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."

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Recall the media furor over Trump’s tweets about the FBI’s tarnished reputation. Those tweets now look, if anything, understated.

Mueller’s Fruit of the Poisonous Tree


Evidence of Robert Mueller’s hopelessly compromised investigation continues to accumulate. Now we learn that five months of texts between two members of his team plotting Trump’s demise have disappeared, a time period that covers many of the crucial moments of the probe. Imagine the rich harvest of texts Peter Strzok and his mistress Lisa Page must have exchanged over the Flynn entrapment. Those texts have vanished, according to the FBI and Justice Department. To a media that has spent months insisting on the reliability and impartiality of those agencies, this story is terribly inconvenient.

Once again, Trump’s criticisms are vindicated. Go back and look at even his most inflammatory tweets about Obamagate and they all hold up. His campaign was wire-tapped; FBI agents were plotting against him; Obama’s FBI director was leaking to the press; the FBI was collaborating with Hillary’s opposition researchers; the FBI/Justice Department exoneration of Hillary was rigged.

The great villain in the media’s tale of collusion turns out to be the victim. But the ruling class is too shameless to stop hounding him. They will continue to try and extract fruit from Mueller’s poisonous tree. Who cares, they say, if he is a friend of Comey’s? Who cares if most of his staff donated to Hillary and the Democrats? Who cares if members of his team called Trump an “utter idiot,” “douche,” and took out an “insurance policy” against him? Who cares if the government obtained FISA warrants based on a political smear Hillary financed?

In a courtroom, the fruit of a poisonous tree is tossed out. In politics, the tree is shaken until rotten fruit, usually a minor process crime or a crime wholly unrelated to the investigation, falls from it. Imagine all the crimes a second special counsel would find if he investigated the investigators. One of the texts between Strzok and Page that didn’t vanish makes reference to a “secret society,” according to those who have seen it. Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas told Fox News, “We learned today about information that in the immediate aftermath of [Trump’s] election, that there may have been a secret society of folks within the Department of Justice and the FBI — to include Page and Strzok — that would be working against him.”

Recall the media furor over Trump’s tweets about the FBI’s tarnished reputation. Those tweets now look, if anything, understated. The “secret society” explains what under any other circumstances would have been inconceivable: the FBI working with one presidential campaign against another. The FBI even subsidized that campaign’s opposition research, making payments of some kind to Hillary’s researcher, Christopher Steele. The incestuousness of it all is still coming into focus. The wife of one top Justice Department official worked for Hillary’s opposition research firm Fusion GPS, and more revelations about it are sure to follow.

The media still obsesses over Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with Russians, from which nothing came. But it sees no significance in Hillary hiring an opposition research firm that counted Russian officials as clients and sources. How much of Steele’s work is the product of disinformation from those officials is still not known.

In the latest batch of released Strzok-Page texts, the cynicism of this Russian investigation becomes even clearer. Strzok indicates that he doesn’t think Mueller will find anything — he senses “there’s no big there there” — but joins his probe anyways because he has “unfinished business” with Trump.

What emerges from all this evidence of astonishing bias is a probe that didn’t seek to discover a crime but create one. The goal was to scare Trump officials into committing minor process crimes and Michael Flynn tripped up under that pressure. Now the hope of the investigators is that they can set a perjury trap for Trump. On Tuesday, as the media ignored the Strzok story, it made great noise about Comey sharing memos with Mueller about his meetings with Trump. The same journalists who pooh-poohed the FBI’s anti-Trump plotting perked up at news of Mueller interviewing his close friend.

This is not the slow unfolding of justice but scenes from a show trial, one in which the only serious crimes are committed by abusive prosecutors and investigators, so intoxicated by their own political self-righteousness that they can brag to their paramours about the “fix” on Trump.

197 comments:


  1. The treasonous actions of Team Trump stand on their own

    Coordinated conspiracy, by Jr, Jared and Paul.

    Leverage by years of criminal money laundering

    Using Cambridge Analytics as the facilitator.

    The Illuminati within the FBI ...

    HAR DE HAR HAR

    Not half as funny as ...

    ... wait for it ....
    .... the Mueller punchline

    drops the mike

    ReplyDelete

  2. Thousands of mobile phones used by the FBI were impacted by a glitch that resulted in the loss of text exchanges between bureau employees Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, Fox News reported on Wednesday.


    The FBI has 35,000 emplyees.

    All complicit in a culture rife with corruption and incompetence, according to some Trumpets.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well according to you...

      Did your memory fail you?

      You remember you bragged to everyone that you saw a case file on me? Remember when you accused me of being an international arms dealer? (when you were stalking the wrong dude for over a year) Remember how I called the AZ FBI to report you for making cyber threats and you told us the agent in charge in the office was a informant of yours (since you were a "publisher")

      Sounds like nothing has changed.

      Tell us Jack, were you lying then or are you lying now when you deny it?

      Delete
    2. Jack has an enormous ability to vastly exaggerate his actual accomplishments in his short life.

      you told us the agent in charge in the office was a informant of yours

      One day he may tell us he has informants in The White House itself.

      What a hoot hoot hoot.

      All his imaginary activity is simply psychological self reinforment and denial that he's never done anything actually worthy of doing. It is ego inflation.

      Delete
  3. Pete Strzok and his mistress Lisa must of really had it on.

    What was the number of e-mails exchanged between these two love doves ?

    50,000 or some enormous number comes to mind.

    The Mueller Investigation has always been a yuuuge FARCE.

    If a 2nd Special Prosecutor is appointed, as I hope happens, to investigate all things Hillary, Comey, L. Lynch et.al. et.al. et.al..... then we will have an actual and entertaining play.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      50,000 or some enormous number comes to mind.


      I assume they are Millennials.


      .

      Delete
  4. .

    FBI

    Upon graduating after 20 weeks of extensive training at the FBI's state of the art training facility, the rookie FBI agent is presented with his badge, his gun, and his secret decoder ring.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      You would think that suggesting a 'secret society' within the FBI would be confined to right-wing blogs like Infowars but sadly it is in truth just the thing that could stick with Trump's base.

      Throw it against the wall and see what sticks.

      .

      Delete
    2. No copy of the US Constitution ?

      What the fuck ?

      Quirk, you might make a pretty profit by advertising and marketing a real fancy authentic looking
      Q's FBI Secret Decoder Ring.

      With all the coverage all this stuff has been getting there may be a good number of college undergrads who would bite your lure.

      Just a thought.

      Always trying to help you out.

      Delete
    3. Didn't Pete Strzok first use the term 'secret society' ?

      Delete
    4. If I had the last name Strzok I'd change it.

      Delete
  5. .

    Dueling Memos


    The Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee has asked David Nunes for a copy of the Nunes memo in order to aid with his investigation. Nunes refused.

    Nunes says the memo will be sent to Trump some time next week so he can decide to release it. The Dems have accused Nunes and his staff of simply concocting a list of partisan talking point that are not backed up by the underlying evidence.

    The only people who have seen the Memo are Nunes and his staff who wrote it plus selected members of the GOP caucus in the House. Those who have not seen it, though all are requesting to, include everyone else, Dems in the Huse and Senate, GOP in the Senate, other Intelligence and Judicial committees, supposedly the White House, the DOJ, the FBI, the public, in short, everyone else.

    Now, in response, the DEMS are threatening to put out their own Memo disputing the one concocted by Nunes.

    Crazy stuff.

    These are the guys we elect and pay.

    Nutz.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Damn it's like Dueling Banjos.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpL0Q2OSRwQ

      Delete
    2. Banjo Boy turned into a maintenance worker at the local Wal-Mart.

      Delete
    3. Some casting director picked him out of a local school. He never had played the banjo.

      Delete
    4. Far and away the best movie Burt Reynolds was ever in.....it all went downhill from there.

      Did you know he was in Gunsmoke on TV from '62 to '65 ?

      Delete
    5. Good book too, Deliverance, lousy philosophy.

      Delete
    6. That river in Georgia where the movie was shot ended up becoming a perpetually protected river due to the movie.

      Delete
  6. The Sinking of the FBI

    William F. Marshall

    The FBI has become so corrupt, so politicized, and so diametrically opposed to its mission because of its recent actions that nothing short of its reconstitution is required.

    More

    http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2018/01/the_sinking_of_the_fbi.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. " Now we learn that five months of texts between two members of his team plotting Trump’s demise have disappeared..."




    um hunh? If they don't have them how do they know what was in them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Assumptions pure assumptions

      The FBI has antiquated computer systems. The Congress wouldn't pony up the cash for an upgrade.

