Hillary’s First Loyalty

[This column by my friend and Union editorial board member Norm Sauer (pictured) was published as a lead op-ed column in today’s (16jul16) Union.  Norm sent me a copy for early posting here, but I chose to hold back and not steal his thunder from the newspaper.  gjr]

Norm Sauer

What a week it was for Hillary Clinton.

On Tuesday after her husband Bill met with attorney general Loretta Lynch in a plane on the Phoenix airport tarmac, President Obama lauds, “there has never been any man or woman more qualified for this office than Hillary Clinton.”

Concurrently, FBI Director James Comey delivers a blistering indictment of Hillary’s extremely careless handling of highly sensitive emails. He concludes 110 emails in 52 email chains contained classified information when sent, and of those eight chains were top secret and seven contained the most sensitive secrets our government protects. None of these emails “should have been on any kind of unclassified system.” Stunningly, he then declares “no reasonable prosecutor” (Lynch?) would bring charges against Hillary.

By the day’s end, Hillary and the mainstream media believe she is out of hot water. But the fat lady wasn’t singing for Hillary quite yet.

Comey warned his recommendation for no indictment did not suggest a person in similar circumstances as Hillary would face no consequences: “To the contrary, those individuals are often subject to security or administrative sanctions.” Any other government official could still face consequences such as being fired or demoted. But, could Hillary now be promoted to the presidency of the United States?

Suggesting “the fix” was in, before Congress Comey revealed the FBI did not review Hillary’s prior sworn Congressional testimony about her emails during its investigation, and that Hillary was not under oath when interviewed by the FBI after Lynch’s tarmac meeting with husband Bill.

Nevertheless, Comey’s testimony of the FBI’s findings reveals Hillary may very well have committed perjury in her earlier Congressional testimony prompting a referral from Congress to the FBI for such crime(s). The lies concern Hillary’s testimony she used “one device” not several; that no emails were “marked classified” when sent or received; that there were no security breaches to her email; that she communicated with officials on their .gov emails, instead of their personal accounts; and that the State Department was careful with classified emails.

Forgotten in all this is that earlier this year Fox News reported that the FBI inquiry into Hillary had expanded into a public corruption investigation — specifically “whether the possible ‘intersection’ of Clinton Foundation work and State Department business may have violated public corruption laws.” For example, the New York Times reported last year that when Hillary was Secretary of State, the head of a Canadian uranium company funneled more than $2 million to the Clinton Foundation when it needed approval from the State Department to sell control of the company to the Russian atomic energy agency. And there are many other examples of the Clintons being paid extraordinary sums of money from foreign sources surrounding Hillary’s service as Secretary of State.

In his remarks before Congress, Comey was silent on the public corruption track, declining to say whether the Clinton Foundation was being investigated. One would hope Comey would be transparent about whether or not a public corruption investigation is ongoing. As with Comey’s disclosure of Hillary’s handling of national security emails, the American people deserve to know sooner than later.

Additionally, the State Department announced that it was reopening its own investigation into Hillary’s mishandling of classified emails, according to the Associated Press. The internal investigation could lead to a number of administrative penalties, including stripping Hillary and her top aides of their security clearances.

That same day, a group of senators led by Marco Rubio are pushing for a law stripping Hillary of her security credentials in the event the intelligence community won’t charge her.

If Hillary became our President it would be impossible for her to function without security clearance.

Despite all these challenges one must remember President Obama can pardon Hillary for any and all crimes committed by her before he leaves office. The questions remains, however, whether he can do anything to reinstate her security clearance should she be stripped of the same.

After 30 years of highest level government experience as first lady, as U.S. Senator from New York, and as Secretary of State, it is hard to believe Hillary was or is clueless regarding emails and national security. Rather, it’s more likely she had her own personal emails to keep her business dealings beyond the reach of public and congressional scrutiny and accountability.

For Hillary, whatever suits her needs is more important than what the country needs. Indeed, Hillary’s first loyalty is Hillary.

