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, May 17, 2017

President Pence? ...and they are all honorable men



After the inevitable impeachment of Donald Trump will come President Mike Pence – and it won't be so bad


“I, Michael Richard Pence, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States…” It’s not so outlandish a vista, is it? Especially now.

Every Vice President, no matter how modest or unlikely a figure, knows that he is “only a heartbeat away” from the highest office, as the phrase goes, should some tragedy overtake the chief executive. In the case of Mike Pence, he might feel that he is only a tweet away from assuming the presidency, such have been the mishaps, missteps and much worse of what we should probably call the Trump Maladministration.

The last time it happened, in 1974, President Richard Nixon was in so much trouble over Watergate that he had to go – because, as he carefully put it in his resignation speech on 8 August 1974: “I have concluded that because of the Watergate matter I might not have the support of the Congress that I would consider necessary to back the very difficult decisions and carry out the duties of this office in the way the interests of the nation would require.” In other words, there was no “admission” of any guilt, but an open admission that he couldn't beat an impeachment and forced removal, and would rather spare the country (and himself and his family) further pointless anguish by chucking it in before America was further torn apart by the affair. He was right.

That could quite conceivably befall President Trump, and even more so because of the already visible signs of unrest among those in his own party about what has been happening in his brief presidential reign; but also because Trump hasn't much of a political base in Congress, being more of an insurgent than a Republican. On the other hand, he sure has a base in the country. Maybe subliminally (or maybe not), this is why Trump likes to get away from DC and go and speak and be adored at some great Trump rally every so often – to remind the professional politicians in their bubble that he is a power in the land.

The Trumpites, many so personally devoted, will make their views known if and when the time comes for a Götterdämmerung struggle, but still the senators and congress members may well calculate that they have more to lose by sticking with Trump than by replacing him with a clean skin. Pence, by contrast to Trump, is cautious, conservative and conventional, and plainly “one of us” to the Republican elite. 

Though still loved by his supporters, like Nixon before him, Trump may decide not to risk certain impeachment and punishment by resigning before what Nixon called a “deliberately difficult process” becomes inevitable. Admittedly Bill Clinton toughed it out for rather longer during the Lewinsky business in the mid-1990s, but that was, in truth, basically a trivial offence by comparison with the stuff Nixon or Trump face: obstruction of justice and all the rest.

The very threat of impeachment could be sufficient to deliver us President Pence. In which case, like Gerald Ford, the VP who succeeded Nixon, the question arises as to whether President Pence should grant an unconditional presidential pardon to his predecessor for any crimes and misdemeanours that might have been committed in office (or before…). Again you’d think that likely, on political rather than judicial grounds.

The title of Ford’s memoirs, A Time to Heal, summed up his and the national mood, and Ford went on TV to explain his decision.

The following is a version of such a national address if delivered by President Pence sometime in 2018 (after the mid-term elections might have further removed Trump’s support in Congress) or in 2019. Ford’s was quite a majestic and historic text, formally a Presidential Proclamation, so I hope you’ll excuse the length of this “modernised” version:

“As a result of certain acts or omissions occurring before his resignation from the Office of President, Donald Trump has become liable to possible indictment and trial for offences against the United States. Whether or not he shall be so prosecuted depends on findings of the appropriate grand jury and on the discretion of the authorised prosecutor. Should an indictment ensue, the accused shall then be entitled to a fair trial by an impartial jury, as guaranteed to every individual by the Constitution.

“It is believed that a trial of Donald Trump, if it became necessary, could not fairly begin until a year or more has elapsed. In the meantime, the tranquillity to which this nation has been restored by the events of recent weeks could be irreparably lost by the prospects of bringing to trial a former President of the United States. The prospects of such a trial will cause prolonged and divisive debate over the propriety of exposing to further punishment and degradation a man who has already paid the unprecedented penalty of relinquishing the highest elective office of the United States.

“Now, therefore, I, Michael R Pence, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free and absolute pardon unto Donald Trump for all offences against the United States which he, Donald Trump, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from 1 January 2016 through 9 August 2019.”

Would it be bad for America, all of this? No, at least not necessarily.

Watergate and Nixon left scars. The ramifications are still felt today, not least in Mr Trump’s strange allusion to tape recordings and the frequent comparisons with the Watergate era’s sacking of the Special Prosecutor and White House interference in the work of the CIA and FBI, and of course the arguments about impeachment. Yet America did recover from Watergate, and Ford himself, though neglected, proved perfectly effective as well as a healing figure.

Gerald Ford so recovered his party’s position that he went on to almost win the 1976 presidential election against Democrat Jimmy Carter (Ford also saw off a radical right winger named Governor Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination). With Henry Kissinger as continuing Secretary of State, Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President and, lest we forget, Donald Rumsfeld as Defence Secretary, he picked up the pieces of the Vietnam defeat and pursued detente with Russia and China, including finishing the important Helsinki Accords, which sowed the seeds of human rights in the Communist Bloc that eventually helped bring down the Soviet Union.

So, not a bad president. And some of the others who came to power "accidentally" were also truly great political figures: Teddy Roosevelt, Harry S Truman and Lyndon Johnson, for example. 

