Finally! A political figure, rising star Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, has challenged the false premise that there was anything wrong with President Trump asking for Ukrainian help in an investigation of corruption in the 2016 election undertaken by Joe Biden. Just because it would potentially help discredit a potential political opponent is no reason to override the public benefit from investigating corruption.
For some reason, no other national politician has bothered making this point. Crenshaw did so yesterday on CNN, and faced intense opposition from CNN’s Chris Fredo Cuomo: Video at the link
#1
Last time I read the Constitution, the Executive Branch, not the Legislative was responsible for and had authority over, foreign relations, so butt out congresscritters.
#2
Interesting point. Does becoming a potential political opponent of the sitting president shield a politician from investigation of his or her political corruption, exposure of which could harm his/her electoral prospects?
Answer: Only if it makes Trump look bad.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/29/2019 15:11
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#3
It cannot be that a potential candidate is shielded from investigation into his or political corruption. If this were true, everyone would be running for office just to be shielded from investigation.
Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot - Now he is also Dead!
#6
I thought there was a bunch of intelligence found at the site. But, in this case, "next in line' - a mole seems more likely
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/29/2019 15:05
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#7
Trump: You're poor excuse for a NATO partner and a worthless POS and I hope the Russians kick your ass.
Erdoğan: NO, NO, no wait Mr. President. I have something for you (General Antonalopolis - fetch me the imagery). Yes, here it is! Here it is! Can we discuss the sanctions now? Can we ?
But since you brought it up, the enemy's center of gravity is not in leaders. It's in the grievance that they have with us: we're killing their people. Take away their grievance and you win the war.
Of course, this presumes you WANT to win the war, which the globalists in DC assuredly do not want to do. They want it to continue. It is highly profitable and provides endless excuses to meddle. All ruinously expensive, and all paid for by us, the American taxpayer.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
10/29/2019 19:55
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#12
I would also like to mention it's good you used the term "murder". Murder is an unlawful killing of a human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought.
Seeing as most people here dehumanize Afghani goatherders as not human, it's nice to see an implicit acceptance of them as human, as well as a recognition that what you're supporting is a crime. Baby steps, I suppose.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
10/29/2019 19:59
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#13
Members of the islamic death cult are not human. They might be people but they aren't human. And even if we left, they'd still attack us because it's what their cult demands. I suspect the only real cure is to remove the hosts.
#14
How many millions of Nazis were killed during the prosecution of World War II? How many civilians who may or may not have been Nazis?*
Defeating an aggressively expansionist totalitarian society is necessarily costly in terms of lives as well as materiel, because do not easily give up vicious ideas, once adopted. Only once enough are killed to demonstrate to all but the most obtuse that this idea is a Darwinian loser for a society that hold it, will it be given up. The alternative, as we’ve seen, is a long, drawn out engagement in the shadows to drain the economy of the losing side, as we did to the Soviet Union.
The population of Iraq is about 38 million. That of Syria is about 18.5 million. That of the Ummah, we are told, is about one billion. A quick, hard war should kill 2-3%, or a out 1.5 million in the region.
Or we could do the economic thing, starting by crashing the price of the oil that props up their societies. But that will take a generation, and all the meantime economic refugees will be bringing the ideas with them to Europe and beyond.
An estimated total of 70–85 million people perished, which was about 3% of the 1940 world population (est. 2.3 billion).
Deaths directly caused by the war (including military and civilians killed) are estimated at 50–56 million people, while there were an additional estimated 19 to 28 million deaths from war-related disease and famine.
Civilian deaths totaled 50-55 million. Military deaths from all causes totaled 21–25 million, including deaths in captivity of about 5 million prisoners of war.
More than half of the total number of casualties are accounted for by the dead of the Republic of China and of the Soviet Union. The government of the Russian Federation in the 1990s published an estimate of USSR losses at 26.6 million,[3][4] including 8 to 9 million due to famine and disease.
#1
One of the interesting take aways is while China imports and world exports to China have slowed, imports to the US have remained constant with slow growth. Companies have moved to Vietnam, India and Korea from China and are exporting to the US from there.
#5
Ugh, these "China Youtubers" seldom know what they're talking about. They just like reveling in "insider knowledge" about China, of which they have very little. The world isn't going anywhere.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
10/29/2019 16:40
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[Jpost] The US raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was executed in the first hours of October 27. It has many similarities with the raid to kill al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in 2011. President Donald Trump’s theatrics have made it sound more interesting. We don’t know all the details, but here are some of the takeaways.
Adds some interesting details to what we already know.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/29/2019
09:35 ||
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#1
The whole changing strategy seems ad hoc. It’s not even clear if Trump discusses it with some senior advisors.
Just couldn't resist, even after saying...guessing...that the whole raid was a bit ad hoc.
[Telegraph] Syrian government forces and the Turkish military clashed on Tuesday for the first time since Ankara launched an offensive in northeastern Syria three weeks ago, a war monitor said.
"Heavy fighting erupted for the first time between the Syrian and Turkish armies," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. "Let's you and him fight"
The Britain-based monitoring group said artillery and machinegun fire was exchanged near the village of Assadiya, south of the border town of Ras al-Ain.
At least six Syrian soldiers were wounded in the fighting, the Observatory said.
The Turkish military and its Syrian proxies attacked Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria on October 9 with the aim of creating a roughly 30-kilometre (20-mile) deep buffer zone.
[Free Beacon] A legal organization has filed a series of requests to compel American universities to turn over documents that it suspects will shine light on efforts by Qatar to peddle influence and push anti-Israel bias in U.S. public schools, according to a copy of public records requests obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
The Lawfare Project, a legal group that provides services to the pro-Israel community, has filed document requests to compel Middle Eastern studies departments at the University of North Carolina and Duke University to turn over documents related to the alleged promotion of curricula sponsored by Qatar Foundation International, a partially state-funded organization that has helped Doha spend an estimated $1 billion pushing the Middle Eastern nation's priorities.
The Lawfare Project suspects these documents will reveal how Qatar has worked to spread its propaganda inside the American education system. The organization is seeking public records from UNC regarding any potential involvement by Qatar and its proxies in teacher training programs sponsored by the Duke-UNC Center for Middle Eastern Studies.
The document requests come as the Department of Education investigates how some $235,000 in federal funds were used to organize a series of anti-Israel events jointly held by Duke and UNC. The events have sparked questions from lawmakers and others into the relationship between these American universities and nations such as Qatar that spend millions to influence the U.S. education system.
The Education Department is also investigating teacher-training programs Duke held through its Islamic Studies Center and Middle East Studies Center underwritten by QFI. Critics say these programs promote anti-Israel bias and unfairly portray the Jewish state.
Qatar has "spent billion of dollars in the U.S. trying to influence not just colleges ... but also public schools and police departments," Gregg Roman, chief operations officer of the Middle East Forum‐which promotes American interests and western values in the Middle East‐said during a recent conference on Qatar's influence operations.
[Breitbart] Appearing Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice said she was "quite confident" that the Trump administration did not follow the "normal protocol" of informing President Barack Obama about the weekend killing of Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
A partial transcript is as follows:
MARGARET BRENNAN: What is your reaction to the death of al-Baghdadi?
SUSAN RICE: Obviously, it’s a major milestone and it’s one we all should be welcoming quite plainly, but it doesn’t mean that the fight against ISIS is over. And it doesn’t mean that we can declare mission accomplished and just walk away. What we’ve seen time and time again in this part of the world is that when the pressure is relieved on terrorist organizations, whether al-Qaeda or ISIS, they are able to reconstitute. So we need to be vigilant. We need to maintain a minimal presence in order to ensure that the pressure stays on ISIS and they don’t come back roaring.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Was President Obama informed of the death of al-Baghdadi by the administration? Did you know before the news today?
RICE: No, there’s no reason why I should know. There is a tradition of common courtesy of presidents informing their predecessors of things of significance like this. Since the White House seemingly didn’t feel it necessary to inform the leadership of the intelligence committees on a bipartisan basis, I’m quite confident that they didn’t do the normal protocol with respect to predecessors either. Sorry, 'NO NEED TO KNOW.' Read about it tomorrow.
#5
Yeah, me too. There I was sleeping peacefully in my own home in bed while some certified American bad asses were turning Beg-deady into confetti. Didn't some English guy say something about that?
#10
Didn't some English guy say something about that?
Rough men performing acts of toxic masculinity to keep our sorry asses safe. Yeah, I'm paraphrasing.
As for Carter: "Can't we just shoot him in the shoulder?"
If you don't find that both hilarious and sad, go read "Guests of the Ayatollah" about the ill-fated Iran hostage rescue. That was actually Jimmy's attitude. Worst President Ever.
#12
Trump probably thought Obama had nothing to offer.
Obama and the Dems have hammered Trump without let up since before he was elected. The Dems would likely break security protocols and leak the mission to try to make Trump look bad so...&%$#-off Dems.
#13
SteveS, I haven't read that book yet, but my recollection is that Cyrus Vance, Carter's Secretary of State, actually did put that question to Charging Charlie Beckwith, the founder of Delta Force. I've never seen Beckwith's response in print, but one can imagine. I'm may be off on that.
Posted by: Matt ||
10/29/2019 12:40
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#14
Like Obama didn't extend Trump the "Common Courtesy" of telling him that the Democratic Deep State was running an operation to frame him?
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136 ||
10/29/2019 14:19
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#16
A Dem President can inform Repblicans on this sort of issue with 100% assurance the info won't be leaked. That does not go both ways and they know it, they just don't like it in practice.
#18
Legally, Obama is just another citizen now, just like you and I. Other than he has Secret Service protection, a generous pension, free healthcare and many other benefits.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
10/29/2019 16:04
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#19
Why would you tell a predecessor? I don't think that's a thing.
#20
Why on earth would any rational human, POTUS or otherwise, entrust his most important secrets with people who have been screaming nonstop for nearly 3 years that said individual is a despicable traitor?
Does this make any f---ing sense?
