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."

Thursday, October 05, 2017

Personally, I have found RT to be a more reliable news source than CNN, MSNBC and the Google News search engine: What is going on?




Another Good Source for News Otherwise Covered up by US Media;

60 comments:

  1. There is less of a political agenda from RT than all the major US media. It is one of the first sources I use after Drudge and Breitbart.

    I can usually get confirmation from other sources. RT is usually first and was first on the Las Vegas shooting.

    The real propaganda is coming from the major big media sources who seem to cut and paste from within their liberal biased echo chamber. I have grown to totally distrust the BBC, Der Spiegel and The Washington Post.

    I would hate to see RT being forced pull out of the US market. That would not be in the interest of any person seeking independent information.

    Of course, RT does have a slant but in overall objectivity and healthy skepticism, I give it top grades.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm getting sucked into NBC for its insightful reporting of the doings inside the asylum -

    Tillerson Summoned to White House Amid Presidential Fury
    by CAROL E. LEE, KRISTEN WELKER, COURTNEY KUBE and ANDREA MITCHELL

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/tillerson-summoned-white-house-amid-presidential-fury-n808216

    John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, abruptly scrapped plans to travel with President Donald Trump on Wednesday so he could try to contain his boss’s fury and manage the fallout from new revelations about tensions between the president and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, according to six senior administration officials.

    Kelly summoned Tillerson, and their ally Defense Secretary James Mattis, to the White House, where the three of them huddled to discuss a path forward, according to three administration officials. The White House downplayed Kelly's decision to stay in Washington, saying he did so to manage day-to-day operations.

    NBC News Report on Tillerson Sparks White House Outrage

    NBC News Report on Tillerson Sparks White House Outrage 1:44 VIDEO

    Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, was fuming in Phoenix, where he was traveling, seven officials told NBC News. He and Tillerson spoke on the phone before the secretary’s public appearance on Wednesday morning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bless 'senior administration officials'.

      Without them blabbing all the time we wouldn't have a clue what's 'really going down'.

      Delete
    2. By my count, we have fully 16 senior administration officials spilling the beans to NBC in this one story alone.

      Beat that, if you can.

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. There is Que's News: An Alternative Take On The Events Of The Day.

      It broadcasts out of Detroit, Michigan but its reliability is in question, as it is rated at Three Pinocchios.

      Delete
    2. Never read Townhall, but Hot Air has lost its luster for me.

      I'll start taking a look at Townhall.

      Delete
    3. Daily Mail.

      Only The Washington Compost is worse than the New York Times.

      Delete
  4. An explosive compound like the one found in Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock’s car and home is believed to have been used last year in an alleged terrorist bombing in New York City.

    ...

    Authorities later arrested Ahmed Rahami, an Afghan immigrant, and charged him with federal terrorism and weapons offenses in connection with that bombing and two others in New Jersey.

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  5. Marilou Danley, the woman investigators hoped would provide key details into the motive behind her boyfriend's deadly shooting attack, said she remembers him exhibiting symptoms such as lying in bed and moaning, according to two former FBI officials who have been briefed on the matter.

    ...

    Investigators are also examining approximately six media devices left behind by Paddock, one of the former officials said. Included in that search is an inquiry into Paddock's web browsing history.

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    Replies
    1. If the feds ever had to investigate Bob which included an inquiry into his web browsing history, they would have to assign a 12-man team, 24/7/365 dedicated solely to trawling through all of his shit on EB.

      And even then, they would probably come up scratching their heads saying, 'What the fuck?'

      Delete
    2. I take that as a high compliment.

      Delete
  6. Stephen Paddock had his sights set on Lollapalooza in Chicago and even booked 2 rooms in a hotel that overlooked the massive outdoor venue ... TMZ has learned.

    ...

    If his plan was to wreak havoc on Lollapalooza the way he did 2 months later in Vegas, it shows the murderous plot was long-standing.

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  7. Them Trumps !

