress and president would add seats to the court increases if Republicans confirm Mr. Trump's nominee before the election, Kang said. "If [Republicans] are successful, I absolutely think that the momentum is absolutely going to be on the side of doing something," Kang said."

No question.

"Faris said that Republicans had the opportunity to look "super magnanimous" by not filling the seat ahead of the election. If Mr. Trump wins reelection and Republicans retain the Senate, then waiting to fill the vacancy wouldn't matter anyway. That calculation changes if Democrats win the Senate and the White House. "If [Democrats] do win, and then they pack the courts, it's hard to see all of this as anything as a really hollow victory for McConnell," Faris said."

Certainly, better than an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution already catastrophically looming on an increasing number of issues.

10-2-20

Trumps remains an exigent threat to a democratic republic. CNN News reports:

"President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's not sure November's election will be "honest" because of the use of unsolicited ballots, extending his baseless assertion that widespread mail-in voting is rife with fraud and again casting doubt on if he will accept the results of the election. "We have to be very careful with the ballots, the ballots, that's a whole big scam," Trump falsely told reporters before departing the White House on Thursday, referring to unsolicited mail-in ballots that only nine states and Washington, DC, provide. The November contest, he said, needs to be "honest," adding that, "I'm not sure that it can be, I don't know that it can be with this whole situation, unsolicited ballots, they're unsolicited, millions being sent to everybody."

It's all bullshit from a man desperately afraid of losing the election.

"The President's comments come as he continues to lean into a conspiratorial message around the US voting process and build on his pointed refusal Wednesday to commit to providing a peaceful transition of power after Election Day. "Well, we're going to have to see what happens," Trump said when asked whether he'd commit to a peaceful transition, one of the cornerstones of American democracy."

What president has ever made such an assertion, no more than a thinly-disguised threat?

"He has previously refused to say whether he would accept the election results, echoing his sentiments from 2016 that he'll "have to see." And Trump has joked -- he says -- about staying in office well past the constitutionally bound two terms. But the President's refusal to guarantee a violence-free transition went further and is likely to alarm his opponents, who are already on edge given his deployment of federal law enforcement to quell protests in American cities."

Mark of an insane nazi tyrant.

"Earlier Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not explicitly say the President would accept the results of the election, only saying Trump would "accept the results of a free and fair election." However, the President himself continues to cast doubt on whether he will view this election as "free and fair." While rare instances of voter fraud from mail-in ballots do occur, it is nowhere near a widespread problem in the US election system. Mail ballot fraud is exceedingly rare in part because states have systems and processes in place to prevent forgery, theft and voter fraud. These systems would apply to both absentee ballots and mail-in ballots for in-state voters."

That's right.

"Additionally, the President's distinction between mail-in voting and absentee voting has baffled experts who say those voting systems are essentially the same thing. "No-excuse mail voting or absentee voting -- whatever you call it -- is essentially the same thing," David Becker, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research, previously told CNN. "You request a ballot, you get a ballot, you vote, you send it in, and there are protections in place. It doesn't matter whether you call it mail voting or absentee voting. It's the same thing."

10-2-20

... Hear the rumble? United Press International reports:

"President Donald Trump on Saturday nominated conservative jurist Amy Coney Barrett to succeed feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court. "Amy is more than a fantastic scholar and judge. She is a profoundly devoted mother. It is a core part of who she is," Trump said at a Saturday-afternoon address at the White House Rose Garden, adding that she would be the first Supreme Court justice in history to be the mother of school-aged children."

Parental status of a judicial nominee is irrelevant to a nomination. Political ideology is precisely why Trump selected Ms. Barrett.

"This should be a straightforward and prompt confirmation. This should be very easy. It should be very quick. I'm sure it will be extremely non-controversial. We said that last time, didn't we?" he said."

Trump remains achingly clueless, -- and no comedian. Selected Ms. Barrett because she has a history of expressing and embracing national socialist views. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

Ultimate display of hypocrisy by the 'judge?' Get this:

"Barrett also briefly took the stage Saturday, describing her predecessor as "an inspiration to us all" and saying she found inspiration in Ginsburg's friendship with Justice Antonin Scalia, for whom Barrett served as a clerk early in her career."

Jesus Christ. Ms. Barrett has embraced a national socialist, fascist ideology that contradicts all Ginsburg stood for. The quote above remains highly disingenuous, -- as phony as a $3 bill.

Scalia was no great American. Had embraced and promulgated a national socialist ideology. She is, however, quite correct about the friendship that had developed between Scalia and Ginsburg. Unlike most fascists, Scalia indeed had heart. Trump has none:

"These two great Americans demonstrated that arguments even based on matters of great consequence need not destroy relationships," Barrett said."

A rare exception. Again, due to the fact Scalia was nowhere near as rabid as most nazis in the Republican Party. -- That last sentence coming from a writer and publication that had savaged Scalia when he was on the Court.

The following is factually incorrect, worse, delusional:

"Of Scalia, she said, "His judicial philosophy is mine too: a judge must apply the law as written. Judges must not be policymakers."

Precisely what a 'judge' who embraces fascism routinely does on the bench. Promulgates their nazi ideology. Every goddamned one of them the last half century since the Warren Court.

"Barrett, 48, who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, is a devout Catholic who opposes abortion. Should she be confirmed, she would give the court an even greater conservative majority at 6-3."

They're not conservatives. They're goddamned fascists.

"The New York Times reported in 2017 that Barrett is a member of People of Praise, a small Christian group that requires a loyalty oath to a personal adviser. She is also a member of the conservative Federalist Society. During her Senate confirmation hearing to the appeals court in 2016, Barrett was grilled about her past statements about religion. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D- Calif., said, "I think in your case, professor, when you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you, and that's of concern." Feinstein's remark prompted conservative backlash."

-- Fascist backlash from the nazi element in our formerly great country.

"Democrats fear Barrett's faith will lead to bias in consideration of cases challenging to Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion."

How can it not? Already, has.

Ultimate hypocrisy?

"McConnell blocked hearings for former President Barack Obama's nominee after the death of Scalia about nine months before the 2016 election on the grounds that "the people should have a voice."

Democrats remain gutless. Incapable of handling the threat against all civil and constitutional rights and liberties posed by a pending 6-3 nazi Republican U.S. Supreme Court. ABC News reports:

"A key member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the number two Democrat in the Senate acknowledged Sunday that Democrats have no real power to stop a vote on President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court before November's election. "We can slow it down perhaps a matter of hours, maybe days at the most,” Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on "This Week.” “But we can't stop the outcome."

Jesus Christ. Neither party is worth a shit. For totally different reasons.

Gets worse. Get this:

"While denouncing her nomination, Durbin said he would meet with Barrett, and rejected calls to boycott her confirmation hearings. Several Judiciary Committee Democrats, including Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono, have announced they will not meet with Barrett."

Why give this nazi 'jurist' any time at all? Why aren't you boycotting the goddamned confirmation vote? The following quote is pathetic. Highly illustrative of why gutless Democrats are no longer worth a shit:

"I've met with every Supreme Court nominee since I've been in the Senate. I will extend that courtesy, if she requests it, for at least a socially distanced, safe meeting, perhaps over the phone," Durbin said. "I want to be respectful. We disagree on some things. And in terms of participating in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, I'll be there to do my job."

What's that, Senator? To reinforce and enable the Trump nazi and his henchmen?

Think it can't get worse? Get this:

"Durbin also dismissed concerns about legitimizing Barrett's confirmation process when pressed by Stephanopoulos. "We're talking about someone who will be on the highest court in the land for the remainder of her life, and I take that seriously," he said."

Don't think you do, Senator. Your bullshit screams otherwise:

"Durbin said he wants to ask Barrett "point-blank" about her position on ending the Affordable Care Act, a concern many Democrats share, citing her criticism of Chief Justice John Robert's opinion in a previous case on the health care bill."

She'll refuse to answer on the grounds the case will come before her. Wake up.

"The senior Illinois senator also told Stephanopoulos that a change to rules was on the table if Democrats won back the Senate in November. Some, most vocally Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, have called for the elimination of the filibuster and adding seats to the Supreme Court, because Republicans blocked Obama's nominee Judge Merrick Garland and are now demanding a vote on Barrett."

Biden has to win for that to happen. Even if he does, it won't be quite that simple to accomplish. ... That all you got, Senator? Pitiful. Especially, in view of the fact Trump presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"Mitch McConnell has taken the Senate and turned it into something that is not even close to a deliberative and legislative body," Durbin said. "We need to make sure that whatever the procedure is in the future, that we get down to business, roll up our sleeves, and address the issues that affect this country."

More meaningless, clueless, hopelessly lacking rhetoric, abject bullshit.

"After Trump said this week he wanted his nominee on the Supreme Court by the election so they could rule on potential challenges, Durbin echoed calls by many in his party for Barrett to recuse herself in the event that situation arose. "I certainly wish she would, it would help matters," he said. "And it would evidence the fact that she wants to be fair in addressing this." But when Stephanopoulos challenged him on former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's call for Joe Biden to not concede the election, he strongly disagreed with Clinton's comments. Clinton's advice to Biden came after she told Showtime's "The Circus" last month she thought the president would use absentee ballots to discredit the election results. "Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we don't give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is," she [said] in the interview. "I respect her, I like her. But I think she's just flat-out wrong," Durbin said. "The election itself is going to be announced, the winner will be announced at some point." "If we are going to maintain a democracy, peaceful transition through an election is the only way to do it," Durbin said. "Whoever the winner is, if it is clear and legal, that should be announced and the other party should concede."

Jesus Christ, Senator. Are Democrats determined to lose? If you don't fight the nazi element in the Republican Party with all you got, guess what? ... Hear the rumble? Wake up. An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

10-2-20

Plot thickens. United Press International reports:

"President Donald Trump on Monday insisted he has "very little debt" in response to a New York Times report saying he went many years without paying any federal income tax and owes hundreds of millions in loans. In a series of tweets, Trump denied the conclusions of the report that he faces more than $400 million in loan and debt repayments that are coming due soon. The Sunday article is based on copies of Trump's tax returns that were provided by a confidential source. It also said Trump paid just $750 per year in income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and no income taxes at all in 10 of 15 years before he became president. Trump, who has been fighting for years to keep his tax returns private, reported in many of his returns that he lost "much more money than he made," the Times said."

The public is entitled to know whether or not their president is a crook.

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday the debts have national security implications. "This president appears to have over $400 million in debt ... To whom? Different countries? What is the leverage they have? So for me, this is a national security question," Pelosi said in an interview with MSNBC. Trump called the Times report "nonsense with illegally obtained information" and accused the Times of having "only bad intent." "I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled, like everyone else, to depreciation and tax credits," he added. Trump didn't specify, however, if the millions to which he referred went to income taxes -- the main thrust of the Times' report. "Also, if you look at the extraordinary assets owned by me, which the [news media] hasn't, I am extremely under leveraged -- I have very little debt compared to the value of assets," he said in another tweet."

Should never have won the 2016 election without releasing his tax returns, -- as all his recent predecessors have done. His supporters have been hoodwinked on a variety of issues. Remain hopelessly blind.

"While Trump did not present supporting documentation, he added that "I am the only president on record to give up my yearly $400,000-plus presidential salary." Last month, he donated one paycheck to the National Park Service."

Fails to make up for the egregious lack of transparency.

"Trump did not answer questions from reporters about the tax returns during a brief event at the White House Monday morning. The Times said the tax returns showed Trump claimed losses at some of his prime assets -- including a $55 million loss at the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C., between 2016 and 2019. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who will face Trump Tuesday in their first debate, released an ad shortly after the Times report comparing Trump's taxes to the average amounts paid by workers like firefighters, nurses and teachers. The ad lists firefighters' average taxes of $5,283; $7,239 for teachers; and $10,216 for nurses before noting Trump's payments of $750. Trump's refusal to release any tax returns dates back to his early days as a Republican candidate in 2015, when he said he wouldn't disclose the documents while he was under an IRS audit. Since then, his attorneys have regularly fought legal and congressional efforts to see the returns. The Trump Organization also rejected the Times report, saying the reported figures "appear to be inaccurate." "Over the past decade, President Trump has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government, including paying millions in personal taxes since announce his candidacy in 2015," Alan Gartner, the organization's chief legal officer, said in the Times report."

Prove it. Release his tax returns.

"Since the report was posted Sunday, Democrats and other observers have called for Trump to release his tax records. Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe tweeted that leverage held by Trump's creditors "puts them in position to squeeze us all as long as he's president." "Two takeaways: 1. Keeping him in office endangers our national security. 2. He's desperate to hold onto office to stay out of prison," he wrote."

No shit. LOL.

The Associated Press reports:

"Revelations that President Donald Trump is personally liable for more than $400 million in debt are casting a shadow that ethics experts say raises national security concerns he could be manipulated to sway U.S. policy by organizations or individuals he’s indebted to. New scrutiny of Trump, who claims great success as a private businessman, comes after The New York Times reported that tax records show he is personally carrying a staggering amount of debt — including more than $300 million in loans that will come due in the next four years. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was blunt about the potential implications. “He may be vulnerable to financial blackmail from a hostile foreign power and God knows what else,” said Warren, a frequent Trump critic. The Times said the tax records also show that Trump did not pay any federal income taxes in 11 years between 2000 and 2018, raising questions about the fairness of a president — who purports to be a billionaire — paying less in taxes than most Americans. The politically damaging revelations about Trump’s tax avoidance, however, are perhaps less concerning than word the president is holding hundreds of millions of dollars of soon-to-mature debt, ethics experts said."

Here's the problem:

“Americans should be concerned about the president’s debt because it’s a national security risk for our country,” said Donald Sherman, deputy director of the nonprofit government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). “This is information that the president has aggressively and repeatedly tried to keep away from the public.” Trump, citing an ongoing Internal Revenue Service audit, has refused to follow the post-Watergate precedent set by other presidents of releasing his tax returns, so the complexities of his financial interests and whom he does business with have remained opaque. He’s fighting ongoing court battles with New York’s attorney general, Manhattan’s district attorney and two House committees who want the records. Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics attorney in Republican George W. Bush’s White House, also noted that Trump-owned companies have declared bankruptcy six times, raising the question: Why have lenders been willing to keep risking loans of such enormous amounts? “Why would banks assume the risk on these loans?” Painter said. “Or did someone else quietly assume risk of that loan for the bank to make it happen?”

Fascinating question, isn't it?

"Trump, according to his latest financial disclosure statement, reported that he had 14 loans on 12 properties. One lender, Germany-based Deutsche Bank, continued to do business with Trump even after he defaulted in 2008 on a loan for his Chicago hotel and condo development. Trump filed suit against the bank and others whom he blamed for his inability to repay. But Deutsche Bank’s private banking division continued to lend to Trump, including $125 million to finance the purchase and renovation of his Doral golf resort in 2012, according to previous disclosures. Trump on Monday suggested that his debt load is hardly unusual in comparison with his assets, claiming in a tweet that he’s in fact “extremely under leveraged.” “I have very little debt compared to the value of assets,” he wrote, adding that he may release a financial statement that spells out all assets, properties and debts. Trump during an appearance Monday ignored a reporter’s question about when he might release such a statement, and the White House would not comment on when he might follow through. He said repeatedly before his election that he would release his actual taxes, but he never has. Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert at Washington University in St. Louis, said that a separate financial statement from Trump would shed little light on his business dealings if he does not disclose who his business partners are in his various holdings. “The Trump Organization consists of hundreds of LLCs (limited liability corporations) that have been listed on his financial disclosure forms,” Clark said. “One of the things that Trump has benefited from and that oligarchs and money launderers benefit from is opaqueness of LLCs, ... the ease of which individuals can hide their assets, can hide their financial interests.”

Readers will recall from earlier editions of this publication and elsewhere:

"Trump refused to divest his business interests after his 2016 victory, and left day-to-day operation of his family’s real estate and other holdings to his sons Donald Jr. and Eric. Still, the president has benefited personally from U.S. and foreign government activity at his properties since his election and hasn’t shied away from promoting his hotels and golf courses. Republicans have held at least 88 political events at his properties, the president has visited his hotels and golf courses more than 500 times, and at least 13 foreign governments have held events at Trump establishments, according to a tally by CREW. The administration drew criticism last year when Vice President Mike Pence, while visiting Dublin for meetings, lodged at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel more than 180 miles away in Doonbeg, Ireland. And Trump scrapped a plan to hold a meeting of the Group of 7 world leaders at one of his Florida properties last year after bipartisan criticism."

Think Trump's not lining his pockets off the presidency?

10-2-20

Unbridled, out of control fear rules Trump at first presidential 'debate.' NPR reports:

"President Trump ran roughshod over debate moderator Chris Wallace and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden — and crossed many lines in the process. This was maybe the worst presidential debate in American history. If this was supposed to be a boxing match, it instead turned into President Trump jumping on the ropes, refusing to come down, the referee trying to coax him off, and Joe Biden standing in the middle of the ring with his gloves on and a confused look on his face. Trump doesn't play by anyone's rules, even those he's agreed to beforehand. He's prided himself on that. But even by his standards, what Trump did Tuesday night crossed many lines. More than 200,000 Americans are dead from the coronavirus pandemic. And instead of a serious debate about the direction of the country, Trump sent it off the rails. Most charitably, both former Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who helped Trump prep for the debate, said he was "too hot." "I think the president overplayed his hand tonight," Santorum said on CNN."

An understatement. Imagine being a Republican and watching your man make an absolute fool of himself.

"For part of the debate, Trump looked like he was controlling the stage. He interrupted constantly and tried to distract, deflect and interject. That's fairly typical Trump behavior, but a few things in particular were egregious."

Another understatement.

"When Biden, for example, was talking about his late son Beau's military service, Trump went in on Biden's other son, Hunter, and brought up his past cocaine use. It backfired. Biden, looking directly to the camera, turned something he rarely talks about into a positive, sympathetic moment. "My son, like a lot of people you know at home, he had a drug problem," Biden said. "He's overtaken it. He's fixed it. He's worked on it. And I'm proud of him."

Gets worse, much worse:

"Later, when Trump was asked to denounce white supremacists and militia groups — and specifically the far-right extremist group Proud Boys — he instead said this: "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by." And then he denounced left-wing groups. (Proud Boys is now using Trump's words as part of a new logo.) What's more, Trump would not urge his followers to remain peaceful as votes are counted, including if there are delays in reporting the results. "I'm urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully because that's what has to happen," Trump said, adding, "If it's a fair election, I am 100% on board. If I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can't go along with that."

"This was not Biden's cleanest debate. He was not crisp, was often flummoxed — as was moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News — by Trump's antics. "Will you shut up, man?" said Biden while trying to make a point. He also called Trump a "clown" more than once. Biden missed some opportunities. For example, when Trump was talking about the role of masks in preventing the spread of the coronavirus, Biden could have interjected more forcefully to talk about Trump's largely maskless rallies. When Trump claimed his rallies caused no harm, Biden could have pointed out the spike in coronavirus cases after Trump's Tulsa, Okla., rally."

NBC News reports:

"President Donald Trump may be the only person in America who is afraid of Joe Biden. Before their debate Tuesday night, he and his allies demanded that Biden submit to a drug test and let officials check the former vice president for an earpiece."

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. LOL.

"During the action, Trump absurdly accused Biden of wanting to abolish the suburbs, "the cows" and the cops; declined to denounce white supremacists; and insisted that the election is going to be rigged against him. And after Trump aggressively failed to demonstrate presidential temperament — blustering, bullying and lying his way through the debate — his campaign manager, Bill Stepien, praised him for being in "control of the conversation."

Jesus Christ. That's delusional. Simply, not true. The following is much closer to the truth:

"Trump's words and actions were those of a candidate who knows he is losing and has no idea how to fix the problem."

Precisely. Sadly, tragically so.

The following is remarkably insightful:

"The irony is that Biden was deeply vulnerable: after decades of experience at the highest levels, he's still not a strong debater. He was noticeably apprehensive; he lacked the motivation and speed to brawl on stage; and he still didn't have good answers for a host of questions about his record and platform. But Trump couldn't or wouldn't stay focused on Biden's actual positions. Instead, he ran against a dark caricature of the former vice president while the real version was standing right there smiling."

Brilliant assessment.

NPR reports:

"President Trump claimed to have the backing of the "Portland sheriff" during Tuesday night's debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. But the sheriff of that jurisdiction in Oregon immediately responded by saying that's not true."

Expect better of a congenital liar?

"As the Multnomah County Sheriff I have never supported Donald Trump and will never support him," said Mike Reese, in a tweet that was also shared by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.

In tonight’s presidential debate the President said the “Portland Sheriff” supports him. As the Multnomah County Sheriff I have never supported Donald Trump and will never support him.
— Mike Reese (@SheriffReese) September 30, 2020"

Fascinating, isn't it?

"Trump made the claim as he reeled off a list of places where he said police support him. "Portland, the sheriff just came out today, and he said, I support President Trump. I don't think you have any law enforcement," he said to Biden. But Reese is not on record supporting President Trump, as NPR's Martin Kaste noted during live coverage of the debate. To the contrary, he is among the leaders in Portland and Oregon who have sharply disagreed with Trump's policy of using federal force in an attempt to overwhelm demonstrators. The sheriff later amplified his denial, stating, "Donald Trump has made my job a hell of a lot harder since he started talking about Portland, but I never thought he'd try to turn my wife against me!"

LOL. Never a dull moment. LOL.

"Trump has repeatedly clashed with local and state officials over how best to handle large protests in Portland against racial injustice and police brutality following the high-profile killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Portland also figured in one of the most notable moments from Tuesday night's contentious and shambolic debate, in which the president refused to condemn white supremacists and urge militia groups to stand down. Instead, Trump referred to the Proud Boys — a group that recently held a rally in Portland and which has been labeled as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," the president said. "But I'll tell you what: Somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left. Because this is not a right-wing problem — this is a left-wing problem."

... Not according to his own FBI Director who claims antifa is an ideology, not an organized group.

Here's the truth the Trump nazi refuses to acknowledge:

"The Proud Boys group is "notorious in Portland for provoking violence and street brawls at political rallies," member station Oregon Public Broadcasting reports."

The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump unleashed a torrent of fabrications and fear-mongering in a belligerent debate with Joe Biden, at one point claiming the U.S. death toll would have been 10 times higher under the Democrat because he wanted open borders in the pandemic. Biden preached no such thing. Trump barreled into the debate Tuesday night as unconstrained by the facts as at his rallies, but this time having his campaign opponent and even the Fox News moderator, Chris Wallace, calling him out in real time, or trying. Biden stumbled on the record at times as the angry words flew from both men on the Cleveland stage. In just one detour from reality, Trump asserted that the U.S. armed forces will be delivering hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses to the public as soon as a vaccine is available. The Pentagon says there is no such plan for national vaccine distribution by military personnel."

Report went on and on in great detail fact-checking Trump's false assertions.

In another article, The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden delivered conflicting messages targeting voters across the Midwest on Wednesday as the candidates, their allies and rank-and-file voters sought to move past the most chaotic presidential debate in memory. The Tuesday night affair raised fresh questions about Trump’s continued reluctance to condemn white supremacy, his efforts to undermine the legitimacy of the election and his unwillingness to respect debate ground rules his campaign had agreed to. Some Democrats called on Biden to skip the next two debates. Biden’s campaign confirmed he would participate in the subsequent meetings, however, as did Trump’s.

"The first of three scheduled debates between Trump and Biden deteriorated into bitter taunts and chaos the night before as the Republican president repeatedly interrupted his Democratic rival with angry — and personal — jabs that overshadowed any substantive discussion of the crises threatening the nation. Trump and Biden frequently talked over each other with Trump interrupting, nearly shouting, so often that Biden eventually snapped at him, “Will you shut up, man?” Trump repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the election and refused to say whether he would accept the results, calling on his supporters to scrutinize voting procedures at the polls — something that critics warned could easily cross into voter intimidation. Trump also refused to condemn white supremacists who have supported him, telling one such group known as Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”

Republicans clearly know they have a problem:

"On Capitol Hill, some Republicans struggled to defend Trump’s performance. “Wasn’t the Lincoln-Douglas debate was it?” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney quipped. The former Republican presidential nominee said Trump “of course” should have condemned white supremacists. “I think he misspoke,” said South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican senator. “I think he should correct it. If he doesn’t correct it, I guess he didn’t misspeak.” Trump has not said he misspoke."

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. LOL.

"The president’s brash posture may have appealed to his most passionate supporters, but it was unclear whether the embattled incumbent helped expand his coalition or won over any persuadable voters, particularly white, educated women and independents who have been turned off in part by the same tone and tenor the president displayed on the debate stage. With just five weeks until Election Day and voting already underway in several key states, Biden holds a lead in national polls and in many battlegrounds. Polling has been remarkably stable for months, despite the historic crises that have battered the country this year, including the pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 Americans and a reckoning over race and police. While Biden distanced himself from some of the priorities of his party’s left wing — and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — Tuesday night, there was no sign that he had turned off his party’s grass-roots activists. Digital director Rob Flaherty said Biden raised $3.8 million between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., his best hour of online fundraising The pro-Democratic fundraising group ActBlue’s donation ticker showed a surge of $12 million raised for Democratic candidates starting at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night. “I don’t agree with everything Biden is saying, but this is in fact the most important election in the history of the United States,” Sanders said Wednesday on ABC’s “The View.” “It is terribly important that we defeat Trump, that we elect Biden and that we have the largest voter turnout in the history of the country.” Increasingly, the candidates have trained their attention on working-class voters in the Midwest, a group that helped give Trump his victory four years ago and will again play a critical role this fall."

9-25-20

Iconic Supreme Court justice dies. Trump nazi and the Republican Party clearly determined to spark an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution. ... Hear the rumble? NBC News reports:

"The death Friday of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg threw an already chaotic year into greater turmoil as the future of the Supreme Court and American law hung in the balance. As tributes to the legendary jurist and feminist icon poured in, a major question loomed over the country 45 days before the presidential election: Will President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate confirm a replacement before the next presidential inauguration? Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., answered in the affirmative. "President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate," he said in a statement. At stake is the future of the court, which at the time of Ginsburg's death had a 5-4 conservative majority on many consequential issues, one that could be expanded and cemented for a generation if Republicans confirm another justice. The nomination battle over Ginsburg's successor could be unusually acrimonious."

The five partisan Republicans on the Court are not 'conservatives.' The late Barry Goldwater from Arizona was a conservative Republican in the Senate decades ago. Not so the five GOP partisans currently on the Court. They're national socialists, fascists, nazis. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"The dying wish of Ginsburg, the leader of the court's liberal wing, told to her granddaughter days earlier, was that she "will not be replaced until a new president is installed," according to NPR."

Matters not to Republican nazis. Not at all. What comes first is not country or the United States Constitution. It's fulfilling the wishes of their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, Mitch "The Bitch" McConnell, and all the rest of the national socialists currently ruling the roost in the Republican Party.

"Democrats demanded that Republicans commit to waiting until the next president — Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden — takes office in January. Some cited McConnell's refusal to fill a vacancy under Democratic President Barack Obama after the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016. "There is no doubt — let me be clear — that the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider," Biden said in a brief statement Friday night in Wilmington, Delaware. "This was the position Republicans took in 2016."

Certainly, was. Conveniently, so. No longer.

"Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., released a statement that was identical to one released by McConnell that day: "The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president." On Friday, McConnell defended his decision by arguing that the Senate and the White House were controlled by opposite parties then, whereas they are now run by the same party. He has made it a top priority to speedily confirm young and conservative judges to lifetime-appointed seats, including Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch."

-- To say nothing of the 200 partisan Republican nazis Trump had managed to confirm up to last June to the judiciary.

"The math of the Senate is simple: Republicans have 53 seats. They can afford to lose three of their members and still confirm a Supreme Court justice without any Democratic votes (with Vice President Mike Pence casting a tie-breaking vote). It was not immediately clear Friday whether the party would have the votes."

Think gutless Democrats will have the courage to do what is necessary to prevent this? That is, walk out the Senate denying GOP nazis a quorum. Boycott all proceedings. Force the Sergeant-At-Arms and henchmen to chase them down all over the country, requiring the bastards to literally carry them into the Senate handcuffed. Then, turn their backs literally on the proceedings, not give them one goddamned Democratic vote. To ensure Republicans own this rapidly worsening fiasco.

... To avoid a ferocious political confrontation, think Senate Republicans incapable of changing quorum rules to allow quick confirmation? To the nazi element in our formerly great country, principle means goosestepping in unison with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. All civil and constitutional rights and liberties? Meaningless to Trump, henchmen, and clueless supporters.

The idea here is to remind voters when women ultimately lose the right to do with THEIR uterus as they damn well please national socialist, fascist, nazi Republicans are directly responsible. When race relations return to Jim Crow, voters know damn well who to blame. To say nothing of when the LGBTQ community loses all hard fought for civil and constitutional rights and liberties to a 6-3 Republican nazi U.S. Supreme Court. List can go on and on. As all civil and constitutional rights and liberties continue to be abrogated, eviscerated in the name of a de facto fascist police-state. A democratic republic in name only.

-- Voters are reminded Republicans continue to support and defend corrupt, abusive, murderous officers. Moreover, that Republicans are no longer 'conservatives.' They're fascists. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter. What is so highly critical at this point is that Democrats make this as much a public spectacle as possible.

To ultimately ensure nazi Republicans truly and fully solely own their perverse, carefully-engineered, highly-deceptive, deliberate abrogation of all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Particularly, abortion rights, as well as life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties determinedly abrogated falsely in the name of law and order by out of control, criminal, jackbooted officers.

-- Mindlessly supported by clueless Republicans who support them no matter how criminal and abusive. If Democrats fall to rise to the occasion, and/or are not successful, hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Insurrection grows across the country. Can quickly turn far worse. The American public will never willingly live under the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. Time to wake up. Before too late.

"Time is short. The election is 45 days away and all eight Supreme Court nominees have taken more than 60 days to get confirmed after the nomination was announced. The most recently confirmed justice, Kavanaugh, took 89 days in 2018. The next Congress and president won't be sworn in until January, leaving a lame duck session in between. A decision to confirm a Supreme Court nominee in the waning days of the term could ignite Democratic voters in backlash, with consequences for Trump's re-election bid and the Senate majority. It could create a dilemma for Republican senators in battleground states, including Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. And Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama may also face a complicated decision.

"Republicans are certain to face pressure from their base to fill the vacancy as part of a decades long quest to overturn Roe v. Wade and subsequent decisions assuring the right to an abortion, among other goals such as expanding gun rights and limiting congressional authority on economic regulation. While the Supreme Court has in recent decades motivated Republicans more than Democrats at the ballot box, there is some evidence of that dynamic shifting this year. A Pew Research Center poll released last month found that 66 percent of Biden's supporters rated Supreme Court appointments as "very important" to their 2020 vote, compared to 61 percent of Trump supporters. Ginsburg's death also means that an eight-member court with five Republican appointees and three Democratic picks would be the final arbiters of post-election disputes that experts say are possible due to uncertainties created by voting changes during the coronavirus pandemic."

Clearly, Democrats are considering how to react to this goddamned bullshit:

"At least one Democratic senator on Friday suggested retaliating by adding seats to the Supreme Court if Republicans confirm a vacancy in the waning days of Trump's term, an idea that others in the party had floated earlier this summer. Such a move would require abolishing the filibuster and passing a law to expand the court. "Mitch McConnell set the precedent. No Supreme Court vacancies filled in an election year," Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said. "If he violates it, when Democrats control the Senate in the next Congress, we must abolish the filibuster and expand the Supreme Court." Brian Fallon, a former spokesman for Schumer who founded the judicial advocacy group Demand Justice, nudged Democrats to wage an aggressive fight, saying: "Make no mistake: any Supreme Court with a Trump justice confirmed to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat at this point in the calendar would be fundamentally illegitimate, and Democrats must be prepared to act accordingly."

To date, Democrats have not been worth a shit. Certainly, not since Trump took office. Possibly, this might finally wake them up. If not, hear the rumble?

In a second article, NBC News reports:

"Several Senate Democrats echoed Schumer's position, arguing the Senate should not confirm a Ginsburg replacement until after the November election. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said on Twitter that if McConnell does, in fact, hold a confirmation vote, then if Democrats win control of the Senate in November, they should abolish the filibuster and add seats to the Supreme Court so it would have more than nine justices. They would only do this, however, if former Vice President Joe Biden defeats Trump. "With voting already underway for the 2020 elections, Ruthie’s 'most fervent wish' was for her replacement not to be named 'until a new president is installed.' We must honor her wish," tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who served as a law clerk to former Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun and argued a case in the high court, tweeted, "The American people must have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president. ... This close to the election, there is no way that the United States Senate can or should act before the voters decide." Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, tweeted, "The best and only way to honor the life’s work of Justice Ginsburg, a giant of a jurist, is to honor her fervent final wish that she not be replaced until a new president is installed."

The Associated Press reports:

"Typically it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, and time is short ahead of the election. Key senators may be reluctant to cast votes so close to the election. With a slim GOP majority, 53 seats in the 100-member chamber, Trump’s choice could afford to lose only a few. McConnell did not specify the timing, but trying for confirmation in a post-election lame-duck session if Trump had lost to Biden or Republicans had lost the Senate would carry further political complications. Democrats immediate[ly] denounced McConnell’s move as hypocritical, pointing out that he refused to call hearings for Merrick Garland, Obama’s pick, 237 days before the 2016 election. The 2020 election is 46 days away. Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer, in a tweet, echoed word for word what McConnell said in 2016 about the Garland nomination: “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.”

"The average number of days to confirm a justice, according to the Congressional Research Service, is 69, which would be after the election. But some Republicans quickly noted that Ginsburg was confirmed in just 42 days. Four GOP defections could defeat a nomination, while a tie vote could be broken by Vice President Mike Pence. Among the senators to watch are Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah and others. Collins is in a tight race for her own reelection, as are several other GOP senators, including Cory Gardner in Colorado. Murkowski and Romney have been critical of Trump and protective of the institution of the Senate. Some Republicans, including Collins and Murkowski, have suggested previously that hearings should wait if a seat were to open. And because the Arizona Senate race is a special election, that seat could be filled as early as November 30 — which would narrow the window for McConnell if the Democratic candidate, Mark Kelly, hangs onto his lead.

"Obama called for Republicans to wait, saying “a basic principle of the law – and of everyday fairness – is that we apply rules with consistency and not based on what’s convenient or advantageous in the moment.” One difference from 2016 is that, despite the vacancy resulting from Ginsburg’s death, conservatives have a working majority of five justices on a range of issues. When Antonin Scalia died four years ago, the court was divided between four liberals and four conservatives. The next pick could shape important decisions, including on abortion rights, as well as any legal challenges that may stem from the 2020 election. The 2018 hearings on Trump’s second pick, now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh, turned into a bitter partisan battle after sexual assault allegations were made. Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance. He has said he’s also working on a list of potential nominees, but the campaign has given no indication that it will release names before the election."

Why not? Why is the son of a bitch dragging his feet?

CBS News reports:

"Late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's famously close friendship with fellow late Justice Antonin Scalia seems, at first glance, an unlikely pairing. The judges, one liberal and one conservative, were almost never on the same side for a decision and neither shied away from voicing their opinions — yet their families were known to spend every New Years holiday together. "I think we were all aware that it publicly seemed like an odd couple, but you know, when they were together, it never felt like that," Scalia's son Chris recounted to CBSN's Lana Zak one day after Ginsburg's death. "They obviously held their views very strongly but they didn't let those very different views undermine their very deep friendship." Ginsburg, widely considered a feminist and cultural icon due to her years fighting for women's rights and her vocal dissents later in her tenure on the Supreme Court, died Friday after complications linked to pancreatic cancer. Four years earlier, she spoke at Scalia's funeral. Scalia was known as a conservative lion on the court, and his seat was later filled by Trump-appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch. According to Chris Scalia, his father's friendship with Ginsburg goes back to the 1980s, when they both served on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Aside from sharing a love of opera, Scalia said the two "liked nice wine" and were born in New York "around the same time." "Different boroughs a few years apart, but I think they were kind of familiar types to each other, and their spouses were also good friends," he said. Scalia called Ginsburg's late husband Marty Ginsburg a "good cook" and said his own father was a "good eater" — something he said was "another bond they shared." He said "they made each other laugh" — and the pair's bond also occasionally extended to the courtroom. "She said at one point that when they were judges together, initially on the appeals court, they sat next to each other and my dad would whisper jokes to her during arguments," Scalia recounted. "She would have to pinch herself to keep from laughing." One "moving" anecdote in particular, Scalia said, came when one of his father's former clerks, Judge Jeffrey Sutton, visited him shortly before the justice's death, on Ginsburg's birthday. Antonin Scalia had purchased two dozen roses "for his friend Ruth," and told Sutton he would have to bring them to her. "Judge Sutton started teasing my dad…'When was the last time she sided with you in an important 5-4 decision?' Just kind of poking fun," he said. "My dad said something, I think, pretty poignant. He said some things are more important than votes."

... Think the Trump nazi would agree? While this writer in this publication savaged Scalia while he was alive and on the bench for his right wing nazi ideology, the man, indeed, had heart. The son of a bitch in the Oval Office has none.

9-25-20

U.S. Attorney General Barr, like his fuhrer, the Trump nazi, remains a direct threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. NPR reports:

"Attorney General Bill Barr blasted his own Justice Department prosecutors as a "permanent bureaucracy" that all too often abuse their power to go after high-profile targets in a process he likened to "headhunting." In remarks Wednesday to a largely conservative audience celebrating Constitution Day at Hillsdale College, the leader of the Justice Department asserted that he's the one who should make the big calls in cases of national interest. "The notion that line prosecutors should make the final decisions at the Department of Justice is completely crazy," Barr said. "Under the law, all prosecutorial power is vested in the attorney general. And these people are agents of the attorney general. As I say to FBI agents, 'Whose agent do you think you are?' Now, I don't say this in a pompous way, but that is the chain of authority and legitimacy in the Department of Justice."

Stunning, highly-convoluted 'reasoning' in light of the fact this fascist in the 'Justice' Department has done all he could to defend his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Both sound like a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler and his henchmen. Certainly, not the relationship of a U.S. president and his attorney general, 'Justice' Department prosecutors. There is supposed to be a level of separation between the president and his AG. Not so in this administration.

Here's the issue:

"Barr didn't mention particular prosecutions, but he's faced steady criticism over his decisions to intervene in cases to help people close to President Trump, including longtime political adviser Roger Stone and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Some prosecutors have quit in response to Barr's interventions. Two current Justice employees testified last summer on Capitol Hill about political interference at a whistleblower hearing."

Inconsistent with what is required in what is supposed to be a democratic republic, not a goddamned fascist police-state.

This perverse piece of human excrement is not fit to be attorney general:

"The attorney general saved most of his ire for his own Justice Department ranks. At one point, he likened junior prosecutors to children in preschool. "Letting the most junior members set the agenda might be a good philosophy for a Montessori preschool, but it's no way to run a federal agency," Barr said. Later, in arguing for more "detachment" from his prosecutors, Barr referenced lines from C.S. Lewis, who frequently wrote about religious themes: "'It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies,'" Barr said. "'The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth.'"

The Trump nazi, his henchmen including you, sir, have already done that. A democratic republic in name only. In reality, a goddamned fascist police-state. Think Adolf and Benito aren't wildly cheering on their fiery perches?

"The comments drew reaction from former Justice officials, including President Barack Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, and onetime civil division chief Jody Hunt, who left his post as assistant attorney general earlier this year.

"Career public servants bring immense value, and generally use their experience and expertise to apply principled positions across administrations. https://t.co/UdJMOZ5noP
— Jody Hunt (@realJodyHunt) September 17, 2020"

Expect better of an out of control nazi beholden to his fuhrer?

"During a question-and-answer period after his formal remarks, Barr reiterated his concerns about voting by mail in the November presidential race, echoing unfounded claims by the president about possible fraud without providing evidence other than "common sense."

What "common sense?" Where? You remain a goddamned liar, Mr. Attorney General. A disgrace to yourself and the Constitution you and your fuhrer, the Trump nazi, royally shit on.

"Barr took a swipe at the legal skills of former staff members for special counsel Robert Mueller, who investigated Russia's attack on the 2016 election and whose report detailed how the Trump campaign welcomed that interference."

Called the truth, Mr. Attorney General.

"In response to a question about religious services and First Amendment freedoms during the coronavirus pandemic, Barr said this of the idea of national COVID-19 lockdowns: "Other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history."

Not so, Mr. Attorney General. Outrageously, and quite to the contrary, has certainly been determined, continued, relentless Republican efforts since Roe v. Wade to dictate to women what they can and cannot do with THEIR uterus. Ferociously pointedly, are you and your goddamned 'religious' nazis THAT determined to return to the days of back alley abortions, coat hanger wires, and dead women, you clueless son of a bitch?

"Later, he addressed the Black Lives Matter movement. "They're not interested in Black lives. They're interested in props, a small number of Blacks who are killed by police during conflicts with police — usually less than a dozen a year — who they can use as props to achieve a much broader political agenda."

Disingenuous bullshit, bold-faced lie by a racist, nazi U.S. Attorney General. Issue goes much further and deeper than that. Racism by the Nazi Right, sadly, remains ubiquitous.

9-25-20

The Director of the FBI is certainly not beholden to the U.S. Attorney General. The Associated Press reports:

"FBI Director Chris Wray told lawmakers Thursday that antifa is an ideology, not an organization, testimony that puts him at odds with President Donald Trump, who has said he would designate it a terror group. Wray did not dispute that antifa activists were a serious concern, saying that antifa was a “real thing” and that the FBI had undertaken “any number of properly predicated investigations into what we would describe as violent extremism,” including into individuals who identify with antifa.” But, he said, “It’s not a group or an organization. It’s a movement or an ideology.” That characterization contradicts the depiction from Trump, who in June singled out antifa — short for “anti-fascists” and an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups — as responsible for the violence that followed George Floyd’s death. Trump tweeted that the U.S. would be designating antifa as a terrorist organization, even though such designations are reserved for foreign groups and antifa lacks the hierarchical structure of formal organizations. The hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee, — established after the Sept. 11 attacks to confront the threat of international terrorism — focused almost entirely on domestic matters, including violence by white supremacists as well as anti-government extremists. It underscored the shift of attention by law enforcement at a time of intense divisions and polarization inside the country. But one area where foreign threats were addressed was in the presidential election and Russia’s attempts to interfere in the campaign. Wray sought to make clear the scope of the threats while resisting lawmakers’ attempts to steer him into politically charged statements. When asked whether extremists on the left or the right posed the biggest threat, he pivoted instead to an answer about how solo actors, or so-called “lone wolves,” with easy access to weapons were a primary concern. “We don’t we don’t really think of threats in terms of left, right, at the FBI. We’re focused on the violence, not the ideology,” he said later."

Exactly, right. Precisely, what the law enforcement goal should be.

"The FBI director said racially motivated white supremacists have accounted for the most lethal attacks in the U.S. in recent years, though this year the most lethal violence has come from anti-government activists. Wray also affirmed the intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference in the November election, which he said was taking the form of foreign influence campaigns aimed at sowing discord and swaying public opinion as well as efforts to denigrate Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. He said that the U.S. had not yet seen targeting of election infrastructure like in 2016. “What concerns me the most is the steady drumbeat of misinformation and sort of amplification of smaller cyber intrusions,” Wray said. “I worry over time that they will contribute over time to a lack of confidence of American voters and citizens in the validity of their vote.” He added that would be “a perception, not a reality.”

Hopefully, that remains so. At the same time, the Russian threat to the coming election is worse than the above would indicate. (The next United Press International article below goes into further detail.)

"Trump has resisted the idea of Russian interference aimed at benefiting his campaign and has been eager, along with other administration officials, to talk about intelligence officials’ assessment that China prefers that Trump lose to Biden."

