Sandbox - 23dec18

[Another hectic week has passed in the Trump administration.  Even FN is aping MSNBC and CNN with gotcha questions to their talking heads, questions like, ‘Now that no person experienced in military affairs would consider serving under a nationalist president like Trump, how is he going get someone qualified to fill the SecDef position?’  To those afflicted with TDS, this question is raw meat, and they will make the most of it describing a hopeless situation that will now compromise US national security.  On the other hand, none of those not so afflicted have brains to say, ‘Whoa!  To begin, I don’t accept your preamble to that question.  You need to make that case before you ask anyone to accept your question.'  Instead, the best these innocent snuffies are able to gurgle up is something like, ‘Well yes, it is a difficult situation and we hope that someone qualified will step up to the job.’  gjr]

Comments

[Walt]

Those saying "Trump is unqualified" forget the no nothing idiot they elected. A President that needed "OJT" for four years. A person that only voted "present" after getting elected as a Senator.

How short Proggy memories are.

[Walt]

Another day,, another million.
https://www.gofundme.com/TheTrumpWall

[Don Bessee]

Like this -

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/12/21/trump-faces-dwindling-list-possible-replacements-secdef-mattis.html

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/12/21/mattis-is-out-and-blackwater-is-back-we-are-coming/

;-)

[***M***]

,,,Our Petty President did not like the Mattis resignation letter so he makes a big deal of kicking him to the curb at the end of the year.

[***M***]

,,,The Great Trump Picket Fence design is taking shape,,,so 4th Century!!!

https://tinyurl.com/ybnlhnfj

[fish]

Posted by: ***M*** | 24 December 2018 at 08:23 AM

You never got back to the board dugsKKKi.....how many are sufficient for your needs?

[scenes]

"The Great Trump Picket Fence design is taking shape"

Bummer that it isn't purty like the fence voted for by all the (D) folks.

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/AR1TPW/nogales-arizona-a-section-of-the-border-fence-that-separates-the-united-AR1TPW.jpg

https://organpipehistory.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/border1.jpg

https://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/15926784.jpg

Remember back when the Blue Mob weren't open borders zealots? I do.

BTW, how's the organizing on the 420th Nevada City Volunteers going? Syria ain't gonna invade itself after all.

[***M***]

,,,interesting,,,with all the backslapping over Trump singlehandedly saving the economy prime age male unemployment is still at 18%!!!

https://tinyurl.com/yabzm4lb

[George Rebane]

What is "so 4th century" about a wall along parts of our southern border?

And Mr M, can you explain how your linked graphic relates to your 843am claim?

[Robert Cross]

Actually 4th century is wrong. The Great Wall of China was first started in 771 BC. trump's wall is so BC, would be a better phrase. trump's border wall is such a complete waste of money. Don't be surprised if the trump cartel absconds with the Go Fund me money like they did with donations to their phony foundation. $#sad

[scenes]

I think it's cute how the Blue Mob's sole problem with the Great Wall of Trump is the money.

That's BS obviously. There's a messianic need for Open Borders that's sweeping through the Mob and any ol' excuse for reducing security will do. What underlies that is a mystery to me. A lack of loyalty to your own nation or people? A need for comely young men? Lawn needs cutting? Job security for state welfare workers?

Here's an idea. Leave the Syrians alone and spend the money on reducing 3rd World invasions.

I like Robert Cross' memos though. He/She's way crazier than our other Blue Mob members and seem to have a direct feed to the Dailykos hotline.

[fish]

Posted by: Robert Cross | 24 December 2018 at 09:28 AM

Yee-haw! Giddy-up partner! ...

[fish]

Posted by: scenes | 24 December 2018 at 09:41 AM

I like Robert Cross' memos though. He/She's way crazier than our other Blue Mob members and seem to have a direct feed to the Dailykos hotline.

I don't know...."crazy' requires sentience.....the NPC identifying as "Robert" hasn't demonstrated that yet.

[George Rebane]

re RobertC's 928am - So, are you joining Mr M in his inability to substantiate the ineffectiveness of walls, when the historical record is directly counter to that? Maintained barriers have ALWAYS been effective. Such barriers (walls, fences, concertina, minefields, ...) are defensive infrastructures (in our case fixed field fortifications defending against illegal entrants) which up the defender's 'combat factor' (aka force multiplier). The combatant (here our Border Patrol) with the higher combat factor needs fewer personnel and other resources to successfully counter his opponent. That is why such barriers have been used throughout history, and are still currently in use all around the world.

To reduce border porosity, all kinds of barrier systems (including walls, fences, etc) and supporting technologies must be used, depending on the terrain, assault probabilities, etc, to provide our Border Patrol with the required force multipliers for effective border security.

And ultimately it comes down to dollars and cents, in which case such barrier systems have always been cost effective, and will continue to remain so. (If you want to do this analysis, be careful on how you select your 'investment horizon' and the cost-impacted agencies/jurisdictions.)

[Robert Cross]

I don't have to substantiate diddle..just another George smokescreen deflection. You need to substantiate the need for a wall besides some false flag bull crap. No one has really cared that undocumented people from Latin America have come here to pick lettuce until now. The wall is a waste of taxpayer dollars to appease a narcissistic wanna be king who is willing to shut down the government at Christmas to get his way. Does 'gimme what I want or I will take my ball and go home' ring any bells? There has never been a wall and for the past 200 plus years there hasn't been any discernible problem until trumpskis ginned one up to sell to his gullible fearful following. The real threat here is not crime, but votes. Republicans who, as a minority, have seized power by hook or by crook are afraid if immigrants stay and gain citizenship they won't vote republican and the right wing power grab will give way to the majority. The whole immigration flap is purely about the wealthy class maintaining power. Security has nothing to do with it and never has.

