#FollowFriday to all my great followers. :)

#FollowFriday to all my great followers. :)
by Jm Moran

June 22, 2018 at 11:00AM
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Here's How Obama Covered Up His Many Scandals...

Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, an Obama administration appointee, is scheduled to deliver a report this week on DOJ and FBI abuses during the 2016 campaign cycle. Remember: His last investigation of FBI misconduct advised a criminal referral for fired former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who allegedly lied to federal investigators. McCabe and at least a half-dozen other FBI employees quit, retired, were fired or were reassigned as a result of fallout from the politicization of the FBI. Yet, as Barack Obama left office, his chief of staff, Denis McDonough, strangely boasted that the Obama administration "has been historically free of scandal." Obama himself recently concluded of his eight-year tenure, "I didn't have scandals." Those were puzzling assertions, given nearly nonstop scandals during Obama's eight years in office involving the IRS; General Services Administration; Peace Corps; Secret Service; Veterans Affairs; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, not to mention the Clinton email server scandal, the Benghazi scandal and the 2016 Democratic National Committee email scandal. For nearly eight years, the Obama administration sought to cover up serial wrongdoing by waging a veritable war against the watchdog inspectors general of various federal agencies. In 2014, 47 of the nation's 73 inspectors general signed a letter alleging that Obama had stonewalled their "ability to conduct our work thoroughly, independently, and in a timely manner." The frustrated nonpartisan auditors cited systematic Obama administration refusals to turn over incriminating documents that were central to their investigations. The administration had purportedly tried to sidetrack an IG investigation into possible misconduct by then-Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. In addition, the Obama administration reportedly thwarted IG investigations of Amtrak, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Troubled Asset Relief Program and the Office of Management and Budget. IBD Newsletters Get exclusive IBD analysis and action news daily. SIGN UP NOW! Despite the campaign against these independent federal auditors, a number of inspectors general still managed to issue damning indictments of unethical behavior. In 2012, Horowitz recommended that 14 Justice Department and ATF officials be disciplined for their conduct in the "Fast and Furious" gun-walking scandal. A 2013 IG audit found that the IRS had targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny prior to the 2012 Obama re-election effort. In 2014, an internal audit revealed that CIA officials had hacked the Senate Intelligence Committee's computers while compiling a report on enhanced interrogation techniques. CIA Director John Brennan had claimed that his agents were not improperly monitoring Senate staff computer files. He was forced to retract his denials and apologize for his prevarication. In 2016, the State Department's inspector general found that Hillary Clinton had never sought approval for her reckless and illegal use of an unsecured private email server. The IG also found that staffers who were worried about national security being compromised by the unsecured server were silenced by other Clinton aides. Still, Obama was right in a way: A scandal does not become a scandal if no one acts on findings of improper behavior. Under former attorneys general Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch, the findings of dozens of IGs were snubbed. That raises the question: What good are inspectors general if a president ignores any illegality and impropriety that they have uncovered? Answer: not much good at all — unless an incoming administration is of a different political party than the outgoing administration. Once that happens in our politicized system, there is a rare interest in not covering up or ignoring a damning IG report, but in acting on it. We may now be experiencing one of those unusual occasions. Soon, various inspector general reports may appear concerning FISA court abuse and improper behavior at the Department of Justice, FBI, CIA and National Security Council during the 2016 campaign cycle. The investigators are, for the most part, Obama appointees, not Trump appointees. At some point, the idea of toothless inspectors general needs to be revisited. Something is terribly wrong when dozens of IGs found wrongdoing, only to object that their efforts were being thwarted by an Obama administration that had appointed most of them — and claimed to be scandal-free. Finding government abuse and doing nothing about it is worse than not finding any at all. Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the author of the soon-to-be released "The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won," to appear in October from Basic Books.