Why? LOL. While neither candidate is worth a shit for totally different reasons, Trump's lack of mental stability, interestingly, remains a problem for world leaders that remain allies. Not for our enemies. LOL.

The following is appalling:

"Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf had been scheduled to appear at the House hearing on worldwide threats but did not testify because of his nomination to be secretary, according to the agency. The agency said in a statement ahead of the hearing that it would be “contrary to standard practice” to have him testify while his nomination was pending before the Senate. Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said in a statement that he was prepared to appear in place of Wolf but that was rejected by the Democratic-controlled committee. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee chairman, began the hearing by noting there is no law prohibiting the testimony of someone facing a confirmation hearing and that Wolf has given multiple media interviews since the president announced his nomination. The Department of Homeland Security ignored a committee subpoena issued Friday for Wolf’s appearance, which the Mississippi Democrat said should “appall” any member of the committee."

Doesn't sit well with the public who see it as gutless. Why wasn't the subpoena enforced?

United Press International reports:

"Russia is again using social platforms to denigrate Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in a "very active" attempt to influence the U.S. election, FBI Director Director Christopher Wray told Congress Thursday. Wray testified before the House homeland security committee with National Counterterrorism Center Director Christopher Miller to address "worldwide threats" to the United States. The FBI chief told the panel the Kremlin "continues to try to influence our elections, primarily through what we call malign foreign influence." "We certainly have seen very active efforts by the Russians to influence our elections in 2020," he added, saying the efforts are using social and Russian media. The Kremlin's main goal, he noted, appears to be denigrating Biden in addition to "what the Russians see as a kind of anti-Russian establishment." Wray's assessment conflicts with President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly dismissed previous findings by the U.S. intelligence community that definitively said Russian efforts four years ago sought to propel him into the White House -- instead of Democrat Hillary Clinton, who was widely believed to be much less friendly to Moscow. Wray also affirmed intelligence findings last month that cautioned Russia is attempting to undermine Biden in the Nov. 3 election. Former special counsel Robert Mueller, who probed for any collusion between the Russians and Trump's campaign, concluded early last year that Moscow worked to influence the 2016 election in Trump's favor mostly through social media campaigns. Under questioning from panel members, Wray declined to identify left-wing anarchist movement Antifa as the top U.S. domestic terror threat, as is frequently claimed by Trump and Attorney General William Barr. "We don't think of threats in terms of left or right," the FBI director said. "We're focused on the violence, not the ideology."

Again, precisely, the way it should be.

"Thursday's threat assessment hearing is conducted every year and typically includes the nation's top experts, like the FBI director and the head of the Homeland Security Department. The person who presently holds that office, Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, declined to appear at the hearing. Panel Chair Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., said Wolf was asked to testify and the department initially agreed to Thursday's testimony date. He added, however, that Wolf eventually went back on the commitment to appear. "It was not until last week that the department informed the committee that Mr. Wolf would be reneging on the commitment to testify," he said in a statement. "Faced with continued refusal ... I issued a subpoena for his appearance in accordance with House and committee rules. Regrettably, he has chosen to defy the subpoena and refuses to come before the committee after committing to do so should appall every member of this committee. Insisting Mr. Wolf keeps his commitment to testifying before Congress isn't playing politics -- it's doing our job."

Why isn't his sorry ass in jail for ignoring the subpoena?

9-25-20

The mark of a national socialist, fascist, nazi U.S. Attorney General. The Associated Press reports:

"In a memo to U.S. attorneys Thursday obtained by The Associated Press, the Justice Department emphasized that federal prosecutors should aggressively go after demonstrators who cause violence — and even sedition charges could potentially apply. The sedition statute doesn’t require proof of a plot to overthrow the government, the memo read. It instead could be used when a defendant tries to oppose the government’s authority by force. Attorney General William Barr has been pushing his U.S. attorneys to bring federal charges in protest-related violence whenever they can, keeping a grip on cases even if a defendant could be tried instead in state court. Federal convictions often result in longer prison sentences; sedition alone could lead to up to 20 years behind bars. The memo cited as a hypothetical example “a group has conspired to take a federal courthouse or other federal property by force,” but the real thing took place in Portland, Oregon, during clashes that erupted night after night between law enforcement and demonstrators."

Mark of desperation by the nazi in the Oval Office who fears not being returned to office:

"Justice officials also explored whether it could pursue either criminal or civil rights charges against city officials there, spokeswoman Kerri Kupec told The AP. She would not say whether charges were still being considered."

Interestingly:

"The Trump administration’s crackdown on protest violence has already led to more than 300 arrests on federal crimes in the protests since the death of George Floyd. An AP analysis of the data shows that while many people are accused of violent crimes such as arson for hurling Molotov cocktails and burning police cars and assault for injuring law enforcement, others are not. That’s led to criticism that at least some arrests are a politically motivated effort to stymie demonstrations."

Clear infringement on the First Amendment right to peacefully protest.

“The speed at which this whole thing was moved from state court to federal court is stunning and unbelievable,” said Charles Sunwabe, who represents an Erie, Pennsylvania, man accused of lighting a fire at a coffee shop after a May 30 protest. “It’s an attempt to intimidate these demonstrators and to silence them,” he said. Some cases are viewed as trumped-up and should not be in federal court, lawyers say, including a teenager accused of civil disorder for claiming online “we are not each other’s enemy, only enemy is 12,” a reference to law enforcement. The administration has seized on the demonstrations and an aggressive federal response to showcase what President Donald Trump says is his law-and-order prowess, claiming he is countering rising crime in cities run by Democrats. Trump has derided protesters and played up the violence around protests, though the majority of them are peaceful."

Nazi justice in a goddamned de facto fascist police-state:

"Pockets of violence have indeed popped up in Rochester, New York; Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Federal officials were called to Kenosha, Wisconsin, after large protests and unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake and the gunning down of two protesters and later arrest of a 17-year-old in their deaths. Notably, that teenager has not been charged with any federal crimes. Neither was a man accused of shooting and killing a demonstrator in Louisville following the death of Breonna Taylor."

Again, the mark of a racist, national socialist, fascist, nazi, hopelessly hypocritical U.S. Attorney General:
,
"While Barr has gone after protest-related violence targeted at law enforcement, he has argued there is seldom a reason to open sweeping investigations into the practices of police departments. The Justice Department, however, has initiated a number of civil rights investigations into individual cases. Barr has said he does not believe there is systemic racism in police departments, even though Black people are disproportionately more likely to be killed by police, and public attitudes over police reforms have shifted."

Like his fuhrer, the Trump nazi, the U.S. Attorney General is a congenital liar.

“There is absolutely an agenda here to blow these out of proportion, make these look more serious or more sinister than it is,” Barnett said of the pursuit of federal charges. “This is the Justice Department, from the top, furthering an agenda that has nothing to do with justice,” he said."

Indeed. Nazi justice.

9-25-20

Taxpayers looted. The Washington Post reports:

"President Trump’s luxury properties have charged the U.S. government more than $1.1 million in private transactions since Trump took office — including for room rentals at his Bedminster, N.J., club this spring while it was closed for the coronavirus pandemic, new documents show. The documents, including receipts and invoices from Trump’s businesses, were released by the Secret Service after The Washington Post filed a public-records lawsuit. They added $188,000 in previously unknown charges to The Post’s running total of payments to Trump’s properties related to the presence of Secret Service agents. In Bedminster this spring, the records show, Trump’s club charged the Secret Service more than $21,800 to rent a cottage and other rooms while the club was closed and otherwise off-limits to guests. The documents don’t give a reason for these rentals. Trump didn’t visit the club while it was closed, but his eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her family reportedly visited at least once. The family visited the club in April to celebrate Passover, a period that overlaps with several of the largest Secret Service charges. At the time, both the District of Columbia — where Ivanka Trump lives — and New Jersey had imposed “stay-at-home” orders, telling residents to avoid travel except under limited circumstances."

Not surprisingly:

"A spokeswoman for Ivanka Trump declined to comment. The Passover visit was first reported by the New York Times."

What could she say? LOL. The taxpayers were clearly f--ked over.

"The receipts and invoices shed new light on the unprecedented relationship Trump has with his own government — where Trump’s presidential travel brings a stream of public money to the private businesses that the president still owns."

Nothing quite like greedily lining your pockets, is there?

"When Trump and his family members visit Trump properties, aides and Secret Service agents follow. When those federal employees rent rooms, Trump’s businesses get the revenue. Taxpayers foot the bill. The bills are usually paid in private, with no public disclosure. The government has not disclosed how much it has paid the Trump Organization in total. Instead, The Post has tried to create an accounting of these payments, one receipt at a time, using public-records requests and lawsuits."

Indeed, Uncommon Valor, exposing this outrageous bullshit to the light of day.

“The waste inherent in this is appalling,” Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president at the watchdog group Public Citizen, said of the Trump Organization’s charges. Gilbert said the costs were especially galling during a pandemic that has brought economic ruin and stretched federal budgets. “They’re nickel-and-diming the American people. At a moment when every penny counts.”

Indeed. This son of a bitch is shamelessly looting the public.

"The White House and the Secret Service both declined to comment for this story. The Trump Organization did not respond to emailed questions."

What could they say? The unvarnished truth is the unvarnished truth.

Unbridled hypocrisy:

"Before he took office, Trump said he would be “completely isolating” himself from his business interests. He didn’t. Instead, Trump has visited his properties 274 times, according to a Post tally, in addition to promoting those properties on Twitter, encouraging his vice president visit them and briefly choosing one of them to host a summit of world leaders. Last year, Trump’s son Eric — who is said to run the Trump Organization day-to-day — sought to tamp down concerns about these payments by saying that his company was charging the government only nominal fees."

This was reported earlier in this publication. Father like son, congenital liars:

"When federal officials accompanied his father, Eric Trump told Yahoo Finance, the company charged them only “like 50 bucks” per room. The Post has found no evidence to support that claim. Instead, government documents show that the Trump Organization has charged as much as $650 per night, and sometimes tacked on additional charges beyond the room rate. Agents guarding Vice President Pence were charged $29-per-night “resort fees” at Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas. In Scotland, Trump’s Turnberry resort once charged the Secret Service $1,300 to move furniture, according to a receipt from July 2018 that was released by the government this year. The new batch of documents consists of invoices and receipts from a single Trump property, the Bedminster club. The records show that Trump Bedminster charged the Secret Service $17,000 a month — or $567 per night — to rent the three-bedroom “Sarazen Cottage” near Trump’s own villa. That rate charged is unusually high for a rental home in the area, according to an analysis of local real estate listings."

Fascinating, isn't it? As American as mom and apple pie.

"The Post had obtained records of Secret Service rentals at Bedminster previously. But the new documents show that the rentals lasted much longer than previously known. Instead of lasting only for the summer months, when Trump usually visited, the rentals stretched from May to the end of October, the new documents show. One former Trump administration official said the Secret Service had chosen to rent for six months at a stretch because Trump himself did not announce his travel schedule far in advance. If he suddenly decided to go to Bedminster in May, the service wanted to be ready. There are few hotels near the club, the former official said, so it was vital to have a space available for agents and equipment. “We always had space reserved at Bedminster weeks before the president arrived, just in case,” said this official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly. “If he came in the Oval on, let’s say, on a Wednesday and said, ‘I want to go this weekend,’ you have to be ready.” But, often, he didn’t. The result was that the Secret Service paid rent in Bedminster for more than 200 days when Trump was not there. The Post has documented a similar dynamic at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida: Trump’s unpredictable travel choices led agents to rent rooms for weeks in advance, in case the president decided to visit. The result was a double benefit for Trump’s businesses: They got paid when he visited — and, often, when he didn’t."

Delusionally believe Trump wasn't aware this was going on?

Gets worse. Get this:

"But this spring marked the first known instance of a Trump club billing the government while it was closed. The Bedminster club temporarily closed down operations on March 17, after Murphy imposed new restrictions on businesses and social gatherings because of the pandemic. “Our goal is to minimize exposure and the amount of people on property,” Bedminster’s general manager, David Schutzenhofer, wrote to club members in an email that day. Staff offices would remain open, Schutzenhofer said, but employees were encouraged to work from home. On that same day, Schutzenhofer signed a contract allowing the Secret Service to rent the club’s Sarazen Cottage — named for golf legend Gene Sarazen — for the next 13 nights. When that contract expired, the Secret Service signed another for 16 more nights, until April 15, according to copies of the contracts released by the Secret Service. The Secret Service was charged the same rate as always: $567 per night, receipts show. Through April, the club remained shuttered. But the charges continued. In fact, on some nights the Secret Service appears to have been charged for even more rooms than usual — not just the Sarazen Cottage, but one or two additional rooms as well. The rates for the extra suites ranged from $142 to $283 per night, according to the documents. The documents do not say why the Secret Service needed rooms in Bedminster for so many nights — or why, on some nights, it needed more than usual. Schutzenhofer, the club’s general manager, did not respond to questions about the charges."

Think we haven't lost our country? You're being royally f--ked. Time to finally wake up.

9-25-20

Expect better of a racist nazi? NPR reports:

"President Trump on Tuesday said he had expanded a ban on racial sensitivity training to federal contractors. His administration had instructed federal agencies to end such training earlier this month. Trump said on Twitter on Tuesday that he had expanded the ban on "efforts to indoctrinate government employees with divisive and harmful sex and race-based ideologies" to contractors doing business with the federal government and those receiving grant funds. "Americans should be taught to take PRIDE in our Great Country, and if you don't there's nothing in it for you!" he tweeted.

"...with our Country, the United States Military, Government Contractors, and Grantees. Americans should be taught to take PRIDE in our Great Country, and if you don’t, there’s nothing in it for you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2020

"Last week, Trump announced efforts to promote "patriotic education" and railed against students learning about systemic racism. He signed an executive order that requires contracts to now include a provision that says contractors with the federal government will not have "workplace training that inculcates in its employees any form of race or sex stereotyping or any form of race or sex scapegoating" or face the cancellation of contracts. "Instructors and materials teaching that men and members of certain races, as well as our most venerable institutions, are inherently sexist and racist are appearing in workplace diversity trainings across the country, even in components of the Federal Government and among Federal contractors," the order says. The trainings cited include references to white privilege and systemic racism."

A raucous, bootclicking, goosestepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil!, Mr. 'President?'

"After the instructions were sent to government agencies this month, M.E. Hart, an attorney who has run hundreds of diversity training sessions for businesses and the federal government, told The Washington Post: "If we are going to live up to this nation's promise — 'we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal' — we have to see each other as human beings, and we have to do whatever it takes, including taking whatever classes make that possible. These classes have been very powerful in allowing people to do that, and we need them more than ever. There's danger here."

Think Adolf and Benito aren't wildly cheering on their fiery perches?

9-25-20

Peaceful transfer of power? NBC News reports:

"Top Republican lawmakers on Thursday dismissed President Donald Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the 2020 election, seeking to deliver reassurances that the process outlined in the Constitution will be orderly and legitimate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tweeted Thursday: “The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th. There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792.” On his way to the Senate floor after his tweet, McConnell ignored a reporter's question on what he would do if Trump refuses to step down and whether he'd insist he do so. Although McConnell didn’t directly name Trump in his tweet, it was clear he was responding to the president, who was asked at a White House news conference Wednesday evening if he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power after the election. "Well, we're going to have to see what happens," Trump said. "You know that I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster." When pressed again on the issue, the president said: "We'll want to have — get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very — we'll have a very peaceful — there won't be a transfer, frankly. There'll be a continuation."

"Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters that the peaceful transition of power is a "fundamental principle in this democracy" and he expects that to apply to the 2020 election just as it has in every election since the late 18th century. "Republicans believe in the rule of law and we believe in the Constitution and that's what dictates what happens in our election process," he said. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, a frequent critic of Trump, tweeted Wednesday after the news conference: “Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus. Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable.” On Thursday, one of Trump’s Republican rivals in 2016, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, tweeted: “As we have done for over two centuries we will have a legitimate & fair election. It may take longer than usual to know the outcome, but it will be a valid one and at noon on Jan 20,2021 we will peacefully swear in the President.” In the House, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, said that the peaceful transfer of power is “enshrined in our Constitution and fundamental to the survival of our Republic.” “America’s leaders swear an oath to the Constitution. We will uphold that oath,” she said on Twitter. Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, a former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, echoed his colleague and said on Twitter Thursday that “nothing defines our Constitutional Republic more than the peaceful transition of power.” “Regardless of how divided our country is right now, when elections are over and winners are declared, we must all commit ourselves to the Constitution and accept the results,” he said."

Think so? Get this:

"Few other Republican lawmakers called Trump out, however, and those who did comment appeared nonchalant about Trump's statement."

Incredible, isn't it?

"Democrats pounced on the president's comments, with some describing his words as chilling and others calling him a fascist. “President Trump: You are not a dictator, and America will not permit you to be one,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on Twitter Wednesday night. On the Senate floor Thursday, Schumer said Republican lawmakers need to be pressed to speak out more. "Democracy is at stake," he said. "And every constituent from every corner of the land, regardless of party or ideology, should be asking their Republican senators to speak out and demand that Donald Trump not be allowed to do what he says he's going to do, and say they will join all of America in standing in the way if he tries."

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday that she wasn't surprised by Trump's possible threat. "You are not in North Korea, you are not in Turkey. … You are in the United States of America," Pelosi said in a message to Trump. "It is a democracy, so why don’t you just try for a moment to honor your oath of office to the Constitution of the United States." "He's trying to have the Constitution of the United States swallow Clorox," she added, alluding to Trump's suggestion in the spring that those infected with coronavirus might be able to get an unspecified "injection" of disinfectant to fight the virus."

The truth? Precisely, the following. Time to wake up:

"Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., tweeted, “He is openly calling for fascism. We need to say it out loud. That includes reporters. This year 247-of-248 Republicans in Congress voted to keep trump in office. They did it because they value their power more than democracy itself. Never forget it."

Precisely, the point this writer and publication have been making since Trump took office.

"Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on Twitter, “How can you watch this and not see democracy being discarded for fascism?” In an interview on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-N.Y., said Trump’s remarks “cross a very bright line.” “There is no question he means exactly what he said, and people fail to take it seriously at our national peril,” Schiff said. “This is a moment that I would say to any Republican of good conscience working in the administration, it is time for you to resign.”

9-18-20

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.

Follow-up to an earlier edition. NPR reports:

"Federal police officers who cleared a crowded park near the White House with smoke and tear gas in June violated court-ordered regulations that spell out how demonstrators are to be warned before aggressive tactics are used against them, attorneys who helped write the agreed-upon rules say. In particular, the 2015 guidelines require warning large crowds multiple times they need to disperse, and doing so loudly enough that the orders can be heard for blocks. But a National Guard official who was there that night, and who has become a whistleblower in the case, has told Congress that U.S. Park Police used a simple megaphone that few could hear. Protesters in Lafayette Square near the White House on June 1 said police advanced through the crowd with little warning, firing tear gas and smoke canisters shortly before President Trump appeared outside for a photograph in front of St. John's Episcopal Church."

Could the criminal jackbooted bastards been following orders from their fuhrer, the Trump nazi?

"The reason that we wrote this agreement the way that we did was to ensure that there were specific practices that the Park Police had to carry out so that they couldn't mass arrest people, so they couldn't suddenly attack a large group of demonstrators," said constitutional rights attorney Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, who filed a lawsuit that led to the 2015 guidelines. She said her organization, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, is preparing litigation against the federal Park and Washington, D.C., police for violating constitutional rights."

What's taking so long? Been three and a half months since the incident.

"They have an obligation to notify that group that they are in violation of the law and to give them the opportunity to comply with a lawful order," Verheyden-Hilliard said. Verheyden-Hilliard represented demonstrators, tourists and passersby who were arrested during a demonstration against the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington in 2002. In that earlier episode, police trapped a crowd in Pershing Park, near the White House, and began mass arrests. "People were rounded up, they were put on buses, they were held for 27 hours or more, hogtied in stress and duress positions wrist to ankle," Verheyden-Hilliard said. "Through this litigation, which was hard-fought litigation, we wanted to ensure that this would never happen again to someone in Washington, D.C." Then, 13 years later, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan awarded $2.2 million in damages and approved the settlement agreement in 2015. He called it "historic" and said it could help set the standard for how police departments handle protesters nationwide. Under that settlement agreement, police who intend to clear an area in Washington are required to warn protesters audibly three times that they are violating the law and need to disperse to, in the words of the agreement, "give those who choose not to be arrested time to leave the immediate closed area."

"Each warning is supposed to be two minutes apart and clearly audible. And to ensure demonstrators are hearing them, the agreement reads "officers positioned in the rear of the crowd should give a verbal and/or physical indication to the official giving the warnings, confirming that they are audible." Evidence suggests that didn't happen on June 1. Eyewitnesses, including the senior most National Guardsman at the scene, said those warnings to disperse couldn't be heard. Gregory Monahan, acting chief of U.S. Park Police, told lawmakers in July that his officers had abided by the rules in the agreement. "The protocol was followed," he said during sworn testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources. "There were three warnings given and they were given utilizing a Long Range Acoustic Device; it's called an LRAD, that's what it stands for, that was the device used." The LRAD is a kind of sound cannon that emits a piercing noise and then can broadcast a voice or a recording at a deafening level. The idea is to allow people at the back of a crowd to hear instructions. But recordings made by bystanders June 1, journalists who were there, and from other eyewitnesses offer no evidence that the sound cannon was used. "There is zero evidence that there were any officers who can testify that they were in the farthest reaches of the crowd," Verheyden-Hilliard said. "There has to be documentation that the notice was given multiple times, and there are supposed to be recordings made that the notice was given. We wrote all these in specifically for this reason. In fact, unfortunately, it would appear in anticipation of what happened in Lafayette Park." A U.S. Park Police spokesman told NPR that Monahan "stands by his testimony to the committee." The official said because of ongoing litigation the U.S. Park Police couldn't comment further."

The son of a bitch is a liar. Here's why:

"Maj. Adam DeMarco of the D.C. National Guard was the senior-most member of the National Guard in Lafayette Square that day. At a briefing that afternoon, he said he was told the National Guard's job would be to support a Park Police operation to clear demonstrators around Lafayette Square after a D.C. curfew went into effect at 7 p.m. Adam DeMarco, a major in the D.C. National Guard, testifies before the House Committee on Natural Resources in July. He said the announcements U.S. Park Police directed toward protesters in Lafayette Square on June 1 were barely audible. He testified about his experience before the House Committee on Natural Resources on July 28. "At around 6:20 p.m., Park Police issued the first of three warning announcements to the demonstrators, directing them to disperse," DeMarco told lawmakers. "I did not expect the announcement so early as the D.C. curfew was not to go into effect until 7 p.m. that evening." DeMarco told the House committee that he was 30 yards away from the officer giving the warnings to disperse and he could barely hear him, and that it was clear to him the protesters couldn't either. "The announcements were barely audible," DeMarco testified. "I saw no indications that the demonstrators were cognizant of the warnings to disperse." DeMarco is now a military whistleblower recounting what he saw that day, and his attorney, David Laufman, said his client was uniquely positioned to see the events unfold. "From my client's position, he was 30 yards away from the officer giving the warnings and about 20 yards away from the front line of demonstrators," Laufman said. "He could both observe and hear the warnings being given and he could observe the reaction of the demonstrators at the same time. He observed a Park Police officer giving the warnings, using a handheld mic attached to an ordinary megaphone sitting on a bench in the middle of the square."

"What happened after those announcements isn't in dispute. Officers began to clear the square at 6:30 p.m., a half-hour before the citywide curfew went into effect. Horse-mounted Park Police officers, Civil Disturbance Units, Secret Service, all started to push the crowd back. There were explosions and smoke. DeMarco said they shot tear gas into the crowd. His eyes began to sting, and he said he found tear gas canisters lying in the street after it was all over. The smoke was still in the air when several black SUVs pulled up to the intersection of 16th and H streets and set up a cordon around St. John's Episcopal Church right by the square. The president appeared minutes later. "The President's arrival," DeMarco testified, "was a complete surprise as we had not been briefed that he would enter our sector."

9-18-20

Lying sons of bitches in blue. In follow-up to a case covered earlier in this publication, The Washington Post reports:

"The two Park Police officers who shot and killed unarmed motorist Bijan Ghaisar in 2017 told federal investigators that Ghaisar was driving his Jeep Grand Cherokee toward one of them when they began shooting, new court filings show, though video of the incident appears to show the officers were on the side of the Jeep when they first fired."

Lying pieces of shit.

"The court filings, which come in a pending civil case against Park Police, are the first time the officers’ version of the events at an intersection in Fairfax County’s Fort Hunt neighborhood has been made public. After that initial volley of shots, Officer Alejandro Amaya moved toward the front of Ghaisar’s Jeep and the Jeep twice moved slowly forward, the video shows. According to the court papers, Officer Lucas Vinyard thought Amaya was in danger and fired twice more, telling the FBI he thought to himself, “Who is this guy, Superman?” — because 10 total shots were needed to stop Ghaisar. Government lawyers have said the officers will not testify in the civil case, because they could still face criminal charges, and the lawyers contend the officers acted reasonably in firing at Ghaisar. So the government filed the officers’ statements to Senior U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton, who will try the case without a jury, enabling him to hear the officers’ version of events without cross-examination."

Outrageous. Nazi justice. ... Delusionally believe the judge isn't in bed with law enforcement?

"Two years after the slaying of Ghaisar on Nov. 17, 2017, the Justice Department’s civil rights division declined to file criminal charges against Vinyard and Amaya, but the Fairfax County prosecutor has said his office has an ongoing investigation. The civil suit against the Park Police by Ghaisar’s parents is pending in federal court in Alexandria. The officers’ accounts are included in 400 pages of documents filed by the government to support its motion for a summary judgment, which asks the judge to rule in their favor without a trial. The filings also include reports that provide detailed analysis of the circumstances, with former Providence police captain John Ryan saying the shooting was justified and former FBI special agent Urey Patrick saying it was not."

Goddamned nazi justice. The jackbooted bastards are protected and coddled.

More on this case as it becomes available.

9-18-20

The following is appalling. Portend of far worse to come. United Press International reports:

"Two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office deputies were critically wounded when they were "ambushed" while on patrol in Compton, the agency said. The incident at 7 p.m. Saturday was captured on video released by the department, showing an assailant running from the scene. President Donald Trump posted the video on his Twitter feed and wrote Saturday: "Animals that must be hit hard!" Then on Sunday tweeted: "If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!"

Does the very same apply to the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue who murder innocent, unarmed civilians, Mr. 'President?' If not, why not? Why no equal justice? None at all. Usually, the direct opposite. Kill an officer even in self-defense, guess what? Get executed.

None of the above, however, excuses the following:

"A gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation," the department posted on Twitter. The unidentified deputies, who were sworn into office 14 months ago, underwent surgery. During a news conference, Sheriff Alex Villanueva described one of the injured deputies as a 31-year-old mother of a 6-year-old boy and the other as a 24-year-old man. One [of] the deputies was shot in the face and the other in the head, a source told the Los Angeles Times, Both deputies were members of the sheriff's transportation detail, which includes 93 rail stations and nearly 14,000 bus stops. "The two deputies were ambushed by a gunman in a cowardly fashion," Villanueva said at a news conference. "This is a dangerous job."

Where is your outrage for all those innocent, unarmed civilians murdered by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue, Sheriff? Don't think those murders were equally gutless, sir?

While there is no justification for this ambush, none at all, there is a reason. To date, there has been absolutely no change in police use of excessive force. None. 'Symbolism over substance' to shamelessly quote the Limbaugh nazi. Been a problem at least the last six decades. Protest, sadly, has turned to insurrection. Far worse to come if we don't finally wake up.

Hopefully, both officers will survive, fully recover.

NBC News reports:

"Homicide Capt. Kent Wegener told a late-night news conference that the suspect approached the deputies from behind in their patrol vehicle and acted like he was going to walk past. Then he raised the pistol and fired several rounds inside of the vehicle, striking both deputies, Wegener said. As the suspect fled, the deputies were able to radio for help, he added. “We have a very, very generic suspect description of a dark-skinned male and that came from one of the deputies, one of the victims," he said.

"The deputies were taken to the nearby St. Francis Medical Center, where they underwent surgery, Villanueva said. At the hospital, the LA sheriff's office said a group of protesters were blocking the entrance to the emergency room."

ABC News reports:

"The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the deputies were sitting in their patrol car at the time of the attack and both were shot multiple times. "That was a cowardly act," Sheriff Alex Villanueva said during a press conference on Saturday night. "The two deputies were doing their job, minding their own business, watching out for the safety of the people on the train. To see somebody just walk up and start shooting on them. It pisses me off. It dismays me at the same time. There's no pretty way to say it."

Express the same outrage, Sheriff, when a criminal jackbooted bastard in blue murders an innocent, unarmed civilian? Why not? Delusionally believe law-abiding civilians aren't pissed off as hell, sir? Why no equal justice? That so because we live in a goddamned fascist police-state, Sheriff?

"LA County Sheriff's Department in an update overnight confirmed that an unlawful assembly was declared as protesters blocked the entrance and exit to the area hospital emergency room. Two arrests were made including a female member of the press along with an adult male. "After deputies issued a dispersal order for the unlawful assembly of a group of protesters blocking the hospital emergency entrance & exits, a male adult protester refused to comply & cooperate," the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a tweet. "During his arrest, a struggle ensued at which time a female adult ran towards the deputies, ignored repeated commands to stay back as they struggled with the male and interfered with the arrest. The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person. Both individuals have been arrested."

Got proof of these allegations? Or, is it all self-serving bullshit? Quite fortunate no one was injured, Sheriff. Neither protesters or law enforcement. Protest, sadly, is turning to insurrection. Delusionally believe insurrection can't, won't lead to the unthinkable, unwanted? A second American revolution catastrophically looms as shit squat happens to lessen tension generated by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. ... Too deaf to hear the rumble?

NPR reports:

"Two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies were shot Saturday near a train station. Sheriff Alex Villanueva called the incident an "ambush."

"This is just a sober reminder it's a dangerous job. Actions, words have consequence," Villanueva said. "And our job does not get any easier because people don't like law enforcement," he added, referencing the nationwide protests against police violence that have been taking place since May, following the police killing of George Floyd."

Unbecoming for a Sheriff to have his head figuratively, securely lodged up his ass, sir. Wake up. Criticism has nothing to do with civilians liking or not liking law enforcement. Shit squat. Has everything to do with the corrupt, abusive, murderous behavior of the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. Quite correct, actions, words have consequences. Ever mention precisely that to your criminal jackbooted bastards before they go out on patrol, sir?

CBS News reports:

"Protesters gathered outside the emergency room at the hospital where the injured deputies were being treated.

"To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling "We hope they die" referring to 2 LA Sheriff's ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL," the sheriff's department tweeted. "People's lives are at stake when ambulances can't get through."

Sad, sad portend of far worse to come.

The Associated Press reports:

“This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice,” Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted. “Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished.”

That's right, Mr. Biden. So too should the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue who abuse, beat, and murder innocent, unarmed civilians, sir. Ferociously pointedly, where is your criticism of out of control law enforcement?

"A handful of protesters gathered outside the hospital where the injured deputies were being treated. The protesters tried to provoke deputies stationed outside and at one point were prevented from entering the emergency room, Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez with the Churches in Action group told the TV station KABC. “Unacceptable behavior. The hospital should be a sanctuary, we should leave hospitals alone,” he said. Mendez and members of his group gathered nearby in prayer for the wounded deputies.

“To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling “We hope they die” referring to 2 LA Sheriff’s ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL,” the sheriff’s department tweeted. “People’s lives are at stake when ambulances can’t get through.”

"A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody. The sheriff’s department later tweeted that the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester. “The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person,” the department stated. After being released, Josie Huang, a reporter for public radio station KPCC, a National Public Radio affiliate, said on Twitter that she had seen the statements from sheriff’s officials and had “thoughts and videos to share soon after a little rest.”

What are you waiting for? Immediately release what you have. Someone's lying. Is it you, or law enforcement?

"A video Huang said she shot moments before her arrest showed two men carrying red, black and green flags and shouting at deputies outside the hospital while a few other people stood by recording on their cellphones. The executive editor of the station, Megan Garvey, expressed outrage over the arrest and said her reporter appeared to be wearing her credentials and had shouted her KPCC affiliation. NPR’s Editorial Director Nancy Barnes said the network was “appalled” by the arrest of a reporter doing her job."

The Washington Post reports:

"As Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies tackled Josie Huang to the street on Saturday night, the reporter for NPR affiliate KPCC screamed repeatedly she was a journalist. Deputies arrested her anyway, leaving her with scrapes, bruises, a five-hour stay in custody — and an obstruction charge that carries up to a year in jail. Police claimed Huang, who also reports for LAist, didn’t have credentials and ignored demands to leave the area. But those claims are contradicted by video Huang shared on Sunday showing her quickly backing away from police when ordered to do so and repeatedly identifying herself as a journalist. Huang said she also had a press badge around her neck."

Goddamned, lying, criminal, achingly gutless, jackbooted bastards in blue.

"NPR executives and reporters groups condemned Huang’s arrest, demanding her charges be dropped and the sheriff’s department explain why officers forcefully tackled her. “We hold the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department accountable to provide answers for the excessive use of force in the detainment of our colleague,” the Asian American Journalists Association said in a statement. “The Los Angeles chapter of AAJA demands an investigation and apology for her arrest.”

Not good enough. Nowhere near.

"An independent monitor who oversees investigations into the sheriff’s department also launched a probe into her arrest. “What surprises me the most is that once she was identified as a reporter that they transported her, that they cited her,” L.A. County Inspector Gen. Max Huntsman told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday."

Clearly, the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue are out of control. Desperately need to be reined in:

"As protests have swept the nation this year, journalists covering the unrest have faced regular threats of violence and detention by police. In many cases, officers have fired tear gas and less-than-lethal rounds at reporters and arrested them even after they’ve clearly identified themselves as journalists, The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi and Elahe Izadi reported. Huang said that is precisely what happened to her on Saturday. Like dozens of other reporters, she had gone to a news conference outside St. Francis Medical Center, where doctors were treating two officers who had been shot in the head in an ambush earlier that night. Afterward, she was typing notes in her car in a parking garage when she heard a commotion in the street, Huang recounted in a Twitter thread on Sunday. She ventured outside, with her press ID hanging around her neck, and found a few men waving flags and taunting deputies. As the police chased one man and then tackled him, she followed at a distance, filming the incident with her camera’s zoom function. Suddenly, as seen in a video she shot, one deputy yelled, “Back up.” In her next video, Huang backed quickly away as a number of officers marched toward her, and then knocked the phone from her hand and took her to the ground."

Jackbooted nazi motherf--kers in blue. Gutless pieces of human excrement.

“I’m a reporter,” she yelled. “I’m with KPCC!” Her phone continued recording during her arrest, capturing her telling officers that they were hurting her and yelling yet again that she is a journalist. Another bystander’s video shows Huang being roughly pulled to the ground while a number of officers piled on top of her."

Nazi America. A fascist police-state. The American Way.

"Huang said she was held in custody for five hours and deputies refused to uncuff her to let her put a face mask back on. When she complained her leg was bleeding, they told her it was a “scrape,” she said. Early on Sunday morning, the sheriff’s office told a different story in recounting her arrest. The department said that as officers were struggling to arrest a protester, “a female adult ran towards the deputies, ignored repeated commands to stay back as they struggled with the male and interfered with the arrest.” Huang “did not identify herself as press,” the department claimed, “and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person.” Asked by The Post to clarify those claims in light of Huang’s videos showing her clearly identifying herself as a reporter, a department spokesperson declined to comment citing an ongoing investigation."

Like their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, they're congenital liars. Wouldn't know truth if it figuratively bit them hard on the ass.

"NPR officials called for Huang’s charges to be dropped. “Her arrest is the latest in a series of troubling interactions between our reporters and some local law enforcement officers,” Herb Scannell, chief executive of Southern California Public Radio, said in a statement to the Times. “Journalists provide an essential service, providing fair, accurate and timely journalism and without them, our democracy is at risk.”

What democracy? A de facto fascist police-state. Adolf and Benito? Wildly cheering on their fiery perches. Nazi America.

The following is unconscionable. Highly indicative of precisely how Aryan arrogant jackbooted nazis in law enforcement have become. CBS News reports:

"The Los Angeles County sheriff on Monday challenged Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James to match $175,000 in reward money being offered for information on the gunman who ambushed and shot two L.A. deputies over the weekend. In an interview with KABC Radio, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the reward money has reached $175,000, after two individuals donated $75,000 to add to the $100,000 offered by the county. "This challenge is to Lebron James. I want you to match that and double that reward," Villanueva said. "I know you care about law enforcement. You expressed a very interesting statement about your perspective on race relations and on officer-involved shootings and the impact that it has on the African-American community. And I appreciated that. But likewise, we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across professions, across races, creeds, and I'd like to see LeBron James step up to the plate and double that."

Jesus Christ. Unf--king believable. Wake up, Sheriff. Ferociously pointedly, when are law enforcement agencies across our formerly great country going to post rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of their criminal jackbooted bastards in law enforcement who murder innocent, unarmed civilians? When?

"James, who has been vocal about police shootings involving Black people, had not publicly responded to the sheriff's challenge as of early Tuesday morning. Last month, James expressed outrage after an officer shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, saying that Black people in America are "terrified." "I know people get tired of hearing me say it but we are scared as a Black people in America," he said. "Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified." James has also repeatedly called for justice for Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT who was shot and killed when officers entered her apartment with a no-knock warrant in March."

The hypocrisy and Aryan arrogance of this asshole Sheriff is beyond stunning. It's appalling. Certainly, fails to serve the best interests of good officers in law enforcement, including the two that were horrifically ambushed by the unapprehended perpetrator who needs to be quickly found and arrested:

"Villanueva's challenge to James came after the weekend ambush of two deputies who were in their parked police vehicle when a man walked up to the passenger's side and fired multiple rounds. The deputies were struck in the head and critically wounded but both are expected to recover, Villanueva said. The gunman hasn't been captured and a motive has not been determined. The shooting occurred in Compton, one of the communities near South Los Angeles, an area with a large Black population that has long been a flashpoint for racial tension and mistrust of police. Hundreds marched Saturday to the Sheriff's Department South LA station to protest the fatal shootings of a Black man on Aug. 31 and a Black teenager in 2018. Both were killed by deputies from the station, which is about 6 miles from where the deputies were targeted Saturday. After that shooting, a handful of protesters gathered outside the hospital where the deputies were treated and tried to block the emergency room entrance. Videos from the scene recorded protesters shouting expletives at police and at least one yell "I hope they ... die."

This achingly, hopelessly clueless Sheriff simply does not get it:

"In an interview with the AP, Villanueva said the angry rhetoric is making deputies' work more difficult. "They're out there doing their job and yet we have people fanning the flames of hatred and just turning up the volume when we don't need it. We need to be turning it down," Villanueva said. "Particularly our elected officials and civic leaders and sports figures, they need to start emphasizing trust in the system, due process."

There is no faith or trust in the system because there is no due process. Criminal officers continue to murder innocent, unarmed civilians with near impunity. Rhetoric, angry or otherwise, will continue to speak truth to power. Abusive, murderous, criminal power. Does this nazi Sheriff delusionally believe abuse of power is 'doing their job?' The rhetoric will continue until there is change. To date, there is none. Been a problem at least the last six decades. Precisely, why protest is now turning to insurrection. Unless there's change, insurrection will turn to the unthinkable, unwanted. A second American revolution already catastrophically looming. ... Hear the rumble?

"The NBA playoffs were delayed last month when James and other stars supported the Milwaukee Bucks' decision not to play following Blake's shooting. U.S. Open winner Naomi Osaka of Japan wore masks with the names of Black victims of violence throughout the tennis tournament. After 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee was killed by two LA County deputies last month, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat who represents part of South Los Angeles, said "while we don't know all of the details of this incident" she shares the community's outrage and that the message from police killings is "the lives of people of color do not matter and that the practice is to shoot first and ask questions later." She said the Sheriff's Department is out of control and called on state Attorney General Xavier Becerra to investigate "the pattern of abuses."

Not good enough. Nowhere near. No more than empty, hollow rhetoric. The system remains incapable of investigating itself. No more than a joke.

"The department has begun its own investigation of allegations that a renegade group of deputies calling themselves The Executioner s have taken control of the Compton station through threats, intimidation and harassment. Ron Hernandez, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, said his organization is open to overall reform - he disputed any claims of renegade groups of deputies - but Saturday's shooting could never be justified as part of potential anti-police rhetoric. "When you're sitting there doing paperwork and providing safety for the community, and somebody from the public comes out and ambushes you and tries to kill you, there's no valid explanation for that," he said during a Monday news conference outside the hospital. "I don't care how angry the public, I don't care how angry even the people that might protest are. That's not going to resolve anything."

That's right. It won't. So won't the abject failure of law enforcement to rein in the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue in its ranks who continue to abuse and murder innocent, unarmed civilians.

"Villanueva also rejected claims the criminal justice system is biased against people of color, saying his department is committed to thorough investigations, including of its own employees. "To someone who says they're biased, the only bias we have is toward facts," he said. "We need to stop the false narratives. We have to let the system take its course and justice has to be based on facts, based on evidence. It has to be right."

You remain a liar, Sheriff. You and your jackbooted colleagues make up the 'facts' as you go along. Continue to bamboozle the public with your outrageous, unsubstantiated bullshit. Here's some more:

"Villanueva said the department's investigations into police shootings like Kizzee's take time. "We're not going to speed up or slow down at the behest of anybody," he said. "It's going to be based on fact, not on emotion. Some people already have determined the results, so they're trying to throw rocks at the process."

Inconveniently for outrageously corrupt, abusive, murderous law enforcement, protesters and others state the unvarnished truth, Sheriff. Expose liars like you to the light of day. Amazing, isn't it, when an officer gets killed, arrest and jailing of the killer is immediate? Not so when a jackbooted bastard in blue murders an innocent, unarmed civilian. No equal justice. Special treatment.

9-18-20

Proverbially, like kids in a candy shop. When did the business community lose itself? When? United Press International reports:

"The Justice Department has charged dozens of people with trying to defraud hundreds of millions of dollars from a government loan program created to aid small businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Brian Rabbitt, the acting assistant attorney general, told reporters Thursday 57 people have been charged since early May with attempting to steal $175 million from the Paycheck Protection Program. Part of the $2 trillion CARES Act in March, the PPP offered U.S. businesses low interest and forgivable loans to pay employees and to keep them on payrolls amid the pandemic that's caused millions of Americans to lose their jobs. "The PPP represented critical help at a critical time," Rabbitt said. "Unfortunately, almost every crisis brings out not only those who seek to help others, but also those who try to exploit the situation for their own unlawful purposes and financial gain."

Called capitalism. Forget? Lining your pockets any way you can. Bottomless greed. The American Way. ... As Discount Electronics did selling a refurbished lap top it knew would fail with a cheap Chinese power supply knockoff. While the lap top still works, the batteries don't charge. As American as mom and apple pie, right, you hopelessly greedy sons of bitches?

"Of the $175 million stolen, the government has incurred a loss of $70 million. Authorities have so far been able to recover or freeze about $30 million, but Rabbitt said that amount should rise with additional seizures. The acting assistant attorney general said the accused attempted to steal as little as $30,000 and as much as $24 million and fall into one of two categories -- those who lied about owning businesses or claimed they needed the money to pay employees and those in organized criminal rings."

The American Way, forget?

"Television personality Maurice Fayne, one of the first charged with attempting to defraud the federal government, falls into the first category as he received nearly $1.5 million to pay his 107 employees but instead spent it on jewelry, a Rolex watch and tens of thousands of dollars in child support, the Justice Department said in a statement in May."

