Three Things: Two USAs and a Bear

/223 Comments/in , /by

[NB: Check the byline, thanks! /~Rayne]

These things aren’t worth a full post but perhaps they’re worth a brief look. They bugged me when I ran across them — now it’s your turn.

~ 3 ~

The sketchy work former U.S. Attorney and now-former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta did on Jeffrey Epstein’s prosecution — a non-prosecution — looks worse as time goes by and we learn more about Epstein’s recidivism.

(Which really isn’t recidivism since he wasn’t prosecuted by the feds, yes? He continued business as usual unabated.)

But Acosta wasn’t the first U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida under the Bush administration. He replaced Marco Jimenez, conveniently in time to prosecute Jack Abramoff and investigate Jeffrey Epstein.

Jimenez’ departure to return to private practice in June 2005 didn’t draw much attention, though he was one of the relatively few USAs who served less than their full four-year term after appointment by the president. This seems odd given how much scrutiny the U.S. Attorneys received during the Bush administration due to “Gonzales Seven” scandal — the U.S. Attorneys dismissed en masse on December 7, 2006 by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Jimenez wasn’t one of the attorneys summarily fired by Bush.

At the time both Marcy and I had speculated about possible unifying reason(s) why the U.S. Attorneys were terminated. One of them was the possibility some of the USAs were LGBTQ and/or might be sympathetic to LGBTQ targets in prosecutions. Another reason was related to the handling of energy cases like Enron, FERC corridors, fracking, and pipelines.

But it didn’t occur to me that another possible unifying reason was human trafficking.

New Mexico’s U.S. Attorney was fired with the rest of the “Gonzales Seven.”

And Epstein not only had a residence in south Florida but in New Mexico.

What a coincidence.

David Iglesias was the USA for New Mexico until December 2006, succeeded by his assistant Larry Gomez. Gomez never received a nomination by Bush with Senate approval; he served the rest of Bush’s term as acting USA. Iglesias wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times that he believed he and the rest of the “Gonzales Seven” were terminated for political reasons.

Two GOP members of Congress — Representative Heather Wilson and Senator Pete Domenici, both now out of office — had pressed Iglesias to prosecute a corruption case. There had also been pressure to investigate and prosecute voter fraud.

Epstein’s New Mexico ranch is now under investigation.

~ 2 ~

Speaking of New Mexico, I’ve had this squirreled away for a while because I wasn’t certain what to make of it last October.

The acting U.S. Attorney for New Mexico, James Tierney, entered an agreement with the Trump administration in July 2017 about its “zero tolerance” policy pertaining to the El Paso Sector. The program separating children from family members was piloted through New Mexico, beginning there nearly a year before it was rolled out to the rest of the country.

The El Paso Sector should not to be confused with city of El Paso, which is located in Texas. Texas also has four USAs.

Why was the agreement with New Mexico’s USA alone and not with the USAs for all the border states — Texas, Arizona, California, and New Mexico? Why with an acting USA instead of waiting for a Senate-approved appointee?

Note also that Damon Martinez, appointed by President Obama, was forced out as U.S. Attorney for New Mexico in March 2017. Tierney was the acting USA until Trump nominee John C. Andersen was approved by the Senate in February 2018.

Sure would like to know what the trend is in New Mexico for human trafficking prosecutions.

I hope like hell children separated from their families or unaccompanied haven’t been trafficked out of U.S. concentration camps while the federal government looks the other way.

~ 1 ~

And now back to a tangent related to Epstein, who once worked for now-defunct investment bank Bear Stearns before he opened his own financial management services firm.

This is really more of a reminder, I should say: Trump and/or his organization had obtained alternative financing through Bear Stearns, some of which was tied up in the beginning of the 2008 crash.

Fusion GPS’ Glenn Simpson’s January 2018 testimony before the House Permanent Subcommittee on Intelligence mentioned Trump having had relationship with Bear Stearns:

[SIMPSON]… There’s the Trump vodka business that was earlier. And then ultimately, you know, what we came to realize was that the money was actually coming out of Russia and going into his properties in Florida and New York and Panama and Toronto and these other places.

And what we, you know, gradually begun to understand, which, you know, I suppose I should kick myself for not figuring out earlier, but I don’t know that much about the real estate business, which is I alluded to this earlier, so, you know, by 2003, 2004, Donald Trump was not able to get bank credit for — and if you’re a real estate developer and you can’t get bank loans, you know, you’ve got a problem.

And all these guys, they used leverage like, you know, — so there’s alternative systems of financing, and sometimes it’s — well, there’s a variety of alternative systems of financing. But in any case, you need alternative financing.

One of the things that we now know about how the condo projects were financed is that you have to — you can get credit if you can show that you’ve sold a certain number of units.

So it turns out that, you know, one of the most important things to look at is — this is especially true of the early overseas developments, like Toronto and Panama — you can get credit if you can show that you sold a certain percentage of your units.

And so the real trick is to get people who say they’ve bought those units, and that’s where the Russians are to be found, is in some of those pre-sales, is what they’re called. And that’s how, for instance, in Panama they got the credit of — they got a — Bear Stearns to issue a bond by telling Bear Stearns that they’d sold a bunch of units to a bunch of Russian gangsters.

And, of course, they didn’t put that in the underwriting information, they just said, we’ve sold a bunch of units and here’s who bought them, and that’s how they got the credit. So that’s sort of an example of the alternative financing. … [bold mine, excerpt pages 95-96]

We already know Trump and Epstein were friendly — enough so to party together. Was there some relationship between Epstein’s financial management firm and Trump’s business which might have helped Trump obtain access to Bear Stearns even while Trump was having difficulty getting credit elsewhere?

~ 0 ~

This is an open thread. What little stray things popped up recently that aren’t worth a post by themselves?

image_print
223 replies
  1. Rayne says:

    Not even Jack Abramoff was as lucky as Epstein was when it came to dodging U.S. attorneys and Abramoff was pretty doggone slippery.

    EDIT: Doesn’t it strike anyone else as odd that a known Democratic donor like Epstein wasn’t raked over the coals during the Bush administration?

    Why did the Bushies beat up on U.S. attorneys for not pursuing political prosecutions when Epstein could have been hammered in multiple states and made an example of the way Martha Stewart was nailed?

      • Eureka says:

        If it applies to Epstein*, besides the (GOP) Bush-Saud relationship factoring in on the first side of the equation, by ‘other knowns’ I mean mainly money, like KSA/oil belt countries’ money in the mortgage-backed securities/credit default swaps markets.

        *Unless some news broke, we still know more about what Epstein was _not_ doing as opposed to what he _was_ doing.

        Though plain old blackmail as per comments below would be more direct.

        • Eureka says:

          A few items here show Epstein in these/related markets, especially “Liquid Funding Ltd.” (article from the 18th; wasn’t aware of it before original comment):

          Leaked documents show Jeffrey Epstein kept funds offshore. Can the money even be tracked?
          https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article232799597.html

          I can’t see anyone wanting to expose the wiring or pull on the threads propping up the housing market/entire economy, especially when there was a then-chance that Bush/GOP-admin might have escaped office before the crash (crash not yet a foregone conclusion).

    • posaune says:

      I read somewhere today (will try to find link) that Denny Hastert sold ALL of his real estate in jan 2007 and put his liquid assets with Bear Stearns. He resigned his house seat in 2007. In retrospect, that really looks questionable, at least to me. Wonder if that’s when the blackmail started?

        • Democritus says:

          Damn, my stupidity ate my comment, I wrote a nice comments asking for some feedback on sorchika in a way that was complimentary to her, while also pointing out that since I don’t follow her so much and think she seems funny and nice I like to be cautious since it’s always easier to here bad info if it’s what you expect to hear.

