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."

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Judge Jeanine to McCabe: Quit Claiming ‘Victim Status’ — You Should Have Been Taken Out in Handcuffs


James Kallstrom: FBI leaders showed a shocking failure of judgment in the Clinton and Trump investigations

New flap over FBI texts

Did leak unfairly implicate Obama?

One of the most distressing recent developments in American government is the trend toward virtually everyone and everything being politicized.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was a notable exception to this. During the 27 years I served there, I never once witnessed political bias that affected in any way our ability to conduct fair and honest investigations based on the rule of law and the integrity that it demands.  

But times have changed. The memo recently released by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., reveals yet more shocking details about the failed leadership and judgement at the highest echelons of the FBI concerning the flawed investigation into Hillary Clinton and the farcical investigation of Donald Trump.

This should trouble every American, because the ability of the FBI to effectively protect our nation and citizens is directly connected to the regard and respect that the American people have for the bureau.
The great shame of this scandal is that the embarrassing actions of a few have sullied the reputation of the entire FBI and the thousands of dedicated FBI field agents who have nothing to do with this mess and who continue to do their jobs with exceptional courage, integrity and dedication.
During the years I served, the FBI neutralized Soviet spy rings, dismantled La Cosa Nostra and other organized crime networks, and pursued the FALN (a Puerto Rican terrorist group) and Weather Underground responsible for waves of bank robberies and bombings. Today the FBI is at the forefront of countering rampant cybercrime, radical Islamic terrorism and an array of other threats.
One of the FBI’s most important tools to protect the homeland and investigate crimes – especially in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks – is its ability to lawfully intercept communications through wiretaps and other means.

If Congress and the courts believe the FBI is abusing this surveillance power, they may become less willing to allow the FBI to use it. This would gravely jeopardize our national security.

But that could now happen. The Nunes memo revealed that in 2016, senior FBI leaders and Department of Justice officials used a discredited intelligence document (the infamous “Steele dossier”) in making their case to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court that it should authorize surveillance of Trump campaign official Carter Page.

Here’s what we know about this Steele dossier: its “research” was financed by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. It author, Christopher Steele, was a known antagonist of then-candidate Trump.

FBI leadership knew all this at the time, and yet the Steele dossier (a collection of memos) appears to be the primary basis upon which they hoped to convince a FISA Court that they had both probable cause and national security grounds to surveil Page, a U.S. citizen.

It’s a travesty of justice and it begs the question of why then-FBI Director James Comey and others would take such a clearly irresponsible step.

We can’t know what was in their hearts and heads, but it’s obvious to me that the original sin that allowed this to happen was the Obama administration’s weaponization of the Justice Department and U.S. intelligence agencies for political ends.

I say it’s obvious because around the same time the Obama Justice Department was effectively inventing criminal charges against several members of the Trump campaign, it was ignoring the widespread and longstanding criminality of Hillary Clinton and her political operation.

The investigation into Clinton’s private server violated most every investigative standard the FBI is supposed to follow. For starters, Comey never empaneled a grand jury, which has the power to compel testimony and the release of records.
In addition, broad immunity was granted to those close to Hillary Clinton, even though many offered little to no information of value.

Comey also prepared a memo exonerating Clinton weeks before she was even interviewed.

And then of course, there was the infamous Phoenix airport meeting: when then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch violated every standard of propriety and common sense by meeting in private with former President Bill Clinton while his wife was under active investigation.

Alone, any of these missteps could be explained away as a mistake or a coincidence. But together, they paint a more troubling picture of a small group of top officials at the FBI and Justice Department that sacrificed their integrity and politicized an institution that must always operate above politics.

The great shame of this scandal is that the embarrassing actions of a few have sullied the reputation of the entire FBI and the thousands of dedicated FBI field agents who have nothing to do with this mess and who continue to do their jobs with exceptional courage, integrity and dedication.

For the FBI’s reputation to be restored, we need accountability from the leaders who failed the bureau and a thorough accounting of how and why this great American institution lost its way.

James Kallstrom is a former Assistant Director of the FBI, where he served for 27 years. 

86 comments:

  1. Hmmph -

    the farcical investigation of Donald Trump

    That's the very phrase I've used.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Losing his pension is the least of his problem.