Ever see a hitch on the back of a hearse? Delusionally believe you can take it with you?

"In the other category, prosecutors on Thursday charged 11 people, including NFL wide receiver Josh Bellamy, for their role in a scheme to try and steal $24 million from the government through submitting falsified documents."

... And to think there are people on the bottom and middle class out of work, out of money, out of resources, to be evicted. Homeless. Shit about to hit the fan.

"The involvement of these rings is unsurprising, but it is particularly troubling, and we will be focusing on these types of cases going forward," he said. Banks have been tasked with disseminating the majority of the loans, and have come under scrutiny due to their administration of the loans. Amid reports that employees of JPMorgan Chase have participated in misuse of the PPP, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., sent a letter Thursday to James Dimon, its chief executive officer, calling for a full investigation into the allegations. "Financial institutions, like yours, are on the front lines of providing PPP assistance," Rubio wrote. Rabbitt said while Thursday represented a significant milestone, there is still more work ahead for his office. "Let me just end with what I hope will be an unmistakable message to those who might consider abusing programs like the PPP that provide critical lifelines for American business and American Workers: You will be identified. You will be held accountable. You will face the severest of consequences for trying to exploit your fellow Americans' suffering for your own personal gain," he said."

... Got to be a place reserved in Hell for these thieving motherf--kers. Hard to believe they'll see any semblance of justice here in Nazi America.

9-18-20

Our government continues to have its problems. The following is appalling. NPR reports:

"A new report finds FEMA is not effectively allocating money for homes that repeatedly flood. More than 100 homes in Cameron Parish, La., have flooded multiple times according to FEMA data. The Federal Emergency Management Agency fails to help tens of thousands of people whose homes have repeatedly flooded, according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security. A 2004 law requires FEMA to keep a list of homes that have repeatedly flooded, and prioritize those homes for federal assistance. But the new report finds that FEMA's list is rife with errors and that nothing has been done to reduce the flood risk for most of the nearly 38,000 homes on the list.

Sad, isn't it? ... Doing the will of their fuhrer, the Trump nazi?

The Department of Homeland Security oversees FEMA. FEMA "provides neither equitable nor timely relief" to those who own homes that have repeatedly flooded, the report states. "These properties are really the tip of the iceberg when it comes to staring down our climate change future," says Anna Weber, a flood analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Flood risks are increasing all across the country — this isn't just a coastal problem. So, if we don't act to address the risk to properties like these, we're going to see more and more repetitively flooded properties all over the nation." Between 2005 and 2018, the number of repeatedly flooded properties in the U.S. nearly doubled, according to FEMA's data.

Doesn't matter to Trump and his henchmen. As long as they get theirs, f--k everyone else.

"Climate change is driving more frequent and severe flooding in much of the U.S. because sea levels are rising, and hurricanes and other storms are dumping more rain. When a house floods repeatedly in a short period of time, it's eligible for special help from FEMA. For example, homeowners can apply for money to help cover the cost of raising the house's foundation. Or, if multiple houses in a neighborhood are flooding, the local government can apply for federal funding to update drainage infrastructure. In the most drastic cases, FEMA can help the local government purchase a home that has flooded multiple times and demolish it, allowing the people who lived there to move to a safer place and allowing water to flow with fewer obstructions and be absorbed into the ground more easily. Demand for flood mitigation funds has skyrocketed in the last decade, according to the new report, and consistently outstrips the amount of money available through FEMA. That has led to mounting pressure from Congress to prioritize homes that are known to be at high risk, including those that have repeatedly flooded."

Report goes on and on. Trump and his henchmen couldn't care less. ... As long as their pockets are lined, no problem. No greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than the rise of nazism in our formerly great country.

9-18-20

Think Trump's competent? In an editorial, The Washington Post opines:

"It was not simply that President Trump resorted to obvious lies at the ABC News town hall Tuesday night, or that he was rude and ineffective in addressing the terrific, substantive questions from real, undecided voters. His campaign’s bigger worry is that he came across as confused, lost and incoherent. He really should not have gone down the road of challenging his opponent’s mental acuity. The Post’s fact checker Glenn Kessler reels off the list of lies: Trump falsely claimed he hadn’t played down the pandemic (we know he did, and he confessed to Bob Woodward); he falsely claimed our mortality rate was something to be envied; he bizarrely claimed we had no ventilators when he entered office; he repeated the oft-used lie that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden opposed his travel restrictions on China as xenophobic; for the bazillionth time, he falsely claimed credit for passing the Veterans Choice program (which President Barack Obama signed into law); he falsely took credit for sending in the Minnesota National Guard during protests in May; and he wrongly claimed he had the best economy in history. What was far worse than the nonstop stream of lies was how foolish Trump sounded. He did not downplay covid-19; he “up-played” it! He said “herd mentality” would eliminate the pandemic. (Herd immunity might, at the cost of millions of lives.) He criticized Biden — who has not been in office for the past four long years — for failing to enact a nationwide mask mandate. He tried to interrupt a questioner, only to have her sternly tell him to let her finish. He rambled and came off as entirely uncaring in not directly answering questions from an African American pastor and a woman whose mother died of cancer. At one point, host George Stephanopoulos gamely broke in to remind Trump he was seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which contains protection for preexisting conditions. He also noted that Trump keeps promising to introduce his own health-care plan, but never does. Imagine how much worse it will be for Trump when he has a prepared opponent willing to deliver a tongue-lashing for such silly lies and excuses."

Neither candidate is worth a shit. For totally different reasons. Don't the American people deserve better?

9-11-20

Follow up on Portland. NPR reports:

"In President Trump's telling of it, Portland, Ore., is a city under siege by violent radical leftists. He has suggested that only the strong hand of federal law enforcement can save it. On Fox News this week, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf admonished state and local leaders there and elsewhere for failing to restore law and order, and he touted the administration's response. "We've seen about 300 arrests across this country regarding civil unrest and protest, violent protesting, I'd say criminal protesting, criminal rioting," Wolf said. "About 100 of those have been in Portland specifically, and I know the Department of Justice has charged about 74 or 75 individuals in Portland there with different federal crimes."

It's all bullshit. Congenital liars.

"But an NPR review of the federal cases brought in Portland shows that the majority of the charges are for what could be considered minor offenses. As of Aug. 28, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Oregon had charges outstanding against 74 people in connection with the Portland unrest. Of those cases charged, 11 are for citations and 42 are for misdemeanors, meaning that more than 70% of the total charged cases are not felonies. "A citation is the least serious of a charge, it's really more of a ticket," said Lisa Hay, the federal public defender for Oregon. The misdemeanor cases are almost evenly divided between class A and class C misdemeanors. A class C misdemeanor is one step above a citation and is punishable by no more than one month in jail. In Portland, at least 19 people face class C misdemeanor charges for allegedly failing to comply with a lawful order. "That might be somebody who's in front of the federal courthouse, on the sidewalk, and an order is issued to disperse, and they didn't disperse or they didn't move away quickly enough," said Hay. The class A misdemeanor cases in Portland have typically involved an alleged assault of a federal officer but without physical contact. Such a case could involve, for example, verbally abusing an officer or pretending to throw an object. These sorts of misdemeanors are punishable by no more than one year in prison. Steve Kanter, a law professor and former dean at Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, said the federal government's decision to arrest and charge people for offenses like failing to comply with a lawful order suggests that law enforcement officer were acting in a selective manner "to control and chill expression and activity." "There should be a clear dividing line between people who are trying to get their voices heard, fully protected by the First Amendment and the right to assemble," he said, "and people that engage unjustified violence against persons or property." Kanter said those who engage in violence — and he made clear that there have been people in Portland doing exactly that — should be prosecuted. The vast majority of the protesters in the city have been nonviolent, but some demonstrators have set fires, thrown projectiles and, in some instances, attacked federal officers. After Trump sent a surge of federal law enforcement to Portland in July, the area around the federal courthouse downtown for weeks was a battle zone at night as some protesters clashed with federal agents guarding the facility."

Insurrection. This is happening directly due to the fact been no change in the corrupt, abusive, murderous tactics of the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. None.

"Federal prosecutors have brought more serious felony charges against those they say engaged in the violence — 20 cases as of late last week, according to NPR's review of the court papers. Those are primarily either assault of a federal officer or arson charges. One defendant, for example, is accused of hitting a deputy U.S. marshal with a hammer, while another allegedly struck a deputy U.S. marshal with a baseball bat."

The following is bullshit not supported by the facts:

"The president and Attorney General William Barr have repeatedly blamed what they call left-wing radicals and members of the antifa movement for the violence in Portland and elsewhere. "I've talked to every police chief in every city where there's been major violence, and they all have identified antifa as the ramrod for the violence," Barr told CNN this week. "They are flying around the country. We know people who are flying around the country," Barr said. "We see some purchases they are making before the riots of weapons to use in those riots." None of the court documents from federal cases in Portland reference antifa or any sort of broader anti-fascist movement or conspiracy."

Expect better of congenital liars?

"In a few of the case files, there are references to apparent agitators. For instance, one defendant told authorities that he was handed a firework by a masked person in the crowd and told to throw it. But there is nothing more substantial in the federal court record in Portland at this point to support the attorney general's assertions. In the public record, the man suspected of fatally shooting a right-wing activist in Portland last weekend said he supports the anti-fascist movement but is not a member of it. The man, Michael Reinoehl, was killed Thursday night as law enforcement officers tried to arrest him."

Time to wake up.

9-11-20

Barr talks out the ass to defend his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. ABC News reports:

"Attorney General William Barr argued in an interview Wednesday that President Trump's repeated allegations of "treason" against political opponents he believes targeted his presidency is a phrase that the president uses "colloquially," rather than literally. "Treason is a legal term," Barr told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I think he’s using it colloquially. To commit treason, you actually have to have a state of war with a foreign enemy, but I think he feels that they were involved in an injustice, and if he feels that, he can say it." Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution states that the legal standard for convicting a person of treason "shall consist only in levying war against [the U.S.], or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort." But a review of Trump's frequent past use of the term, which he primarily uses to denigrate those he believes were involved in launching the investigation of his presidential campaign's ties to Russia in 2016, shows how Trump nearly always connects the phrase directly to the prospect of sending his enemies to prison."

Apparently, Barr wouldn't know truth if it figuratively bit him hard on the ass. Trump? A hopeless congenital liar:

"If I were a Democrat, this whole thing would have been so different, people would be in jail now two years ago for 50-year terms because this was treason," Trump said in a Tuesday interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham. "This was subversion. This was the overthrow of a country." Trump has in recent months increasingly invoked 'treason' to baselessly tie the launch of the Russia investigation to his election opponent former Vice President Joe Biden as well as former President Obama. A review of the investigation released last year by the Justice Department's inspector general concluded the probe was launched with proper cause by the FBI, despite errors and missteps by bureau and DOJ officials through the course of the investigation. Those findings, however, haven't stopped the president from falsely accusing his opponents of treason dozens of times this year alone. "We caught President Obama and Sleepy Joe spying on our campaign. That's treason. That's illegal," Trump said to reporters in Arizona last month. "These people should take them and do something with them." "So we catch Obama & Biden, not to even mention the rest of their crew, SPYING on my campaign, AND NOTHING HAPPENS?" Trump tweeted in July. "I hope not! If it were the other way around, 50 years for treason. NEVER FORGET!!!!"

Barr tasked Durham last year with reviewing whether there was any criminal wrongdoing by officials involved with the Russia investigation, and last month Durham brought his first criminal case when a former FBI lawyer pleaded guilty to altering a document used in a renewal application for surveillance against a former Trump campaign aide. "Nobody has ever seen anything like it," Trump said in a campaign speech reacting to the agent's plea. "You can call it whatever you want. I use the word treason. They got caught." Contrary to the president's accusations, however, the former FBI agent Kevin Clinesmith's plea was for one count of making false statements -- and the charging documents made no allegation regarding a broader conspiracy against Trump or his campaign. Barr's effort to re-contextualize the president's statements wasn't unusual. In the same interview Wednesday, for instance, Barr was asked about comments the president made earlier in the day telling voters in North Carolina they should vote twice, which if done intentionally is a federal crime. “They will vote and then they are going to have to check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they won’t be able to do that. So, let them send it in, and let them go vote,” Trump said Wednesday in an interview with a North Carolina news station WECT. “And if the system is as good as they say it is, then they obviously won’t be able to vote. If it isn’t tabulated, they will be able to vote. So that’s the way it is, and that’s what they should do.” "I don’t know exactly what he was saying," Barr said. "But it seems to me what he’s saying is -- he’s trying to make the point that the ability to monitor the system is not good, and if it was so good, if you tried to vote a second time, you would be caught, if you voted in person."

Barr is an idiot. To say nothing ot his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Anyone winds up voting twice gets prosecuted. For following the advice of the 'president.' LOL. Give me a break. It's all bullshit.

Barr is a problem. Unfit for office. ABC News reports:

"Attorney General William Barr gave a false recounting of a voter fraud case in Texas during an interview Wednesday as he sought to bolster his unfounded argument that mass expansions of mail-in voting in 2020 will increase the risk of widespread fraud. Barr incorrectly said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer that elections that have been held with mail have found substantial fraud and coercion, before launching into the false account. "For example, we indicted someone in Texas, 1,700 ballots collected, he -- from people who could vote, he made them out and voted for the person he wanted to. OK?" Barr added, "That kind of thing happens with mail-in ballots and everyone knows that." But Barr's description was not even close to what happened in the case, which was never under the Justice Department's purview in the first place -- according to Andy Chatham, a former assistant district attorney who worked on the investigation in 2017. "I was like, 'What? Why would he talk about that case?'" Chatham told ABC News Friday when asked about his reaction to hearing Barr invoke the investigation. "This wasn't a case of voter fraud. This was a case of what we think was a political consultant trying to scam candidates." In a statement Friday, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec acknowledged that Barr's description of the case was incorrect. "Prior to his interview, the Attorney General was provided a memo prepared within the Department that contained an inaccurate summary about the case which he relied upon when using the case as an example,” Kupec said. The Washington Post first reported the news of Barr's false description of the Texas case. In May 2017, Chatham opened the investigation after hearing a host of complaints from Dallas County residents who were notified they would be sent mail-in ballots even though they hadn't requested them. According to the Dallas Morning News, more than 600 mail-in ballots were also identified that bore the signature of 'Jose Rodriguez,' which was believed to be a fake name of an individual who purportedly assisted voters in filling out their ballots. Chatham described an exhaustive process that officials in his office ultimately undertook to contact the individual voters and ensure that the mail-in ballots they had sent in were accurate. "The statistical percentage of ballots that were returned were almost exactly what the election result was," Chatham said."

How about that? LOL. Give me a break.

Get this:

"Twenty-eight-year-old Miguel Hernandez was eventually found guilty in the investigation for forging a voter's signature on a mail-in ballot he returned. Chatham described Hernandez as the "fall guy" in the scam, being paid by a still-unknown consultant to contact individuals who had received mail-in ballots and return them so they could potentially be tampered with. "He violated the law but not for voting, it was for procuring mail-in ballots under false pretenses," Chatham said. "The other thing that Barr got very wrong about the case is that we knew about this thing before it even happened, and prevented any potentially fraudulent ballots from being cast." "It was a tremendous success story for the office," Chatham added."

Clearly. LOL.

Irony of ironies? Get this:

"Barr's false description of the case comes as officials in the intelligence community are warning Russia is seeking to "amplify" concerns over the integrity of U.S. elections by promoting allegations that mail-in voting will result in rampant fraud. Analysts with the Department of Homeland Security’s intelligence arm issued a bulletin to federal and state law enforcement partners Thursday after finding with “high confidence” that “Russian malign influence actors” have targeted the absentee voting process “by spreading disinformation” since at least March."

Trump and his henchmen are clearly taking advantage of Russian disinformation activity vis a vis the coming presidential election.

"Barr's comments mark the second instance this summer that he has spread misinformation regarding a law enforcement matter. In July, Barr claimed at an event at the White House that the pilot launch of the 'Operation Legend' law enforcement initiative in Kansas City, Missouri, had yielded "200 arrests" in just two weeks. Local officials told the Kansas City Star they were not familiar what he was referring to, and a DOJ official later corrected Barr, saying that he was actually speaking about 200 arrests by both the state and the FBI dating back to December 2019. In fact, at that point Operation Legend had only resulted in a single publicly announced arrest in Kansas City."

9-11-20

Dishonor. Incomprehensible. Gutless. United Press International reports:

"Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and veterans lambasted President Donald Trump on Friday after a report saying Trump described dead or injured U.S. service members as "losers" and "suckers." Trump denied the allegations, published by The Atlantic on Thursday, citing people with firsthand knowledge of the president disparaging veterans and the war dead. Other outlets later confirmed stories in the article. "If what is written in The Atlantic is true, it's disgusting," Biden said Friday during an appearance near his Delaware home. "It affirms what most of us believe to be true: that Donald Trump is not fit to be commander in chief." Trump called the article "fake." "To think that I would make statements negative to our military and fallen heroes when nobody has done what I've done," Trump told reporters. "It's a total lie ... it's a disgrace." Citing unnamed sources, The Atlantic reported Trump has repeatedly spoken negatively about U.S. service members who have been killed, injured or captured in action. It described his canceled visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Paris in 2018, saying Trump chose not to make the trip because he didn't want his hair to be ruined by the rain. Speaking to senior staffers, he said, "Why should I go to that cemetery? It's filled with losers," referring to U.S. troops killed during World War I. A year earlier, during a trip to Arlington National Cemetery to visit the grave of John Kelly's son, Robert Kelly, Trump asked his former chief of staff, "I don't get it. What was in it for them?" according to the article. Kelly declined to comment for the article, but a friend of the four-star general told The Atlantic that Trump couldn't understand why someone would join the military and risk their lives. "He can't fathom the idea of doing something for someone other than himself," the source said. "He just thinks that anyone who does anything when there's no direct personal gain to be had is a sucker. There's no money in serving the nation." Beyond The Atlantic article, Trump has been on record disparaging U.S. service members for their decisions to serve. He described the late Sen. John McCain as a "loser" because he was captured during the Vietnam War, and used the same language to talk about how the late President George H.W. Bush was shot down as a Navy pilot during World War II. He also got into a feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of U.S. Army Capt. Humayum Khan, who was killed in the Iraq War in 2004. Speaking Friday to reporters, Khizr Khan said Trump had the soul "of a coward." "He is incapable of understanding service, valor and courage. His soul cannot conceive of integrity and honor." U.S. Sen Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a veteran who lost both her legs in Iraq, said The Atlantic article didn't shock her but she is "appalled" by the allegations. "I take my wheelchair and my titanium legs over Donald Trump's supposed bone spurs any day," she said, referring to Trump's waiver to not serve in the Vietnam War."

Uncommon Valor. -- Trump has no conception of.

The Associated Press reports:

"Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden declared President Donald Trump “unfit” for the presidency on Friday, delivering an impassioned reaction to a report that Trump — who never served in uniform — allegedly mocked American war dead. The president and his allies have dismissed the report in The Atlantic as false. The allegations, sourced anonymously, describe multiple offensive comments by the president toward fallen and captured U.S. service-members, including calling World War I dead at an American military cemetery in France as “losers” and “suckers” in 2018. The reported comments, many of which were confirmed independently by the AP, are shining a fresh light on Trump’s previous public disparagement of American troops and military families. That opens a new political vulnerability for the president less than two months from Election Day. Voice cracking, Biden told reporters that “you know in your gut” Trump’s comments, if true, are “deplorable.” “I’ve just never been as disappointed, in my whole career, with a leader that I’ve worked with, president or otherwise,” Biden added. “If the article is true — and it appears to be, based on other things he’s said — it is absolutely damning. It is a disgrace.” He added that “the president should humbly apologize to every Gold Star mother and father, to every Blue Star family that he’s denigrated ... Who the heck does he think he is?”

Dictator of the United States. Unfit for office.

"Biden’s critique was personal. The former vice president often speaks about his pride for his late son Beau’s service in the Delaware Army National Guard. As he spoke, Biden grew angry, raising his voice to rebut Trump’s alleged comments that Marines who died in battle were “suckers” for getting killed. “When my son was an assistant U.S. attorney and he volunteered to go to Kosovo when the war was going on, as a civilian, he wasn’t a sucker,” Biden declared. “When my son volunteered to join the United States military as the attorney general, he went to Iraq for a year, won the Bronze Star and other commendations, he wasn’t a sucker!” Beau Biden died of cancer in 2015."

We've lost ourselves. Time for change.

9-11-20

Expect better of a racist nazi? The following is appalling. United Press International reports:

"President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to stop anti-racism training that includes sessions on "White privilege." Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said in a White House memorandum late Friday that Trump gave him the directive. "The president has directed me to ensure that federal agencies cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions," the memorandum said. Vought sought to identify all contracts and training on "White privilege," and "critical race theory." "For example, according to press reports, employees across the executive branch have been required to attend trainings where they are told that 'virtually all White people contribute to racism,' or where they are required to say that they 'benefit from racism.'" He also directed agencies to identify any other training that "suggests either (1) the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil." "In addition, all agencies should begin to identify all available avenues within the law to cancel any such contracts and/or to divert federal dollars away from these un-American propaganda training sessions," the memo added. The directive comes after recent Fox News segments have criticized "diversity and inclusion" efforts. "It's absolutely astonishing how critical race theory has pervaded every institution in the federal government," Chris Rufo, the right-wing Discovery Institute's research fellow, told Fox News. "What I have discovered is that critical race theory had become, in essence, the default ideology of federal bureaucracy and is now being weaponized against the American people."

Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the insanely distorted world of the racist nazi. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"Experts say anti-racism training is needed to rectify systemic racial inequalities that persist in the United States, including in the federal government. Studies have found that the federal government disproportionately awards contracts to white-owned businesses. M.E. Hart, an attorney who has given hundreds of diversity training sessions for businesses and the federal government for more than two decades, said that racial awareness trainings help officials realize unconscious bias in awarding contracts from the federal government, the country's largest employer. Hart added that the trainings increase the diversity of perspectives, improving morale and efficiency."

Can't confuse a racist nazi with the truth. Too damned aggressively stupid, hopelessly ignorant.

"If we are going to live up to this nation's promise -- 'we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal' -- we have to see each other as human beings, and we have to do whatever it takes, including taking whatever classes make that possible," Hart said. "These classes have been very powerful in allowing people to do that, and we need them more than ever."

... Starting in the Oval Office.

9-11-20

What is the Postal System covering up? The Washington Post reports:

"U.S. Postal Service police officers barred a Florida congresswoman from scheduled tours at two mail processing complexes Friday, blocking entry to the facilities and threatening to escort her from the property if she refused to leave."

A member of Congress denied scheduled entry at two mail processing complexes? What were these bastards desperate to hide?

"Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) had arrived at the Royal Palm Processing and Distribution Center in Opa-Locka, Fla., for a 4 a.m. tour to find the parking lot entry roped off with caution tape and a U.S. Postal Inspection Service cruiser blocking the gate. Local Postal Service officials informed her and union leaders waiting to accompany her into the building that national USPS leadership had directed them to bar the group from the building. At 6:30 a.m., Wasserman Schultz was denied entry at the Miami Processing and Distribution Center 10 miles away by a local Postal Service official as two armed Postal Inspection Service officers stood in front of turnstiles in the lobby."

No member of Congress should ever be denied access. It is the constitutional function of Congress to oversee government operations.

"Lawmakers in both the House and Senate have visited USPS facilities in recent weeks, saying they are asserting oversight responsibility of the agency after constituents, postal workers and internal postal performance data reported growing delays. It’s raised worries about the Postal Service’s ability to handle an expected avalanche of mail-in ballots during the November election, and President Trump said he'd attempt to hamper the agency’s ability to deliver ballots by withholding emergency funding."

The son of a bitch, himself, needs to be investigated.

“I’m outraged. I’m angry,” Wasserman Schultz said in a phone interview. “I am frustrated for the seniors that aren’t getting their medicine, worried for the voters whose rights are going to be impinged and very concerned, because I’ve been contacted by so many businesses who have had their mail slow and whose businesses are already struggling in this economic downturn. And so for the Postal Service to intentionally be trying to hide behind their locked gates and their excuses, it all lies at the feet of [new Postmaster General] Louis DeJoy because this has all occurred since his appointment.” Wasserman Schultz’s staff notified Postal Service officials early Thursday afternoon of her intent to observe a typical morning mail-processing shift, she said, and followed the same notification procedure as when she visited the Royal Palm facility earlier in the year. “It wasn’t a request,” Wasserman Schultz said. “It was a notification.” But the Postal Service did not acknowledge that communication until hours later, Wasserman Schultz said, when a member of her staff reached a USPS official by phone. That official said Wasserman Schultz did not provide sufficient advance notice of her intent to visit and that she would be denied entry. “I’ve been there before,” Wasserman Schultz said. “I wasn’t told that I had to give any lengthy notice or that there was any rules. So what I did was I decided that I was going to go anyway.”

Why is Congress tolerating this shit? What is it going to do about it?

9-4-20

Stonewalling jackbooted bastards. CNN News reports:

"After three days of silence, nightly protests, fatal shootings at a protest and a wildcat strike across the sports world, Wisconsin law enforcement officials finally offered their first version of the Kenosha Police shooting of Jacob Blake. On Wednesday night, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation said the incident stemmed from a domestic dispute. Officers arrived and attempted to arrest Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, and used a Taser in a failed attempt to stop him, the DCI said. Blake walked around his vehicle, "opened the driver's side door, and leaned forward," the agency said. Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey, who has been with the department for seven years, then fired seven times into Blake's back, the agency said. No other officer fired their weapon. The agency said Blake admitted he had a knife in his possession, and law enforcement agents said they recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of Blake's vehicle."

Here's the problem:

"The release is the first official police version of events but still leaves gaping holes in its timeline and only the outlines of an explanation. It does not indicate why police moved to arrest Blake, whether he brandished or threatened to use the knife, or why Sheskey shot so many times into Blake's back, and it does not mention his children in the vehicle or other family members standing just feet away. The police version of events was released after nightly protests in Kenosha calling for police transparency and against anti-Black police violence. On Wednesday, a 17-year-old was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide for his alleged role in a shooting incident the night earlier in which two people at a protest were killed and a third was seriously injured, authorities said. The protests extended into the sports world on Wednesday night as the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks refused to play a playoff game, sparking wildcat strikes across basketball, baseball and soccer leagues. On Thursday afternoon, an all-White group of local officials held a press conference to praise peaceful protesters and discuss the law enforcement response to prevent rioting in the city. "Last night was very peaceful," Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said. "Tuesday night -- not quite so peaceful, but it wasn't too bad. Monday night was our big night. Hopefully, we're over that hump of what we have to face." After speaking, the Kenosha mayor, Kenosha County executive, Kenosha police chief, Kenosha County sheriff, and Wisconsin National Guard's adjutant general all declined to take questions."

The bastards are stonewalling. Protecting the son of a bitch that pumped seven rounds into the back of a Black man under highly questionable circumstances.

The Associated Press reports:

"It took three days, an outpouring of anger in the streets and a NBA boycott before authorities investigating the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, started answering some of the most basic questions about what happened. And still, many key pieces of information have yet to be released, fueling speculation over why a white officer shot Blake in the back at close range Sunday as the Black man leaned into his SUV. Police maintain they are not hiding information but can’t reveal other details while the case is under investigation. But the near-silence from the Kenosha department and state authorities is at odds with what an increasing number of American police forces are doing in the wake of high-profile shootings with the potential to cause unrest. “The times have changed. What you may have done even a year ago doesn’t work now. We need to recognize the public outcry that is taking place and the need for information,” said Chris Burbank, a former police chief in Salt Lake City. Even as new questions surfaced about the delayed arrest of a white teenager suspected in the shooting deaths of two protesters, police took no questions Thursday at a news conference where they focused on the response to the unrest. Investigators haven’t explained why police drew guns on Blake and why the officer opened fire. They say a knife was found in the SUV, but they have said nothing about what role it may have played. As for why officers came to the scene in the first place, the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which is investigating, said in a news release Wednesday that a woman had called about a boyfriend who wasn’t supposed to be there. But investigators haven’t said whether Blake was that boyfriend. Blake survived but is paralyzed, and it would “take a miracle” for him to walk again, family attorney Ben Crump said Tuesday. Crump has said Blake was trying to do the right thing by intervening in a domestic incident. And an onlooker who recorded the widely seen cellphone video of the shooting said that he saw a group of women shouting at one another on the sidewalk and soon afterward saw officers wrestling with Blake. Those accounts have not been confirmed by police. Meanwhile, authorities have also come under scrutiny over why Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old police enthusiast suspected in the shooting deaths of two people during a night of protests in Kenosha on Tuesday, wasn’t arrested until the next day, in his home state of Illinois. Witness accounts and video footage show police apparently let the gunman walk past them and leave the scene with a rifle over his shoulder and his hands in the air as members of the crowd were yelling for him to be arrested because he had shot people. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth explained that the scene was chaotic and stressful, with people shouting and running, and that may have caused “tunnel vision” among officers. Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said Wednesday that his department has few details about the Blake shooting because another agency — the Wisconsin Department of Justice — is investigating, as required by state law. It was state officials who on Wednesday released the information about the knife and identified the police officer for the first time. “I can’t answer questions about the investigation. ... I wasn’t there, I’m not privy to those reports,” Miskinis said, adding: “We’re not hiding behind a blue line of silence. It doesn’t exist.”

Called bullshit.

"Still, outside investigations are required elsewhere, too, and many departments nevertheless release narratives within hours of a police shooting, a reflection of how authorities are adapting to escalating public scrutiny. When police speak to the public directly, especially early on, it can help calm the kind of unrest that Kenosha is seeing, said Burbank, who is now at the Center for Policing Equity, a think tank. “By doing nothing, you are allowing the aftermath that more people are being injured,” he said. “This may be how they’ve always handled these, but you can’t do that now.” Other departments are also more quickly releasing body camera and surveillance camera footage of police shootings, both to promote transparency and preempt rumors and unrest. Kenosha police do not have body cameras."

CBS News reports:

"The Wisconsin Department of Justice on Wednesday identified the officer who shot Jacob Blake as Officer Rusten Sheskey. Hours later, the Department of Justice announced that the shooting, which led to three nights of violence in the state, is now under a federal civil rights investigation. The state's DOJ said in a press release that officers from the Kenosha Police Department were dispatched to the area on Sunday after a caller reported that her boyfriend, who was not supposed to be on the premises, was present. The release did not specify what role Blake played in the original incident, but family attorney Benjamin Crump said he was attempting to break up a domestic dispute. Officers attempted to arrest Blake during the incident and used a Taser in an unsuccessful attempt to subdue him, the DOJ said. As depicted in a video of the interaction that quickly went viral on social media, Blake walked to his SUV and opened the driver's side door. Sheskey, 31, grabbed Blake's shirt and fired his service weapon seven times into Blake's back, the release said. The release noted that no other officer fired their weapon, and that none of the officers were wearing body cameras because the department does not have any. All of the officers involved in the incident have been suspended. Sheskey has worked with the department for seven years, the release said. It did not elaborate on his record within the department. In August 2019, the Kenosha News interviewed Sheskey about his role a member of the Kenosha Police Department's bike unit. Sheskey told the news outlet he viewed his work as "a huge responsibility, and I really like trying to help the people." The news release about the shooting said that "during the investigation following the initial incident," Blake "admitted that he had a knife in his possession." The release did not specify what type of knife, when Blake allegedly informed officers that he had a knife, or in what context. "[Department of Criminal Investigation] agents recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of Mr. Blake's vehicle," the release added. "A search of the vehicle located no additional weapons." The Wisconsin DOJ's Department of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into Blake's shooting, with help from the FBI, the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office. The release said that it expects to provide a full report to the prosecutor within 30 days. Blake remains in the hospital in stable but serious condition. Attorneys for his family said Tuesday that he is now paralyzed, and that bullets tore through his spinal cord, left holes in his stomach, caused damage to his kidney and liver and required that "nearly his entire colon and small intestine" be removed."

CBS News reports:

"Two Kenosha police officers fired tasers in a bid to stop Jacob Blake before one of the officers shot him seven times in the back with a gun, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said on Friday. The taser deployments "were not successful in stopping Mr. Blake," according to a press release. Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot as he opened the door of his SUV, in which three of his children were seated. Agents later recovered a knife from the floor on the driver's side of the vehicle, the department said. Authorities did not say Blake threatened anyone with a knife."

Why not? Either he did or he didn't.

"The department had previously identified Rusten Sheskey as the Kenosha officer who shot Blake in the back with a gun. On Friday, the two other officers at the scene were identified: Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek. The department said that both Sheskey and Arenas deployed tasers in failed attempts to stop Blake. Officer Meronek was at the scene but did not deploy a weapon."

Stop him from what? Getting into his vehicle? That justify seven rounds to the back in front of his kids when the victim was offering no resistance, presenting no threat?

"Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down and recovering at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. His family says he is handcuffed to his hospital bed. Sheskey has not been charged; the shooting is under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and other agencies."

Protecting the jackbooted son of a bitch?

"Arenas has been with Kenosha Police Department since February 2019, and previously with the United States Capitol Police Department, the release said. Meronek joined Kenosha Police Department in January of this year. The shooting of Blake on Sunday afternoon has sparked several nights of protests as well as sports boycotts."

For damned good reason.

NPR reports:

"The Wisconsin Department of Justice is overseeing the investigation into the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was left paralyzed after he was shot seven times in front of his three kids by a police officer in Kenosha, Wis. Until recently, it was common practice that any time an officer fired a gun, the police department conducted the investigation. In 2014, Wisconsin became the first state to end that process – one that has led to accusations of conflicts of interest and police cover-ups. Michael Bell, whose own son was killed by Kenosha police, helped lead a decade-long fight for that change."

While this was indeed a positive change, it's still not good enough. Nowhere near enough independence. Precisely, why there is need for a new totally independent federal agency with its own investigators, judges, and courts. To investigate, prosecute corrupt abusive officers, prosecutors, and judges.

"In 2004, Michael Bell Jr., a white 21-year-old, pulled up to his home in Kenosha after a night of drinking. As NPR previously reported, a police report showed that a Kenosha officer followed Bell Jr. after observing his driving and pulled up behind his car at the home shortly before Bell Jr. exited his vehicle. Police tried to arrest him. Bell Jr. ignored them, which lead to a tussle. His mom and sister then saw an officer shoot Bell in the head. After an investigation that lasted just two calendar days, according to Bell , the Kenosha Police Department ruled the shooting justified. The swiftness of the investigation stunned Bell, a retired lieutenant colonel with the Air Force who has experience with accident investigations. "I knew in my own military training and military career that typically accident and safety investigations take far longer to conduct than that," Bell said in an interview with NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday. In response, Bell filed a civil lawsuit against the department for wrongful death. In 2010, they reached a settlement with the Bell family, but Bell said he refused to sign a confidentiality agreement. He didn't want to be silenced; he wanted reform."

Silence enables jackbooted behavior.

"Using some of the settlement money, Bell used Milwaukee's available billboards as part of a campaign to blast messages like, "When Police Kill, Should They Judge Themselves?" "After we created enough ruckus, the unions ended up sitting down with us and talking with us," Bell told NPR in 2014. The law that came out of that campaign made Wisconsin, beginning in 2014, the first state in the nation to mandate, on the legislative level, that if an officer was involved in a loss of life, outside investigators must be the ones to investigate that shooting."

Not good enough. Nowhere near. If it indeed was, the ongoing, seemingly endless number of murders perpetrated by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue against innocent, unarmed, civilians of all races and ethnicities would have nearly come to an end. Instead, the slaughter is enabled.

"Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is overseeing the investigation into the shooting of Jacob Blake. His office has come under fire for releasing limited details about the shooting. "I absolutely understand why people are skeptical," Kaul told NPR. "We have a history of systemic racism, and our criminal justice system is part of that. What I can tell you is that I am personally committed to making sure that this investigation is conducted vigorously and that we're pursuing justice and following the facts where they lead."

There is a desperate need for transparency as our formerly great country moves ever closer to an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution.

"Bell, who recalled trying to get Kaul's attention in the aftermath of his son's death, isn't reassured by the state attorney general's promises. "I brought extremely credible evidence to Josh Kaul and he wouldn't give us the time of day. So if he's doing an about-face on this, I am bothered by that," said Bell."

That's the problem. There has been no desperately needed systemic change in law enforcement. None. The murders and abuse continue. Been an issue at least the last six decades.

"Still, Bell hopes that his work to get Wisconsin the protection of outside investigations into police shootings will pay off in the form of a just outcome for Blake's family. "I want everybody to know that there are a lot of parallels between Jacob Blake and my own son," Bell said. "But we did not have the benefit of having an outside investigation conducted. And after fighting so hard for that law, Jacob Blake's family has that benefit that we never had."

Trump is intending to visit Kenosha. Think that won't stoke further violence?

9-4-20

Apparently, the Secret Service is having vision problems. The Washington Post reports:

"A man, who officials said had announced he was armed before he was shot by a Secret Service officer earlier in the month near the White House, was apparently holding a comb, according to new court documents. Myron Berryman, 51, was charged with one count of assault on a police officer in the incident and has been hospitalized since the Aug. 10 shooting. Berryman’s first hearing on the misdemeanor charge was held Thursday afternoon in D.C. Superior Court. His lawyer said he has been moved to a psychiatric hospital. According to initial charging documents and Secret Service officials, Berryman walked up to the uniformed officer and said he was armed. Charging papers say Berryman reached along the right side of his body as if to retrieve an object, clasped his hands together and pointed his arms toward the officer. The officer then shot Berryman once in the torso. No weapon was found. Additional charging documents filed Wednesday revealed that a black object was seen falling from Berryman’s hands when he was shot and that a comb was found at the scene. According to the documents, another uniformed officer at the scene told investigators he heard the officer who shot Berryman say he had not found a gun where the shooting occurred and “stated words to the effect that . . . I think it was a comb.” The officer who shot Berryman, according to the charging documents, realized “after the shooting that the item was not a gun, but rather a comb.” Two officials who had viewed an internal police report of the incident have told The Washington Post that the report said Berryman shouted, “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to shoot you.” Those allegations were not mentioned in any of the charging papers."

Interesting, isn't it?

"According to the initial documents, the uniformed officer was standing at his post at Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street Northwest, on the west side of the White House. Berryman was walking eastbound on Pennsylvania Avenue. When Berryman reached the officer, video of the encounter showed he “appeared to make a comment,” according to the documents. The officer, whose name has not been released, then called in over the radio saying there was a man on Pennsylvania Avenue who “says he’s armed.” Berryman’s attorney Daniel K. Dorsey said in an interview that his client did not make comments threatening to kill anyone. Berryman did not appear in court for his arraignment. Berryman, Dorsey said, was discharged from one hospital and moved to the District’s Psychiatric Institute of Washington, where he has been under observation. Prosecutors said in court they did not object to Berryman remaining under medical care as the case proceeds. Another court date was set for January."

Apparently, this guy has some serious mental issues.

"In the new charging documents, officers said they interviewed Berryman two days after the shooting as he was in the hospital. Berryman told the officers he did not remember the incident. He also told the officers he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that before the shooting he had been hospitalized and then stayed at a residential treatment facility. Berryman said he left that facility the day of the shooting. While lying handcuffed to his hospital bed, according to the documents, Berryman also told the officers that he had stopped taking his medication for his mental illness three years earlier, but had resumed his medication when he was hospitalized. Dorsey declined to comment further on his client’s case."

9-4-20

Insurrection continues in Portland. Think Trump and his supporters are not instigating violence? Wake up. NBC News reports:

"One person died in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday after a day of clashes between a pro-Trump caravan and protesters turned violent with fistfights, paintballs and shots fired. President Donald Trump supporters had gathered in a Portland suburb in an apparent show of force and an attempt to counter the Black Lives Matter protests that have been ongoing in Oregon’s biggest city for months. The pro-Trump vehicle rally began near Clackamas, southeast of the city center. The caravan, made up of hundreds of cars and trucks, initially planned to circle the highways. But some of its members split off and headed into downtown, Mike Baker, a correspondent for the New York Times, told NBC News' Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” Sunday morning. In downtown Portland, clashes quickly occurred between the caravan members and counterprotesters. “We saw fistfights on the streets, in some cases; people in the backs of pickup trucks shooting paintballs into the crowd; other people throwing things back onto the trucks where the pro-Trump supporters were there, driving around,” Baker said. Justin Dunlap, an independent journalist who was on the ground in Portland on Saturday, told NBC News that the “Trump car caravan was causing trouble” and that he heard reports they were pepper-spraying people. He said the scene was "super heavy." Portland police described the caravan as a “political rally” and confirmed reports of clashes between Trump supporters and counterprotesters. “Officers have intervened and in some cases made arrests,” the city police wrote on Twitter on Saturday. Ultimately, the day ended with shots fired and the death of one person. Dunlap said he saw the victim facing two people when he heard the shots. He did not see the gun being fired because mace was sprayed at the same time, and it remains unclear if or how the shooting was connected to the protests. The victim turned "took a few steps, then fell face-down," said Dunlap, 44, adding that the two people facing him ran from the scene. A picture from the scene published by Getty Images showed the man wearing a hat with a Patriot Prayer logo, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as a far-right organization. The group has previously rallied in Portland. On Sunday morning, Trump praised the caravan, calling its members “GREAT PATRIOTS” on Twitter. The president has often called for a return to “law and order” in Portland, which has seen ongoing Black Lives Matter protests since May."

Trump is instigating violence:

“The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing,” he wrote on Twitter. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown slammed Trump on Sunday, blaming him for the violence in a statement. "President Trump has encouraged division and stoked violence. It happened in Charlottesville. It happened in Kenosha. And now, unfortunately, it is happening in Portland, Oregon," the governor, who condemned violence from "all ends of the political spectrum," said. "But despite the President’s jeers and tweets, this is a matter of life and death," Brown said."

The Washington Post reports:

"Denouncing Black Lives Matter protesters as “agitators and thugs,” President Trump on Sunday called for a federal crackdown on demonstrations in cities like Washington, D.C., and Portland, Ore., where a man died after tensions between pro-Trump and liberal groups burst into violence."

Think our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, isn't shitting in his pants? Since there has been absolutely no change in law enforcement tactics after all the murders of innocent, unarmed civilians by the jackbooted bastards in blue, protest is sadly turning to insurrection. A portend of far worse to come, -- as an unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. ... Hear the rumble?

Trump's gutless insanity worsens:

"Starting before 6 a.m., Trump let loose a barrage of nearly 90 tweets and retweets touting his chances for reelection, attacking Democratic state and local officials over ongoing protests and defending aggressive actions by his supporters in Portland, who appeared to be firing paintballs and pepper spray at onlookers from pickup trucks as they drove through the city streets Saturday night. “The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing,” Trump tweeted in response to one such video posted by New York Times reporter Mike Baker, who wrote that the Trump supporters “shot me too.” “The people of Portland won’t put up with no safety any longer. The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard!” Trump wrote."

A raucous bootclicking, goosestepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil!, Mr. 'President?'

"Soon after, Trump responded to a video from Saturday that appeared to show a cavalcade of hundreds of vehicles bearing pro-Trump signs and flags driving toward downtown Portland, writing: “GREAT PATRIOTS!” In response to a video that seemed to show BLM protesters confronting a motorist in D.C., Trump tweeted Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) should “Clean up D.C. or the Federal Government will do it for you. Enough!!!” He ended his string of tweets just after 8 a.m. with a call for “LAW & ORDER!!!"

Treasonous, traitorous, insane nazi.

