DAMN YOU, JEFF

NOTHING says “skilled leader” quite like airing disagreements with one of your top hand-picked lieutenants OVER TWITTER.

The current president criticized his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, today and called him “DISGRACEFUL” after Sessions indicated that the Justice Department’s watchdog would look into accusations of potential abuse of surveillance laws rather than the agency’s own lawyers.

In a 43-word tweet, The Weave scolded the attorney general, belittled ! the role of the Justice Department’s independent watchdog, and pressured the agency to speed up its investigations.

Once again, Donald John Trump demonstrates what a coward he is to publicly rebuke one of his own appointed cabinet members in a deplorable tweet rather than in a man-to-man, private conversation.

This Is the latest example of Trump publicly excoriating Sessions and wading into Justice Department investigations. Though previous presidents have allowed law enforcement a large degree of independence to keep from influencing their inquiries, Trump has consistently called for investigations into his political rivals and he has criticized Sessions for NOT being more aggressive.

In his tweet, Trump also slammed the department’s inspector general, Michael  Horowitz, for taking so long to conclude his investigation into the former FBI director’s handling of the bureau’s inquiry of Grandma Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

That inspector general investigation is expected to conclude this year with some harsh findings about senior Justice Department and FBI officials in the Obama administration.

Trump, in his tweet, appeared to question Horowitz’s objectivity because he was appointed by Barry Obama.

“Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy?” Trump said.

It’s clear that Trump’s demands for political prosecutions are linked to bad news cycles for/on him.

SINGING THE La MARSEILLESE?

This moment, reminds me of the scene in Casablanca when everyone starts singing La Marseillese to drown out the Nazi song.

It has that ‘feel of emotion.’

Moments ago, Dick’s Sporting Goods, one of the country’s biggest sports retailers, said  it was immediately ending sales of ALL assault-style rifles !!! in its stores.

Living on the Prairie, where Dick’s Sporting Goods promotes itself as the largest gun retailer in the region, this corporate action will bear watching for its cause and effect among the thousands and thousands of “active game shooters.”

As someone who has watched and wondered why reason and facts on this issue have been ignored for decades, seeing this company make a change like this is truly a breakthrough.

The retailer also said that it would NO longer sell high-capacity magazines, and that it would NOT sell any gun to anyone under 21 years of age, regardless of local laws.

Dick’s is NOT the first retailer to stop selling the semiautomatic guns. In 2015, Walmart said that it would NO longer sell high-powered rifles in its stores in the United States.

But, Walmart sidestepped any controversy involving gun politics, attributing its decision to lower customer demand for the military-style rifles.

Valuing LIFE sometimes means more than a few extra bucks at the terminal!

ICHABOD, GET LOST!

Basically, our deepest national secrets have been put at great risk to satisfy the whims of the most unfit person to ever occupy the White House.

Jared “Ichabod” Kushner has z-e-r-o business being in the White House, except on a tour. He has absolutely NO qualifications to fulfil his position as a senior adviser to his daddy-in-law, who also has Z-E-R-O qualifications for being the inhabitant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

“Ichabod” was/is drowning in debt, heavily exposed/compromised, and, of highly questionable character like the rest of his family.

Late yesterday afternoon, Kushner was stripped !!! of his top-secret security clearance after months of delays in completing his background check, and will now be limited ?! in his ability to view highly classified information.

Hopefully, Kushner’s clearance will be – officially, without any interference from the 45th president – reduced to the level of secret [or less!], and his official portfolio inside the West Wing, especially with regard to his globe-trotting foreign affairs work on behalf of  Trump, will cease and desist.

Keep in mind, it is the right and privilege of any president [at any time] to share his daily briefing [and, presumably whatever other information he deems fit] with the likes of an Ichabod.

The evident indifference of the administration to the protracted reliance upon temporary security access leads me to assume that this would NOT necessarily be an impossible development [or, even a daily practice].

Vermin ALL!

When people such as Jared Kushner have access to information that puts our citizens and our country in jeopardy, something is seriously wrong!

