COLLECTIVE MADNESS


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

Thursday, February 01, 2018

It’s time to indict and prosecute key figures in the Clinton political crime syndicate and their protectors


Democracy’s Highest Crime and Misdemeanor



In his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln reminded Americans that they were uniquely privileged to have a new birth of freedom that was contingent on “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” That was then. What about now?
Every week brings new revelations and details about a cabal in the federal government whose actions border on both sedition and conspiracy. The evidence suggests that specific high level officials in the Justice Department and the FBI colluded to violate the law in unprecedented ways for the singular purpose of subverting the will of the people both before and after the 2016 election.

The United States is now at a defining moment. Will there be a restoration of the rule of law, or will Washington’s elite continue to give cover and a pass to fellow members of the Ruling Class (a descriptive phrase coined in these pages by Angelo Codevilla)?

The question: Is there sufficient decency and courage in the midst of Washington’s swamp to compel the pursuit of justice wherever in the Ruling Class it leads and then to prosecute the lawbreakers — whomever they are?

First, it’s vital to understand that when you give a pass — or worse you give multiple successive passes — to lawbreakers, you not only protect those who violated the law, but you empower and encourage would-be lawbreakers to do the same or worse. Second, when laws are not enforced they cease to have meaning. And that’s when your nation finds itself on a slippery slope of arbitrary and subjective rule and cronyism, which ends in ruin… such as no borders, the hollowing out of protections in the Bill of Rights, and the politicization of government agencies, to name a few.

The importance of the rule of law for civil society can be traced back to Moses in the 13th Century B.C. and the ancient philosophers Aristotle and Cicero. In the Middle Ages the Magna Carta was drafted in England in 1215 A.D. to force the king and all future sovereigns and magistrates to live and rule under the law. Those foundational roots would be carried into the U.S. Constitution, which was given shape by the Bible and the greatest philosophic minds — both political and legal.

In 1644 Samuel Rutherford published The Law and the Prince. Refuting the theory of the “Divine Right of Kings,” Rutherford argued that if the king violated the law of nature, he should be deposed and punished as a criminal. John Locke’s father was a close acquaintance of Rutherford and was a member of the Puritan forces that fought against King Charles I. The impression and inspiration provided by Rutherford no doubt influenced young John Locke, who would later write The Second Treatise of Government in 1690.

While Locke is generally considered to be the chief source in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, the Founders actually cited Oxford legal scholar William Blackstone twice as often as they cited Locke. In fact, Blackstone’s four-volume Commentaries on the Laws of England, published in 1765, became more of a sensation in the American colonies than in England, ironically giving justification for the American colonists to revolt against King George. Prior to the Revolutionary War, more copies of Blackstone’s Commentaries were sold in America than in England, which had three times more inhabitants.

America’s Founders were also deeply influenced by French political philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, whose unique contribution was the doctrine of separation of powers — which explained that liberty is best protected when government distributes executive, legislative, and judicial power among three branches of government so no one branch can exercise too much power and control of the other branches and so that corruption and abuse of power is checked.

The fact that the U.S. Constitution (less the Bill of Rights) was drafted in less than four months by 42 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in the heat of a Philadelphia summer in 1787 is a miracle in and of itself—a testimony to the hand of Providence on the debate between disparate contributors from 12 of the 13 original states and on guiding the drafting of the most profound blueprint for successful democracy the world has ever known.

The U.S. is unique in human history being the only nation founded solely on moral ideas and principles and a noble vision of man’s potential for good, but also a recognition of his sinful propensities for selfishness and abuse of power.
America was founded in revolution against oppression, and then tested, forged, and reaffirmed by bloody sacrifice in civil war and successive foreign wars right up to the present — fought to uphold the cause of freedom and its attendant rights and duties inexorably tied to natural and civil law. If we give a pass to a cabal of lawbreakers in today’s Ruling Class, we betray our heritage, our ideals and vision, and the blood of so many patriots.

This kind of law breaking — the attempt to subvert the will of the American people in the 2016 election and its aftermath — is the highest crime and misdemeanor, akin to treason. So what to do?

Boldness is needed and there is simply no more important or cathartic action to take to restore faith in our system, equality before the law, and to rein in cronyism and double standards than the indictment and prosecution of “high crime and misdemeanor lawbreakers” irrespective of position or party affiliation — from the previous administration or in government today.

It’s time to indict and prosecute key figures in the Clinton political crime syndicate and their protectors, which would include those involved in weaponizing U.S. Government agencies to conduct unmasking and surveillance operations against American citizens in violation of their sacred Fourth Amendment right “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects…”
Failing to hold Ruling Class lawbreakers accountable is not an option, for the next stage of ruin on that slippery slope we’ve been on looks more like a police state than a country club.

Scott Powell is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute in Seattle. Reach him at scottp@discovery.org

145 comments:

  1. yeah, indict 'em all! Trump Clinton et al


    America, where you put your political rivals in jail


    they're all dicks

    ReplyDelete
  2. The will of the American people...
    "I, the American People, being of sound mind and body do hereby decree all my rights and responsibilities to the ruling class of the New World Government."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't wait to surrender all your Ash-etts.

      Delete
    2. .

      "I, the American People, being of sound mind and body do hereby decree all my rights and responsibilities to the ruling class of the New World Government."

      Yet, that is exactly what Trump is asking from government law enforcement. You may be forgetting that Trump 'is' the ruling class. And it is Trump asking for personal loyalty pledges from Comey, Wray, Rosenstein, et all. He is the one who accused Jeff Sessions of being disloyal for recusing himself.

      .

      Delete
  3. FUBAR

    Indict Clinton, Comey et al et al to un-FUBAFR

    Indict Ash too as a 'foreign conspirator' !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've often thought too of the benefits derived from indicting Quirk but then I think he is, after all, mostly just pissed off, and, quite often he is more right than wrong, while with Ash is always some Ash-hattery and affirmation of 'Canadian superiority' - Canada, where they've lost the right of free speech.

      Delete
  4. THIS IS CHOICE

    The FBI said Wednesday that the bureau has “grave concerns” about the classified memo that purportedly reveals government surveillance abuses, but White House Chief of Staff John Kelly says it is going public, anyway.

    The FBI has "grave concerns" but where were the concerns when Clinton's emails, computers and cell phones went missing, all while in the custody of the FBI?

    ReplyDelete
  5. President Trump is expected to swiftly declassify a controversial memo on purported surveillance abuses, sources tell Fox News, even as Democrats raise objections that edits were made to the document since it was approved for release by a key committee.

    The release is likely to come Friday morning, Fox News is told.

    Trump already had made clear he supports the release of the document, but the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee late Wednesday charged that the committee's chairman made "material changes" to the memo.

    Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who opposes the memo’s release in any form, wrote that the committee’s minority determined that the letter was not “the same document” its members have been reviewing since mid-January. Chairman Devin Nunes's office countered that the changes were minor and blasted the complaint as a “bizarre distraction from the abuses detailed in the memo.”

    Fox News is told that the version Trump plans to declassify contains only “technical edits” made at the request of the FBI.

