Scattershots – 11mar19 (updated 14mar19)

George Rebane

Looking for national conspiracies?  Now here is one that involves everyone from George Soros through the DoJ/FBI to the DNC/Hillary.  “A dark money group with links to several high-profile liberal activists contributed $2 million to The Democracy Integrity Project, an organization founded by a former Dianne Feinstein staffer that has contracted with Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele to investigate President Donald Trump.” (more here)  But no one gives a hoot after the FBI’s historical public exoneration of Hillary after confirming that she did indeed break several laws dealing with national security and destroying subpoenaed evidence.

The EU’s socialist-burdened, debt-ladened countries have had a hard time taking advantage of the global upswing in business, and appear to be heading for a slowdown if not recession.  With low growth rates and still high unemployment, the continent added another harbinger as investors are exiting stocks and bidding up government bonds.  The German bund last Friday was paying 0.04% or essentially no interest as a safe haven for cash.  This, of course, sets up a vicious circle in which left-leaning countries regulate and tax their businesses to low profits, which causes their shares to be sold off, which reduces business expansion and hiring, which bids up bonds thereby lowering government debt service costs, which provides governments essentially free money to borrow and dispense into programs that grow bureaucracies and launch more programs of socialist largess, which makes the business climate even worse, which … .  Our Democrats are taking notes on how to replicate such policies on this side of the pond.

[12mar19 update]  Finland’s government collapses over healthcare costs (here).  Other Nordics are not far behind as has been reported here for some time now.  None of these socialist programs nationalizing this or that are sustainable – it’s only a matter of time when other people’s money runs out.  H/T to a Sandbox commenter for finding an early report of it.  You can bet the ranch that the lamestream will hide this as long as it can, and proto-communists like Bernie and AOC will lie through their teeth about the news.  Their solution will, of course, be even higher taxes (aka wealth redistribution).  We all await our progressive pundits’ response for an enlivening conversation; sure hope they don’t send in their cricket corps.

NPR’s Morning Edition today featured a segment on what our 2050 world will look like after we have stopped emitting CO2 and global warming has been stopped in its tracks.  The reporter was almost delirious with joy reporting from the future and looking back on what it took to get to the brave new world where people live in ‘stack & pack’ housing, suburbia was no more, private electric vehicles cost a lot, were taxed a lot, and all roadways charged dynamic fees to keep you using public transportation. That future world was envisioned quite accurately by Orwell’s 1984, and even portrayed more honestly in Pasternak’s Dr Zhivago.  Big suburban houses will repurposed for multi-family living, and standard houses will be home to 4-5 people sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities.  (The Rebanes lived almost five years in such lodgings after WW2.  See ‘My Story’)  What the report conveniently omitted was what draconian measures it would take for government to herd people into such warrens and then keep them from revolting, and what would happen to the economy when taking risks was no longer rewarded, or even allowed by central planners and controllers.

[14mar19 update]  Second Amendment attack by Connecticut's Supreme Court in ruling that manufacturer of the Sandy Hook AR-15 can be sued. (more here) This is more than a gun control nose under the 2nd Amendment tent.  If this ruling is allowed to stand, then where will this kind of rogue litigations stop?  The implication is that the manufacturer of a tool legally made for legal use can be held accountable for its illegal uses.  What then of knife makers, or hatchet makers, or baseball bat makers, or rat poison makers, or rope makers, or even manufacturer of a car used by a terrorist or drunkard to kill people?  What then of the item's distributors and dealers?  You get the idea.  'The Left is evil' gets another confirming check mark.

Comments

[AVMan]

,,,George, you will have to enlighten us as to why we are 21 Trillion in debt and how it is all the Democrat’s fault

[George Rebane]

AV 200pm - Where did you get the "all the Democrat's(sic) fault"?

[Bill Tozer]

Not about dark money per se, but it looks like Ohr and Shiff have different accounts.
Items 4 and 11 are of interest.

http://thefederalist.com/2019/03/11/11-key-things-inside-house-interview-spygate-figure-bruce-ohr/

Didn’t Peter fly to Rome early in the Investigation?

