Ruminations – 5jan20 (updated 6jan20)

George Rebane

On hubris and nemesis in the Deep State – an interview (here) with Victor Davis Hanson sheds some new light on the goings on in the unelected state within a state.  (H/T to correspondent)

Consulting Congress required?  The Constitution is very specific on the matters of national security that require the President to consult with Congress before acting.  And the Constitution purposefully gives the President sole power to decide what constitutes an imminent threat to our national security.  The War Powers Act (actually a Resolution) of 1973 was enacted only to check the President’s power to unilaterally commit the US to an armed conflict without the consent of Congress (e.g. the Vietnam War).  None of this is material to the opportunistic assassination of another high level terrorist leader in the course of conducting longstanding regional security operations.  The Democrats are demogauging their hopefully ignorant constituents.

Listening to Tucker Carlson quoting polls taken of all Americans on matters of economics, foreign policy, ecology, …, and anything requiring numeracy is a misleading and futile effort, because the population as a whole is not read on such topics.  That is why our Founders feared a pure democracy and instead gave us a republic, ‘if we can keep it’.  Anti-Americans of all stripes always advocate doing away with our republican Constitution and substituting a pure democracy as the shortcut to an overarching tyranny of the elites.  Tucker should know better.

[6jan20 update]  Obama’s blatant treachery (without congressional approval for those so concerned) was secretly releasing and delivering to the mullahs pallets of Iranian cash sequestered by the US since that country declared itself a sworn enemy of America and acted accordingly for decades.  That money went directly to support the rogue country’s killing of Americans across the globe, and funding its world threatening nuclear weapons program.  And we have yet to discover who all in the free world took Iranian bribes to support the horrible nuclear agreement under which the mullahs have continued their nuclearization unopposed and unobserved.

The Union demonstrates once again its open-door editorial policy to let profoundly ignorant local ideologues embellish their op-ed pages.  Today a Nevada City worthy gets to vent in a particularly long diatribe titled ‘The billionaire’s (sic) lament’.  Here we learn that it has been our billionaires who have prevented “working/nonworking class families (to) be able to live sustainable lives.”  It is they who have squirreled all that money, taken from the poor, in their mattresses instead of investing it to build companies, provide needed goods/services, and create jobs for the rest of us.  Happy days lie ahead when the likes of Bernie and Pocahontas put in place their new asset and income taxes to finally launch what “is a ‘class battle for power,’ one between the wealthy old rich males (super rich 1%) with their minions (rich 19%) against all of you, no matter who you are.”

The nation’s progressive pinheads have now fastened on “imminent threat” as a demonstrated prerequisite for killing Soleimani, the murderous mastermind of Islamist ragheads everywhere.  Congressional Democrats and their lamestream lackeys grudgingly admit to Soleimani’s decades of dastardly deeds, but now see ‘imminence’ as a useful distraction to refocus their ongoing TDS.  From the 6jan20 WSJ, “If the threat to Americans from Soleimani was real, it doesn’t matter under international law whether the threat was “imminent.” The traditional law of war couldn’t be clearer on this point. If Soleimani was an enemy combatant waging war on the U.S., then the U.S. has every right to target him. If he was directing attacks on the U.S., as not even Chuck Todd doubts he was, then he can be legally targeted.” (here)

Comments

[Bill Tozer]

Re: On hubris and nemesis in the Deep State

Long read, but the 2nd half is more to the point. What happened before Crossfire Hurricane?

“3 Times The IG Report Suggests Spygate Is Worse Than We Thought
As bad as the IG’s findings were, the details in its report suggest worse is coming when U.S. Attorney John Durham concludes his investigation into the Russia collusion hoax.”

https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/07/3-times-the-ig-report-suggests-spygate-is-worse-than-we-thought/

[Bill Tozer]

Deep State

New Details About Meeting FBI Source Suggest Carter Page Was Set Up

Now that we know Stefan Halper wasn’t a mere fellow dinner guest at the gathering but was instead sitting abreast the table at his own college, it screams ‘set up.’

https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/09/new-details-about-meeting-fbi-source-suggest-carter-page-was-set-up/

[Bill Tozer]

Deep State whistleblower?? Throwing this out there for whomever. Bongino, 11 minutes.

https://www.facebook.com/dan.bongino/videos/597503914149416/

Nunes on the scent.

[Bill Tozer]

Deep State is nothing new. You go girl.

“Journalist seeks to revive litigation over alleged surveillance by feds”

“A TV journalist known for against-the-grain reporting is unleashing a new flurry of litigation on Friday alleging she was subjected to illegal surveillance by U.S. officials while covering Obama administration controversies such as the Benghazi attack and Operation Fast and Furious nearly a decade ago.

Now, Sharyl Attkisson says an informant has acknowledged a role in the snooping. The journalist and her attorneys believe that development may be enough to allow her to restart the litigation and demand answers from government officials.....

One of those Attkisson is now accusing of directing the surveillance was little known at the time but was regular headline fodder in the past couple of years: Rod Rosenstein. He was the U.S. Attorney in Baltimore for 12 years and went on to serve as deputy attorney general under President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019.