Who knows how many times he’s “spoken” out of turn about something that he saw, but had absolutely NO real knowledge of  – and, then we, as a country, are placed in a position of either danger and/or compromise, for his profound ignorance?

Return to Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod, and deal with “decapitated” victims…from the dark.

 

UNDERSTANDING “STALEMATE”

He was the ‘most trusted man in America.’

The anchor for CBS News.

50 years ago tonight, as I was leveling portions of Hill 881 N, in northern I Corps, just northwest of Khe Sanh, Walter Cronkite closed out his news broadcast with the following…

 

What Cronkite basically had done was tell his audience of millions that the war could NOT be won.

I’ve been at enough Vietnam War conferences, with historians, to know that his action, on that night – a half century ago – was the turning screw to force LBJ to NOT consider a run for a second term as president…

 

Also, Cronkite’s commentary was remarkable back then because of BOTH custom and the Fairness Doctrine, a federal policy requiring broadcasters to remain neutral about the major/critical issues of the day.

Imagine the likes of little Sean Hannity and/or giggling Rachel Maddow under that umbrella? With their devotion to round-the-clock respective network propaganda.

The above doctrine was rescinded in 1987.

But, when Cronkite aired his bleak assessment of the war 50 years ago, immediately after the TET offensive, it was a significant departure.

It struck like Revelation!

The words of Cronkite contributed greatly to the shift in public opinion against the war [in truth, anti-war protests had gained significant traction by the end of ’66].

To this day, during personal ‘quiet time,’ Vietnam is ALWAYS there…

And, among the myriad of thoughts about my 14 months in country, the idea of a stalemate was/is NEVER part of them.

 

 

 

DECISION WAS EXPECTED

Just moments ago, the Supreme Court rejected an unusual request from the Trump administration to decide whether it was entitled to shut down a program that shields some 700,000 young, undocumented immigrants from deportation.

The court’s move came amid a complex political battle over immigration generally, and the program at issue in the case, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, in particular.

The court’s decision NOT to hear the administration’s appeal was expected, as NO appeals court [key legal point in the minds of many experts] has yet ruled on the issue.

You’ll remember, last September, the Trump administration announced that it would shut down the program on March 5th.

But, two federal judges have ordered the administration to maintain major pieces of the program while legal challenges move forward, notably by requiring the administration to allow people enrolled in it to renew their protected status.

The administration did NOT seek stays of those court orders, and they will remain in place for the time being, allowing much of the program to survive ! beyond the March 5th deadline.

It’s my guess, for Trump, this means that he can go out on the trail and push immigration as hard as he wants, by emphasizing everything except the prosecution of wealthy business owners who duly pad GOP and dark money organizations‘ coffers: the Wall; sanctuary cities; reducing legal immigration; and, ending birthright citizenship.

Dark money organizations will be blanketing the air waves and the internet with terrifying tales designed to keep ALL law-abiding citizens quaking with fear under their beds…the normal structure of their game plan.

Many taking their direction from the likes of such certifiable loons as Alex Jones.

While I’m still NOT sure about the Court NOT having been co-opted, this morning I feel that we still have one arm of government with some Constitutional integrity.

And, that is crucial.

Now to clean up Congress, and get it back to its full salary potential.

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a case study unto itself.

FOR LIFE?

You can pretty much sum up ALL of politics by asking whether you want to live under the rule of law, or the rule of man.

You have to choose.

Well, it’s a proposal for the time being, but if passed and implemented, it will undoubtedly trigger similar actions in many other countries.

Authoritarian regimes like Russia or NK have “strong leaders” and “get results” but aren’t real big on being democratic. Maybe the inefficiency is an inescapable byproduct of the democratic process?

China edged closer to a return to one-man rule as the Communist Party prepared constitutional changes that would allow Xi Jinping to serve as president indefinitely.

A proposal to eliminate ! presidential term limits, announced yesterday by state media, would abolish ! an institutional check introduced after Mao Zedong’s death in 1976 and risks a return to internecine power struggles that hobbled China during past leadership successions.

