Provoking New Crimes Rather than Uncovering Past Crimes: Mueller's Modus Operandi by Alan M. Dershowitz • November 30, 2018 at 5:00am Even if Mueller could prove that members of the Trump team had colluded with Julian Assange to use material that Assange had unlawfully obtained, that, too, would not be a crime. Merely using the product of an already committed theft of information is not a crime. If you don't believe me, ask the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian and other newspapers that used material illegally obtained by Assange with full knowledge that it was illegally obtained. In the end, Mueller should be judged by how successful he has been in satisfying his central mission. Judged by that standard and based on what we now know, he seems to be an abysmal failure. Special Counsel Robert Mueller does not have a roving commission to ferret out political sin, to provoke new crimes, or to publish non-criminal conclusions that may be embarrassing to the President. His mandate, like that of every other prosecutor, is to uncover past crimes. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) The recent guilty plea of Michael Cohen of lying represents the dominant trend in Mueller's approach to prosecution. The vast majority of indictments and guilty pleas obtained against Americans by Mueller have not been for substantive crimes relating to his mandate: namely, to uncover crimes involving illegal contacts with Russia. They have involved indictments and guilty pleas either for lying, or for financial crimes by individuals unrelated to the Russia probe. If this remains true after the filing of the Mueller report, it would represent a significant failure on Mueller's part. Continue Reading Article

Provoking New Crimes Rather than Uncovering Past Crimes: Mueller's Modus Operandi by Alan M. Dershowitz • November 30, 2018 at 5:00am Even if Mueller could prove that members of the Trump team had colluded with Julian Assange to use material that Assange had unlawfully obtained, that, too, would not be a crime. Merely using the product of an already committed theft of information is not a crime. If you don't believe me, ask the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian and other newspapers that used material illegally obtained by Assange with full knowledge that it was illegally obtained. In the end, Mueller should be judged by how successful he has been in satisfying his central mission. Judged by that standard and based on what we now know, he seems to be an abysmal failure. Special Counsel Robert Mueller does not have a roving commission to ferret out political sin, to provoke new crimes, or to publish non-criminal conclusions that may be embarrassing to the President. His mandate, like that of every other prosecutor, is to uncover past crimes. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) The recent guilty plea of Michael Cohen of lying represents the dominant trend in Mueller's approach to prosecution. The vast majority of indictments and guilty pleas obtained against Americans by Mueller have not been for substantive crimes relating to his mandate: namely, to uncover crimes involving illegal contacts with Russia. They have involved indictments and guilty pleas either for lying, or for financial crimes by individuals unrelated to the Russia probe. If this remains true after the filing of the Mueller report, it would represent a significant failure on Mueller's part. Continue Reading Article
by Jm Moran

2018-11-30T12:46:48.000Z
from Facebook
via IFTTTfrom Facebook
via IFTTT

THE RIGHT TO REMAIN UNMOLESTED BY RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS!

THE RIGHT TO REMAIN UNMOLESTED BY RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS dnd With all the talk about the constitutional protection of religion, perhaps we should be reminded of the human right to remain unmolested by religious zealots regardless of how friendly and sincere they might be. I am not speaking about the Mormons on a mission, the Jehovah's Witnesses with their bible tracts, the orthodox Jewish Lubavitchers, the Scientologists with their “personality tests,” or even the malignant Islamicists who want you to convert or die. Not even the idiots who risk their lives to infiltrate places like North Korea to spread “The Word.” I am speaking of those who believe it is their “duty” to enter “forbidden” primitive areas to bring their brand of religion to the indigenous people. In particular, John Allen Chau, a 26-year-old “missionary” from Vancouver, Washington State, paid a group of local fisherman to take him and his Bible to India’s North Sentinel Island to “share the gospel” with islanders are openly hostile to visitors and live in the manner of their ancestors. It is no wonder that Chau was killed by a flight of arrows from an angered, and possibly afraid, culture. It annoys me that many faith-based organizations regard Chau as a “martyr” for the cause. Perhaps, he should be viewed in the context of a potential “existential” threat to a people and culture who do not seek contact with the outside work and want to be left alone. There are historical references to a number of Islanders who were forcibly kidnapped from the Island where the adults died in captivity – perhaps from unknown diseases introduced by the captors – and the children were returned to the Island. Since this happened in the late 19th century, maybe it became the foundation for fearing outside contact? Perhaps this was expressed best in a Science Magazine article, “How Europeans brought sickness to the New World” with the opening paragraph, “In the Americas, the arrival of Europeans brought disease, war, and slavery to many indigenous peoples. Can some of the world’s last isolated groups avoid those fates as they make contact in the 21st century?” Bottom line… Perhaps the best advice comes from the fictional United Federation of Planets and is known as the Prime Directive or Starfleet General Order 1 – “As the right of each sentient species to live in accordance with its normal cultural evolution is considered sacred, no Starfleet personnel may interfere with the normal and healthy development of alien life and culture. Such interference includes introducing superior knowledge, strength, or technology to a world whose society is incapable of handling such advantages wisely. Starfleet personnel may not violate this Prime Directive, even to save their lives and/or their ship, unless they are acting to right an earlier violation or an accidental contamination of said culture. This directive takes precedence over any and all other considerations and carries with it the highest moral obligation. As might be expected, there are many moral and ethical lessons that may be learned from speculative/science fiction where ideas can be expressed within the non-judgmental, non-political context of other worlds and other peoples. -- steve