    Sources said the edited version was shown to five FBI officials at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. Sources said the officials were satisfied that the edited memo addressed concerns they had about the earlier version they reviewed on Monday.

    Yet an FBI statement was released on Wednesday asserting they had “grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      I doubt the head of the FBI, a man with a long history in law, would sign off on any edits to a document he opposes as that would provide a perceived even if unintentional approval of the entire revised document.

      .

      Delete
    2. Wise up Quirko:

      Some edits were made at the request of the FBI!

      Quit believing the lying piece of shit Schiff!

      Delete
    3. Other edits were grammatical corrections.

      Delete
  6. .

    :o)

    What a pompous piece of horse excrement. As Mr. Johnson put it, 'patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.'

    Twenty inches of world and American history before finally getting to his point in the last two inches. Where do these publications get these clowns? I knew this author wasn't too bright when he talked about the term 'ruling class' being 'coined in these pages by Angelo Codevilla'. What a doofus.

    And when I saw he was a fellow at the Discovery Institute, I had to check it out. You will notice the history lesson didn't go back any further than 6,000 years. The Discovery Institute from Wiki...

    The Discovery Institute (DI) is a politically conservative[4][5][6] non-profit think tank based in Seattle, Washington, best known for its advocacy of the pseudoscientific principle[7][8][9] of intelligent design (ID). Its "Teach the Controversy" campaign aims to permit teaching of anti-evolution, intelligent-design beliefs in United States public high school science courses alongside accepted scientific theories, positing that a scientific controversy exists over these subjects.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

    In Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (2005), the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania found:

    'The proper application of both the endorsement and Lemon tests to the facts of this case makes it abundantly clear that the Board's ID Policy violates the Establishment Clause. In making this determination, we have addressed the seminal question of whether ID is science. We have concluded that it is not, and moreover that ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents.'[17]


    It looks as if we are being instructed by one of Mr. Trump's evangelical base.

    Now, if this guy's principle applies then we should probably start with Trump.

    - Trump appointed Wray (a Republican) as head of the FBI after firing Comey. He is now fighting with Wray over release of the 'Memo'.

    - Trump has criticized as being 'disloyal' his attorney general, Jeff Sessions (a Republican) who he nominated for the job.

    - He has criticized his assistant attorney general, Rod Rosenstein (a Republican) who he hired for the job.

    His main complaint? They weren't being loyal, not to the Constitution but to him, when in fact they are simply doing their job.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  7. It should only be decalassified with Ashs' permission.

    Only then can we be certain it has been properly done.

    I wouldn't even trust Quirk on such a sensative matter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For an example of Quirk 'going full Q' see directly above.

      Would YOU fully trust this mam ?

      Delete
    2. QuirkThu Feb 01, 11:18:00 AM EST

      Delete
    3. In Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (2005), the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania found:


      But, was it overturned on appeal,eh ?

      Delete
    4. I don't want to risk embarrassing you.

      Always lookin' out for you....

      :)

      Delete
    5. .

      That is the response we would expect from an inveterate Trumpkin.

      .

      Delete
  8. .

    Question of the Day: Was there coordination between Nunes' staff and the White House in developing this memo?

    When asked that question, Nunes refused to answer. So far, the White House has provided no answer.

    TBD.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  9. .

    Tomorrow's Question of the Day: Why is the House issuing this Memo before waiting for the Senate Intelligence Committee's results

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomorrow's Question Answered Today

      1 Why shouldn't they ?

      2 They don't want to be seen as kow-towing to the Senate

      3 It has been left up to the Prez anyway.

      Delete
    2. I don't answer anything but religio-philosophical questions on Sundays, fyi.

      Delete
    3. .

      You moron, today is Thursday.

      FYI

      .

      Delete
  10. February 1, 2018
    Washington set to explode when FISA memo released today
    By Rick Moran

    An administration official told Reuters that the FISA memo detailing abuses by the Justice Department and the FBI would be released today. The memo, prepared by Republican staff members of the House intelligence committee, will reportedly show that at least one FISA warrant issued by an intelligence court judge was based on the infamous "Trump Dossier," written by former British intelligence agent Richard Steele and paid for by the Clinton campaign working through the Democratic opposition research firm Fusion GPS. The FBI has been unable to corroborate most of the information in the dossier.

    Democrats claim the memo is a partisan document, skewing facts to fit a pre-conceived narrative. They have written a "counter memo" to rebut what's in the GOP version. Democrats are demanding simultaneous release of both memos, but Republicans say that the Schiff memo must go through the same process of review as the Nunes memo.


    In a bid to discredit the memo prior to its release, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking member of the House intel committee, is claiming that the Republicans are not only spinning facts to suit their political agenda, but have actually altered the memo before sending it to the White House.

    CNN:

    In a letter to Nunes, Schiff said that his staff discovered Wednesday evening that the memo sent to the White House was "materially different" than the version on which the committee voted.....

    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/02/washington_set_to_explode_when_fisa_memo_released_today.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Good lord, Rick Moron finally gets a story right, well at least the part Bob thought pertinent and posted. Who knows what he has to say beyond that?

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      Never mind, I just took a glance at the rest of the link and I see that Rick Moron once again lives up to his name.

      .

      Delete
    3. Did you flip out, do somersaults, when it was mentioned The Donald may make some minor corrections to The Memo ?

      Delete
    4. .

      Didn't even see that part, but if true, that sounds pretty stupid.

      .

      Delete
  11. Deuce (a Republican)

    Doug Saxum (a Republican)

    Mueller (a Republican)

    Doug (a Republican)

    Goodie! We're all the same, and we are above criticism according to Quirk.

    OTOH:

    ...this is one Republican that would not have appointed Mueller's (a "Republican")

    team of diehard (DEMOCRAT) lawyers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bobbie's a Rupublican, toooooo. Just like, me Me-Me.

      And Quirkie always tell me he's a Republican when we're having sex, which is a lot of the time.

      Delete
    2. Ash is a school learned commie, Ash told me so.

      Delete
    3. Bob was gone so long, I forgot to include him.

      ...as opposed to forgot about him.

      Delete
    4. Bob unbelievably had another hip surgery.

      I am now 75% titanium hip hominidae !

      Beat that if you can !

      Delete
    5. .

      Goodie! We're all the same, and we are above criticism according to Quirk.

      Once again, ol Doug proves his inability to read and retain an entire sentence.

      Like, the Nunes memo he cherry picks parts of the sentence stripping it of its main point, in this case, that the people Trump is criticizing as being disloyal to him are the very people Trump himself hired, one of them only about six months ago. Whether is right or wrong in his criticisms, it reflects poorly on Trump.

      The fact that Doug can't parse that issue from the sentences he references, reflects badly on Doug. But we all knew that.

      .

      Delete
    6. .

      Old Doug, has the attention span of a gnat. He spots a 'shiny word' in a sentence and he is quickly down the rabbit hole.

      .

      Delete
    7. Quirk knows he can only 'win' by keeping the people in the dark.

      Instinct come from his old advertising days.

      "Wifetime warranty" for instance.

