“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert.” –J. Robert Oppenheimer
This By-The-Book Monday Open Thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.
Yes, it’s Monday…again:
But it’s okay! We’ll get through it. We’ve got the good stuff:
And even the Polar Bear makes it through:
Free Speech is practiced here at the Q Tree. In fact, our host Wolfmoon encourages us to use it…and Enjoy it. “Use it or lose it”, he tells us.
But please keep it civil. Discussion of Q is not only allowed but encouraged. Imagine that! We can talk about Q here and not get banned.
Please also consider the Important Guidelines, outlined here in the January 1st open thread. Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.
Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU.
Wheatie’s Rules:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
……………………………………………………..
For your listening enjoyment, I offer this composition from DTD Music, titled ‘Rise Into Heaven’:
Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS: I AM PRAYING FOR YOU
Safety & Security Sunday
While our Lion, President Donald J. Trump, fights for our safety and security here at home, the very same media that was fully outraged by (maybe) shootings in mosques in New Zealand is giving absolutely zero coverage of oppression on a scale we may find difficult to comprehend.
A day after militants ambushed a church and killed six, another attack in northern Burkina Faso targeting Christians has left four dead, including a church leader. These attacks on the church in the West African country, as well as others in the last few weeks, have invoked a state of panic among Christian communities in the region. : In the last 12 months, the increasing violence across Mali and Niger, as well as Burkina Faso, has led to a five-fold rise in the displacement of the local population. More than 330,000 people have left their homes, in addition to 100,000 refugees —creating what some news outlets have called an “unexpected humanitarian crisis.”
What a marvelous mystery. How can it be, for those who believe, that both our Nation’s security and the horrors endured by the persecuted church around the world, the path from darkness to light is the same? Prayer. Turning our hearts to God to find the courage to live true to our convictions and His leading.
“They called the apostles in, had them whipped, and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus; and then they set them free. As the apostles left the Council, they were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus.”
For the first couple hundred years of the Church the persecution was intense. There were no “career clergy” looking for a comfortable job with nice benefits. In fact, those dedicated to obedience to Christ in a leadership role were the first to be arrested. To be physically harmed. To be killed.
And so it is to this day in most of the world we live in. Even in America those who live by their convictions are the first to discover the cost of standing by them. And so we come back to our courageous world-changer President, Donald J. Trump.
He stands tall and fights even when he knows it’s placed him in danger of experiencing all of the above. Thank God for this man who lives by his convictions and is not afraid to enter into the battle space we find ourselves in.
Not only to fight, but to WIN a victory we all need dearly.
This Saving Our Republic Saturday Open Thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world Free Speech is practiced here at the Q Tree. In fact, our host Wolfmoon encourages us to use it…and Enjoy it. “Use it or lose it”, he tells us. But please keep it civil. Discussion of Q is not only allowed but encouraged. Imagine that! We can talk about Q here and not get banned. Please also consider the Important Guidelines, outlined here in the January 1st open thread. Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.
Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS:
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU.
Wheatie’s Rules:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
………………………………………………………
For your listening enjoyment, I offer this composition from Audiomachine, titled ‘Allegory’:
Pucker up, you sniveling weasels…Honey Badger is on your trail.
………………………………………………………
Visual descriptions for our dear Zoe, and for anyone else who may find them helpful: Header Image: A young lady warrior is standing in a field of tall grasses, looking over her shoulder at us. Behind her in the distance, an enormous Tree dominates the landscape. Her long white hair and the tall grasses, are blowing in the wind. Her dark green velvet embroidered tunic has a band of metal armor at the hips, which comes to a V in the front and back. She has metal armor on her shoulders and forearm, and the wind is blowing the long dark green cape that is attached at her shoulders. She is holding a sword in her right hand and in her left hand is a round metal object that appears to be giving off a soft blue glow. The enormous Tree is in the valley below her and there are gigantic arched structures built into the side of it’s trunk. White birds are flying out from the Tree, towards us. A few small structures dot the landscape around the base of the Tree, along with a forest of smaller trees. Beyond the valley, there are rays of the sun casting light on the Tree and the warrior, as the sun emerges from a distant mountain range. There are white clouds moving through a blue sky. Second Image: A stone pathway leads up to tall double doors, built into the side of an enormous tree trunk. The doors are arched and covered in ornate carvings. There are a few small points of light in the doors, giving off a slight blue glow. Rays of sunlight illuminate the path in front of the doors. Third Image: Is a view of a large room with high ceilings. There are cushioned chairs and a sofa with throw pillows. Tree branches cris-cross the ceiling, with a couple of chandeliers fashioned from branches, suspended from the ceiling. There is a large stone fireplace with a tapestry hanging above the mantle. Fourth Image: President Trump is standing in front of a window in the Oval Office, looking out at the grounds. The view is of his back. His elbows are bent, with his forearms in front of him, perhaps they are crossed…or he is holding something. Bottom Image: Is Attorney General William Barr, looking forward with a no-nonsense, determined look on his face. Caption underneath: “Pucker up, you sniveling weasels…Honey Badger is on your trail.”
This FUNTASTIC FRIDAY WRAP UP open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.
You can say what you want, comment on what other people said, and so on. Free Speech is practiced here.
ENJOY IT.
Use it or lose it. Keep it SOMEWHAT civil. They tried to FORCE fake Orwellian civility on us. In response, we CHOOSE true civility to defend our precious 1ST AMENDMENT FREEDOM from THEM.
Our rules began with the civility of the Old Treehouse, later to become the Wolverinian Empire, and one might say that we have RESTORED THE OLD REPUBLIC – the early high-interaction model of the Treehouse – except of course that Q discussion is not only allowed but encouraged, and speech is considerably freer in other ways. Please feel free to argue and disagree with the board owner, as nicely as possible.
Please also consider the Important Guidelines, outlined here in the January 1st open thread. Let’s not give the odious and vile Internet Censors any REASONABLE reason to shut down this precious haven.
PLEASE….Remember to KEEP PRESIDENT TRUMP IN PRAYER.
WE ARE PRAYING FOR HIM!!
U.S. President Donald Trump prays during the National Prayer Breakfast event in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 2, 2017. Photo courtesy of Retuers/Carlos Barria
Our movement
Is about replacing
A failed
And CORRUPT
Political establishment
With a new government controlled
By you, the American People.
Candidate Donald J. Trump
Also consider Wheatie’s Rules:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
.
.
.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EBvFdoFB430
.
.
THIS IS…
.
.
Poor girl. Flight attendants don’t get any respect anymore, not even in commercials. Oh the stories we could tell! Like, this one time, at band camp…oh wait. (Cough cough)
Ahem.
