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."

Saturday, December 10, 2016

What to Believe? This video produced five years ago is depressing



The current argument being made by the media to discredit what has been revealed about the Clinton campaign cannot be  disputed by the facts. The facts are obviously true. Any rational reading of the actual emails attests to their being genuine and authenticity.

The proof of that is the intensity of the argument to discredit the source.

It is claimed that the source, Russian, therefore Putin, makes them inadmissible evidence of Clintonian  chicanery.

There is a full press nuclear strength info solar flair war  in process this morning. Every big media  news source is running with it.

news.google


Secret CIA assessment says Russia was trying to help Trump win White House

Washington Post - ‎9 hours ago‎
The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than just to undermine confidence in the U.S.
Trump Team Dismisses Report Russian Hacking Was to Help Trump Win
Bombshell Secret CIA Report Says Russia Aimed To Steal White House For Trump
Trump breaks with Obama, intel agencies on election hacking
Obama orders 'full review' of election hacks, results not to be made public
Trump Team: Same People Who Say Russia Meddled In Election Said Iraq Had WMDs
Just Before Trump Takes Office, Obama Plans Release Of Intel On Russian Hacking


The public divide between the intelligence agencies and the president-elect, who questions such Russian ties, is dangerous, say experts.


STEVEN MELENDEZ 12.09.16 11:30 AM

Just before Donald Trump takes the presidential oath of office next month, the Obama administration plans to release a full report on Russian connections to cyber attacks during the election, officials said Friday.
Trump has cast doubt on the Kremlin's involvement in politically charged hacking and fake news efforts prior to this year’s election while leading members of Congress have called on the administration to share what it knows about the Russian connection and pushed for a wider investigation, leading to a potentially fiery showdown over the issue. And such a public divide between the president-elect and intelligence agencies is unusual and dangerous, say experts.
"To evaluate Congress’s response appropriately, we would like all Members to have a comprehensive understanding of what the U.S. Intelligence Community knows regarding Russia’s involvement in these actions and attempts to interfere in our election," the lawmakers wrote this week in an open letter to President Barack Obama.
Officials sometimes purposely share with Congress "only what is necessary for them to perform proper oversight," partially as a safeguard against unintentional leaks, says Chris Finan, a former White House cybersecurity advisor and CEO of Bay Area security startup Manifold Technology. But in this case, Finan says it was more likely that intelligence agencies are still working to establish precisely how various efforts to influence the election link back to the top levels of the Russian government.

"They’d want to try to find deliberate command and control links—instances where people were directed by a Russian official," he says. "I think that there’s probably a lot of interest and focus in, are these proxy groups operating on their own based on what they thought Moscow would want them to do or were they acting on a directive from somebody in the Russian government."
Prominent Democrats in the House of Representatives introduced a bill on Wednesday calling for a bipartisan commission to investigate Russian attempts to influence the election. Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings cited October statements from intelligence officials blaming Russia for hacks targeting Democratic Party servers and subsequent leaks of embarrassing emails.
"The head of the National Security Agency said there is no doubt that this was a targeted and conscious effort to achieve a specific result," Cummings said in a statement. "And the Intelligence Community also said that they believe that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities."
Prominent Republican senators including Arizona Senator and Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Tennessee Senator and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker have also all expressed interest in investigating Russian hacks, despite the president-elect's skepticism. House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas,has also recently publicly condemned Russia for the attacks despite his support for Trump.
While Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden have both hinted at the possibility of retaliation for the alleged Russian hacks, it’s likely that at this point in Obama’s presidency any further responses will be left to the Trump administration, Finan says.
Trump said in an interview with Time magazine, which named him 2016’s "Person of the Year," that he doesn’t believe Russia interfered with the election and thinks intelligence agency conclusions may have been politically motivated.
Trump’s statements drew a strong rebuke from Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, who called his comments "enormously damaging to the country" and to intelligence officials.
"Notwithstanding the abundance of evidence that Russia hacked our political institutions during the Presidential campaign and dumped documents in an effort to meddle in our political affairs, President-elect Trump’s comments this morning continue to contradict our intelligence professionals and carry water for the Kremlin," Schiff said in a statement.
Schiff declined through a spokesman to comment further on the matter, and a Trump spokeswoman didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.
Such a divide over the legitimacy of intelligence reports is highly unusual, particularly when conclusions within the intelligence community seem so unanimous, Finan says.
"Not only is it unusual—it’s incredibly dangerous," he says. "To question the veracity but also to question the professionalism of our intelligence community, that is potentially very damaging to morale and it’s going to put the nation at risk."
_______
ELEPHANT BAR  OPINION:
No argument is being made against the veracity of the emails. Only the source.
I for one, hardly no where to turn for so-called information or news that does not have a political agenda behind it. In general the US British and European media has amazingly, so tarted up their profession and the professionalism of journalism, I would give more credence to a $100 hooker in the Hotel del Rey's Sportsman's Bar  than the whores in the media.