"Trump’s frenzied effort to discredit BLM protesters and Democratic leaders came as he prepares to travel on Tuesday to Kenosha, Wis., where Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was left paralyzed a week ago after a police officer shot him in the back. The episode triggered a wave of protests and destruction in the city. Two people were fatally shot amid the chaos on Tuesday night, and Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Antioch, Ill., who seemingly idolized police, was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Kate Bedingfield, deputy campaign manager for Joe Biden, said Sunday morning that Trump has incited violence as further protests against police brutality sweep the country. “He has encouraged his supporters to go out, to be aggressive,” she said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It is better for this president if there is more anarchy, more violence, more chaos. He has at every opportunity tried to fan the flames here. And that is the reason we are living in Donald Trump’s America.”

Then why haven't Democrats in the House impeached this fascist son of a bitch a second time? Tie him up until the election. How are Democrats any better than GOP nazis when you tolerate this bullshit? You're too goddamned afraid of not being returned to office to do what needs to be done to rein this nazi abomination in.

"Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-La.), a co-chair of Biden’s presidential campaign and former head of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Trump has to “own this moment.” Meadows “said President Trump is on the side of law enforcement. Well, the question becomes: Who is on the side of justice? Who is on the side of constitutional policing? It’s not about law enforcement or protesters. It’s about making sure that police are held accountable when they violate people’s constitutional rights, when they shoot unarmed Black people,” Richmond told “Meet the Press.”

Trump's nazis just don't seem to get it:

"Acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf blamed “local and state officials not allowing law enforcement to do their job and really to bring this violent activity night after night after night to a close.” On ABC’s “This Week,” he said, “All options continue to be on the table, specifically as we talk about Portland." “The president has been very clear on this, as you know. We [are] happy to provide resources to bring this violence to an end, violence that, again, across the ideological spectrum, left or right, the violence needs to end,” he said."

Absolute bullshit. Trump is enabling and supporting the violence. Protest is turning to insurrection because nothing has changed in law enforcement to date vis a vis abusive, murderous tactics that have been front and center at least the last six decades.

9-4-20

Trump's henchmen continue to do as they please. CNN News reports:

"The Department of Homeland Security sent an agency-wide email to its employees Thursday morning reminding them not to participate in partisan politics, citing "heightened scrutiny." While directives like this are standard in election years, the warning comes days after acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf participated in a swearing in ceremony with President Donald Trump for naturalized Americans as part of the Republican National Convention, raising ethics concerns. It also follows an announcement by Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, that he has opened an investigation into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's controversial decision to address the RNC. Thursday's email to DHS staff, reviewed by CNN, begins by noting that "we, as a department, are under heightened scrutiny during this Presidential election cycle." Signed by Joseph Maher, the agency's designated ethics official, the email references the Hatch Act, which stipulates that most executive-branch officials must not engage in political activity in an official capacity at any time, and notes that "certain employees are subject to greater restrictions by law." "These are career employees who are members of the Senior Executive Service, U.S. Secret Service employees, employees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, Administrative Law Judges, or Contract Appeals Board," it adds. "In addition, as a matter of long-standing DHS policy, political appointees in the Department are also considered further restricted." Pompeo's participation in the event, which came in the form of a speech which he recorded while on a diplomatic trip to Israel, followed a similar email to State Department staff a month earlier, reminding employees to "not improperly engage the Department of State in the political process," according to a cable obtained by CNN. The State Department defended Pompeo's actions saying he participated in his personal capacity. The President and vice president are among the few exceptions to the Hatch Act. However, Cabinet secretaries and other top federal officials are expected to make clear distinctions between any of their official duties and their campaign activities if they are to avoid potential problems. The Office of Special Counsel is a government body charged with enforcing the Hatch Act, a law passed in 1939 that aims to prevent the government from influencing elections or acting in a partisan manner. Hatch Act penalties can range from an official reprimand to a civil penalty of up to $1,000. More serious infringements can bring suspension, termination or a ban of up to five years from federal employment for individuals. In videos aired Monday, Trump met with different groups of Americans, including hostages who had been freed by his administration, individuals who had recovered from coronavirus, and Americans being sworn in as citizens. By labeling the videos routine examples of "official events," the White House seemed to excuse the use of government resources that went into them -- including the participation of Wolf and a group of Marines who were seen at the start."

The Washington Post reports:

"A Defense Logistics Agency employee was suspended for 30 days without pay last fall after giving his office colleagues a PowerPoint presentation that displayed the words, “Vote Republican.” An Energy Department worker was forced to resign in January after admitting she gave a woman running for Congress a tour of a federal waste treatment plant so the candidate could show her expertise to potential voters. Another civil servant began a 120-day suspension without pay from the Food and Drug Administration in July after creating a Facebook page with his name and photograph to solicit political donations and then co-hosting a fundraiser. These were some of the recent consequences for federal workers who illegally mixed government employment with partisan politics in violation of the Hatch Act, the anti-corruption law Congress passed in 1939. The New Deal-era law applies, on paper at least, to civil servants and political appointees alike. But the top Trump administration officials showcased in prime-time appearances and speaking slots at the Republican National Convention this week serve as a reminder that when it comes to flouting the separation between governing and politicking, there appears to be a two-tiered system of consequences. Watchdog groups complained that acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo violated the Hatch Act this week when Wolf led a taped naturalization ceremony for newly minted citizens on White House grounds and Pompeo gave a speech from Israel."

9-4-20

Nothing quite like hypocrisy from the nazi Religious Right and one of Trump's strongest supporters. In follow up to last week's edition, ABC News reports:

"The war of words between a former pool attendant and Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife Becki escalated on Friday morning as Giancarlo Granda claimed on "Good Morning America" that Falwell "enjoyed watching" him have sex with the former Liberty University president's wife. "He was aware from day one of our relationship and he did, in fact, watch," Granda, 29, told George Stephanopoulos."

That right? Bet he got his cookies off? LOL.

"Granda contends that in the spring of 2012, Becki Falwell began to flirt with him at the Miami hotel where he worked and invited him to a hotel room for sex, telling him her husband liked to watch. He said he soon met Falwell -- a leading voice in Christian conservative politics -- for the first time. "Jerry was laying on the bed," Granda said. "He was drunk, and he was giggling." Granda said that the two men awkwardly discussed the parameters of the impending sexual encounter. He insisted that during that first encounter he reassured Falwell that if the older man became uncomfortable, he would leave, "Hey," he said he told Falwell anxiously, "if at any point you get jealous or you want me to back off, just let me know and I'll walk out of here." Granda said Falwell reassured him, urging him to "go for it." "He enjoyed watching," said Granda, who told ABC News that the sexual encounters continued "multiple times a year" until 2018 in hotels in Miami, New York and at the Falwells' Virginia home. Granda said that the Falwells told him during that first encounter that they had visited a Miami swingers' club the previous night but that they weren't comfortable. "She mentioned that they were actually at a swinger's club the night before but they said it wasn't their thing … they wanted a more intimate session." Falwell and his wife have vigorously denied most of Granda's charges. A spokesperson for the Falwells directed questions to Granda's attorneys, who did not immediately respond to a list of emailed questions from ABC News. Granda and the Falwells have been waging a very public battle over the details of a yearslong relationship that both parties acknowledge included a Miami real estate deal and sex between the young man and Becki Falwell -- but diverge sharply on the length and the nature of the sexual relationship and the dissolution of the business deal."

Surprised? Why? The question to be asked is why would Falwell and his wife risk a most cozy and profitable relationship with Liberty University?

"Earlier this week, Falwell claimed in a statement that he wasn't involved in what he described as a brief 2012 affair between Granda and his wife -- and that he and his wife have long since reconciled. On Monday, Reuters published an explosive interview with Granda, 29, in which he contended that his seven-year affair with Becki Fallwell began in 2012 – when he was 20 years old. He said that Jerry Falwell Jr. watched his wife's sexual trysts with the younger man from the corner of the room or through video cameras. He provided text messages, screenshots and audio to corroborate his account, according to Reuters. Granda also provided one of the audio tapes to ABC News. The report suggested the news organization had been working on the story for some time -- and noted that Reuters had first presented its findings to the Falwells nearly a week earlier. While the Falwells have claimed Granda is trying to extort them, he maintains that he is simply trying to dissolve their business partnership and sell his 25% stake in the venture. "That's false," Granda said of the extortion claims. "That's ridiculous. That's just them trying to smear me." He mocked the idea that "a 20-year-old" was "targeting and preying upon this power couple." To underscore his point that the Falwells once trusted him, Granda provided ABC News with a recommendation letter he contends that Falwell wrote for him to Georgetown University in 2018. In the letter, Falwell writes that Granda is "consistent … dependable" and operates "with the highest business and ethics standards." Granda also sought to qualify a previous statement he'd made accusing Falwell of sending him a compromising picture of a female Liberty University student -- a photo that the Falwells insist was innocent fun. He said he was having drinks with the couple at a Miami hotel when Jerry Falwell Jr. sent him the picture. "I don't know context of the photo … The point is why did he have that picture, why did he share it and why was he publicly joking with him."

The following is most interesting:

"Granda denied any political motivations for coming forward now as election season is heating up -- but said that he is being represented pro bono by a senior adviser to the Lincoln Project, a campaign that is working to prevent Trump's reelection. The adviser was brought on by Granda's attorney, Aaron Resnick, he told ABC News producers. Falwell was the earliest and most potent voice in the Evangelical Christian community to endorse Trump's bid for the White House, a fact the president has frequently acknowledged. "Jerry Falwell Jr. just endorsed me -- from Liberty University," Trump told Stephanopoulos in a Jan. 31, 2016 interview, "… which is probably one of the reasons I went so high with the Evangelicals." At the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in June 2019, Trump described Falwell, 58, as "a friend of mine [who] was with me right from the beginning." Yet earlier this week that bond, forged over years, began to strain at a decisive moment for the president. The first hints of impending trouble for the Falwells surfaced on Sunday -- the eve of the Republican National Convention -- when the Washington Examiner published a lengthy statement, dotted with Biblical quotes, from Jerry Falwell Jr. Falwell's statement reported that "more than eight years ago," his wife Becki Falwell had what he described as a brief affair -- "something in which I was not involved" -- with an unidentified young man the couple had met and befriended and with whom they ultimately went into business. He contended that the man involved had been threatening to go public about the relationship "to deliberately embarrass my wife, family, and Liberty University unless we agreed to pay him substantial monies." Falwell had already been on an indefinite leave of absence from his university duties since Aug. 7, after he posted and later deleted a photo on social media which showed him with his arm around the waist of his wife's assistant. In the photo, both parties' pants are partially unzipped, and Falwell refers to the drink in his hand as "a prop" in the photo's caption. Falwell apologized for posting the photo and said "it was in good fun" from a costume party he attended."

Consider the timing:

"Late on Monday night, Falwell formally resigned from his position as university president and stepped down from the school's board of directors. Yet the mutual recriminations continued into Tuesday, as the nation prepared to hear key RNC speeches that evening from first lady Melania Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "We couldn't take this torture anymore, so we went public with the story," Becki Falwell, 53, told ABC News' Kyra Phillips early Tuesday morning. "And Jerry resigned to protect the reputation of the university that he and his family spent their lives building."

That right? Not quite that simple, is it?

Consider the following:

"By Tuesday evening, Granda was out with a new statement which charged that the Falwells had minimized their roles and responsibility for the relationship that appears to have developed. "The Falwells would have you believe that I seduced Becki into an affair, without Jerry's knowledge, and then spent the intervening 7 years trying to extort them," Granda said in a statement released late Tuesday. Granda contended that "the truth is, they approached me. She invited me to their hotel room. They offered me an equity partnership in a property venture. They brought me on multiple trips and vacations, including to their family farm in Virginia. And as recently as last year, participated in video calls where Mrs. Falwell was naked and Jerry was watching." Both sides described each other in dueling statements this week as "a predator" or "predators."

Nothing quite like hypocrisy, is there? To say nothing of aggressive stupidity. When deeply affiliated with the religious community and running Liberty University, why put yourself in a most untenable position?

NBC News reports:

"Liberty University said it will conduct a “thorough investigation into all facets” of Jerry Falwell Jr.’s tenure as president following his resignation last week amid a sex scandal. Falwell, who was at the helm of the Virginia evangelical college for 13 years, resigned after a former hotel pool attendant-turned-business partner, Giancarlo Granda, 29, told Reuters in an interview published Aug. 24 that he carried on an affair with Falwell's wife, Becki. Granda told Reuters the affair began in 2012, when he was 20, and lasted until 2018. He said Falwell would watch as he had sex with his wife, and that he believes the couple preyed on him. Falwell had already been on an indefinite leave of absence since Aug. 7 after a series of other scandals. Liberty University’s executive committee, speaking on behalf of its board of trustees said, in a Monday statement, "This past week challenged all of us to the core." Referring to Falwell, the statement said that although there were previously "questionable comments made, worrying behavior, and inappropriate social media post ... all the signs were not there until the start of last week." Saying that it is "committed to learning the consequences that have flowed from a lack of spiritual stewardship by our former president," the school has retained “one of the leading forensic firms in the world” to conduct an investigation "into all facets of Liberty University operations during Jerry Falwell, Jr.’s tenure as President, including but not limited to financial, real estate, and legal matters," the statement said."

9-4-20

GOP Convention. The Washington Post reports:

"For more than 10 hours this week, President Trump and his allies used the unfiltered platform of a national political convention to paint a portrait of two Americas that do not exist."

Indeed. They don't. Painful distortion of reality. Worse? Raw insanity.

"In one — a misrepresentation of life under Trump — the coronavirus has been conquered by presidential leadership, the economy is at its pre-pandemic levels, troops are returning home, and the president is an empathetic figure who supports immigration and would never stoke the nation’s racial grievances."

LOL.

"In the other — a hypothetical preview of a Joe Biden presidency that mischaracterizes many of his proposals — police are defunded, taxes are increased, infanticide is legal, suburbs are abolished and cities burn as violence spreads nationwide."

Biden is well to the right of center, politically. Has been for decades. Precisely, why Democrats were not enthused when he decided to run for president.

“No one will be safe in Biden’s America,” Trump said Thursday in a speech that described the upcoming election as a choice between a dystopian socialist future under Democrats and a resurgent America under Trump."

That's laughable. Biden has always been law and order. Passed legislation decades ago further empowering the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. Repeatedly made it clear he has no intention of defunding law enforcement.

"While all political confabs involve some level of spin and revisionism, the Republican National Convention this year has stood out for its brazen defiance of facts, ethical guidelines and tradition, according to experts on propaganda and misinformation. While Trump, a former reality television star, has long trafficked in mistruths and innuendo, the broad cast of characters who took up his tactics during prime-time speeches underscores how his brand of politicking has taken root in the GOP. The result was a four-day display of propaganda-style programming, said Peter Pomerantsev, a former Russian-television producer and author of “Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible,” a memoir that describes the Kremlin’s efforts to manipulate the news. “It reminds me of things I’ve seen in Russia before,” he said. “Facts don’t really matter in this context. You’re just telling different people what they want to hear, so facts become tertiary. They’re not trying to even win a debate; they’re trying to feed people’s confirmation biases and their fears.” A carousel of Trump endorsers and family members used taped speeches and the backdrop of federal property to depict a swift descent into radicalism and chaos if Biden is elected in November. They described the former vice president as an avatar for socialism who would wreck the economy with trillion-dollar tax increases, corruptly enrich his family members and enact job-killing bans on fracking and fossil fuels. By contrast, the convention used highly produced videos, emotional testimonials and surprise appearances to portray Trump in a positive light. The portrayals were often at odds with the policies and behaviors Trump has embraced during his turbulent first 3½ years in office. The contrast was perhaps best illustrated by Trump’s decision to host a naturalization ceremony for immigrants at the White House on Tuesday, with videotaped footage that aired as part of the Republican convention’s “Land of Opportunity” programming that evening. “Today America rejoices as we welcome five absolutely incredible new members into our great American family,” Trump said during the ceremony, the first to be conducted at the White House for apparent political purposes. “You’re now fellow citizens of the greatest nation on the face of God’s earth. Congratulations.” During his administration, Trump has made prolific use of his executive authority to restrict immigration and make it harder for noncitizens to naturalize. The president has called for restricting family-sponsored migration, deriding the largest category of legal immigrants as beneficiaries of “chain migration.”

It's all bullshit. A lie.

"In 2018, Trump referred to African nations as “shithole” countries, questioning why immigrants from that part of the world were allowed to come to the United States."

Report goes on and on. The walls are closing in. Trump knows it.

NPR reports:

"As President Trump accepted the Republican nomination for reelection on the South Lawn, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the White House barricades to protest racism and police brutality. A day ahead of the 2020 March on Washington, a moment organizers are calling the “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks” protest, demonstrators gathered in the area surrounding the White House as many have done in the months since the police killing of George Floyd in May. The event comes during a summer defined by massive nationwide protests against police violence, particularly targeting Black people. After Floyd’s death, protests began calling attention to other recent police killings of Black people, including Breonna Taylor, who had been killed months earlier in her home by Louisville, Ky., police. After those incidents, protests continued amid additional instances of police violence, including the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks. And on Sunday of this week, Kenosha, Wis., police shot a Black 29-year-old man, Jacob Blake, several times in the back, leaving him paralyzed. At the Thursday night demonstration, those names were invoked as protesters chanted and marched. Meanwhile, inside the gates of the White House on the South Lawn, the self-proclaimed “law and order president” delivered remarks that criticized his rival Joe Biden for his admission of systemic racism in American society. “At the Democrat National Convention, Joe Biden and his party repeatedly assailed America as a land of racial, economic, and social injustice. So tonight, I ask you a simple question: How can the Democrat Party ask to lead our country when it spends so much time tearing down our country?” Trump said."

Called the truth, you racist fascist son of a bitch.

Insult to injury? Get this. NBC News reports:

"The Office of the Director of National Intelligence will no longer offer in-person briefings to congressional intelligence committees about election security and foreign election interference, according to a congressional official briefed on the matter. The decision to halt in-person briefings on foreign election interference stemmed in part from concerns over leaks, a DNI official told NBC News. Although the committees will still have access to classified written intelligence reports, the elimination of in-person briefings means committee members will not be able to question officials about the nuances and meanings behind the written product. The unprecedented move to deny in-person briefings on a particular subject comes just weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called the decision "shameful" and said that it "demonstrates that the Trump Administration is engaged in a politicized effort to withhold election-related information." “We expect the Administration and Intelligence Community to keep us fully and accurately informed, and resume the briefings. If they are unwilling to, we will consider the full range of tools available to the House to compel compliance," they added, noting DNI had asked to address the House in September. That briefing has now been canceled."

More bullshit intended to prevent legislators from ferociously questioning Trump's henchmen:

"Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe sent a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees informing them of the change, dated Aug. 28. according to a copy obtained by NBC. “I believe this approach helps ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that the information ODNI provides the Congress in support of your oversight responsibilities on elections security, foreign malign influence, and election interference is not misunderstood nor politicized. It will also better protect our sources and methods and most sensitive intelligence from additional unauthorized disclosures or misuse,” Ratcliffe wrote. A DNI official told NBC News that the office was "concerned about unauthorized disclosures of sensitive information following recent briefings."

Here's the problem. Precisely, what Trump and his henchmen remain determined to take advantage of:

"Earlier this summer the DNI released information to the public announcing the Russians were once again trying to help Trump win his election by sabotaging his opponent. Trump has downplayed Russia's efforts to interfere in the U.S. election. A New York Times Magazine investigation found that classified intelligence reports have been softened to fit Trump's narrative."

9-4-20

March on Washington. The Associated Press reports:

"Capping a week of protests and outrage over the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin, civil rights advocates began highlighting the scourge of police and vigilante violence against Black Americans at a commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. An estimated thousands have gathered Friday near the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic “I Have A Dream” address, a vision of racial equality that remains elusive for millions of Americans. And they are gathering on the heels of yet another shooting by a white police officer of a Black man — this time, 29-year-old Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last Sunday — sparking days of protests and violence that left two dead. “I want to give space for Black people in the crowd to say they are not OK,” said Jumaane Williams, New York City’s public advocate, who addressed march attendees shortly after the program began. “We are like the nameless grandmothers who got in the streets and said, ‘We will make you live up to what America says she is,’” Williams said. “We are here. We’re not going anywhere.” Activist Frank Nitty, who said he walked 750 miles for 24 days from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Washington for Friday’s march, spoke to the audience about persistence in the fight for justice. “Are y’all tired? Because I’m tired,” Nitty said. “They think this is a negotiation, but I came here to demand change. My grandson ain’t gonna march for the same things that my granddaddy marched for. This is a revolution.”

"Early on, the march was shaping up to be the largest political gathering in Washington since the coronavirus pandemic began. Many attendees showed up wearing T-shirts bearing the image and words of the late Rep. John Lewis who, until his death last month, was the last living speaker at the original March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which went on to become one of the most famous political rallies in U.S. history, and one of the largest gatherings at the nation’s capital with over 200,000 people advocating for social change. Participants streaming in for the march late Friday morning stood in lines that stretched for several blocks, as organizers insisted on taking temperatures as part of coronavirus protocols. Organizers reminded attendees to practice social distancing and wear masks throughout the program. Martin Luther King III, a son of the late civil rights icon and the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose civil rights organization, the National Action Network, planned Friday’s event, delivered keynote addresses that show the urgency for federal policing reforms, to decry racial violence, and to demand voting rights protections ahead of the November general election. “We’ve come to bear witness, to remain awake, to remember from where we’ve come and to carefully consider where we’re going,” King said. “Whether you’re here in person or watching on (television networks), thank you for joining us for this March on Washington.” “We’re taking a step forward on America’s rocky but righteous journey toward justice,” he added. “We didn’t just come out here to have a show,” Sharpton said. “Demonstration without legislation will not lead to change.” And to underscore the urgency, Sharpton assembled the families of an ever-expanding roll call of victims: Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, and Eric Garner, among others."

9-4-20

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman stands tall. The Associated Press reports:

"The U.S. armed forces will have no role in carrying out the election process or resolving a disputed vote, the top U.S. military officer has told Congress."

Hat's off, General. Applaud your patriotism. Despite the fact we remain a democratic republic in name only, we are still a democratic republic. Not a goddamned military dictatorship.

"The comments from Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, underscore the extraordinary political environment in America, where the president has declared without evidence that the expected surge in mail-in ballots will make the vote “inaccurate and fraudulent,” and has suggested he might not accept the election results if he loses. Milley’s comments were released Friday."

Trump is a traitor. Has repeatedly abrogated his oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution and rule of law. Example after example have been posted here and elsewhere over the nearly four years this fascist has held office.

"Trump’s repeated complaints questioning the election’s validity have triggered unprecedented worries about the potential for chaos surrounding the election results. Some have speculated that the military might be called upon to get involved, either by Trump trying to use it to help his reelection prospects or as, Democratic challenger Joe Biden has suggested, to remove Trump from the White House if he refuses to accept defeat. The military has adamantly sought to tamp down that speculation and is zealously protective of its historically nonpartisan nature."

As well it should be, -- and has been. Should Trump lose and refuse to vacate the White House January 20, 2021, it becomes a law enforcement matter to be resolved in the courts. If not quickly resolved, would likely trigger the unthinkable, unwanted. A second American revolution already catastrophically looming.

“I believe deeply in the principle of an apolitical U.S. military,” Milley said in written responses to several questions posed by two Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee. “In the event of a dispute over some aspect of the elections, by law U.S. courts and the U.S. Congress are required to resolve any disputes, not the U.S. military. I foresee no role for the U.S armed forces in this process.” Milley’s tone reflects the longstanding views of military leaders who insist that the nation’s military stays out of politics and that troops are sworn to protect the country and uphold the Constitution."

They are. Certainly, have.

"But the two Congress members, Reps. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, said Friday that Trump’s recent comments and his efforts to use the military to quell protests have fueled their concerns. The two lawmakers released Milley’s answers. “These are just prudent questions to be asking given the things that the president has been saying publicly,” said Slotkin, pointing to Trump’s use of the military to clear protesters from Lafayette Square and his suggestions that he may put law enforcement at the polls to make sure voting is conducted professionally. Milley’s answers, she said, “demonstrated that the chairman recognized the military’s role in our elections is to essentially stay out; that the military’s role in the peaceful transition of power is to stay out.”

The United States is no banana republic.

Trump, however, is dangerous:

"Faced with polls showing he is trailing Biden, Trump last month said it was too early to guarantee he’d accept the election results. “I have to see. Look ... I have to see,” Trump said on ”Fox News Sunday.” “No, I’m not going to just say yes. I’m not going to say no.” The Biden campaign at the time responded that “the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”

It is. No sane president makes up false allegations of a rigged election when he's losing in public opinion polls. Sadly, a nazi dictator gutlessly does.

"Trump later suggested that the election should be postponed, since the coronavirus pandemic has made it likely it could take days or weeks to count mail-in ballots. But that idea was immediately slapped down, including by top congressional Republicans, since the election date can only be changed by Congress. Milley, known to be a student of military and constitutional history, anchored many of his responses in the nation’s founding document. Asked if the military would refuse an order from the president if he was attempting to use military action for political gain rather than national security, Milley said, “I will not follow an unlawful order.”

That's certainly one reason of many why our military remains the best in the world.

"Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, said, “this is personal for me.” She said the questions reflect concerns raised by her constituents and others around the country “as we see the president refusing to say that he will accept the defeat; as we see the president of the United States of America questioning our democracy and or ability to run free and fair elections.” The attorney general and other Cabinet members should be asked similar questions, she said."

They should. Particularly, the Barr nazi.

"The speculation about the military getting drawn into the election is fueled by Trump’s inclination to use the military as partisan props. He raised alarms — and met resistance from the Pentagon — when he threatened to use the Insurrection Act to use troops for law enforcement during the protests after George Floyd’s death. Defense Secretary Mark Esper publicly said he opposed such a move —- a stand that enraged Trump and nearly cost Esper his job."

Esper courageously did the right thing. Refused to abrogate his oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution. Hopefully, will continue to do so no matter what happens:

"The questions were also sent last month to Esper, and the answers were due Thursday. Esper is traveling in Asia this week, and Slotkin said he has not yet responded. Slotkin is a former CIA analyst and senior Pentagon policy adviser and Sherrill served in the Navy for about 10 years. This is the second time in recent months that Milley has made a public stand against military involvement in politics. In June he used a speech at the National Defense University to express regret for walking with Trump through Lafayette Square in what turned out to be a photo op during public protests after the death of George Floyd. He said photos of him there “sparked a national debate about the role of the military in civil society.” And he told the military audience, ”we must hold dear the principle of an apolitical military that is so deeply rooted in the very essence of our republic.”

9-4-20

Delusionally believe the U.S. Attorney General has any independence from his fuhrer, the Trump nazi? The following is appalling. Direct threat to a democratic republic. ABC News reports:

"Current and former national security officials are raising concerns over Attorney General William Barr's recent decision to remove the head of a Justice Department office that helps ensure federal counterterrorism and counterintelligence activities are legal – and replace him with a political appointee with relatively limited experience. "It's very alarming," said Katrina Mulligan, who worked for the Obama administration in several national security roles and then, after President Donald Trump's inauguration, joined the Office of Law and Policy in the Justice Department's National Security Division. For much of the past decade, that little-known office has been led by Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brad Wiegmann, a 23-year career public servant, not a political appointee. But two weeks ago, Wiegmann, 54, was told he is being reassigned and replaced with a political appointee, according to a Justice Department spokesman and sources familiar with the matter. Mulligan and other sources told ABC News that the new head of the office is 36-year-old Kellen Dwyer, a cyber-crimes prosecutor who joined the federal government six years ago and made international headlines in November 2018 when he accidentally revealed that federal charges had been secretly filed against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Mulligan said that given Dwyer's limited time and experience handling national security matters, he is "a very odd" choice to replace Wiegmann, whom she described as "exceptional" at managing government bureaucracy and resolving "highly contentious matters across the government." The timing of the personnel change – coming just two months before the U.S. presidential election, and in the midst of a battle against domestic terrorism and foreign interference in the election – has worried current and former members of the national security community. Past chiefs of the office have served as political appointees, while others – like Wiegmann – served as career officials, so, "It would not have been that unusual early in an administration to place a political [appointee] in that policy role, but to do that now is very unusual," one current U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Matt Olsen, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center under the Obama administration, agreed, saying "in and of itself, it's unremarkable" for Wiegmann's position to be filled with a political appointee, but "the concern here is that you have someone who by all accounts has been doing a great job in a very sensitive role … [and] now within really just weeks of the election is replaced with somebody who is viewed more as a partisan." ABC News pressed the Justice Department spokesman to explain why the personnel change happened at this time, but he declined to answer."

Report goes on and on in great detail. We live at a most dangerous time. ... Hear the rumble?

9-4-20

In follow up to last week's edition as well as some earlier material posted in this one, NPR reports:

"Congressional Democrats are calling the director of national intelligence's cancellation of additional in-person election security briefings "outrageous," after the change was announced on Friday. Election Day is about nine weeks away. Congress will still be briefed on election security by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, but through written reports instead of verbal briefings. In a letter to congressional leaders, John Ratcliffe — a former Texas Republican congressman who was confirmed as director of national intelligence in May — wrote that he believes the change "helps ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that the information ODNI provides the Congress ... is not misunderstood nor politicized."

Remains unadulterated bullshit.

So does the following:

"President Trump said Saturday that Ratcliffe was ending the briefings in order to prevent leaks. The change comes just weeks after a top counterintelligence official warned about ongoing interference and influence efforts by Russia, China and Iran."

Precisely what Trump and his henchmen are desperately trying to cover up, -- and take advantage of.

"Democrats, including Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, say the in-person briefings allow Congress to ask necessary questions and assess the tone and urgency of any threats from the intelligence community. "I think it's outrageous," Krishnamoorthi told Weekend Edition Sunday. "The fact that they would prevent further in-person briefings means that they want us not to be able to question career public servants about the intelligence that backs up this assessment of Russian interference, press for additional information about it and, quite frankly, ask how can we do more to combat it." Addressing the counterintelligence report that Russia is again trying to influence the upcoming presidential election, Krishnamoorthi said Russians are using lessons they learned from 2016 and using different tactics this year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, both California Democrats, released a joint statement on Saturday saying the change "is a shocking abdication of its lawful responsibility to keep the Congress currently informed, and a betrayal of the public's right to know how foreign powers are trying to subvert our democracy." Schiff, appearing on CNN's State of the Union, said there is a possibility that Congress could subpoena U.S. intelligence officials to testify about election interference. "We will compel the intelligence community to give Congress the information that we need. We will compel the intelligence community also to speak plainly to the American people," Schiff said. "And the American people ought to know what Russia is doing, they ought to know their president is unwilling to stand up to Vladimir Putin." On Face the Nation on Sunday, Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said his department does intend to continue to brief Congress on cyber threats to election infrastructure and that much of what they deal with is unclassified information. He says the change by the ODNI is "not about limiting access, this is about providing the information to Congress — they're going to do that in a different format."

Disingenuous bullshit by one of Trump's henchmen.

"When asked about the leaks that Trump cited as a reason for Ratcliffe's decision, both Krishnamoorthi and Schiff said that while leaks being used for political gain is a legitimate concern, they do not consider that to be the case in this situation. Krishnamoorthi says this change is the Trump administration "trying to create a chilling effect within the intelligence community." "They don't want people to tell the truth, they want to muzzle them," he said, adding that the announcement "just invites the suspicion that once again, they're trying to invite that foreign interference." Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who is the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, also criticized the decision on Saturday, saying in a tweet that the committee "does not and will not accept ODNI's refusal to brief Congress in the 66 days ahead of the election." "What it appears to me, is that Ratcliffe is trying to control the flow of information," Warner told NPR's All Things Considered on Sunday. "Not have intelligence professionals be able to brief. We all know, the way you get information is the back and forth questioning that goes on in the normal course of congressional oversight. He is refusing to have that congressional oversight."

9-4-20

As the walls close in, Trump is increasingly out of control. NPR reports:

"After violence Saturday night in Portland, Ore., left a man dead, President Trump responded by threatening to take unspecified action in the city. In one of several tweets Monday morning, Trump said, "Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesn't clean it up, we will go in and do it for them!"

"Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesn’t clean it up, we will go in and do it for them!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2020"

... A raucous bootclicking, goosestepping, traitorous, treacherous, treasonous Seig Heil!, Mr. 'President?'

"The tweet came after clashes between Trump supporters, who entered the city in a caravan of hundreds of trucks, and Black Lives Matter demonstrators. Police have not released information about the victim or any suspects as of Monday morning, but White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany identified the victim in a press briefing as Aaron "Jay" Danielson, who reportedly was a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer. Trump on Sunday tweeted his support for the pro-Trump activists, calling them "GREAT PATRIOTS."

Our fascist dictator is inciting violence.

"Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, on Sunday blamed Trump for the violence. "Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President," he asked, "why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence? It's you who have created the hate and the division." Trump has been using violence in Portland; Kenosha, Wis.; and elsewhere as a campaign issue, calling for law and order, and falsely accusing Democratic opponent Joe Biden of failing to condemn the actions. In an event in Pittsburgh on Monday, Biden lambasted the president, saying that Trump "sows chaos rather than providing order." "[Trump] can't stop the violence because for years he has fomented it," Biden said. "He may believe mouthing the words 'law and order' makes him strong, but his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows you how weak he is."

Get this:

"On Tuesday, Trump plans to visit Kenosha, where a Jacob Blake, a Black man, was seriously wounded by police last week. In a subsequent protest, two demonstrators were shot and killed and a third wounded; a 17-year-old has been charged with homicide. Asked whether the president would condemn the actions of the teen suspect, McEnany declined to weigh in during Monday's briefing. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has urged Trump not to come to Kenosha, saying, "I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing." In a statement, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., pushed back on Evers. "It is a sad state of affairs when Governor Evers asks the president of the United States to stay out of Wisconsin," he said. "Throughout this rolling tragedy, I've pleaded for calm but also for political leadership that provides the resolve and manpower to end the rioting and allow the safe reopening of downtown Kenosha." Johnson said he will welcome Trump on Tuesday."

Figuratively, remove your head from your ass, Senator. Your goddamned nazi fuhrer is responsible for the violence. He foments it. Protest has turned to insurrection for one reason and one reason only. Law enforcement refuses to change its criminal jackbooted tactics. Been a problem at least the last six decades. Now coming to a head. Wake up. Think insurrection can't and won't lead to the unthinkable, unwanted, a second American revolution already catastrophically looming? ... Hear the rumble? Too deaf to hear? Or, too aggressively stupid?

NBC News reports:

"Portland, Oregon, Mayor Ted Wheeler had a strong message for President Donald Trump after a man was shot and killed in Portland amid clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and a pro-Trump caravan on Saturday. “Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President, why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence?” Wheeler said at a news conference on Sunday. “It's you who have created the hate and the division.” The fatal shooting ended a day of clashes between a pro-Trump caravan and counterprotesters. On Sunday, Trump criticized the mayor and praised the caravan, calling its members "GREAT PATRIOTS" on Twitter. Wheeler lashed out at Trump for his rhetoric, saying the caravan was "supported and energized by the president himself." “I'd appreciate that the president either supports us or he stays the hell out of the way,” Wheeler said."

Here's the problem:

"Portland police said the group, made up of hundreds of cars and trucks, traveled for several hours throughout the city. It was organized by supporters of Trump in an apparent show of force and an attempt to counter the Black Lives Matter protests that have been ongoing in Oregon's biggest city for months. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell also said on Sunday that there were some skirmishes between rally goers and counter demonstrators and that police made several arrests."

Was far more complicated, far worse than what police are stating above, -- as fully described in an earlier article of this edition.

ABC News reports:

"Former Vice President Joe Biden attacked President Donald Trump's handling of civil unrest sparked by police violence in a speech Monday afternoon in Pittsburgh, his first in-person campaign trip on the road since the Democratic National Convention two weeks ago. The Democratic nominee claimed that Trump has only escalated violence playing out in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Portland, Oregon, both of which have seen violent clashes result in deadly shootings in the past week. "This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He can't stop the violence -- because for years he has fomented it," Biden said. "He may believe mouthing the words law and order makes him strong, but his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows you how weak he is." But notably, Biden -- whom the Trump White House has accused of not speaking out forcefully enough about violence -- began by saying, "I want to make it absolutely clear. I'll be clear about all of this. Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It's lawlessness. Plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted." "Violence will not bring change. It will only bring destruction. It's wrong in every way. It divides instead of unites, destroys businesses, only hurts the working families that serve the community. It makes things worse across the board, not better. No, it is not what Dr. King or John Lewis taught. And it must end," he continued. "Fires are burning -- and we have a president who fans the flames." Biden's speech is intended to sharply counter Vice President Mike Pence's claim during the Republican National Convention last week that "you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America." "Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected? We need justice in America. And we need safety in America," Biden said, speaking before about 15-20 people, mostly reporters, camera crews and Secret Service agents as a small crowd of supporters waited outside. Biden hit Trump and Pence for slamming "Joe Biden's America" by hammering on the irony that it's their administration currently in charge. He said the violence they're condemning is getting worse as Trump "adds fuel to every fire." "He's supposed to be protecting this country but instead he's rooting for chaos and violence. The simple truth is Donald Trump failed to protect America. So now he's trying to scare America," Biden said. "The violence we are seeing in Donald Trump's America. These are not images of some imagined Joe Biden in the future but Donald Trump's America today. He keeps telling you if only he was president, it wouldn't happen, if he was president he keeps telling, if he was president you would feel safe. He is president whether he knows it or not and it is happening," Biden said.

Time for both major political parties to finally wake up. Both seem to be missing the growing danger as protest has turned to insurrection. This has happened not only to Trump fomenting violence, but the fact that law enforcement has done nothing to change its jackbooted tactics. Been a continuing problem at least the last six decades. Insurrection can lead to revolution. The violence is far worse than a criminal problem, it can certainly lead to the unthinkable, unwanted. A second American revolution already catastrophically looming.

"Biden attempted to tie simultaneous crises -- the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic fallout from the pandemic and police-related violence -- to Trump's tenure. "The common thread? An incumbent president who makes things worse, not better," Biden said. "An incumbent president who sows chaos rather than providing order." Pivoting the message back to what he calls Trump's massive mishandling of the coronavirus crisis and subsequent crippling economy, Biden said Americans are living in fear directly because of the president's inaction. "Mr. Trump, you want to talk about fear? If you know what people are afraid of in America? Afraid they're going to get COVID. Afraid they're going to get sick and die and that's, in no small part, because of you," he said. Biden didn't hold back in making his case that Trump would do anything to hold onto power and that his "toxic presence" for the last four years has been a "poison" to the country. "We've arrived at a moment in this campaign we all know, including the president in front of me, knew we'd get to: the moment when Donald Trump would be so desperate, he'd do anything to hold on to power," Biden said. "Donald Trump has been a toxic presence in our nation for four years. Poisoning how we talk to one another. Poisoning how we treat one another. Poisoning the values this nation has always held dear. Poisoning our very democracy," he said. But Biden also hammered a message of hope for the future, if he is the one elected. "Trump has sought to remake this nation in his image: Selfish, angry, dark and divisive. This is not who we are. At our best, America's always been -- and if I have anything to do with it -- it will be again, generous, confident, an optimistic nation, full of hope and resolve," he said."

Apparently, Biden is finally expressing what has so desperately needed to be said last three and a half years the Trump nazi has been in office. Hopefully, it will continue. ... If not, hear the rumble?

CBS News reports:

"President Trump is visiting Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, despite objections from local leaders who have raised concerns that the president's appearance may further escalate tensions in the city, which has been roiled by the shooting of a Black man by police and the deaths of two people by a suspected vigilante shooter at a subsequent demonstration."

Trump is inciting violence.

Get this:

"Mr. Trump is not scheduled to meet with the family of Jacob Blake, the man shot in the back seven times by a Wisconsin police officer on August 23. The 29-year-old father of six remains hospitalized and is paralyzed from his injuries, his family lawyers have said. The president claimed on Monday that he is not visiting Blake's family because they wanted to involve their legal team, which he said was "inappropriate." "I may at some point do that, but they did have a lawyer that wanted to be on the phone and I said no. That's inappropriate, but I did just give my best regards," Mr. Trump told reporters."

Laughable. Insane, racist, fascist son of a bitch. Gutless. What are you so afraid of, Mr. 'President?' The truth?

"Instead, the president plans to survey property damaged in the protests and visit an "emergency operations center" at a local high school, according to the White House. Mr. Trump told reporters upon landing in Kenosha that "we're going to get it fixed up," referring to the damaged property. Members of Blake's family are appearing at a community rally coinciding with Mr. Trump's visit, calling for justice at the site of the shooting. "We want to shine a light on this and on Jacob's family's call for justice. We will be having a community clean up, free food, free haircuts, and more," the rally organizer said. The Reverend Jesse Jackson, a leader of the civil rights movement for decades, is in attendance."

Think Trump's not achingly simple-minded? Get this:

"In an interview with Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham that aired Monday evening, Mr. Trump compared police officers shooting people in custody to golfers who "miss a three-foot putt." "They choke. Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a three-foot putt," Mr. Trump said. The president also told Ingraham that he was heading to Kenosha to defend and thank the police and see the buildings damaged by protests that have turned violent."

Thank the jackbooted bastards for pumping seven rounds into the back of a Black man who presented no exigent threat? Time to figuratively remove your head from your ass, Mr. 'President.' The following is appalling. Ignores all the criminal jackbooted behavior of law enforcement, not only recently, but for at least the last six decades. -- Behavior that has not only been covered here in this publication, but ubiquitously across news media:

"You also have bad police, but you also, the vast, not only the vast majority, thousands and thousands of great acts and one bad one and you make the evening news for weeks," Mr. Trump said. The president is also expected to participate in a roundtable on community safety while in Kenosha."

Gets worse. Trump defends a supporter who has been charged with killing two protesters:

"The president on Monday declined to denounce Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old White gunman charged with killing two people last week during a tumultuous night of protests. Mr. Trump suggested to reporters that Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense, and "probably would have been killed" had he not fatally shot two protesters. When asked if he agreed with armed vigilantes taking to the streets, Mr. Trump said he would "like to see law enforcement take care of everything."

Trump made his visit to incite more violence from his supporters:

"Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, asked Mr. Trump to "reconsider" his visit to Kenosha in a letter on Sunday. "I, along with other community leaders who have reached out, are concerned about what your presence will mean for Kenosha and our state," Evers wrote. "I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together." Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, also a Democrat, told CNN on Monday that Mr. Trump's visit comes at "the wrong time." "Our community has gone through a great deal and there is no time right now for politics to be played. We would prefer the President had waited at least another week or so before coming to visit," Antaramian said."

Trump remains delusional. The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump dove into the latest eruption in the nation’s reckoning over racial injustice with a trip Tuesday to Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the objections of local leaders."

Trump delusionally ignores racial injustice. What racist nazi doesn't?

"The city has been riven by protests since the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man hit seven times in the back by police as he was getting into a car while they were trying to arrest him. On the eve of his visit, Trump defended a teenage supporter accused of fatally shooting two men at a demonstration in Kenosha last week and accused Democrat Joe Biden of siding with “anarchists” and “rioters” in the unrest."

Not true. Trump's lying. Biden has clearly come out against the violence. In great detail. -- While ignoring the fact peaceful protest has turned into insurrection due to not only Trump's incitement of violence, but law enforcement's dire failure, absolute refusal to change its violent, criminal tactics. Been an issue at least the last six decades.

Another lie from the Trump nazi:

“I’m there for law enforcement and for the National Guard because they’ve done a great job in Kenosha. They put out the flame immediately,” said Trump as he boarded Air Force One."

Is that why violence continues in Kenosha, Mr. Trump?

"Biden has assailed Trump over the deadly protests that have sprung up on his watch. But Trump, claiming the mantle of the “law and order” Republican candidate, is offering himself as the leader best positioned to keep Americans safe."

Trump is inciting violence to secure his re-election. Continues to bamboozle the public with his bullshit and lies.