    He is not the kind of guy that could do some hard time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Judge Jeanine had a lady on who sounded like she knew what she was talking about who said his pension isn't really at risk.....it will be delayed about 7 years though.

      Should be waiting for him when he gets out of jail.

      Delete
  3. .

    It Would Be Funny But...

    Watching TV this morning saw interview with GOP member of the House Intelligence Committee.

    When asked about Nunes' statements that they found no evidence of collusion in the 2016 election, he responded that it was true, there may have been collusion but 'we found no evidence of it'.

    True, but given that the only ones signing on to the report were the GOP majority members, the question becomes 'how hard did you try'.

    This is prompted by the fact that the majority didn't bother to interview folks like Papadopoulos, the guy who actually started the investigation, or Mantafort, Gates, et al. They also refused to use the tools available to them to compel testimony from guys like Bannon, Trump Jr, Lewendowski, Hicks, and others.

    Kabuki by any other name...

    Little wonder that Inspector...er...I mean Chairman David 'Clouseau' Nunes is widely considered a buffoon and partisan hack.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is prompted by the fact that the majority didn't bother to interview folks like Papadopoulos, the guy who actually started the investigation, or Mantafort, Gates, et al. They also refused to use the tools available to them to compel testimony from guys like Bannon, Trump Jr, Lewendowski, Hicks, and others.

    Name the crime.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      They were supposedly investigating collusion.

      But that wasn't the point of my post. The GOP majority wasn't investigating anything. That's obvious by the people they 'didn't' interview. It was fake news. A show. All designed so Trump butt-boy Nunes had a platform to try to discredit the Mueller investigation.

      Surely, you don't deny that?

      .

      Delete
    2. Collusion, as to why despite the efforts of the entire Deep State and $1.2 billion spent, Hillary Clinton lost to a bad mannered smart ass developer from Queens. That is your crime?

      Delete
    3. .

      You read my friggin answer and you don't get it?

      I wasn't talking about a crime. I was talking about a partisan dog-and-pony show by Trump's butt-boy Nunes.

      A dog-and-pony show not about any real investigation of any real crime but simply a vehicle for a diversionary attempt to discredit the Mueller investigation.

      And please stop talking about Deep State conspiracies to get Trump. It's kind of crazy.

      .

      Delete
  5. Qabuki, you do understand that it wasn't The Donald that was responsible for firing McCabe, don't you ?

    The real ax was wielded by the Office of Professional Responsibility/Department of Justice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They concluded McCabe had not been 'candid'.

      This is their euphemism for lying his ass off.

      Delete
    2. from Statement by Sessions -

      The FBI’s OPR then reviewed the report and underlying documents and issued a disciplinary proposal recommending the dismissal of Mr. McCabe. Both the OIG and FBI OPR reports concluded that Mr. McCabe had made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor − including under oath − on multiple occasions.

      The FBI expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and accountability. As the OPR proposal stated, ‘all FBI employees know that lacking candor under oath results in dismissal and that our integrity is our brand.’


      lacked candor − including under oath − on multiple occasions

      Sucker lied his ass off.

      Delete
    3. .

      What makes you think I'm concerned about McCabe?

      What have I ever said one way or the other about McCabe, well, other than pointing out some guy was trying to save his pension for him?

      You do this all the time. You and Doug. Just assuming and supposing and making it up.

      .

      Delete
  6. Brennan clearly lost it. McCabe best not take a stroll through the Bloomingdale neighborhood of D.C.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said he disagreed with how former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was fired by Attorney General Sessions two days before he was eligible for his pension.

    Rubio said, “I don’t like the way it happened. He should have been allowed to finish through the weekend.”

    ReplyDelete
  8. Only in DC, 20 years on the job and retires with a $1.2 million pension, except he broke the law that would send civilians to jail.

    ReplyDelete


  9. .

    FBI leadership are not partisan hacks.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies


    1. .

      If they were I would comment on it.

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      Well, just as I predicted a couple days ago.

      .

      Delete


    3. .

      The Obama administration did not weaponize the Justice Department and U.S. intelligence agencies for political ends.

      .

      Delete

    4. From a couple days ago...

      QuirkSat Mar 17, 03:43:00 AM EDT

      DougFri Mar 16, 07:29:00 PM EDT
      .

