Newsletter Text V735

Getting online has gotten increasingly difficult and expensive last four months. Worse, access is outside since most establishments are closed or limited to drive-thru operations. Lap tops are not designed to be used in such an environment. Extremely difficult to see the screen. Time for the readership to step up and provide assistance. TC 7-24-20

In response to the pandemic, government quickly imposed draconian restrictions making access to public wifi exceptionally difficult. Consequently, editions of this publication will be briefer and posted as regularly as possible until circumstances change. TC 3-20-20

Got guts? Tired of being lied to? Like an alternative source of information truly independent and free of government propaganda? Want this publication to continue? Send a donation to P.O. Box 151, Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609.

Brother dearest. ... Been awhile, hasn't it, Bro? A little antsy? Wondering when the next shoe is about to fall, that is, when you'll be fully exposed for the thieving son of a bitch you truly are? Patience. All in good time, good buddy. When I'm damned good and ready. Timing just right. After all, a son of a bitch who's stolen his father's estate needs to be fully exposed publicly for whom and what he is, don't you think? Indeed, a public service for your neighbors, professional associates, family, and friends, etc..

Conveniently, forget? Others need to protect themselves against a fraud who masquerades as both a teacher and a counselor, no? -- How the hell did you ever pass an MMPI some forty years ago to get hired? You're not stable. Have not been. ... Must have really been pissed off at the old man to rip off an estate, no? How much did you steal while he was alive and supposedly under your care?

How much did you bribe law enforcement to ignore a complaint I filed with them years before the old man died? How much did you bribe the prosecutor to ignore a complaint filed with her several years ago? How much? Use the old man's money to bribe the bitch? Her cohorts? Your law enforcement shysters? While there may indeed be no justice from a corrupt system, fortunately, I do have a way to publicly expose you for the goddamned thieving son of a bitch you truly are.

... Unlike our grandmother who scrubbed floors on her hands and knees during the Depression for peanuts, only to have what little she had stolen by her son, our uncle, another goddamned thieving son of a bitch just like you. Remember how, surprise, surprise, there was no life insurance when our grandfather died? Despite the fact our grandmother gave her thieving bastard son premium money year after goddamned year? Only, as the thieving son of a bitch he truly was, to have pocketed it. Again, just like you.

Remember when he booted her out of the house she had bought him when he had had enough of her? -- Despite the fact he had lied and promised she could stay the rest of her life? She had to climb two flights of stairs on an ulcerated leg to get to a bathroom he had never built for her at ground level as falsely promised. Nothing ever happened to the thieving son of a bitch as far as justice was concerned. Worse, he was never exposed publicly for the thieving son of a bitch he truly was.

Will be different for you, Bro. While you've bought off authorities, you will be publicly exposed. In great detail. In good time. When I'm damned good and ready. When exposure will do the maximum figurative damage to your goddamned sordid reputation. -- Just the truth, brother dearest, however. Just the truth.

Irony of ironies? When the thieving son of a bitch died, and our mother was finally informed he had passed, she cried for her brother, -- the bastard thief who stole from her mother. Sad, isn't it? Too bad she's not still alive to see you publicly exposed for the goddamned thieving son of a bitch you,yourself, truly are. As was he. Not in a court of law you've bought off, however. Right here.

In good time. Again, when I'm damned good and ready. Employing the very same tactics used against Amanda Wright of Wells Fargo. -- On steroids, however, since all dirty family laundry will be aired. All of it. No threat. A promise. Emails sent to your neighbors, friends, professional associates, businesses you deal with. Although an enormous amount of work, all doable courtesy of the Internet. Despite being some 1,800 miles away. -- Small world, isn't it, Bro? Enjoy the stolen loot, you son of a bitch. Forget? It's all you have.

Brother dearest. Save all the check stubs from the old man's accounts? Fraudulently sign any of them yourself? Think this material couldn't be obtained from the banks either through discovery or a criminal investigation? Still own the house on Condict Rd.? Any other properties besides this one and the old man's you stole with the help of your shyster bastard? Be interesting to see how far your assets extend and where. Think all that information isn't accessible? That I won't determinedly obtain it?

That not only an extensive Internet search will be conducted that will likely take months to complete? But an extensive background check as well? Think the Catholic high school you attended shouldn't be informed of the thievery of one of its graduates? Think the clerics there would be appalled at their failure to teach you right from wrong? How about both universities? Think neighbors in the old man's neighborhood won't be informed of your deception? Think they don't have a right to know?

Ever follow the advice of Dr. Bert Wiser, psychological statistics professor at MSU? That is, get treatment for your achingly debilitating instability? Is that why you wound up looting the old man? Or, is it simply a convenient excuse you'll use to defend the indefensible? Think this will end any time soon? That is, public exposure of you as a thieving son of a bitch? We're just getting started, Bro. Just getting started.

Don't like it? Tough shit. Sue me you thieving son of a bitch. Would use discovery to learn and post on this website all there is to know about you, your activities, predilections, business 'deals,' as well as all your financial transactions, etc.. All of it. Would certainly avoid the expense of an extensive background check on you, thieving brother dearest.

Even if you were successful in court, there is nothing for you to take, this remains, as well, a homesteading state where minimal assets are protected anyway. This site is hosted in an overseas country that doesn't particularly like government intrusion, remains not prone to cooperate. Besides, can always upload to another webhost in still yet another country. The possibilities are endless, Bro. Just takes willingness, effort, unshakable determination.

Even if I lost it all would be more than worth it to expose you for the goddamned thieving son of a bitch you truly are. Even if you bribed a goddamned nazi 'judge' to remove posted material, would not cooperate and be more than willing to rot in jail. Would certainly keep reposting it all no matter the cost and/or personal consequences every time it was taken down. Forget, you thieving son of a bitch? I never ever give up.

Since all I seek is your exposure for the thief you truly are, would all be worth it. For the sake of principle. All the work, financial cost, as well as the time I am about to dedicate to this effort, you deceptive, unstable, sick, thieving son of a bitch. Unlike you, I live on principle and have absolutely nothing to lose. You do. Will certainly take great pleasure and satisfaction in doing all I can to publicly expose you for whom and what you are.

To say nothing of placing enormous pressure on prosecutors you and your equally corrupt shyster son of a bitch apparently bribed. Don't like it? Again, tough shit. Chew harder. The public needs to know to protect itself. From you and your shyster bastard. People who live and travel in your circles as well. Including his. As a thief, you and he can't be trusted by anyone. You'll determinedly f--k them.

More than willing to provide this truly public service. People certainly need to know whom and what you are. What you have sadly become. You certainly weren't brought up to be a thieving son of a bitch. What happened? Where did you lose yourself, Bro? -- Never mind. ... Truly doesn't matter. Only your exposure.

Hey, Bro? Remember me? How soon they conveniently forget. ... Half asleep? -- Out to lunch? ... In your own perverse little world? That of a criminal? Wake up. Conveniently, gutlessly forget? Insanely believe you're someway, somehow off the hook? Think again. We're not done. You remain a thief who will be exposed for whom and what your are. What you certainly have become. No question about that. Patience, you thieving son of a bitch. Exposure is coming. Promise.

Think I don't have time? Truly believe the ongoing Presidential fiasco ends no matter who wins? The murderous decay in law enforcement gets resolved any time soon? Criminal Wells Fargo employees from local Kingsland bank manager Amanda S. Wright right up to and including CEO John Stumpf get prosecuted in the near future despite egregious criminal activity? Wouldn't hold my breath, would you?

Think I don't have time to handle all this and your public exposure for the estate-stealing criminal son of a bitch you've truly become? How could you steal from the old bastard, you incredibly sad sack of shit? Certainly weren't brought up to be a thief. What happened to you? Where'd you lose yourself?

No question, 2017 will be a most remarkable, defining year for you, Bro. Public exposure for the thieving piece of shit you've sadly become. It's on the way. Promise. Hope you sue. Nothing for you to take. Tough, isn't it? Certainly, makes me judgment proof. Will certainly, as well, take advantage of discovery. Publish every detail I can get my hands on. No matter the consequences. Only consideration? Prime directive? Your exposure for whom and what you are.

Readers? This not-so-brotherly piece of shit stole from our father. Manipulated the old man to line his pockets. Just like our uncle on my mother's side of the family did to my grandmother. Runs in the family. Our family. ... Right, Bro? This game now gets played my way, -- not yours, you son of a bitch. That is, no more U.S. Mail tag.

Anything sent by mail will be refused, returned unopened. Want contact? Email. libertyinperil@riseup.net. Quick. Easy. Better yet? A digital record. Permanent. Easily accessible. Easily uploaded to this site when and if it becomes necessary. The shyster bastard you hired to steal the estate shouldn't expect escape, either, from public exposure as the thieving piece of shit he, like you, truly both are. Unscrupulous thieves.

Sincerely hope that piece of crap sues as well. Nothing to take. Discovery again would be published no matter the personal cost. Nothing quite like public exposure, is there? Especially, when it is nothing but the truth and there is absolutely nothing to lose exposing two pieces of criminal shit for whom and what they are. Two pieces of gutless human excrement who looted an old man. ... Right, Bro?

There is no better disinfectant than sunlight, readers. Glaring sunlight. Dazzling brilliance. Amazing how the roaches run for cover. Equally pointedly, how vermin on two legs manage to so easily prey on the elderly courtesy of the out of control fascist police-state we now live in. While there'll never be any justice vis a vis this theft, there will be exposure to the brilliant light of day for both criminal perpetrators. Count on it, you not-so-brotherly criminal son of a bitch.

Hey, Bro? Hear of Old Sturbridge Village? Haven't? ... Not lying, are you, you thieving son of a bitch? You and your long-term companion EC conspire, bequeath some of the old man's loot to this museum? An achingly stingy gift of $250-$499, -- considering the size of the estate? The CEO and Board have any idea you stole it? Think they'd care? -- Just getting started, dearest, dearest Bro. ... Delusionally believe I haven't more than enough time, resources, determination to expose you for the thieving piece of crap you truly are? ... Under $500 back in 2013? Remarkably parsimonious with stolen money aren't you? What does it feel like to have gutlessly ripped off an incompetent old man? -- Dear old Dad. Certainly, look forward to digging much deeper into how you and your shyster lawyer managed to bamboozle and loot the old bastard. Back in the day, certainly wouldn't have fallen for your bullshit. Would have kicked your worthless, thieving ass out the door. Intend to expose it to the light of day. Indeed, a public service. Seatbelts on, you thieving son of a bitch. Tally ho!

... Brief aside, dear readers, for a most exceptional reason. -- Although infrequent, pressing ongoing personal business must come first on rare occasion. Hope you agree, moreover, find it entertaining, -- as this writer did crafting what follows. Principle trumps all. Remains prime mover, prime directive no matter what.

This pressing issue involves a family thief. A heartless predator preying on the elderly who must be held accountable, exposed to the light of day. Especially, since authorities failed to do their job. The following is part of that continuing effort to expose this piece of shit for whom and what he is:

Hey, Bro? Guess what? Me, again. Most determined pain in the ass. Miss me? An inconvenient, nagging hemorrhoid that simply won't go away no matter what. -- A pile with a smile that takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

... Delusionally think this most persistent nemesis of yours conveniently disappeared to parts unknown, vanished in thin air? To give a turd a break? Wake up. Not a chance, you thieving son of a bitch. ... When you insanely believe this writer's gone and you're finally in the clear, guess what, here I am, right in your face.

Despite what's going on across our formerly great country, always have more than enough time for personal business. That is, exposing you, Bro, to the glaring light of day. A pathetically greedy predator. Your target, who else, the elderly. Most defenseless, vulnerable, an easy fleece. -- Thought you'd steal from the surly old curmudgeon with impunity, no consequences?

Successfully escape accountability? Avoid detection, all responsibility? Blatant theft of an old man's estate? A little help from a bought and paid for hopelessly greedy unprincipled shyster? Supposed cake walk due to 1800 miles separation? No one to hold you accountable? Your feet to the fire? What could you possibly been thinking?

You've read this publication before. Know precisely who and what I am, what I do. Never give up. Never say die. Ignore all obstacles. Know full well Liberty In Peril modus operandi remains as relentlessly ferocious, blindingly intense as ever.

No punches pulled. No slack. No personal consideration. Certainly, not for a gutless son of a bitch, no more than a thieving predator. Looted target, guess who, dear old dad. Pitiful. Delusionally believe you had the booty coming? An entitlement? For having had to put up with his shit all those years? Wake up.

Hear of Historic Deerfield? Of course, you have, you lying son of a bitch. Forget? You're one of their not-so-generous 'benefactors.' ... With all the money stolen from our father's estate, only bequeath them a piss poor $40 bucks?

Unbelievable. An achingly tight, cheap, thieving, worthless piece of duplicitous crap. ... Write-off? Negligible. ... Feather in the cap? How? Delusionally believe your treachery would never see the light of day? What planet do you live on?

Board of Trustees Chair Anne K. Groves know full well you looted the estate? How about President Philip Zea? Think both don't have a right to know? How about Anne Lanning, Vice President For Museum Affairs? To say nothing of Susan Martinelli, Vice President For Business Affairs?

These officials are entitled to know precisely whom they're doing business with. A thief. Gutless phony. Blow-hard fraud. Hoity-toity dandy. Worse? An unprincipled thief who stole from his father. ... Glaring light of day sucks, doesn't it, Bro? No escaping the unvarnished truth, this most bitter reality. Not a chance.

Saddest of all? Back in the day, Hell would have frozen over before anyone would have have been able to rip off the craggy old bastard. Remember quite well how intent, determined he was not to be fleeced late in life by a sick son of a bitch like you.

A leech. Ironic, isn't it? Gutless rip off of an old man who couldn't adequately handle his affairs any longer. How do you sleep nights?

Fraud runs in the family, clearly. History repeating itself. Right in the footsteps of our grandmother's son, who callously ripped off his mother decades ago. Again, another achingly pathetic piece of human excrement. Just like you. Intend to lay it bare. Methodically. Painstakingly. In great detail. Living, breathing color.

For all to see. A public service. Exposure of the criminal piece of human excrement you truly are. For sustained public review. A goddamned thief. Pissed? Chagrined? Nonplused? Tough shit. Sue. Would certainly immediately post all discovery no matter the consequences.

All snail mail will be returned unopened. No phone tag. Got something to say? Email. Say it right here. On this website. In public. For the world to see. Will be posted in its entirety. No editing. Unlike you, this writer doesn't lie, cheat, steal. Honors his word. Intend to expose you precisely for whom and what you are.

Duplicitous predator who preyed on his own father. Blinding exposure to benefit the community. Have nothing to lose providing this public service, but you do. No better disinfectant than sunshine.

.. Think the old bastard not spinning in his grave? -- Old lady not doing the same? One thing for certain. Neither brought you up to be a goddamned thief. Yet, here we are. ... Until next time, Tally Ho!

... Hey, Sheriff? Is it true Llano County Attorney Becky Lange has advised you to stay out of the "Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764" fiasco? That right, Bill? Isn't that obstruction of justice? Also true your deputies have advised the Bolens to accept the status quo and not force the no-trespassing issue with Greene? If so, isn't that also obstruction and official oppression? When will you do your job, Bill? As an elected official, you answer to the public, forget? -- No honor? ... No honor at all? If the foregoing allegations are indeed true, didn't you swear an oath to uphold the law and Constitution? Why aren't you doing so? No guts?

Your deputy has been accused of abusing authority. What action have you taken other than ignore the complaint? Why aren't both Rodriguez and the County Attorney under criminal investigation? The County Attorney appears to be obstructing justice, accepting the word of Greene in lieu of two surveyor companies who strongly assert otherwise. Both the County Attorney and District Attorney have ignored complaints. Par for the course in Llano County, isn't it? Failed to do their jobs. No surprise there, right, Bill? Both receiving 'special consideration' up to and/or including a bribe from Greene? Regardless, clearly, no justice in Nazi Llano County. Bottom line? Desperate need for an outside criminal investigation. Conveniently, forget? This County is ruled by men, certainly not rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute criminal law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose only mandate would be to adjudicate such cases. Total independence. Until that happens, the criminal bastards who falsely believe they run and own this hell hole County will continue to do as they please.