          She is good about stating what she is saying is theory and what has recorded facts supporting it, which is something I find important.

          I know one person here said she was a kook, but that’s far from a consensus and it was a guy I don’t generally reply to so…

          I also do NOT want to start a mean pile on on her though I do want feedback.

        • Rayne says:

          If claims are supported by publicly-available evidence I’m good with it. @soychicka’s thread on Hastert has receipts — that’s the ticket. I’ll consider everything else on a case-by-case basis.

  2. Eureka says:

    The real burning question: What happened to the cake in the turkey roaster thing, did you go for it? We have a turkey roaster thing; I might explore this option.

    It was a beautiful day for outdoor chores. The best part was sitting in the vehicle to help bleed brake lines /s

    • P J Evans says:

      It was a lovely day here, too. I picked up a prescription refill that I’d been bugging both the doctor and the pharmacy about (very slow communications between them), collected my mail (including the sample ballot for the city council seat runoff), got groceries, and entered a bunch of my medical reports in the spreadsheet I’d started (blood tests over most of the last two years).

      • Eureka says:

        I was mostly snarking on the heat wave, though the day’s tasks weren’t so exciting, either. At least you got some stuff done. I failed at my most important job of getting a bottle of frozen water out in time for the mail carrier (he beat me; but if you put it out too early, the purpose is defeated…).

        I saved some electric-demand tasks like laundry for off-hours. Just got below 90 real temp so higher humidity-wise/AC-use temp still. And we are just trying to get it down to the low 80s in here.

        ETA: weather forecaster “alleges” nights below 70 next week after storms arrive. Eagerly awaited: we shall see…

        • Rayne says:

          Dropped like a rock today when the front came through, from mid-90s to mid-70s in less than an hour. Make sure everything is tied down because that temperature change is preceded by some big wind gusts!

        • Eureka says:

          Yes, in my run-down of favorite rain songs, there’s Ms. Lennox and– more for pre-game hype– what I call the “Dream of Rain” song (I like Cheb Mami’s vocals mixing with Sting’s). Oh plus Garbage, as established.

        • P J Evans says:

          I was using AC earlier in the week, when it was hitting 100 outside. On “energy saver” and “low cool”, it takes a couple of hours to get from 86 to 84 inside. (At which point it seems to think it’s done enough, even when it’s set for 80.)

        • Rayne says:

          If it’s super dry where you’re at — very low humidity — AC may not work as well at cooling as evaporative systems. Might be worth combing YouTube for DIY evaporative cooling systems using cheap box fans. The one at that link uses a $15 fan and a fish tank pump, might even be fancier than other cheaper versions out there.

        • P J Evans says:

          This is the high-humidity season for Los Angeles – 30 to 50%, usually. (Sometimes it’s higher.) As I live in an apt, the AC I have is what I have. (We had a swamp cooler in the house where I lived as a kid. It raised the indoor humidity enough that the door across the room from it swelled a bit, and the next-door neighbor, who was from Iowa, couldn’t tolerate it.)

        • BobCon says:

          This is related to my biggest complaint about weater reporting — they do a terrible job drawing a distinction between heat and humidity, and what AC does.

          Heat and humidity are two very different things, but weather news either conflates them — heat index — or minimizes humidity — reporting humidity% instead of dew points.

          AC of course doesn’t simply lower inside temps, it removes humidity. And likewise, AC draw on power supplies isn’t just a function of temps, it’s a function of dew points.

          Climate change isn’t simply raising temperatures, it’s raising humidity levels in much of the country, but until the differences between heat and humidity break through public awareness, we will see a lot of inadequate adaptations.

        • bmaz says:

          I’ll say this about that: Evaporative coolers in no way work as well as air conditioners. It is not as dry here as it was when I was a kid, but still relatively dry. Coolers have always been miserable substitutes for AC if it is even remotely hot. Expected 108º today. But it will “feel like” 76º because there are two big AC units working away.

        • posaune says:

          We’re so lucky to have our solar panels this summer. Tiny row house, only 18 panels, but the electric bill was only $17 last month, with a lot of AC use.

        • timbo says:

          What’s holding you back? (I don’t follow the lives of folks here all that much… I have a vague sense that people moved from where they were over a dozen years ago but not who or where…)

        • Eureka says:

          Yeah, the dew points are through the roof. Not just now during this heat wave (but it’s why this one is especially dangerous) but in general they are often higher than comfortable more frequently than they have ever been. This is my exact concern about climate change and especially for the aging (ahem, us included). Our weather forecasters are very on the ball wrt dew points, there is always a forecast graph for them in recent years.

          Also, lots of the garden-variety cardiovascular diseases of aging don’t go well with humidity, either. We’ll be seeing more hospitalizations and deaths, I am afraid.

        • BobCon says:

          Wunderground at least has info, but even then you have to force it to tell you more than you should. For example, ten day forcasts don’t show dew points by default, and their general reporting on trends tends to gloss over humidity. And they also insist on the misleading “feels like” terminology. Grrrr.

        • P J Evans says:

          They used to be better. Their last big update made things worse. Frex, they used to use Van Nuys airport (KVNY) as the default station for the San Fernando valley – reasonable, as it’s fairly central – but now you get KBUR (Burbank), which is off in a corner and gets different weather from the west end, which is 20 miles away and 300 feet higher.

        • Rayne says:

          I don’t think dew points can be forecast — that’s super specific when the best they can offer is 60-90% reliability on temp, wind direction, and precipitation within a 12-hour time frame. Even that degree of reliability is changing with increased volatility due to climate change. Best to assume if rain is forecast the dew point will approach the predicted temperature at time rain is anticipated.

          “Feels Like” label is used for those who aren’t able to understand the concept of wind chill factor or heat index; it also works regardless of season. It’s not always about the sophisticated user; they need to serve a broad range of users who may not have a solid grasp of science.

          EDIT: I just double-checked – apparently NOAA forecasts dewpoints but they’re loosey-goosey within 10F degrees in 3-hour increments during daylight hours over the next 24 hours. 5:00 pm EDT snapshot from https://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/conus.php.

          EDIT-2: Gods, I feel sorry for you folks south of the Michigan border. Yeesh.

        • P J Evans says:

          I remember standing on the train platform one fine morning in March when it was 35F and the wind was at least 20-25mph. The windchill was … well, I was wearing my “winter” coat, which is filled with down and feathers. (Only time I’ve needed it since moving back from west Texas.)

        • bmaz says:

          I used to go back to my wife’s home in Potomoc Maryland in the summer. We would leave Phoenix where it was usually 105º or something silly. We would get there and it would be maybe 90-95º or so. And it was nuts. Anything short of 115º here was far preferable. It was nuts. I may need to repeat that again.

        • Rayne says:

          Yeah, I hear you. Last time I was in Phoenix we spent a lot of time in the pool. I remember freezing my buns off even though the temp after twilight was still 90F because of the evaporative effect. If it’s 90F here after dark, it’s wringing wet and suffocating — and thankfully still rare, though 80F after dark has happened this week and it was nasty.

        • Eureka says:

          (I assume because east coastal), we have “insufferable” dew points all the time in the absence of rain in the forecast, so they are always talking about the humidity factor/ dew points. They use a rough bar-graph of five-(sometimes ten-) degree-ish chunks with qualitative labels (like pleasant, comfortable, humid, oppressive, insufferable etc– last for 75-ish+). They’ll use that type of rough graph for the days ahead when we are in a bad spell.