      Mueller's my hero!

      .



      Bot Boy is at it again.

      I don't believe anyone here has ever said 'Mueller is my hero', well except for Doug on numerous occasions. The comments are after all under his name and contain no quote marks or italics.

      What I have said here is ...

      1. The Mueller investigations seems to be proceeding smoothly and I can wait until its completed before offering up comments on the results.

      2. Mueller seems to be conducting a typical investigation just as any other prosecutor would do.

      3. He is moving efficiently and for the most part without all the leaks we usually see in D.C.

      4. Based on the actions he's made public, he seems to know what he is doing and the results show it.

      5. While he is attacked constantly on this and other right wing sites, there never seems to be any specific charges of malfeasance being made against him regarding his investigation.

      However, I do ask Dougie the following two simple questions and, have in fact, done it numerous times...

      "Do you believe any of the people who have pled guilty or any of the people who were indicted were either not guilty or shouldn't be indicted and if so what do you base that on?"

      -and-

      "Show me instances where Mueller has operated illegally or unethically in conducting his investigation."

      Usually, when I ask either of those two questions, Doug ignores the questions and simply runs away and hides until the heat dies down then later he returns and puts up the same old bullshit posts.
      .

      Mueller's my hero!

      .


      like some untethered bot running a continuous loop.

      I'm beginning to think Mueller really is his hero and that the dot thing is simply his sub-conscious attempt at trying to bask in my reflected glory.

      Kind of gratifying in a way but still...


      And here you are, after disappearing for two days, back and posting the same bullshit posts.

      #SoPredictable

      .

      Delete
  10. .

    Liar. Liar. Pants on fire.

    As to McCabe going to jail for lying, it will be interesting to see if he actually does.

    First, has it been proven that he has lied? I haven't been following it closely. I know that's why he was fired but has it been proved? All I've heard was there reports that the IG report was going to say that when it comes out.

    Second, with all the lying (in many cases, admitted lying) we have seen since 9/11, how many people have actually served any jail time?

    Pretty rare.

    My usual answer, we'll have to wait and see.

    :o)

    .

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let's wait and see if Hillary lied.

      ...then we'll know if the FBI and Obama admin were corrupt.

      Delete


    2. .


      Obviously it hasn't been proven that she lied.

      .

      Delete


    3. '

      We waited and she didn't

      :o)

      .


      Delete


    4. .

      I only represent "nonpartisans."

      .

      Delete
    5. ...like Mueller's lawyers.

      Delete
    6. .

      And still he does it.

      Whine, whine, whine.

      You waste my time, dipshit.

      I'll keep putting up the post I did above until the investigations are over and we see the results or you finally start putting put up something of substance instead of fake news.

      .

      Delete


    7. .

      I rest my case on the validity and integrity of FBI investigations of the recent past.

      .

      Delete
    8. QuirkSun Mar 18, 03:40:00 PM EDT

      From a couple days ago...

      QuirkSat Mar 17, 03:43:00 AM EDT

      DougFri Mar 16, 07:29:00 PM EDT
      .

      Mueller's my hero!

      .


      Bot Boy is at it again.

      I don't believe anyone here has ever said 'Mueller is my hero', well except for Doug on numerous occasions. The comments are after all under his name and contain no quote marks or italics.

      What I have said here is ...

      1. The Mueller investigations seems to be proceeding smoothly and I can wait until its completed before offering up comments on the results.

      2. Mueller seems to be conducting a typical investigation just as any other prosecutor would do.

      3. He is moving efficiently and for the most part without all the leaks we usually see in D.C.

      4. Based on the actions he's made public, he seems to know what he is doing and the results show it.

      5. While he is attacked constantly on this and other right wing sites, there never seems to be any specific charges of malfeasance being made against him regarding his investigation.

      However, I do ask Dougie the following two simple questions and, have in fact, done it numerous times...

      "Do you believe any of the people who have pled guilty or any of the people who were indicted were either not guilty or shouldn't be indicted and if so what do you base that on?"

      -and-

      "Show me instances where Mueller has operated illegally or unethically in conducting his investigation."

      Usually, when I ask either of those two questions, Doug ignores the questions and simply runs away and hides until the heat dies down then later he returns and puts up the same old bullshit posts.
      .

