To properly tell tonight’s story, we need to get into the wayback machine for a minute… Buckle up, folks!
OK, so do you remember, last March, way before the national conversation turned to porn stars and shitholes, when Donald Trump informed us that he’d been illegally “wiretapped” by Obama? And do you remember how, in the wake of his having said it, everyone was starting to ridicule him, demanding evidence to back up his serious claim of felony wrongdoing? Well, in case you don’t, here’s a clip from something that I posed at the time.
…So, as this controversy was swirling, and people everywhere were demanding that Trump back up his baseless claims that his phones had been tapped by Obama, (Congressman Devin) Nunes was summoned to the White House, where, according to him, he was shown evidence by a still unnamed source, that conversations at Trump Tower had in fact been taped. And he shared all of this the following morning at a very odd White House press conference, which had been set up without the knowledge of the other members of the House Intelligence Committee (which Nunes heads), giving Trump the opportunity to then follow up by saying that he felt vindicated.
So, here, to sum things up, is how things when down… FBI Director James Comey and NSA head Michael Rogers testified under oath before the House Intelligence Committee that there was not a shred of evidence to support Trump’s claim that Obama had order an illegal wire tap on his phones. Later that evening, Nunes, who, coincidentally, served on the Trump transition team, was called to the White House, where, according to him, he was shown evidence of surveillance, allowing Trump to then say that he felt vindicated. And, it should be noted, Nunes still hasn’t either shared that evidence with his fellow members of the House Intelligence Committee, or, for that matter, told anyone who it was that shared this evidence with him on the grounds of the White House. And, as if that weren’t enough, Nunes also cancelled the testimony of (Sally) Yates, who, according to Representative Adam Schiff, was prepared to testify about the Flynn “cover-up”, perhaps referring to the fact that Trump’s National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, wasn’t removed from office the instant Yates made the administration aware of the fact that he’d been lying about the extent of his relationship with Putin’s government, opting instead to keep him in his position as head of national security until evidence of Flynn’s illegal activities was leaked to the press by individuals within the intelligence community.
So, not only did Nunes give Trump some degree of political cover, publicly offering the possibility that Trump was at least partially correct when he suggested that his phones had been tapped, but, more importantly, he kept Yates from the stand, where she would have testified to the extent of Flynn’s relationship with Russia, and the fact that Trump, when made aware of the situation, chose to do nothing.
Thankfully, the mainstream press and politicians of all stripes are beginning to turn on Nunes, demanding that he be removed from the Russia hearings… “He shouldn’t be anywhere near this investigation, let alone leading it,” Representative Eric Swalwell said of Nunes on MSNBC this afternoon. “This,” he added, “is what it looks like when you’re covering up a crime.” And Representative Adam Schiff, the committee’s ranking Democrat, came out yesterday and said that Nunes should recuse himself. “We’ve reached the point, after the events of this week, where it would be very difficult to maintain the credibility of the investigation if the chairman did not recuse himself from matters involving either the Trump campaign or the Trump transition team of which he was a member,” Schiff told CNN. And it’s not just the Democrats. Republican Walter Jones, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, today told reporters that he too thinks Nunes should step down…
Well, as you might recall, once the House Ethics Committee issued a statement saying that they were “determined to investigate” allegations that “Nunes may have made unauthorized disclosures of classified information, in violation of House Rules, law, regulations, or other standards of conduct,” the Congressman recused himself from anything having to do with he Russia investigation.
But, here’s the thing. He never really stopped working on behalf of the Trump team to slow down the Russia investigation… Which brings us to today, and the #ReleaseTheMemo campaign.
Nunes is now demanding that a memo authored by staffers in his office under his direction be released over the objections of the FBI. Here, in case you missed it yesterday, is the FBI’s public statement, which warns that, through “material omissions of fact,” the Nunes document, if made public, could do grave harm.
And, word is that Chris Wray, the current Director of the FBI, and Trump’s third since taking office, could very well quit if this Nunes memo is released.
Trump, though, according to news this evening, has apparently made the decision to release the memo over the objections of the intelligence community. As for why he would do this, and perhaps jeopardize elements of a federal case, CNN is reporting that the President believes it will help prove that the FBI is out to get him. According to the report, Trump, in recent days, “has told friends he believes the memo would expose bias within the agency’s top ranks and make it easier for him to argue the Russia investigations are prejudiced against him, according to two sources.”
As for what’s in this mysterious memo, my sense, based on the reports that I’ve read, is that Nunes cherrypicked data from various intelligence reports, especially as it related to a FISA warrant authorizing surveillance of Trump advisor Carter Page, and then packaged it into a memo in such a way that it might give the impression that the FBI had abused their power on behalf of the Democrats. To give you a sense of how this is being framed in the pro-Trump media, here’s a quote from the Fox News webpage: “(The) Obama Administration ‘weaponized’ the Justice Department and intelligence community in order to try seizing control over the election.”
Here, from the Washington Post, is a bit more detail as to what we think is likely in the three-and-a-half-page Nunes memo.
…The memo apparently argues that this (FISA) application, submitted in secret to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, included information from a dossier of reports compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele on behalf of the firm Fusion GPS — a company that had been hired by an attorney for the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign.
The implication is apparently that partisan information was used to request surveillance of a Trump campaign aide when it shouldn’t have been. This argument — assuming it’s the argument made by the memo! — is contingent on a lot of shaky assumptions, several of which were parsed by Orin Kerr at Lawfare. For example: Steele’s background made him a credible source to the FBI, and judges are used to considering motivation when determining whether to grant a warrant.
Assuming, that is, that it’s fair to consider Steele a biased source. There’s no indication that Steele knew who the client was for whom he was indirectly working. In his testimony before the Senate last year, Fusion GPS’s Glenn Simpson said that Steele was told only to “see if you can find out what Donald Trump’s been doing on these trips to Russia.”
But the broader question that’s important to answer is if there was other evidence, besides what Steele provided, that might have prompted the FBI to seek a warrant to surveil Page’s activities. After all, if there were 40 pieces of evidence cited, one of which came from Steele, even if Steele’s evidence were somehow inappropriate to include (again, not necessarily a fair assumption) there would still be 39 other reasons that a warrant might be justified…
It’s complicated, I know. The gist, however, is this. Republicans loyal to Trump are suggesting that the FBI is essentially an arm of the Democratic Party, and, as such, sought to target the Trump campaign. Given that, in the opinion of many, it was an FBI announcement about the reopening of an investigation into Hillary Clinton that cost the former Secretary of State the election, this is laughable on its face, but apparently this is the best narrative that Trump’s team of conmen and fascists could come up with. So, according to this narrative, Hillary paid former British spy and Russia expert Christopher Steele to write a fake dossier, which she then handed off to friendly forces within the FBI, who used it to justify a full-scale, deep state attack against Donald Trump and his associates.
To believe this, of course, you’d have to believe 1. that the FBI is a liberal entity, which it’s not, 2. that Steele, who once ran the Russia desk for MI6, would sacrifice his professional credibility for Hillary Clinton, which he wouldn’t, and 3. that the investigation didn’t begin with warnings from the Australians and the Dutch, as we now know that it did. And, of course, you’d have to ignore the fact that the dossier was first commissioned by the conservative Washington Free Beacon… Oh, and, on the other side of the equation, you’d have to forget all the very real evidence we’ve seen of shady ties between the Trump camp and the Russians… And, of course, you’d have to be believe that the FBI was so inept, that, instead of accusing Trump publicly of collusion during the campaign, when it might have actually helped sway the outcome of the election, they waited until he actually won before they got serious about helping the Clinton campaign.
OK, well it looks as though, while I was writing the above, Trump has gotten himself on Twitter and laid the whole thing out for his base, explaining how he’s the victim of a deep state, government plot.
“You had Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party try to hide the fact that they gave money to GPS Fusion to create a Dossier which was used by their allies in the Obama Administration to convince a Court misleadingly, by all accounts, to spy on the Trump Team.” Tom Fitton, JW
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2018
The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans – something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2018
So that’s pretty much where things now stand. Nunes is attempting to muddy the waters by putting this memo out, and Paul Ryan and the Republican establishment is allowing him to do it, knowing full well that the information within the memo could jeopardize national security.
So here’s how this will play out… The Republicans will release the memo. The press will jump on a few select quotes, and explore whether or not there might be something to the Republican claims, as they did last week with claims that a “secret society” of anti-Trump agents exists within the FBI. And, eventually, people who want the truth to be known will start leaking the classified context that supported the warrant application against Carter Page. And, in the process, we’ll send a few weeks spinning our wheels. But, here’s the thing. The Mueller probe won’t stop. While this may seem like a setback from where we are, the wheels of justice are going to keep right on turning. So, take some comfort in that, OK?
And, when it’s all said and done, and all the #ReleaseTheMemo drama is over, and all the “bombshells” that we’d been promised turn out be duds, we’ll be left with the following story… A FISA court found there to be enough evidence against Trump associate Carter Page to issue a surveillance warrant.
