Conspiracy theorists, partisan Democrats, political junkies and other masochists are cranking out a firestorm of stories, claims and counter-claims about why, how and when President Trump fired FBI director James Comey, should have or shouldn't have. But for the "normal" citizen who wants his or her life back, IMHO the best -- and perhaps only -- document one needs is the memo that deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein wrote to his superior, recommending the dismissal. Unlike most of the chatter that is out there, it is relatively simple, straightforward, and to the point. And this is in fact the proximate case and cause for Comey's firing; a primary source.
Excerpts/Summary:
• The director was wrong to usurp the Attorney General's authority on July 5, 2016, and announce his conclusion that the case should be closed without prosecution. It is not the function of the Director to make such an announcement...[T]he FBI Director is never empowered to supplant federal prosecutors and assume command of the Justice Department.
• Compounding the error, the Director ignored another longstanding principle: we do not hold press conferences to release derogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation.
• [T]he goal of a federal criminal investigation is not to announce our thoughts at a press conference. The goal is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to justify a federal criminal prosecution, then allow a federal prosecutor who exercises authority delegated by the Attorney General to make a prosecutorial decision, and then - if prosecution is warranted - let the judge and jury determine the facts.
• Concerning his letter to the Congress on October 28, 2016, the Director cast his decision as a choice between whether he would "speak" about the FBI's decision to investigate the newly-discovered email messages or "conceal" it. "Conceal" is a loaded term that misstates the issue. When federal agents and prosecutors quietly open a criminal investigation, we are not concealing anything; we are simply following the longstanding policy that we refrain from publicizing non-public information. In that context, silence is not concealment.
• My perspective on these issues is shared by former Attorneys General and Deputy Attorneys General from different eras and both political parties.
The complete public-domain document is available, among other places, at http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39866767.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Friday, May 05, 2017
Assessing President Rodham Clinton's first 100 days
By any objective historical measure, the achievements of President Hillary Rodham Clinton have been extraordinary. Increased budget for the EPA, re-branding of the First Amendment to ban Hate Speech, national gun registration, Supreme Court appointments and more!
Read the complete article by Howard Hyde at AmericanThinker.com [Click].
Or if you are a glutton, continue reading the extended version below:
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
By any objective historical measure, the achievements of President Hillary Rodham-Clinton have been extraordinary. Let's start with the Budget and Defense One-Two Punch: The Omnibus Budget Act of 2017, passed by Congress and signed by the president in record time, calls for beefy increases in the budgets of the administration's surrogate agencies: a 31% increase for the EPA, a 6% increase for the Department of Energy, and a 12% increase for the Department of the Interior, to name just a few. In keeping with Clinton's deeply committed principles of fiscal responsibility, all of these increases have been offset dollar-for-dollar either by reductions in spending for the Pentagon and Department of Defense, or by increases in taxes on the rich (about which more anon). "The era of using America's military to intimidate, threaten and assault the freedom-loving people of the world is over," Clinton is alleged to have proclaimed.
As for the military itself, reforms in the culture continue at an accelerated rate. Military chaplains have been instructed not to invoke the words "Christ," "Jesus," "Savior," or "Messiah", or to directly quote chapters and verses from the Bible, whether Old or New Testament, as this would make soldiers, sailors and/or airtransexuals who are Buddhist, Hindu or Zoroastrian feel excluded or worse in a hostile work environment. On the other hand, in the interest of multicultural inclusion, Muslim chaplains are permitted, even encouraged, to declaim prayers and sermons that are as traditional and/or authentic to the Religion of Peace as they judge best, regardless of any resemblance to the pronouncements of isolated and unrelated mentally-disturbed individuals who happen to act out in anti-social ways that have nothing to do with Islam (like running down pedestrians with a truck or shooting up an office party).
Some critics of Clinton's budget have suggested that she is merely trading the externally-facing military for the domestically-facing para-military, noting that much of the increases to the agencies is earmarked for "energetic and proactive enforcement" of regulations, and that procurement requests for weapons and ammunition for the EPA's various SWAT teams has already increased since passage of the budget.