Why do these people keep insulting our intelligence?
[Hot Air] nterestingly, Pelosi’s calling this audible just three days after a federal judge affirmed that House Democrats *don’t* need to hold a vote formally opening an impeachment inquiry in order for the inquiry to be valid for constitutional purposes.
A noteworthy bit from her letter to the Democratic caucus this afternoon is that the forthcoming resolution "establishes the procedure for hearings that are open to the American people." We’d already heard rumblings lately that the inquiry was about to enter a more public phase and now here’s Pelosi confirming it. And a good thing too: I spent 15 minutes on Sunday trying to convince a Trump-supporting family member that yes, Republican congressmen really are attending these closed-door depositions, and yes, they really are being allowed to question the witnesses extensively. He was incredulous. I guess that Matt-Gaetz-led stunt at the SCIF last week had the desired effect of convincing casual news watchers that Republicans have been so completely shut out of the Democrats’ process that they had no choice but to barge in on a hearing to gain access.
#2
So as I understand it, and I could be wrong, this vote is to formalize the secret hearing, not formally start the impeachment. What they seem to be voting on is to codify the secret proceedings, make them an approved process. The truth is not in this vote. What they are voting on is much more sinister that an impeachment, it give them the capability to act in secret, I.E. no transparency.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/29/2019 12:36
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#3
Where are the Tea Party Mohawks when you need them?
[The Mail] Before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform
Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member, thank you for the opportunity to address the Committees concerning the activities relating to Ukraine and my role in the events under investigation.
Background
I have dedicated my entire professional life to the United States of America. For more than two decades, it has been my honor to serve as an officer in the United States Army. As an infantry officer, I served multiple overseas tours, including South Korea and Germany, and a deployment to Iraq for combat operations. In Iraq, I was wounded in an IED attack and awarded a Purple.
Since 2008, I have been a Foreign Area Officer specializing in Eurasia. In this role, I have served in the United States' embassies in Kiev, Ukraine and Moscow, Russia. In Washington, D.C., I was a politico-military affairs officer for Russia for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs where I authored the principle strategy for managing competition with Russia. In July 2018, I was asked to serve at the National Security Council.
The privilege of serving my country is not only rooted in my military service, but also in my personal history. I sit here, as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army, an immigrant. My family fled the Soviet Union when I was three and a half years old. Upon arriving in New York City in 1979, my father worked multiple jobs to support us, all the while learning English at night. He stressed to us the importance of fully integrating into our adopted country. For many years, life was quite difficult. In spite of our challenging beginnings, my family worked to build its own American dream. I have a deep appreciation for American values and ideals and the power of freedom. I am a patriot, and it is my sacred duty and honor to advance and defend OUR country, irrespective of party or politics.
For over twenty years as an active duty United States military officer and diplomat, I have served this country in a nonpartisan manner, and have done so with the utmost respect and professionalism for both Republican and Democratic administrations. Read the entire text with 'Gosudarstvenny Gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii' playing softly in the background. Very stimulating I assure you.
#1
I am a patriot, and it is my sacred duty and honor to advance and defend OUR country, irrespective of party or politics.
Except when it comes to sensitive information, discussions, and matters contrary to his own political beliefs and the political goals of entities he has worked closely with for a number of years (aka comrades and handlers).
Then like his old boss Dr. Fiona Hill, he departs the office and tosses in a thermite grenade on his way out the door.
Eurasia embassy hoping-FAO...? Yes, I believe we know where your loyalties lie colonel. Thanks for the CV and extensive virtue signaling. I look forward to your upcoming book.
#2
In this situation, a strong and independent Ukraine is critical to U.S. national security interests because Ukraine is a frontline state and a bulwark against Russian aggression.
And Zelensky wants to mend fences with Russia - bingo.
#4
Sorry, I won't follow the link after reading what's posted here. If he wasted that much time and breath trying to convince us how great he is, I refuse to waste any more time on him.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/29/2019 12:07
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#5
This is a clownishly blatant attempt at a redirect.
Everything they accuse Trump of doing vis-a-vis Russia, Hillary and her people did with Ukraine. So f---ing obvious, it's pathetic.
#7
Abu, you missed some interesting things. For example I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma, it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained. This would all undermine U.S. national security.
#9
grom, I read that part somewhere else. I just don't see how U.S. national security is the slightest bit dependent on Ukraine other than the corrupting influence it has on Democrat politicians. It wouldn't bother me if the Russians marched in there and sat on it for another couple of centuries any more than it has in the past. That's another reason why I think the guy's an idiot and I won't waste any more time on him.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/29/2019 13:04
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#10
The interesting part, IMO, Abu if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma ... would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support i.e., "oppose the sitting POTUS or face the consequences when the government changes".
#12
Ukraine never should have been viewed as other than a neutral zone, a la Finland or Austria during the Cold War, that would never ever be allowed to even consider joining NATO.
European Union--fine. Their choice. But not our concern.
We should never-- Hillary, Kerry, Obumble, Nuland, the whole Shitshow-- never should have encouraged anyone in Ukraine to think that they could become a US ally.
Needlessly provocative and gaining us nothing strategically that we didn't already have via our alliance partners Poland, Turkey and Romania.
The only possible explanation for this extreme infatuation with Ukraine is Hillary's skullduggery and campaign dirty tricks designed to slime Trump.
#14
Another article..(sorry can't find link) indicated that the LtCol also said his concern was that the calls ignored "interagency" positions. In other words, the Klingons got their knickers in a bunch.
#15
OK, grom, you talked me into it. I read the whole thing. This is the guy who fed his load of crap to the whistleblower either directly or indirectly. This guy is the leak.
Beyond that it seems clear he is more concerned about Ukrainian security than he is about American security. So, if he is not the whistleblower, he is not protected and Trump can fire him. Then Barr can prosecute him for leaking classified information.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/29/2019 14:45
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#16
And once more I ask: How, exactly, does any of this prove that Trump broke any law?
I heard Pelosi assert that Trump exceeded his authority and endangered national security but I don't see how.
Are we so concerned about Ukraine that we're willing to go to war with Russia? I don't believe so. We have no treaty with them and it would be foolish if we did.
Imagine if we finally decided that we'd had enough of the communists in Cuba and decided to do a little regime change down there like we've done in Iraq and Libya, like we've attempted to do in Egypt and Syria. Then imagine that Russia gets involved just like some in this country would like to get involved in Ukraine. Do you think Pelosi would wet her panties?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/29/2019 14:59
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#17
“I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine,” Colonel Vindman said in his statement. “I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained.”
First, he is not there to judge the conversation between two sitting presidents. He was not voted into office and while he is an FAO, he should remember he is NOT a decision maker, policy maker or any other thing other than a phone monitor there to scribe the conversation. With this statement he placed his loyalty to the Ukraine and them getting the money over the president of the United States and the President's strategic objectives. If he felt that strongly he should have filed an IG complaint instead of talking about it to some over politicized woman in the CIA and getting her to file one.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/29/2019 15:21
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#18
Ya, I'm pissed. He embarrassed the US Army Officer Corp. The money going to the Ukraine was more important to him that a Coup d'état in the United States.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/29/2019 15:25
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#19
Beyond that it seems clear he is more concerned about Ukrainian security than he is about American security.
Actually, I meant exactly the opposite - IMO, he's part of the clique determined to have conflict with Russia - contrary to the wishes of his CinC*. And perfectly willing to use Ukraine as an expendable pawn. Or, at least an excuse to justify his unprofessional behavior "It's not that I oppose the Orange Man on any subject, I'm concerned for Ukraine".
*I wonder to what degree they're encouraged by the Chinese.
p.s. As to Ukraine, I fully share Lex's sentiments - cubed (my mother's family comes from Ukraine, the survivors).
#20
Ref #14: Another article..(sorry can't find link) indicated that the LtCol also said his concern was that the calls ignored "interagency" positions. In other words, the Klingons got their knickers in a bunch. Posted by Mercutio
EXACTLY! And as their (Klingon's) dedicated point man, it was his responsibility to throw the flag and he knew precisely where to throw it. Pan, Lex, Merc and everyone else nailed it.
#23
why in the fuck would anyone bring up Pelosi's panties
Posted by: chris ||
10/29/2019 18:46
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#24
On the very edge -
The exact words of the Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 88 - Contempt Toward Public Officials states: "Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct."
#25
Appearing on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle," the former Bush administration lawyer John Yoo said The Times' reporting suggested Vindman was guilty of espionage.
I agree with that. The guy is a leaker who leaked classified information.
[Politico] Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions is strongly considering jumping into the race for his old Senate seat in Alabama, according to multiple Republican sources familiar with the matter.
Sessions would scramble the already crowded field of Republicans seeking to take on Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who won a 2017 special election to fill the remainder of Sessions' term and is widely viewed as the most vulnerable senator on the ballot next year.
Sessions served in the Senate for two decades before being tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the Justice Department. The two had a bitter, public falling out over Sessions' decision to recuse himself from the DOJ's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Sessions, 72, must decide within days whether to run: Candidates have until Nov. 8 to qualify for the ballot.
#2
He's 72 years old. Take up fishing and stamp collecting.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2019 11:45
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#3
Sessions was AWOL from his office as DOJ AG. He should not have recused himself, was weak (caved to the Dems) and did little to clean up the mess in the DOJ and FBI. There are no guarantees he wouldn't be another Romney.
[Washington Examiner] The lawyer representing the anonymous CIA employee who blew the whistle on President Trump's dealings with Ukraine once assisted a whistleblower who worked with Joe Biden's staff to accuse the military of failing to provide armored vehicles to the troops in Iraq.
Whistleblower Franz Gayl, a Marine Corps civilian ground combat advocate, went public in 2007 with a now-disputed claim that the military had ignored or slow-walked requests for life-saving equipment, such as mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles and nonlethal offensive gear, that would have saved Iraqi civilians.
