COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Monday, July 31, 2017

Who Is On First?



116 comments:

  1. Trump:

    “No WH chaos!”


    Quirk:

    .

    "No IT Scandal"

    .


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's gotta be something about that Debbie that turns Quirk's head.

      Not even God can explain Quirk, his own creation.

      There is, indeed, something unique about the man.

      Delete
    2. It might be the wild hair do, who knows ?

      Delete
    3. Debbie's wild hair do, not Quirk's.

      His hair is always perfect, always hanging out as he does at Ye Olde Mafia Barbershoppe there in Detroit.

      Delete
  2. Imran Awan Case Overseen by Debbie Wasserman-Schultz Brother ...

    https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1CAACAO_enUS720US720&q=U.S.+Attorney+Overseeing+Imran+Awan+Investigation+Is+Debbie+Wasserman+Schultz%E2%80%99s+Brother&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiqiJr2pLTVAhWnjFQKHYfhA60QvwUIJSgA&biw=1091&bih=488


    Nothing to see here, according to Quirk, the MSM, and Debbie's brother.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmmmm....sounds suspicious to my ears.

      Sounds like they got a real tight conspiratorial group going there.

      I've often wondered if Quirk uses a 'family lawyer', but he seems to most of his court appearances on his own.

      Delete
    2. 'but he seems to DO most of his court appearances on his own'

      I've even seen Quirk turn down a court appointed lawyer to go 'pro se'.

      Delete
  3. Great A & C video, Deuce !

    All I have to do is imagine them as A & Q, (Ash & Quirk) and my gut almost splits open !!

    ho Ho HO !!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs Committee Members Compromised By Rogue IT Staff

    Wasserman Schultz Aide In Pakistan Still Liquidating Assets In US

    Brothers Had Massive Debts, Years Of Suspicious Activity

    ...Secretly Took $100K In Iraqi Money

    ...Owed Money To Hezbollah-Connected Fugitive

    ...Received $4 Million From Dem Reps

    ...Allegedly Kept Stepmom In 'Captivity' To Access Offshore Cash

    ...Also Had Access To DNC Emails

    ...Could Read Every Email Dozens Of Congressmen Sent And Received

    Paul Ryan: Capitol Police Getting 'Assistance' On Criminal Investigation

    Read the Court Docs Detailing Their Greed, Ruthlessness

    House IT Aides Fear Suspects In Hill Breach Are Blackmailing Members

    Suspect Has Fled To Pakistan, Relative Says

    Wasserman Schultz Threatened Police Chief For Gathering Evidence

    DWS Admits To Violating Network Security, Blames House


    http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/30/exclusive-wasserman-schultz-aide-in-pakistan-still-liquidating-assets-in-us/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmmmm......

      Sounds like a normal workday in QuirkWorld.....

      Delete
    2. ya man, if you read it on the internet it must be true.

      Your record is like Rufus's Doug. How's Hillary's Parkinson's coming along Doug?

      Delete
    3. Ash is a profound thinker.

      Always responds to the matter at hand.

      Reliably answers questions in a straightforward manner.

      Delete
  5. Good Grief !

    Breaking: Trump Removes Scaramucci As White House Communications Director
    ALLAHPUNDITPosted at 3:03 pm on July 31, 2017

    SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE ON TWITTER 67

    Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends.

    SEE ALSO: Another EPA staffer “quits” because of Trump (but is actually retiring)

    Per the Times, it was John Kelly who was the driving force behind this decision. Today’s his first day as chief of staff and undoubtedly he wanted to do something dramatic to set a new tone of decorum, discipline, and authority in the West Wing. Obvious first move: Cancel the Scaramucci clown show before it really gets going.


    TRENDING:
    Breaking: Trump removes Scaramucci as White House communications director
    Tough call for Trump. Reportedly he “loved” Mooch’s insane New Yorker interview. But if he declined Kelly’s very first personnel request as chief, the Kelly era would be off to a horrible start. So, bye, Mooch.


    http://hotair.com/archives/2017/07/31/breaking-trump-removes-scaramucci-white-house-communications-director/


    Poor ol' Mooch didn't have much of a run....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good move. I didn't take to The Mooch.

      He's had his moment of fame.

      Delete
    2. Scaramucci talked himself out of a job

      Delete
    3. Now Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be the public face of the Administration, and everyone likes her.

      Delete
  6. Montana will be coming home to the GOP soon -

    GOP lands top candidate in Montana Senate race
    BY BEN KAMISAR - 07/31/17 11:51 AM EDT


    Montana state Auditor Matt Rosendale said Monday he would challenge Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), giving Republicans a top recruit in their effort to win a red-state Senate seat.

    Rosendale will enter a crowded GOP primary field but will be the only Republican in the race to hold a statewide office.

    Tester, who holds one of the 25 seats the Senate Democratic Caucus is defending next year, is seen as vulnerable. He won his 2012 reelection by about 4 percentage points.

    Rosendale announced his bid on Monday with a short video blasting Washington Democrats and touting his conservative chops.


    The video specifically touts Rosendale as a would-be ally to President Trump and Vice President Pence, making clear he would support the administration in a state Trump won by about 20 points in November.

    "There's a shadow over Montana — an intrusive federal government run by insiders, liberals and big spenders. They are everything that is wrong with Washington," the narrator of the ad says. "President Trump and Mike Pence are fighting back, but they need help."....

    http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/344605-montana-state-auditor-enters-senate-race-as-top-tester-challenger

    Republicans look to PICK UP US Senate seats in the next election.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pubs may pick up Pennsylvania too -

      AP Source: Barletta to Seek US Senate Seat Held by Bob Casey
      By Marc Levy
      July 31, 2017

      HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Republican U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania, who was elected as a crusader against illegal immigration and helped cheerlead Donald Trump to victory last year, has told GOP officials and activists that he has decided to run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Bob Casey.