      "Moneyback quarantee"

      Delete


  12. Tomorrow's Question of the Day: Why is the House issuing this Memo before waiting for the Senate Intelligence Committee's results


    Trump should release it today. I would be concerned that Mueller is going to try to be the hero to the FBI and will subpoena Trump to stop him from releasing the memo. Why wait?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Trump will wait until tomorrow and then simply indicate he approves of it. He will then send it back to the House and let Nunes release it. That way if anything blows up about the memo (for instance, Wray resigns) Trump can say, "Hey, I didn't do anything. The House released the info." It's his MO.

      .

      Delete
  13. Joe and Mika Make Ever Bigger Fools Of The Themselves

    Fire And Fury: Mika Brzezinski Kicks Michael Wolff Off “Morning Joe” For Smearing Nikki Haley
    ALLAHPUNDITPosted at 11:21 am on February 1, 2018


    Fire And Fury: Mika Brzezinski Kicks Michael Wolff Off “Morning Joe” For Smearing Nikki Haley ALLAHPUNDITPosted at 11:21 am on February 1, 2018https://hotair.com/archives/2018/02/01/

    ReplyDelete
  14. .

    Paul Ryan and the Memo

    Paul Ryan once again proves he is a tool. In a statement today, he says...

    - The Nunes report is merely to show possible problems with the FISA process and to assure they don't happen again.

    - It does not impact on the thousands of wonderful people at the FBI and DOJ.

    - It has nothing to do with the Mueller investigation.

    - It does not reflect on Rod Rosenstein.

    If Ryan actually believes this crap we'll probably find him down that rabbit hole with Doug.

    If we can believe Republicans who have actually seen the memo, it will rock the FBI and DOJ to their foundations. It basically said their was an anti-Trump bias throughout the leaders of these organizations that led to a conspiracy to issue a false application to the FISA court.

    The organization representing FBI agents sent an open letter thanking Wray for standing up for them and the organization.

    The purpose of the Nunes memo is obvious. It is an appeal to Trump's base and a clear effort to torpedo the Mueller investigation.

    Having it released as it is, with no Democratic support and with the FBI and DOJ both objecting to it's release, leaves us with a controversial and partisan document which will be roundly applauded by Trump supporters and roundly criticized and mocked by Trump's opponents.

    Since it centers on a FISA application the GOP asserts was compromised by anti-Trump bias within the FBI it will fall on Rosenstein who was there for the warrant extension.

    Since Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel, the GOP will attempt to use it as justification for gutting the Russian investigation and firing Mueller.

    The Nunes staff have been accused of coordinating the content of the memo with White House staff (something Nunes has done before) and Nunes has declined to deny the charge.

    Ryan's argument that this is mainly about the FISA process is just silly. Civil libertarians (like me) would love it if it were. But the truth is none in the GOP is suggesting changes to the system and there is certainly none calling to just get rid of it. It is merely an excuse, an excuse that if it were actually true would require a vast conspiracy and cover-up in both the FBI and DOJ among more than a dozen agents, key executive, and a judge, one who is picked by anonymous draw, to conspire together to thwart justice.

    The purpose of the memo is obvious. Will it work? Hard for me to believe. But you never know with this crowd.

    .


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are a MSM (Democrat) tool.

      Delete
    2. .

      Coming from you, Doug, the comment is almost meaningless.

      As far as I can tell, it simply means you don't like what I'm saying.

      .

      Delete
    3. We're making a difference. Please thank Rep. James Holtzclaw for his support for COS.

      https://causes.anedot.com/states
      Robert,

      Thank you for your continuing support of the Convention of States in Idaho.

      The opportunities to thank our champion legislators continue.

      Please take a moment to reach out and thank Rep. James Holtzclaw for his unwavering
      support of the Convention of States. Please call him and email him by clicking the
      link below.

      YOU are a difference maker in this movement. Every email, every phone call, and
      every voice brings Idaho closer to preserving our families, our faith, our land, and
      our freedom.

      Feel free to add your own personal thanks to this email.
      Thank Representative James Holtzclaw
      (mailto:jholtzclaw@house.idaho.gov?bcc=phodson@cosaction.com,
      rdunaway@cosaction.com,
      janis.helfman@cosaction.com&subject=Convention%20of%20States%20Idaho%20-%20Thank%20You%20Rep.%20Holtzclaw!&body=The%20Honorable%20Representative%20Holtzclaw%2C%0A%0AThank%20you%20for%20your%20unwavering%20support%20of%20the%20Convention%20of%20States%3B%20I%20look%20forward%20to%20your%20%22yes%22%20vote%20on%20HCR32%20in%20the%20Idaho%20State%20Affairs%20committee%2C%20and%20later%20on%20the%20Idaho%20House%20floor.%0A%0APlease%20remind%20Chairman%20Loertscher%20of%20the%20support%20you%20have%20in%20our%20district%2C%20and%20how%20much%20we%20appreciate%20both%20of%20you.%0A%0AI%20want%20you%20to%20know%20that%20we%20will%20be%20here%20for%20you.%20Convention%20of%20States%20Idaho%20has%20your%20back!%0A%0AI%20believe%20it%20is%20high%20time%20for%20Idaho%20to%20join%20the%20other%2012%20states%20in%20calling%20for%20the%20Convention%20of%20States%20to%20drain%20the%20swamp%20in%20D.C.%2C%20restore%20the%20rule%20of%20law%2C%20and%20let%20Idaho%20decide%20for%20Idaho!%0A%0AFor%20Our%20Fam
      ily%2C%20Our%20Faith%2C%20Our%20Land%2C%20and%20Our%20Freedom%2C%0ARobert%20Peterson%0ALewiston
      ID US 83501)
      You can also call Rep. Holtzclaw to thank him here:
      (208) 332-1041
      For Liberty!

      Janis Helfman
      Convention of States Idaho
      State Director
      janis.helfman@cosaction.com
      (208) 297-7124

      https://secure.fsr.com/src/read_body.php?mailbox=INBOX&passed_id=21664&startMessage=

      Delete
  15. The Intelligence agencies’ pressures on President Trump to block the House of Representatives’ decision to release a summary of the FBI’s highly classified misdeeds are instructive comedy.

    The House’s decision shows what no one should ever have doubted: the FBI, CIA, etc. are not the source of authority over America’s secrets. They merely administer secrets and clearances on behalf of the one and only authority over the Executive Branch: The President of the United States. He clears them — not the other way around. Congress, as a co-equal, popularly elected branch of government, may hold or release such information as it chooses, and pay such attention as it chooses to the President’s opinions. Thus far, the Constitution.

    With regard to Donald Trump, however, the Intelligence Agencies have been pretending that they are in charge of such matters. They have tried that with other presidents — slow-rolling clearances for appointees they don’t like and threatening them with security violations (the Valerie Plame Case investigation that CIA and the New York Times instigated well-nigh paralyzed the G.W. Bush White House). Usually they have had little success. Barack Obama, for example, simply rejected the FBI’s non-clearance of key appointments, and made them personally, instantly. But Trump, by and large, has let them get away with it, bowing to the Agencies’ objections to his nominees — even refusing to prosecute high officials who have disclosed the sources and methods of communications intelligence to the press.