          I agree that the “feels-like” temp is a valuable thing, easiest way to communicate warnings both cold and hot. People ‘get’ that there is something causing a discrepancy between actual and feels-like temp.

        • bmaz says:

          That is the thing. When I was a kid, it always got down to at least to 90º if not closer to mid 80º’s at night. But the heat sink of how big, developed and concrete the whole valley is now, is just something totally different. I could have never played tennis and basketball at night now like I blithefully did then. It was hot even then, but nothing like now. It is not just climate change, it is seriously the heat sink problem too.

        • Eureka says:

          PJ, there is a great “If a train is traveling at 30 mph, against a wind of 25 mph, will it get there in time before PJ freezes ass off, …” joke in here that I am too wrung out to properly make.

          The tree frogs +/- cicadas are *lit* tonight. What a ruckus.

        • Eureka says:

          Wringing the sponge… Forgot to add this older link above– It has a picture of the five-point/ qualitative label forecast graphic some use for 3-5 day forecasts, but it’s a decent article of explanation, too.

        • Eureka says:

          oh, FFS the effing link:

          [https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/08/12/dew-point-vs-relative-humidity/]

        • timbo says:

          Okay, that’s some weird-a weather. Guess I’m spoiled where I am… at least momentarily? Seems like the weather patterns are shifting around these days—and the fossil fuel moguls can’t seem to tell us why…

        • Democritus says:

          No wonder doc wheeler could make cherry pie!

          Not that the I’m jealous or anything, not at all. I’ll make do with my bakery made muffins. *sniff*. ;-)

          Really though, I hope everyone weekend projects and recharge time helped!

          Last week was ugly and brutal.

          One positive idea I saw,

          https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/1153124211914944513

          A push to start us all speaking more to each other to counter the fear and divisiveness Trump wants to spread.. Oh shit, i just remembered you have a newer thread.

        • Democritus says:

          That’s really thoughtful and kind Eureka. I used to have our old warehouse staff always offered cold water refills for be UPS guy cause they have it rough in summer. (Which also helps when you need a favor, just to be honest and point out there were non pure motives and a good reason for the boss if anyone else wants to do the same)

        • Tom says:

          I keep a bowl of water in the shade of my front veranda for the local chipmunks and red squirrels, though the chipmunks show their ingratitude by continuing to dig up my nasturtiums and tulip bulbs. Also keep a bowl of water in the shade of my backyard for whatever other critters might be passing by.

    • Rayne says:

      I ended up baking cake in the bread maker. But I use my turkey roaster in the garage all summer long when I need to bake or roast and I don’t want to heat up the house. Does a lovely job on my yeast rolls. I also bake racks of spareribs in the roaster, finish them off once they are tender with a quick blast on the gas grill.

      You can also bake in your slow cooker as well, won’t heat up the kitchen if you set it up in the garage. Just comb through Pinterest and you’ll find loads of recipes: https://www.pinterest.com/crock_pots_rock/crock-pot-breads/

      CAVEAT: People working in/around the garage can get a little pest-y when the end of cooking time approaches. My baking brings all the boys to the yard when I cook in the garage.

      • Eureka says:

        Oh I want ribs so bad, now that you mention them (and the butcher is closed tomorrow). Ribs and this weird cake I make. I’m in the habit of using appliances off-label (especially the super blender as a mixing bowl, though that has its hazards) but haven’t experimented with the turkey roaster. And I prefer that be used outdoors even in winter, with the standard turkey, because it kicks up a heck of a fried-fat-type aerosol that I don’t tolerate well.

        Onward to new tricks (and Milkshake-like cautionary tale noted, lol, tho not-lol if you are the one being pestered before the food is done.).

        • Rayne says:

          I would use a rack in the bottom of the roaster if you use it to bake cakes or breads. I don’t know what the heating element looks like and don’t want a scorched or over-cooked spot. Using a low-profile rack has turned out okay so far, good results. I also insulate the roaster with an old cotton beach towel folded over the top because the lid is rather thin. Seems stupid to pump heat into it only to have it leak heat like a sieve. Helps keep in some of the steam which makes crusts crispier.

        • Eureka says:

          Great tips, thanks– always better to get these on the front end than to figure it out through poor results.

      • harpie says:

        Well, huh!
        I’ve been lobbying for a garage for MANY years. Maybe THIS reason to have one will make a difference, but…probably not.

        • Rayne says:

          A car port will work fine, too, as long as it’s not raining and animals including those with two legs aren’t likely to get into the roaster! My friend and I have debated for years setting up an outdoor kitchen for canning inside the big pole barn she uses as a garage. Would certainly beat working indoors inside a cramped, hot-as-hell kitchen. I imagine women must have done this in the past before we had electric ranges and spiffy stainless stock pots.

        • StringOnAStick says:

          I knew a group of back I the land types who set up their canning operations in a polebarn. They also had the tank of a water heater as their canned s they’d process a enormous amount of jars at a time, and that left all he heat and humidity in a building they could walk away from. That’s how my grandmother did it too: in a building other than her house.

        • Rayne says:

          Dammitall! I replaced a hot water heater this winter, could have used it for a huge canner!

          That’s an awful lot of tomatoes or pickles at once, though. I don’t think I have it in me to peel+chop that much produce all at once.

        • Democritus says:

          We could start selling EmptyWheel jams and pickles to get your ENTIRE COUNTRY out of a jam or pickle* to support the blog and all the hard work all of you guys do here!

          *note blog not responsible for politicians not following advice, and results not guaranteed or endorsed by the FDA

          😉

          My brain needs a silly break apparently

        • P J Evans says:

          They did have something similar – in my family, it was called a “summer kitchen”. Not sure what it looked like – it could have been something like a shed or just a big porch.

        • John K says:

          Here in Louisiana, we have what’s known as a Cajun kitchen. We put a second oven/stove outside the house, under an extension of the roof, for summertime use. Also, the vast majority of our seafood boiling takes place outside. The priority of food consumption informs our architecture.

        • Tom says:

          Does anyone actually use their garage to park their car in anymore? I know I only use mine for that purpose in the winter.

        • harpie says:

          I swear I would…
          if only I had a garage!
          Or even a carport.
          Especially in winter….
          which really is the whole point,
          for me.

      • Democritus says:

        That is genius!

        Ohhhhhh, summertime cupcakes and muffins! The spouse is always it’s too hot, bwahahahahahahahahaha.

        *plans feverishly on how to go get one and sneak it in ;-)*

        *starts trying to figure out how to let out waistband*

  3. P J Evans says:

    The other thing about Epstein in Florida is how the sheriff allowed him to do pretty much what he wanted while he was supposedly in jail. The sheriff says that the deputies were with him all the time, so he couldn’t have done anything illegal – but the deputies say that they were in the lobby logging visitors, not actually with him in his office (and those logs were oh-so-conveniently destroyed). So I’m wondering what the sheriff, who is still there, got from Epstein.
    https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Captain-at-jail-where-Epstein-served-time-in-2008-14109610.php

    • Rayne says:

      Yeah, super sketchy. Imagine if Epstein had been black, like R. Kelly; Kelly will probably never leave jail and yet the scope and scale of his sexual abuses didn’t begin to match Epstein’s.

      • posaune says:

        Ok, I freaked out when I realized this week that I played in junior high orchestra with Epstein. ugh! (he played bassoon). So now, my record is: went to college with Alan Futerfas (DonJr’s mob attorney); went to grad school with John Fotiadis (Trump’s architect); and played in orchestra with Epstein. On the other hand: still married to the same guy for 33 years, raising our 9th grader, reading marcy, commenting for rayne, and paying our taxes. whew!