      Mueller's my hero!

      .

      like some untethered bot running a continuous loop.

      I'm beginning to think Mueller really is his hero and that the dot thing is simply his sub-conscious attempt at trying to bask in my reflected glory.

      Kind of gratifying in a way but still...


      And here you are, after disappearing for two days, back and posting the same bullshit posts.

      #SoPredictable

      .

      Delete
    9. You pasted it twice:

      Twice as profound.

      Delete
  11. Replies
    1. QuirkSun Mar 18, 03:40:00 PM EDT

      From a couple days ago...

      QuirkSat Mar 17, 03:43:00 AM EDT

      DougFri Mar 16, 07:29:00 PM EDT
      .

      Mueller's my hero!

      .


      Bot Boy is at it again.

      I don't believe anyone here has ever said 'Mueller is my hero', well except for Doug on numerous occasions. The comments are after all under his name and contain no quote marks or italics.

      What I have said here is ...

      1. The Mueller investigations seems to be proceeding smoothly and I can wait until its completed before offering up comments on the results.

      2. Mueller seems to be conducting a typical investigation just as any other prosecutor would do.

      3. He is moving efficiently and for the most part without all the leaks we usually see in D.C.

      4. Based on the actions he's made public, he seems to know what he is doing and the results show it.

      5. While he is attacked constantly on this and other right wing sites, there never seems to be any specific charges of malfeasance being made against him regarding his investigation.

      However, I do ask Dougie the following two simple questions and, have in fact, done it numerous times...

      "Do you believe any of the people who have pled guilty or any of the people who were indicted were either not guilty or shouldn't be indicted and if so what do you base that on?"

      -and-

      "Show me instances where Mueller has operated illegally or unethically in conducting his investigation."

      Usually, when I ask either of those two questions, Doug ignores the questions and simply runs away and hides until the heat dies down then later he returns and puts up the same old bullshit posts.
      .

      Mueller's my hero!

      .

      like some untethered bot running a continuous loop.

      I'm beginning to think Mueller really is his hero and that the dot thing is simply his sub-conscious attempt at trying to bask in my reflected glory.

      Kind of gratifying in a way but still...


      And here you are, after disappearing for two days, back and posting the same bullshit posts.

      #SoPredictable

      .

      Delete
    2. Here you are pasting your profundities 3 times... (and counting!)

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

      Delete
    4. .

      Doug, do you really want to get into a numbers game.

      Shall I estimate how times you have put your bullshit up here.

      Hell, you must have put this beauty up here a hundred times and counting.

      .

      Mueller is my hero.

      .

      Get real.

      .

      Delete
    5. .

      You fucking guys are so damn stupid you don't see that I am not defending anyone.

      I haven't said anyone was guilty or innocent.

      I haven't accused anyone of collusion or obstruction of justice or anything else.

      It offends you that I say I'll wait until I see someone at least indicted and preferably convicted before
      commenting. Well, boo fucking hoo, asshole.

      The reason you guys get so upset is because when you put up fake news here I call bullshit.

      When you accuse all of these people of crimes, I say show me the evidence.

      Not what you think they did, not what you think everyone should think they did, not what you think is obvious but proof. Simple. Easy peasy.

      I've got no shit in this game. I think they are all dicks. But I'm not going to stand around and let you put up your bullshit every day without challenging it.

      Don't like it. Go fuck yourself.

      .

      Delete
    6. The topic of the post is what the FBI did.

      ...which you studiously avoid, thread after thread.

      Delete
    7. .

      Bullshit. This is all about the Mueller investigation.

      Read your own post.

      DougSun Mar 18, 04:19:00 PM EDT

      You keep coming back to it. Nunes mentioned it in an interview after he announced he was shutting down his investigation. The whole Carter Page bullshit though it had nothing to do with the Mueller investigation. About a billion tweets from Trump and his lawyers. All diversion. All designed to discredit the Mueller investigation.

      Almost all the leaks coming in the last year have been from the House Intelligence Committee and the Trump Administration.

      The topic of the post is what the FBI did.

      But that sure as hell didn't stop you from bringing it back to Mueller.

      You embarrass yourself.

      .

      Delete
    8. The topic of the post (Kalstrom's article) is what the FBI did.

      Delete
    9. .