This is getting dangerous and will get real ugly and get ugly fast.

ON ANOTHER MATTER

To be honest with all of you. I am not sure we are doing much more than pissing in the wind. Google is making it very difficult to use blogger as it was intended.

I assumed that it was to freely express my views and all others to express theirs as well. Google has so expanded their voracious appetite to control everyone and all their information all the time, I spend an inordinate amount of time signing in and trying to dodge their pernicious appetite to know us. Trust me. It is worse than you think.

I refuse to give them a working cell phone number and by doing so, I can edit the blog, but not comment on it. I made the unfortunate error of signing into Google Drive and it has made things worse.

I don't have the time or the inclination to move to another platform as everyone else has.

I'll make one phone call to them to try and get this straightened out.

Will keep you informed.

56 comments:

  1. I offer $100 for all three.
    ********

    Navy has beaten Army 15 years in a row. Today, Army wins.
    ********

    Idaho Elevator Report: Rep. McMorris Rodgers for Interior secretary

    Trump to pick Rep. McMorris Rodgers for Interior secretary
    BY DEVIN HENRY - 12/09/16 10:55 AM EST 815
    7,385

    President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) to lead the Interior Department, a source close to the transition team told The Hill Friday.

    Trump will tap McMorris-Rodgers, a five-term Republican who represents eastern Washington and is the chair of the House GOP Conference, to lead the department. The New York Times first reported the news.

    McMorris Rodgers is a vice chair of Trump’s transition team and the highest-ranking woman in GOP leadership. She formally met with Trump on Nov. 20. Her office declined to comment Friday.

    If confirmed by the Senate, McMorris Rodgers would lead the 70,000-employee, $12 billion Interior Department, which manages federal lands for both preservation and energy and mineral development, controls offshore drilling and oversees national parks.

    She would be Trump’s point person on public lands energy development, something Trump said he wants to expand as president....

    http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/309628-trump-to-pick-rep-mcmorris-rodgers-for-interior-secretary-report

    ReplyDelete
  2. December 10, 2016
    Last Year’s Man
    By Glenn Fairman

    The Bible tells us in the Gospel of Matthew about a merchant, who having found a pearl of great price, sold all that he had to buy it. As a seventeen-year boy coming of age in the mid-1970s, I was that merchant, and the late poet-songwriter Leonard Cohen was my treasure. At the cusp of my manhood, he was my connection to the profundity that words can bring. His tone was as dark as any Goth, as enchanted as William Blake, and as visceral as a punch in the solar plexus. Last month, when my wife informed me that he had passed on November 7th at the age of 82, it was as if I was ripped through a tear in that great space-time continuum. Once again, I remembered that seeker who poured over “Songs of Love and Hate” for the augury concerning the future the lay before me. Cohen came to you most fully when you were empty and broken, but like all prophets and mystics will tell you: “that’s how the light gets in.”