      A person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press that Barletta began telling party officials of his decision last week, several months after he began considering it. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because Barletta has not yet made his plans public.


      In a text message Monday, Barletta said that his conversations have been "very positive" and that he will announce his decision in a few weeks.

      "Continuing to go through process. Been talking to a lot of people," Barletta wrote.

      Barletta, 61, is in his fourth term representing a House district that stretches from south-central Pennsylvania's rolling farms through northeastern Pennsylvania's anthracite coal fields.

      Barletta, a staunch Trump supporter in Congress, would quickly become the most recognizable name in a field of a half-dozen would-be challengers to Casey, the 57-year-old son of a late ex-governor and a fierce critic of the Republican president.....

      https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/07/31/ap_source_barletta_to_seek_us_senate_seat_held_by_bob_casey_134626.html

      Delete
  7. Who's on first? I'd say General John effin Kelly is on first. Hopefully he's on second, third and home plate as well.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mulvaney: No other votes until Senate votes again on health care
    By JACQUELINE KLIMAS 07/30/2017 11:50 AM EDT

    The Senate should not vote on anything else until it’s voted again on repealing Obamacare, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said Sunday.

    http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/30/senate-obamacare-repeal-mulvaney-241141

    Naw, that would be a big mistake. They should move ASAP to tax cuts.

    ReplyDelete

  9. Debbie Slams Islamophobia

    In all, six months of actions reveal a decision to continue paying a man who seemingly could not have been providing services to her, and who a mountain of evidence suggests was a liability. The man long had access to all of Wasserman Schultz’s computer files, work emails and personal emails, and he was recently accused by a relative in court documents of wiretapping and extortion.

    Records also raise questions about whether the Florida Democrat permitted Awan to continue to access computers after House-wide authorities banned him from the network Feb. 2. Not only did she keep him on staff after the ban, but she also did not have any other IT person to perform necessary work that presumably would have arisen during a months-long period, according to payroll records.

    Wasserman Schultz employed Pakistani-born Awan and his wife Hina Alvi, and refused to fire either of them even after U.S. Capitol Police said in February 2017 that they were targets of the criminal investigation. She said police wouldn’t show her evidence against the couple and, without it, she assumed they might be victims of anti-Muslim profiling.

    http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/29/wasserman-schultz-seemingly-planned-to-pay-suspect-even-while-he-lived-in-pakistan/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A simple Wikipedia search on Debbie Wasserman-Schultz’s “Personal Life and Education” confirms this: Born Deborah Wasserman in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, she is the daughter of Ann and Larry Wasserman. Her father is a CPA, and her brother Steven Wasserman is Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

      All these people in the political class in our country are way too intertwined.

      The Democratic Party’s house of cards is collapsing, but will the swamp be able to keep the foundation stable, or will President Trump and justice be able to drain it?

      http://borderlandalternativemedia.com/2017/07/massive-cover-attempt-brother-debbie-wasserman-schultz-district-attorney-awan-imran-case-seth-rich-murder/

      Delete
    2. Nothing to see here, according to Quirk and Ash.

      No credibility problems for them.

      MSM Cadre.

      Delete
  10. :):):):):)


    By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS July 31, 2017, 2:39 PM
    Anthony Scaramucci removed as White House communications director

    Last Updated Jul 31, 2017 3:53 PM EDT

    President Trump has removed Anthony Scaramucci from his new job as communications director, exactly 10 days after he was named to the position.

    "Anthony Scaramucci will be leaving his role as White House Communications Director. Mr. Scaramucci felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team. We wish him all the best," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

    Scaramucci was escorted out of the White House, a source told CBS News.

    This comes the same day that retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly was sworn in as the new White House chief of staff. The New York Times first reported the development, which said that Kelly asked Mr. Trump to remove Scaramucci from his role. The report added that Kelly also made clear Monday morning that he's now in charge. Kelly wanted "more structure, less Game of Thrones," a source close to the White House told CBS News. The source added that Kelly will have far more latitude than Reince Priebus & did a good job negotiating terms of his service — "either I'm a chief of staff in name, or I'm the chief of staff."

    Scaramucci had previously bragged that he would report directly to the president rather than the chief of staff....

    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/anthony-scaramucci-removed-from-role-as-white-house-communications-director/

    Here's the door Moochie :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder if the Mooch will continue to say he loves, idolizes The Donald ?

      Delete
    2. Busy few days for Mooch:

      Comm Director

      WH Purge

      Divorce

      Dismissal

      Delete
    3. I wonder if this means Sean Spicer is back ?

      Delete
  11. Despite having access to her iPad, @NancyPelosi says she isn't 'familiar' with the Awan brothers investigation.

    https://twitter.com/joshdcaplan/status/890234283931172865

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Channeling Quirk.

      Awaiting "evidence of a crime."

      Delete
  12. From James Freeman, WSJ

    Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D., Fla.) learned the hard way how much political damage can result from the unauthorized release of electronic data. Last year she was forced to resign as chair of the Democratic National Committee after WikiLeaks published party emails suggesting that she and her team had inappropriately favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in the race for the party’s presidential nomination. Given this very recent history, one might have expected her to be perhaps the most careful person on the planet when it comes to the security of her office’s IT systems. One would be wrong.

    In one of the most bizarre coincidences in political memory, the Florida Democrat has spent several recent months resisting an effort by U.S. Capitol Police to investigate the IT staff that serviced her office as well as those of other lawmakers. Long after other Democratic members of Congress fired tech aide Imran Awan, Ms. Wasserman Schultz continued to employ him—until last week when he was arrested for alleged bank fraud at a Virginia airport while he was trying to fly to Pakistan. Much of Washington has been wondering why Ms. Wasserman Schultz of all people waited months to address a potential problem involving her IT system, and now her handling of the matter may have consequences.