      As if no one on this blog has posted something off-subject.

      More diversion, Dougie?

      Take a look. Half of your comments here have been off-subject, Mueller, Hillary, Obama, Mueller's lawyers.

      As I say, you embarrass yourself.

      .

      Delete
    10. Kallstrom writes about Obama "Justice" and Hillary:

      Did you read it?

      Delete
    11. .

      Again,I point out it was you that brought it back to Mueller right below.

      Did you read it?

      I was reading it right up to the point where he started referencing Nunes as an appeal to authority. That
      was enough for me.

      .

      Delete


  12. .

    None of Mueller's lawyers are partisans.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies


    1. .

      ...oops, make that: None of Mueller's lawyers aren't partisans.

      .

      Delete
    2. Even if some are, so what? What counts is evidence.

      Delete
    3. ...like Hillary's 13 thousand deleted emails?

      Delete
    4. .

      Damn, Doug, you're worse than Bob. There is no following any kind of conversation with you. First, it was the FBI then it was Mueller and his lawyers when you can't get any traction there you switch to Hillary. N
      None of it related except in your mind. One vast conspiracy to take down Trump, the nation and everything we hold dear.

      Damn, son, you've got it bad.

      I hope you don't have any guns. You appear to be on the edge and ready to lose it.

      Maybe, you should lay of the Gateway Pundit for a while.

      Try some Chamomile tea.

      Chamomile

      Matricaria recutita

      A time-honored, kid-friendly herb, Chamomile is safe, effective, and tastes good. It has a profound calming effect on the digestive system, a troubled digestive system being a main source of mood and behavioral imbalance. Chamomile soothes the nerves, relieves colic, and counteracts hyperactivity. It calms nightmares in children, so it’s a wonderful bedtime herb. It balances mood swings and anxiety and is generally a relaxing, pleasant-tasting beverage.


      .

      Delete
    5. Try responding to Doug Sun Mar 18, 05:49:00 PM EDT.

      Delete
    6. (Hints: "Kallstrom" "Obama" "FBI" "Justice" "Hillary" "Comey" "Steele" etc.)

      Delete
    7. "Nunes" gives you a pass on responding to any of Kallstrom's points?

      Pretty low bar.

      Delete
    8. .

      Anyone who would use Nunes as authority to back up any of his comments to my mind isn't worth listening to.

      .

      Delete
  13. Trump should fire Mueller. There are three branches of government, not four. We do not have an institutional inquisitor.

    Fire Mueller and make it a constitutional question for resolution.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'd fire the crooked son of a bitch in a heart beat.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Go for broke. Fire Rosenstein and Mueller.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Weak House Speaker Paul Ryan reiterated his support for special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation on Sunday after President Trump targeting the probe in a series of tweets over the weekend.

    "As the speaker has always said, Mr. Mueller and his team should be able to do their job," Ryan spokesperson AshLee Strong told the Washington Examiner.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Republicans, as an institution have no courage and no balls. If Trump is successful, he will have to dump or cower the establishment GOP and focus on his base that transcends both parties.

    We are facing two tough no-nonsense adversaries in China and Russia. Trump needs to expand his base in the US and Europe. Mueller is a toe fungus.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm elated to see both Doug and Quirk remain in fighting shape despite the years.

    That was an entertaining three rounder up above and I enjoyed it immensely.

    Knowing that both put a good deal of emotional energy into it, and not wanting to deflate either's balloon, I decline to award points.

    Keep it up, boys !

    ReplyDelete
  19. Fire Mueller?

    The whole thing is a farce.

    The first thing he did was pack his own panel with partisans.

    That should have made what was going on clear to anyone.

    No crime was every identified as needing investigation.

    'Collusion' is so nebulous, and, we have heard, not a crime in itself.

    Now we have McCabe really taking it on the chin, justifiably.

    (I am certainly enjoying this)

    Yes, I thought Mueller ought to be fired, but maybe it doesn't matter, what with all we have come to know in the past few days.

    I'm itching, itching, itching to read that IG Report.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And the full report of the Office of Professional Responsibility too, if such a report is available to us, as it ought to be.

      Delete
    2. Well...hmmmm....Judge Jeanine Pirro has just convinced me:

      FIRE MUELLER!