President Pence would no doubt carry on with much of Trump’s agenda, but you get the feeling he might quietly shelve the Mexican wall and some of the more eccentric stuff, and he would certainly not send out ill-tempered tweets before he’s settled in for his morning coffee. He and prospective First Lady Karen Pence would make a more homely couple than the glamorous Donald and Ivanka show, but no matter. The Republicans might well prefer that, and maybe it would be in America’s interests to have a man as president who very deliberately told his party when accepting their nomination, “I'm a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order.”

The 46th president, and “the Man who Pardoned Trump”, perhaps too, before that much longer. 

105 comments:

  1. .


    Besides, a lot of Trump's problems will soon disappear. Vlad Dracul or I mean Vlad Putin has indicated he has proof Trump didn't release any secrets.

    Woo hoo.

    (Although it begs the question, did that Russian photographer also record audio from the meeting?)

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pooty has offered to release the Rooskie notes of The Donald's meeting with The Lavrov himself.

      Putin: Hey, I’ll provide the notes of Trump’s meeting with Lavrov; Update: Collins calls offer “absurd”
      May 17, 2017 8:41 AM by Ed Morrissey


      Troll level: Grandmaster. Vladimir Putin joked with Italian media today about America’s “political schizophrenia,” and scolded foreign minister Sergei Lavrov for not sharing Donald Trump’s secrets with him. But if Congress really wants to know what was said during the Oval Office meeting with Trump, Lavrov, and ambassador Sergei Kislyak, Putin says he’d be happy to provide their notes.

      All you gotta do is ask ….

      Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed the ongoing scandal around President Donald Trump sharing classified intelligence with Russian officials as “political schizophrenia.” ….


      http://hotair.com/archives/2017/05/17/putin-hey-ill-provide-transcript-trumps-meeting-lavrov/

      Heh heh heh

      I'd trust Pooty more than any Democrat, anything from the MSM....

      It's all a wonderful to-do, signifying nothing, but I gotta run and do things today.

      Cheers !

      Ciao

      Delete
    2. .

      Can you imagine the yuks these guys are having in Russia, the wry smiles in China.

      We must look like a country of ass clowns.

      .

      Delete
  2. I would not be so sanguine.

    Our entire legal, political and cultural institutions are built on precedent. This is not a good one but it will change the rules.

    We will see how chuffed the Trump haters are when the favor is returned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      In a way, I hope not.

      I admit I don't like Trump, his style or his actions. Before the election, I said I agreed with about 90% of the things Trump was 'promising' to do as president; however, that I disagreed so much with the other 10% I couldn't vote for him. Since he became president, he has (as predicted) reversed himself on the 90% of his promises that I did like.

      That said, Trump was unique in being able to go against the two party system and win. As I also mentioned, I thought Trump was a flawed candidate and if elected his downfall could be the end of any dream of putting some kind of halt to the corruption, cupidity, and incompetence we have suffered under the two party system.

      I still fear the same thing. If he is booted out, we are back to the same ol same ol. Unfortunately, given what we have seen that might be the better choice.

      .

      Though I admit I'm inordinately opposed to everything Trump on a personal basis

      Delete
    2. Cathected, is the proper psychoanalytical term you should be using, not 'inordinately opposed'.

      The deep cause of it is pussy envy.

      The dead give away is -

      on a personal basis

      You are as transparent as we wish all our politicians to be.

      Delete
  3. Trump had better call in one of his generals, appoint him as his chief of staff, hand him his cell phone and a case of duct tape.

    He either does that or he is going to Palm Beach.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Probably good advice but it goes against Trump's personality and propensities developed over the last 70 years.

      Trump has led a privileged life and he remains a spoiled child unduly affected by criticism and unwilling to brook any questioning of his decisions. Even if he appointed a competent chief of staff it likely wouldn't change the many gaffes we see. He hasn't any impulse control and he is indiscreet.

      The indiscretions might be acceptable if they merely showed him to be crude and rude but not when they affect the job. The reason I find the claim that he leaked, probably inadvertently, info to the Russians is based on his style.

      He is said to skip many (or most?) daily security briefings and rather than read the details of security reports he has them all condensed to one page of bullet points for him to review. This does not allow him to understand the significance and ramifications of odd facts he might toss out in a conversation with foreign leaders. Likewise, his NSA, McMaster, indicated that Trump had not been formally briefed on details of the Syrian/ISIS situation before he discussed it with the Russian ambassador.

      Trump has been acting as celebrity rather than president. He needs to get serious. He needs to stop watching Fox and Friends and CNN and tweeting on impulse and start attending policy meetings and reading security reports. Being up all day and night does not necessarily imply productivity. He needs to actually start doing the hard work demanded of a president.

      It's a tough job but someone has to do it.

      .

      Delete
    2. I don't think Trump likes to read and thus is incapable of doing as you request.

      Delete
  4. Former Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a democrat, said on Fox News Tuesday morning that there is a “high BS quotient” on claims made by anonymous sources in the Washington Post story that claimed President Donald Trump provided classified information to Russian officials.

    Kucinich told host Shannon Bream, “If this information was so sensitive, then why did intel leak it to the Washington Post? Whoever leaked it undermined the alliance.”