    How Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump, Jr., Avoided a Criminal Indictment
    By Andrea Bernstein, Jesse Eisinger, Justin Elliott, and Ilya Marritz
    October 4, 2017

    https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-ivanka-trump-and-donald-trump-jr-avoided-a-criminal-indictment

    ReplyDelete
  8. October 5, 2017
    Judicial Watch representing Clarice Feldman in her lawsuit against DC government
    By Thomas Lifson

    AT readers understand that Clarice Feldman is a force of nature, and now the authorities who run the District of Columbia may eventually be forced to agree. Judicial Watch – an organization to which I proudly make regular donations – is acting as counsel representing Clarice in her lawsuit (Feldman v. Bowers) against the District's government.

    Judicial Watch explains:

    [I]n a lawsuit against the Mayor and Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia[,] Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit on behalf of Clarice Feldman, a longtime taxpayer and resident of the District of Columbia, to prevent the DC government from expending taxpayer money from a budget that was not appropriated by Congress and presented to the president for signing. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Clarice Feldman v. Muriel Bowser and Jeffrey S. DeWitt (No. 1:15-cv-01967)).

    At issue is the DC government's attempt to dismiss a November 6, 2015, lawsuit. The U.S. House of Representatives filed an amicus curiae brief in March 2016 urging the court to deny the DC government's efforts. In its amicus in support of the Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss the House declared:

    The Local Budget Act is a naked and unabashed effort to strip Congress of powers vested in it by Article I of the Constitution, and to circumvent the constitutionally-prescribed legislative process that the District and its supporters previously and repeatedly have acknowledged is the one constitutionally-appropriate way to proceed.

    In other words, the Local Budget Act turns the Appropriations Clause upside down, and is inconsistent with Congress's plenary authority over all District appropriations. The only constitutionally permissible manner by which the District may achieve budget autonomy with respect to locally-derived funds is for Congress to convey that authority to the District by way of the normal legislative process – and Congress has not yet done that.

    In Feldman's Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss, Judicial Watch takes strong issue with the District of Columbia's continued attempts to circumvent federal law, arguing:

    Regardless of whether it is sound policy for the District of Columbia to have budget autonomy, [the defendants] cannot ignore the law. Yet, they do. Since October 1, 2015, Defendants have been illegally incurring obligations and expending local taxpayer funds pursuant to the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request Act of 2015 ("FY16 Budget Request") that have not been appropriated by Congress and presented to the President for signing. As a District taxpayer since 1979, Plaintiff challenges Defendants' lawlessness.

    Federal law requires that DC's annual budget be approved by a majority or two-thirds vote of the DC Council and have affirmative appropriation passed by both Houses of Congress and presented to the president for signing. In 2013, DC passed the Budget Autonomy Act of 2012, which "purportedly grants the District authority to incur obligations and expend local tax and fee revenue without an appropriation passed by both Houses of Congress and presented to the President for signing." In other words, DC has sought to remove appropriation authority from Congress and grant it to itself.

    "This is quite simply a case of politicians gone wild. The DC government acts as if it can violate federal law and ignore the U.S. Constitution without repercussions," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "It is a federal crime to spend federal dollars without congressional authorization."

    The first hearing in the lawsuit was Tuesday, and it lasted an hour and a half.



    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/10/judicial_watch_representing_clarice_feldman_in_her_lawsuit_against_dc_government.html#ixzz4uiDOtEIF

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  9. UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 04:

    Amanda Werner, who is dressed as Monopoly's Rich Uncle Pennybags, sits behind Richard Smith, left, CEO of Equifax, during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Dirksen on the company's security breach.

    http://adamcarolla.com/wp-content/gallery/2017-10-06-mohr/ACS_Irvine-4.jpg

    ReplyDelete
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    1. http://adamcarolla.com/wp-content/gallery/2017-10-06-mohr/ACS_Irvine-3.jpg

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    2. http://adamcarolla.com/wp-content/gallery/2017-10-06-mohr/ACS_Irvine-5.jpg

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  10. .