Comments

[Bonnie McGuire]

After what happened at Benghazi, and her carelessly leaking classified information, can you imagine the danger our military would experience if she became their Commander-in-Chief. I wonder if some voters realize that's what the President is. Wow! With all the investigations of her illegal, or negligent behavior it's surprising that she's not disqualified. Can you imagine what would happen to anyone else over nothing?

[Russ Steele]

Posted this in the Comments section under Norm's article [edited here]

Norm, Well said! If HilLIARy is elected, the nation will have elected the most corrupt woman in the US to the highest office in the land, where she will continue to fleece the people who elected her. This can only happen in a failed nation.

[Editorial note: Watch the Union Comments, the left will be splitting a gut over this article, little blue donkeys running down their legs.]

[Todd Juvinall]

Norm's recap and warnings should be heeded by all voters. Crooked Hillary is unfit to lead this great nation. She is a demagogue and full of entitlement. Boot her sorry ass to the sideline of history.

[George Boardman]

Norm, here's a point of etiquette: It's a no-no in the news biz to scoop the publication you write for. If you want to give your friends a preview of something you write, it should be with the understanding they will keep it to themselves until article is published. Not everybody is as prudent as Dr. R.

[George Rebane]

GeorgeB 125pm - For the record Mr Boardman, Norm did send me a subsequent email advising me to hold off the posting of his column. The 'hold off' period was not specified but I took it to mean until it appeared in The Union. If there is any confusion about these communications, the fault is mine and not Norm's. Nevertheless, your point is well taken; mea culpa.

[xxxxxxxx]

aacckkk. I'm bored with all of this.

Hillary Clinton's handling of communications is more a matter of incompetence in handling modern communications. She is treating email and email servers, as a form of telephone rather than a globally-accessible database.

If she has a fault, it's probably in two forms:

1) She (and her dear hubby) are corrupt. They have become quite rich selling political access and favors.

2) She is as crazy as a shit-house rat. Read any (and I mean any) White House tell-all about her as either First Lady or as the Secretary of State. See how she deals with staff.

Her politics (ie. pro-global interest, pro-big money, pro-ethnic special interest) are just a side effect of much bigger than average ambitious nature. To be fair, that's a side effect of practically anyone running for that office.

Is she better than Trump? Hell if I know. Is an evil person worse than someone who is a cipher?

[Russ Steele]

You know XXXXXX if you were to use your real name your opinions would have a lot more weight and intellectual impact. I will be honest, I look at who posted the comment before I read it and XXXXX does not deserve my time. Thanks for your understanding If I do not comment on your post.

[xxxxxxxx]

"You know XXXXXX if you were to use your real name, etc."

My apologies Russ, as this seems to be your blog to police I'll happily stay out of it. No doubt your time is highly valuable.

The truth is that we live in an age when those of use who are employed are simply unable to express an opinion publicly. As I'd prefer to keep a job, I'll simply wander off into the night until I have the ability to do otherwise as a retiree.

Please continue doing God's work.

[Walt]

The "X" man must work for the county.(or Nevada City) Nope,, can't blame the guy.(or gal)

Hillary is no better than the common *hore. She won't give anyone the time of day if there is no money in it. And it better be six figures at the minimum. She gave her ONE freebee out just the other night. She called Bill O'Reilly's show on FOX. But only after Trump did.
You can bet her handlers made sure no questions from Bill about "other" matters would be asked.

[George Rebane]

re XXXXX 654pm - One does wonder what kind of job the person has that would cause him? to be fired for the rather vanilla comments he has shared in these pages. But I suppose he knows his situation and has come to accept his position as a replaceable plebe. Pity.

[Bill Tozer]

Dr. Rebane!
To admonish you gently....uh...I hate to see you embarrass yourself...uh......I take it that you have been out of the workforce for a couple of years.......like the time I discovered Fox was anti-Trump, which came as a humongous surprise to me, but nobody else here. Hey, I am living without the boob tube, duh. But, the Doc was gentle with me.. In return;

things have changed in 7 or 5 or 2 years, with random flurry of changes in a short time spans, and then bi-monthly, then your humble reader said, I ain't working on Maggie's Farm no more. Ouuta here, long time no come see.