Here's proof positive:

"He insisted his appearance in Kenosha would “increase enthusiasm” in Wisconsin, perhaps the most hotly contested battleground state in the presidential race, as the White House said he “wants to visit hurting Americans.” The White House said Trump was not going to meet with Blake’s family. Blake’s family planned a Tuesday “community celebration” to correspond with Trump’s visit. “We don’t need more pain and division from a president set on advancing his campaign at the expense of our city,” Justin Blake, an uncle, said in a statement. “We need justice and relief for our vibrant community.”

Trump's hypocrisy is bottomless:

"Trump, for his part, reiterated that he blames radical troublemakers stirred up and backed by Biden. But when he was asked about one of his own supporters who was charged with killing two men during the mayhem in Kenosha, Trump declined to denounce the killings and suggested that the 17-year-old suspect, Kyle Rittenhouse, was acting in self-defense. After a confrontation in which he fatally shot one man, police say, Rittenhouse fell while being chased by people trying to disarm him. A second person was shot and killed. “That was an interesting situation,” Trump said Monday during a news conference. “He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like, and he fell. And then they very violently attacked him. ... He was in very big trouble. He would have been — he probably would’ve been killed.”

Jesus Christ. Wake up, Mr. Trump. Law enforcement arrested and charged the murderous son of a bitch you're defending.

Trump remains delusional. Unfit for office. NBC News reports:

"The conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump pushed Monday that a plane “almost completely loaded with thugs” had been set to disrupt the Republican National Convention was almost identical to a rumor that went viral on Facebook three months ago. In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump claimed that “we had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend, and in the plane it was almost completely loaded with thugs, wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms, with gear and this and that.” He then claimed the matter was “under investigation right now.” There is no evidence of any such flight. When Ingraham asked for more information about the flight, the president said, "I'll tell you sometime." He then alleged the people had been headed to Washington to disrupt the RNC. Before mentioning the uniformed men who allegedly boarded the plane, Trump claimed that there are “people that are in the dark shadows” and “people that you haven’t heard of” controlling Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Ingraham pressed the president for more details and said it sounded like he was alleging a conspiracy. “They’re people that are on the streets. They’re people that are controlling the streets,” Trump said. The claim about the flight matches a viral Facebook post from June 1 that falsely claimed, “At least a dozen males got off the plane in Boise from Seattle, dressed head to toe in black.” The post, by an Emmett, Idaho, man, warned residents to “Be ready for attacks downtown and residential areas,” and claimed one passenger had “a tattoo that said Antifa America on his arm.”

Jesus Christ. This is insanity. Trump and his supporters are delusional. What they claim is simply not true.

"That post was shared over 3,000 times on Facebook, and other pages from Idaho quickly added their own spin to it, like the Idaho branch of the far-right militia group 3 Percenters. One post claimed that “Antifa has sent a plane load of their people” and that the Payette County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it. Within days, that version of the rumor picked up enough steam in Idaho Facebook groups that the Payette County Sheriff’s Office had to release a statement insisting that the viral rumor was “false information.” Rumors of marauding bands of Antifa supporters have plagued local Facebook groups, chain emails and forwarded text messages since mid-May. One of the most viral rumors on an Antifa invasion into the suburbs was taken down after Twitter said it was created by a troll account with ties to white nationalists. Some armed Americans took to town squares in several towns to fight off fictitious busloads of Antifa in June, spurred by false rumors on Facebook pages. Seven days after the original Idaho rumor went viral on Facebook, armed men stood guard over protests in Missoula, Montana, worried about the planeloads of Antifa supporters."

Trump has embraced this bullshit. Remains unfit for office. Raw insanity.

NBC News reports:

"President Donald Trump on Tuesday toured the site of a building that burned during the protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and met with local law enforcement officials, a trip meant to underscore his re-election argument that America is under a threat of being overtaken by violent mobs. "To stop the political violence, we must also confront the radical ideology that includes this violence," Trump said at a roundtable discussion on community safety. "Reckless far-left politicians continue to push the destructive message that our nation and our law enforcement are oppressive or racist." "Actually," Trump continued, "we must give far great support to our law enforcement."

Trump is lying. This government and law enforcement are oppressive. Racist as well. To deny this is to ignore reality. Example after example remain in this publication as well as throughout all media. Trump is desperate. Remains an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"Trump has sought to paint Kenosha and cities like it across the country as beset by violence — though the protests are far more limited and less violent than he has described — and repeatedly warned that if Democrats are elected in November, that violence could spread. His Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, has denounced the violence and accused Trump of inflaming, not calming, the nation's raw racial tensions."

"Trump did not plan to meet with the Blake family, telling reporters he thought it was better "if it's handled locally." He told reporters he met with the Blake family's pastor, but Jacob Blake’s father has said they do not have a family pastor."

Fascinating, isn't it?

ABC News reports:

"President Donald Trump toured damaged businesses and met with law enforcement in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday after claiming that the city would have been "burned to the ground by now" had he not intervened, echoing what he says repeatedly on the campaign trail."

Expect better of a congenital liar?

"During a roundtable with local officials, police and business representatives, the president did not once mention Jacob Blake, the Black man whose shooting -- seven times in the back by police last month -- set off a combination of peaceful demonstrations, property destruction and the killing of two protesters. During his visit to Kenosha, Trump did not meet Blake's family, members of which held their own event in the city. Trump said he had refused to speak with the family after they insisted their lawyers be involved; a lawyer for the family said that was standard practice, considering the fact that there were investigations into what had occurred. Earlier Tuesday, the president stopped at a Kenosha store that had burned down and promised to help the owners. A reporter traveling with the president noted the presence of "heavy security," including "armored personnel carriers and police in camouflage and carrying automatic rifles blocking the street.” "These gentlemen did a fantastic job," he said, pointing to nearby members of law enforcement."

How? By firing seven rounds into the back of a Black man who presented no exigent threat?

"At the roundtable, a reporter asked what Trump's message to the Blake family would be. “I feel terribly for anybody that goes through that," Trump said, saying he had heard Blake's mother was "a fine woman" and noting the shooting was being investigated. “I hope they come up with the right answer,” he said. “It’s a complicated subject, to be honest with you.”

Think this man competent to be president of the United States?

"Blake's shooting punctuated continuing, nationwide protests over police brutality and racism against Black Americans, but Trump refused to engage on the matter Tuesday. When a reporter asked if he believed systemic racism was a problem in the United States, Trump replied: “Well, you know, you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that we've seen in Portland and here and other places. It's tremendous violence. You always get to the other side." "These are not acts of peaceful protest but really domestic terror," Trump said earlier in his remarks."

The racism and jackbooted murderous behavior of the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue are responsible for protest. Protest is now turning into insurrection because there has been no change in the corrupt, abusive, murderous behavior of law enforcement.

"But in fact, there have been days of peaceful protests in Kenosha amid the acts of violence and property destruction. Trump claimed the "the town has burned down," which is not true."

8-28-20

Where did we lose ourselves? When? Seatbelts on. The following is truly rough stuff. The Associated Press reports:

"U.S. Navy intelligence specialist Colleen Grace was asleep on a remote air base in Iraq in 2019 when she was woken up by knocking on the door next to her room, and then a voice she recognized. The voice belonged to a Navy corpsman she knew. He was upset and speaking loudly to the Army colonel who lived next door. Grace heard the corpsman say that a sailor who attended a Fourth of July barbecue had just been raped by a Navy SEAL on the base. The corpsman asked the colonel what to do because the victim was afraid that if she reported the incident, retribution would follow. “And that’s real,” Grace heard Hospitalman First Class Gustavo Llerenes tell Col. Thomas Collins, a physician’s assistant with the Florida National Guard. “It’s a good ol’ boy’s network.” She said she heard Collins urge Llerenes to keep his voice down, saying the walls between the rooms were thin. Grace, who could no longer hear the conversation between medical professionals, looked down at her phone to check the time. Just then Grace noticed a missed text from a friend asking her to come over. “Urgent,” the message read. When Grace got to her friend’s room around 1:50 a.m., she found the sailor curled up in her bed. A giant black bruise marred her jawline. Several other marks lined her neck. It was then that Grace realized the overheard conversation about a rape was about her friend."

Carefully consider the following:

"Grace said her friend told her the sex started out consensual in the SEAL’s room, but then he started biting and choking her. Her friend told her that at one point she thought “what is he going to do with my body when he kills me?” because she said he was strangling her so hard she couldn’t breathe. Grace gingerly asked her if it would be OK to photograph her injuries. She said she lifted her friend’s shirt to find more bruises — on her breast, a shoulder, her stomach. Grace sent the photos to her friend’s phone, and then hugged her and cried, unsure of what would happen next. But she and her friend would not stay silent."

Uncommon Valor. Remain silent? Nothing changes.

As reported in an earlier edition of this publication and elsewhere, readers will recall:

"Within weeks, the entire Foxtrot platoon of SEAL Team 7, known as Trident 1726, was sent home early to San Diego. It was an extremely rare move to cut short the mission of a unit that was there to combat remnants of ISIS. Navy officials have given few details other than to say there was an alleged sexual assault and drinking at a Fourth of July barbecue in Iraq in 2019 in violation of Navy rules barring deployed troops from consuming alcohol. The story of the platoon being pulled from Iraq has been previously reported, but documents obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act and interviews with nearly a dozen people give the first in-depth view into what led to the rare recall. The documents and interviews show that women deployed with the SEALs say they were ogled and sexually harassed during the deployment. Records obtained by the AP from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service also reveal a previously unknown reported allegation of sexual misconduct against the SEAL platoon chief, Special Warfare Operator Chief Nicholas Olson, two days before the Fourth of July barbecue. Olson denies any wrongdoing. The platoon was withdrawn after the Navy made an unusually public push to strengthen order and discipline in its secretive elite force amid a series of scandals involving SEALs. The misconduct has included cocaine use and tampering of drug tests by members of SEAL Team 10 based in Virginia, and last year’s conviction of Navy SEAL Adam Matthews, who was sentenced to one year in military prison for his role in the 2017 hazing-related death of an Army Green Beret in Africa. The Navy fired three SEAL leaders in the aftermath of the alleged rape on the Iraq air base and charged Special Warfare Operator First Class Adel A. Enayat, an enlisted SEAL, with sexual assault, aggravated assault via strangulation and assault by battery for allegedly biting the victim on the face, according to his charge sheet. He faces a court-martial in November."

Duty? Honor? Country? -- A nation coming apart at the seams.

Gets worse. Get this:

"A hearing in the case was held Friday at Naval Base San Diego. At the hearing, Jeremiah Sullivan, the lawyer for the SEAL, said he was concerned Enayat, who identifies as “non-white,” cannot get a fair trial because of systemic racism in the military justice system, pointing out that there are no Black judges on the Navy bench. Sullivan said Enayat is innocent and “we look forward to trying his case in a court of law.” Enayat, who was charged Dec. 30, filed a counter claim in February against the sailor alleging she sexually assaulted him, taking advantage of him when he was “incapacitated.”

Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet. All ass backwards from reality.

"AP originally did not name Enayat because of the counter claim. But the Naval Criminal Investigative Service on Friday confirmed that it closed the investigation into Enayat’s allegation after his lawyer decided to have him not talk to investigators. AP has a policy of not identifying victims unless they choose to be named. Grace is the first service member to come forward to talk about what happened at Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq. She spoke to the AP in an exclusive interview, detailing what she witnessed that night, describing what she said were attempts by Olson, the platoon chief, to stop the alleged sexual assault from being reported, and revealing other misconduct towards another female sailor working with the SEAL platoon during the 2019 deployment to Anbar Province. AP spoke to other service members on the deployment who asked not to be named or quoted for fear it could jeopardize their military careers. The sailor who reported being sexually assaulted on July 4, 2019, declined to be interviewed. Llerenes, the Navy corpsman, also declined to be interviewed for this story. Multiple attempts were made to connect with Col. Collins but were unsuccessful."

Imagine that.

"The drinking at the Fourth of July barbecue in Iraq and the alleged sexual assault that same night came only two days after the acquittal of Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Gallagher, who was accused by his platoon members of killing a captive Islamic State fighter and shooting civilians during a deployment to Iraq in 2017. Gallagher was also a member of SEAL Team 7 in Iraq but with a different platoon and under different leadership."

Readers will recall from an earlier edition:

"Gallagher — who was convicted of a single charge for posing with the dead teen militant’s body for a picture — got support from President Donald Trump, who prevented the military from taking disciplinary action against the ex-SEAL, pitting the commander-in-chief against the Navy’s top brass."

Expect better from the Trump nazi and his henchmen?

"The Fourth of July incident led to a second ethics review of America’s commando forces in a year. The review by the Special Operations Command found a problematic culture that overemphasized combat and put troops at times far from supervision, opening the door to inappropriate behavior."

What ever happened to military discipline? Duty? Honor? Country?

"Navy SEAL Capt. Todd Perry, the commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Iraq in 2019, blamed the “Gallagher Effect,” a term coined by leadership to denote the corrosive influence on a platoon such as the one Gallagher’s behavior had on order and discipline. “It only took one bad platoon chief to influence the entire platoon,” that the no-drinking rule did not apply to them and that the “brotherhood” was more important than the Navy — “just as Gallagher was able to do with the dishonorable members of his platoon” during his deployment in 2017, Capt. Perry stated in an interview with an Army officer investigating the Fourth of July incident, according to military records obtained by AP. During the interview in Baghdad on July 29, 2019, Perry made no mention of any sexual assault allegations."

Why not?

"About a dozen female service members were attached to the SEAL platoon during a six-month deployment to Iraq that began in March of 2019. On the air base, Grace and the other service members who supported Special Operations Task Force-West, the unit responsible for missions inside Anbar Province, Iraq, lived at Camp Fenin while the SEALs stayed at Camp Freiwald, about a 10-minute walk away. The deployment — Grace’s first with the SEALs — was slow, she said. Others who had deployed previously to Iraq told her they had never seen it so quiet. She was asked to identify ISIS targets for the SEALs in an area that had been largely untouched for the past nine months. Grace said the women worked hard to earn the respect of the SEALs. “We’re in there 18 hours a day. We wanted their respect. We were doing good work for these guys,” she said. But Grace said the intelligence staff was under a lot of pressure from the SEALs to do more. “People were itching to get outside the wire at every opportunity,” but not a lot of information was coming in that they could act on, Grace said. Then she said she started receiving text messages from Olson, the platoon chief, late at night that were not work-related. At first, she thought it was because he thought highly of her work. “After I’d been invited over to that side of the camp to have drinks on multiple occasions, I was like this is inappropriate, and that’s kind of when he and I stopped speaking,” Grace said."

How could top brass not know what was going on?

"The Fourth of July was a holiday and for some of the special operators, there was even more reason to pop open a bottle with the military jury in San Diego acquitting Gallagher, ending a war crimes case that had tarnished the commando force’s image. Grace said only two days earlier, one of her friends had knocked on her door crying and said Olson exposed himself to her after they met at a makeshift lounge on Camp Freiwald."

Jesus Christ. Gets worse. Get this:

"According to a July 16, 2019, report of the incident by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a male, whose name was redacted, met a female to talk privately on July 2. He told her “how all of the team wants to sleep with you,” and “we all talked about who will be the first one to do it.” The male then reached into his pants and “exposing his penis,” grabbed her from behind her neck and pulled her toward his groin area, according to the report. Afterwards, the male drove the woman to a base cafeteria and asked her to walk back alone to her room so no one would see them together. Later, the woman received a text from the man apologizing for his behavior. The AP was able to confirm the incident involved Olson and a sailor through interviews with service members on the deployment. Grace said her friend told her that Olson also said how everyone had noticed the nipples poking through the T-shirts of the female sailors during their daily briefings. She added that her friend said there were other “vile comments.” Olson’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, said his client denies making any inappropriate comments. “I feel violated on her behalf,” Grace said. “But also like wow, we are not respected. We are not members of the team. We are pieces of meat that these people ogle.” Parlatore, who also represented Gallagher, said the July 2 allegation is false and was made by an intelligence specialist who held back information necessary to kill ISIS. “These individuals have the motivation to lie about my client,” Parlatore said."

That right? Think so?

"The victim signed a statement on July 13, 2019, saying she did not wish to participate in the investigation. In the signed statement, obtained by AP, it states she understood the chances of the suspect being brought to justice would be greatly reduced without her assistance. The case was closed. The woman told Grace she did not want to report Olson for exposing himself to her on July 2 because she was concerned it would hurt her career. “She was tough as nails and she didn’t want anyone to know that anything affected her ever,” Grace said. After the alleged incident with Olson, the woman told Grace that she would only go to the barbecue for a short while, and she wasn’t going alone. With her friends off to celebrate and the night to herself, Grace face-timed with her family in Michigan, watched Netflix, and then fell asleep. Hours later, Grace was woken up by the knocking and rushed to help another friend, who said she had just been raped. The Navy corpsman and the female sailor who had been assaulted two days earlier were consoling the victim when Grace got to her room. They told Grace that Olson had stopped outside her room twice that night and warned that everyone at the barbecue will get into trouble if the second woman reported the rape, Grace said. Parlatore, Olson’s attorney, denies that the SEAL chief tried to stop anyone from reporting the rape. The woman followed the advice of doctors on base who told her she would need to go to Baghdad to be examined and report the July 4 rape. She was told to not take anything off and put her uniform pants over what she already had on. Grace rode with her in an ambulance to where a helicopter was waiting. At about 4:25 a.m., Grace hugged her friend, who boarded the aircraft, and then returned to her room. “I was a wreck, so of course I called my mom,” Grace said. “She told me to block my door, have my gun by my bed and write everything down.” After the Fourth of July, Grace said she could no longer stay silent about the July 2 assault, even though the woman who told her about the incident with Olson “was adamant that I don’t tell, but I had to. I felt a duty. Her privacy mattered less because our other friend was raped.” Her only regret, Grace said, is she did not take notes July 2 like she did following the Fourth of July when she had the benefit of hindsight and “went straight to my computer and typed everything up that I could remember, dates, times, who I talked to, all of it.”

Gets worse:

"Grace said her work environment worsened after the Fourth of July barbecue. She went back to work hours after seeing her friend off. No one mentioned why a member of the intelligence staff was not at her desk, Grace said. On July 8, Grace grew concerned that the Navy would try to cover up things and wrote to U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, relaying her detailed notes and naming everyone she knew was involved that night. She told the California Democrat that Olson was sure he would have the power to convince her friend not to report the July 4 assault and that she was concerned that more than 24 hours had passed before the crime scene — Enayat’s room — was secured. “I said to myself, if they try (to) cover this incident up, I’ll tell the New York Times exactly how Eddie Gallagher’s old unit is doing things,” Grace wrote. “Perhaps I should have more faith in my Chain of Command, and I pray that I am not overreacting. However, the more that I think about it, the more I see it is not totally outside the realm of possibility that higher-level leadership will get involved in order to ensure that this quietly disappears.” Almost a week would go by before it was brought up by the commanding officer, Cmdr. Edward Mason, of SEAL Team 7, who visited the base to discuss it on July 10. “It was nice to hear someone finally acknowledge that something had happened,” Grace said. Mason ordered Enayat to be examined by a bio forensics specialist, his room swept for evidence, and his weapons locked up. He also had Enayat and Olson sent home. On July 11, investigators arrived in Iraq. Two weeks later the entire platoon was sent home after members refused to cooperate with the investigation without having a lawyer present, according to a person who spoke to members of the team. The person, who asked not to be named, said the SEALs were perceived guilty from the start."

Making matters worse:

"Some of the SEALs blamed the female Navy sailors for the interruption in the mission, and the tension made it difficult to do their job effectively, Grace said. “We were ostracized and that’s a very difficult position to be in when you’re trying to feed people mission information,” she said. “We were treated like pariahs after the July 4th thing, you know, because we were the people that had lied ... so that the team would go home.” In video conferences, Navy brass gave stern warnings that the SEAL teams cannot have any more bad press, Grace said. Olson was reprimanded and has since lost his Trident pin, the symbol of his membership in the SEALs. Parlatore said the Navy cited his platoon’s drinking and the July 2 allegation. He is appealing the decision. The Naval Special Warfare Command declined to comment due to pending litigation. The Navy’s top SEAL, Rear Adm. Collin Green, fired Mason, Command Master Chief Hugh Spangler, and Navy SEAL Lt. Cmdr. Luke Im, saying their leadership failures led to a breakdown of order and discipline within two units in Iraq. Mason and Spangler filed a complaint with the Department of Defense Inspector General to demand the independent agency investigate the firings. Both men, who have since retired, said in the complaint that they were being used as scapegoats because Green was upset over Navy prosecutors losing the Gallagher case. They accused Navy leadership of putting the SEALs at risk when they pulled the platoon immediately out of Iraq. The inspector general determined there was insufficient evidence from the complaint to open an investigation, said Dwerna Allen, an agency spokeswoman. Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday, supports Green’s actions, his spokesman Cmdr. Nate Christensen said. Green has made changes and “taken a ‘back to basics’ leadership approach to ensure that his community fully demonstrates both professional competency and character in all they do.” Grace said she underwent therapy because of what happened in Iraq. She left the Navy in February. “It literally broke my heart because these were people that were my heroes,” she said of the SEALs. “It was going to be the highlight of my career, and what do I learn? That these people would rather, you know, have each other’s backs and cover up a sexual assault.”

Needless to say this fiasco will be closely followed. Hat's off to the Associated Press for masterfully exposing it to the light of day. No question, best disinfectant remains brilliant sunlight.

8-28-20

The following speaks volumes. NPR reports:

"On Tuesday, President Trump officially pardoned leading suffragette Susan B. Anthony, who died in 1906. He noted she was arrested in 1872 for voting before it was legal for women to do so. "She was never pardoned!" he exclaimed in a White House ceremony. "Did you know that she was never pardoned? What took so long?" Well, it was partly that Anthony would not have wanted to be pardoned, according to some historians who've pointed out that Anthony did not think she'd done anything wrong. Joining those voices is the executive director of the National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House in Rochester, New York. "Objection! Mr. President, Susan B. Anthony must decline your offer of a pardon," wrote Deborah L. Hughes in a statement. She continued: "Anthony wrote in her diary in 1873 that her trial for voting was 'The greatest outrage History ever witnessed.' She was not allowed to speak as a witness in her own defense, because she was a woman. At the conclusion of arguments, Judge Hunt dismissed the jury and pronounced her guilty. She was outraged to be denied a trial by jury. She proclaimed, 'I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty.' To pay would have been to validate the proceedings. To pardon Susan B. Anthony does the same."

LOL. One hell of a tough woman. ... Had she been alive today, think she wouldn't have told Trump to go f--k himself? LOL.

"Hughes pointed to Anthony's support of sex education, fair labor practices, excellent public education, equal pay for equal work, and elimination of all forms of discrimination. She suggested that the best way to honor her would be taking a clear stance against voter suppression and advocating for human rights for all."

No question.

8-28-20

Voter intimidation. The Washington Post reports:

"More than 30 years ago, a Republican Party program that dispatched off-duty police officers to patrol polling places in heavily Black and Latino neighborhoods in New Jersey triggered accusations of voter intimidation, resulting in a federal agreement that restricted for decades how the national GOP could observe voting. Now, two years after those limits were lifted, President Trump has revived the idea of using law enforcement officers to patrol polling places, invoking tactics historically used to scare voters of color."

Surprised? Why? Expect better of a racist nazi fuhrer? Wake up.

History to repeat itself:

"In an interview Thursday with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump described law enforcement officers as part of a phalanx of authorities he hopes will monitor voting in November."

To intimidate minorities, those on the bottom of the food chain, anyone harassed, f--ked over by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue.

Raw insanity expressed by our racist fuhrer in the Oval Office increasingly, desperately afraid of not being returned to office:

“We’re going to have everything,” the president said. “We’re going to have sheriffs, and we’re going to have law enforcement, and we’re going to hopefully have U.S. attorneys and we’re going to have everybody, and attorney generals. But it’s very hard.”

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. This abomination remains unfit for office, needs to be criminally investigated.

"Trump’s remarks are part of a pattern of comments in which he has suggested he is willing to take actions to impede how people cast their ballots this fall. He has repeatedly sought to undermine confidence in the November vote, making false claims about the integrity of mail-in balloting and raising the specter of widespread electoral fraud. Earlier this month, he floated the idea of withholding election money from states and refusing funding for the U.S. Postal Service so as to curtail the use of voting by mail."

House needs to immediately impeach him a second time. Tie him up until the end of his term. Prevent him from doing any further damage to our formerly great country.

"The president has limited authority to order law enforcement to patrol polling places. Sheriff’s deputies and police officers are commanded at the local level, and a federal law bars U.S. government officials from sending “armed men” to the vicinity of polling places. But civil rights advocates said they feared Trump’s words could inspire local officials to act on his behalf. And they said even the threat of encountering police officers at the polls could be frightening to some voters, particularly in communities of color where residents are distrustful of the police. “This is just such an old, dirty voter suppression tactic,” said Kristen Clarke, who leads the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “There is no doubt that this is about instilling fear and depressing participation in communities of color.” Clarke said her group was researching how the president’s comments could be used in lawsuits intended to protect the vote. Attorney Marc Elias, who is leading the Democratic Party’s voting litigation efforts, said he will rush to court if he sees any evidence of the actions Trump described. “The reason why the Republican Party was under a consent decree for 40 years was for precisely this kind of behavior in 1981,” he said. “It would be unfortunate if, having come out from under that consent decree, they now try to repeat those tactics.”

Trump is dangerous. Out of control. Increasingly desperate. These are exceptionally dangerous times for our formerly great country. A democratic republic in name only. In reality, a de facto fascist police-state.

"A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on Trump’s remarks."

Clearly, the Department of 'Justice' no longer works for the public, but our increasingly out of control nazi commander in chief.

"Mike Reed, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said that law enforcement officers are not part of the RNC’s new poll-watching program. “Our program consists of volunteers and attorneys,” he said. Other Republican officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal strategy said they were unaware of plans to deploy law enforcement officers to polling places, adding that the president’s comments were inaccurate and unhelpful to the party’s efforts to expand its poll-watching program through appropriate and legal measures. Matthew Morgan, general counsel for Trump’s reelection campaign, said in a statement that “Republicans will be ready to make sure the polls are being run correctly, securely, and transparently as we work to deliver the free and fair election Americans deserve.”

Think so? Or, no more than empty, hollow rhetoric by one of Trump's henchmen?

"The Voting Rights Act outlaws the intimidation or coercion of voters, a provision adopted to combat long-standing tactics that were used in the Jim Crow South to prevent Black people from participating in elections. The tactics included deploying sheriff’s deputies and police officers to the polls."

... As Trump is now, apparently, planning to do.

"Accusations of voter intimidation continued long past the end of Jim Crow. Black voters in Florida complained about police traffic stops on Election Day as recently as 2000, according to a report on the 2000 presidential election by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. In 2010, advocates accused North Carolina police of voter suppression after they set up traffic checkpoints between primarily Black apartment complexes and polling locations. The RNC came under scrutiny for allegedly violating the Voting Rights Act in New Jersey’s 1981 gubernatorial race, when the party was accused of creating a “National Ballot Security Task Force” made up of off-duty deputy sheriffs and local police officers who wore armbands and patrolled the polls in largely Black and Latino neighborhoods. Some allegedly displayed their firearms. Official-looking signs were posted at some precincts warning that voter fraud is a crime and that the task force was watching. After the Democratic Party sued, the RNC entered into a federal consent decree in 1982 in which it admitted no wrongdoing but promised it would not take efforts to suppress the minority vote and would allow courts to review and approve future ballot security efforts. In practice, that meant that for decades, the RNC largely ceded poll-watching activities to a candidate’s campaign operations."

Here's the problem:

"In 2016, the Democratic Party alleged that the RNC had violated the consent decree by supporting the Trump campaign’s ballot security efforts. But a federal judge ruled in 2018 that the Democrats had not proved that the agreement had been violated, allowing the consent decree to expire. As a result, the RNC this year will be able to conduct poll-watching activities without restrictions for the first time in decades.

“We would be foolish not to be vigilant,” said Vanita Gupta, the former head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, noting the country’s history of voter intimidation and the president’s misleading rhetoric. Gupta, who is president of the nonprofit Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said she expected that Trump would threaten to deploy law enforcement officials to the polls. “The danger is whether the threat alone or the posturing dissuades voters,” she said. “That’s where voters really need to be empowered and educated — the best way to fight back is to do the opposite and register and vote.” Still, she noted that the country has “long-standing laws” prohibiting law enforcement intimidation of voters. Several states have their own statutes severely restricting police activity near polls. According to guidelines distributed by the Justice Department, the states — rather than the federal government — are to ensure the voting process is conducted fairly. The guidelines instruct federal prosecutors to minimize their public presence around elections, even if they suspect crimes, such as voter fraud, are occurring. In a 2017 election crimes guide, the department stated that prosecutors and the FBI need approval before they can take any action that requires “intrusion by federal investigators into the area immediately surrounding an open polling place.” Because federal law also does not allow federal officials to station “armed men” in the vicinity of polling places, the Justice Department has determined that this means a U.S. attorney cannot order FBI agents or U.S. marshals to the polls. The Justice Department does, however, deploy unarmed, specially trained observers and poll monitors — though the number of those people has declined because of a 2013 Supreme Court decision limiting the federal government’s role inside polling places on Election Day. “Law enforcement’s first obligation around elections is to do no harm,” Elias said. “So there is an appropriate role of law enforcement to ensure other people’s conduct isn’t preventing people from voting. It is not to engage in conduct themselves that could prevent people from voting.”

8-28-20

Walls closing in. NBC News reports:

"More than two-dozen former Republican members of Congress, including ex-Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, endorsed Joe Biden for president on Monday, hours ahead of the Republican National Convention. Speaking in a live video on several social media platforms, Flake explained why he plans to vote for Biden and not for President Donald Trump. "Today, given what we have experienced over the past four years, it's not enough just to register our disapproval of the president," Flake said. "We need to elect someone else in his place — someone who will stop the chaos and reverse the damage." Biden’s presidential campaign announced the list of endorsements in a press release Monday morning. "It is because of my conservatism, and because of my belief in the Constitution and the separation of power, and because I am gravely concerned about the conduct and behavior of our current president, that I stand here today, proudly and wholeheartedly, to endorse Joe Biden as the next president of the United States of America," Flake said. In his remarks, Flake said that there is a "sickness in our system," and "we've infected the whole country with it." "We're all old enough to remember when we elected presidents who spoke to our highest ideals and aspirations of a nation, not to our deepest dystopian fears," he said. Flake said it was "bad enough" to say in 2016 that the presidential election would be rigged. “Now, as president of the United States, he has said, and I quote, ‘The only way we're going to lose this election is if the election is rigged.’ What kind of president talks like that?” Flake asked. "What kind of American leader undermines confidence in the elections in his own country?" "It is apparent now that the president's behavior has not, and will not, change," he added."

Trump has disgraced himself, his party, and most of all, our formerly great country.

"Among the list of Republicans supporting Biden are Flake, former Sens. John Warner of Virginia and Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire, and former Reps. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania and Ray LaHood of Illinois, who also served as transportation secretary under former President Barack Obama. “These former members of Congress cited Trump’s corruption, destruction of democracy, blatant disregard for moral decency, and urgent need to get the country back on course as a reason why they support Biden,” the Biden campaign said in its announcement. “These former members of Congress are supporting Joe Biden because they know what’s at stake in this election and that Trump’s failures as president have superseded partisanship.”

"Flake has spoken out against Trump since he served in the Senate, where he said that his fellow Republicans should push back against the president."

Should have happened four years ago.

"The announcement comes ahead of the GOP convention Monday and on the heels of the Democratic National Convention last week, where several Republicans endorsed Biden and delivered speeches explaining why. They included former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, former eBay and Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman and former Rep. Susan Molinari of New York, who is among those on the list the Biden campaign released Monday."

ABC News reports:

"While he is overseas on an official trip, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo will address the Republican National Convention in his "personal" capacity, the State Department said Sunday, blurring the lines between the two in an unprecedented -- and critics say inappropriate -- way. Pompeo will be the first sitting Secretary of State to deliver a speech to a party's political convention in modern times, although he is not the first to play a public role. Slated for Tuesday evening, his speech has already sparked a wave of backlash, with critiques that the top U.S. diplomat is supposed to represent all Americans and not play a role in party politics and that the speech violates department protocol, if not U.S. law.

"In an email sent to all department staff in February and obtained by ABC News, Pompeo's deputy Stephen Biegun reiterated that message, warning that "our laws and policies" about employees' political activity are critical to "ensure our representation is not perceived as partisan." The Hatch Act forbids federal employees from engaging in political activities unless they're off duty, outside a federal facility, and not using federal property. The department's own guidelines, known as the Foreign Affairs Manual, say, "A U.S. citizen employee, spouse, or family member shall not engage in partisan political activities abroad, other than authorized activities pertaining to U.S. elections." Under Pompeo, that has come to include discouraging social media posts "directed toward the success or failure of a political party" or "of one candidate for partisan political office," according to internal guidance sent to U.S. posts overseas and obtained by ABC News. Even for Biegun, a Trump political appointee, the RNC is off limits: "As a Senate confirmed Department official, I will be sitting on the sidelines of the political process this year and will not be attending any political events, to include the national conventions," he wrote in his note, first reported by Politico. A State Department spokesperson defended Pompeo's speech by saying that he is participating "in his personal capacity" and that no department resources will be used and no staff are involved in the appearance. "Looking forward to sharing with you how my family is more SAFE and more SECURE because of President Trump," Pompeo tweeted from his "personal" Twitter account, where he often posts family photos, shares Bible quotes, and trolls Democratic politicians. But Pompeo will deliver the speech during an official trip to Israel, Sudan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, meaning at least some department resources, such as requisite security, will be utilized. It also further deflates the old adage that partisan politics stopped at the water's edge. Biegun urged employees to "carefully" adhere to department policies "designed to support our nonpartisan foreign policy." Israeli media have also reported that Pompeo will record the remarks from Jerusalem, which the Trump administration recognized as Israel's capital in 2018 and where the U.S. embassy has been relocated from Tel Aviv. The move broke decades of international consensus about Jerusalem's status, but Pompeo has said it is an example of the administration's strong support for Israel, while President Trump said last week he did it "for the evangelicals." "At a time when peace and security in Middle East is so tough, Jerusalem should not be a prop for the RNC, and @SecPompeo should not be tarnishing the office of SecState. Unprecedented and wrong," tweeted Wendy Sherman, a senior State Department official under Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. None of the previous six secretaries of state attended their party's political convention. While some before that attended, they did not address the convention, even as they worked behind the scenes.

"That has always been a fine line for the secretary of state, particularly when there's been speculation about their own political future, like Hillary Clinton. But Pompeo has taken that further than most, making clear his presidential ambitions, wading deep into culture wars, and going to battle against Congressional Democrats by declining documents requests or canceling staff-level briefings."

NPR reports:

"President Trump hosted a naturalization ceremony for new citizens in a pre-recorded video broadcast during the GOP's virtual convention on Tuesday. Trump and other members of his administration are facing criticism for using official resources for a political event. Even before the Republican National Convention began, government ethics experts warned that hosting campaign events from the White House South Lawn and the Rose Garden could violate federal ethics law. But just in the convention's first two days, Trump has gone even further — wielding the powers of his office and the federal government to promote his reelection campaign. As part of last night's prime-time convention programming, Trump granted a presidential pardon from the White House. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared from Jerusalem, where he was on official state business, to make a campaign speech with the Old City as backdrop. And acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf performed a naturalization ceremony on television as Trump looked on. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in most political activity inside federal buildings or while on duty. Though the president and vice president are exempt from the civil provisions of the Hatch Act, federal employees like Pompeo, Wolf and any executive branch employees who helped stage the events, are not. Ethics watchdogs harshly criticized Trump's merging of official and campaign acts during the Tuesday night telecast. "The Hatch Act was the wall standing between the government's might and candidates. Tonight a candidate tore down that wall and wielded power for his own campaign," tweeted Walter Shaub, the former head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (no relation to former special counsel Robert Mueller's probe) that oversees high-level ethics issues inside the executive branch. Shaub left the office in 2017 after clashing with the Trump administration over the president's failure to divest from his businesses."

Get this:

"This summer, Pompeo and top State Department officials sent memos to employees reminding them they must be careful to adhere to the Hatch Act. Another memo said "Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees may not even attend a political party convention or convention-related event." That description also applies to Pompeo. Richard Haass, the longtime president of the Council on Foreign Relations who has served in several Republican administrations, said it's inappropriate for a secretary of state to appear at a political convention while serving as the nation's top diplomat. "A presumption of continuity in US foreign policy is essential if allies are to trust us & adversaries respect us," he wrote on Twitter. "Politicizing foreign policy increases the chance of wild swings & undermining bipartisan support. @SecPompeo decision to speak at #RNC2020 ill-advised and then some." On Tuesday, House Democrats opened an investigation into Pompeo's speech, but it's unlikely that any Trump administration officials will face reprimand for using their office to promote the president's reelection. The Office of Special Counsel can investigate allegations of Hatch Act violations and weigh in on them, but it's up to the employer to enforce the law. Based on past examples, it's unlikely the Trump administration would do so. Last year, White House special adviser Kellyanne Conway was cited by the special counsel for Hatch Act violations and recommended she be fired, but remained in the job. "Blah, blah, blah," she told reporters. "If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work. Let me know when the jail sentence starts." Cabinet members have spoken at conventions before. Several Obama administration officials addressed the Democratic National Convention in 2012, for example. But that convention was held in a sports arena, not in the White House, and did not feature Cabinet members conducting official business for the cameras."

Expect better of a racist nazi dictator? Why?

8-28-20

Trouble in paradise? NPR reports:

"Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway has announced that she will step down from her post at the end of the month."

What took so long? LOL.

"Conway, whose official title is counselor to the president, is known for her tenacious defense of administration policy in frequent appearances on cable television. She is one of President Trump's longest-serving aides. In a statement on Sunday, she cited a need to "devote more time to family matters." "I will be transitioning from the White House at the end of this month," she said."

Imagine that. Couldn't be, could it? Readers will recall:

"Conway's husband, conservative lawyer George T. Conway III, has become a relentless critic of the president, frequently placing his wife in an awkward position. He announced on Twitter on Sunday that he is withdrawing from the Lincoln Project, a group of Republicans devoted to defeating Trump in November that he helped found. He said he is also taking "a Twitter hiatus."

"So I’m withdrawing from @ProjectLincoln to devote more time to family matters. And I’ll be taking a Twitter hiatus.

"Needless to say, I continue to support the Lincoln Project and its mission. Passionately.
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) August 24, 2020"

Hard to believe this went on as long as it did. LOL. Imagine the pillow talk.

Joking aside, and in all seriousness, the following likely had a lot to do with the resolution of this ongoing fiasco:

"The news of Conway's impending departure from the White House follows a tweet from her 15-year-old daughter, Claudia, over the weekend announcing that she was "officially pushing for emancipation." In a series of tweets that followed, she said that her mother's job had "ruined my life" and that she and her father "agree on absolutely nothing," politically. "We just both happen to have common sense when it comes to our current president." On Sunday, the teenager clarified in a tweet that her desire for emancipation was not about her mother's job but "about years of childhood trauma and abuse." She then added: "this is becoming way too much so i am taking a mental health break from social media. see y'all soon. thank you for the love and support. no hate to my parents please."

Clearly, both parents heeded the wake up call. Have four kids that needed to come first.

"In her statement, Kellyanne Conway said, "It will be less drama, more mama." Conway is one of the last remaining Trump staffers from the 2016 campaign. She was the first woman to manage a winning presidential campaign, leading Trump's effort in the final months. She began the 2016 cycle advising Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump's biggest primary rival. Her time in the White House was not without controversy. Two days after the inauguration, Conway coined the term "alternative facts" during an interview on NBC's Meet The Press. She was also cited for violating the law against political activity by government employees multiple times, and the government office investigating those activities recommended her dismissal in 2019.

"She said that she and her husband "disagree about plenty," but that the couple "are united on what matters most: the kids."

Better late than never.

8-28-20

Legal action taken by New York Attorney General. The Washington Post reports:

"The New York attorney general is investigating President Trump’s private business for allegedly misleading lenders by inflating the value of its assets, the attorney general’s office said Monday in a legal filing. In the filing, signed by a deputy to Attorney General Letitia James, the attorney general’s office said it is investigating Trump’s use of “Statements of Financial Condition” — documents Trump sent to lenders, summarizing his assets and debts. The filing asks a New York state judge to compel the Trump Organization to provide information it has been withholding from investigators — including a subpoena seeking an interview with the president’s son Eric.

"The filing said that Eric Trump had been scheduled to be interviewed in the investigation in late July, but abruptly canceled that interview. The filing says that Eric Trump is now refusing to be interviewed, with Eric Trump’s lawyers saying, “We cannot allow the requested interview to go forward … pursuant to those rights afforded to every individual under the Constitution.” Many of the details of the investigation were redacted or left out of the filing. But it mentioned valuations of three Trump properties: a Los Angeles golf course, an office building at 40 Wall St. and a country estate called “Seven Springs” in Westchester County, N.Y."

Report goes on and on. Walls appear to be closing in. We'll see.

8-28-20

Nothing quite like hypocrisy coming from the nazi Religious Right. The Associated Press reports:

"Jerry Falwell Jr. announced his resignation Tuesday as head of evangelical Liberty University amid conflicting claims about a sexual relationship his wife had with a younger business partner. Falwell’s exit marks a precipitous fall from power for one of the country’s most visible evangelical leaders and ardent supporters of President Donald Trump. The Lynchburg, Virginia, university was founded by Falwell’s late father, the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr. Falwell confirmed his decision to resign in an interview with The Associated Press. According to the school, he initially offered to resign Monday, hours after the Reuters news agency published an interview with a man who said that he had a yearslong sexual relationship with Becki Falwell and that Jerry Falwell participated in some of the liaisons as a voyeur. Falwell later reversed course, and began telling news outlets he had no intention of leaving. Then he changed direction again."

... Seems to be emulating our fuhrer, the Trump nazi. LOL.

“That’s the only reason I resigned: because I don’t want something my wife did to harm the school I’ve spent my whole life building,” he said in a phone interview. “I never broke a single rule that applies to staff members at Liberty, which I was. So I want everybody to know that.”

That right? LOL.

"The university confirmed in a statement that its board had accepted Falwell’s resignation as president, chancellor and board member. All were effective immediately, the statement said. Becki Falwell also spoke with the AP on Tuesday, saying she and her husband are “more in love than ever.”

That right? LOL.

“We have the strongest relationship and Jerry is the most forgiving person I’ve ever met,” she said. “It’s a shame that Christians can’t give us the same forgiveness that Christ gave us.”

... A bit more complicated than that, isn't it, madam? What about the alleged voyeurism and the following:

"Falwell had already been on leave since earlier this month after alumni and others recoiled at a photo he posted on social media The image showed him with his pants unzipped, stomach exposed and arm high around the waist of his wife’s pregnant assistant. Falwell has said the photo was taken at a costume party during a family vacation. The board “put me on leave for showing my belly in a picture and my contract doesn’t allow that,” he said Tuesday. He later added, “I’m 58 years old, and I think there’s something else in the cards for me. And so the board was gracious in accepting my resignation ... and it’s time to move on.”

"The latest controversy began to unfold late Sunday, when The Washington Examiner published a lengthy statement from Falwell disclosing that his wife had an extramarital affair. The statement, later shared with the AP, said the man involved had been threatening to reveal the relationship “to deliberately embarrass my wife, family, and Liberty University unless we agreed to pay him substantial monies.” Falwell said he was seeking mental health counseling after dealing with fallout from the affair, which he said he had no role in. “Over the course of the last few months ... we have decided the only way to stop this predatory behavior is to go public,” the statement said."