      Old News.

      Can't expect 21st century results with 20th century technologies.

      Just not going to happen.
      Data dumps are current state of the art ...
      For Federal Law Enforcement agencies.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. .

      Samsung

      Grassley shouts cover-up over missing Strzok emails; FBI playing 'hide the ball', he says.

      Trump mocks FBI for saying it was a Samsung problem.

      Still, news reports say it wasn't only these emails affected by the so-called 'technical glitch' but also thousands of agents' cell phones, Samsung 5s.

      Samsung of the exploding cell phone batteries, of the exploding washing machines, of the exploding microwaves, and now this.

      Samsung has been having a terribly bad last couple of years. The only occupation under more duress than FBI agents is of those working for the Samsung Crisis Management Team.

      .

      .

      Delete
  8. Paraphrasing what Don Jr said about releasing "the dirt" ...

    "Especially later in the summer ...
    I love it !!!"


    September trial dates start the dance
    with more indictments yet to come.

    Mueller runs a tight ship
    No leaks

    People KNOW the public data points for "Obstruction" and assume that is tthe core of Mueller's investigation.

    Foolish assumption.

    The Russian Conspiracy Case will be solid and convincing.

    Bigly time.


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

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

      Delete
  10. Doug's Elephant Bar Quiz Number One:

    You are President Donald J. Trump.

    Mueller asks you:

    "Why did you fire Director Comey?"

    Answer carefully!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Cause I felt like it. I'm Prez. You don't like it, FUCK YOU"

      That's how ya answer.

      The Russia bullshit is going nowhere.

      Delete

    2. (Saying "I dare you to put me under oath" to Mr. Mueller is not acceptable.)

      Delete
    3. We'll see if the Peanut Gallery considers Bob's answer to be carefully considered...

      Delete
    4. He could just as easily ask about the Deutzbank co-financing with that Russian bank on the sanction list...

      Delete
  11. The Rooskie bullshit might get a grip if it's turned against Hillary & Company though.

    She paid for the dossier right out of her derriere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete

  12. Mr Trump has no Auntie he can sacrifice.

    Only a son and/or a son-in-law ...

    Wonder which one gets tossed under the limo?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivanka.

      The nation would demand an immediate pardon.

      Delete
    2. Ivanka wasn't at the meeting with Russian agents, nor in the email chain.

      Did not stand on a podium and instruct the Russians to release the stolen Clinton emails

      Ivanka should be able to slide on by.

      Delete
    3. .

      I suspect it will be Baron.

      Word is he doesn't spend much time with the kid and never really seemed to like him.

      Trump: "Baron, you're a big boy now and you've been selected for a very important assignment. The jig's up, someone has to go down and you're going over. It's for the family and has to be done. Just remember, no matter how long you get sent up for, we'll be here at Mar a Lago waiting for you when you get out."

      Baron: "But..."

      Trump: "No. No. Don't thank me. You're a good man. Now, I gotta run. Giving a golf lesson in about 15 minutes."

      .

      .

      Delete
    4. Well, yes, hmmm, yes, if THE WORD IS, well, them, yup, that the Alpha and Omega of the discussion.

      Pure Quirkian TDS at its finest !!!

      ho ho ho

      Delete

  13. The report is that the Turks told Mr Trump to... GO FUCK YOURSELF

    Its not even paraphrased.


    https://www.dailysabah.com/columns/merve-sebnem-oruc/2018/01/25/washington-has-to-do-more-than-give-empty-promises-to-ankara

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually you are lying again, Mr Rodent.

      There is no such language on that page.

      Once again, you are proven to be a liar.

      Delete
  14. Even as the White House has sought to strike a balance between Turkey and Kurds in Syria, the Pentagon has maintained its support for the Kurdish militias it has fought with in eastern Syria.

    Without logistical support from Kurdish forces, the nearly 2,000 American troops in Syria would be unable to continue in almost any effective role, according to senior military officials. Kurdish militias are expected to play a pivotal role in coming months in defeating the last pockets of several hundred Islamic State fighters in the country.

    During Wednesday’s phone call, the White House said, Mr. Trump also voiced concern about “destructive and false rhetoric coming from Turkey.” Additionally, he noted prolonged detentions of American citizens and local employees in Turkey, a rare reference by the White House to human rights concerns.

    ReplyDelete
  15. .

    They Just Keep Coming

    The 24 year old Deputy Chief of Staff at Drug Agency Resigns

    A 24-year-old former Trump campaign worker who rose rapidly to a senior post in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy will step down by the end of the month because of controversy surrounding his appointment, the White House said late Wednesday.

    Taylor Weyeneth, who graduated from college in May 2016, was named a White House liaison to the drug office the following March and then promoted to deputy chief of staff in July, at age 23. His only professional experience after college and before becoming a political appointee was working on the Trump presidential campaign.

    The office, known as ONDCP, is responsible for coordinating anti-drug initiatives at 16 federal agencies and supporting President Trump's efforts to confront the opioid epidemic.

    --------------------

    The announcement follows Washington Post stories that detailed Weyeneth's rapid rise at ONDCP — in large part because of staff turnover and vacancies — and inconsistencies and inaccuracies on three résumés he submitted to the government.

    Early last year, Weyeneth revised dates relating to certain jobs he held, including one at a New York law firm. A partner at the firm told The Post that Weyeneth was "discharged" because he stopped showing up for work.

    On all three résumés, Weyeneth maintained that he had a master's degree from Fordham University, although a university spokesman said Weyeneth had not completed his coursework.

    --------------------------

    Weyeneth stayed on through the brief government shutdown that began over the weekend and was one of three ONDCP employees designated as essential, officials said...


    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quirk is a natural born, dyed in the wool, Most Extreme Ever Never Trumper -

      Byron York: NeverTrumpers face vexing question: What to make of Trump successes?

      The start of President Trump's second year in office has given Republicans and conservatives an opportunity to review a solid list of achievements: corporate and individual tax cuts; economic growth; wage growth; a conservative Supreme Court justice; a record number of circuit court confirmations; deregulation; the defeat of the Islamic State, and more. Each is a development worth celebrating, either by the standards of conservatism, or the general welfare, or both.

      But for NeverTrump conservatives, the list presents a challenge. Many support the actions, like cutting taxes and reducing regulation, on Trump's list. Yet some have also staked their credibility and prestige on declaring Trump's election an unmitigated, historic disaster that will lead to an autocratic, dystopian future. Many want to force Trump out of office, either by impeachment, the 25th Amendment, or, at latest, defeat in 2020.

      So how to deal with the current good news?

      The most extreme NeverTrumpers, like the Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin, simply rail against everything the president does.

      But more sophisticated NeverTrumpers......

      http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/byron-york-nevertrumpers-face-vexing-question-what-to-make-of-trump-successes/article/2646818

      Delete
  16. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged the United States in a telephone conversation with President Donald Trump to halt the supply of weapons to Syrian Kurdish militia.

    ...

    Erdogan has vowed to expand Ankara's operation beyond Afrin and toward the town of Manbij, which would bring Turkish troops and their Syrian allies closer to U.S. forces supporting the Kurds against IS.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Mueller should submit written question to The Donald.

    The Donald should answer the written questions of The Mueller.

    Can you think of an oral question that cannot be reduced to words ?

    The Donald should not fall for The Mueller's perjury trap, and, despite his blah blah, probably won't.

    That will be $500 dollars, please.