[Russ]

The Brains Behind AOC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Speaking of conspiracies, here is one to mull over. Is it real or fake? According to the video below AOC attended a casting call to become a candidate for her District. She was selected to be an actor, controlled by a director, or in this case a team of sting pulling directors. Watch the video and let me know what you think?

https://youtu.be/1h5iv6sECGU

[fish]

Speaking of debt loaded socialist countries…..

Finland: Government Collapses Over Universal Health Care Costs, #Bernie2020 Hardest Hit

https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/03/finland-government-collapses-over-universal-health-care-costs-bernie2020-hardest-hit/

[Bocephus]

,,,leave it to George to post a like to an article by 'Fuzzy Slippers' in a far right blog called Legal Insurrection,,,

https://euobserver.com/news/144367

https://www.wsj.com/articles/finlands-government-collapses-weeks-before-general-election-11552037078

[Robert Cross]

Here is a national conspiracy.. This is how the moron children from wealthy families (the trumps come to mind) get the college degrees they don't deserve. In the meantime regular folks have to run up massive student load debt and actually go to class and take their own tests. No wonder education seems broken..too many idiots with undeserved degrees in high places.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article227457069.html#storylink=mainstage_lead

[Walt]

You mean those Hollywood LIBS Babs?
https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/12/lori-loughlin-felicity-huffman-bribery-scam/

https://www.foxnews.com/us/college-entrance-exam-cheating

[Bill Tozer]

Walt @ 12:19 pm

“Loughlin allegedly had her daughters pose as members of the crew team. Crew team! Are you kidding me? If you’re going to bribe your way into a school, you might as well shoot for a sports team that matters.

If these charges are true, then just about everybody involved is an idiot. Finally, my heart stopped when I saw college coaches were involved.

I thought more college basketball coaches were going down. Turns out, it’s about sports that nobody really cares about. Looks like we dodged a bullet there.”

Go get em’ Bobbie Sue.

[Bill Tozer]

@ 12:04 pm
Go get Bobbie Sue!

“No wonder education seems broken..too many idiots with undeserved degrees in high places.”

I couldn’t agree more. Too many idiots in high places running the show. Good thing the Dems are not going to neglect Wisconsin in 2020. Last time they flunked out of Electoral College.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/03/milwaukee-2020-democratic-convention-progressive-governance/

[Todd Juvinall]

I got this link today about Sweden and its government system. Looks like they tried socialism and it failed so now they are all about free markets and capitalism. Watch it and learn Paul Emery.

https://www.facebook.com/JohnStossel/videos/407319650027595/UzpfSTE0NDIwMDQ0OTA6MTAyMTkxNzIxMzUyMDExOTA/

[Scott O]

Bobby @ 12:04 - when I saw that story I figured Bobby would gleefully post a link to it and declare that this is the reason po folk can't get a good education.
Like clockwork there it is.
C'mon, Bobby - how many actual kids got in because of this compared to the thousands of students entering college every year. Yes, it's a serious issue and needs to be dealt with, but our govt education system top to bottom is rife with incompetence, feather-bedding, ridiculous salaries and completely unnecessary job titles and majors.
"In the meantime regular folks have to run up massive student load debt and actually go to class and take their own tests."
No one has to run up massive debt loads. It's their free choice. Can't pin this on the conservatives, buddy.

[fish]

Posted by: Bocephus | 12 March 2019 at 11:59 AM

,,,leave it to George to post a like to an article by 'Fuzzy Slippers' in a far right blog called Legal Insurrection,,,

Leave it to dugsKKKi to whimper like a whiny old bitch…..wait…..it's Tuesday……..carry on you whiny old bitch! Although you're stealing Punchy's gig when you do so.

[Bill Tozer]

Fish: Bad news buddy. The conspiracy got to them. Facebook has banned Zerohedge.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/03/facebook-bans-zerohedge.php

[fish]

Posted by: Bill Tozer | 12 March 2019 at 01:29 PM

Yeah……Zuckerberg really hosed me……now if I want to read Zerohedge I'll have to go all the way over to Zerohedge.com!

[Russ]

Zeroheadge.com has been on my favorite list for a while. Good insight.

[George Rebane]

So now our liberal friends are back to decrying the messenger again when the message doesn't fit their world view. I suggest that these intellectual mavens 1) prove the report wrong, and 2) ask why their own lamestream didn't inform them of it.