Well, as you might expect, the Democrats are demanding that Nunes immediately be kicked off the House Intelligence Committee for this most recent stunt. Describing Nunes as a “national security risk,” Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi said that for “ignoring concerns from the FBI & DOJ to advance a conspiracy theory,” the Congressman should be removed immediately. And that sentiment was followed up shortly after by Senator Chuck Schumer, who likewise demanded that Nunes be removed as head of the Intelligence Committee.
Oh, and the retired directors of the CIA and FBI are both weighing in as well.
I had many fights with Congressional Dems over the years on national security matters. But I never witnessed the type of reckless partisan behavior I am now seeing from Nunes and House Republicans. Absence of moral and ethical leadership in WH is fueling this government crisis. https://t.co/KEUrsgtqhp
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) February 1, 2018
All should appreciate the FBI speaking up. I wish more of our leaders would. But take heart: American history shows that, in the long run, weasels and liars never hold the field, so long as good people stand up. Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy.
— James Comey (@Comey) February 1, 2018
And so it begins. We start this final chapter with Congressional Republicans circling the wagons, putting the safety of the nation at risk, and hoping against all odds that they can somehow save the criminal enterprise we know as the Trump administration from the inevitable. The next few weeks should be very interesting, my friends… Good luck.
270 Comments
Thank you. This memo thing cant be over soon enough.
Tough to read all that with all the wrong ideas in it. For starters the memo is a summary of findings from a certain portion of IG Horowitz’s investigation.
“Republicans loyal to Trump are suggesting that the FBI is essentially an arm of the Democratic Party, and, as such, sought to target the Trump campaign.”
Not the FBI but cronies in high positions there. McCabe and Strzok for example.
Strzok isn’t a Clinton crony. He’s known to have authored the memo that cost her the election. Thanks for playing. Please try again.
“The American public needs to see this [memo] because we need to know was an entire investigation of a president based on an accusation from a campaign opposition research?”
Here’s a great headline for you from the conservative site Axios, HW:
“FBI agent Peter Strzok supported reopening Clinton email investigation”
Link:
https://www.axios.com/fbi-agent-peter-strzok-supported-reopening-clinton-email-investigation-0a264db1-b693-484d-950d-7c76adc3ec8b.html
The truth, as much as it may pain you, is that our country is under attack by a foreign adversary, and our intelligence community is attempting to stop it. There is no liberal cabal, and Strzok certainly isn’t a Clinton crony.
“Given that, in the opinion of many, it was an FBI announcement about the reopening of an investigation into Hillary Clinton that cost the former Secretary of State the election, this is laughable on its face, but apparently this is the best narrative that Trump’s team of conmen and fascists could come up with.”
How could that be since it is now known the FBI exonerated Clinton before the investigation? Comey obstructed justice when he said there was no intent even though intent has nothing to do with it. She broke the law so she should never have been let off. Don’t see how it is plausible to put state secrets on a private server (clintonemails.com!!!) but there is no intent. Let alone DESTROYING EVIDENCE subpoenaed by Congress! How do you figure???
Rep. Jerry Nadler, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is calling on Chairman Goodlatte to bring in FBI Director Wray on an “emergency basis” to brief the Committee on his issues with the Nunes memo.
“Here’s a great headline for you from the conservative site Axios, HW:
“FBI agent Peter Strzok supported reopening Clinton email investigation”
Link:
https://www.axios.com/fbi-agent-peter-strzok-supported-reopening-clinton-email-investigation-0a264db1-b693-484d-950d-7c76adc3ec8b.html
The truth, as much as it may pain you, is that our country is under attack by a foreign adversary, and our intelligence community is attempting to stop it. There is no liberal cabal, and Strzok certainly isn’t a Clinton crony.”
Sure, so he could have her exonerated. Strzok is the one who gave Comey the bright idea of substituting “extremely careless” for the synonymous but incriminating “grossly negligent”.
The Telegraph: “Donald Trump’s FBI memo release ‘risks revealing British spying methods'”
Read more:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/01/donald-trumps-fbi-memo-release-risks-revealing-british-spying/
That’s right. USA government officials used MI6 to spy on Americans.
It astounds me that this memo is a bigger issue than Trump’s refusal to act on Congressional sanctions against Russia.
Time for a little reality. If Trump had done 1/100th of what Clinton has done you would go absolutely berserk.
“It astounds me that this memo is a bigger issue than Trump’s refusal to act on Congressional sanctions against Russia.”
If there has been a frame job on Trump about “collusion” with Russia then those sanctions should probably be reconsidered. How do you not think so?
This is from a social media account called Pwn All Things-
Amazing level of pre-planning by the deep state to arrange for Page to get approached by SVR all the way back in 2013, years before Trump thought to run for office
Carter Page had involvement in Uranium One. Not sure about his role in the campaign but I suspect he was used by Trump for his knowledge of that deal.
Bill Kristol posed these questions yesterday, and I’d like to run them by you, HW.
Would you agree to the following facts?
1. Russia interfered in our election campaign.
2. On Russia: The behavior of several Trump associates—e.g., Flynn, Manafort, Page—is worth looking into.
3. On possible obstruction: Trump and some who work for him lie an awful lot.
Trump is attempting to denigrate people at the DOJ and FBI that he put in place. These people are all Republicans. He’s refused to enact sanctions against Russia and we’ve allowed Russians barred from entering our country under sanctions to enter and meet with the head of the CIA. It doesn’t appear that we’re doing anything to stop impending interference with the midterm elections coming up. And the GOP is about to release a memo concocted by Nunes, who refuses to deny that he worked with the White House in creating it, worked on the Trump transition team, and recused himself from the Russia investigation, that cherry picks classified information to cast doubt on the people investigating Russian meddling in our election. They are also blocking the Democrats response to this memo.
These are facts. You are lost if you think any of this is okay or reasonable.
I have seen zero evidence of number one.
Two: Manafort is already up on charges from the Obama era regarding Ukraine. I don’t know what is up with Page but the Uranium One association sounds bad but not for Trump – more Obama era shit. Flynn I think is good. Mueller postponed his sentencing this week due to the status of the investigation.
Number three: No. What obstruction? Firing the obstructor Comey?
“Trump is attempting to denigrate people at the DOJ and FBI that he put in place. These people are all Republicans. ”
McCabe and Strzok were already there and they are key players. Pretty sure they are not Republicans either!
Verified account @SenJohnMcCain:
The latest attacks on the FBI and Department of Justice serve no American interests – no party’s, no president’s, only Putin’s.
How is it an attack to tell the truth, John???
The Republicans say this isn’t political, but then, this morning, they started giving excerpts from the Nunes memo to conservative media outlets.
Chuck Todd: “Not a good look by the House GOP to release cherry picked excerpts through friendly media outlets in order to build a narrative. Only reinforces the partisan look to all this. A truly nonpartisan act would have been a complete release without cherry picks.”
Democrat version is more FULSOME at ten pages. That word again! I don’t think I have ever heard that one in my whole life until this year. Now it’s all the rage!
I don’t see the problem with excerpts. There is only so much that can be cherry-picked from four pages. Partisan/non-partisan: what does it matter if the information is correct? Whiny Chuck! Hahaha!
Memo is out!
https://www.vox.com/2018/2/2/16957588/nunes-memo-full-text-read-trump-release
Drunk driving, racist, pro-Russian Congressman Gaetz: “The Dem. Party hired the Perkins law firm. The Perkins law firm hired Fusion GPS. Fusion GPS hired Christopher Steele…& then they hired Nelly Ohr, the wife of Bruce Ohr, to get the fake dossier from a political environment into the bloodstream of the intel. community.”
Smear as expected. How is what Gaetz said not true? This FISA fraud is blowing up in a lot of faces. Yahoo article leaked to reporter by Steele himself used to “authenticate” dossier to obtain warrants.
That’s it? Dishonest and misleading memo wrecked the House intel committee, destroyed trust with Intelligence Community, damaged relationship with FISA court, and inexcusably exposed classified investigation of an American citizen. For what? DOJ & FBI must keep doing their jobs.
lol-
HW have you been watching the markets tumble this week? Is that part of the plan?
Anything you would like to add, Anonymous? Was Gaetz a suspect in a candy bar theft from a corner store when he was in middle school? Or, maybe you would like to offer your opinion as to which parts of Gaetz’s statement related to the memo you disagree with?
One of my facebook friends, with a background in intelligence, expressed this reservation about the memo:
Basically, it is just Nunes’s opinion that is based on intelligence we aren’t privy to. Therefore, there is absolutely no way for anyone to determine the accuracy or validity of his opinion. Without any way to verify anything contained in the memo, it is just bullshit. Bullshit designed to fool people on the right into thinking they have evidence when really all they have is an option of someone who really isn’t all that trustworthy in the first place. So while the left can’t really claim that the memo is false, no one really can claim that it is true or accurate either. Anyone who does is a fool and even here you can see how it is only those who have previously demonstrated great foolishness who think this has any real meaning.
However it does serve to further separate the American people ? I still think the Russians are playing the Democrats. If Manafort, Stone, Trump et el are able to steal the election and nobody noticed we were already screwed before they took office.
“lol-
HW have you been watching the markets tumble this week? Is that part of the plan?”
Oh no! It’s under 26,000!!!
That’s not really an answer.