    Next client !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  18. **Today's Headlines From Pam Geller

    -Iran: Woman who took off her hijab and became symbol of freedom is missing

    -Columbia Faculty Boycott Bookstore After it Apologizes for Promoting Jihad Violence
    Against the Jews

    -Iran: The World's Greatest Narco State

    -Audio: Pamela Geller on the Janet Mefferd Show

    -Canada: Accused Terrorists Hired as 'Anti-Radicalism Consultants'

    -German city bans new “refugees” after numerous attacks by Muslim migrants

    -France: Muslim prisoner shouting “Allahu akbar” stabs two guards

    -Unsealed FISA Court Ruling Shows 85 Percent of Certain Obama-Era FBI, DOJ Searches
    Were Illegal

    -As FBI Director, Mueller Helped Cover Up Florida 9/11 Probe, Court Documents Say

    -Bosnian Prosecutor Says Sweden Is the Largest Market for Illegal Balkan Weapons

    https://pamelageller.com/

    ReplyDelete
  19. The weasel Comey tries to weasel out of leak admission by claiming professor pal was his lawyer - 1/24/18
    Former FBI director James Comey is changing his story. He now claims that the professor he leaked documents to, to ensure a special counsel, is really his lawyer. Obviously, the heat is on. More

    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/01/comey_tries_to_weasel_out_from_leak_admission_by_claiming_professor_pal_was_his_lawyer.html

    Legal pushback on fake news purportedly implicating Jared Kushner in financial chicanery - 1/24/18
    Peddlers of fake news will have a reckoning in court, courtesy of a litigant with very deep pockets More

    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/01/legal_pushback_on_fake_news_purportedly_implicating_jared_kushner_in_financial_chicanery.html

    Alan Dershowitz: Do the Jews control the world?
    by Alan Dershowitz | Jan 23, 2018, 6:12 PM

    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/alan-dershowitz-do-the-jews-control-the-world/article/2646868

    ReplyDelete
  20. If this turd isn't a Somalian descendant I'll eat my Big Mac - picture - but we may never know, Canada lacking an effective analog of the 1st Amendment -

    JIHAD IN TORONTO?
    Maybe, but we may never know.

    January 25, 2018 Robert Spencer

    “A 20-year-old Brampton man,” the Canadian Press reported Tuesday, “is facing dozens of charges, including seven counts of attempted murder, in what police describe as a string of unprovoked, random shootings in Toronto that narrowly missed being fatal.” As it turns out, this could have been a series of jihad attacks, but you will never learn that from the Canadian Press, or from Canadian authorities.

    Toronto Police Supt. Ron Taverner was just glad that the shooter hadn’t done more damage: “We’re lucky that we’re not dealing with potentially seven homicides or more.” However, he had no idea why he was dealing with seven attempted homicides: “I wish we could say we had a motive, but we don’t.” He added: “It’s mind-boggling, quite frankly. We haven’t been able to determine any motive whatsoever that these are other than random shootings.”

    Yes, it is indeed mind-boggling. The “20-year-old Brampton man” turns out to be named Adam Abdi. Abdi means servant, as in servant of Allah, and is a common name for Muslims worldwide. Adam Abdi is, therefore, likely Muslim, and could be carrying out the Islamic State’s call to murder civilians in Western countries. The Islamic State issued this call in September 2014:

    So O muwahhid, do not let this battle pass you by wherever you may be. You must strike the soldiers, patrons, and troops of the tawaghit. Strike their police, security, and intelligence members, as well as their treacherous agents. Destroy their beds. Embitter their lives for them and busy them with themselves. If you can kill a disbelieving American or European — especially the spiteful and filthy French — or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be….If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman, or any of their allies. Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him….

    Abdi could also simply be following the Qur’an’s injunctions to “kill them wherever you find them” (2:191, 4:89, 9:5).

    If Adam Abdi is not Muslim, but some random psychopath, then Taverner should say so, so as to allay suspicions among the people that these could be jihad attacks. But Taverner cannot do that, because to do so would be to acknowledge that Muslims do sometimes kill in the name of Islam and in accord with its teachings, and it is impossible for Taverner to acknowledge such a thing, however obvious a fact it may be, in today’s atmosphere of totalitarian radio silence about such facts in Canada.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And if Adam Abdi is indeed a Muslim, then Taverner and his team should begin investigating whether or not he was motivated by jihad imperative. But that also he cannot do, because it, too, would be tantamount to admitting that there is a jihad imperative in the first place.

      So we get this: a man who is likely a Muslim shoots random people at a time when a major international Islamic jihad terror organization has called for the killing of random people, and the police tell us nothing about the man, and say they’re scratching their heads as to his motive — something we have seen police forces around the world do when confronted with jihad attacks and plots that they don’t want to admit to be what they are. And we may never know what really happened with Adam Abdi and these shootings.

      The victims deserve better, but in Canada, as in many quarters all over the West, Islam’s image must be protected at all costs, and that is the first and foremost priority that all authorities must pursue. The victims’ rights and well-being can go hang, as far as the authorities are concerned.

      https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/269122/jihad-toronto-robert-spencer

      Delete
  21. Relief !

    El Chapo promises not to kill jurors

    http://www.tmz.com/2018/01/24/el-chapo-jury-sequester-anonymous-criminal-trial/

    ReplyDelete
  22. China Exploits US Postal Service As Opioid Shipments Surge...DRUDGE

    Powerful opioids are easily sold through the Internet and shipped in the mail, investigation finds
    Updated Jan 24, 2:19 PM; Posted Jan 24, 2:03 PM

    WASHINGTON -- Synthetic opioids such as addictive and deadly fentanyl, fueling a drug epidemic, can be easily ordered online and shipped through the mail to United States addresses from China, a congressional investigation found.

    The investigation under Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Tom Carper of Delaware pins blame on the U.S. Postal Service and State Department. The agencies have rebuffed requests to require electronic shipping information with names and addresses of senders and receivers of international parcels, the senators said. Portman, an Ohio Republican, chairs the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Carper, of Delaware, is the panel's top Democrat.

    The government agencies have cited logistical and foreign relations reasons for not policing international parcels the way Portman wants. Using the new investigation, Portman will demand answers again at a hearing Thursday morning.

    Subcommittee investigators launched their investigation by using Google to look up websites for synthetic opioids. This led them to "hundreds of pages offering the stuff for sale," said one investigator, who spoke with reporters in advance of the hearing on the condition that he and others not be named....

    http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2018/01/powerful_opioids_are_easily_so.html

    JESUS CHRIST !

    Read it and weep.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    2. .

      QuirkThu Jan 25, 01:11:00 AM EST
      .

      They Just Keep Coming

      The 24 year old Deputy Chief of Staff at Drug Agency Resigns

      A 24-year-old former Trump campaign worker who rose rapidly to a senior post in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy will step down by the end of the month because of controversy surrounding his appointment, the White House said late Wednesday.

      Taylor Weyeneth, who graduated from college in May 2016, was named a White House liaison to the drug office the following March and then promoted to deputy chief of staff in July, at age 23. His only professional experience after college and before becoming a political appointee was working on the Trump presidential campaign.

      The office, known as ONDCP, is responsible for coordinating anti-drug initiatives at 16 federal agencies and supporting President Trump's efforts to confront the opioid epidemic.


      .

      Delete

  23. Weep for the Kurds that Donald Trump has thrown under the limo.

    Official says US would prefer that Turkish troops "remove themselves" from conflict in the Syrian border town of Afrin

    Such a farce of a statement by US.
    The Kurds, the combat proxy for US in the battle against the Islamic State, not even worthy of 240 tweeted characters.

    The Turks response to the tepid protests emanating from the US ...


    The officials said that contrary to a White House statement, Trump did not voice "concerns (about) escalating violence" over Turkey's cross-border operation or use the phrase "destructive and false rhetoric coming from Turkey." The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.

    In further comments suggesting that Turkey could expand the Afrin offensive to other areas, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Thursday that his government won't allow the creation of a "terrorist" entity along Turkey's borders. He again accused the United States of not standing by a NATO ally.


    "It is astounding and unacceptable ... that a country which is supposed to protect NATO's borders is giving open support to armed entities that target our borders,"
    Yildirim said.



    The Trump Administration has been extremely destructive to the Kurdish people. In both Syria and Iraq.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Turkish government accuses the spokespeople for the President of the United States of lying to the world about conversations Donald Trump had.

      Mr Trump remains remarkably mute.




      Delete

  24. Now that Mr Trump has approved of a "Pathway to Citizenship" for DACA Dreamers ...

    Breitbart News rolled out a new line of attack aimed at President Trump on Wednesday after Trump announced that he was open to a path to citizenship for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

    In a headline Wednesday the typically pro-Trump right-wing news outlet labeled the president "Amnesty Don" in an article that accused him of "breaking his immigration commitment."


    Now that Mr Bannon has left Mr Trump's side the Neo-Liberal character of Donald Trump's ideology becomes clearly visible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah mr checkers...

      I guess you really just don't get "the art of the deal" do you?

      Trump's offer has been rejected showing the Democrats unwilling to accept the deal they demanded (and more)

      President Trump once again, out flanked, out preformed and out smarted the democrats and you..

      Hardy har har...

      No go back to your checkers Mr Wrong.

      again..

      Delete

  25. More Neo-Liberal policies from the Trump Administration ...

    DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) -- The U.S. treasury chief welcomed a weaker dollar on Wednesday, breaking with a decades-long commitment by the U.S. government to back a strong dollar.