    Like all devotions, we begin with a psalm:....

    http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/12/last_years_man.html


    ReplyDelete
  3. So the CIA is pretty sure the Russians wanted Trump to win

    POSTED AT 8:31 AM ON DECEMBER 10, 2016 BY JAZZ SHAW

    http://hotair.com/archives/2016/12/10/so-the-cia-is-pretty-sure-the-russians-wanted-trump-to-win/

    Many questions raised in this article.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bob Beckel: Pundit: Fat Ass: Fat Brain

    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/12/the_reckoning_who_was_the_absolute_worst_pundit_of_the_election.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. Replies
    1. Thank you.

      We have your coordinates.

      The Google Team

      Delete
  6. Google is not alone in trying to get my cell phone number. I've never given it nor will I. I seriously doubt they have any interest in your content unless you choose go the child porn route. Good luck trying get to talk to anyone at Google unless you've got a big pot of money to spend on advertising.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      I agree, Ash. No doubt most of your personal information is out on the internet anyway; however, I refuse to willingly contribute to the problem. That's why I limit even the purchases I make there much less social media, no Facebook, no Twitter...

      It will only get worse. There is no stopping it when they can make a buck off the info (or worse).

      .


      Delete
    2. Everyone should go underground, not buy anything, and never ever communicate except out in the forest.

      Let them try and make a buck off of that....

      Delete
    3. .

      They'd soon be charging an entrance fee to the forest.

      [And the price of tin cans and twine would go through the roof.]

      .

      Delete
  7. If you're looking to advertise, ask The Quirkster for advice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you're looking to farm, ask Boondocks Bob for advice.

      He'll talk you out of it.

      Delete
  8. If I were Russia, I would think I could have my way much easier with Clinton than Trump. Trump being the unknown and Clinton being....well, Clinton.

    The Libs just refuse to accept that Clinton was beat by Trump straight up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By that last comment I meant there seems to be a new excuse every week:
      Comey's antics
      Fake news
      Russia
      Etc

      Delete
    2. Sounds like another 'great right wing conspiracy' going on....

      Delete
    3. AND, all this business of popular vote versus electoral college, I believe if popular vote decided the election, Trump would have campaigned differently. He never lost focus on the electoral process.

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

      Delete
    5. .

      I agree with you, Mome.

      Had the popular vote meant shit, Trump would have put more effort into pushing for votes in big Democratic states like California and New York rather than ceding them to Hillary, Trump played according to the rules and went after the swing states of MI, WI, and PA in the last few weeks of the election. Hillary ignored them and instead carried on with her identity politics and her rude and crude meme.

      You win or lose by playing by the existing rules and you don't try to change the rules after the game is over.

      .

      Delete
    6. .

      Democrats - Media - CNN

      The left has gone batshit crazy over Trump's win.

      The current liberal meme.

      - The US intelligence community assessment is that Russia tried to affect the US election.
      - The NYT reports the RNC was also hacked (according to unnamed intelligence sources.
      - Trump challenges the conclusions and takes a slap at the CIA.
      - The Dems and the media argue that Trump's views are creating a 'constitutional crisis' that the very union is in danger.
      - Some are even calling for a new election.

      This despite the facts that -

      - There is actually no proof that has been presented yet, merely assessments i.e. opinions, or more aptly, speculation that the Russians were involved.
      - No one has argued that the alleged hacking actually affected the election, or that
      - Trump did anything wrong.

      Conclusions:

      - The Dems and media are either batshit crazy or it is they who are ginning up a constitutional crisis.

      - Obama will be remembered in infamy and his legacy stained forever (if I have anything to say about it) as a political hack willing to sacrifice the good of the country for his party.

      .

      .

      Delete
    7. Your windshield wiper is working well today.

      Just keep it on 'High' all the time, and never on 'Intermittent'.

      Delete
    8. .

      CNN in the Bag for the Dems

      Saw two segments on CNN this morning before turning it off...

      1. The first was with that bumptious dolt Smerkinjerkoff or whatever his name is. He was interviewing the guy heading up the RNC now that Priebus is out.