        • Rayne says:

          One, it’s a small town, and a small world. Two, there’s always the standard distribution curve. You’re well away from those deviants at 3 standard deviations. :-)

        • Democritus says:

          Lol. Jason Johnson on AM JOY, asking Stephen Miller on to discuss racism would be like having R. Kelly on to discuss Epstein.

          🤣

          Oh god Miller is fucking trash, they just showed another clip. Though the silver lining I guess, is that he is just saying the quiet part out loud so others can’t deny what the GOP has been fundamentally doing.

          Ok back to silly, and off of the news for the day to recharge.

  4. MissingGeorgeCarlin says:

    Yes the whole Epstein debacle needs to be dragged out into bright day-light and a lot of other people that helped him need to go to prison too.

    Will Epstein’s dream team of attorneys try the “Affluenza” defense?!? Remember the missing little black boys in Atlanta. It became national news when they hit what….17? You’d think 5 or 7 or 9 would be horrible enough. Or 12…that’s a lot of missing kids. But apparently the ratio is 17:1.

    I also feel ill when I think about all those untested rape kits. We need to try something radical in this country: Voting smart, competent, decent people into government.

    • earlofhuntingdon says:

      Confusion intended. Barr recused himself, citing the appearance of a conflict. He unrecused himself the next day.

      How like Trump: Make a claim on day one that resembles being professional and normal. Undo it the next day, when the headlines miss it.

      How unlike Sessions. He retained a smidgen of professionalism that inflamed the Dread Pirate Donald. He has no such worries with Barr. But we should worry that Jefferson Beauregard Sessions has become any kind of benchmark for professional behavior.

      • Democritus says:

        His fathers involvement in getting Epstein going in his sextrafficking, blackmail, and laundering schemes should also demand it. Sickening corruption.

        Sigh, I should go back to my pride and prejudice soon before my stomach refills with acid. Things having gotten interesting with Ms Lucas “snagging” Mr Collins, and Mrs Bennet all a flutter.

        Rayne thanks for the post :) This is what Trump wants to hide, well I think…

        • Rayne says:

          LOL While I find Mrs. Bennett annoying as hell, she exemplifies what happened to women who were denied a good education and who were at the mercy of a political system in which they were treated as chattel having little to no hereditary rights to property. At least she wasn’t a drunkard; goodness knows I’d be hitting the sauce if I were in her painful corset and mobcap.

        • Democritus says:

          Oh god, I would NOT have done well back then, I consider my self lucky to be born at least in modern times. I am not good at not arguing back when I object to things, and being hfa I can be like a dog after a bone sometimes.

          The only way I could make it without being thrown in a “place” is if I found the Victorian version of a dispensary lol and just been yeah dude while rolling my eyes in the vernacular of the day.

  6. e.a.f. says:

    omg some of you are so domestic. Yikes! cooking in new and inventive ways. haven’t even figured out how to cook in old and regular ways. my method of cooking is put in on the stove or in the oven, once the smoke detector goes off, its done. Cooking in the heat the U.S.A. is currently having and some parts of Canada, out of the question, unless its during the night, if it cools off.

    Cook a huge pot of rice and that will do it, keep it in the fridge and eat as required. cold cereal works nicely. the problem with cooking when its really hot is you have to do dishes and that is more heat either generated by a dishwasher or the hot water in the sink. Even the north is hot.

    Perhaps some one should touch base with the “7” and see what was the reason……..

    given the people involved in sex trafficking and sex with children, we may never know what really has gone on. As to the children in the concentration camps and in other places, perhaps when some of us have died of old age, there will be an inquiry or they will come forward as adults by the thousands.

    As the one Congresswoman said while touring a facility in Florida, I want to see the girls. She repeated it several times. Then she reminded people the Super bowl will be held in Florida next year.

    • Tom says:

      When it’s too hot to cook it’s time to patronize local small business enterprises and enjoy some vegetarian cuisine at your friendly neighbourhood chip truck!

      • Rayne says:

        I live in U.S. flyover country; we don’t have ‘chip trucks’ here because the population is too spread out to support them. We have exactly one vegan bistro. I prefer to go to the farm market and buy local produce for salads made at home though within the next couple weeks I’ll harvest my own produce from my garden.

        • Tom says:

          But surely there will be chip trucks in the Hereafter! Being it’s Sunday, I’m moved to believe that in Heaven the streets will be paved with gold, and a chip truck on every corner!

        • Rayne says:

          Taco trucks in my corner, thank you. Or fusion trucks like Kogi BBQ with Korean and Mexican cuisine. Maybe I should start my own fusion food trucks when that day comes. LOL

        • e.a.f. says:

          You are amazing, Rayne, you work on this blog, have a garden and cook!. gee I’m doing well if I’m out of bed by 11 a.m and have coffee made. Please don’t tell me you hold down a full time job on the side………
          On Sundays there is a Farmer’s Market in Cedar, Nanaimo, so off to it I went, picked up fresh salad stuff, garlic, green beans, shrimp from the local fishermen, baking from the Cedar Women’s Institute. Sibling cooked the beans, and they were fabulous. Local Farmer’s Markets are wonderful. It allows farmers and hobby gardeners to provide locally grown food. Better for the economy, the environment, and our health. It also provides more food security for the area. We have things like farmers who do traditionally raised beef and chickens……tastes amazing, even when its burnt by non cooks like myself.

          It was warm, but not the uncomfortable hot weather other areas are experiencing. Hope those areas have cooler weather soon.

    • Ruthie says:

      There’s nothing like a bowl of gazpacho, or borscht, etc., on a hot summer day. We eat it with bread and cheese.

      The best part? I make it in the morning, put it in the fridge and dinner is done!

    • Rayne says:

      I make a big batch of brown rice congee first thing in the morning on Mondays in my InstantPot. Doesn’t heat up the kitchen and I have enough for the week. Change the toppings for a different breakfast every morning — today will be fresh scallions, sigeumchi-namul, and kimchi.

  7. Peacerme says:

    The Franklin credit union scandal. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_child_prostitution_ring_allegations

    There was much subterfuge here but I always felt that certain story lines were created as a cover. They were far fetched and there were liars and fake reports involved. However, there were threads of truth. How did Franklin, rise to republican elite status so quickly? Caridori’s plane crash? (If he was stumbling in to valid human trafficking in political circles?)

    Boiled down, these kids alleged that there were young vulnerable kids being funneled to powerful people and used in sex parties. I think it’s safe to say now that this was occurring. But none of that story was followed, investigated, or revealed because there had been such incredible accusations locally in Omaha that did not stand up at all. This convinced everyone that the whole story was BS. I worked mental health. Therapists believed some of these kids. There were suicides. There were truly disturbed kids. This is always problematic. Abusing teenagers makes them act out. Acting out makes them less believable at least to people who don’t understand trauma. Perhaps Franklin got where he was because he acted as the “Jeffrey Epstein”. I’ve said for years that because of this story I have always been suspicious that republicans are wrapped into the underworld of human trafficking, somehow.

    1) Michael Jackson made an impromptu visit to omaha from KC when he was doing a concert. He went to the Franklin mansion. This happened before the accusations of Franklin or Jackson. Looking back, it sure makes me wonder.
    2) Bush had a guy at the head of the child pornography department who got busted for soliciting minors and had to step down.
    3) Republicans use a rigid moral front (religion, anti abortion, pro prayer) as they support programs that coincidentally would benefit the underworld. Pro guns, pro deregulation, anti taxation (money secrets) etc…

    It’s a plausible question.

  8. Democritus says:

    The comments from people who used to work compiling gov statistics is depressing. We will be far behind in tackling th climate crisis if we are able to win in 2020.

