CAN BILLY come out and PLAY?

The Justice Department expects ?!!? to release a redacted version of special counsel Bobby Mueller’s report on Russian interference by mid-April, attorney general Billy Barr told Congress, in the face of continued pressure from Democrats demanding to see the full document.

Barr, in a letter to congressional leaders Friday, provided an update on the efforts by the Justice Department to make public as much of the report outlining the special counsel’s findings as possible.

The 22-month investigation probed Russian activity during the 2016 election, as well as whether the 45th president obstructed justice.

Of course he did, and has for the past 55-years…

Here’s a copy of Billy’s letter…

https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/AGLetter03292019.pdf?mod=article_inline

In his letter, Barr said the report was nearly 400 pages, excluding tables and appendices, and that Justice officials had NO plans to submit the report to the White House for review of any confidential or privileged information.

A Public Service Announcement to ALL: Please don’t hold your breath on any word in my above paragraph!!!

He said material related to intelligence sources, ongoing investigations, grand-jury matters and the privacy of individuals NOT charged with crimes will be redacted [completely agree on this point!] from any version made public [it’s my hope that Mueller and Rosenstein will be involved DIRECTLY in any redaction process].

The attorney general’s latest letter did NOT mollify Democratic lawmakers, who want to see NOT only the unredacted report but also much of the evidence that Mueller drew upon in drafting it.

In the meantime, Trump’s Deplorables are furious over the fact that they Still have Health Care!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UNREPORTED STORY

I had a late breakfast yesterday with the “usual suspects.”

A rancher, oil man, dairy farmer, pharmacist, and an ancient lobsterman named Ahab.

The only two pre-requisites being:

• MALE;
• OVER 75 [used to be 70, but…], with NO exceptions granted! 

We hadn’t gotten together, as a group, for almost a month. After usual pleasantries – everyone’s health; family; March Madness; the group enduring my pontificating about the 2019 Red Sox season [which has gotten off to disastrous start!!!], the subject turned to tragedy/misery for a couple of men’s family members.

Specifically, the flooding that has taken place across the Midwest, as well as portions of the Prairie.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, early two-thirds of the lower 48 states will have an elevated risk of some flooding from now until May, and 25 states could experience “major or moderate flooding.”

Record-breaking late-winter floods being the cause.

Exposing almost 23 million people to flooded communities, homes, businesses, and flooded lives.

The National Weather Service, in a conference call with ranchers and farmers, a week ago, indicated that the major flooding this month in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota is “a preview of what we expect throughout the rest of the spring,”

If Donald John Trump wanted a national emergency – well, now he’s got a real one.

As any farmer and/or rancher from the Prairie will tell you, much of the land along the Missouri and Mississippi was floodplain which flooded ALL the time.

When we diked and dammed the rivers, that land was reclaimed. Most of it was converted to farmland.

The land was very cheap because it was floodplain and had fertile ground from ALL the flooding.

Because of Climate Change [in my almost 20 years on the Prairie, very few don’t believe in it!], Mother Nature can’t be controlled.

We can’t control ! the rivers any longer, like 25, 50 and 75-years ago.

They have overtopped/destroyed ! our structures/levees.

Unfortunately, these kinds of losses [BOTH personal and business-related] are what is needed to get many people to realize that the problem is real and must be addressed.

As I mentioned to the group yesterday, everyone should read “The Uninhabitable Earth” by David Wallace-Wells.

It is absolutely frightening!

Then pass it on…

GRONK

This has been a long week for me…personally and otherwise.

But, it should didn’t help with the news that one of the old Lobsterman’s favorite New England Patriots‘ player chose to retire.

Like one of his trademark spikes, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski left his mark NOT only on the NFL as possibly the greatest tight end of all-time, but on Boston sports as a football folk-hero [of that there is little-to-NO doubt] – a one-of-a-kind tight end who could play and party with the best of them.

His career concluding before the age of 30.

And, as tough as it is for me to say it, “Gronk, stay retired!”

He was a bruising, brute-force phenom whose runaway 18-wheeler style of play took a toll on opponents and, eventually, his own body.

In his prime, he was as devastating and unstoppable a weapon as there was in the NFL. Only Randy Moss (101) and Jerry Rice (95) recorded more touchdown receptions before age 30 than Gronk’s 79.

You can’t asked for any better company!

He’s the Patriots all-time leader in regular-season touchdowns with 80. He set the NFL record for touchdowns in a season by a tight end with 18 (17 receiving) during his epic 2011, when he had 90 catches for 1,327 yards.

I loved the guy…and, so did TB12…

Thank you, Gronk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A WELL-DEFINED AILMENT

The Brits know what they don’t want, but they don’t know what they want.

Alas, at the moment, Great Britain is NOT the only country with that ailment!

With Britain in political crisis and a new deadline to leave the European Union (EU) two weeks away, Parliament last night rejected, by a vote of 334 to 286, Prime Minister Theresa May’s BREXIT plan for a third time.