Today’s Stoic: If You Want the World to be Better, Improve Yourself...

Tolstoy believed his most essential work was not his novels but his daily read, A Calendar of Wisdom. Like in The Daily Stoic, each day in that book is a meditation on a theme of ancient wisdom which provides insights for self-improvement. In a June entry (published in the early 20th century, but clearly both timeless and very timely), Tolstoy speaks about how to fight evil and improve society. It doesn’t start with ambitious plans to remake the order of things or with the passing of laws to ban this behavior or that one. On the contrary. “There can be only one way to fight the general evil of life,” he writes. “It is in the moral, religious, and spiritual perfection of your own life.” The Stoics would have agreed with this, that a more virtuous society begins at home—at our home. If you want the world to be better, improve yourself, for this is entirely in your circle of control. To paraphrase Marcus Aurelius: Don’t talk about what a good person should be like. Be that person. Again, because this is in your control. But also because it is the most compelling argument and the best way to prod others to change. How can you possibly have the gravitas necessary to convince others to be better when you clearly haven’t convinced yourself? How can you fight evil or sin or bad habits in the world when you’re losing the battle at home? Of course, this is not an excuse to not be politically or charitably active, but it should inform your priorities. Get your life in order. Do the work you need to do. Because it will make the biggest difference and it will give you the platform—the moral high ground—necessary to make a difference for the world

The POTUS V Little A Schitt, for brains 🧠...

PRESIDENT TRUMP VERSUS LITTLE ADAM SCHITT You have to love President Trump who says out loud what others are thinking, not so coincidently the underlying theme of One Citizen Speaking… Consider the craziness, chaos, confusion and outright lies coming from Representative Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the intelligence committee who loudly and consistently provides his view of an alternative reality. Especially when he claims that the truth can be found in a document’s classified details and open;y calls for the declassification of the document. And when it appears that the document may be declassified by the President, Schiff immediately declares that such declassification would severely impact national security. All of this against background analysis that there is nothing unknown of import in the document, including the names of key players and bad actors. Democrats negotiating with FBI on classified info in memo (February 14, 2018) The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said Wednesday that he is continuing to negotiate with the FBI over the release of a memo packed with classified information from secret surveillance applications, but remains unsure if the White House will attempt to block its release. Democrats argue their memo, with as yet undisclosed details used to win court approval to listen in on a former adviser to the campaign of President Donald Trump, would rebut a Republican memo released two weeks ago. Trump has said the GOP memo proves his campaign was the target of a politically motivated spying operation. Democrats have argued the memo would prove that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant approved for Carter Page used credible evidence, and not just allegations contained in the “Steele Dossier,” which was bankrolled in part by a lawyer working for the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. Schiff noted Wednesday that the memo includes classified details from four FISA applications on Page — the original request filed in October 2016, and three subsequent renewals. [Source] Adam Schiff: 'Clear abuse of power’ for Trump to have Russia-related documents declassified (September 17, 2018) Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called President Trump’s decision Monday to order the declassification of documents concerning the federal Russia investigation a “clear abuse of power.” “President Trump, in a clear abuse of power, has decided to intervene in a pending law enforcement investigation by ordering the selective release of materials he believes are helpful to his defense team and thinks will advance a false narrative,” Schiff said in a statement. “With respect to some of these materials, I have been previously informed by the FBI and Justice Department that they would consider their release a red line that must not be crossed as they may compromise sources and methods,” Schiff added. “This is evidently of no consequence to a President who cares about nothing about the country and everything about his narrow self-interest.” [Source] President Trump nails it… ADAM-SCHIFF-TURMP-TWEET Bottom line… ADAM-SCHITT We are so screwed when Adam Schiff becomes the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. -- steve