It’s a serious question? Market dive part of Trump’s plan or whose? I doubt it but he was probably aware the memo could have an impact.
“One of my facebook friends, with a background in intelligence, expressed this reservation about the memo:
Basically, it is just Nunes’s opinion that is based on intelligence we aren’t privy to. Therefore, there is absolutely no way for anyone to determine the accuracy or validity of his opinion. Without any way to verify anything contained in the memo, it is just bullshit. Bullshit designed to fool people on the right into thinking they have evidence when really all they have is an option of someone who really isn’t all that trustworthy in the first place. So while the left can’t really claim that the memo is false, no one really can claim that it is true or accurate either. Anyone who does is a fool and even here you can see how it is only those who have previously demonstrated great foolishness who think this has any real meaning.”
Self-contradictory: facebook friend with intelligence background says it’s bullshit but admits there is no evidence of that. They should just point out that the basis of the memo is still classified.
HW I usually don’t have time to follow all of you and your friends here in too close a detail. When all this stuff happens that blows our minds and reconfigures our understanding of reality what will be happening with the economy?
I predict DJT will pass legislation to audit the Federal Reserve. When the result comes back that the USA has been fleeced the Fed will be abolished. Debt will be wiped out. Congress will begin to print money as intended by the Framers of the Constitution.
You’re a character HW. You blow my mind everyday.
First DJT unless the congress passes enabling legislation, can’t pass anything. He only signs. Given your scenario they going to recall all the Federal Reserve Notes? Oh yeah let’s all cheer the coming of the Debt jubilee. I won’t have to declare bankruptcy after all. I like your fantasies.
Will get Congress to pass it. You know what I mean.
Hey I was ridiculed over and over here for telling you the investigation was a fraud. Now evidence of that is in the public eye. I wouldn’t bet against me!
Being a visionary must be exhausting?
Could be an Executive Order I suppose. I think he prefers Congress to enact laws itself though.
Coney has something to say:
“That’s it? Dishonest and misleading memo wrecked the House intel committee, destroyed trust with Intelligence Community, damaged relationship with FISA court, and inexcusably exposed classified investigation of an American citizen. For what? DOJ & FBI must keep doing their jobs.”
“I predict DJT will pass legislation to audit the Federal Reserve. ”
The President does not have the power to “pass legislation.”
“Being a visionary must be exhausting?”
I don’t know if I am that. I just pay attention. I probably use up hella neurotransmitters doing all the reading I do though.
“Could be an Executive Order I suppose. I think he prefers Congress to enact laws itself though.”
lol
I already covered that, Iron. Let’s be a little less pedantic, okay?
What is funny about that? Obama was the EO Pres of all time and most of Trump’s are probably undoing Obama’s.
I was under the impression that the Mr. Warlord’s intellectual ability was unparalleled.
It appears that he is not as infallible and he publicly maintains.
The Mr. Warlord is a true visionary. He knew of the existence of “the memo” before it had even been written.
So far, my worldview has not changed.
The profound effects that the Mr. Warlord predicted have sadly not come to pass.
Yeah, it’s been out for like two seconds and there has been zero fallout yet. You just want to get every little snide comment in possible. We can talk about this like adults or you can be a baby and ruin it for everyone…again.
IL, I’m hoping he is right about the debt jubilee. Heading out to max out the rest of my credit cards right now. Going to try and get that new car too. I think my wife might like —oh hell she doesn’t have expensive taste. I’ll have to buy the diamond (on credit of course) for my daughter.
“The Mr. Warlord is a true visionary. He knew of the existence of “the memo” before it had even been written.”
I knew about the IG report it’s based on which you probably tried to ridicule me for. It’s hard to remember which one of you said what but someone did. I knew what the deal was with the Mueller investigation being based on a fraud so I don’t get you mocking me about it now that it is in the news.
Ah yes, the effects of the “memo” are gradual. I assume though that it is already taking root deep in my psyche.
When can I expect the effects of the “memo” to begin to surface? I must be psychologically prepared for the effects of the “memo.”
“It’s hard to remember which one of you said what but someone did. ”
The intellectual powers of the Mr. Warlord appear to be limited. .
lol
Unless IL has always been obsessed with HW his world view has changed and he hasn’t even realized it. There’s projection and there’s denial.
It is possible that the effects of the “memo” are so intense, that I am not aware of the powerful shift occurring deep in my subconscious.
I said from the start the memo is only the beginning of increasingly more serious information that will come out. Never said the memo itself will blow everything away. No doubt public perception of Trump/Russia collusion and the people who drummed it up is changing today.
“It is possible that the effects of the “memo” are so intense, that I am not aware of the powerful shift occurring deep in my subconscious.”
Talk like an adult for a change. You are going to ruin any legitimate discussion.
The effects of the “memo” will only become increasingly more serious. Mental health professionals will be overwhelmed with people seeking counseling to deal with the intense and inevitable shift in their worldview.
Mental illness of the TDS kind. I never said that at all about the memo. What a little baby.
You do have to shift though. There is no denying evidence is now out that I was right all along about collusion. This has huge implications. Trump is staying. Pretty big difference to have to deal with for someone who ridicules true knowledge every chance possible.
The “memo” is merely the beginning, the Mr. Warlord is a seer, a true modern day Nostradamus, having an infallible window to the future in his mind.
I worry for mental health professionals, will they be able to handle the demand from the American public to treat the effects of the radical shift in their collective worldview brought about by the events the great Mr. Warlord speaks?
How can you stand to intentionally misunderstand all the time like an annoying child just to harass someone? What kind of life is that?
Don’t be mad someone else knows wtf is going on.
And the meek shall inherit the earth
We’ve taken care of everything
The words you hear the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes
It’s one for all and all for one
We work together common sons
Never need to wonder how or why
We are the priests, of the temples of syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls
We are the priests, of the temples of syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls
Look around this world we made
Equality our stock in trade
Come and join the brotherhood of man
Oh, what a nice contented world
Let the banners be unfurled
Hold the red star proudly high in hand
We are the priests, of the temples of syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls
We are the priests, of the temples of syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls
What can this strange device be?
When I touch it, it gives forth a sound
It’s got wires that vibrate and give music
What can this thing be that I found?
See how it sings like a sad heart
And joyously screams out its pain
Sounds that build high like a mountain
Or notes that fall gently like rain
I can’t wait to share this new wonder
The people will all see its light
Let them all make their own music
The priests praise my name on this night
I know it’s most unusual
To come before you so
But I’ve found an ancient miracle
I thought that you should know
Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There’s something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you
Yes, we know it’s nothing new
It’s just a waste of time
We have no need for ancient ways
The world is doing fine
Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn’t fit the plan
No
I can’t believe you’re saying
These things just can’t be true
Our world could use this beauty
Just think what we might do
Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There’s something here that’s as strong as life
I know that it will reach you
Don’t annoy us further
Oh, we have our work to do
Just think about the average
What use have they for you?
Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn’t fit the plan
I wandered home though the silent streets
And fell into a fitful sleep
Escape to realms beyond the night
Dream, can’t you show me the light?
I stand atop a spiral stair
An oracle confronts me there
He leads me on light years away
Through astral nights, galactic days
I see the works of gifted hands
That grace this strange and wondrous land
I see the hand of man arise
With hungry mind and open eyes
They left the planet long ago
The elder race still learn and grow
Their power grows with purpose strong
To claim the home where they belong
Home, to tear the temples down
Home, to change
The sleep is still in my eyes
The dream is still in my head
I heave a sigh and sadly smile
And lie a while in bed
I wish that it might come to pass
Not fade like all my dreams
Just think of what my life might be
In a world like I have seen
I don’t think I can carry on
Carry on this cold and empty life
Oh, no
My spirits are low in the depths of despair
My lifeblood spills over
Attention all planets of the solar federation
Attention all planets of the solar federation
Attention all planets of the solar federation
We have assumed control
We have assumed control
We have assumed control
Shit, VISA, Mastercard and AMEX must be reading Hyperbole Warlord. They won’t extend me any more credit. Anybody else having this problem?
Since I can’t go on my buying spree. I read the memo. Lots of fun.
HW, question since Nunes and presumably Republican Congressmen he would have talked to knew all about the abuse of the FISA court, why did they all vote to extend the surveillance act for another 6 years?
Libertarians and out of touch leftist have been warning about the kind of abuses alleged in the memo for over a dozen years.
And oh yeah why did DJT appoint a new head of the Fed if he is going to get rid of it?
We cannot question the wisdom of Donald J Trump.
Presumably they don’t intend to misuse it like Obama. It’s supposed to be for foreign people, not a back door to spy on Americans.
Regarding your question on the Fed: think about it.
I love this self serving comment just made by Nunes, “Our intelligence and law enforcement agencies exist to defend the American people, not to be exploited to target one group on behalf of another. It is my hope that the Committee’s actions will shine a light on this alarming series of events so we can make reforms that allow the American people to have full faith and confidence in their governing institutions.”
They had that opportunity just a couple of weeks ago, but instead reauthorized the surveillance state. How does anyone trust the veracity of these weasels (I kinda like that word, though I’m sure they are cute and lovable baby predators.)