As your field representative for "corporate America" and the private sector's street sweeper, I could never say anything to press, radio, print, media, social media statement to the press, radio, and film...Internet, airwaves......blah, blah, blah. Company is publicly traded and 60,000 employees in the States was my division, but that rule applied to all, each and every one of us...no nothing without prior approval from the fleets of lawyers with jets out of Chicago and the corporate government relations divisons, media division, public relations folk spread all around.

I have been on a special oversight board of a good and good sized charity in our beautiful twin cities and I could not have my image in the group picture (or name) for the Union to publish when it does is once a yearly focus of our local and international non-profits. I had to get prior approval to sit on any non-profit committee, board....that was not too long ago. Think MA Bell and the all the telephone companies and the regulated utilities and probably most of the Fortune 1,000 companies and then just keep working your way down from there. Common practice in 20016.
that was within the last 2-3 years. Upon walking out the door less than a year ago, they really started expanding programs and funny little software that scours the Internet searching for the keyword...that word is the company's name. On the clock, off the clock, at home, at work, at play, the machines are humming to see if the name is mentioned on this post, Twitter, FB, CNN, all print and visual media, and start working your way up and it all comes back down and lands of the regional chair warmer's desk. Then it really starts rolling downhill if the real Billy T said a no-no.. Just months ago?

Changes happen overnight..and I am just taking solely how the technology we develop on Thursay is turned right back to keep tabs on us Friday...just in case somebody like me has a heart attack out in the hinder lands and they can locate ya.....to send help. Rightttt.
We ain't even taking the local, county, or state workers. Just my view from my little bombshelter some place in time.

And now a private message to xxxxxxxx.
Think my name is my name? Heck no. I may be crazier than two rats in a sock, but I ain't stupid. But, it's me. Bill Tozer. And I ain't anybody else on the Internet, with some dead end trails thrown in behind me to protect the innoncent.

Drop that handle stupid handle xxxxxxx. That is too lame. WTF where you thinking, pilgrim? You can do better than that. A complete moron could. Let's try it again. There is a reset button around here somewhere. You never get a second chance to give a first impression. Write that handle off and may it never darken these pages again.

Sure, keep your real name for your mom if she calls, you friends you run into at the market and your real social media pages, But, xxxxxx is soooo lame!! Think man, think.

No Snapping Turtle, no Unknown Comic or The Avenger or Forestwalker...none of that shit or else you come out of the gate being a laughingstock and everybody just skims over what you wrote and calls you out for that stupid xxxxxxx. With a handle like xxxxx, your life expectancy is zero. We need to work on getting your message out.

Hmm, you know, we are shy on women here. Call yourself a good woman's name, doesn't have to great.....somewhere between Plain Jane and Kemo Slut. You figure it out. Then welcome aboard and load up your double barreled shotgun and draw a bead on That Woman, Ms. Clinton. We need to talk. But you gotta throw xxxxxx in the garbage heap first. Then it's party time!

And no changing it once you pick it. You are not allowed to have an evil twin. Stand tall and stand by your new name.
BTW, Tozer is the 36,000th most common name in America. Then Pelline started dropping hints about fire insurance and cutting back vines and I was going WTF is he talking about?? Then it hit me. Nah, there can't be another Bill Tozer in these parts. Impossible! I have been in towns with 100,000 and no Tozers. Zero. So, I figured it out and sure enough he had been cruising by some poor sap's house, probably snapping pictures and snarling, posting...hee hee heee, I found him! So, I had to come clean just to protect the innocence. Go figure. Another Bill Tozer. What are the odds.

So, xxxxx, don't use Billyjo Tozer. Sallie Mae ain't too bad, with the corruption angle already built in. Just stay one step of the FUE. I do remember that time he was creaming his jeans on social media cause he finally finally had his long search hit the jackpot. He found my FB page and he was shouting it from the hilltops. Busted,...not!

