“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
Bottom of Page 288, Yovanovitch admits to asking State Dept to monitor certain US citizens.
Pages 224 and onward for several pages, fired Ambassador Yovanovitch claims she didn’t think the prosecution of Sytnyk and Leshchenko was worth a conversation to the State Dept. The trial was a HUGE DEAL in Ukraine. They were found guilty of meddling in our 2016 election by leaking 2 pages of a black box ledger from the Party of Regions. Docs suddenly appeared, mysteriously, and were thought to be forged. These two pages being released are the reason why Manafort resigned as head of Trump Campaign in August of 2016. The ledger claimed Manafort received between 9-27 million dollars in cash and carried it across 4 international borders… yet Mueller didn’t find it, and strangely Mueller dropped all reference to Ukraine. Gates, who handled the books for Manafort’s firm and admitted embezzling from Manafort, never shows an entry for the ADDITIONAL millions allegedly received from The Party of Regions.
Yovanovitch claims the prosecution was political and the courts in Ukraine “lack credibility” because they haven’t been reformed. No one asked her about the audio tape of Leshchenko bragging about helping Hillary Clinton. In the trial, 4 were indicted in Ukraine and two were found guilty, the Head of Anti-corruption bureau and a rabid Member of Parliament. A higher court acquitted the two on “statute of limitations” and “entity bringing the case didn’t have proper standing”.
Therefore, for the two years the case progressed through the court system in Ukraine, and with all the world wide media focused on Trump/Russia/Mueller, are we to believe Ambassador Yovanovitch merely ignored the whole thing?
Page 316: MR. ZELDIN: Are you aware of a policy where aid from the United States to Ukraine was linked to investigating the B’idens?
145. YOVAN0VITCH: No, I am not. An official policy. There’ s no off i c i al pol i cy . MR. ZELDIN: Are you aware of an unofficial policy? MS. YOVANOVITCH: We11, I mean, reading the texts and so forth, it made me wonder whether there was an unofficial po1 i cy.
OMG, Zeldin is completely effing with her. LOOK at this exchange, pages 316-317. Sure would have loved to have seen the look on her face.
MR. ZELDiN: Now, Ambassador Volker’s testimony when he was here, he was test’if yi ng that B j tl Taylor’s text was as a fo1low-up to a Politico story that he had read that he was concerned about. The texts that you reference also include responses to Ambassador Taylor where it says, the President has been absolutely crystal clear there’s no quid pro quo. So with regards to the texts, are you talking about some of the texts or all of the texts in saying that there was an unofficial policy? I’lS .
YOVAN0VITCH: I think that I probably should decl i ne to answer that question, because I was not in the policy world at that point. I’1R. ZELDIN: That’s a fantastic answer, and I ‘m glad you’re giving that answer, because I wouldn’t say that there would be an unofficial policy without having a1l of your information to be able to say there actually was an unofficial policy. So I think that I would have no further questions based off of that answer to the last question.
Pages 316-317
Ohhhhhh, looky here. The press has been lying to us. The press gives us the impression the Javelins were necessary to protect Ukraine. Remember Bill Taylor’s text message where he traveled to a forward position, could see Russians, and was worried Ukrainians MIGHT DIE? Well, as it turns out, this aid had nothing to do with the Javelins and are on a completely separate track/purchase timeline. The media misled the public.
MR. MEADOWS: A11 right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ambassador, there’s been, and Chairman Schiff kind of alluded to this, and when we start talking about Javelins and foreign aid, for the record, I want to make sure that we’re clear. The foreign aid that was has been reported as being held up, it doesn’t relate to Javelins, does it? l4S.
Y0VAN0VITCH: No. At least I’m not aware that it does.
MR. MEADOWS: Because foreign military sales, or FMS , as you would call it, js rea1ly a totally separate track, is it not? Foreign military sales get approved, but they’re actually a purchase that happens with, in this case, it would have been Ukraine. Is that correct?
MS . YOVAN0VITCH: So, yes . President Zelensky was talking about a purchase. But separately, as I understand it, and, again, this is from news accounts, the security assistance that was being held up was security assistance, it wasn’t the FMS.
MR. l’IEAD0WS: But ‘i t was actually ai d that had been appropriated and it had nothing to do with Javelins. Would you agree with that?
MS. YOVANOVITCH: That’s my understanding.
MR. MEAD0WS: Yeah. Because it’s critically important in this context when he says, “We’re almost ready for the Javelins, ” that happens on cycles that are not necessarily just appropriation cycles. In your history as a foreign service diplomat, you’ve seen that, I assume, over and over again. Is that correct?
MS. YOVAN0VITCH: Yeah. I assumed that what it meant is that, you know, they were getting paperwork together, et cetera, and working with our military colleagues.
MR. MEAD0WS: And when the a’id ultimately came through, ‘it didn’t impact the purchase of those Javelins even when the aid ultimately was approved. Would you agree?
Have you ever been to Kentucky? It’s the land of college basketball, coal mining, gleaming modern cities combined with a dedicated effort for historical preservation, miles and miles of famous blue grass, the fastest horses in the world, the finest Bourbons, women who “shine with their own kind of light”, famous men (both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis), and in my opinion, the country’s finest interstate system (thank you, Mitch McConnell).
Tonight, we’re going to Rupp Arena in Lexington, home of the Kentucky Wildcats, which seats 23,000 people. It’s sacred soil for basketball fans, and normally a sea of blue (school colors) but tonight it will be a RED WAVE for President Trump and the reelection of Matt Bevin! …..Along with a whole slate of Republicans. Expect a big turnout tonight, the election is tomorrow!
Louisville, Kentucky is about 1 hour west, 70 miles, with the Capitol, Frankfort in the middle of two major cities.
Kentucky is 379 miles from east to west, 170 miles at its most broad from north to south. Kentucky is bordered by four rivers on three sides, and has more navigable waterway than any other state except Alaska. Population is 4.468 million, median income is $48,375 but an old stat from Wiki. Kentucky is home to the largest cave system in America, the Mammoth Caves (Where is Gail Combs?) and the largest manmade lake, Cumberland. The natural beauty of Kentucky is inescapable as Kentucky goes from an elevation of 250 ft on the west near the Mississippi River — to the Appalachians on the east, elevation of 4100ft+++.
Matt Bevin was elected with Tea Party support and has clashed with the GOPe on many occasions. Good for him but wow, it’s been a tough slog in Kentucky fighting establishment Repubs and the Dems. Bevin is the kind of guy who “walks the walk”. He’s staunchly pro-life and lives his convictions. The media hates him for it. He and his wife have 9 children, 4 of whom are adopted.
The Opioid Crisis is a big problem in Kentucky. The fight this time, however, is about who gets to pick the legal team. Are the retainers going to campaign donors or the best law firm to represent the state? Atty General Beshear, Dem candidate for Governor, chose his campaign donors to lead a lucrative fight against big pharma on behalf of Kentucky. The payoff would be enormous for Beshear’s buddies. Bevin is sticking up for the voters and took the payoff/contract all the way to the State Supreme Court, where Bevin won. It’s been a bitter fight and the long knives are out for Bevin. https://www.wdrb.com/news/bevin-beshear-clash-as-opioid-crisis-becomes-issue-in-ky/article_7cfde9f6-cb66-11e9-970e-1b6a36420285.html
The fierce contest between Republican Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear is being watched for early signs of how the partisan impeachment furor might impact Trump and other Republican incumbents in 2020. https://t.co/7hlMkhtXTp
Time to move the campaign gear to the front of the closet. We’re less than 365 days to election day and it’s time to step up, loud and proud, on behalf of our President. Rallies will be coming fast and furious from now until election day 2020.
It’s still early in the morning in Lexington but Trump Supporters are out in the cold before tonight’s rally. Here’s one of America’s finest.
We can’t leave Kentucky without a little music and a quick tour of the state.
If you’ve never been, ya’ gotta go. Churchill Downs, Run for the Roses, First Saturday in May.
Lake Cumberland is spectacular at any time of the year.
Mammoth Cave is indescribable, you have to see it to believe it.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail has become a tourist hit! The trail takes visitors inside 10 distilleries with taste testing and fascinating history. Traveling from town to town takes in horse stables, old taverns, and historic sites like Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace. The scenery along the way is verdant and breathtaking. We might lose a few of our readers on this trip….. https://www.earthtrekkers.com/kentucky-bourbon-trail-ultimate-guide/
Of course, everyone from Kentucky knows the words to “My Old Kentucky Home”. The song was originally an anti-slavery ballad composed by Stephen Foster in 1852. When a Kentuckian sings this song, they get misty eyed, lock arms, and remember a simpler time. It’s about hardship and family. Very emotional, heartfelt, appreciative, enduring. Can’t sing it without a tear in the eye.
