[American Thinker] The report of the I.G.'s findings on the use of FISA in the FBI Crossfire Hurricane investigation is an outrage. As a 22 year FBI Agent, I have personally conducted multiple investigations using both Title III "wiretaps" and FISA authorized intercepts. From this perspective, I can only see two possible interpretations of the actions of the FBI and DOJ. Either scenario should anger and frighten every fair minded citizen who takes the time to read the report and understand its implications. To comprehend the magnitude of the wrongdoing, consider the following:
First, an American citizen, Carter Page, was targeted by our government for electronic surveillance under FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act). Per the Act, his Fourth Amendment guarantee of privacy was judicially "suspended" to allow law enforcement to intercept and monitor his private communications. Ostensibly, the FISA court would allow this intrusion based on presented facts that indicated that Page was participating in an activity that was reasonably considered to be a threat to national security and was, in effect, the agent of a foreign power.
According to the I.G., the determination to surveil Page was based on second hand information provided by a member of a friendly foreign government and bolstered by reporting in the "Steele dossier". Accepting the subjective judgement that the investigation was adequately predicated does not mitigate the disaster that followed.
Continued on Page 49
The FBI was a partner to an interagency agreement and could not extract itself from the FISA abuse vehicle without betraying it's partnership and possibly foreign intelligence participation.
#3
Judge Rosemary Collyer gave the FBI until January 10 to explain to the court why the FBI should be allowed to continue to utilize FISA.
The answer is they should not be allowed.
#4
/\ Yes, after the Bureau returned to FISA for a third renewal on Carter Page (without additional documentation or incriminating evidence), the 'look the other way' sign should have been flashing boldly.
#5
This scandal deserves its own Warren Commission-style inquiry to see whether FISA should even be allowed to continue and if so, with what types of reforms. The thing is obviously broken.
#7
They were grossly overconfident that Hildabeest would win and this would be both covered and encouraged during her rule. The underlying issue is how deeply in the tank the bureaucracy in Washington is for the democrat party. The bureaucracy serves a political goal far more than the nation as a whole. The depth of the rot is horrific ....
#9
Those who signed the FISA applications should be fired, deprived of their pensions, disbarred if attorneys and made ineligible for government employ.
Prosecution may follow.
Posted by: daniel ||
12/29/2019 12:16 Comments ||
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#10
Pretty much opens the door for anyone to tap anyone any time. I'd image not much thought went into that.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/29/2019 12:58 Comments ||
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[NPR] For the last few months, we've been fielding your questions and conundrums in the Help, I'm Hosting! series. As 2018 draws to a close, we decided to go to the ultimate authority on all things home and hosting ‐ Martha Stewart.
New Year's Eve is a time for optimism, Stewart says. It's "the welcoming of a new year, a new season ... hopefully a happier time."
If you're hosting friends or family as we usher in 2019, Stewart is here to help. Her new book, The Martha Manual: How to Do (Almost) Everything, has a whole section on hosting and entertaining. Below, she answered our questions and our listeners' questions about how to throw the New Year's party that's perfect for you.
If you're offering accommodations for overnight guests, how do you choose who gets to stay and in which room? And how can you make those guests most comfortable?
There might be a clamor for those rooms, but I think the people who live the furthest, of course, should have first choice. I think that making the rooms comfy for them ‐ making sure there's plenty of water to drink and maybe a bowl of fruit or something. ... Have a toothbrush and some toothpaste in the bathroom ... and a bathrobe, of course, and a schedule for the next day.
#1
Tip 1: Don't invite federal officers for an interview.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/29/2019 9:47 Comments ||
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#2
Tip 13: Invite Snoop Dogg to make sure there are plenty of doobies.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/29/2019 12:05 Comments ||
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#3
Alternate saying "don't recall" and "lawyer." It's a good thing...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/29/2019 14:23 Comments ||
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#4
Find a better way of telling the FBI that you aren't going to "wear a wire" and entrap your circle of acquaintances....?