Gayl was assisted by Andrew Bakaj, a former CIA officer who specializes in supporting whistleblowers. Bakaj is now the principal attorney for the career CIA officer who worked on the National Security Council under Presidents Barack Obama and Trump before departing and filing a whistleblower complaint with the Intelligence Community inspector general.
The claim from Gayl helped build opposition to the war and President George W. Bush, who was portrayed as incompetent, and fueled Obama's 2008 victory, which propelled Biden into the vice presidency. But it has come under renewed scrutiny in recent years.
[American Thinker] We Americans have long prided ourselves on the fairness of our system of justice. It remains the best in the world. But, just like a strong and magnificent bridge across a wide river, corrosion can set in. If not monitored and repaired, the bridge can suddenly collapse. Likewise, if we ignore the warning signs, if we do not address the inequities in our justice system, the public will reach a point when there is so little respect for the law that its enforcement will cease to be effective. The danger is that we might become a lawless society, and that will lead to becoming a failed state. Chaos and disintegration could follow.
Hyperbole? Here are seven warning signs, present today, that we ignore at great peril.
Plea Bargains Coerce the Innocent to Plead Guilty
One of several defects in the current system of plea bargains is that prosecutors can coerce innocent people to plead guilty to a lesser charge, because otherwise, they may risk years in prison. Such coercion can also entice people to give false testimony against other defendants to help the prosecutor in related cases. Innocent people can also plead guilty, to spare family members who might otherwise be threatened with prosecution.
Costly Attorney Fees Enforce Injustice
Another reason why innocent people may plead guilty to lesser charges is because even if the prosecutor has a weak case, the defendant's legal fees can bankrupt him and his family.
#3
For second if a prosecutor or cops knowingly uses false evidence they should serve the time instead of the accused. I don't care if you *know* the perp is dirty you just can't do that.
#4
Better late than never.
Maybe the public will start paying attention and actually demand reform. Beginning with the plea-bargain strong arm tactic that's abused by nearly every prosecutor in this country.
#6
Hell, you could make a case that it started with Marbury vs. Madison and "judicial review".
But it's been happening for generations, and the clutch of decisions in mid-2015 is what finally convinced me that the rules were not even going to be a figleaf anymore.
#7
Lex is exactly right on the plea bargain bullshit. scare you with big sentence or take it whether guilty or not. Been there don't that worst mistake of my life.
Posted by: chris ||
10/29/2019 18:53
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A revealing short excerpt:
[American Thinker] As an interesting aside, FISA judges are appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts. As the Washington Post reports, "Roberts is single-handedly choosing the people who get to decide how much surveillance we’re subject to."
Where has he been on alleged FISA abuses? A Title 1 warrant was issued against Carter Page, reserved for "an agent of a foreign power." This allowed the FBI to spy not only on Page, but anyone he was in contact with and anyone they were in contact with. That would cover the entire Trump campaign and most of Washington D.C. If Page was a foreign agent, why is he on cable news shows rather than in prison?
How can Justice Roberts preside over a possible Senate impeachment trial if he is a material witness into the abuses that started the impeachment inquiry?
#8
my question is. How can anyone stand too listen too NPR? I got a little high awhile ago an my uber had it on they talking about a killer rabbit. I lost my shit, interesting ride. :)
Posted by: chris ||
10/29/2019 18:59
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BELMONT CLUB
"I still say Kayla should be here, and if Obama had been as decisive as President Trump, maybe she would have been," Marsha Mueller said, referring to the death of her daughter at the hands of ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. "After Kayla's death, the Muellers became outspoken critics of the American government's handling of its foreign hostages. They had been encouraged to keep her captivity secret, and discouraged from attempting to free her or pay a ransom."
Leaving aside the question of whether Obama ever had a good tactical option at rescuing Kayla Mueller, "decisive" is probably the wrong word to characterize the former president's style. Obama knew what he wanted and valued signaling and appearances in a sincere way. He was always signaling.
...Obama was not indecisive. He simply decided on a different course and held to it. The only problem is it led nowhere. Ironically it was Maureen Dowd in the NYT who most clearly understood this. "Obama ‐ Just Too Good for Us." "'Sometimes I wonder whether I was 10 or 20 years too early,' Obama mused to aides." Persuasion was his sole and sometimes insufficient weapon. Dowd saw Hillary's nomination as the machine politics backlash against the ineffectual idealism of Obama.
...Alas for Hillary the candidate, if Obama came 20 years too early she came 10 years too late.
By contrast, Trump's reaction to Mueller's murder was far more Roman and atavistic. It was frankly tribal. In the video clip below mentally replace Caesar's line upon seeing the head of Pompey, "he was a consul of Rome" with "she was a citizen of the United States" and one gets the sense of what Delta Force conveyed. Not very enlightened, but there it is. I wonder, could McRaven's outburst on 17th been motivated by service jealousy?
#2
There was a time when being a 'Citizen of Rome' meant the locals didn't screw with them, otherwise very unpleasant consequences. The Romans were known not to worry about carrying out 'group' punishment for the acts of one or a few.
#3
Disagree with Belmont club on this. Obama wasn’t 20 years early. We won’t be ready for all talk no strength to backbit up in 20 years. Maybe 200 years.
#4
Obama was a nullity, a blob, a zilch. An empty vessel into which our virtue-signaling elite poured their hopes for a "global citizen" president.
The ultimate affirmative action beneficiary who couldn't write a legal brief (though he was voted onto the most prestigious law review in a popularity contest), couldn't come up with or lead passage of any significant legislation (though he won multiple elections after each of his opponents self-destructed in scandal), and couldn't articulate or conduct an even minimally competent foreign policy (though he was acclaimed a genius and awarded a Nobel).
No worse than Joe Biden
[Babylon Bee] Everyone praised the classified "Hero Dog" for taking down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Everyone, that is, except CNN, who quickly searched through the dog's internet history and college yearbooks. Sure enough, CNN found a picture of the Hero Dog partying at obedience school. In the picture, the dog is seen sniffing a butt without consent.
"Oh yeah, good old [redacted]? He was nuts!" said one German Shepherd who attended Old Yaler Obedience School with the hero dog, according to a CNN report. "He was always sniffing any butt he could find. Cats, dogs, humans, you name it. He didn't have a preference. He identified as pansniffual."
Troubling reports from classmates indicate that the dog sniffed all these butts without consent. The dog wrote cryptic things in his college yearbook, apparently referring to different butt-sniffing maneuvers such as the Surprise Sniffarooski and the Canine's Triangle.
The dog has issued a statement: "I like butts. I've always liked butts. I still like butts, but I never sniff butts to the point of excess. Who's a good boy? I am."
Democrats immediately called for the dog to be court-martialed and for the death of Baghdadi to be overturned.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/29/2019
04:34 ||
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[PJMedia] Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is dealing with a 12-day-old teachers strike that features a contest between the most radical union in the U.S. and one of the nation's most radical mayors.
It's not going to end well for her.
When the strike began she told the teachers "there is no more money." All that did was whet the appetite for battle by the teachers who are now almost certainly going to get almost all of what they want.
...Chicago Teachers Union president Jesse Sharkey and vice president Stacy Davis Gates said that the union’s most recent proposal asks for an additional $38 million in funds over the city’s last offer.
...Sure, why not? It's only $38 million. And that's Lightfoot's problem. The city is facing an $800 million budget shortfall and the union is perfectly willing to exacerbate it. Not their problem and not their money. They apparently don't see why the city council can't just slap a few more cents on the dozens of taxes that residents are already paying. Piece of cake.
...The federal government can put Social Security and Medicare on the credit card for as long as demand for U.S. Treasuries is high. States and municipalities don’t have that luxury. There is an upper bound to what even the most progressive mayors and governors can grant the lobbies that mobilize voters for their campaigns. But it’s a glass ceiling. Public sector unions are eager to break it.
...Chicago reached that "upper bound" years ago and residents have been voting with their feet. In their eagerness to sate the appetite for tax dollars, public unions' ever-escalating demands have made Chicago the only major city of the top five to lose population over the previous decade.
So with the prospect of having to pay the extortionate demands of teachers, Lightfoot is facing the reality that other U.S. mayors have known for decades. In her case, she probably can't understand why her ideological allies are treating her this way. They're on the same side, aren't they? They're brothers and sisters in the struggle for social justice, right?
The idea that Lightfoot "means well" isn't good enough for the union. Good intentions can still lead to hell. For Chicago's long-suffering taxpayers, they're already there.
#2
They apparently don't see why the city council can't just slap a few more cents on the dozens of taxes that residents are already paying. Piece of cake.
Well yeah. Then you put on a stern face and tell people if they want to live in your awesome city, they'd better pay their fair share. And then you call them racists for leaving.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
10/29/2019 6:09
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#3
Current Chicago pension debt is about $150,000 per family unit.
[Times of San Diego] The guided-missile destroyer heavily damaged in a collision with a merchant ship in 2017 has returned to the fleet after extensive repairs in Japan.
The Navy announced Sunday that the USS John S. McCain had completed necessary repairs and weapons upgrades and is in the midst of comprehensive testing at sea.
The destroyer collided with the merchant vessel Alnic MC in the early morning hours of Aug. 21, 2017, off the coast of Singapore and Malaysia, east of the heavily traveled Strait of Malacca. Ten sailors were killed.
The warship's commander and executive officer were later relieved of duty. Career over
The John S. McCain, named for both the grandfather and father of the late Sen. John S. McCain III, is assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15 and forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. The USS Meggy Moo was stuck in drydock, too wide to exit
"This whole crew is eager to get back to sea, and that's evident in the efforts they've made over the last two years to bring the ship back to fighting shape, and the energy they've put into preparing themselves for the rigors of at-sea operations," said Cmdr. Ryan T. Easterday, the warship's commanding officer.
During the repair upgrades were made to the ship's computer network, antenna systems, radar array and combat weapons systems.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/29/2019
03:43 ||
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#1
Next collusion (assuming it follows the original John) with USN ship?