Apparently, not quite that simple:

"But on Monday, Reuters published Giancarlo Granda’s account of the relationship, including what the news agency said was an audio recording of a phone call between both the Falwells and Granda. The tale of Granda’s ties to the family, previously reported in part by other news outlets, has become known as the “pool boy” story. Granda and the Falwells met while he worked as a pool attendant in Miami. Granda took on partial ownership of a hostel in Miami’s party-friendly South Beach neighborhood with members of the Falwell family, according to court documents. The purchase of the property was a surprise move in itself for the president of a conservative evangelical university. Granda’s later involvement sparked legal jostling that later involved Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer. Granda did not return a phone call from AP on Tuesday."

Fascinating, isn't it?

"Falwell started an indefinite leave of absence as president and chancellor on Aug. 7 amid intense criticism of the photo he posted on social media. Critics of the image said it was evidence of hypocritical behavior from the leader of a university where students must follow a strict code of conduct that includes modest dress and a ban on alcohol consumption and premarital sex. The photo also prompted new pushback against Falwell from school alumni and supporters, including North Carolina GOP Rep. Mark Walker, who called for his resignation. Liberty alumni and Virginia pastor Colby Garman tweeted on Monday night that the events which brought Falwell down “are not the public fall of a Christian leader into sin.” “They are the unmasking of a long-standing hypocrisy that has fed off the resources and goodwill of a Christian institution while despising the truths it was established to uphold,” Garman wrote."

Interesting, isn't it?

"The Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr. had aspired to make Liberty University an academic and athletic leader for evangelicals in the vein of the University of Notre Dame, an academic bastion for Roman Catholics. The younger Falwell’s success in shoring up the school’s finances after he took over in 2007 following his father’s death bolstered his standing among the school’s board members. But as his propensity toward divisive public behavior grew — and particularly following his endorsement of Trump in early 2016 — a number of alumni and staff became dissatisfied with the university’s direction under Falwell. Several of Falwell’s more incendiary recent public statements were connected to his political conservatism and his support for Trump. Falwell tweeted last year that Southern Baptist pastor David Platt should “grow a pair” after Platt acknowledged tension caused by Trump’s visit to his church. This summer, 35 Black Liberty University alumni publicly rebuked Falwell after he responded to a coronavirus mask mandate by Virginia’s Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, with a tweet invoking the blackface scandal that nearly forced Northam from office. LeeQuan McLaurin resigned earlier this year as Liberty’s director of diversity retention and decried what he has described as the school’s disinterest in working toward racial equality and inclusion. Racism “has always been an issue for Liberty, and they have always ignored it because they knew that they could,” McLaurin said. “However, they knew they could not simply ignore sexual immorality since that has been a longstanding value held by the church, and many of the donors of the institution,” McLaurin added."

Yet, they have no problem dictating to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus. No problem with forcing their perverse religious views on the rest of us by statute. In direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion.

8-21-20

Think the magnificent bald eagle doesn't literally defend civil and constitutional rights and liberties? LOL. ... Particularly, the right to privacy? LOL. United Press International reports:

"Michigan state officials said a drone mapping shoreline erosion in the Upper Peninsula was sent to a "watery grave" in a "brazen attack" by a bald eagle. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, or EGLE, said the drone was being piloted by environmental quality analyst Hunter King along the Lake Michigan shore when it encountered the bird of prey near Escanaba. King said he was watching the video feed from the drone when it started spinning "like a really bad roller coaster ride." The analyst said he looked up at the sky and noticed the drone was gone and a bald eagle was flying away from the scene. A couple birdwatching nearby told King they had seen the eagle knock the unmanned aircraft out of the sky."

Had to have been one hell of a sight. LOL.

"Multiple searches of the area were unable to locate the fallen drone. EGLE said it will be replaced with a similar model."

... Think history might repeat itself? LOL.

"The department joked the drone was sent to a "watery grave" in the "brazen attack." EGLE said officials contacted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources "to see if it might issue a citation or violation notice to the rogue eagle." "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do," a DNR spokesman said. "Nature is a cruel and unforgiving mistress."

8-21-20

Who better than a former prosecutor? LOL. NBC News reports:

"Kamala Harris didn't wait long to test out her new role as lead attacker for Joe Biden's presidential campaign. "The case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut," Harris, the newly named Democratic vice presidential pick, said Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware, at her first joint appearance with Biden since her selection was announced a day earlier. Trump, the California senator said, is responsible for failing to stop the coronavirus pandemic in its tracks and for the economic destruction its spread has wrought on the nation. "He inherited the longest economic expansion in history from Barack Obama and Joe Biden and then like everything else he inherited, he ran it straight into the ground," Harris said. "That's what happens when we elect a guy who just isn't up for the job."

Let it rip, Counselor. LOL. At least, you're going after someone who truly deserves it. -- Ferociously pointedly, unlike others on the bottom and lower middle class you f--ked over as prosecutor just doing your job, i.e. abusing power.

"Harris' ability to deliver punchy one-liners against Trump, demonstrated in her own short-lived presidential campaign and over the course of three-plus years in the Senate, is one reason supporters said she would make a good fit for the Democratic ticket. Though Trump likes to engage in verbal warfare with his opponents, most presidential candidates prefer to distance themselves a bit from the most brutal assaults on opponents by handing the rhetorical ammunition to their running mates."

Indeed. Biden couldn't have made a better choice in terms of having a partner who is exceptionally good at taking the fight to the Trump nazi. Certainly, stuck it to Biden himself at one of the primary debates before dropping out. LOL. Truly, rattled his cage.

Masterful interrogator. One of the very best. As a prosecutor, however, she was part of an achingly f--ked up, highly dysfunctional legal system. Doesn't mean, however, she wouldn't make a good vice president, -- or president should the need arise.

Have certainly thought since the debates and her subsequent withdrawal from the race, she was indeed the better candidate for president than Biden or anyone else for that matter in the Democratic Party. Saddest of all? There are many Independents in this country who would make far better candidates.

"The balance Harris must strike — and one supporters say she's capable of finding — is hammering Trump while helping Biden with two tasks key to his electoral prospects: mobilizing Black voters and persuading suburban women of all backgrounds to pick him over Trump."

... Shouldn't be that difficult, -- at all. LOL.

NPR reports:

"Twenty-four hours after entertaining and amplifying a false and racist birther conspiracy aimed at Sen. Kamala Harris, President Trump had an opportunity to correct the record. He didn't. Neither did his son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner. For Trump, this is a return to familiar territory. "Unfortunately, this might have been inevitable," said Doug Heye, a former Republican National Committee communications director. He said that when former Vice President Joe Biden first picked Harris as his running mate, he saw tweets from Democrats saying: "Here comes the racism and sexism." Heye says he rolled his eyes recalling Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin being mocked as "Caribou Barbie." But then, Trump went there, with Harris. "The problem with that is, [the Democrats] weren't wrong and they weren't wrong because this is where Trump went and Trump supporters went immediately," Heye said. Heye argues it's not a good strategy but says Trump is likely returning to it because he's down in the polls and the American public is worried about the coronavirus and overwhelmingly disapproves of the president's handling of the crisis. "This is an old playbook," said Amanda Renteria, who was political director for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The official response from the Trump campaign was to criticize Harris as a "radical" and "phony." That's the script campaign surrogates stuck to during a call with reporters earlier this week.

"On Thursday, given the opportunity to reject a birther conspiracy making the rounds on the Internet, Trump threw fuel on it. "I heard it today, that she doesn't meet the requirements," Trump said when asked at a White House press briefing about a Newsweek opinion piece suggesting Harris' immigrant parents mean she shouldn't qualify to be vice president or president. "And by the way, the lawyer that wrote that piece is a very highly qualified, very talented lawyer." There is no question. Harris was born in Oakland, Calif. Yes, her father was an immigrant from Jamaica, her mother from India. But Harris is just as much a natural-born American as Trump, whose own mother emigrated from Scotland. And so as he often does, Trump did add a dose of plausible deniability. "I have no idea if that's right," Trump said. "I would have assumed the Democrats would have checked out before she gets chosen to run for vice president." This has echoes of language he has used in the past when pushing forward birther conspiracies about Barack Obama."

8-21-20

Once in awhile Pelosi gets it right. Remarkably, doesn't always sound like a total idiot. LOL. NBC News reports:

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized President Donald Trump’s opposition to voting by mail Thursday, calling it a “contradiction” and saying his position on U.S. Postal Service funding is harmful to Americans who rely on the agency for services beyond voting."

Remains abject hypocrisy since Trump, himself, votes absentee.

"The president's family was all out in California urging absentee ballot during the special election in the spring, so this is, nonetheless, yet again, shall we say, another contradiction," Pelosi, D-Calif., said in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." When asked if there was any chance Democrats would agree to another round of coronavirus relief legislation if it did not include funding for the Postal Service, Pelosi said Republican negotiators were "losing it in some respect."

Speak crystal clear English, Madam Speaker. Not Democratic bullshit. LOL.

“They’re not facing the facts," Pelosi added, highlighting that Americans rely on the Postal Service for services such as receiving prescription drugs. “They’re hurting seniors," she said. "It’s a health issue in 2019, it's even more so in the time of the pandemic. So when the president goes after the Postal Service, he’s going after an all-American, highly-approved, by-the-public institution."

Give me a break. LOL. Bullshit is unbecoming Republican nazis as well as Democratic idiots. LOL.

"In an interview with Fox Business Network earlier Thursday morning, Trump acknowledged that expanding vote-by-mail in November would be difficult if Republicans successfully blocked the Democrats' push to better fund the Postal Service. House Democrats have demanded that any final pandemic spending bill roll back recent operational changes at the agency and give it $25 billion in one-time funding. Democrats are also seeking $3.6 billion in funds for mail-in voting in the next major relief bill. "Now, they need that money in order to have the post office work, so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots," Trump said. "But if they don’t get those two items, that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting, because they’re not equipped to have it." Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign said Thursday that Trump's stance amounted to "an assault on our democracy and economy." "The president of the United States is sabotaging a basic service that hundreds of millions of people rely upon, cutting a critical lifeline for rural economies and for delivery of medicines, because he wants to deprive Americans of their fundamental right to vote safely during the most catastrophic public health crisis in over 100 years — a crisis so devastatingly worsened by his own failed leadership that we are now the hardest hit country in the world by the coronavirus pandemic," the campaign's rapid response director, Andrew Bates, said in a statement. "Even Donald Trump's own campaign has endorsed voting by mail, and his own administration has conclusively refuted his wild-eyed conspiracy theories about the most secure form of voting," Bates said."

Joe, use your brain. Have your running mate, Kamala Harris, take on the Trump nazi. As a former prosecutor, she's much better at this shit than you or any of your staff. Doesn't sound like an idiot. Runs circles around you, sir. LOL. Be a mistake not to take advantage of that talent. -- Not that you or Trump are truly worth a shit, sadly, for totally different reasons. LOL.

"Speaking at a press conference later Thursday morning, Pelosi again addressed the president's comments about the Postal Service, saying efforts to make the agency less functional were "undermining the health of our democracy."

Say what? Come again. Try one more time to get it right, Madam Speaker. You can do it. LOL.

"Pelosi added that the $25 billion in proposed funding was recommended by the Postal Service's board of governors — each of whom was appointed by Trump."

Wouldn't want to confuse the nazi with the truth would you, Madam Speaker?

"But so obsessed are [Trump and Republicans] to undermine absentee voting, this is their connection there," she said."

Say what? ... Just when you were starting to make some sense. LOL.

8-21-20

A harder look at one of Trump's worst jackasses. United Press International reports:

"Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf and Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli are not legally entitled to hold those positions, a government watchdog determined Friday."

Surprised? Why?

"Wolf and Cuccinelli's current roles are invalid because they assumed the jobs under a succession plan crafted in November by former DHS Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan, who himself had no authority to hold his job under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, the Government Accountability Office said in a report. The findings could provide ammunition for critics who argue that Wolf and Cuccinelli are serving in their roles unlawfully and without Senate confirmation -- accusations that intensified after President Donald Trump's sent federal officers to monitor anti-racism protests in several cities, including Portland, Ore."

Wolf certainly drew attention to himself for comments made against innocent, unarmed, peaceful protesters. -- Protesters who had been beaten, abused, abducted in unmarked rental vehicles by Trump's unidentified jackbooted thugs who were determinedly following their fuhrer's orders to intimidate peaceful protesters exercising a constitutional right.

"Critics say the administration illegally fills top posts with temporary appointments without seeking congressional confirmation."

Certainly, true. That way, the nazi occupying the Oval Office can appoint anyone he pleases with no congressional oversight. Most convenient, no?

"Under the department's succession plan drawn up by McAleenan, his resignation in November allowed Wolf -- who then was Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans -- to take over as acting secretary, the GAO report said. Wolf then again altered the plan to allow Cuccinelli, then principal deputy director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, to assume his current role as senior official performing the duties of deputy secretary, the report found. Both moves were invalid, the report said, because McAleenan himself "was not the proper acting secretary," meaning he didn't have authority to amend the succession plan in November."

Fascinating, isn't it? LOL.

"McAleenan took over as acting secretary after Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April 2019 -- but the report determined that he shouldn't have done so because the grounds for his succession applied only to the secretary's unavailability as a result of disaster or catastrophic emergency. The GAO said it's referring its conclusions to the Homeland Security inspector general for further review. A federal judge ruled in March that Cuccinelli unlawfully obtained his role at CIS. The ruling invalidated controversial directives that restricted asylum seekers' abilities to consult with attorneys and prepare before their immigration hearings."

Both men need to be criminally investigated anyway by the 'Justice' Department vis a vis their actions while in office. Hard to believe that will happen with a U.S. Attorney General who remains clearly in the pocket of the Trump nazi.

8-21-20

A judge figuratively holds the Trump nazi's feet to the fire. United Press International reports:

"A federal judge in Pennsylvania on Thursday ordered the Trump campaign and the Republican party to produce evidence of vote-by-mail fraud in the state. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan called on President Donald Trump's re-election campaign to produce evidence supporting his claims of voter fraud in the state by Friday after it sued to ban dropboxes for mail ballots at county elections offices, CNN reported. "The Court finds that instances of voter fraud are relevant to the claims and defenses in this case," Ranjan wrote. The Democratic Party and the Sierra Club wrote to the court on Wednesday requesting information and documents detailing how the Republican Party and the Trump campaign determined the possibility of fraud, particularly related to the use of dropboxes, ballot collection and mail-in ballots. Lawyers representing the Democrats wrote that the Trump campaign "should not be permitted to raise such spectacular fraud-related claims, particularly in this national climate." The Trump campaign, along with the Republican National Committee, three U.S. Representatives from Pennsylvania and two Republican voters who sought to serve as poll watchers filed the lawsuit against Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar and the boards of elections for all 67 of the state's counties in June. The suit alleges that dropboxes were used unconstitutionally in the state's June 2 primary, as election officials make decisions outside of what is allowed by laws and county elections officials set up different policies throughout the state, violating constitutional guarantees of equal protection."

Extremely little voter fraud going on. Insignificant. Trump and his henchmen are well aware of that. What they fear is anything that makes voting easier will favor Democrats. The hypocrisy remains stunning. Trump himself votes absentee. If he's so afraid of non-existent voter fraud, why is he voting absentee? LOL. It's all bullshit.

8-21-20

Double standard. One for the top of the food chain, the other for the rest of us. NPR reports:

"The government agency responsible for policing Wall Street brought the fewest number of insider trading cases in decades, according to the most recent available data."

Surprised? Why? Forget who's running government?

"That decline came just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The Securities and Exchange Commission now warns that the pandemic has created wild swings in the market and more opportunities for insider trading. NPR reviewed data from the 1980s through last year and found that under the Trump administration, the SEC brought just 32 insider trading enforcement actions in 2019, the lowest number since 1996."

The criminal dictator in the Oval Office takes care of his own. Forget?

"The SEC charged 46 defendants as part of those cases. That was the lowest number of defendants in insider trading cases since Ronald Reagan was president, and about half of the annual average over the last three decades. The decline has alarmed experts and advocates, who worry that flagrant illegal trading may go unchecked."

Surprised? Why? Par for the course.

"In a statement, a spokesperson for the SEC called insider trading enforcement a "core component" of the commission's work, saying, "We continue to vigorously pursue insider trading cases against individuals and companies."

Not true. Another lie.

8-21-20

More on Manafort and his collusion with the Russians vis a vis the 2016 Presidential Election. United Press International reports:

"Former Trump strategist Paul Manafort worked closely during the 2016 campaign with a man described as a "Russian intelligence officer," a report Tuesday by the Senate intelligence committee concluded. The 966-page bipartisan report said Manafort -- who is now serving a seven-year prison sentence related to the Justice Department's Russia investigation -- maintained a close relationship with Russian national Konstantin Kilimnik, who it names as a Russian intelligence officer. Titled "Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities," the report is the fifth and final volume of the Senate committee's Russia inquiry -- and in some areas mirrors that of special counsel Robert Mueller, but exceeds it in scope. The report says Kilimnik, an aide to pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, became an "integral part of Manafort's operations in Ukraine and Russia" and was Manafort's "primary liaison" to Deripaska. He eventually managed Manafort's office in Kyiv. "Kilimnik and Manafort formed a close and lasting relationship that endured to the 2016 U.S. elections and beyond," the report states. The Senate committee determined that Manafort sought to hand over sensitive internal polling data and campaign strategy to Kilimnik during the campaign, although investigators were unable to determine what the Russian operative did with the information. In another finding, the committee said Kilimnik "may have been connected" to the Russian hacking and leaking of Democratic emails. "Taken as a whole, Manafort's high level access and willingness to share information with individuals closely affiliated with the Russian intelligence services, particularly Kilimnik and associates of Oleg Deripaska, represented a grave counterintelligence threat," the committee wrote."

A bi-partisan committee.

"Manafort, 71, was sentenced to prison for tax evasion, fraud and witness tampering in connection with Mueller's investigation. He was allowed in May to leave prison to serve the rest of his sentence in home confinement due to threats associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senate report said investigators found evidence that then-Republican candidate Donald Trump and top campaign officials had approached conservative strategist Roger Stone for information about WikiLeaks' pending release of the damaging emails that had been stolen by Russian hackers. "At their direction, Stone took action to gain inside knowledge for the campaign and shared his purported knowledge directly with Trump and senior campaign officials on multiple occasions," the report says. Mueller's investigation found last year that there was no hard evidence that Trump's campaign had colluded with Russian actors before the election. It did note, however, numerous "episodes" in which Trump may have obstructed justice as president. He was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House last December on a similar charge but was acquitted in the Republican-held Senate. "We found no evidence of 'collusion,'" Sen. Marco Rubio, the intelligence committee's acting chairman, tweeted. "At nearly 1,000 pages, Volume 5 stands as the most comprehensive examination of ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign to date -- a breathtaking level of contacts between Trump officials and Russian government operatives that is a very real counterintelligence threat to our elections," ranking Democrat Sen. Mark Warner said in a statement. "This cannot happen again."

Called treason.

8-21-20

Walls closing in on Trump and his henchmen. NBC News reports:

"Federal prosecutors on Thursday indicted one-time presidential aide Steve Bannon and three others on charges of taking money donated to help build a wall along the southern border, authorities said. Bannon, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, Timothy Shea "and others orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors," according to prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York. The defendants' online crowdfunding campaign “We Build The Wall” raised more than $25 million, with Kolfage "repeatedly and falsely assured the public that he would 'not take a penny in salary,'" prosecutors said in a statement. And Bannon "publicly stated, 'we’re a volunteer organization,'” prosecutors said. But in fact, prosecutors said, the defendants took hundreds of thousands of donated dollars and used them for personal expenses. Bannon was taken into custody by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service on Thursday morning, officials said. He's expected to make his first appearance in court later on Thursday. He was aboard a 150-foot-long yacht in Long Island Sound, off the coast of Westbrook, Connecticut, when he was arrested, law enforcement sources told NBC News. Bannon is not the owner of the vessel and the arrest was made without incident. Bannon is the former executive chairman of Breitbart News and once served as chief strategist for President Donald Trump."

NBC News reports:

"A federal judge on Thursday denied President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to quash a probe by New York prosecutors seeking his tax returns and other financial documents. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero amounted to a second loss in Trump’s high-stakes court battle with Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. Marrero had rejected Trump’s initial attempt to block a subpoena from Vance seeking eight years of his tax returns. The Supreme Court ruled last month that the president is not immune from a grand jury subpoena while in office but allowed him to make an alternative argument to fight it. In his 103-page ruling, Marrero rejected Trump’s new argument that Vance’s subpoena is “wildly broad” and was issued in “bad faith.” “At its core, it amounts to absolute immunity through a back door, an entry point through which not only a President but also potentially other persons and entities, public and private, could effectively gain cover from judicial process,” Marrero wrote. The decision moves Vance one step closer to obtaining the president's financial records. But within just a few hours of the ruling, Trump's lawyers filed an emergency motion appealing the decision and asking for a freeze on the case."

8-14-20

Why is it the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue never seem to smarten up? The Washington Post reports:

"A D.C. police officer who has worked for the department for more than three decades has been charged with violating the civil rights of two people in separate July 2018 incidents involving illegal chokeholds, according to court filings. Officer Mark L. Clark was named in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Tuesday and made public on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington. Both incidents occurred in the same week and “resulted in bodily injury,” according to the indictment. Clark’s attorney Barrett R. Schultz said Thursday the officer had no comment at this time. A spokesperson for the office of acting U.S. attorney Michael R. Sherwin declined to comment. Clark joined the police force on July 17, 1989, according to District records. He was last assigned to the 1st District in central D.C. but has been suspended from duty on noncontact status, police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said. Clark on July 13, 2018, “assaulted D.T. and used a prohibited trachea hold without legal justification,” using his arm and hand against the victim’s windpipe and throat, the indictment said. Five days later, on July 18, 2018, Clark “assaulted K.C. and used a prohibited trachea hold and a prohibited carotid artery hold without legal justification,” court filings said. He used his arm and hand against the victim’s windpipe and throat, as well as carotid artery and jugular vein, the indictment said. The indictment didn’t offer further identifying information for those involved. The indictment states that Clark deprived both victims of their constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment to be free from unreasonable seizure, including excessive use of force."

Why did it take two years to bring this son of a bitch to justice?

"The D.C. Council barred trachea holds by officers and restricted the use of carotid artery holds in 1986. D.C. police policy has prohibited the use of all neck restraints since 2017. According to an annual report, the Office of Police Complaints has reported two or three chokehold complaints per year since 2016 — about 10 out of roughly 600 complaints over four years. Clark was charged under law that existed before the D.C. Council passed an emergency police reform bill last month that makes all chokeholds illegal and punishable by a maximum 10-year prison sentence, said a spokesman for council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), chairman of the public safety committee. Greggory Pemberton, chairman of the union representing D.C. officers, declined to comment."

What the f--k could he say?

8-14-20

Gutless judge. All talk. No action. The Washington Post reports:

"The federal judge made clear in his blistering opinion that he thought Clarence Jamison was doing nothing more than driving a Mercedes as a Black man when he was stopped by a White Mississippi police officer. The officer detained Jamison for nearly two hours, tore his car apart looking for drugs and left him on the side of the road when nothing was found."

Goddamned nazi justice in Nazi America.

"U.S. District Court Judge Carlton W. Reeves placed the 2013 case alongside others that have sparked outrage, citing the deaths at the hands of police of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. He lamented that thousands had lost their lives to police use-of-force and countless others had been subject to misconduct by officers."

All talk. No action. Empty rhetoric. Goddamned gutless:

"Even so, Reeves dismissed Jamison’s civil suit arguing that Richland police officer Nick McClendon had violated his rights. In an opinion released Monday, Reeves wrote that the case was a miscarriage of justice, but that his hands were tied by a once-obscure legal doctrine that is coming under increasing fire as the nation reckons with how to hold police responsible for misdeeds: qualified immunity."

A goddamned bullshit excuse for the egregiously inexcusable. You know the law is wrong, outrageously unconstitutional, yet you fail to stand up and do the right thing? That's gutless, 'Judge.' You could have resigned in protest. Could have allowed the case to proceed no matter the personal cost. Pieces of gutless shit like you enable this outrageous bullshit.

"Qualified immunity shields government officials from personal civil liability for carrying out their duties, unless the official violates a statutory or constitutional right clearly established by a previous case. The idea is to allow government officials wide latitude to do their jobs without being hamstrung by frequent and costly litigation."

Since no two cases are exactly alike, this means most suits against corrupt, abusive, criminal officers get conveniently thrown out. Nazi justice in a goddamned de facto fascist police-state. Adolf and Benito? Likely, wildly cheering on their fiery perches. ... Right, Sheriff? Madam County Attorney? 'Sonny Boy?'

"But Reeves in his ruling and other critics claim that judges have effectively walled police officers off from accountability. He urged the Supreme Court to take up cases challenging qualified immunity. Some state legislatures are examining bills to weaken qualified immunity as well in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, and activists have targeted it as a major goal for police overhaul."

All the more reason, 'Judge,' you should have courageously let the case proceed.

“Under that law, the officer who transformed a short traffic stop into an almost two-hour, life-altering ordeal is entitled to qualified immunity,” wrote Reeves, who presides in the Southern District of Mississippi. “But let us not be fooled by legal jargon. Immunity is not exoneration. And the harm in this case to one man sheds light on the harm done to the nation by this manufactured doctrine.”

Empty rhetoric. All talk. No action.

"Reeves, who was nominated to the bench in 2010 by President Barack Obama, has not shied away from sharp opinions. He generated headlines last year when he likened President Trump’s attacks on the judiciary to those in previous decades by the Ku Klux Klan."

Gutlessly, failed to do what was required in this latest decision.

"Jamison was driving home to South Carolina from a vacation in Arizona when he was stopped by McClendon on July 29, 2013, according to the opinion. McClendon testified that he pulled Jamison over in Palehatchie, Miss., because Jamison’s temporary tag was folded over so he couldn’t make out his license plate number. McClendon testified that he ran Jamison’s driver’s license and plates before asking the driver if he could search his car for drugs or other contraband. McClendon said Jamison quickly agreed, but Jamison testified that McClendon asked him five times to search his car and told him falsely that he had received a call that there were 10 kilos of cocaine in the vehicle. Feeling tired of the conversation, Jamison agreed to the search as long as he could watch what was going on, he testified during proceedings in the lawsuit. McClendon testified that he found nothing during an extensive search, before using a dog to sniff the vehicle. After 1 hour 50 minutes, McClendon finally departed."

Jackbooted criminal motherf--ker in blue:

"Jamison testified that he got an estimate that the search caused $4,000 worth of damage to the car — his convertible top had to be replaced and his seats restitched. Jamison eventually sued McClendon and others, claiming that his constitutional rights were violated because the search was illegal and he was racially profiled. But one by one, judges ruled that Jamison’s claims against McClendon had to be dismissed because of qualified immunity. Reeves’s ruling issued Monday was the final one, despite his misgivings. Over 72 pages, he traced the origins of qualified immunity in Reconstruction and how it has evolved to the current day. He cited a litany of cases where he thought the doctrine had thwarted justice. “Just as the Supreme Court swept away the doctrine of ‘separate but equal,’ so too should it eliminate the doctrine of qualified immunity,” Reeves wrote."

You could have forced the issue, 'Judge.' Not thrown out the suit. Gutlessly, failed to do so. Clearly, you and others who think like you are the problem. Certainly, not the solution. All you did, in effect, was rubber stamp raw nazism.

8-14-20

Another highly questionable case, particularly how it's being handled. NBC News reports:

"New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday that she has filed a lawsuit against the National Rifle Association and four individuals, including longstanding leader Wayne LaPierre, seeking to dissolve the gun rights advocacy group for "years of illegal self-dealings" that funded a "lavish lifestyle" for its top executives."

Why weren't these individuals simply criminally indicted for these alleged crimes? Criminally, prosecuted? What is your agenda, Madam Attorney General? Ridding New York of this group for political reasons? That is, your opposition to gun rights, i.e., The Second Amendment? That is, the last best defense against outrageously corrupt, abusive, criminal government. Even if you're successful in dissolving the NRA, they can always move their charter to another state. Again, and ferociously pointedly, if you don't have an anti-gun agenda, why not simply have criminally prosecuted the four top executives?

"James said the organization engaged in illegal conduct by diverting "millions of dollars away from the charitable mission of the organization for personal use by senior leadership, awarding contracts to the financial gain of close associates and family, and appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty." "The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law," she said."

You clearly have an agenda that is far more than criminal prosecution of alleged wrong-doing.

"Also named in the complaint are Wilson "Woody" Phillips, a former treasurer and chief financial officer; Joshua Powell, a former chief of staff and the executive director of general operations; and John Frazer, the corporate secretary and general counsel. They are accused of failing to manage the NRA's funds and abide by state and federal laws, contributing to the loss of more than $64 million in three years, James said. She added that the executives had used the corporation as a "personal piggy bank," and that the suit, which was filed in state court in Manhattan following an 18-month investigation, would be forwarded to the IRS for potential violations of tax law. "Given the breadth and depth of the corruption, the illegality and the brazen attempts to evade the law," James said, it was necessary for the NRA to be disbanded to protect members."

That's bullshit. Where have you been all this time? These allegations have been around for years. Why didn't you, and/or others in authority act heretofore?

Clearly, this is fulfillment of a partisan political promise made earlier by James:

"James confirmed in April 2019 that an investigation of the NRA was underway, part of a campaign promise to dig into the group's not-for-profit status if elected. James had issued subpoenas as part of the investigation, reportedly looking into its campaign finances, payments made to board members and tax compliance. That same month, Oliver North, the retired U.S. Marine lieutenant colonel who became NRA president in 2018, stepped down from the role after alleging other leadership had engaged in financial improprieties. His departure revealed a fractured organization and internal power struggle in which North and his supporters had reportedly tried to oust LaPierre, the NRA CEO and Executive Vice President who has led the organization of more than 5 million members since 1991. LaPierre later accused North of trying to extort him. But the longtime public face of the NRA has also come under scrutiny from major donors worried about the group's revenue and mounting legal troubles."

Go after them criminally. Why try to dissolve the group? The rank and file were not engaged in criminal activity, were they?

"While the NRA is headquartered in Fairfax County, Virginia, the New York attorney general has investigatory authority over its status as a not-for-profit organization as it is chartered in New York. The group remains the most powerful gun lobby in the United States, although amid the coronavirus pandemic, it has laid off or furloughed dozens of employees and cut salaries. In July, it endorsed Trump's re-election for the White House, saying he had "done more than any president to protect the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms."

That last statement is not credible. In full disclosure, this writer is not, and has not been, a member of this group. Sadly, it is dominated by the nazi element and its fascist agenda in our formerly great country. I do, however, staunchly support the Second Amendment as the last, best defense against corrupt and abusive government.

The Washington Post reports:

"The chief executive of the National Rifle Association and several top lieutenants engaged in a decades-long pattern of fraud to raid the coffers of the powerful gun rights group for personal gain, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by the New York attorney general, draining $64 million from the nonprofit in just three years. In her lawsuit, Attorney General Letitia James called for the dissolution of the NRA and the removal of CEO Wayne LaPierre from the leadership post he has held for the past 29 years, saying he and others used the group’s funds to finance a luxury lifestyle. She also asked a New York court to force LaPierre and three key deputies to repay NRA members for the ill-gotten money and inflated salaries that her investigation found they took. James accused the NRA leaders of flouting state and federal laws and signing off on reports and statements they knew were fraudulent, while diverting millions of dollars away from the NRA’s charitable mission to benefit themselves and their allies. The attorney general requested that the court bar the four men — LaPierre, general counsel John Frazer, former treasurer Woody Phillips and former chief of staff Joshua Powell — from ever serving in a leadership position for a New York charity in the future. “The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” James, a Democrat, said in a statement. Her investigation, which began in February 2019, found a “a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement, and negligent oversight at the NRA that was illegal, oppressive, and fraudulent,” according to a statement by the attorney general’s office.

"NRA officials lashed back in response, accusing James in a countersuit of a premeditated plan to take down the organization.

"The New York lawsuit against the NRA paints a picture of widespread wrongdoing at the influential gun rights group, and a freewheeling atmosphere in which top officials repeatedly took advantage of their positions for their personal benefit. In one new revelation, the attorney general said her investigation uncovered that LaPierre recently arranged a post-employment contract for himself with the NRA worth $17 million. He never sought board approval for the deal, the suit claims. The lawsuit also claims LaPierre failed to report large sums of personal income to the IRS. James’s office said it found that the NRA chief funneled personal expenses through an outside public relations firm, allowing him to avoid reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal income. James said Thursday that she was referring those findings to the IRS. She also said that if her office uncovers criminal activity, it will be referred to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office."

Isn't that precisely what you're accusing these four individuals of engaging in in your suit, Madam Attorney General?

"In response, the NRA said Thursday that it was filing its own federal lawsuit against James, alleging that the attorney general has violated the group’s free speech rights and has been unfairly targeting the gun rights lobby since she began campaigning for the office. “This was a baseless, premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment freedoms it fights to defend,” NRA President Carolyn Meadows said in a statement. “You could have set your watch by it: the investigation was going to reach its crescendo as we move into the 2020 election cycle.” NRA officials said they believe James’s action was designed to disrupt the group’s momentum at a critical time in the 2020 election campaign. The NRA political action arm is planning to spend tens of millions of dollars this fall to mobilize its members to defeat Democratic candidates who seek gun restrictions, including putative Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to a person familiar with fundraising, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal strategy. “It’s a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda,” Meadows said. “This has been a power grab by a political opportunist — a desperate move that is part of a rank political vendetta. Our members won’t be intimidated or bullied in their defense of political and constitutional freedom.”

Report goes on and on. If there's criminal activity, prosecute. Dissolution of the NRA? That's not going to happen. They'll charter in another state. ... Ferociously pointedly, do Democrats delusionally believe such tactics will secure elections for Democratic candidates? Or, turn off voters.

8-14-20

Insurrection continues in Portland. The Associated Press reports:

"Portland’s nightly protests turned violent again even after the city’s mayor pleaded for demonstrators to stay off the streets and a police officer hit by a rock early Friday suffered what was described as a serious injury."

The insanity and violence continue because there has been absolutely no change in law enforcement and its tactics. None. Resistance to change has never been higher within police ranks. This has been a problem for at least the last six decades, -- if not longer. It's now coming to a head.

"The protesters who came out Thursday night clashed with officers near a police precinct station and also used metal bars to disable police vehicles, police said in a statement. The nightly clashes this week have ratcheted up tensions in the city after an agreement was reached last week between state and federal officials for federal agents to pull back from their defense of a federal courthouse that was previously the focus of the protesters’ rage."

Readers are reminded the jackbooted tactics of Trump's goons severely exacerbated a long-standing battle between highly-abusive local law enforcement and the citizens of Portland.

"The strategy initially appeared to calm down the protesters, but violent demonstrations re-emerged on the streets this week, miles away from the courthouse - marking a new phase in the nightly protests for Portland that have happened since May 25, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis."

Unless and until police are subject to the same legal standards as the rest of us, there will be no change. This fuels protest. Exacerbates an untenable status quo. How many out of control jackbooted bastards in blue have been arrested for excessive use of force? How many? Not one? Wake up.

"Tear gas was used by Portland police on protesters Wednesday for the first time since the U.S. agents left the city. On Thursday, Mayor Ted Wheeler warned the protesters clashing with police that “you are not demonstrating, you are attempting to commit murder.”

When the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue use batons against innocent, unarmed, peaceful protesters exercising a constitutional right, what exactly would you call that behavior, Mr. Mayor?

"During the mayhem, protesters hurled bottles and rocks at officers and demonstrators laid ties made of rebar on the street that caused damage to police vehicles after they ran over them, the police statement said. Several people were arrested, including one person who had a loaded handgun, the statement said."

Again, how many of the jackbooted bastards in blue were arrested for use of excessive force? Not one?

Apparently, sadly, this struggle is turning into open insurrection:

"But the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front, which advertised the Wednesday rally on social media, used Twitter to announce “Round 2” of the same demonstration on Thursday night with the slogan “No cops. No prisons. Total abolition.” The group, which described itself as a “decentralized network of autonomous youth collectives dedicated to direct action towards total liberation,” did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The clashes between thousands of protesters and U.S. agents sent by the Trump administration to guard the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse stopped after an agreement between Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that called for the agents to begin drawing down their presence in Portland’s downtown on July 30."

Again, the problem extends much deeper and wider than the Trump nazi and his unfettered goons:

"But after a brief weekend reprieve, protest activity has continued nightly in other parts of the city, with Portland police, local sheriff’s deputies and, in some cases, Oregon State Police troopers on the frontlines as demonstrators demand an end to police funding. Thursday night’s protest was in a residential neighborhood 6 miles (over 9 kilometers) away from the federal courthouse. Protesters gathered in the same area Wednesday night and shined lasers in officers’ eyes, disabled exterior security cameras, broke windows and used boards pulled from the building to barricade the doors and start a fire, authorities said. There were 20 sworn officers inside, as well as civilian employees, said Capt. Tony Passadore, who was the incident commander."

This behavior by protesters is inexcusable. Continues for one reason and one reason only. Been no substantive change in criminal jackbooted bastard behavior. None. Until that happens, expect the violence on both sides to continue and escalate. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

8-14-20

Police chief resigns. NPR reports:

"Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best is resigning, abruptly announcing her departure late Monday just hours after the city council voted to strip the police department of some resources, including cutting around 100 jobs. Best, the city's first Black police chief, will depart after a tumultuous few months in Seattle, where intense protests against racial injustice and heavy-handed police practices drew national attention after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day. "This was a difficult decision for me, but when it's time, it's time," Best said in a letter to the Seattle Police Department, according to member station KUOW in Seattle. Best has served in the department for nearly 30 years. She will retire effective Sept. 2.

"Best has been dogged by mounting criticism over what protesters and observers viewed as her department's overly aggressive tactics to control crowds, including the police use of tear gas and flash-bang grenades during early demonstrations that had been mostly peaceful. Since June, Best has also faced a backlash over her approach to demonstrators taking over the area around the department's East Precinct building — and to the violence that unfolded in what became known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, or CHOP Zone (it has also been referred to as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone or CHAZ)."

8-14-20

Protest is turning to insurrection in Chicago. The Associated Press reports:

"Hundreds of people descended on downtown Chicago early Monday following a police shooting on the city’s South Side, with vandals smashing the windows of dozens of businesses and making off with merchandise, cash machines and anything else they could carry, police said."

Outrageous criminal mob activity. No excuse for it. There is a reason, however, why this is happening. Been no change in out of control, highly abusive, criminal behavior by law enforcement throughout our formerly great country. None. A problem at least the last six decades.

"Police Superintendent David Brown told reporters that the Sunday afternoon shooting of the man who had opened fire on officers apparently prompted a social media post that urged people to form a car caravan and converge on the business and shopping district. Some 400 additional officers were dispatched to the area after the department spotted the post. Over several hours, police made more than 100 arrests and 13 officers were injured, including one who was struck in the head with a bottle, Brown said. Brown dismissed any suggestion that the chaos was part of an organized protest of the shooting, calling it “pure criminality” that included occupants of a vehicle opening fire on police who were arresting a man they spotted carrying a cash register. No officers were wounded by gunfire, but a security guard and a civilian were hospitalized in critical condition after being shot, and five guns were recovered, he said. Mayor Lori Lightfoot agreed that the melee had nothing to do with a protest. “This was straight-up felony criminal conduct,” she said. “This was an assault on our city.”

Wake up. Yes, it is criminal activity. No question. Far worse than that, it's insurrection. Happening in direct response to failed government. All levels. All branches. Unless there is desperately needed change, will spread throughout our formerly great country.

"The mayhem brightened the national spotlight that has been on Chicago for weeks after a surge in gun violence that resulted in more homicides in July than any month in decades. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the city’s handling of the violence, recently ordered more federal agents to Chicago to take part in what Attorney General William Barr called “classic crime fighting.”

It's far worse than that, you clueless piece of crap. Called insurrection.

Facebook is failing to quickly remove video making false claims that ratchet up violence:

"Further ratcheting up the tensions in the city was a video circulating on Facebook that falsely claimed that Chicago police had shot and killed a 15-year-old boy. Posted at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, the video shows upset residents confronting officers near the scene where police shot and wounded an adult suspect they said had fired at them that day. By Monday morning, the footage had been watched nearly 100,000 times. Witnesses to the unrest described a scene that bore a striking resemblance to the unrest that unfolded when protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis devolved into chaos. Brown suggested that the lenient treatment of people arrested then played a role in what happened Monday. “Not many of those cases were prosecuted to the full extent,” he said. “These looters, these thieves, these criminals being emboldened by (the lack of) consequences ... emboldened to do more.”

Wake up, Mr. Brown. It's far worse than that. It's insurrection that could lead to revolution. The public has had enough of corrupt, abusive, clueless law enforcement. Jackbooted police are contributing to this growing problem.

"At the same news conference, Lightfoot addressed looters directly, telling them that police had collected a lot of surveillance video and other evidence that will be used to arrest and prosecute as many as possible. “We saw you, and we will come after you,” she warned. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx disputed any suggestion that her office had shied away from prosecuting people who were arrested for ransacking businesses weeks ago. She said none of those cases had been dropped. “That is simply not true,” she said. “Those cases are coming to court now.” Videos of the vandalism showed huge crowds of people smashing their way into businesses and streaming out of the broken windows and doors with clothes and other merchandise. They loaded up vehicles, some moving slowly and deliberately, apparently not worried about being caught by police or being recorded by scores of cellphone cameras. Vehicles drove away slowly, some leaving behind boxes of rocks that they had apparently brought to shatter the windows. Cash register drawers and clothes hangers were strewn about the streets, along with automatic teller machines that had been ripped from walls or pulled from inside businesses. Stores miles from downtown were also ransacked, their parking lots littered with glass and boxes that once contained television sets and other electronics.

"Train and bus service into downtown was temporarily suspended, and bridges over the Chicago River were lifted, preventing travel to and from the downtown area. Some highway ramps were also closed. Although those restrictions were eased later in the day, they were to be reimposed beginning Monday evening until Tuesday morning."

Sadly, just the beginning. Time for government to finally wake up.

The Washington Post reports:

"Hundreds of young people looted stores, broke into indoor shopping malls and battled with police overnight Sunday into Monday in the city’s central downtown business district.

"During the unrest, officers shot at least one person and chased suspects toting bags full of goods, tackling some to the ground and blocking off streets as they sought to restore order to the area. The looting came after a tense day between police and Black residents after the exchange of gunfire in the city’s South Side, sparking a violent standoff between dozens of officers and angry neighbors. A crowd quickly gathered nearby, and tempers flared after police allegedly took a cellphone away from someone who had recorded the shooting. Soon, rows of police faced off with a rapidly growing group. In the looting that followed later downtown, videos show people roaming up and down the streets, bashing their way into stores including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom Rack and a Tesla dealership. As police closed off highway ramps, bus and train service was halted downtown at the “request of public safety officials,” the city’s transit agency tweeted. Thirteen of the 400 Chicago police officers dispatched downtown were injured during the night by bottles and physical attacks. Many were shot at, Brown said, and a security guard and a bystander were injured and are in critical condition. Police recovered five guns. The looting, which spread south into the Loop and also into the North Side’s Old Town neighborhood, was a reminder of the chaos that followed the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, in the custody of Minneapolis police less than three months ago. At the time, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) sent 375 National Guardsmen to protect the downtown area, freeing up Chicago police to handle the looting that had spread throughout the city and surrounding suburbs. The unrest lasted for about a week after Memorial Day. Lightfoot told reporters at a second news conference Monday morning that she has not asked Pritzker for National Guard help, despite calls from Republican state lawmakers for state and federal troops to be sent in. “No, we do not need federal troops in Chicago — period, full stop,” Lightfoot said. Pritzker told reporters that the state police were dispatched last night. “Anything and everything we are asked to do, we will be helpful,” he said."