HELLO again all you wonderful, amazing, deplorable Wolf den-izens! Welcome to another Friday edition of the weekly wrap-up. As always, we’ve got a LOT in store for your review, rememberance, and bookmarking from the week that was, so let’s jump right in.
First up….a nod, a smile, a BIGLY thank you!, and a long hug to all our moms out there! Last Sunday was Mother’s Day, and their importance simply cannot be overstated or over-emphasized.
Seriously, there is so much going on in that video above it brought tears to my eyes. This is what winning BIGLY looks like!! 😃
And so does this.
As usual, the folks in Texas “git ‘er done”….
COLDSPRING, TX – Elected officials in an East Texas community defiantly illuminated the crosses on their courthouse after an atheist organization told them to take them down. The move came after the county judge and commissioners voted unanimously to keep the four crosses on the county building.
“This is how we roll in San Jacinto County (Texas)! Not only did we not cower to the Wisconsin whiners, we LIT Them Up.” – San Jacinto County GOP Chair Dwayne Wright
QUOTE: “600-700 residents filled the Coldspring Community Shelter when the commissioners voted on the issue. Over 45 residents signed up to address the county officials at the meeting which felt like a revival, one speaker said.
Residents of the county of just under 29,000 people celebrated on social media after it saw photos of the illuminated Christian symbol on the courthouse. Legal foundations offered to provide representation if the organization sues the East Texas county.“
Hey…what do you think about this statement?
Do you agree?
If you say yes, and we think you do, 👇👇👇 DON’T MISS THIS👇👇👇interview snip with Nancy Pelosi…
amwick shared this TERRIFIC interview with us…..quote….
“Very good interview… Mark Levin speaks with Dr. John Eastman, a Constitutional Scholar. They go over so many topics,,, Mueller, Electoral College, DACA, Impeachment… just to name a few… Very calm, no fancy bells and whistles… I really love this guy…
Here, if you are interested…”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m18BYVZgI5U
Hey, wanna have some fun?
Grab a bag of popcorn then head on over to this tweet by failed dem candidate Pam Keith. The replies are epic!
Ladies: STOP having sex w/conservative men
TOTAL👏🏽COMPLETE👏🏽SEX👏🏽BOYCOTT.👏🏽
Don’t let them anywhere near you. Give them the hand and keep it moving. Get a B.O.B. But make it a rule to run, not walk, from men who want to steal your agency over yourself & your life.
As usual, A.F Branco kills it with a one panel cartoon…
😂😂
Folks, the truth is….as we and other pro-life supporters have long pointed out…. leftists are lying through their teeth and misrepresenting our pro-life stance. We are not “erasing their rights” or their right to choose…
…to say nothing of the choices available to avoid an unwanted pregnancy, like condoms, morning after pills, etc.
Of course, the pro-murder leftists know this, so these self-professed LOVERS of science ultimately fall back to this IDOTIC argument…as evil does when it refuses to acknowledge God’s truth and only winds up managing to sound like the dehumanizing filth that evil really is.
Nominated for the WTF Comment of the Year….and evidence of why someone like AOC can get elected in this country…LISTEN…
“When a woman is pregnant, that is not a human being inside of her.” – Christine Quinn.
That is going to come as a huge shock to pregnant mothers around the country. 😂pic.twitter.com/zUiVKfO4O7
— The Darkest Timeline Numbersmuncher (@NumbersMuncher) May 7, 2019
I mean…really?? A baby in the womb is not a human being??
But take heart, patriots! We are winning this battle and the pro-murder leftists are on the run. Thanks to dims like VA Governor Blackface Infanticide, the mask is being ripped off these vile people and Americans now overwhelmingly disapprove of abortion as a mean of birth control. So there.
In other news….
“The organizers of a rally on Capital Hill calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump said the event was held to deliver to Congress a petition with more than ten million signatures urging for the action.”
Guess what? All of two (2) democrats showed up! Just 2. Wanna know who? Me neither…and who cares?
Do you guys watch Greg Gutfeld?
If you don’t you are really missing out. Here…have a taste….you can’t make this schiff up….
Discerning readers keeping up with Fleporblog’s daily news wraps know that the Chinese have been messing around with the wrong POTUS when it comes to…well, anything really…but especially trade. That said, check this out this high quality find from the historical records…
Trump told us back in 2011 exactly what he would do on Trade with China…😎
"I'd drop a 25% tax on China…Listen you Motherf-ckers, we're going to tax you 25%."
This next video provides an great summary of what happened 20 years ago when China entered the World Trade Organization, what is happening today because of that, and what is likely to happen going forward from here…..WATCH…..
Speaking of POTUS, as he likes to do (and we ❤️ him for it!) PDJT flexed his Twitter muscles and once again demonstrated his trolling powers…this time targeting the openly gay mayor of South Bend who wants to be president…
You can imagine how the precious buttflakes responded to the 1-2 combo POTUS and MAD delivered. 😉
The outrage over the Buttigieg slam was delicious and flowed freely….
Up above we alluded to the mentality that allows really stupid people to get elected to represent the other idiots who vote for them.
Well, AnotherOrdinaryCommunist (AOC) is back in the news with this tweet, claiming her “12 years until doomsday” comment was sarcasm…but Freedom Recon blew that up immediately…
Do you folks remember the video posted last week where Sec. State Pompeo took Chrissy “Lil’ Bitch” Wallace to the rhetorical cleaners??
Well, it seems Brexit leader Nigel Farage was watching and took a hint. Here, watch this incredibly satisfying clip…the commies at the BBC actually think it was a win for them!
Seriously, if you are not keeping up with the amazing and emerging story about what is happening in UK politics right now you are missing one of the great voter revolutions of all time. That said, we are mollified by the idea that you, dear reader, are up to speed on what is happening thanks to Fleporblog’s excellent daily news wraps.
Folks, this is BOMBSHELL news…this is what Farage wanted to talk about in that BBC interview…
EU Election Poll Has Farage's Brexit Party Beating Labour and Tories COMBINED https://t.co/t29mo1P9JT
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 12, 2019
In NYC, radical leftard Bill de Blasio thought it was a good idea to hold a rally inside Trump Tower as a prelude to his announcement that he will be running for President. Seriously!
Watch and listen to this EPIC video posted by that great Trump warrior, the one and only Scott “We are MAGA” Presler.
I'm laughing so hard!
Snake oil salesman de Blasio tried to sell the ludicrous Green New Deal, while Trump supporters rode the escalator behind him with signs.
There is no doubt our readers know that comedian Roseanne Barr is a conservative and supporter of PDJT, and we all love us some Roseanne! But did you know it was revealed this week that she is also an avid Q follower? And why not? The proofs of/for Q are indisputable for anyone with an objective, open mind.
Check this out…in this video she posted to YouTube, entitled “I am Q”, she is watching a Q video in which she is referenced, and she calls it “the greatest honor ever”….