All of us are familiar with the legend of Secretariat. I was kid in 1973 but my grandparents raced and bred thoroughbreds. The Kentucky Derby was like the Super Bowl in our house. That year, Secretariat’s win at the Kentucky Derby, from deep in the pack, was nothing short of a miracle, breaking a track record, 1:59.2. He went on to win the Preakness, again rivaling Sham, in another track record. By the time Secretariat got to the Belmont, Secretariat was on the cover of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated. Halfway into the race, Sham and Secretariat opened a 10 length lead on the rest of the pack. By the end of the race, Secretariat won by 31 (it wasn’t 25) lengths. Watch…… this ……. horse…….. run………..
When Secretariat died in 1989, his autopsy revealed his heart was 2 1/2 times larger than a normal horse. He had a bigger engine. Secretariat became a super horse. Because of his God given talent, it enabled him to do things other horses couldn’t do, things we could have never imagined, things we only would see once in a generation…….. and when he was done running, we instantly felt as though we just witnessed history.
The President needs to tweet MORE, it’s clearly driving the media crazy.
This morning, The New York Times published long and slick article representing months of research by over a dozen editors and staff people. They categorized 11,000 tweets from the President, and interviewed Twitter employees along with current and former administration officials, lawmakers. The headline of the article notes the editors at NYTimes read the tweets “twice”. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/02/insider/trump-twitter-data.html
.@nytimes examined President Trump’s use of Twitter since taking office, reviewing all of his tweets, RTs and followers, & interviewing nearly 50 current & former administration officials, lawmakers & Twitter employees. The White House declined to comment. https://t.co/LrZRUEmryo
The article was done by the NYTimes, which has a well-known bias towards the President, thus we are conditioned to be cynical. In this case, however, let’s be as objective as possible. It COULD be the NYTimes has done us a great service. Let’s see what happens. Let’s watch for the obvious propaganda and subjective triggers to mislead the reader.
Let’s take the title of the article, first. “The Journalists Who Read All of President Trump’s Tweets. Twice.” The title leads the reader to believe the “journalists” have done an enormous amount of work, lending credibility. Obviously this is a task no normal person could ever accomplish. We need professionals to help us, and miraculously the NYTimes has appeared. We should be grateful. To drive the point home, in fact, the “journalists” even read the tweets………. TWICE.
The by-line ” For a special report, The Times sorted more than 11,000 Twitter posts to understand a new form of executive power. “, indicates this report is “special” and worthy of our attention, above and beyond normal stories. The report is massive in scale, over 11,000 tweets. And a foreshadowing of concern, “a new kind of executive power”. What does that mean? What has changed? Should we be alarmed?
Already, before even reading the article, the NYTimes has attempted to form our opinion. The “journalists” are professional, undertaken a massive effort, and we should be concerned.
Further into the article, we learn the NYTimes has:
3. Interviewed “nearly 50 current & former administration officials, lawmakers & Twitter employees.” This is a loaded statement. How many were interviewed? “Nearly” is a subjective term. In fact, “20 people” could be categorized as “nearly 50 people” when compared to 1,000 people or a million people. “Current and Former Administration officials” means the NYTimes is talking to political opponents… with at least one person who is working “in the administration”….. but that person COULD be a TSA worker in Detroit. No specifics. No breakdown. “Lawmakers” is also intentionally vague. Are the lawmakers members of a school board in the Bronx, or Aldermen in Mississippi, or are they Congressmen from the Republican or Dem Party? Again, no specifics. Finally, the NYTimes talked to “Twitter employees“. Was it the janitor? Was it @Jack? Was it the 24yr old female uber feminist who works the midnight shift? We have no idea. The number of “50” is designed to mislead the reader and make us think there is an overwhelming consensus for the results, AND that the NYTimes did adequate research……….. BUT, if the NYTimes did so much research, why didn’t they breakdown the numbers and name the sources?
4. We see the line, “The White House declined to comment.” Hmmmm, the implication is the WH is silent. Are they worried? What is the WH hiding? Who was asked to comment? Was it a gardener? A chef? Or, was it the WH Communications Director? When was the WH asked to comment? Did the NYTimes call the WH back in June and say, “Hey, we’re going to intentionally create a narrative of Trump tweets are bad (which is the goal here, make no mistake). Therefore we’re going to spend the next four months cherry-picking Trump tweets in big cover story to make our case…. We’re looking for a comment from the WH.” And the WH said, in essence, “Go to hell…..”?
5. As we get into the article, we see Karen Yourish and Larry Buchanan, graphics arts editors, were the ones who read every Presidential tweet – twice. Is the country supposed to rely solely on the opinion of two graphics arts editors? Does that seem reasonable? Does it strike us as great, massive, professional research, which would rise to the level of The New York Times? No, why don’t we just ask the guys who restock the vending machines for their opinion? It warrants the same merit and those guys might be better.
6. Karen and Larry created a “spreadsheet” (propaganda trigger word – more inference of authority and expert analysis…… with no science behind it) and they divided the all 11,000 tweets into 52 categories and subcategories. This is the first categorical, proof positive, indication we have of malintent and bias. How can two graphic editors decide on the subject of 11,000 tweets without being subjective? If Trump tweets, “The sky sure is a brilliant blue today”, then does the tweet go into the category of “color blue” or the category of “comment on sky”? What defines an “attack” tweet, according to the two graphic designers? Do the two graphic designers have the same sense of humor as the President? Gee, it would be hard to imagine.
Bottom line, if tweets were separated, for instance, by time… 7:00am-9:00am, then we could all look at the time of tweet and we could all agree on parameters on how to divide tweets into categories. For subjective interpretation, no two people, let alone 330 million people, would/could EVER agree on 52 categories and divvying up 11,000 tweets in the same way. The concept, the entire premise of what the NYTimes is doing, here, would be mathematically impossible. No science. Thus, it’s all opinion, yet framed to the reader to be deep analysis.
We’re supposed to trust the NYTimes, and THEIR opinion, which is really the opinion of two graphic designers, as a valid research project.
7. Note further, there is a category for “praise and conspiracy”. How do the two graphic designers define “conspiracy”? Should we assume any Presidential tweet or question about Ukraine, or Obama spying on Trump campaign is a “conspiracy” until it is proven? Wouldn’t’ that skew the final numbers?
8. Perhaps the most insulting, in-your-face indication of malintent, comes further in the same paragraph, “They (Karen and Larry) and Keith Collins, a visual storytelling editor, then analyzed the entire data set to find trends and outliers.” So, Keith is a storyteller, and a good one, because he is the storytelling “editor”. He’s a creative writer/drawer – because he paints pics for us!!! Does this sound like clear and hard analysis? Note the use of the words “analyzed the entire data set”, more propaganda trigger words to imply astute and scientific analysis…….. on an opinion from two graphic designers.
9. “The data set informed a collaborative project from Investigations, Washington, Politics and Digital and Print Design, “The Twitter Presidency” appears as a special section of Sunday’s paper.“, is the next sentence, a separate paragraph, and loaded with propaganda. Note the use of the phrase “data set” – yet……… it’s not like any data set in mathematics, ever. It was a “collaborative project” inferring a “bandwagon” classic propaganda technique (Bandwagon = All your neighbors are doing it so why don’t you?). The use of the word “Investigations” and note the capitalization, implying authority and legal legitimacy, vast resources were expended to find the truth…… no, it really was just the opinion of two graphic editors for the majority of the “investigation”. Note all the different divisions which took part in this “story”, which is probably how the Times got to a “dozen different journalists and editors”. Finally, “The Twitter Presidency“, the finished product, is wrapped in a pretty bow and presented to the public as the definitive work on the subject of Donald Trump and Twitter……. albeit highly suspect, yet presented as a PhD dissertation…. which is worthy of a “Special Section” in Sunday’s Paper.
The New York Times even went so far as to create a small video of their “Special Section” in Sunday’s edition, layered with more propaganda trigger words.
Wow, have we ever seen a video promoting a big spread article from the NYTimes? Gee, I guess it must be important. Intentionally designed and pushed on social media to attract attention and influence readers, the voting public.