“They had that opportunity just a couple of weeks ago, but instead reauthorized the surveillance state. ”
Fortunately, the Trump administration is so inept, that they probably can’t figure out how to use it. Trump is probably demanding “wiretaps” not understanding what cell phones are.
Wobblie,
The Mr. Warlord can predict Mr. Trump’s actions even before Mr. Trump decides to act. Its the constant research of true sources and usage of much neurotransmitter that has allowed him to develop preomniscience. I’ve only read about such accomplishments in the Foundation series, but I’m going to have to admit that Asimov was correct About psychohistory.
I would be venture to say that the Mr. Warlord retroactively influenced Asimov through his time signaling power that only he possesses.
re: “What is funny about that? Obama was the EO Pres of all time and most of Trump’s are probably undoing Obama’s.”
Just another in a long line of “facts” HW provides which are totally false. When you have to lie to support your positions, HW, you don’t have strong positions.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=which+president+issued+the+most+executive+orders+in+their+presidency
Normally, I don’t bother to fact check HW. If he says something that is correct, I usually assume that he is only correct in a stopped clock sort of way.
Barack Obama comes in as issuing the 16th largest number of Executive Orders.
The Mr. Warlord’s time signaling powers must be impacting his grand intellect.
I know a lot. I knew about 9-11 before it happened. Not the methods of attack but that the gov was planning a terrorist attack and Osama Bin Laden would be blamed. Bill Cooper hammered it that summer before he was shot and killed that November. The Lone Gunmen pilot had a plane remote controlled to fly into the WTC months before the attack. If you don’t pay attention to anything outside your little world you never notice.
“I know a lot. I knew about 9-11 before it happened. Not the methods of attack but that the gov was planning a terrorist attack and Osama Bin Laden would be blamed. Bill Cooper hammered it that summer before he was shot and killed that November. The Lone Gunmen pilot had a plane remote controlled to fly into the WTC months before the attack. If you don’t pay attention to anything outside your little world you never notice.”
lol
Obamacare was way way way beyond the scope of what an E.O. should be so that ought to count for a crapload of regular ones.
The Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress.
“lol”
What is funny about that exactly? Watch it yourself or it’s meaningless to mock it.
It appears that the Mr. Warlord is unaware of how legislation is passed in the United States or is at least fuzzy on the details.
“Iron Lung
The Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress.”
Okay, I’m wrong there. How about DACA though? Couldn’t get that through so he just jammed it.
Barack Obama comes in as issuing the 16th largest number of Executive Orders
Under Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_federal_executive_orders
Okay, that’s great. Jeez, if I hassled you on everything you get wrong no one would be able to post there would be so much. Thread derailed again by you.
Wtf is up with DACA by the way? Oh, I’m the President so I can promise millions of people brought here illegally they can have citizenship!
When it comes to Russian collusion it is obvious to everyone now it is going like I said. If you call someone a “right wing conspiracy theorist” or some shit and they turn out to be correct then you should do what?
It turns out Goddess Hillary bought a phony Russian collection of bullshit and tried to frame Trump with it by using the cronies to fraudulently obtain FISA warrants. Just like I said a year ago: it’s a fraud based on a lie made up to frame a USA candidate/presidential elect/President. If it is not treason what is it? It’s really bad whatever the charge is.
Obama “Presidential Memoranda” – there are a ton of these too. Don’t know how they stack up to all the other presidents but a lot of them are serious issues. They seem very close to if not indistinguishable from E.O.’s.
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/presidential-memoranda?term_node_tid_depth=56
How can we trust anything the great Mr. Warlord says anymore?
His time signaling powers appear to be compromising his intellectual capababilities.
644 of them to be exact.
Wtf is time signalling? You are not even good at this.
It must be surreal for so many of you to have to deal with this memo after trying to discredit me for that long for talking about it.
Sorry HW , for me and a lot of my compatriots it’s not that big a deal. Apparently John Kelly agrees. But keep trying.
Not just talking about the memo recently but the situation it addresses. As soon as it was alleged I knew it was garbage. How could that be if I am suuuch a paranoid, gullible, conspiracy theorist idiot? How is it I knew the Mueller investigation was not going like just about all of you thought? Who is the idiot for real?
“Sorry HW , for me and a lot of my compatriots it’s not that big a deal. Apparently John Kelly agrees. But keep trying.”
Big implications though. Almost everyone here was giddy just knowing Trump was a goner. Doesn’t look so sure at all now. Highly unlikely I would say.
Plus Obama and Hillary and all these cronies look like dog shit now. Someone is going away for this.
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Nothing
Burger
I agree with you that the Trump Russian thing probably won’t have any teeth either.
We need real governing, not this game about trying to find something the other guy did that is wrong. I agree with you also that it shows how weak the Democratic Party is that the only thing they have to offer is the Trump Russian thing. The Republicans and Trump are winning, without a doubt, but how long will they be able to keep the momentum going? And will a substantive leader emerge from the Democrats? We’ll see. Time will tell.
“I predict DJT will pass legislation to audit the Federal Reserve. When the result comes back that the USA has been fleeced the Fed will be abolished. Debt will be wiped out. Congress will begin to print money as intended by the Framers of the Constitution.”
This may be the most ridiculous assertion you have ever made, HW.
And that you immediately followed up with asserting that Obama issued too many EO’s is hysterical. https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/13/politics/donald-trump-executive-orders/index.html
I was able to watch the news today and I flipped back and forth from Fox to CNN. From what I saw the only commentators that were saying the “memo is nothing” were saying the memo was nothing in terms of a proof that Russian/Trump was non existent. Of course the memo does not offer that kind of proof but what it is alleged is not nothing. I read through the non-HW comments above and I would say the average poster here is being much more “open minded” and “generous” than even the average person interviewed today on CNN. I mean does anybody one of you have the courage to say that “yeah this little allegation is disturbing if true, or that little allegation, if true is perhaps something that needs to be cleaned up if it is indicative of a normal way of doing things.” Anybody? Anything?
oops, Russian/ Trump *collusion
“Jean Henry
Posted February 2, 2018 at 6:18 pm | Permalink
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Nothing
Burger”
That’s what you are used to eating. I told you a long time ago and now it is obvious I am right. Nice big fat juicy quint is more like it. You are wrong, wrong, wrong and now the evidence is in front of everyone.
Which part is so egregious FF?
“This may be the most ridiculous assertion you have ever made, HW.
And that you immediately followed up with asserting that Obama issued too many EO’s is hysterical.”
Don’t see how it’s ridiculous. Why would we not print our own money and stop getting ripped off? That would be very Trumpian indeed. Obama passed DACA as an E.O. That is a huge thing to try to just ram through when Congress denies it. Plus he did all those Memoranda that are equivalent to an E.O. so those should be factored in. You are ridiculous Jean. Nothing burger – I’m sure. Your whole Russia thing just went into the trash where it belongs.
As I have said before Hyperbole Warlord has some what of a problem with accuracy.
FF the surveillance state is a serious problem. The fact is both parties support it. The judges support it. Most Americans have the attitude of, if you’ve done nothing wrong what is the problem.
As in every empire, the tactics used on the subjected eventually make there way back to the center. Our police look and act more and more like an occupation military force. We rely upon Israeli training practices. We will soon be seeing them make (for all practical purposes) organizing labor unions illegal.
Until we stop our endless wars things will only get worse–though I am hoping HW is right about the debt jubilee–it would definitely get the common folks behind DJT for a while.
Obama was proven today to everyone in the whole world to have spied on Americans based on lies. Trump is for protecting American’s privacy and made a point of saying so when he signed 702. After all his campaign was the primary target of the illegal spying.
HW Obama also executed US citizens without due process–hardly see anyone jumping up and down about that. Your hero DJT sure has had nothing to say about that little transgression of the constitution.
Well, that is fucked up Obama did that. I thought it was bizarre how people who hated Bush like me worshipped Obama when he did a lot of the same kind of things.
Don’t see you speaking up against the war. Where is your critique of Trumps nuclear rearmament? Where is your critique of Trumps expansion of the military? Hell where is your critique of Trump surrounding himself with Generals and giving them autonomy to wage our wars?
I see Trump changing policies to clean up Bush/Obama’s wars. Destroying ISIS isn’t the worst thing we’ve ever done is it? Funding it like the CIA used to under those other Presidents is pretty fucking bad though. Destroying Afghanistan heroin factories is nice. Not too bad of a use of the military.
Your just another cheerleader for global war. Hypocrisy Warlord might be more apt than Hyperbole Warlord.
Here is some good news–but it is only found in 21st. century economies, unlike the return to the 19th under our current President
https://www.juancole.com/2018/02/floating-scotland-might.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Clinton paid for the dossier. It was the stuff normally printed in tabloids. Steele leaked it to the press. Knowing that the court would not approve of spying on Trump’s campaign based on material supplied by his opponent, the intelligence agencies lied by omission and claimed that it was obtained from the press. Was the crap in the dossier the only material presented? No, but it was a substantial part. Once they got the the warrant to surveil Carter Page, there was a series of requests by Obama officials to unmask names of persons redacted on the documents. The redacted documents were leaked to the press at an alarming rate. All the information gathered subsequent to the warrant is inadmissible in court because the warrant wasn’t obtained legally.