I always thought the FBI prosecutor was dreaming of an endless stream of convictions and then Martha Stewart told him to "Take your cheap knock-off suit and shoes and piss off!" when he tried to turn her.
So the contract is still out on "Epstein"? Isn't there an expiration date on Hilly's work orders?
[TruePundit] Wife Of Congressional Whistleblower Who Testified Against Hillary Clinton And Google Dies In Tragic Car Crash
Yet another suspicious death linked to yet another critic of the Clinton’s, just months after a respected doctor and researcher got into a public spat with Hillary Clinton after revealing Google’s scheme to help her get elected to the White House.
A car crash claimed the life of the wife of the doctor, researcher and respected Hillary Clinton critic who testified to Congress that Google’s search algorithms were slanted to help Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
Hillary Clinton attacked Dr. Robert Epstein for his research during the summer. And on Saturday, Epstein Tweeted about the untimely death of his wife.
“My beautiful wife Misti, a published poet, succumbed last night to injuries sustained in a car accident,” Epstein tweeted. “I was supposed to die in your arms some day, but a slippery road has ruined everything. You were not just my love, you were my greatest adventure.”
#1
Wrong driver. The instructions were clear, only the 'operators' screwed it up.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/29/2019 11:57 Comments ||
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#2
At what point does "Killary" stop being a meme and start becoming an actual subject of investigation?
I already know the answer.
When a critical mass of normies finally figure out that they'll have to take the law into their own hands instead of relying on the "properly constituted authorities".
In which the blogger explains in great detail why drones are not actually all that. The phrase the new shizznit when it comes to warfare is used.
[Racontuer Report] Aerial drones are great at detecting people. In a barren desert. Or above the Arctic Circle.
In triple canopy jungle, bayou swamp, or northern hardwood forest, their detection capabilities are less than that of a good bassett hound. And they’re not particularly difficult to kill, defeat, or degrade. Starting with shooting the operator.
If 40 Afghan jihadis had stormed the relatively pussified base defenses in Tonopah NV one day, and rampaged through the drone trailers, killing everyone in sight and blowing up the control trailers, drone warfare in A-stan would have ground to a screeching halt, stayed that way for months, and the Air Farce would have started a crash program to steal Army Rangers by the tens of thousands as base defense cops in 30 states of the U.S.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/29/2019 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11125 views]
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#1
Not to mention, in a warfare not against third Worlders, somebody will figure a way to disrupt communication between drone and operator.
#2
If 40 Afghan jihadis had stormed the relatively pussified base defenses in Tonopah NV one day,
...I will only say that the lad is making one hell of an assumption, and leave it at that.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/29/2019 14:30 Comments ||
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#3
Hawthorne Ammo Base is nearby....
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/29/2019 16:39 Comments ||
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#4
Tonopah was the scene of much of our nuclear weapons testing from the 1940s through about 1970. There are still plenty of "hot" areas. Just let it be known that anyone attacking Tonopah would end up being staked to the center of one of those areas in their birthday suits (regardless of season) for 90 days, and there won't be many people willing to attack.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/29/2019 20:27 Comments ||
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#5
Where did the "40 Taliban" notion come from?
Sounds... biblical.
[Of Two Minds] If we set out to design a highly addictive platform that optimized the most toxic, destructive aspects of human nature, we'd eventually come up with social media.
Social problems arise when initially harmless addictions explode in popularity, and economic problems arise when the long-term costs of the addictions start adding up. Political problems arise when the addictions are so immensely profitable that the companies skimming the profits can buy political influence to protect their toxic products from scrutiny and regulation.
That describes both the tobacco industry before its political protection was stripped away and social media today, as the social media giants hasten to buy political influence to protect their immensely profitable monopolies from scrutiny and regulation.
It's difficult to measure the full costs of addictions because our system focuses on price discovery at the point of purchase, meaning that absent any regulatory measuring of long-term consequences, the cost of a pack of cigarettes is based not on the long-term costs but solely on the cost of producing and packaging the tobacco into cigarettes, and the enterprise side: marketing, overhead and profit.