The clear purpose of the NYTimes is for voters to begin to discount, view negatively, every subsequent tweet from the President.
Disregarding everything else from the NYTimes, the hundreds (if not thousands) of negative articles written about Donald Trump, this piece stands out above all others, confirming bias and malintent. This piece is pure propaganda and designed to degrade the reputation of the President’s words, maliciously misleading the reader with the opinion of two graphics editors dressed up as a serious research project. The President’s Twitter feed is an effective weapon against a negative press….. and the New York Times hates being irrelevant.
The real story? Here’s one person’s opinion who is not a graphic editor. I believe the NYTimes thinks Trump’s tweets are bad, harm them, defeat the narrative they attempt to present…. often in less than 240 characters. It frustrates the “journalists” at The NYTimes as they take daily swipes at the President and he shoots back. The Times wants the President to stand still, cooperate, so they can inflict pain. The New York Times desperately wants to silence the President of the United States.
Clearly, the President should tweet MORE!
Clearly, the NYTimes and their “nearly” 50 people and dozen editors and “journalists” would not spend MONTHS on such a vast project…….. if they were scared as hell by the President’s twitter feed. Oh yeah, the President’s Twitter feed is a Patriot Missile used on behalf of regular Americans.
Most of all, this piece from the NYTimes serves as a perfect propaganda lesson for us all. We’re not fooled and we can see clearly, now, once we identify the motivation and properly label the media’s bias.
Americans don’t “hate” people for no reason, especially not the President of the United States. We oppose those who tempt to seed hatred, pit us against each other with false “storytelling”, as The New York Times is doing today. We’re happy people, leaders in the world, who prefer to work together. We form our our opinions based on facts, not the feelings of two graphic designers. America is on the move!
Enough with the naysayers, America is rebuilding again.
We’re back.
We believe all things are possible.
The Debbie Downers need to get out of our way if they won’t help.
I am begging the indulgence of the site owner to write about something that is near and dear to my heart: hunger relief, and helping the deserving poor with necessities.
We all like to rail away at welfare, as well as the program formerly known as food stamps, and all of the tax payer funded public assistance programs that truly do generate quite a bit of waste. Those programs really should be better monitored and controlled, and with modern inventory systems in grocery stores, this really is possible even if it is not done as thoroughly as it could be.
But, that does not change the fact that there really are people out there who are in need of assistance to make ends meet every month. By and large, the demographic group that takes advantage of not just public assistance for food purchases, but food pantries on the front lines is actually senior citizens on fixed incomes, many of whom are widows whose husbands’ pensions died with them.
Strange as it may sound to those of us who are well versed in the welfare queen stereotype, the truth is a bit more harsh. There are far fewer of them than the urban legends say there are.
Yes, there are people down on their luck, and women with children whose father(s) walked away, but there are still the elderly and the truly disabled who really depend on the hunger relief system. They do need to be cared for, and thanks to generous Americans that does happen in spades around the holidays.
One of the stops on my personal journey was working in a local food bank. What I learned when I was there was that food stamps are just for that: food. Arguing about what food is is permissible to purchase with funds from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or SNAP is not the point here. What is is that many other household items are needed for civilized living, even for people in need. One of the items that was like gold to people in need is laundry detergent. The food bank where I worked once got a whole semi full of laundry detergent, and it had to be rationed, it was so coveted. Paper products were popular, as are consumable personal items.
All of it is needed on the front lines for people in need.
The other thing I learned about federal assistance for food is how few dollars are actually available per person. $194 a month for a single man or woman is the maximum one can receive in benefits at this time. That barely covers the basics when it comes to food – and that’s if you know what you’re doing in a kitchen. The food pantries make up the gap. (See the USDA’s page on SNAP eligibility here.)
Why I write today about this is that many church groups, and other organizations collect both giving baskets and canned goods at this time of the year to help the poor. The program my family participates in actually provides a list of what is needed and provides the box for it (and a big bag of laundry detergent pods), but for those who don’t have that, and who are just collecting or buying a few things for the local food pantry, what is needed to keep the people in need healthy is nutrient dense foods:
Hearty soups and stews, including chili
Canned meat and tuna
Canned vegetables
Canned fruit in its own juice
When taking items to a pantry, be sure they are unopened. Please, try to limit starches. This also goes for frozen food. Opened food, homegrown food, and prepared food may be taken at the door of the organization, but the food pantry by law cannot distribute it.
Across the nation, fresh foods are also made available to the poor thanks to the grocery industry, but this is limited. After all, the grocers still have to make a profit. What they do is pull meat on the sell by date and freeze it, and send produce that is still fresh, but might not quite look it to food banks equipped with commercial refrigeration. So long as it is consumed quickly, fresh foods do not go to waste.
Other items that are helpful, of course, are those personal items listed above. Remember, some of the people in need may well be looking for a job, and being hygienic will go a long way to getting the able bodied off the dole.
Thanks for reading and letting me bend some ears. It takes the entire system to keep the American poor fed, believe it or not.
A quick note on an organization called “Feeding America.” Feeding America is corporate America’s food bank system. The vast majority of cities in the country have just this one food bank to distribute donations from the corporate level. That was done very much on purpose. The “food producers” all prefer to deal with a single organization rather than an organic mish mosh of food banks to supply the pantries. QTreepers can guess why. How it works is the front line pantries belong to the food bank, and pay a membership fee for the donations from corporate America. (My hometown is one of the only cities in the nation to have two food banks.)
Giving, of course, is a deeply personal thing. What any of us gives to this cause is worthy. The thing is, the healthier we can keep the population in need, the less aid they will need in the long run. And that saves everyone money in the end.
The Do’s and Don’ts of attending a MAGA Rally in Tupelo, MS, as explained by Secret Service.
Welcome to MY STATE!!! This will be the President’s second trip to Tupelo! He’s here to rally for our big Governor’s Race and state-wide seats. Mississippi is a deep red state, and chances are Tate Reeves will be our new Governor (He’s running against Jim Hood, the famous trial lawyer who led the landmark Tobacco case). Personally, I find Reeves kind of squishy. He’s known to be incredible competent and powerful in the state, but man-o-man is he boring. He’s no Donald Trump, but then, who is? Reeves can’t drive turnout, obviously, and Jim Hood oozes charisma, thus the reason for Trump’s visit = drive the turnout. And in the end, we dance with the guy who brought us. This is Tate Reeves, you will certainly see him this evening:
Meh, it’s Tate Reeves
Mississippi is legendary for powerful politicians. Haley Barbour was former Governor and now runs one of the most powerful lobbying firms in DC. Thad Cochran, the powerful Senate Chair of Ways and Means, ran against Chris McDaniel (Tea Party) in 2014. Recall that race was particularly brutal and opened many eyes to the ways of the RINO in DC. In the 90’s, Senator Trent Lott was Majority Leader of the Senate. Before Lott, Senator John C. Stennis, a Dem/Dixiecrat, was also President Pro-tempore of the Senate and and served for 41yrs. Our Space Center on the Coast is named for him. Every one of those men has been in our house, at least once. In Mississippi, politics is a preferred pastime. Of course, that was long after Jefferson Davis, President, and the Head of the Confederacy being located in Mississippi.
But enough about politics!!! We’re so happy you are here, we have to show you around our state. Let’s get you oriented, because many of you are new to our state. This thread does get a little bit long, because I HAD SO MUCH TO TELL. If you want to, just skip to the rally thread and we won’t mind a bit!
Mississippi is 340 miles long and 170 miles wide. It takes me about 5 hours to travel from just south of Memphis, TN, to New Orleans. A total of 48,430 sq miles of natural resources, a population just under 3 million people with a median income of $43,529, as of 2016, dead last in the union. GDP runs a little over 95 Billion, 37th in the country. (Wiki is the source for basic stats)
Mississippi includes everything from the south, which is really just a big suburb of New Orleans or Mobile. It’s only about a 100 mile shoreline on the Gulf, so the coastal towns tend to blend together. On the western border is the Mighty Mississippi River offering the birthplace of the blues to plantation after plantation and miles of farmland and hunting. The east is where we find vast forests, to the north which is more characterized by the industry of Memphis. The food is fabulous, people are friendly, and as long as you understand the education dynamic within the state, it’s a perfect place to raise children or retire.
Race Demographics
Can’t mention the state name without discussing “racism”, and wow, do we have a chip on our shoulder about the subject. It was a label that stuck.