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6g-iOM1Oq1E
What was that Q video, you ask?
Well, Wheatie found it and we posted it up top to start this week’s Wrap Up. If you missed it, that means you aren’t watching the videos we put up for you in the order they are posted, which in turn MEANS you are missing on at LEAST 50% of the mental and emotional space we hope to prepare for you and enjoy! Anyway…
We’ll end this part with an interview the Great Huckabee did with Roseanne….😃
Great interview! Digital Exclusive: Roseanne Barr Takes Her LAST Ambien For This Intervie… https://t.co/T6D1dZU0wC via @YouTube
Was that great or what? Let us answer for you… yes it was!
Speaking of Q, how about the latest Q proof??
Here is what POTUS tweeted on Monday regarding NASA and the USA’s return to space…
Under my Administration, we are restoring @NASA to greatness and we are going back to the Moon, then Mars. I am updating my budget to include an additional $1.6 billion so that we can return to Space in a BIG WAY!
Anyone who thinks it’s mere coincidence for POTUS to use the EXACT same phrase referencing the USA’s return to space as Q did over a year ago is simply denying mathematical probabilities…to say nothing of what we’ve recently learned about the lifelong friendship of Adm. Mike Rogers and Gen. Mike Flynn.
No wonder the left is attacking AG Barr, right? They now know he is coming after them. And THIS guy…US Atty John “Bull” Durham….is DEEPLY experienced in investigating and prosecuting rotten apples inside the DOJ and FBI!
But wait…there is even more news embedded in this announcment…
On October 3rd, 2018, lawyers for former FBI General Counsel James Baker informed Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows that their client has been under investigation for leaking to media….and the investigating prosecutor is John Durham!
Wait….wut??
Here is the backstory: on Oct. 3 last year James Baker was testifying before the House Intelligence Committee and he was asked a series of questions by Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan that Baker’s lawyers refused to allow him to answer.
WHY?
Because of an ongoing investigation AT THAT TIME by….US Atty John “Bull” Durham! This guy…the same guy AG Barr just officially announced would be looking into the origins and predicates of the “MUH Russia” BS…
Why is that a big deal, you ask?
A: Because it means the Bull was APPOINTED BY JEFF SESSIONS TO BEGIN INVESTIGATING WHAT AG BARR JUST FORMALLY ANNOUNCED BEFORE THE MID-TERM ELECTIONS LAST YEAR! In other words, Mr. Durham has been at work since at LEAST October of last year…..it simply wasn’t announced.
Which means, of course, that former AG Jeff Sessions…aka “The Silent Executioner”….WAS working for MAGA all along….quietly and without fanfare…..
…..and all the POTUS tweets about his unhappiness with Sessions was…..as we predicted ALL along….simple misdirection!! 😁😁😁
Is this picture…taken during Rod Rosenstein’s retirement ceremony at DOJ….starting to make sense now??
As we posted last week, when we learned Adm. Rogers and Gen. Flynn were lifelong friends…the cornerstone of how & why we knew Q was for real….all other proofs aside….it’s REALLY happening!!
At this point, we gotta ask….what OTHER surprises does Team Trump have in store for us?? Well, as Q has said….”Enjoy the show!”
But WAIT! It gets better….
US Atty John Durham’s appointment by AG Barr has that naaaasty piece of work, former CIA Director John Brennan, sweating in his skivvies…so much so that he now refers to the President as “Mr. Trump”, as opposed to just “Trump” as he has in the past….
Senator Graham & his ilk bear responsibility for damage being done to our national interests—at home & abroad—by acquiescing to Mr. Trump’s incompetence, corruption, & malevolence. Who will shun political expedience & do what is right? “Who among you is wise and understanding?”
Awwwwwww. Pooor Madcow. (sniffle) Tissue, big boy??
NOW PAY ATTENTION TO THIS NEXT PART!
What do these three (3) things have in common??
#1
LI: I heard from a high-placed WH source that the President may be looking to release and declassify ALL the relevant documents leading up to the start of the Russian probe next week.
🗣️: I heard he's going to give them to AG Barr to review.
U.S.S. ABRAHAM LINCOLN CARRIER STRIKE GROUP ARRIVES AT PERSIAN GULF
??
Everyone has been asking…why #3? What’s going on??
A: It should be obvious…
…the globalist Deep State is DESPERATE to keep the US public in the dark and DISTRACT from BOTH the pending OIG report as well as POTUS declass. Obviously, either one would be YUGE news, and the DS needs something to distract from them and give their controlled media something else to focus on. So…
How about a nice military attack…or closely synchronized series of attacks… by Iran or several of Iran’s terrorist proxies? Yeah, that would work!
Well, knowing the importance of the next OIG report, as well as declass, and watching Iran like a hawk, it is a good bet that POTUS sent the Lincoln Strike Group into the Persian Gulf as a message to the Mullahs:
“DO NOT INTERFERE WITH INTERNAL US MATTERS BY CREATING A FALSE FLAG EVENT USING MILITARY MEANS THAT DISTRACTS OUR MEDIA OR WE WILL SQUASH YOU LIKE THE BUGS YOU ARE! PERIOD.”
And here are a few more questions for you….
Did John Kerry go to Iran to coordinate the need and timing of this FF with the Iranians?? Or was it to beg the Mullahs not to disclose who was being bribed by them inside the US gov’t under Ozero?? Both??
In yet another deeply interesting tidbit of news that dropped this week…
“Clare W. Bronfman, an heiress of the Seagram Company business empire, allegedly implanted a ‘key logger’ virus on the computer of her late father, Edgar M. Bronfman Sr., so officials with the NXIVM corporation could secretly monitor his emails, including his exchanges with world leaders and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to court records.”
“Raniere’s sex slaves are poised to testify against him, as prosecutors prepare to submit evidence that NXIVM illegally bundled money for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. Parlato made it clear that Clinton was happy to accept the money.”
“Ex-cult employee Frank Parlato — who exposed the fact that Raniere was branding women — is working with Big League Politics to uncover the deep long-standing links between Gillibrand, the Clintons, and NXIVM.”
“Parlato described how NXIVM imported teenage girls from Mexico, how the cult viewed Chuck Schumer as a ‘friendly’ Democrat ally, and many other bombshells.”
Let that sink in!
Finally, this week’s wrap up would not be complete without a word from the always entertaining, leading dim presidential candidate….Gropey Joe Bidensniffer!
PHC posted this and we repost it here for your entertainment…give this a LISTEN…then share it with your friends and family…
Seriously Joe??
😂🤣😂
Hey….that reminds usof this classic bit by the amazing, incredibly missed and wish-he-was-still-with-us Bernie Mac…
Well, that’s all the time we have for this week’s weekly wrap-up, folks!
