[PJ] When FBI Director James Comey first let Hilary Clinton off the legal hook, I gave him a reluctant pass. I thought his dressing down of Clinton for being extremely negligent in the handling of national security material, while not indicting her, was vaguely Solomonic, even if I wished it weren't.
Boy, was I wrong! I am frankly embarrassed.
The revelations from the FBI interview with Clinton that were shamelessly slipped under the door like a throwaway paper in a cheap motel over Labor Day weekend made me think this:
If were I an FBI agent, I would despise James Comey. He has humiliated the FBI and all its employees. The institution will never be the same, at least not for decades to come. The FBI is no longer an instrument of justice. It is the reverse. It is an obfuscater of justice and an enabler of the rich and powerful. How depressing and disgusting.God help our republic.
Exaggerated? Not in the slightest.
Consider this:
Hillary Clinton, who had told us she had one cellphone, turned out to have had thirteen such phones and five iPads, all of which have mysteriously disappeared, two having been smashed by hammers -- this, although the information on all of them was legally government property. Was she arrested for this or even cited? Did the FBI even ask why she did this or why she had so many phones? Some wag on television said she must have been a crack dealer.
#1
I thought that it was the duty of the FBI and of police in general to gather facts about violations of law, while the duty of district attorneys or attorney generals was to decide whether to prosecute.
Is there a precedent for the FBI to take over that second role?
And is there a precedent for allowing a co-conspirator to be present as attorney while a person is being questioned by the FBI?
It is impossible that Mrs. Clinton did not know that violating rules about classified information was a felony, whether intentional or not.
Why did Comey recommend non-prosecution on the basis of lack of motive for this felony which the evidence showed had been committed and for which there was a clear monetary motive?
He should be made to answer these questions.
#4
There are a great many of these apparatchiks who should resign for the good of the country. Maybe Trump can say to Obean at his inauguration: "You're fired."
Arizona is one of five states with marijuana legalization on the ballot this fall, and the state's Republican governor, Doug Ducey, is not happy about it.
Ducey urged voters last week to reject legalization, saying it would exacerbate the state's existing opioid problem.
"If we want to expand this universe of people that are addicted and abusing drugs, well, you’ll have that chance in November," he said at a news conference. He added, "I don’t think that any state became stronger by being stoned."
Ducey cited the "unintended consequences" of legalization in Washington and Colorado, particularly the way marijuana "has infiltrated high schools with brownies and cookies and Pez dispensers and all-day suckers." A spokesman for Ducey also pointed to reports of newborns testing positive for THC and increases in emergency department visits involving marijuana.
Ducey also challenged the idea that marijuana is a safer substance than alcohol.
"I would check your facts when you say something is not addictive, that something’s safer than alcohol," he said.
Ducey didn't give specifics about the relative dangers of marijuana and alcohol, but we here at Wonkblog always enjoy a drug policy fact check, so we're happy to indulge the governor's request.
Here's what the research has to say.
1. Is marijuana addictive?
Short answer: yes. The best available research indicates that roughly 9 percent of people who use marijuana -- 1 in 11 -- will eventually become dependent on it. Starting marijuana use in your teens roughly doubles the risk of dependency, at 17 percent.
It's worth pointing out that the study those numbers come from found a similar risk of dependency for drinkers who started in their teens, and higher rates of dependency for drinkers who began in adulthood. And dependency rates for tobacco were higher across the board.
2. Is marijuana safer than alcohol?
This is a much more complicated question. The short answer, again, is "yes," but there's more nuance here.
For starters, as noted above, marijuana users are less likely to become dependent on the drug than drinkers. Overall, research suggests that 15 percent of drinkers become dependent on alcohol.
Marijuana is also considerably less toxic to the human body than alcohol. Compared to marijuana, there's a much smaller difference between a "recreational dose" of alcohol and a "fatal dose." If, say, five shots get you drunk, 15 could kill you.
With pot, on the other hand, there's currently no known fatal dosage level -- at least not any that a human being could reasonably consume in one sitting.
Marijuana impairs people differently than alcohol does, too. Federal crash data show that the odds of getting into a car accident jump dramatically after a person has been drinking alcohol. The odds don't change much after smoking weed. Other research has shown similar findings.
Alcohol also appears to be much more closely linked to violent behavior than marijuana is. Researchers Mark Kleiman, Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken summed up the literature on drugs and violence in 2011: "Most illicit substances have a much weaker link to violence than alcohol does. ... There is little direct association between marijuana or opiate use and violent crime."
For all of the reasons above, many drug policy experts agree that, on balance, marijuana is less harmful to both individuals and society than alcohol. That was the conclusion reached by a group of researchers for an article in the Lancet in 2010, which graded several common drugs on 16 potential harms to users or society.