    The Washington Post reports this afternoon:

    A conservative anti-corruption watchdog group is asking for an ethics investigation of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) after former House IT aide Imran Awan was apprehended trying the flee the country. In a complaint that will be filed Monday, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) asks if Wasserman Schultz violated the House’s rules by continuing to pay Awan after he was cut off from the House computer system.

    “It appears that Representative Wasserman Schultz permitted an employee to remain on the House payroll in violation of House Ethics Rules,” FACT’s Matthew Whitaker writes in the letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics. “After Awan was barred from accessing the House computer system, Wasserman Schultz continued to pay Awan with taxpayer funds for IT consulting — a position that he could not reasonably be able to perform.”

    The complaint grew out of the ongoing investigation of Awan and four other House staffers who in February came under investigation after allegedly stealing equipment from their employers.

    The Post adds:

    Wasserman Schultz’s office did not immediately respond to questions, though it has consistently said that the congresswoman merely fired a part-time employee, and that he, not anyone in Congress, is being investigated.

    The bank fraud charge doesn’t appear to be related to the alleged activity that resulted in Mr. Awan’s expulsion from House IT systems. According to the Tampa Bay Times:





    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Continued:

      [Mr. Awan] has been under a criminal investigation for equipment and data theft for several months. Many of his relatives, who have also worked for House members, have also been a part of that investigation.

      A spokeswoman for U.S. Capital Police, Eva Malecki, told the Miami Herald in February that the United States Capitol Police began the investigation at the request of members of Congress and that no members were being investigated.

      But one member of Congress in particular was not happy with the way the investigation was being handled. The website Daily Caller, which has reported extensively on this issue, published in May a report and accompanying video showing Rep. Wasserman Schultz demanding that the Capitol Police return equipment owned by her office but valued by the police as potential evidence. Reported the Daily Caller:

      Debbie Wasserman Schultz threatened the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police with “consequences” for holding equipment that she says belongs to her in order to build a criminal case against a Pakistani staffer suspected of massive cybersecurity breaches involving funneling sensitive congressional data offsite.

      A news outlet that competes with the Daily Caller refers to Mr. Awan as a Pakistani-American. In any case, why did Rep. Wasserman Schultz resist helping the Capitol Police in their investigation and even threaten “consequences” for their handling of it? The lawmaker gave an explanation to the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

      “After details of the investigation were reviewed with us, my office was provided no evidence to indicate that laws had been broken, which over time, raised troubling concerns about due process, fair treatment and potential ethnic and religious profiling. Upon learning of his arrest, he was terminated,” Wasserman Schultz said Wednesday via email.

      Given that she’s now willing to cut Mr. Awan loose, it seems that the concerns couldn’t have been all that troubling to Ms. Wasserman Schultz. And her Democratic colleagues decided months ago that they weren’t troubled either. What is troubling is a lawmaker with influence over police budgets threatening consequences when an investigation touches her staff.

      Delete
    2. You too can glean The American Dream:

      Part Time Job nets immigrant family FOUR MILLION DOLLARS!

      Delete
    3. :)

      Glean is good.

      There is an American combine called The Gleaner.

      Gleaner combines:

      https://www.pinterest.com/TheSilverSpade/gleaner-combines/

      Delete
  13. :)

    Scaramucci Listed As Dead On Harvard Law Directory By Mistake

    Scaramucci, the profanity-mouthed former Trump administration associate, was listed in the most recent directory with an asterisk next to his name — a designation meaning the 1989 graduate had been reported dead since the directory had last been published in 2011, the Washington Post reported.

    “Regrettably, there is an error in the Harvard Law School alumni directory in the listing for Anthony Scaramucci,” a spokeswoman said in a statement​ to the newspaper​. “We offer our sincere apologies to Mr. Scaramucci. The error will be corrected in subsequent editions.”

    http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2017/07/scaramucci-listed-dead-harvard-law-directory-mistake/

    ReplyDelete
  14. RE: Scaramucci - Nothing like a little Marine discipline to right the ship.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Will Kelly be able to instill discipline in his boss, Trump? Sure won't be able to make him any smarter though.

      Delete
  15. According to the NY Times, Kelly is on First
    It was not clear whether Mr. Scaramucci, who is known informally as “The Mooch,” will remain at the White House in another position or will leave altogether. The White House had originally said that his official start date as a government employee was to be August 15, although he appeared to begin performing his duties immediately.

    While Mr. Kelly’s objection was the decisive factor in Mr. Scaramucci’s departure, people close to the decision said that Mr. Trump had quickly soured on the wisecracking, Long Island-bred former hedge fund manager, and so had his family.

    Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, and Jared Kushner, her husband, had pushed the president to hire Mr. Scaramucci, seeing him as away to force out Mr. Priebus, the former national Republican committee chairman, and his allies in the West Wing.

    In that, Mr. Scaramucci was successful. Mr. Spicer, a close ally of Mr. Priebus, resigned just hours after the news about Mr. Scaramucci’s hiring was made public. And shortly after Mr. Scaramucci called Mr. Priebus a “paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac,” — adding a more vulgar term to the beginning of the phrase — Mr. Priebus, too, offered his resignation.

    Mr. Trump was initially pleased by Mr. Scaramucci’s harsh remarks, directed at Mr. Priebus and Steve Bannon, the chief White House strategist. But over the weekend, after speaking with his family and Mr. Kelly, the president began to see the brash actions of his subordinate as a political liability and potential embarrassment, according to two people familiar with his thinking.

    Mr. Scaramucci’s swift departure is an early indication that Mr. Kelly intends to assert his authority over the operations of the White House, and that several of the big personalities there — including Mr. Kushner, Ms. Trump and Mr. Bannon — may be inclined to defer to him.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/us/politics/anthony-scaramucci-white-house.html

    ReplyDelete
  16. Replies
    1. Hmmm....I supposed it is possible that Debbie really was doing Awan.

