The problem we have is that as a culture we allow lies to be told about political candidates by opposing candidates. So, all of the fake internet shit is lawful, as long as it doesn't involve other activity that is criminal:
--In South Korea, the nation's former top intelligence official used bots in a misinformation campaign against the opposition party, for which he was indicted in 2013. 3
--Is fraudulent Twitter activity criminal?
--Is Hope Hicks disavowal that TO has not purchased any bots for social media a crime? 3
"Novel" words used by an online community are usually unique to that community. 2
Pro-Trump networks tweet incessantly: praise Trump, bash Clinton and media, retweet fake accounts, turning the issue back on the red herring and dilute attention to real issue. 3
Activity designed to amplify certain messages. 3
Worked to promote a single candidate: Trump 3
Bots accomplish:
harassing critics into silence to shape information environment
spread misinformation
make supporters feel as if a part of thriving p=movement
"normalize" fringe views
dilute/delegitimize legitimate/informative conversation
3
Bot creators are:
content management firms
advertising firms
individuals
to:
sell crappy products
House candidates
Senate candidates
political elections
by purchasing social media accounts 2
with Bitcoin, Perfectmoney, Yandex Money, Kiwi, or a Unitpay.re system
from
Russian sites like BuyAcc, 2
through subcontracts not noticeable on FEC documents. 3
Sockpuppets:
introduce new-novel language to the community 2
were 6 times more likely to use "hitlery" than other communities 2
twice as many posts per day as real users 2
were only active in 2016 2
and mentioned Russia was NOT interfering four times more often than other users. 2
Social media accounts can go for less than a dollar. Bot operators run small subsets of accounts through huge network of different IP addresses that are masked by software that redirects web requests through series of proxies. 2 Linux/moose 2
Was Trump's eschewing of television's role in campaigning for practically absolute reliance on manufactured internet content evidence of his commitment to reaching only those types of people that were "addicted" to and exploitable via digital activities? Is it also evidence of his collusion with Cambridge Analytics-type brain-bending bc "people believe what the Internet says more than reality" ? 3 [Andres Sepulveda, who was on JJ Rendon's payroll]
Russian Digital Activities: bots, trolls, cyborgs, and sock puppets
-- 2016 4 and 7 Twitter: Conversations in Twitter's conservative communities, the Trump Campaign's Facebook page, and Breitbart's comment section suddenly and simultaneously changed. All three adopted eerily similar language during the same period of time." Communities novel words started overlapping so significantly that analysis suggests they were all written by the same author or group using the same playbook. 2
-- 2016 3 through 8 30,000 bots 2
-- 2016 News reports Trump used foundation money to pay legal fees, but army of tweeters kept focus on Clinton foundation and links to blogs 3
-- 2016 Trump's controversial statements diluted with bot messages appearing to be latino supporters with mixed messages 3
-- 2016 Trump stumbled on tax return release question in debate, but twitter army created appearance of grass roots demand for Clinton accountability and links to like sentimented blogs 3
-- 2016 4 and 7 1314 bots posted a tweet with identical content to four or more other tweets. 2
-- 2017 8 McMaster August Troll campaign 1 according to Alliance for Securing Democracy (tracks Russia propaganda)
Supremacist Activities: bots, trolls, cyborgs
bots of nationalists,a nd sock puppets
keksec_org
WhiteGenocideTM (retweeted by Trump)
Breitbart's
Mike Cernovich:
--2017 8 called H.R. McMaster a Deep State Plant, National Security Adviser, fired predecessor Flynn's hires (Ezra Cohen-Watnick, Rich Higgins, Derek Harvey) 1
--2017 8 Website called McMaster Leaks set up in August, 2017 1
Daily Caller's:
-- 2017 8 Senior NSC officials say McMaster opposes everything prez wants to do 1
Fox News's
Tucker Carlson:
-- 2017 8 Prez not a fan of what McMaster's doing 1
Circa
--2017 8 leaked letter re: susan rice's clearance 1
Trump's Nationalists:
Ezra Cohen-Watnick -- Director for Intelligence
Rich Higgins
Derek Harvey --
Steve Bannon --
-- 2016 1 thru 3 Trump quoted 150 fake bot accounts
Computational Propaganda Project
Alliance for Securing Democracy
Sources;
1. Salon, Right-wing media and Russian bots unite to target Trump's national security advisor, Sophia Tesfaye, 8 4 2017
2. Date for Democracy, Jonathan Morgan, 3 31 2017, Sockpuppets, Secessionists, and Breitbart; How Russia May Have Orchestrated a Massive Social Media Influence Campaign.
3. Politico, 2016 9 30, Inside Trump's 'cyborg' Twitter army, Ben Schreckinger
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Trump's Fantasy 4% Growth Goal and Infrastructure Permits @ 8 2017
Haa, the light bulb has turned on. I now know why Trump's infrastructure plan is based on eliminating the permit process. The last time our economy had a growth rate any way near something that could get us to 4% was when we were focused on building highways and such after The War.