Watching with amusement the DOJ IG’s appearance on Capitol Hill. The D’s are doing their whirling dervish routine trying to put a positive spin, even tearfully throwing in the “separation of immigrant children from their families” on the IG’s Report. At this point, I’ve reached 2 conclusions...1. Comey is the designated scapegoat so other equally guilty individuals will be protected. 2. Its time to Term Limit all Members of the House & Senate...as most of them have forgotten for whom they are working! ... THE AMERICAN PEOPLE not their political party!!!

Watching with amusement the DOJ IG’s appearance on Capitol Hill. The D’s are doing their whirling dervish routine trying to put a positive spin, even tearfully throwing in the “separation of immigrant children from their families” on the IG’s Report. At this point, I’ve reached 2 conclusions...1. Comey is the designated scapegoat so other equally guilty individuals will be protected. 2. Its time to Term Limit all Members of the House & Senate...as most of them have forgotten for whom they are working! ... THE AMERICAN PEOPLE not their political party!!!
by Jm Moran

June 19, 2018 at 10:54AM
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#FollowFriday to all my great followers. :)

#FollowFriday to all my great followers. :)
by Jm Moran

June 15, 2018 at 11:00AM
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Libtardian Hypocrisy Passes Clinton Crime Foundation...Aims at Trump Foundation!

