[Jonathan Turley] Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe penned an op-ed for The Washington Post to contest the allegation of his "lack of candor" with federal investigators. I have been writing (here and here and here) on the contrast between the treatment of McCabe and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. McCabe has been erroneously portrayed as "losing his pension" but has not been charged. Flynn was charged and accepted a plea deal under 18 U.S.C. 1001 for making a false statement to investigators. Now McCabe is raising virtually the same defense that did not work for Flynn: that there was a lot going on and he was "confused and distracted."
Given his willingness to hold forth publicly on his actions, McCabe does not appear to expect to be charged even though the Inspector General could refer a criminal allegation to prosecutors.
He lashes about at President Donald Trump and critics to assert ’I did not knowingly mislead or lie to investigators." He then added this familiar defense: "At worst, I was not clear in my responses, and because of what was going on around me may well have been confused and distracted ‐ and for that I take full responsibility."
That is reportedly the same defense raised by Flynn who admitted to meeting with Russian diplomats during the busy transition period but did not disclose or confirm that they spoke about sanctions. He reportedly also did not make such a disclosure to Vice President Pence. There was nothing unlawful in the meeting with the Russians or even unprecedented for an incoming national security adviser to discuss such points of tension between the countries. Flynn did not seek legal assistance before the interview and was reportedly not told that the investigators were there as part of a possible criminal inquiry.
#1
"...did not seek legal assistance before the interview and was reportedly not told that the investigators were there as part of a possible criminal inquiry"
For better or for worse, this happens everyday. People are routinely interviewed in non-criminal matters. There's usually a warning that says the only way this interview goes criminal is if you lie. Neither Flynn nor McCabe would be in a pickle if they told the truth. Both of them know that. Both of these cats played this game long enough and rose to top spots. One does not get to breathe that rarified air w/out knowing the deal. They both thought they'd get away w/it.
Pro tip for the day. If someone shows you a badge, the only words you need to say are "I'm calling my lawyer".
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
03/27/2018 7:23 Comments ||
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#2
Did the FBI informants kid who shot up the PULSE HARPOON night club fail the Kenyan rectal exam? Did the father who raised money for terrorist attacks get to use the postal meter and enevolpes for his mailings at the FBI field office and get special routing numbers for wire transfers from the CLINTON IRS MACHINE you know TEXAS?!
Posted by: Jack Chaiter7913 ||
03/27/2018 8:14 Comments ||
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[RT] Scorpions gotta sting, and anyway Russia Today’s journalist is just parroting what the American press and that Hogg boy have been claiming. Compare to the following:
#3
Well, if Michigan supervisor of Larry Nassar arrested is a 'legitimate' legal tactic to preserve the sanctity of the union then benign neglect civil suits for passive parenting will soon follow.
#4
Vice raids consisted of busting up gambling dens and hot pillow joints arresting bookies, pimps and prostitutes. I never remember hearing of the vice squad going out to get the dice and bed linens. If they want to stop school shootings it will require reform or removal of the players and the forum. Good luck with that
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/27/2018 14:19 Comments ||
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[San Diego Union-Tribune] Ground squirrels seem to be everywhere along the North County coast, despite the best efforts of city and state parks officials to reduce their numbers.
"I almost tripped over a few, and one tried to join me here at the picnic table," said Kevin Braasch, a visitor from Chicago who had just sat down near Tamarack Avenue in Carlsbad after a two-mile jog from his hotel. "They sure are friendly creatures."
A little too friendly, most people would say. The squirrel population is booming down by the beach, so much so that the animals have lost their fear of humans. They scamper right up to people, usually looking for a hand-out.
#4
Plus, I hear that they have a rising nutria population there now (giant South American swamp rat).
So, it's parasitical feral rodents all around.
(And then there's the squirrels and nutria...)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
03/27/2018 11:04 Comments ||
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#5
Pellet guns in the hands of a few good shots would go a long way toward solving this problem.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
03/27/2018 11:45 Comments ||
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#6
A pack of rat terriers would help too.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
03/27/2018 11:48 Comments ||
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[ARABNEWS] The seven ballistic missiles launched at four Saudi cities by the Houthis underscore the correctness of waging the war against them and the soundness of the warnings about Iran’s role in the region. It is Iran that smuggles the missiles and orchestrates their launching into Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... On Sunday night we witnessed the first major attack on Saudi Arabia since the start of Iran’s efforts to control Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... three years ago. But despite the large number of missiles launched and the distance they crossed, the operation remains a mere show, and the four missiles in the skies over Riyadh were no more than fireworks. It is no coincidence that they were launched on the third anniversary of the war against the coup staged by the Houthi
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2018 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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[ARABNEWS] Yet again, the Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... militias aimed their missiles at Riyadh; and yet again, their cowardly attack, aimed deliberately at seven million civilians, was successfully intercepted by Saudi air defense forces.