#5
Re #3: Herb, read the article. The USS John McCain was named after Senator McCain's father and grandfather. Both of them were admirals.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
10/29/2019 8:46
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#6
And you know of them only because the US government was messing with the internal affairs of Japan's mainland rights, and the targeting of Yamamoto's transport plane only extended the first chapter of US forever war doctrine.
Belt your socks on, dear Reader. This one’s a doozie.
[Jpost] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was a rapist. Like most jihadists, his main motivation was murder and genocide, combined with far-Right religious hatred. In Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... , the organization and "state" that he led, he was able to exploit various strands of followers to create the closest thing the Middle East has seen to a short-lived, Nazi-style country.
He spent his days as leader raping women the group had kidnapped while his men died on the front lines. Like Hitler, he enjoyed the good life while his Sunni soldiers suffered under the bombs of the US-led coalition and struggled to stop the rising tide of Shi’ite militias and Kurdish fighters arrayed against them.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/29/2019
01:58 ||
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#1
Abu Bakr Baghdadi (Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali) should go down in history recognized as a Caliph of true islam, equal to the Rashiduns, Umayyads and Turkic caliphs. Any 'moderate muslims' that deny his status as a representative of islam are either mistaken or just hiding their beliefs.
History is full of such muslim leaders, their followers were all motivated by rape and bloodlust justified by their psychopathic doctrines. Modern islam is only different from old islam in that it has guns instead of swords. Let this bastard's death be a symbol of things to come for all islam.
h/t Instapundit
While the Democrats continue their impeachment pantomime war dance in the mirror-clad corner in order to keep up their spirits, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is ginning up a much more fateful danse macabre on health care. He has promised to force a vote this week on various Trump Administration directives that have injected flexibility into Obamacare. As The Hill reports, "Senate Democrats plan to force vulnerable Republicans to vote on legislation that would overturn a controversial Trump administration directive on ObamaCare."
[IsraelTimes] Army says ’wide-scale operation’ in Hebron-area refugee camp comes in response to uptick in stone-throwing and Molotov cocktailing attacks along Route 60.
Israeli troops carried out raids throughout the West Bank late Sunday and early Monday, arresting 19 Paleostinians and escorting Jewish worshipers to a flashpoint holy site.
The Paleostinian suspects were held on suspicion of participating in violent riots in recent weeks or involvement in terror-related activities, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
The army said 13 Paleostinians were arrested in a "wide-scale operation" in the Arroub refugee camp, outside the southern West Bank city of Hebron, which came in response to an uptick in stone-throwing and firekabooms on Israeli vehicles traveling on the nearby Route 60.
"For the past few weeks, our patrols have been trying to halt daily attempts to attack commuters on Route 60 as part of their work securing the residents of the Etzion bloc," the statement said.
The IDF said that troops found and confiscated an M16 rifle and ammunition during searches of al-Arroub.
In a separate raid overnight Sunday-Monday in the Jordan Valley, the army said six Paleostinians were arrested for a variety of offenses, including participating in riots, rock-throwing, and involvement in terrorist activities.
Separately, IDF troops overnight escorted hundreds of Jewish worshipers to the tomb of Yehoshua bin Nun in the northern West Bank.
The army said 600 Jewish worshipers visited the holy site in the village of Kifl Haris, northwest of the Ariel settlement, without incident.
Security forces and worshipers have previously come under attack by local Paleostinians on previous overnight pilgrimages.
[IsraelTimes] Group arrested in raid by elite Duvdevan unit last month, but details censored until now.
Israeli troops arrested a group of Paleostinians suspected of throwing a rock at an IDF officer, moderately wounding him last month, the army said Monday.
"The Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet security service and security forces in a joint operation last month arrested the members of a cell that threw rocks near the village of Azzun... and moderately injured an IDF officer while he was on leave," the military said in a statement.
Though the arrests were made last month, the matter was censored until Monday.
On September 20, the 23-year-old officer was hit when the rock flew through the windshield of his car near the settlement of Ma’aleh Shomron, west of Nablus. The officer’s father was with him in the car at the time.
The maimed man was treated by medics at the scene and taken to a hospital in Petah Tikva.
Several other rock-throwing incidents against Israeli cars were reported in the area around the same time. No injuries were reported in the other incidents
"Following a concerted intelligence effort by the IDF and Shin Bet, we carried out the arrests of the suspects in the rock throwing," an officer in the elite West Bank-based Duvdevan unit said in a statement.
"The soldiers of the Duvdevan unit are operating around the clock in order to stop and to thwart terrorist activities in the area of Judea and Samaria," he said, using the biblical term for the West Bank.
Rock-throwing attacks against Israeli vehicles are common in the West Bank, though they rarely cause casualties. Extremist settlers have also been known to attack Paleostinian drivers with rocks, and in one incident last year, an Israeli teen is accused of having thrown a rock that killed a Paleostinian woman.
Sultan Knish
Think there’s a contradiction between ’woke’ corporate titans like Apple and Disney silencing anyone opposed to China’s crackdown on protesters in Hong Kong?
It’s not hypocrisy, it’s synergy.
The same forces that made the major brands scattered around your kitchen, living room and garage broadcast their support for gun control, gay marriage and illegal immigration are fueling their support for the People’s Republic of China pulling another Tiananmen Square in Hong Kong.
The lefties in Beijing and Berkeley used the same set of ideological tools to force companies to toe the party line. They roped off access to an appealing customer base, the population of mainland China, urban millennials with huge amounts of disposable income, in exchange for ideological compliance.
Communist China is one entangled oligarchy which mingles political party and company. Sound familiar?
The CEO of Nike sits on the board of Disney. The CEO of Disney until recently sat on the board of Apple. The CEO of Apple sits on the board of Nike. Good thing we have a "free market economy" isn’t it?
Disney, Apple and all the rest have no problem understanding their Chinese Communist counterparts.
ESPN smears democracy protesters in Hong Kong for the same reason that it celebrated Colin Kaepernick. There’s a fundamental contradiction in principles between supporting a Communist police state and denouncing American police officers, but a perfect synergy of political expediency.
Disney, ESPN’s parent company, has embraced identity politics from the top down, even as its head honcho, Bob Iger, remains whiter than vanilla ice cream, not because it really believes in this stuff. The Chinese Communist Party believes in One China. Its American counterparts believe in A Thousand Genders. Lefty power in China is built on unity and solidarity. Lefty power in America is built on divisive minority coalitions. But it’s only a difference if you focus on the means rather than the ends.
#2
Doc's a sheila.
Radiologist - a specialty I thought was going away - automated / outsourced to Bangladesh.
Maybe that's what's driving sheila bonkers?
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Leb’s army has arrested several protesters in Sidon on Monday, Al Arabiya’s correspondent reported, as they used their bodies to block main roads in the southern city. The exact number of those arrested is unknown.
The roadblocks prompted some pushback from army forces leading to two injuries, according to the Red Thingy. They reported that the two injured were treated and released.
Lebanese demonstrators set up barricades and parked cars across key roads to protest corruption and press their demands for a radical overhaul of their country’s sectarian political system.
Meanwhile, ...back at the buffalo wallow, Standing Buffalo drew a bead on his old enemy and squeezed the trigger... Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Bousaab told OTV on Monday that the army is on the roads but does not open roadblocks by force to avoid any festivities with citizens.
"Those who incite festivities and tension should bear their responsibility," Bousaab said.
"We must address the situation of road closures quickly, making sure that the army does not clash with the citizens and we will have a meeting soon to this end," he added.
On their 12th day of protesting, demonstrators called on people to block main roads with their cars. Al Arabiya’s correspondent reported that members of the Lebanese army attempted to urge car owners to remove their cars.
According to the Hezbollah-affiliated al-Manar TV, protesters closed off the municipality buildings of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... and el-Mina, as well as the water authority in north Leb.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2019
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[KhaamaPress] A series of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s killed 31 Taliban ...Arabic for students... and ISIS ...embracing their inner Islamic Brute... Khurasan murderous Moslems in six provinces of Afghanistan in the past 24 hours.
The military officials said Monday airstrikes in Deh Bala and Achin districts of Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province killed 12 murderous Moslems of ISIS Khurasan group.
The officials further added an airstrike in Pashtun Kot district of Faryab killed 6 murderous Moslems of the Taliban group.
Furthermore, airstrikes in Nahr-e Saraj and Lashkar Gah districts of Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... killed 5 Talibs and destroyed a small cache of weapons, the officials said.
Another airstrike in Giro district of Ghazni killed a Taliban bad boy and destroyed a cache of weapons, the officials said, adding that a similar airstrike killed another Taliban bad boy in Sayyid Karam district of Paktiya.
The officials also added that an airstrike in Pashtun Kot district of Faryab killed additional six Talibs.
[DAILYCALLER] The city of Cupertino, Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,, will host a "Poverty Simulation" with two organizations designed to help the residents of Silicon Valley understand the poverty that surrounds the wealthy community.The City of Cupertino and West Valley Community Services will sponsor the two-hour Poverty Simulation on Nov. 2 in joint partnership with Step Up Silicon Valley, an organization focused on reducing poverty in the community. The event aims to immerse participants in the "reality of a Silicon Valley that grows in disparity as much as prosperity," according to its advertisement. I want to sign up for the Filthy Rich simulation.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/29/2019 4:58
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#4
Sort of like white boys trying to be gangsters in the hood?
Poverty in America is predicated by four primary aspects
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Procreating before you have the means to put food on the table, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head
- Blowing off real education opportunities
- Doing the same stuff that your parents, grand parents, great grand parents did to limit their opportunities in the world
They are victims of their own human free will. If you don't believe in human free will, then you'll be a very happy prol in an oppressive controlling hierarchical system cause that is the alternative.
#7
A Jacobin Scotsman, MacDougal,
Helps Alphabet's geeks to be frugal:
How the nondairy flows
In their new LEED hameaus
As they grok getting by on a googol!
"Ramen? Little Debbie?"
"Like, choose? Hella plebby!"
"So, dude, this is totally Bruegel."