HEIGHT OF PROGRESSIVE HYPOCRISY: NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL IGNORES CROOKED CLINTON FOUNDATION TO SUE TRUMP FOUNDATION In what universe would an unbiased New York State Attorney General ignore a billion-dollar scam foundation whose employees seemed to serve dual purposes with both the Hillary Clinton campaign and which received multi-million dollar donations from Russians, Middle Eastern countries and others that appeared to have some some connection with the favorable actions and influence of the Hillary Clinton State Department? And go on to sue what amounts to a penny-ante foundation as well as to send referral letters to the IRS and FEC for further investigation and legal action? The press release … underwood header News from the New York Attorney General's Office FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 14, 2018 Attorney General’s Press Office / 212-416-8060 nyag.pressoffice@ag.ny.gov ATTORNEY GENERAL UNDERWOOD ANNOUNCES LAWSUIT AGAINST DONALD J. TRUMP FOUNDATION AND ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR EXTENSIVE AND PERSISTENT VIOLATIONS OF STATE AND FEDERAL LAW Lawsuit Seeks Restitution of $2.8 Million Plus Penalties AG’s Office Sends Referral Letters to Internal Revenue Service and Federal Election Commission for Further Investigation and Legal Action In Light Of Misconduct And Total Lack of Oversight, Lawsuit Seeks To Dissolve Donald J. Trump Foundation and Bar Donald J. Trump And Members Of Trump Foundation’s Board Of Directors From Serving On Board Of Any Other New York Charity NEW YORK - Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood today announced a lawsuit against the Donald J. Trump Foundation, and its directors, Donald J. Trump (“Mr. Trump”), Donald J. Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump. The petition filed today alleges a pattern of persistent illegal conduct, occurring over more than a decade, that includes extensive unlawful political coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing transactions to benefit Mr. Trump’s personal and business interests, and violations of basic legal obligations for non-profit foundations. [OCS: If this illegal conduct occurred for more than a decade, why would they choose to file a lawsuit now? And isn’t this lawsuit an outgrowth of the work of the previous New York Attorney General, the pervert Eric Schneiderman who was rabidly anti-Trump – possibly following Trump’s refusal to donate to his campaign?] The Attorney General initiated a special proceeding to dissolve the Trump Foundation under court supervision and obtain restitution of $2.8 million and additional penalties. The AG’s lawsuit also seeks a ban from future service as a director of a New York not-for-profit of 10 years for Mr. Trump and one year for each of the Foundation’s other board members, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump. The Attorney General also sent referral letters today to the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission, identifying possible violations of federal law for further investigation and legal action by those federal agencies. As alleged in the petition, Mr. Trump used the Trump Foundation’s charitable assets to pay off his legal obligations, to promote Trump hotels and other businesses, and to purchase personal items. In addition, at Mr. Trump’s behest, the Trump Foundation illegally provided extensive support to his 2016 presidential campaign by using the Trump Foundation’s name and funds it raised from the public to promote his campaign for presidency, including in the days before the Iowa nominating caucuses. “As our investigation reveals, the Trump Foundation was little more than a checkbook for payments from Mr. Trump or his businesses to nonprofits, regardless of their purpose or legality,” said Attorney General Underwood. “This is not how private foundations should function and my office intends to hold the Foundation and its directors accountable for its misuse of charitable assets.” The Attorney General’s investigation found that Trump Foundation raised in excess of $2.8 million in a manner designed to influence the 2016 presidential election at the direction and under the control of senior leadership of the Trump presidential campaign. The Foundation raised the funds from the public at the nationally televised fundraiser Mr. Trump held in lieu of participating in the presidential primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 28, 2016. In violation of state and federal law, senior Trump campaign staff, including Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski, dictated the timing, amounts, and recipients of grants by the Foundation to non-profits, as evidenced by communications between Campaign staff and Foundation representatives. To read the full release and access the related documents … Attorney General Underwood Announces Lawsuit Against Donald J. Trump Foundation And Its Board Of Directors For Extensive And Persistent Violations Of State And Federal Law | New York State Attorney General Who really should be investigated … clintoncrimeBottom line … Perhaps one can conclude that the New York State Attorney General is as partisan and corrupt as her kinky predecessor who was forced from office for his unusual sexual proclivities. There is no doubt in my mind that she is an elitist and a progressive socialist democrat who is attempting to curry political favor with the likes of Senator Chuck “the Schmuck” Schumer and the other party elites. To ignore the scandal that is the Clinton Foundation in favor of investigating and prosecuting a ten million dollar foundation is outrageous – especially when it appears partisan and ill-timed. While she cannot depose or indict a sitting President, she certainly