Once you understand the racial makeup of Mississippi, everything else starts to make sense. Our GDP, education, culture, the food and music, everything is influenced by race. Mississippi is different because our black population is so high as a percentage of total population. I have a hard time explaining this to visitors because they go by their own experience of their home. In fact, 37.9% of our state are black citizens, highest in the country. Therefore, if anyone wanted to truly study/solve anything to do with race, the state of Mississippi would be a perfect incubator for any social experiment or a new proposed idea…… if “they” wanted to really fix the problem….. or if there really was a problem?
Little Bit of History
Before the Civil War broke out, the colonies (new states) on the eastern seaboard were connected to the new LA Purchase (1803) territory by the land of what is now the states of Tennessee and Kentucky. The land which was MS and AL, was inhabited by Indians (Chickasaw/Choctaw in the south which beget the Trail of Tears) and Tecumseh (+others) in the upper midwest (IN, IL, MI, Minnesota which beget the war of 1812) when the Brits sided with Tecumseh. These lands did not belong to the USA…yet.
When the Civil War broke out, Mississippi was 55% black. The wealthiest cities in our fledgling country at the time were New Bedford, Massachusetts (whaling and industry), and Natchez, MS (cotton and foreign +domestic trade). The south, via New Orleans was more influenced/loyal/trading partners to the French (Lafayette, Barataria, Acadians, 1812 war with England) and the north, particularly Boston, was more loyal the the English (Puritans, etc.), but the USA declared war on England, conscription of soldiers, to capture the midwest (remember Tecumseh?) In other words, they didn’t really like each other BEFORE the Civil War, particularly when it came to trade, culture, and most of all …….. money.
Elvis sings BOTH Battle Hymns, north and south
The Civil War was personal to the south, fought in our front yard. As a kid, I grew up in the north and we learned very little about the Civil War. In the south, we talk about great-granddaddy…. who fought and died…… around the corner. My town was burned by Grant’s soldiers on his way to Vicksburg, save one home across from the firehouse, which had a Mason’s symbol above the door. Our state is one big battlefield and the study of military history is a pursued past time. Probably why Mississippi citizens of all races and backgrounds will NEVER give up their guns.
At the beginning of the war, only 3% of the population owned “slaves”. At the end of the war, 2/3 of the farmland in “the Delta” was owned by blacks, but falling cotton prices caused many farms to be lost. During reconstruction, many blacks held local office, until Governor Vardaman was elected. Vardaman began the red shirts and black voter suppression in the 1890’s.
Remember the PA judge who finally died and lifted the voter suppression penalty on the south, just a couple of years ago? By 1900, the state was still majority black population but the boll weevil hit the cotton crop. Then came the great flood of 1927, followed by the Great Depression, and the migration to Chicago and Detroit began. “When the Levee Breaks” was a song originally by Memphis Minnie, about the Great Flood of ’27.
That wailing harmonica can only come from one place… Mississippi.
Today, Mississippi, demographically, is 37% black, 59% white, and almost no Hispanics or Native Americans. We are a black and white state. In other states, like NY (14.4% black), Illinois (14.1), MA (about 8%), California (only 6.5%) or Vermont (1%), people think of “blacks” living in a community, which is far away from “them”. If you notice, there aren’t too many black people in Joliet, Westchester, or Palo Alto. I had a liberal girlfriend in upstate NY who confessed she had never MET a black person, but of course, she “knew all about it”. Note it was “it” and not “them”. Weird.
It’s not like that here. There are no places where “black people” do not exist. They represent almost 40% of our population! Our communities are mixed all up and down the state. Our families have known each other’s families for generations. We cheer for each other’s kids during high school sports and chat in the grocery store. Our kids go to school together. AND when we have hurricanes, tornadoes or ice storms, we figure it out……. together. When I travel to other states, I often say, “Where are all the black people?”, because to me, coming from here, it’s a noticeable absence. Even when I travel to other southern states, LA and AL (about 26%), it’s odd, because statewide, the communities are more disparate. If I go home to Iowa, to visit extended family…. there are almost no black people at all….., anywhere…. and the food is bland.
As a result of the demographics in Mississippi, our cultures mix. It’s how the Blues was born in Clarksdale, MS. It’s how Elvis came to prominence and American Rock and Roll changed the world. It’s how the world was blessed with “comfort food”. Dear Lord, the food is extraordinary. I also believe I could make a legal case on behalf of black grandmothers. They should interrogate all witnesses for the FBI – we would be better off as a nation. As a subset of humanity, elder black women are the most pragmatic people on the planet and can sniff out a lie faster than a good dream disappears in the morning. I have trembled in the face of their wrath and been blessed to call them friends. More than any other demo, elder black women represent the moral fiber, the core, of the state. THEY are responsible for the Steel Magnolias, the strong southern women and well behaved men. And we WILL go to church on Sunday! 83% of the state identifies as Christian.
The ShitPie Scene – justified payback!!
Our race demographics are also why our state was targeted in the 1960’s. Our black population is so high, if the seeds of discord could be sown here, the animosity would travel like a dandelion on the wind.
My grandparents moved south from Iowa in 1961. Grandpa was part of a three man team who opened the largest factory in town. He wanted to hire black workers (cuz they were 40% of the people who lived here – made sense) and met with opposition from the town leaders. Grandpa wasn’t the kind of guy to back down. It didn’t go well. The guy who used to own my house was a town leader, powerful man, Senators, Cattlemen and the St. Louis FED used to meet at our house…. all the time. He tangled with Grandpa quite often.
The Integration of Ole Miss – Fascinating Story of Meddling by Politicians
By 1962, James Meredith decided to enroll at Ole Miss. Whether he decided himself or it was planned, we will never know. Meredith was an air force veteran, good scores at another college. If he had been white, he would have been a perfect candidate for Ole Miss… but Ole Miss was segregated at the time (as were most other schools all over the country). The Kennedy Administration decided to make their stand in Mississippi and made it a political stunt when it didn’t need to be. Here, it was seen as the 100yr replay of Massachusetts trying to tell Mississippi what to do. Civil War all over again.
Kennedy deployed 500 Marshals and a Combat Battalion out of Ft Campbell to accompany Meredith to registration, when the Governor already agreed to do it. In fact, Meredith had already moved into his dorm! The press was coordinated perfectly (one French journalist died in the riots-bullet to the back – how do you get French press all the way to Ole Miss without coordination). Locals were alarmed by the massive show of force, TROOPS, Army on our own land! People were mortified and James Meredith immediately became an incidental issue. Several hundred were injured in the riots/protests which ensued…. but the media played it perfectly, all about RACE.
Within 24 hours of the television coverage, the entire world thought everyone in the state of Mississippi was a racist. The false label stuck.
The story is fascinating (I have girlfriends who were students there at the time and Ole Miss is my Alma Mater) and a perfect lesson in how politics created a problem where there was no problem. Kennedy Admin and Governor Barnett’s Admin agreed on a discreet enrollment. Meredith was resting comfortably in his dorm room when Kennedy brought troops onto the campus. Here it is, directly from LEFT-LEANING Wikipedia:
In accordance with Barnett and Kennedy’s plan, on Sunday evening, September 30, the day before the anticipated showdown, Meredith was flown to Oxford. He was quietly escorted by Mississippi Highway Patrol as he moved into a dorm room.
The federal marshals assembled on campus, supported by the 70th Army Engineer Combat Battalion from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Responding to the federal presence, a crowd of a thousand, mostly students–led by Edwin Walker–quickly crowded onto campus…… (Walker was an agitator, not from Mississippi, and Bobby Kennedy had him arrested and sent to a mental institution for 90 days – he was let go after 5 days, as soon as the media left town.)