I may be crazy, but I ain't stoooopid. Way ahead on that one. Had friends show up long ago, snap some news pics and they brought old pics they had and we done created a FB page. My buddy got really into and even silk screened a TOZER tee shirt to be worn in the family portrait. It's was great. Imagine the FUE's glee when he found out I worked for a company called Satisfying Bowell Movement with a great company logo, He was all giddy and couldn't control himself...spreading the news around his town like an elephant with diarrhea. I waited, stood afar for a bit p, then said....pssttt, Pssst, you been puked, ROFLMFUEO. All you outta do is outsmart a half wit. Never heard a peep since. Odd.

[jon smith]

GR-
jon smith is as real as xxxxx, but like the pseudonym Bill Tozier, Walt, or fish lends a bit more of a face to my opinions. I won't get fired by using my birth name, but I would most assuredly lose bids, referrals, and find it a bit more challenging to put bread on the table. I contract our services to all manner of people, companies, and government entities. Most would prefer to do business with their own ilk, or at least a milk toast wallflower that won't be offensive to their customer base. I am an atheist and recently did work for a well known church. They apparently appreciate our work since they have been a repeat customer. I doubt they would be doing business with an atheist if they knew better. There are plenty of god fearing people who can do (almost) as a good a job as I can.

Being retired or on welfare (or both) has its benefits and the ability to freely express one's opinions without penalty is one. If Reinette stuck with simply selling her taco no one would have paid heed to her screed; yet 36 hours before she loosed her cops are killers post she took an oath of office and her ability to pursue truly free speech was hindered. I hope those who have left the work force and no longer contribute to our GDP can have a bit pf empathy for those of us who pay into your social security benefits. If birth names were required on all politically motivated blogs, the blogosphere would die a quick and merciful death do to lack of input.

[George Rebane]

re Use of Web Handles - I very much appreciate the considered responses from Messrs Tozer (1014pm) and smith (919pm) re my 745pm above. The issue of such anonymity is older than the web and has been treated off/on here since RR's launch (cf 'sackhead'). I don't want to divert discussion of this post's subject in this comment stream, so to give it a proper hearing, I am posting 'Web Handles - their use and abuse'. Let's continue this topic there. Thanks.

[Walt]

Plenty of people lose their "rights" to free speech Mr. Smith. Every person in the military loses their "right" to speak their mind. GOD help them if they say anything against the current "lead from behind" Commander in Chief. They can be thrown in the brig for "speaking their mind". Yet somehow someone who represents a community is immune and has a "right" to their opinion without backlash? She can go back to selling tacos. Good luck selling any.
another cop hating business is finding that out.
http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2016/07/15/cops-not-welcome-says-washington-state-restaurant-owner/

The place will be BK within a week.

[George Rebane]

Walt 1004am - Mr Branson, sorry for the delay in posting 'Web Handles ...'. Would you please repost your comment there. Thanks much.
http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2016/07/web-handles-their-use-and-abuse.html

[Russ Steele]

More Sanders voters say they will choose ‘other,’ or not vote, than back Clinton.

Supporters of rebel Democrat Sen. Bernie Sanders are not following his lead in backing Hillary Rodham Clinton, detouring away from the establishment Democrat to other candidates including Donald Trump.

A new Economist/YouGov poll showed that the email scandal, and FBI Director James Comey’s charge that Clinton’s behavior was “extremely careless,” has led Sanders backers to abandon the former secretary of State.

Since Comey’s House testimony, support for Clinton has dropped 12 points, to 41 percent. For the first time, Sanders supporters now prefer either someone else or they won’t vote.

It is the latest evidence that Clinton suffers from a trust and honesty deficit.

And some 14 percent support Trump, a number that has increased in the last month as the Sanders campaign died.

It appears the Comney's Verbal Indictment is having an impact.

[Bill Tozer]

Bill Tozer
Concerning Mr. Norm Sauer's post:
https://www.facebook.com/PatriotPost/photos/a.82108390913.80726.51560645913/10153858234090914/?type=3&theater
I always felt the Clinton Foundation is the biggy. By far. The calender tells me that the public corruption paper trail of the Foundation won't see the light of day for a couple years. Hillary donates 2 million to the Foundation to avoid taxes, the the Foundation turns away and gives it to the Clintons. Sweet. And that does not even begin to scratch the surface.....not even close to the stank..but an non issue for now.

