How can the House impeachment-trial managers talk for 24 hours about a 30-minute phone call between Trump and Zelensky?
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Today’s Poser
How can the House impeachment-trial managers talk for 24 hours about a 30-minute phone call between Trump and Zelensky?
Trump in Davos
Trump’s impeachment trial has pushed real news out of the public square. However, President Trump yesterday lectured the elite world on US ecological and economic successes in Davos, Switzerland and showed the world that there is another way to deal with the doomsayers ... see: Trump in Davos.
Some of these tree-hugging plutocrats might have just been listening.
First Impressions
You never have a second chance to make a first impression. — Old Adage
The opening round of the impeachment trial goes to the Democrats. They may be liars ... but they are cleaver liars. On the first day they offered a series of amendments to McConnell’s procedural schedule calling for witnesses and documents. And then used their time in support of these amendments to make their opening arguments to the entire case ... during the time when the most Americans would be watching and when the president’s lawyers were not prepared to jump into this fray with their strongest arguments ... nor could they refute the opposition’s half-truths.
So, the Dems, even though they lost the votes on all these amendments, scored a minor victory which, depending on how the rest of the trial goes, may mean that witnesses and documents may have to be allowed in the end. And then, if the Dems can get their witnesses and deny the Republicans theirs, this might damage the president and the Senate Republicans enough to cause some setbacks this coming November. Unlikely, but possible.
Is this the Dem’s hidden agenda for this disruptive political theater?
Headlines
Bloomberg’s massive ad campaign hikes TV prices for other candidates
Boeing seeks to borrow $10 billion as 737 Max crisis wears on
Showdown Virginia gun rally tense ... Militia issues warning
Hero Jack Wilson: Without 2nd Amendment you will lose all rights
Alphabet, Google CEO: Artificial intelligence needs to be regulated
‘Where do we put our money? ‘ is the biggest issue for the Davos crowd, top money manager says
Customs to roll out facial recognition at all airports ...
Poll: Trump approval rating among farmers hits record high
Boris Johnson tells Vladimir Putin UK-Russia relations still poisoned
Macron and Trump declare a truce on digital fax dispute
Hospitals give tech giants access to detailed medical records ...
China’s deadly mystery virus goes international ...
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Biggest Presidential Lies
Our presidents tend to prevaricate. Here are the biggest whoppers of our last four:
- Bill Clinton: I never had sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky ... not a single time.
- George W. Bush: Saddam Hussein was involved with the 9/11 attackers.
- Barack Obama: If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your insurance, you can keep your insurance.
- Donald Trump: I never shtupped Stormy Daniels. (Just one of a claimed 16,000+ lies. What he doesn’t achieve in the seriousness of his lies, he supposedly makes up for in their numbers.)
Batting Average
No baseball player has ever batted over .500. In fact only one has batted over .400 ... Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. What about politicians ... how are their batting averages?
By my count, Donald J. Trump policy batting average is north of .800. How about that?
Headlines
Cornyn: Giuliani ‘not relevant’ to impeachment trial
2020 Democrat field outraising Trump by a huge margin — that didn’t happen to Obama, Bush ...
Report: Brady ready to meet with teams ...
Pelosi: I want Trump ‘to know that he is impeached forever’
Graham: Senate GOP doesn’t ‘have the votes’ to dismiss impeachment trial
An intensifying climate crisis threatens more than half of the world’s GDP, research claims
Cusack at Bernie rally: We have 10 years to save planet from capitalism
Lindsey Graham: ‘I predict a bipartisan acquittal of President Trump’
Schiff says House did its best to get Trump witnesses
Davos elite back corporate social responsibility, but ‘their words are bigger than their actions’
Mexican troops block US-bound caravan travelers ...
Salvini: Muslim immigration ‘main cause’ of rising antisemitism ...
Monday, January 20, 2020
Brain Switch
The switch in most of our brains does not flip between hate and love ... it goes between hate and ambivalence ... or between ambivalence and adoration. — Anon.
Quotable Quote
Bernie’s Bros
When Monty Python conducted this quiz, Bernie was still on a commune ... where he was thrown out for refusing to do his share of the labor ...
Obvious Truth
Climate Chicken Littles would have a far stronger case if any of their many predictions had actually come true. Instead of constantly scaring us, perhaps, stepping back for a while, waiting for more solid evidence, might be the more prudent strategy?
And Epstein didn’t kill himself.
Headlines
UK to celebrate Brexit with flags and light display
Davos elites back corporate social responsibility, but ‘their words are bigger than their actions’
Pentagon denies trying to downplay injuries from Iran attack ...