Posted by: Thrash Omereter1637 ||
10/29/2019 17:25
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[KhaamaPress] The Afghan Special Forces killed a Taliban ...Arabic for students... fighter and detained 9 others Lions of Islam including ISIS ...embracing their inner Islamic Brute... Lions of Islam during the operations in Kabul and five other provinces.
The military officials said Monday the Special Forces killed a Taliban figther and destroyed a small cache of weapons in Giro district of Ghazni.
The officials further added that the Special Forces arrested 2 ISIS Khurasan Lions of Islam and destroyed a cache of weapons and illicit narcotics in Bati Kot district of Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. The Special forces arrested 4 Talibs during a patrol in Kabul city, the officials said, adding that the Special Forces arrested 2 Talibs and destroyed IED making material during a separate raid in Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... The officials also added that the Special Forces detained another Taliban Death Eater in Alisheng district of Laghman ...Afghan province with a population of about 445,600, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. During the invasions of Alexander the Great, the area was known as Lampaka, wich is apparently Olde Macedonian for Laghman.The city of Mihtarlam serves as the bucolic capital of the province. The population is half Pashtun, the remainder Tadjik and Pashai. It had a repution for great wealth until it was conquered in the tenth century by Abu Mansur Sabuktigin.
He conquered it and set fire to the places in its vicinity which were inhabited by infidels, and demolishing the idol-temples, he established Islam in them, He marched and captured other cities and killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolatrous and gratifying the Musulmans. After wounding and killing beyond all measure, his hands and those of his friends became cold in counting the value of the plundered property.
After that it was mostly notable for the production of dirt, rocks, and holy men... and destroyed IED making material during a raid in Lajah Ahmad Khel district of Paktiya.
It's Spengler
[PJMedia] That's the canonical definition of chutzpah -- shameless effrontery -- and it summarizes the Democratic position on the attempted impeachment of President Trump. The Hillary Clinton campaign paid for the Steele Dossier, assembled out of bits handed to ex-MI6 spook Christopher Steele from his Russian intelligence sources, and the FBI used this concoction to obtain FISA warrants to bug the Trump presidential campaign. Now, THAT's foreign interference. And those facts aren't in dispute. When the Trump Administration tries to get the truth out of foreign governments about their involvement in nefarious activities in the US, the Democrats scream, "Impeachment!"
...For the record, I don't care whether there was quid pro quo with Ukraine or not. If President Trump used military aid as a bargaining chip to persuade the government of Ukraine to investigate foreign subversion of our political system, he was doing his job as Commander-in-Chief to protect this country from its external enemies. The parade of striped-pants cookie-pushers from the State Department feeding information to closed-door Democratic Party kangaroo courts in the House of Representatives is irrelevant. Trump is fighting a mutiny by the US intelligence community. If the mutineers succeed, it will be the end of the republic. If a cabal of bureaucrats nestling in the bowls of our $80 billion a year intelligence bureaucracy can bring down an elected president of the United States, the republic is finished.
The impeachment issue is a load of baloney, period. No less a Constitutional scholar than Prof. Alan Dershowitz wrote (on the website of the Gatestone Institute):
So, the question remains: did President Trump commit impeachable offenses when he spoke on the phone to the president of Ukraine and/or when he directed members of the Executive Branch to refuse to cooperate, absent a court order, with congressional Democrats who are seeking his impeachment?
The answers are plainly no and no. There is a constitutionally significant difference between a political "sin," on the one hand, and a crime or impeachable offenses, on the other.
Even taking the worst-case scenario regarding Ukraine -- a quid pro quo exchange of foreign aid for a political favor -- that might be a political sin, but not a crime or impeachable offense.
...Every American should read carefully this interview with Prof. Angelo Codevilla, a former top staffer at the Senate Intelligence Committee (the interview was conducted by my friend David Samuels of Tablet Magazine). The power and capacity to abuse power of America's intelligence services has grown to the point that it endangers our freedoms. Make no mistake: If they can railroad the president of the United States and members of the cabinet, they can do pretty much anything they want to you. Defend your freedoms. Support President Trump.
#1
When you undermine the legitimacy of the government and the appearance of representation, don't be surprise if it all collapses. Are you getting the same advice from Deep State that was caught 'pants down' when the old Soviet Union collapse?
#3
BLUF: This is an attempted palace coup by a self-styled praetorian guard. That our would-be guardsmen are buffoons and incompetents -- Strzok and Ohr rather than Shock and Awe, Shumer instead of Sun Tzu, Brennan instead of Lenin -- is small comfort. The next band of conspirators will learn from these clowns' mistakes and perform the next coup with great skill and subtlety.
It is imperative that the Attorney General and Dunham succeed in getting convictions and prison terms for every performer in this Shitshow: Brennan. Clapper. Comey. The swinging Three's Company trio of Page-McCabe-Strzok. The foreign "plumbers" Steele, Halper and Mifsud. Their co-conspirators Glenn Simpson and his employee Nellie Ohr and her husband Bruce.
And that Clinton and Obama be forced to testify about what they knew and what they ordered as part of this attempted coup.
All of this must come out in a trial at law, because we no longer have a press corps that will honestly, accurately and fairly report any of this.
The only hope for is now resides in the courts.
We are watching the death struggle of the Republic. That it is so ridiculous - a reality-show buffoon vs characters out of a 1960s sitcom parody of spies - should not distract us from the gravity of the event.
David Goldman is right. If this succeeds, we as a democratic republic are f---ed.
There will be no mechanism by which the American people can ensure that the political elite - not just in Congress but across the executive branch, dozens of states and major US cities, and of course their brownshirts across what used to be called the press corps - that these new Jacobins be prevented from continuing the mischief and ruin that they have long perpetrated on us:
Feeding the Chinese crocodile while they line their pockets.
Enabling monopolists and market manipulators to dominate entire sectors of our economy.
Flooding the low end of our labor market with imported helots.
Launching pointless wars without end.
Slandering and silencing anyone they wish by smearing them with false charges of rape, assault, racist behavior, or even thought crimes.
Kill this tendency. Stop this coup. Put the conspirators in prison and expose their puppet masters for all the world to see.
Before it happens again, with truly intelligent and competent leaders directing what will not be a Shitshow but an actual coup.
#4
I agree 100% with the bolded sentence and don't really see why it should be considered a crime. It's not as if Trump was trying to make himself rich or falsify anything.
#5
For the record, I don't care whether there was quid pro quo with Ukraine or not. If President Trump used military aid as a bargaining chip to persuade the government of Ukraine to investigate foreign subversion of our political system, he was doing his job as Commander-in-Chief to protect this country from its external enemies.
I posted the same sentiment here a few days ago. The Democrats make it sound like a terrible, terrible thing but my question is: What law does that violate?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/29/2019 13:11
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[ToloNews] Three women were killed and four others were maimed, including children, in shelling by Pakistain’s troops on Sunday, local officials in Kunar confirmed Monday.
The shelling started at 3pm local time on Sunday in Nari district and Afghan forces responded, said the front man for the provincial governor, Abdul Ghani Samim.
"Three women have been killed in the shelling and an old man, woman and two children were maimed in the incident," Samim said, adding "the incident happened when missiles hit civilian houses."
"The festivities started at 3pm local on Sunday and stopped at 7pm but resumed today (Monday) at 8am and are still continuing," he said.
"Pak troops are trying to create check points near the district," he added.
Reinforcements have been deployed to the area, according to officials.
In the meantime, Afghan MPs on Monday session in a joint statement condemned the Pak attacks on Afghan soil and "called for an immediate stop."
"The government, the United States and the international community must address to these issues," the MPs said in a statement.
The clash broke out at around 4:30 pm local time in Do Kalam area of Nari district and continued for several hours.
Sher Zaman Munshi, a member of the provincial council confirmed the incident and said the clash broke out after the Afghan forces prevented the Pak troops intrusion in Do Kalam.
Munshi further added that the Pak troops had intruded 300 to 400 meters inside Do Kalam and were attempting to establish military posts.
#1
Isn't it funny how we get outraged when innocent civilians are killed by Pakistan, while our own far more frequent murders get handwaved away? Have to mow the grass, you know.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
10/29/2019 6:04
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#2
Troll
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/29/2019 6:08
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#3
we get outraged when innocent civilians are killed
[IsraelTimes] Tehran developing ability to accurately hit anywhere in Mideast, prime minister warns visiting US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who vows more economic sanctions on Iranians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday that Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... is seeking to develop and deploy guided weapons that can strike any point in the Middle East, including placing them in Yemen
Continued on Page 49
[NYPOST] The former Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, GOP congressman who lost his seat to Katie Hill in a 2018 election says he is "absolutely considering" running for the office again now that she’s resigning amid a sex scandal.
Ex-US Rep. Steve Knight told the Signal of Santa Clarita Valley after Hill announced her resignation Sunday that he would make a formal announcement "very quickly" about his plans for California’s 25th Congressional District.
Hill had defeated the two-term Republican by 9 percentage points last year, flipping the district blue for the first time since 1990.
"It’s a very interesting situation, and we need representation here," Knight said. "It looks like there’s going to be that special election, and we need to have a representative there so we can have our voice in Congress."
When asked whether he was weighing a run, Knight replied, "Yes, I’m absolutely considering that. Let’s say I’m more than considering that."
Hill was touted as one of the faces of a millennial wave in Washington, DC, before she came under fire last week for allegedly having an affair with an underling, male legislative aide Graham Kelly, as well as engaging in a "throuple" with her now-estranged husband, Kenny Heslep, and a younger female campaign staffer. Hill has denied having a romantic relationship with Kelly but admits to the three-way with Heslep and the campaign worker.
#2
Dunno... Hill probably represents the views of her constituents better than the GOPer, but I guess we'll have to wait until we see nude photos of him before we can make up our minds.
#3
California's 25th Congressional District is considered a toss-up. After Horn Puppy Hill's sex scandal, it might be even too much for this district of California. There's a lot to like about Steve Knight. There might be opportunity here.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari said on Tuesday a missile fell near Taji camp but caused no damage.