Xi, who is 64, has accumulated essentially unrivaled authority in the past eighteen months, a hold on power he now appears likely to retain after his second terms as Communist Party chief and president expire roughly five years from now.

While the presidency wields NO executive powers, lifting the 10-year cap on Xi’s role as head of state would allow him to retain indefinitely a post he has used to champion China’s resurgence as a great power.

The move also suggests Xi will try to flout party retirement norms and stay on as the party’s general secretary – the true source of his authority – beyond 2022.

Remember what Mark Twain said about democracy in America…
“There are two things you shouldn’t watch being made. One is sausage, the other is laws”.

Dispel any thoughts, Donnie Boy!!!

LET’S BE HONEST

Last week, special counsel Bobby Mueller was extremely productive: His indictment of several Russian nationals for meddling in the 2016 election was followed by a guilty plea, for lying to investigators, from a lawyer tied to Trump-campaign figures Paulie Manafort and Ricky Gates; a new indictment against Manafort and Gates that, as anticipated, added tax and bank fraud charges [in Virginia] to already existing money-laundering charges [in Washington]; and finally, a guilty plea from Gates on charges of defrauding the United States and lying to the FBI.

What is most notable about this array of allegations is an omission: NOWHERE has the Mueller team charged any kind of criminal collusion between the ’16 Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

So has the collusion theory been abandoned?

I don’t think that’s the way Mueller is looking at it. He’s too systematic…

NOT only is there NO “collusion” allegation in the new indictments; the ’16 Trump campaign is barely mentioned [I encourage everyone to take the time to read the publically-released documents].

Add to the mix the other charges Mueller has filed against Mickey Flynn and little Georgie Papadopoulos, who have pled guilty. In NEITHER instance did Mueller allege any kind of criminal conspiracy between the ’16 Trump campaign and Vlad’s regime.

BOTH defendants served the campaign, and BOTH had contacts with apparent Putin-regime operatives [the Russian ambassador in Flynn’s case, more-shadowy figures claiming regime ties in Papadopoulos’s].

We are going to hear much, much more of Mickey’s behavior over the coming days and months, trust me.

At the very least, I believe, Bobby Mueller intends to demonstrate that FBI and Justice Department suspicions about possible collusion were reasonable, even if there is NO criminal case to be made against the president or his ’16 campaign.

Although it is highly unlikely [at this juncture, and of what we know] that Trump will be accused ? of a collusion crime, Mueller intends to illustrate that he, Trump, showed appalling judgment !!! in putting his campaign in the hands of Manafort and Gates, who were up to their necks in collusion with agents of Putin’s regime.

Mueller has two things in mind, as I look at where we are right now.

First, if there was any Trump-campaign collusion with Russia, and it was in any way known to candidate Trump, then, certainly, Manafort and Gates are the ones best positioned to know. Therefore, they are worth squeezing hard !!! to induce them to cooperate – as it appears that Gates is now doing.

Second, and more likely, Mueller will want to defend the investigative decisions !!! made by the FBI and the Justice Department – institutions he served at the highest levels for many years.

Stay tuned, film at 11…

LOVE for a LIBRARIAN!

2018 is less than a 1/4 of the year over, yet one of our very favorite days came to pass yesterday.

It was the 32nd year that the city’s marvelous public library system has presented the screenings of the Academy Award-nominated films in three categories: Animation; Live Action; and Documentary.

ALL three categories must have films NO more than 40 minutes.

For folks like our family, who love movies, it’s Nirvana…

I met my wife 53 years ago, in Florida, over Spring Break, while we were in college. Beyond her natural beauty, one of the other things that jumped out to me was her knowledge of film/movies.

Which after two graduate degrees in Film Studies, she still displays to this day with relish and excitement.

Yesterday was NO exception!

For the 10th year, being one of the core ingredients to the day’s coordination, and presentations, she ALWAYS amazes me with her ebullience in greeting the sponsors, patrons and the hundreds of every-day movie fans that walk through the ornate front doors [for free, by the way] of the National Historic Theatre where the films are shown each year.