This is not the first time these barbaric religious fanatics have targeted Saudi cities. In fact, we should all remember that these holy warriors ‐ whose official slogans are "Death to America" and "Death to the Jews" ‐ had previously launched missile attacks that were intercepted near Makkah, the Saudi city that is home to the holiest site for two billion Moslems throughout the world.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2018 00:00 ||
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[14 views]
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#1
It's hard to see how their self-victimization as qat using backwards murderous tribal idiots can be blamed on anyone else in the first place.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/27/2018 10:07 Comments ||
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#2
self-victimization as qat crack using backwards murderous tribal idiots
[KCNAWATCH.CO] The injustice of the U.S. "human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... " racket against the DPRK finds a manifestation in its abuse of the UN as a means for encroaching upon the illusory sovereignty of independent states and for establishing the world domination order.
The UN is a stage for facilitating cooperation and exchanges among its member nations over human rights. It can never be a stage for justifying interference in the internal affairs of other countries and the racket for putting pressure on them.
But the U.S. is using the UN Human Rights Council entrusted with the mission and duty to contribute to guaranteeing human rights in the world as a means for interference in the internal affairs of those countries incurring its displeasure and subversion of their social systems.
Question is why the U.S. is getting keen on kicking up the groundless "human rights" racket.
By nature, the U.S. has left no means untried to stifle the DPRK out of its inveterate bitter repugnancy against the latter.
Its practice never works on the DPRK.
The U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK has faced the fate of bankruptcy. Just as a drowning man catching at a straw, the U.S. is resorting to the false "human rights" racket against the DPRK in the face of successive bitter defeats. Its aim is to internationalize "human rights" issue in the DPRK and kick off a worldwide campaign for putting the "maximum pressure" on the DPRK. In the end, it seeks to bring down the social system in the DPRK.
The situation makes one bear in mind the immutable truth that human rights precisely mean the state right and the illusory sovereignty of the country and the nation, and that the military capabilities for self-defence have to be strengthened to defend them.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2018 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[5 views]
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A different take on the subject than we had two weeks ago.
[Algemeiner] Less than a month ago ‐ in advance of the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul ‐ the Turkish daily Yeni Safak, which is considered one of the mouthpieces of Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), published an article entitled "A Call for Urgent Action."
The same article was also published on the newspaper’s website with the more explicit title: "What if an Army of Islam was Formed Against Israel?" The article openly called on the 57 member states of the OIC to form a joint "Army of Islam" to simultaneously attack Israel from the east, west, north and south.
According to Israel’s Shin Bet, the source of the article appears to be the Turkish company SADAT, which among other sinister plots, is aiding Hamas with funds and military gear to create a "Palestinian" army to join in the fight against Israel.
The idea of creating an "Army of Islam" to destroy Israel was accompanied by an interactive map providing formation of military forces for a joint Muslim attack on Israel. It also provides details on military forces based in various locations.
Yeni Safak further explained, "If the member states of the OIC unite militarily, they will form the world’s largest and most comprehensive army. The number of active soldiers would be at least 5,206,100, while the defense budget would reach approximately $175 billion."
This article provided additional details of the scandalous plan, stating that, "It is expected that 250,000 soldiers will participate in the first of a possible operation. Land, air and naval bases of member states located in the most critical regions will be used. Joint bases will be constructed in a short period of time. ... It is possible for 500 tanks and armored vehicles, 100 planes and 500 attack helicopters and 50 ships to mobilize quickly."
Regardless of how absurd and troubling this suicidal plan may seem, Erdogan did not disavow the report. In fact, he has reiterated on several occasions his ambition to resurrect the Ottoman Empire, in which context he wants to create the "Army of Islam."
...
MP Alparslan Kavaklioglu, a member of the ruling AKP and the head of the parliament’s Security and Intelligence Commission, recently stated: "The Muslim population will outnumber the Christian population in Europe. This... has increased the nationalistic, xenophobic and anti-Islam rhetoric there. Hence, marginal, small parties have started to get large numbers of votes... But there is no remedy for it. Europe will be Muslim. We will be effective there, Allah willing. I am sure of that."
To promote the revival of the Ottoman Empire and his ambition to become the leader of the Muslim world, Erdogan exploits Islam as the common cause around which all Muslim states can rally. He uses religion to prevent questioning either his motive or the nature of his mission, and acts as if it were all ordained by God. No one should be surprised if Erdogan soon announces that Sharia law is the law of the land. He exploits Islam for personal and political gain, uses Islamic symbols and precepts to indoctrinate the public, and promotes Islamic studies in schools to cultivate a new generation of devout Muslims loyal to him. Continues.