If he wants to get real numbers in terms of higher employment and higher economic growth rate to happen while he is still in office, he can NOT wait for the transportation permit process to do its job.
That is why, in his infrastructure speech yesterday, he was so confusing in terms of the language he used to describe what he sees as the problem in infrastructure development. He scapegoated "consultants", than described lobbyists.
@ 8 2017
If he wants to get real numbers in terms of higher employment and higher economic growth rate to happen while he is still in office, he can NOT wait for the transportation permit process to do its job.
That is why, in his infrastructure speech yesterday, he was so confusing in terms of the language he used to describe what he sees as the problem in infrastructure development. He scapegoated "consultants", than described lobbyists.
@ 8 2017
"Moral Equivalency" is a Familial-Based Accomodation of Bad Behavior @ 8 2017
Where were you when the most traumatizing presidential press conference in history spewed forth?
While I have adopted the rule of changing the station to avoid listening to Trump speak (his -loquy is too reminiscent of my own mother's failures), I got caught in yesterday's chaos. Infrastructure is our meat, so I was a little slow to change the channel, and then he started calling consultants rich and the root of the problem in infrastructure project/permitting delays. So my fingers were texting my boss about that--who is a transportation facility project consultant, instead of pressing the buttons on the remote. And then it just happened...
As he paused to end his infrastructure speech, the press shouted questions at him, and, after having just heard his own voice--with all the authority and power of the world, booming off the walls of his home turf, the real Trump emerged. In an instant he was transformed, and it was palpable to even television viewers, You could see his anger and ego take physical control of the man even before he took the first question. It was impossible to look away. Indeed, the fight or flight instinct made it impossible to turn away--you feared for yourself, for him, for his staff, for the rest of us. And then he did it, he normalized organized hate, and, in all likelihood (hopefully), converted the countdown to the end of his presidency from years to weeks.
Even FOX called it for the tragedy it was, it was that bad.
So let's talk about some events in the speech that have yet to be discussed.
First, delayed permitting in infrastructure is NOT the problem with our country's infrastructure. Projects have become incredibly technologically advanced, as well as expansive, which means the impact on human safety and quality of life necessitates a thorough design/review and permitting process. Additionally, these projects are inextricable public resources, which means that control of them by persons accountable to the public is essential in this democratic representational government. Further, because the public's money is used to finance infrastructure projects, there is a requirement that the best and brightest talent at the most economically competitive level be employed at specific levels of the process, rather than having one government official or team of public servants half-ass their way through incredibly complex and advanced technologies. Consultants, contracted through competitive bid process, are integral to providing the best infrastructure projects possible to the people of this nation. Consultants on these projects are usually licensed professionals in technical fields. So, what the fuck is he talking about when he says that he his going to remove consultants from the process in order to speed up the permitting process?
Second, is no one also offended by his comment that linked "bringing factories back to the U.S. will be the best thing to improve race relations in this country?" That's a paraphrase, but its pretty close. Ironically, while the press is completely focused on analyzing the racism behind his "moral equivalency"-type comments, probably the most direct evidence of his own racist tendencies is evidenced by this specific comment. To say, in a generalizing way, that minorities will benefit from what will largely be manufacturing jobs is mind-blowingly offensive--and factually fragile, in so many ways.
Third, his comments, as he was walking away from the podium and, sort of, past the press, about owning property in Charlottesville, VA, reflect a mind/personality that has no capacity for thinking outside of his own self.
Fourth, I know why/how Trump can have Jewish family AND call Nazi's "good people". This is where my mother comes in. My brother is a racist, bullying, drug-dealing thug and thief. My sister is a "Christian" homophobe who, when I introduced my family to my first girlfriend, told me her kids were going to be raised in a "Christian" household in which gay would not be allowed. I, on the other hand, put myself through law school--for the challenge, and pride my self on living with integrity and compassion and modeling those traits for others.
Yet, in my family, over and over, I hear the matriarch justify, excuse, enable, and embolden my sister's hate and my brother's criminal behavior--behavior that is too often targeted directly at me. So, in my mother's household, the cognitive dissonance created by her children's conflicting behavior was accommodated by this same kind of normalization of incredibly bad behavior that we heard from Trump yesterday. He has at least one child--a son, that proudly and publicly expresses the same vulgar traits of white supremacists. That son is obsessed with fire power and with killing other beings, and is so morally and ethically vacuous as to agree to take a public office by colluding with the devil -- the Russian government. And, then, there is Trump's Jewish daughter and grandchildren. It is highly likely that, at least at many family dinners/events, the conflict between the two children has had to be "negotiated" by the patriarch, probably with him saying, "Look, both sides brought something to this conflict, so there is blame on both sides, figure it out and move on."