Of course, we hope you are keeping up with news events through Fleporblog’s daily news wraps because there just isn’t enough time to cover everything you need to know in this space. It’s unpossible!
So now…and as is our custom…we want to leave you with a rocking song to roll you rightly into the weekendage.
This week’s tune is a personal fav of our’s. It has a wonderful “in your face” message of defiance that reasonated with us way back when it was first released, and it has a decidedly good vs. evil motif. A fan favorite of the band, this one has gone on to immortality as a signature piece of theirs.
From Wikipedia….
“Sabotage” is a 1994 song by American hip-hop group Beastie Boys, released as the first single from their fourth studio album Ill Communication.
The song features traditional rock instrumentation (Ad-Rock on guitar, MCAon bass, and Mike D on drums), turntablescratches, heavily distorted bass guitarriffs and lead vocals by Ad-Rock. A moderate commercial success, the song was notable as well for its video, directed by Spike Jonze and nominated in five categories at the 1994 MTV Music Video Awards.
In March 2005, Q magazine placed it at #46 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks (Q Magazine…😁😂 )
….and it was ranked #19 on VH1‘s 100 Greatest Songs of the 90’s List.
Given this, we are confident you, our readers, won’t miss the obvious allegory of this epic jam relative to current times and issues!
Oh yeah, and just one more thing….
Remember that this song/video was nominated in five different categories at the 1994 MYV Music Awards? Well, it didn’t win a single one. In fact…and in an incredible bit of irony…(again, relative to today’s events)…
….it lost all five categories it was nominated in, losing Video of the Year, Best Group Video and Viewer’s Choice to Aerosmith‘s “Cryin’“, and Breakthrough Video and Best Direction in a Video to R.E.M.‘s “Everybody Hurts“…both excellent songs to dedicate to today’s leftists!
How crazy is that? 😉👍
Wait!!
We lied. That wasn’t the last thing….this is.
In perhaps what is one of the single best uses of a classic jam in movie history, this song was selected to be the destroyer of the evil “swarm” in the 2016 movie “Star Trek Beyond”.
When we first saw this scene in the theater, we were all…oh oh oh oh….
….and then….
Can you feel me?? Find out below.
That all said…and as always… we now invite you to kick back, relax, and enjoy today’s flight. Please take care, God bless, have a MAGAtastic weekend, and see you again next week!
The “FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT” sign is now ON!
.
I can’t stand it, I know you planned it I’mma set it straight, this Watergate I can’t stand rockin’ when I’m in here ‘Cause your crystal ball ain’t so crystal clear So while you sit back and wonder why I got this fuckin’ thorn in my side Oh my god, it’s a mirage I’m tellin’ y’all, it’s sabotage
So, so, so, so listen up, ’cause you can’t say nothin’ You’ll shut me down with a push of your button But, yo, I’m out and I’m gone I’ll tell you now, I keep it on and on’
Cause what you see, you might not get And we can bet, so don’t you get souped yet Scheming on a thing, that’s a mirage I’m trying to tell you now, it’s sabotage
Why Our backs are now against the wall
Listen all y’all, it’s a sabotage Listen all y’all, it’s a sabotage Listen all y’all, it’s a sabotage Listen all y’all, it’s a sabotage
I can’t stand it, I know you planned it I’mma set it straight, this Watergate But I can’t stand rockin’ when I’m in this place Because I feel disgrace because you’re all in my face But make no mistakes and switch up my channel I’m Buddy Rich when I fly off the handle What could it be, it’s a mirage You’re scheming on a thing, that’s sabotage
You have to see this video. Talk about gaining perspective!
Sometimes, you know how it is…… We watch a youtube video, then the phone rings, we get distracted, youtube still runs, and we come back to something completely unexpected.
Well, this was a gobsmack of an unexpected video.
The clip was posted by a guy name Matthew Murray, in November of 2017. It’s a rock concert…. but there is no rock star…….. no band…… the stars are the concert goers.
It looks like the stagehands were testing the equipment, and happened to play Bohemian Rhapsody to check the sound……. and a strange thing happened.
Everyone started singing.
Everyone.
All 60,000 people sang, on cue, hit the high notes, clapped during the staccato, jumped up and down during the rock portion, swayed together during the slow portion. THEY ALL did it…… together. Look at the crowd. They ALL know the song.
We can tell, the person recording the video didn’t expect it to happen because we miss the very first portion of the song. Thankfully, someone turned on a camera from the stage to capture the video. It was a thing of beauty.
It’s been 28 years since Freddie Mercury died, and 35 years since the song came out. Can you imagine what it would have been like to be there? At that moment? Be honest. We all know the words; you were probably singing along as well. ….. I was.
THIS is what a unified culture looks like. If I were an enemy, I wouldn’t want to go to war with this country. Even a bunch of concert goers all sing the same “battle hymns”. Old or young, color of skin, gender, none of that crap matters…… they’re together. If they can sing together, surely, they can get along.
Think of how the Boston Red Sox sing “Sweet Caroline” at the 7th inning, or how we all know the same Christmas carols, or yes, our National Anthem. We all know the same songs. The music make our culture unique to others.
Remember the stories of WW2 when the Allies were trying to question an enemy? They would ask, “Who was the 1st baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers?”, or…. the words to a song, or Lana Turner’s measurements. When the ‘spy’ didn’t know the answer, they were quickly outed. We need an American culture that unifies us…….. not a media, Hollywood, and music, which relishes in division and angst.
We’ve read the history of Queen and we’re familiar with what they went through to get this song made and played on the radio. It was a long song, true, and the DJ’s didn’t think people would listen…….. but we did. Yeah, 35 years later, it was worth it. Bohemian Rhapsody has become an anthem. Despite everything, the people, ordinary concert goers, understand.
Maybe the music can bring us back together. Solve some of the discord in America? Gee, it’s hard to hate when you’re singing and dancing. It’s often said, music brings out our innate tribal rhythms. Well, maybe it’s time for us to realize we’re all part of the same tribe.
Enjoy the video, and sing along!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp7j3ji5U24
This THIN RED-WHITE-AND-BLUE SUPPLY LINE THURSDAY open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.
You can say what you want, comment on what other people said, and so on.
Free Speech is practiced here. ENJOY IT. Use it or lose it.
Keep it SOMEWHAT civil. They tried to FORCE fake Orwellian civility on us. In response, we CHOOSE true civility to defend our precious FREEDOM from THEM.
Our rules began with the civility of the Old Treehouse, later to become the Wolverinian Empire, and one might say that we have RESTORED THE OLD REPUBLIC – the early high-interaction model of the Treehouse – except of course that Q discussion is not only allowed but encouraged, and speech is considerably freer in other ways. Please feel free to argue and disagree with the board owner, as nicely as possible.