      That would explain some behaviors.

      Delete
  17. https://www.google.com/search?q=Debbie+Wasserman-Schultz&rlz=1CAACAO_enUS720US720&oq=Debbie+Wasserman-Schultz&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l3&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

    ReplyDelete
  18. Interesting that neither Ash, Quirk, nor the MSM see no malfeasance in Debbie's actions.

    ...in a case overseen by her brother.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leave Ash alone, please. He is still trying to read thru bill 89 in order to glean something positive from it and respond.

      Delete
    2. I thought he already answered your question.

      Delete
    3. I must have missed it. I stand corrected.

      Delete
    4. I was hallucinating.

      He always responds to a question by asking another question or going off on an absurd tangent.

      Delete
  19. It would be odd if they were not at least war gaming such a move -

    South Korea Is Preparing A "Surgical Strike" Against The North: Report

    by Tyler Durden
    Jul 31, 2017 3:52 PM

    According to a report in South Korea's Munhwa Ilbo newspaper, which cites an unidentified government official, South Korea's military is preparing a "surgical strike" scenario that could wipe out North Korean command and missile and nuclear facilities following an order by S.Korea's President Moon Jae-in. Munhwa adds that the military is to report the scenario to presidential office after completing it as early as August 1.


    As the report details, South Korea's Special Forces are preparing a special strike op which would be launched in response to President Moon Jae-In's order to remove the North Korean leadership in case of emergency. This operation is taking place in addition to separate preparations currently conducted by the country's military forces.

    Targeted by the surgical strike would be North Korea's core facilities. As part of the operation, South Korea's forces would launch Taurus cruise missiles from F-15 fighters, which would be able to strike all key facilities in Pyongyang and can also strike the office of the Chairman of the Labor Party, Kim Jong Eun, at the Pyongyang Labor Party headquarters.

    The newspaper also adds that the South Korean military's own strike-hit scenarios include plans to create a special mission brigade of 1,000 to 2,000 at the end of this year with plans to eliminate war leadership figures such as Kim Jong Un and paralyze warfare command facilities in case of emergency. The military authorities have already commenced the CH-47D (Chinook) performance improvement project to transport these special mission brigades.

    According to the military authorities on March 31, the South Korean military's own strike-hit scenario is being drafted jointly by the Strategic Planning Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Ministry of National Defense, rather than the National Security Office of Cheong Wa Dae, and the "Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) It was known as the core department. The nuclear and WMD response centers will take on a major role in the early response, and will be activated in response to the North Korean nuclear and missile threats once they cross a critical "Red Line" threshold.


    The full report, google translated is below:.......

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-31/south-korea-preparing-surgical-strike-against-north-report

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No doubt roundly supported by the 10 Million residents of Seoul SK, within range of NORKOR Artillery.

      Delete
    2. About as likely that Debbie's brother is doing his damnedest to put DWS in prison.

      Delete
  20. I did not know that Seoul exceeds Tokyo in population:

    https://www.google.com/search?q=tokyo+population&rlz=1CAACAO_enUS720US720&oq=tokyo+population&aqs=chrome..69i57.8022j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Less than 5 Million when I partied hard in the 60's:

      https://www.google.com/search?q=seoul+population+1967&rlz=1CAACAO_enUS720US720&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjtuPP00LTVAhVriVQKHUoBDy0QsAQIXw&biw=1091&bih=488#imgrc=AjVOboQ-tvJ_lM:

      Delete
    2. Seoul's 'burbs rapidly approaching 25 Million!

      Delete
  21. Last I heard, Moon Jae-in was a Wuss.

    My man was Park!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am not certain when to proclaim the formal beginning of Civil War in Venezuela but I suppose now is as good a time as any - Maduro was not only a bus driver, but a high school dropout -

    Venezuela's Maduro cheers election, opposition barricades streets
    Brian Ellsworth



    CARACAS (Reuters) - Anti-government demonstrators barricaded streets on Monday and promised a fresh wave of protests against President Nicolas Maduro, after an election a day earlier giving the Venezuelan leader and his ruling Socialist Party sweeping powers.

    At least 10 people were killed on Sunday in protests against the unpopular Maduro, who insists the country's newly elected constituent assembly will bring peace after four months of protests that have killed more than 120 people.

    Opposition parties sat out the election, saying it was rigged as part of a naked power grab by Maduro, leaving all 545 of the assembly's seats for the socialists and their allies.

    Protesters set up barricades along main avenues of Caracas as they denounced the advent of dictatorship.

    Construction worker Leonardo Valbuena, 35, leaning on a rusting barrel next to a cable was stretched across a usually busy street, said he was protesting because the economic crisis had left him unable to find work.

    "I've got four kids - four! How am I supposed to feed them?" said Valbuena, adding that the official figure of 8 million voters in Sunday's election was inflated. The opposition put the figure at around 2.5 million.

    "Now that they've got their assembly they're going to come for us. But we'll die fighting them."

    Countries across the Americas, as well as the European Union, denounced the creation of the assembly, which will have the power to rewrite the constitution.

    RELATED COVERAGE
    Venezuela opposition calls vote result a 'bold-faced lie'

    Oil markets escape Venezuela sanctions for now


    EU condemns Venezuela's use of force in election, may not recognize results

    The United States - the top market for the OPEC nation's oil - called the vote a sham, and officials in Washington said they were preparing oil-sector sanctions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Opposition leaders say the election was designed to tighten Maduro's hold on power amid growing anger over an economic crisis marked by rising poverty levels, the world's highest inflation rate and chronic food shortages.