It’s no big deal so long as you think its OK for the executive branch to use intelligence agencies to gather information about opposing candidates with the intent on derailing their campaigns. It’s really not surprising coming from an administration that used the IRS for targeted attacks on right wing political groups. It’s Ok if you think the Secretary of State should trade policy decisions for contributions to her foundation. It’s OK if you think a cabinet member should be questioned by the FBI while not under oath, with no recording being made, with pardons given to many of her subordinates and when much evidence is found to be indicative of numerous laws being violated, and then to have the head of the FBI (not the Justice department) announce that there will be no indictments because he didn’t feel there was any intent to break the law. Even though intent is not the particular necessity for indictment, merely gross negligence. And surely it must be OK to destroy computer records after the FBI requested them to be turned over, to smash multiple phones with a hammer, and to wipe the hard drives clean with sophisticated technology.
No, what we should focus all our intention on is the supposition that Russians may have played a role in releasing genuine emails sent by the Clinton campaign. And somehow we must find a way to link Trump as the driving force behind it all. Never mind the fact that our own country is dirty from interfering with elections in other sovereign nations for at least the last 75 years. But lets appoint a few more special prosecutors and keep up a constant stream of unsubstantiated accusations about collusion and lets get the mainstream media to report non-stop negativity about our current president. Because we’re already fatigued and are sick and tired of hearing about this election and no one has the stamina to investigate Hillary any more.
Except the sad fact is that government works for us. And if we let the real crimes fall by the wayside without demanding former officials to be held accountable, then we have lost the last chance for effective government. You can tell your kids that we once had the opportunity to hold government accountable, but you preferred to spend your leisure time insulting anonymous people on the Internet. You might have realized they deserved to be tried and convicted, but you couldn’t care less. You didn’t want a nation ruled by law, but a government that would give you all the free stuff you wanted until you woke up one day and the well had dried up and you no longer had any effective voice to rein in an elite class of bureaucrats who were in it for themselves all along.
I’m for being done with war which I am sure Trump wants also. He has to deal with all this bullshit from those other guys. It’s been a Bush or a Clinton or their clone Barack in the White House for most of my life. Yeah, nice condition to leave the world in after all that time. I’m sure they did all they could to keep it from going to hell! Bunch o’ real do-gooders there. Trump is a piece of crap for being stuck with it. Right.
You think the economy is going BACKWARD??? Jeezus.
Should have said that the unredacted documents were released.
I’m with you EOS, let’s get working on the 2018 election and reign in these elite bureaucrats and capitalist who are only in it for themselves! They’ve had their year , time for a change.
Did you see the latest Rassmussen poll. If the Dems get a record turnout, they still remain in the minority’s in Congress.
They failed to notify the FISA court about the origin of the dossier being the DNC and used a news article fed to the reporter by Steele to give the impression it had been corroborated by media. Incredible.
This was a solid opening shot. What will the remaining 90% revelations contain? Phase II of the investigation in progress now focusing on the State Department. All year it’s going to be going on I bet. A series of increasingly serious revelations about (mostly) Democrats during this 2018 election year. Months ago I said there would be a series of what?
A series of outstanding fresh new unencumbered by scandal democratic candidates stepping up to take back congress?
Don’t miss the forest for the trees. 90% remaining is almost all of it. Anyway I think it will be too hard to wash off the blood and gore from the year of political slaughter that has now commenced. Dems will be done as a party at least for the foreseeable future.
Sad FTW!!!
The Russia investigation will go on as planned. Should Trump fire Mueller with this fabricated memo as cause, and Congress fail to stop him, we will be well on our way to an autocracy. Constitutional crisis puts it to mildly. 2018 will be very interesting. I hope the courts weigh in on gerrymandering before hand. If not, Dems, whoever they are, will have an uphill battle to overcome the existing structural inequality in the electoral system. The more bullshit Trump pulls, the more likely we will get the huge turnout we need.
It amazes me that we are talking about Obama on this thread and comparing his actions to Trump’s as though they are in any way comparable. Luckily the forum here is hardly representative. You can keep trying to turn information we already new into something scandalous, but the reality is the GOP overplayed their hand in Trumping up the memo. I don’t expect any further revelations to amount to much more. And the part of the American public that isn’t already fixated on Fox news isn;t going to fall for it.
How do you figure it’s fabricated? That is crazy. The Steele dossier is the fabricated one – very obviously.
Obama is way worse than Trump. Look what he did. What planet do you live on? Where do you get this shit? Mix of CNN and RPN (Rockefeller Propaganda Network)? It’s such blatant propaganda it’s shocking to thinking people.
90% incoming. Your toast is burning.
The Mr Warlord is no longer a credible source of information. Not only did he fail to verify his claims about the number of executive orders issued by Barack Obama, he also appears have little understanding of how the US Government actually works.
A disappointment, to be sure.
Sad,
I wouldn’t say there was anything that was definitely “egregious”. I am not sure I would even say there is something that is definitely a “red-flag”. However, the allegation, if true, that the funding sources of the dossier were not disclosed on the fisa application is an “oddity” that requires an explanation. Do you disagree?
Some more intelligent analysis, helps explain some of the thinking among the comments. Rockefeller Propaganda Network-where did that come from? I suppose that is in opposition to the Sinclair/Fox News Propaganda network.
https://www.juancole.com/2018/02/spirit-cooking-pizzagate.html
FF -No I don’t disagree. I think the FISA thing is fishy but I also think the Mueller thing is fishy. Go figure?
Remember how the Hyperbole Warlord was singing the praises of DJT’s good buddies the House of Saud and its “anti-corruption campaign” a little ways back? Turns out it was just there way of shacking some cash out of some of their recalcitrant cousins.
Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman is reported to have raised $106 billion from the purge. When you own the country you get to keep the cash.
https://www.juancole.com/2018/02/prince-corruption-scheme.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
I’m afraid that Mr. Warlord’s professional niche will be substantially no different whether the drastic political change that he desires comes to pass or not, as it will be for most of us. It would be important to keep this blog alive, if only to allow him a broadcast outlet for his views. Everyone deserves a chance for self validation.
HW even if there is ninety percent more coming I worry that all the uncertainty these revelations will create will unnerve the markets and it’s been a while since we’ve had an economic slump. A downturn in the economy in the next seven months with everybody remembering the big tax cut for the rich coukd usher in a lot of democrats come November and set the stage for 2020. Not a prediction HW, I’m just curious about what the economy is running on these days, how long it can last and what happens when it goes kaput! Did you buy bitcoin?
But that would require the Democratic Party to have a leader of some sort.
PS. FF – I was thinking how JCP2 doesn’t like Trumps immigration policy but wants to apply something like it to the comment section of MM.
Some local news from Jon Ichesco
The Michigan Firehouse Museum partnered with Ypsilanti Community Schools auto shop to restore a former Ypsilanti engine. The engine is a 1950 Ford John Bean purchased in 1950 to replace a damaged pumper in 1950. The John Bean will be the first actual Ypsilanti vehicle in the museum. The project will take 2 years to complete. Please consider a donation for the project, doing so supports our kids and the museum. Donations can be made to the Michigan Firehouse Museum, 110 West Cross Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197
I know it’s sad, but the people I prefer to interact with may be different than people that I think should have an opportunity for citizenship. After all, the people I prefer as personal friends are not necessarily the same as the people I would prefer to work with. I wonder if that’s true only for myself.
Meanwhile (please note source): http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/trumps-new-nuke-nuclear-plan-npr-raising-alarms-among-military-brass-war/
” Show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.” This is the 3rd time recently that I quoted Stalin’s Chief of Police. Since we are all out to get the other side, truth be told, it’s necessary to weigh the evidence on both sides and wait for the investigations to conclude. I think Trump’s in trouble. EOS and HW think the world will be rocked by the revelation that the Dems paid for the Steele Dossier (which we already knew). I’m waiting for either of them to rock my world about anything. It’s deflating to have someone build up expectations for a great meal and then be presented with a nothing burger. Although I will admit I got some good belly laughs listening to the coverage today. Remember Geraldo Rivera’s vault.
https://twitter.com/SarahHuckabee/status/794255968448020480
doh!
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/lawyer-drafted-nunes-memo-brutally-slapped-judge-order-ineptitude/
As much as I do not agree with some posters and agree with others, I think we all have a Mr. Warlord in us.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/03/america-is-not-a-democracy/550931/
Yes, ignorance of the political system and a failure to verify even the simplest of facts before making sweeping proclamations is not restricted to unemployed weed-smoking conspiracy theorists.
“Remember how the Hyperbole Warlord was singing the praises of DJT’s good buddies the House of Saud and its “anti-corruption campaign” a little ways back? Turns out it was just there way of shacking some cash out of some of their recalcitrant cousins.
Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman is reported to have raised $106 billion from the purge. When you own the country you get to keep the cash.”
Trump Executive Order on Human Rights Abuse and Corruption enables the Treasury to seize US assets of people like Alwaleed Bin Talal. You stop what they are doing by taking their money. In Talal’s case you stop foreign influence on corrupt US politicians. It is beautiful.
They will simply park their money elsewhere.