The suit claims that Attkisson, as well as her husband and daughter, were targeted by an interagency task force which was based in Baltimore and overseen by Rosenstein. A newly-filed suit asserts Rosenstein “ordered” four government employees “to conduct home computer surveillance on the Attkissons and other U.S. citizens.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/10/sharyl-attkisson-federal-surveillance-097264

[Bill Tozer]

That is no way to take out the garbage. A setback in draining the Swamp

Spy Court Picks FISA Abuse Denier To Tackle FISA Abuse
The appointment of a former official who served as an apologist for the FBI signals that the court isn't particularly concerned about the civil liberty violations catalogued by Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/12/spy-court-picks-fisa-abuse-denier-to-tackle-fisa-abuse/

[Bill Tozer]

Orange Man with Twitter Machine reacts to those protecting their own, aka The Swamp

Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
You can’t make this up! David Kris, a highly controversial former DOJ official, was just appointed by the FISA Court to oversee reforms to the FBI’s surveillance procedures. Zero credibility. THE SWAMP! @DevinNunes @MariaBartiromo @FoxNews

https://www.oann.com/president-trump-blasts-fisa-courts-decision-to-appoint-obama-era-official-to-oversee-changes-to-ig-report/

[Odlaw]

,,,One America News Network Biker Bill??? You are becoming a caricature in a Trump cartoon now Bill with all your links to bizzare web based news aggregators...
Of course Trump does not like Mexican judges or any other judge who rules against the Orange Swamp Creature...

One America News Network (OANN), also known as One America News (OAN), is a far right[1][2][3] news and opinion channel owned by Herring Networks, Inc., launched on 4 July 2013.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][excessive citations] The network is headquartered in San Diego, California, and operates news bureaus in Washington, D.C.[14] and New York City.
The channel targets a conservative and right-of-center audience.[15][16] Its prime time political talk shows have a conservative perspective,[17][18][19] and the channel regularly features pro-Donald Trump stories.[17][20] The channel has been noted for promoting falsehoods and conspiracy theories. - - - Wiki

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_America_News_Network

[fish]

Posted by: Odlaw | 13 January 2020 at 11:16 AM

OMG…..not something unapproved……never that!

/…..cough…..bird cage liner…..cough….

[Odlaw]

,,,Exactly Oosik,,,

OANN would make excellent bird cage liner if it was only a real news organization and had printed media!!!

The channel has been noted for promoting falsehoods and conspiracy theories. - - - Wiki

[Bill Tozer]

Well Oddball, look at the bright side.

1) OAN is in financial trouble and is looking for a buyer

2) After slamming Trump with 90% negative coverage for months, the MSM media has upped its game and now has reached 93% negative coverage of Trump. That should please you immensely. Gotta find a silver lining to all that losing you guys have taken.

Nothing on the contents of a biased FBI Institutional defender and Trump hater being appointed by the FISA court to investigate...the FBI?

No thoughts on the fox guarding the henhouse? Perhaps by 9:12 am will enlighten you. Just kidding, never happen. Never mind, never had one, never will.

You better load your pea shooter to shoot all the messengers out there. And whatever you do, please do not send nudes. Thank you in advance, half wit.

[Odlaw]

,,,Sorry Bill,,,old news...

Orange Liar has been outed with 93% negative coverage even back in 2017...sorry for you now that you will have to get your talking points from AM radio...

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/byron-york-harvard-study-cnn-nbc-trump-coverage-93-percent-negative

[Bill Tozer]

Ah, those defenders of our country are something else.

IG Report Bombshell: Did The FBI And DOJ Ask Putin’s Buddy To Help Get Trump?
DOJ official Bruce Ohr called a meeting of several federal agencies to discuss ‘working with’ a Russian oligarch because of his belief, premised on the unverified Steele dossier, that Trump was corrupt.

https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/13/ig-report-bombshell-did-the-fbi-and-doj-ask-putins-buddy-to-help-get-trump/

[fish]

Posted by: FatLaw | 13 January 2020 at 11:30 AM

No jetsy......I was referring to your bird cage liner........Rude Whine Farts!

[Walt]

LOL Dougy,, all that NEG Trump press, and he's still WINNING!,,
Sucks to be you.

[Odlaw]

,,,so sorry you cannot keep up Walt...

[Bill Tozer]

Deep State in bed with MSM? Democracy dies in darkness. Couldn’t have done it without ya.

5 Times Media Spin Biased The Government’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation

The recent inspector general report revealed that the Crossfire Hurricane team and Department of Justice and FBI leaders fell for many of the false Russia collusion narratives the press pushed.

https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/14/5-times-media-spin-biased-the-governments-crossfire-hurricane-investigation/

[Bill Tozer]

Impeachment and the Fight Over the Deep State

“The future of that entrenched power -- the administrative state -- is the most profound battle in American politics today. Trump picked that fight himself, though he may not have fully comprehended its gravity or the manifold tools that could be used against him. As Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told Rachel Maddow, “Let me tell you: You take on the intelligence community -- they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you.” Schumer should have included the Department of Justice and FBI. It is the nexus of those institutions that launched the investigations of Trump, now culminating in both his impeachment trial and Durham’s investigation.

The permanent government has bared its teeth at Trump not because he is uncouth, erratic, or untruthful or because he “obstructed Congress” or “abused his office” (whatever those mean). They oppose Trump because he threatens their once-secure political world. He is abolishing long-standing regulations at an astonishing clip and appointing federal judges who, for the first time in decades, refuse to ratify far-reaching regulations and executive orders that are only loosely tethered to statutory laws.”

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/01/15/impeachment_and_the_fight_over_the_deep_state_142152.html