The First Amendment, while untouched on the parchment, has undergone a refreshing re-branding under the Clinton administration. "Hate groups, hateful individuals and hate speech will no longer be permitted to hide behind the Bill of Rights, like terrorists using civilian children as human shields" (also alleged but not disputed). Accordingly, all universities that accept federal funding, or that accept students who have taken federal student loans or grants, have been advised to follow the leadership of the University of California at Berkeley in setting standards for who may be allowed to speak on campus. Needless to say, Milo Yanapoulis, David Horowitz, Ann Coulter and other speakers deemed to be "beyond the pale" have been barred from trespassing on University property, whether for a scheduled event or otherwise. Groups like the David Horowitz Freedom Center and the American Freedom Alliance have been officially designated as "Hate" groups by the Department of Homeland Security and its Secretary, Keith Ellison. They, and dozens of "Tea Party" and "patriot" groups which oppose the administration's agenda, have lost their tax-exempt status. "Lois Lerner was too lenient," one staffer remarked off the record. "We are cracking down for real this time." Political filmmakers like Dinesh D'Souza, Trevor Loudon and dozens of others, have been hit with lawsuits and/or prosecutions, on grounds ranging from libel to sedition. If the recent judgment against Mark Steyn for Defamation of a Nobel Laureate (original language restored, for those familiar) is any indication, other conservatives who cross the "red line" will be in for a stressful time indeed.
Gun violence should be seeing a substantial reduction under the Clinton administration, now that the national gun registry database is actively integrating records from state-level sales and other sources, and with mandatory universal enrollment required of all firearm owners before years' end. The administration is said to be consulting closely with Gavin Newsom and other authors of California's extraordinary firearm legal regimen. When asked whether the president intends to completely gut the Second Amendment, White House press secretary Michael Bloomberg answered "Not at all, once we understand that the right to bear arms was never intended to be a blank check for rogue vigilantes but always and only applicable to members of the militia -- the state militia -- then there is no conflict between this administration's policies and the Constitution." The secretary did not directly answer whether registration was only the first step toward confiscation, but at least one source close to the administration has said candidly off the record that "The die is cast; before the end of the first HRC term, we'll have all of their guns". When asked what about those gun owners who would not be willing to give up their guns regardless of cost to themselves, the same staffer shrugged, "Then they will pay that cost."
The rich will soon finally be paying their fair share once the new income tax rate of 57.38% on those earning $100,000 or more (public-sector employees exempted) goes into effect, retroactive to January 2017.
While comprehensive immigration reform is still stalled in competing bills and committees in both houses, Clinton's executive directives that have effectively ordered the border patrol and ICE to stand down while multiplying the quota of "Syrian" "refugees" tenfold (distributing them and their welfare checks among failing small towns in "red" states, ostensibly as a favor to boost the local economy) and increasing the budgets of "Sanctuary" entities, ensures that America will lead the world in multicultural, borderless and globalist compassion for years to come, if not generations.
Clinton's impact on the judicial branch has been nothing short of breathtaking. In just three months, 937 circuit judges -- about 30 percent of the total -- have been replaced by Clinton appointees. Sources close to the President acknowledge that their template is the Ninth Circuit; judges most aligned in jurisprudential philosophy are favored for these appointments.
But of course, the crown jewel is the Supreme Court, which, due to the untimely death of Justice Antonin Scalia and the precipitous retirement in February of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, gave Clinton her golden opportunity at the very opening of her term, to railroad through her picks for the next generation. As a result, Elizabeth Warren is on track to become the first Native American Woman Chief Justice, with Loretta Lynch not far behind (with the competing double-credential of First Black Woman -- which will triumph?). And of course, those pesky challenges to the constitutionality of the administration's agenda from Freedom of Speech to Gun Control will all be DOA.
Clinton's achievements are all the more remarkable considering how few public appearances she has made (only 2 in the entire month of April), feeding continued speculation about her health.
Everyone knew that Donald Trump had zero chance against the credentials, congeniality and organization deployed by the Clinton campaign. Even so, we all remember the surreal moment when all of the networks -- even CNN! -- had declared Trump to be the winner, with an astonishing 306 to 232 electoral college votes. But of course, efficient re-counts in Ohio and Pennsylvania set the record straight and gave Clinton 38 of her duly earned points back, clinching the deal at a surprisingly close but decisive 270 - 268.