(I address the consequences of what we don't measure in my latest book, Will You Be Richer or Poorer?)
To take tobacco as an example, the full costs of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day for 20 years is not limited to the cost of the cigarettes: 365 days/year X 20 years X 2 packs (14,600) X cost per pack ($5 each) $73,000.
The full costs might total over $1 million in treatments for lung cancer and heart disease, and the reduction in life span and productivity of the smoker. (The emotional losses of those who lose a loved one to a painful early death is difficult to assign an economic value but it is very real.)
If the full costs of the nicotine addiction were included at the point of purchase, each pack of cigarettes would cost about $70 ($1,000,000 / 14,600). Very few people could afford a habit that costs $140 per day ($51,000 per year).
What are the full costs of the current addiction to social media? These costs are even more difficult to measure than the consequences of widespread addiction to nicotine, but they exist regardless of our unwillingness or inability to measure the costs.
[Townhall] African Americans are taking back jobs that were stolen from them by illegal immigrants. In August, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers swept up 680 illegal immigrants during raids on seven food processing plants in Mississippi. Without the cheap labor, the companies were forced to hire Americans to do the work.
#1
~ 1/3 of African-American voters are now supporters of Trump.
Even if this high level of support doesn't pan out next November -- say he gets "only" 25% of the African-American vote -- that's still devastating for the Dems' prospects. Absolutely zero chance they can win OH WI PA or MI with only 75% of the African-American vote.
So surprising that it has taken the party of Barbara Jordan so long to come around to her clear understanding of what a disaster illegal immigration has been for all native-born workers, blacks most of all.
Migrants main effect is to boost rents, which is why establishment care little about their skills, as middle classes will get taxed more to subsidise them.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/29/2019 16:37 Comments ||
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#5
So f---ing obvious.
The other benefit of deporting the illegals is that the illegal-employing sweatshops will be forced to offer humane working conditions. Maybe even in compliance with OSHA and other applicable laws...
Rule of law, livable wages, opportunities for native-born unskilled workers: imagine that.
[Market Watch] The Secure Act, which was signed earlier this month, changes the way beneficiaries will receive money from inherited retirement accounts, but not everyone is in danger of a big tax hit.
The new rules say beneficiaries of qualified retirement accounts, such as individual retirement accounts and 401(k) plans, need to withdraw all of the money out of those accounts within 10 years, instead of over their life expectancy as was previously allowed. There are no required minimum distributions within that time frame, but the account balance must be zero after the 10th year.
Stretching the withdrawals over the beneficiary’s life expectancy ‐ the so-called stretch IRA provision ‐ meant paying less in taxes, whereas the new rule threatens to result in higher tax bills, especially if the inheritor is in her peak earning years. Required minimum distribution calculations are based on numerous factors, including beneficiary’s age, life expectancy and the account balance.
#1
Did they earn it? There are other ways to transfer monies to one's inheritors before death. If you don't trust them with the money before then, why should anyone trust them with it afterwards?
#2
Nice to see the gummit (who can't save a nickel), turn their attention toward the trend of Boomers attempting to pass along a few dollars to their children and grandchildren.
#3
My mother left me one of these, about $10,000 in it; I've been taking the RMD - of which the gov'ts have gotten about 40% - for 8 years and it still has about $10,000 in it.
[Dawn] IN 2019, Pakistan witnessed a further decline in the number of terrorist incidents and consequent casualties. Though one might view this as an indication of terrorists’ weakening operational capabilities, the war against terrorism is still on. Terrorists have been scattered — but not yet shattered — and persisting extremist tendencies are still a primary source of their human, financial and ideological strengths.
According to data collected by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, terrorist attacks this year decreased by around 11 per cent as compared to 2018, and the number of people killed in these attacks plummeted by 40pc. Indeed, there has been a gradual decrease in terrorist attacks and casualties since 2009 (with the exception of 2013, when a surge in sectarian violence mainly contributed to a rise in attacks and casualties). Continuous anti-militant operational and surveillance campaigns by security forces and police counterterrorism departments, as well as some counter-extremism actions taken under the National Action Plan, have apparently helped sustain that declining trend 2013 onwards.