      If it's a question of going with my wavering 'notions' or going with Judge Pirro, I'll go with Judge Pirro !

      Delete
  20. I hope to see Mueller and Comey testifying directly against one another.

    :o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope to see Doug and Quirk going a full 15 rounder one of these days, too.

      :O):O):O)

      Delete
  21. I think it was Comey (?) who recently said The Donald would be left in the dustbin of history.....where or where would an American come up with a phrase like that ?

    :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops. It was Brennan.

      Ex–CIA Director Says Trump Will End Up in the 'Dustbin of History'
      https://splinternews.com/ex-cia-director-says-trump-will-end-up-in-the-dustbin-18238...
      1 day ago - “When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history,” Brennan tweeted Saturday in response to a tweet by President Donald Trump attacking McCabe and former FBI Director ...


      He needs jail time, too.

      Delete
    2. I want to see all these swamp rats eating one another !

      Delete
  22. With Rosenstein’s passive approval, Mueller is shredding Justice Department charging policy by alleging earth-shattering crimes, then cutting a sweetheart deal that shields the defendant from liability for those crimes and from the penalties prescribed by Congress.

    The special counsel, moreover, has become a legislature unto himself, promulgating the new, grandiose crime of “conspiracy against the United States” by distorting the concept of “fraud.”

    Why does the special counsel need to invent an offense to get a guilty plea?

    Why doesn’t he demand a plea to one of the several truly egregious statutory crimes he claims have been committed?

    https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/03/muellers-investigation-flouts-justice-department-standards/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All excellent questions.

      FIRE MUELLER !

      Delete
    2. (i just worry firing Mueller may not be worth the chaos costs)

      Delete
  23. Hunt For Fauxcohantes' DNA Begins

    Boston radio host plans to sneak DNA from Warren if she won’t take test
    Howie Carr says he tried it in 2012 with a pen cap


    By Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times - Sunday, March 18, 2018

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren may want to keep a firm grip on her soda cans for the foreseeable future.

    Boston radio host Howie Carr revealed Friday that he attempted six years ago to obtain a DNA sample from a pen cap she removed with her teeth before she signed a book—and said he plans to try it again unless she agrees to take a test voluntarily.

    Mr. Carr offered to send her overnight a DNA kit and challenged her to take the test with him “at the cheese shop of your choosing in Harvard Square” in order to resolve the dispute over her claims of Cherokee ancestry.

    “I have a backup plan, but it will involve some sneaky stuff, which I’ve tried before,” Mr. Carr said in a Boston Herald op-ed.

    During Ms. Warren’s 2012 Senate run, one of his people handed her a copy of “Pow Wow Chow,” the Indian cookbook to which she submitted a recipe, along with a capped pen at a campaign event in Worcester.

    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/18/radio-host-howie-carr-plans-sneak-elizabeth-warren/

    Large reward perhaps should be established....

    ReplyDelete
  24. We should ban lobbying by anyone who has ever been a member of Congress.

    Alas it is unlikely Congress will ever pass such a law.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Get Off Your Ass And DO SOMETHING

    How busy hands can alter our brain chemistry

    "Admiring your own handiwork" is a familiar expression containing an important truth about the mind. We handed this particular story to our Tony Dokoupil:

    Are you the kind of person who actually likes washing dishes? How about folding laundry? Yardwork?

    What all these have in common, of course, is they occupy our hands. And as it turns out, some researchers think that may be key to making our brains very happy.

    "I made up this term called 'behaviorceuticals,' instead of pharmaceuticals, in the sense that when we move and when we engage in activities, we change the neurochemistry of our brain in ways that a drug can change the neurochemistry of our brain," said Kelly Lambert, a neuroscientist at the University of Richmond.

    She says our brains have evolved to reward us for getting a grip on the world

    Which is why, Lambert said, in the 19th century doctors used to prescribe knitting to women who were overwrought with anxiety, "because they sensed that it calmed them down some. And it sounds, 'Oh, that's simplistic.' But when you think about, OK, repetitive movement is increasing certain neurochemicals. And then if you produce something -- a hat or a scarf -- there's the reward."

    knitting-closeup-620.jpg
    Knitting as a relaxant. CBS NEWS

    Of course, working with your hands is not always easy, as Matthew Crawford, a part-time mechanic from Richmond, Virginia, can attest.