And of course, Obamacare is on the point of being repealed and replaced...with a single-payer system run exclusively by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in close consultation with the Veterans Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs: "America (finally) Cares."
(End of nightmare fantasy; We now return you to your regularly-scheduled life.)
Regardless of any failing of the Trump administration, "bullet" is far too feeble a word to describe what we as a nation have dodged.
Read the complete article by Howard Hyde at AmericanThinker.com [Click].
Or if you are a glutton, continue reading the extended version below:
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
By any objective historical measure, the achievements of President Hillary Rodham-Clinton have been extraordinary. Let's start with the Budget and Defense One-Two Punch: The Omnibus Budget Act of 2017, passed by Congress and signed by the president in record time, calls for beefy increases in the budgets of the administration's surrogate agencies: a 31% increase for the EPA, a 6% increase for the Department of Energy, and a 12% increase for the Department of the Interior, to name just a few. In keeping with Clinton's deeply committed principles of fiscal responsibility, all of these increases have been offset dollar-for-dollar either by reductions in spending for the Pentagon and Department of Defense, or by increases in taxes on the rich (about which more anon). "The era of using America's military to intimidate, threaten and assault the freedom-loving people of the world is over," Clinton is alleged to have proclaimed.
As for the military itself, reforms in the culture continue at an accelerated rate. Military chaplains have been instructed not to invoke the words "Christ," "Jesus," "Savior," or "Messiah", or to directly quote chapters and verses from the Bible, whether Old or New Testament, as this would make soldiers, sailors and/or airtransexuals who are Buddhist, Hindu or Zoroastrian feel excluded or worse in a hostile work environment. On the other hand, in the interest of multicultural inclusion, Muslim chaplains are permitted, even encouraged, to declaim prayers and sermons that are as traditional and/or authentic to the Religion of Peace as they judge best, regardless of any resemblance to the pronouncements of isolated and unrelated mentally-disturbed individuals who happen to act out in anti-social ways that have nothing to do with Islam (like running down pedestrians with a truck or shooting up an office party).
Some critics of Clinton's budget have suggested that she is merely trading the externally-facing military for the domestically-facing para-military, noting that much of the increases to the agencies is earmarked for "energetic and proactive enforcement" of regulations, and that procurement requests for weapons and ammunition for the EPA's various SWAT teams has already increased since passage of the budget.
The First Amendment, while untouched on the parchment, has undergone a refreshing re-branding under the Clinton administration. "Hate groups, hateful individuals and hate speech will no longer be permitted to hide behind the Bill of Rights, like terrorists using civilian children as human shields" (also alleged but not disputed). Accordingly, all universities that accept federal funding, or that accept students who have taken federal student loans or grants, have been advised to follow the leadership of the University of California at Berkeley in setting standards for who may be allowed to speak on campus. Needless to say, Milo Yanapoulis, David Horowitz, Ann Coulter and other speakers deemed to be "beyond the pale" have been barred from trespassing on University property, whether for a scheduled event or otherwise. Groups like the David Horowitz Freedom Center and the American Freedom Alliance have been officially designated as "Hate" groups by the Department of Homeland Security and its Secretary, Keith Ellison. They, and dozens of "Tea Party" and "patriot" groups which oppose the administration's agenda, have lost their tax-exempt status. "Lois Lerner was too lenient," one staffer remarked off the record. "We are cracking down for real this time." Political filmmakers like Dinesh D'Souza, Trevor Loudon and dozens of others, have been hit with lawsuits and/or prosecutions, on grounds ranging from libel to sedition. If the recent judgment against Mark Steyn for Defamation of a Nobel Laureate (original language restored, for those familiar) is any indication, other conservatives who cross the "red line" will be in for a stressful time indeed.
Gun violence should be seeing a substantial reduction under the Clinton administration, now that the national gun registry database is actively integrating records from state-level sales and other sources, and with mandatory universal enrollment required of all firearm owners before years' end. The administration is said to be consulting closely with Gavin Newsom and other authors of California's extraordinary firearm legal regimen. When asked whether the president intends to completely gut the Second Amendment, White House press secretary Michael Bloomberg answered "Not at all, once we understand that the right to bear arms was never intended to be a blank check for rogue vigilantes but always and only applicable to members of the militia -- the state militia -- then there is no conflict between this administration's policies and the Constitution." The secretary did not directly answer whether registration was only the first step toward confiscation, but at least one source close to the administration has said candidly off the record that "The die is cast; before the end of the first HRC term, we'll have all of their guns". When asked what about those gun owners who would not be willing to give up their guns regardless of cost to themselves, the same staffer shrugged, "Then they will pay that cost."