Possible Scam Provided by a Friend: BEWARE! This is very clever. `I would probably fall for it if not warned. Give this wide distribution. This scam is actually very clever. Just when you thought you'd heard it all. Be very careful out there! Beware of people gifts. The following is a recounting of the incident from the victim: Wednesday a week ago, I had a phone call from someone saying that he was from some outfit called: "Express Couriers," (The name could be any courier company). He asked if I was going to be home because there was a package for me that required a signature. The caller said that the delivery would arrive at my home in roughly an hour. Sure enough, about an hour later, a uniformed delivery man turned up with a beautiful basket of flowers and a bottle of wine. I was very surprised since there was no special occasion or holiday, and I certainly didn't expect anything like it. Intrigued, I inquired as to who the sender was. The courier replied, "I don't know, I'm only delivering the package." Apparently, a greeting card was being sent separately. (The card has never arrived!) There was also a consignment note with the gift. He then went on to explain that because the gift contained alcohol, there was a $3.50 "delivery/ verification charge," providing proof that he had actually delivered the package to an adult (of legal drinking age), and not just left it on the doorstep where it could be stolen or taken by anyone, especially a minor. This sounded logical and I offered to pay him cash. He then said that the delivery company required payment to be by credit or debit card only, so that everything is properly accounted for, and this would help in keeping a legal record of the transaction. He added, "Couriers don't carry cash to avoid loss or likely targets for robbery." My husband, who by this time was standing beside me, pulled out his credit card, and 'John,' the "delivery man," asked him to swipe the card on a small mobile card machine with a small screen and keypad. Frank, my husband, was asked to enter his PIN number and a receipt was printed out. He was given a copy of the transaction. The guy said everything was in order, and wished us good day. To our horrible surprise, between Thursday and the following Monday, $4,000 had been charged/withdrawn from our credit/debit account at various ATM machines. Apparently the "mobile credit card machine," which the deliveryman carried now had all the info necessary to create a "dummy" card with all our card details including the PIN number. Upon finding out about the illegal transactions on our card, we immediately notified the bank which issued us a new card, and our credit/debit account was closed. We also personally went to the Police, where it was confirmed that it is definitely a scam because several households had been similarly hit. WARNING: Be wary of accepting any "surprise gift or package," which you neither expected nor personally ordered, especially if it involves any kind of payment as a condition of receiving the gift or package. Also, never accept anything If you do not personally know or there is no proper identification of who the sender is. Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit/debit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase or transaction! PLEASE Pass this on, it may just prevent someone else from being swindled.

Possible Scam Provided by a Friend: BEWARE! This is very clever. `I would probably fall for it if not warned. Give this wide distribution. This scam is actually very clever. Just when you thought you'd heard it all. Be very careful out there! Beware of people gifts. The following is a recounting of the incident from the victim: Wednesday a week ago, I had a phone call from someone saying that he was from some outfit called: "Express Couriers," (The name could be any courier company). He asked if I was going to be home because there was a package for me that required a signature. The caller said that the delivery would arrive at my home in roughly an hour. Sure enough, about an hour later, a uniformed delivery man turned up with a beautiful basket of flowers and a bottle of wine. I was very surprised since there was no special occasion or holiday, and I certainly didn't expect anything like it. Intrigued, I inquired as to who the sender was. The courier replied, "I don't know, I'm only delivering the package." Apparently, a greeting card was being sent separately. (The card has never arrived!) There was also a consignment note with the gift. He then went on to explain that because the gift contained alcohol, there was a $3.50 "delivery/ verification charge," providing proof that he had actually delivered the package to an adult (of legal drinking age), and not just left it on the doorstep where it could be stolen or taken by anyone, especially a minor. This sounded logical and I offered to pay him cash. He then said that the delivery company required payment to be by credit or debit card only, so that everything is properly accounted for, and this would help in keeping a legal record of the transaction. He added, "Couriers don't carry cash to avoid loss or likely targets for robbery." My husband, who by this time was standing beside me, pulled out his credit card, and 'John,' the "delivery man," asked him to swipe the card on a small mobile card machine with a small screen and keypad. Frank, my husband, was asked to enter his PIN number and a receipt was printed out. He was given a copy of the transaction. The guy said everything was in order, and wished us good day. To our horrible surprise, between Thursday and the following Monday, $4,000 had been charged/withdrawn from our credit/debit account at various ATM machines. Apparently the "mobile credit card machine," which the deliveryman carried now had all the info necessary to create a "dummy" card with all our card details including the PIN number. Upon finding out about the illegal transactions on our card, we immediately notified the bank which issued us a new card, and our credit/debit account was closed. We also personally went to the Police, where it was confirmed that it is definitely a scam because several households had been similarly hit. WARNING: Be wary of accepting any "surprise gift or package," which you neither expected nor personally ordered, especially if it involves any kind of payment as a condition of receiving the gift or package. Also, never accept anything If you do not personally know or there is no proper identification of who the sender is. Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit/debit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase or transaction! PLEASE Pass this on, it may just prevent someone else from being swindled.
by Jm Moran