Al-Shammari inspected the sprawling Taji base to see the security situation there, accompanied by the army aviation commander and senior officers from the defense ministry, Iraq’s news agency said.
"Camp Taji is witnessing security stability, and there is no damage," he said in a statement, stressing the need for caution to preserve the safety of all those in the camp.
A curfew was declared in Baghdad on Monday after four people were killed and 277 maimed in the fourth day of anti-government protests. Medical and security sources said security forces fired tear gas canisters directly at protesters.
Baghdad’s top military commander declared the curfew because of the unrest, which is driven by discontent over economic hardship and deep-seated corruption.
Populist Shia holy manMoqtada Tater al-Sadr ... the Iranian catspaw holy man who was 22 years old in 2003 and was nearing 40 in 2010. He spends most of his time in Iran, safely out of the line of fire, where he's learning to be an ayatollah... , who backs parliament’s most powerful bloc and helped bring Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to power, called for early elections after the curfew was announced.
Demonstrators vowed to remain in the square despite the curfew, which they said would provide cover for security forces to attempt to clear it.
#1
A big deal. Seems at first glance as if the judge merely opened the door a crack - he's limiting the discovery to three out of 33 alleged false and defamatory statements and actions by defendant WaPo - but on inspection, the door is now wide open to all kinds of discovery.
While on the surface a relatively narrow ruling, reopening only a limited number of factual claims, it is in fact a big win for Sandmann His attorneys now get to take discovery on the WaPo process that went into the story. That inquiry will not be limited to the three factual statements, because the process by which those statements made it into the WaPo reporting is the same process by which all the dismissed statements were reported. The entire process will be subject to depositions and document discovery. Sandmann’s attorneys likely will find facts to bolster a number of their claims, so expect a Second Amended Complaint with the results of the discovery process..
#4
They'll just interpret it as an attack on journalism. Nobody will be convinced. The fact that the Covington kids did nothing wrong is supported by evidence. But all they'll see is "racists attacking our journalists for fake reasons".
Like Agent Mulder said, "I want to believe". And you'll never, ever convince them that we're right about anything. We are The Other to them. They care as much about us as we care about an Afghani goatherder.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
10/29/2019 6:35
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#6
Seems some people's only piece of advice is just give up. Why not program this macro to make commenting easier:
"Take the advice leftists give women regarding rape: Do not resist, lie back and enjoy it."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/29/2019 8:47
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#7
They'll just interpret it as an attack on journalism.
Which it is, but naturally it's misinterpreted. They attacked Nick Sandmann first; this is a counterpunch (one of many) and I hope Jeff Bezos loses the fight. I think he's inclined to make it a war of attrition and huge legal bills; that's the only way WaPo's gonna win.
#8
Defamation cases are always an uphill battle but Sandmann's attorney has an outstanding track record in such cases. Don't bet against him.
Interesting that the judge in reopening the case appears to focus on the strongest pillars in the complaint. There is no question that WaPo scum falsely and maliciously reported that the kid physically assaulted the nutjob drum-banger/provocateur rather than v-v by blicking his oath and getting in his face.
The exact opposite of what happened, as was obvious immediately to anyone who took the trouble to watch any of the numerous long videos that were published almost immediately by many different eyewitnesses.
#3
Nought's had, all's spent,
Where our desire is got without content:
'Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.
(Macbeth III, 2)
Posted by: European Conservative ||
10/29/2019 9:57
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#4
Votes count even if you don't like it. I want Brexit to happen and I want Hong Kong to be safe from the Communist Chinese.
#8
It's almost as if they are scared shitless of Britain leaving and carrying away most of the EU's military strength with it.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
10/29/2019 19:53
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#9
The military has nothing to do with it and most Europeans just want this thing to end. Please don't elect another hung parliament and renew this drama.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
10/29/2019 21:21
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An earthquake of 6.7 magnitude struck 58 kilometers southwest of Davao in southern Philippines on Tuesday, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). https://t.co/BDLD1Ddbhz
[DAWN] Three civilians, including a woman and her teenage son, were maimed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... (AJK) on Monday in heavy Indian shelling from across the restive Line of Control (LoC), officials said.
The casualties occurred in Gujjar Morr village of Samahni tehsil, in the southernmost Bhimber district, after Indian troops resorted to ceasefire violations at about 2:30am, using both small and big arms.
"The shelling lasted for one and a half hours without any pause and it was intense," Bhimber SP Sultan Awan said, adding that Indian troops targeted the civilian population "intentionally".
"Even now, firing with small arms continues intermittently," he told Dawn in the evening.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2019
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
We’ve all got crazies. What are they doing about theirs?
[IsraelTimes] 84-year-old Claude Sinké arrested after attack in southwestern city of Bayonne that left two victims, aged 74 and 78, at death's door.
Two men in their 70s were seriously maimed Monday in a shooting in front of a mosque in Bayonne, a city in the Basque region of southwest La Belle France, by a suspected shooter identified by police as a former political candidate for the far-right National Front party.
Police told French media the suspect, who was arrested shortly after the shooting, was Claude Sinké, a candidate for the National Front party, now known as the National Rally party, in the 2015 county elections in the canton of Seignanx.
Sinké, 84, reportedly also tried to set the mosque’s door on fire, and successfully ignited a vehicle as he fled after the attack.
He was arrested by police a short time after the attack, French officials said.
"At 3:20 p.m., a man tried to burn the door of the Bayonne mosque, was surprised by two people, and opened fire on them," a police statement said.
The two victims were rushed to hospital at death's door from multiple bullet wounds. They were 74 and 78 years old, according to police.
There was no immediate information on their identities.
National Rally head Marine Le Pen slammed the "unspeakable act," calling it "absolutely contrary" to her party’s values.
"The attack on #Bayonne’s mosque is an unspeakable act that is absolutely contrary to all the values of our movement," she wrote in a Twitter post.
Police sappers raided Sinké’s home near Bayonne as officers established a security perimeter around the mosque and launched an investigation.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Ottoman Turkish authorities on Monday detained 20 foreign nationals with suspected links to ISIS ...embracing their inner Islamic Brute... , state-owned Anadolu Agency reported.
The detentions come a day after President Donald Trump ...the Nailer of NAFTA... announced that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid by US special forces in northwest Syria, near the Ottoman Turkish border.
Domestic operations against people with suspected links to ISIS are common in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... and it was not immediately clear whether Monday’s detentions were related to Baghdadi’s death.
Anadolu said authorities had identified 20 foreign nationals with links to ISIS, who had entered Turkey illegally.
It said the suspects were tossed into the calaboose in dawn raids in the capital Ankara and that they would be handed to immigration authorities for deportation after processing by security officials.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2019
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Leaders from three of the world’s major religions have joined forces against assisted suicide and euthanasia, in a declaration issued at the Vatican.
The declaration, backed by leaders of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, states that no health care provider should be "coerced or pressured" into providing assisted suicide or any form of euthanasia.
That should be the case even if local legal systems permit such acts, according to the declaration a copy of which the Vatican released on Monday.
The document adds that when death is imminent despite the medical treatments and technologies used, "it is justified to make the decision to withhold certain forms of medical treatment that would only prolong a precarious life of suffering."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2019
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Well, lot of things were happening and simply putting a date on the events is rather hard, but most people look back and tag it with the Coup vote initiated by the Left on that day in October to do away with the old Constitution and substitute power by any means necessary.
Just galvanizing Trump's support with the voters. Unless, Pelosi has counted the votes and they are not there, letting her off the hook for a form of political suicide called Impeachment.
#7
Good. Get the demoncrats on the record, especially those "moderates" in the mid-west. Let the process be exposed to sunlight. The dems only picked up the house due to Trump union and blue collar voters, which still identify as democrats, voted moderate Ds into the house.
Forcing them to vote for impeachment is already pissing off those union and blue collar voters that put them in there and have already said they are voting for Trump in 2020.
This has potential D bloodbath written all over it for 2020.
#8
LOL, Stoyer apparently won't commit to the vote. So if the House Majority Whip says no vote, will Nancy fight or shrug her shoulders and claim she tried?
#9
I see an extended fight over impeachment investigation rules. However, at some point, that is going to interfere with the upcoming election if it goes on too long.
I heard Rush talking about internal polling by the RNC that said neither Dem or Pub voters are in favor of an impeachment by the House. Also polling at Trumps's rally indicate a large number of his potential voters going to these rallys are Dems.
IMHO, the voters are going to punish the Dems severely in the upcoming election if they continue down the impeachment path. Landslide for Trump!
[ToloNews] The Kunduz police chief said there are no casualties among security forces.
Local officials in Kunduz province said Monday that security forces pushed back Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... attacks in Chardara and Dasht-e-Archi districts.
General Abdul Rashid Bashir, the Kunduz police chief, said that late Sunday night the Taliban attacked the districts but were faced with a strong response by security forces.
Rashid did not give the exact number of casualties, but he reported that after several hours of the clash the Taliban had suffered heavy casualties and had been pushed back by the security forces.
There are no casualties among security forces, Rashid said.
The Taliban confirmed the clash and claimed that security forces suffered heavy casualties
[DAILYCALLER] Republican Utah Sen. Willard Mitt Romney, aka Pierre Delecto ...former governor of Massachussetts, the Publican nominee for president in 2012, now Senator from Utah. He is the son of the former governor of Michigan, George Romney, who himself ran for president after saving American Motors from failure, though not permanently. Romney has a record as a successful businessman, heading Bain Capital, and he rescued the 2002 Winter Olympics from the midst of bribery and mismanagement scandals. He is currently a member of the Never Trump Party and is attempting to assume the mantle of the late John McCain... says his constituents think he’s being too tough on President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... .Romney told USA Today on Monday that he has surveyed constituents in dominant Republican areas of Utah during town halls.
"How many of you in the room think I’m being too tough on the president?" Romney asked voters. About half the room reportedly responded by raising their hands.