The rich will soon finally be paying their fair share once the new income tax rate of 57.38% on those earning $100,000 or more (public-sector employees exempted) goes into effect, retroactive to January 2017.
While comprehensive immigration reform is still stalled in competing bills and committees in both houses, Clinton's executive directives that have effectively ordered the border patrol and ICE to stand down while multiplying the quota of "Syrian" "refugees" tenfold (distributing them and their welfare checks among failing small towns in "red" states, ostensibly as a favor to boost the local economy) and increasing the budgets of "Sanctuary" entities, ensures that America will lead the world in multicultural, borderless and globalist compassion for years to come, if not generations.
Clinton's impact on the judicial branch has been nothing short of breathtaking. In just three months, 937 circuit judges -- about 30 percent of the total -- have been replaced by Clinton appointees. Sources close to the President acknowledge that their template is the Ninth Circuit; judges most aligned in jurisprudential philosophy are favored for these appointments.
But of course, the crown jewel is the Supreme Court, which, due to the untimely death of Justice Antonin Scalia and the precipitous retirement in February of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, gave Clinton her golden opportunity at the very opening of her term, to railroad through her picks for the next generation. As a result, Elizabeth Warren is on track to become the first Native American Woman Chief Justice, with Loretta Lynch not far behind (with the competing double-credential of First Black Woman -- which will triumph?). And of course, those pesky challenges to the constitutionality of the administration's agenda from Freedom of Speech to Gun Control will all be DOA.
Clinton's achievements are all the more remarkable considering how few public appearances she has made (only 2 in the entire month of April), feeding continued speculation about her health.
Everyone knew that Donald Trump had zero chance against the credentials, congeniality and organization deployed by the Clinton campaign. Even so, we all remember the surreal moment when all of the networks -- even CNN! -- had declared Trump to be the winner, with an astonishing 306 to 232 electoral college votes. But of course, efficient re-counts in Ohio and Pennsylvania set the record straight and gave Clinton 38 of her duly earned points back, clinching the deal at a surprisingly close but decisive 270 - 268.
And of course, Obamacare is on the point of being repealed and replaced...with a single-payer system run exclusively by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in close consultation with the Veterans Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs: "America (finally) Cares."
(End of nightmare fantasy; We now return you to your regularly-scheduled life.)
Regardless of any failing of the Trump administration, "bullet" is far too feeble a word to describe what we as a nation have dodged.
Thursday, May 04, 2017
Calexit: Make Our Day
California's progressives' project to secede from the union, a.k.a. "CalExit" has suffered a setback since one of its leaders has decided to move permanently to Russia. Oh, and that California leaving the Union would be a huge boost to Republican domination of the 49 remaining United States of America.
As much as a CalExit would create great hardships for my family (turning us into refugees) as well as for hundreds of my closest friends in the most dynamic if besieged conservative intellectual community in the country, part of me can't help but goad them on. Go for it! Make our day! Take your precious Marxist-progressive race-class-gender-Gaea identity experiment to its logical conclusion so that the world can see once for all what happens to a prosperous country when it embraces this philosophy with zero possibility of effective dissent. Let's see how long it takes for California to turn into Argentina or Venezuela, once great and aspiring players on the world stage.
Read the complete article by Howard Hyde at: AmericanThinker.com.
As much as a CalExit would create great hardships for my family (turning us into refugees) as well as for hundreds of my closest friends in the most dynamic if besieged conservative intellectual community in the country, part of me can't help but goad them on. Go for it! Make our day! Take your precious Marxist-progressive race-class-gender-Gaea identity experiment to its logical conclusion so that the world can see once for all what happens to a prosperous country when it embraces this philosophy with zero possibility of effective dissent. Let's see how long it takes for California to turn into Argentina or Venezuela, once great and aspiring players on the world stage.
Read the complete article by Howard Hyde at: AmericanThinker.com.
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