    Dokoupil said, "There's literally blood on the table."

    "Yeah, there usually is," Crawford said.

    matthew-crawford-tinkering-620.jpg
    Matthew Crawford tinkering. CBS NEWS

    He prefers some nicks and cuts to what he used to do, as executive director of a think tank in Washington, D.C.

    And what did his hands look like then? "Probably not. They were pretty clean," he laughed. "But I was always sleepy. There was no amount of coffee that could keep me awake."

    In the garage, using his hands, Crawford finds that his mind goes into high gear. "There are times when I crack some nut that way where I'll, like, run over and kick the garbage can just out of elation," he smiled.

    shop-class-as-soulcraft-cover-penguin-244.jpg
    PENGUIN

    It was such a revelation, he wrote a bestselling book on the subject -- "Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work" (Penguin) -- which taps into the same attraction that makes reality shows like "Forged in Fire," "Top Chef," and "Project Runway" so popular. They all glorify handiwork.

    Lambert said, "If you're making something and painting or cooking and putting things together, and you're using both hands in a little bit more creative way, that's going to be more engaging for the brain."

    It's something a lot of us crave -- especially now, as fewer of us do much at all with our hands.

    As of 2015, jobs requiring social and analytical skills -- desk jobs -- had increased 94% from 1980, while jobs requiring physical skills went up a mere 12%.

    And that has Kelly Lambert concerned: "We just sit there. And we press buttons. And you start to lose a sense of control over your environment."

    She's been using rodents to study the hand-brain connection. Lambert said that rats made to dig for a reward showed greater signs of mental health, when compared to what she calls her "trust fund rats," who got a pass on doing any physical work....

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/handiwork-how-busy-hands-can-alter-our-brain-chemistry/

    I was never happier nor more creative than when farming !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Likewise when I rebuilt a 150 year old farmhouse.
      ...or built a greenhouse with glass from one we salvaged.
      A redwood strip canoe...
      etc

      Delete
    2. Redwood strip canoe sounds fascinating.

      Hope you got a pic to share ?

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The mills of the gods grind slowly
      But grind exceedingly fine


      Ernest Hemingway

      Delete
  27. March 18, 2018
    Comey’s McCabe narrative crumbles as he hawks his new book
    By Xavier Schafer

    During his June 8, 2017 Congressional testimony, James Comey vowed, “Andy is a total pro,” referring to disgraced FBI Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe, who was fired last Friday for, among other things, lying to the Inspector General.

    As it turned out, Andy “the Total Pro” McCabe wasn’t so “pro.”



    During the same testimony, Comey asserted that the Trump administration lied when it concluded the FBI was “poorly led, and that its workforce had lost confidence in its leader.”

    Comey swore, “those were lies, plain and simple. And I am so sorry that the FBI workforce had to hear them and I’m so sorry the American people were told them.”

    Lies, really?

    Comey is a lawyer, and one might think as such, Comey would be able to differentiate between fact and opinion. Yet Comey chose Congress, and not some cocktail party with Peter Strzok and FISA Judge Rudlolph Contreras, as the setting to accuse Trump of lying when he said the FBI leadership had its problems.

    The irony is rich. Comey testified under oath that Trump lied for giving an opinion, while at the same time, FBI leadership was lying to the Inspector General over its corrupt handling of the Clinton investigation.

    Comey responds to this revelation, not with a ‘mea culpa,’ but by peddling his new book instead.

    On Saturday, Comey tweeted, “Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not.“

    “Buy my book,” Comey in effect screams!

    “Or better yet, buy my book and pay $100 to hear me speak (Comey is going on a speaking tour and charging $97 a ticket).”

    While Comey is cashing in on his book and speaking tour, Andy “the Total Pro” McCabe is missing out on a 2 million dollar pension and is currently planning his legal defense to try to stay out of jail (not exactly how the plan in “Andy’s office” was drawn up, I presume).

    As irony abounds, whatever you call it: chutzpah or delusional cognition, Comey has got it, and in a really big way.

    Comey caricature by DonkeyHotey



    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/03/comeys_mccabe_narrative_crumbles_as_he_hawks_his_new_book.html#ixzz5AAr8wscR

    ReplyDelete