    RT

    RT is right about 50% of the time. It is usually correct in its criticism of US policy. Unfortunately, to get to that part you have to wade through their propaganda in praise of Russia. RT and Russia are similar to al Jazeera and Qatar or The Voice of America and the US.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  11. .

    The Carnie Barker-in-Chief pumping up the crowd at his circus

    Trump: "You guys know what this represents? Maybe it's the calm before the storm."

    Reporter: "What's the storm?"

    Trump: "It could be ... the calm, the calm before the storm."

    Reporter: "Iran? ISIS? What storm, Mr. President?"

    Trump: "We have the world's great military people in this room, I will tell you that. And uh, we're gonna have a great evening, thank you all for coming."

    Reporter: "What storm, Mr. President?"

    Trump: "You'll find out."



    After eight months of this guy, does anyone (here or abroad) really take this guy seriously anymore?

    .


    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's got the nuclear football, which does lend his behavior, or mis-behavior, a certain gravitas.

      :(

      Delete
    2. Mr Mueller takes him very seriously.

      But, then again, Mr Mueller is a very serious fellow

      Delete
    3. .

      Trump's a phony. Everyone should realize that by now.

      .

      Delete

    4. Referencing Mr Trump ...

      He is what he is.

      Delete
  12. .

    Wayne LaPierre and the NRA on Bump-Stocks

    Ol Wayne said bump stocks should be looked at to see if they are actually legal or in need of 'additional regulation'.

    'Looked at'.

    The NRA can't defend bump stocks. Especially not now. So La Pierre offers up the typical NRA hypocritical duplicity.

    No unambiguous condemnation.

    No call for legislation.

    No call for a ban.

    Simply a call for the government to 'look at them'.

    Look to see if they are legal? Of course, they are legal. I suspect most of America realizes that at the moment.

    When even his own tepid response received blow-back from his some parts of the gun lobby, he clarified...

    “We ought to take a look at that and see if it’s in compliance with federal law, and it’s worthy of additional regulation. That being said, we didn’t say ban. We didn’t say confiscate.”

    .


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      My only point is that the NRA's statement is all over the news today with news anchors talking about this 'dramatic about face' on the part of the NRA when in fact all La Pierre did is issue a whitebread CYA statement asking the Feds to do their job, a nothingburger.

      .

      Delete
  13. I don't want to be disadvantaged in the universal struggle for survival by being the only sucker in town without a bump stock.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For my record and to be perfectly clear, I think bump stocks, which I'd never heard of before, ought to be banned.

      Delete
  14. The outcry against Obama for allowing bumpstocks to be legalized during his administration has been deafening.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Why would anyone raise an outcry about Obama following the law. Bump stocks are legal right now. To make them illegal will require a ruling by the appropriate agencies (something that may be challenged in the courts) or legislation.

      Delete
    2. If Mr Obama 'allowed' bumb stocks, Mr Trump could 'disallow' bump stocks, just as easily.

      Delete

  15. Drudge Headline:

    FIVE INCHES OF RAIN - WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE !

    New Orleans may be wiped of the map.

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  16. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  17. SLO residents get spooked in Bubblegum Alley

    http://www.sanluisobispo.com/entertainment/article177204096.html

    ReplyDelete
  18. It's unlikely Quirk would agree with a word of this -

    With neither bombast nor bravado, a presidential president

    By Wesley Pruden - The Washington Times - Thursday, October 5, 2017

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/5/donald-trump-is-a-presidential-president/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TRUMP APPROVAL POPS TO 46%....DRUDGE

      Delete
    2. .

      Right.

      Probably, in the Washington Times poll.

      The RCP poll-of-polls average on Trump...

      President Trump Job Approval

      Approve 39.3
      Disapprove 54.9
      Disapprove +15.6

      Direction of Country

      Right Direction 28.5
      Wrong Track 63.6
      Wrong Track +35.1

      Trump Favorability Ratings

      Favorable 39.3
      Unfavorable 55.2
      Unfavorable +15.9

      .