      Chief Prosecutor Luisa Ortega, who has been harshly critical of Maduro this year, said the creation of the constituent assembly was putting "absolute power" in the hands of the Socialist Party leadership.

      "We are in the presence of dictatorial ambitions," Ortega told a news conference.

      Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (C) speaks during a meeting with supporters in Caracas, Venezuela July 30, 2017. Picture taken July 30, 2017. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS
      Government officials have for weeks suggested that she will be removed by the new assembly, which will have the power to dissolve state institutions such as the opposition-run Congress and dismiss state officials.

      Maduro on Monday night called for a "restructuring" of the chief prosecutor's office.

      Takeover of Congress?

      Opposition lawmakers met to discuss strategies.

      Slideshow (11 Images)

      "Nobody recognizes that (constituent) assembly, it's the epitome of nothing," said legislator Juan Requesens in an internet broadcast as he entered Congress for a meeting with opposition deputies.

      Socialist Party No. 2 Diosdado Cabello on Sunday hinted that the constituent assembly would meet in the same legislative palace. The socialists had controlled Congress until the opposition's landslide victory in 2015.

      "They kick us out the door we come back through the window," he told a news conference.

      Requesens, however, warned of a struggle if government forces wanted to seize the premises of the legislature.

      "If they want to take over Congress with their armored vehicles, with their paramilitary groups, then what's waiting for them here is a fight," he said, referring to armed pro-government gangs who recently burst into Congress and beat legislators with lead pipes, leaving several of them bloodied and injured.

      Latin American nations from Argentina to Mexico, which are historically wary of siding with Washington in hemispheric disputes, sharply condemned the vote, leaving Venezuela on track to become a pariah state.

      The EU said the constituent assembly could not be part of the negotiated solution to the country's crisis, noting it was elected under doubtful and often violent circumstances..

      The opposition organized an unofficial referendum over Maduro's plan earlier in July, when more than 7 million voters overwhelmingly rejected his constituent assembly and voted in favor of early presidential elections.

      http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-idUSKBN1AG0N0

      Delete
    2. The folks pictured that voted for were fat and happy.

      ...the rest of the country, starving.

      Delete
    3. Kinda like Quirk and Detroit.

      Delete
  23. You love animals, Doug. Maybe you ought to join the Dire Wolf Breeding Program -

    Dire Wolves Were Real. Now Someone Is Trying To Resurrect Them.

    Well, sort of. In southern Oregon, there is a breeder who has spent 30 years creating a new sort of dog she calls the American Alsatian. The puppies are astonishingly cute, and they grow up to be tall, broad, golden-eyed and quite wolfy-looking. And, Lois Schwarz hopes, they are on their way to looking just like the actual dire wolves that roamed the Americas during the last Ice Age, hunting bison and other megafauna, before going extinct.

    Schwarz is the founder of the Dire Wolf Project, an endeavor that predated both the “Game of Thrones” books and series — a show she calls “very, very smart,” although she dislikes the sex and darkness. Inspiration struck her decades before, in the late 1980s — an era when wolf-dog hybrids were hot and Schwarz wanted large dog with the character of a lap dog. She had bred and trained dogs for some time, and she said she knew that even if people thought they wanted a wolf, they really didn’t. (Wolves and hybrids make infamously terrible pets.)


    http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2017/07/dire-wolves-real-now-someone-trying-resurrect/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You could name your breed The Maui Marauder Wolf, or The Lava Tube Lobo.

      Maybe The Lahaina Lupua or The Honolulu Howler.

      Delete
  24. Charles Krauthammer's opinion is that only S. Korea and Japan beginning to seriously nuke up would move the Chinese towards some accommodation from the current status quo - trade threats are not going to do it - then there are the Russians -


    How Vladimir Putin And Kim Jong Un Could Become Partners In Crime

    Shared enemies plus shared interests equal shared goals. That means Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un could be partners in crime, developing deeper ties while eventually seeking to push back against Washington. Indeed, there even seems to be some evidence that this could already be happening.

    Recent reports have noted how Russia-North Korea trade seems to be expanding quite dramatically. According to a widely cited article in USA Today, trade between the two nations was up 70 percent in the first two months of the year. The piece also details a “labor immigration agreement” that could expand the number of North Korean laborers used in Russia’s timber and construction industries. Different reports indicate other economic linkages that could be expanded, such as Moscow selling Pyongyang 300,000 tons of oil products per year. If China decided to cut off fuel aid, with some reports suggesting that could already be in play, Russian exports could help fill the gap.


    http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2017/07/vladimir-putin-kim-jong-un-become-partners-crime/

    ReplyDelete
  25. Different Strokes:

    Rank City / Urban area Population

    1 Tokyo/Yokohama 33,200,000

    2 New York Metro 17,800,000

    3 Sao Paulo 17,700,000

    4 Seoul/Incheon 17,500,000

    https://www.google.com/search?q=largest+cities+in+the+world&rlz=1CAACAO_enUS720US720&oq=largest+cities+in+the+world&aqs=chrome..69i57.8326j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can't even spell Inchon !

      Delete
    2. The Sea of Japan must be a pristine wildlife sanctuary.

      No wonder Kim aims his ICBM next door instead of Seattle.

      Delete
  26. OOHHHH....ooooooo

    I don't like the sounds of this.....The Donald is Sampson ?

    Bible Studies at the White House: Who's Inside This Spiritual Awakening?
    07-31-2017
    Jennifer Wishon


    WASHINGTON – A spiritual awakening is underway at the White House.

    Some of the most powerful people in America have been gathering weekly to learn more about God's Word, and this Trump Cabinet Bible study is making history.

    They've been called the most evangelical Cabinet in history – men and women who don't mince words when it comes to where they stand on God and the Bible.

    Trump Cabinet Members Praying, Studying the Bible Together
    swedenmicrochipimplantap



    Ralph Drollinger of Capitol Ministries told CBN News, "These are godly individuals that God has risen to a position of prominence in our culture."