    The Democrat former congressman continued:

    …something is out of control here. there is an effort here to up end the relationship with russia. put us at odds. it started during the obama administration in october of 2016 when it was a peace agreement or an agreement to end the conflict with syria and all of a sudden it was up ended by people in the pentagon and c.i.a. so they were making policy over the president’s head. we have one president and he is being undermined by some people in intelligence.

    Kucinich went on to say that he had read the Washington Post story very carefully and, based on his 16 years of experience in the U.S. Congress, “tracking all these things that are said about foreign policy,” that “there’s a high BS quotient going on right here.”

    ReplyDelete
  5. We can support failure when a risk has been taken and it does not work. We will not support stupid. Trump either gets his head out of his ass or he is finished

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It'll take more than that to impeach your man.

      Delete
  6. .

    In general, I will take leaks where I can get them especially given the 'B.S. Quotient' that is rampant throughout D.C. not just among leakers. Without them, we would be left in the dark something some seem to want and the administration demands. Some call Snowden and Manning traitors. I don't.

    That said, Kucinich is right in pointing out that every leaker has an agenda. How that agenda is perceived is dependent on each individual's political views. There are more Russian haters in D.C. than there are Russian advocates.

    Phony leaks, or 'fake news', are usually exposed rather quickly. Given that, I think leaks in general are on net a good thing. There is no more laughable claim than a president stating, "This is/will be the most transparent administration in history." The last three administration have promised this and we have seen how that has turned out.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You need to move to San Francisco, you can take a leak there where ever when ever you want.

      Delete
  7. There's no chance The Donald is going to be impeached, must less convicted.

    He is going to be re-elected in 2020.

    Pence is never going to be President cause three terms of the same party is very unusual.

    You can count on all these things cause I just said 'em and I'm never ever wrong.

    !

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've never seen so much manufactured b.s. hysteria in my life.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dershowitz seems to agree -

      Dershowitz: Come on, no one’s going to indict Trump for obstruction
      POSTED AT 2:01 PM ON MAY 17, 2017 BY ED MORRISSEY


      “You should have been reading The Godfather,” Alan Dershowitz told Chris Cuomo on CNN’s New Day, rather than law books on the nature of obstruction of justice. Cuomo later picks up the theme by asking whether Donald Trump attempted to give James Comey “the baccio di tutti bacci” to Jeffrey Toobin, who says that we won’t know until we actually see the memo and get testimony about the nature of the conversation. But as Newsmax notes, Dershowitz believes that the controversy is more likely to provide full employment for pundits and constitutional experts than produce an indictment:...

      VIDEO

      http://hotair.com/archives/2017/05/17/dershowitz-come-no-ones-going-indict-trump-obstruction/

      Delete
    2. May 17, 2017
      Comey’s conundrum
      By Thomas Lifson

      Mr. Smartypants may have outsmarted himself. James Comey has painted himself into a corner by indirectly leaking a memorandum to the New York Times (a person who read the memorandum shared excerpts from it to reporter Michael Schmitt) and may even have placed himself in legal jeopardy. Gregg Jarrett of Fox News, a former defense attorney, explains:

      Under the law, Comey is required to immediately inform the Department of Justice of any attempt to obstruct justice by any person, even the President of the United States. Failure to do so would result in criminal charges against Comey. (18 USC 4 and 28 USC 1361) He would also, upon sufficient proof, lose his license to practice law.


      So, if Comey believed Trump attempted to obstruct justice, did he comply with the law by reporting it to the DOJ? If not, it calls into question whether the events occurred as the Times reported it.

      Obstruction requires what's called "specific intent" to interfere with a criminal case. If Comey concluded, however, that Trump's language was vague, ambiguous or elliptical, then he has no duty under the law to report it because it does not rise to the level of specific intent. Thus, no crime.

      There is no evidence Comey ever alerted officials at the Justice Department, as he is duty-bound to do. Surely if he had, that incriminating information would have made its way to the public either by an indictment or, more likely, an investigation that could hardly be kept confidential in the intervening months.

      Comey's memo is being treated as a "smoking gun" only because the media and Democrats, likely prompted by Comey himself, are now peddling it that way.

      Comey will almost certainly be testifying before Congress in public. There will be ample time to subpoena his memo and question him on his professional obligations under the law to report anything that he interpreted as obstruction of justice. If he alleges criminality on the part of President Trump, he implicates himself. I detect no signs of self-sacrifice in this veteran political appointee.

      http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/05/comeys_conundrum.html



      Heh heh heh bwa ha ha

      Delete
    3. Stick that in your ear and chew on it, Ash, Quirk....

      Delete
    4. He didn't INTEND to fail to report!

      Delete
    5. .


      Word out today is that Comey will be called to testify in open session as he had requested before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

      All shall be made clear.

      .

      Delete
    6. Clarity, like:

      "No reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case"

      ...against Hillary or Obama.

      Despite clear evidence of massive lawbreaking.



      Delete
  9. Impeach him!

    He said "I hope you don't fart." in Comey's presence!

    ...and besides a REPUBLICAN politician in MICHIGAN (It's the water.) wants him impeached!

    Plus Quirk, the hopeless media addict from MICHIGAN:

    WE MUST IMPEACH!

    NOW!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .


      What do you expect? Trump has pulled no punches with the guy. Payback is a bitch.

      .

      Delete
  10. Corruption in establishment government and the deep state is bad.

    Abject corruption in the media and a dumbed down electorate is fatal.

    OphraNation

    ReplyDelete
  11. Here's Quirk's favorite fish wrap mouthing off again -

    The 25th Amendment Solution for Removing Trump

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/opinion/25th-amendment-trump.html?_r=0

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Talk about hallucinating....

      Delete
    2. Impeachment should depend on a formula based on the inverse of the ratings of SNL and MSNBC.

      Delete
    3. But that would take time:

      This one time, just let Morning Joe decide.

      Delete
  12. "...

    “Why in the world would U.S. trade policy target its two neighbours and two best customers, when we are so tightly linked, and should be working in concert to compete globally?” said Bank of Montreal chief economist Douglas Porter.

    “Until we are fully convinced that this stance is just bluster, we believe the Canadian dollar will remain on the defensive, and the Bank of Canada will remain extraordinarily cautious, given that the long-awaited recovery in export volumes looks to remain even longer-awaited.”

    Mr. Porter listed some telling statistics: America’s combined deficit with its NAFTA partners accounts for just 0.4 per cent of its gross domestic product, up a smidgeon from 0.2 per cent in the last year before the agreement.

    Canada and Mexico rank as America’s top two export markets, with each “larger than the entire euro area combined and more than double China, the next two largest markets for U.S. exports,” Mr. Porter said.

    “Trade with its NAFTA partners is much closer to balance than with any other major trading partners,” he added.
    And my favourite statistic where Canada’s concerned: “U.S. GDP is now running above $19-trillion, or $52-billion per day, or $2.2-billion per hour. The entire bilateral trade deficit with Canada accounts for about seven hours of the annual GDP of the United States, while Mexico’s is little more than one day’s worth, and this is the economic disaster the president chooses to hammer on first and foremost?”"

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/top-business-stories/donald-trump-nafta-canada-loonie/article35005177/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      “Why in the world would U.S. trade policy target its two neighbours and two best customers...

      NAFTA is a big one.

      It already gets bad press in the US, a populist's dream.

      Manufacturing jobs lost in certain industries are blamed for it even though without it those jobs would have been lost anyway either through improvements in technology and productivity, declining demand, or through competition from competitors overseas.

      It's easily recognizable and Trump isn't serious anyway. He is playing the Trump card, go in strong, ask for the world, settle for peanuts.

      The China experience is a perfect example. Develop a big build-up and expectations for the meeting with Xi in Mar a logo, denounce China for cheating and being a currency manipulator beforehand then say 'forget about it' when Xi says he will work with Trump on North Korea. We have seen what the Chinese cooperation has brought us with NK, jack shit.

      The BIG new trade agreement with China we just signed amounted to a whimper.

      As with most carney barkers, this is all smoke and mirrors.

      .

      Delete
    2. One systemic problem for business in the US is the health care system. Most of the rest of the world has a single payer system but the US foists health costs on businesses and individuals.

      Delete
    3. .

      When Obamacare was first proposed by Obama, I was strongly opposed to it, not so much on principle as on specifics, the individual mandate, what would eventually be the unfunded Medicaid mandate, the death panel and the way it was structured, as well as the phony funding mechanisms, backdated schemes that you knew would never see the light of day, the doc fix, the Cadilac tax on luxury policies, etc.

      That said you can see some of the improvements brought about in the healthcare system by the ACA.

      At the time Obama proposed it, I said the ACA was just an interim step towards a single payer system and I was opposed to it.

      Today, having see the GOP's vision and plan, I am less opposed to the idea of single payer as an alternative.

      However, regardless of the system we have there are certain things we have to do in order to bring down healthcare costs. One of them is allow the government to negotiate with health care providers and drug companies. IMO (sorry Mome) the drug companies get away with murder. Though it's true drugs represent less than 20% of total healthcare costs, the trends are bad and will only get worse given the profit maximization policies in the industry.

      .

      Delete
    4. Being the single payer the gov has much more power to negotiate price.

      Delete
    5. .

      One would think; however, not in our system.

      Take a look at Medicare, the biggest purchaser of healthcare services by a mile in the US.

      .

      Delete
  13. WORLD'S LONGEST CAT ?

    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/outer-east/omar-the-maine-coon-might-be-longest-cat-in-the-world/news-story/cdb6f4df174685d60ef20f833f9922d3

    ReplyDelete
  14. "Mr. Comey described details of his refusal to pledge his loyalty to Mr. Trump to several people close to him on the condition that they not discuss it publicly while he was F.B.I. director. But now that Mr. Comey has been fired, they felt free to discuss it on the condition of anonymity."

    ===

    Why didn't he just ask if he would continue to shield the President and Secretary of State from prosecution like he did before?



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not a problem for Quirk:

      Comey's a HERO.

      Delete
    2. .

      Once more old pineapple head pulls shit out of his ass and scatters it around the EB.

      I have no heroes, dipshit. For most, I am merely a neutral observer.

      There are those, however, I dislike with extreme prejudice.

      In your simple mind, you apparently lack the neurons to distinguish the difference.

      .

      .