Please also consider the Important Guidelines, outlined here in the January 1st open thread. Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven.
Every day – for our VSG – try to make this statement TRUE:
Unlike that puppet named Obama, who knowingly smirked with communist satisfaction when it happened, THIS PRESIDENT is going to make the OPM hack VERY, VERY, VERY expensive for China.
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,
I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that foreign adversaries are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology and services, which store and communicate vast amounts of sensitive information, facilitate the digital economy, and support critical infrastructure and vital emergency services, in order to commit malicious cyber-enabled actions, including economic and industrial espionage against the United States and its people. I further find that the unrestricted acquisition or use in the United States of information and communications technology or services designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of foreign adversaries augments the ability of foreign adversaries to create and exploit vulnerabilities in information and communications technology or services, with potentially catastrophic effects, and thereby constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. This threat exists both in the case of individual acquisitions or uses of such technology or services, and when acquisitions or uses of such technologies are considered as a class. Although maintaining an open investment climate in information and communications technology, and in the United States economy more generally, is important for the overall growth and prosperity of the United States, such openness must be balanced by the need to protect our country against critical national security threats. To deal with this threat, additional steps are required to protect the security, integrity, and reliability of information and communications technology and services provided and used in the United States. In light of these findings, I hereby declare a national emergency with respect to this threat.
Accordingly, it is hereby ordered as follows: (see link below)
In case the HOUSE OF COMMIES happens to be HARD OF HEARING, our VSG has written them a nice letter, fortuitously timed BEFORE indictments.
A great paragraph from this awesome letter (link below):
Foreign adversaries are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology and services, which store and communicate vast amounts of sensitive information, facilitate the digital economy, and support critical infrastructure and vital emergency services, in order to commit malicious cyber-enabled actions, including economic and industrial espionage against the United States and its people. Although maintaining an open investment climate in information and communications technology, and in the United States economy more generally, is important for the overall growth and prosperity of the United States, such openness must be balanced by the need to protect our country against critical national security threats. To deal with this threat, additional steps are required to protect the security, integrity, and reliability of information and communications technology and services provided and used in the United States.
Message to the Congress on Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain, in INFRASTRUCTURE & TECHNOLOGY, Issued on: May 15, 2019
Funny – guess who has been DOING THEIR JOB, after our VSG got the DEAD WOOD like “Big Sis” and “Red Diaper Jeh” out of DHS….
Was looking at Twitter this morning and saw a retweet from FLEP, by Charles Payne.
Breaking China Economic News Reatil Sales decline Industrial Production decline Exports decline Clothing sales negative first time in 16 years. China looks to more stimulus to spark economic challenge but dozen of similar schemes have failed to provide spark or stop slide
We can probably all agree, FLEP has keen insight when it comes to good news, hidden news, especially indicators of shifts in economics. Thank you, FLEP. Glad you’re on our side. It’s a good guess we will be seeing that tweet later on today in the News RoundUp.
So, I started thinking about what happens when 1.4 BILLION Chinese start to tighten their spending habits. I thought about how the Chinese economy works, how their system is set up, as compared to how the USA operates. We’re very different.
Although Chinese civilization is thousands of years old and America is a but a babe, the industrialization of China only occurred in the last 25yrs. The great move to the coast by roughly 600 million Chinese, is a new thing. Children of family farms left the interior and moved to bigger cities to join the factory workforce. Most of these workers still go home for Spring Festival, when China all but shuts down their factories for three weeks…. cuz it takes that much time to travel home and back again.
America was developed differently. Sure, we started on the coastlines but moved inland on rivers, and over the Appalachians fairly quickly. Our agrarian economy developed all over the nation. Cities sprung up, and trade flowed from the interior to the coasts and back again. We raced to build transcontinental railroads….. and then Eisenhower built the great interstates…… which beget terrific cars out of Detroit….. and truckers to move goods from coast to coast in three days. We even made movies ABOUT truckers.
Be honest. Who among us has NOT slipped in behind a friendly semi…… to join a CONVOY!!!!!!! Only in the USA.
We’ve done business in China since 2003. About three years ago, I had a huge problem with a client order. The factory, located in interior China, was working too slowly and I was going to miss the deadline for shipment to the USA. I wanted to move the raw slabs to another factory at the coast, so they cut to order quickly, making the ship. To move 2 containers, 800 miles, was damn near impossible and cost me a little over $6000. What was really funny….. it was an unknown problem for them…. something they had not encountered before. Wow.
To an American, if we want to move goods from Dallas to Memphis, Boston to DC, Seattle to San Fran, we call a trucking line, or use an APP on our phones, to schedule a pickup. We load at a dock, and the goods arrive in less than 24 hours. Not in China. Again, thank Eisenhower for your interstates. Ease of distribution makes everything else possible.
Remember the scene from the movie, “Hunt for Red October”, where the “Second” wanted to live in Montana, marry a round American wife, raise rabbits, and TRAVEL from state to state…. no papers…. maybe even own an RV and live in Arizona in the winter? Or visit an American grocery store? Freedom to travel, choices of where we want to live, THAT’s America.
I live in Mississippi, now, but I miss the food from my home towns of New Orleans, Chicago, New York, and Miami. As an American, I can order King Crab legs from Alaska, key limes from Florida for the pie, and bagels from my favorite deli in NYC, to arrive by tomorrow. In fact, most of these same things are available at my local grocery store, less than a mile from my home. THAT’s America, choices, freedom. Thank you, President Eisenhower.
Have you ever been to a grocery store in a foreign country, maybe 30 miles outside of a major city? I have. It’s NOTHING like the grocery stores in the USA. Choices are non-existent. Good heavens, we have 37 different kinds of toothpaste available. I can buy Turkish towels, grapes from Chile, or a blender from China…… in less than 20 minutes.
An old employee called me for 1/4″ rebar/20′ sections (he was being artsy-making a lawn ornament), which is almost non-existent. I searched on-line, while we were talking, found some in Seattle, and had it on his doorstep in less than 36 hours. God Bless America…… and Eisenhower.
Years ago, during the fall of the Soviet Empire, we were all in the kitchen one day, speculating on the primary cause. Some thought it was because of Desert Storm, and that the Soviets learned our weapons really did work. Others thought it was because of Reagan’s military build up = We outspent the Soviets. Husband spoke up and said, “No, it’s about food.” We were all curious about his odd answer and asked him to explain further. He said, “They can’t ship a potato across 13 time zones…. they have no roads…. how are they going to go to war and defend both coasts plus the Caspian Sea?”
But it all came to a head last night, when the realization finally hit me.