Instead of performing the emotionally difficult task of calling out his son on his bad conduct, he "normalizes" it by alleging a moral equivalency, much like my mother has done for years now.
Now, I want to speak to the several commentators who have discussed the fact that too many voters and Republicans have given too high a priority to any one specific "monetary" based "promise" made by Trump and that they voted out of anger, and so they must get over their anger and re-organize their priorities.
That will never happen.
I have been saying to others for months now that the reason why we have Trump is just because too many voters were too selfish to vote compassionately. I tell them that I sacrificed my vote out of concern for my neighbors and the other people of this country because, while I wanted to vote for Sanders, I knew that vote risked putting an incredibly intellectually underperforming, toxically vulgar, and patently self-serving revengeful person in the president's office would NOT bring change and would NOT be good for us. The people who voted for Trump, and the Republicans that remain silent, have not demonstrated the will, courage, or compassion that it takes to "get over their anger and to re-organize their priorities to put ethics above their own self interest", whether that self interest is a new tax structure, new health insurance mandates, preference for U.S. Steel,....
Next, the media also needs to draw attention to the fact that hate is infusing itself into our culture in more ways than just white supremacist movements. For example, the Alliance Defending Freedom "non-profit" has a legal training program and a $41 MILLION bank for their participating lawyers to draw from to pursue ANY legal action that works to "reform" our country's legal system so that it criminalizes homosexuality and makes the civil and family legal systems inaccessible to gays, lesbians, and same sex families. Right now, our legal systems--and many of our LGBT colleagues, neighbors, family, etc,, are being bombarded with onerous, yet frivolous/dilatory, legal actions that are designed to financially bankrupt the LGBT individual, at a minimum, and to establish a trail of legal precedents chipping away at the LGBT individual's right to seek protection or redress via our country's legal systems.
That press commentators have talked prolifically about the Southern Poverty Law Center's tracking of these hate groups since Saturday's tragic events without also revealing, in an impactful way, the more insidious hate-groups, like ADF, is a serious failure on the media's part. This is because while we are ruminating on the overtly violent hate groups disguised in polos and khakis, we are letting the ones in business suits sneak in the back door to our culture and its values.
Last, I would also like to know, with great certainty, whether Russian bots might also be feeding/trolling white supremacist internet sites in order to help Trump get 63 Million voters and to continue to influence is thought process while in office.
@ 8 2017
While I have adopted the rule of changing the station to avoid listening to Trump speak (his -loquy is too reminiscent of my own mother's failures), I got caught in yesterday's chaos. Infrastructure is our meat, so I was a little slow to change the channel, and then he started calling consultants rich and the root of the problem in infrastructure project/permitting delays. So my fingers were texting my boss about that--who is a transportation facility project consultant, instead of pressing the buttons on the remote. And then it just happened...
As he paused to end his infrastructure speech, the press shouted questions at him, and, after having just heard his own voice--with all the authority and power of the world, booming off the walls of his home turf, the real Trump emerged. In an instant he was transformed, and it was palpable to even television viewers, You could see his anger and ego take physical control of the man even before he took the first question. It was impossible to look away. Indeed, the fight or flight instinct made it impossible to turn away--you feared for yourself, for him, for his staff, for the rest of us. And then he did it, he normalized organized hate, and, in all likelihood (hopefully), converted the countdown to the end of his presidency from years to weeks.
Even FOX called it for the tragedy it was, it was that bad.
So let's talk about some events in the speech that have yet to be discussed.
First, delayed permitting in infrastructure is NOT the problem with our country's infrastructure. Projects have become incredibly technologically advanced, as well as expansive, which means the impact on human safety and quality of life necessitates a thorough design/review and permitting process. Additionally, these projects are inextricable public resources, which means that control of them by persons accountable to the public is essential in this democratic representational government. Further, because the public's money is used to finance infrastructure projects, there is a requirement that the best and brightest talent at the most economically competitive level be employed at specific levels of the process, rather than having one government official or team of public servants half-ass their way through incredibly complex and advanced technologies. Consultants, contracted through competitive bid process, are integral to providing the best infrastructure projects possible to the people of this nation. Consultants on these projects are usually licensed professionals in technical fields. So, what the fuck is he talking about when he says that he his going to remove consultants from the process in order to speed up the permitting process?
Second, is no one also offended by his comment that linked "bringing factories back to the U.S. will be the best thing to improve race relations in this country?" That's a paraphrase, but its pretty close. Ironically, while the press is completely focused on analyzing the racism behind his "moral equivalency"-type comments, probably the most direct evidence of his own racist tendencies is evidenced by this specific comment. To say, in a generalizing way, that minorities will benefit from what will largely be manufacturing jobs is mind-blowingly offensive--and factually fragile, in so many ways.