    But honestly without the GOP being at least somewhat scared and cautious from an active impeachment investigation/inquiry during this race I think they will just blatantly cheat and after the election will be far to late to recover.

    I would b surprised if there was more Trump dirt with Epstein also, they need to keep pushing. Also we shouldn’t have massive pedophilia trafficking rings amongst the most powerful people. Not only is it sick and disgusting it leaves them vulnerable to blackmail.

  9. earlofhuntingdon says:

    Dorian Gray epitomized corruption. He luxuriated in every vice. But his unnatural youth and beauty were the devil’s gifts: his true image lay locked in the attic. Hoping after decades to rid himself of it, he stabbed his portrait in the heart and unknowingly murdered himself. The devil’s bargain fulfilled.

    Donald Trump is the epitome of a racist. He has long said racist things, has racist friends, and sponsors racist policies. He expresses it and his other vices publicly, though, because he thinks they are political winners. His party agrees with him, and the MSM covers them so fulsomely that it ends up approving them.

    We owe it to our families, friends, and neighbors to prove them wrong.

    • Savage Librarian says:

      Interesting that you mention Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. Long ago, in an undergraduate literature class I discovered a connection between Wilde and Nabokov. I passed it along to my professor who passed it along to others.

      As you may know, Nabokov wrote a story called “The Vane Sisters.” In this story was a secret message that spelled out a name. The connection to Wilde is the character, Sybil Vane in The Picture of Dorian Gray. These many decades later, I have learned that numerous articles have since been written about this discovery and, of course, many other related discoveries as well.

      Nabokov may be best known for writing the novel, Lolita. Obviously, this strikes a chord with the current discussion of Epstein. Last year, Sarah Weinman’s book, The Real Lolita, was published.

      She states:
      “By exploring the life of Sally Horner in The Real Lolita, I reveal the truth behind the curtain of fiction.”
      “What Humbert Humbert (in Lolita) did to Dolores Haze is, in fact, what Frank La Salle did to Sally Horner in 1948.”

      https://www.thedailybeast.com/meet-the-real-lolita-who-inspired-nabokovs-novel?ref=home

      But I find Nabokov to be even more relevant to current events. He was a master of messages. His writing technique is reminiscent of all the subtext found in the Trump- Russia saga and the presentation of the Mueller Report. It all feels like the interplay of fabula and siuzhet. The following article may provide further insight:

      “The Signs and Symbols in Nabokov’s “Signs and Symbols” – by Alexander Dolinin”

      “In his famous letter to Katharine A. White, the chief editor of The New Yorker, while explaining the intricate riddle-like structure of “The Vane Sisters,” which had been rejected by the magazine, Nabokov mentioned that some of his stories written in the past had been composed according to the same system “wherein a second (main) story is woven into, or placed behind, the superficial semitransparent one”
      …..
      …..
      “Narration of this kind not only hides or masks the important event but also provides the reader with adequate means to deduce it and thereby construe the fabula in its entirety. Relevant information related to the omitted event (or events) is encrypted in the siuzhet as a kind of intratextual riddle (often supported by intertextual references), and specifically marked clues to the pertinent code are implanted into the text.”

      https://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/dolinin.htm

      • errant aesthete says:

        Savage Librarian,

        Unquestionably, the most interesting thing I read today.

        Where to begin: Vladimir Nabokov’s inspiration for his lead character, fictitious twelve-year-old Dolores Haze, in his epic novel “Lolita,” published in 1955, contrasted with the recently published (2018) non-fiction book, “The Real Lolita” featuring the true account of eleven-year-old Sally Horner kidnapped in 1948 in a Woolworth’s in Camden, NJ.

        Or the puzzles aka ‘signs and signals’ you reference by Alexander Dolinin with its emphasis on numerical sequences and patterning, or the letter to Katherine A. White at The New Yorker explaining his “intricate riddle-like structure.”

        Or the mysterious saga and curious timing of the reappearance of Trump friend and money man, Jeffrey Epstein, who according to a former cop who’s been investigating the convicted pedophile for more than a decade, lost all interest in his alleged victims “when they lost their braces and pubescent look.”

        And your astute observation on Nabokov’s writing technique being “reminiscent of all the subtext found in the Trump- Russia saga and the presentation of the Mueller Report.”

        And finally, this added and wondrous discovery (at least for me): “It all feels like the interplay of fabula and siuzhet.” I’ve never heard of story and plot put quite like this before. Might that have anything to do with the origins of Savage Librarian?

        What a treasure trove of sleuthing, factfinding and fascination. One can only hope that Mueller’s upcoming appearance at Wednesday’s house hearing will capture a fraction of what you’ve outlined.

        Worthy of note: I listened to “The Report,” Lawfare’s podcast this morning. It was the first episode and launch of their new podcast documentary series that will air over the next several weeks and months to explain what is actually in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report. It features Lawfare analysts and many of the journalists who broke and reported on key stories from the report.

        What’s evident is they’ve paid attention to what’s been done, and devised a technique of their own. “Various folks have made efforts to make the document easier to consume: the report is now an audiobook; it’s been staged as a play; there have been live readings. We took a different approach: a serialized narrative podcast.”

        “The extended network of writers, experts, lawyers, and journalists around Lawfare represents a unique body of expertise in the public conversation of the issues discussed in the report. So we teamed up with Goat Rodeo, a podcast production group in Washington, to use that group of people as a lens through which to tell the story contained in the report. The first episode, entitled “Active Measures,” is now out and covers the Russian social media campaign and the activities of the Internet Research Agency.”
        [https://www.lawfareblog.com/introducing-report-podcast-series-lawfare]

        The collaborative effort between experts, lawyers, and journalists with a creative audio agency of producers, strategists, and storytellers is a win! They do for audio, what the house hearings so desperately need done for video. I highly recommended.

        Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czWH7tBOLGw

  10. Vicks says:

    Holy crap.
    S Miller on Fox/Chris Wallace just now.
    So many thoughts.
    Trump will not be happy with Fox this weekend either.
    Was sending out such an obvious stooge deliberate? Even on Fox only the actors in thier “entertainment” division would have had the skills to play along with the crap Miller was spewing. Was this a set up for a Fox/MAGA show down?
    Is this Wallace’s last stand?

    • Tom says:

      Watched the interview and had the impression that Miller thought he came off rather well. At least he wasn’t escorted out of the studio by security staff. Actually, I’d like to see Miller in front of the cameras more often; he sounds and looks so odious, especially when he puts on that Crypt Keeper smile. And I’d like to see more Republicans asked to explain exactly how President Trump is defending Western civilization and how he has exemplified the values of Western civilization in his private, public, and political life.

      • Vicks says:

        Yep the whole racist angle is simplistic and does not address a single issue or problem.
        What it does do is tell them who is to blame for the fact that even this economy people are working their asses off and don’t have jack to show for it. Get the masses so whipped up about immigration they will hardly notice that the billions Trump has gifted his corporate pals is not quite on par with whatever measly amount is in your401k.

  11. Jenny says:

    Thanks Rayne. There are no accidents. In 2008 Epstein and R. Kelly were exposed for sex trafficking. Not taken seriously, Kelly acquitted and Epstein received a sweet deal. Covered up for years and now exposed again.

    Epstein and Kelly are two big names in the press, now in jail. Sex trafficking is worldwide, has been for eons. Many more unnamed sex traffickers have yet to be exposed. This will expose money laundering, drugs and more corruption.

    The rancid can of worms for registered sex offender Epstein has been opened. Look at the players in his orbit for years. Eventually, Epstein’s well-known individuals will go down and his gang of abusers.