We got a call for the B&B from a potential guest at about 9:00pm, nice couple, looking for a room for the night. We were trying to figure out how close they were to us to give them directions. They were on the interstate….. Eisenhower’s interstate, which runs from Chicago to New Orleans. The wife said, “We just past a Circle K” Husband replied, “Well, there’s probably a Circle K at every exit ramp, can you give me another hint?”
Sure, there probably is a Circle K at every exit ramp. Once the interstate went in, the 7-11 or Circle K pops up. Then, we get the gas stations, a hotel, a grocery store, dry cleaner, small businesses, bigger factories, a residential community, etc. It’s how we developed our economy…… and it all started with the interstates. China doesn’t have them and neither does Russia…… not like we do in the USA.
Take a look at Europe. One would think Europe would have roads and distribution on par with the USA. Italy has great “stradas”/interstates and Germany has the famous “Autobahn”. Yet, have you ever tried to take the coastal roads in Italy? It’s scenic, sure, but it takes forever and it’s nothing like AIA in Miami to Palm Beach or US1 in California. Small town France is terrific for public transport back to Paris, but try moving a truckload of goods from Normandy to Nice.
Central and South America are far worse. Have you ever driven in Mexico? Or Columbia, Chile…… even Brazil from the coast up to Minas Gerais? Wear comfortable clothes if you do, cuz you’ll have to change your shorts when you arrive. Yes, we are spoiled in the USA. Our roads and interstates are a luxury.
Heck, as the story goes, the REASON Eisenhower was inspired to build our interstates was because of his experience moving trucks, equipment, men and supplies around Europe during WW2.
It makes me wonder, what do you suppose it’s worth, our distribution system as a whole, to our GDP? What kind of an advantage does it give us above other countries? The train woke me up this morning at 5:00am. Instead of complaining, I was happy. It’s the sound of America on the move. Goods being shipped. AND it wasn’t long ago our tracks were in serious jeopardy of being pulled up. Now, we have 5-6 trains a day. Gotta love it.
We take it for granted. We’re all familiar with the ease of travel in the USA. Because we have a B&B, we take frequent last minute trips if we are not booked for a few days. All of our vacations have to be spontaneous. I have a packing list, taped to the inside door of the closet, so I don’t forget something. Makes it easy to put together a quick go-bag. I’m thinking no one in China or Russia does the same thing. Travel can be spontaneous for us.
One of our QTreepers is in Florida right now. She posted that she was sipping wine and feeding crackers to the turtles. I miss those little turtles and mentioned it to husband. He gave me an impish grin, checked the spot on his wrist where he once wore a watch, and said, “Ya’ know, we can be there in 7 hours.”
Yeah, in America, we could. Thank you, President Eisenhower.
It might be time for a Cannonball Run….. to the beach.
We’ll see you, somewhere on the road……. in America! We are eastbound and down…. very soon!
Hit the road this summer….. America is a beautiful place.
We bought the B&B in March, a few days after my fiance’s birthday. The house was a wreck. No one lived here for 23yrs, and we undertook a complete renovation. He was quite a bit older than me (13yrs) and had been married before. His ex-wife was a manipulative and mean woman who “ran off” all his friends. I was determined our life, our home, would be open and welcoming to his friends. Every guy needs man friends, right? During the renovation, one of his buddies wandered by and casually mentioned, “Hey, it’s a shame you’re almost finished, we should have had another one of OUR birthday parties BEFORE the house was all fixed up.”
Now, I grew up in different cities, not in the same small town. Thus, I was unfamiliar with the history, the “lore”, the stories of their wild days in their 20’s. Yet, I learned five of them all had birthdays close to each other and those birthday parties were legendary. I made a mental note………. and decided to throw a birthday party for husband and his buddies the following year.
We opened in 6 months, September, and were married in December, with the reception at the house. By the time the next March rolled around, I had several big parties under my belt and a staff which was ready for anything. BUT this was a personal party – not a client party, …… and it was a blowout.
But I had a problem.
While the guys were all wild as hell in their youth, they had grown up. NOW….. they all went to church, paid taxes, went to rotary….. stuff like that…… NOW…. they were all upstanding members of the community. One owned the biggest lumber company within 30 miles. One was the head of a 50 man architectural firm, a prominent southern firm. One was the Mayor and a zillionaire. One owned a 7K acre farm and worked his way up to Pres of the MS Cattlemen’s Association. AND, one was my husband, who owned a large construction company. They were all in their 40’s (I was 32) and the idea of another “wild” party might damage a few reputations. It is a small town, and people do gossip. So….., I made up rules for the party.
Those who read here, Q Treepers, know me well enough to know, I don’t like rules. Daughn’s rules for the party went as follows:
There will be no pictures taken at the party.
If you buy a new “outfit” for the party, we will know, and you won’t be invited back.
If you talk about the party, hit on someone else’s wife, or spread gossip, we will know, and you won’t be invited back.
This is our one event, once per year, where we all get to have fun. So, have fun.
Come hungry, we’re cooking!
With 5 locally prominent guys and one massive birthday party, the guest list became unmanageable. I decided to print up an “announcement” and ran off 300 sheets on the printer, giving each guy 50-60 announcements to send to whomever they wanted. Easiest way to solve that problem. Most of the guys knew the SAME people = duplicates. I figured half would come, with a guest, and we would have, at most, 100-250 people for the party. Right?
The party was scheduled for the first weekend in March. I swear, I could write the Farmer’s Almanac when it comes to predicting the weather. Usually, I’m pretty good. Without fail, in our little town, the weather for the first weekend in March is absolutely perfect. Around March 4-10th, we get our first break of spring. It’s 72 degrees, and glorious weather after a long (6-8 weeks) winter. Everyone throws on their flip-flops and shorts. We come out of hibernation. It’s a perfect weekend for a party.
At 5:00pm, we had 3-4 inches of snow on the ground. In the south, if it snows, everything comes to a standstill. It wasn’t sticking on the streets, sidewalks, and driveway, but my husband was devastated. He paced in front of the big window in the parlor, “No one is going to come to my party.” He looked like a sad little kid.
I said a little prayer and hoped for the best, because we were READY.
We planned the party for a month, which meant the anticipation had time to build. People made travel plans and the party grew. I heard rumblings, “Hey Daughn, is it okay if I invite……”, to which I always said, “Sure, the more the merrier!” And people did make travel plans.
The word went out. They came from everywhere….. They brought more friends….. and they brought food. The staff and I had cooked for three days……. but the food…. the food was overwhelming and the generosity of others was humbling.
Husband’s cousins came in from Milwaukee. These were the Harley Davidson cousins. They rented a truck, and brought 180 cases of beer, and a few kegs of craft beer, 10 EXTRA kegs…….. in case we ran out. They brought with them their best friends, who owned the biggest catering company in Wisconsin (catered for Bill Clinton when he hosted the Governor’s Assoc/ did 50K people at golf tournaments, etc), and they brought more brats, salamis, and cheeses, than I’ve ever seen in my life. They also brought THEIR grill they used for golf tournaments. They all stayed at Mother-in-law’s house.