Just one of the many qualities I’ve loved in her for 53 years!!!!!!!!!!

My picks [the wife’s favorites have changed about every 37 seconds as I write this post] in each of the three categories are:

• ANIMATION – Lou;
• LIVE ACTION – The Silent Child;
• DOCUMENTARY – Knife Skills

As we ALWAYS do, we finished the day off eating at our favorite Italian restaurant.

I had Lasagna; my wife had Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Yep, we brought some of the food home…

Tradition!

Still one of the great family values…unlike few others.

MOUNTING CRISIS for ICHABOD

The tension between The General and Jared “Ichabod” Kushner is palpable.

Can you feel it?

I can, and I’m ecstatic about it!

Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General [for the time being] alerted the White House, on the 9th of this month, that significant information requiring additional investigation would further delay !!! the security clearance process of senior adviser Kushner, according to the Washington Post, first, and then the New York Times.

Rosenstein’s call to White House Counsel Donald McGahn [why is this individual still walking the White House grounds?] came amid growing public scrutiny of a number of administration officials without !!! final security clearances.

Most prominent among them is “Ichabod” Kushner, Daddy Trump’s son-in-law, who has had access to some of the nation’s most sensitive material for over a year while waiting for his background investigation to be completed.

Congress? Why are they drawing paychecks? What do they do? Where is their sense of priorities? Paul and Mitch…Mitch and Paul – 21st century embarrassments to American governance!

A week after the call from Rosenstein, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly announced that staffers whose clearances have NOT been finalized will NO longer be able to view top-secret information – meaning that “Ichabod” stood to lose his status as early as yesterday.

So what happened, General K?

As president, UNFORTUNATELY, Trump can grant Kushner a high-level security clearance, even if his background investigation continues to drag on.

But, Trump said yesterday that he would leave that decision to Kelly.

ALL such “profiles in courage” with these types of crisis situations.

Forget about draining the swamp. Install a cesspool! Then fill it with family members, in-laws, incompetents, liars, cheats, wife-beaters, over-their-head generals, and conflict-of-interest-ridden millionaires and billionaires.

EXPERIENCE the COMFORT of ‘DEPEND’

The White House is going to start smelling like a landfill in 98 degree heat.

Former ’16 Deputy Campaign Manager for the World of the Trumpkins, Ricky Gates, finally dumped his load ! on the front lawn of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue yesterday afternoon.

And, Gates did NOT require the injection of a coffee enema, by the way.

Just hearing special counsel Bobby Mueller clear his throat a couple of times seems to have done the trick!

It would appear, to this old lobsterman, there is a lot of lying to the FBI going on among Trump’s advisors and 2016 campaign officials.

Gates has finally agreed to cooperate ! with the special counsel inquiry into Russia’s interference in the ’16 election after pleading guilty to financial fraud and lying to investigators.

Ricky faces up to nearly six years in prison.

His plea deal could be a significant development in the investigation – a sign that Gates plans to offer incriminating information against his longtime associate and the former Trump campaign chairman, Paulie Manafort [OED defines ‘slime-ball’ with a picture of Paulie], and possibly other members of the ’16 campaign in exchange for a lighter punishment.

What this dramatic turn-of-events might mean for the 45th president depends on what Ricky has to offer Mueller, though at the least, the plea agreement is further evidence that the Trump campaign attracted a cast of advisers who overstepped legal and ethical boundaries.

My maternal grandmother was the first to emphasize to me that you can judge a person by the friends they keep.

It’s pretty clear Trump NEVER had such conversations with any of his family members because he has clearly surrounded himself – for the better part of three decades – with liars and thieves with ties to foreign adversarial governments, dirty money-laundering, and smelly toads who have repeatedly cheated our government of taxes they should have paid.

Oh, I can’t wait for Bobby Mueller to release Trump’s tax returns.

Hopefully, by the end of this weekend, General Kelly‘s new task/responsibility will be to keep the chief inhabitant of the White House supplied with a steady inventory of DEPEND.