Oops
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/12/16/obama-presidential-memoranda-executive-orders/20191805/
“By issuing his directives as “memoranda” rather than executive orders, Obama has downplayed the extent of his executive actions.”
Who is the biggest shareholder in twitter?
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/372119-nunes-admits-he-did-not-view-the-surveillance-warrant-applications-that-form
Makes sense.
“Nunes, the chairman of the committee, brushed off news reports that accused him of not seeing the underlying documents as “bogus.”
He explained that the committee set up an agreement with the Justice Department that would allow just one person to review the documents.
Nunes said he thought Gowdy would be the best choice because of his background as a federal prosecutor, and that Gowdy then shared his notes and observations with the rest of the members.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0for3ejVs
https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-nunes-memo-undermines-the-rights-trump-russia-conspiracy-theory
NOTHING
BURGER
Right shoots itself in its own foot due to relentless paranoid vacuous tunnel think.
“.. even after reading only the Republicans’ memo, we can say two things. First, the F.B.I. and the Justice Department didn’t base their application to monitor Page entirely on Steele’s work. And, second, and more important, the Trump-Russia investigation didn’t begin with the Steele dossier. ”
ba da da dum
Just in case anyone is interested a subtropical (actually an Arctic) cyclone (much like the “weather bomb that went up the east coast a couple weeks ago) is busy slicing its way all the way up to the north pole. The hot air pouring into the Arctic will bring the temperature at the north pole to 0 C, we will be colder here. A second one is forming between Greenland and Canada and is projected to role up to the north pole next week. Springtime and summer arriving at the North Pole in February . The effects on the jet stream and our weather is likely to be profound.
Don’t worry be happy no such thing as global warming.
https://earth.nullschool.net/#2018/02/06/0000Z/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/overlay=temp/orthographic=-82.35,69.14,424
The tax cut raise is in effect.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ryan-celebrates-school-secretarys-1-50-a-week-pay-raise-from-tax-bill
How much did YOU get?
Won’t know until I file in 2019. There are other tax consequences aside from the change in the standard deduction and personal exemption that affect me. What about YOU?
In general, I am not so naive as to expect anything from government, be it taxes or services.
Does the Mr. Warlord even understand the filing process? Unlikely, given his weak grasp on how the government functions.
“In general, I am not so naive as to expect anything from government, be it taxes or services.”
That makes no sense like most everything you say. How does someone who lives in this world think it is naive to know you are going to get taxed?
“Won’t know until I file in 2019. There are other tax consequences aside from the change in the standard deduction and personal exemption that affect me.”
Your paycheck isn’t any different yet?
“Does the Mr. Warlord even understand the filing process? Unlikely, given his weak grasp on how the government functions.”
Does the Mr. McDipshit ever stop obsessing about Hyborian Warlord?
Now, now. Manners.
Remember it’s called baiting. It’s very easy to goggle and find information about the intent of baiting and respond in a way to diffuse the situation rather than escalate.
Yeah, manners. I shouldn’t expect any on a site like this according to Jean and The Lone Lung.
Master baiters
A little off color for my taste, but I get your point.
Take the weekend off, do something fun!
You deserve a break today!
( I’ve been rewatching some McDonalds commercials from the 70’s and 80’s, they’re hilarious.)
They be perpetrating a fraud.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GND7sPNwWko
Just like I said – it’s happening. It’s starting to happen.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-laos-sanction/u-s-slaps-sanctions-on-laos-golden-triangle-casino-in-bid-to-break-up-narco-empire-idUSKBN1FK1P1
JANUARY 31, 2018
HONG KONG (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on a gambling empire hacked from the Laotian jungle which it said was involved in drug, human and wildlife trafficking and child prostitution.
We’re not that easily bought off, HW
“It was another crazy news week, so it’s understandable if you missed a small but important announcement from the Treasury Department: The federal government is on track to borrow nearly $1 trillion this fiscal year — Trump’s first full year in charge of the budget.
That’s almost double what the government borrowed in fiscal year 2017.
Here are the exact figures: The U.S. Treasury expects to borrow $955 billion this fiscal year, according to a documents released Wednesday. It’s the highest amount of borrowing in six years, and a big jump from the $519 billion the federal government borrowed last year.
Federal government will be unable to pay all bills sooner than expected, due to new tax law
Treasury mainly attributed the increase to the “fiscal outlook.” The Congressional Budget Office was more blunt. In a report this week, the CBO said tax receipts are going to be lower because of the new tax law.
The uptick in borrowing is yet another complication in the heated debates in Congress over whether to spend more money on infrastructure, the military, disaster relief and other domestic programs. The deficit is already up significantly, even before Congress allots more money to any of these areas.
“We’re addicted to debt,” says Marc Goldwein, senior policy director at Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. He blames both parties for the situation.
What’s particularly jarring is this is the first time borrowing has jumped this much (as a share of GDP) in a non-recession time since Ronald Reagan was president, says Ernie Tedeschi, a former senior adviser to the U.S. Treasury who is now head of fiscal analysis at Evercore ISI. Under Reagan, borrowing spiked because of a buildup in the military, something Trump is advocating again.
Trump didn’t mention the debt — or the ongoing budget deficits — in his State of the Union address. The absence of any mention of the national debt was frustrating for Goldwein and others who warn that America has a major economic problem looming.
“It is terrible. Those deficits and the debt that keeps rising is a serious problem, not only in the long run, but right now,” Harvard economist Martin Feldstein, a former Reagan adviser, told Bloomberg.
The White House got a taste of just how problematic this debt situation could get this week. Investors are concerned about all the additional borrowing and the likelihood of higher inflation, which is why the interest rates on U.S. government bonds hit the highest level since 2014. That, in turn, partly drove the worst weekly sell-off in the stock market in two years.”
Some actual prophecy:
https://youtu.be/YkwXk9__Eq4
Bought off? I don’t even know what that is supposed to mean. I don’t see how Trump is trying to buy anyone off by sanctioning human traffickers. I wonder if any Americans go there or people who have US assets.
Frozen US assets. Exactly what derpy derp just said “wouldn’t happen” cuz they would just move ’em outta the US. I love it. Trump’s E.O. on human rights has big, nasty teeth.
“All assets from Zhao’s network under U.S. jurisdiction have been frozen and Americans are prohibited from engaging in transactions with it, the statement said.”
HW— I was referring to the tax breaks. That’s quite obvious from the quoted article. You ignore all contrary evidence consistently. That’s why ‘debate’ is impossible with you, much less discourse.
I don’t believe Trump is cracking down on corruption. I find that laughable given his history. And one asset seizure does not an anti corruption campaign make. It certainly doesn’t make IL’s assertions about how one actually impacts human rights abuses void. It doesn’t change tha reality that Trump has stripped bare the departments that address human rights initiatives. I’m happy to be wrong on this one, as I’m sure would IL, but the criticism is legit.
Now go back and look at that rise in federal debt. And tell me whether a hundred bucks every two weeks is worth it. Most of us here, liberals and progressives, would say no, a couple hundred bucks to buy more crap is not worth anyone else’s needless suffering. Most of us think we’ll be paying for it later, as has been the case with supply side economic efforts in the past.
We’re too old to buy this crap anymore. Trump got his little spike in ratings by handing out cash. . Don’t expect more.
An ex-Federal Prosecutors take on the memo.
https://www.nytimes.com/…/opinion/memo-nunes-trump-obstruct…?
Looks worse and worse for DJT
My wife gets paid monthly on an annual salary. Her take home was $24 LESS this month than January. So much for that big Trump stimulus to the middle class
The Mr. Warlord must not have much household budgeting experience if he emphasizes paycheck changes as the best metric of income changes. That is only one item affecting gross income, but the real effect of tax changes can only be judged by net income, which has many other items contributing to it. So yes, my paycheck did go up, but I do not expect my end of year net income to materially change because of changes in the back end regarding deductions. The only consolation is that my net gain might be more than $1.50 biweekly, so I will have Mr. Ryan’s support. But back to Mr. Warlord. Did his paycheck go up? Or has he been the recipient of “free stuff” that I’ve been paying for with my taxes?
How much have your investments appreciated since Trump was elected?
Sad, are you talking about the ongoing housing bubble? Cashed out the old 401 to make up for lost income in the last crash. I understand they are giving SS recipients got a 2% increase, but since I have not gotten my first check yet, I don’t think that really counts. My wife will get a real old fashion pension. The State of Ohio has been really closed mouth on what that will pay since the last crash-so just flying in the dark there.
Are you part of the half of folks who have some kind of investment in the stock market? If so probably time to get out before it loses it’s inflated gains. Last week’s sale off was probably a precursor of things to come. The Fed (HW when it is abolished what happens to its trillions of dollars in stocks and bonds ?) is going to be selling down its portfolio while probably tightening credit.
Using the Dow as a reasonable proxy for whatever investments I may have, since the bottom of the market in March 2009, my investment increased by 186% under Obama. It’s been 41% so far under Trump. However, as these are in retirement type accounts, none of it counts until I realize the gains, which would be decades from now.
Everyone who receives any pension or other annuity payment has money in the market indirectly. Everyone who has money in a bank has money in the market. Everyone who has an insurance policy has money in the market. The Detroit bankruptcy shows that there is no true shield. Illinois and Chicago are next.