As the scene grew more out of control, the highway patrol initially helped hold off the crowds but, despite Barnett’s renewed commitment, those police were withdrawn by State Senator George Yarbrough starting at about 7:25 p.m. local time.[7][8] The student demonstration, joined by an increasing number of other agitators, started to break out into a full riot on the Oxford campus. (Betrayed by Kennedy Admin) At 7:30 p.m., Barnett announced on radio that Meredith had been brought to Mississippi by force. After signing his enrollment, Barnett said to the Federal troops:
“Gentlemen, you are trampling on the sovereignty of this great state and depriving it of every vestige of honor and respect as a member of the United States. You are destroying the Constitution of the United States. May God have mercy on your souls.[5] ” (So, locals were primarily protesting what appeared to be an invasion by the US government AND the admission of Meredith, but portrayed as racist on national television and in print media)
The crowd eventually swelled to about three thousand. As its behavior turned increasingly violent, including the death of a journalist, the marshals ran out of tear gas defending the officials in the Lyceum. President Kennedy reluctantly decided to call in reinforcements in the middle of the night under the command of Brigadier General Charles Billingslea, Commanding general, 2nd Infantry Division. He ordered in U.S. Army military police from the 503rd and 716th Military Police Battalions, which had previously been readied for deployment under cover of the nuclear war Exercise Spade Fork, plus the U.S. Border Patrol and the federalized Mississippi National Guard. U.S. Navy medical personnel (physicians and hospital corpsmen) attached to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Millington, Tennessee, were also sent to the university.
Before they arrived, white rioters roaming the campus discovered Meredith was in Baxter Hall and started to assault it. Early in the morning, as Gen. Billingslea’s party entered the university gate, a white mob attacked his staff car and set it on fire. Billingslea, the Deputy Commanding General John Corley, and aide, Capt Harold Lyon, were trapped inside the burning car, but they forced the door open, then crawled 200 yards under gunfire from the mob to the University Lyceum Building (The same Lyceum which was occupied by Grant’s Army and used as a Union Hospital which treated both Union and Confederate soldiers wounded in the battle of Shiloh – only reason Ole Miss wasn’t burned. The same Lyceum where I registered for classes). The army did not return this fire.
To keep control, Gen Billingslea had established a series of escalating secret code words for issuing ammunition down to the platoons, a second one for issuing it to squads, and the third one for loading, none of which could take place without the General confirming the secret codes.
By the end, one-third of the US Marshals, a total of 166 men, were injured in the melee, and 40 soldiers and National Guardsmen were wounded.[9][6]
Finally, on October 1, 1962, Meredith became the first African-American student to be enrolled at the University of Mississippi,[13] and attended his first class, in American History.[1] Meredith graduated from the university on August 18, 1963 with a degree in political science.[14] At that time, there were still hundreds of troops guarding him 24 hours a day although, in order to appease the local sensitivities, 4,000 Black soldiers were removed from the Federal troops under Robert Kennedy’s secret orders.[15][6] (In other words, caused further segregation…. smh)
Governor Barnett was fined $10,000 and sentenced to jail for contempt. The charges were later dismissed by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.[16]
There they are, rolling past the fraternity house on MY CAMPUS
It all happened about 30 minutes from here. It lit the flame. From that moment on, Mississippi became the staged battleground for Civil Rights. 1964 made worse.
Education:
Schools in Mississippi are horrible, often ranked at or near the bottom of all states, or so I thought, but statistics are sneaky things. The perception of lack of good schools presented a problem in recruiting executives/skilled labor/corporate headquarters from other parts of the country. Education became my primary interest. Good schools lead to more opportunity, better employees, attract more business, leads to stronger communities, and better families. For YEARS, I battled/advocated /screamed loudly to improve the results of students who were educated in MS. It wasn’t until my son was in high school that I figured out what the real problem was.
Because of one of my son’s extracurriculars, I ended up as a Scholarship Chair for thousands of the region’s highest performing students, who were being recruited by top colleges. Along with resumes, SAT/ACT scores were key. I started investigating, poking around, running numbers, comparing studies, and the results of kids across states and even down to various zip codes. Couldn’t believe what I was finding, but we can’t argue with hard data.
I learned the “average” black student scored an 18 on the ACT, Hispanic about a 20, white student about a 22.4, and an Asian student about a 23.6-24. Of course, there were outliers who performed incredibly well despite all kinds of odds. I could, however, compare an “average” black student in Palo Alto, Lake Forest, Wellesley (rich zip codes) to an average black student in rural Mississippi (poor zip code), and the scores were the same, no discernible difference. Same with Hispanics/Whites/Asians. There could be a hundred reasons for the discrepancy among races, but clearly, $$’s spent per pupil was NOT a reason. Flabbergasted. I cross checked dozens, and then hundreds, of different zip codes, same results. I ran into zip codes which spent 3X’s the amount per pupil, no difference in ACT scores.
Therefore, since our state had a higher demo of black students (almost 40%), the lower test scores were bringing down the average of the state, but easily addressed, right? Politically, if we extrapolated the problem across the region of high demo black population states, it explains the stigma of the “dumb southerner”, which hastens division of Americans, and becomes Exhibit A on “How to Lie With Statistics”. Massive legal/illegal immigration into CA could explain the downturn in numbers for California.
It’s not possible to explain “why” there is a difference among races for test scores (above my paygrade – but if lil’ ole me found it, then SURELY someone else has noticed before me). Yet, common sense tells us, if we worked on ACT prep classes with black students we could increase overall averages, improve the state’s reputation for education, recruit more execs, more biz, and increase prosperity. If we had success with one subset for ACT, even in a single zip code, we could duplicate results across the state, right? And then work down across grade levels, right? I gave it to Governors, Senators, Congressmen, even local Superintendents. No one wanted to touch it….. because they would be accused of being racist if they admitted “average” differences in test scores. Thus, the black community suffers…. and we’re all worse off…. which is actually “racist”.
My own school Superintendent alluded to the fact that he already knew what I was telling him…… but the idea was poison to him. Sticking his head in the sand was more politically convenient. Political correctness is therefore racist, and in this case harms all our of fellow citizens. “Systemic Racism” = There it is, a real definition, and it would be so easy to turn around.
It’s a shame. If we can’t talk about a problem, we can’t fix the problem.
Industry
Mississippi is a right-to-work state and Nissan and Toyota have enormous plants in the state. We also have shipyards and many military bases here. Mississippi citizens are the highest percentage of those in the military.
Nissan Plant in Canton, MS
Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, MS
With President Trump in office, the shipyards are so busy, the closest Junior College is running welding tech, structural welding, welding info systems, ANYTHING welding classes 3 shifts a day, and another one on weekends, to train welders. It’s amazing.
Of course, Mississippi will always be the land of beautiful women (more Miss Americas than any other state). Ole Miss has a saying….., as opposed to a football team, “We red-shirt Miss Americas”.
Tailgating is an art-form in our state and the men and women dress to impress. The town of Oxford, only has about 30K residents, but on Football Weekends, it swells to about 180-250K. People bring pool tables, satellite dishes, and all their friends.
Homecoming Tailgating. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Communications
So, plan to stay for a while. You’re always welcome in Mississippi.
Today is ALL Saints Day in New Orleans. The town was settled by the French/Spanish and is dominated by rowdy Catholics to this day. Therefore, we always had the day after Halloween off of school and work. Everyone heads to the cemetery with flowers for the dead, clean up the graves, and of course, food and liquor is required. Those Catholics, I tell ya’, they have the holidays worked out well! My friends allowed me to be a pseudo Catholic for the day…… Presbyterians don’t get holidays.
We’re leaving Rocktober October and we landed in ACTION November!! Can’t wait to see what happens. We’re ready for some Batman Super-Power!
Marine One Flying Over NYC
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. Wolfie would be upset.
SPEAK THE FIVE WORDS BOLDLY TO OUR PRESIDENT!
“I AM PRAYING FOR YOU!“
Also remember Wheatie’s Rules:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
In honor of tonight’s rally in Tupelo, MS, I’ll leave you with the King, in Tupelo. It’s Elvis Presley live from the Mississippi/Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, September 29, 1956. LOOK at all the people. Wow, that’s a Donald Trump size crowd.
For those who still have courage, for those who can read beyond a headline, for those who believe in liberty and our rights, this is our time. It’s been a long path. Along the way, we’ve encountered those who have lied, spied, and died. At times, we ‘ve been distracted by skillful opponents, small and carefully crafted skirmishes, intentional disinformation from media, and worst of all, our own naivety. It was inconceivable that Americans would choose to harm America. Yet, truth is patient and eventually revealed. The more we know, the more we are drawn again to Ukraine. The source of all things evil in DC, all the corrupt players from BOTH parties, left their footprints in Ukraine.
For YEARS we’ve said, “It all comes back to Ukraine.” We were right.