Some of my old, but very dear, and very wealthy, gay friends decided to come up from New Orleans. They brought 250lbs of shrimp and 25lbs of raw fresh shucked oysters. Do you have any idea how many oysters that is? OMG, it was endless. Plus, because there is no tax on liquor in Louisiana, they brought hard liquor for the party. We unloaded case after case after case of Jack Daniels, Absolute, Bacardi, a load of Tanqueray + 4 cases of Champagne……… cuz we had to toast the birthday boys. They all stayed at Grandma Della’s house.
Since the owners of the town liquor store were invited, they contributed all the “house wine”…. in pickup trucks. ……. We took over the neighbor’s garage for extra storage and the police were guarding the house…. like it was their party.
My old biz partner from Miami, who married my best friend, maid of honor in our wedding, decided to come. They brought stone crab claws and and our neighbor’s extra fridge was filled with Jewish Deli from Wolfie’s, Roast Beef… Pastrami… Corned Beef….. it was heavenly.
Then, the Cattlemen’s Assoc. boys…….. from DALLAS….. decided to come, in a Winnebago, with their traveling BBQ team. I have no idea how much beef and pork they brought with them….. it was unimaginable.
And our staff had cooked for days, mostly Italian and hors d’oeuvres. We set up three bars. We had a formal bar in the house, hard liquor/bartenders and more food on the side porch. Horse troughs for beer and 13 tables for BBQ on the back porch and yard. The Cattlemen and Wisconsin BBQ’s were set up on a parking pad – we took over the neighbor’s house as well. I marinated half the shrimp and we boiled half.
The guys set up a fish cooker for the oysters, and we made this weird concoction – on a skewer, you start with a half-cooked piece of bacon, thread an oyster (which has marinated), thread the bacon, another oyster, more bacon, on and on, ending in bacon. Then, the whole thing is fried in a fish cooker. I stopped counting at 1000 made, and I didn’t get to eat a single one. People hovered over the fish cooker and a whole tray of them never made it into the house. Scarfed.
We had the main food set up in the dining room with desserts in the library. We moved our entire ground floor master bedroom, upstairs, so we had more room for prep – expanding the kitchen. Husband brought in two MOAR fridges and tables from the shop.
Food and CD’s with the outdoor speakers went from about 6-8pm. The birthday boys got together, chipped in, and hired a “really good band”. The band started at about 8:30pm, with the unmistakable rift of Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine”.
We set the band up in the garage, and the parking circle was a perfect dance floor. At the time, we had a 3 car garage but it did not have a garage door. So, it was like a cave. The garage is next door to the tall brick walls of the school. The echo was phenomenal. My girlfriend was at Wal-Mart, about a mile away, picking up extra sodas for mixers. She was in the parking lot and heard the band gear up…….
Well then….
To combat the cooler temps, the construction/farm guys brought in “concrete heaters” or “shop heaters” which were like enormous space heaters that ran on kerosene. Somewhere along the way, a group built a LARGE bonfire in the backyard, perfect for the chill in the air.
The band was really cranking and I remember dancing so hard we were sweating, with snow on the ground. Wild, eh? I walked toward the house to take a break and check on the kitchen, when a girlfriend from Culture Club stopped me. “That was a GREAT song. What was that?”, she said. I looked at MaryLynn and was dumbfounded. How could she possibly live through the 70’s and not know about ZZTop and “Tush”? She had no idea. She was so sheltered.
I do recall sitting in the staircase hallway with my banker, shooting tequila, when four policemen walked through the back door into the hallway. His face went white. He thought we were being raided. He was a Baptist Deacon who “never drank”. No, it was shift change at the police station and those boys were hungry. I do love my police department. Sensing his nervousness, one of the detectives told him they were off duty, “It’s okay Mr. X, they put a sign up on the switchboard which read ‘Party at X House tonight. Unless there is a fire, leave them alone.”
Then, he then told me the Sheriff left town, went fishing, for the weekend of our party…… incommunicado.
We had an epic moment when the tile crew guys decided to join, and jam, with the band. They went through everything from George Thorogood to Muddy Waters. The band was HOT!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl4oWQLnjXk
The party went off without a hitch. It was as if it wasn’t my party, or our party…… it was everyone’s party. All night long I saw people bundling trash, passing a platter, washing a dish, putting another log on the fire………., everyone contributed in big ways and small ways. There were no “guests”. It was more like a big family reunion.
There was one moment. I was standing on the back porch, looking over the rail at the crowd. Lots of people I did not know, but all good people. I had no idea how much they “needed” a party, a chance to get together, a chance to eat, drink, and be merry. It really wasn’t just a party for my husband, or the five guys. I was looking for the wallflowers, the people who were not mixing. There weren’t any.
Some say there were 1000 people here that night. I doubt it. Others said 600, another said not more than 400. I have no idea. I did count 9 judges…..
The next morning, we all arose and were kind of tired and groggy. The Winnebago crew was stirring and people were sleeping on couches upstairs, but they were all part of the party/hosts/crew and belonged here. Husband started coffee. The farmer woke up, because if the sun is up, he’s awake. He wandered downstairs and started picking at the leftover food on the dining table. The shrimp, oysters, crab claws were all gone. No telling how much meat and Italian food we went through. We did wrap and save what we could before going to bed, including those huge cheese rounds from Wisconsin.
Farmer: “Gosh, I missed this last night….”, plunging a stale frito into an unknown dip.
Husband: (wandered into the dining room) “I wouldn’t eat that if I were you”
Farmer: “Aw, a little bit of bacteria won’t hurt me…. the Jack Daniels will kill everything.”
Husband: “I’m not talking about food left out all night”, he pointed to the little cat paw prints in the dip……..
Farmer: “Gotcha”.
By the next morning the weather cleared and it was at least 65 degrees by 9:00am. Snow gone. Perfect weather. I saved the Corned Beef, 10lbs. of it, and we made a scratch Corned Beef Hash, 20lbs of potatoes, simmered in beef bullion (with the corned beef) and 5 dozen eggs….. and brats, for breakfast, on the golf tournament grill. The Harley crew, and the gay guys, showed up for breakfast…. with grandmas in tow.
They ate it all.
We did have beer left….. for the Harley guys….. for breakfast.
The Cattlemen said our party was, “Bigger than Dallas.”
And the gay guys made Mimosas with leftover champagne.
What a party….. with a LOT of help……. from great friends.
Finally,
After everyone left, husband turned to me, “That was fun. Can’t wait ’til next year……..!”
Next year……..
This WE KNOW THEY’RE LYING WEDNESDAY open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.
