Farewell

John McCain's farewell message, taking a glancing shot at Trump, was just read by his friend and former presidential campaign manager in 200 and 2008 Rick Davis ... see: NBC News Story.

Rick Davis has been a Washington powerbroker and lobbyist for many years. He has also had a famous business partner in these endeavors ... Paul Manafort. ... see: Wikipedia Entry.

Hodgkinson Diseased

James T. Hodgkinson traveled all the way from Illinois to shoot up a baseball practice field early on Wednesday ... wounding a congressman, a congressional aide, a lobbyist and a Capitol Hill policewoman. Hodgkinson was killed with the return fire.

Echoing Ft. Hood, former Obama AG Eric Holder opined that this incident was nothing more than "baseball practice field violence".

Strange Justice

From what I can put together, here's what seems to have gone down in the Denny Hastert, former Republican Speaker of the House, recent indictment by the Obama Justice Department:

- Many years ago, when Hastert was a high school teacher and wrestling coach, he had sexual relations of some type with a male student ... and probably a wrestler. The statute of limitations may well have expired on this crime.
- After Hastert left Congress, and was making big bucks as a lobbyist for a Washington, DC law firm, this student started blackmailing Hastert to keep this incident quiet ... to the tune of $3.5 million.
- Instead of trying to launder this money, Hastert was withdrawing this cash from his bank in sums less than $10,000 to avoid banking and, I think, IRS regulations. When caught, he had paid his blackmailer about 1/2 the amount demanded.
- The blackmailer was discovered ... perhaps by the IRS ... and probably ratted out Hastert.
- The FBI came after Hastert about these cash withdrawals and he made up a story as to why he was doing it.
- Hastert has now been indicted for violating banking laws and lying to the FBI (the Martha Stewart crime) ... not for his diddling of this student.
- Hasert's blackmailer may well be skating because of his turning state's evidence in this matter.

I am not a lawyer, but this seems a strange type of vindictive justice ... not that Hastert was lily white in this matter ... but we have seen many Democrat congressmen do much worse and avoid any retribution whatsoever. Perhaps if Hastert were just to change his party affiliation?