[USA Today] President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned father-and-son cattle ranchers serving prison time for arson, in a case that helped inspire the armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in 2016.
Dwight Hammond, Jr., and his son, Steven Hammond, were convicted of starting two fires in 2001 and 2006 that damaged federal lands. But the White House said Tuesday that the evidence against them was "conflicting," and noted that the jury acquitted them on most of the charges.
The Hammonds were initially given sentences of three months to a year. But Trump blamed the Obama administration for filing an "overzealous appeal" because the judge's sentence was too lenient under federal sentencing guidelines. That appeal sent the Hammonds back to prison.
#2
Why is so much land west of the Mississippi owned by the federal government and not reverted to their states? You think the eastern states would have tolerated that much holding by the national government? Outside the original 13 states, all those were once under federal control.
#4
Going to guess Trump's pardons will be at the bottom of the "recidivist" list.
Unlike some of bathhouse Barry's who recidivated (yeah, I know, not a word, but I like it) as soon as they possibly could.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/10/2018 14:41 Comments ||
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#5
Well, the Army as most of those manning the forts were infantry. Note well though, that the Army did a good bit of fighting (losing and winning) in the old Northwest Territory up through the last family feud with the old Mother Country that ended in December 1814. Ohio, Michigan, Indiana kept most of the land, not Washington DC.
#6
The "federal land" in the old Northwest Territory was partly / mostly sold off, acre by acre, to those who wanted to pay for it. Some of the land was granted to the states, and some was kept by the feds, e.g. military bases. Land sales provided much federal income during those years. In later years some land all over the USA was given away through laws like the Homestead Act. I don't have all the statistics. Go to your local register of deeds & search their index for "U.S" as "grantor" if you want to see how much land in your county was sold by the feds direct to individuals or transferred through legal homesteading.
It was not an issue of the states simply getting ownership all the land compromising their territory, free of charge from the feds.
Much land in the arid west is useless for building homes on (no jobs or other nearby settlements). The 1930's Dust Bowl shows what happens when farming is done inappropriately. Much of that land has reverted to things like National Grasslands.
[Daily Caller] Two congressional committees have subpoenaed a former FBI attorney who exchanged anti-Trump text messages to appear for a closed-door deposition Wednesday.
The House Judiciary and House Government & Oversight Committees issued the subpoena Monday to Lisa Page, the former mistress of FBI agent Peter Strzok.
Strzok, who oversaw the FBI’s Russia investigation when it first started, will testify in public before both committees on Thursday.
Page’s lawyer told CNN that Page has negotiated with the GOP-controlled committees to appear voluntarily.
"We asked the committee staff to explain the scope of the investigation and provide sufficient notice that would allow her to prepare, which are normal conditions for congressional committees, but these committees have not followed the normal process," Amy Jeffress told CNN.
#1
Over eighteen months of investigation, hearings and testimony, a city full of lawyers, and no criminal indictments....other than Mssrs. Manafort and Flynn. Manafort resting comfortably in solitary confinement awaiting trial, and Flynn, in financial ruin due to legal fees.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/10/2018 14:57 Comments ||
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#8
Over eighteen months of investigation, hearings and testimony, a city full of lawyers, and no criminal indictments....
The process is the punishment. And a warning of what awaits to the rest of those still working for the government who had previously felt encouraged to put their thumbs on various scales.
#9
The process is the punishment.
The return of the 'Spoils System" in all the spiteful glory of its medieval variant: if Your Guy Loses then you are out of a job and need to flee town in the dark because a mob is warming up the Tar n' Feathers.
h/t Instapundit
[Powerline] German Chancellor Angela Merkel is hanging on by her fingernails in Germany right now, as the backlash against migrants reached a critical mass in recent weeks. The cabinet minister who confronted Merkel and forced immigration concessions, Horst Seehofer of the "conservative" CSU party based chiefly in Bavaria, has seen his own poll ratings collapse in the aftermath of the political crisis. But this is just as likely to be the result of his not having gone far enough with his attempts to get Merkel to reverse course on her disastrous immigration policy. The supposedly Trumpian "Alternative for Germany" party is now expected to rack up big gains in upcoming regional elections. Merkel’s chances for survival in office don’t look very good at the moment.
Meanwhile, what is happening in Britain right now? First, over the weekend David Davis, the cabinet minister in charge of the Brexit process, resigned over his disagreements with what he thought was a too-weak Brexit plan embraced by Prime Minister Theresa May, and this morning Boris Johnson, the foreign minister, has also resigned, calling May’s Brexit plan as "polishing a turd." (I knew there was a reason I like this guy.)
It appears there is a full-on cabinet crisis now under way in Britain, and May might not be long for office. Stay tuned: Merkel and May could well be turning up soon with a lot of time on their hands at Aspen Institute panels, telling us all about "what went wrong." Why do bad things happen to good people?
#4
Future historians will draw a parallel between Justinian's exhaustion of his Eastern Roman Empire's resources trying to resurrect the old Roman Empire with America's exhaustion of its resource trying to save Western European Civ, forgetting why its forefathers left the place or were thrown out in the first place.
#5
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
[PJMedia] On Monday, President Donald Trump exercised "one of the most profound responsibilities of the president of the United States," choosing a Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
"The Supreme Court is entrusted with the safeguarding of the crown jewel of our republic, the Constitution of the United States," Trump said.
He praised Kavanaugh as an originalist, noting that he coaches basketball, serves meals to needed families, and tutors children at elementary schools.
Kavanaugh thanked the president, praising him as the most diligent in searching for excellent judges. "No president has ever consulted more widely or talked with more people from more backgrounds to seek input about a Supreme Court nomination. Mr. President, I am grateful to you and I am humbled by your faith in me," he declared. He thanked his mother for her example, calling her a "trailblazer."
He remembered hearing his mother's "closing arguments" at the "dinner table."
Kavanaugh added that he is "proud" that most of his clerks have been women. He also discussed his Roman Catholic faith, and spoke about going to women's basketball games.
He described his wife Ashley as "a great wife and an inspiring mom. I thank God every day for my family."
Kavanaugh admitted he would have a tough road ahead. "I will tell each senator that I revere the Constitution," he said. "I believe that an independent judiciary is the crown jewel in our republic."
Kavanaugh also pledged to "keep an open mind about every case."
Time enough for that when Ruth Bader Ginsburg throws in the towel partway through his second term. But the way to do is it is through a leak of some of the names he was “considering”, or to have someone notice that Senator Elizabeth Warren had been invited to a one-on-one consultation lunch.
#7
...blood will yet flow. Human nature hasn't changed since the parable of the Scorpion and the Frog. The Left can't help itself, violent pursuit of power is its last resort. However, you'll never get them to compromise, because in the end they demand surrender.
#13
Actually, most of the justices are at least nominally "Catholic" - Sotomayor, Roberts, Thomas, Alito. Neal Gorsuch was raised Catholic, but now goes to an Episcopal church. Te other three justices are Jewish.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/10/2018 22:01 Comments ||
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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.
[Daily Caller] Two congressional committees have subpoenaed a former FBI attorney who exchanged anti-Trump text messages to appear for a closed-door deposition Wednesday.
On Monday, President Donald Trump exercised "one of the most profound responsibilities of the president of the United States," choosing a Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