      Delete
    3. Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll

      Friday, October 06, 2017

      The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-three percent (53%) disapprove.

      http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_oct06

      Delete
    4. The MOMETHETRUTH poll has Trump at 51.3.

      Delete
  19. October 6, 2017
    After meeting with generals, Trump cites 'calm before the storm'
    By Rick Moran

    Following a meeting with his top generals, Donald Trump had a photo op with the brass during which he made some rather cryptic remarks that have tongues wagging in Washington.

    CNN:


    "You guys know what this represents? Maybe it's the calm before the storm," Trump said at the photo op Thursday night, following a meeting with his top military commanders.

    When reporters present asked what he meant, Trump replied: "It could be, the calm, the calm before the storm."

    Reporters asked if the storm was related to Iran or ISIS.

    Trump replied: "We have the world's great military people in this room, I will tell you that. And uh, we're gonna have a great evening, thank you all for coming."

    When asked again what he meant, Trump said only: "You'll find out."

    Reporters in the room asked for a hint, but Trump concluded the questioning.

    "Thank you everybody," Trump said.

    The president did not have to have a public meeting with his generals. He could have had a video conference anywhere if he wanted to talk about going to war and kept it secret. Instead, the public meeting along with his cryptic words appears to be sending Kim Jong-un a message: we haven't forgotten about you, and time is running out.

    Is it a coincidence that secretary of state Tillerson spent last weekend in China talking to the leadership about North Korea? That was another very public signal sent to Kim. China's attitude is crucial if the U.S. is going to take out North Korean nukes and their missile program.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With relations between Beijing and Pyongyang at a historic low point, you have to wonder if the Chinese have begun planning for the aftermath of a U.S. strike rather than looking for ways to prevent it.

      Associated Press:

      The scene along the China-North Korea border in the wild mountains of northeast Asia provides some clues.

      Despite a dearth of traffic and trade, construction crews are at work on a six-lane highway to the border outside the small Chinese city of Ji'an along the Tumen River, a corridor that could facilitate the rapid movement of tanks and troops.


      Guard posts, barbed wire-topped fences and checkpoints manned by armed paramilitary troops mark the frontier along the border – signs of concern about potentially violent border crossers or even more serious security threats.

      China's unwillingness to discuss its plans is likely a strategic choice by the notoriously secretive PLA, but potentially threatens unintended consequences were a major crisis to emerge, experts say.

      "Each party has its own plans for action in the event of an emergency, but if they act individually without communicating with others, it raises the possibility of misjudgment and unnecessary military conflicts," said Jia Qingguo, dean of the school of International Studies at elite Peking University.

      "There has long been a danger in this respect. Someone must take control of North Korea's nuclear weapons," Jia said.

      Coordination is also needed on the handling of civilians, particularly with those international agencies experienced in dealing with such crises, Jia said. Among the refugees may be tens of thousands released from North Korean labor camps who may need medical treatment for communicable diseases and malnutrition.

      "Refugees are a huge issue that could involve a tremendously large number of people and potentially become a humanitarian crisis," Jia said.

      Asked about Chinese preparations for a North Korean crisis, defense ministry spokesman Col. Wu Qian offered assurance but no details at a monthly news briefing on Thursday.

      "Dialogue and consultation is the only effective way to solve the problem concerning the Korean Peninsula, and the military option cannot be an option," Wu said. "The Chinese military has made all necessary preparations to safeguard national sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability."

      The U.S. is not likely to follow up an air campaign against North Korea with an invasion. But China may recognize that the Kim regime has to go and could take matters into its own hands. In fact, the Chinese may be resigned to that option, knowing they are not deterring the U.S. from taking military action against Kim.