[Robert Cross]

Scott O 1:15 -- It matters not that the percentage of spoiled children who parents bought their way into the college of their choice, whether they were qualified or not is small, when compared to total enrollment. What matters is that it's wrong and another example of how people of wealth use their money to game the system to their advantage..not unlike political donations in the era of Citizens United.

"Can't pin this on the conservatives, buddy."
Well pal, nowhere did I blame conservatives or even use the word. I used trump as an appropriate and timely example of this scandal because he is a spoiled rich kid and has been very secretive about his transcripts (as determined by the documented letters of threat to schools written by Michael Cohen) which suggests their is something trump doesn't want people to know about.. you know like Stormy Daniels.

"No one has to run up massive debt loads. It's their free choice." You are absolutely correct. People who come from families who make enough money so as to not qualify for subsidized loans (which you probably view as sucking off the gov't tit) and are not wealthy enough to pay cash have the following options.

1) forget a college education and settle for $20K or more less annual income on average
2) forget going to a top tier university like the rich kids who are dumb as rocks but can buy their way in
3) get a pile of student loans whether they are going to a top tier university or a state college especially if you want to get advanced degrees.

Great choices don't you think?

[Don Bessee]

The littlest commicongress-critter is not afraid to show her intellectual shortcomings -

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) grilled Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan over the bank’s financing of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

“So, hypothetically, if there was a leak from the Dakota Access Pipeline, why shouldn’t WellsFargo pay for the cleanup of it, since it paid for the construction of the pipeline itself?” Ocasio-Cortez asked at a hearing of the House financial services committee.

“Because we don’t operate the pipeline. We provide financing to the company that is operating the company,” Sloan answered.

https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2019/03/12/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-attacks-wells-fargo-ceo-for-funding-the-dakota-access-pipeline/

;-)

[Rukss]

Don @ 05:12

AOC is an actor: https://youtu.be/1h5iv6sECGU

She is clueless until her producer writes the script.

[Scott O]

Bobby just can't help himself - "Well pal, nowhere did I blame conservatives or even use the word."
Yet in the same post - " I used trump as an appropriate and timely example of this scandal because he is a spoiled rich kid and has been very secretive about his transcripts..."
And
"..not unlike political donations in the era of Citizens United."
This has nothing to do with an 'era' of CU. And when will we be seeing Obama's transcripts? Or Moo-Shell's thesis?
Oh, of course - that's different.
"...and another example of how people of wealth use their money to game the system to their advantage..."
Yes, it's an 'example' but how pertinent is it to the average college aged person? How about the Asian Americans that bust their ass to get into good colleges and univ. and can't because they are 'over-represented'?
Trying to say this has nothing to do with your hatred of conservatives is a stupid lie. You gave yourself away.

[Don Bessee]

What happens when the socialists open the southern border -

The director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, L. Francis Cissna, told senior staff members this week that the international division, which has operations in more than 20 countries, would close down by the end of the year, according to two people with knowledge of the meeting.

Agency officials said the move was intended to provide more staff resources to handle the lengthy backlog in asylum applications from tens of thousands of migrants crossing the southern border every month. But it could come at the expense of legal migration, which President Trump has said he favors: Some agency staff members said closing overseas offices will make it more difficult and time-consuming to apply to immigrate from abroad, especially for refugees already in the United States who hope to bring other family members to join them.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-administration-plans-to-close-key-immigration-operations-abroad/ar-BBUGyYC?ocid=spartandhp

;-)

[Scott O]

Oh yeah - Bobby's 3 (count em) choices:
"1) forget a college education and settle for $20K or more less annual income on average
2) forget going to a top tier university like the rich kids who are dumb as rocks but can buy their way in
3) get a pile of student loans whether they are going to a top tier university or a state college especially if you want to get advanced degrees."
A tiny mind like Bobby's can only imagine those choices.
There are plenty more choices that offer good paying careers - most college degrees aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

[Don Bessee]

Scott O, the troll didn't imagine anything, whatever that troll is, its just regurgitating the approved talking points for socialists.

;-)

[AVman]

[12mar19 update] Finland’s government collapses over healthcare costs ---Guess what George,,,according to you the US is in danger of becoming a socialist state,,,but that means it is not yet a socialist state, yet Trump wants to cut health care funding.