    The comments led to an immediate, sharp drop in the value of the dollar in currency markets ...


    Manipulating a 10% drop in the value of the Dollar in just the last year was not enough to keep the US trade deficit contained.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Davos

      Trump plans to tout the strong US economy when he visits Davos and argue that other countries should look at his policies and follow suit.

      Rumors continue that a movement is growing among some attendees to walk out of Trump's speech.

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      Trade

      Trump's trade ideas are ill-advised. Protectionism doesn't produce growth it inhibits it by reducing certainty which in turn reduces investment. Are there things that can be improved in America's trade agreements. Sure. But not some of the ones Trump is asking for.

      America's trade deficits aren't produced by bad trade deals, they're produced by Americans buying more things than they can afford.

      .

      Delete
  26. .

    Quirk is a natural born, dyed in the wool, Most Extreme Ever Never Trumper -

    Byron York: NeverTrumpers face vexing question: What to make of Trump successes?

    The start of President Trump's second year in office has given Republicans and conservatives an opportunity to review a solid list of achievements: corporate and individual tax cuts; economic growth; wage growth; a conservative Supreme Court justice; a record number of circuit court confirmations; deregulation; the defeat of the Islamic State, and more...


    I'm not the least vexed.

    corporate and individual tax cuts: I didn't want the tax cuts to begin with. Corporate profits were high prior to the cuts. Cash on hand was high. Nominal tax rates are misleading. Real corporate tax rates were around 22% which is about average for most Western nations in OECD. Individual rate reductions were minimal when compared to those for the wealthy and the corporation, trinkets for the natives. The cuts are regressive. The overall tax plan will supercharge the drive towards more income disparity in this country. The individual cuts are temporary while the corporate cuts are permanent.

    The cuts will drive up the national debt by $ trillions. Eventually, someone will realize this is unsustainable and there will be cuts. You can be assured that if the GOP is still in charge those cuts will come from programs designed to help people like you and me. Ryan and Trump are already talking about 'welfare reform'. That's Washington speak for major cuts in welfare programs. And though you dolts may not know it but everyone of the old guys here are dipping their beak and getting their cut of those programs.

    The GOP used 'dynamic scoring', supply-side trickle-down economics. G.H.W. Bush was right when he called it trickle-down economics. It hasn't worked in the past. No reason to believe it will work this time. You can count on those $ trillions being added to the debt.

    economic growth: I will admit Trump hasn't screwed up the economy. In fact it has been very good. However, just as I didn't give Obama much praise for the rising economy after the recession ended, I don't give Trump much continuing a trend that has been going on for the last 8 years.

    Worldwide and in the West there is widespread economic growth much of it higher than that of the US. The world economy is good right now not only the US'.

    There's been job growth for the last 87 months. It didn't start with Trump. In fact, there were more new jobs created by Obama in his last year than were created under Trump in his first.

    Trump and the GOP cite low unemployment numbers and good growth in the economy. That's exactly why we didn't need a tax cut. At times lime these, we should be driving down debt not accelerating it.

    wage growth: Wage growth continues to lag productivity gains. They continue the same pattern we have seen for the last 30 years.

    [...}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. {...}

      a conservative Supreme Court justice: The proof is in the pudding. I'll wait until some rulings start coming in. Remember, conservative courts with GOP appointed majorities gave us the two worse decisions in recent history, Roe v Wade and Citizens United.

      a record number of circuit court confirmations Right, by freezing out all Obama nominees over the his last year and a half in office including his Supreme Court nominee. And good lord, we've seen the quality of some of these Trump nominations. If you are proud of them that s all that need be said.

      deregulation: More goodies for the corporations and the wealthy, fuck the health and safety of the average worker and American citizens. Shall I start listing the disasters this has and will cause. We can start will the FDA which Trump has called troublesome and burdensome and which recently allowed release over objections of medical professionals that has shown it causes cancer in test studies. Or the EPA that Trump has gutted where he has reversed clean air and clean water rules and standards on lead likely prompting the next Flint somewhere along the line. The farmers may like having the estate tax dropped but they are already worried about the degradation of the clean water rules.

      the defeat of the Islamic State: Tell it to the dead in Baghdad and Kabul (or in countries across the globe) whose lives are still being snuffed out by some outfit calling themselves ISIS. Defeat of the Islamic State? What chutzpah. As bad as Obama calling al Qaeda and groups tied to it as JV teams.

      .

      Delete
    2. Whoa Mr. Ed !

      Signs of life in the old NeverTrump nag we all thought was headed to the glue factory ?

      economic growth: I will admit Trump hasn't screwed up the economy

      Now, that's BIGLY of you Quirk !!!!

      That's YUUUUGE !!!!

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. DOW surging as The Donald heads to Davos !

      People everywhere are beginning to call the DOW the DONALD !

      Delete
    5. So, Bob, if the DOW goes the other way you will pin it on Trump?


      It's looking a lot like 'mania' to me. Hold on to your hats...

      Delete
    6. If it goes the other way it's the OBAMA.

      In truth, it's looking a little like a 'mania' to me also.

      But I don't give a big one because I don't do stocks.

      Delete
    7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete

  27. Most Common Surname by State

    California Garcia Hernandez Lopez

    Hawaii Lee Wong Kim

    Idaho Smith Johnson Anderson

    Michigan Smith Johnson Williams


    https://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/whats-the-most-popular-surname-in-your-state/

    ReplyDelete

  28. Another day has passed ...
    The Turks, after telling the world the White House spokesperson is a liar, have doubled down.

    (Reuters) - Turkey urged the United States on Thursday to halt its support for Kurdish YPG fighters or risk confronting Turkish forces on the ground in Syria, some of Ankara’s strongest comments yet about a potential clash with its NATO ally

    It gets even worse, the Turks are advancing on US troops and are not parsing their words.


    “Those who support the terrorist organisation will become a target in this battle,”
    Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said.

    “The United States needs to review its solders and elements giving support to terrorists on the ground in such a way as to avoid a confrontation with Turkey,”



    Mr Trump is operating far out of his depth. The terrorists the US have been arming since Benghazi are under heavy onslaught.

    Mr Trump parties down in Davos while NATO allies threaten US troops.


    Why didn't VP Pence go to Ankara and tell those Turks to shape up and ...
    Make America Great, Again?

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

      Delete
    2. NATO's Southern Flank teeters on collapse.

      Russia's ROI on its investment in the disruption of the 2016 US election.

      Bigly HUGE

      Delete
    3. Those Turks ...
      They are just not afraid of being Tweeted.

      And they have a far better understanding of just who controls Incirilik Air Base than does Mr Trump.

      Mr Trump's high level staffers ...
      They do know ...

      Those "dozens of nukes" are there, just waiting for a provocation, before the Turkish military takes away the facade of US dominance.

      Delete
  29. TRUMP STORMS DAVOS!
    SPEECH: 'INVEST IN AMERICA'
    POPS TO 45% APPROVAL
    DOW SOARS +200....DRUDGE


    Jeez Quirk, I hope you've gone to Davos this year !

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

    ReplyDelete
  31. Lefty tyranny strives to make new strides -

    California Considers $1,000 Fine, Jail for Waiters Offering Plastic Straws....DRUDGEIan Calderon wants restaurateurs to think long and hard before giving you a straw.

    Calderon, the Democratic majority leader in California's lower house, has introduced a bill to stop sit-down restaurants from offering customers straws with their beverages unless they specifically request one. Under Calderon's law, a waiter who serves a drink with an unrequested straw in it would face up to 6 months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

    "We need to create awareness around the issue of one-time use plastic straws and its detrimental effects on our landfills, waterways, and oceans," Calderon explained in a press release.


    http://reason.com/blog/2018/01/25/california-bill-would-criminalize-restau

    Certainly a well thought out proposal. Ian has thought long and hard about it.

    Good for employment opportunities too.

    The need for restaurant police in California will be Yuuuge !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of our contributors only Ash could possibly be pleased.

      Delete
  32. Dueling Memos


    The Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee has asked David Nunes for a copy of the Nunes memo in order to aid with his investigation. Nunes refused.

    Nunes says the memo will be sent to Trump some time next week so he can decide to release it. The Dems have accused Nunes and his staff of simply concocting a list of partisan talking point that are not backed up by the underlying evidence.