Third, his comments, as he was walking away from the podium and, sort of, past the press, about owning property in Charlottesville, VA, reflect a mind/personality that has no capacity for thinking outside of his own self.
Fourth, I know why/how Trump can have Jewish family AND call Nazi's "good people". This is where my mother comes in. My brother is a racist, bullying, drug-dealing thug and thief. My sister is a "Christian" homophobe who, when I introduced my family to my first girlfriend, told me her kids were going to be raised in a "Christian" household in which gay would not be allowed. I, on the other hand, put myself through law school--for the challenge, and pride my self on living with integrity and compassion and modeling those traits for others.
Yet, in my family, over and over, I hear the matriarch justify, excuse, enable, and embolden my sister's hate and my brother's criminal behavior--behavior that is too often targeted directly at me. So, in my mother's household, the cognitive dissonance created by her children's conflicting behavior was accommodated by this same kind of normalization of incredibly bad behavior that we heard from Trump yesterday. He has at least one child--a son, that proudly and publicly expresses the same vulgar traits of white supremacists. That son is obsessed with fire power and with killing other beings, and is so morally and ethically vacuous as to agree to take a public office by colluding with the devil -- the Russian government. And, then, there is Trump's Jewish daughter and grandchildren. It is highly likely that, at least at many family dinners/events, the conflict between the two children has had to be "negotiated" by the patriarch, probably with him saying, "Look, both sides brought something to this conflict, so there is blame on both sides, figure it out and move on."
Instead of performing the emotionally difficult task of calling out his son on his bad conduct, he "normalizes" it by alleging a moral equivalency, much like my mother has done for years now.
Now, I want to speak to the several commentators who have discussed the fact that too many voters and Republicans have given too high a priority to any one specific "monetary" based "promise" made by Trump and that they voted out of anger, and so they must get over their anger and re-organize their priorities.
That will never happen.
I have been saying to others for months now that the reason why we have Trump is just because too many voters were too selfish to vote compassionately. I tell them that I sacrificed my vote out of concern for my neighbors and the other people of this country because, while I wanted to vote for Sanders, I knew that vote risked putting an incredibly intellectually underperforming, toxically vulgar, and patently self-serving revengeful person in the president's office would NOT bring change and would NOT be good for us. The people who voted for Trump, and the Republicans that remain silent, have not demonstrated the will, courage, or compassion that it takes to "get over their anger and to re-organize their priorities to put ethics above their own self interest", whether that self interest is a new tax structure, new health insurance mandates, preference for U.S. Steel,....
Next, the media also needs to draw attention to the fact that hate is infusing itself into our culture in more ways than just white supremacist movements. For example, the Alliance Defending Freedom "non-profit" has a legal training program and a $41 MILLION bank for their participating lawyers to draw from to pursue ANY legal action that works to "reform" our country's legal system so that it criminalizes homosexuality and makes the civil and family legal systems inaccessible to gays, lesbians, and same sex families. Right now, our legal systems--and many of our LGBT colleagues, neighbors, family, etc,, are being bombarded with onerous, yet frivolous/dilatory, legal actions that are designed to financially bankrupt the LGBT individual, at a minimum, and to establish a trail of legal precedents chipping away at the LGBT individual's right to seek protection or redress via our country's legal systems.
That press commentators have talked prolifically about the Southern Poverty Law Center's tracking of these hate groups since Saturday's tragic events without also revealing, in an impactful way, the more insidious hate-groups, like ADF, is a serious failure on the media's part. This is because while we are ruminating on the overtly violent hate groups disguised in polos and khakis, we are letting the ones in business suits sneak in the back door to our culture and its values.
Last, I would also like to know, with great certainty, whether Russian bots might also be feeding/trolling white supremacist internet sites in order to help Trump get 63 Million voters and to continue to influence is thought process while in office.
@ 8 2017
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Clubs and Groups
THE FAMILY
San Francisco, CA, 1400 Portola Road, Woodside
Founded by journalist booted from or in protest of the Bohemian Club around 1901 when the latter club banned Hearst newspapers from the premises.
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
TRILATERAL COMMISSION
VALDAI INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSION CLUB
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
San Francisco, CA, 1400 Portola Road, Woodside
Founded by journalist booted from or in protest of the Bohemian Club around 1901 when the latter club banned Hearst newspapers from the premises.