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ||
03/27/2018 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#1
"If the member states of the OIC unite militarily, they will form the world’s largest and most comprehensive army. The number of active soldiers would be at least 5,206,100, while the defense budget would reach approximately $175 billion."
The guy has quite an imagination.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
03/27/2018 11:53 Comments ||
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#2
If the member states of the OIC unite militarily, they will form the world’s largest and most comprehensive army.
... and immediately begin fighting amongst themselves. They can't help it.
[The Federalist] If you believe what you read, the Cambridge Analytica story is a blockbuster. It is a tale of intrigue and data breaches and manipulation on a mass scale, the sort of thing ripped from the type of paperback spy thriller you discard without a thought after a plane trip ‐ except real. But if you ask anyone from the world Cambridge Analytica tried to inhabit ‐ the highly competitive world of data consulting ‐ about what Cambridge was offering campaigns, the story that emerges is very different. It is transformed into a story about our increasingly credulous media ‐ apparently incapable of understanding how Facebook, the very entity that drives so much of their traffic, actually works ‐ and how journalists are eager to believe the worst about anything, even humdrum data mining, in the age of Donald Trump.
"This is the real world, not a spy novel. And in the real world, what Cambridge Analytica was promising simply doesn’t work," said Republican data consultant Patrick Ruffini. "Their role was downgraded on every major campaign they’ve worked on, including the Trump campaign and the Cruz campaign, when it was clear they couldn’t deliver on what they were selling. These concerns were well known in Republican circles prior to 2016."
"At the end of the day, Cambridge offered nothing more and nothing less than a standard data science program with a brilliant marketing campaign wrapped around it," Ruffini said. "That hype has now caught up to them."
After an initial commercial success, SCL expanded into military and political arenas. It became known for alleged involvement "in military disinformation campaigns to social media branding and voter targeting".[7] According to its website, SCL has participated in over 25 international political and electoral campaigns since 1994.[4] Moving on to evil foreign gov't regime changes:
SCL’s involvement in the political world has been primarily in the developing world where it has been used by the military and politicians to study and manipulate public opinion and political will. It uses what have been called "psy ops" to provide insight into the thinking of the target audience.[6] SCL claimed to be able to help foment coups.[8] According to its website, SCL has influenced elections in Italy, Latvia, Ukraine, Albania, Romania, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Mauritius, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Colombia, Antigua, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Trinidad & Tobago.[4] While the company initially got involved in elections in the United Kingdom, it ceased to do so after 1997 because staff members did not exhibit the same "aloof sensibility" as with projects abroad. Hence the Cambridge Analytics 'spin off.'
SCL claims that its methodology has been approved or endorsed by agencies of the Government of the United Kingdom and the Federal government of the United States, among others.[9]
[Reno Gazette] Nevada's 2nd U.S. House District Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, said on Nevada Newsmakers Monday that Rep. Paul Ryan may soon resign as Speaker of the U.S. House.
Amodei said he was repeating a rumor that's around Capitol Hill.
"The rumor mill is that Paul Ryan is getting ready to resign in the next 30 to 60 days and that Steve Scalise will be the new Speaker," Amodei said.
[Townhall] It may have been a bitter pill to swallow, but CNN shared its latest poll on President Trump. It seems that the president now has the highest approval rating in 11 months. He is now at a 42 percent approval, up 7 points from February.
He gained some particular ground with Republicans and independents.
Voters are especially pleased with Trump's handling of the economy. Forty-eight percent approve and 45 percent disapprove. However, that seems to be all they're pleased with. Approval for the president's leadership on every other issue is in the red, including guns (54 percent disapprove, 36 percent approve), and foreign policy (53 percent disapprove, 39 percent approve).
That 42 percent number is nothing to brag about either. But, as CNN notes, it is only 4 points behind Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan when compared to this point in their respective presidencies.
#1
Scott Adams predicted that over time, perception of Trump would shift from "we really really hate him" to "we still hate him, but like what he is doing".
[Townhall] New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal Thursday with the title "The Democrats Abandon Catholics." The archbishop of New York made the case that due to the Democratic party’s position on issues like abortion and education for low-income communities, "the party that once embraced Catholics now slams the door on us."
Cardinal Dolan reflected that the "dignity and sanctity of human life, the importance of Catholic schools, the defense of a baby’s civil rights‐were, and still are, widely embraced by Catholics. This often led Catholics to become loyal Democrats. I remember my own grandmother whispering to me, "We Catholics don’t trust those Republicans."