    {...}

    ReplyDelete
  16. {...}

    The FBI’s top leadership — whose careers, business dealings, politics, marriages and extramarital affairs intertwine — invested itself incompetently and illegally into the 2016 election campaign against Donald Trump. In part to cover itself, it launched the so-called “Russia probe.” Its members are personally, deeply interested in keeping the public from seeing the documents concerning these activities. They raised the familiar shield: release would compromise the sources and methods of national security.

    {...}

    ReplyDelete
  17. {...}

    The House of Representatives’ Republican majority wanted the documents made public, issued a subpoena for them, and was prepared to jail senior FBI for contempt had they not complied with it. The House compromised, being satisfied by viewing them and making a summary, which it has voted to make public. The FBI and the Justice Department’s bureaucracy, being out of options for saving their reputations, their pensions, and perhaps for keeping themselves out of jail, urge President Trump to advise the House to guard the secrecy of the summary, of the activities that it describes, and hence to save their bacon.

    The Democratic Party pretends to care so much about national security, to have such faith in the FBI’s stewardship of it, and such diffidence of the American people’s capacity to judge such matters, that its leading spokesmen have joined the agencies’ demand on Trump.

    This is as rich constitutionally as it is politically. The Agencies, having told the country and President Trump for a year that they are the arbiters of secrecy, scurry to get back under the presidency’s protective power by asserting that this power extends over Congress as well.

    Sorry, fellas, it does not. No president can tell Congress what to tell or not to tell the American people, or not to subpoena your documents, or not to put you in jail if you don’t comply. Maybe if you had not slapped your lawful boss around with your pretense of “independence,” if you had come to him confessing your sins and humbly asking his indulgence, you might not be in this fix. Now you are asking for a “get out of jail” card, which he probably can’t give you even if he wanted to.

    The reason is political. Despite your, the Democratic Party’s, and the media’s dogged efforts to deep-six the facts concerning your misdeeds, nothing is going to put these black cats back into the proverbial bag. They are coming to light through the whistle-blowers among you, working with journalists on the media’s periphery, and with substantial Republican elements. At this point, the more you protest “National Security,” the fewer people believe you and the more you anger.

    Your best hope is to retire and resign, hoping that your soft-hearted opponents might be satisfied with non-punitive housecleaning. The chief of the FBI’s national security division did that as soon as NSA sounded the alarm over the not-so-incidental interception of Trump campaign officials’ communications. Bruce Ohr was demoted, “Andy” McCabe functionally retired. What will the people involved in asking for certain FISA warrants do? When will they do it?

    At this point, your retreats are being covered by ever fiercer fire from a decreasing number of officials and media people. But that ferocity makes it impossible for your opponents to let you off the hook. For the rest of us, this is a spectacle.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Part of the new infrastructure plan can be to build jails for all the criminal bureaucrats.

    - RAM500

    ReplyDelete
  19. Very good.

    I wish Quirk could write like that, even copy and paste like that.

    ReplyDelete
  20. .

    They raised the familiar shield: release would compromise the sources and methods of national security.

    No, Wray's main objection to the memo as expressed to Trump is that it is an incomplete and distorting analysis based on cherry picked facts.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      As for the claim, that the GOP wants transparency it is absurd on its face. If they wanted transparency, they would put out the entire story including dissenting opinions not just a partisan talking points memo.

      If they did this, they would be providing the public true transparency, rather than just a propaganda piece.

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      Well, maybe I overstated the case.

      We will never get true transparency. The only thing we can hope for is to be able to construct a complete picture using tow clearly partisan presentations of the same set of facts. However, we would at least have the ability to make our own choice.

      .

      Delete
    3. Why should a Nation composed solely of dicks be allowed to make their own choices ?

      Delete
    4. That's called a 'dicktacacracy' and has failed whenever it's been tired anywhere in the past.

      SEE: ARISTOTLE'S On Dictakacracys


      Delete
    5. .

      You insult the population of the US? Or are you talking about Trump nation.

      .

      Delete
  21. .

    So far, 55 members of the House have announced they will retire this year. By the election, a new record for retirements will probably be set.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  22. Trump's dumbest move so far.

    Standing alone, Hicks’s assertion that the emails “will never get out” — or, better, the more sinister of Corallo’s alternative interpretations of that assertion — is woefully insufficient to establish a conspiracy or attempt to obstruct justice. Indeed, the fact that the Don Jr. emails were apparently being prepared for disclosure to Congress implies that Hicks was making an uninformed statement of opinion, not a wink-wink allusion to a corrupt ongoing plot. And President Trump’s reported need to ask about the nature of the emails implies that he may not have known about them at all.

    Like so much of what we’ve seen in the collusion/obstruction investigations, this episode makes one wince. The president and his subordinates decided to try to mislead experienced reporters. They did so after apparently deliberating for hours over what to say, under circumstances in which (a) it was nigh certain that the truth would come out and (b) Trump did not consult with his own lawyers before the statement was issued. It is an embarrassing display of poor character and ineptitude.

    Congress, however, has yet to make criminal stupidity a crime.

    Mueller is right to investigate this incident, particularly given its close relation to the Trump Tower meeting, the most solid known evidence of Trump “collusion” with Russia during the 2016 election. Still, though unsavory, that form of collusion is neither criminal nor suggestive of Trump complicity in Russia’s cyber-espionage against the 2016 election. Similarly, Hope Hicks’s unsavory statement is highly unlikely to prop up an obstruction prosecution.

    http://www.nationalreview.com/article/456030/robert-mueller-investigation-russia-collusion-obstruction-justice-trump-tower-meeting-emails-hope-hicks

    Maybe I can get conjugal visit with Hope in prison.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (The Gang That Couldn’t Lie Straight)

      Delete
    2. .

      Anyone who looks as great as Hope Hicks has to be guilty of something.

      .

      Delete
    3. QUIRK:general principles of guilt

      Topic C: Good looking women

      Example : 35 Hope Hicks

      Lesson: Never go out with a racist

      Delete
    4. The book also provides an in-depth look at the relationships between Trump and senior staff members, such as then-press secretary Hope Hicks, who is now White House communications director.

      One unusual duty of Hicks’ was to press Trump’s suits while they flew on his plane between campaign stops, typically while he was still wearing the suits.

      Trump would yell out for Hicks, “get the machine!” Hicks knew she had to grab the steamer.

      “And Hope would take out the steamer and start steaming Mr. Trump’s suit, while he was wearing it! She’d steam the jacket first and then sit in a chair in front of him and steam his pants,” they explained.

      I'd run for president if it would get me steamed by Hope Hicks.

      Delete
    5. TRUMP'S NEW COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR ISN'T NEW TO HIS WAYS

      She approved interview requests, often tapped out tweets he dictated and remained at his side as he barnstormed the country.