    The only people who have seen the Memo are Nunes and his staff who wrote it plus selected members of the GOP caucus in the House. Those who have not seen it, though all are requesting to, include everyone else, Dems in the Huse and Senate, GOP in the Senate, other Intelligence and Judicial committees, supposedly the White House, the DOJ, the FBI, the public, in short, everyone else.

    Now, in response, the DEMS are threatening to put out their own Memo disputing the one concocted by Nunes.

    Crazy stuff.

    These are the guys we elect and pay.

    Nutz.

    FAKE NEWS!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ...let's see if Quirk can figure out how easily he was once again programmed by CNN Spin!

      Delete
    2. I'm betting against The Quirkster.

      Delete
    3. Quirk has repeatedly posted CNN Bullshit about Nunes not allowing any Dems to see the memo.
      In fact, it is Democrat BS, and they all could have seen it, but they chose not to in order to give their lackeys in the media something to write about to mislead the public, and LambBrains like our very own Quirk.

      "Conforming to House rules, Chairman Nunes has taken pains to make his memo available to all members of Congress before proceeding with the steps necessary to seek its disclosure. Thus, lawmakers have an opportunity to propose the inclusion of details that may be necessary to correct any misimpressions; or Democrats could prepare their own summary in an effort to demonstrate Nunes’s partisan spin."

      https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/24/why-congress-worked-up-secret-memo-secret-memo-house-intel-republicans-fbi-abuses-sparks-furor-amid/1059501001/

      http://www.nationalreview.com/article/455757/release-the-memo-lets-see-in-it

      Delete
    4. After all, if you can be programmed by an hour or so of CNN, ya can't figure out anything.

      Delete
    5. Make that many hours, 7 days a week, week after week after week!

      ...of course he will argue it was not ALL CNN.

      (As if there's a difference.)

      Delete
    6. ...maybe he'll go back to all the threads where he falsely accused Nunes and correct them.

      Or maybe he won't.

      Delete
    7. Horowitz has recovered the missing Strzok/Page texts...

      ANOTHER FBI LIE EXPOSED!

      Delete
    8. Maybe Quirk will explain why Page and her lover should still be employed by the FBI.

      Delete
    9. Hint for Quirk:
      The Hill, among others pulled the same shit in a different format, maybe that would become more apparent to you.

      A Google search of Quirk/CNN bullshit phrase:

      "The Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee has asked David Nunes for a copy of the Nunes memo in order to aid with his investigation. Nunes refused."

      Produces pages of misleading crap by others, but Quirk insists the media is not biased.


      Much

      Delete
    10. Don Jr, Jared and Paul all met at Trump Tower to coordinate the release of "Dirt" the Russians had on Hillary.

      Team Trump KNEW the dirt was the stolen emails ...
      The Russians had told Team Trump through Popadopolis that they had the dirt, monrhs earlier.

      And the beat goes on ...

      Steve Bannon, Tdump Campaign Chairman and Chief White House Stratagist concluded the meeting was ...
      ...TREASONOUS

      Now, the only pertinent questions...
      What did the Donald know?
      When did the Donald know?

      Mr Mueller will ask the questions

      We will all learn the punchline ..
      Eventually.

      Delete
    11. As to Page and the other, Doug, why shouldn't they be employed at the FBI?

      What personnel policies did they violate?

      What is the case FOR firing them?
      .

      Delete
    12. They destroyed evidence. (incompetently)

      They are supposed to be unbiased in their work.

      Delete
    13. The agents did not have access or capacity to deatroy the texts.
      That is no valid cause.

      You need MORE than that to fire them.

      You need practices that violated personnel protocols.
      Evidence of collusion beyond a text message about "Illuminati".

      Actual meetings, emails describing ILLEGAL activities. You know, real conspiracy.



      Delete

    14. Instructions were given, by the principle, from the podium, to the co-conspirators, who then followed the directions, fulfilling the order without compromising on quality.

      Delete
    15. Those are elements of a criminal conspiracy, Doug.

      Nkxon had "secret tapes", Mr Trump operated brazenly, in public, from the podium at campaign rallies.

      Delete
    16. .

      Well gee. I see the haole is in rare high umbrage again.

      I find Doug was right in pointing out that I was wrong in saying that House (Dems and GOP) weren't given access to view the Nunes report. When this report came out initially it had been restricted to GOP members of the Intelligence Committee, something the Dems on the Committee complained vociferously about. Subsequently, we had a whole list of people Nunes refused to allow to view the report. Obviously, in the deluge reports of people who weren't allowed to see the memo I missed that late last week the House voted to allow all members to view the report.

      Of course, the rest of Doug's discourse is bullshit as usual...

      On a google search, the first source that popped and talked of the House vote approving the Dems to see memo came from CNN proving once again Doug's 'Big Whine' about the MSM is just so much malarkey.

      Then Doug put's this up...

      "Conforming to House rules, Chairman Nunes has taken pains to make his memo available to all members of Congress before proceeding with the steps necessary to seek its disclosure. Thus, lawmakers have an opportunity to propose the inclusion of details that may be necessary to correct any misimpressions; or Democrats could prepare their own summary in an effort to demonstrate Nunes’s partisan spin."

      Doug showed two links so I'm not sure which it came from though it looks like the usual bullshit we can expect fro National Review.

      Nunes has taken pains to make this memo available to all members of Congress?

      No. He hasn't.

      When the GOP Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee asked to view the report, Nunes refused. If he wouldn't provide it to the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee who is investigating the exact same things the House committee is investigating, do you think he would share it with your run of the mill senators.

      Let's review the people he took pains to 'NOT' make the memo available to...

      - The GOP Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee
      - Senators
      - The FBI
      - The DOJ
      - Evidently Trump
      - The public
      - In other words, pretty much everyone.

      But we sure have heard a hell of a lot about it from GOP House members for the past week or so. What does that tell you?

      This could have already been released days ago with Trump buy in. What is Nunes waiting for. I think we all know.

      This is just one more Nunes slime ball play. We've seen it before. Secret meetings in the middle of the night with a Trump deep throat (no not her). Secret communications. Hastily called news conferences. Refusal to share info with members of his own committed. Deja Vu all over again. That time, Nunes ended having to recuse himself as lead on the House Intelligence Committee. The scoop he offered? A carefully edited pile of shit concocted by White House staff.

      It's obvious Nunes is milking this issue and trying to keep the report in the news for as long as he can in an attempt to distract from the Mueller investigation. The guy is a sleazeball.

      But a hero to Doug.

      :o)

      .






      Delete
    17. .

      Justice Dept recovers FBI officials' missing text messages

      WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department's internal watchdog said Thursday it recovered five months of missing text messages between two Federal Bureau of Investigation officials whom Republicans have accused of bias against President Donald Trump.

      In a letter to several key Republican lawmakers, Inspector General Michael Horowitz said he would not object if the Justice Department shares with congressional committees the messages between FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page that were recovered using forensic tools.

      In texts that were previously released to Congress, Strzok and Page referred to Trump as an "idiot" and a "loathsome human." After news reports about the messages, lawmakers demanded to see them amid Republican concerns that agency officials were biased against Trump...


      .


      Delete
    18. .

      Funny. Since they are investigating the same issues, Horowitz doesn't seem too concerned about sharing classified information between people with the proper clearances such as the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.

      .

      Delete
    19. .

      Note to Doug and Bob

      The FBI gift shot reports they will have replica copies of the official FBI 'Secret Cabal' decoder rings available in 24 ct gold in a limited edition run from the Franklin Mint on sale early next week.

      .

      Delete
  33. The Photo That Never Saw The Light Of Day Till Right Now

    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/photo-of-obama-louis-farrakhan-to-be-released

    O'bozo yucking it up with that Lord Of The Flies, Louie Farrakan of Nation of Islam.

    ReplyDelete

  34. Dianne is delighted by what Chuck is doing ...

    Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said the panel would start releasing "all witness interviews that we have done related to that meeting" right away and "get them out to the public for everyone to see".

    His panel leads one of four Russia-related inquiries into Trump officials.
    As well as the president's eldest son, the committee has interviewed other participants at the controversial Trump Tower meeting.

    They include music promoter Rob Goldstone, Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin and Anatoli Samochornov, a translator for Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

    Dianne Feinstein, the most senior Democrat on the committee, said she was "delighted" by Mr Grassley's decision.


    It'll either provide us with a plot twist, or confirm the previously described Bannon story arc towards TREASON .

    Which will be one bigly punchline

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Pootie Pooh will be rollin' with laughter down the hallways of the Kremlin.