Years later: more illicit Hillary Clinton emails emerge
Justices to consider faithless electors ahead of 2020 elections
Bloomberg makes makes push to recruit wealthy donors — but not to take their money
Iowa: Pete gets ovation in most conservative county ... Anti-Trump protests shrink ...
Dershowitz: ‘Abuse of power is not an impeachable offense’
Trump accuses Dems of using impeachment trial to hurt Sanders campaign
Tennessee governor to sign anti-LGBTQ adoption bill despite Amazon, Nike opposition
Trump rolls back Michelle Obama lunch program — on her birthday!
Nearly one-in-five newborn French boys have Muslim or Arabic first names
Sunday, January 19, 2020
The Future!
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| Airborne Segway |
(Talk about range anxiety ... )
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Jonathan Pie
Adam Carolla recently said that comedians were the ones who would lead us out of our cultural lunacy. England’s Jonathan Pie (above) ... and Ricky Gervais (of Golden Globes fame) are at the forefront of this effort.
Fractured Definition
Bigamy —a very large French friend
(Does anyone remember the other fractured definition for “bigamy”?)
Headlines
Trump’s impeachment defense team to include Kenneth Starr, Alan Dershowitz
Job openings slide by more than half a million as the labor market tightens
Maddow ratings soar ...
AOC: People my age are scared to have children because of climate crisis
Biden: Tech’s liability shield ‘should be revoked’ immediately
US housing starts soar 16.9% in December to a 13-year high
‘You’re a bunch of dopes and babies’: Inside Trump’s stunning tirade against generals ...
Rand Paul: ‘I think the Bidens are as corrupt as the day is long’
Top Iran leader: Trump is a ‘clown’ who will betray Iranians
The US is running a $1 trillion deficit, but politicians and investors don’t see a problem
What happens when the Fed stops pumping?
Seven times the GAO found the Obama administration violated federal law
Today’s Poser
If (maybe I should say when) Trump is re-elected in November, can he then finally put the squeeze on Zelensky to clean up the rampart corruption in the Ukraine by holding back on U.S. aid?
Virginia Tyranny
Having lived for a number of years in Virginia, I didn’t realize how nasty things were getting there. To see to what lengths liberals will go to hold onto power in a now dramatically polarized state, take a minute to read: Diogenes’ Middle Finger blog post.
This is pretty serious stuff as Virginia has clearly descended into tyranny. Can’t turn out well.
Headlines
White House violated the law by freezing Ukraine aid — GAO says
Senate passes new North American trade deal, sending it to Trump
Schiff: New evidence likely to emerge ...
John Kerry: ‘Outright lie’ by Trump that Iran was given $150 billion
EU trade chief urges reset in U.S. relationship amid tensions
Stocks are the most overvalued since at least the 1980s based on one measure
Bloomberg seen as ‘best bet’ to beat Trump ...
Lev Parnas: Trump is lying, ‘he was aware of all my movements’
Trump is not the cause of cooling EU-U.S. ties, says Merkel
Holiday sales climb 4.1%, retail industry trade group says, on the higher end of estimates
U.S. and China tip toe around holes in the new trade agreement ... $95 billion centerpiece already in doubt?
Surveys: Manufacturing is surging in the USA
Friday, January 17, 2020
Wite’ Out
From now on, impeachment will be officially known as “Nancy’s snit.” There is even some discussion about using Wite’ Out on the original Constitution document and changing it there.
Dueling Conspiracies (Part 3)
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| Parnas and Giuliani |
Stayed up last night to watch more Lev Parnas on the Rachael Maddow Show. Her interview only made this whole Ukrainian farce even murkier. Here are a few takeaways:
- Rudy Giuliani has lost a lot off of his fastball to have trusted this man who, at the drop of an indictment, switched sides. The motto of the Ukraine must be “duplicity” ... for everyone there seems infected. Rudy once knew how to handle the New York mafia. But they were pikers next to the Ukrainians.
- My guess was that Parnas was lying about every third utterance. But, like any good liar, he said enough credible things to be convincing. He clearly was playing to the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York for leniency in his money laundering and illegal political contributions charges,
- It is very doubtful that Ambassador Marie Yovanovich was ever in any physical jeopardy. Maddow neglected to mention that she was recalled the very night before Zelensky was inaugurated as the Ukraine’s new president. This obviously was significant.