      Hicks followed her parents, Paul and Caye Hicks, public relations professionals, into the business. After graduating in 2010 from Southern Methodist University with a degree in English, she moved to New York and worked with Hiltzik Strategies, which has also worked for Hillary Clinton - as did her father. Paul Hicks used to do communications for the NFL, and is now managing partner at a firm in Washington. In 2014, Hicks joined the Trump Organization to help promote Ivanka's merchandise. A year later, Trump brought her onto the campaign.

      She attracted considerable media attention on her own, but largely eschewed face-to-face interactions with reporters, and almost never joined them for off-the-record socializing. Her interactions were almost always limited to the phone and email.

      Don't look for Hicks to try to curb Trump's tweeting, as others have urged him to do.

      "You can own the news cycle with one tweet and I think that speaks to both the power of his presence and personality, but also his message, and his ability to captivate," she said in a brief video for Forbes magazine's "30 Under 30" series. Hicks is not on Twitter.

      http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRUMP_AIDE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-08-18-18-01-37

      Delete

  23. We Ameroans and hhe Rookes- per pertual stade oofs and war fare--what a stty way to life :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Shares initially fell in after-hours trading as Apple disappointed investors with its guidance for the next quarter, but rebounded soon after. The company said it expected revenues of between $60bn and $62bn, below expectations.

    ...

    Apple is the world's biggest company and is often tipped to be the first to break the one-trillion-dollar value mark, but shares have wavered in recent weeks amid fears that it may be cutting back iPhone X production.

    The new handset, which boasts a bigger screen, no home button, and facial recognition technology, was well received by reviewers but costs up to £1,249 for its most expensive version. Apple said the decline in iPhone sales was largely due to the quarter being a week shorter than last year.

    ReplyDelete
  25. A man committed suicide in West Dallas on Wednesday by decapitating himself in front of horrified motorists.
    Hugo Rodriguez, 35, tied a rope to a fire hydrant before wrapping the other end around his neck in Texas, before accelerating.

    Before the horrific act, the man scribbled a message on the side of the vehicle. The first two words appear to say 'no code' while the second part 'Codbo' could be a reference to the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2860951/Man-DECAPITATES-tying-rope-neck-attaching-fire-hydrant-driving-van.html#ixzz55vPDIyVc

    ReplyDelete

  26. Quirk Thu Feb 01, 11:22:00 AM EST.

    I doubt the head of the FBI, a man with a long history in law, would sign off on any edits to a document he opposes as that would provide a perceived even if unintentional approval of the entire revised document.


    Doug Fri Feb 02, 12:23:00 AM EST

    Wise up Quirko:

    Some edits were made at the request of the FBI!

    Doug Fri Feb 02, 12:23:00 AM EST

    Other edits were grammatical corrections.



    Quit believing the lying piece of shit Schiff!



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Wise up, Doug...Or, at least, try and keep up.


      Quit believing the lying piece of shit Schiff!


      I'm not basing anything on Schiff. I'm not basing anything on the ongoing interactions between the Intelligence Committee and the FBI. I am talking about...

      1. The final paper currently sitting with Trump at the White House,

      and also about...

      2. Christopher Wray, a man I noted in the comment you posted is the current Director of the FBI, the man Trump nominated and hired for the job about 6 months ago, the man whose nomination was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the man approved 92 to 5 by the full Senate, a man with great rep who was praised for his service both within and while outside the government, the man who has read both the Nunes memo and the underlying intelligence from which the menu's conclusions were drawn, the same man who asked Trump not to release that memo because it cherry picked intelligence, ignored some critical intelligence, and gave a 'misleading' interpretation of the evidence the same guy who we have to assume is included in today's blanket 'Trump-tweet' accusing the top leadership in both the FBI and the DOJ and their investigators of conspiring to politicize (in favor of the Democrats) the 'sacred' investigative process...

      Trump:

      “The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans - something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago.

      That's what I'm talking about son. Adam Schiff is just another dick in a sea of dicks.

      But tell me, Doug,

      1. Why would I assume that Chris Wray, a man new to this particular job but experienced in government and the law, a lifelong Republican, newly appointed to the job by Donald J. Trump, would after a mere 6 month suddenly conspire to 'politicize the sacred investigative process' in favor or the Democrats and against Trump? What reason would he have?

      And

      2. Tell me why I shouldn't believe Wray over Trump, a man whose every other word is a lie, misrepresentation, or laughable hyperbole? And why shouldn't I believe Wray over Devin Nunes, a Trump butt-boy, a man who worked on Trump's transition team, a man who has in the recent past been forced to admit he passed off as secret intelligence information he was given in the dark of night by White House staff, a man who is accused of trying to do the same thing with this latest 'memo'?

      Since you're so free with you advise to me, give me a little guidance on those two questions, noodle me up a bit of haole wisdom.

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      “The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans - something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago.

      This latest Trump tweet tells you exactly what the whole 'Nunes Memo' is about. It is a thinly veiled 'politically motivated' set of talking points put out with the sole purpose of discrediting the Mueller investigation into Russian collusion in the 2016 election and now expanded to possible obstruction of justice.

      Trump's tweet and Nunes' refusal to deny the charge only add to the perception that this whole memo fiasco is just another clumsy effort on the part of Nunes' and White House staff to come up with a political document to help discredit the Mueller investigation.

      .

      Delete
    3. .

      A secondary reason for the Nunes memo is obviously to provide some cover for Trump if he ends up firing any of the leadership in the FBI or DOJ.

      .

      Delete
    4. He is 100% EVIL, after-all.

      Delete
  27. Washington, January 31, 2018

    House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes issued the following statement today:

    “Having stonewalled Congress’ demands for information for nearly a year, it’s no surprise to see the FBI and DOJ issue spurious objections to allowing the American people to see information related to surveillance abuses at these agencies.

    The FBI is intimately familiar with ‘material omissions’ with respect to their presentations to both Congress and the courts, and they are welcome to make public, to the greatest extent possible, all the information they have on these abuses.

    Regardless, it’s clear that top officials used unverified information in a court document to fuel a counter-intelligence investigation during an American political campaign. Once the truth gets out, we can begin taking steps to ensure our intelligence agencies and courts are never misused like this again.”

    (my bold)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Pelosi Freaks Out

    (Along with her cohorts at the WaPo editorial desk.)

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/02/pelosi-twitter-tear-targets-obsessed-nunes-ahead-house-intel-memos-imminent-release.html

    ReplyDelete
  29. Replies
    1. Yep, FBI corruption and violation of citizens' rights were an evil plot by Nunes et-al to blah blah blah Mueller, etc.

      As a longtime Republican, you can take my attestation to the bank.

      Delete
    2. ...and the MSM, of course.

      FBI, Good, Nunes, bad.

      Delete
    3. NY Times Editorial: The Republican Plot Against the F.B.I.

      https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/opinion/nunes-memo-fbi-trump.html

      No doubt has some additional talking points for you.

      Delete
    4. The association representing the nation's FBI agents, after a controversial Republican memo was released on Friday, defended their law enforcement work and said they "have not, and will not, allow partisan politics to distract" from their mission."

      Nope, no partisanship at all intruded on their pristine investigative techniques.