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
TRILATERAL COMMISSION
VALDAI INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSION CLUB
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
"Super-Elite" and 2 Americas: Vacation Spots
AMERICA
West Palm Beach, FL
Trump, Tiger Woods, Mark Zuckerberg,
Philipsburg, MT
Weddings: Scarlett Johansson, Kate Bosworth
Ranch at Rock Creek
Aspen, Colorado
Kauai Hawaii
Jennifer Aniston, Katy Perry
St. Regis Princeville
Nantucket, MA
Hamptons, NY
Big Sur, CA
Newport, RI
Napa Valley, CA
Jackson Hole, WY
GLOBAL
Mustique
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Caribbean
British Royal Family
Lake Como
Italy
Coco Prive, Kuda Hithi
Maldives
St. Barts
French West Indies
Necker
British Virgin Islands
Must get invite from owner Richard Branson for yearly two week window opportunity
Musha Cay, Out Islands, Exumas
Bahamas
Owner: David Copperfield
Laucala Island
Fiji
Owner: Red Bull CEO
Seychelles
North Island
St. Tropez
French Riviera
Super yachts
Los Cabos
Mexico
One &Only Palmilla Retreat
Kenya
Africa
Alfajiri Villas
Cottar's 1920s Camp
Cottar's Homestead
FRANCE
Courchevel
Cheval Blanc hotel
Le Miroir
Chalet Pelerin
YACHTS
Nirvana
West Palm Beach, FL
Trump, Tiger Woods, Mark Zuckerberg,
Philipsburg, MT
Weddings: Scarlett Johansson, Kate Bosworth
Ranch at Rock Creek
Aspen, Colorado
Kauai Hawaii
Jennifer Aniston, Katy Perry
St. Regis Princeville
Nantucket, MA
Hamptons, NY
Big Sur, CA
Newport, RI
Napa Valley, CA
Jackson Hole, WY
GLOBAL
Mustique
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Caribbean
British Royal Family
Lake Como
Italy
Coco Prive, Kuda Hithi
Maldives
St. Barts
French West Indies
Necker
British Virgin Islands
Must get invite from owner Richard Branson for yearly two week window opportunity
Musha Cay, Out Islands, Exumas
Bahamas
Owner: David Copperfield
Laucala Island
Fiji
Owner: Red Bull CEO
Seychelles
North Island
St. Tropez
French Riviera
Super yachts
Los Cabos
Mexico
One &Only Palmilla Retreat
Kenya
Africa
Alfajiri Villas
Cottar's 1920s Camp
Cottar's Homestead
FRANCE
Courchevel
Cheval Blanc hotel
Le Miroir
Chalet Pelerin
YACHTS
Nirvana
"Super-Elite" and 2 Americas: Conference Circuit
At least one thing the invention of the internet has done is make us all more aware of the existence of a completely different world that is happening out there, out of our sight, and, intentionally, out of our access and certainly out of our control. The issue is that many decisions that affect us are originated and progress at these events.
On a daily basis, America's super-rich are having cappuccinos in Martha's Vineyard or in Silicon Valley, attending high-powered dinner parties in Manhattan, and more importantly, spending less connected time with America and more time in a global "nation unto themselves". 1 In contrast to what they share with their neighbors, the "see the same people, ...eat in the same restaurants, and ...stay in the same hotels." says Glenn Hutchins, co-founder, Silver Lake.
But the more important commonality that all these plutocrats share is that without us, there would be no super-elite, no super-rich. There would be no consumer-class, no middle-class, no in-debted class, no mass of millions, hundreds of millions that are content to be there to see their children take their first step and to haul them around to practices, content to personally care for their aging or ill loved one, or content to constantly owe on a mortgage or a credit card or a student loan and to only leave the country when they go on an annual family vacation or a honeymoon, maybe. We are not the less talented lower class. We are their foundation, their primacy.
We are literally what adds the richness to their jet-setting, mega yachting, Davos life.
So let's get a better glimpse of our deliverables.
Here are some "annual" events:
BLIDERBERG
Founded in 1954 by Prince Berhnard (Netherlands).
Website: http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/
Date: Usually the first or second weekend in June
Locations:
2017 -- Chantilly, VA USA
2016 -- Dresden, Germany
2015 -- Telfs-Buchen, Austria
2014 -- Copenhagen, Denmark
2013 -- Hertfordshire, England (Watford)
2012 -- Chantilly, VA, USA (May 31 -June 3)
2011 -- St. Moritz, Switzerland
2010 -- Sitges, Spain (June 3-6)
Annual conference to foster dialogue--and dialogue only, between North America's and Europe's political leaders and experts from politics, industry, finance, academia, and media--as long as attendee promises not to disclose details (aka Chatham House Rule--free to use content but not reveal source).
ALLEN & CO'S SUN VALLEY MEDIA RETREAT
Founded in 1982 by banker Herbert Allen
Date: July (second weekend)
Sun Valley, Idaho
Hosted by boutique investment bank Allen and Co.as a retreat for media moguls, with the focus on deal-making and recreation.
Attendees inclue Barry Diller (IAC), Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google), Meg Whitman (eBay), Lebron James, and, under criticism, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2017.
THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
Founded in 1971 by
Location: Davos, Switzerland
THE BOAO FORUM FOR ASIA
Founded:
Date: Spring
Location: Hainan Island, China
JACKSON HOLE SYMPOSIUM
Founded in 1978 by Fed. Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Date: August
Location: Jackson Hole, WY, (Rocky Mountains)
Focuses on specific economic issue each year, and attended by central bankers, finance ministers, and high-profile economists, and some CEOs.