But just because marijuana is safer than alcohol doesn't mean that it is safe, full stop. Some research has linked marijuana use to a number of negative physical and mental health outcomes, like a heightened risk of psychosis and the potential for long-term cognitive impairment. Those risks appear to increase for people who use the drug heavily and for those who start using it in their teens.
Some researchers also say that the perennial debate on the relative harm posed by marijuana and alcohol is incomplete. Jonathan Caulkins of Carnegie Mellon University prefers to say that "marijuana is safer than alcohol, but it is also more likely to harm its users."
Caulkins points out that federal survey data show that current marijuana users are more likely (21 percent) to meet diagnostic criteria for abuse or dependence on the drug than current alcohol users (13 percent).
"While alcohol is more dangerous in terms of acute overdose risk, and also in terms of promoting violence and chronic organ failure, marijuana -- at least as now used in the United States -- creates higher rates of behavioral problems, including dependence, among all its users," Caulkins wrote for the magazine National Affairs earlier this year.
Of course, some of those signs of abuse or dependency (trouble with the law related to the drug or problems at work, home, school or with friends), could be direct consequences of the drug's illegal status. So it's difficult to compare apples to apples on that measure.
So in conclusion, marijuana is addictive, although less so than alcohol. And very broadly speaking it is safer than alcohol, but it still poses a number of risks to its users.
In July, one poll showed only 39 percent of likely voters said they'd vote to legalize marijuana in November. But Arizona voters might be warming up to the idea of recreational pot, according to an Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll conducted in the second half of August. In those results, released Wednesday, 50 percent of registered voters said they were likely to vote in support of the measure.
In response to a Washington Post inquiry, a spokesman for Ducey said that "the governor stands by his position, and believes the facts speak for themselves on this topic when you look at the unintended consequences in Colorado and Washington."
[CNBC] Tropical storms and Hurricane Hermine combined to slow the movement of oil tankers and shut in offshore drilling, forcing the U.S. oil industry to dip into its massive oversupply at the highest rate for this time of year.
In the past week, the industry used 14.5 million barrels in storage, largely from the East Coast and Gulf Coast, according to government data. Analysts blamed wind and rough seas resulting from Gaston, Hermine and other storms that have impeded ships with cargoes headed for U.S. refineries.
As a result, there was also a sharp decline of 1.8 million barrels a day in U.S. imports -- oil that comes from places like Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. Gasoline stocks also fell by 4.2 million barrels. While the storms threatened the Gulf of Mexico, 12 percent of U.S. oil drilling in the Gulf was temporarily shut in.
#2
...Except prices here (SC) have dropped at least 10 cents a gallon over the last week, $1.75/gal for regular as of this morning.
I'm beginning to think that some of these stories lately are people at media outlets trying to bump up their 401k's....
Mike
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/09/2016 4:58 Comments ||
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[Wash Times] As a former military officer, I learned decades ago that when taking command of new unit, an officer has to be a strict disciplinarian. Rules have to be enforced and your subordinates need to respect and understand you are a determined person who takes your oath of office seriously. In reality, these first few months are a negotiation with your troops. First impressions count, they set the stage for your entire command.
Anyone who has followed this 2016 election cycle should know that Donald Trump is always negotiating. When the GOP nominee was talking about preventing Muslims from coming into the country "until we can figure out what is going on," he was laying out a hard-line negotiating position that could be softened down the road if need be.
When he talks of deporting 12 million illegal immigrants, he is doing the same thing. Now amid hints of possibly softening that stand, he is seen as moderating and appeals to a larger swath of the electorate. I believe Mr. Trump will do the right thing for America when it comes to immigration, but the point is a negotiator starts negotiating long before the media spotlight highlights the actual bargaining begins.
I think Mr. Trump is doing the same thing with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He is laying the groundwork for what he believes will be future success dealing with Moscow. Mr. Trump has spent time in Russia. He has done business with Russians. He understands how they think. He understands they respect strength, not weakness. He understands they also want to be respected. Mr. Trump's comments complimenting Mr. Putin as a strong leader "in a different system" are stroking the Russian president's ego at a time when it will do the most good. The liberal media have freaked out because Mr. Trump refuses to follow the Obama administration line on Russia, but all he is doing is speaking nicely while carrying a big stick.
Mr. Putin has spent a lot of energy recasting the United States as Russia's No. 1 enemy. Think about it -- now that Mr. Trump is very popular among the Russian population, which for the most part yearns for peace just as Americans do, it will be more difficult for the Kremlin to cast America as an existential threat to the Motherland when Mr. Trump is in the White House.
[Breitbart] Retired Navy SEAL and former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince offered his insights on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's close personal aide Huma Abedin on Thursday's edition of Breitbart News Daily on SiriusXM.
"Huma Abedin, the person closest to Hillary Clinton in the world, connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, edited a journal with radical Islamic thought in it. Her family, she comes from a bizarre background - well, it's not really bizarre, it's kinda commonplace in the Muslim world. Talk to us about the Abedins," Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow said Prince.