    Where Are They Now? The biggest players in the Jeffrey Epstein case.
    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=yPjn6rcJqsI)

    • Mongoose says:

      I hope you are right, but as a consequence of long-term observation of the political corruption scene here in Washington, I am a pessimist. Irrefutable evidence of criminal behavior among Trump and Epstein’s well-placed cronies can be spread across the media but isn’t worth a bucket of hot spit without indictments, prosecutions, and convictions, which Barr (Trump) will not allow in SDNY or the State system. (The argument that he has no reach into State judicial systems is weak against the power of blackmail, bribery, and death threats.)

      One case involves the infamous “DC Madam,” who was found hanging in her mother’s garage in Florida soon after her conviction on various charges and the revelation that her “little black book” contained the names of a multitude of well-known government officials and Congress critters, including David Vitter. Her death was promptly declared a “suicide” by local law enforcement after no investigation. There are many such stories.

  12. Krisy says:

    I’ve been wondering if the Pizza-gate conspiracy theory was originally planted by the Russian government. It recently came out that the Russians planted the Seth Rich murdered by the Clintons CT to help Trump – so could it be that the Russians planted what would become the Pizza-gate CT to provide cover for Trump in case the Epstein human trafficking came to light? So Trump could say to his followers- ‘we are not the pedophiles, the Dems are the Pizza-gate pedophiles, everybody’s been talking about this Pizza-gate….’

    This is my first comment. I’ve been lurking here for awhile. I’m so glad this site exists. Thank you for the work you do.

    • BobCon says:

      My guess is that there is a symbiotic relationship between domestic and Russian trolls on a lot of issues. I suspect the Russians are focused more on amplifying theories developed in the US — there’s a benefit to letting Americans guage what works in America, and develop the language.

      But I also don’t doubt there is a lot of crossing of boundaries going on, and cases like Rich where propaganda starts primarily on the Russian side.

      I think the key thing is not to see the Russians as an isolated phenomenon. They’re part of a network, along with Murdoch, the Mercers and others, and their actions are best interpreted as key but not sole actors.

      • Krisy says:

        Great reply. Scary. But helpful in wrapping my mind around all this.

        I remember when the separating of families came to light and the Trump admin showed us pics of where they were holding the boys but it took them a few weeks to, lamely, show where the girls were. (There was that video taken of little girls in Manhattan being shuttled to a new location in the middle of the night). I suspected at the time that someone/s had thought they hit the jackpot with a payout of little girls.

        It’s all so sickening. And I guess I’m a bit naive still because I have a little disbelief that the Opus Dei-The Family types would accept this treatment of girls as a bump in the road to obtaining their goals. But that little bit of disbelief is fading fast. I hope, hope, hope that all of this comes out into the light of day.

        I’m hoping that someone, who can do it justice, will make a documentary series about all this.

      • Tom says:

        Some of the Russians involved probably got some private satisfaction out of pulling their own stunts to see how gullible some Americans could be. I think of the incident described in the Mueller report where Russian agents operating in the U.S. were able to persuade some Americans outside the White House to carry signs saying. “Happy Birthday Dear Boss!” when it was the Russians’ boss’s 55th birthday.

    • Willis Warren says:

      I haven’t seen anything specifically tracing the origin of Seth Rich to Russia, although they did promote the theory. Do you have evidence for that? Killary was always a thing, dating back to Vince Foster, and it was always *kind of* batshit.

      I’d like some way to go back to the 911 days on Myspace and see the profiles that were promoting the “inside job” nonsense. That would be interesting to see if Russia amplified that as well. By the time they were promoting Ron Paul, people seemed to have at least been watching a bit, but before that, not so much.

      I spent a lot of time hunting anti semitic profiles on Myspace, posing as young girls, etc… It’s always been a thing, but I would guess the Russians just adopted domestic methods and amplified them, as they don’t seem overly adept at new ideas.

  13. Tracy Lynn says:

    I’m spending my Sunday morning in a church waiting for my Rep., Zoe Lofgren to speak at a town hall.

    • bmaz says:

      Please ask Zoey what in the hell it will take for her to think “it is time” to open a mere investigative inquiry. Is she willing to honor her oath of office and defend the Constitution, or is she just another timid political hack like Pelosi who is derelict in her duties and oath of office?

    • Tracy Lynn says:

      Well, it was disappointing, but not surprising. Questions/comments were vetted by members of the League of Women Voters — which of course, meant that they picked and chose the questions she would answer. So when the “i” word came up, the one question they chose asked why she didn’t support impeachment. *sigh* She didn’t go full Pelosi mode (“impeachment doesn’t mean removal…”) and she didn’t explain her reasoning except to say “…we need to have facts — right now we have a report that is secondhand, but we need firsthand accounts of the facts…” No questions on supporting/opening an inquiry into impeachment. The meeting ran long, even though everyone was on their best behavior (probably because we were in a church). I had to blast out of there to get to an appointment so I couldn’t stay to talk with her after.

        • Tracy Lynn says:

          The audience was a representative slice of her district, I think. I’d say the group was 45% Asian/55% White, and very few Hispanic/Latin folks. There were a few guys wearing t-shirts with anti-Trump slogans. Every time Zoe mentioned Trump, the audience groaned –but that was the extent of any kind of outcry. Everyone listened respectfully and let her say whatever she wanted without comment. The one topic of the most interest was immigration–almost all the questions revolved around that, and not tangentially, the situation at the border. Apparently Zoe has made a few visits to the border to check out the situation herself.

          The church itself is very involved in our community with outreach to our burgeoning homeless population and hosting a rotating women’s shelter, among several other programs.

          Honestly, the cynic in me thinks that the audience didn’t want to be disrespectful inside that beautiful church, which might explain the quiet acceptance of Zoe’s comments.

      • timbo says:

        Yes, the question should have been when she would support impeachment… against a DP President. What process would it take for her to vote to impeach a sitting DP President?

    • Democritus says:

      That rocks! That’s a big part of how we get out of this mess. We become active, and talk to one another.

  14. mospeck says:

    Nice trifecta, and saving the best for last
    >Fusion GPS Glenn Simpson Jan 18 testimony before the House Permanent on alternative systems of financing

  15. Watson says:

    I’d be interested in hearing a podcast/convo of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama discussing the current political situation.

  17. Vicks says:

    IMHO In an effort to make sure Trump was able to tempt his followers with the opportunity to, as Colbert describes it “get thier hate rocks off” instead of listening to anything about Mueller’s testimony, Trump scheduled a rally and THOUGHT he rescheduled ice raids (once they knew Mueller was testifying) to keep his people focused.
    If you look at the cancelling, rescheduling and then the final non-event of the raids, everything was done within 24 hours of breaking news of Mueller testifying and rescheduling.
    Mueller’s testimoney could be big. I think we need to consider that Trump has a plan to respond accordingly.

    • Vicks says:

      Looks like someone used really bad filters on that aging ap.
      If there is a satan; one of his best tricks will have been how he was able to convince these people god has different rules for them.

  20. P J Evans says:

    Eureka says: July 21, 2019 at 9:38 pm

    If only the train *had* been headed into the wind…. (The station’s platforms run north/south. Unfortunately, so does the wind in this area – @#$%^&*!! Santa Ana.) Everyone was glad to get aboard and into the nice warm cars. Now if it just came with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate…)

    • Eureka says:

      If a train, lacking amenities, travels 32 mph north-south with the Santa Ana winds blowing 67mph, how can you find your way not leave your heart in San Francisco?