      Delete
    5. ...just like the Hillary server "Investigation" :-)

      Delete
  30. Even if President Donald Trump is guilty of colluding with the Russians, or whatever crime Special Counsel Robert Mueller has settled on pursuing, it doesn’t mean the Obama administration was above abusing its power to spy on opponents. It’s highly plausible, in fact, that an administration that had little compunction about spying on journalists and others and then lying about it would feel comfortable dropping standards to snoop on its political adversaries.

    Even if we find out that the FISA warrant, that typically “big, thick” document with “50–60 pages,” wasn’t entirely based on the work of fabulist former British spy Christopher Steele, it could still be a scandal. It’s completely reasonable to ask how much of the administration’s investigation into collusion was precipitated by disinformation from Steele — who was hired by Fusion GPS, which in turn was hired by Democrats. Such an arrangement featuring the name of Donald Trump — or any Republican, for that matter — would create a media frenzy that would swallow all of us whole.

    In another era — which is to say, a little more than a year ago — intel abuse was a hot topic among many Democrats. Now it’s a conspiracy theory to wonder whether intelligence agencies might have been less than scrupulous about attaining affidavits to spy on American citizens when it was politically expedient.

    Now, Trump critics who demand 24/7 devotion to the idea of Russian “meddling” are acting as if democracy were on life support because a congressional committee is exercising its rightful role in the oversight of intelligence gathering. They’re not doing it through leaks, as the minority has been doing for a year now, but rather through a legal process of declassification.

    http://www.nationalreview.com/article/456019/republican-memo-should-be-taken-seriously-cautiously

    Democrats’ “rebuttal memo” is also working its way toward being made public. It should be. Both memos are a good place to start investigating wrongdoing, or dismissing those charges. There is absolutely no legal or ethical reason, however, for us not to see them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gee, Quirk told us the evil Nunes was the baddy keeping it from us, not the same timely process that was used on his memo.

      Delete
    2. .

      What nonsense. Don't believe everything you hear from Mr. Ryan, Doug.

      How long after Nunes' staff wrote the report did it take before he even shared it with the Democrats so that they could even start drafting their own opposing memo?

      The fact is that if he wanted to, Ryan could have expedited the process and released the Dem memo by now.

      Why didn't he? To give everyone a chance to read it? Spare me. Heck, I saw GOP congressmen over the last couple days on TV who have said they hadn't bothered to even read the Nunes memo yet. Because he had to send it to Trump for review? That could have been done already. On that one, it's more likely he didn't want to embarrass Trump by making him the fall guy in holding up release of the Dem memo after already releasing the Nunes memo.

      I agree with this in your post above...

      Both memos are a good place to start investigating wrongdoing, or dismissing those charges. There is absolutely no legal or ethical reason, however, for us not to see them.

      I would take it further, let's see the underlying intelligence even if it is in redacted form. There is too much over-classification today. If we want transparency, let's go for it.

      Given all the standards caveats, let's assume everything in the Nunes memo is accurate and complete, it would mean there was a major conspiracy within both FBI and DOJ to perjure the FISA application and lynch an innocent man. It would involve both the lower level FBI employees as well as numerous high level employees stretching over two administrations and possibly members of the FISA court.

      IF this is true, it requires a special and independent congressional investigation into the whole FISA process.

      That will require release of all the documents.

      .

      Delete
    3. .

      Again assuming that everything in the Nunes memo is complete and accurate, it is strange that Congress (both parties) isn't clamoring for a review of the entire FISA process. The only one I've seen pushing this is Ron Paul who has been fighting the process on civil libertarian grounds for a long time, even before the Snowden releases. Instead, the others I've seen when asked the question pooh pooh the idea that the FISA process is problematic and instead concentrate on the people within the process. This is understandable given that Congress just recently voted almost unanimously to expand surveillance abilities under FISA.

      The memo itself says nothing about the process but goes out of its way to name specific people who it implies purportedly corrupted the process.

      .

      Delete
    4. Well, ya see, we gotta be able to surveil all the terrorist killers scurrying about, and if a few innocent citizens happen to get scooped up...

      Delete
    5. My favorite part so far is that the FBI and DOJ used media reporting to lend credibility to the dossier.

      ...created by media interviews with Steele!

      Delete
    6. .

      Again assuming that the Nunes memo is non-partisan and is complete and fully accurate, it is ironic that in the last paragraph, the memo would point out the seeming non-sequitur that Carter Page and Popondopolis were in no way connected. It begs the question of why it was even mentioned. Again assuming that the memo wasn't a political document.

      However, that paragraph does do one obvious thing. It brings us back to the actual timeline of the Russian investigation. Based on information received about Popodopoulos, the FBI started their investigation into Russian interference and possible links to the Trump campaign in July, 2016. And while Page had been under investigation on and off since 2013 and had a previous FISA warrant brought against him, it was not until October, 2016 that the FISA warrant in question that we are now discussing was requested.

      Therefore, any irregularities in the FISA process involving Carter Page would in no way affect the Mueller investigation unless Trump and the GOP can prove a grand conspiracy within the FBI and DOJ extending over two administrations (and counting numerous Trump appointees) has so tainted the atmosphere in these agencies that Trump could never get a fair hearing.

      In which case, Trump would be able to do anything he wanted and never be held accountable for it. We would be in a situation he mentioned before where he could fire a gun down 5th Avenue and kill someone and the GOP and his base would simply point out that he is helping clear out the jaywalking problem in New York.

      Some might object.

      .

      Delete
    7. .

      Well, ya see, we gotta be able to surveil all the terrorist killers scurrying about, and if a few innocent citizens happen to get scooped up...

      As with many of your comments, Doug, it's a bit hard to understand the message you are trying to convey and which side you are coming down on.

      .

      Delete
    8. .

      My favorite part so far is that the FBI and DOJ used media reporting to lend credibility to the dossier.

      I find it unusual also. As I recall, into on Page's trip to Russia was public. It was made to a well-known institute which publicized the event.

      Why they would need a newspaper to tell them about it doesn't make sense.

      .

      Delete
    9. Who is Carter Page, Trump's ex-adviser at the center of the memo furore?

      He is the mysterious aide who just won’t go away: at the center of the furore over a controversial memo Donald Trump green-lit for release on Friday is Carter Page, who once served as a foreign policy adviser on Trump’s presidential campaign.

      The so-called Nunes memo, named for House intelligence chairman Devin Nunes, describes how the FBI sought and received a warrant to conduct surveillance on Page, whom the bureau had been following since at least 2013, owing to his contacts with Russian intelligence operatives.

      Page, a native of Poughkeepsie, New York, who made trips to Moscow during the campaign and the presidential transition, has been described as an energy consultant and businessman with an interest in foreign policy.

      Page was also described by a Russian intelligence agent who was trying to recruit him as an asset for Moscow in 2013 in another way: “idiot”.

      “He wants to meet when he gets back,” the agent, Victor Podobnyy, said in a conversation recorded by US intelligence. “I think he is an idiot and forgot who I am. Plus he writes to me in Russian [to] practice the language.”