      The Chinese may have whispered something to Secretary Tillerson that gave tacit approval to air strikes by the U.S.......



      http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/10/after_meeting_with_generals_trump_cites_calm_before_the_storm.html#ixzz4um3vi92t

      Delete
  20. Good idea to do the testing at sea rather than in port -

    TORPEDOH!Bungling Navy officer accidentally fired a torpedo into a nuclear dockyard while doing maintenance

    Seaman was given a 'get well soon' package to restore his confidence after he attempted spur-of-the-moment missile test without an instruction manual while moored in Plymouth
    By Jacob Dirnhuber
    6th October 2017, 4:09 pmUpdated: 6th October 2017, 7:08 pm

    Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

    A BUNGLING Navy operator accidentally fired a torpedo at a nuclear dockyard that flew across a jetty and smashed into a fence.

    Amazingly no-one was hurt when the 9ft missile, which was not armed, was blasted out of HMS Argyll while the ship was moored in Plymouth's Devonport Naval base.

    The 247kg unarmed Sting Ray torpedo was fired out of HMS Argyll during a routine test in March 2014 (stock image)CROWN COPYRIGHT

    The 247kg unarmed Sting Ray torpedo was fired out of HMS Argyll during a routine test in March 2014 (stock image)
    A newly-released file shows the misfire occurred after the operator attempted the test without a mandatory list of safety precautions to hand in March 2014.

    The unarmed Sting Ray torpedo flew over a jetty and into a heavy duty metal fence at the high-security dockyard, which services nuclear submarines. Nobody was hurt.

    The investigation found that following the information card instructions would have averted the misfire during what was meant to be simulated testing.

    It concluded: “The fact that the maintainer was not in possession of the JIC led to a lapse in correct procedure which in turn culminated in the jettison of the TVT [test variant torpedo].”

    The missile was fired from the 5,400 tonne HMS Argyll
    4
    The missile was fired from the 5,400 tonne HMS Argyll
    The heavily-redacted Royal Navy report, released under the Freedom of Information Act, also found that the experienced engineer had wanted to carry out an overdue test.

    It reads: “It is assessed that he seized an opportunity to conduct an overdue serial whilst the system was live and available to him.

    "This may be viewed as a deviation from the intended plan.”

    The document recommended changes to operating procedures to prevent a repeat, including carrying out the task at sea rather than in port.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4627702/bungling-navy-officer-accidentally-fired-a-torpedo-into-a-nuclear-base-while-doing-maintenance/

    ReplyDelete
  21. Here are the polls on Trump I’m tracking:

    YBYA: 66%
    WHT: 23%
    KETAW: 96%
    KETAB: 10%
    RUFUS: 6%
    REAL: 51.3%

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

      Delete
    2. :)

      QPoll, the world's most emotional poll, has Trump at -100%, last I checked.

      A small sample poll of only one person, it is generally disregarded in political analysis.

      Delete
    3. True enough, my point is who gives a shit. He be the POTUS.

      Delete
    4. And controls the nuclear football in a still dangerous world.

      We should all wish him well.

      Delete
  22. .

    Word is spreading.

    From the Times of Israel...

    Poll: Just 24 percent say US under Trump headed in right direction

    67% of respondents express disapproval of president following summer of hurricanes, Charlottesville and threat of nuclear war with North Korea...

    ---

    The AP-NORC poll of 1,150 adults was conducted September 28-October 2 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the US population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points...

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Harvey Weinstein also doesn't like Trump.

      Delete
    2. People are pissed The Donald can't calm the sea storms.

      One can understand this, as Obama was able to halt the rise of the oceans.

      Nowadays we expect our President to be able to control the weather, and the climate.

      Delete
    3. Even Black Elk was said to have calmed a small storm a-brewing over Harney Peak.

      I read about it in Black Elk Speaks.

      It is pitiful that The Donald, with the full power of the Federal Government behind him, can't halt all these hurricanes.

      If I was dumb enough to live in New Orleans I'd be pissed off too.

      Delete
  23. Evacuate New Orleans, rainstorm ahead. (5 whole inches)

    http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at1+shtml/032801.shtml?rainqpf#contents

    ReplyDelete