Some salient quotes occurring later on in this edition vis a vis unfinished business County officials continue to ignore:

... "No justice. Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court that would adjudicate only these cases. Total independence. The only way to rein in these criminals, particularly the murderers in blue.

Sadly, the achingly clueless bastards in law enforcement don't need a legitimate reason to kill. Enjoy carte blanche to murder on the job. Nearly always, with impunity. ... Right, Sheriff? Sue the living shit out of the jackbooted motherf--kers, the department, and the city. Any officer engaged in, or threatening this kind of unnecessary violence needs to be criminally prosecuted. Not protected and coddled. Not put on paid leave, -- no more than a paid vacation. Not sent home without pay to catch up on his beauty sleep.

Firing is egregiously insufficient. How can the law enforcement community be trusted? No foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than the criminal jackbooted bastards in law enforcement. ... Right, Sheriff? Madam County Attorney? "Sonny Boy?"

These are extremely dangerous times for our formerly great country. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming. -- As our legislators and other government officials figuratively 'fiddle while Rome burns.'

Not good enough. Nowhere near. Short of an unwanted dreaded second American revolution, only one way for these atrocities to end. Again, time for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose sole function would be to adjudicate such cases. Total independence.

Local and state authorities are egregiously incapable of handling these cases. Tend to protect their own. ... Right, Sheriff? Goes with the territory, doesn't it, Bill? Precisely, why there is no faith or trust in your criminal jackbooted bastards. Local authorities here in Nazi Llano County have their heads figuratively, securely lodged so far up their clueless ass their eyeballs are turning inside out. Protect and coddle your clueless, out of control officers. Imagine that.

Unadulterated, blatant ongoing horse shit. ... Right, Bill? F--k these jackbooted bastards. Aren't worth a crap. Continually abrogate their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution. ... Right, Sheriff? Includes not only deputies, but the brass as well. No principles. No honor. Lying, conniving, abusive, murderous jackbooted thieving thugs. The American Civil Liberties Union needs to step up and represent the victims of abusive law enforcement.

To say nothing of innocent civilians all across our formerly great country who are victimized by abusive police. Need far better representation than a public defender. Forget? It's how the bastards in government line government coffers. All too often, looting the innocent. Those on the bottom of the food chain. ... Right, Sheriff?

No justice. The American Way. Nazi America. When is this shit finally going to end? All of it. Wake up, Sheriff. Again, where is dashcam video of the killing of Jeffrey Gray Wise, 52, of Austin by DPS and the Llano County Sheriff's Office? Two hundred seventy eight weeks, now. A goddamned disgrace.

Why are you still sitting on this information? What are you hiding, Sheriff? What is the identity of the officers who killed Wise? Too gutless to release this information to the public that pays your salary and that of your goons? Reportedly, there were three officers involved in the shooting. Who the hell are they?

When will the goddamned 'law' 'enforcement' community finally stop making excuses for engaging in outrageous criminal activity including blatant murder, violent assault, sexual assault, theft, drug trafficking, etc.? List can go on and on. Protecting its own no matter what it does or doesn't do? Convenient, isn't it, Sheriff? Again, no foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than all branches and levels of government, -- including law enforcement.

Corruption within law enforcement remains an existential threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. So what else is new? ... Right, Bill? Same old duplicitous, aggressively stupid shit occurs right here in Nazi Llano County. ... Doesn't it, Sheriff?

Think it'll change any time soon? Don't hold your breath, readers. Not how things work in Nazi America, right, Sheriff? Highly reminiscent of how your goons operate though, isn't it, Bill? Forget? 'Stupid is as stupid does.' F--ked up is f--ked up no matter where, no matter how. Problem throughout all law enforcement.

Including right here in Nazi Llano County, right, Sheriff? Too many officers clearly have their heads securely lodged where the sun seldom shines. Egregious insanity continues to be perpetrated by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. Ongoing issue. All over our formerly great country.

Not just in Dallas as in the Guyger case, but all over the nation. No end to it. Surprised? Why? In today's increasingly national socialist climate anything goes, right, Bill? Live in a de facto fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. Certainly, a problem here in Nazi Llano County, isn't it, Sheriff? Your goons, however, aren't held accountable when they egregiously f--k up. Ever.

Precisely why you refuse to release information on your deputies to the long-suffering public? That is, employment history, criminal background, results of drug testing, etc.. ... Got to protect your criminal jackbooted thugs preying on the citizenry with virtual impunity, right, sir?

Equally pointedly, why hasn't Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 been held criminally accountable for egregious abuse of power involving denial of property rights to a Kingsland property owner? To say nothing of consequent resultant physical damage done to a motor home on that property. Why are you protecting this clueless son of a bitch, Sheriff?

Why hasn't he been prosecuted for official oppression? Where is financial compensation for the damage this jackbooted piece of human excrement is responsible for? Ferociously pointedly, why are the District Attorney and the County Attorney continuing to protect this jackbooted piece of shit? He and others like him present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

Equally to the point, why are your jackbooted pieces of human excrement refusing to enforce Berardi's property rights? Your goons have failed to take action against Theresa Ahrens when she tore down a no trespassing sign and barrier on Berardi's property. Have you, your goons, and/or Madam County Attorney been bribed by Johnny Greene?

Ahrens frequently drives all the way through Berardi's property. Coup de grace? When Berardi complained to Llano County Deputy Idle about the trespassing, the officer's response was insane. Said the Sheriff told him to tell Berardi since Ahrens believes she owns his property she can't be charged with trespassing. Perfect Catch-22, right, Sheriff? You're not fit for office, Bill. Bribed by Johnny Greene?

Why is Theresa Ahrens allowed by your goons to dictate what vehicles can and cannot be parked on Berardi's property? Ahrens claims she has proof the property belongs to her where the vehicle was parked. Has failed to produce it. Surveyors say otherwise. Back up Berardi. Yet, your jackbooted bastards refuse to enforce Berardi's property rights. Why? Somebody lining somebody's pockets, Sheriff?

Ms. Ahrens micro-mini portable 'house' is parked on an unused unmarked Llano County road. Imagine that. Madam County Attorney well-aware. Has done nothing. Shit squat. Egregiously ignored her oath of office. Someone bribing you, Becky? Lining your pockets, Counselor? Paying you not to sell the unused unmarked County road to Berardi? Doesn't the County want and need the sale money, to say nothing of the resultant tax income?

No question, County and State agencies remain determinedly, concertedly, achingly incapable of criminal investigation of their own. Precisely, why a new federal agency desperately needs to be created whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose sole function would be to adjudicate only such cases. Total independence. Certainly, go a long, long way to cleaning up this cess pool County. Rein in the outrageously corrupt, abusive, achingly inept, self-serving assholes who run and own this hell hole.

Sheriff, you falsely claim the Kingsland County Commissioner has the authority to resolve this ongoing property rights issue. Clearly, doesn't. You, Madam County Attorney, and "Sonny Boy" are certainly an egregious impediment, continue to determinedly stonewall. Someone's pockets are being lined. Again, where's financial compensation for the damage Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 is directly responsible for to the Pace Arrow? Why hasn't he been prosecuted for this damage, to say nothing of infringement of Berardi's property rights? -- Just getting started, Sheriff. Far more to come.

-- You're not doing your jobs, Sheriff. You've got a loose vicious dog problem in Kingsland, Bill. When will you and the troops finally do something about this ongoing issue? Certainly, a recurring problem on Skyline, particularly on occasion at the intersection of Odessa. Pedestrians, runners, and cyclists are at risk. Too busy lining County coffers with bogus tickets?"

Wiley B. "Sonny" McAfee
District Attorney
33rd and 424th Judicial Districts
Llano, TX 78643

Re: Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

The enclosed emails were sent to the Llano County Attorney and Sheriff, respectively, vis a vis the above matter. Remain unanswered. The County Attorney appears to be protecting and defending the deputy at behest of Kingsland property owner Johnny Greene. May have received some consideration from Greene up to and including a bribe. Are the County Attorney, Greene, and the Deputy under criminal investigation? If not, why not?

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

Rebecca Lange, Llano County Attorney
Llano County Attorney's Office
Llano, Texas 78643

Re: Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

As you're well aware, we have an outrageously corrupt, abusive, achingly inept Llano County Sheriff's Office here in Nazi Llano County. Worse, you and your office aid and abet these SS jackbooted bastards in black. The issue at the moment is the same it's been the last six months.

How is it two surveyor companies, the Appraisal District, the Tax Office, the Precinct 3 Commissioner, even the goddamned Sheriff himself now states Kingsland resident James Berardi owns the lots in contention all these months?

Yet, you ludicrously assert that's not the County's legal position. It's not? Why not? You claim you're not a real estate expert. Rather than accept the advice of two surveyor companies, the Precinct 3 Commissioner, the Appraisal District, the Tax Office, and even the Sheriff himself, you've inexplicably chosen to follow the advice of property owner Johnny Greene, -- who conveniently happens to be reportedly in the oil industry.

Question to be asked. Could you have received any 'consideration' in return, -- up to and including a bribe? Only way to know for sure is for the District Attorney to conduct a criminal investigation. Apparently, there has been none. If not, why not?

Equally pointedly, why hasn't Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 been held criminally accountable for egregious abuse of power involving denial of property rights to this Kingsland property owner? To say nothing of consequent resultant physical damage done to a motor home on that property.

Our achingly useless, worthless, gutless Sheriff has ignored an email vis a vis the damage this jackbooted thug is responsible for. Interestingly, his fellow officers believe him to be an idiot. Yet, the Sheriff continued to defend this piece of human excrement until he realized this entire fiasco would not be swept under the carpet.

Rodriguez is indeed an idiot. Would you believe this piece of crap ordered the motor home to be moved on to an unmarked unused Llano County road? That motor home has indeed been moved back to where it was parked before Rodriguez forced it to be moved. Why hasn't the County paid for the cost of moving it back? To say nothing of the damage.

Equally pointedly, why is it the County has allowed Theresa Ahrens to park and live in her tiny cottage on that very same road? Why hasn't she been evicted by the County? Why was she assessed taxes on an adjacent improvement she doesn't own?

Why is it, Counselor, Johnny Greene is paying for the attorney retained by Ms. Ahrens? Is Greene attempting to make this all go away by bribery? Greene has also informed Berardi he is going to sue. For what? Has Greene lost his mind?

What about Wells who installed a $4500 septic system on a lot turns out he does not own as a result of Greene, an outrageously inept County, to say nothing of the Llano County Attorney who remains equally determinedly clueless?

How about Bolen who hasn't a pot to piss in, but was nonetheless f--ked over by Greene to say nothing of an egregiously inept County, to say nothing of you and your goddamned equally incompetent office?

None of this is going away, Counselor, -- any time soon. Will not be swept under the carpet as all the other crap going on in this hell hole County. Not a chance. Expect a full expose in this publication whether or not this outrageous fiasco finally gets resolved. Including full public exposure of both the Sheriff and his jackbooted thug.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

Bill Blackburn, Sheriff
Llano County Sheriff's Office
2001 N. State Hwy. 16 Suite A
Llano, Texas 78643

Archive and retain all reports vis a vis damage to the Pace Arrow resulting from egregious abuse of authority perpetrated by Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764, on the Berardi property in Kingsland on 8-16-17.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

Wake up, Sheriff. Again, where is dashcam video of the killing of Jeffrey Gray Wise, 52, of Austin by DPS and the Llano County Sheriff's Office? Two hundred seventy eight weeks, now. A goddamned disgrace. Why are you still sitting on this information? What are you hiding, Sheriff? What is the identity of the officers who killed Wise? Too gutless to release this information to the public that pays your salary and that of your goons? Reportedly, there were three officers involved in the shooting.

Who are they, Sheriff? Their past history? An ongoing investigation remains a lame bullshit excuse. How can you and your goons be trusted when you refuse to disclose information? Two hundred seventy eight weeks. Especially, your egregious failure to disclose the identity of the officers who pulled the trigger. To cover your sorry ass, Sheriff? Those of your thugs? The people have a right to know what happened, how it went down. You don't understand that, Sheriff? Sadly, clearly, you answer to no one. Including taxpayers. Especially, taxpayers.

Until you and your goons come clean, doubt will remain this was indeed a good shoot. The longer you drag your feet, the greater the doubt. Think not? Wake up. Your credibility has tanked. Isn't getting any better as this bullshit continues unabated. Two hundred seventy eight weeks. Still no identification of the officers involved ... Can't get your stories straight? In line? Discrepancy between LCSO and DPS? Wake up, Sheriff. The public no longer buys the bullshit. No longer trusts you. On this and many, many other issues. You have no credibility. Absolutely, none.

Readers, this is but one of about four other highly questionable killings by law enforcement in Llano County in the last decade or so. There was one within the City of Llano, another in a field near Fuzzy's Corner, Buchanan Dam, yet another in Point Tella, Buchanan Dam, still another in Tow. If there are any others I may have neglected to mention, kindly email.

It's time the public be fully informed. -- Know what we're dealing with here and how 'law' 'enforcement' operates in this hell hole County. If these jackbooted bastards are not reined in, the life lost could be many others courtesy of a law enforcement system that is no longer accountable to anyone. ... Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

The Sheriff seems to have no clue the people who pay him and his goons are entitled to know whom is killing whom and why. This shit always seems to be swept under the carpet. Ignored. The attitude of these jackbooted sons of bitches is trust us. They can't be. They've lied too many times. Refuse to be accountable to anyone. We live in a goddamned fascist police-state where law enforcement does as it pleases. Usually, with impunity. This has to change.

The Texas Rangers have become rubber stamp to atrocities committed by law enforcement. This also has to change. No one is holding law enforcement accountable any longer. No one. No one in state or federal government. This is precisely why Ferguson triggered such an uproar. There was no justice there. None here. None anywhere. Officers are abusive, corrupt, inept.

Falsely ticket and arrest the innocent to line County coffers. Court fees charged continue to be horrendous. -- Aren't taxpayers already looted to pay these costs? Aren't you not only double f--king those falsely accused, but taxpayers also hellaciously looted to pay the very same costs? Yet, the criminal bastards in power in Llano continue to pile on the fees. This is nothing more than goddamned bullshit. This money finds its way into the pockets of the corrupt, abusive bastards who falsely believe they run and own this hell hole.

Would you believe the last time the Sheriff's Office happened to be 'audited' during the Garrett regime, reportedly, auditors couldn't figure out what went where and why? Yet, surprise, surprise. Nothing was done. There has to be transparency. There is none. Why would these thieving bastards want any? ... Right, Sheriff? TL? How else could they so easily steal and loot with virtual impunity? Worse, this reinforces jackbooted power in this goddamned, godforsaken hell hole County.

The public has a right to know the histories of the Sheriff's goons. Clearly, the Sheriff doesn't think so. That is, where they came from. Why they left where they were. What is happening here is the Sheriff is using 'personnel matters' as a convenient excuse to deny the public access to the history of outrageously corrupt, abusive, inept officers who are no more than criminals themselves.

He's protecting his outrageously corrupt, abusive, inept jackbooted bastards. Worse, the standards imposed by sheriff's offices statewide with the exception of metropolitan counties are well below those of DPS and city police departments. Why? So the corruption, abuse, ineptness, and outright stealing can continue unabated? This has to change. ... Can't have that, can we? Sheriff? TL?

The public should understand Llano County authorities have it all sewn up. Did you know the Texas Attorney General does not have the authority to investigate and prosecute County authorities on his own? The District Attorney has to call for an investigation by the Texas Rangers. Then, the State can prosecute if it so chooses.

Consequently? Guess what? Nothing will happen. Nothing ever does. The goddamned corruption continues unabated until you, the public, pressure authorities. Precisely, why we all enjoy the 'best' government money can buy. Literally. Without question, the corrupt, abusive, inept sons of bitches are all bought and paid for. Firmly clamped to the taxpayer tit. Dependent on money looted from innocent citizens caught in their web. Phony fines and court costs cleverly designed to f--k the innocent and enrich the pieces of shit who falsely believe they run and own Llano County. Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

Interestingly, the former Sheriff and District Attorney were reportedly forced to retire after an outrageous scandal involving a drunk driving police officer from out of town. Including special treatment of the drunken son of a bitch that no other citizen caught doing the same would have been afforded. An honest, honorable Llano County Deputy suffered the consequences. Forget? Great officers do not last in this hell hole County. ... Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

With all ongoing abuse in this goddamned County, one thing remains for damned sure. We're just getting started, Sheriff. You will continue to be exposed for whom and what you and your corrupt, abusive, inept jackbooted bastards have become, truly are, not what you phonies purport to be, that is, how you continue to f--k over a public you've falsely sworn to protect and defend. -- Exposure, the only way short of an unwanted dreaded revolution to force desperately needed change in a goddamned fascist police-state. The Fourth Reich.