  21. Boro says:

    Hello,

    This is a book on the Franklin Cover Up. It was written by Senator John Campbell, a state Senator from Nebraska who was actively involved with the investigation.

    It is available to read on line for free on the Internet Archives. Perhaps with awareness our lives can change. People need to open up their hearts and listen to their fellow Americans. There is still much to learn.

    https://archive.org/details/TheFranklinCover-upByFormerGreenBeretJohnDecamp

    [Welcome back to emptywheel. Please use the same username each time you comment so that community members get to know you. The username you attempted to use on this comment would have been your fifth to date; it has been reverted to one you’ve used previously. Using different usernames repeatedly = sockpuppeting, which is not permitted. /~Rayne]

  22. Jenny says:

    Frontline-PBS Jane Elliott “Class Divided” Blue Eyed vs Brown Eyed People

    https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/class-divided/
    The day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, a teacher in a small town in Iowa tried a daring classroom experiment. She decided to treat children with blue eyes as superior to children with brown eyes. FRONTLINE explores what those children learned about discrimination and how it still affects them today.

    • Eureka says:

      As you mention PBS documentaries, I am reminded of your link recommending the _Roll Tide Roll_ doc some days/weeks ago. I saw it when it aired and it was a great, if troubling, watch. Different topic than your thread here, though speaks to ongoing current events in important ways.

      • Jenny says:

        Yes, “Red Roll Red” difficult at times to watch; however vital topic. Excellent documentary with a twist. Clearly points out the rape culture in high school, a system of cover ups and “boys will be boys” mentally.

        An excellent book covering the legal justice system in a college town about rapes at the University of Montana by some football players is “Missoula” by Jon Krakauer.

        This investigative book covers victims, perpetrators, the defense, prosecutors, police, the college administration/policy and DOJ perspective about the rape culture. He unearths a broken system in need or repair.

        • Eureka says:

          Thank you Jenny for correcting the title– I used the wrong chant (!!!)– common, tho pivoted, topic of football.

          And that sounds like an important book.

          Towards the broader cultural problems, reminds me of the recent feature in The Atlantic– I mean to comment on this earlier; perhaps someone already has:

          An Epidemic of Disbelief:
          What new research reveals about sexual predators, and why police fail to catch them
          [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/08/an-epidemic-of-disbelief/592807/]

          Excellent thread of excerpts by the author:

          Barb Bradley Hagerty: “1/ Rape is the easiest violent crime to get away with. I’ve spent nearly a year researching why for @TheAtlantic—talking with victims, police, prosecutors, and researchers. Here’s what I found.[…]”
          [https://twitter.com/barbarabradleyh/status/1150765522029555717]

          ETA, more from thread:

          “4/ Prodded by @RachelDissell at @ThePlainDealer, Cleveland launched a task force and found 7,000 untested rape kits and tested them for DNA. The kits identified hundreds of rapists who had eluded detection for years. So far, some 750 men have been indicted and 400 convicted.”

          “7/ But the scariest finding is the sheer number of serial rapists. Researchers found that about one in five rapes in Cleveland was committed by a serial predator. That’s 480 serial rapists in one midsize city. Think about what that means for Los Angeles or New York.”

          “8/ That means if police believe women, and test their kits, they can stop a rapist earlier, before he assaults again. One victim—who was raped by a man whose DNA turned up in 22 rape kits—talks about all those preventable rapes.(…)”

          “10/ How have these SAKI sites done? The good news: 41 sites launched 5,500 investigations and won 498 pleas or convictions. The bad: 2 cities, Cleveland and Detroit, account for 38 percent of the new investigations and 82 percent of the convictions.”

          “13/ So what’s stopping police? An abiding skepticism of women who report rape. That’s what two researchers, @beckibooks of @MichiganStateU and Cassia Spohn of @ASU, concluded after analyzing files from hundreds of rape investigations in Detroit and L.A.(…)”

          “14/ They found police pursue cases involving “righteous victims”—women raped by a stranger, who fought back and were clean of drugs or alcohol. But if the victim knew the assailant, the woman “got what she got”; police spoke skeptically about “party rapes” and “buyer’s remorse.””

        • Jenny says:

          Eureka the title of the documentary is Roll Red Roll. I was wrong.

          Thanks for links. All about exposure and raising the consciousness of how women are poorly treated, disrespected and not believed when reporting a rape.

          “When an individual is raped in this country, more than 90 percent of the time the rapist gets away with the crime.”

        • Eureka says:

          Jenny, are you familiar with the Abbott & Costello comedy routine “Who’s on First?”

          I am laughing because our various mini-scrambles here are reminding me of that classic, even if it’s not quite the same thing (in fact it’s kind of the opposite– at least we knew what we were talking about, even if others didn’t until you straightened the whole thing out.)

          Anyway, foibles can make for good cheer!

  23. Jenny says:

    Rayne, I sent 3 posts this morning, same one because I thought there was a glitch. Did not show up. Do you know why?

    Of course I will resent; just did not want to be repetitive. Thanks in advance.

    • Rayne says:

      I just pulled the latest one out of the spam bin and approved it. I don’t know why the algorithm flagged it as spam, nothing in it appears obviously spammy. ??

      • Jenny says:

        Thanks Rayne. I thought something was odd. I appreciate you moving it from the Spammy Zone.

  24. harpie says:

    LOL!…this thread:
    https://twitter.com/OhNoSheTwitnt/status/1131218030225027072 [The Volatile Mermaid]
    8:19 AM – 22 May 2019

    – The Liar, the Snitch, and the War Crimes – Moby Dickhead – Animal Harm – White Pride & Prejudice – Of ICE and Men – Don of Bowling Green Gables – A Tinkle in Crime – To Kill a Democracy – Grifty Shades of Grey – The Catcher in the Lie – The Boy Schmuck Club #DonJrBookTitles
    – The Grand Wizard of Oz – Charlotte’s Web of Lies – The Deplorax – Belittle Women – The Perks of Being a Wall-builder – The I Can’t Count of Monte Cristo – What To Expect When You’re Going to Prison – The Giving Treason #DonJrBookTitles

    • Eureka says:

      OK it’s hard to pick favorites from this list, but chef’s kiss to: Don of Bowling Green Gables; Grifty Shades of Grey; The Deplorax; Belittle Women

    • Tracy Lynn says:

      Can’t WAIT to read “The Liar, the Snitch, and the War Crimes,” “Moby Dickhead,” “The Boy Schmuck Club” and “Of ICE and Men.”

    • Rayne says:

      That story smells so badly it’s not funny. He was going to speak at a sober living facility. That’s where addicts and dealer/addicts live while adapting to sobriety. Either somebody didn’t do any advance work at all OR this isn’t the real story.

      • P J Evans says:

        I’ll believe they didn’t do all their advance work. The guy apparently is involved with a drug rehab place, though I’m not sure I’d trust one with him involved. (It sounds like the expensive one that was in Pasadena, which pretty much let the patients do what they wanted.)

        The important bits:

        Jeff Hatch, who agreed in federal court Friday to plead guilty and will face up to four years in prison, works for an opioid addiction treatment center in southern New Hampshire that Pence was set to visit. A former New York Giants player, he has spoken publicly for years about his own challenge with drug and alcohol addiction, which ended his football career.

        He has been on stage with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and is known throughout the state for warning students about the dangers of using drugs. “He has been beaten down in the past, but now stands tall in front of audiences to personally share his compelling story,” says a listing offering him to speak to groups.

      • earlofhuntingdon says:

        I’ll take Door No. 2.

        These clowns have a record of not doing the most basic vetting. Or they do it and approve someone or thing anyway because Trump, which includes canceling something because Trump.