    They're all handpicked by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

    For more, tune into Faith Nation, Wed. @12:30pm, on facebook.com/cbnnews. White House Correspondent Jennifer Wishon will be LIVE to discuss this Bible study's impact on the White House climate.

    "I don't think Donald Trump has figured out that he chained himself to the Apostle Paul," Drollinger laughed.

    Drollinger is a former NBA-playing giant of a man with an even bigger calling. He founded Capitol Ministries with the idea that if you change the hearts of lawmakers, then their Christian world view will guide them to make good policies.

    He's started Bible studies in 40 state capitols, a number of foreign capitols, teaches weekly studies in the U.S. House and Senate and now leads about a dozen members of President Trump's Cabinet in weekly studies of the scriptures.

    Health Secretary Tom Price, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Agriculture Secretary Sunny Perdue, and CIA Director Mike Pompeo are just a few of the regulars.

    "It's the best Bible study that I've ever taught in my life. They are so teachable; they're so noble; they're so learned," Drollinger said.

    It's groundbreaking since he doesn't think a formal Bible study among executive Cabinet members has been done in at least 100 years.

    America's top cop, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, also attends the study.

    "He'll (Jeff Sessions) go out the same day I teach him something and I'll see him do it on camera and I just think, 'Wow, these guys are faithful, available and teachable and they're at Bible study every week they're in town,'" Drollinger said.

    Faith Leaders Pray for Trump in Oval Office,
    Enjoy 'Open Door' at White House

    Pastor: Microchipping Humans Is Straight Out of Revelation

    President Trump is invited to attend the Bible studies, too. Each week he receives a copy of Drollinger's teaching.

    And Vice President Pence is also planning to join the study as his schedule permits. He also serves as a sponsor.

    In Pence, Drollinger sees many similarities to biblical figures like Joseph, Mordecai and Daniel – all men who rose to the number two position in governments at different times in history.

    "Mike Pence has respect for the office. He dresses right - like it says Joseph cleaned himself up before he went to stand before the Pharaoh," Drollinger told CBN News.

    "Mike Pence has uncompromising biblical tenacity and he has a loving tone about him that's not just a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal," he continued. "And then fourthly, he brings real value to the head of the nation."

    Like others, Drollinger often compares President Trump to biblical strongman Samson.

    "I just praise God for them," he said. "And I praise God for Mike Pence, who I think with Donald Trump chose great people to lead our nation."

    http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2017/july/bible-studies-at-the-white-house-whos-at-the-heart-of-this-spiritual-awakening


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMSON

      Death[edit]
      One day, the Philistine leaders assemble in a temple for a religious sacrifice to Dagon, one of their most important deities, for having delivered Samson into their hands.[21][24] They summon Samson so that people can watch him perform for them. The temple is so crowded that people are even climbing onto the roof to watch—and all the rulers of the entire government of Philistia have gathered there too, some 3,000 people in all.[22][24][25] Samson is led into the temple, and he asks his captors to let him lean against the supporting pillars to rest.

      28 Then he called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life.
      — Judges 16:28–30

      After his death, Samson's family recovered his body from the rubble and bury him near the tomb of his father Manoah.[24] A tomb structure which some attribute to Samson and his father stands on the top of the mountain in Tel Tzora.[26] The Bible does not mention the fate of Delilah.[22]


      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson


      I do not believe nor hope The Donald would ever pull The White House house around his heroic magnificent self and all the worthless pagans there.

      I find the whole idea spooky. What else might he bring down before he exits stage left ?


      Delete
    2. If I were Prez the first thing I'd do is cleanse The White House of ignorant preachers.

      Delete
    3. Politicizing (Immanentizing The Eschaton) Doesn't Work Well

      Immanentize the eschaton
      From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
      In political theory and theology, to immanentize the eschaton means trying to bring about the eschaton (the final, heaven-like stage of history) in the immanent world. It has been used by conservative critics as a pejorative reference to certain projects such as Nazism, socialism, communism, anti-racism and transhumanism.[1] In all these contexts it means "trying to make that which belongs to the afterlife happen here and now (on Earth)". Theologically the belief is akin to Postmillennialism as reflected in the Social Gospel of the 1880-1930 era,[2] as well as Protestant reform movements during the Second Great Awakening in the 1830s and 1840s such as abolitionism.[3....

      ....Christianity[edit]
      The Lutheran Confessions directly reject the idea of an immanentized eschaton, condemning the belief "that before the resurrection of the dead the godly shall take possession of the kingdom of the world, the ungodly being everywhere suppressed."[6]

      The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes an oblique reference to the desire to "Immanentize the Eschaton" in article 676:
      The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism, especially the "intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular messianism.

      At the end of the 12th century, Joachim of Fiore theorized the coming of an age of earthly bliss right before the end of time. Although not a full immanentization, Joachim has opened the way to an anticipation of the eschaton in the course of time. His ideas have influenced the thoughts on an immanentized eschaton.[7]


      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanentize_the_eschaton


      Too Risky

      Delete
    4. The Donald as Sampson ?

      I'd rather take my chances with Quirk.

      Delete
    5. It means the Imams get their virgins here on Earth.

      Delete
    6. Betcha Drollinger learned a lot from Wooden.

      Delete
    7. I bought his book, then didn't read it. :-(

      ...wonder if I can find it.

      Delete
    8. :)

      It means the Imams get their virgins here on Earth.

      Heh

      Yeah, I guess it does.

      Never thought of it that way before....

      Delete
  27. Let's face it, folks.

    Everything is totally out of control.

    But, it would have worse with Hillary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  28. .

    DougMon Jul 31, 06:10:00 PM EDT
    Interesting that neither Ash, Quirk, nor the MSM see no malfeasance in Debbie's actions.