[Walt]

Marry Christmas George,, your chances are better for a white Christmas, than getting any sort of communication for which you search of from, "them". "Proof? WE don't need no stink'n PROOF".

[Todd Juvinall]

I see Boobie is yapping the democrat party line. What a moron.

[Walt]

Well WELL! Sponge Bob yaps in! See? Called that one."I don't have to substantiate diddle"

Hey Sponge. Walls were up LONG before Trump came along.

Did you lock your door last night? Did that door keep the riffraff out? Bet it DID.....

[Todd Juvinall]

BoobieC and his fellow liberals will be spraying a color on the snow to deny their is such a thing as a "White Christmas"

[George Rebane]

RobertC 1041am - You're absolutely right, you "don't have to substantiate diddle", to which dictum you have been and remain true - your simple pronouncements suffice. My invitation was merely an attempt to invite more substance, should you have had any to share.

(BTW, from what was a "smokescreen deflection" required?)

[Scott O]

Bobby's last post is making it pretty clear he's the one who hasn't got a clue - " No one has really cared that undocumented people from Latin America have come here to pick lettuce until now."
Because illegals used to act like illegals. They kept their heads down and their mouths shut.
Now they show up demanding the store. Gimme, gimme, gimme!
We gots rights!
And most of the anger isn't with the illegals themselves, it's against the traitors in our govt that pander to the illegals and reward their law breaking by handing them our tax dollars.
"There has never been a wall and for the past 200 plus years there hasn't been any discernible problem until trumpskis ginned one up to sell to his gullible fearful following."
Well - yes Bobby there's been miles of walls for quite a while, but since you don't leave the basement you wouldn't know, would you? The second part of that sentence really seals the deal, here. There WAS a problem before Trump even considered running and he ran on that problem. There will be a time sooner or later when Trump is not in office and then what stupid excuse will you come up with? We can not have an ongoing double standard of allowing a certain class of people break the law openly and be rewarded for it without the rest of the country at some point blowing a fuse. Trump has actually tempered the issue. Anyone who believes this issue is nothing but Trump is completely lost in left wing BS. There is no evidence to support the contention, but facts have never mattered to the lost.
"Republicans who, as a minority, have seized power by hook or by crook are afraid if immigrants stay and gain citizenship they won't vote republican and the right wing power grab will give way to the majority."
That's a pretty amusing statement considering the Dems have denied it for years. Anyone who believes that all of the Rs that hold office are only there by some sort of malfeasance is beyond reasonable conversation.
As California sinks down the drain, Bobby and the left run after the Rs pleading with them to come back and stop the Dems. Sorry - you wanted a state run by the wealthy and the illegals. You got it. Enjoy.

[Walt]

Sponge Bob doesn't know his Calif. History?(no real surprise there)
Cesar Chavez? Ever hear of that guy? You know,, of valley field picker fame? He did a great job of keeping the illegal farm labor to a minimum. He had no love for the boarder jumpers.
" No one has really cared that undocumented people from Latin America have come here to pick lettuce until now."
Once again you show yourself,, as they say,," full of shit".

[Gregory]

I was out of commission for a couple of days over the weekend... I was gobsmacked by Darrell Berkheimer's op-ed in The Union where he redefined Progressive as Traditionalist as a call for GOP women to align with the left. Here's what I just wrote in The Union's comment page:

"If I am going to be labeled, I guess I prefer "Progressive."" -Darrell Berkheimer, December 6, 2016, The Union https://www.theunion.com/.../darrell-berkheimer-am-i-a.../

Darrell, I think you were being more clear, and more honest, two years ago. In the current scheme of the language of the realm, "Progressive" is to the left of Liberal and suits you to a "T"... You are not going to be convincing any female Conservatives to share your bizarre redefinition of "Traditionalist" that would suit Bernie Sanders just fine.

So, do "we need more Republican women to join those on the Democratic side to push health care, climate change, education, child care, guns (sic) control and election reforms"? ... Darrell, the GOP women I have known have opinions on all these things that are generally the *OPPOSITE* of yours.

[Paul Emery]

As far as Cheney profiting from the war he helped create the answer is clear. He got paid in advance by Halliburton for the influence he would have in Washington. The oldest game in the business. Worked out well for both of them.

"Dick Cheney, the GOP nominee for vice president, won an early-retirement stock package worth $33.7 million from Halliburton Co., a Texas energy firm where he served for five years as chief executive, according to figures released by the company Wednesday."

[Gregory]

Paul, did Cheney take advantage of Halliburton, or was it the other way around?

They made far more off of Cheney's contacts than Cheney was paid.

[scenes]

Capt Obvious sez: "He got paid in advance by Halliburton for the influence he would have in Washington."

Well, duh.

Why do you think the Clintons got paid so much to give 45 minute speeches? Why do you think that book advances are so big for ex-Presidents? Just go to about any marketing executive's office at a defense contractor and check out the 'me' wall of shaking hands with their senior officers and flying planes while in the military.

I'm afraid that a turnip truck is missing a passenger.

At least George Bush II had a modicum of decency to go back home and paint when he was done. God forbid that Obama (who you didn't vote for the second time) can't do the same thing.

[scenes]

My favorite poster, Robert Cross at the start of a diatribe sez: "I don't have to substantiate diddle.."

That would make a killer bumper sticker.

Seriously, those posts are sweet. Kind of a freeform poetry of all that bitching that Blue Mobsters do when they don't think anyone is listening.