For extensive background, please see our article “Timeline for 1/1024th of an Impeachment Inquiry”, which goes back years, with hundreds of sources, at the link below. Dems and our media would prefer we only focus on a July 25th phone call or the actions of Rudy Giuliani. Yet, it’s impossible to understand what has happened, the depth of the corruption, the overthrow of a country, without knowing the history found within the timeline. https://wqth.wordpress.com/2019/10/09/timeline-for-1-1024-of-an-impeachment-inquiry/comment-page-1/ Please note: We stopped adding to the timeline in mid-October 2019 because the document became so large and unwieldy. Yet, the problems from Ukraine continue and we MUST talk about them.
Ciaramella was a Yale grad, from Connecticut, and 33yrs old currently.
Ciaramella was 30yrs old when he was Director of Baltic and Eastern European Affairs, NSC, according to internal email to Victoria Nuland on May 26, 2016.
Ciaramella worked with DNC Alexandra Chalupa, who dug up dirt on the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, inviting her into the White House for meetings….. “He knows her. He had her in the White House,” said one former co-worker, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
Documents confirm Chalupa in the WH, meeting with Ciaramella in November 2015. Several more meeting confirmations are listed below, confirmed via Gateway Pundit.
The day after Comey was fired, May 10, 2017, Russian FM Lavrov visited the WH, the Oval Office, with President Trump. Ciaramella was incensed, went “outside of his chain of command” and sent emails across agencies which ended up in the media. Ciaramella claimed Trump boasted to the Russian officials about firing Comey, whom he allegedly called “crazy, a real nut job.” and noted Putin had called President Trump a week earlier. Ciaramella claims created “Putin told Trump to fire Comey”. The media spun the story, and a week later Special Counsel was announced. The emails were noted in the Mueller report.
Ciaramella was removed from the WH in June of 2017 for suspicions of leaking.
It appears Ciaramella huddled with Schiff or his staff, old friends from NSC recently hired by Schiff, for “guidance” on how to put forth his WB complaint.
To Glenn Beck’s #2 episode on Ukraine. It’s stunning. Some of his best work yet.
From Glenn Beck we learn many things but here are the highlights from this 2 hour video.
During 2017, Ukraine prosecuted 4 people for meddling in the US election of 2016, two were convicted in December 2018, Artem Sytnyk Head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and Serhiy Leschenko, a Member of Parliament who was an extreme ideologue and terrified Trump foreign policy may help Russia and harm Ukraine. Sytnyk is on audio tape admitting to helping Hillary Clinton (played during Beck’s 1st segment). A few months later the case was overturned on appeal for technical objections (entity who brought suit didn’t have standing, statute of limitations expiration). Case is being retried.
Ukraine hired an American lawyer and to get boxes of evidence to the DOJ, which was being blocked by Yovanovich, the Obama leftover Ambassador. Finally the info is dumped on the SDNY branch of the DOJ, who did nothing with it.
November of 2018 – “someone” approached Giuliani and told him about Ukraine. Lev Parnas (one of the two mysteriously arrested for illegal campaign contributions)puts Giuliani in touch with Shokin.
December of 18-February of ’19 – Giuliani meets with several people and talks to Shokin via Skype in December. In January of ’19, Giuliani meets with Yuriy Lutsenko, CURRENT Chief Prosecutor for Ukraine, in NYC, two times, and again speaks with Shokin on Skype. In February, Giuliani meets Lutsenko again in Warsaw.
March of 2019 – Lutsenko, Prosecutor General of Ukraine, again opens the Burisma investigation. How can there be a quid pro quo if the investigation is already open in Ukraine BEFORE President Zelinsky is elected and BEFORE the July 25th phone call?
March 26, 2019 – John Solomon posts an article that Ambassador Yovanovitch has given the Chief prosecutor of Ukraine, Lutsenko, a “do not prosecute” list. The media has a meltdown, claims it’s not true. During the election Late April in Ukraine, Lutsenko recants after extreme pressure from our State Dept.
March 28, 2019 Giuliani sends the State Dept all the files on what he has learned. How can Giuliani be running a “shadow foreign policy” when he sent all the docs to the State Dept? Included in files are notes of conversations between Lutsenko and Shokin, notes on Biden/Burisma investigation, notes on meeting with Ambassador Yovanovitch…….. which proves, yes, she had a do not prosecute list, and Solomon articles.
Media and Deep State claim Giuliani/Solomon/Lutsenko/Shokin/Biden/Burisma is all a conspiracy theory.
April 25th, 2019 – Biden announces run for President. Same night Trump goes on FOX and talks about the documents from Ukraine which have been sent to State Dept. (Trump knew all about it).
May 6th, 2019 – Ambassador Yovanovitch is fired. Suddenly the Whistleblower begins to become “concerned” about policy in Ukraine.
June 2019 – Bill Taylor is named temporary Charge d’affaires in Ukraine until permanent Trump nomination makes way through Senate. Taylor is a State Dept loyalist, not a Trump guy.
July 2019 – Trump puts hold on Ukraine aid, they are checking on things BEFORE the phone call on July 25th. Allegedly, Trump asks for help with Biden investigation from Zelinsky and asks Zelinsky to ANNOUNCE the investigation. Phrase of “Quid Pro Quo” as a “bad thing” was hatched in our media as a disinformation campaign.
August 2, 2019 – Guiliani travels to Madrid to meet with Andriy Yermak, Chief Aide and Advisor to new President Zelinsky.
September 9, 2019 – Bill Taylor, Acting Ambassador to Ukraine sends text message to Sondland (EU Ambassador), “This is crazy” why are we withholding aid to Ukraine for a political campaign in 2020? Sondland says, no we’re not doing that, you misunderstood.
October 2, 2019 – Remember the files Giuliani sent to the State Dept? Well, on October 2nd, the State Dept sent all those files to Congress. ONLY Congressman to attend the briefing was Jamie Raskin, Dem of Maryland, who said… it’s all propaganda…. trust me.
October 10, 2019 – Lev Parscam and old Igor Soviet guy are arrested for campaign finance violations along with 2 other guys.
October 22, 2019 – Taylor testifies and claims Giuliani was running back channel operation. Taylor also claims military aid was withheld because of campaign in 2020, ……… but was told that wasn’t true. Media explodes, deems Taylor is credible (state dept) and Sondland is not credible (Trump appointee)
The Dems case for impeachment, point of view, restricting voters to only events from November of 2018 – current, presents a case of Trump/Giuliani guilt. The Dems don’t want anyone to look at the history of corruption in Ukraine. Dem main talking points are neat and tidy for the American people. Rudy and Trump conspired to remove Yovanovitch. They froze 400 million in aid to try to get Ukraine to investigate Bidens. And Trump incriminated himself during the phone call by spelling out the scheme.
Problems in the Dem Talking Points = January of 2019, Rudy Giuliani asked for a travel visa for Shokin, the Head Prosecutor for Ukraine, who was fired at the behest of Biden, “You have 6 hours to fire the prosecutor” or else you don’t get the billion dollars. The State Dept visa was turned down. Strange? Giuliani goes to the WH and asks for a visa and is turned down again. Why? Well, if we think the President and Rudy have bad motive, a personal visit from Shokin to Giuliani might look bad…… but Rudy sent the State Dept all the documents in March. How can Giuliani and Trump be hiding when all documents have been sent to State Dept, and they’re out in the open? Plus, September 11th, military aid was released to Ukraine.
Dems claim quid pro quo. Yet, the Ukraine got the 400 million dollars. Rudy was out in the open with all the files sent to State Dept = no hiding. The Ukraine didn’t have to start an investigation onBiden/Burisma because they already started an investigation in March of 2019, BEFORE Zelinsky was elected and BEFORE the phone call of July 25th.
Where is the quid pro quo?
And, the Ukrainians and Giuliani claim the evidence in those boxes, the evidence they have been trying to get to OUR DOJ, for which certainly Giuliani has made copies, proves the following:
A. The DNC and Ukrainian officials gathered dirt on Trump (and Manafort).
B. Ukrainian officials admitted to influencing election (we have the audio).
C. The misappropriation of the 7 BILLION dollars (DING, DING, DING!)
D. US Officials interfered in cases within Ukraine (Yovanovitch and her list)
E. Biden pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin (we’ve seen the video)
F. Burisma records show Hunter Biden received 3 million dollars. (follow $$’s)
Glenn Beck’s timeline video is excellent work. Highly recommended.
To the paperwork bomb in Gateway Pundit, tracking the connections, the money, and subterfuge of Ciaramella https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/10/more-on-the-now-infamous-eric-ciaramello-hes-connected-to-the-fake-steele-dossier-and-the-transfer-of-funds-from-the-imf-to-the-ukraine/
It’s deep. We have documents which are impossible to ignore. We have everything needed for a real trial.