      Delete
  15. The only lawbreaking so far has been the leaking of National Security Information.

    ReplyDelete
  16. ep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) on Wednesday said if the reports about Trump's pressure on Comey are true, it would merit impeachment.

    Amash spoke a day after The New York Times on Tuesday reported that Trump tried to pressure Comey to stop investigating Flynn.

    According to a memo written by Comey after the February meeting, the president told Comey "I hope you can let this go."

    Asked by The Hill if the details in the memo would merit impeachment if they're true, Amash replied: "Yes."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I heard he also said he hoped Comey's granddaughter wouldn't die of cancer.

      IMPEACH HIM!

      Delete
    2. .

      Payback is a bitch.

      Amish has called Trump on his hypocrisy. Trump has blasted the Freedom Caucus and Trump flunky Scavino called for Amish to be opposed and defeated in the primary.

      Friendly give and take.

      .

      Delete
  17. Joe diGenova: 'Unwise Discussion Trump Had With Comey; It's Simply His Opinion & NOT Obstruction Of Justice'

    Fmr. FBI Director: 'There Is A Professional Team of Subversives Trying To Take Down President Trump'

    Byron York: 'Comey Surprised The Senate Intelligence Committee About Trump's Comments; Initially He Did Not Contact Senator Grassley or Burr'

    https://www.podcastone.com/The-Laura-Ingraham-Show-Podcast

    ReplyDelete
  18. Video:
    James Bond at the Truckee River

    http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Lake-Tahoe-nears-maximum-capacity-here-s-what-it-11153084.php

    ReplyDelete
  19. There are those, however, I dislike with extreme prejudice.

    Quirk

    "extreme prejudice"

    !!!!

    Whoa, there, grand daddy....

    My thesis of Quirkian pussy envy gains ever more evidentiary backing.

    This is unredeemed chakra three talk expressing reptilian chakra two desires.

    Would he actually act out ?

    Doubtful, but the urge is there.

    Melania certainly has Quirk by the balls.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Nonsense, I would never hope to be the pussy Trump is.

      .

      Delete
    2. ....got his dick wrapped around her little finger....

      Delete
    3. QuirkWed May 17, 06:27:00 PM EDT

      A pathetic attempt to clothe one's psychological nakedness.

      Delete
    4. My first detected hint of your most basic drive was your bragging about the size of your ring finger.

      :o)

      Delete
    5. .

      I've had index finger reduction surgery to cut down on obscene phone calls and propositions.

      .

      Delete
    6. Did it work ?

      The Sioux used to chop their finger joints down to celebrate successful buffalo hunts, so the elders sometimes only had enough joints left to barely hold the bow and let the arrow fly.

      Leave one of your middle fingers to last.

      In a city like Detroit, in traffic, you always shall need that.

      Delete
  20. I had a minor accident this morning North of Kona:

    http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/clip/13337163/fiery-crash-shuts-down-queen-kaahumanu-highway

    ReplyDelete
  21. .

    I don't think Trump likes to read and thus is incapable of doing as you request.

    Perhaps, but I think his rock star request to have Marvel Comics illustrators layout his daily security briefings (or rather the digest version of them) in comic book fashion with key words and thought shown in balloons is going a little too far.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  22. TODAY

    by ANN COULTER 17 May 2017



    Every time I try to be mad at Trump, the media reel me back in by launching some ridiculous, unprovoked attack. This time, it’s the fake news story about Trump “leaking” classified information to the Russkies.
    The president can’t “leak” classified information: It’s his to declassify.

    The big secret Trump allegedly revealed is that Muslims might try to blow up a plane with laptops. I already knew that. I read it in The New York Times.

    TWO DAYS AGO

    BOTTOM LINE

    Everytime I think I'm done with Trump, the cocksuckers from the MSM drag me back in





    Posted by Deuce ☂ at 5/15/2017 07:37:00 PM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1. I have been taking my laptop out for inspection for 12 years. I assume they were not looking for Tootsie Rolls

      2. Common Sense:

      A. There is a threat from laptops on airplanes
      B. There is no threat
      C. If there is no threat, there is no story
      D. If there is a threat, there is no story

      Here is the real story. If the US knew something and did not say something to the Russians and a Russian plane was downed, who would know how it happened? Who would be blamed? Could it be plotted, enacted, and then spun as as a false flag?

      Delete
    2. .


      Good lord, how far does a man have to sink to start 'willingly' comparing himself to Ann Coulter?

      Good lord.


      :o)


      .

      Delete
    3. .

      Who would be blamed?


      No one.

      If there is possibility of a terrorist bomb being hidden in a shoe or some guy's underwear, any thinking person would realize the same potential exists with a laptop. The laptop was not the story. The increased threat of a laptop bomb was not the story. The sharing of that increased risk was not the story. The story was from pinpointing specifics on where the info on the laptop came from.

      McMaster argues that anyone who reads the news would know there are only a few cities in Syria where the info could come from. However, Trump according to the report was specific on the exact city and he offered, nay bragged about, his confirmation of the laptop danger.

      By all reports, the Russian FM is considered a spy and this isn't Russia's first rodeo in the espionage game. If the story is true, its conceivable that the Russkies could figure out more about who the asset was, what country he represented, endanger the asset, or even use it for their own ends. All hypotheticals but that's why they say loose lips sink ships.