[Paul Emery]

Obama still has some shelf life in political circles Gregory. Bush was done having presided over the biggest economic crash since the Great depression and getting us involved in two endless unfunded wars that increased out debt by 6 trillion. He was asked to stay home by the Pubbers. I thought you knew that.

Gregory

Cheney got a cool 30 mil. Not bad for a commission on 39 billion taxpayer dollars being diverted to his former employer.

[Paul Emery]

Merry Christmas from the Trump Administration Just a matter of time before the Pubsters start to dump him. It will be ugly.

U.S. Stocks Fall Sharply Ahead Of Christmas Holiday
It’s very possible that the market will end this month as the worst December for stocks since 1931.

"The market has been roiling for most of the month over concerns about a slowing global economy, an escalating trade dispute with China and recent interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-stocks-fall-sharply-ahead-of-christmas-holiday_us_5c21258ee4b0407e907daaea

The past two trading days, however, have been dominated by something else: major losses immediately following tweets from the president criticizing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and the central bank, which sets monetary policy for the nation.

"Trump’s morning tweet blasting the Fed generated fears about the economy being destabilized by any efforts to undermine Powell or strip him of office.

“We’ve never seen anything like this full-blown and full-frontal assault,” said Peter Conti-Brown, a financial historian at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This is a disaster for the Fed, a disaster for the president and a disaster for the economy.”

[scenes]

Paul Emery sez: "Obama still has some shelf life in political circles Gregory. "

I expect that you are responding to me, not Gregory.

Absolutely. That's why the Clintons made big bucks until just recently, it's simply the nature of things. No doubt you didn't vote for them the second time.

I doubt that George Bush needed the money, his family has faults but they aren't professional grifters like Bill n' Hill. He's not much of a public speaker (these days, that tends to mean "can read a teleprompter", they're all anchormen).

Honestly, I'm trying to think of an ex-President that has been as classless as Obama in jumping back into the political arena. That's a man that truly needs the adulation of crowds, so perhaps it keeps him going.

In any case, observing that Cheney swapped insider status for some corporate bucks is about the most grindingly obvious thing I've seen stated in years. You aren't even trying.

[Todd Juvinall]

Cheney Derangement Syndrome? WOW!

[Walt]

Someone check Paul into the nearest gated rest home.
" having presided over the biggest economic crash..."
You never blame the real culprits. Who was in control of 2/3ds of power in D.C.?
Bush may have signed the paper, but your Proggys drew it up.
Dodd Frank Paul? A REAL winner there!,, And now don't forget those running the banking committees holding guns to the heads of bankers." Yes you WILL loan money to those who can't pay it back... "
You go right ahead Paul,, and keep the BDS going. The rest will know who really did the screwing of the pooch.

[Walt]

Well,,, Paul has yet to answer any questions on the lame-ass subject
he can't let go of... What questions you ask Paul? Go back and look.
You know how to do that,, right?

[Scott O]

Paul - your last post is typical of your hatred for Trump blinding you. The stock market and our economy have been inflating irrationally for quite a while. The reasons are legion and have very little to do with Trump. According to Paul, Trump is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. Paul, of course, knows exactly what needs to be done. He's just been too shy to tell us.
The quotes from the never-Trumps are so overwrought they have become just so much hot air.
“We’ve never seen anything like this full-blown and full-frontal assault,”
Oh please.
Maybe Trump should just give Government Motors 54 Billion like that last guy - that'll fix it!

[George Rebane]

PaulE 102pm - How ever do you do it Paul, threading all those unsubstantiated allegations together to weave a fabrication that conveniently can be hung on the shoulders of every other captain of industry and government servant that has bounced back and forth between the capitol and capitalism?

I really think that there's maybe a published work in the making here in the RR comment streams that should give Michelle's 'Becoming' a run for its money. Give it a catchy title, say, like 'Paul's Plausible Parables' or better, 'Emery's Emetic Emissions'.

[scenes]

"Cheney Derangement Syndrome? WOW!"

It's just another one of the old classics. People forget about the no-bid Clinton-era KBR contracts and just the history of contractors generally.

It isn't like the Blue Mob will read anything that's more than a paragraph, but I was musing through some old articles.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2003/11/04/is-al-gore-responsible-for-halliburton/

http://business.time.com/2007/03/12/how_can_halliburton_make_so_li/

https://www.nationalreview.com/2003/07/bushiraq-scandal-wasnt-byron-york/

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/opinion/cynics-without-a-cause.html

etc.

You know, when your knowledge on a matter is ORANGE MAN BAD! and CHENEY STEAL MONEY! it's hard to take anybody seriously.

[Todd Juvinall]

Quantitative Easing? Paul Emery loved that. 3.5 trillion bucks printed and used by his pals to buy stocks. That is the benchmark. Trump is a piker compared to that.

[fish]

Here ya go Punch.......I'm sure you could find more if you were so inclined!

The Investors: Lawmakers with the most money invested in companies with Department of Defense contracts

Member of Congress Minimum Value of Investment Maximum Value of Investment

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) $28,872,067 $38,209,020
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) $12,081,050 $49,140,000
Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC) $9,232,037 $37,105,000
Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis) $5,207,668 $7,612,653
Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif) $2,684,050 $6,260,000
Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich) $2,469,029 $8,360,000
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WVa) $2,000,002 $2,000,002
Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis) $1,365,004 $5,800,000
Rep. Kenny Ewell Marchant (R-Texas) $1,163,231 $1,163,231
Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) $1,000,001 $5,000,000

Includes investments in companies with DOD contracts of $5 million or more, according to 2006 data on FedSpending.org. Members of Congress must report their personal finances annually. Holdings shown here were as of December 31, 2006.