"That was the nugget of information that got everything going."
You can say what you want, comment on what other people said, and so on.
Free Speech is practiced here. ENJOY IT. Use it or lose it.
Keep it SOMEWHAT civil. They tried to FORCE fake Orwellian civility on us. In response, we CHOOSE true civility to defend our precious FREEDOM from THEM.
Our rules began with the civility of the Old Treehouse, later to become the Wolverinian Empire, and one might say that we have RESTORED THE OLD REPUBLIC – the early high-interaction model of the Treehouse – except of course that Q discussion is not only allowed but encouraged, and speech is considerably freer in other ways. Please feel free to argue and disagree with the board owner, as nicely as possible.
Please also consider the Important Guidelines, outlined here in the January 1st open thread. Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven.
AND WHAT DO WE TELL OUR LOYAL VSGPOTUS?
I AM PRAYING FOR YOU!
Always keep our movement’s larger purpose in mind – RESTORATION of RULE OF LAW!!!
That is why there MUST BE the DRAINING of the SWAMP!!!
Our movement
Is about replacing
A failed
And CORRUPT
Political establishment
With a new government controlled
By you, the American People.
Candidate Donald J. Trump
Also remember Wheatie’s Rules:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
I want to thank ForGodandCountry for cluing me into the Wittes-Baker-Brookings rendezvous – the first real indication that the SHADOW OF THE DESCENDING MOAB is darkening the LAWFARE BLOG.
John Brennan only followed twenty-some accounts on Twitter, and LawFareBlog was one of them – the only thing even remotely like a blog. Every other account was an Obama player or some form of FAKE NEWS. Meaning Wittes was a PLAYER.
Comey seemed to be getting his advice from there.
The blog’s own self-description was DECEPTIVE and indicated FOREIGN TARGETS – a seemingly purposeful evasion of stating the very OBVIOUS domestic uses
What was happening to TRUMP seemed much MORE like “lawfare” than the blog’s own dubious definition
When local federal heat of some kind was trying to FRAME ME, it sure felt like “lawfare”
Just listen to Baker. OH, THIS PERP IS GOOD FOR A LOT. Way more than I thought. Just listen to the sleazebag. I figured he was a CANKLEBOT – that he was the GATEKEEPER who made sure nothing bad ever advanced against the interests of CANKLES. Now I’m sure of it.
Two important articles out by the Washington Examiner make it clear that inside members of the “small group” behind the “Big Ugly” are now terrified. So much so that they are now trying to get out “in front” of what they know is coming….indictments and perp walks.
QUOTE:
“In front of a packed room at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. on Friday, Baker was prompted (by Wittes) to discuss the Trump dossier compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele. The research was cited in the warrant applications, despite being largely unverified…
At issue are the applications’ lack of information about the Democrats who paid for the creation of the dossier, as well as Steele’s anti-Trump bias when the bureau applied to spy on Carter Page…
“You don’t want to put into a document like this gratuitous information about U.S. persons,” Baker said moderator Benjamin Wittes. “You want to try to minimize it, to some extent. If it’s important. If the assessment is that the identity is critically important and you need it to either follow the flow of the information … then you might put the person’s name in.”
Are you getting this, folks? In a pre-planned public event, Wittes is leading Baker through a series of comments designed to minimize what Comey, Baker, and McCabe did in obtaining FISA warrants.Here they are defending NOT including information about who PAID for the Steele Dossier in the FISA warrant application.
During the event Friday, Baker stressed that he examined the FISA warrant applications on Page before they got signed and sent to the court. He said he was “comfortable” with their contents and was confident that the process remained “lawful.”
Baker was appointed FBI general counsel in January 2014 and reassigned by FBI Director Christopher Wray in December 2017. Last year, it was reported that Baker was resigning, and since has been employed by Benjamin’s Wittes’ Lawfare blog and joined the R Street Institute.
Ex-top FBI lawyer James Baker admits he is ‘nervous’ about DOJ inspector general
QUOTE:
Former FBI General Counsel James Baker admitted on Friday that he is “nervous” about DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s investigation into the conduct of the DOJ and the FBI during the Trump-Russia probe.
Sitting down with with Lawfare’s Benjamin Wittes in a crowded room at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., Baker said he is “assuming that they will dig and find stuff” and that “…. mistakes were made.” But Baker defended the FBI’s actions, including its use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Horowitz’s investigation is particularly focused on alleged FISA abuse and the reliance on British ex-spy Christopher Steele in FISA applications targeting Trump campaign associate Carter Page. Steele’s dossier was funded in part by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign through the Perkins Coie law firm and the opposition research group Fusion GPS. The investigation is expected to finish in May or June.
Wittes said that Baker “had expressed great confidence in the way you guys conducted yourselves, in the integrity of these fundamental judgments, in the opening with respect to two separate investigations and with the respect to the handling of this FISA application.” Wittes then asked Baker: “So, how nervous are you about the IG?”
Baker said he is “always nervous about the IG,” adding that “they’re coming in after the fact to look at what we did.” At the time, he said, the FBI was “trying to do it in real time and having the pressure to deal with these threats as they were coming.”
Baker contended that he was “confident in the judgments that I made at the time based on the information that I had available to me.” But he left open the possibility that others may have engaged in wrongdoing, saying, “I’m sure they will find things that I didn’t know at the time and maybe that others didn’t know at the time.”
“There were facts that existed in the Bureau that were known by certain people that weren’t known by others including me, that’s certainly possible and that happens frequently,” Baker said. “And so, I’m assuming that they will dig and find stuff like that.”
Baker said the FBI was careful in the way it used Steele’s reporting. “We have an obligation to take that information seriously and to be highly skeptical … You go to work … You try to validate it … We don’t just swallow it hook, line, and sinker. … We spent a lot of time trying to vet that information line by line,” he said.
“We are the Federal Bureau of Investigations, not the Federal Bureau of Conclusions,” Baker said defensively.
Baker mentioned that he’s faced investigations before. “I’ve been investigated — or matters that I’ve worked on have been investigated — many times by the Inspector General. It’s not a pleasant process. It’s just not. The people are pleasant but the process is not the most enjoyable,” he said.
Baker may have been referring to an alleged criminal leaks investigation that had been opened on him, which had been reported on as early as December 2017. He confirmed the existence of an investigation but declined to provide many specifics, saying, “Yes there is an investigation with respect to matters in which I was involved that is still open that I have cooperated fully with. I met with the investigative team for many hours over many days. That took place about a year and a half ago.”
“I haven’t heard anything since then … other than to hear from the Department that the matter is still open.” Baker said. “I am confident that I did nothing wrong and nothing illegal.”
As the event ended, Baker summed up his thoughts on all of these investigations. “Hindsight is 20/20,” he remarked.