      .

      Delete
  23. " I am merely a neutral observer."

    ===

    :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      How long did that take? I mean even with the repetitive doubling still?


      Or did you think to do the repetitive doubling?

      :o)

      .

      Delete
  24. heh heh heh to all of the above

    ReplyDelete
  25. If the Democrats get away with pulling Trump out of the White House, then we know elections do not matter. There is no rule of law.

    We now have a special counsel. Anyone remember Lawrence Walsh?

    Care to guess how long his special counsel term lasted?

    Walsh, who said the Iran-contra cover-up had continued for more than six years and "has now been completed."

    In the end, the Iran-Contra probe cost $47 million and resulted in just one person being sent to prison — a retired CIA officer who helped arrange weapons shipments to the Contras.

    Reagan called Walsh's final report "a vehicle for baseless accusations that he could never have proven in court." Bush said that "at the heart of this investigation was a political dispute between the executive and legislative branches over foreign policy. We must be careful not to criminalize constitutional disputes of this kind."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a wonderful job if one can get it.

      Delete
    2. Regardless of the fact the whole thing is a farce.

      Delete
    3. .

      In today's US government, millions merely amount to walking around budget. Kind of the like the internal entertainment budget for one of the larger agencies one you figure in the hypnotist, psychics, and belly dancers.

      That does include the gift baskets though.

      .

      Delete
    4. .

      In today's US government, any sum denominated in millions merely amounts to walking around money...

      .

      Delete
  26. UPDATE: Trump Considering Joe Lieberman for FBI Director...

    Announcement as soon as Thursday...DRUDGE


    This would be a good choice.

    ReplyDelete
  27. .


    Former FBI Director Robert Mueller appointed special counsel to investigate Trump/Russia affair.

    .

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

      Delete
    2. .

      Call it what you want you clown.

      It's that thing you and your sister have been whining about for months now.

      .

      Delete


  28. Comey DID what Comey memo says Trump hoped he would do:

    He dropped the case that implicated Obama and Hillary.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ...Trump hoped he would do wrt Flynn investigation.

      Delete
    2. .

      Sorry, still doesn't make sense.

      :o)


      .

      Delete
  29. Trump should ask Comey about his notes regarding Obama emailing Hillary on her illegal server.

    Trump should hire Doug.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heh! He is surrounded by a coterie of folk just like you, Doug. That's why things are going so swimmingly for the these days.

      Delete
    2. .

      Doug, would fit right in.


      .

      Delete
    3. I think it's a damned good idea myself.

      I want to see all of Comey's 'notes'.

      Delete
    4. .

      Put in a FOIA request.

      But remember, they are likely written in standard English which is always a challenge for you.

      .

      Delete
    5. How do I know his notes are the truth ?

      Maybe he's making shit up to use against folks later ?

      Delete
  30. Japan’s Princess Mako To Give Up Royalty for True Love

    Japanese princess will marry commoner who she fell in love with in college.

    News RealClearLife Staff
    3 hours ago

    Japan’s Princess Mako would do anything for love — including hand over her title in order to marry the commoner with whom she fell in love.

    View image on Twitter
    View image on Twitter
    Follow
    The Straits Times ✔ @STcom
    Impending marriage of #Japan's Princess Mako sparks debate over shrinking royal familyhttp://bit.ly/2roYKcK
    9:50 PM - 16 May 2017
    13 13 Retweets 17 17 likes
    Twitter Ads info & Privacy
    Plans are underway for Princess Mako to become engaged to Kei Komuru, a law firm worker and graduate student, CNN is reporting. Komuru and the princess, both 25, met five years ago when they were students at the International Christian University in Tokyo.

    The engagement won’t be official until there’s a ceremonial exchange of gifts, CNN reports, but the news has sparked fresh concerns about the shrinking size of the imperial family. It currently has 19 members; only three of whom can ascend to the throne: Crown Prince Naruhito, his younger brother Crown Prince Akishino, and Akishino’s son, Prince Hisahito.

    This development draws some parallels to the Edward VIII abdication crisis in the early 20th century England. At the time, King Edward VIII left the throne after less than a year to marry American socialite Wallis Simpson. As the nominal head of the Church of England, Edward was not allowed to marry Simpson because she was a two-time divorcee. Edward’s brother Albert, known as George VI, ascended to the throne when Edward left it to marry Simpson.

    The couple remained together until his death 35 years later.

    http://www.realclearlife.com/news/japanese-princess-give-royal-status-love/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      On the other hand a new law in the UK allows that chick from Canada a royal wedding is she marries Prince Charlie.

      Go figure.

      .

      Delete
    2. OOOOOoooooo Quirkie once said he'd give me his royalty.

      Delete
    3. .

      No, I said I'd give her my Royal Jamaican Gold.

      .

      Delete
    4. Where'd you get that from, Quirk, The National Inquirer ?

      Delete
    5. You gave it to her royally, is what I heard, in some rough nudist camp in Idaho.

      Delete
    6. I like that Jap story.

      It's so fairy tale, and fairy tales, as we insiders know, contain great truths.