    Interesting?

    Maybe to a partisan ass such as you or your bro from Idaho.

    To date, as far as I can recall neither Ash nor I have said one positive word about Debbie Wasserman Schultz. We have not said she did anything criminal, but then, we have not said she hasn’t. And it's obvious that irks the hell out of you. Either that or you are simply looking for a fight and in the process further showing what a dumb ass you are. You, after all, are the one who dragged both me and Ash into this conversation

    The authorities have charged Awan with crimes, federal crimes, that include fraud and stealing government property. There is 'potential' that more serious crimes were committed and that others could be involved. To date, I have seen no evidence of that.

    For two days, you guys have been putting up articles speculating on all kinds of connections and crimes involving Schultz. Conservatives have asked for congressional investigations including by the ethics committee. I think that's prudent. Hopefully, they can be completed quickly. Yesterday, I asked you to let me know when evidence surfaces of all the things you are accusing Debbie of doing. I will be glad to criticize the hell out of her. THEN.
    So far, you have given me nothing but your usual bullshit and whining.

    The hypocrisy is palpable. You morons have been spending the last couple months complaining about Trump and his team being investigated about the Russian connection. Your biggest complaints? Leaks, the lengthy investigations, and news stories ‘implying’ and ‘speculating’ on collusion by Trump and his team. Now that there is a chance for a Dem scandal, you are suddenly all for the leaks, for coming out with stories ‘implying’ and ‘speculating’ and based on 'supposedly', 'one would think', and 'it seems obvious'.

    You in the alt right are simply the mirror image of the alt left you complain about.

    Get back to me when the indictments come through and we can talk again.

    Until then, you know what you can do with your whining.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shove it up our ass holes ?

      No.

      NO !

      NOT THAT !!

      You are cute when you are angry, Quirk.

      I now agree with Miss Demenoir on that.

      Delete
    2. I'm still angry about Hillary walking, and Comey and AG Lych.

      So, I take it out on Debbie, who is one of the gang.

      Delete
    3. You're an MSM Troll, see no evil if it's part of the Dem/MSM Collusion.

      No, Debbie did NOT hire criminals to sift through sensitive documents for years, and she did NOT continue to hire the drunken lawbreaking Pakistani long after the other Dem Dicks and Vaginas had cast him aside.

      No evidence at all.

      Delete
    4. "Get back to me when the indictments come through and we can talk again."

      Yeah, that's the ticket: Justice will be served, just like it was with Hillary.

      Hope you salute the faultless FBI every morning.

      Delete

    5. The Pakistani-born Imran Awan, his wife, his brothers Abid and Jamal, and Abid's wife Natalia have provided IT services to Debbie Wasserman Schultz and dozens of lesser Democrat congressmen since about 2004. The family salaries totaled some $5 million, because supplying computer services to prominent Democrats is so vital and specialized a skill that it requires a rare and exceptional skill.

      The Awans' services were so critical that in March last year eight Democrat members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence issued a letter demanding that these staffers be granted access to Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI).

      Yet at the same time the Awans ran a full-time Virginia car dealership amusingly called Cars International A - or "CIA" - and were almost continually short of cash, requiring loans from all kinds of people including - Collusion Alert! - the Iraqi politician Ali al-Attar.

      For inept broke car-dealers, the Awans somehow made themselves indispensable to powerful Democrats, among them those on sensitive committees such as Intelligence and Foreign Affairs including Andre Carson, Joaquín Castro, Lois Frankel, Robin Kelly, Ted Lieu and Jackie Speier. That's a lot of Democrat computers to wind up in the hands of one family of Pakistani immigrant car dealers. And it wasn't the full extent of the Awans' connections: that's Imran up above with putative First Gentleman Bill Clinton.

      You want powerful politicians interfering with federal investigations? Forget about Trump hinting to Comey that he's really hoping for some loyalty, and consider a powerful member of a House sub-committee threatening the head of the Capitol Police that "you should expect that there will be consequences" for refusing to return one of her laptops set up and controlled by Awan:

      https://www.steynonline.com/7997/flight-and-fancy

      Delete
    6. No problem at all that all this receives ZERO coverage in the MSM.

      ...according to Quirk and Ash.

      See no evil indeed.

      Delete
    7. Didn't dear Debbie have something to do with rigging the Democrat primaries so Hillary was certain to win ?

      Seems like I read something along those lines.

      Wasn't she the head of the DNC ?

      Delete
    8. Debbie comes over as a real snake to me.

      Delete
    9. I'm sure our son would still have his TS/SCI clearance if he had been arrested for drunk driving, and then again for public drunkenness, much less if I had also transferred 300 grand to Pakistan.

      Delete
    10. I think she was in the sack with Awan, too.

      Delete
    11. $5 million still amounts to a lot, even with inflation.

      Delete
    12. Just rumors, Bob, no evidence whatsoever.

      She's clean as a whistle.

      If not, you can bet Mueller's Hillary loving lawyers will be on her sweet ass.

      Delete
    13. Quirk told me so.

      Scout's honor.

      Delete
    14. I heard one Congressman say he paid $1500/month to have all the computers in his office kept up to speed and secure.

      Delete
    15. Awan does seem to have a sense of humor.

      CIA Car Sales.....heh

      Delete
    16. He was humping Debbie sure as I'm sitting here typing.

      Delete
    17. Stop whining, you're just jealous.

      Delete
    18. (Not saying that was illegal)

      Delete
    19. No, no, not jealous.

      I still got standards, and taste.

      Delete
    20. We should be sure to type "whining" every day so we can be like Quirk.

      Delete
    21. .

      DougMon Jul 31, 11:21:00 PM EDT
      You're an MSM Troll, see no evil if it's part of the Dem/MSM Collusion.


      As I said, you know where you could can stick it you whiny little prick.