,,,Taking care of old geezers is expensive, whether is it in Finland or the US

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-finland-is-consistently-ranked-one-of-the-best-places-in-the-world-to-be-a-mom/

[Scott O]

I really loved the NPR bit on our brave new world. There were several really hilarious fantasies like electric helicopters for all in the 2030's and 'everything' being electrified. The ominous part was the admonition that it would, of course, have to be a 'collaborative' effort once everyone was convinced.
I'm pretty sure I know how the govt 'convinces' everyone. I would have thought the human race had seen enough of that in the last 120 years.

[George Rebane]

AVman 824am - Don't tell me you're another one of those progressives who see everything in simplistic black/white, all/nothing, 0/1, socialist/not-socialist, ... The realworld is a bitch, having all those shades of gray and complex nuances.

And one more time on your limited reading horizon. Yes, according to me AND at least 100 million other Americans the US is in danger of becoming a socialist state, and at least another 50 million Americans volubly celebrate and work for that possibility. You would see so much of what's really happening if you got your head out of where the sun doesn't shine.

But you are right about the expense of taking care of old geezers who require spending the lion's share of their life's healthcare dollar just to stay alive another year (month?) or two. That's why socialism invented death committees for nationalized healthcare. And for that reason I wager that Finland's bankruptcy was not only due to old geezer expenses.

[Bill Tozer]

“Looking for national conspiracies?” -Dr. Rebane

Steel and the bogus NRA-Russia Collusion Delusion:

“Ohr’s testimony confirms that Simpson holds responsibility for peddling this fake story about the NRA and Mitchell that later made its way to the FBI and congressional investigators. House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff even called Mitchell out by name in the “Minority Report” he issued upon the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) announcement in March 2018 that it was shutting down its Russia investigation.

In the “Minority Report,” Schiff condemned what he called HPSCI’s premature closing of the Russia investigation, claiming the House committee should have interviewed “individuals or groups who were involved in or may have knowledge of third-party political outreach from the Kremlin to the Trump campaign, including persons linked to the National Rifle Association (NRA),” such as Mitchell.”

http://thefederalist.com/2019/03/14/bruce-ohr-testimony-revealed-political-operatives-got-fbi-investigate-nra/

[Bill Tozer]

Nellie Ohr testimony released

“Nellie Ohr, the wife of former high-ranking Justice Department (DOJ) official Bruce Ohr—both of whom played pivotal roles in the FBI’s investigation into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign—worked for the CIA as an independent contractor for as long as six years.....

Rep. Jordan: Was Glenn Simpson acquainted with your husband, Bruce? Did they have a friendship or relationship prior to you going to work for Fusion?

Ms. Ohr: They were acquainted, yes.

In court documents filed on Dec. 12, 2017, Simpson referred to Ohr as a “former government official expert.” Simpson said Ohr was hired “to help our company with its research and analysis of Mr. Trump.”

Ohr admitted in her testimony to having researched Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, as well as members of then-candidate Donald Trump’s family, including his children.

“I was asked to research Trump’s family broadly in connection with any – any Russian connections,” Ohr said......

“Also attending the event was former CIA Director John Brennan, who gave a presentation titled, “The Cyber Threat: Security Solutions for a Rapidly Changing World.”

“Like Ohr, Brennan played a key role in the scandal that’s come to be known as Spygate, in which politicized federal agencies launched investigations into members of the Trump campaign, based on the false premise that they colluded with Russia.

“It was Brennan who initially collected unofficial foreign intelligence on the Trump campaign and funneled it to the FBI, thereby effectively instigating the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation. He also spread the unproven allegations to members of Congress, and his Intelligence Community Assessment, which he prepared in the fall of 2016, was publicly used to promote the Russia-collusion narrative throughout 2017.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/nellie-ohr-testimony-confirms-her-work-for-the-cia_2836812.html

[Todd Juvinall]

BillT they are all dirty cops. O wonder if new AG Barr will boot them?

[Bill Tozer]

Comey lied...but this is a new lie, not the many old ones. The witch-hunt started in 12/2015...not 7/16

“The problem with Comey lying about the start date of the Trump counterintelligence campaign before Congress is that it is against the law.”

“This means that Obama’s CIA, DOJ and FBI, all started working on spying on, infiltrating, harassing and framing the Trump campaign in 2015!”