      See: Joseph Campbell - The Hero With The Thousand Faces - fairy lore, Chinese, Celtic, Germanic, see also Grimm, jinn

      Delete


  31. QuirkWed May 17, 09:03:00 PM EDT
    .

    On the other hand a new law in the UK allows that chick from Canada a royal wedding if she marries Prince Charlie.


    She's marrying UP, and that's different from marrying DOWN and paying a big price for doing so.

    But no price is too high for the real thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She deserves some title if she's dumb enough to marry that inbred nitwit.

      Delete


  32. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/world/europe/king-willem-alexander-pilot.html

    The Royalty Business must not pay like it used to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dutch King Reveals He's Been KLM Pilot for 21 Years....DRUDGE

      Delete
  33. May 17, 2017, 12:04 am

    The Russians Are Coming

    And they’re going to be the undoing of the Birchers in today’s Democratic Party.

    While contemplating the Democrats’ agitated preoccupation with the Russians’ intrusion into our 2016 presidential election, many thoughts occur. However, the salient thought for me, engendered by our Democratic friends’ anti-Russian rhetoric, is that many years ago, during the early stages of the Cold War, the John Birch Society tried to warn us. The society was raising the alarm, even as the Democrats are today. How did we greet them? What did the Birchers get for raising the specter of Russian imperialism and world domination?

    They were dismissed as political fanatics. Could it be that at some point in the present controversy about the Russians’ hacking Hillary Clinton the Democratic Party — led by such lights as Charles Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary, and Anthony Weiner — will go too far? The party will be dismissed as a Birchlike fever of fanatics, and the once proud Democratic Party, the party of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, will be consigned to history’s dust heap along with such other curiosities as the Birchers and, in the 19th century, the Know Nothings? No more Jefferson-Jackson Day speeches. No more Al Smith Dinners. Mark my words. This could be the party’s fate. The great Democratic Party may some day be replaced by the American Green Party or the America Nudist Party, whose campaigners would presumably be restricted to college campuses and specialized beaches.

    Stranger things have happened. Moreover, the angry denunciation of the Russians by leading Democrats could have serious consequences. What if President Vladimir Putin — a former officer of the KGB, if I am not mistaken — is no longer amused by the Democrats’ excesses? What if he takes their charges against him seriously and things escalate? The Russian arsenal includes nuclear weaponry. There may come a day when only President Donald Trump and his emollient tweets stand between Democratic extremism and nuclear holocaust. Remember yesteryear and the vaunted fears of nuclear winter.

    If we take the Democrats seriously the thing is not unthinkable. Yet, of course, no one takes the Democrats seriously. Early in March, there circulated in public a photograph of Senator Schumer and President Putin eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts together and yucking it up. There may come a day when Senator Schumer will be as jovial with President Trump, but I am not holding my breath. By the way, I wonder what Schumer and Putin were laughing about over their Krispy Kremes.

    Yet all this apprehension about the Russians — which, to some degree, I share with my Democratic friends and certainly with the John Birch Society — does not mean President Trump should not have fired FBI Director James Comey. We still adhere to the rule of law in these United States, and, last July, Comey broke it at least twice in his press conference. Then, too, Attorney General Loretta Lynch broke it, when she entertained Bill Clinton on the tarmac at Phoenix airport. I do not care how charming Bill was. At the time, he was what the authorities call an accessory to the fact, and the fact was Hillary’s server and the classified documents she had on it....

    https://spectator.org/the-russians-have-come/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      By the way, I wonder what Schumer and Putin were laughing about over their Krispy Kremes.


      Schumer: "So The Donald tells Billy Bush, 'You know if you are famous, you can...'"

      Putin (laughing and starting to choke as vodka runs out of his nose): "Stop... Stop it, Chuck. You're killing me, here. Let me catch my damn breath you crazy nut."

      .

      Delete
  34. .

    No Drug Users Wanted

    Companies need workers but not the kind who get high

    Workers at McLane drive forklifts and load hefty boxes into trucks. The grocery supplier, which runs a warehouse in Colorado, needs people who will stay alert — but prospective hires keep failing drug screens.

    “Some weeks this year, 90 percent of applicants would test positive for something,” ruling them out for the job, said Laura Stephens, a human resources manager for the company in Denver.

    The state’s unemployment rate is already low — 3 percent, compared to 4.7 percent for the entire nation. Failed drug tests, which are rising locally and nationally, further drain the pool of eligible job candidates.

    “Finding people to fill jobs,” Stephens said, “is really challenging.”

    Job applicants are testing positive for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamine and heroin at the highest rate in 12 years, according to a new report from Quest Diagnostics, a clinical lab that follows national employment trends. An analysis of about 10 million workplace drug screens from across the country in 2016 found positive results from urine samples increased from 4 percent in 2015 to 4.2 percent in 2016.
    The most significant increase was in positive tests for marijuana, said Barry Sample, the scientist who wrote the report. Positive tests for the drug reached 2 percent last year, compared with 1.6 percent in 2012.

    Although state laws have relaxed over the past four years, employers haven’t eased up on testing for pot, even where it’s legal.

    California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada moved last year to legalize recreational marijuana, joining Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, permit medical marijuana.

    Under federal law, however, weed remains illegal — and employers in the United States can refuse to hire anyone who uses it, even if they have a prescription, according to the Society for Human Resource Management...