The Utah senator noted that he did not do this poll because he regrets criticizing Trump, but because he wanted to show voters you can respectfully disagree with each other. You backstabbing lil GOPe c*^t. If you ever fought Democrats as hard as you fight your own party, you'd be a success. But, no....
"People tend to associate with people of like mind, and they assume everyone thinks the way they do," Romney said. "And so, our town hall meetings have been quite civil." "People tend to associate with people of like mind"
Like in political parties.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2019
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#2
Who was it who expressed his political philosophy in so many words as "Half of the people are scum... My job is not to pay attention to those people"?
#5
g(r)omgoru, I believe the exact way they said were more along the lines "are you f$#*& crazy you idiot! Look at the conservative judges he's put in place and shut up and support him so he can continue and stop pandering to the folks that hate you!"
[DAWN] An accountability court in Lahore on Monday declared SLearned Elders of Islamn Shahbaz, son of PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif ...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab... , a proclaimed offender in a money laundering case against the Sharif family and issued fresh non-bailable arrest warrants against him.
Accountability court judge Ameer Mohammad Khan issued the orders on a request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The accountability watchdog informed the court that all of SLearned Elders of Islamn's properties have already been seized as per the court's earlier order.
During the hearing, Advocate Hafiz Asadullah Awan on behalf of NAB contended that SLearned Elders of Islamn did not appear before the accountability watchdog despite six call-up notices.
The counsel informed the court that the NAB chairman had already issued arrest warrants for the suspect in the case. He added that SLearned Elders of Islamn had fled from the country [to avoid NAB proceedings against him].
[IsraelTimes] Suspect shot in hand during manhunt after trying to stab group of border officers near Herod’s Gate.
Police officers arrested an Arab youth who was suspected of trying to stab people in the Old City of Jerusalem on Monday, police said.
The suspect was detained after a brief chase through the Old City.
Only the assailant was maimed, police said in a statement.
According to the statement, the suspect attempted to stab a group of Border Police officers near Herod’s Gate, one of the gates on the northern end of the city walls.
The suspect then expeditiously departed at a goodly pace, leading officers on a foot chase.
Officers caught up to him in the Moslem Quarter near the Lions Gate, opened fire and reportedly maimed the suspect in the hand. He managed to escape into a nearby home, where officers found him.
The name of the suspect was not immediately released.
A police front man said there was "heightened security in [the] area."
The US took two men prisoner during the raid on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi says Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley during a press conference at the Pentagon.https://t.co/Ve4HrEJxvvpic.twitter.com/ktMvh3qcvt
Posted by: Fred ||
10/29/2019
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#1
why would you tell this?
Posted by: chris ||
10/29/2019 18:39
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#2
Why, chris? To further demoralize the enemy, which must be anxiously pondering what the captives might reveal even as the intelligence haul is analyzed.
Iraq declares a curfew in the capital Baghdad from midnight to 6 a.m. local time “until further notice,” state television quotes the Baghdad Operations Commander as saying.https://t.co/PmuQbIwtvFpic.twitter.com/LcFseryCsy
The rallies have gathered despite temporary curfews, threats of arrest and violence that has left nearly 240 people dead, including five protesters in Baghdad on Monday.
The military said cars and foot traffic would be barred in the capital for six hours starting at midnight.
The move sparked concern security forces want to clear out main gathering places like the capital’s Tahrir Square, occupied by demonstrators for four consecutive nights.
Security forces there have relied heavily on tear gas to keep protesters from storming the Green Zone, which hosts government offices and foreign missions.
But protesters had otherwise been allowed to set up tents in Tahrir and taken over multi-story buildings there since Thursday in a marked departure from the response to protests during the first week of this month.
They were joined in the past 24 hours by a huge contingent of students, who joined despite stern warnings by the higher education minister and the prime minister’s office that they should “stay away.”
“No school, no classes, until the regime collapses!” boycotting students shouted on Monday in Diwaniyah, 180 kilometers (120 miles) south of the capital.
Diwaniyah’s union of universities and schools announced a 10-day strike on Monday “until the regime falls,” with thousands of uniformed pupils and even professors flooding the streets.
Young protesters still gathered on Monday morning in the southern cities of Nasiriyah, Hillah and Basra.
In Kut, most government offices were shut for lack of staff.
In the province of Diyala, which had so far been calm, two members of the provincial council resigned in solidarity with the rallies.
Even in the holy city of Najaf, dozens of young clerics-to-be took to the streets.
PARLIAMENTARY PARALYSIS
On Monday, Iraq’s parliament voted to dissolve the provincial councils, cancel the extra privileges of top officials and summon embattled Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi for questioning.
Abdel Mahdi has proposed a laundry list of reforms, including hiring drives, increased pensions and promises to root out corruption.
Iraqi President Barham Saleh has also held discussions with the UN on electoral reform and amendments to the 2005 constitution, but they have not appeased protesters.
In solidarity with demonstrators, four lawmakers resigned late on Sunday, and the largest parliamentary bloc has been holding an open-ended sit-in since Saturday night.
Posted by: Fred ||
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An Iranian beauty queen who has been stranded in a Philippines airport for three weeks after Iran issued an arrest warrant for her says that the case against her is fake in an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya English.https://t.co/jSHUhzlpjTpic.twitter.com/yVY5GvVDOM
[Sunstar] 33 New People's Army militants and 181 supporters have separately surrendered to government authorities in Caraga, the military reported Monday, October 28.
Army spokesman Isagani Criste said eight regular members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) from North-Eastern Mindanao and five Militia ng Bayan (MBs) led by two former team leaders voluntarily surrendered to his command and Governor Dale Corvera and Representative Ma. Angelica Amante-Matba.
Criste said the group surrendered and turned over a rifle, three shotguns and two pistols on Saturday evening in the village of Mahaba, Cabadbaran City, Agusan Del Norte. With them were 95 members of the Underground Mass Organization (Ugmo) who dissociated themselves from the NPA, according to Criste. Nine NPA regulars, nine MBs and 86 UGMO members also surrendered without firearms Saturday afternoon.
Two NPA militants also surrendered on Friday in the village of Binicalan, San Luis, Agusan Del Sur.
They were identified as Ka Noah and Ka Gerald, who turned over two M-16 Armalite rifles and two pistols.
[GatewayPundit] Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), transformed a few terror cells on the verge of extinction into the most dangerous militant group in the world in Syria and Iraq.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or Abu Dua was once held by the US in Camp Bucca Iraq.
But the Obama administration shut down the Bucca prison camp and released its prisoners, including Abu Dua in 2009.
That would be on President Obama’s watch, like so much else.
The conclusion one is driven to is that the only way to handle the prisoners we accumulated in that period was to put them all up against the wall and shoot them — since we had no way at that time of predicting which ones were going to become vicious jihadis bent on local and world domination. And, since we are now at another such juncture, we ought to kill all of Iraq’s and the SDF’s jihadi prisoners now, to prevent the next one.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
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#1
Reckoning.
Get your ass out of Martha's Vineyard and prepare to tell the nation what you knew, when you knew it and what made you think you could get away with shitting all over the Constitution and your obligation to defend it.
In 2011, a secretive U.S. special operations task force was orbiting a drone above a house in Baghdad, Iraq where they had new intelligence that the notorious terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had bunkered down for a meeting with his top ISIS lieutenants. A call went out from our headquarters and then back to higher-ups in the States: we’ve got him, can we take him out?
It was two weeks before they finally approved the mission. But by that time it didn’t matter when the Iraqis finally stormed the house. The al-Baghdadi I knew doesn’t stay anywhere for two weeks.
2014: The US gov knew where Kayla Meuller, James Foley, and Steven Sotloff were kept prisoner. Obama kept delaying permission for a rescue mission until after they were moved. They were murdered within a few months. Report: Obama ‘Stalled’ After Being Told Location of ISIS-Held US Hostages President Obama wasted nearly a month before launching a rescue mission after British intelligence provided his administration the possible location of American hostages held by the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), reports The Daily Beast.
The American captives were identified as Kayla Mueller, James Foley, and Steven Sotloff. All three are now dead.
#3
Camp Bucca was crucial to Abu Bakr's success. It helped him refine his message and recruit his staff. Without the crucible of Bucca, ol Baghdadi would not have been able to attain the "austere religious scholar" title. That said, our DoD didn't learn a thing vis a vis detention policy or operations. What are we doing with the new detainees? Why aren't we filling up GTMO?
#4
Obama's team had the chance to kill ISIS leader Al Baghdadi -- and they blew it
Much smaller fish. Bin Laden was the high value target (HVT) and media story needed for Soetoro's upcoming re-election. The Bin Laden operation when down on 2 May 2011.
The Camp Bucca was likely a cover for action. Let them get to know one another and release the lot (to include Bhagdadi). Monitoring them individually should produce Bin Laden's whereabouts.
#5
The conclusion one is driven to ... to put them all up against the wall and shoot them
I hope the lesson has been learned now. I'm not expecting much though. Good win, but too late and a failure of the system in general. It's not about Obama or Trump. The self-righteous faux-humanist doctrine of catch-and-release is in itself the primary reason there is an islamic state or an al qaeda.
[Libya Observer] The anti-ISIS ...embracing their inner Islamic Brute... al-Bunyan al-Marsous has welcomed the US announcement of the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, reminding the world that it lost 788 fighters, while 3500 were maimed in the war on ISIS in Sirte.
The operation said in a statement on Sunday that Khalifa Haftar ...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... 's offensive on Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... is hindering efforts to terminate the presence of murderous Moslems in Libya, pointing out that some of its fighters are defending Tripoli against Haftar's forces and the rest are searching for the remnants of ISIS murderous Moslems in the desert.
The statement added that drone-backed attacks by Haftar's forces on civilians and civilian infrastructure such as airports pave the way for terrorism to resurface.
"This dirty war of Haftar's forces on Tripoli is a terrorist act against people who want democracy and peace." The statement reads.