can go after Trump’s adult children to force him to issue politically-damaging pardons or cloud any chances in the 2020 presidential election. Heaven forbid she would attack Chelsea Clinton whose high-handed behavior alienated top foundation officials. We are so screwed. -- steve Read in browser » share on Twitter Like HEIGHT OF PROGRESSIVE HYPOCRISY: NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL IGNORES CROOKED CLINTON FOUNDATION TO SUE TRUMP FOUNDATION on Facebook THE KABUKI THEATRE CONTINUES WITH THE NEWLY-RELEASED INSPECTOR GENERALS REPORT The long-awaited Inspector General’s report has been released. Unfortunately, it is just another act in the Kabuki theatre that is the Obama Administration. Nothing to see here, move along, politics as usual … OIG-R1 Reading through the report one is struck by the primary conclusion that this was all a complex foul-up where everybody and nobody did anything that rises to a criminal nature. Even though it is apparent numerous crimes were committed by the principals and their subordinates, everybody appears to get a pass on going to jail. This is the political equivalent of the corporate dance: we will take the reputational hit in the media, we will pay “record” fines, but we neither admit nor deny the allegations – and nobody goes to jail. The fact that James Comey misstated the actual statute law to give Hillary a Clinton a pass seems irrelevant. The fact that Huma Abedin had classified government documents on a private computer seems irrelevant. The fact that actual criminality was masked by procedural errors seems irrelevant. Recommendations Our report makes nine recommendations to the Department and the FBI to assist them in addressing the issues that we identified in this review: We recommend that the Department and the FBI consider developing guidance that identifies the risks associated with and alternatives to permitting a witness to attend a voluntary interview of another witness (including in the witness’s capacity as counsel). We recommend that the Department consider making explicit that, except in situations where the law requires or permits disclosure, an investigating agency cannot publicly announce its recommended charging decision prior to consulting with the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Attorney, or his or her designee, and cannot proceed without the approval of one of these officials. We recommend that the Department and the FBI consider adopting a policy addressing the appropriateness of Department employees discussing the conduct of uncharged individuals in public statements. We recommend that the Department consider providing guidance to agents and prosecutors concerning the taking of overt investigative steps, indictments, public announcements, or other actions that could impact an election. We recommend that the Office of the Deputy Attorney General take steps to improve the retention and monitoring of text messages Department-wide. We recommend that the FBI add a warning banner to all of the FBI’s mobile phones and devices in order to further notify users that they have no reasonable expectation of privacy. We recommend that the FBI consider (a) assessing whether it has provided adequate training to employees about the proper use of text messages and instant messages, including any related discovery obligations, and (b) providing additional guidance about the allowable uses of FBI devices for any nongovernmental purpose, including guidance about the use of FBI devices for political conversations. We recommend that the FBI consider whether (a) it is appropriately educating employees about both its media contact policy and the Department’s ethics rules pertaining to the acceptance of gifts, and (b) its disciplinary provisions and penalties are sufficient to deter such improper conduct. We recommend that Department ethics officials include the review of campaign donations for possible conflict issues when Department employees or their spouses run for public office. The most important recommendation appears to be missing … We recommend that all guilty parties be prosecuted to the full extent of the law to serve as a preventative warning that political corruption shall not be tolerated in the highest offices of America’s most important intelligence, investigative, prosecutorial, and taxing agencies. Bottom line … As George Orwell famously said,“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." One need only be reminded of the 22-year-old Navy machinist mate who took some pictures aboard a nuclear sub to show his family and friends what he did in the Navy. He pleaded guilty in May to unauthorized retention of defense information and had faced five to six years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. As is, he was sentenced to a year in prison, six months of home confinement with an ankle monitoring unit, and three-years of supervised release. Someone knowingly copies classified information from secure systems, removed identifying marks, and sent them to Hillary’s private email server or to Abedin’s private stash of documents. Where is the justice? And about all of those charged with lying to investigators in the Manafort investigation, where are the similar charges for those who obviously lied to investigators about the Clinton email scandal? This affair looks like an expensive joke played on the American public when the elites needed to launder the record of one of their own prior to the election and to remove any evidence that would delegitimize her presidency. Unfortunately, a black swan, in the form of Donald Trump, appeared and the elite were forced to engage in a massive cover-up to protect themselves and the tattered reputation of several agencies. We are so screwed. -- steve