      His ROI on the Donald ...
      .. Astronomical

      No wonder Pootie Pooh is reported to be the richest man in the world ... At least in Europe ... while the Donald hosts pagents and golf tournaments at Russian financed golf courses.

      A real Prince & Pauper story.

      Putin, the self-made man, let the New York liberal kiss his ring.

      Delete
  35. Pooty is a stone cold, blue eyed killer.

    The Donald is not.

    I prefer The Donald.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What if one conquers the entire world yet loses and destroys one's Spirit in the process ?

      The definition of a real loser.

      Delete

    2. The Donald already kissed Pooty's ring Robert "Takes a Knee" Peterson, back at the G20.

      Now the US President is talked down to by a petty Muzzie despot, and the Donald stands mute.

      Your kind of guy, the Donald is.

      Delete

    3. And for all your rhetoric about the Kurds and Kurdistan, Robert "Takes a Knee" P9, you sure are quite quiet about the Donald betraying them.

      Silence abounds on serious matters.



      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  36. Ammo for the NeverTrumpers -

    Back Into the Quagmire

    The good news is that Trump is listening to his military commanders. The bad news is that they’re leading him into disastrous wars in Afghanistan and Syria.
    By FRED KAPLAN

    JAN 25, 20189:06 AM

    ....And now the administration is digging in deeper. In a speech last week at Stanford University, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States “must maintain a military presence” in Syria in order to accomplish five goals: an “enduring defeat” of ISIS and al-Qaida, the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad through a “UN-led political process,” the diminishing of Iranian influence; the return of Syrian refugees; and the removal of all weapons of mass destruction.

    These are all worthy goals, but it’s not at all clear how a U.S. military presence can accomplish them. Probably they can’t be accomplished without this presence, but the presence has to be tied to a strategy—and a strategy requires more than the mere recitation of worthy goals. It also requires the articulation of interests, the amassing of resources, the planning and execution of a policy—and, given that we have little leverage in Syria, it also requires compromise and coordination with other countries and militias. But which ones? Can we do all this without help from some combination of Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Kurds, and some indigenous forces within Syria—or perhaps all of them?


    The problem is that the answer might be no. During the Obama administration, Secretary of State John Kerry assembled a diplomatic conference in Vienna comprised of 21 countries with an interest in the conflict. But they couldn’t get beyond a list of vague of principles, and, since then, the fissures have widened, our leverage has weakened, Assad’s grip on power has tightened, and the Iranian-backed militias that support him aren’t leaving anytime soon. Not even the WMDs are gone. In April, Trump fired 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase to punish Assad for using chemical weapons against his own people. Trump (and some others) thought that did the trick. But just this week, Assad reportedly unleashed chemicals again.

    We’ve seen this movie before. We send troops or drop bombs for what some think (and, in some cases, what might actually be) a good cause; the problem only worsens, so we send or drop more, devise a new strategy, then another new strategy (which, after a while, resembles one of the old strategies), and then just stay there, spiraling the violence upward, achieving occasional tactical triumphs but no strategic breakthroughs.

    This is where Trump is at with these endless wars that he wanted no part of and berated his predecessor for dropping in his lap. But neither he nor his advisers have the slightest idea how to break through the stasis or pull out without exacerbating the chaos. Not to draw comparisons with Vietnam, which was a far deadlier and more thoroughly senseless war, but Trump is finding himself bogged down in the very definition of a quagmire.


    https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/01/trumps-generals-are-leading-him-into-hopeless-quagmires-in-afghanistan-and-syria.html

    There is much to critique here, many blanks are fired, but I am just trying a little to help Quirk out of his quagmire.


    ReplyDelete
  37. The US versus Spain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6filPCtrt0c

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a real knee slapper, Ash.

      In fact, undeniably a little humorous.

      Uncertain how the whole affair ended though.

      Knowing you I thought it was going to be how US Imperialism took the place of Spanish Imperialism back in the day.

      Delighted you have changed your focus with the changing times.

      Delete
  38. Iran Fast Boats STOP Harassing U.S. Navy....DRUDGE

    Iran’s Fast Boats Stop Harassing U.S. Navy, Baffling Military
    Tehran halts dangerous encounters in Persian Gulf amid tensions over nuclear deal


    https://www.wsj.com/articles/irans-fast-boats-stop-harassing-u-s-navy-baffling-military-1516897301

    The mullahs like that 'nuclear deal'.

    ReplyDelete
  39. .

    DougThu Jan 25, 04:26:00 PM EST
    Maybe Quirk will explain why Page and her lover should still be employed by the FBI.


    Well, I suspect FBI agents are part of civil service which requires that they can only be fired for cause.

    Admittedly, that still begs the question. While I doubt they would be fired for calling Trump and 'idiot', you have to question when between them they put out 500,000 e-mails, many of them personal, if that doesn't constitute sufficient cause.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Take one zero off that email number.

      It's still astounding and hard to understand how they had any time for anything else.

      Delete
  40. Quirk:

    "On a google search, the first source that popped and talked of the House vote approving the Dems to see memo came from CNN proving once again Doug's 'Big Whine' about the MSM is just so much malarkey."

    Google search:

    House Intel denied Senate Intel Committee access to surveillance memo: report

    Senate intelligence panel denied access to Nunes memo - CNNPolitics
    https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/politics/richard-burr...nunes...memo/index.html
    19 hours ago - Washington (CNN) Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr's staff has not been given access to a classified memo drafted by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, a sign of how closely House Republicans are guarding allegations of Justice Department wrongdoing over ...

    CNN and The Hill's headlines are flat-out lies, but that's good enough for Quirk.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We should not believe our lying eyes when it comes to Quirk and the MSM.

      Delete
    2. 'Word is' that the Dems don't want to go read the memo.

      That's what 'the word is' on the streets of Ideehovia.

      *******

      Pooty as 'a self made man'.

      What a hoot.

      Delete
    3. The Hill

      House Intel denied Senate Intel Committee access to surveillance memo: report

      http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/370595-house-intel-denied-senate-intel-committee-access-to-surveillance

      Delete
    4. LIE !

      Real News in QuirkWorld.

      Delete
    5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  41. Spielberg Remaking 'WEST SIDE STORY'; Casting Call Goes Out....DRUDGE

    Bet this turns out to be a really good movie.

    What was it, the Jets, and the something or others.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Dershowitz says Bob is right:

    Mueller does not have the right to ask the President why he fired Comey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Does not have to, Doug.

      He can ask about draft memos that were written.

      He can ask when he first knew Lt Gen Flynn had lied to the FBI.

      He can ask what Mr Trump knows about Jared's dealings with Russian banks

      He can ask why he asked CIA & NSA to get FBI to back off Flynn/Russia.

      There are many ways Mr Mueller could ask the question, Doug.
      Not even mentioning Comey by name.

      It shouldn't be a perjury trap, not for a really smart "Stable Genius".

      Delete
    2. Mueller can ask Mr Trump if the Donald lied during the interview.

      The one when/where Mr Trump said firing Comey was "about Russia"


      Mr Trump can always take the Fifth and avoid a perjury trap.

      Or just tell the truth.

      Truths fact and back checked against all the other interviews that have been held with junior and senior subordinates of the President

      Only then will we be close to hearing the punchline

      Delete
  43. Meanwhile, on the Southern Flank of NATO the Turkish government doubles down on charges the White House is lying about what Mr Trump said in conversation with Erdogan.


    https://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2018/01/26/white-house-readout-causes-diplomatic-scandal-after-erdogan-trump-call-on-syria

    ReplyDelete
  44. Dershowitz is a Democrat I'd happily vote for, unless his opponent were someone like, say, Sarah Palin.

    Then Sarah would get my nod.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Daily Sabah is widely held to be an unbiased reasonable source of opinion and news by those 'in the know' - in the Erdogan Government.

    Daily Sabah - Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Sabah
    Daily Sabah (lit. "Daily Morning") is a Turkish pro-government daily published in Turkey. Published in English, German and Arabic and owned by Turkuvaz Media Group, Daily Sabah published its first issue on 24 February 2014. The editor-in-chief of Daily Sabah is Serdar Karagöz. Daily Sabah has been frequently called a ...


    Owner(s)‎: ‎Turkuvaz Media Group Publisher‎: ‎Turkuvaz Gazete Dergi Basim A.S
    Political alignment‎: ‎Right-wing‎, ‎political conser... Editor-in-chief‎: ‎Serdar Karagoz
    Sabah (newspaper) - Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabah_(newspaper)
    Sabah is a Turkish daily newspaper, with a circulation of around 330,000 as of 2011. Its name means "morning" in Turkish. The newspaper was founded in Izmir by Dinç Bilgin on 22 April 1985. In 2007, the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan seized the newspaper, citing a legal document that had ...