Have your jackbooted thugs been tested for steroids, Sheriff? If you've nothing to hide, Bill, release the results of all drug testing. 'Personnel matters?' Bullshit. Looted taxpayers have the right to know. They're footing the bill for all this goddamned corruption, abuse, ineptness. When will you and the boys end the shakedowns? Looting of the innocent to line County coffers? No honor at all?

Where are your swastika armbands, you fascist son of a bitch? You and your thugs remain out of uniform. Once again, Sheriff, and ad nauseum, did you and/or your goons pressure Schilling to exit the race? Did you steal the election? If so, an aggressively stupid, achingly gutless public gets what it truly deserves. One of the most corrupt, abusive, inept 'law' 'enforcement' agencies in our formerly great country.

While the business and church communities stood tall during the recent Kingsland flood catastrophe, there was one glaring exception. On 10-17-18, the Antlers Coffee Shop closed due to storm-related failure of the Kingsland water system. Patrons, however, are routinely allowed to get online outside even when the shop is closed.

A long-term coffee shop customer entered the hotel lobby to ask the desk clerk whether wifi was still up and running after the catastrophe. She said it was and told the patron he could get online inside the closed shop. She then asked him to have another regular customer who had just arrived outside to come in and get out of the cold as well.

Antlers co-proprietor Rick apparently quickly got wind of both customers, made quite a jackass of himself emulating the petulant narcissist currently occupying the Oval Office. Aggressive stupidity at a time the Kingsland business community is indeed suffering, can least afford it. Further proof positive of the old adage 'can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.'

Why would, why should both customers put up with this? Think this hasn't happened to others?

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.

Llano County DA "Sonny Boy" is in the news. Received an award. The DailyTrib reports:

"The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission recognized District Attorney Wiley “Sonny” McAfee on August 22 for his efforts in prosecuting natural and cultural resource violations as well as environmental crimes. The commission named the 33rd and 424th district attorney the 2019 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Prosecutor of the Year. McAfee serves Burnet, Llano, Blanco, and San Saba counties. Elected in November 2012 and taking office on January 1, 2013, he has been instrumental in a number of high-profile cases involving Texas game wardens and Texas State Park police officers."

The District Attorney has ignored a complaint filed earlier by this publication regarding special treatment accorded Texas oil man Johnny Greene by the Llano County Attorney and Sheriff vis a vis a property dispute involving a local banker, three other local property owners with homes encroaching on land they don't own, one of which is on an unused Llano County road. To say nothing of damage to a Pace Arrow motorhome on that property. All a result of egregious abuse of authority by Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764. The circumstances of this fiasco can be found above in each and every edition of this publication since this happened two and a half years ago. The Sheriff, the County Attorney, and the District Attorney have all determinedly, concertedly ignored this ongoing, unresolved fiasco raising one ferociously pointed question. How much were they bribed?

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

Last three months been getting online at the Kingsland HEB. Met quite a few readers at the picnic table. -- People I didn't personally know, but who came up and introduced themselves. Certainly, grateful for your concern, caring, and moral support. One of the Front End managers, Kevin, had granted permission to plug in and access HEB Customer wifi at the picnic table some three months ago. Someone in County government must have subsequently complained. Three months after the fact. LOL. Finally got the boot 6-27-20 from the achingly gutless Store Manager who couldn't, or wouldn't stand up to pressure from this asshole.

Pathetic, isn't it? LOL. Certainly, knew it was coming. Hard to believe it took three months. LOL. Apparently, the gutless Store Manager, Monty, sent out the second in command, Dan, to deliver the happy news. Spoke to him awhile, but sadly as expected, he had nothing substantive to say. Other than, "leave." LOL. Advised him to send out the clearly reluctant Store Manager who apparently wanted to avoid the encounter. Finally, came out. Imagine that.

Asked the Store Manager, Monty Young, for a business card. Remarkably, he had none. Couldn't be, could it? LOL. An HEB Store Manager with no business card? How is that possible? Unlimited corporate greed? Aryan arrogance of a privately-owned corporation? Or, was he simply lying? Informed him he'd indeed be front and center in this next edition.

Before getting into specific detail vis a vis my conversation with the Store Manager, it must be stated staff at the Kingsland HEB is second to none. Have known many of them for years. Work extremely well together as a team. Certainly, exceptionally customer-friendly. The problem with this store is not staff. Not even the Store Manager and Assistant Manager per se, -- who apparently, despite their denials, had been pressured by someone. It's the HEB corporate management suite at the root of most of the problems at this store.

The following salient issues were discussed with the Store Manager before I left. -- Interestingly, none of which he denied. LOL. Readers, have you noticed cheaper generic products are either continually out of stock or discontinued? Especially, after the store changed its product line weeks before the pandemic. Apparently, in an effort to emulate the Marble Falls store that caters to the Horseshoe Bay elite.

New larger shopping carts were brought in to the Kingsland store so shoppers would supposedly buy more product, increase store sales. Shelves are restocked 24 hrs. Staff was unhappy because aisles are too narrow for the larger carts. Makes it harder to stock shelves when the store is open. Not only that, makes it much more difficult for shoppers to navigate the narrow aisles.

Product pricing has steeply increased. They accomplish this both by directly raising prices, as well as in engaging in deception, that is, downsizing product. One recent glaring example is their generic bleach. For awhile, it was unavailable, out of stock. Then, it was downsized from three quarts to two. Price remained at $1. A 33% increase. Done deceptively. At a time when inflation is supposedly non-existent. What ever happened to the HCF quart and a half ice cream that sold for $1.99? Long since gone. Both aforementioned products had already been downsized once before. LOL. List can go on and on. Unbridled corporate greed.

As I reminded the Store Manager, Kingsland residents, for the most part, are poor, young, elderly, and/or disabled, etc. This store now caters to the rich who live on the lake and Sunrise Beach. Not sustainable. ... Especially, if the shit finally hits the fan vis a vis the Trump nazi, and/or a second shutdown occurs courtesy of the raging, poorly-handled, achingly mismanaged pandemic.

To store employees, all of whom I admire, consider personal friends, courageously provide your ongoing grievances to this publication. I will publish them while protecting your identity. If you won't stand up, nothing changes.

As I informed the Store Manager, the problem in Kingsland is the fact HEB has no substantive competition. What is desperately needed is a Walmart or other major corporation to rattle the cage of local HEB management as well as the corporate management suite. Until that occurs, nothing changes, shit happens. ... Right, Monty? Dan?

In the last two and a half weeks or so, three middle-aged women tripped and fell on the curb by the picnic table. Third time, 6-26-20. Took the Store Manager and Assistant Manager quite some time to exit the store and arrive with ice to quell the swelling of the woman who had fallen hard on her face. I subsequently asked Monty to consider painting the curb iridescent red or orange to avoid injury and a future lawsuit.

Responded couldn't be painted red since it wasn't a fire zone. Could certainly be painted orange or some other bright color. If management doesn't care about a lawsuit, where is its concern for the pain and suffering if a customer trips, falls, and suffers serious injury? ... Couldn't care less, Monty? -- Or, is it, shortsightedly, insurance will indeed take care of it? Wake up. Just a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured and sues the living shit out of HEB. Even if HEB prevails in court, it loses. Consider the cost of bad publicity.

To the credit of management, both the Store Manager and Assistant Manager return carts to the front of the store, sanitize them, and pick up trash. Recently, associates informed me the Store Manager wasn't happy about the performance of the Assistant Store Manager. LOL. Apparently, ole' Dan got too good at hiding in the store, shirking cart and other duties, etc. LOL. That's apparently changed. ... Trouble in paradise, boys? LOL. Itching to retire, Dan? LOL. Give me a break. Never a dull moment, -- at customer and staff expense.

Finally, to the motherf--ker in County government who likely complained, don't flatter yourself. Three months? What took so long you gutless piece of shit? LOL. No matter what, Liberty In Peril will remain up and running. Despite the fact it's been more than 21 years, just the very beginning. Far more to come. Far more County corruption, malfeasance, criminal activity to be followed up, and/or exposed. LOL. ... Bribed by Johnny Greene, Madam County Attorney?

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger

Before getting on with the usual fare, readers may wish to take time to read the following email exchange between Discount Electronics and this writer regarding its highly questionable business practices regarding refurbished lap tops:

Subject:    Re: Re: Your Discount Electronics Order Confirmation (#81644)
From:    libertyinperil@riseup.net
Date:    Wed, August 19, 2020 11:47 am
To:    "DiscountElectronics.com Customer Service" <internet@discountelectronics.com>
Priority:    Normal
Options:    View Full Header | View Printable Version | Download this as a file | Add to Address Book

'How long is this machine under warranty? Received the error message yesterday while booting up: "Alert! The AC Power Adapter wattage and type cannot be determined. The battery may not charge. The system will adjust the performance to match the power available."

'Talked to a local tech who told me I needed the original power supply that came with the Dell lap top, not a cheap foreign replacement. Can you provide any help with this? Since both batteries can't be recharged, I can't use this machine off the grid.'

'On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 1:14 PM <libertyinperil@riseup.net> wrote: Thanks for the quick reply. For your information, this machine has been a piece of crap. Not worth the money spent. Intend to fully inform my readership.'

'Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
formerly,
The Llano Ledger
libertyinperil.com'

'This is the first we've heard from you about any issues. You were welcome to contact us during the warranty period.'

'On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 1:34 PM <libertyinperil@riseup.net> wrote: That's bullshit. You replaced the battery forget? Usually, I don't piss and moan. Too busy fighting for your lost civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Been problems with the operating system I dealt personally with. Didn't complain. Dealt with a key that came off the keyboard. Another key that wasn't always making proper contact. The plastic finish on the surface of the lap top has grown sticky, apparently deteriorating. The problem that irritated me the most and is unacceptable is the latest issue with the goddamned power supply. The tech I spoke with told me this is a problem he encounters all the time with cheap Chinese knockoffs of the original. This machine was not cheap. You certainly could have afforded to do far better. Will see what my readers think, -- They're as tired of getting ripped off as I am. Business community lining its pockets by selling shit products. Nazi America. Bottomless greed.

'Beside the point. Discount Electronics knowingly sold a defective product. Knew that it was only a matter of time the power supply would fail. There's a principle involved here. One that I intend to make abundantly clear to my readers. While you can't seem to understand this, they will. Thanks for the additional fodder.'

Readers are advised there is a sticker on the back of the power supply stating: "Please remove this sticker." It cannot be easily removed. Will not peel off. Have hesitated to scrape it off since doing so might obliterate anything underneath it, -- if anything. It is not covering a vent and there is no technical reason that it be removed. Certainly, did not affect operation of the supply for the last year and four months I've had the machine.

Despite the world coming apart at the seams, a son and the very best in humanity rise to the occasion. Stand tall. Seatbelts on. CBS News reports:

"Dustin Vitale wanted to take his mom Gloria on the trip she always dreamed of: To see the pyramids in Egypt with the whole family — 14 people. As CBS News first reported back in March, he decided to [do] so after his mom was diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer. Dustin worked as a middle school teacher in Philadelphia and could never afford $10,000 to fly everyone, so he started selling cheesesteaks from his home with his mother's recipe. Dustin made sandwiches so big no container could contain them, and peddled them to friends and family. Those people must have told their friends and family, too — because almost immediately, cars started double-parking outside his house. A food truck operator offered his services to help. It took six weeks for Dustin to raise enough, and then some — $18,000. The Egyptian government saw Dustin's story and gave Gloria the Cleopatra treatment during their May trip. According to Dustin, the government even let them visit a sphinx, which wasn't open to the public. "She repeated over and over that it was the best thing she has ever done in her life," Dustin said. His mom died shortly after coming home from the trip. "If you had seen her in Egypt, you would've thought she had three more years, but it ended up being three more weeks," Dustin said. The day they got back from the trip, Gloria was hospitalized. They released her so she could do hospice at home, where she passed away at 56. "We created so many new memories that will last forever," Dustin said. "It was all focused on her living her best life." To make sure no one ever forgets her, Dustin wants to open a cheesesteak restaurant. He doesn't know where or when, he just knows the name: Gloria's. Dustin and his wife Hailey are also pregnant with a boy expected to be born in the fall. They plan to name him Glory. When asked what pushed him forward, Dustin said, "Just my mom, just the love for my mom."

A lesson to be learned. ... Think we're smart enough to get it? Seatbelts on. CBS News reports:

"At the New England Wildlife Center in Massachusetts, they treat thousands of injured animals every year — but Executive Director Zak Mertz says one recent case stands out from all the rest. "This was a first for us," Zak said. The patient was a Canada goose named Arnold. Arnold had a badly damaged foot. "And as we're doing it – we're prepping him for anesthesia – giving him meds – we hear this faint tapping at the door," Zak said. Arnold had a visitor — another goose. "We all kind of turned around simultaneously and were pretty shocked," Zak said. "We don't allow that – but we definitely had to make an exception in this case," Zak continued. An exception — for spouses. "My only guess is that she saw us capture him the day before and he was probably honking in the cage overnight," Zak said when asked how he thought Arnold's mate knew where he was. After surgery, the staff moved Arnold to the floor for recovery — where his mate, who they named Amelia, comforted and preened him — the avian embodiment of "in sickness and in health." Geese do mate for life, but if something dreadful happens to one, the other typically "remarries." But not Amelia. She wasn't leaving her man. No honking way. Throughout his convalescence – now in its fourth week — the staff has been putting Arnold in a pen out back an hour daily for fresh air. And every time, without fail, Amelia comes running to her gander — marches right into his cage — in full-throated surrender. "I think it gave us all a new respect for how social these animals are and sort of the depth they have in their emotions," Zak said. "... I don't know if it's love, but they really make each other calm and happy. And I think we could all learn something from them." Arnold was released this week – back into the wings of his beloved. And although the couple was in no rush to fly the coop, they won't stick around for long. But hopefully their example will stay with us. Because what's good for the goose is crucial for mankind."

Amazing what can be learned from species other than homo sapiens, isn't it? The article was insightfully written by Steve Hartman. Hat's off.

Another lesson to be learned from a species other than our own. Seatbelts on. United Press International reports:

"The director of an Irish zoo confirmed that a great white pelican escaped for a second time and was spotted more than 100 miles away. The Fota Wildlife Park in Cork said the pelican flew the coop and was spotted in Wexford, the same place the pelican visited during an earlier escape in 2018. "He has been in the park since 2012, and he has done it before. He did it in 2018. He thinks that Wexford is a great place for a staycation," Fota Wildlife Park Director Sean McKeown told RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland. McKeown said the pelican's previous escape ended with the bird and his half-brother returning to the zoo on their own. He said officials are hoping the pelican will return to the park in September or October. "His half brother is in the wildlife park, so he's likely to return here," he said. "The other option, as he is unlikely to stay in Wexford, is he will head off to the continent possibly over to Greece and Romania, where there are other great white pelicans." Great white pelicans are known to be marathon flyers, capable of covering distances of up to 300 miles in a single flight."

"When a 83-year-old woman fell down a ravine in Cornwall, England, it was her cat who helped rescuers find her. The woman had been missing for over an hour, and concerned neighbors called emergency services, BBC News reports. Police went searching for her, but it was a member of the public who heard a meowing cat and located her. A passerby heard the cat, Piran, meowing loudly, which alerted them to the woman. Rescuers then saw the woman had fallen 70 feet into a stream, "with incredibly difficult access and uneven terrain," according to BCC News. Rescuers lifted the woman up the ravine on a stretcher and flew her to a hospital in an air ambulance. She is in stable condition. An eyewitness said the key to finding the woman was Piran's "quite persistent" meowing at the top of the ravine. "It's a massive 'well done' to all the emergency services who worked together and to Piran," the unnamed witness said. "The outcome could have been a lot worse." Bodmin Police, who helped in the rescue, agreed. "Piran the cat saved the day," police said. On Monday, the police department shared an update: "Whilst the lady concerned is still currently receiving care, she is in good spirits and is being well looked after." "We've also managed to obtain a photo of the Hero himself," the department added, sharing a photo of the black cat."