According to the most recent reports of their personal finances, 151 current members of Congress had between $78.7 million and $195.5 million invested in companies that received defense contracts of at least $5 million in 2006. In all, these companies received more than $275.6 billion from the government in 2006, or $755 million per day, according to FedSpending.org, a website of the budget watchdog group OMB Watch.

The minimum value of Congress members' personal investments in these contractors increased 5 percent from 2004 to 2006, but because lawmakers are only required to report their assets in broad ranges, the value of these investments could have risen as much as 160 percent-or even dropped 51 percent. It is also unclear how many members still hold these investments, since reports for 2007 are not due until May 15, 2008. In 2004, the first full year after the Iraq war began, Republican and Democratic lawmakers-both hawks and doves-had between $74.9 million and $161.3 million invested in companies under contract with the Department of Defense.

https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/some-members-congress-profit-iraq-war-contractor-stocks-no-wonder-we-cant-end-war#close

https://www.globalresearch.ca/war-profits-taint-the-greedy-hands-of-more-than-25-of-members-of-the-us-house-and-senate/8920

[Don Bessee]

Talk about going full fakenews!!

“In sharp contrast to the AP’s independent journalism, Xinhua’s core mission is to shape public opinion in ways sympathetic to the CCP’s legitimacy and behavior,” 14 U.S. lawmakers wrote to Pruitt on Dec. 19, in a letter I obtained.

The letter was led by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) and signed by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). The lawmakers point out that the Justice Department this year required Xinhua to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Xinhua functions as an arm of Beijing’s propaganda machine and also “serves some of the functions of an intelligence agency,” according to the 2017 annual report of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The commission warns that Xinhua is rapidly expanding worldwide in an effort to undermine and discredit Western media outlets and control public discussion of China.

Congress is asking the AP to release the text of its memorandum of understanding with Xinhua, reveal what future cooperation they are planning and assure lawmakers Xinhua won’t influence AP’s reporting or have access to any sensitive information in AP’s possession.
“As a state-run news agency, Xinhua serves as a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party. Its propaganda mission is wholly distinct from legitimate fact-based journalism,” Gallagher told me. “Everything we know about the CCP suggests that it will use this partnership to better shape global public opinion to the detriment of American interests and those suffering under the CCP's oppression.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/24/congress-demands-answers-aps-relationship-with-chinese-state-media/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b00fd9b1fa62

;-)

[***M***]

,,,Question o' the day,,, Why does the DHS budget propose $1.6B for border wall construction and Trumpski wants $5B???

FY 2019 Highlights:
Border Technology
• Border Wall Construction..........................................................................$1,600.0M, 0 FTE
The FY 2019 President’s Budget supports the construction of approximately 65 miles of a
new border wall system in the RGV Sector. Funding supports real estate and environmental
planning, land acquisition, wall system design, construction, and construction oversight.

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/DHS%20BIB%202019.pdf

[Walt]

That buys a lot of Depends Dougy.. The wall is no concern of yours.(unless you on the other side of it)

JOY O JOY!! My darling Granddaughter , bless her Liberal little heart, has escaped Texas where she's a political prisoner as she goes to collage.
It great to have her come home and try her best to do battle with Dear ol' Gramps.

[fish]

Posted by: ***M*** | 24 December 2018 at 03:48 PM

Question O the Day dugsKKKi???? How many likely wards of the welfare state are we going to import from South and Central America so you can feel less white guilt (or to satisfy you baser needs)?

[Paul Emery]

Gosh and Golly M I thought Mexico was going to pay for the Wall. Trump promised as part of his campaign so people would vote for him. what happened? Was he telling a lie or did he forget? do we have a liar in he White House or is he just an idiot?

[Todd Juvinall]

As you have been schooled here many times about this, there are a lot of ways to get Mexico to pay. But you just keep posting your tripe about this without any recognition many of us have answered you. Go back to bed.

[Paul Emery]

unsubstantiated allegations George

Lets look at the Facts:

Cheney receives a 30 million $ retirement from Halliburton-true or false?
Cheney was one of the leaders of the Neo Cons that advocated and promoted war with Iraq while Vice President-True or False
Halliburton receives 39 Billion contract to support the war Cheney promoted true or false?

[Walt]

Once again Paul didn't read how MEX pays for the wall... I had it all in simple Queen's English.. (should it have been in Greek?)

[Don Bessee]

Put a pinecone in it grinch @ 407.

;-)

[Todd Juvinall]

Did Cheney receive the 30 million before he got sworn? If so, no problems. Only democrats get millions after they leave by writing books and making speeches to Russian oligarchs.

[Don Bessee]

Speaking of grinches -

“Will not tolerate disqualifying judicial nominees because of charitable works and personal religious opinions,” Graham wrote in a follow-up tweet.
"The Black Church is very concerned because we know that when elected leaders attack Catholic organizations like the Knights of Columbus for believing timeliness Christian principles, then all people of faith are at risk,” Rev. Eugene F. Rivers III, a civil rights leader and the director of the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies, said in a statement.
“There is no place for a religious test like this in our country,” he continued. “Our constitution forbids it and elected leaders should know better than to try to impose it."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dems-accused-of-religious-bigotry-for-questioning-trump-court-picks-knights-of-columbus-ties

;-)

[Paul Emery]

So if Mexico is going to pay for the wall Walt why is Trump asking for 5Billin and shutting down the Government?

[Paul Emery]

Todd

You are such an innocent . He was paid for his influence in promoting the war and the results being them awarded the contract. Did you know there were not even any competing bids allowed?