The vote means moving closer to a withdrawal on April 12th without an agreement – the “no-deal” scenario that many economists and finance officials are extremely fearful of as the calendar rolls on.

But, allow me to remind everyone that the BREXIT is NOT solely an economic problem for the elites, it’s also major governmental matter/problem, potentially, as it relates to the border with Ireland.

NONE of the BREXITEERS gave it a moment’s thought, and the people of Northern Ireland voted AGAINST leaving, because they knew full well how beneficial the “open border” has been to ALL sides.

Trust me, Scotland and the folks at the Russell Hotel have got their plans in place already for the coming days…

Once again, politicians have been tasked with magically producing unicorns.

BIG BEN is TICKING…

Her leadership is in its dying days.

She will be remembered as one of the most inadequate and disastrous leaders the country has ever had.

BREXIT at her doorstep! 

British lawmakers are scheduled to vote today around 2:30 pm London time [10:30 am ET] on the 585-page agreement, which details Britain’s relationship to the European Union (EU) through the end of 2020, while longer-term plans are sorted out.

This will be a third vote by Parliament, which has ALREADY rejected twice by large margins the initials effects from Prime Minister Theresa May, which crashed and burn in plain sight.

If it does NOT pass, as seems likely, Britain’s withdrawal is set to take place on April 12th without an agreement – the “no-deal” BREXIT that many economists and finance officials have warned would do serious economic damage.

In a bid to win over hard-line BREXIT supporters, May promised Conservative lawmakers earlier this week that she would step down ! as prime minister if the deal was approved.

Her days are numbered, but the damage is done; with months and months of chaos around the corner.

Simply unable to communicate and build relationships.

 

WE’RE STILL WAITING, DONNIE

Remember the early days of Empire and conquest?

Of course you do…back in January 2017?

When The Weave announced to Western Civilization he had a healthcare plan that everyone would love.

Waiting…

Then our dear leader showed his total incompetence on this issue with he stated “Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated.”

Still waiting…

As of yesterday, it was difficult to find anyone on Capitol Hill who could say how any improvement of ObamaCare might take shape, a fact that Democrats were quick to note.

“The American public spoke loud and clear in the November 2018 elections, and addressed the Republican antics by defeating them resoundingly,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on the Senate floor.

Now, the White House is increasingly at odds with congressional Republicans !!! over the party’s health-care message heading into the 2020 election campaign.

For years, Republicans rallied around efforts to repeal the ACA/ObamaCare.

But the law is now a crucial part of the nation’s health-care economy, upon which millions of voters rely for coverage. The discontent among the GOP’s congressional caucus reflects a reality that without something to take its place, the ACA can NO longer be scrapped without significant political damage !!! to anybody who disrupts its coverage.

Trump yesterday doubled down on his attack on the ACA, the signature achievement of his predecessor, Barry Obama. “If the Supreme Court rules that Obamacare is out,” he told reporters in the Oval Office, “we’ll have a plan that is far better than Obamacare.”

It appears based on the reporting of the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times, that sometime this past Monday, Acting Chief-of-Staff, Nick Mulvaney, and some hand-picked attorneys, convinced Trump that he could do through the courts what he could NOT do through Congress: repeal !!!!!! his predecessor’s signature achievement.

Substance and clarity is required from this moment forward, aunts and uncles.

Why do I say that, our GOP representative, here on the Prairie, has ALREADY announced cancelling his scheduled townhall meeting for the month of April.

???FEAR???

The seed for this latest Trump proclamation started with a district judge in Texas [December 2018] ruling that ACA/ObamaCare was rendered unconstitutional when  Trump’s tax law brought the tax penalty for NOT having health insurance to zero, and the administration faced a choice: stick with its more limited intervention or back the judge’s decision.

Mulvaney rolled the dice…proving his reflexive fealty to far-right ideology!

And, to the surprise of NO one, Mulvaney’s primary asset is Donald John Trump‘s utter delusional lunacy and inability to think coherently.

He has spun a tale that Trump wants to hear, ObamaCare gone, and Republican-built healthcare that’s comprehensive, affordable, lawful, efficient, covers preexisting conditions, and is easy to explain.

Waiting, sweetheart, to see it, and listen to y-o-u ‘explain’ it.

 

BERCOW’S CIRCUS

It’s NOT been pleasant being the ringmaster to an utter carnival.

But, through the eyes and ears of C-Span, one gets the sense that John Simon Bercow loves the stage.

Bercow is the current Speaker of the House of Commons, and has been since June 2009.

He’s seen them ALL prancing around the rings, especially trying to deal with the  insanity surrounding the ordeal of BREXIT.

Well, late yesterday, local time, British Prime Minister Theresa May offered to step down and allow another prime minister, who has the confidence of her party and lawmakers, to negotiate ! the final details, in a last-ditch effort to try to get Parliament to pass her plan for Britain to leave the European Union (EU).

Live absurd theatre…

But when lawmakers held a series of nonbinding votes last night on eight different options for Britain’s future relationship with the European Union, NONE mustered a majority.