No seeming end to corruption within law enforcement. The following is pathetic. ABC News(AP) reports:

"A prolific narcotics agent known as the “white devil” among drug traffickers was sentenced Thursday to more than 13 years behind bars for stealing money from suspects, falsifying government records and committing perjury during a federal trial. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo said the longtime U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent, Chad A. Scott, caused “far reaching” damage “to the administration of justice.”

"The sentencing capped a five-year case that shook the DEA and resulted in convictions of three other members of a New Orleans-based federal drug task force. Prosecutors portrayed Scott as more dangerous than the most hardened heroin dealers he locked up, saying the Louisiana lawman “broke every rule in the book” to enforce his “own approximation of justice.” They had asked Milazzo to sentence Scott to nearly two decades in prison. “He undercut law enforcement and he disgraced the entire judicial process,” federal prosecutor Timothy Duree told the first jury that convicted Scott. “He was sworn to uphold the law but instead, he broke it for his own selfish purposes.” Scott, 53, was found guilty at successive trials of a long list of corruption counts. The charges stemmed from an expansive federal investigation into misconduct claims that had surrounded Scott for much of his 17-year career, even as he racked up headline-grabbing drug busts between Baton Rouge and New Orleans."

"Scott told Milazzo he was “ashamed of being here,” adding he had long since been “convicted in the press and public opinion.” But he sought to underline his contributions to law enforcement and the DEA's mission, in which he said he had truly believed. He was twice the target of murder-for-hire plots, he told the judge — “an example of the length people will go to to remove me from drug trafficking investigations.” Scott's remarks — his first since his 2017 arrest — came during an unusual sentencing hearing this week that revealed details of crimes Scott was alleged to have committed but for which he was not charged. The alleged victims included a Louisiana man who accused Scott of planting an ounce of marijuana in his truck in 2005 and a Houston man who said Scott twice lashed his mouth with the medallion on a necklace he was wearing during a 1999 arrest that brought no charges, then confiscated the chain and took nearly a year to return it. “This goes against everything that the Drug Enforcement Administration stands for," Anne Milgram, the newly sworn-in DEA administrator, said in a statement. "Scott betrayed the very people he was entrusted to protect and today he is being held accountable for his crimes.”

"Scott was convicted in 2019 of orchestrating false testimony against a Houston-based heroin and cocaine trafficker — perjury that tainted the dealer's conviction and allowed him to walk free. The same federal jury found Scott falsified paperwork for a Ford F-150 pickup — a vehicle he directed another drug trafficker to buy so the DEA could seize it and give it to Scott. Earlier this year, a separate federal jury convicted Scott and Rodney Gemar, a former member of his task force, in what prosecutors described as a long-running scheme to steal money and property from suspects they arrested. Two other former members of the task force, Johnny Domingue and Karl E. Newman, were accused of stealing cash and drugs and testified against Scott. Both were Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office deputies — detailed to the DEA — and served federal sentences after agreeing to cooperate with the government. Domingue since has been charged with new federal drug trafficking charges in Texas. Scott is among a growing list of DEA agents who have been accused of abusing their authority in recent years. Another veteran agent, Jose Irizzary, pleaded guilty last year to conspiring with a Colombian cartel money launderer, filing false reports and ordering DEA staff to wire money slated for undercover stings to international accounts he controlled. At least a dozen DEA agents across the country have been criminally charged since 2015 on counts ranging from wire fraud and bribery to selling firearms to drug traffickers, according to court records. That includes a longtime special agent in Chicago who pleaded guilty to infiltrating the DEA on behalf of drug traffickers and another accused of accepting $250,000 in bribes to protect the Mafia."

This is not justice. It's bullshit. Indeed, massive failure of the system of justice. Conveniently forget? Prohibition of alcohol gave us the Mafia. Drug prohibition has corrupted every law enforcement agency in the nation to at least some extent. Laws are, and were, on the books to cover ancillary crimes related to alcohol and drug consumption. Should have been left at that. We would have been far better off.

No justice. Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court that would adjudicate only these cases. Total independence. The only way to rein in these criminals, particularly the murderers in blue.

Cowardly fail to financially and/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.

In follow-up to last week's edition of this publication regarding school resource officers, how good is school security really? ABC News reports:

"A 29-year-old Tennessee man who rode on a school bus and walked into a high school with students has been charged with trespassing, officials said. A deputy was called to Grainger County High School on Tuesday and spoke to Juan Purkey, who told him he had ridden a school bus to the facility, news outlets reported, citing an arrest report from the Grainger County Sheriff’s Department."

"Purkey had been standing on the side of the road with papers and a binder when a substitute bus driver saw him and thought he was a student and picked him up, Grainger County School District Superintendent James Atkins said in a statement. “It is not uncommon for the substitute not to know any of the students,” Atkins said. “It was the most unique situation we have ever seen."

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. The intruder was 29-years-old. The driver couldn't tell the difference between a high school kid and a man almost twice a student's age?

"After he walked into the high school with other students, a teacher stopped him and took him to the office and police were called, Atkins said. He said school officials followed all safety protocols but that a safety team would be meeting to address additional security protocols."

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

"Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams was given a one-day suspension after lawyers hired by the city issued a report that heavily criticized her agency’s role in a now-discredited gang case against demonstrators last fall at a protest against police brutality."

"The report released Thursday said the decision to charge 15 protesters with assisting a street gang was made without seeking input from Phoenix police’s gang enforcement unit. It also said the agency didn’t have credible evidence to support the claim that the protesters were members of an anti-police gang called “ACAB,” meaning “All Cops Are Bastards.” Concluding that ACAB is a slogan rather than a group, the outside lawyers said they “found no credible evidence to support the assertion that ACAB is a criminal street gang, that it organized the protest of October 17, or was prone to violence.” The gang charges were later dismissed at the request of prosecutors. The city is asking the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to investigate any criminal matters arising from the report. Three assistant chiefs were removed from those roles, and a sergeant at the center of the report was put on administrative leave."

"The report came a week after the U.S. Department of Justice announced a widespread investigation of the Phoenix Police Department to examine whether officers have been using excessive force and abusing people experiencing homelessness. The probe also will examine whether police have engaged in discriminatory policing practices and will work to determine if officers have retaliated against people engaged in protected First Amendment activities. The police force has come under fire in recent years for its handling of protests and the high number of shootings. In another new report on police actions after a protest, the law firm hired by the city also examined a “challenge coin” circulating among Phoenix officers that depicted a gas mask-wearing demonstrator getting shot in the groin with a pepper ball and contains a vulgar comment about his injury. The image on the police souvenir closely resembled a protester who was shot with a pepper ball during a 2017 protest outside a rally held by then-President Donald Trump in downtown Phoenix. Video of the encounter, which also showed the protester kicking a smoke canister back at police officers, became viral on social media."

"The lawyers said they couldn’t determine who created the coin, but noted it was circulated among officers in late 2017, while they were on city property and on the clock. A second slogan on the coin was supportive of Trump. Internal investigations are being conducted into the circulation of the coin. In an interview, City Manager Ed Zuercher, who disciplined Williams, acknowledged that the reports portray Phoenix police as having a problem with protesters who are exercising their free-speech rights. He said Williams will reemphasize that the agency is committed to protecting those rights."

"Zuercher defended his decision to suspend Williams for only one day, noting the reports found the police chief wasn’t aware of the gang charges until after they were filed and didn’t learn of the challenge coin’s existence until she was asked about it in a deposition in August 2019. The deposition was part of a lawsuit that alleged Phoenix police violated the free-speech rights of the protesters outside the 2017 Trump rally."

Jesus Christ. Give me a break. It was her business to know what was going on.

"Zuercher said the chief is now holding employees accountable for their actions. “She is from the community,” Zuercher said. “And she is the right chief to continue reforming this department.”

Jesus Christ. This is exactly why nothing changes. Shit squat happens. Precisely, one of the reasons why there is no faith and trust in law enforcement. How can there be?

"The city’s outside lawyers concluded the decision to charge protesters was made by Phoenix police and prosecutors at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. “We further found that police and prosecutors ignored expert-established criteria for identifying true criminal street gangs, and similarly ignored established protocol for processing the gang classification,” the report said. “Instead, police began considering anti-police protesters generally as ‘criminal street gangs’ based upon statements by a source of highly questionable credibility.”

So what else is new? Heads need to roll. Offending parties given the boot. Until that happens, nothing changes.

"The police department didn’t respond to a request for comment on the reports."

What could it say? How do you defend the indefensible? Until all offending parties find the exit, expect no change. More of the same.

“In these cases, we made mistakes,” County Attorney Allister Adel said of the gang cases. “As an agency charged with doing justice, we must be willing to admit this. And, moreover, we must be willing to correct them.”

The carnage never ends. Every time I think I've seen the very worst, something worse manages to surface. ABC News(AP) reports:

"A Southern California police officer searching for a burglary suspect on a February night opened the door of a portable toilet and found him. Seconds later, the unarmed man was dead. Fontana police on Thursday released body-worn camera footage, narrated by Chief Billy Green, from the fatal encounter. Green said the man, Daverion Deauntre Kinard, was holding a “metallic object” in his hand as he sat on the portable toilet. It turned out to be a lighter. Kinard was killed Feb. 13, the day before his 29th birthday. The city of Fontana has agreed to pay his parents $1 million in a legal settlement, according to The Press-Enterprise. The law firm that represented the family in the legal claim did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “The family recognizes the public and the media's interest in obtaining and viewing the footage but would appreciate the family's desire that the footage remain private in order to protect the dignity of Daverion,” the family and the city wrote in a joint statement in the video. State law requires law enforcement agencies to make public footage of police shootings within 45 days. Fontana delayed the release, citing the ongoing investigation and other factors, The Press-Enterprise reported. Green did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment Friday."

"Officer Johnny Tuitavake, who was identified in the settlement, was sworn into the department in February 2019, according to city council documents. The Press-Enterprise reported that he remains on duty. The shooting remains under investigation by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office to see if any criminal charges will be filed. The Fontana police are conducting an internal review to determine if departmental policy was followed."

"In the video — which includes a 911 call about a residential burglary in progress — footage from a doorbell camera shows a man walking around the home and removing a screen from a window and taking it out of view. The man, who police say was Kinard, went into the home through the window. Police arrived and found the screen removed and saw Kinard inside. He ran out the back door as police officers followed on foot and by car and searched the area. About 1,000 feet (305 meters) from the home, Tuitavake found a portable toilet and opened the door, shining his flashlight. “Due to limited lighting in this case, the footage does not clearly show what the officer saw,” Green, the police chief, said. The video shows Kinard, fully clothed, sitting on the toilet with his arms folded in his lap. He appears to wave to the officer with his left hand. His palm is open and nothing is in his hand. Then, Kinard “rolled” a metallic object in his right hand toward the officer, Green said. Tuitavake closed the portable toilet's door and took out his gun. The police department shows this with screenshots of the footage because it occurs too quickly to see in real-time video. Tuitavake then reopened the door and fired a single shot, killing Kinard. Green said the entire encounter, from when Tuitavake first opened the door to opening fire, was 2.5 seconds. “The object in his hand was a lighter,” the chief said."

Jesus Christ. What a crock of shit. 'Shoot first, ask questions later.' Goddamned gutless. Why is this son of a bitch still on duty?

Sadly, law enforcement and the judiciary do not believe in transparency even when it's clearly to their advantage. ABC News reports:

"A judge has temporarily barred Chicago authorities from releasing body camera video, described by a prosecutor in chilling detail, of Chicago police Officer Ella French being gunned down during a traffic stop."

This appears to be an horrendous murder of this officer. Why sit on the body cam video even temporarily? How does the truth as contained in the video negatively affect prosecution of the shooter?

"The Civilian Office of Police Accountability in Chicago said in a statement that it received the order Monday from a Cook County Circuit Court judge forbidding the "the city of Chicago and its entities" from publicly releasing any material connected to shooting under the city's Video Release Policy and the Freedom of Information Act. The video allegedly shows suspect Emonte "Monty" Morgan opening fire on French and her partner, who was critically injured, during an Aug. 7 traffic stop, according to prosecutors. In the one-page ruling, the judge did not elaborate on a reason for the decision, only writing that body camera video and other evidence can't be released "during the pendency of the criminal matter."

"COPA remains committed to transparency and is conducting a full analysis and investigation of the incident," the police watchdog group said in a statement. "Body-worn cameras, third party video and other materials related to this incident will be released upon the lifting of the Judge's court order."

Had better be. The truth, whatever it is, remains the bottom line. No matter whether that truth supports or incriminates law enforcement.

"The development comes as French's colleagues and loved ones prepare for her funeral, scheduled for Thursday at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine in Chicago. Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago, announced on Monday that he will deliver the homily. French, 29, is the first Chicago police officer since 2018 killed in the line of duty and the city's first female officer killed in the line of duty since 1988, officials said. Morgan, 21, was arrested after being shot during a gunfight with one of French's fellow officers, who escaped injury in the encounter, according to a criminal complaint. Morgan has been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and aggravated use of a weapon by a felon. Morgan's brother, Eric Morgan, 19, who prosecutors said was driving the car French and the officers stopped, was arrested and charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and one count of obstruction of justice, according to court records. A still image of the body camera footage that captured the incident was obtained by ABC Chicago station WLS, along with another chilling image of French in her final moments -- standing at the driver's side door, shining a flashlight into the vehicle that had been pulled over for having expired tags. During a news conference last week, Risa Lanier, the chief deputy state's attorney for Cook County, said Emonte Morgan is seen in body camera video stepping over the wounded officers after allegedly shooting them. French's 39-year-old partner, whose name has not been released, remains in critical condition with a bullet lodged in his brain, police said. The shooting came as Chicago police have been dealing with escalating gun violence in the city. Chicago Police Department crime statistics show that as of Sunday 2,176 people have been shot in 2021, a 12% increase over the same time period in 2020."

Racism, tragically, is alive and well. This time officers are not at the center of it. Quite the contrary. NBC News reports:

"A Black man was gunned down by a white security guard in Memphis, after the victim was exercising his basic right "to pump gas and play his music," his family said. Alvin Motley Jr., 48, was filling up Saturday at a Kroger Fuel Center at 6660 Poplar Ave., when he got into a dispute with a security guard, Memphis police said. The disagreement was over loud music being played by the victim, his family said, and ended with security guard Gregory Livingston, 54, allegedly shooting Motley in the chest. Motley was pronounced dead at the scene and Livingston was booked into custody, on suspicion of second-degree murder, Memphis police said. Livingston was still in custody on Friday, held in lieu of $1.8 million bail, Shelby County Jail records showed. His next court date is set for Monday. Motley was a 48-year-old Chicago resident visiting family in Tennessee when he was shot, his family said. "Alvin Motley has a right to exist, to pump gas and play his music because this is America and nobody has the right to kill a young Black man for playing music," family attorney Ben Crump said. "I don't care how loud you think it is. You do not have a right to kill a young Black man for playing music." Under ordinary circumstances, the case would be tried by Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich, but she announced Thursday that her office has a potential conflict of interest and will send the matter to a special prosecutor. An investigator with the office moonlights for Allied Universal Security, the company hired by Kroger to provide guards for the store - and that DA employee could end up being a witness in this case, according to Weirich. "Today I learned an investigator in this office had an off-duty job with Allied Security and might be a witness in the prosecution of Gregory Livingston. The investigator has been put on leave without pay for failing to notify me of this immediately," according to a statement released by Weirich. "I do not want anything to cast a shadow over the pursuit of justice so I am recusing our office. I have spoken to Mr. Crump, the family’s attorney, and have asked the District Attorney’s conference to appoint a special prosecutor.” Allied Universal Security said the guard involved in Saturday's shooting was hired through a third-party contractor. "Everyone at Allied Universal extends our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Alvin Motley, who was tragically killed in Memphis over the weekend. His loss is devastating," according to a company statement. "We are conducting a thorough investigation of this incident, including a review of the third-party contractor who hired the officer involved in this incident. Effective immediately, we have terminated all business with this third-party contractor." The company said it's cooperating with Memphis authorities and "will provide our full support to the prosecution of this matter to ensure that justice is served." A Kroger representative also passed off blame for the tragedy to a third-party contractor. “We are deeply saddened, extremely angry and horrified by this senseless violence. Our hearts are with the Motley family," the company said in a statement. "This tragic incident involved a third-party contractor onsite to provide security services at our Poplar Avenue Fuel Center. We ask all third-party contractors to respect and honor our core values which include respect, diversity, and inclusion."