    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

      If I had a cab company, for instance....

      Or a construction company....

      Or...well, hell, anything at all....

      As a businessman, I wouldn't want the liability risks involved.

      Not to mention the basic relaxed attitude to work.

      Nothing much might get done.

      A prescription ?

      Get them on disability.

      Delete
  35. Well, we know Mueller will get to the truth, even if it sheds bad light on the FBI, don't we?

    ...like he did after 9-11.

    My Ass

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anything going down in Truckee ?

    I fell asleep.

    ReplyDelete
  37. THE ANONYMOUS SOURCES OF WASHINGTON POST AND CNN FAKE NEWS
    How fake news gets made.
    May 18, 2017 Daniel Greenfield

    Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, writes about radical Islam and the left

    Media fake news is everywhere.

    No, the new health care bill does not treat rape as a pre-existing condition and Republicans did not celebrate its passage with beer.

    The latest media outrage is driven by a Washington Post story about intelligence disclosures based on claims by anonymous sources. The Post’s big hit pieces are mainly based on anonymous sources.

    Its latest hit piece runs a quote from, “a former senior U.S. official who is close to current administration officials.” That’s an anonymous source quoting hearsay from other anonymous sources.

    This isn’t journalism. It’s a joke.

    Last week, the Washington Post unveiled a story based on “the private accounts of more than 30 officials at the White House.” The fake news story falsely claimed that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to resign.

    Rod had a simple answer when asked about that piece of fake news. “No.”

    So much for 30 anonymous sources and for the Washington Post’s credibility. But the media keeps shoveling out pieces based on anonymous sources and confirmed by anonymous sources while ignoring the disavowals by those public officials who are willing to go on the record.

    The Comey memo story is based on, according to the New York Times, “two people who read the memo.” And then "one of Mr. Comey’s associates read parts of it to a Times reporter."

    And his dog.

    The supposed memo contradicts Comey’s own testimony to Congress under oath....

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266714/anonymous-sources-washington-post-and-cnn-fake-daniel-greenfield

    ReplyDelete
  38. Will a laptop ban make flying more dangerous?
    By Richard Westcott
    Transport correspondent, BBC News
    17 May 2017

    Experts are lining up to say that a laptop ban could make flying more dangerous

    Airports, airlines and the government are bracing themselves for a ban on laptops, tablets, cameras and e-readers going as hand luggage on flights between Europe and America.

    No-one is absolutely certain it will happen, but most people I've spoken to assume it's coming.

    In reality, the Americans will just tell everyone what they want and when they want it. I'm told that European governments don't get much say in the matter or much notice of any changes - in fact they're watching the media and Twitter just in case it's sprung on them.

    Any ban would hit Heathrow the hardest. Three-quarters of UK flights to the US go from Heathrow. That's 761 planes a week, by far the most from any European airport.

    Media captionDavid Crowder of BRE Global Limited demonstrates the dangers of faulty batteries
    However, there is widespread concern that by tackling one threat, terrorism, the Americans could be fuelling another, even more serious problem. Fire.


    If lithium-ion batteries are damaged or short-circuited they make a hell of a bang.

    It could even be enough to bring down a plane.

    Captain John Cox is as knowledgeable as anyone you will meet when it comes to plane fires. The former pilot and member of the Royal Aeronautical Society has studied them for more than a decade and now travels the world advising operators, manufacturers and regulators.

    "Bunching lots of electronic devices together into the same secure box in the hold is the worst possible thing you could do," he told me. "Devices collected together will dramatically increase the ferocity of any fire."
    Aircraft holds do have fire extinguishers and limited oxygen, but that doesn't help when it comes to lithium battery fires.

    "The cargo hold extinguisher will put out the open flame but it will reignite. Lithium battery fires produce their own oxygen as a by-product of thermal runaway, and that keeps the fire going," says Mr Cox.
    Thermal runaway is the process whereby the fire spreads from one battery cell to the next. Once it gets going it's impossible to stop.

    And the more cells you have bunched together, the bigger the fire.

    Catching the fire early and stopping thermal runaway is critical. The best device for doing that remains an old fashioned, well-trained human being.

    Airline staff practise what to do: you put the battery into water if you can. Or wet towels. No-one can do that if it's in the hold.

    Steve Landells is the safety expert at the British Airline Pilots Association,
    "Given the risk of fire from these devices when they are damaged or they short circuit, an incident in the cabin would be spotted earlier and this would enable the crew to react quickly before any fire becomes uncontainable," he says.

    "If these devices are kept in the hold, the risk is that if a fire occurs the results can be catastrophic; indeed, there have been two crashes where lithium batteries have been cited in the accident reports."
    Mr Cox says that balancing the different risks is complex and needs a thorough assessment from a range of experts. But along with many others in the industry, he's not confident that will happen.

    The feeling is that the people at the US Department for Homeland Security will take their decision in isolation from the safety people at the US Federation Aviation Administration.

    That's what happened when the current laptop ban on some flights from the Middle East was brought in.
    Passengers will no doubt support a ban if they are convinced it'll keep them safer.

    But the experts are lining up to say that a laptop ban could make flying more dangerous.

    ReplyDelete