NBC News reports:

"Shattered glass and other debris from looted stores was still being cleaned up Tuesday after a wave of violence tore through the city's upscale shopping districts. To some experts, the unrest — in which more than 100 people were arrested and 13 police officers were injured — represents long-simmering frustrations finally boiling over. Others say the violence was opportunistic in nature, criminality spilling into the streets.

"David Stovall, a professor of Black studies and criminology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the uprising sent a clear message."

The Nazi Right hasn't a clue:

“This put everybody on notice that folks have had enough,” he said. “They are saying this is what it means to be poor, hungry and fed up, and if we're really not ready to address the foundational issue of housing, health care and employment, this is what we’re going to do."

While violence, theft, and other criminal activity displayed is not, and cannot be justified, it is due precisely to these problems and many, many others.

"The brazenness of people openly looting and attacking police officers shows that they feel that they have nothing to lose, he added. “You’re so numb, so disaffected and so disenfranchised, so what could be any worse than that?”

While none of the criminal activity is justified, none of it, until things change, expect more of the same.

“This was no doubt a long time coming.”

Decades. Sadly.

"Jennifer Cobbina, a criminal justice professor at Michigan State University, also sees a connection between looting and long-standing marginalization. “One perspective that much of the research on civil unrest has shown, which entails looting and rioting, is that when they occur, they are expressions of pent-up anger and they are symptomatic of systemic societal problems,” she said. “When there is a deep-seated grievance that has not been adequately addressed coupled with people feeling ignored, that is when uprisings occur. For people who are marginalized and ignored, uprisings serve as a mechanism to have their grievances heard and to resist a system that oppresses.”

That's right. No question. Until things change, expect more of the same, -- and worse.

Here's the sad part:

"Brown said "tempers flared, fueled by misinformation" about the shooting, including false reports that the victim was a teenager. The officers involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative duties, per department protocol, and the shooting is under investigation, police said. Despite the misinformation, the uprising is still a commentary on what it means to exist in an over-policed state, Stovall added. “These folks are frustrated to the point that anything put forward by police is unbelievable because of the history that the police department has had in those particular neighborhoods.”

That's right. A problem throughout the country. Yet, we cannot live without police. ... Someone has to haul in the criminal element. The status quo becomes intolerable, however, when the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue are worse than the people they're arresting.

"While perennial frustration with law enforcement has often sparked violence within local communities, rarely does that violence move beyond its neighborhood, experts say. “This type of caravan-ing by people to outside locations is very different,” Skogan said, adding that social media largely helped mobilize the attack downtown. “It's an interesting shift that we haven't seen in Chicago in quite some time where folks said, we’re not going to hit our communities, we’re going to go someplace else,” Stovall said. The city's communities of color have long criticized the disproportionate funding and favor given to Chicago's affluent areas — many that were hit in the looting — over its struggling neighborhoods. “Over the past few months, too many people — disproportionately Black and Brown — have lost their jobs, lost their income, lost their homes, and lost their lives as the city has done nothing and the Chicago elite have profited,” Black Lives Matter Chicago said in a statement. “When protesters attack high-end retail stores that are owned by the wealthy and service the wealthy, that is not ‘our’ city and has never been meant for us.” It was the second time the affluent shopping district was hit with looting since May in the wake of nationwide protests against the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis."

Here's the problem. How insurrection can turn into revolution:

"But some also worry that the incident will instigate an aggressive blowback by law enforcement that will further fuel a vicious cycle of violence and distrust between police and communities of color. Lightfoot has already taken a hard-line stance that the looting was “abject criminal behavior” and “straight-up felony criminal conduct."

Shortsighted misjudgment based on fear of far worse to come. Time to wake up. Prosecute the offenders, but understand until things change, this criminal behavior will continue, worsen.

"Stovall thinks it's important to address the factors fueling discontent. “We need to get away from the idea that it's just a bunch of bad people conspiring to do bad things and really understand what it means to live in those conditions in perpetuity,” Stovall said. “If you live under those conditions in perpetuity then the response isn't going to be peaceful or orderly, which is a tough thing to deal with, but we’re at a moment where we can’t ignore it.”

That's right. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

8-14-20

Asylum officers stand up to Trump nazi. CBS News reports:

"U.S. government asylum officers on Monday publicly denounced a proposal that would require them to deny safe harbor to migrants who are deemed a public health risk, accusing the Trump administration of using the coronavirus pandemic as a pretext to advance its restrictive immigration agenda. In a public comment on the proposed rule, the national union representing the asylum officers said the policy would not only betray America's tradition as a leading refuge for the world's oppressed, but force them to conduct medical assessments they are not qualified to make. If required to implement the restriction, the asylum officers said they would be violating their oath to uphold U.S. laws and international treaties that guarantee protection to people fleeing persecution and torture. "The measures that the Proposed Rule seeks to implement serve no public health purpose, nor do they advance our country's national security. Rather, they are draconian and contrary to our country's moral fabric and longstanding tradition of providing safe haven to the persecuted," wrote Council 119, the union representing asylum officers and other U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) employees. "Simply put, the Proposed Rule serves no purpose other than to advance the Administration's political objective to shut down the U.S. asylum program—at whatever cost to human life."

8-14-20

U.S. Attorney General has no clue. The Washington Post reports:

"Nearly two weeks after Democrats grilled Attorney General William P. Barr over the Justice Department’s crackdowns on racial justice protests, Barr on Sunday evening lashed out at the opposition party and the Black Lives Matter movement."

Expect better of an ignorant, Aryan arrogant nazi?

"Speaking to Fox News host Mark Levin, Barr said liberals are intent on “tearing down the system” and called protesters’ tactics “fascistic.” “They are a revolutionary group that is interested in some form of socialism, communism,” Barr said of Black Lives Matter. “They’re essentially Bolsheviks.”

Jesus Christ. Kettle calling the pot black. LOL. All you got, Billy boy? Time to wake up, you clueless son of a bitch. They're standing up to the racist nazi in the Oval Office and his henchmen, Mr. Attorney General. Standing up to the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops died fighting this ideology in the Second World War European Theater. Clearly, you're talking out your ass, Billy. ... That rattled? The public has had enough of the neo-nazism. You don't 'get' that?

"Barr’s comments in the hour-long interview on “Life, Liberty & Levin” represent some of his harshest critiques yet of the protest movement, which he equated with antifa and compared to guerrilla warfare, and of the Democratic politicians who have accused the attorney general of subverting the Justice Department to do President Trump’s bidding."

Precisely, what you've shamelessly done, Billy boy. What are you and your fuhrer, the Trump nazi desperate to do? Spark an unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming? We're already witnessing insurrection in Chicago, Portland, and elsewhere. Think it can't turn into a second American revolution? The public has had enough of the growing nazism in our formerly great country last seven decades since the McCarthy era.

Racism from our nazi fuhrer and his equally fascist henchmen:

"Trump has also regularly expressed his disapproval of Black Lives Matter, accusing one of its members of “treason” and called the Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower in New York “a symbol of hate.” Barr has also previously criticized the protests, which have been ongoing throughout the country since George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in May, and personally ordered law enforcement to use force to clear a largely peaceful crowd outside the White House on June 1."

Why haven't Barr and Trump been held criminally accountable for the above? Insult to injury? The following abject bullshit from the Barr nazi:

"On Sunday, Barr accused Black Lives Matter of being an anti-government operation that has been co-opted by violent antifa members. Barr argued the group is part of a coordinated effort to push Trump out of office."

Paranoid, you clueless son of a bitch?

Barr remains as clearly insane as his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Get this. It's laughable. Pathetic coming from a supposedly educated government official:

“The left wants power because that is essentially their state of grace in their secular religion,” he said. “They want to run peoples’ lives so they can design utopia for all of us and that’s what turns them on. And it’s the lust for power and they weren’t expecting Trump’s victory and it outrages them.”

Aren't you describing the Trump nazi and his henchmen? Including yourself, you achingly fascist son of a bitch.

While the Democrats are no better for totally different reasons, the following is haughty bullshit coming from a nazi who determinedly, concertedly hasn't a clue:

"The attorney general also accused Democrats of abandoning their traditional values. “They’re not interested in compromise, they’re not interested in dialectic exchange of views. They’re interested in total victory,” Barr said. “It’s a secular religion. It’s a substitute for a religion.”

What are you talking about, Billy boy? Republicans currently own nearly all branches and levels of nazi government, sir. Oblivious to that fact, Billy? Or, too aggressively stupid to know better.

More unsubstantiated bullshit from the nazi:

"Barr went on to call antifa a “new form of guerrilla warfare,” arguing the group, which he said is “highly organized,” hides among peaceful protesters for protection. “What they do is, they are essentially shielding themselves or shrouding themselves in First Amendment activity,” Barr said. “They hijack these demonstrations and they provoke violence. And they have various tiers of people from the sort of top provocateurs down to people who are their minions and run the violent missions.”

The criminal jackbooted bastards in blue, to say nothing of your federal thugs, have beaten the shit out of unarmed peaceful protesters executing their First Amendment right to protest. Like your fuhrer, the Trump nazi, you remain an out of control, congenital liar.

Here's the truth, you insane, fascist son of a bitch:

"Despite Barr’s claims, there have been no arrests or solid proof connecting antifa to violence at Black Lives Matter protests, The Washington Post’s Fact Checker reported in June. The far-right boogaloo movement, meanwhile, has been tied to a murder and several bomb plots aimed at escalating violence. As Trump warns of leftist violence, a dangerous threat emerges from the right-wing boogaloo movement."

To say nothing of the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue and federal goons violently doing all they can to suppress peaceful protest.

"Barr also accused the media of willfully ignoring any coverage of alleged antifa violence at protests."

That right? Where's your proof it's antifa? Lying out your ass, you clueless son of a bitch? Coverage has been extensive.

More bullshit by this clueless nazi clearly rattled by continuing protest:

“Of course the media doesn’t take footage of what’s happening,” Barr said. “They don’t take footage of the rocks being thrown.”

What a goddamned liar. Simply, not true. Coverage has been extensive. Worse? Law enforcement is eliciting violence to ultimately suppress and eliminate peaceful protest. Raw nazism.

8-14-20

Aryan arrogance of a Trump henchman. The Washington Post reports:

"Department of Homeland Security acting secretary Chad Wolf on Thursday defended his handling of the protests in Portland, Ore., and bristled at criticism from his predecessors, telling a Senate panel that former DHS secretaries Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff were “dead wrong” when they raised concerns that the Trump administration’s response had gone too far."

This son of a bitch needs to be criminally investigated for his part in the Portland fiasco.

"Appearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Wolf said DHS officers and agents were deployed to Portland to protect federal buildings from destructive attacks and claimed they did not interfere with peaceful protests."

Like his fuhrer, the Trump nazi, this piece of shit remains a congenital liar. What he claims is simply not true.

"He faulted city and state officials as cutting off cooperation with the Trump administration, including a Portland City Council resolution that directed local police to sever ties with federal authorities."

This was done for damned good reason. Trump's goons were beating innocent, unarmed, peaceful protesters. Abducting protesters in unmarked vehicles. No due process. Egregious abrogation of all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Failed to identify themselves and who they worked for. Nazi storm troopers.

The following is self-serving bullshit:

“DHS law enforcement officers received almost no assistance from state and local law enforcement in Portland,” he said. “They were left to defend the courthouse besieged by attempts of arson and constant destruction. This circumstance should never have happened.”

Never would have happened had your jackbooted assholes never come into town. Your thugs attacked and abducted peaceful protesters nowhere near the federal court house to elicit crowd violence. Get their cookies off. To intimidate and discourage peaceful protest. A constitutional right. First Amendment. All, at direction of the Trump nazi.

"The acting secretary told the panel that DHS personnel suffered 277 injuries between July 4 and July 31. Several agents might have permanent damage to their eyes from laser pointers that protesters wielded, he said. In addition, Wolf said, 142 officers “have reported receiving minor burns, lacerations, being hit over the head with a sledgehammer, or [having] hearing issues resulting from the fireworks.”

How many innocent, unarmed, peaceful protesters were injured by your goons, you fascist son of a bitch? How many of your jackbooted bastards were arrested for use of excessive force? Not one? You're a goddamned liar, Mr. Wolf.

"An agreement last week between the Trump administration and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) to replace most of the federal forces with state police has shifted the protests away from the federal courthouse. But Wolf said that the city continues to see violent incidents targeting local police and that the full contingent of DHS personnel will remain on standby in the city."

That's big of you, you lying son of a bitch. Conveniently, forget? Local law enforcement created the problems it's now having to deal with. Been highly abusive, jackbooted nazi, incited violence from peaceful protesters to intimidate, stifle all dissent. Time to wake up, you clueless piece of crap. Too deaf to hear the rumble?

"Republican members of the Senate panel were generally sympathetic in their questions to Wolf, but he was pressed by some of the Democrats, including Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), who asked the DHS chief about the effects of chemical irritants, which federal forces used liberally to disperse crowds. “There are mothers, including pregnant women, who attend these protests. I would advise you, sir, to consult with medical experts to determine the impact of chemical irritants on pregnant women,” Harris said, raising her voice as Wolf acknowledged he had not done so. In another exchange, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) asked Wolf about the administration’s plans to attempt once more to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the administration’s first try was unlawful. Legal scholars have said the decision requires the DHS to accept new applicants for the program, but Wolf challenged that interpretation. “In no way did the Supreme Court decision tell the department to process new DACA applicants,” he said. “We’ll continue to process and renew applicants as we’ve done over the past three years,” he added. But he said the administration has “serious concerns” about the legality of the Obama-era program."

Clearly, this son of a bitch and his fuhrer, the Trump nazi believe they can ignore a court ruling they don't agree with.

8-14-20

More pain and suffering imposed by our fuhrer, the Trump nazi and his fellow nazis in the Republican Party. The Associated Press reports:

"An unemployed makeup artist with two toddlers and a disabled husband needs help with food and rent. A hotel manager says his unemployment has deepened his anxiety and kept him awake at night. A dental hygienist, pregnant with her third child, is struggling to afford diapers and formula. Around the country, across industries and occupations, millions of Americans thrown out of work because of the coronavirus are straining to afford the basics now that an extra $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits has expired. “My worst nightmare is coming true,” said Liz Ness, a laid-off recruiter at a New Orleans staffing agency who fears she will be evicted next month without the added help from Washington. “Summer 2020 could be next year’s horror movie.” Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are struggling to work out an agreement that would restore some federal jobless aid. Even if they do reach a deal, the amount is likely to be less than $600. And by the time the money starts flowing, it could be too late for many Americans who are already in dire straits."

This time the fault lies entirely with Senate Republicans and their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Democrats in the House passed the bill months ago.

“Members of Congress may have the luxury to come to an agreement this week and vote next week and then roll it out over several weeks,” said Brian Gallagher, CEO of United Way Worldwide. “Families don’t have that luxury — they are out of money tomorrow.” In the meantime, up to 30 million Americans, their jobs lost or income slashed by an outbreak that has paralyzed the economy and killed close to 160,000 people in the U.S., are trying to get by solely on state unemployment benefits, which on average are less than $400 a week. On Thursday, the government said nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment last week. That is a decline from the previous week. Still, it was the 20th straight week that at least 1 million people sought jobless aid. Before the coronavirus, the number had never surpassed 700,000 in a single week. The rescue package being worked out in Washington would contain more than $100 billion to help reopen schools, another round of $1,200 direct payments to most people, and hundreds of billions of dollars for state and local governments to help them avoid furloughing workers and cutting services as tax revenues shriveled."

Republicans clearly don't give a f--k.

"Some Republicans in Congress argue that the extra $600 in unemployment benefits is so generous that it is discouraging people from going back to work. Several university studies have cast doubt on that. Economists and labor experts say that the benefits certain jobs carry, such as health care, can be enough for people to go back to work even if the pay is low."

Many are afraid of the pandemic or have to remain home to take care of kids due to closed schools. Republicans are out to lunch. Hopelessly, clueless. Too deaf to hear the rumble. An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

The Washington Post reports:

"Talks on a coronavirus relief package collapsed on Capitol Hill on Friday, and White House officials said they will recommend that President Trump move ahead without Congress to try and address unemployment benefits, eviction rules, and student loan relief. “The president would like us to make a deal, but unfortunately we did not make any progress today,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said after he and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). “At this point we are going to recommend to the president that over the weekend we move forward with some executive actions,” Mnuchin said, though Trump administration officials have provided little guidance on how the executive actions would work or how they would attempt to redirect money without congressional approval. The talks had a dramatic and bitter unraveling, in part because Trump and Democrats have been locked in brinksmanship for years but often found ways to reach agreement on spending packages. There seemed to be little goodwill during the talks, and both sides dug in even as the economic recovery has shown signs of losing steam and millions of Americans remain unemployed. Democrats said they had offered to reduce the pricetag of their $3.4 trillion bill by $1 trillion, but that administration officials rejected the offer. They kept the door open to further negotiations, but after days of fruitless talks, chances for a deal were evaporating. Mnuchin said no further meetings were scheduled. Democrats say they cannot accept a bill that provides less than $2 trillion in new spending, while Senate Republicans believe no bill that large can pass their chamber. That left no clear legislative path forward, even as some 30 million jobless Americans have gone two weeks without emergency federal unemployment benefits that expired. “They said they couldn’t go much above their existing $1 trillion. And that was disappointing,” Schumer said. “We’re hopeful that they will think about it and come back and tell us they’re willing to meet us halfway,” he said."

Highly unlikely that will happen.

"But instead of additional negotiations the White House appears prepared to begin rolling out executive actions in coming days. There are at least four executive issues that White House officials have said they’d like to target through executive orders, though the legal standing for such a move without Congress is unclear."

Think they won't all be challenged in court? LOL.

"One target is to attempt to provide some relief to jobless Americans whose enhanced unemployment aid expired at the end of last month. White House officials have looked at potentially redirecting money from other programs towards unemployment benefits. Another target is to provide eviction relief for Americans who had been protected by a congressionally authorized eviction moratorium, but it expired last month as well. The moratorium covered renters who live in homes with federally backed mortgages, which the Urban Institute estimates to be 12.3 million households. White House officials are also looking to extend student loan flexibility to certain Americans, cognizant that a congressionally approved program for those borrowers expires next month. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow also said that Trump is poised to sign executive orders deferring payroll taxes, but the logistics of that is also unclear. It could not be immediately learned, for example, if Americans would ultimately have to repay any deferred tax cut."

Trump and his henchmen are grasping at straws. The loss of that $600 weekly unemployment supplement is causing all kinds of problems for those who lost their jobs and remain unemployed due to the pandemic. Think Republicans will not be blamed?

NPR reports:

"At his Bedminster, N.J., golf resort on Saturday, President Trump signed four executive actions to provide economic relief amid the coronavirus pandemic. The actions amount to a stopgap measure, after failing to secure an agreement with Congress. The three memorandums and one executive order call for extending some enhanced unemployment benefits, taking steps to stop evictions, continuing the suspension of student loan repayments and deferring payroll taxes. Trump promised that funds would be "rapidly distributed" to Americans in need, although it remains unclear whether the president has the authority to do certain steps unilaterally, without congressional approval. In any case, legal challenges are expected, which could delay any disbursement of funds. In one memorandum, Trump authorized the federal government to pay $300 per week for people on unemployment. States would be asked to pay an additional $100, for a total of $400 weekly for unemployed workers. "If they don't, they don't. That's up to them," Trump said when asked what happens if governors don't have the funds available. "The states have the money. It's sitting there."

No. Clearly, it's not. Again, Trump lied.

"The previous enhanced unemployment benefits, which added $600 a week to standard state unemployment benefits, expired at the end of July. The text of the memorandum calls for up to $44 billion of federal funds for the benefits to come from the Department of Homeland Security's Disaster Relief Fund. The White House said states could use funding from the March coronavirus relief package, the CARES Act, to fund their portion of the benefits. Given the current number of Americans unemployed, those disaster funds would likely last only a handful of weeks."

He'll be sued. No question.

"In an executive order calling to minimize evictions, Trump directed various federal agencies to make funds available for temporary financial assistance to renters and homeowners facing financial hardship caused by COVID-19. "It's not their fault that this virus came into our country," he said of renters and homeowners. "It's China's fault."

Is it? Think so? No evidence of that. None. All bullshit. He's insane. As usual, talking out his ass. Expect better of a congenital liar? Readers are reminded he knew the seriousness of the pandemic late last year. Did nothing. Shit squat. Failed to take it seriously. Failed to follow pandemic planning developed by his predecessors. Then, lied about the existence of this planning.

"That order also directs the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to consider whether measures to temporarily halt residential evictions for failure to pay rent "are reasonably necessary to prevent the further spread of COVID-19" from one state to another. A federal moratorium on evictions expired on July 24, allowing landlords to begin issuing 30-day notices to vacate their properties. It is estimated that the temporary ban on evictions covered more than 12 million renters, preventing them from being pushed out of their homes even if they couldn't pay rent. Trump also extended relief for student loan borrowers. Student loan interest rates were cut to zero earlier this year, and students could suspend payments through September. Trump directed the secretary of education to extend the relief through the end of the year and said an additional extension is likely. And a fourth action defers payroll tax collection for workers earning less than $100,000 a year, beginning Sept. 1. "This will mean bigger paychecks [for a time] for working families, as we race to produce a vaccine and eradicate the China virus once and for all," Trump told reporters."

Empty rhetoric. All of it. Gets worse. Get this. The following is appalling:

"Trump said the "payroll tax holiday" would last through the end of the year but could be made permanent if he is reelected. The connection to November's election wasn't subtle. "If I'm victorious on Nov. 3, I plan to forgive these taxes and make permanent cuts to the payroll tax. I'm going to make them all permanent," Trump said, then turning to jab congressional Democrats and his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden. "So they will have the option of raising everybody's taxes and taking this away. But if I win, I may extend and terminate. In other words, I will extend it beyond the end of the year and terminate the tax. And so, we'll see what happens."

He doesn't have the power to do so. Congress does. Again, Trump is lying:

"A president cannot forgive taxes without congressional approval. Both congressional Democrats and Republicans alike opposed this payroll tax proposal when Trump was trying to get them to include it in the coronavirus relief package. Payroll taxes fund Medicare and Social Security, and this deferral won't do anything to help the millions of Americans currently unemployed. Trump is likely doing this through the same mechanism that allowed taxpayers to put off filing their taxes until July 15 this year, says Andrew Rudalevige, a professor at Bowdoin College who specializes in presidential executive actions. "The Treasury secretary is authorized to delay the deadline for any action required under tax law up to one year," said Rudalevige, in the case of a federally declared disaster, and all states are currently operating under one because of the pandemic. "So payroll tax payments could under this provision be delayed. But not forgiven — those taxes are still owed."

That's right. Trump's lying.

"There are already significant concerns about the long-term solvency of the popular social safety net programs. Reducing payroll taxes would hasten those problems. Trump's actions come after weeks of talks between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill over the next round coronavirus relief. As of Saturday, they were still far from reaching agreement. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to Trump's executive actions on Saturday evening, calling them "unworkable, weak and narrow policy announcements." In a statement, they called for Republicans to return to negotiations."

8-14-20

A congenital liar poses a threat to the health and welfare of our formerly great country. NPR reports:

"Both Twitter and Facebook have removed a post shared by President Trump for breaking their rules against spreading coronavirus misinformation. Twitter temporarily blocked the Trump election campaign account from tweeting until it removed a post with a video clip from a Fox News interview from Wednesday morning, in which the president urged schools to reopen, falsely claiming that children are "almost immune from this disease." Facebook also removed a post containing the same video from Trump's personal page. Research has shown that while children tend to get infected with the coronavirus less often and have milder symptoms than adults, kids can still contract and spread it. Some have gotten seriously ill and even died. "This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation," said Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesperson. "The @TeamTrump Tweet you referenced is in violation of the Twitter Rules on COVID-19 misinformation. The account owner will be required to remove the Tweet before they can Tweet again," said Twitter spokesperson Trenton Kennedy. The Trump campaign removed the tweet and has since been tweeting again.

"In recent months, Facebook has removed Trump campaign ads that used a Nazi symbol as well as ads that made misleading claims about the 2020 census. In June, Facebook took down a post shared by President Trump containing a doctored video of a "racist baby," following a copyright complaint from one of the children's parents."

Truth? What's that, Mr. 'President?'

8-14-20

Pence remains clueless, out to lunch, oblivious to the truth, divorced from reality. NBC News reports:

"Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview airing Thursday that Chief Justice John Roberts has let down conservatives by siding with the Supreme Court's liberal justices in several recent decisions. "We have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States, but Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives whether it be the Obamacare decision or whether it be a spate of recent decisions," Pence said in an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody, who released a clip of this portion of the interview Wednesday night."

Conservatives? The late Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater was a conservative. No so present-day Republican nazis. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"Pence said that Roberts' rulings are a reminder "of just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court."

With extremely rare exception, the current Supreme Court is run and owned by five Republican partisan nazis. Wake up, Mr. 'Vice President.'

"The vice president specifically criticized Roberts for siding with the high court's liberals in striking down a restrictive abortion law in Louisiana. Pence noted that the law required doctors working in abortion clinics “to have admitting privileges at local hospitals." "That's a very modest restriction on abortion providers, but a narrow majority in the Supreme Court still said it was unacceptable," he said. "I think it's been a wake-up call for pro-life voters around the country who understand, in a very real sense, the destiny of the Supreme Court is on the ballot in 2020."

Jesus Christ. Our national socialist, achingly fascist 'Vice President' remains hopelessly clueless. It's not just doctors suffering from arbitrary, unneeded restrictions designed and imposed by anti-abortion 'religious' nazis in our formerly great country. It is women in desperate need of an abortion who are forced to travel hundreds of miles for the medical procedure. Ferociously pointedly, who the f--k are nazi Republicans and their sick sycophants in the 'religious' community to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus? Raw nazism. Readers are reminded abortion was illegal in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy.

"Roberts also cast the deciding vote by joining liberal justices in a 5-4 decision that blocked the Trump administration from shutting down DACA, which allows young people known as Dreamers to remain in the U.S. In a 6-3 decision, Roberts also joined the majority in ruling that federal law does not allow job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status."

Roberts is apparently not as Far Right nazi in his ideology as the four other Republican nazis on the Court. Pence clearly wants all of them to march in goose step with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi:

"Pence reiterated in the interview that President Donald Trump plans to release a list of candidates that he could draw from for future appointments to the Supreme Court."

The Washington Post reports:

"Trump frequently touts his appointments of federal judges — including Supreme Court Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh — as among his first-term accomplishments. Last month, the Senate confirmed Trump’s 200th federal judicial nominee, a milestone that reflects the breakneck speed at which he and fellow Republicans have moved to create a legacy that will endure regardless of the outcome of this year’s elections."

The nazi element in our formerly great country fails to understand the danger, exigent threat to a democratic republic their outrageously fascist ideology presents. -- A democratic republic that currently remains a democratic republic in name only. In reality, a de facto fascist police-state. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

"Besides the Louisiana abortion case, Roberts also dismayed conservatives in recent weeks by finding that federal anti-discrimination law protects gay, bisexual and transgender workers and by stopping the president from ending the federal program that protects undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. In a 2018 rejoinder to Trump, Roberts notably said that “we do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.”

Clearly, Roberts remains concerned about the exigent threat raw nazism poses to what is supposed to be a democratic republic.

8-14-20

A nazi 'court' does the bidding of Trump, his henchmen, and his rabid supporters. United Press International reports:

"A federal appeals court has dissolved an injunction on four Arkansas laws imposing new requirements to obtain an abortion. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday vacated District Judge Kristine Baker's injunction put in place in 2017. Baker's ruling blocked four laws: one that bans the second-trimester abortion procedure dilation and evacuation; a second that requires doctors to notify law enforcement when anyone 16 or younger obtains an abortion; a third that requires doctors to review a woman's medical records to ensure she isn't using the procedure as a form of sex selection if she knows the fetus's sex; and a fourth that requires a patient to notify a partner or family regarding disposal of abortion remains."

Nazi justice in Nazi America.

"The American Civil Liberties Union and the national Center for Reproductive Rights said the ruling won't take effect for 21 days, allowing the four laws to remain blocked until Aug. 28. "If allowed to take effect, these restrictions would completely block many people from obtaining abortion care, and would eventually leave the state with even more limited abortion care," the ACLU said in a statement."

8-14-20

Aggressive stupidity displayed by out of control, national socialist, fascist, Republican nazis running Texas ass backwards. NBC News reports:

"Several Texas clinics say they saw an uptick in women seeking abortions later in their pregnancies this spring, after the state temporarily halted most abortions amid the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of abortions were canceled after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed an executive order on March 22 banning all nonessential medical procedures, and the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, said in a statement that the ban included abortions, unless a woman’s health was at risk. The executive order was intended to help preserve hospital space and personal protective equipment for the care of COVID-19 patients."

The hell it was. Any goddamned excuse to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus.

Goddamned disingenuous bullshit:

“For years, abortion has been touted as a ‘choice’ by the same groups now attempting to claim that it is an essential procedure,” Paxton said in a statement at the time."

Paxton's bullshit backfired:

"After a monthlong legal fight, and what doctors describe as confusion and uncertainty among their patients as the rules about who could receive an abortion kept changing, Texas clinics were allowed to resume offering abortions on April 22 — and they soon saw an influx of women who had planned to terminate their pregnancy weeks earlier. Southwestern Women’s Surgery Center in Dallas reported a 57 percent jump in second trimester abortions in the month after the ban was lifted compared to the month leading up to it, said Dr. Robin Wallace, the center’s co-medical director. The clinic declined to release the raw numbers. “It’s infuriating because you can't just turn on and off health care,” Wallace said. “The hardship incurred when patients upon arrival were told that the courts just made a new decision and their appointment was now canceled — it was heartbreaking for patients and our staff.”

Gets worse. Get this:

"By the time the executive order expired, many patients were no longer able to receive a medication abortion, which is only offered in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in Texas, and instead could only receive a surgical abortion, according to several clinics."

At increased risk and expense. All due to Republican nazis.

"Planned Parenthood Center for Choice in Houston recorded a 28 percent increase in abortions after 10 weeks of pregnancy once the ban was lifted — an average of 51 weekly patients seeking these later abortions in the three weeks after April 22, compared to about 40 patients per week prior to the ban. “At the first visit, folks had expressed wanting to do a medication abortion, but then so many people weren't able to come back for several weeks, which put them out of the window when they would have been able to access that care,” said Dr. Bhavik Kumar, medical director for primary and trans care at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. “We were ready, capable and able to do what we needed to do to take care of our patients, but we legally weren't able to do that,” he said."

All due to Republican nazis and their supporters determined to force their perverse religious views on others. Raw nazism. Readers are reminded abortions were illegal in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy.

"At Whole Woman’s Health in Austin, the number of surgical abortions nearly doubled in the three weeks after April 22 — there were 60 total during those three weeks — compared to the three weeks before the ban. Soraya Dadras, the clinic director, said many patients were upset when they learned they were no longer eligible for a medication abortion. “The idea of having an in-clinic procedure was more daunting for them than having a medication abortion in the safety of their home with their partner,” she said."

All due to Republican nazis and their perverse religious views.

"When Paige, 21, found out she was pregnant in late March, she knew she wasn’t ready to have a child. At first she worried about the cost of an abortion, but then realized she might not be able to receive an abortion in Texas at all. “I felt like I was being punished in some way for getting pregnant,” said Paige, a Houston resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her privacy. “I felt like I was on an emotional and physical roller coaster.” After traveling from Houston to Dallas for an appointment that was later canceled, Paige said she couldn’t keep waiting. She flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and had an abortion there. When she returned to Texas, a sense of relief washed over her. “I was back in the comfort of my own space, where I knew COVID couldn’t get me, and I was finally able to lay down and breathe, because I didn't feel like I was breathing through any of it,” she said."

All due to the nazi element running government.

"While abortion access has returned to normal in Texas, doctors are watching the state’s COVID-19 surge warily, concerned that they could be forced to close their doors again. “There has been so much back and forth with the state, and as a provider in Texas, I know I need to be prepared for another instance when I am forced to stop providing essential care to my patients due to the harmful orders from our state leaders,” Kumar said. “My patients deserve better, and I demand better for them.”

... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

8-14-20

Biden makes VP choice. The Associated Press reports:

"Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump. In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign. Born to a Jamaican father and Indian mother, the 55-year-old first-term senator is one of the party’s most prominent figures. She quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House campaign ended. In a tweet, Biden called Harris a “fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants.” “Together, with you, we’re going to beat Trump,” he said.

Reed Galen opines in NBC News:

"American politics, like our national life, is upside down and backward this year. Schools aren’t able to open, college football won’t be played, and former Republicans are working to defeat incumbent senators of their old party. The Lincoln Project, of which I am co-founder, stated in our founding op-ed of December 2019 that we would work “to defeat Donald Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box.” Seven months on, as the election campaign heats up and former Vice President Joe Biden picks Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, we spend each day exploring new and different ways to accomplish both those goals."

That right? LOL. ... Never a dull moment. Never. LOL.

"To listen, read and watch Republicans inside the Beltway, you’d think we cooked up this plan over a long weekend in May and decided to begin “burning the Republican Party to the ground.” Never mind that such detractors still seem to have no explanation for why conservatives would want to do such a thing."

That right? LOL. The problem is those who back Trump are not conservatives, they're fascists. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"But in fact, our efforts are not about the Republican Party writ large, even though it will also need a thorough cleaning once this year’s remnants are swept into America’s political dustbin. No, our efforts have become broader then President Donald Trump because America as we know it cannot survive four more years of what has become a broader and sustained assault against our democratic institutions. The rapid expansion of executive and unchecked power has brought us to the brink of authoritarianism. And this would not be possible without the complicity of Republicans in Congress."

Goddamned right. No question. Republican nazis intoxicated with dictatorial power are enabling this. ... Hear the rumble? An wanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

"Trump and every member of the United States Senate who has stood by him deserve what voters will hand them this fall. That includes senators like Susan Collins of Maine, who has fallen into the comic routine of being “disappointed” by the president’s actions, but continues to enable them with every vote she takes. Or Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, who once characterized Trump as a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” but has since transformed into one of Trump’s biggest defenders. He’s currently using his position as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee to effectively launder Russian propaganda in a craven effort to discredit the campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden. The problem with acting only in the name of political expediency is that sometimes events and karma catch up with you, as incumbent Republicans are learning."

No question.

"Pundits have expressed concern over our efforts to hold Trump’s accomplices in the House and Senate accountable. That the root of the GOP’s problems begins and ends with Trump. We reject this rationale. These individuals chose to enter public life and run for office, demonstrating some level of personal agency. They are not excused for their cowardice and poor decision-making because the bottom fell out of the world and exposed their frailty. The idea that they would enjoy the same immunity to consequences and accountability that they gave Trump is ridiculous."

Status quo, not sustainable. At some point, the house of cards, figuratively speaking, will fall.

"If this is to be an argument about ideology and party fealty, I submit that none of these endangered senators can any longer legitimately claim the label of Republican or conservative. Each of them, through their complicity and silence, have surrendered those descriptors. Trump threw a Twitter tantrum about me and my friends. His rant proved our point. Once upon a time, the GOP stood on the three pillars of individual liberty, fiscal conservatism and a moral foreign policy. It was a party that claimed to adhere to the Constitution and the rule of law. No Republican leader today abides by these tenets. Since Trump’s election, some GOP senators have become part and parcel of his movement, one that is as dangerous as it is chaotic."

Indeed. Last true Republican conservative was the late Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater. Despite all politicking at the time, think the Vietnam War would have ended as badly as it did had Goldwater been elected president in 1964? Wasn't clear at the time, but certainly from the vantage point of 56 years of history, things look one hell of a lot different today. Sadly, how many died for absolutely nothing? Maimed? Living with post traumatic stress? Broken lives? We've got to get smarter. Both major political parties. Both not worth a shit. For totally different reasons. Now, we're dealing with a narcissistic, out of control, fascist dictator. Where did we lose ourselves?

"It is not conservative to stand silently by and watch as the president of the United States deploys federal authorities into city streets. The act flies in the face of the rule of law and due process, and is an abusive government overreach. National Republicans now only cry states’ rights when it suits them. For them, if it’s a blue city in a blue state, prep the tear gas and load the rubber bullets. If it’s Trump supporters toting AR-15s and Confederate flags and calling for Michigan (and Democrat) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s ouster? Crickets."

No shit. LOL. Keep telling it like it is.

"As Congress and the White House stall on another relief package for a nation ruptured and reeling from the pandemic, Republican senators are now expressing concern over the government’s spending. This after they already approved $3 trillion in aid earlier in the year. In 2017, they passed a massive, unfunded tax cut relying on the ghost of trickle-down economics to fill a monstrous budget hole they chose to ignore."

Indeed. A point made repeatedly here and elsewhere. They think in the immediate here and now. Future ramifications? No concern. None. Out to lunch.

"Trump’s administration has done frightful damage to America’s standing in the world and our international alliances. We now coddle dictators and strongmen. Despite our intelligence and military experts belief that Russia put bounties on the heads of American soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan, Trump can’t find time to bring it up on his regular check-in calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin. No longer a Shining City on a Hill, from afar, the United States is a darkened shell of its former self."

Points made repeatedly in this publication over the years.

"But, but, but, the experts say, if you hand the U.S. Senate to the Democrats, socialism will run rampant. First, Biden is no socialist. Neither is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Next, nothing in this country, no pet project, no party-line shift in the country, is possible until and unless we contain COVID-19 and get kids back to school and Americans back to work. Are these Republicans likely to be willing partners in such an endeavor? No. Come next January, they’ll get back up on their rickety soap boxes and object and obstruct anything and everything that doesn’t fit into their shallow, performative playbook. They’ll continue to put themselves and their futures ahead of their country. For that, they no longer deserve the honor of serving in Congress."

That's right. Hopefully, the electorate will finally wake up. If not, hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms.

"These people are no longer Republicans nor should they be called conservatives. They’re scarecrows on America’s political plains, empty husks of individuals who traded their principles and their consciences for political expediency. They bought their tickets on the Trump Train. It’s time for them to take the ride."

Indeed. Brilliant editorial. Highly representative of the political center. Extreme Right and Left remain an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Time to finally wake up.

8-14-20

There are a few Republicans out there with principles. NPR reports:

"Veteran political consultant Stuart Stevens has spent years working as a strategist for Republican campaigns, including the presidential bids of Bob Dole, George W. Bush and Mitt Romney. But Stevens didn't support the party's candidate in the 2016 presidential election — and he wasn't alone. "In 2016, when I went out and attacked Trump on television," he says, "I would say maybe a third of the party hierarchy would email me and thank me for doing this." But Stevens notes that many of the Republicans who had privately voiced concern about Trump changed their tune on election night. "I started getting emails like, 'Could you maybe delete that email?' " he says. "It's an extraordinary contradiction," Stevens tells Fresh Air in an Internet interview. He notes, "I've never heard any Republican officeholder speak of President Trump as if he should be president. ... They know he shouldn't be president. [But] he is president, and they still support him."

No shit. LOL.

"In his new book, It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump, Stevens argues that the party's support for Trump isn't just a pragmatic choice. Instead, he says, it reflects the party's complete abandonment of principles it long claimed to embrace, such as fiscal restraint, personal responsibility and family values. Stevens acknowledges his own role in the party's shift: "One of the things that drew me to the Republican Party was the concept of personal responsibility. So I don't know where to begin with personal responsibility except to take responsibility personally." It's an abdication of leadership on behalf of Republican Party leaders that have allowed these kooks and lunatics and anti-intellectuals to become dominant in the party."

No shit. LOL. Interview and article go on and on. Refreshing to see a Republican admitting the truth.

8-7-20

Amazing the difference a little sanity can make. The Washington Post reports:

"On Thursday, the first protest held since the federal agencies agreed to pull back their officers was a markedly more peaceful affair. As the Black Lives Matter-inspired vigil wound down early Friday morning, there was virtually no sign of the Oregon State Police officers who had taken over protection of the federal buildings at the center of the protests. Instead of being forcibly removed from downtown’s Lownsdale Square and the adjacent Chapman Square, which lie opposite the barricaded Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, the crowd thinned out on its own, with many protesters heading home of their own accord. By a little after 1 a.m., only a relatively small crew remained, far down from the enormous crowd that had gathered four hours earlier to listen to speakers and chant anti-law enforcement slogans. The mood was celebratory, if subdued. “Trump overplayed his hand,” said Derrick, a 30-year-old protester wearing a helmet, ski goggles and carrying a shield with the Oregon flag on it. “He underestimated us.” “I don’t think he realizes there are so many people aligned with the so-called antifa, what he calls terrorists,” added Derrick, who asked that his full name not be published. Before dawn, the Portland Police Bureau cleared the downtown parks that had been used as a semi-permanent base during the protests, and later in the day around 100 state officers arrived. In an interview with the Oregonian, Travis Hampton, superintendent for the Oregon State Police, said his officers would have a measured approach. “You will find these Oregon State Police troopers are not easily provoked,” he told the newspaper. The protests on Thursday attracted a similar size crowd as other recent nights. While there were some attempts at provocation, including fireworks and thrown rocks, the state police officers remained confined to the building and could only occasionally be seen looking out onto the protests. Some protesters said that without a notable police presence, the crowd had a different atmosphere. “It’s much more low-key and a bit more subdued,” said Shannon Echavarria, a 53-year-old pet care professional, speaking at around 10 p.m. “Normally by this time, people would be banging on that fence. There’d be fireworks. They’d be pouring debris over.” Echavarria said the change in tone was “100 percent because the feds are leaving.” But the different atmosphere seemed to take some protesters by surprise. Many had arrived wearing helmets and gas masks, but found themselves sitting on the grass of the park when they would have been running away on previous nights."

Not only that, protesters policied their own, including extremists who were prevented from engaging in violence, successfully starting fires, etc. Fascinating, isn't it?

The Washington Post reports:

"The protests that have stretched on for 66 straight nights in downtown Portland may be reaching a turning point: The weekend brought none of the large-scale tear gas and firework-fueled clashes that marked the previous two months of unrest, a potential sign of calming tensions after the Trump administration pulled back federal law enforcement officers. But it’s not clear what direction the protests in the city, which show no sign of stopping, will take next. The core demands of those protesting against police violence and racism are unresolved – and they are increasingly divided about tactics."

It is critical all protest remain non-violent.

"The protest’s epicenter downtown near a federal courthouse was quiet Saturday for the third night in a row as state police opted for a hands-off approach, a drastic contrast from last week, when federal law enforcement officers deployed tear gas and pepper balls to dispel aggressive overnight crowds. Yet another flash point emerged in southeast Portland, as city police rushed protesters with riot shields and pepper spray before arresting two. Police say that a large crowd of protesters had descended on a local sheriff’s office and thrown glasses and pointed lasers at officers. But many protesters say it was an overreaction from a police force with a historically troubled relationship with minority communities that began long before federal officers arrived in the city."

Remains a problem throughout our formerly great country.

“Some protesters make the argument that if we were all just peaceful, the police would stop messing with us,” Kevin, a 22-year-old carpenter who had arrived at the downtown protest at 9 p.m. Friday and stayed until the early hours of Sunday. “But some nights we are peaceful, and they still mess with us!” Kevin, who asked that his full name not be published, said that he could not be sure that the violence would not return. He had been to the protests every night since early July, when he saw news reports about the use of force by federal law enforcement agencies, and see some of the worst of it. Initially, he explained, he turned up to the protests looking for a fight, but his attitude had been changed by others he met at the protests."