2018-11-18T11:34:20.000Z
from Facebook
via IFTTTfrom Facebook
via IFTTT

Black Lives Matter Hate Group Attempts To Disrupt ‘Nights Of Lights’ Holiday Festival In Saint Augustine, Florida And Fails Wonderfully

black-lives-matter-hate-group-saint-augustine-florida-nights-of-lights-november-17-2018-nteb In a Deep South crowd of over 10,000 people, with more pickup trucks and people will concealed carry than you could shake a stick at, not one person reacted at all. For the past 25 years, Saint Augustine in Florida has held their annual 'Nights Of Lights' tree lighting festival that has grown so large National Geographic has named it as one of the top 10 holiday lights festivals in the world . And for the second year in a row, it has become the target of malicious hate group, Black Lives Matter. Since 2011, we have been blessed to live in Saint Augustine, a city that is one of the most ethnically diverse places I've ever been to. Every summer, over 8 million tourists from around the world come here to enjoy the sights and sounds of America's oldest city. Originally settled by Spain in 1565, spanish culture and history are on display everywhere you look. Walk along historic Saint George Street and you will see people of all races and colors living and working together side by side in harmony. Not once in all these years have I ever heard someone utter the 'n word' outside of a rap song, and neither have I seen any public examples of racism, or preferential treatment given or withheld to someone because of their skin color. All in all, Saint Augustine is a near perfect place to live, and the people here border on blissfully happy. So why the heck is Black Lives Matter coming here and calling Saint Augustine the 'most racist city' in America? Because they're looking for trouble, that's why. And what better place to find it than at a huge holiday tree lighting festival that attracts a crowd of over 10,000 people? How great would it be, as they taunt the holiday revellers with chants of 'Amerika KKK' and 'White Lies Matter', if they could get just a few of those southern 'good ol boys' to take their poison bait and react? Think of the publicity that would generate on CNN, who would play it on an endless loop. That's what hate merchants like this group live for. But guess what? In a Deep South crowd of over 10,000 people, with more pickup trucks and people will concealed carry than you could shake a stick at, not one person reacted at all. There was no name calling, no one grabbed signs out of their hands, no physical altercations of any kind from that massive crowd. Black Lives Matter came looking for hatred and headlines, and were wonderfully and marvelously denied. Love out over hate tonight, and it was beautiful. Thank you, Saint Augustine, I was so proud of my town tonight. (Please click link below to read this story online to watch the videos of both the protests and the tree lighting) Geoffrey Grider | November 17, 2018 at 10:01 pm | Tags: Hate Groups, Nights Of Lights | Categories: Black Lives Matter, Hate Groups, The Big Story | URL: https://wp.me/p1kFP6-eQB Comment See all comments

Why are the House Republicans Afraid to Speak the TRUTH?

GUTLESS REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK THE TRUTH It is a historical fact that the Democrat Party was the party of slavery, segregation, Jim Crow, the KKK, and anti-Civil Rights legislation. Yet, the gutless GOP refuses to engage… What to make of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Standing before a sign that reads “No Justice, No Peace,” who openly feted a race-hustling racist, anti-Semite, and tax evader? Pelosi-Sharpton “We’re going to be visionary, we’re going to be unifying, we’re going to be healing, we’re going to be transparent in how we do this. We’re going to be respectful of other views," Pelosi said. "But we’re going to try to find our common ground where we can. We have a responsibility to do that but where we can’t, stand our ground like a rock. That’s what Thomas Jefferson advised us to do.” She added, “Thank you for helping take back America. People all over the place are calling me, writing, in airports, here and there, saying, ‘Thank you for saving America.’ I give those thanks to you. Thank you for saving America. Reverend Sharpton, thank you for saving America.” ~ Nancy Pelosi, National Action Network Legislative & Policy Conference “Thank You for Saving America.” Which begs the question, which America did this race-baiting, anti-Semite, Judas Goat save? Bottom line… What the hell happened to the GOP? Why are they ignoring that the progressive socialist democrats are campaigning 24/7, 365 days a year for their nominees in 2020? Why are they refusing to articulate their position relative to the democrats? Why have they not vigorously investigated and prosecuted democrat criminal activity that is self-evident? Why do they continue to fundraise and tell you all of the wonderful things they are going to do – even though they had the House, the Senate, and the Presidency? Why do they continue to take crap from Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Maxine Waters, Elijah Cummings, Adam Schiff, and others who are lying through their teeth? Why do they not engage against the progressive mainstream media? Or even have their own “truth squad” on social media platforms? Why aren’t they asking why the democrats refuse to disavow the racist anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam? I think the wrong party is wearing the pink hats. pussy-gop If there is such a thing as systemic racism and bigotry in this nation, I suggest that we examine history to demonstrate that such racism and bigotry is closely associated with the Democrat party who categorically refuses to denounce racists who are of color, minorities, or part of their vote-spinning coalition. We are so screwed. -- steve