Cheney's staff aided Halliburton no-bid contract award

WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials have acknowledged that Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff and other Bush administration political appointees were involved in a controversial decision to pay Halliburton Inc. to plan for the postwar recovery of Iraq's oil sector, a Democratic lawmaker said Sunday.

https://trib.com/news/cheney-s-staff-aided-halliburton-no-bid-contract-award/article_96129521-5236-5fae-8f2a-858137dc34e4.html

[Walt]

I told you once already. I won't repeat myself.
Maybe if Paul could put out an oil well fire, he could have got a no bid deal too.
He got stuck singing for some old chick with a title.
Think she even remembers you Paul?

[Todd Juvinall]

Paul Emery, your response is BS. Here is the question again. Please answer it or stay quiet. "Did Cheney receive the 30 million before he got sworn?:"

Thoigh I never agreed with "no-bid" contracts, it is a fact of life at all levels of government.

[Bill Tozer]

Well, some things have not changed my whole life. Unfair labor practices from the the local.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/39646/union-manages-tick-bunch-ups-holiday-employees-james-barrett?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=062316-news&utm_campaign=dwbrand

[Mrs Claus]

Juvinal 4:05-
"As you have been schooled here many times about this, there are a lot of ways to get Mexico to pay."

Yeah? I guess you missed the part that us taxpayers are being told to front the cost of a $30B wall that Mexico will (supposedly) pay for by paying higher tariffs that go ... drum roll please . . . to the Feds (not back to us taxpayers). Higher tariffs on Mexican imports will theoretically create more American jobs (at the expense of Mexican jobs) that will only increases incentives for illegals to come here looking for work. How many $4,000 tunnels can be built for the $30 billion it will cost us taxpayers for a wall? The only benefactor will be Halliburton or some other colossal government/industrial hybrid who will be tasked with building the thing (probably at secret or no bid, because it's ostensibly for emergency homeland defense).

Your turn Todd. Please share with us your clear and concise vision of how Mexico is going to pay for a wall if they don't pony up for it, up front, with cold hard pesos (as promised over and over and again by Trump). Trump's sleight of hand about costs and who will cover those costs aren't so slight (much less subtle), but some people are too slow to see how the deck is getting cut over and again (by a casino owner at that)..

[George Rebane]

'No bid' contracts don't exist. Halliburton was awarded a sole source contract because it was the only company that could deliver what was required in the short time it was needed in the field. Sole source contracts are common in government contracting when time, money is short and sources are few. As a DoD contractor I received sole source contracts all the time because I delivered unique products and services that the govt could not get elsewhere without going through a long RFP process, and then take the time to teach other contractors what they had already invested in my company to develop.

[mrs claus]

I differ George- No bid contracts can be contrived in several ways, The easiest is working among partners: Working Time and Materials with an X ceiling of cost is one of the most common. It seems Nevada City is playing that game by renting s bunch of weed eating goats at an open price for entry but with fluid capacity/capability and no exit date or plan, of animals and, their vanguard. Ambiguous and arbitrary set points and benchmarks of completion are simply not being given the credit it desires

[Todd Juvinall]

A new troll? Sorry I guess you missed the answers I gave numerous times.

[Paul Emery]

So George Halliburton was there to receive any war based contracts that Cheney and the Neo Cons could muster up. He did his job and earned the 30 million.

All for now

todd
already answered the question about Cheney. have a happy ho ho day.

[Gregory]

1132pm

See Paul.
See the dead horse.
See Paul flog the dead horse.
Flog, flog, flog.

[Bill Tozer]

I loved doing on a job that read “Not to exceed....X dollars”.
Nothing says Christmas Eve like Dick Cheney. Gives new meaning to Blue Christmas. What a glum lot.

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

https://m.facebook.com/LibertyMemes.007/photos/a.1918902528413002/1946737418962846/?type=3&source=48

['''M''']

Goat Fund Me!

https://youtu.be/9vtq9t08ktU

[***M***]

,,,Bone spurs??? It's good to be richy rich

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/daughters-late-podiatrist-claim-diagnosed-donald-trump-bone-spurs-vietnam-war-favor-134618527.html

[Russ]

Trump visits Troops in Iraq during the shutdown, where was the press, moaning about the shutdown, making up stories about Trump alone in White House over Christmas? Heh!

[Todd Juvinall]

As Trump was flying t Iraq the loons in the media were claiming he was the first Prez not to visit the troops on Christmas. The press robots are so shameful it makes me laugh.

[***M***]

,,,you loons need to read the article. Trumpski just got there today. He was so sad about being alone on Xmas he went to Iraq today!!!

[Robert Cross]

"Trump visits Troops in Iraq during the shutdown"---- Hooray for trump. Only AFTER it was pointed out by numerous media outlets that he had NEVER visited troops in a combat zone to go along with all the rest of his neglect of tradition as it relates to presidential visits and recognition for the military. Get real....He only went on this trip to quiet critics otherwise he would be playing golf.

"where was the press". The press was covering more important issues than trump's obviously staged PR stunt to deflect attention away from issues like the shutdown and the second little boy who died in ICE custody.

[Russ]

Robert Cross: The first was a little girl, not a boy. More details here:

The father of the Guatemalan child who died Christmas Eve denied further medical treatment from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents after the child vomited following an initial examination from doctors, a spokesman from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on a call to reporters Wednesday.

Government officials provided further details, including the startling disclosure of the father’s behavior, regarding the timeline of the child’s deteriorating condition. According to officials, the 8-year-old boy, Felipe Gomez Alonzo, was given multiple medical examinations by doctors before being released with prescription medications.

Following the child’s first discharge from the hospital, both he and the father were put into a temporary holding facility where agents were aware of the child’s illness and provided the child with his medication. A few hours after the father and boy entered the facility, the child complained of being nauseous and later vomited.