Ciaramella needs to be on trial for treason or the primary witness in the trials of Biden, Brennan, Rice, Nuland, Michael Atkinson, Schiff, et als. He needs to be brought into protective custody, under the Atty General, asap.
Take a look. The following documents via, Gateway Pundit, connect Ciaramella, Victoria Nuland, Biden, Chalupa, David Kramer, Victor Pinchuk (Hillary’s favorite oligarch), and Olga Bielkova…….. she’s an MP in Ukraine Parliament and in charge of their Energy Dept. Surprised?
Here’s the biggest surprise – the Steele Dossier and the Whistleblower attempt are all linked together. It’s the SAME THING.
If it turns out Eric Ciaramella is Schiff’s informant, people ought to know that Billionaire Clinton donor Victor Pinchuk sent 🇺🇦 MP Bielkova to meet with him same day she met with David Kramer and kicked Steele Dossier operation into high gear. ie “Whistleblower” = Dossier 2.0 pic.twitter.com/TuoTGjzv3K
And yes, Ciaramella knew all about the IMF transfers THE MONEY transferred to Ukraine. His hands are on MANY emails back and forth. This is just ONE example:
Additionally, we have Ciaramella at Yale, protesting the firing of a professor who was tied to Hamas and Hezbollah. I’m just imagining, just for a moment, what horrendus thing would have to occur for Yale to fire a professor who was tied to terror orgs. Nonetheless, Ciaramella was sympathetic.
Eric Ciaramella, Nuland and Kavelec at State Dept talked all the time about Ukraine.
for the final tasty morsel, it all comes together at……… The Atlantic Council.
SAME MONTH (April 2016): Burisma-funded Atlantic Council event Devon Archer and Olga Bielkova both attend. “Huge” State Dept. Presence. 🚨 BIG DEAL: Blue Star Strategies—the lobby firm Hunter was also involved with is there… https://t.co/9olX13mZKMpic.twitter.com/Agq3dxHRFl
To temporarily sum it all up (because there will be more from Ukraine). For years, we have been digging and we will continue to dig. In fact, we’re encouraged. We’ve confirmed we hit a motherload of swamp critters. Eventually, the truth will out. We need to push the truth to help our President, right now, and overall, to help our country. These are the people who need to be held accountable.
Judiciary Committee lawyers Barry Berke and Norm Eisen (Nadler is behind them) make their way down to the SCIF. Won’t say what for. pic.twitter.com/4VJvJzqMYS
and now it’s Nancy’s turn + the Media, to sell this as a fair process to the American public. It’s not.
Here is the document, read for yourself:
What has changed since yesterday? A lot.
The President and his lawyers can’t do anything until this is handed off to the Judiciary Committee, “where the President and his lawyers” will be allowed.
There are three committees working on gathering evidence, Intel (Schiff), Foreign Affairs, and Oversight (who just lost Elijah Cummings-Chair, and their Deputy Chair Katie, the naked one). All of the committees will create “a report” and transfer into to Judiciary.
Somewhere in the new “Rules” there is supposed to be at least ONE public hearing (media wonderland)of HPSCI with all three Committees present (sans Executive Branch), before transfer to Judiciary. This public show looks to be a staged disaster. Both Schiff and Nunes are allowed 90 minutes to question any witness brought before the committee, but only those witnesses brought – no surprises – and the minority can’t get anyone to testify unless approved by Majority Chair. Schiff will have the luxury of allowing, if he chooses, to allot his 90 minutes or a portion, to a Lawfare lawyer but deny Nunes the same privilege.
Other members of the Committees can have 5 minutes, each, on each witness. Well, there are already 8 witnesses X the membership of 3 Committees = media disaster = complete standstill in DC swamp = 40 minutes of AOC = 40 minutes of Ilhan Omar = 40 minutes of Tlaib, and so on.
Upon conclusion of the epic mini-series of Schiff, HE will write a report to Nadler, and Schiff MAY include a dissenting opinion from the minority (Nunes).
Within the committees and before the transfer to the Judiciary:
Remember, minority ranking members are permitted to call witnesses, submit documents, but only with permission from the Majority chair. Requests must be submitted 72hours in advance and in writing.
Sidenote: Big T is having a fit over this. He believes if Nunes or others succumb to the new rules from Lawfare and attempts to call a witness, submits a request to Schiff, Nunes would thereby give the procedure legitimacy. In other words, don’t do it and pray the Appeals Court stops the farce.
The secret-hybrid-open hearings will continue to be held, including questioning by staff Lawfare, until they are transferred to the Judiciary, when the President and his counsel will be allowed to question witnesses within time limits. Within the Judiciary Committee, however, Collins still has to get approval from Nadler to do anything. Of course, this assumes Judge Hollier’s crazy ruling is still in standing……. but it’s already on appeal.
Chairs of the three committees are allowed but not compelled to release depositions. AND the transcripts will be delayed to check for classified info and redacted. In other words, selective leaks will continue to establish narrative and smear the President. Days or weeks later, we MIGHT get a transcript.
Nancy leaves us with this final statement.
“The evidence we have already collected paints the picture of a President who abused his power by using multiple levers of government to press a foreign country to interfere in the 2020 election. Following in the footsteps of previous impeachment inquiries, the next phase will move from closed depositions to open hearings where the American people will learn firsthand about the President’s misconduct.”
Nancy Pelosi, October 29, 2019
Response from the White House:
.@PressSec: Pelosi's resolution "does nothing to change the fundamental fact that House Democrats refuse to provide basic due process rights to the Administration." https://t.co/lEsicPQn8J
The resolution put forward by Speaker Pelosi confirms that House Democrats’ impeachment has been an illegitimate sham from the start as it lacked any proper authorization by a House vote.
It continues this scam by allowing Chairman Schiff, who repeatedly lies to the American people, to hold a new round of hearings, still without any due process for the President.
The White House is barred from participating at all, until after Chairman Schiff conducts two rounds of one-sided hearings to generate a biased report for the Judiciary Committee. Even then, the White House’s rights remain undefined, unclear, and uncertain – because those rules still haven’t been written.
This resolution does nothing to change the fundamental fact that House Democrats refuse to provide basic due process rights to the Administration.
It’s important. We’re on the verge of something truly awful in our country and it must be stopped. If we lose our legal system, our system of checks and balances, we lose fairness.
Background: A Congressional subpoena is a merely a request to appear, and has no enforcement mechanism. There is no penalty for not showing up as long as there is merely an “inquiry” in the House. The push for the House vote “resolution” is a legal trick, way out on a limb in a gray area of the law, to give the House “judicial authority” or the ability to subpoena, demand testimony of witnesses and documents… without giving the other side the ability to defend themselves. In other words, the Legislative Branch wants to become the Judiciary……….. because they don’t like the President.
It’s a weird place we’re in. The logic is flawed and strange to regular Americans. It’s “if you have nothing to hide, why not allow me to do an anal probe of your family, your business, your… everything.” Well, one might think, first, there better be a damn good reason for that kind of intrusion. Does a bureaucrat have the right to give ME an anal probe because I was selected as a cheerleader in high school and they weren’t, or because I had a party and didn’t invite them, …….. or because I won the 2016 election and beat them?
If the House actually believed the President sold out our national interest for a “favor” in the 2020 campaign, which constituted a campaign contribution from a foreign power, the criminal referral would go to the DOJ…….. Well, it did go to the DOJ, and it’s already been rejected… using Mueller’s own words. AND the DOJ has issued a letter to strongly admonish the ICIG for ever allowing the issue to rise to the level of “urgent concern”…. which is why we see Adam Schiff backtracking from all things concerning the whistleblower and the President’s phone call with Zelinsky.
…. This left radical elements within the House frustrated in their efforts to impeach the President. Thus, Nancy Pelosi announced an “impeachment inquiry”, which means she and the media can use the word “impeachment” without all the normal accoutrements which go along with an official impeachment, as in the President and Republicans get to defend themselves. Still, the House has no reason for the anal probe. There is no crime nor mention of a crime. There has been no independent counsel, now referred to as a Special Counsel, which has referred a crime to Congress. Yet, this is the logic Pelosi is using. In other words, “Sit still Mr. President, while I give you this anal probe.”