- Parnas did say ... believably, and because of dirt supplied by him ... that Trump tried to fire Ambassador Yovanovich a number of times only to be thwarted by the Deep State at the State Department. How Trump has prevailed in all that he has accomplished ... against the entrenched bureaucracy, disinclined to even get him a cup of coffee ... tells me he is a remarkable manager.
- Last observation: If the Senate calls witnesses like Parnas and opens up this whole Ukraine corruption can of worms, Trump’s impeachment trial will last at least until June ... in order to sort through all this bleep.
Headlines
Russian government resigns after Putin proposes constitutional shake-up
China trade deal is seen as ‘fragile’ with analysts seeing more tariffs as a possibility
CNN moderator assumes Bernie lying about Warren ...
Iran claims ‘not seeking escalation’ after multiple attacks
Australia snubs Davos session on Australian fires
Judge revokes bail for disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti after arrest for new financial crimes
VA gov declares state of emergency, imposes Capitol gun ban ahead of gun rights rally ...
Romney: I want to hear from Bolton, ‘open’ to other witnesses
Poll: Majority supports Trump’s decision not to strike back against Iran
2019 was the second hottest year on record, continuing a global warming trend ...
Pelosi: Trump’s impeachment will last forever ...
Elizabeth Warren said debate didn’t focus on ‘trans women of color’
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Dueling Conspiracies (Part 2)
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| Pelosi’s Impeachment-signing pens |
To expand on my previous post on this subject:
The timing of these Lev Parnas revelations ... and the Rachael Maddow interviews ... were obviously timed to coincide with the start of the impeachment trial in the Senate. So, one side of this duel obviously includes the lefty media. One can imagine Nancy Pelosi on the podium orchestrating her side of this Trump hanging like a nervous Toscanini ... and her audience is obviously not the Senators ... it is the American voters. Very sophisticated ... and conspiratorial. (Just heard that, on impeachment day, the “impartial” Congressional GAO declared that Trump’s hold on Ukraine aid for 55 days was illegal — another coordinated event?)
Would Lev Parnas lie? Of course, he is Ukrainian after all ... in tact, definitely! Would the lefty media mislead us about him? Have you noticed that he and Igor Fruman’s indictments reporting seldom mention the time of their alleged money laundering and improper political donations? March of 2018 ...well over a year before Zelensky was elected president of the Ukraine ... pledging to reform this country’s rampant corruption ... see: Indictments. These misdeeds also occurred well before these two reprobates were working with Giuliani ... again ignored by most of the media.
I think I will reluctantly watch the Rachael Maddow show tonight. Stay tuned ...
Obvious Truth
Nancy Pelosi’s handing out the signing pens for the impeachment document is macabre and bush, something like cutting up the rope at a hanging as souvenirs for the crowd. — Anon.
And Lev Parnas won’t be killed by Trump.
Dueling Conspiracies
My liberal lunch buddies asked me today that, if Trump, or Giuliani as directed by Trump, wanted to have former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovich killed, would I be in favor of removing Trump from office? My answer, “Of course.”
Where did this newest Trump-derangement conspiracy theory come from? Apparently, all my lib friends have already totally swallowed this bait, hook, sinker, line, reel and rod. So I am forced to try to plumb the web to find any possible facts behind this newest mudball. (Has anyone noticed that the syncopated timing of these anti-Trump revelations from Adam Schiff ... drip, drip, drip ... to me, seems very suspicious and conspiratorial.)
I first went to the Snopes truth-tellers site ... see: Snopes Discussion ... nothing but a bland, biased AP story. Next I emailed my lunch buddies for help and got back these three references: The Hill, The Intercept and Palmer Report ... all of which I read (with difficulty). And, in order to follow this discourse, I’m afraid you should too.
The key player in this melodrama is an Ukrainian named Lev Parnas. Above is a snippet from his interview with Rachael Maddow. I didn’t know to watch the whole thing ... but a lunch buddy did and here are his comments:
Just saw Rachael Madow interview with Lev Parnas. He implicates Giuliani, Trump, Pence and even Barr in the circle of conspirators who were trying to get Zelinski to open a Biden investigation. No explanation for why Ukraine never made the desired announcement.
As for the Ambassador, Parnas apologized to Ambassador Yovanovich for his role in getting her fired for blocking the Biden probe. Important to note: Parnas says the Hyde threats were never taken seriously, as Hyde was "constantly drunk."Thus he discredits the report that she was in danger.
His reason for singing now: He is under indictment for improper campaign contributions. Maybe he hopes cooperating in this affair will help him get an easier sentence. He implies that the more info becomes known, the safer he will be. (Think Epstein).Except for suggesting that Trump would kill Parnnas, pretty fair minded. More in another post.