The statistics also show that, for the past few years, much of the militant violence has been visibly concentrated in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while other regions have been facing less frequent attacks. While the number of terrorist attacks in Balochistan in 2019 declined by 27pc, the number of attacks in KP remained unchanged from the year before. The number of terrorist incidents recorded in these two regions was significant; 125 attacks took place in KP and 84 in Balochistan, which were over 91pc of the total attacks reported from across Pakistan.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/29/2019 01:48 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11126 views]
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#1
More hostages woke tourists....
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/29/2019 15:36 Comments ||
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[LI] As 2020 dawns, it is clear that California is continuing its descent into the political crapper.
There are a spate of new laws on the books, one of which promises to make the dreadful public school situation worse.
For example, a new rule will prohibit public schools from suspending students for disobeying teachers.
Starting next school year, it will be illegal for public schools in the state to suspend students in first through fifth grade for willfully defying teachers or administrators.
Then, from 2021 through 2025, it will be temporarily extended to kids in grades six through eight.
Supporters say suspensions for willful defiance are disproportionately used against students of color.
As a delightful bonus, new California rules are controlling charter school options as well.
After months of negotiations and heated debate, new rules are coming for California’s sector of publicly-funded, independently-operated charter schools. All charter teachers will be required to hold a state teaching credential, and local school boards have broader discretion in approving or denying charters, though charters can still appeal to counties and the state.
Charter schools also will be required to follow the same open-meeting laws as school districts under a proposal that was among the first bills Newsom signed as governor. And a loophole will close that had allowed so-called "far-flung charters" to operate far from the often-tiny school districts that had authorized ‐ and were being paid to oversee ‐ them.
Additionally, the California Department of Education is now required to create resources that schools could use to train credentialed teachers and staff on how to support LGBTQ students.
#1
So basically doing away with education all together. If there is no discipline, there is no learning.
“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”
― Socrates
#3
seeing what the "educators" suspended students for in the past, such as wearing pro-Trump clothing (such as MAGA hats, etc..), this may not be such a bad thing.
#5
Oh I'm sure there is an exemption for those cases Seeking Cure. They will just call it inciting an hate crime or something. But ANTAFA will be just fine.
#6
CA's are among the worst schools in the nation.
The UC system is following them downhill-- still strong in many areas but noticeably deficient, even second-rate, in many others. Having inherited the world's best public university, this generation of shitty CA politicians and educational bureaucrats is now presiding over the decline of the golden system that fueled CA's industrial and tech growth.
#9
They're smothering it with chickenshit, bureaucratic reporting requirements that suck up many hours each week from the homeschooler's parents. War of attrition.
Also, if/when the UCs go "test-optional" for admissions, home-schooled applicants will be SOL for gaining entrance to those schools, as only standardized tests can convince an admissions committee that the home-schooled applicant can do the work.
Yet another nail in the coffin of educational excellence. F--- these morons.
#12
Thus adding self discipline to the pre existing advantages of literacy, numeracy, and organizational skills currently referred to as "toxic masculinity and white privilege."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/29/2019 10:31 Comments ||
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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.
[American Thinker] The report of the I.G.'s findings on the use of FISA in the FBI Crossfire Hurricane investigation is an outrage. As a 22 year FBI Agent, I have personally conducted multiple investigations using both Title III "wiretaps" and FISA authorized intercepts. From this perspective, I can only see two possible interpretations of the actions of the FBI and DOJ. Either scenario should anger and frighten every fair minded citizen who takes the time to read the report and understand its implications. To comprehend the magnitude of the wrongdoing, consider the following:
[Of Two Minds] If we set out to design a highly addictive platform that optimized the most toxic, destructive aspects of human nature, we'd eventually come up with social media.
[LI] As 2020 dawns, it is clear that California is continuing its descent into the political crapper.