Someone in management screwed up big time. A man lost his life for nothing courtesy of a security guard unfit, unqualified for duty.

"Texas Governor Greg Abbott and state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday filed a petition to halt a judge's order requiring face masks inside schools and businesses in Dallas County. The order was signed despite Abbott previously banning government entities and officials from implementing mask mandates in Texas. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins on Wednesday signed an order requiring public schools, child care centers and businesses in Dallas County to develop health and safety plans that include, at minimum, face mask requirements for employees and visitors, CBS Dallas-Fort Worth reports. Jenkins cited rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as the reasoning behind the mask mandate. Earlier this week, Jenkins sued Abbott over the executive order banning mask mandates. District Judge Tonya Parker on Tuesday night issued a temporary injunction halting the order, CBS DFW reports. On Wednesday, Abbott and Paxton filed a petition saying Jenkins' order violates the previous ban on mask mandates. "Any school district, public university, or local government official that decides to defy GA-38—which prohibits gov't entities from mandating masks—will be taken to court," Abbott said Wednesday. "The path forward relies on personal responsibility — not government mandates."

"Texas has recently seen a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. According to the state's health department, Texas is averaging around 14,000 new cases per week and roughly 60 deaths per week, nearly triple the number of deaths per week from one month ago."

Clearly, our nazi Governor and indicted Attorney General can't, won't be confused by the truth. Clearly, both fascists place partisanship ahead of principle, political expediency ahead of public health. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday blocked mask mandates imposed by two of the states most populous counties, which defied Gov. Greg Abbott's order banning the requirements. The orders in Dallas and Bear counties were issued after a lower court ruled last week in favor of local officials and as Covid-19 cases surge in areas like Dallas. School districts in Harris and Torrent counties have also defied Abbott's executive order as students prepare to return to classrooms. The state attorney generals office said in a statement Sunday that the orders, which are temporary pending a court hearing, should “serve as a reminder” to all school districts and local officials that the governors order “stands.” “Local mask mandates are illegal,” the statement said. Dallas County Judge Clay Jerkins, the county's chief executive, who issued the mask mandate, said he intends to win the court hearing. “We won't stop working with parents, doctors, schools, business + others,” he tweeted. Officials in San Antonio, in Bear County, released a similar statement Sunday and said mask mandates for schools and city buildings will remain in effect as officials defend the mandate in court Monday. Health authorities and university researchers have said masks are an effective way to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Abbott has argued that his executive order prohibiting mandates allows Texans to rely on “personal responsibility rather than government mandates.”

Aggressive stupidity at its very worst. -- Defined as doing your damnedest to be as stupid as you can possibly be.

Certainly, highly indicative of the Governor. Get this. The Associated Press reports:

"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to his office, who said the Republican is in good health and experiencing no symptoms. Abbott, who was vaccinated in December and has refused calls to reinstate mask mandates as the highly contagious delta variant surges in Texas, was isolating in the governor’s mansion in Austin and receiving monoclonal antibody treatment, spokesman Mark Miner said in a statement. He is at least the 11th governor to test positive for the virus since the pandemic began, according to a tally by The Associated Press. “Governor Abbott is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in good health, and currently experiencing no symptoms. Everyone that the Governor has been in close contact with today has been notified,” Miner said. In a video posted on social media, Abbott said the fact that he had been fully vaccinated “may be one reason I’m really not feeling any symptoms right now. I have no fever, no aches and pains, no other types of symptoms.” The positive test comes a day after Abbott, who has seldom been seen wearing a mask in public recently, did not wear one while speaking indoors near Dallas to a crowded room of GOP supporters, most of whom were older and unmasked. Video posted by his campaign shows the 63-year-old governor — who is up for reelection in 2022 and has drawn two GOP challengers who have attacked the virus restrictions he put in place last year — mingling with attendees as they gathered around him taking pictures. “Another standing room only event in Collin County tonight,” Abbott tweeted. The event was held by a group called the Republican Club at Heritage Ranch. Reached by phone Tuesday after Abbott announced he had tested positive, Jack DeSimone, president of the club, said he did not like “to have conversations like this” and declined to comment further on Abbott’s appearance. Abbott had also posted a picture of himself with the guitarist Jimmie Vaughan earlier Tuesday before news of his positive test. Vaughan and his family have tested negative, according to a statement from the musician. Abbott has rebuffed calls to reimpose pandemic restrictions, including mask mandates, as cases in Texas are again soaring, hospitals are stretched thin, and a growing number of school districts defy his orders that prohibit face-covering requirements in classrooms. Abbott and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton are now in court fighting what amounts to many of Texas’ largest school districts, which began classes this week. More than 12,200 patients in Texas were hospitalized with the virus as of Tuesday, the highest levels since January, and state health officials said this week they had requested five morgue trailers from the federal government as a precaution. But as cases have sharply climbed, Abbott has stuck to a message that the path forward “relies on personal responsibility.” By Tuesday, at least four Texas school districts had already temporarily closed because of virus outbreaks just days into students returning to class. And in a sign of tensions as schools defy Abbott’s orders, the superintendent of the Eanes school district near Austin said one parent “physically assaulted” one teacher by ripping a mask off her face."

The Governor and the Attorney General are idiots. Place partisanship ahead of principle and what's in the best interest of the public.

Clearly, at least one Republican fascist on the U.S. Supreme Court may have some semblance of sanity left. ABC News reports:

"Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett denied a bid by eight Indiana University students Thursday to stop their school from requiring all students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Barrett rejected the request without specifying the reasoning behind her decision. The case, the first of its kind to reach the Supreme Court, comes after several lower courts similarly rejected the Indiana University students' argument that they were being coerced into getting vaccinated. "We are disappointed that Justice Barrett refused to intervene and protect IU student's rights," the students' lawyer, James Bopp, Jr., said in a statement. "Our appeal of the denial of the preliminary injunction is not effected by this ruling on the request for an emergency injunction and will continue," Bopp added. "The fight is not over for a long shot." In late July, when a federal judge rejected a request from students to block Indiana University's vaccine mandate, it set a precedent future cases about COVID-19 vaccine mandates at universities, according to Eric Feldman, a professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, though he cautioned against generalizing too much from the case. "We've got a Trump-appointed judge in a relatively conservative district, dealing with an issue that I think will be before a variety of courts," Feldman said. "My guess is we're going to see other opinions that track this opinion." "The law is on the judge's side," he added."

"The lawsuit alleged that the university violated students' rights as well as Indiana's recently passed vaccine passport law, which prohibits state and local governments from creating or requiring vaccine passports. In the lawsuit, the students claimed they were being coerced into vaccination and that if they did not comply, they would face "the threat of virtual expulsion from school." In June, school administrators announced that students would have to verify their vaccination status with the school unless they applied for a medical or religious exemption. Those without exemptions could have their class schedules canceled, their student IDs deactivated and wouldn't be allowed to participate in on-campus activities, according to the lawsuit. "This certainly impacts the public interest," said U.S. District Judge Damon Leichty, who was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana by President Donald Trump in 2018. However, "the students 'are not asking to be allowed to make a self-contained choice to risk only their own health' in making this decision -- their decision necessarily bears on the health of other students, faculty, and staff," the South Bend judge added. "The balance of harms doesn’t weigh in the students’ favor here." Contrary to the students' claim that they were being forced into unwanted medical treatment, the judge said students could choose from alternatives, including getting a vaccine, applying for a religious or medical exemption, applying for a medical deferral, taking a semester off, going to another school or taking online courses. "That leaves the students with multiple choices, not just forced vaccination," Leichty said."

Expect better of a Texas Supreme Court run and owned by Republican nazis? Why? How? NBC News reports:

"The Texas Supreme Court ruled Tuesday evening that the state’s constitution allows the state House of Representatives to arrest absent members to force them to return to the chamber to conduct legislative business."

A raucous boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil!, you fascist bastards.

"The court’s decision is a win for House Republicans. It lifts a temporary restraining order a county judge issued last week blocking arrest warrants — signed by Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan — targeting dozens of House Democrats who fled the state to block Republicans from passing a restrictive voting bill."

House Democrats need to remain out of state. Refuse to give the fascist bastards a quorum. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

“The question now before this Court is not whether it is a good idea for the Texas House of Representatives to arrest absent members to compel a quorum. Nor is the question whether the proposed voting legislation giving rise to this dispute is desirable. Those are political questions far outside the scope of the judicial function,” the court said in an opinion."

“The legal question before this Court concerns only whether the Texas Constitution gives the House of Representatives the authority to physically compel the attendance of absent members. We conclude that it does, and we therefore direct the district court to withdraw” the temporary restraining order. Last week, Travis County District Judge Brad Urrutia, a Democrat, issued the order to prevent the Texas Democrats from being arrested, detained or confined in any way for two weeks. Republicans have control of the state House and Senate, as well as the Governor’s Mansion. Democrats’ only means of blocking legislation is through delay tactics. In this case, a majority of the delegation fled to Washington in mid-July to raise awareness about the state’s voting bill and to press Congress to pass national voting rights legislation. The court said in its opinion that the district court wrongly interpreted the state’s constitution. “The Texas Constitution empowers the House to ‘compel the attendance of absent members’ and authorizes the House to do so ‘in such manner and under such penalties as [the] House may provide,’” the court said. “Neither the passage of time nor the passions of a hotly contested legislative dispute can change what it means.”

What a disingenuous crock of shit. Democrats need to courageously remain out of state. Continue to stonewall the fascist bastards in the Republican Party. If not, they remain as worthless as the nazis in the Republican Party.

In follow-up to last week's edition of this publication regarding the Gov. Andrew Cuomo fiasco, NBC News reports:

"David Paterson, Cuomo's predecessor as New York governor, called his decision to wait 14 days to step down "suspicious."

You think? As posted in last week's edition of this publication, why didn't he immediately resign?

"The clock is ticking down on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's time in office, but it's moving too slowly for some critics who fear how he may use his remaining time in power. Cuomo announced his resignation on Tuesday in the wake of a blistering report by the state attorney general's finding he'd sexually harassed 11 women, but said he wouldn't step down until Aug. 24th."

Why the delay? No reason for it. The Lt. Gov. is highly experienced. More than ready to take office.

"Cuomo said the two weeks were necessary to ensure a smooth transition for his successor, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul told reporters on Wednesday the delay "is not what she asked for" and that she's ready to be sworn in now, but Cuomo said he thought the extra time was necessary. Cuomo's predecessor as governor, David Paterson, told WNYC's Brian Lehrer on Thursday that he considered Cuomo's position "suspicious." “It was just a little puzzling that they wanted to have that amount of time,” said Paterson, who'd been lieutenant governor in 2008 when then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced he was resigning because of a prostitution scandal. Paterson told Lehrer that Spitzer was prepared to step down immediately, but stayed on for five days at the stunned Paterson's request so he could have a proper swearing-in ceremony. He said he believes Hochul is already prepared to take the top job, given that the harassment allegations have been dogging Cuomo for months. "She's ready," he said, noting that Cuomo might not be. "I just think the governor has just not resolved in his mind what’s actually going on yet and his self-awareness just does not seem to be particularly helpful to him at this particular time,” Paterson said."

"Former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, whose office investigated the Cuomo administration, said on the Cafe Insider podcast this past week that Cuomo is capable of "mischief" and "I hope there's nothing nefarious" about the two-week lag. Rich Azzopardi, a senior adviser to the governor, said Cuomo is using the time to do right by Hochul and the state. “It’s to ensure an orderly transition at this critical time where the key decisions still remain on Covid, the Delta variant and other significant challenges facing the state,” he said. Susan Lerner, executive director of the watchdog group Common Cause New York, said any key decisions should be made by Hochul, not Cuomo."

"The pandemic is "exactly why we need a governor with the long term authority to put policies in place, and not inheriting a set of decisions from a disgraced governor who has to resign," she told NBC News. "There are still open investigations into the governor," Lerner noted, referring to the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's investigation into the administration's handling of nursing homes during the pandemic and state Attorney General Letitia James' probe into whether Cuomo misused state resources to publish his book on leadership during the coronavirus crisis. Cuomo has not been charged with any crimes and has vehemently denied any wrongdoing in those cases as well as in the sexual harassment probe. The state Assembly Judiciary Committee has been investigating all of the allegations as part of its impeachment probe, and Lerner said she's concerned Cuomo could use the time to hamper the investigation. It's unclear whether the Assembly will continue with the impeachment proceedings given Cuomo's resignation, but Lerner said it should. "A resignation in and of itself is not accountability," she said."

"The judiciary committee had given Cuomo until Friday to provide additional evidence and is expected to announce their next steps after it meets on Monday. Cuomo has made no public appearances since returning to Albany after delivering his resignation speech in New York City, but has posted written coronavirus updates on the state's website. An official in Cuomo's office said the governor has been focused on fighting the virus and has been "taking steps" to make sure Hochul's team is up to speed on covid issues and "upcoming decision points." Cuomo's top aide Melissa DeRosa also resigned this week but plans to stay on until Cuomo formally departs. DeRosa has met with Hochul's chief of staff, while Cuomo has directed state agencies to prepare transition memos and that staff make themselves available to Hochul and her team for full briefings, the official said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a frequent Cuomo target and critic, told reporters there's no need for the governor to stick around. "I think people should keep a very close eye on him, after everything that he's done. I don't know why it needs to be 12 days honestly. I think we're all ready to move on. The quicker we can move on, the better, at this point,” he said. Azzopardi shrugged off the comment, saying, "no one likes that guy anyway."

Jesus Christ. What a crock of shit. Aryan arrogance. Unbridled. Time for all of Cuomo's cronies and the Governor himself to find the exit.

"The New York state Assembly will suspend its investigation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo once he steps down after its leaders concluded they didn’t have the authority to impeach him once he leaves office, the chamber’s top Democrat said Friday. Cuomo announced Tuesday that he planned to resign over sexual harassment allegations as it became clear he was almost certain to be impeached by the Legislature. He said his resignation was effective in 14 days, at which point he will be replaced by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. Some lawmakers had urged the Assembly to press on with an impeachment proceeding, perhaps to bar Cuomo from holding state office in the future if he attempted a political comeback. But Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said in a statement that lawyers had advised the Legislature’s judiciary committee that doing so would be unconstitutional. “Let me be clear — the committee’s work over the last several months, although not complete, did uncover credible evidence in relation to allegations that have been made in reference to the governor,” said Heastie, a New York City Democrat. He said that included evidence related to the sexual harassment claims, possible misuse of state resources in conjunction with publication of the governor’s book on the pandemic, and “improper and misleading disclosure of nursing home data.” “This evidence — we believe — could likely have resulted in articles of impeachment had he not resigned,” Heastie said.

"Heastie said that he’s asked the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee to turn over evidence it had gathered “to the relevant investigatory authorities.” Cuomo faces ongoing probes from the state attorney general over his $5 million book deal and from federal prosecutors, who are scrutinizing his handling of nursing home deaths data. The state’s ethics commissioners, who could levy fines against Cuomo, are also looking into similar issues. Heastie also cited “active investigations” by county district attorneys in Manhattan, Albany, Westchester, Nassau and Oswego concerning incidents of alleged sexual harassment by Cuomo. Several women have said the governor inappropriately touched them, including an aide who said he groped her breast at his official residence, the Executive Mansion. That aide, Brittany Commisso, filed a criminal complaint that could result in a misdemeanor groping charge. Some Judiciary committee members said Friday they wanted the committee to at least release a public report on their findings. Heastie’s statement didn’t say whether the committee would still publicize its findings."