The Trump Administration is in no way serious at all about human rights. While the decree is welcome, it is not the case that arresting the perpetrators will do anything at all to change the systems that allowed them to do what they did.
I had serious problems with the human rights records of Clinton, Bush II and Obama. Of all them, Trump is the most troubling, given that it is obvious that there is nothing but contempt in this administration for even the most basic guarantees of human rights, checks on government, protection of the rights of individuals to assemble and protest, a free press, the freedom of movement, the right to be treated as a person on matters of justice and basic insurances of an education and opportunity.
I at least had some assurance that Clinton, Bush II and Obama thought these were important. Trump doesn’t even seem to know why they are important.
It is ironic that Mr. Trump’s decree would allow the US to freeze the assets of Yahya Jammeh given how similar they are. They would probably be good friends. It is also interesting that the United States took action AFTER Jammeh lost power. The US famously forgave (and enabled) Jammeh because of Gambia’s strategic importance as a potential temporary military base a situation that Trump has not attempted to change.
No doubt, the Trump administration will pursue low hanging fruit where possible to bolster its image, but as they fail on substantive issues of human rights, they might allow the next generation of despots and criminals to rise.
“HW— I was referring to the tax breaks. That’s quite obvious from the quoted article. You ignore all contrary evidence consistently. That’s why ‘debate’ is impossible with you, much less discourse.”
You ignored my answer the first time so I would not expect you to say the same thing again. How can we be bought off with our own money? It’s ours. We earned it.
“My wife gets paid monthly on an annual salary. Her take home was $24 LESS this month than January. So much for that big Trump stimulus to the middle class”
She probably needs to adjust her withholding.
“The Trump Administration is in no way serious at all about human rights. While the decree is welcome, it is not the case that arresting the perpetrators will do anything at all to change the systems that allowed them to do what they did.”
The Mr. Derpy Derp makes the flimsiest of claims motivated by an inexplicable hatred of a US President who is beginning to act on a human rights agenda. Strange.
HW, we went around and around about taxes a few days ago. Your contempt for accuracy means I will take what ever advise you give on taxes with a large grain of salt.
We’re all getting a reduction in our DTE bill.
Almost everyone is seeing an increase in their checks. She could be one of the 10% that will not but people are being advised to see if they need to change their withholding. On a monthly salary she might not see the benefit till March I suppose anyway, right? Make sure to factor in insurance premiums too.
HW is this the news you were alerting us too. You know the one that was going to change our world view.
http://www.bluedotdaily.com/robert-mueller-makes-unexpected-shift-trumps-suspicious-michigan-wisconsin-wins-yte/
“Apparently, the Russians targeted voters in Wisconsin and Michigan by feeding them fake political news to influence their votes in the presidential election.”
Bwaaah! It’s the Democrats who are about to be in trouble for election fraud. Just look at the bogus counts in Detroit. Fake political news from Russians! It’s incredible in the most literal sense of the word.
“Your contempt for accuracy”
Oh shit! Giving me some good laughs this morning. Thank you!
Wait if investments and assets don’t mean anything until you realize the gain then no one has any wealth? I thought the total of the value of your assets equal your wealth?
They couldn’t cheat enough to keep Hillary from getting thumped by Trump.
Yes Wobblie we don’t refer to that as HW’s contempt for accuracy we refer to it as his interpretation of facts which might be different from your or my interpretation of facts.
Haven’t you ever heard the story about the blindfolded people touching the elephant?
Wobblie, you’ll need a salt lick. Mr. Warlord is quite content to dispense tax advice but has yet to let us know whether his paycheck was affected. That is, assuming he earns one large enough to pay federal income taxes on.
A paycheck?
That sounds so quaint. Everybody I know is self employed or a independent contractor. Do you really think HW is here to provide tax advise? I think his intentions are much higher than that.
I am self-employed and do not get a paycheck from an employer. The checks I have seen from people I know have gone up about $30 a week.
Mr. Warlord keeps on referencing paychecks. But sadly, you are correct about wealth. Lots of homeowners are still underwater on their houses now, but at one time they were quite “wealthy”. Also, I think I might have a couple of seven dot beanie baby ladybugs in a box in my basement. Will you give me $500 a piece for them?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM1u8AJSxtU
So JCP2 has received a return of about 220% on the backs of working people who wages have barely budged in decades and he scoffs that they might be happy to receive a slight bump to their weekly paycheck?
Also he wants to make everyone a stock holder. We’re not. Your probably a member of the top 10% ( you can look that up on google by both net worth and income).
You know how much I love McDonalds ( has anyone else noticed how diverse the staff is there? ) . We’ll ask any one there if they’d appreciate an extra ten dollars every week. Or ask the manager how he’ll feel about an extra $25?
The Democrats need to acknowledge that people are hurting and now it’s the Republicans putting a little money back in their pockets but it’s Democrats and Republicans can making a mint off their labor.
Housing bubble? Those darn kids from DAY gotting me looking at real estate in Ypsilanti , it looks like there’s still a lot of bargains.
One of the fellow mm.com commenter’s might not be doing well financially. Hahaha! Good one, JCP2. You are a real card.
Shoot. My mom wants me to go shovel the driveway and the sidewalk. I guess she’s having some friends over to watch the game. I don’t know if HW does or not but at least in Ann Arbor I’m saving a ton of money living in moms basement.
Again, it’s sad to notice that I, like most other people, don’t have a pension. Whatever we might save for retirement is in the form of defined contribution plans, whether that would be an IRA, 401(k), or 403(b). And no, I did not want everyone to be a stockholder, but just wanted to point out that most people are indirectly involved in the market whether they know it or not. Anybody who works for a company that reports days of cash on hand as part of an annual report definitely is affected by the market, as their company is likely floating very short term bonds to accommodate daily cash flow fluctuations.
And it’s a walkout basement so it’s pretty nice.
We bought our house at a great price at the perfect time and I expect the value is only going to go up. Probably way up as the economy revs up. Vroooom!!!
Mr. Warlord, I am genuinely happy for your good fortune. Where will you live when you sell the property?
Glad to hear it HW but it does make jcp2’s joke less hilarious, unfortunately.
I guess I’ll live just about wherever I want. Might want to move the country. Don’t see how the question qualifies as a joke but everyone has a different sense of humor.
Beautiful Winter day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7MY_cdUL1E
No HW, I thought JCP2 was attempting a joke/insult when he insinuated that your income might be so low that you do not pay taxes.
Just got a letter yesterday from my realtor. His advise is to sell now. The uncertainty created by the elimination of the home mortgage interest deduction and the creeping increase in interest rates will likely kill this sellers market
Classist anti-classist is my answer to that, Flakes.
Was it not a standard Republican talking point that more than half of all Americans don’t pay federal income tax and so therefore were takers? Federal tax reform would not have affected this income category.
Realtor trying to cash in on uncertainty. Unless the universities somehow crumble I think property around here is going to go up for a long time. I could be wrong though. Who knows? Look how wrong they were about Trump winning. They had Hillary at what percent to win right up till she lost? I’ll never forget when Jacksonville went from blue to red. That was when I knew he had it.
I’m not a Republican and I don’t consider Trump one either. Trump is changing the entire political landscape. Lots of Repubs and Dems are just…going away. Why is that I wonder that so many would not seek re-election this year?
They are busy cashing in on the corporate payola on K street. I thought you were on top of things. I agree with you that the shit will hit the fan for many politicians, just not for the reasons you think. Happens in the House periodically, particularly if you think your influence is about to tank. If the Dems retake control, House Republican resell value will suffer.
You still don’t see what is happening. You have no idea how deep shit is that the Democrats are in. Sedition for sure if not Treason.
how deep *the* shit is
The Republican that Nunes relied on for his memo, Trey Gowdy, is retiring. I may not agree with Mr. Warlord, but his point is that Me. Trump is setting up the Republican party for his Et tu, Brutus? moment.
“Classist anti-classist.”
Yeah, there have been quite a few thinly veiled clues that indicate that is probably true.
What is Gowdy retiring for? Where might his skills be “better utilized”?
Remember not all Repubs are clean either. Time will tell about Trey Gowdy but I think he honestly did all he could to uphold the law in Congress. His recommendations on Hillary Clinton stalled out in the DOJ for example.
Your man Gowdy coming through for the home team?
http://samuel-warde.com/2018/02/trey-gowdy-admits-russia-investigation-without-steele-dossier-video/?utm_content=buffer88071&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
What would it signal if Trump has no problem with numerous Repubs walking away? Why does he seem to be so comfortable with the prospect of all those no-republican-incumbent races?
That Mr. Trump cares only his own interests?
HW is it really necessary for me to explain that tax breaks funded by deficit spending is not your money? It’s money the govt borrowed to pay you off. The cost of running out govt is greater than the revenue generated and will be more so next year. Maybe you support more cuts, but Trump doesn’t. He is running out country into the ground like he did his businesses. He is using borrowed money to invest in projects that are doomed to fail. Meanwhile we will continue to experience rising social costs associated with ignoring things like climate action, diplomacy, depleted and over priced educational system and rising health care costs.