ASPEN IDEAS FESTIVAL
Founded in 2005 by Aspen Institute (Walter Paepcke)
Date: July
Location: Aspen, CO
A place where global leaders, thinkers, artists, and musicians gather and reflect on values.
Attendees: Walter Isaacsson (CNN), Sec. of State Madeleine Albright, John Doerr (venture capitalist), Michael Eisner (Disney), Alan Greenspan, Eli Broad (philanthropist), Eric Schmidt (Google)
CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE ANNUAL MEETING
Founded in 2005 by President Bill Clinton
Date: Sept.
Location: NYC
To address global problems with statesment, philanthropists, plutocrats, and Nobel Prize winners.
Attendees: Lloyd Blanfein (Goldman Sachs), John Chambers, Cisco Systems), James Dimon (JP Morgan), Jeffrey Immelt (GE)
POPTECH
Founded in 1996 by Bob MetCalfe (invented Ethernet) and John Sculley (Apple)
Location: Camden, Maine
Davos for cool people--to study the social impact of new technologies and more.
BOHEMIAN CLUB
Founded in 1878 by Henry "harry" Edwards when around 100 Bohemians gathered in the Redwoods in Marin County near Taylor State Park for an evening sendoff party for Edwards, who was moving to NYC to further his acting career.
Website:
Date: June for "Spring Jinks" and mid-July for encampment
Location: 20601 Bohemian Avenue, Monte Rio, CA at a 2700 acre campground
Two-week, three weekend encampment of some of the world's most prominent men, including artists,(musicians), politicians, business leaders, media executives. Club is limitedly open to spouses, women, children and can be reserved throughout the reset of the year as long as the Club is not being used otherwise.
Ray F. Coyle a member. Ray F. Coyle Company was a tenant in the Foxcroft Building, named after the settlement in Maine where owner Charles Edward Holmes' family was from.
BELIZEAN GROVE
Women's only club in NYC modeled after the Bohemian Grove
THE MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE
Founded in 1998 by the Milken Institute (Michael and Lowell Milken)
Date: April
Location: Los Angeles
Bring capital-market principles to bear on social and economic challenges.
Attendees: Sumner Redstone (Viacom), Vinod Khosla (venture capitalist), Steve Forbes, Arnold Schwarznegger.
THE TED CONFERENCE
Founded in 1984 by Richard Saul Wurman and Harry Marks
Date: Feb. or March
Location: Long Beach, CA
To spread ideas among different disciplines
Bill Gates, Al Gore, Rupert Murdoch
CORPORATION HOSTED:
GOOGLE'S ZEITGEIST
Location:
Grove Hotel, England
WALL STREET JOURNAL
Date: varies, December
HOSTED DINNER PARTIES
HOST MARIE_JOSEE KRAVIS
Location: Manhattan, Upper East Side
Economist wife of private-equity billionaire Henry.
PHILANTHROPOCENTRIC
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION (Soros)
PETER PETERSON
BILL GATES
MARK ZUCKERBERG
ELI BROAD
JIM BALSILLIE
BILL CLINTON
VICTOR PINCHUK (Ukranian entrepreneur)
hosts a regular lunch on the fringes of Davos
Annual ideas forum in Crimean village (Yalta Conference)
Theeliteevents.com
Secret rulers of the world
Secret Honor (Robert altman)
The Manny
1. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/01/the-rise-of-the-new-global-elite/308343/
On a daily basis, America's super-rich are having cappuccinos in Martha's Vineyard or in Silicon Valley, attending high-powered dinner parties in Manhattan, and more importantly, spending less connected time with America and more time in a global "nation unto themselves". 1 In contrast to what they share with their neighbors, the "see the same people, ...eat in the same restaurants, and ...stay in the same hotels." says Glenn Hutchins, co-founder, Silver Lake.
But the more important commonality that all these plutocrats share is that without us, there would be no super-elite, no super-rich. There would be no consumer-class, no middle-class, no in-debted class, no mass of millions, hundreds of millions that are content to be there to see their children take their first step and to haul them around to practices, content to personally care for their aging or ill loved one, or content to constantly owe on a mortgage or a credit card or a student loan and to only leave the country when they go on an annual family vacation or a honeymoon, maybe. We are not the less talented lower class. We are their foundation, their primacy.
We are literally what adds the richness to their jet-setting, mega yachting, Davos life.
So let's get a better glimpse of our deliverables.
Here are some "annual" events:
BLIDERBERG
Founded in 1954 by Prince Berhnard (Netherlands).