Wanton Disregard
Most all legal torts involve wanton disregard of civilized behavior. wanton disregard for the truth, wanton disregard for life and limb, wanton disregard for public safety, wanton disregard for personal privacy wanton disregard for property tights and wanton disregard for national security.
Maybe we just ought to fashion a law making wanton disregard the crime of crimes ... so much simpler!
Diversity
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| From daily timewaster blog |
Never thought of it this way ... nor, daresay I, would most Americans remember it as such.
Headlines
Senate may pass new trade deal before impeachment trial starts
Boeing posts negative commercial airplane orders in 2019 for the first time in decades
Pelosi moves ... Senate doesn’t have votes to dismiss
Mike Lee co-sponsors Sander’s bill to limit unilateral Iran action
Warren promises to cancel student loan debt using executive powers
Tesla rally sends Wall Street analysts scrambling to catch up
Poll: Biden moves to top in Iowa ...
DHS chief admits will not build 450-mile border wall by November
European powers trigger mediation over Iranian violations of nuclear deal
Apple refuses government request to unlock Pensacola shooting suspect’s iPhone
USA budget deficit running 11.8% higher this year ...
Chinese media: ‘No excuse’ for Iran to shoot down Ukrainian airplane
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Obvious Truth
Politics is not about reality ... it’s all about managing perceptions. — Anon.
And Epstein didn’t kill himself.
Headlines
Booker drops out of presidential race
Iran is closer ‘than ever before’ to regime collapse, says former Obama security advisor
Fight for Bolton testimony echoes Lewinsky ...
Report: Bernie Sanders told Warren that a woman can’t win in 2020
New poll shows Biden leading Dem field in Iowa
US will remove China from currency manipulator list ahead of trade deal signing
Queen agrees ‘period of transition’ [for Harry and Megham] ...
Dem group began investigating Trump-Ukraine long before whistleblower
Trump attacks Bloomberg on healthcare with misleading claim
Trump authorized Soleimani’s killing 7 months ago, with conditions
Will alleged CIA misbehavior set Assange free?
Trump taunts Cory Booker for ending campaign ...
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Pooh-Pooh
Gun grabbers pooh-pooh the notion that our Second Amendment was designed to prevent the growth of a repressive central government which would then deny us our other basic Constitutional freedoms.
Please try to convince the protesters in Hong Kong, Caracas and Tehran that such tyranny can never occur there even though they are not allowed any effective defense.
Headlines
Bernie campaign slams Warren as candidate of the elite
Protesters in Iran demand leaders quit after military admits it shot down passenger plane
Trump tweets in Farsi ... ‘Do not kill your protesters’ ...
Revealed: McCabe pushed ‘golden shower’ hoax — and Comey approved ...
Australia turns from defense to offense in wildfire battle
Trump tell Iranian protesters he stands with them and warns Tehran: ‘The world is watching’
Last Den [candidate] all in on Medicare for All ...
Andrew Yang blasts DNC after missing polling threshold
Trump suggests he’d invoke executive privilege to block Bolton testimony
The stock market has not been as richly valued or avidly loved in two years
USA warns Iraq about losing bank account access if troops told to leave ...
USA celebrates Taiwan leader’s reelection ... blackeye for Beijing ...
Monday, January 13, 2020
Tidbits
- During the attack on the US compound in Benghazi, our intelligence agencies picked up electronic communications coming out of there in Farsi (Persian). The suspicion was that this operation was directed by Iran’s Soleimani.
- The Diplomad suggests that the above Benghazi speculation may be true and also that Iran may have given up Soleimani to the US because he was creating too many problems for the Iran leaders ... see: The Diplomad.
- It is reported that President Trump convinced Putin NOT to supply Iran with Russia’s latest anti-ballistic missiles last year ... a major win for us and loss for Iran. (Obviously another case of Trump colluding with Russia.)
- DC scuttlebutt has it that Pelosi’s timing of sending the impeachment articles to the Senate may have been to disadvantage Senators Bernie and Warren by tying them up before the Iowa caucus ... and therefore favoring Biden.
- Mark Steyn revealed today on the Rush Limbaugh radio show that Prince Harry and Meghan Markel, while in Canada, will be staying at the house of the billionaire who had sold 20% of America’s uranium to Russia ... with the blessing of Comey and Hillary. You can’t make this stuff up!