He’s a shitty businessman and a worse statesman. Taking credit for Obama’s economy wont hold for long.
“That Mr. Trump cares only his own interests?”
That doesn’t make a lot of sense does it? You would think he would want the best chance for the republicans to retain their seats.
“HW is it really necessary for me to explain that tax breaks funded by deficit spending is not your money?”
How is it not? I made it. I didn’t make them make all those bad choices to get trillions in debt. 147 billion in interest on the debt this year. Why should we let banksters loot us? https://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/ir/ir_expense.htm
The Mr. Warlord proposes that the government print money to pay off the debt. I don’t know how it worked out for the other countries that have tried this? Anyone?
Brennan: “would [the fisa warrant] have been authorized without the dossier?
Gowdy: “No.”
While I do think it is looney as hell for Trump to claim that “Trump” has been vindicated, because it simply isn’t there obviously, as Gowdy knows, but it is equally as bizarre, though predictable, that people here, and lots of other places, don’t have any interest in confronting what is actually alleged in the memo. It’s like people are relieved by the memo. Makes me wonder how bad Democrats thought the memo might be for Democrats.
How does “the most prosperous nation on Earth” get to the point of having to borrow a trillion a year? Insanity
Trump would fire Mueller over the sandy hook shootings. Not for any other reason.
Robert Muellee seems honest and decent. But sandy hook happened.
It’s going to get much, much worse, Flakes. The public is being conditioned to accept the severity of the crimes committed one step at a time. This first memo will be the easiest of a series of increasingly bitter pills.
Printing money to support the debt is exactly what we have been doing. Because of the dollar’s hegemonic place in the energy markets we have been able to export our inflation. The whole purpose of our endless wars is to enforce the petro-dollar. All of our “enemies” are busy setting up bi-lateral exchanges that exclude the dollar. Trump is so short sighted he does not know he is accelerating the dollars demise with his ill thought out trade wars and tax give away. But buying the support of the masses has always been a favorite of demigods.
I dont read about this memo stuff. Who cares? you werent there you have no idea. Fix the schools, simplify the curriculums for all the kids, and let us have least resteictive environments for everyone
“Who cares? you werent there you have no idea.”
Does that apply to everything besides your main issues or what? You might as well never care about anything where you weren’t there.
The “memo” told us nothing that had not already been leaked to the press, some times months ago. “Serious” people know that this is all political theater. The main event is the on-going legal drama where people are actually facing criminal jail time. HW is hoping for a general purge of the FBI and CIA. These are stalwarts of the regime. Once they are destroyed–well when the stasi refused to shoot the protesters in Berlin–
They will get rid of Trump before they let him remove there main bulwark against the people. So dream on HW
I assume your question is purely rhetorical.
Really Wobblie? You had prior knowledge that the funding source of the dossier was not provided in the warrant request? You knew that the dossier was allegedly an essential factor in granting the warrant? I didn’t.
Wait till it comes out just how many FISA requests on Trump people were made and granted based on the dossier. Establishing the modus operandi to spy on Page sets the table for that information to be released.
Maybe the FISA documents were drawn up on suspicious foreign parties up to no good and Trump people were caught up as the other party because they were working with these foreign parties.4
Maybe Sad did not really shovel his mom’s driveway today?
“Maybe the FISA documents were drawn up on suspicious foreign parties up to no good and Trump people were caught up as the other party because they were working with these foreign parties.4”
They were drawn up BY suspicious foreign parties and paid for by Perkins Coie. Comey himself said it was “unverified and salacious” months after being fine with using it to okay spying. It’s a frame job by people who did even worse than what they are accusing the President of.
No I shoveled.
Now she’s got me smashing up Avocados.
And I think she’s going to want me to shovel again before everybody comes because it just keeps snowing.
Rather the FISA requests were based on the dossier drawn up by suspicious foreign parties: Steele and his Russian sources whoever they are supposed to be.
Let’s just all agree that the pazckis at Dom’s are deliciously fattening. All six flavors for a tenner.
The FISA request was re-approved 3 separate times. As the Federal Prosecutor who’s article I posted earlier pointed out. It would not have been re-approved if new criminal information was not forthcoming as a result of the surveillance. The FBI had begun investigating Page much earlier, and the surveillance had to have relied upon other sources than simply Steele. The attempted partisan hack job by Nunes is only to buy Trump some more time. Once actual Judges evaluate the defense attempt to squash the evidence we will see just how flimsy the “memo” truly is. After all the conservative judiciary has been stripping defendants of their rights for years—
I am not sure if you are trying to answer my questions but you did not answer my questions. It sounds like you think Gowdy is lying when he said plainly the fisa request in question would not have happened without the dossier. Do you also have opinions you would like to share about Sad’s mom’s guacamole?
“It would not have been re-approved if new criminal information was not forthcoming as a result of the surveillance.”
How can you or the author of the article say what they would do? The initial warrant was obtained with the unverified (made up) dossier. If that can happen then how are you going to say “Oh, no they wouldn’t do it without more and more evidence.” I heard FISC denied the pre-dossier request on Page which is extremely rare. So what did they do? Came up with un unsubstantiated dossier with a circular news report planted by Steele.
The Mr. Warlord’s knowledge of legal matters is unsurpassed.
Perhaps almost nearly as impressive as his vast knowledge of legislative procedure.
An intellectual giant.
Where does anyone on your side think they get off talking about partisan hack jobs? It’s crazy to hear from someone defending this vipers pit of fervent anti-Trump fanatics. Strzok, McCabe, Comey, the Ohrs, Fusion GPS, Christopher Steele, it goes on and on. You have no idea of the shit your people are in.
The Mr. Derpy Derp’s obsession with Hyborian Warlord is not very creepy at all.
The Mr. Derpis Dupurdis seems to be affected by every mistake Hyborian Warlord makes out of thousands of posts as if it is a major event in his derpy life. Strange.
I think HW has a higher calling than trolling the pages of MM.
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000005394012/eli-mosley-alt-right.html
I inderperet this as a most derpious attack by the Ms. Jean Derpy.
‘Inderpret’ it as you will. You have said you believe in white rights, correct? You believe white rights are under threat. One may reasonably assume that you are also sympathetic white rights movements. Just like ‘men’s movements.’ While you veer carefully away from statements of outright racism and bigotry, you also deride the feminist, anti-racism, and pro-immigration movements as sexist, racist and violent, quite the opposite of what they are. I feel you could be better using your energies if you lay off the weed, step away from the gaming, and simple conspiracy reddit feeds, and jump straight into a pair of Chad khakis, alt-right reddit and 4chan feeds, and the white nationalist movement. No doubt you’ll be a star among them. Heralded at last as the leader you have always imagined yourself to be– just like the guy in the doc, who went from lowly HR rep (joyfully ‘firing Black and Latinos’) to Richard Spenser’s right hand man and security organizer on the basis of a falsified military record. And who better than you to expose the Jews operating undercover within the white power movement, as you have insinuated before. You are missing your calling HW. Go be among your people.
Pretty sure all I have ever supported in my whole life is rights for every human being. It says a lot about you that you try to associate me with all that.
To anyone who knows me it clearly shows how very false your thinking is. Not only is it false but it is literally offensive; a hateful, bitter, desperate smear attempt.
It’s most derplicitous.
What’s your feeling about Richard Spencer then, HW? Is he fighting a valiant cause?
I’m not interested in hearing what you think of Antifa, to be clear. I don’t care what you think about Spencer’s right to free speech or those who resist him. I only what to know what you think of his political positions.
How are you going to ask me about Richard Spencer after I said long ago I think he was given a platform for ulterior purposes. They wanted to smear Trump as a white supremacist so ta daa! Instant white supremacist, just add cameras. Why do you not read my posts and just make up nasty shit about me? I’m not hearing a whole lot from either white supremacists or antifa lately by the way? What gives, I wonder.
“I’m not hearing a whole lot from either white supremacists or antifa lately by the way? What gives, I wonder.” — apparently you have not been paying attention. Spencer is trying to re-group after C-Ville by trying to book appearances on college campuses. This presents University’s with a choice of refusing him and paying a giant settlement to his cause or giving him a forum that legitimizes his point of view. My guess is that when he appears at MSU this Spring you’ll be hearing about him again.
No funds to do anything right now though, huh? Wonder what happened? Did someone get their cord cut? Antifia fizzled out too. The Day of Rage turned out to be a total dud. They were supposed to be in the streets until Trump goes down. Antifa and white supremacists both in the same boat it seems. I like seeing that. Maybe they were all along.
HW– I said nothing about no funds. I said he is active and raising funds. He appeared in Florida in October. He is actively recruiting on college campuses and defending himself in court re the events in CVille, claiming he cant find a lawyer who will represent him (unlikely). His efforts have been effective apparently. https://www.adl.org/education/resources/reports/white-supremacist-propaganda-surges-on-campus
Sorry the facts dont align with your narrative… again.
Comey
Has
A
Posse
FF goes full conspiracy.
because Reason.
and Logic.
HW
err… Q
Q
has
a
Posse
of
useful
idiots.
What happened to Spencer, Jean? He seems to have kept dropping off as I observed way back when.
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