    Har de har har

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Har de har har continued.....


      In 2007, the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan seized the newspaper, citing a legal document that had not been disclosed to authorities when Sabah was sold in 2001. Ownership of the newspaper was given to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund of Turkey. Some of the newspaper's staffers were fired, and the paper was then sold to the Turkuvaz Media Group belonging to Çalık Holding whose CEO, Berat Albayrak, is the son-in-law of Erdoğan and whose chairman, Ahmet Çalık, has been described as a "close associate" of Erdoğan.[3] The $1.1bn sale aroused substantial controversy in Turkey, not least because it was partially financed by $750m of loans from two state banks, VakıfBank and Halkbank,[4] and was sold for the minimum price, with Çalık Holding the sole bidder.[5]

      According to Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, who was Sabah's Ankara bureau chief until the takeover, from then on the newspaper took on "an unwavering pro-government line."[6]


      Wiki

      Delete
    2. That's good money for a muzzie propaganda rag with a circulation of 330,000 as of 2011.

      Delete
    3. Ending Har de har har lest I, or others, laugh themselves to death

      Delete
  46. .

    CNN and The Hill's headlines are flat-out lies, but that's good enough for Quirk.

    Douglas,

    You know that's not how the game is supposed to be play.

    If you are going to call it a lie, you at least need to give us your reason for calling it that, you know, the basis of for the charge.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps I'm wrong but I think I recall Douglas doing exactly that at least once in the past few days, Quirklas.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. .

      Perhaps I'm wrong but I think I recall Douglas doing exactly that at least once in the past few days, Quirklas.


      Well, it certainly wouldn't have been the first time you've been wrong in the past few days. But that really doesn't help does it? Now, if you could rub your two brain cells together and recall what it was you thought ol Doug said, now that would of course be a different matter.

      .

      Delete
    4. .

      You do realize you just did the same thing I accused Doug of, Right.

      You guys are an example of what can happen when twins aren't separated at birth.

      .

      Delete
    5. Yup.

      Twice the brain power for a single opinion.

      You is outcompeted.

      Delete
  47. .

    Dropping Like Flies

    HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Republican congressman from Pennsylvania who settled a former aide's sexual harassment complaint with taxpayer money won't seek re-election.

    A spokesman for Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan says U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan informed Ryan of his decision on Thursday.
    Meehan is the fifth member of Congress to resign or abandon re-election amid a national reckoning over sexual misconduct in the workplace.


    .

    ReplyDelete

  48. Quirk Thu Jan 25, 09:41:00 PM EST
    .

    CNN and The Hill's headlines are flat-out lies, but that's good enough for Quirk.

    Douglas,

    You know that's not how the game is supposed to be play.

    If you are going to call it a lie, you at least need to give us your reason for calling it that, you know, the basis of for the charge.

    ===

    CNN
    Senate Intelligence Committee not given access to Nunes FISA memo

    The Hill
    House Intel denied Senate Intel Committee access to surveillance memo: report

    The Intel Committee WAS given access, comprendo?

    Jeeze

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly what I recall Doug saying a short time ago !

      Delete
    2. ...I thought just the STAFF was not given access to the memo, but the Senators, like the Housecritters got to see it in the secret room.
      Not so.
      My bad.

      Delete
    3. It is not public because it is FAKE INTEL.

      Not even NEWS

      Delete

  49. Between the Redistricting legal battle and the sizzling Sexcapades ...

    Rep. Patrick Meehan, who is facing an ethics investigation after he purportedly used taxpayer dollars in a settlement with an aide who alleged sexual harassment, will not run for re-election, according to a media report.

    The Philadelphia Inquirer reported the four-term Pennsylvania Republican sent a letter to Rep. Paul Ryan Thursday saying he will retire after his term runs out in 2018


    The Shithole took care of itself.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Other Republicans plan on using Immigration Legislation to limit the ability of US citizens from gettin "High Paying" jobs.

    Insisting that ever nore foreiners be given work permits.

    Senator Orrin Hatch introduced a bill on Thursday that would more than double the maximum number of temporary visas offered to high-skilled workers from overseas.

    The measure by would allow as many as 195,000 H-1B visas based on demand, an increase of 110,000.



    Promises Made -Promises Broken

    ReplyDelete
  51. Robert Dumber Than an Ass" tells us ...

    Daily Sabah is widely held to be an unbiased reasonable source of opinion and news by those 'in the know' - in the Erdogan Government


    Which is EXACTLY THE POINT.
    If the reader wants to KNOW the real position of the Turkish government...

    Daily Sabah is what you want to read.

    Like if you wanted to know the Trump position, Breitbart used to be the source. But now that source is on the outside of Amnesty Don's inner circle.

    But for Turkey ... The Muzzie sespot dissing the Donald ...Daily Sabah is the Resource of Choice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. But for Turkey ... The Muzzie despot dissing the Donald ... Daily Sabah is the Resource of Choice


      Delete
    2. Daily Sabah is the window to the Turkish government.

      Robert "Dumber than an Ass" Peterson would have us read the NYTimes or the WaPo, to gauge the Muzzie despots position.

      Truly bobbie, you continue to be an embarrassment

      Delete
    3. Just the opposite.

      I would never recommend The NYT or The Washington Compost for anything to anyone.

      You however are recommending reading the Sabah for whatever idiotic reason.

      I'd recommend reading JihadWatch or Pam Geller to get at what the muzzies are truly up to.

      Delete
  52. H-1B Visas - Doing jobs that Americans aren't capable of doing, like, for instance, someone with a Ph.D from Max Plank Institute of Brain Research specializing in information flows in the noggin, blockages to such flows, and strategies for overcoming such blockages.

    Some here could directly benefit from such hires.

    The H-1B is a visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H) which allows U.S. employers to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. If a foreign worker in H-1B status quits or is dismissed from the sponsoring employer, the worker must either apply for and be granted a change of status, find another employer (subject to application for adjustment of status and/or change of visa), or leave the United States. Effective January 17, 2017, USCIS modified the rules to allow a grace period of up to 60 days but in practice as long as a green card application is pending they are allowed to stay.[1][2] In 2015, there were 348,669 applicants for the H-1B filed of which 275,317 were approved.[3]

    The regulations define a "specialty occupation" as requiring theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge in a field of human endeavor[4] including but not limited to biotechnology, chemistry, architecture, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, medicine and health, education, law, accounting, business specialties, theology, and the arts, and requiring the attainment of a bachelor's degree or its equivalent as a minimum[5] (with the exception of fashion models, who must be "of distinguished merit and ability").[6] Likewise, the foreign worker must possess at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent and state licensure, if required to practice in that field. H-1B work-authorization is strictly limited to employment by the sponsoring employer.


    Wiki

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jobs American CANNOT do.

      Not all of US are as stupid as YOU and your cousin Stanley.

      Impirting workers for jobs US citizens CAN DO.

      Robert "Took a Knee" Peterson disparages US citizens.

      He does not believe that America Can Be Great, not without even more Muzzie immigrants!



      Delete
    2. Heh, what a twisted cartoon you have always been.

      Delete
  53. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Robert and Orin Hatch want to open the flood gate of Muzzie immigrants coming to the US.

      Delete

    2. Why, of course, of course of course of course, which is why I've said endlessly:

      Stop Moslem Immigration To USA Now !

      You be a twisted pretzel.

      Ciao and good night and cheers to all you others !

      Got a hopefully profitable day tomorrow in many ways.

      Got to get some shut eye.

      Delete
  54. Hello.

    I may trans but for some odd reason I can get a kick out of some of your arguments.

    The dispute regarding whether JH called Jews the scum of the earth, or not.

    Here are the original postings:

    Bob OreilleWed Dec 31, 02:43:00 PM EST
    Jack HawkinsWed Dec 31, 02:10:00 PM EST

    Comical, but that is all you guys are left with.
    The intellectual arguments failed your side, long ago.

    I hate racists, apartheid apparatchiks and those that would make excuses
    for them.

    {;-)

    .................

    Jack HawkinsFri Jul 18, 12:36:00 AM EDT

    I mean, you are an Israeli, and there is nothing worse than that.

    In all the world, the Arabs of Israel are the scum.