      If I was an MSM troll, I would be putting up stories here daily about Trump and the Russian investigations. It's not like they are not out there. I noticed there was one out there today about how Trump dictated his son's initial misleading responses for him on his meeting with the Russian lady lawyer. I don't do it because this shit is currently being investigated just like the Awan affair is being investigated. Eventually, both with be reported on by the DOJ and the appropriate committees in Congress, not by the WaPo or NYT or jihadwatch or Pamela Geller. That the results of these investigations will come out is inevitable. I can wait. I also don't do it because they is so much more important to talk about, Healthcare, the Budget, North Korea, Russia, the Debt Limit. These are things that are obvious and they are happening in front of our eyes. You sit in the corner with your legs crossed and whine about the MSM not reporting on something you want them to.

      You put this up earlier...

      DougMon Jul 31, 04:09:00 PM EDT
      House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs Committee Members Compromised By Rogue IT Staff

      Wasserman Schultz Aide In Pakistan Still Liquidating Assets In US

      Brothers Had Massive Debts, Years Of Suspicious Activity

      ...Secretly Took $100K In Iraqi Money

      ...Owed Money To Hezbollah-Connected Fugitive

      ...Received $4 Million From Dem Reps

      ...Allegedly Kept Stepmom In 'Captivity' To Access Offshore Cash

      ...Also Had Access To DNC Emails

      ...Could Read Every Email Dozens Of Congressmen Sent And Received

      Paul Ryan: Capitol Police Getting 'Assistance' On Criminal Investigation

      Read the Court Docs Detailing Their Greed, Ruthlessness

      House IT Aides Fear Suspects In Hill Breach Are Blackmailing Members

      Suspect Has Fled To Pakistan, Relative Says

      Wasserman Schultz Threatened Police Chief For Gathering Evidence

      DWS Admits To Violating Network Security, Blames House


      Half the stories that have been posted here today on Awan and Schultz have quoted references to Politico, WaPo, and NYT stories on the Awan affair. Yet, over that same 24 hours you've been here whining that no one is talking about it. How friggin dumb is that?

      .

      Delete
    22. That's a pretty darn good list !

      Delete
    23. .

      Then what the hell are you complaining about, moron?

      .

      Delete
    24. Yeah: All from the Daily Caller, not the MSM!

      Delete
    25. That list is on the bottom of this page:

      http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/30/exclusive-wasserman-schultz-aide-in-pakistan-still-liquidating-assets-in-us/

      Not a WaPo to be found.

      Delete
    26. Deuce's last post before this one was about the lack of MSM coverage.

      Delete
    27. That's a pretty darn good list !

      Then what the hell are you complaining about, moron?

      I didn't realize I was complaining.

      I was registering a compliment to The Daily Caller......I thought.....

      Delete
    28. House Dem IT Staffers Owed Money To Hezbollah-Connected Fugitive

      Abid managed CIA’s daily operations, even though he was also employed full time running computers for representatives that have included Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Yvette Clark of New York. But the car dealership was hemorrhaging money. Customers were often shown cars borrowed from a dealership next door. :-)

      “It was very bad record-keeping in Cars International … it is close to impossible to make any sense out of all the transactions that happened,” Khattak said in court documents.

      CIA’s finances interwove with the House’s. A car-dealing associate who was owed money by the brothers, Rao Abbas, was placed on the congressional payroll.

      Khattak said CIA was a “family business” and by 2010 Imran was its primary manager instead of Abid.

      Abid Awan filed for personal bankruptcy in 2012 because the dealership was in his name, listing $1 million in liabilities. Bankruptcies are a major security red flag in background checks for employees in sensitive positions.

      http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/21/congressional-computer-admins-in-criminal-probe-owed-money-to-hezbollah-connected-fugitive/



      Nothing to see here


      Delete
    29. Nope.

      A minor matter where The House of Representatives computer security is at stake.

      I wouldn't buy a used car from Awan though.

      That is what is important.

      Quirk wouldn't either, if he is honest about it.

      Delete
    30. Would you buy a used car from Debbie, or Awan, Quirk ?

      Tell us true, now.

      Delete
    31. .

      Of course not. The man's been accused of bank fraud. The woman lost her job at the DNC because she was mendacious and couldn't be honest in the execution of her job.

      Does that mean they are perfectly capable of the crimes you guys are asserting they did? Probably. Does that mean they did them? Possibly. simply show me the proof. Not the speculation, the proof. What's so difficult with this?

      This is what's so frustrating in talking to you guys. On everything. What is it you don't understand about the criminal justice system. You don't get convicted on speculation, you get convicted on evidence.

      Don't waste my time until someone comes up with some.

      .

      Delete
  29. Jackie Speier got addicted to hanging around excitement and criminals after getting shot up in Jonestown.

    ReplyDelete
  30. IT INTRIGUE AT THE DNC
    What are Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the Democrats trying to hide?
    August 1, 2017 Lloyd Billingsley

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/267445/it-intrigue-dnc-lloyd-billingsley

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'McCarthy wonders how Awan and his family achieved access to highly sensitive government information, which requires a thorough security clearance. In his judgment, the Awan cabal could not possibly have qualified for such clearance.

      As the IT intrigue unfolded, Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been pushing back at investigators, and objecting strenuously to inspection of a laptop belonging to Awan. McCarthy doesn’t know what information Awan and company may have ripped off, or whether he sent it to Pakistan. But the former prosecutor is certain that “this is no run-of-the-mill bank-fraud case.”

      The Daily Caller has been all over the story and according to investigative reporter Luke Rosiak Wasserman Schultz employed Awan and his wife and “refused to fire either of them even after U.S. Capitol Police said in February 2017 that they were targets of the criminal investigation.” Wasserman Schultz charged the Awans were victims of anti-Muslim profiling.'

      Delete