It was at this point the father declined further medical treatment for his son and told officials he “had been feeling better,” an official said.

During a subsequent welfare check, agents at the facility noticed the child’s condition and transported him to the hospital. The child later lost consciousness during transit and was eventually declared dead just before midnight.

Government officials did not comment on why exactly they think the father denied further treatment for his child, despite him exhibiting more severe symptoms.

Source Daily Caller

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is requesting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigate the cause of the growing number of sick migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, officials revealed to reporters Wednesday morning.

Source Daily Caller

[George Rebane]

Russ 150pm - Thanks for the clarification. Our leftwing readers somehow (predictably) miss such news.

[fish]

Posted by: Robert Cross | 26 December 2018 at 12:55 PM

”THERE’S A SNAKE IN MAH BOOT!!!”

- Sheriff Woody

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EODN04c9PiE

[Todd Juvinall]

Honestly if Trump cured cancer the loons like BoobieC and "M" would claim otherwise.

Tom Sullivan just did a play by play about the little boy. He was given a hospital stay and Doctor but it appears to me his killer was his daddy.

[Robert Cross]

OK, the first child was a girl and blah blah blah from the Daily Caller blaming the father, doesn't change the fact that they both died in custody. All I said was their story was more important and I get this barrage of cherry picked blame. The righties somehow (predictably) fail to notice or respond to the notion that trump is a sham and a con and his trip to Iraq was just a PR stunt as is most everything he does and says. Does the term "Reality TV Huckster" ring a bell? How about 'Keeping up with the Kardashians?' The trump family is probably negotiating a new show of their own as we speak: White House Goombahs: How we pulled off the Greatest Heist in US History and left the right wing scratching their heads.

[fish]

“How we pulled off the Greatest Heist in US History and left the left wing scratching their heads.”

FTFY!

Scratching our heads......? You 60’s retreads were just certain a certain menopausal thief from generation pretension was going to be comfortably ensconced in the Oval Office right about now.....

How’s that working out for you bobsy??

[Robert Cross]

as usual fishy-- nothing of consequence from your side of the pond.

[Todd Juvinall]

BoobieC is a cherry picker. The daddy of the boy is his killer not the Border Patrol. They did all they could to save him but his daddy had pushed the little boy too far. So BoobieC, bite me and get back in that white outfit you escaped the asylum in. You are truly a moron.

[fish]

Posted by: Robert Cross | 26 December 2018 at 04:54 PM

He's still president and the Menopausal Avenger isn't.....that's "consequential" bobsy! Is it enough to undo all your progressive damage...probably not! We're baby steppin here bobsy...

"The righties somehow (predictably) fail to notice or respond to the notion that trump is a sham and a con and his trip to Iraq was just a PR stunt as is most everything he does and says."

As long as he can hang on for the next six years until a significant percentage of you lefty trouser nuggets die off he will have served his purpose. What happens after that....well who can say?

Toodles bobsy......

[Walt]

Who gave Sponge Bob a squeeze? He's leaking all over the thread.
Nope, it's NEVER the parent's fault.(who drag their kids through Mex.) Nope, it's not Mex.'s fault. It's only ours, because the Proggy Left of the likes of Sponge Bob up on his Cross say so.

LIBS are all for a "fence" just as long as there is air drops of of wire cutters on a regular basis.

[fish]

Man....I thought I was kidding last week when I responded to Gregorys call for someone performing a "Welfare Check" on jeffy being premature! There was indeed a travelogue.....Fatacular just hadn't gotten round (heh) to posting it!

Jeff Pelline says:

December 25, 2018 at 11:11 am

This is so sad. Back home, in our local blogosphere, “fish” (who doesn’t even live locally)[Oh jeffy.....none of this unpleasantness would have been necessary if you had only kept your big ol Jack o Lantern head out of my local fish wrap] and Todd Juvinall (the former County Supervisor) are being catty — on Christmas Eve, no less (fish still can’t spell “occurring”). I wonder if they have any “loved ones” other than each other. “Pen pals help elderly fight loneliness” is here: http://journalgazette.net/features/20170912/pen-pals-help-elderly-fight-loneliness. Ha!

Looooove.....exciting and new......!! Come aboard.....We're expecting YOUUUUUUUUUU!

Oh jeffy.......you bring me great joy! Hope you're digging "The Lido Deck".....sure they call it the Mozart Deck".....but they're not fooling me! You're a fat old man who finally gave in to the urge to cruise! No worries jeffy.....it was bound to happen....all the oldsters succumb eventually!

Give my best to Doc, Captain Stubing, Isaac, Purser What's his Name, Cokehead Cruise Director....the rest of the Love Boat crew!

Let us know how it goes next week when you visit Fantasy Island!

[Walt]

Ignore it all you like Proggys!
Rat bastards, one and all!

"He poured $750,000 into the organization, much of it going to the project, the report notes. Democratic operatives associated with the plan explained in an internal report leaked to The New York Times how the project sought to implant ideas into people’s heads.

“We orchestrated an elaborate ‘false flag’ operation that planted the idea that the Moore campaign was amplified on social media by a Russian botnet,” the operatives recounted in the internal report, which was published on Dec. 19.