"Her parents, particularly her father, was very much a Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer or agent, originally from India," Prince replied.
"The Muslim Brotherhood approach is a slow, creep."
#2
The family moved to Jeddah, KSA, mother edits a Muslim Brotherhood journal, and somehow she ends up as the closest adviser to the democrat candidate for president... Our government hid from us for close to 15 years the fact that Saudi handlers supported several if not all of the 9/11 hijackers...and now it appears a potential Saudi "handler" is at the elbow of Hillary.
[Angry Patriot] The latest anti-Hillary video that surfaced and went viral has nothing to do with her coughing fit or more lies about her emails. However, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't watch it. As a matter of fact, every American needs to watch it!
[American Lookout] Author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza appeared on FOX Business with Stuart Varney this week and provided an epic smack down on the supposed good works done by the Clinton Foundation.
"The foundation gives away approximately ten percent of its revenue to charity, that is probably the lowest of any existing foundation in the United States, if not the world. That means that ninety percent of the foundation’s resources essentially go to the private behest of the Clintons."
D'Souza also points out the massive leap in wealth the Clintons have made personally while in supposed public service. He also points out a real example of influence peddling the foundation committed in India while Hillary was secretary of state.
#1
If you listen to all of the Clinton supporters, the Clinton Foundation does nothing but good works instead of racketeering, charity fraud, money laundering, and "pay for play" that really goes on. Read the post from yesterday where Charles Ortel's lays out the case the FBI seems to be having difficulty finding.
[Breitbart] TEL AVIV ‐ Jew hatred and demonization of Israel are at "the highest level of our lifetimes," Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said at a high-level forum on anti-Semitism held on Wednesday at the UN’s headquarters in New York.
"Over 1/3 of European Jews are afraid to wear a yarmulke or Star of David in public," Danny Danon said. "More than half of French Jews have considered emigrating because they don’t feel safe living as Jews in France. Today we hear things about Jews and the Jewish people that we thought belonged to the pages of history. ... Anti-Semitism is returning to everyday life without shame."
Danon also said that social media presents a "new kind of threat" in that anti-Semitism goes global very quickly.
"We are living in a new era and we face a new kind of anti-Semitism," Danon said. "Using the tools of online social networks to demonize the Jewish people and the Jewish state, this is Anti-Semitism 2.0."
"The enemies of the Jewish people are using the tools of modern technology to target and harass Jews around the world," he said, adding that the modern world makes life easier for anti-Semites since "all you need is a wireless connection, a Facebook account, and a deep hatred for the Jewish people."
[Newsweek] In Cuba and in the Gulf, America's enemies are exposing the weakness of Obama's foreign policy.
This article first appeared on the Council on Foreign Relations site. Two almost simultaneous events in recent days have shed even more light on the Obama administration's treatment of America's enemies. Skipping down a few paras to the Iranian piece:
Meanwhile, half a world away, the Iranian navy is making a laughingstock of the U.S. Navy, taunting it with small-boat actions that endanger our ships, get within about 100 yards of them and have forced them to take evasive action to avoid collisions. Reuters reported:
A U.S. Navy coastal patrol ship changed course after a fast-attack craft from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came within 100 yards (91 meters) of it in the central Gulf on Sunday, U.S. Defense Department officials said on Tuesday. It was at least the fourth such incident in less than a month. U.S. officials are concerned that these actions by Iran could lead to mistakes.
One U.S. Navy official said, “This type of incident would have led NAVCENT to recommend that the State Department deliver a diplomatic message of protest if this interaction had been with a country with which the United States had an official diplomatic relationship.” Wrong: The time for a “diplomatic message of protest” is long gone. Well, Zambia appears to be doing fine without a navy.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
09/09/2016 06:22 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[10 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Yeah, I'm sure one of Iran's plastic patrol boats is worth at least a $2 billion cash pay off to compensate for their "loss."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/09/2016 7:42 Comments ||
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#2
A mission at long last for the LCS. They have a serious wake.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Arizona is one of five states with marijuana legalization on the ballot this fall, and the state's Republican governor, Doug Ducey, is not happy about it.
[CNBC] Tropical storms and Hurricane Hermine combined to slow the movement of oil tankers and shut in offshore drilling, forcing the U.S. oil industry to dip into its massive oversupply at the highest rate for this time of year.
[Breitbart] Retired Navy SEAL and former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince offered his insights on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's close personal aide Huma Abedin on Thursday's edition of Breitbart News Daily on SiriusXM. 
[Breitbart] TEL AVIV ‐ Jew hatred and demonization of Israel are at "the highest level of our lifetimes," Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said at a high-level forum on anti-Semitism held on Wednesday at the UN’s headquarters in New York.