Website: http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/
Date: Usually the first or second weekend in June
Locations:
2017 -- Chantilly, VA USA
2016 -- Dresden, Germany
2015 -- Telfs-Buchen, Austria
2014 -- Copenhagen, Denmark
2013 -- Hertfordshire, England (Watford)
2012 -- Chantilly, VA, USA (May 31 -June 3)
2011 -- St. Moritz, Switzerland
2010 -- Sitges, Spain (June 3-6)
Annual conference to foster dialogue--and dialogue only, between North America's and Europe's political leaders and experts from politics, industry, finance, academia, and media--as long as attendee promises not to disclose details (aka Chatham House Rule--free to use content but not reveal source).
ALLEN & CO'S SUN VALLEY MEDIA RETREAT
Founded in 1982 by banker Herbert Allen
Date: July (second weekend)
Sun Valley, Idaho
Hosted by boutique investment bank Allen and Co.as a retreat for media moguls, with the focus on deal-making and recreation.
Attendees inclue Barry Diller (IAC), Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google), Meg Whitman (eBay), Lebron James, and, under criticism, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2017.
THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
Founded in 1971 by
Location: Davos, Switzerland
THE BOAO FORUM FOR ASIA
Founded:
Date: Spring
Location: Hainan Island, China
JACKSON HOLE SYMPOSIUM
Founded in 1978 by Fed. Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Date: August
Location: Jackson Hole, WY, (Rocky Mountains)
Focuses on specific economic issue each year, and attended by central bankers, finance ministers, and high-profile economists, and some CEOs.
ASPEN IDEAS FESTIVAL
Founded in 2005 by Aspen Institute (Walter Paepcke)
Date: July
Location: Aspen, CO
A place where global leaders, thinkers, artists, and musicians gather and reflect on values.
Attendees: Walter Isaacsson (CNN), Sec. of State Madeleine Albright, John Doerr (venture capitalist), Michael Eisner (Disney), Alan Greenspan, Eli Broad (philanthropist), Eric Schmidt (Google)
CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE ANNUAL MEETING
Founded in 2005 by President Bill Clinton
Date: Sept.
Location: NYC
To address global problems with statesment, philanthropists, plutocrats, and Nobel Prize winners.
Attendees: Lloyd Blanfein (Goldman Sachs), John Chambers, Cisco Systems), James Dimon (JP Morgan), Jeffrey Immelt (GE)
POPTECH
Founded in 1996 by Bob MetCalfe (invented Ethernet) and John Sculley (Apple)
Location: Camden, Maine
Davos for cool people--to study the social impact of new technologies and more.
BOHEMIAN CLUB
Founded in 1878 by Henry "harry" Edwards when around 100 Bohemians gathered in the Redwoods in Marin County near Taylor State Park for an evening sendoff party for Edwards, who was moving to NYC to further his acting career.
Website:
Date: June for "Spring Jinks" and mid-July for encampment
Location: 20601 Bohemian Avenue, Monte Rio, CA at a 2700 acre campground
Two-week, three weekend encampment of some of the world's most prominent men, including artists,(musicians), politicians, business leaders, media executives. Club is limitedly open to spouses, women, children and can be reserved throughout the reset of the year as long as the Club is not being used otherwise.
Ray F. Coyle a member. Ray F. Coyle Company was a tenant in the Foxcroft Building, named after the settlement in Maine where owner Charles Edward Holmes' family was from.
BELIZEAN GROVE
Women's only club in NYC modeled after the Bohemian Grove
THE MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE
Founded in 1998 by the Milken Institute (Michael and Lowell Milken)
Date: April
Location: Los Angeles
Bring capital-market principles to bear on social and economic challenges.
Attendees: Sumner Redstone (Viacom), Vinod Khosla (venture capitalist), Steve Forbes, Arnold Schwarznegger.
THE TED CONFERENCE
Founded in 1984 by Richard Saul Wurman and Harry Marks
Date: Feb. or March
Location: Long Beach, CA
To spread ideas among different disciplines
Bill Gates, Al Gore, Rupert Murdoch
CORPORATION HOSTED:
GOOGLE'S ZEITGEIST
Location:
Grove Hotel, England
WALL STREET JOURNAL
Date: varies, December
HOSTED DINNER PARTIES
HOST MARIE_JOSEE KRAVIS
Location: Manhattan, Upper East Side
Economist wife of private-equity billionaire Henry.
PHILANTHROPOCENTRIC
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION (Soros)
PETER PETERSON
BILL GATES
MARK ZUCKERBERG
ELI BROAD
JIM BALSILLIE
BILL CLINTON
VICTOR PINCHUK (Ukranian entrepreneur)
hosts a regular lunch on the fringes of Davos
Annual ideas forum in Crimean village (Yalta Conference)
Theeliteevents.com
Secret rulers of the world
Secret Honor (Robert altman)
The Manny
1. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/01/the-rise-of-the-new-global-elite/308343/
The Base in American Politics @ 7 13 2017
I know significant personalities that comprise the Trump Base--it's made of my brother, my sister-in-law, unjust legal practitioners, and my neighbors.