"Republicans objected to the end of the legislature’s probe. Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay called it “a massive disservice to the goals of transparency and accountability.” Assemblymember Tom Abinanti, a Westchester Democrat and member of Judiciary Committee, said he also objected to the decision. “Cancelling the investigation is premature,” he said. “The governor has not even left office. The committee should continue to meet and issue a public report to the people on the extensive investigation that the committee and its attorneys have conducted to date.” Legal experts this week said they had questions over both the legality and practicality of trying to impeach Cuomo after he’d already left office. Ross Garber, an attorney who has represented four recent U.S. governors facing impeachment proceedings in their respective states, had told The Associated Press his reading of state law is that a person must be in office at the time of impeachment. Richard Rifkin, an attorney who has worked in state government for 40 years, including in the attorney general’s office and as a special counsel to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, said the language in the state Constitution on impeachment was “really quite vague” and that there wasn’t definitive precedent saying whether impeachment could continue after Cuomo left office."

Massive failure. Tragic repeat of history. Think we'll ever learn? NBC News reports:

"A year and a half since U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad brokered a “peace agreement” between the United States and Taliban leaders, there is no peace in Afghanistan."

"Instead of negotiating a power-sharing deal with the Afghan government, the Taliban have unleashed a military onslaught to take power by force, seizing on the withdrawal of U.S. troops as their moment of opportunity."

How could it have turned out any other way? Forget? No invader of Afghanistan for centuries has won. Not one. Speaks to the determination and resilience of the Afghans. That's not, however, to condone the ideology and tactics of the Taliban. Simply, to state the obvious.

"As Afghanistan plunged into chaos in recent days, with civilians flooding into the capital Kabul to escape the advancing Taliban, Khalilzad made a last-ditch bid to try to stop the bloodletting. But as he conferred with diplomats from Russia, China and other world powers in Doha this week, the Taliban seized more territory and overran the cities of Herat in the west and Kandahar in the south. In Washington, the Pentagon announced plans to deploy 3,000 troops to Kabul airport to oversee the evacuation of dozens of staff from the U.S. Embassy. Although Khalilzad has said repeatedly there is no military solution to the conflict, the Taliban have concluded otherwise."

Clearly. Again, that's not, however, to support and defend the vicious bastards, but to state reality.

“For Taliban military commanders in the field, they sense victory and they’re going for it,” said Andrew Wilder, vice president of Asia programs at the U.S. Institute for Peace think tank. The Taliban see no need to compromise or negotiate until “they have either achieved decisive dominance on the battlefield or determined somehow that they've gone as far as they can go, ” said Laurel Miller, a former diplomat and now director of the Asia program at the International Crisis Group think tank. Khalilzad maintains the United States still has leverage over the Taliban because the insurgency wants international recognition, and that Washington and other major powers will insist that any future government upholds democratic rule and fundamental rights."

“The Taliban wants to be recognized. They say they do not want to be a pariah state,” Khalilzad said last week at the Aspen Security Forum. He added: “They have their own reasons to seek normalcy with the rest of the world. Are they going to do what it takes? That's where the leverage comes in.” At the talks in Doha, officials issued a statement urging an end to attacks on cities and “reiterated that they will not recognize any government in Afghanistan that is imposed through the use of military force.”

What's happening on the ground screams otherwise. Yet, delusion continues to be embraced:

"But as the Taliban’s military campaign builds momentum, some foreign governments may choose to accept the new reality on the ground and reach their own separate accommodation with the group, experts and former U.S. officials said. Taliban delegations recently paid visits to Russia, China and Iran, where they were given respectful receptions from senior officials. After holding talks with the Taliban on July 28, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the insurgents are “a pivotal military and political force” and secured a promise that the group would not allow Afghan territory to be used as a base for attacks on China, the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement."

China cares only about China. Couldn't care less about the carnage in Afghanistan. Fifty years ago, President Nixon unwittingly enabled the Chinese aggressor by opening up trade that ultimately financed the aggressor.

"Until recently, the Afghan-born Khalilzad has struck a relentlessly optimistic tone as envoy, though he was often vague about details, including how the Taliban would be held to account."

"It's clear all sides want to end the war. Despite ups and downs, we kept things on track and made real strides," Khalilzad tweeted after one negotiating session in March 2019. At a congressional hearing in May, when lawmakers expressed alarm at the Taliban’s military push, Khalilzad said forecasts that the insurgency would quickly defeat Afghan security forces and take the capital Kabul were too pessimistic. “I personally believe that the statements that their forces will disintegrate and the Talibs will take over in short order are mistaken,” Khalilzad told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. After a round of discussions with the Taliban and the Afghan government earlier this month, Khalilzad tweeted: “There is more that unites than divides the parties.” But now, with even the capital city of Kabul under threat, some people inside Afghanistan have turned their ire on Khalilzad and his diplomatic efforts. At a makeshift camp in Kabul for families fleeing the Taliban this week, people expressed fury at Khalilzad in interviews with an NBC News team."

"In more than a year of talks, including late-night sessions in Doha hotel rooms, Khalilzad prodded Taliban representatives to sit down for negotiations with the Afghan government. In the end, they agreed, but only after Washington pledged to pull out all of its troops and contractors by the spring of 2021. In February 2020, Khalilzad smiled and shook hands with his Taliban counterpart at a televised signing ceremony in Doha, saying: “Today is a day for hope.” The deal he brokered, and that President Donald Trump and then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo fully endorsed, committed the United States to withdrawing all its troops in return for a pledge from the Taliban to enter into peace talks with the Afghan government and to guarantee Afghanistan would not be used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks. The peace talks went nowhere, Trump began pulling out troops ahead of schedule and -- according to the United Nations -- the Taliban have retained close ties to Al-Qaeda. But President Joe Biden, who had promised to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan as a candidate, chose to press ahead with the agreement, announcing a troop withdrawal in April. Previous administrations had tried and failed for years to get peace talks started with the Taliban, as the insurgents refused to allow the Afghan government a seat at the table. But the Trump White House dropped that condition, and Khalilzad had a free hand to talk to the Taliban without any Afghan government officials present."

"The Taliban wanted a guaranteed timeline for when U.S. troops would withdraw. Washington wanted a ceasefire and a peace process. Khalilzad was under pressure to move fast, as Trump made no secret of his desire to pull troops out unilaterally, with or without any peace deal. Khalilzad developed a rapport with his Taliban counterparts, but the Afghan government in Kabul was skeptical of the talks. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s national security adviser accused Khalilzad in 2019 of selling out the Afghan government in the talks while lending the Taliban a veneer of credibility. Former U.S. and Western officials say Khalilzad was given a nearly impossible task. President Trump undermined his envoy’s efforts by repeatedly reducing the U.S. troop presence without concessions from the Taliban, signaling to the insurgents they could drive a hard bargain, they said."

"A senior administration official said the U.S.-Taliban agreement was “problematic” and severely limited the Biden administration's options. “That’s what we inherited coming into office,” the official told NBC News. The Taliban had refrained from targeting U.S. troops on condition Washington kept its word to pull the troops. If the administration had decided to keep troops in place indefinitely, “they would have had targets on their backs,” the official said. It was “folly” to think keeping a small contingent of U.S. troops on the ground could fundamentally alter the course of the war, the official said, adding: “The idea that 2,500 troops could be a game-changer is not realistic.” As Khalilzad portrayed it, the U.S.-Taliban agreement was supposed to launch both a gradual withdrawal of American troops and simultaneous peace negotiations between the insurgents and the Afghan government. The withdrawal, Khalilzad said frequently, would be “conditions based.” He said the deal was not a withdrawal agreement but “a peace agreement that enables withdrawal."

"Some experts and former diplomats say the time to have pushed for peace was years ago, when the U.S. had maximum leverage, right after American-led forces toppled the Taliban in 2001. Or when the U.S. had 100,000 troops on the ground during President Obama’s troop surge more than 10 years ago. But once the U.S. promised the Taliban to pull out American troops by a fixed deadline, without any binding commitment from the Taliban to reach a peace accord with the Afghan government, the chances for a negotiated end to the war began to unravel, experts said. “As soon as the U.S. went down the road of making that concession to the Taliban, there was no more than a narrow window of opportunity to get a real peace process launched,” said Miller of ICG. “The window was already closing when Biden took office, and then the decision to withdraw quickly sucked all the oxygen out of peace efforts.” The Taliban got the agreement they wanted, Miller said. And, she said, “there's nothing surprising about what's happened.”

That's right. Sadly, we've learned nothing since the failure of the Korean War nearly seven decades ago. Shit squat. Not to neglect to mention the Vietnam fiasco.

"President Biden promised that the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan would not be a hasty rush to the exits. It would be responsible, deliberate and safe. But clearly he and his administration misjudged the speed with which the Afghan forces would collapse and the Taliban would take control. "The jury is still out. But the likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely," Biden said on July 8, but just a month later that appears to be exactly what's happening."

Biden was, and is, delusional. Hasn't thought any of this through. Neither did any of his predecessors. Precisely, why we are in the predicament we're now in:

"As fears rise of the Kabul government collapsing, Biden now has to send 3,000 troops back to Afghanistan on a temporary mission to help evacuate most of the American embassy in Kabul and Afghan civilians who supported the U.S. The move has led to more questions about whether the United States was mistaken by withdrawing so quickly, but Biden said this week Afghans "must fight for themselves" as the U.S. military remains on track for a full withdrawal by the end of August. Here are five reasons why the U.S. is not likely to return to war in Afghanistan:

"Panic rang in my friend’s voice as she spoke over the telephone from Kabul this week. “Can you help us?” she asked. “I don’t know what we should do and where we should go.” Fear has spread like wildfire across Afghanistan as the Taliban captured major cities like Herat and Kandahar. On Thursday the United States announced it is evacuating staff members from its embassy in Kabul. My friend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she did not want the Taliban to target her, is worried about a lot of things — that violence will engulf Kabul, or that she’ll be forced out of her job because she is a woman. But those aren’t her biggest fears. “I am worried they will force me to get married,” she said, repeating reports the militants strenuously deny. “We are all worried.” I met this proud professional woman some 15 years ago when I landed a job as a mentor and trainer at the U.S.-funded Pajhwok Afghan News, one of the country’s leading news organizations. At the time, I was part of an international army of aid workers who marched into the war-ravaged nation after the U.S.-led toppling of the Taliban. Many foreigners in the country were convinced that the multinational occupation was not only righteous because it was rooting out Al Qaeda, the authors of 9/11, but also because it was good for Afghans themselves. After all, billions in aid dollars were flooding the country, revamping the government, funding a proliferating number of charities and encouraging a free press. All this was supposed to usher in a peaceful, democratic and more equitable country. The Taliban would be consigned to history."

"Since then, the U.S. has spent $1 trillion training and equipping Afghan forces, according to President Joe Biden, while 2,448 Americans have been killed and some 20,722 have been wounded. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 civilians have been killed or injured since 2009. Now, with the Taliban bearing down on Kabul, the capital, the U.S.’ multibillion-dollar efforts appear to be failing. And Afghans like my friend, who bought into this vast nation-building experiment, will end up being the biggest losers. While Biden has said that the U.S. did not go into Afghanistan to “nation-build,” in effect the 38-country NATO alliance and the billions it brought tried to do just that."

"A wall of cash funded everything from what U.S. officials called “democracy and governance” programs to a circus school for Afghan children in Kabul. Of the $144.98 billion the U.S. has spent for reconstruction and related activities in Afghanistan since 2002, some $36.29 billion went to governance and development, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (Sigar), the office that has documented billions in waste and corruption since lawmakers created it in 2008. The United States Agency for International Development spent $71 million on the Afghan media alone, for example. When he declared the U.S. “war on terror” after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, President George W. Bush also indicated that humanitarian aid was key to winning the struggle. "Ultimately, one of the best weapons, one of the truest weapons that we have against terrorism is to show the world the true strength of character and kindness of the American people. Americans are united in this fight against terrorism,” he said. “We're also united in our concern for the innocent people of Afghanistan."

"The “kindness” has curdled. While aid has indeed helped many Afghans, it has also enriched security forces and government officials, according to Sigar. And bolstered in part by the vast corruption and inefficiency of the Afghan government, the austere and harsh Taliban has made steady gains for years, setting up shadow governments around the country and signing up fighters. (The Afghan government and others will point to Pakistani support for the Taliban as a principal reason the militants have been successful.) With rising Taliban violence, voter participation has fallen over the years, and raised the question: Was the desire for Western-style democracy and personal freedom ultimately not as widespread as Americans had hoped?"

"Millions of Afghans like my friend have tried to resist, but despite the Taliban’s harsh treatment of civilians and profoundly undemocratic outlook, the movement ultimately found more support than idealists had realized. People like my friend hear reports of what happens after an area falls to the militants: Women are forced out of jobs or to flee, government workers are rounded up, and civilians who had been employed with foreign forces are killed. Journalists, intellectuals, activists and prominent women — those who may have believed that Afghanistan could in even some small way model a Western democracy — are in mortal danger. For months, an assassination campaign has targeted prominent figures seen as liberal or Western. While a solid majority in the U.S. once supported the decision to invade Afghanistan in 2001, the war has since become unpopular with Americans, who tend to feel the conflict is just not worth the cost in lives and money. President Barack Obama long considered pulling out. President Donald Trump, counting on the support of a large part of the Republican Party, even signed a withdrawal deal with the Taliban. Though some Republican hawks want to keep fighting, Biden has not faced significant opposition to the decision from within his own party. Americans largely have lost interest in fighting to preserve democracy in the country. Still, U.S. officials maintain they are not walking away from the Afghan people. “This is not an abandonment,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said Thursday as the U.S. announced the withdrawal of most staff members from its embassy in Kabul. “This is not an evacuation. This is not the wholesale withdrawal.” Regardless, Afghans cannot be blamed for feeling betrayed: They have been told repeatedly that the United States and the international community would not abandon them. In 2005, I watched then-U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, now Biden’s special envoy for Afghanistan, promise the Pajhwok’s newsroom that the U.S. would never abandon their country. Javed Hamim Kakar, a senior editor at Pajhwok, remembers the moment, too — he has a photo of the visit on his computer. “‘We will not abandon Afghanistan.’ They were telling us this every time,” he said, recalling his time spent at NATO summits and NATO foreign minister meetings. “All of them were telling us that the U.S. would not abandon Afghanistan,” Hamim added."

The above ignores the fact the Afghans have not been willing to fight the Taliban. Apparently, expected the Americans to do it for them indefinitely. Not how things work.

"In the last days and weeks, I have received multiple messages from friends and former colleagues asking what, if anything, I can do to help them. I can do nothing."

The Afghans need to help themselves. Clearly, there's no willingness to do so. Precisely, why the Taliban has so quickly come to taking over the country.

"As an editor, I encourage writers to be strong and “look into the darkness.” Don’t look away and the story will tell itself, I say. But in the last few weeks I have often failed to follow my own advice, have blinked and averted my eyes — wracked by sorrow and guilt for what is happening to people who simply wanted peace."

"F. Brinley Bruton is senior editor in charge of NBC News Digital’s London bureau."

"Here’s what 19-year-old Lance Cpl. William Bee felt flying into southern Afghanistan on Christmas Day 2001: purely lucky. The U.S. was hitting back at the al-Qaida plotters who had brought down the World Trade Center, and Bee found himself among the first Marines on the ground. “Excitement,” Bee says these days, of the teenage Bee’s thoughts then. “To be the dudes that got to open it up first.” In the decade that followed, three more deployments in America’s longest war scoured away that lucky feeling. For Bee, it came down to a night in 2008 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. By then a sergeant, Bee held the hand of an American sniper who had just been shot in the head, as a medic sliced open the man’s throat for an airway. “After that it was like, you know what — ‘F—k these people,’” Bee recounted, of what drove him by his fourth and final Afghan deployment. “I just want to bring my guys back. That’s all I care about. I want to bring them home.” As President Joe Biden ends the U.S. combat role in Afghanistan this month, Americans and Afghans are questioning whether it was worth the cost: more than 3,000 American and other NATO lives lost, tens of thousands of Afghans dead, trillions of dollars of U.S. debt that generations of Americans will pay for, and an Afghanistan that in a stunning week of fighting appears at imminent threat of falling back under Taliban rule, just as Americans found it nearly 20 years ago."