Except for in the court of public opinion, email gate is a dead horse. Sure, the G-Man said we had to play this chapter at the feet of total incompetence, but if anybody else does the exact same thing that Hillary did....do not expect to get the Get Out Of Jail Free card.....no way, Jose! Do not try this at home or off to prison for you, lol
-
Now, the point. Do not dispair, to not throw your hands in the air and say "what difference does it matter anyway" and pull the covers over your heads and go back to sleep. Yes, we grow weary, we tire. Some have grown sick and tired of all these years of constant corruption investigations into Hillary.
Hillary, and Hillary alone has put this nation through scandal after scandal All this time and energy and resources expended into turning over rocks and uncovering the stank, another rock turned and more stank, and more stank, then more stank, and the stank just keeps getting stronger and more rancid as we get closer, leading directly to Hillary Rodman Clinton. This all could have been avoided with a little honesty from her. However, her first instinct is to lie, deny, coverup. She has never once been forthright. Instead we have to go through all this, time and time again. A simple drop of transparency, a little drop of truth now and then could have avoided all this..but the stank remains.

I grieve the death of Justice. But, take heart. The moment approaches that I have been waiting for. Not here yet, but get ready. Soon it will be time to put the armor on, not take it off and say "nothing to see here" All we have seen so far is small skirmishes and a few shots being fired back and forth. No more small search and destroy missions by a handful of scouts. The hour approaches when we will witness the Full Frontal Assualt on Hillary by the Republican nominee. Full Frontal Assault .
. Trump will take her and Obama head on mercilessly. He has to smoke her out as she will hide behind Obama. Trump has just been smoking them out, getting them into the open so far, starting with the two faced RINOs, Now that the media has finally joined forces with Hillary, timed with the massive and expensive ad blitz on Trump, she still has not managed to get some distance from Trump. Trump, once again, stood alone against the world and has stood his ground. We don't need no stinkin' scandals.
https://www.facebook.com/lastamericapatriots/photos/a.235087906641439.1073741826.235086849974878/678158905667668/?type=3&theater

When the Full Frontal Assualt finally gears up and comes down on Crooked Hillary, all we need to do is take our pitchforks and torches and place them in the ballot box. Simple. No sweat.

https://www.facebook.com/lastamericapatriots/photos/a.235087906641439.1073741826.235086849974878/678083975675161/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/lastamericapatriots/photos/a.235087906641439.1073741826.235086849974878/678081902342035/?type=3&theater

I still grieve the dead of Lady Justice. Another body to be laid at Hillary's doorstep.

https://www.facebook.com/PatriotPost/photos/a.82108390913.80726.51560645913/10153860045245914/?type=3&theater

[jon smith]

"the latest evidence that Clinton suffers from a trust and honesty deficit." Evidence, I think perhaps not.

Is the timing of Comney's statement and Hillary's ratings drop casual or causal? I read another poll citing basically the same numbers stating that Clinton's approval rating had dropped because voters felt police relations would remain the same under her as Obama.

[Russ Steele]

Hillary Clinton and her supporters can use the fact that she wasn’t indicted for extremely carelessly handling national security matters, but for the rest of us, there are a lot of questions still left unanswered. While this is by no means a comprehensive list, here are the most pressing:

1. What’s the difference between “extremely careless” and “gross negligence?”

2. Why weren’t Clinton’s aides indicted?

3. Why didn’t Comey push for a special prosecutor?

4. Why is it okay for Clinton to get off the hook over “convenience?”

5. Why did Clinton lie repeatedly if she did nothing wrong?

http://observer.com/2016/07/five-lingering-questions-from-clintons-email-scandal/

[Bill Tozer]

V
https://www.facebook.com/PatriotPost/photos/a.82108390913.80726.51560645913/10153869060320914/?type=3&theater