Enter Judge Howell. – Beryl A. Howell worked for Senator Leahy on the Judiciary Committee and was the primary staffer when Leahy was drafting legislation to create the Homeland Security Agency after 9/11. Staffers remember Howell. ” According to one “she showed up at meetings wearing a Mao green military hat and sometimes in full Mao military fatigues” and was “a total socialist left winger.” Howell also authored articles on expanding the understanding of obstruction of justice……. with…… Andrew Weissman …… throughout the years, and Howell also gave a speech in honor of Loretta Lynch at a tribute dinner in 2016. http://conservativehq.com/article/26233-deep-state%E2%80%99s-kangaroo-court
Judge Howell, DC Federal Court, Obama appointee, made a crazy ruling (effectively determining the House process “legal” AND allowing the House to pierce the veil of Grand Jury testimony) which set this whole thing in motion in the House = the vote on “impeachment inquiry” versus the legal precedent of “impeachment investigation”. It’s an important distinction which could affect the future of all rights of ALL Americans.
The confusion between “inquiry” and “investigation” from Pelosi/Schiff/Lawfare is intentional and designed to mislead the public, giving the impression of more openness in the House, and twisted for effect by a compliant media. No, the President and minority will still have NO RIGHTS to defend themselves, and the Judiciary Committee will gain further power…… corrupting the protection for innocent people involved in grand jury testimony…… forevermore. It’s a HORRIBLE precedent to set.
Nancy Pelosi is attempting to present to the public the idea that her “resolution” is normal course of business, or “the next step” in impeachment. No, it is a vial and corrupt twisting of our system where the legislative branch becomes the DOJ — but only for Democrats.
Sidenote: Howell was the judge presiding over the grand jury for Mueller’s Special Counsel http://conservativehq.com/article/26233-deep-state%E2%80%99s-kangaroo-court . She should have immediately recused from this case for a blatant conflict. Her reaction (found in her ruling) to the President’s Counsel Cipollone letter of justification (why the WH refused to cooperate outside of established procedure) indicates Howell’s reaction was CLEARLY political and her motivation is HIGHLY suspect. It’s alarming…. coming from a Judge.
The importance of privacy within a Grand Jury: This cannot be stressed enough. The privacy of a Grand Jury is sacrosanct. The system is structured so it cannot be invaded, even by mistake. There are no transcripts of the proceedings. Disclosure of Grand Jury Testimony by anybody, any time, is a felony. So, to have a COURT grant permission, to a non-judicial body, in this case a partisan House Committee, a partisan faction of a Congressional Committee, is tantamount to overturning black letter criminal law dating from Medieval English Common Law. The Grand Jury system is the replacement for the heinous Star Chamber system and the Schiff led Democrats are, in essence, recreating a Star Chamber, to their eternal shame and certain demise.
Big T, verbatim, October 29, 2019
To give an example of what would happen if the Grand Jury is cracked: Let’s say I am indicted for murder. A prosecutor goes before the Grand Jury and presents evidence of my guilt AND is allowed to withhold anything adversarial to his side of the story. The Grand Jury hands down an indictment. I am arrested and hire F. Lee Bailey. The pissant prosecutor, scared by my legal counsel, and knowing it is a weak case, orchestrates a leak of selective evidence put forth during the Grand Jury to infect the potential jury pool.
It’s the PRIMARY reason Grand Jury testimony is kept of limits = to NOT sway public opinion.
NOW, with a trial at least 6 months away, I would be faced with swirling media (just like President Trump) attention, and scorn from my neighbors (voters who think Trump is guilty) who have only heard a piece of the evidence. How would I ever get a fair trial? My attorney, being the star he is, while draining my life savings, files a motion for change of venue, arguing I couldn’t get a fair trial, and that the PROSECUTOR is responsible for the Grand Jury leak….. which creates even further public attention. The Trial Judge would order a hearing on my motion, but denies it. You think I exaggerate? Remember the Valerie Plame case? The deck would be stacked against me. When I walk into court, the jurors would sneer at me, already convinced of my guilt.
It’s EXACTLY what Schiff is attempting to do to President Trump, and is succeeding at doing, with the help of a compliant media and a biased judge who would allow such an outlandish ruling.
THIS is WHY the testimony and materials of a Grand Jury must be protected.
After the Howell ruling, which makes the Pelosi process legitimate for now, Lawfare/Pelosi/Schiff are trying to “hurry up”. Pelosi/Schiff/Lawfare are trying to run (before the ruling is appealed), give legitimacy and create the illusion of a “judicial proceeding”, which is a technical term. If the House votes and establishes a “judicial proceeding”, OUTSIDE OF A COURT, it’s still a gray area. The House/Lawfare thinks it will give the judiciary committee ALL OR PARTS OF the grand jury testimony from Mueller’s Special Counsel (millions of documents) + subpoena power + STILL NOT an official impeachment investigation = no rights for the President and Republicans.
Therefore, STILL no power or rights to the minority and no power to the President to defend himself, call witnesses for his side of the story, or have his attorneys question witnesses or object…. like we would normally do for a traffic ticket.
The DOJ (not the President’s team) have requested a “stay”, which means the ruling cannot take effect (blocking the vote in the House) until a decision is reached on appeal. It would be normal to grant the “stay” but when dealing with the emotions of Federal Judges, anything can happen. Here is the Motion from DOJ: https://www.scribd.com/document/432384070/DOJ-s-Motion-to-Stay-10-28-19#from_embed
Overall, the process is WRONG and UNFAIR because the President and his administration cooperated at an extremely high level within the Executive Branch (Mueller + DOJ + White House + Agencies), allowed McGahn and others to testify (over 500 people/2800 subpoenas), produced records and info which normally would be withheld because of Exec privilege. The President also chose to answer questions of the Special Counsel to help the investigation proceed expeditiously, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING his response and supporting docs would be held within the Special Counsel and he did not give up Exec Privilege or a basic right to NOT cooperate under 5th Amendment. The HOUSE is seeking to overturn basic rights of ALL those 500 people including the President of the USA.
See the problem?
Furthermore, if the House is allowed access to “grand jury testimony” by legal trick of claiming a “judicial proceeding” (which it’s not and never has been –>> it’s why we have courts), then the ruling will annihilate the confidential nature of Grand Jury proceedings for us all. Would you, as a well intended citizen EVER give testimony in the future… if you knew your identity and words would be examined forevermore in public…. or could be used against YOU, cherry picked and taken out of context, in a future and unknown case? The threat of future retribution, from a competitor/lover/friend would silence everyone. I’m not sure how you could even carry out a civil proceeding of a divorce trial. Such a precedent would alter our legal system.
Without a doubt, it’s possibly the worst miscarriage of justice we’ve ever seen. There might be another example which is worse, but can YOU think of one? It scares the hell out of me. If our leaders can do this to a Billionaire President of the United States, what would they do to someone small like me?
What American would willingly VOTE for giving away our rights against self-recrimination or to NOT be able to mount a self-defense?
And it’s for the impeachment of a President of the United States. It’s the kind of thing you don’t even wish on your enemy. It’s a persecution and not a normal prosecution. And in no way, EVER, could this farce be construed as a search for the truth. In fact, the Pelosi/Schiff/Lawfare “play” is purposely designed to HIDE THE TRUTH normally allowed to ANY American’s vigorous defense. It’s shocking.
It is correct to say “it’s a gray area” of the constitution.
True. It is.
Just because impeachment proceedings in the House have always been bipartisan, taken seriously, open and above board, does not mean “constitutionally” that they HAVE TO BE.
Legally, the judgements and proceedings COULD BE one sided. We COULD disregard former guidance from our ancestors (the Johnson Impeachment which was seen as political after the Civil War) which cautions against “impeachment for a political end”, and we can throw precedent established for other impeachment hearings (Nixon/Clinton) out the window…. which is what Pelosi is doing.
Does the decision of Pelosi/Schiff/Lawfare go against everything we hold dear about our justice system, our series of checks and balances between legislative, judiciary, and executive branches……….., yeah, it does.
We’re in dangerous territory.
And to EVERYONE who thinks it doesn’t matter……. cuz impeachment will never get through the Senate….. stop right there. Just…….. stop….. and think.
If we allow this precedent to be established in the House, for future impeachment proceedings (along with upending 200+ years of grand jury precedent) who is to say we won’t have a Democrat Senate 20yrs from now? 100 years from now?
What we do today, this decision, these proceedings, will set the course for our future.