      “I’ve never met Donald J Trump in my life, I’ve learned a lot from him, and I got great insights from that, from listening and studying the information that he – that he’s provided in public forums,” Page said.

      Page, 47, is a graduate of the US Naval Academy with an MBA from New York University. He speaks Russian and got to know the country as an employee of Merrill Lynch’s Moscow office from 2004 to 2007.

      Page has said he does not believe Russians tampered with the US election and dismissed the notion of any collusion between the campaign and Moscow. He has said the attention over his campaign activities has ruined his career and derailed his life.

      But Page’s own account of Russian contacts during the campaign, and his admission that he discussed those contacts with top Trump aides, has not only contradicted Trump’s denials of any contacts but also fueled suspicions of coordination of some kind.

      https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/02/who-is-carter-page-trump-ex-adviser-memo-furore-russia-fbi

      Delete
    10. WRT FISA,I meant that I agreed that it is an invitation for abuse.

      Delete


  31. Assange: “James Comey, master of logic: FISA memo is nothing — and also the destroyer of worlds.”

    Comey’s schizophrenic tweet tells us everything we need to know. The Dems and Deep State wish the FISA memo was a nothingburger. In their efforts to attack the damning memo, they downplay the content while simultaneously attacking the messenger for ‘exposing a classified investigation’.

    Ranking member of the House Intel Committee Rep. Adam Schiff does the same thing. He claims the memo is misleading and full of factual errors while simultaneously claiming the document will lead to a Constitutional crisis.

    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/02/julian-assange-moves-kill-shot-comey-mocks-fisa-memo/


    Exposing the scrupulously honest Comey and his cohorts!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Lordy, guys, give your head a shake - you guys are acting like the Steele dossier is the only piece of evidence they used to obtain the warrants. I would suggest it is only 1 of many. They haven't declassified any of the other reasons. An heck, the MEMO is simply a piece written by Nunes and friends. From the memo:

    "The FBI and DOJ obtained one initial FISA warrant targeting Carter Page and three FISA renewals from the FISC. As required by statute (50 U.S.C §1805(d)(1)), a FISA order on an American citizen must be renewed by the FISC every 90 days and each renewal requires a separate finding of probable cause. Then-Director James Comey signed three FISA applications in question on behalf of the FBI, and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe signed one. Then-DAG Sally Yates, then-Acting DAG Dana Boente, and DAG Rod Rosenstein each signed one or more FISA applications on behalf of DOJ."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The FISA order is renewed by the FISA Court not the others.

      Delete
    2. .

      Try reading what I said in my initial post, Ash.

      I mentioned the usual caveats. I didn't think at this point it required going over them again. My comments mentioned conditions, non-partisan, complete and accurate. However, the only thing we have to talk about it this point is the Nunes memo. Until some other info is released, why keep talking about those objections you mention?

      Since the Nunes memo is released, there are a few questions we can ask and observations we can make even if we assume for the time being even if we acknowledge our acceptance of that memo as an accurate and complete statement of the facts is merely a hypothetical.

      .

      Delete
    3. Apparently the dossier was used repeatedly.
      (After everyone should have known it was bogus: Comey did.)

      Delete
    4. @RICHLOWRY

      I’m a layman, but I find it difficult to see what in the Nunes memo could possibly endanger our national security.
      Here is Eric Holder in a good example of the over-wrought warnings of the catastrophic effects of the memo:

      That the DOJ and the FBI were so resistant to the release of such a document, whose only threat seems to be airing information embarrassing to the FBI, goes to one of the reasons Nunes and Co. have been so suspicious of both:

      They have stonewalled the committee every step of he way.

      http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/456072/was-threat-national-security

      Delete
    5. @EricHolder
      People must understand what is at stake by release of the bogus, contrived Nunes memo. It uses normally protected material and puts at risk our intell capabilities in order to derail a legitimate criminal investigation. This is unheard of- it is dangerous and it is irresponsible.

      Delete
    6. I would guess that they are upset because it's release is misleading because it only declassifies one piece of evidence.

      If there is a problem it is that there is a secret court and none of it's deliberations and decisions are public. That isn't considered a just system, period.

      Delete
    7. .

      Dueling Memos

      If and when, the Dem memo comes out we will have two political dueling political documents. Yesterday, there was some talk the FBI was going to come out with its own in which case we would have three competing documents.

      All sides will automatically accept one document while criticizing the others.

      The only way we will get a fairly clear picture if all the underlining evidence (even if in redacted form) is also released which likely won't happen.

      That said the ramifications could be significant...

      - As John McCain said today, "We are doing Russia's job for them."

      - When asked if he had confidence in Rod Rosenstein or would fire him Trump responded, "I'll let you figure it out."

      - Page has indicated this will change the way he approaches his ongoing issues with the DOJ.

      - It's hard to believe this won't affect Gates and Montefort in their cases.

      And it could get more serious...

      - Nunes still hasn't set a date for release of the Dems competing memo.

      - Once released, it will have to go to the White House for review and approval. There s no guarantee as to what Trump will do once he gets it.

      - And of course there is always the chance that Trump will do something impulsively such as firing Rosenstein.

      Meanwhile Mueller's investigation, as well as, that of the IG are continuing.

      .

      Delete
    8. "Russia probe lawyers think Mueller could indict Trump

      Many legal scholars doubt a U.S. vs. Trump case is possible, but two attorneys who have dealt with special counsel Robert Mueller's team disagree. One expects Mueller to move as early as this spring. "

      https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/02/trump-russia-indictment-mueller-probe-384969

      Delete
    9. .

      The IG investigation is expected to be finished some time in March.

      .

      Delete
  33. .

    Wall Street Pout

    The market dropped nearly 700 points today, nearly 1,000 in one week.

    Surprisingly, Trump didn't brag about this huuuge market move.

    Seriously though, the move indicates a lot about some of Trump's claims.

    First, there is no doubt Trump's actions helped move the market in 2017. Wall Street loved the tax cuts and the roll back of regulations. However, other things we can see...

    - One, presidents don't normally have that much influence on the economy.

    - The market is moved by many things, fundamentals, interest rates, earnings, international markets, and yes, huge tax cuts.

    - Wall Street doesn't equate to Main Street. One of the reasons given for the big drop today was the jobs report that came in better than expected. What? Sounds crazy but the same people who were celebrating the gift Trump and the GOP game them in the tax bill are now pouting because companies are hiring more employees which may result in inflation and higher interest rates.

    - Over the last decade, the FED has had a bigger effect on the economy than any president did by providing a crazy amount of liquidity and low interest rates. Now, interest rates are rising pretty quickly and that's a second reason given for the market drop this week.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. might be a tad bit of 'irrational exuberance' as well...

      mom and pop's were the last one's in this bull market and traditionally they are the last one's out.

      Delete
    2. I'm sure Deuce is confident his man Trump will pull it all out of the fire on Monday.

      Delete
  34. Regardless of what is in the Dem report, any honest person can conclude from the Hillary email/server "investigation" and this one, (including all the stonewalling) that the DOJ and FBI have some serious issues wrt honesty, integrity, and political bias.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Quirk's boat in the lead, my yacht trails.

    http://805webcams.com/morro-bay-california-harbor/

    ...I'd rather have his, but have to keep up appearances.