        • Rayne says:

          If they found out mid-air or even on the tarmac that a person of questionable background was there, why didn’t they call the advance team at the venue and ask them to pull that person out? There’s photos of people just standing around at the venue, waiting, could have done something.

          I’m struggling with the idea Pence avoids being near ex-cons. He’s never been at a venue where Dinesh D’Souza might have been present?

          Something bigger than a convicted felon’s caused Air Force 2 to reverse its course.

  26. Tom says:

    According to a CTV News report from July 21st citing an Abacus Data survey, about 79% of Canadians would vote the Democrat ticket if they were allowed to vote in the 2020 Presidential election, with Biden, Sanders, Warren, Harris, and Buttigieg being the top five picks.

  27. orionATL says:

    the long cite from glenn simpson’s testimony is astonishing and revealing. i’ve never run across this aspect of trump’s endemic illegality before. it’s a shame simpson didn’t write up all he knew for the Clinton campaign – or some reporter doesn’t write up his testimony to the committee. we are left only with the informative but relatively innocuous steele “dossier”, which won’t put anyone behind bars as would fraud.

    • Rayne says:

      You should look for and read Simpson’s HPSCI testimony. It’s a fairly straightforward snappy read.

      As for a write-up to be given to Clinton — I can’t recall off the top of my head if either committee actually asked for that report, but it might have fallen under attorney-client privilege since it was a law firm that ordered Fusion’s research.

  28. orionATL says:

    as for the firing of David iglesias, he had a reputation as a real straight-arrow – actually as i recall most of the 7 fired had this reputation. senator domenici and rep. wilson were pissed at iglesias for not investigating “voter fraud” in time to help wilson’s campaign. karl rove listened. this was the time (2006) when the Republican party’s voter fraud tactic for winning elections was just getting started (and voter i.d. requirements, and stripping voters from the rolls) – all the tactics that allow them to win close elections like wisconsin in 2016 (300k voters striped from the rolls).

    https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article24550777.html

    https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/roves-role-in-us-attorney-firing-detailed/

    there may have been more than this but here’s a start.

    • Rayne says:

      We covered the “Gonzales Seven” scandal here at this site — just short of 100 posts (assuming all the posts were tagged/categorized correctly). The voter fraud claims were bullshit just as they are now; the statistics haven’t changed. That’s why Iglesias didn’t invest a lot of resources into what was a political exercise. We’ve known this.

      Now look at it from the perspective more than a decade offers us: Wilson and Domenici were trying to use the DOJ to shake down and suppress Democratic voters.

      And the failure to engage in voter suppression was used as an argument to fire Iglesias for doing his real job.

      Ask yourself what it was the GOP didn’t want Iglesias doing?

      EDIT: Link to the DOJ’s OIG-OPR report following investigation into the USA purge. Do a search for “voter fraud” and note how heavily this term concentrates on Iglesias compared to any of the other USAs. They had nothing else to use against him to get him out of the way except this drummed up crap.

      • bmaz says:

        Yep. And I will add that one of the purged USA’s was, and is, a friend of mine and my wife’s. He certainly was not happy about it, but accepted it, as you say, as a political exercise. He kept his head up and has done fine out of government.

  29. Tom says:

    Reading the CNN report of people in Tennessee intervening to prevent ICE agents from seizing a neighbor of theirs, it strikes me that immigration activists are becoming the new abolitionists, ICE agents are like slave catchers trying to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law, and sanctuary cities and the like are components of the new underground railway.

    • orionATL says:

      extract from handout to hispanic neighbors:

      CUIDADO!

      No deje que la poli/migra-ice entre a su hogar sin permisso!

      ICE debe presentar una orden judicial firmada por un juez… NO abra la puerta!

      Ejerce tus derechos constitutionales

      Lucha por tus derechos!

    • orionATL says:

      thanks, p.j.

      i’ve been looking for info on the trial but all that shows up on search engine is “trial begins”. got a few sources to help me out? i’d really like to read the back and forth.

  33. Rayne says:

    Putting this in the last open thread so as not to clutter the Mueller-related thread.

    Guess I need a fresh ‘whip it’ post, hmm?

    • Eureka says:

      *madly typing cat GIF*

      At least that’s what I imagine after tomorrow for your whip list ;)

      *change that to a madly-typing cat-in-a-Devo-hat GIF/still

        • Eureka says:

          lol, I should have refreshed first. I tried to drag in a nice gif(t) to drop at your feet– came close (see below)! Whoda thunk there are no pix of cats typing _with_ Devo hats.

          Also I am excited that I can see this image in situ! I love that one, too.

          However, NOT excited for how Mueller Time conflicts with my diurnal preferences.

      • Eureka says:

        Unless google’s got ’em, I see no _typing_ cats in Devo hats. A couple have *blue* Devo hats (no clue about sites that host them/etc. so just giving preview links). They are a little more sweet-kitteh than bad-ass, though one’s really good. Would have to be a homemade/ clip-art-ish thing.

        [https://duckduckgo.com/?q=typing+cat+in+devo+hat&t=h_&iax=images&ia=images]

        [https://duckduckgo.com/?q=cat+in+devo+hat&t=h_&ia=images&iax=images]

    • klynn says:

      Might a “whip it” public recusal demand for McFadden on Dt’s lawsuit to recuse himself be included?

    • harpie says:

      Oh, didn’t realize what I was missing over here at this thread!
      I still haven’t mastered multitaskingthreading.

    • harpie says:

      Thanks for this, Jenny. lol

      Porter said she also teaches the Constitution to 12- and 13-year-old Boy Scouts “who understand this concept that the president doesn’t, that the largest sets of powers in our Constitution reside with the legislature, they reside with Congress. Why? Because Congress is the closest to the people.”

      LOVE Katie Porter!

  35. harpie says:

    [For some reason, Trump has nothing on his public schedule until 4:30pm today.]

    TRUMP TWEETS TODAY
    1] https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1153980875488542720
    3:50 AM – 24 Jul 2019

    So Democrats and others can illegally fabricate a crime, try pinning it on a very innocent President, and when he fights back against this illegal and treasonous attack on our Country, they call It Obstruction? Wrong! Why didn’t Robert Mueller investigate the investigators?

    2] https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1153984090712018950
    4:03 AM – 24 Jul 2019

    It was NEVER agreed that Robert Mueller could use one of his many Democrat Never Trumper lawyers to sit next to him and help him with his answers. This was specifically NOT agreed to, and I would NEVER have agreed to it. The Greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. history, by far!

  36. Jenny says:

    Rayne, this one is for you.

    FBI Director Christopher Wray Admits He Hasn’t “Read Every Single Word” of the Mueller Report
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-director-christopher-wray-admits-he-hasnt-read-every-single-word-of-the-mueller-report/

    “Have you read the Mueller report?” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, asked Wray as he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

    “I’ve reviewed it,” the FBI director said. “I wouldn’t say I’ve read every single word.”

    • Rayne says:

      At first I was upset about this, but then I realized he’s probably seen all manner of products that went into this report and likely has a better grasp of what is and isn’t in it than anyone of us who’s read it has.

  37. harpie says:

    RAYNE,
    Here’s a thread and chart for you:
    Cheryl Rofer Retweeted
    https://twitter.com/bindersab/status/1153993733840543747
    4:42 AM – 24 Jul 2019

    Before Mueller time starts….A snapshot of House Democratic support for starting impeachment inquiry. Those who most recently jumped on bandwagon include more vulnerable Dems (in red, SW corner of graph). Good benchmark for assessing whether/which Dem jump on board post-Mueller.

Comments are closed.