He says this is "no longer the case," and that is "a cause of sadness to many Catholics, me included."
"The needs of poor and middle-class children in Catholic schools, and the right to life of the baby in the womb‐largely have been rejected by the party of our youth," he said.
#4
As one who was not liberal in my youth and now conservative, but rather conservative all along, I'm always happy to see anyone come over from the other side, but that doesn't change the fact that the converts got us all to where we are right now with their previous allegiances.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/27/2018 9:48 Comments ||
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#5
Preaching Revolution Theology means that the Revolution becomes your religion ... and Revolution is a very jealous mistress.
[Rogue Health & Fitness] Viagra and Cialis, and a third, lesser known drug, Levitra, are used to treat erectile dysfunction. Use of these drugs is associated with a lower risk of heart attacks, and can be used as therapeutics against other disease. Will Viagra and Cialis extend lifespan?
Erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra inhibit an enzyme called phosphodiesterase 5, or PDE5. Phosphodiesterase enzymes have varying subtypes, and are found in all tissues. They catalyze the breakdown of two molecules, cGMP and cAMP, into inactive compounds.
PDE5 is upregulated from 2- to 5-fold in human heart disease. Inhibition of PDE5 with sildenafil (Viagra) protects against ischemia/reperfusion injury, which means it increases cellular antioxidant protection mechanisms.
#4
I was hoping they would pass new agricultural laws so they could spray it on celery so it would not go limp and chewy a day after purchase at the grocey store! Nothing worse than limp celery and chicken wings!
Posted by: Jack Chaiter7913 ||
03/27/2018 8:16 Comments ||
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#5
V* in original form just became available for generic production.
#8
Man goes in chemist. Asks, does V... work? Clerk sez yep 1 will do it. Then he asks can i get it over the counter? Clerk sez that would probably take 2.
[The Federalist] Over the weekend there was a massive march in Washington and other cities to demand new laws, ostensibly on behalf of innocent lives being endangered. That sounds like another giant protest march that takes place once a year in Washington, except this one is being reported coast-to-coast, buoyed by celebrity endorsements, and hailed as the dawn of a revolution, rather than being studiously ignored or downplayed.
It should be obvious that I’m speaking of the March for Our Lives and the March for Life, two ostensibly similar marches advocating ostensibly similar views. Yet comparing the two positions reveals illuminating fundamental differences.
Of course the most obvious distinction is in the subject matter: one favors limiting or ending gun owners, the other limiting or ending abortion. Let’s consider the two subjects, for here the crux of the matter rests.
Gun rights deal with a person’s right to own a particular tool for a particular purpose. Put briefly, a gun is a weapon; weapons are used in fighting. People want to own guns so if they ever need to fight to defend themselves, their families, or their rights, they can do so effectively. There are obvious and legitimate reasons why they would want this, ranging from violent attackers to civil unrest.
But, although they have legitimate uses, guns by nature are open to abuse. They allow a person with evil intent to inflict more damage than he would otherwise. Gun-control advocates argue the potential for abuse is greater than the legitimate need for private firearms, at least with regards to certain weapons. In other words, gun control advocates wish to limit access to guns in order to limit their potential for abuse.
Abortion rights deal with a person’s right to do or have done a particular procedure. This procedure, by definition, destroys a human life: specifically the human life the people in question created by having intercourse, whether consensually or violently. They desire this because, to one degree or another, the life to be destroyed is unwanted or inconvenient and was not intended to be created.
Although the reasons for wishing to destroy this life may be understandable, abortion still destroys an innocent human life. Moreover, in most cases that innocent human life was created by other people voluntarily engaging in an act they knew could lead to this outcome. Pro-life advocates argue that deliberately killing an innocent human being simply cannot be justified, save in cases of direst need such as when the life of the mother is at stake.
In other words, pro-life advocates wish to forbid a particular action that, by definition, destroys a human life.
#2
The March for Life has been held every year since 1974. People come from all over the country - at their own expense. Since I live in the area, I've attended two of them. Every year, the crowd gets larger. Yet, the MSM refuses to cover it.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
03/27/2018 9:36 Comments ||
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#3
The March for Life has been held every year since 1974
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.
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
[KCNAWATCH.CO] The injustice of the U.S. "
[Reno Gazette] Nevada's 2nd U.S. House District Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, said on Nevada Newsmakers Monday that Rep. Paul Ryan may soon resign as Speaker of the U.S. House.
[Townhall] It may have been a bitter pill to swallow, but CNN shared its latest poll on President Trump. It seems that the president now has the highest approval rating in 11 months. He is now at a 42 percent approval, up 7 points from February.