    (you can go back in time 4 hours to get a brighter view)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Rep. Nunes: 'Clear Evidence' of Russia Collusion... by the Clinton Campaign and DNC

    House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) joined Bret Baier on "Special Report" on Friday to discuss Republicans' release of a memo alleging U.S. government surveillance abuses.

    Democrats have alleged key facts were not included in the memo, calling it misleading and accusing Republicans of trying to undermine Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

    The memo asserts that former FBI Deputy Director Andy McCabe stated in closed-door testimony that without the anti-Trump dossier, the FBI would not have been able to secure surveillance warrants against the Trump campaign.

    It also claims the dossier's author, Christopher Steele, expressed a personal animus toward Trump.

    Nunes, who co-wrote the memo with Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), said he didn't want to release the memo, but he had an obligation to the American people when he saw FISA abuse.

    "They wouldn't have received a warrant without the dossier," Nunes said. "The dossier was presented to the court as if it was true. The court was not told that the Democrats actually paid for this."

    He said it's wrong that the FBI used opposition research -- paid for by the Democratic Party and the Hillary Clinton campaign -- to secure surveillance on at least one Trump associate.

    As for allegations about collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, Nunes noted that much of the information in the dossier came from Russian sources.

    "So there's clear evidence of collusion with the Russians," Nunes said. "It just happens to be with the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee."

    http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/02/02/intel-committee-chairman-devin-nunes-discusses-fisa-memo-bret-baier

    ReplyDelete
  37. On The Same Day Trump Releases the Nunes Memo A Federal Judge Keeps The Comey Memos Secret

    http://dailycaller.com/2018/02/02/comey-memo-lawsuit/

    Understandable, but ON THE OTHER HAND:

    https://www.google.com/search?q=comey+reveals+he+kept+memos+of+meetings+with+trump&rlz=1CAACAO_enUS720US720&oq=comey+reveals+he+kept+memos+of+meetings+with+trump&aqs=chrome..69i57.29569j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

    James Comey hoped leak would lead to special counsel on Russia ...
    https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/08/politics/james-comey-testimony...trump/index.html
    Jun 8, 2017 - Comey also revealed new details about his meeting with Trump during the transition when he briefed the President-elect on details of a salacious dossier drawn up by a former British spy that suggested that Russia had incriminating information about him. Comey said he didn't want to create a "J. Edgar ...

    Comey said he had a friend leak memo from Trump meeting | New ...
    https://nypost.com/.../comey-said-he-had-a-friend-leak-memo-from-trump-meeting/
    Jun 8, 2017 - Ex-FBI Director James Comey testified before a Senate committee that he orchestrated the leak of a memo he wrote about his conversation with President Trump to a reporter. ... The New York Times published a story about the memo, which said Trump had asked him to drop the FBI’s probe ...
    A timeline of James Comey and President Trump - CBS News

    Etc

    SNAKE

    ReplyDelete
  38. One should always wish for, hope for, and pray for that which is best for one's country.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And for one's friends, and, yes, even for one's enemies as well.

      Delete
    2. Well, I'd like to see Comey behind bars.

      It's best for the country.

      Fat chance.

      Delete
    3. Your opinion has proven to be reliable over the years.

      I shall add that to my long prayer list.

      Delete
    4. .

      Praying, eh?

      Is that because you are slowly losing body parts?

      Or, just because you are still high on the drugs they gave you for pain?

      .

      Delete
    5. I WEIGH MORE than did a few short days ago.

      I wish they would give me somethng for the pain.

      Pray for that, if you please.

      Thank you,

      Always remember, you are looking out for me !

      Bless You, QUIRK !

      Delete
    6. Even a My Pillow would help, and I would remember your Always !

      Delete
    7. I would remember your generosity always.

      Delete
    8. Just remember the time I hauled your cactus impacted gut all the way from Area 51 to Vegas, and saftey.

      Delete
    9. .

      Where are you?

      You sound like you are still in the hospital.

      .

      Delete
  39. I am being watched, that is all I can say.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Read though this line :

    My cell phone has been taken form me.

    I have gotten through to my lawyer..

    She knows what to do and is doing that now.

    I would not call this perverion castle a hospital.

    My good wife has already witten one formal letter to the powers that be.

    Can't say more now, 'patient check time'....



    ReplyDelete
  41. The Police are here to spring me.

    Finally !

    The personnell had willied with my wokerr and treatened to inspect every inch of my skin. Jop for a dermatologist, I say. They back off. Bless the Men in Blue !

    I am beeling let free !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. being let free, hard to type on this little machine....

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

      Delete
    3. .

      My goodness, gracious.

      What a pickle.

      I can only wish you duck.

      sorry, I mean, I can only wish you luck.


      Hard to type with these unusually large hands and my noticeably elongated ring fingers.

      .


      Delete
    4. The wanted my dick but all the got was unwanted unpluckked duck in the end, the peckkeers.

      Delete
    5. I am soooooooo argry.....they haven't seen the last of me !!!!

      O no, not by a largggglllly shot....

      Delete
    6. I'd fight to your bitter end to keep you out of a shit hole like this, Quark !!!!!!

      Delete
    7. Then when I were on the verge of losing I'd turn and run like the bitter hell on the the grounds it's better to have only one turned over to bitter hell than two.....

      Show me where St Aquinas tells me I'm wrong....

      Delete
    8. You remind me of that prior "sentence" of yours that was almost Joycean.

      ...I enjoyced it.

      Delete
  42. Comey is a walking, talking, tweeting example of everything that's wrong with the FBI.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Joyce was grear- in Fiiegon's Wake he inventd a fart suppessiong dive -a cork with many small airways in it

    --- one would shove this sweet baby up one's backside tight as one could and then one cruise the entire wake in prevect oifactory comfort.....abd drink to one's hearts's desires too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Another great device would convert conventional typing into "Bob in the hospital" prose.

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've got a lawsuit againt these tinerbells, OH yes I do, They fondled my dick and wouldn't let go.

      They stole my phone and wouldn't give it back. They wanted to touch my entire body over a broken hip.

      I had to get escrot out of there.

      Oh yes they will hearing form me ,the tinkerbells.

      Delete
  45. Rep. Ron DeSantis, Florida Republican, said Mr. Rosenstein will likely have to appear before Congress to explain his actions regarding the FISA warrants for members of the Trump campaign.

    “I think Rosenstein is going to have to come to the Congress and explain his roll in extending it,” the lawmaker said on Fox News. “I mean, did he go back and review it and was satisfied, or he just extended? And is he going to be able to justify this as a proper use of FISA?”

    Asked by reporters Friday whether he has confidence in Mr. Rosenstein, the president said dismissively, “You figure that one out.”

    Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended his second-ranking official, saying

    Mr. Rosenstein represents “the kind of quality and leadership that we want in the department.”

    "Mr." Sessions isn't.

    What's worse than a worthless eunuch?

    Jeff Sessions.

    ReplyDelete