"For Biden, for Bee and for some of the American principals in the U.S. and NATO war in Afghanistan, the answer to whether it was worth the cost often comes down to parsing. There were the first years of the war, when Americans broke up Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida in Afghanistan and routed the Taliban government that had hosted the terrorist network. That succeeded. The proof is clear, says Douglas Lute, White House czar for the war during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, and a retired lieutenant general: Al-Qaida hasn’t been able to mount a major attack on the West since 2005. “We have decimated al-Qaida in that region, in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Lute says. But after that came the grinding second phase of the war. U.S. fears of a Taliban rebound whenever Americans eventually pulled out meant that service members such as Bee kept getting sent back in, racking up more close calls, injuries and dead comrades. Lute and some others argue that what the second half of the war bought was time — a grace period for Afghanistan’s government, security forces and civil society to try to build enough strength to survive on their own."

That never happened. Apparently, they expected the Americans to do the fighting and dying for them indefinitely. Precisely, why the following wasn't anything more than fleeting:

"Quality of life in some ways did improve, modernizing under the Western occupation, even as the millions of dollars the U.S. poured into Afghanistan fed corruption. Infant mortality rates fell by half. In 2005, fewer than 1 in 4 Afghans had access to electricity. By 2019, nearly all did. The second half of the war allowed Afghan women, in particular, opportunities entirely denied them under the fundamentalist Taliban, so that more than 1 in 3 teenage girls — their whole lives spent under the protection of Western forces — today can read and write. But it’s that longest, second phase of the war that looks on the verge of complete failure now. The U.S. war left the Taliban undefeated and failed to secure a political settlement. Taliban forces this past week have swept across two-thirds of the country and captured provincial capitals, on the path of victory before U.S. combat forces even complete their pullout. On many fronts, the Taliban are rolling over Afghan security forces that U.S. and NATO forces spent two decades working to build."

This is happening because the Afghans are not willing to fight for themselves.

"This swift advance sets up a last stand in Kabul, where most Afghans live. It threatens to clamp the country under the Taliban’s strict interpretation of religious law, erasing much of the gains. “There’s no ‘mission accomplished,’” Biden snapped last month, batting down a question from a reporter. Biden quickly corrected himself, evoking the victories of the first few years of the war. “The mission was accomplished in that we ... got Osama bin Laden, and terrorism is not emanating from that part of the world,” he added."

"The strain of fighting two post-9/11 wars at once with an all-volunteer military meant that more than half of the 2.8 million American servicemen and women who deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq served two or more times, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University. The repeated deployments contributed to disability rates in those veterans that are more than double that of Vietnam veterans, says Linda Bilmes, a senior lecturer in public policy at Harvard University. Bilmes calculates the U.S. will spend more than $2 trillion just caring for and supporting Afghanistan and Iraq veterans as they age, with costs peaking 30 years to 40 years from now. That’s on top of $1 trillion in Pentagon and State Department costs in Afghanistan since 2001. Because the U.S. borrowed rather than raised taxes to pay for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, interest payments are estimated to cost succeeding generations of Americans trillions of dollars more still. Annual combat deaths peaked around the time of the war’s midpoint, as Obama tried a final surge of forces to defeat the Taliban. In all, 2,448 American troops, 1,144 service members from NATO and other allied countries, more than 47,000 Afghan civilians and at least 66,000 Afghan military and police died, according to the Pentagon and to the Costs of War project."

"Bee’s Afghanistan tours finally ended in 2010, when an improvised explosive device exploded 4 feet from him, killing two fellow service members who had been standing with him. It was Bee’s third head injury, and for a time left him unable to walk a block without falling down. Was it worth it? “The people whose lives we affected, I personally think we did them better, that they’re better off for it,” answered Bee, who now works for a company that provides autonomous robots for Marine training at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune and is co-writing a book about his time in Afghanistan. “But I also wouldn’t trade a handful of Afghan villages for one Marine,” he added."

"Afghanistan’s embattled president left the country Sunday, joining thousands of his fellow citizens and foreigners in a stampede fleeing the advancing Taliban and signaling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking the country. The Taliban fanned out across the capital, and an official with the militant group said it would soon announce the creation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in Kabul. That was the name of the country under Taliban rule before the militants were ousted by U.S.-led forces after the 9/11 attacks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. The Al-Jazeera news network later aired footage showing a group of Taliban fighters inside the presidential palace. The city was gripped by panic, with helicopters racing overhead throughout the day to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents, and the American flag was lowered. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out. Afghans fearing that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women’s rights rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor — who had left homes in the countryside for the presumed safety of the capital — remained in parks and open spaces throughout the city. Though the Taliban had promised a peaceful transition, the U.S. Embassy suspended operations and warned Americans late in the day to shelter in place and not try to get to the airport. Commercial flights were suspended after sporadic gunfire erupted at the airport, according to two senior U.S. military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. Evacuations continued on military flights, but the halt to commercial traffic closed off one of the last routes available for Afghans fleeing the country.

"As the insurgents closed in Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country. “The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation,” said Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council. “God should hold him accountable.” Ghani later posted on Facebook that he had chosen to leave the country to avert bloodshed in the capital, without saying where he had gone. As night fell, Taliban fighters deployed across Kabul, taking over abandoned police posts and pledging to maintain law and order during the transition. Residents reported looting in parts of the city, including in the upscale diplomatic district, and messages circulating on social media advised people to stay inside and lock their gates. In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure. The fall of Kabul marks the final chapter of America’s longest war, which began after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks masterminded by al-Qaida’s Osama bin Laden, then harbored by the Taliban government. A U.S.-led invasion dislodged the Taliban and beat them back, though America lost focus on the conflict in the chaos of the Iraq War. For years, the U.S. has been looking for an exit for the war. Washington under then-President Donald Trump signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 that limited direct military action against the insurgents. That allowed the fighters to gather strength and move quickly to seize key areas when President Joe Biden announced his plans to withdraw all American forces by the end of this month. After the insurgents entered Kabul, Taliban negotiators discussed a transfer of power, said an Afghan official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-door negotiations, described them as “tense.” It remained unclear when that transfer would take place and who among the Taliban was negotiating. The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai, leader of Hizb-e-Islami political and paramilitary group Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and Abdullah, who has been a vocal critic of Ghani."

"President Joe Biden "absolutely" bears responsibility for the Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan as does former President Donald Trump and his administration, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said Sunday."

So does your father, Ms. Cheney, as well as George "The Tush" Bush. Our country should never have invaded Afghanistan and attempted to nation build. Doing so was not necessary to nail bin Laden and his henchmen.

"What we're watching right now in Afghanistan is what happens when America withdraws from the world," Cheney told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl. "So everybody who has been saying, 'America needs to withdraw, America needs to retreat,' we are getting a devastating, catastrophic real-time lesson in what that means."

Think so? What it does demonstrate is how aggressively stupid and ill-advised it is to invade another country and foolishly attempt to nation build.

"Cheney, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said Sunday on "This Week," that the Taliban's rapid takeover did not have to happen, as "everyone was warned." "I think if you look at where we were, if you look at what it would have taken in terms of maintaining the status quo, 2,500 to 3,500 forces on the ground, conducting counterterrorism, counterintelligence operations, this disaster, the catastrophe that we're watching unfold right now across Afghanistan did not have to happen," Cheney said. "And it's not just that people predicted that this would happen, everyone was warned that this would happen."

That's a crock of shit, Ms. Cheney. We could have remained another twenty years and the outcome would have been the same. The war was ill-advised and unwinnable.

"The ramifications of the current situation extend further than just Afghanistan and the war on terror, but globally, Cheney told Karl. "Our allies are questioning this morning whether they can count on us for anything," Cheney said."

"Karl pressed Cheney on the argument made by Republicans and Democrats, including former Rep. Justin Amash, that no matter when the U.S. were to withdraw, the results would be the same. "This is not ending the war, what this is doing actually is perpetuating it," Cheney responded. "What we're seeing now is a policy that will ensure -- ensure, that we will in fact have to have our children and our grandchildren continuing to fight this war at much higher costs." "So everybody -- the Rand Paul, Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, Joe Biden view of the world here is fundamentally dangerous and irresponsible and wrong," Cheney added."

"Karl also asked Cheney about the fact the majority of Americans supported the U.S. withdrawal. "As you know, poll after poll, for the last several years, have shown that most Americans wanted us out of Afghanistan," Karl said. "So can you really maintain for the long term a military operation that most of the American people do not support?" "As leaders we have an obligation no matter what the issue is to tell the American people the truth, and we have an obligation to explain what's necessary," Cheney responded. "If American security requires that our enemies can't establish safe havens to attack us again, then our leaders across both parties have the responsibility to explain to the American people why we need to keep the deployment of forces on the ground." "This has been an epic failure across the board, one we're going to pay for for years to come," Cheney added."

The 9/11 attack did not occur because bin Laden and his henchmen had safe haven. It happened because our government was out to lunch, failed to follow up the warning signs.

"President Joe Biden on Monday defended his administration's decision to continue with the U.S. military drawdown in Afghanistan, blaming the U.S.-backed Afghan government and military for allowing the Taliban to take over. "Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country; the Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight," Biden said in a speech at the White House. "If anything, the developments of the past week reinforce that ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision." The address marked the first time Biden publicly spoke since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan’s capital on Sunday following President Ashraf Ghan's departure from the country, bringing an abrupt end to the 20-year U.S. effort to restructure the Afghan government and its military. Within hours of the Taliban takeover, chaos erupted at Kabul’s international airport as desperate Afghans raced to flee the country. A harrowing video captured Monday showed Afghans storming the military side of the airport and clinging to a U.S. Air Force plane as it attempted to move down the tarmac. In the video, some people appear to fall to their death as the aircraft takes off. Over the past 72 hours, the number of U.S. military personnel on the ground has grown, with 6,000 troops ultimately expected in the coming days. The U.S. embassy, which the State Department had insisted Thursday would remain open, had been fully evacuated by Sunday evening."

"Striking a defiant tone, President Joe Biden said Monday that he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan and that the Afghan government’s collapse was quicker than anticipated. Biden said he was faced with a choice between sticking to a previously negotiated agreement to withdraw U.S. troops this year or sending thousands more service members back into Afghanistan for a “third decade” of war. Biden said he will not repeat mistakes of the past and did not regret his decision to proceed with the withdrawal. “I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said in a televised address to the nation from the White House East Room. “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces.” Biden said he’d rather take the criticism over the fallout in Afghanistan than pass the decision to a fifth president. He said the decision to leave Afghanistan is “the right one for America.” He said keeping a U.S. presence in Afghanistan was no longer a U.S. national security interest."

Never was. Nation-building was a massive failure and a big mistake. Certainly, unnecessary to nail bin Laden and his henchmen.

"Biden described the images coming out of Afghanistan — especially at the airport in Kabul, where Afghans descended in hopes of fleeing the country — as “gut-wrenching.” Video of Afghans clinging to a U.S. Air Force plane as it prepared to take off had circulated widely on the internet. But he did not admit any U.S. fault in how the drawdown was executed. He acknowledged that the Taliban takeover unfolded faster than had been anticipated. About a month ago, Biden batted away the notion of a rapid Taliban takeover. Biden said Monday the U.S. will continue to support the Afghan people, push for regional diplomacy and speak out for the rights of Afghans.

"The speed of the Afghan government’s collapse and the ensuing chaos posed the most serious test of Biden as commander in chief, and he came under withering criticism from Republicans who said he had failed."

Think "Slick Dick" Cheney and George "The Tush" Bush have no responsibility for the failed nation-building?

"Biden expressed confidence in his decision to proceed with the withdrawal and said he was prepared to take the heat. He said he was “deeply saddened by the facts we now face, but I do not regret my decision.” Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in international relations and has spent months downplaying the prospect of an ascendant Taliban while arguing that Americans of all political persuasions have tired of a 20-year war, a conflict that demonstrated the limits of money and military might to force a Western-style democracy on a society not ready or willing to embrace it."

"Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan's president fled the country over the weekend and the Taliban seized control of the presidential palace there, all but ending America's 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule. As the crisis intensifies, with images from Kabul showing Afghans storming the airport tarmac and climbing onto military planes after the U.S. assumed control of the airport, President Joe Biden cut his time at Camp David short and headed back to the White House to address the nation Monday afternoon. The Pentagon said that 6,000 U.S. troops will soon be in the country's capital as the military races to evacuate diplomats and civilians from an increasingly chaotic Kabul. Despite criticism, the Biden administration is sticking by its decision to withdraw troops from the country by Aug. 31, ending America's longest war.

"Biden also took the chance to directly address concerns that the U.S. did not begin evacuating Afghan civilians who helped aid the mission ahead of withdrawing troops. "Part of the answer is some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier, still hopeful for their country," Biden said. "And part of it is because the Afghan government, and its supporters, discouraged us from organizing a mass exodus to avoid triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence." "As we carry out this departure, we have made it clear to the Taliban if they attack our personnel or disrupt our operation, the U.S. presence will be swift and the response will be swift and forceful," Biden added, redirecting focus on the immediate goal of getting all Americans and Afghan allies who helped with the U.S. mission get out of the country safely. "Once we have completed this mission, we will conclude our military withdrawal. We will end America's longest war after 20 long years of bloodshed," Biden said.

"While Biden stood firmly by his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in his afternoon remarks, he hardly addressed the chaotic evacuation efforts in Kabul and did not offer any apologies to the people of Afghanistan. "I am president of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me. I'm deeply saddened by the facts we now face, but I do not regret my decision to end America's war fighting in Afghanistan and maintain a laser focus on our counterterrorism missions there and in other parts of the world," he said. "I made a commitment to the brave men and women who serve this nation that I wasn't going to ask them to continue to risk their lives in a military action that should have ended long ago," Biden said, before rejecting comparisons to the Vietnam War, as his officials have done in recent days. "Our leaders did that in Vietnam when I got here as a young man. I will not do it in Afghanistan," Biden added. "I know my decision will be criticized. But I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to another president of the United States, yet another one, a fifth one." Biden said the Taliban takeover unfolded "more quickly than we had anticipated" and placed blame on the Afghan government and military for an apparent lack of resistance. "So what's happened? Afghanistan's political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight," he said. "If anything, the developments of the past week reinforced that ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision. American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves," the president added. "We gave them every tool they could need. We paid their salaries," Biden said. "We gave them every chance to determine their own future. We could not provide them the will to fight for that future." Biden countered those who criticize his decision with questions, asking, "How many more generations of America's daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghanistan's civil war when Afghan troops will not? How many more lives, American lives, is it worth? How many endless rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery?" "I'm clear on my answer," Biden said. "I will not repeat the mistakes we've made in the past." Speaking for the first time publicly since the Taliban seized control of Kabul, Biden defended his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, while acknowledging the Taliban takeover "occurred more quickly" than the administration had foreseen."

Not credible, Mr. President. The handwriting, so to speak, was on the wall the last 20 years.

"Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation-building. It was never supposed to be creating a unified centralized democracy. Our only vital national interest in Afghanistan remains today what it has always been, preventing a terrorist attack on American homeland," Biden said."

Didn't take nation-building to nail bin Laden and his henchmen, or to prevent another attack.

"As president, I am adamant we focus on the threats we face today in 2021, not yesterday's threats," he added."

Never belonged in Afghanistan nation-building in the first place. Not only that, and again, the 9/11 attack did not occur because bin Laden and his henchmen had safe haven. It happened because our government was out to lunch, failed to follow up the warning signs.

"Built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely — in some cases without a shot fired — that the ultimate beneficiary of the American investment turned out to be the Taliban. They grabbed not only political power but also U.S.-supplied firepower — guns, ammunition, helicopters and more. The Taliban captured an array of modern military equipment when they overran Afghan forces who failed to defend district centers. Bigger gains followed, including combat aircraft, when the Taliban rolled up provincial capitals and military bases with stunning speed, topped by capturing the biggest prize, Kabul, over the weekend. A U.S. defense official on Monday confirmed the Taliban’s sudden accumulation of U.S.-supplied Afghan equipment is enormous. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and so spoke on condition of anonymity. The reversal is an embarrassing consequence of misjudging the viability of Afghan government forces — by the U.S. military as well as intelligence agencies — which in some cases chose to surrender their vehicles and weapons rather than fight. The U.S. failure to produce a sustainable Afghan army and police force, and the reasons for their collapse, will be studied for years by military analysts. The basic dimensions, however, are clear and are not unlike what happened in Iraq. The forces turned out to be hollow, equipped with superior arms but largely missing the crucial ingredient of combat motivation. “Money can’t buy will. You cannot purchase leadership,” John Kirby, chief spokesman for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said Monday. Doug Lute, a retired Army lieutenant general who help direct Afghan war strategy during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, said that what the Afghans received in tangible resources they lacked in the more important intangibles. “The principle of war stands — moral factors dominate material factors,” he said. “Morale, discipline, leadership, unit cohesion are more decisive than numbers of forces and equipment. As outsiders in Afghanistan, we can provide materiel, but only Afghans can provide the intangible moral factors.”