    Now if you were a European, well thatd be different, but Israelis are all
    Arabs, Semites.
    Scum of the Earth


    ;-)

    Have a nightmare tonight and a shitty tomorrow,

    QuirkFri Jul 18, 01:13:00 AM EDT

    .

    And the voice of the rat is heard in the land.

    And the world once again cringes.

    .
    Bob OreilleFri Jul 18, 02:35:00 AM EDT

    "I mean, you are an Israeli, and there is nothing worse than that."

    There we go. That's a keeper. I am going to store that one.

    Jack "Hamasass PsychoRat of the Desert" Hawkins puts it in one concise line.


    His whole outlook. Simple, ignorant, unbelievably irrational.

    No wonder most people can't stand him.


    Bob's recollection is not perfect but I judge on points Bob to be more correct and JH less correct on the interpretation of these postings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why thank you, Sylvia.

      Peace to you !

      Delete
    2. And to you, Quirk !

      QuirkFri Jul 18, 01:13:00 AM EDT

      .

      And the voice of the rat is heard in the land.

      And the world once again cringes.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete

    5. Your lack of testosterone is quite evident.

      Delete
    6. Wow Rat, sounds like you are losing it..

      LOL

      Delete
    7. Not losing, lost it.

      Delete
  55. .

    Please Stop

    I am asking that you two stop using my past comments as digs during your puerile tit for tat.

    Everyone here realizes I represent no 'appeal to authority' and the use of the comment is simply a lazy way to offer up another dig.

    Thanks

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will follow your desires.

      Reserving the right, of course, to use your comments as ammo for an occasional shot taken at you.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. You are still an embarrassment, Robert "Takes a Knee " Peterson.

      You will remain an embarrassment, and if Quirk wants to change his mind about that... It matters not at all to me

      Delete
  56. .

    Citizens of the World


    Tech firms let Russia probe software widely used by U.S. government

    WASHINGTON/MOSCOW — Major global technology providers SAP, Symantec and McAfee have allowed Russian authorities to hunt for vulnerabilities in software deeply embedded across the U.S. government, a Reuters investigation has found.
    The practice potentially jeopardizes the security of computer networks in at least a dozen federal agencies, U.S. lawmakers and security experts said. It involves more companies and a broader swath of the government than previously reported. In order to sell in the Russian market, the tech companies let a Russian defense agency scour the inner workings, or source code, of some of their products. Russian authorities say the reviews are necessary to detect flaws that could be exploited by hackers.

    Graphic:Why revealing source code could be risky

    But those same products protect some of the most sensitive areas of the U.S government, including the Pentagon, NASA, the State Department, the FBI and the intelligence community, against hacking by sophisticated cyber adversaries like Russia.

    Reuters revealed in October that Hewlett Packard Enterprise software known as ArcSight, used to help secure the Pentagon's computers, had been reviewed by a Russian military contractor with close ties to Russia's security services.

    Now, a Reuters review of hundreds of U.S. federal procurement documents and Russian regulatory records shows that the potential risks to the U.S. government from Russian source code reviews are more widespread.

    Beyond the Pentagon, ArcSight is used in at least seven other agencies, including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the State Department's intelligence unit, the review showed. Additionally, products made by SAP, Symantec and McAfee and reviewed by Russian authorities are used in at least eight agencies. Some agencies use more than one of the four products...


    Multinational companies long ago lost any loyalty to the states in which they were formed. Global countries can only be considered citizens of the world. Their focus no longer involves loyalty but rather profits and/or fear of prosecution.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some think this may not be a bad thing, but a good thing, reducing the chance of warfare between competing states, and beginning the process of 'bringing us all together'.

      My man Joseph Campbell speculated on this idea.

      "If enlightened common interest doesn't bring us together, the ecological crisis sooner or later will"

      Until such a time arrives he advises we keep, like our American Eagle, its head turned to the talons holding symbols of peace, our other talons, holding arrows - we should keep those arrows sharp, and be willing to defend our way of life.

      Delete
    2. You only have one man little bobbie and his name ain't Joe

      Delete
  57. .

    NY Post Headline: We are No.1 (and No.2)

    The Trumps asked to borrow a Van Gogh for the White House. The Guggenheim offered an 18K gold toilet instead.

    This is a rather lengthy article and I don't know how it can be considered anything but a slight to Trump which may offend some but it still offers some interesting tidbits about the author's motivation and the toilet itself.

    For instance, the 'toilet' is one of the few pieces of art on display that is functional and the public is allowed to use. In fact, over 100,000 people have used it so far.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Donald already has golden toilets.

      This is nothing but a shitty display of disrespect for the choice of THE AMERICAN PEOPLE and its duly elected President by the iron hearted turds at Guggenheim.

      Delete
    2. For a truly satisfying dump, use a well made out house with a deep drop.

      Nothing better.

      One can often smell the cedars and hear the birds chirp.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  58. The Economist concedes, sort of: Actually, Trump’s not been bad for the economy after all
    ED MORRISSEY Jan 26, 2018 8:41 AM
    TOP PICK

    “Little of what was feared about Mr Trump’s economic policy has come to pass.”

    https://hotair.com/archives/2018/01/26/economist-concedes-sort-actually-trumps-not-bad-economy/

    Certainly beats the economic policies of Venezuela.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course the Economist is happy.

      The policies of "Economic Nationalism" that Mr Trump campaigned upon are not the Neo-Liberal policies that were passed in the Tax Cut legislation.

      Of course the MSM for Wall Street is pleased

      For Main Street ...

      Promises Made - Promises Broken

      Delete
  59. That limo, it is rolln' over those poor Kurds who took the Trump Administration at their word ...

    “We are not in a crisis,”
    said Dana White, chief Pentagon spokesperson at a briefing for reporters.

    “Turkey is an ally, and we are going to work with them, but this current issue, the offensive, is a distraction, and we have to focus as allies in the mission at hand and that’s defeating ISIS."



    Kurds DYING, is not a CRISIS, merely a DISTRACTION.

    Like the Donald our own Robert "Kurdish Lives Don't Matter" Peterson stands mute


    Promises Made - Promises Broken

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Word fro the Executive Office Building .

      Kurdistan is such a shithole, no one but Muzzies lives there.




      Delete
    2. Just as Mr Teump is going to "Morph" 1.8 million "Dreamers" into US citizens ...

      ... the Defense Department has morphed the Kurds who were US proxies, into ISIS. A legitimate target of US munitions.

      Promises Made - Promises Broken



      Delete

    3. Those Kurds. ... Maybe they're not considered ISIS, yet ...

      Maybe they're just considered collateal damage, by Donald Trump and his Generals.

      Just pawns, spawned to be sacrificed in placating a Muzzie despot.

      Delete

  60. So it looks like the Donald DID order the firing of Mr Mueller ...

    His staffers refused to carry out the order.


    Donald Trump - Emasculated President

    ReplyDelete
  61. It appears a night's sleep has done you no good at all.


    Ciao to others

    I'm outta here....

    ReplyDelete
  62. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  63. .

    Draining the Swamp

    D.C. lobbying during Trump administration surges to highest level in 7 years

    WashingTON — Lobbying activity in Washington surged to $3.34 billion last year — its highest level since 2010 — as corporations, trade groups and other interests scrambled to make their mark on everything from fast-moving tax legislation to immigration policy during President Trump’s first year in office.

    The new tally from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics shows powerful and long-standing trade groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Realtors, spending the most money to shape policy in 2017.

    “Lobbyists appear not to have gotten the memo about draining the swamp,” said Sheila Krumholz, the center’s executive director, referring to Trump’s often-repeated campaign pledge to clean up Washington and rein in lobbyists.

    The center’s tally also shows that lobbying by individual companies hit new levels...


    #PromisesMade#PromisesBroken

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think they are mostly wasting their money compared to days past. The Donald is his own man. Nobody but his inner circle, family and lawyers and a few selected Secretaries are going to make much of a dent.

      The really good news is the NRA isn't going to need to be wasting a ton of money lobbying The Donald who is solid on the 2nd Amendment.

      He carries concealed himself, I have read.

      Delete
  64. Replies
    1. :)

      heh heh heh

      Why doesn't that surprise me ?

      Hillary has never had a smidgen of respect for the actual female sex.

      What she never got and never will get now is that karma is real.

      Delete
  65. Jack got 11 - eleven -of his posts in this thread taken down by the blog administrator.

    Not a record but a good effort.

    It makes the reading so much more pleasant.

    Thank you, Blog Administrator.

    ReplyDelete