The 3 California Solution...A Scam Of Triple Proportions! Democratic Socialist at Work...

BALLOT PROPOSAL: THREE CALIFORNIAS -- TRIPLE THE POLITICAL CORRUPTION AND DUPLICITY Sometimes what sounds like a wonderful idea, turns out to be an ill-conceived political scam … california-craziness There is no doubt that Tim Draper is a smart guy (Stanford BSEE and Harvard MBA) and has made tons of money as a venture capitalist. He is a rich guy, maybe not a billionaire like progressive socialist democrat Tom Steyer, but rich enough to back an initiative designed to split California into three parts. But, Draper has also had some spectacular mistakes like being the among the first investors in the massive fraud that was the blood-testing revolution known as Theranos. So why is this smart, rich, progressive so blind to the political realities of what he is proposing? “Three states will get us better infrastructure, better education and lower taxes,” Tim Draper, the Silicon Valley venture capitalist who sponsored the ballot measure, said in an email to The Times last summer when he formally submitted the proposal. “States will be more accountable to us and can cooperate and compete for citizens.” Let us examine this foolishness … 1. Most of California’s infrastructure is location-dependent, crumbling and in need of repair, replacement, or build-out. It appears that there are certain infrastructure items that transcend boundaries, such as the distribution of water and electricity that would now need to be privatized or some form of political joint venture. Looking back on how those regulatory agencies and oversight groups worked, Californians are in for a world of hurt – not to mention massive financial obligations to deal with infrastructure issues. 2. How will three Californias have better education when all three state educational institutions will be controlled by the politically active teachers unions who fight tooth-and-nail against transparency, accountability, and competency testing. What will happen to those dilapidated and marginal schools that already exist in the inner cities? What will happen to our major universities when they are no longer resident in a single state? 3. Lower taxes? What has Draper been smoking? Who is going to pay for those duplicative bureaucracies, not to mentioned those massive unfunded pension liabilities? 4. As for competing for citizens, Draper simply looks like a fool. California’s aging population is not about to sacrifice their jobs, their homes, their family, their friends, and long-term community roots just to move to another part of the state. In fact, if they were that mobile, they probably would move out of state to somewhere with little or no taxes and a thriving business culture. Yes, “residents will be free to move to whichever version of the state they think is governed best,” but that is no guarantee that they will move to one of the Californias. Bottom line … As I told one of my long-time readers, tongue-in-cheek of course, if there are to be three states, let them be constructed as follows … All the progressive socialist democrats should move to the bay area in and around San Francisco and call their state New New York. All of the illegal aliens should move to central California near the agricultural areas they are said to favor – and call their state New New Mexico. And the rest of us can live in peace everywhere else called California. So let’s look at a real solution. Investigate corrupt politicians, their families, and special interests to see how certain politicians have used inside information or sold their vote to benefit themselves, their families, and their special interest friends. Abolish all current public employees unions and provide the same pension systems that are available to the private sector – and make members pay their fair share of the actuarial costs to make the system solvent. Prioritize all spending on public safety, sanitation, and the other infrastructure costs before funding vanity projects or social experiments. Delegitimize all illegal aliens. Give them 90-days to register, after which they will be given 5-year renewable state work permits that can be renewed only if they pay their taxes and do not engage in criminal activities. Anyone not registered after 90 days will be turned over to ICE for deportation proceedings. There will be no public benefits – other than emergency health care – paid to illegal aliens. Reduce welfare payments to quit acting as an attractive magnet for more freeloaders. It is most likely that any elected representatives would pander to their most populous constituency Forget this elitist claptrap that would be next to impossible to implement.Remember Draper is simply another rich progressive who believes he is not only smarter than everyone in the room, but he has the right and duty to tell Californians how they must live. We are so screwed. -- steve "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

Today’s Stoic: Praying for Strength (and where to get it)

Why do we journal? Because we need to. Because it’s there for us in the moments we need it most. In the new documentary The Zen Diaries, viewers are given a glimpse into the journals of the comic Garry Shandling, a practicing Buddhist and deep thinker. There is a moment in the early eighties where Garry learns of the diagnosis his father had just gotten. On that day, he writes, “Dad has a malignant tumor. Weird. The fact of death is as common as a tree. I pray for my father’s health. I pray that he can have a few years that are fun and special to him. I pray for strength for my mother.” Now Shandling was a Buddhist, but this deeply personal entry has a number of Stoic themes and essential lessons as well (which should make us realize that wisdom is wisdom, wherever it comes from). First, the journaling itself is an important practice. He’s actively working through this difficult time by putting words on the page and talking to himself. Next, we have the Memento mori—Death is as common as a tree. It is a fact of life, one that we forget so we have to actively remind ourselves of it. Finally, Shandling prays but not in the way that a weaker person would. He is not asking to be magically relieved of his problems. Instead, he is praying for strength—for himself, for his family. He’s focusing on what he can do about this situation, rather than asking for something to be done for him. He’s also focusing on other people and what they need than on his own wants and desires. This must have been an extraordinarily difficult day for Shandling, one that tested him at the deepest level. Yet with the discipline he had practiced for so many years, he was able to rise to the occasion. And the truth is that we are all capable of that. But we have to put in the work—yesterday, today, tomorrow, so that we’re ready for that day when it comes for us