Onions appear to be in short supply in the UK as they are here!

In the nonbinding votes, the most popular options were motions to stay in a customs union with the EU bloc and to hold a referendum on any BREXIT deal that is finally hammered out.

I have ALWAYS wondered why, when little David Cameron ran for the Outer Hebrides, May accepted the job of Prime Minister to execute a mandate she opposed ! in the first place.

Britain: home of rational government and hour-by-hour democratic entertainment?

Big Ben has witnessed better times.

LIFE BEGINS ANEW…

Major League Baseball – the 2019 version – kicks off in full gusto today across America!

When, as a young boy, growing up in Maine, decades ago, the season was/became a true right of passage.

You couldn’t wait for it to get under-way.

When box scores meant something sacred to you…way before the term “analytics” clouded the existence of Man.

The radio and your dog were the centers of your universe!

Guys named Kinder, Doerr, Pesky, Stephens, Dom DiMaggio, and someone called The Kid became out-of-state relatives.

And, mustard stains covered the majority of your T-shirts!

ah, it starts again today…

My Boston Red Sox open their season at T-Mobile Park, against the Seattle Mariners, and Chris Sale will get the ball as they attempt to become the first major league team since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees to win back-to-back World Series.

They’ll have their hands full…it’s a tough task.

There has been Major League Baseball for 150 years, and it is the only professional sport in which the team of your choice offers daily programming for six months.

Continuity and routine.

Starting today, the Red Sox will play 11 games in 11 days.

Tough slough to start a season!

Before I end this post, has anyone seen a kid with baseball cards flapping in the spokes of his/her bicycle recently?

I thought NOT…

Sad, because a Birdie Tebbetts card made one hellva lot of noise.

Get rid of your iPhones, and start to enjoy life!!!

RIGHTFUL AUTHORITY?

Over the last 36-plus hours, many of you have emailed me asking that I provide a link to the memo of Attorney General Billy Barr‘s, prior to his confirmation, from last June.

Here it is…

Click to access full.pdf

The document has, since this past weekend, come under heavy scrutiny – again – by the likes of Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Chris Cuomo, Anderson Cooper, Lawrence O’Donnell, et al as being NOTHING more than a “job application” at the time, looking for an appointment to return to the cabinet post of Attorney General [having previously served as AG under Bush 41], within the Trump administration.

While Barr’s memo was sent, as a private citizen, directly ! to the White House, personally, I’m NOT convinced that Billy was trolling for a job.

Suspect, maybe; completely convinced, NO.

However, after you’ve read over Barr’s 19-page memo a few times, consider the following:

• Is it NOT unthinkable that a president would fire an FBI director [Comey] who was investigating him or his associates?
• Is it NOT troubling that a president would force out an attorney general [Session] for failing to protect him from an investigation?
• Is it NOT of deep concern that a president would dangle pardons [through intermediaries and prior attorneys] before potential witnesses against him?
• How did the Department of Justice operate from Barr’s first day as AG until Bobby Mueller handed in his report?
• After issuing 500 warrants and over 2,800 subpoenas, America is now asked to accept that there were NO fibers of proof that “obstruction” was NEVER on the table?  

Please, the old Lobsterman isn’t buying a second of this rubbish!

I want to look at the full Mueller’s report, NOT just Billy’s summary.

Mueller’s decision to NOT take a position on whether Trump’s many norm-shattering interventions in the law enforcement system constituted obstruction of justice means that future occupants of the White House will feel entitled to take similar actions.

Future occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will fall back on this historic legacy…

The entire matter of presidential non-indictment policy short-circuits !!! the entire prosecutorial process.

Thus, if the president can NOT be indicted, then by definition the prosecutor/counsel can’t bring charges.

Confronted with a legal impasse?!?!

I’m NOT sure…but, I hope Congress is sharpening their bicuspids??!!?

Clearly Congress needs to step in and amend the special counsel law to specify what happens in the case of a president being investigated and spell out clearly the procedures and process in such a case.

Are any of you planning to attend your congressional representative’s next townhall?

I thought NOT…get off your arses!

One last item to bring to your attention, I’m thinking seriously of legally changing my name to Ahab.

INVALIDATE IT!!!

The Trump administration broadened its attack on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) yesterday, telling a federal appeals court that it now believed the entire law should be invalidated.

Previously, the Trump folks said the law’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions should be struck down, but that the rest of the law, including the expansion of Medicaid, should survive.

This is a total bombshell, which could have dire consequences for millions of people and result in the closing of countless more rural healthcare facilities.

The ACA is an issue that crosses party divides, and affects millions of people.

The overturning of the ACA would be a cruelty to countless Americans who rely on it or could potentially benefit from it.

Trump’s new position is also certain to reignite a political furor over the Affordable Care Act, ensuring that it will figure even more prominently in the 2020 elections.

By the way, I must have missed it, could someone email a link to me on where I can find the proposed healthcare plan for the country under Alex Azar, Billy Barr and Donald John Trump.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020.