      It was contentious right from the start. It was easy to see where the Smerkster was coming from; however, whoever the guy from the RNC was he was great. He was on his game and countered every statement Smerko made. At the end, you could see Smerkjerk was fuming and he blurted out, (paraphrased) 'Forget the facts, how can you justify anyone questioning the conclusion that the evil empire is interfering with our elections?'

      The guy from the RNC yelled back at him, 'What proof do you have that they interfered.' Smerkoff tried to respond but he was cut off again with 'Show us your proof. Let's see it."

      The interview ended at that point with 'Well, this has been an interesting discussion. Thanks for coming in.'

      2. Interview with two security experts.

      Following the Smerkinjerkoff interview, a no-name weekend guy came on and was interviewing two 'security experts', one an ex-CIA guy. Both were asked about the CIA assessment. The ex-CIA guy said we will have to wait until the 'forensics' were provided but we can trust that their assessment was based on some pretty hard evident. The second guy came on and basically said we have to assume the Russians did based on the fact they have been trying to influence elections all over Europe.

      Then the topper...

      CNN talking head: 'Michael, based on what you know should there be a new election?'

      Michael: 'In my opinion, yes, definately.'

      CNN talking head: 'What about you ex-CIA guy.'

      ex-CIA guy: 'Well yes, I agree with Michael'.

      Well there you go. Slam dunk. Let's start the ball rolling. Maybe we could get Obama to stick around for a while just until the new election is completed. Or, better yet, maybe we could just anoint Clinton winner by default.

      Question 1: How are two 'cybersecurity experts' qualified to answer a question on the constitution or US elections?

      Question 2: What qualified newsman would ask two unknown 'security' agents a question like that?

      Question 3: Who is it that is really trying to generate a constitutional crisis?

      .

      Delete
    9. Might you be thinking perhaps of Smirk'n'Quirkoff ?

      Delete
  9. 200 more US troops to Syria.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With Trump being a winner and all I expect we shall see more and more sent to the ME. I hope I am wrong.

      Delete
  10. What's The Donald going to do about Raqqa ?

    ReplyDelete
  11. How things work:

    I TOLD MY SON, "YOU WILL MARRY THE GIRL I CHOOSE." HE SAID, "NO."


    I TOLD HIM, "SHE IS BILL GATES' DAUGHTER." HE SAID, "YES."

    I CALLED BILL GATES AND SAID, "I WANT YOUR DAUGHTER TO MARRY MY SON,"
    BILL GATES SAID, "NO"

    I TOLD BILL GATES, "MY SON IS THE C.E.O. OF WORLD BANK." BILL GATES SAID,

    "OK"

    I CALLED THE PRESIDENT OF WORLD BANK AND ASKED HIM TO MAKE MY SON THE
    C.E.O. HE SAID, "NO"

    I TOLD HIM, "MY SON IS BILL GATES' SON-IN-LAW" HE SAID, "OK"

    ReplyDelete
  12. Idaho Elevator Report: Trump chooses Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State

    ReplyDelete
  13. METRO
    Santacon protesters and revelers clash during bar crawl
    By Melissa Klein and Abigail Gepner December 10, 2016 | 12:33pm | Updated


    Men are arrested by police officers (left) as they demand a ban of the the annual Santacon, while it taking place outside the Flatiron Building (right) on Dec. 10. Photo: Getty Images (2)

    MORE ON:
    SANTACON

    Desperate New Yorkers make last-ditch effort to sabotage SantaCon

    EMT busted for throwing a mug at bartender at SantaCon

    Costumed revelers let loose during SantaCon

    The photos these Santas will be sorry to see

    Santacon’s drunken Kris Kringles found coal in their stockings this morning in the form of neighborhood activists jeering the annual Manhattan bar crawl.

    Two protesters were arrested around 11 a.m., just as about 1,000 Santas gathered at the Flatiron building to begin their boozy trek through midtown.