The cost of the effort — Project Birmingham — totaled $100,000 — the identical amount Facebook says the Russian Internet Research Agency spent trolling people on social media leading up to the 2016 presidential election. (RELATED: Democrats Spent Same Amount Of Money Building Fake Russian Bots As Russia Did On Real Russian Bots)
https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/26/facebook-democrats-russian-ads/

[Walt]

Here's one for the LIBS!
https://www.gofundme.com/support-tunnels-under-trumps-wallhttps://www.gofundme.com/support-tunnels-under-trumps-wall">https://www.gofundme.com/support-tunnels-under-trumps-wall">https://www.gofundme.com/support-tunnels-under-trumps-wallhttps://www.gofundme.com/support-tunnels-under-trumps-wall

For those that don't like to dig,,,
https://www.gofundme.com/build-a-giant-escalator-over-the-wall

Then the real favorite,
https://www.gofundme.com/ladders-to-get-over-trump039s-wall

What's REAL funny,, is that there are idiots that WILL give money to do this stupid shit.

[fish]

Nice....!

"6 customers draw guns on men attempting to steal tools...

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/the-plan-was-to-steal-tools-then-customers-drew-their-guns/

[Barry Pruett]

Thanks fish. I have had the love boat theme song stuck in my head for two days now. My wife has been cracking up every time I bust out in song. “ The love boat..soon will be making another run...” 😂

[fish]

Posted by: Barry Pruett | 26 December 2018 at 05:49 PM

Shhhh......Barry.......you shouldn't talk to me! jeffy will think we are lovers!

As far as the Love Boat song goes.....

"If you see a faded sign by the side of the road that says
Fifteen miles to the, love shack, love shack yeah
I'm headin' down the atlanta highway
Lookin' for the love getaway
Headed for the love getaway, love getaway
I got me a car, it's as big as a whale
And we're headin' on down to the love shack
I got me a chrysler, it seats about twenty
So hurry up and bring your jukebox money.......

Wait.....what??? That's not it.....!

[fish]

Posted by: Walt | 26 December 2018 at 05:27 PM

No doubt Punch will along smartly to complain and object mightily to this underhanded threat to the sanctity of our hallowed electoral system!

[Walt]

Fish.. Was Paul out being the Grinch of Nirvana City?
We know how he gets with anything Christian.
Maybe he's celebrating KWANZAA! Ya' never know who or what he will "identify" with from day to day.

[fish]

Posted by: Walt | 26 December 2018 at 06:43 PM

Ya' never know who or what he will "identify" with from day to day.

I’m not so sure....it seems that he’s most often in agreement with the modern Democratic Party!

(Pssssst.....I’m sure he votes for Republicans to keep it balanced.......! You know....Mr. Even Handed!)

[Walt]

Just "once"..... Right?

[Gregory]

The plane! The plane!

[fish]

Did we not say that it was a new faith........?

"Like the medieval church, the green movements benefits from enormous support from the wealthiest and most well-established elements in society. No surprise then that what is preached for the masses—for example tough restrictions on driving or energy consumption—rarely apply to or impact the well off and well-connected. Like the aristocrats who bought themselves indulgences, our elites get off by purchasing “carbon offsets” that few middle-class people could afford.

But nothing so resembles the bad old days of religion than the green movement’s apocalyptic and authoritarian approach. For all its unquestioned good in pointing out real environmental issues, greens have often embraced hyperbole—the “population bomb”, predictions of imminent crises of “global cooling,” imminent resource depletion and ever worse pollution—as their primary marketing tactic. Although many of these predictions proved not only exaggerated but often plain wrong, true believers rarely stop and contemplate their misstatements.

Like messianic preachers from the old religions, many climate activists, like medieval clerics, see human greed as the root of evil. They also look to impose penance through such things as not eating meat, something both older Catholics and aging hippies could recall with nostalgia. Perhaps less appealing, climate activists often follow procedures common to the Inquisition, from taking dissenters to court to seeking to banish different ideas even by legal means. They have also managed to ban even the mildly skeptical views from much of the press, including the BBC and The Los Angeles Times.

Many greens have as little use for democracy or impartiality as would the Catholic Church of the 11th century; many see authoritarian regimes, like China, as better suited to meeting climate change than our querulous democracy. Acting like Torquemada in a business suit, the former Jesuit-turned-climate crusader Jerry Brown even openly called for the “brainwashing” of the sinful, uncomprehending masses when visiting Rome. Significantly, the green religion is increasingly hostile towards making families. If the medieval mentality attacked sex—15 percent of the population was permanently celibate—the green one focuses on preventing the traditional result from the proverbial role in the hay. Like the millenarians who feared the imminence of the “Final Judgement,” many greens oppose baby-making as a way to mitigate the evil of human existence."

So whyn't y'all come on down and take in some of that "New Time Religion" with Reverend Steve and listen to the "Fattest lil Choir in California" with choirmaster jeff .....while you was away we had the floor under the choir reinforced so we won't have a repeat of last years service when the singers spilled like tenpins after the floor collapsed during one of the choirs more rollicking numbers! Then later over tea and cookies we'll decide how long to scourge brother jeffy for having the same carbon footprint as an entire Bangladeshi village ....that of course after he drives back home (Chevy 4x4 with top-o-the line V-8 power.....natch!) following his blatantly carbon non-neutral flight, after a remarkably self indulgent ocean cruise!

Can I gets a hallelujah?!?!

https://www.thedailybeast.com/as-the-old-faiths-collapse-the-greens-social-justice-warriors-and-techno-futurists-aim-to-fill-the-void?ref=home

[fish]

Did we not say that it was a new faith........?

"Like the medieval church, the green movements benefits from enormous support from the wealthiest and most well-established elements in society. No surprise then that what is preached for the masses—for example tough restrictions on driving or energy consumption—rarely apply to or impact the well off and well-connected. Like the aristocrats who bought themselves indulgences, our elites get off by purchasing “carbon offsets” that few middle-class people could afford.