"By contrast, Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents, with smaller numbers, less sophisticated weaponry and no air power, proved a superior force. U.S. intelligence agencies largely underestimated the scope of that superiority, and even after President Joe Biden announced in April he was withdrawing all U.S. troops, the intelligence agencies did not foresee a Taliban final offensive that would succeed so spectacularly."

"The failures, however, go back much further and run much deeper. The United States tried to develop a credible Afghan defense establishment on the fly, even as it was fighting the Taliban, attempting to widen the political foundations of the government in Kabul and seeking to establish democracy in a country rife with corruption and cronyism. Year after year, U.S. military leaders downplayed the problems and insisted success was coming. Others saw the handwriting on the wall. In 2015 a professor at the Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute wrote about the military’s failure to learn lessons from past wars; he subtitled his book, “Why the Afghan National Security Forces Will Not Hold.” “Regarding the future of Afghanistan, in blunt terms, the United States has been down this road at the strategic level twice before, in Vietnam and Iraq, and there is no viable rationale for why the results will be any different in Afghanistan,” Chris Mason wrote. He added, presciently: “Slow decay is inevitable, and state failure is a matter of time.” Some elements of the Afghan army did fight hard, including commandos whose heroic efforts are yet to be fully documented. But as a whole the security forces created by the United States and its NATO allies amounted to a “house of cards” whose collapse was driven as much by failures of U.S. civilian leaders as their military partners, according to Anthony Cordesman, a longtime Afghanistan war analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The Afghan force-building exercise was so completely dependent on American largesse that the Pentagon even paid the Afghan troops’ salaries. Too often that money, and untold amounts of fuel, were siphoned off by corrupt officers and government overseers who cooked the books, creating “ghost soldiers” to keep the misspent dollars coming."

"As the Taliban began seizing provinces across Afghanistan in recent weeks, the CIA’s intelligence assessments began to warn in increasingly stark terms about the potential for a rapid, total collapse of the Afghan military and government, current and former U.S. officials told NBC News. In the end, the CIA’s description of what a worst-case scenario could look like “was pretty close to what happened,” one former official briefed on the matter said. The White House won’t confirm whether President Joe Biden ever received such a dire forecast from his national security team. The president himself appeared to dispute a month ago that intelligence suggested the increasing likelihood that the Afghan military would fold. But it is precisely that outcome that has emerged as one of the administration’s chief arguments to justify the president standing by his decision to end the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan."

"Images of the Taliban cracking down on a protest and bloodied women and children beaten by fighters are contradicting the more moderate image the militant group has been trying to project as it tries to consolidate power in Afghanistan. Less than 24 hours after the Taliban spokesperson delivered security guarantees during a press conference in Kabul, the militants on Wednesday tried to stop locals from installing Afghanistan's national black, red and green flag in the eastern city of Jalalabad, according to local resident Anwar Khan. A former police official told Reuters four people had been killed in the protest and 13 injured. Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency shared video of what it said was the incident, showing crowds running as gunfire was heard. NBC News was not able to verify the footage. Meanwhile, the Taliban's assurance of a “safe passage” to the Kabul airport, where thousands have thronged in a desperate bid to be taken out of the country, has also been undermined by a report and photographs by a Los Angeles Times journalist. In one of the graphic images, a woman and child are seen with blood on their faces and apparently unconscious. Hundreds of people were outside the airport on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. It said the Taliban demanded to see documents before allowing the rare passenger inside. The Taliban fired occasional warning shots to disperse them, the agency said. Meanwhile, The Guardian reported the militants were checking documents and forcibly turning some people around at checkpoints, refusing to let them reach the airport. NBC News was not able to independently verify these reports. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said they have received reports of people being turned away, pushed back or even beaten when trying to access the airport. "We are taking that up in a channel with the Taliban to try to resolve those issues," Sullivan said. "And we are concerned about whether that will continue to unfold in the coming days." Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy has been operating out of the airport, coordinating further evacuations. As many as 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan, Biden administration officials told Senate staffers Tuesday."

"Taliban militants attacked protesters Wednesday in eastern Afghanistan who dared to take down their banner and replace it with the country’s flag, killing at least one person and fueling fears about how the insurgents would govern this fractious nation. While the Taliban have insisted they will respect human rights unlike during their previously draconian rule, the attack in Jalalabad came as many Afghans were hiding at home or trying to flee the country, fearful of abuses by the loosely controlled militant organization. Many have expressed dread that the two-decade Western experiment to remake Afghanistan will not survive the resurgent Taliban, who took control of the country in a blitz that took just days. Taliban leaders talked Wednesday with senior Afghan officials about a future government. In a potential complication to any effort to stabilize the country, the Central Bank chief warned that American sanctions over the Taliban’s terror designations threatened Afghanistan’s economy, which already is dangerously low on hard foreign currency. One figure who was not at the talks talking place in Kabul: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled as the Taliban closed in on the capital. The United Arab Emirates acknowledged Wednesday that they have taken him and his family in."

"In an early sign of protest to the Taliban’s rule, dozens gathered in the eastern city of Jalalabad and a nearby market town to raise the tricolor national flag, a day before Afghanistan’s Independence Day, which commemorates the 1919 treaty that ended British rule. They lowered the Taliban flag — a white banner with an Islamic inscription — that the militants have raised in the areas they captured. Video footage later showed the Taliban firing into the air and attacking people with batons to disperse the crowd. Babrak Amirzada, a reporter for a local news agency, said the Taliban beat him and a TV cameraman from another agency. A local health official said the violence killed at least one person and wounded six. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to brief journalists. The Taliban did not acknowledge the protest or the violence. It was a rare resistance to their rule. In the days since the Taliban seized Kabul on Sunday, the militants only faced one other protest by a few women in the capital. Still, there’s been no armed opposition to the Taliban. However, videos from the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, a stronghold of the Northern Alliance militias that allied with the U.S. during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, appear to show potential opposition figures gathering there. That area is in the only province that hasn’t yet fallen to the Taliban. Those figures include members of the deposed government — Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who asserted on Twitter that he is the country’s rightful president and Defense Minister Gen. Bismillah Mohammadi — as well as Ahmad Massoud, the son of the slain Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. In an opinion piece published by The Washington Post, Massoud asked for weapons and aid to fight the Taliban. “I write from the Panjshir Valley today, ready to follow in my father’s footsteps, with mujahideen fighters who are prepared to once again take on the Taliban,” he wrote. “The Taliban is not a problem for the Afghan people alone. Under Taliban control, Afghanistan will without doubt become ground zero of radical Islamist terrorism; plots against democracies will be hatched here once again.”

"The Taliban have promised to maintain security, but residents say groups of armed men have been going door to door inquiring about Afghans who worked with the Americans or the deposed government. It’s unclear if the gunmen are Taliban or criminals posing as militants. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates acknowledged that Ghani and his family were in the Gulf country in a terse, one-sentence statement. “The UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” it said. Ghani, in theory, remains the president of Afghanistan, though many in the country blame him for the collapse of the country’s security forces. The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi did not respond to questions about Ghani’s presence. Speaking late Wednesday in a video posted to Facebook, Ghani defended abandoning Kabul as the Taliban advanced, describing it as the only way to prevent bloodshed. He denied rumors that he left with millions of dollars. “I was forced to leave Afghanistan with one set of traditional clothes, a vest and the sandals I was wearing,” Ghani said. He also said he supported the talks Abdullah and Karzai now conducted with the Taliban."

"In a sign of the monetary difficulties any future Afghan government will face, the head of Afghanistan’s Central Bank said the country’s supply of physical U.S. dollars is “close to zero.” Afghanistan has some $9 billion in reserves, Ajmal Ahmady tweeted, but most is held outside the country, with some $7 billion held in U.S. Federal Reserve bonds, assets and gold. Ahmady said the country did not receive a planned cash shipment amid the Taliban offensive. “The next shipment never arrived,” he wrote. “Seems like our partners had good intelligence as to what was going to happen.” A U.S. official confirmed that the Treasury Department has frozen the Afghan government’s accounts in the United States and halted direct assistance payments to the government. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the matter publicly. The Treasury Department did not respond to questions on the matter. Ahmady said the lack of U.S. dollars will likely lead to a depreciation of the local currency, the afghani, hurting the country’s poor. The “Taliban won militarily — but now have to govern,” he wrote. “It is not easy.”

Some $2.26 trillion squandered by the United States on this fiasco. Worse? Far worse? All those American lives lost. Not to neglect to mention all those wounded. All the disabled. For what? For a country that gutlessly refused to fight the Taliban? Turned tail and ran the other way. Allowed American-supplied weapons to fall into the hands of the Taliban. When will we ever smarten up? When?

"The American Civil Liberties Union is seeking to force the Pentagon to abandon a Trump administration policy and reinstate an expedited path to citizenship for foreign-born members of the military, according to court papers filed late Tuesday. The motion to enforce, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, claims the military has defied a court decision that found the policy imposing minimum service requirements on new recruits to be unlawful. “The Department of Defense is defying a federal court order to restore an expedited path to citizenship for U.S. military service members,” the ACLU said in a statement to NBC News Wednesday. In 2017, the Trump administration created a policy that blocked an expedited path to citizenship for new service members, and instead required them to serve for six months to a year before they were eligible for the military certification required to apply to become naturalized citizens. The ACLU filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of U.S. military service members in April 2020, claiming the policy violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which provides non-US citizens the right to naturalize quickly if they serve honorably in the U.S. military, waiving many of the other requirements for citizenship. In many cases, the INA allows for service members to become U.S. citizens before military deployment. Four months later, the federal district court sided with the ACLU, ruling the military cannot impose those minimum service requirements before service members can seek citizenship based on their military service. The court also said the military must process paperwork within 30 days. Trump’s Pentagon appealed the decision, but the court has not yet ruled on that appeal and now, one year later, the ACLU claims the military is still enforcing the policy and blocking expedited citizenship for new recruits. “Over the past year, numerous class members at multiple U.S. Army installations consistently report that military officials continue to impose these unlawful requirements and obstruct service members from seeking U.S. citizenship in direct violation of the court’s order,” the ACLU said in a statement. “The new court filing comes after ACLU negotiations with the Biden administration reached an impasse because the Department of Defense has failed to take actions necessary to fix the issues faced by service members.” In June, the Pentagon under President Joe Biden released a memo stating its intention to rescind the Trump administration policy, pending a review. But the ACLU says the military continues to enforce it, claiming that at four of the five Army basic training bases, soldiers are still told they need to complete the minimum service requirements before filing their naturalization paperwork. In the filing, the ACLU also argues service members have been waiting for months, defying the 30-day court requirement."

The effort to expose Wells Fargo egregious deceptive trade practices continues. Several years ago to determinedly apply renewed pressure on our truly worthless, egregiously self-serving Texas Attorney General, now Governor, an excoriating email was sent to the bastard. Copies of which were also passed on to both offending Wells Fargo officers. A copy was also sent to the Davis campaign and others at the time.

Voters did have a right to know as Attorney General, the GOP candidate for Governor apparently selectively investigated, or not, bona fide complaints filed by citizens against banks too big to fail. Possibly, Wells Fargo could have lined his pockets in some fashion. That has yet to be determined.

The bastard and his office, no matter what, failed to respond to the complaint originally snail mailed several years ago. This material, figuratively targeting Wells Fargo and the governor 'wannabe' now Governor, had been posted and can be found by scrolling all the way down and clicking on the links well below. ... Governor? Wells Fargo bribe you to look the other way?

Will continue to do all I can to publicly expose this to all, both in this publication and elsewhere. Have done precisely that with the following email sent to Matt Turner, Matt Turner Video Services, Marble Falls, TX. A copy of it was also sent to Wells Fargo officer Amanda Wright. She has, indeed, been promoted branch manager. Reverse Darwinism. Survival of the unfittest.

This young woman has indeed been rewarded by the Wells Fargo corporate management suite for engaging in criminal deceptive trade practices and her undying loyalty to her corporate masters. The process to update those already informed of this fiasco has finally been completed. This latest material can be found by clicking onWells Fargo Deceptive Trade Practices Salvo 240, 2-8-19 .

-- Despite the fact these businesses were, and are, being egregiously f--ked by these very same bastards. Tough, isn't it? Impossible to entertain any sympathy for cowardice, however. Especially in view of the fact this writer has placed himself in great jeopardy taking on these corrupt, abusive, inept criminal bastards. Alone.

Exactly, why you see no investigative material highly critical of these sons of bitches in other local rags. Sadly, cowardly, all advertising income immediately dries up. Consequently, the bastards continue their criminal chicanery with impunity. On a rampage. Thus, you get what you truly deserve. Always. Precisely, why this earlier name change to Liberty In Peril remains appropriate. -- Despite the fact this writer has not yet left the area. Ten years after originally intending to do so. Thirty years in this goddamned godforsaken hellhole.

This writer, then and now, remains primarily interested in state, federal, and international issues. Another reason for this publication name change. Despite the fact I stupidly cluelessly remain here, local issues must be addressed. Can't be ignored. That's where you come in dear readers. Have the courage to inform this writer of local abuse, corruption, ineptness you are aware of, have personally experienced.

... Information these criminal bastards do all they can to conceal, cover up. Otherwise, how can they effectively sustain the charade and intended result? Loot confiscation through a boot heel on the throat of the citizenry.

The only way, short of an unwanted dreaded second American revolution, to force badly-needed change is to expose all this to the light of day. These bastards are beginning to understand they have a problem. No question, the growing rage of those they've abused, looted, egregiously f--ked. It's time to stand up. Expose this corruption to glaring sunlight. Otherwise, as fools, cowards, you will remain under their thumb. From the loftiest business owner to those on the bottom of the food chain. Wake up. Grow a pair.

Still don't think that likely to happen. After all, you're bought and paid for. Owned. Not only by your government masters, but their masters. The corporate management suite. Your employers. Think not? Wake up. You're human chattel. Corporate-owned, bought and paid for. Precisely, why you cowardly, compliantly, literally bare your asses for corporate inspection by the company doctor. Willingly, compliantly, cowardly piss in a cup under employer supervision. To sit in front of a keyboard or stock shelves all day. You have no control of your lives. You're owned. Forget? For a measly salary, no job security, reduced to no benefits. At a time of record corporate profits and cash reserves.

Then, you gallingly complain about the oppression as you tolerate egregious theft of your labor. Not only by your corporate masters, but their bought and paid for government lackeys. Too cowardly to stand up, allow disclosure of your identity when you rightfully complain to this publication of being mercilessly f--ked. Some of you falsely arrested, criminally assaulted, bogusly fined for 'offenses' you did not commit. To line County coffers. Keep the peasants in line and under control. A fascist police-state. Nazi America.

Again, yet another reason why this publication is called Liberty In Peril. Most galling? Nothing changes if you fail to step up and challenge corrupt, abusive, inept authority. Too afraid, cowardly compliant to let the bastards know who you are. Did it ever occur to the cowards out there if the identity of the accuser is kept under wraps the bastards will falsely claim it's all made up by this publication? Thus, conveniently killing all credibility. Wake up.

Cowardice is unbecoming, unworthy of our formerly great country. Insult to injury? There are the hopelessly deranged who believe the chicanery reported here to be manufactured anyway. No matter the effort. No matter the research. No matter the proof. Wake up. This writer cannot do it alone. Snowball's chance in hell. Then again, cowardice, delusion is always amply, justly rewarded. Always. You continue to 'enjoy' the very best government money can buy. Literally.

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Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609
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Liberty In Peril

... Formerly

The Llano Ledger