    The activists confronted the parade of St. Nicks with a megaphone. “I saw a sex act in aisle four of Duane Reade!” one yelled, as Santas showered him with boos. “You guys are doing a bad thing and it makes everyone sad.”

    One group of neighborhood activists went so far as to put up posters saying the booze-fueled blight had been canceled, hoping to preempt the march of wooden-legged merrymakers who dress as elves, gingerbread people and Father Christmas clones....

    http://nypost.com/2016/12/10/santacon-protesters-and-revelers-clash-during-bar-crawl/

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

    ReplyDelete
  15. I haven't noticed any protest knee taking at the Army Navy game today.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm forming a low opinion of this Tillerson character.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But it's not fully formed yet.

      Delete
    2. Tillerson is an oil man from Texas with international ties to not only Russia but also Kurdistan. He might just be the perfect pick since virtually every international situation seems to be centered around oil. Who has it and who needs it. Time will tell. Regardless, Trump has once again picked a business person instead of a career blood sucking politician. Giuliani, my favorite, is perhaps too old to do the job. Who knows. Sometimes the mind writes checks the ass can't cash.

      Delete
  17. So where's that big beautiful door?: Column
    F.H. Buckley 11:06 a.m. EST December 9, 2016
    We should look to our neighbors in Canada for an immigration program that puts their own workers first.

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/12/09/trump-wall-immigration-canada-door-column/95151688/

    ReplyDelete
  18. "- No one has argued that the alleged hacking actually affected the election..."

    ===

    No effect whatsoever.

    No vote was changed by the knowledge of the depth and breadth of dishonesty, illegality, and depravity of Hillary and Company.

    Makes perfect sense.

    ReplyDelete
  19. We need to hack back !

    Next Rooskie 'election' WE call the shots....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Putin for President.

      He and Don will have things under control in 2 years.

      Delete
    2. Divide the entire world between the two of them !

      Delete
  20. I love the way Catherine Herridge says 'you're welcome'.

    Best 'you're welcome' on Fox.

    Short, proper, slightly underspoken....like her hair.

    She's all business....none of this Megyn crap.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I could live to 100 if only to see how ugly Megyn's bony countenance had become.

      The longer you live, the more your outside reflects your inside.

      Delete
    2. http://media.breitbart.com/media/2016/12/Megyn-Kelly-Getty-640x481.jpg

      Delete
    3. The source added: “Go. We don’t care. Leave. You want to be friends with Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon? Go to CNN. Have fun.”

      There are rumors that Kelly may leave for CNN — and Vanity Fair reported Thursday that Kelly is also considering a move to ABC. In both cases, she is rumored to be considering salary offers less than the $20 million that Fox has reportedly offered her to stay, in exchange for more advantageous working conditions.

      There are also worries at Fox about Kelly’s book sales, according to the source. After debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in mid-November, Kelly’s memoir has fallen to #4 in just a few weeks, and sold fewer than 150,000 units through its first three weeks, according to the most recent figures available from Publishers Weekly.

      http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2016/12/09/megyn-kelly-source-fox-sick-fox-news-needs-cut-loose/

      Delete
  21. Pre PC Speech Days

    "Off to the side, actress and dancer Neile Adams, who was Steve McQueen's first wife, recalled Douglas's mischievous side.

    "Kirk was terrible when he was a young man! You could not sit beside him without his hand crawling up your leg. When Steve would leave the room suddenly he'd be on me," she said with a hearty laugh. "But he was cute."

    http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Hollywood-legend-Kirk-Douglas-turns-100-10785431.php

    Inside Kirk Douglas's intimate 100th birthday celebration

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "But he was cute."

      And that makes all the difference....

      Delete
    2. Macro Aggression, Sexual Assault, Rape, etc etc

      Delete
  22. Heroin deaths exceed gun homicides for first time this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In USA....

      Over 12,000 for each.

      Delete
    2. Prescription barbiturates are gateway drugs.

      Delete
    3. Heroin epidemic: A direct connection to the legalization of cannibis.

      Delete