But nothing so resembles the bad old days of religion than the green movement’s apocalyptic and authoritarian approach. For all its unquestioned good in pointing out real environmental issues, greens have often embraced hyperbole—the “population bomb”, predictions of imminent crises of “global cooling,” imminent resource depletion and ever worse pollution—as their primary marketing tactic. Although many of these predictions proved not only exaggerated but often plain wrong, true believers rarely stop and contemplate their misstatements.

Like messianic preachers from the old religions, many climate activists, like medieval clerics, see human greed as the root of evil. They also look to impose penance through such things as not eating meat, something both older Catholics and aging hippies could recall with nostalgia. Perhaps less appealing, climate activists often follow procedures common to the Inquisition, from taking dissenters to court to seeking to banish different ideas even by legal means. They have also managed to ban even the mildly skeptical views from much of the press, including the BBC and The Los Angeles Times.

Many greens have as little use for democracy or impartiality as would the Catholic Church of the 11th century; many see authoritarian regimes, like China, as better suited to meeting climate change than our querulous democracy. Acting like Torquemada in a business suit, the former Jesuit-turned-climate crusader Jerry Brown even openly called for the “brainwashing” of the sinful, uncomprehending masses when visiting Rome. Significantly, the green religion is increasingly hostile towards making families. If the medieval mentality attacked sex—15 percent of the population was permanently celibate—the green one focuses on preventing the traditional result from the proverbial role in the hay. Like the millenarians who feared the imminence of the “Final Judgement,” many greens oppose baby-making as a way to mitigate the evil of human existence."

So whyn't y'all come on down and take in some of that "New Time Religion" with Reverend Steve and listen to the "Fattest lil Choir in California" with choirmaster jeff .....while you was away we had the floor under the choir reinforced so we won't have a repeat of last years service when the singers spilled like tenpins after the floor collapsed during one of the choirs more rollicking numbers! Then later over tea and cookies we'll decide how long to scourge brother jeffy for having the same carbon footprint as an entire Bangladeshi village ....that of course after he drives back home (Chevy 4x4 with top-o-the line V-8 power.....natch!) following his blatantly carbon non-neutral flight, after a remarkably self indulgent ocean cruise!

Can I gets a hallelujah?!?!

https://www.thedailybeast.com/as-the-old-faiths-collapse-the-greens-social-justice-warriors-and-techno-futurists-aim-to-fill-the-void?ref=home

[***M***]

,,,Why do we swear to tell the truth while putting a hand on a work of fiction???

[***M***]

,,,How do you like Bill Clinton now!!!

https://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11515132/iirira-clinton-immigration

[fish]

Posted by: ***M*** | 27 December 2018 at 07:47 AM

,,,Why do we swear to tell the truth while putting a hand on a work of fiction???

Still smarting from honeymoon night eh dugsKKKi.......

[***M***]

,,,building border fences since 1990,,,

In 1990, a 14-mile, triple-deep fence was constructed in San Diego. In 1996, the IIRIRA authorized the federal government to build additional barriers. And in 2006, the Secure Fence Act was passed, authorizing completion of still more. Today, there are 700 miles of fencing along the southern border.

,,,and net immigration has been negative for years,,,but MAGA men are running scared

[fish]

Posted by: ***M*** | 27 December 2018 at 08:07 AM

,,,and net immigration has been negative for years,,,but MAGA men are running scared

Really....? With the native population on the decline yet the population still growing as a whole?

Wow me with you explanation dugsKKKi.

PS: Were you ever going to respond as to just how many you felt should be invited in to burden the taxpayer dugsKKK or was this merely another case of you running round the double wide with your fingers in your ears going......"la la la la la la la la.....?

[Bill Tozer]

Told the Krazy Leftinistas that Khashoggi worked for the Ministry Of Propaganda, but would they listen? Nooooo. Khashoggi was a much of a journalist as Al Gore or Baghdad Bob. Screw the Muslin Brotherhood, the beloved terrorist organization of Obama’s Dreams Of My Father.

“Khashoggi may have been operating in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act by doing this on behalf of Qatar. This is the same law that caused both Gen. Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort legal jeopardy by not filing their attempts to influence the U.S. government on behalf of a foreign entity. The op-eds published in the very influential Washington Post certainly qualify as attempts to change U.S. policy against Saudi Arabia and in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood, which Qatar supports in spite of its status as a terrorist organization with most other Gulf countries.”

http://thefederalist.com/2018/12/27/bombshell-khashoggi-foreign-governments-influence-agent/

I don’t call it Wa Compost for nuthin’. The enemy of the truth.

[Bill Tozer]

Fish @6:20 pm.....last night. A wee bit long.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9SOryJvTAGs

[Robert Cross]

IN the "enemy of the truth" dept. -- During his PR stunt trip to Iraq, the liar-in-chief claimed he got soldiers a "giant pay raise" of 10%. “Is anybody here willing to give up the big pay raise you just got? You haven’t gotten one in more than 10 years. More than 10 years. And we got you a big one. I got you a big one. I got you a big one.”

The truth is military members have seen a pay raise in each of the last 10 years, ranging from 1 percent to 3.9 percent, according to the Defense Department. They even got a raise when pay hikes for other federal employees were put on hold during the Great Recession. However trump said “We had plenty of people that came up. They said, ‘You know, we can make it smaller. We can make it 3 percent. We can make it 2 percent. We can make it 4 percent.’ I said, ‘No. Make it 10 percent. Make it more than 10 percent'."

How can you all continue to believe anything he says?

[Todd Juvinall]

Oh BoobieC I watched him talking to the troops and they are all in for him. You are just jealous as your mate claims you are the local liar in the household. Cleanup your own mouth and try again.