The light is beginning to shine on the many crooks in the Obama Administration. Let it burn!
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/03/breaking-confirmed-obamas-cia-doj-and-fbi-started-targeting-the-trump-campaign-in-2015-long-before-what-comey-claimed-july-2016/

[Bill Tozer]

Conspiracy continued:

“David Kramer, the then-Sen. John McCain aide who leaked the discredited Christopher Steele dossier on President Trump, testified in a libel case that he spread the unsubstantiated anti-Trump material all over Washington during the presidential transition.”

Mr. Steele said the charge came from unsolicited information and that he tried to verify it on an internet site called CNN iReport. Mr. Steele testified that he relied on an article on XBT, Mr. Gubarev’s firm, published on July 28, 2009.

“Mr. Steele was asked by Mr. Gubarev’s attorney, Evan Fray-Witzer, “Do you understand that they have no connection to any CNN reporters”?

“I do not,” he answered.

The attorney added, “Do you understand that CNN iReports are or were nothing more than any random individuals’ assertions on the internet?”

Mr. Steele: “I obviously presume that if it is on a CNN site that it has some CNN status.”

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/mar/14/david-kramer-spread-steele-dossier-around-washingt/

[Bill Tozer]

Libel suit, con’t

“But ultimately, Ferrante acknowledged there was no evidence backing up the core claim made about Gubarev in the dossier: that he was working with Russians to hack Democrats.

“I have no evidence of them actually sitting behind a keyboard,” Ferrante said in his deposition.

Evan Fray-Witzer, an attorney for Gubarev, blasted BuzzFeed and Fusion GPS for what he says is their failed attempts to prove the dossier.

“Buzzfeed spent $4.1 million on a team of former FBI agents to try to prove that Gubarev and his companies did what was alleged in the Steele Dossier and came up empty-handed,” Fray-Witzer told TheDCNF.

“Their own expert concluded that he could not place Gubarev or anyone from Webzilla or XBT behind a keyboard doing anything remotely connected to hacking the DNC,” he added.

Fray-Witzer also criticized Fusion GPS.

“Fusion set out to help Steele by proving that Gubarev had done something wrong, but everyone he interviewed came back and said that they couldn’t imagine Gubarev having had any involvement in the DNC hacking,” he said.

The lawyer asserted special counsel Robert Mueller also apparently sees no link between Gubarev and Russian hacking.

https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/15/fusion-gps-gubarev-dossier-steele/

[Bill Tozer]

Dr. Rebane

If you read this, Meuller report might be April, probably May at the earliest. He is busy doing the “administrative” thang. It’s going to take awhile to clean up and make sure nothing will come back on the Department. That’s my info, but who knows. Boy, the TDS crowd and liars are really freaking out since the reality of the report is dawning on them that there was no “there” there. It’s going to take awhile to wipe off all the fingerprints.

[Bill Tozer]

Finland healthcare

However, the system’s failures often deny citizens access to lifesaving care, leaving private doctors to heal the sick in Finland.

“Ed Dutton, a British citizen who moved to the continent, described Finland’s broken health care system in the Guardian. The first problem is that there is no way to make appointments without going to a central location and swiping a national health card in person. This assigns a number to a sick child:

Then you and your feverish child simply sit and wait. Or rather, you stand, because the room is so crowded that people are sitting on the floor, on steps, or leaning against walls. The numbers come up on a screen every 10 minutes or so, in no particular order so you’ve no idea how long your wait will be as your daughter complains of feeling cold then hot and then cold again.

By 10.45, another patient’s dad exclaims he’s been there since 8.15, he’s had enough, and he’s going to go to a private GP. … [Y]ou are not even waiting to see a GP. You’re waiting to a see a nurse in order to justify to her how quickly your child needs to see a GP or whether she needs to see one at all.

“The system essentially forces people to go private or rely on friends who are doctors,” he concluded.

Doctors in Finland also expect a lighter workload, according to those who have worked in multiple health care systems. “Finnish doctors have 15 patients a day, and the 16th patient they are quite unhappy and tell everyone about it,” saidIngmar Lindström,an Estonian doctor who practiced in Finland.”

https://blog.acton.org/archives/107193-national-health-care-topples-a-nordic-government.html