- Mark Steyn also revealed that, during the Bill Clinton impeachment trial, he was covering it and staying at the Mayflower hotel in DC. Toward the end of the trial, Monica Lewinsky, as a potential witness, was also staying at this same hotel. One morning, Mark Steyn pushed the elevator button to go up to his room. When the elevator door opened, there was Monica who waved him off saying, “I’m going down.”
Today’s Poser
Would all you never-Trumpers turn back the clock to 2016 ... including giving up all your IRA gains, our employment expansions, our trading policy improvements, our progress against terrorism, our energy independence, etc. ... in order to get your favorite liberal candidate elected in 2020?
Quite Interesting
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| From daily timewaster blog |
Best to base all scientific conclusions on clear, hard evidence like this. I can’t find a meteor impact or volcanic eruption about this epoch, but something happened. To place this dramatic event in the timeline of human history, see: Wikipedia Entry.
Headlines
Endangered Dems sound the alarm on Bernie and Warren
Dividend stocks look attractive with a volatile year that nets measly returns expected ahead
Iran rioters demand Khamenei quit ... Rage at rulers ... ‘Death to liars’
Mike Lee co-sponsors Sanders bill to halt unilateral Iran action
Trump suggests he’d invoke executive privilege to block Bolton testimony
Iran admits ‘unintentionally’ shooting down Ukrainian airliner, blames ‘human error’
DC, Philly, 70 degrees in winter!
Swedes vote climate policy biggest waste of taxpayer money in 2019
Sanders jumps to small lead in major Iowa poll
Puerto Rico hit by 6.0 magnitude earthquake, damaging island’s southern coast
White House considers dramatic expansion of travel ban ...
Susan Collins working with small group of GOP Senators to rally support for impeachment witnesses
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Half a Million
This blog has hit a small milestone. Today it passed a half million hits since October of 2006! Approaching 14 years ... lots of words! Now, I am the first to admit that some of these hits ... my guess is over 100K but less than 200K have come from repeated bot hits ... emanating from Russia, the Ukraine and the United States. Why would someone target this blog is beyond me?
Anyhow, this Fletcher Castoria blog has shown a modest following ... generally uncommented on ... which I also can’t explain, other than, after I have opined, there is nothing more to add (tongue-in-cheek). And finally, kind readers, I get no compensation for all this effort. For another mysterious reason ... Google has not allowed me to include any ads along with my wisdom. This doesn’t bother me as I am just as happy knowing I might be having some small success moving the world toward sanity ... without cluttering your life with E.D. cures and My Pillow offers.
So. thank you for your attention and keep reading ... you kind readers. Maybe we can hit one full million before I run out of breath.
Imminent
Schimminent! Whether any “imminent” Irani-sponsored attack was to be forthcoming is irrelevant in America’s decision to take out Qasem Soleimani. This Irani terrorist deserved to die for his decades of killing our soldiers and sailors in the Mideast ... including the Lebanon Marine barracks bombing, the Saudi Khobar Towers explosion, the USS Cole attack, hundreds of Iraqi, Syrian and Afghanistan killings of Americans by Iran-supplied IEDs ... capped by many tens of thousands of innocent Muslims murdered for sport.
Our only regret should be that his death was instantaneous and not lingering ... as occurred in many of his killings. Good riddance! And those who question his demise are overcome by Trump hatred to the point of irrationality. Damn them too!
Obvious Truth
One can generally tell political losers by how loud, repetitious, negative, emotional and illogical are their arguments. — Anon.
And Epstein didn’t kill himself.
Quotable Quote
Sometimes we do in our dreams what we have neglected doing in our waking lives. — Anon.
Headlines
Pelosi ends stand-off with Senate Republicans over impeachment articles
US slaps new sanctions on Iran following strikes on US targets
Lock her up fizzles: Justice Dept. winds down Clinton inquiry, finding nothing of consequence ...
Paul Krugman says hacker used his IP address to download child porn
Macron eyes role as U.S.-Iran peacemaker
Author and self-help guru Marianne Williamson is out of 2020 presidential race
Russian warship ‘aggressively approached’ US destroyer in Arabian Sea
Dow 29:000!
U.S. adds 145,000 jobs, unemployment holds at 3.5%
More brands are leaving Amazon, but the strategy could backfire
Bloomberg passes Buttigieg In betting odds ...
Schweizer’s ‘Profiles in Corruption’ rockets to #3 on Amazon hours after book cover revealed
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Obvious Truth
Flying in a commercial airline in or near an area of military conflict is not the best of ideas. — Anon.
And Epstein didn’t kill himself.
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