[Libya Observer] The Libyan Education Ministry Othman Abdeljalil has cancelled over 152.000 employee salaries on the pretext that they don't have enough paperwork to prove they are eligible for their jobs.
Oil profits aren’t what they used to be, donchaknow. And so we can’t afford to pay people who aren’t doing anything, let alone something useful and necessary.
The Libyan Education Minister, according to a statement published on Facebook by the ministry, formed central and technical committees to receive appeals and pull out the cancellation of the salaries of employees who provide the necessary paperwork by the end of November 2019.
Meanwhile, ...back at the saloon, Butch got the bill for the damage caused by the fist fight, the mirror broken in the shootout, and drinks for everyone...... the Education Ministry notified teachers whose names appeared on the list by mistake that they won't be affected by the salary cutoff, urging others to appeal the decision if they have the needed paperwork and saying that it will issue formal apologies for anyone whose name is mistakingly on the list.
Days ago, the Education Ministry laid off 20 principals in 20 municipalities, replacing them with 20 others.
Angry at the decision, teachers and education employees erupted into the streets in different areas to protest this unjust conduct by the ministry and some municipalities have yet to kick off the new school year.
Some districts in western and southern Libya have partially kicked off the school year, for example, Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... started, while Tajoura and Janzour didn't.
Misrata and Sirte started schools, while Sabratha, Zuwara, Sorman, and Bani Walid didn't and neither did Sabha and Wadi Buwanis in southern Libya, but the rest of the south started school.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
An initiative other, (so-far) better off countries, might wish to imitate - before it's too late.
The United States has given the remains of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi a burial at sea and afforded him religious rites according to Islamic custom after he was killed in a U.S. commando raid in Syria on Saturday, three officials told Reuters.
The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not disclose where the ritual was performed or how long it lasted. Two officials said they believed his remains were delivered to the sea from an aircraft.
Given the gruesome nature of Baghdadi's death, it was unlikely the U.S. military followed as complete a process as it did after Navy SEALs killed al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden in a 2011 raid into Pakistan.
In the case of bin Laden, his body was transported to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. It was washed before being covered in a white sheet, and religious remarks translated into Arabic were read over bin Laden's corpse.
Golly. It sounds like someone cared a great deal about giving a loving send-off to the great man, back when Barack H. Obama was running things.
Posted by: Fred ||
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ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s underpants were obtained by an undercover source and DNA tested to prove his identity before an operation by US forces to kill him, an adviser to the Syrian Democratic Forces say.https://t.co/TmbByucZbf
[Al Jazeera] Police in Bangladesh have arrested a Rohingya man with $5m of methamphetamine pills in their biggest narcotics haul this year, according to officials.
Special police staged a raid on a beach in the Cox's Bazar district on the border with Myanmar on Sunday following a tip that a trawler carrying the drugs would land there, a front man said on Monday.
The front man said 800,000 pills were found in sacks in the trawler and one Rohingya suspect was detained while several others escaped.
About 740,000 Rohingya arrived in Bangladesh after a Myanmar military crackdown in August 2017 and drug dealing has become a growing problem in the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar where they live.
The seizure was the biggest made this year of the methamphetamine pills, known as yaba, which have become a popular drug among young people in the nation of 168 million.
Since a crackdown was launched last year, more than 500 suspected narcos - including at least 25 Rohingya - have been rubbed out by police and security forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#3
I looked at the article: no mention of RAB explicitly. They're not shy about publicity, which makes me think this is a separate "special police" unit.
[NYPOST] Kay Hagan ...Niece of former senator and Florida governor Lawton Chiles, married to a transaction lawyer, who has a net worth between $10.7 million and $40 million. He is a former Democrat ward heeler, which explains a lot. She defeated the listless Elizabeth Dole in 2008... , a former bank executive from North Carolina who served one term in the US Senate, died Monday of encephalitis, or brain inflammation, which was caused by the Powassan virus. She was 66.
Hagan had been diagnosed in 2016 with the rare tick-borne virus and the inflammation made it difficult for her to speak and walk, said her former Senate spokeswoman, Sadie Weiner, who now works for Gov. Roy Cooper.
"We are heartbroken to share that Kay left us unexpectedly this morning," her family said in a statement. "We are deeply grateful for the support shared with our family as Kay worked to regain her strength these last few years after her illness, and we appreciate your continued prayers.
"Kay meant everything to us, and we were honored to share her with the people of North Carolina whom she cared for and fought for so passionately as an elected official. Most of all, we already miss her humor and spirit as the hub of our family, a role she loved more than anything. Nobody could light up a room and make people feel welcome like Kay."
The Democrat served a single term in the Senate when she beat Republican Elizabeth Dole in 2008. She lost her 2014 re-election bid to Republican North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Populist Shia holy manMoqtada Tater al-Sadr ... the Iranian catspaw holy man who was 22 years old in 2003 and was nearing 40 in 2010. He spends most of his time in Iran, safely out of the line of fire, where he's learning to be an ayatollah... on Monday called on Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi to announce early parliamentary elections overseen by the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... and without the participation of existing political parties.
Al-Sadr’s bloc, Saeroon, which came first in a 2018 election and helped bring Abdul Mahdi’s fragile coalition government to power, said on Saturday it was going into opposition until the demands of anti-government protesters were met.
On Sunday, four Iraqi parliamentarians resigned in anger at the government’s perceived failure to respond to mass protests, piling more pressure on embattled Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi.
Saeroon on Saturday announced an open-ended sit-in to show support for protests.
Five protesters were killed on Monday in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a rights commission said, bringing the total corpse count nationwide since anti-government rallies erupted this month to nearly 240.
[DAWN] The Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... -Fazl (JUI-F)'s Azadi March ‐ an anti-government movement calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... ‐ entered Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... on Monday evening, a party spokesperson told DawnNewsTV.
JUI-F Punjab chief Maulana Attiqueur Rehman welcomed the participants of the march as they reached Kot Sabzal town in Rahim Yar Khan district after travelling from Sukkur.
Earlier today, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman ...Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty... while addressing the marchers had said: "The war has been announced and now [the party] cannot retreat. We are moving forward with full confidence. We have to protect the Constitution, democracy and Pakistain because the incumbent government has put the survival of the country at risk."
"The Constitution has been made a joke in this country," he said, alleging that the prime minister has become a security risk. "He [Prime Minister Imran] has ruined the economy, and a country with a devastated economy can't survive. We approached the masses against him and took out 15 million marches and now we are able to help the people get rid of the government," the JUI-F chief said.
[KhaamaPress] The security forces killed 8 Talibs and maimed at least 10 others during the festivities in northern Faryab and Balkh provinces.
The 209th Shaheen Corps said Monday a clash broke out between security forces and Talibs in Chaqmaq Village of Pashtun Kot district in Faryab.
According to a statement released by 209th Shaheen Corps, the overnight clash left 6 Talibs dead and 8 others maimed.
The statement further added that the security forces and local residents did not suffer casualties during the clash.
Another clash also broke out between security forces and Talibs in Peyaz Kar area of Balkh district in Balkh province on Sunday which left 2 murderous Moslems dead, the 209th Shaheen Corps said, adding that 2 other murderous Moslems sustained injuries during the clash.
The Taliban ...Arabic for students... group has not commented regarding the festivities so far.
[DAILYCALLER] Democratic Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, Sen. Kámala Harris Former Oakland mayor Willie Brown's former mistress, now a senatrix from California and 2020 Dem presidential hopeful, indistinguishable from the others... appeared to suggest that racism and sexism have hurt her chances to win the Democratic presidential nomination. Last refuge of the political lo-o-o-o-ser.
Harris told Axios on HBO that Americans have "a lack of ability" to imagine a black, female president in a video posted Sunday. Sure they have, Senatrix. Just not you.
"I have also started to perhaps be more candid talking about what I described and what I believe to be the elephant in the room about my campaign," Harris said. "Electability. You know, essentially, is America ready for a woman and a woman of color to be president of the United States?"
#3
In the back room of the DNC HQ, is a big 'Wheel of (mis) Fortune,' complete with interchangeable triangular inserts. Instead of Vanna, you can have Debbie poodle hair, od Donn brassire, halping. The candidate down on his/her/cis luck, simply spins and whicheveer excuse of the day the clicker lands on, why that is what is trotted out. And with removeavle inserts, the list never expires.....sort of like a FEC-funded 'Dog ate my homework' thing.
#9
We are ready for a woman president. We are ready for a woman of color. We are not ready for a vindictive political hack the screwed her way up the ladder to be responsible for the safeguarding of our constitution.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/29/2019 12:38
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#10
The post of chief executive of the world's leading superpower shouldn't be a prize in SJ sweepstakes.
#14
Well, your party is plagued with racism and sexism, so you may have come up with something here, in suspecting it is against you because of that.
You would have been wiser to have become a Republican if you wanted to get away from bias in your party.
Posted by: Daniel ||
10/29/2019 18:37
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#7
If she has a tatoo of a potato on each boob does she have tater tats or tater tits?
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/29/2019 9:56
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#8
Here's this freak libeling a good man by promoting the lies and slander committed by an even bigger nutjob, Julie Swetnick.
From Katie Hill's official congressional (no stage name a la Danger" or "Delecto") Twitter account, Sept. 26, 2018:
Julie Swetnick risked everything to come forward with her story and she is not alone. This is not just about the Supreme Court, this is about believing women and protecting survivors. I've lived this reality and I know why so many of us never report.
10:56 AM · Sep 26, 2018·Twitter Web Client
Just to remind you/her constituents: Swetnick recanted her bullshit in an interview less than a week after Avenatti the extortioner and swindler put her up to making ludicrous false accusations out of whole cloth against Kavanaugh.
Katie Hill is not just a ridiculous figure.
She is a disgusting POS who defamed a good and innocent judge. She should be scorned by anyone who cares about the integrity of our justice system.
#9
If she were a man, she would be headed to jail. We call sleeping with an employee a sexual predator. Her embarrassment and her family shame is the least of her crimes.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/29/2019 12:41
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.