Largely, because the majority of protesters are non-violent.

“That’s kind of the game,” he said while sitting on the grass drinking water after walking around the city. “They mess with us. We have to try and restrain ourselves.”

Remain non-violent.

"The dynamics on the ground are fluid as protests continue in many parts of the country, like Sacramento, Calif., and Austin, Tex., where police arrested about 20 people on Saturday. It was a week after a Black Lives Matter protester and military veteran Garrett Foster was fatally shot in the city by a motorist."

Yet, there's been no arrest by APD.

"Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who reportedly is under consideration to serve as Joe Biden’s running mate, harshly criticized the Trump administration’s aggressive response to protests in cities such as Portland. “I fully support the rights of people to express their First Amendment right peacefully,” she said in an interview with Fox News’s Chris Wallace on Sunday. “It’s why I spent 23 years in the military.” Duckworth said there were plenty of other ways for federal law enforcement agencies to work with local officials to make cities safer and allow peaceful protests “without federal troops coming in in unmarked vehicles and kidnapping peaceful protesters off the streets, throwing them into an unmarked van and driving off in the middle of the night.”

The following is a problem throughout the country:

"Yet Portland protesters note that despite the focus on federal law enforcement, the relationship with city and state police officers is also tense. On Saturday evening, multiple large protests were held across the city, with public officials and others demanding more change to fight racism in the city. In the early evening, thousands of protesters had gathered at Laurelhurst Park in Portland’s Southeast. They later marched to the nearby Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. The Portland Police Bureau later declared the gathering unlawful and moved to disperse the crowd with force. In chaotic scenes, police officers wearing riot gear forcibly dispersed the crowd by pushing them back with shields and pepper spray and deflated the tires of a car that they said was blocking their path. In a statement, Portland Police Bureau said that officers outside the sheriff’s office had been targeted with lasers and glass bottles and that they had arrested two protesters in the melee."

How many of the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue were arrested for use of excessive force? Not one?

"Other events ended without violence. The Portland chapter of the NAACP held an event at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown on Saturday evening, with City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley urging those angry at the system to use political power to change it. “The next thing we need you to do is vote like your life depends on it, because guess what, it does,” Hardesty told the crowd. At the nearby Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse, a federal building that has been a focal point of protests for more than 60 consecutive nights, thousands had gathered by late evening to listen to speeches. Some families had brought their children to the event, while a large group of drummers backed up frequent call and response chants. “Whose streets? Our streets,” the protesters sang at 10:30 p.m., as the crowd blocked off the road and took over a nearby park with no sign of either city or state police. Around midnight, a large group broke off from the parks outside the courthouse to march through the city, periodically stopping to listen to speeches. The marchers initially planned to march to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s apartment building, but hesitated when told he may not live there anymore. “We’re going to the rich neighborhood,” said a man leading chants, who said he was from Seattle. “I don’t know where it is, but I know you do.” There was no visible interaction with law enforcement during the march, which saw the protesters chant and bang drums as they walked through much of the ritzy Pearl District north of Portland’s downtown. The streets were largely deserted, but some passing cars blared their horns in time with the chants and some residents appeared at the windows of apartment buildings to cheer the march."

8-7-20

Law enforcement ignores serious systemic problems. NBC News reports:

"Amid a summer of protest sparked by the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, much has been said about the importance of “reforming” police departments. But what if those departments cannot be reformed? This week, a video went viral showing the arrest of a young trans woman during a protest. The 18-year-old woman was tackled in broad daylight and then rushed into an unmarked van by plainclothes officers, echoing the terrifying events we’ve watched play out this month in Portland, Oregon, and paralleling the forms of police brutality we, as public defenders and civil rights attorneys, know happen every day in the communities of those we represent. This is only the latest in a string of videos that have clearly documented the tragic shortcomings of police reforms previously adopted by the NYPD. But this is only the latest in a string of videos that have clearly documented the tragic shortcomings of police reforms that had supposedly been previously adopted by the NYPD. Earlier in July, The New York Times released its analysis of dozens of brutal videos depicting NYPD’s policing in the first 10 days of recent protests. As public defenders and attorneys specializing in criminal and civil law, The Times asked us and others, like the NYPD, which declined, to review this video and assess the NYPD’s behavior against department guidelines, civil rights protections of the U.S. Constitution and criminal legal statutes. What we found was highly disturbing, but likely obvious to even the casual observer."

Sadly, we see this all over the country.

"Officers used banned chokeholds, violence and abuse that the NYPD has explicitly prohibited. Officers used cars, chemicals, bicycles and batons as weapons, all against protocol. They engaged in widespread excessive force and civil rights violations. They repeatedly committed conduct that, if perpetrated by anyone but police, would lead to prosecutions for violent felonies that carry serious prison time. And as the nation has witnessed this week, the brazen violence against protestors during those first 10 days was not an aberration. This corrosive and deeply disproportionate application of “justice” is exactly why protesters are demanding major cuts to the NYPD’s budget and personnel, with funds diverted to community initiatives. And indeed, our analysis brought us to an unavoidable conclusion: Despite decades of reforms intended to stem police violence and improve transparency, the NYPD, like other police departments around the country, is a force that is beyond reform. In fact, it is a force seemingly dedicated to proving this point at every opportunity. This is a key point because of the NYPD’s size and prominence in the policing conversation. With over 36,000 officers and yearly costs exceeding $10 billion, the NYPD is the largest police force in the country. The NYPD and its unions have outsize influence and impact when it comes to trends in American policing."

This remains a problem throughout all law enforcement. Been no substantive change. None at all. Same old shit. ... Hear the rumble?

8-7-20

Sadly, stating the obvious. United Press International reports:

"Amnesty International said in a new report Tuesday that U.S. law enforcement committed dozens of human rights violations in their handling this summer of demonstrations after the death of George Floyd. The human rights watchdog group accused police of violating the rights of protesters who were peacefully demonstrating at least 125 times in late May and early June, immediately after Floyd's death on Memorial Day. The report said authorities violated the right to assemble peacefully "through intimidation involving the use of militarized equipment; excessive force, including the use of batons, kinetic impact projectiles and tear gas and pepper spray; and the targeting of activists, journalists, legal observers and street medics."

How many criminal jackbooted bastards were arrested for use of excessive force?

"Amnesty said police responding to protests in riot gear created an "atmosphere of fear and terror that was confrontational and intimidating" and missed chances to de-escalate tense situations. "Law enforcement tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed members of the media, shot them directly with percussion grenades, used unnecessary physical force against them, inflicted serious injuries with kinetic impact projectiles and detained and arrested them without proper access to medical care or disclosure of their legal rights -- a violation of the rights to freedom of expression and assembly and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution," the report states."

No question.

"The report said journalists and street medics were clearly identifiable when they were confronted by police and arrested. The organization also said police repeatedly harassed legal observers, even though they wore "easily identifiable brightly colored clothing" and arrested some in Chicago, Atlanta, Las Vegas and New York City."

Expect better in a de facto fascist police-state?

"Legal observers play a vital role in ensuring protesters' rights are protected and should never be targeted for arrest due to the conduct of protesters or in order to prevent their monitoring, which are both essential to hold police accountable if and when they abuse their authority and also serve as a necessary public check on their actions," the report states."

Again, no question. Certainly, true.

"Amnesty called on the U.S. Congress to pass a bill to limit law enforcement's ability to use lethal force during peaceful protests."

In Nazi America? Good luck.

"On Tuesday, a subcommittee of the Senate judiciary committee is scheduled to hold a hearing examining "the right of the people peaceably to assemble."

With Republican nazis in control of the Senate? Expect nothing. Shit squat.

8-7-20

While law enforcement can't, won't be disbanded or defunded, there are some duties that would be better handled by others. Carefully, consider the following. NBC News reports:

"If calls to “defund the police” and divert funds to nonpolicing efforts are successful, what happens to rapists and sex offenders? It’s a decades-old question that Aishah Shahidah Simmons has fielded for more than 25 years during her work as an activist against sexual violence and a documentary filmmaker on sexual assault against Black women. “The assumption is that policing will stop or prevent sexual violence,” said Simmons, who is also the editor of this year’s Lambda award-winning anthology, “love WITH accountability.” “There is documented evidence that it does not.” “So why do we rely on the police as the only solution to sexual assault?”

Good question.

"Amid the national protests about racial injustice and policing, the once-extreme demand to “defund the police” has gained traction, with Minneapolis taking steps to remake its police department and other cities, like New York City, pledging to shift some funding away from the police and instead use that money for social services."

Depends entirely on how that money would be spent and for what social services.

"Some scholars, activists and lawyers who work on behalf of sexual assault victims are encouraged by “defund the police” efforts, telling NBC News that the existing criminal justice system has failed to address the economic, sociopolitical and mental health factors that often correlate with sexual violence. As a society, experts say, there is an overall lack of education to help unpack issues such as a rape culture, consent and body autonomy — and too seldom are people actually held accountable for their wrongdoings."

Certainly, an issue within police culture. How often does an investigating officer not believe the victim? Display bias against victims they're supposed to be serving? Certainly one of the reasons why so few sexual assaults get reported.

"The country has reached an inflection point where police and prisons aren’t seen as de facto solutions for issues they’re often unqualified or inadequate to handle, the experts say. And if the old system isn’t working, they say, it’s worth trying something different."

No question. Resistance, however, to change within law enforcement is at historic levels throughout the country.

“Our culture doesn't take sexual violence seriously and has failed to prioritize the rights, wants and needs of survivors,” said Judith Levine, the co-author of “The Feminist and the Sex Offender,” which explores the criminal justice system and its treatment of sex offenders. “The criminal legal system often exacerbates and diminishes the harm survivors have already experienced,” she said. When race, class, gender or sexuality are taken into account, those effects are even more pronounced, particularly for Black and indigenous women."

No question. Gets worse:

"Out of every 1,000 sexual assaults in the United States, only 230 are reported to the police, nine cases get referred to prosecutors, and five will result in a prison sentence, according to RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. This means that more than three-quarters of sexual assaults go unreported to the police. And while there are many reasons why a survivor will choose not to report, the second most cited, after a fear of retaliation, was that survivors believed police wouldn’t do anything to help."

A massive failure of law enforcement.

"Statistics support those concerns."

They do:

"A study funded by the National Institute of Justice found that only 18 percent of reported sexual assault cases lead to arrests. Investigative lapses have contributed to the low arrest rate. For years until 2015, tens of thousands of evidence kits — commonly known as a rape kit that could lead police to serial rapists — collected dust and went untested at law enforcement agencies. A 2018 sexual assault response assessment in Texas revealed that two-thirds of police received little to no training on how to read rape kit reports. An officer is quoted in the report saying: “I have to Google stuff like ‘labia majora.’”

Jesus Christ. Unbelievable.

"Cassandra Mensah, a lawyer who represents survivors of domestic violence, says by and large, prosecutors only take cases they can win, and when charges are filed, the court will often drop or reduce felony rape charges for guilty pleas on other crimes. If a case makes it to trial, months and years will likely pass before a verdict is reached, without the offender ever admitting his actions were rape, she said. The accused will seldom be found guilty. And survivors are left without a modicum of justice. “If the case ever reaches trial, there’s a lot of questions that are lodged during cross-examination that is akin to revictimization, diminishing, victim shaming and blaming sexual assault survivors,” said Erica Meiners, a professor of education and women’s and gender studies at Northeastern Illinois University and co-author, with Levine, of “The Feminist and the Sex Offender.”

Massive failure of the 'justice' system.

"Instead of being used for policing, experts say reclaimed police funds could be distributed to family and domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, mental health counseling and anti-sexual violence education programs — underfunded services that have a proven record of helping survivors with support and healing. “Defunding and abolishing the police offers an opportunity to rethink how we support sexual assault survivors without replicating or exacerbating the damage from our existing system,” said Ejeris Dixon, executive director at Vision Change Win Consulting, a Black-led, queer and trans social justice organization. “Change will be incremental, and there isn’t an all-encompassing solution,” Terri Poore, policy director at the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, said. “We need to change rape culture into a culture of accountability.”

Has certainly not been possible within the law enforcement community last six decades. ... At the very least.

"Community-driven responses to sexual violence like transformative justice offer some insight on how that might come to fruition. While there is no single definition, transformative justice could be broadly defined as a “framework that doesn’t depend on solving violence with another form of violence,” Johonna Turner, an assistant professor of restorative justice and peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University, said. It doesn’t rely on intervention from the state, including police, prisons or the criminal legal system. Instead, it builds community-led networks largely for people who have been disproportionately targeted or killed by the police: communities of color, poor and low-income communities, people with disabilities, sex workers, and queer and trans communities. “Prisons condition people into doing more violence and do not address the root causes of the issue,” Turner said. “How do we actually prevent people from enacting more violence and help them transform?”

That question has been asked for decades to no avail. Been no change. Same old shit. From a system that's designed to fail.

Report goes on and on. Time to re-think our approach. Before too late. ... Hear the rumble?

8-7-20

Nothing quite like hypocrisy and greed. The Associated Press reports:

"Republican lawmakers on Thursday chose former state Supreme Court justice and current Rep. Bob Cupp to lead the Ohio House, replacing the speaker ousted hours earlier amid a scandal. House members voted in favor of the veteran lawmaker from Lima on Thursday afternoon after a private Republican caucus. It followed a historic, unanimous House vote earlier in the day to remove Rep. Larry Householder as speaker because he was indicted in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme."

... Republicans don't lie, cheat, or steal, do they? LOL.

"His colleagues believe Cupp, a soft-spoken politician, will bring the chamber what Householder could not: unity."

Think so? Certainly, hope so. Forget? Our formerly great country is tearing apart at the seams.

"Householder’s No. 2, Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Jim Butler, of Oakwood, also was a potential candidate for the role. Three more lawmakers — Reps. Rick Carfagna, Tim Ginter and Craig Riedel — withdrew from contention and supported Cupp."

Big of them, no? LOL.

Here's the issue:

"Householder and four associates were identified in a July 21 federal affidavit as allegedly taking part in a pay-to-play scheme involving corporate money secretly funneled to them for personal and political use in exchange for helping to pass House Bill 6 to financially bail out two Ohio nuclear plants. Householder was one of the driving forces behind the legislation, which included a fee to every electricity bill in the state and directed over $150 million a year through 2026 to the plants near Cleveland and Toledo."

Amazing how this shit continues despite all technology in use to track and expose financial chicanery.

"Householder and his attorney have ignored or declined requests for comment about the allegations against him."

Comes as a surprise? Why? Guilty or innocent, truthful or not, anything said will be used against the accused. Distorted like hell if necessary, turned into something it's not by a crafty prosecutor. Anything to ensure a conviction. Truth no longer matters in a horribly corrupt system. Guilt or innocence? Irrelevant to a corrupt, abusive prosecutor. -- That's not to say, however, these indicted sons of bitches aren't guilty as hell. ... Just to point out how exceptionally corrupt and abusive our system of justice has become. Unless and until the speaker is convicted, would have been a mistake to have expelled him from the Ohio House:

"He didn’t attend the vote on removal from his leadership post, but retains his Legislative seat for now. Lawmakers rejected a proposal to consider expelling him from the House. The House session Thursday morning took a matter of minutes, with 90 representatives voting in favor of vacating the office of the speaker. Nine didn’t vote, including Householder. Most — but not all — House members were wearing masks as they gathered amid the coronavirus pandemic. They sat socially distanced for the morning vote, but many shook hands and fraternized as colleagues reunited after weeks of summer break. Householder, of Glenford, is the first Ohio House speaker ever removed by the chamber, according to the Ohio History Connection."

Considering the magnitude of the alleged crime, the possible penalty does not seem anywhere near sufficient:

"Householder, his long-time adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, former Ohio Republican Party chairman Matt Borges and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes could each face up to 20 years in prison if they’re convicted for their alleged work to pass the bailout and block attempts to overturn it, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI. A federal grand jury formally indicted the five on Thursday, charging each with a single count of racketeering. “Dark money is a breeding ground for corruption. This investigation continues,” said U.S. Attorney David DeVillers, referring to legal campaign funds that don’t have to report the source of their donations. Borges involvement in the case “has been wildly overstated,” said his attorney, Karl Schneider. “The accusations against him are wrong and unfortunate and the case against him is on shaky ground out of the gate,” Schneider said. “He was never part of any would-be enterprise and we expect when the facts play out this attempted over-reach to include him will fail.”

Talk is cheap. Got anything solid to base your bold rhetoric on, Counselor?

Be interesting to see how this plays out. If guilty, the penalty, again, just does not seem sufficient compared to the magnitude of the alleged crime.

8-7-20

Walls are closing in. United Press International reports:

"President Donald Trump and his company face a probe for "insurance and bank fraud," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said Monday in a court filing seeking the president's tax returns. The new filing in Manhattan Federal Court disclosed that Vance's investigation was broader than looking into the Trump Organization and hush money payments to two women who claimed to have had sexual affairs with him, including Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, ahead of the 2016 presidential election. According to the filing, allegations of "insurance and bank fraud by the Trump Organization and its officers" are also being investigated. A Supreme Court decision last month cleared the way for Vance to obtain eight years of tax returns to show the Manhattan grand jury, ruling that he was not entitled to immunity as a sitting president. Still, the case was sent back to the district court where Trump has continued to fight against the New York grand jury subpoena, alleging that it's too broad. Trump's complaint is based at least in part on the "false premise" that the probe is limited to the hush money payments, Carey Dunne, an attorney in Vance's office, wrote in the filing in response to Trump's fight against the subpoena. The D.A. needs the tax returns "to assess whether a pattern of financial misconduct, for example, might violate state criminal law," Dunne added."

The Associated Press reports:

"A New York City prosecutor fighting to get President Donald Trump’s tax returns told a judge Monday he was justified in demanding them because of public reports of “extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.” Manhattan District Attorney District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. is seeking eight years of the Republican president’s personal and corporate tax records, but has disclosed little about what prompted him to request the records, other than part of the investigation related to payoffs to two women to keep them quiet about alleged affairs with Trump. In a court filing Monday, attorneys for Vance said the president wasn’t entitled to know the exact nature of the grand jury investigation. They noted, though, that at the time the subpoena for the tax filings was issued to Trump’s accountants, “there were public allegations of possible criminal activity” at the president’s company “dating back over a decade.” They cited several newspaper articles, including one in which the Washington Post examined allegations that Trump had a practice of sending financial statements to potential business partners and banks that inflated the worth of his projects by claiming they were bigger or more potentially lucrative than they were. Another news article described congressional testimony by Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who said the president would overstate the value of his business interests to impress people or lenders, but then deflate the value of assets when trying to reduce his taxes. The attorneys also cited reports of past investigations by New York regulators into whether the conduct described by Cohen amounted to bank fraud. “These reports describe transactions involving individual and corporate actors based in New York County, but whose conduct at times extended beyond New York’s borders. This possible criminal activity occurred within the applicable statutes of limitations, particularly if the transactions involved a continuing pattern of conduct,” the lawyers said. Trump’s legal team has argued that the subpoena for his tax filings was issued in bad faith and amounted to harassment of the president. The Supreme Court last month rejected claims by Trump’s lawyers that the president could not be criminally investigated while he was in office."

If there's nothing to hide, Mr. Trump, why not cooperate? Why not make a fool of a prosecutor who is supposedly harassing you? ... Or, are you guilty as hell and desperately trying to cover your sorry ass?

"Vance’s lawyers urged U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero to swiftly reject Trump’s further arguments that the subpoenas were improper, saying the baseless claims were threatening the investigation. “Every day that goes by is another day Plaintiff effectively achieves the ‘temporary absolute immunity’ that was rejected by this Court, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court,” Vance’s lawyers said."

8-7-20

An exigent threat to the U.S. Constitution has been removed from office, but not removed from the Department of Homeland Security. The Washington Post reports:

"A senior Department of Homeland Security official whose office compiled “intelligence reports” about journalists and protesters in Portland, Ore., has been removed from his job, according to three people familiar with the matter. Brian Murphy, the acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, was reassigned to a new position elsewhere in the department, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter. Acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf made the decision on Friday, one person said."

Wolf himself needs to be criminally investigated for his actions vis a vis the Portland fiasco.

"Murphy’s removal follows revelations in The Washington Post that the Intelligence & Analysis Office (I & A) at DHS compiled Open Source Intelligence Reports about the work of two journalists who had published leaked department documents. In a separate intelligence report, the office also analyzed the communications of protesters in Portland. Wolf, ordered I & A to stop collecting information on journalists after The Post article was published on Thursday. Murphy had previously told Senate committee staff that his office did not collect, analyze or exploit information on the electronic devices or accounts of protesters. On Friday, Democratic senators sent Murphy a letter asking him to confirm that was true. Murphy is a former FBI agent who worked on the bureau’s efforts to combat radicalization. Current and former colleagues have described him as hard-charging and driven and said he has a history of defying managers and bosses."

Why wasn't he given the boot? Are Wolf and others covering their asses by simply moving him to another position?

"Some current officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly, said that Murphy has earned a reputation at DHS for aggressively trying to expand the operations of the intelligence office. Although it is technically an element of the broader intelligence community, I & A publishes reports largely based on unclassified or public sources and isn’t designed to engage in clandestine operations like the FBI or the CIA."

Nothing quite like power to intoxicate the assholes in government, is there?

"Murphy tried to fashion the office into more of an operational player, akin to those larger agencies, and drew scrutiny and criticism internally over his efforts, some officials said. One noted that I & A’s collection of information involving journalists was effectively the last straw and led to his ouster. Officials have also worried Murphy was misapplying the authorities of I & A. For example, the intelligence reports about the journalists’ work appeared to justify collecting the information under a standing requirement for intelligence about cybersecurity threats. It was unclear how tweets by journalists constituted a threat to cybersecurity, which the department usually interprets as hackers trying to disable critical infrastructure or break into classified computers."

Needs to be a criminal investigation of all this. Highly unlikely under the Trump nazi and his henchmen.

The following certainly makes Murphy extremely dangerous and an exigent threat to the U.S. Constitution:

"Recently, Murphy tried to broaden the definition of violent protesters in Portland, in a way that some officials felt was intended to curry favor with the White House. In an internal memo, Murphy announced that the label “violent opportunists,” which his office had used to describe people who were attacking law enforcement personnel and property, would be changed to “violent antifa anarchists inspired,” according to an internal memo."

Especially ludicrous, highly ironic in view of the fact Trump's goons were violently attacking, engaging in, and deliberately eliciting violence from peaceful protesters in Portland.

"Murphy argued that the violent protesters weren’t merely taking advantage of a moment but had “overwhelmingly” been linked to radical ideologies “driving individuals toward violence.” That conclusion was undercut by an earlier DHS analysis that found there wasn’t enough information about the Portland protesters for the department to know how they might be connected to anti-fascist or anarchist groups and what precisely was motivating them. Many of the protests in Portland have been peaceful and in response to police violence around the country."

Can't confuse a goddamned nazi with the truth. The determinedly ignorant bastard remains too aggressively stupid.

8-7-20

The following is no surprise. United Press International reports:

"The U.S. economy had its worst second-quarter performance in history this year, government figures showed Thursday. The Commerce Department issued its quarterly report, which showed U.S. gross domestic product contracted by about 33%, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decline is the worst ever in the United States for the April-June period, but wasn't as steep as some economists predicted. The department's report said there were sharp declines in personal consumption, exports, investment and local government spending. GDP is calculated by tallying the total number of all goods and services produced during the three-month period. Thursday's report was the Commerce Department's first estimate of second-quarter performance. It will release the next estimate on Aug. 27. Also Thursday, the Labor Department reported that another 1.4 million U.S. workers filed for new unemployment benefits last week."

Trump knew the pandemic was a problem late last year. As reported in last week's edition of this publication, our fuhrer followed none of the detailed planning developed by previous administrations in response to such an epidemic. Worse, lied about the existence of this planning. Failed to understand and act on the danger posed by this ongoing exigent threat to the health and welfare of our nation. Now, we're living with the consequences. To say nothing of all the unnecessary deaths.

8-7-20

The following is highly indicative of Trump's increasing desperation. The Associated Press reports:

"President Donald Trump’s suggestion of postponing the November election drew condemnation from Republican officials in the states and on Capitol Hill as they tried to bat away questions their own party leader had raised about the legitimacy of that upcoming vote."

Sad, isn't it? Should have convicted the impeached, fascist son of a bitch in the Senate when they had the chance.

"Trump on Thursday tweeted unsubstantiated allegations that the election would be “inaccurate and fraudulent” because of the widespread use of mail-in voting. It’s a claim that’s been debunked by election security experts and the five states that already rely exclusively on mail-in ballots. He went on to suggest a delay in the election — something he cannot legally do on his own."

Goddamned right. He can't.

"The date of the presidential election — the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every fourth year — is enshrined in federal law. Changing it now would require an act of Congress, including agreement from the Democratic-controlled House."

Would never happen. Snowball's chance.

"Top Republicans in Congress quickly rebuffed Trump. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the election date is set in stone. The House GOP leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, said the election “should go forward” as planned. In the states, Republican leaders said officials are doing all they can to ensure voting systems are secure and reliable. “Make no mistake: The election will happen in New Hampshire on Nov. 3. End of story,” said Gov. Chris Sununu, R-N.H. Like officials in other states, he said his own state’s voting system is “secure, safe and reliable.” GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Chuck Grassley of Iowa — two frequent Trump defenders from states Democrats are contesting heavily this year — dismissed the idea outright. “Nobody’s gonna change anything until we change the law,” Grassley said, noting that the election process is spelled out in the Constitution. “It doesn’t matter what one individual in this country says,” the senator said. “We are still a country based on the rule of law and we want to follow the law.” Rubio said this year’s election will be “credible” and “the same as it’s always been.” “People should have confidence in it,” he added. Wisconsin’s legislative leadership panned the idea. The Assembly speaker, Republican Robin Vos, said on Twitter that there should be no delay. “Elections need to happen for democracy to function,” Vos said. Wisconsin Republicans had opposed a move by the Democratic governor to delay the state’s April presidential primary because of the pandemic. The majority leader in the Assembly, Jim Steineke, who has broken with Trump in the past, tweeted “Hard NO” after Trump floated the idea of a delay. Steineke has also criticized Trump for not encouraging mail-in voting for Republicans. Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, dismissed Trump’s proposition and said the state is well prepared to move forward with the vote. “There’s absolutely no reason to think this election cannot be held on that day,” he said. DeWine said it’s difficult for him to envision a situation “other than a natural disaster” or some other emergency in which a delay would be justified, and he emphasized that, in the U.S., “even if we don’t like the results, whatever it is, we accept those results.” “And that’s one of the things that makes our country great,” he said."

Trump won't even commit to accept the results of the election. LOL. Might have to be dragged out of the White House by law enforcement should he lose the election and fails to vacate the premises on January 20, 2021. LOL.

Report goes on and on. Clearly, Republicans are increasingly uncomfortable with what currently occupies the Oval Office. Missed their chance to give him the boot after the House impeached the son of a bitch. Failed to convict in the Senate. Now, they're paying the price. Tough, isn't it? LOL.

Republicans are increasingly uncomfortable with Trump and his erratic behavior. NPR reports:

"After voting for President Trump in 2016 and staunchly defending him in conservative publications, a Federalist Society leader appears to be having some very public buyer's remorse. Steven Calabresi, co-founder of the powerful conservative legal organization, is now calling on the House of Representatives to do again what it has already done once this year: impeach Trump. In a scathing opinion piece in The New York Times published online Thursday, the Northwestern University law professor points to what ignited his newfound ire with the president: a tweet Trump sent out shortly after news broke Thursday morning that the U.S. economy had suffered its biggest recorded contraction ever last quarter.

"With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020

"Calabresi declared himself "appalled" by the tweet, which he characterized as "seeking to postpone the November election."

Appalled for damned good reason.

"Until recently, I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats' assertion that President Trump is a fascist," the conservative legal scholar wrote. "But this latest tweet is fascistic and is itself grounds for the president's immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate." It was a remarkable turnaround for a man who as recently as November had accused House Democrats of conducting an "unconstitutional" and "Kafkaesque 'trial' " in their Trump impeachment proceedings. Calabresi also had some stern advice for Republican lawmakers, many of whom have routinely approved conservative judicial nominees endorsed and promoted by the Federalist Society. "President Trump needs to be told by every Republican in Congress that he cannot postpone the federal election. Doing so would be illegal, unconstitutional and without precedent in American history," Calabresi warned. "Anyone who says otherwise should never be elected to Congress again." Calabresi's public distancing from the 45th president was applauded by other conservatives critical of Trump. "Steve Calabresi, welcome to the Resistance," tweeted Washington attorney George Conway, the famously Trump-bashing husband of senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. Former national security adviser John Bolton, whose scorching tell-all account of his time in the Trump White House was published last month over the objections of Trump's lawyers, tweeted that Calabresi's op-ed was "a must-read."

8-7-20

Vindman stands tall. Retired Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman opines in The Washington Post:

"After 21 years, six months and 10 days of active military service, I am now a civilian. I made the difficult decision to retire because a campaign of bullying, intimidation and retaliation by President Trump and his allies forever limited the progression of my military career. This experience has been painful, but I am not alone in this ignominious fate. The circumstances of my departure might have been more public, yet they are little different from those of dozens of other lifelong public servants who have left this administration with their integrity intact but their careers irreparably harmed."

No question.

"A year ago, having served the nation in uniform in positions of critical importance, I was on the cusp of a career-topping promotion to colonel. A year ago, unknown to me, my concerns over the president’s conduct and the president’s efforts to undermine the very foundations of our democracy were precipitating tremors that would ultimately shake loose the facade of good governance and publicly expose the corruption of the Trump administration."

Uncommon Valor:

"At no point in my career or life have I felt our nation’s values under greater threat and in more peril than at this moment. Our national government during the past few years has been more reminiscent of the authoritarian regime my family fled more than 40 years ago than the country I have devoted my life to serving. Our citizens are being subjected to the same kinds of attacks tyrants launch against their critics and political opponents. Those who choose loyalty to American values and allegiance to the Constitution over devotion to a mendacious president and his enablers are punished. The president recklessly downplayed the threat of the pandemic even as it swept through our country. The economic collapse that followed highlighted the growing income disparities in our society. Millions are grieving the loss of loved ones and many more have lost their livelihoods while the president publicly bemoans his approval ratings."

Unfit for office. An exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

"There is another way. During my testimony in the House impeachment inquiry, I reassured my father, who experienced Soviet authoritarianism firsthand, saying, “Do not worry, I will be fine for telling the truth.” Despite Trump’s retaliation, I stand by that conviction. Even as I experience the low of ending my military career, I have also experienced the loving support of tens of thousands of Americans. Theirs is a chorus of hope that drowns out the spurious attacks of a disreputable man and his sycophants."

Indeed. Uncommon Valor. Did the right thing. Stood tall. No matter the personal cost.

"Since the struggle for our nation’s independence, America has been a union of purpose: a union born from the belief that although each individual is the pilot of their own destiny, when we come together, we change the world. We are stronger as a woven rope than as unbound threads. America has thrived because citizens have been willing to contribute their voices and shed their blood to challenge injustice and protect the nation. It is in keeping with that history of service that, at this moment, I feel the burden to advocate for my values and an enormous urgency to act. Despite some personal turmoil, I remain hopeful for the future for both my family and for our nation. Impeachment exposed Trump’s corruption, but the confluence of a pandemic, a financial crisis and the stoking of societal divisions has roused the soul of the American people."

Indeed, it has.

"A groundswell is building that will issue a mandate to reject hate and bigotry and a return to the ideals that set the United States apart from the rest of the world. I look forward to contributing to that effort. In retirement from the Army, I will continue to defend my nation. I will demand accountability of our leadership and call for leaders of moral courage and public servants of integrity. I will speak about the attacks on our national security. I will advocate for policies and strategies that will keep our nation safe and strong against internal and external threats. I will promote public service and exalt the contribution that service brings to all areas of society. The 23-year-old me who was commissioned in December 1998 could never have imagined the opportunities and experiences I have had. I joined the military to serve the country that sheltered my family’s escape from authoritarianism, and yet the privilege has been all mine."

Now, the fascist tyrant in the Oval Office presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. All the more reason we must stand up to this calculated, pernicious attack on liberty.

"When I was asked why I had the confidence to tell my father not to worry about my testimony, my response was, “Congressman, because this is America. This is the country I have served and defended, that all my brothers have served, and here, right matters.” To this day, despite everything that has happened, I continue to believe in the American Dream. I believe that in America, right matters. I want to help ensure that right matters for all Americans."

You certainly have, sir. Stood tall. At tremendous personal cost. Uncommon Valor. Unlike the Trump nazi, you certainly know what it means to be an American. Hat's off.

8-7-20

What took so long? CBS News reports:

"Lieutenant Madeline Swegle, who made history as the U.S. Navy's first Black female tactical fighter pilot, will receive her Wings of Gold on Friday. "I am really honored that I get to wear the wings and get to fly planes and call myself a pilot," said Swegle in a video released by the Navy ahead of her July 31 ceremony. The Virginia native celebrated her historic achievement earlier this month after she completed her training at the U.S. Naval Academy. "I don't think the goal in my life is to necessarily be the first at anything. That was never something that I set out to do, it was just something I was interested in and I found out later," she said.

"BZ to Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle on completing the Tactical Air (Strike) aviator syllabus. Swegle is the @USNavy’s first known Black female TACAIR pilot and will receive her Wings of Gold later this month. HOOYAH! @FlyNavy @NASKPAO #ForgedByTheSea #CNATRA #CNATRAgrads pic.twitter.com/FKSlURWQhJ
— Naval Air Training (@CNATRA) July 9, 2020"

Hat's off, Lieutenant.

"Swegle said she had aspirations of becoming a pilot since her parents would take her to see the Blue Angels. "My parents raised me and they told me that I can be whatever I wanted to be. We would go see the Blue Angels when they were in town," she said. "They were just so cool I loved them. I love fast planes." Her early love of fast planes became the focus of her career and she describes her three years of training with a high-performance aircraft "daunting," but also described the thrill she felt. "It was crazy to be in such a high-performance aircraft," she said. "I was really excited on the takeoff, like feeling the exhilaration and getting thrown back in the seat a little bit." At times, Swegle admitted she didn't think she would make it. "It took a lot of fighting the aircraft to figure out how it was going to perform," she said. "Looking back it's amazing to think about where I started and I had never been in an airplane before so, it's just one step at a time. It's really cool to think of all of the things that I've done now which I'd never thought that I'd be able to do." In the video, Matthew Maher, commanding officer of training, said that through her training, Swegle has achieved the standard of excellence. "To show up here at this level, you need to be a top performer and then you have to continue to perform while you're here. These are the best pilots in the world that are trained here, the very best," said Maher. "She, just like all of her fellow Wingees, are at that standard of excellence and they're going to go out and make all of us very proud."

Second to none. Best of the very best. In an extremely dangerous profession. Even in peace time, but especially at war. Hat's off.

"The young trailblazer hopes that her journey inspires others to join her field. "I think the representation is important because we are a very diverse nation," she said in the video. Swegle's accomplishment comes 40 years after Brenda Robinson became the first African-American woman to earn her Wings of Gold, according to Women in Aviation."

[How does that comport with Swegle allegedly being the first? Apparently, Ms. Robinson was not a fighter pilot as is Ms. Swegle. Further clarification in the next follow up article.]

"I hope that my legacy will be that there will be a lot of other women and minority women and just different faces that come. Be encouraged and know that they have all the tools that they need and follow their dreams," she explained. Friday's graduation ceremony will take place at the Naval Air Station in Kingsville, Texas."

CNN News reports:

"The US Navy's first Black female tactical aircraft pilot, Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle, received her "wings of gold" on Friday, marking a historic milestone for naval aviation. Swegle was named a naval aviator and awarded her gold naval aviator wings with 25 classmates during a small ceremony at Naval Air Station Kingsville in Texas, according to the Navy. "I'm excited to have this opportunity to work harder and fly high performance jet aircraft in the fleet," Swegle said. "It would've been nice to see someone who looked like me in this role; I never intended to be the first. I hope it's encouraging to other people." Swegle became the Navy's first Black female strike pilot after completing tactical strike training at NAS Kingsville on July 7. A strike pilot flies the Navy's strike aircraft, including fighter jets like the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, or the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. "Lt. j.g. Swegle has proven to be a courageous trailblazer," said Vice Adm. DeWolfe "Bullet" Miller III, the commander of Naval Air Forces. "She has joined a select group of people who earned Wings of Gold and answered the call to defend our nation from the air. The diversity of that group — with differences in background, skill and thought — makes us a stronger fighting force."

Further clarification regarding Ms. Swegle, Ms. Robinson and their places in aviation history:

"Swegle's landmark accomplishment follows the footsteps of other groundbreaking women and minorities in the US Navy, like Rosemary Mariner, who became the first female jet pilot in 1974, and Brenda Robinson, the first Black woman to become a Navy flight instructor, evaluator and VIP transport pilot in the 1980's, according to the non-profit organization Women in Aviation International. "I think representation is important because we are a very diverse nation," Swegle said in a video released by the Navy earlier this week. "I would like everyone to believe that they can achieve whatever they want to do." Swegle graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2017 and completed initial flight screening at NAS Pensacola. She completed primary flight training at NAS Corpus Christi and finished her advanced strike training at NAS Kingsville. She completed her aircraft carrier qualifications in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast on May 20. Swegle will now report to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 at NAS Whidbey Island in Washington to begin training as an EA-18G Growler pilot. The squadron trains new naval aviators, naval flight officers, and naval aircrewmen in electronic warfare tactics, techniques, and procedures in preparation for their fleet assignments, according to the Navy. The EA-18G Growler is an electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet, and is based on US aircraft carriers."

8-7-20

Trump's Fourth Reich. CNN News reports:

"President Donald Trump's nominee to become the US ambassador to Germany has a history of making xenophobic and racist comments about immigrants and refugees in both Germany and the US. Retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor, a decorated combat veteran, author and frequent guest on Fox News, claimed that Muslim migrants were coming to Europe "with the goal of eventually turning Europe into an Islamic state." He criticized Germany for giving "millions of unwanted Muslim invaders" welfare benefits rather than providing more funding for its armed services. Macgregor's newly unearthed comments come as the Trump administration announced it will withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from bases in Germany. The decision to remove troops from Germany was slammed by Republicans, Democrats and former senior military officials, who said the move would benefit Russia. If Macgregor's nomination is confirmed by the Senate, he would oversee a new diplomatic period in US-German relations, one that has reached new lows after reports that Trump bullied and berated German Chancellor Angela Merkel on state phone calls."

Gets worse. Get this:

"CNN's KFile reviewed dozens of radio and television interviews with Macgregor and found he often demonized immigrants and refugees. He warned Mexican cartels were "driving millions of Mexicans with no education, no skills and the wrong culture into the United States, placing them essentially as wards of the American people." He repeatedly advocated to institute martial law at the US-Mexico border and "shoot people" if necessary. He also said that Eastern Ukrainians are "Russians" on the Russian state-controlled TV network RT in 2014 after Russia tried to annex Crimea and began an ongoing war with Ukraine over the territory -- positions not supported by the European Union and United States. He lamented that the US government intervened against Serbian forces, who engaged in ethnic cleansing and war crimes, during the Kosovo War in the 1990s to "put, essentially, a Muslim drug mafia in charge of that country." CNN reached out to Macgregor for comment multiple times, but he did not respond. A State Department spokesperson referred CNN to the White House for questions about presidential nominations. White House spokesman Judd Deere told CNN in an email that Macgregor is "enormously qualified" to serve as the ambassador to Germany, citing his expertise in German history and language and his experience serving in West Germany during the Cold War. "While the Swamp may feel threatened by President Trump's nominee, who believes strongly in putting America first, the White House wants to see this critical diplomatic post filled without delay," said Deere."

A raucous, boot-clicking, goose-stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil!, Mr. 'President?'

"Macgregor's nomination is already seeing opposition in the Senate, however. Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Bob Menendez, whose committee oversees Macgregor's nomination, told CNN that Macgregor's comments disqualify him from any government office and called on his colleagues to reject Macgregor. "Colonel MacGregor's public statements over the years on immigration, Muslims, and our relationship with Germany should disqualify him for any government office, much less to represent the United States as an ambassador. Even if his views reflect those of President Trump, it is incumbent on the entire Senate, including Senate Republicans, to reject this nominee," said Menendez. The retired colonel has sharply criticized US military and foreign policy. He bashed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as failures, though he notably touts on his company's website that his strategy to invade Iraq was adopted by the Pentagon and strongly supported the war at the time."

Insult to injury? Get this:

"Macgregor graduated from West Point and served in the US Army for nearly 30 years as a decorated combat veteran. He retired as a colonel in 2004. He has written five books and currently works as an executive vice president of a defense and foreign policy consulting firm based in Virginia. He is a frequent radio and television commentator on national security affairs, most recently for Fox News and RT. Macgregor has also criticized Germany's armed forces. Like Trump, Macgregor has repeatedly called to withdraw troops from Germany and "make it clear to them that we are not going to be the first responder." "The Germans, like the Koreans and the Japanese, are tired of this American troop presence on their soil. And I think that if you want the Germans to step up and assert themselves as the great power that they are, one of the first steps in that direction is to change our relationship with Germany in terms of military power. Make it clear to them that we are not going to be the first responder," said Macgregor in 2019. "We will continue to be allied and we will support, but we're not going to rush hundreds of thousands of troops to the Polish border to deal with the Russians," He frequently expressed these ideas on Fox News."

What nazi wouldn't?

Report goes on and on. Clearly, Adolf and Benito must be wildly cheering on their fiery perches. Where, when did this rabid fascist lose himself?

8-7-20

The following is appalling. The Associated Press reports:

"Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that most people think the deadly explosion Tuesday in Lebanon that killed at least 100 people was an accident, contradicting President Donald Trump, who said American generals told him it was likely caused by a bomb. Esper said the U.S. was still gathering information about the explosion, but said most believe “it was an accident, as reported.” On Tuesday, Trump said, “It looks like a terrible attack.” Trump was asked why he called it an attack and not an accident, especially since Lebanese officials had not yet determined the cause of the explosion. He told reporters at the White House: “It would seem like it based on the explosion. I met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was. This was not a — some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of a event. ... They seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind, yes.”

Pathetic.

"From the outset, U.S. officials have said that they did not know the cause of the initial fire and explosions that set off the larger blast. But they say they do believe the reports out of Lebanon claiming a large stockpile of ammonium nitrate left over from a seizure is what exploded. From video and other evidence, experts suggest that fireworks and ammonium nitrate were the fuel that ignited the explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital. The scale of the damage — from the area of the explosion at the port of Beirut to the windows blown out miles away — resembled other blasts involving the chemical compound commonly used as an agricultural fertilizer. The compound typically does not detonate on its own and requires another ignition source. That likely came from a fire that engulfed what initially appeared to be fireworks stored at the port. The Lebanese government said it was putting an unspecified number of Beirut port officials under house arrest pending an investigation into how 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate came to be stored at the port for years. “It’s obviously a tragedy,” Esper said online during this year’s Aspen Security Forum. “You know, we mourn for the dozens, if not hundreds, of Lebanese possibly killed and thousands hurt. ... When you see the video, it’s just devastating.” Esper said the U.S. was preparing to provide humanitarian aid and medical or other supplies to the Lebanese people. The U.S. Embassy in Beirut said at least one American citizen was killed and several more were injured in the explosion. “We are working closely with local authorities to determine if any additional U.S. citizens were affected,” the embassy said in a statement Wednesday. The embassy said all its employees are safe and accounted for. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke Wednesday with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab to convey U.S. condolences to the Lebanese people, according to State Department deputy spokesperson Cale Brown."

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
libertyinperil.com
libertyinperil@protonmail.com
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