American politicians and parties must acknowledge that these people will always vote against sanity, compassion, and idealism simply because they can. They consider it sport to sacrifice their own children to the destructive vanity and whimsy of the bigots, hypocrites, and thugs--a "blood sport" that they will cling to until the day that they pass from this world. There is no educating them, no debating with them, and no developing them into Maslow-mature human beings.
"The Base" portion of the voting public will always exist in this modern era, and so any party or person with machinations to participate in politics must factor its existence in to their agendas and practices, building a defense. Short of that, The Base will consume your identity, daily routine, your priorities, and progress. Don't believe me? How has that first 6 months of a Trump presidency gone?
@ 7 13 2017
American politicians and parties must acknowledge that these people will always vote against sanity, compassion, and idealism simply because they can. They consider it sport to sacrifice their own children to the destructive vanity and whimsy of the bigots, hypocrites, and thugs--a "blood sport" that they will cling to until the day that they pass from this world. There is no educating them, no debating with them, and no developing them into Maslow-mature human beings.
"The Base" portion of the voting public will always exist in this modern era, and so any party or person with machinations to participate in politics must factor its existence in to their agendas and practices, building a defense. Short of that, The Base will consume your identity, daily routine, your priorities, and progress. Don't believe me? How has that first 6 months of a Trump presidency gone?
@ 7 13 2017
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Forget about private servers
The Trump senior staff have private email accounts.
That is rich.
Source: Nina Burleigh, Trump White House Senior Staff Have Private RNC Email Accounts, NEWSWEEK, Jan. 25, 2017, http://www.newsweek.com/trump-emails-rnc-reince-priebus-white-house-server-548191
That is rich.
Source: Nina Burleigh, Trump White House Senior Staff Have Private RNC Email Accounts, NEWSWEEK, Jan. 25, 2017, http://www.newsweek.com/trump-emails-rnc-reince-priebus-white-house-server-548191
The sexism of defining a woman by a negative life event @ 7 2017
Increasingly, as we witness confirmation hearing questioning, federal campaigns involving female candidates, and local politics unfolding wielding local law enforcement as weapons, an apparent "sophisticated sexism" is entrenching itself into daily discourse. That is, we see relatively high profile women repeatedly and casually defined by one exploitable negative event occurring in her life, while the men enjoy the insulating effect of being defined by the entire context of his life.
We need to turn the this around, and start calling it out, first, and, second, using the technique against the perpetrator.
@ 7 12 2017
We need to turn the this around, and start calling it out, first, and, second, using the technique against the perpetrator.
@ 7 12 2017
Pundits missing Trump Jr., Manafort, and Kushner were blackmailable since June, 2016
We heard Yates testify that she warned the Trump White House on January 26th, 2017, that their National Security Director, Michael Flynn, was blackmailable by the Russians since his misleading the WH and the nation on his discussions of sanctions in his transition phone call with Russia leadership. The short of it was that Flynn, in December, had a phone conversation with a Russian diplomat in which U.S. sanctions against Russia were discussed and subsequent to that conversation, Flynn represented sanctions were NOT discussed. At all times when he made these false representations, the Russians knew that his misrepresentations were false. This makes/made Flynn blackmailable---leverageable, by the Russians.
Over the last three days, we learned, via Trump Jr himself, that he, Manafort, and Kushner held a meeting in June, 2016, with a Russian lawyer that he held because he believed the lawyer was with the Russian government and was going to give them opposition research on their opposing candidate, who is a United States citizen.
Trump and numerous of his representatives have repeatedly asserted that the Trump campaign had NO collusion with Russia in interfering with the 2016 Presidential election campaign. At all times when each of these representations were made, Russia and the Trump campaign knew that the campaign had taken the bait of the June meeting. This is the situational equivalent of Flynn's exposure, making Trump Jr. and Kushner, especially--because they have been "retained" by the President through the transition and had to submit sworn security clearance applications accounting for interactions with foreign entities, especially with Russians.
On their applications, both men blanketly omitted all of there interactions with Russians, including the June meeting which they unequivocally intended to be a meeting with a Russian government representative to obtain secret information about a U.S. citizen and presidential candidate. The applications very clearly warn that they can be prosecuted for felonies for failing to fully answer the prompts on the application. Thus, the Russians also knew, since June, that either men had substantive exposure and risk of criminal prosecution if, for example, that June meeting was exposed.
Thus, just as with Flynn, we--the citizens of the United States, should expect that the intelligence community and the U.S. Attorney General acknowledge the risk of having these two men having, inter alia, security clearances, having access to national secrets, having the ability to injure our nation (or the ability to have already injured our nation), and the risk inherent with not be able to trust that either man is putting the nation before his own interests, especially their interest in self-preservation.
Both men are blackmailable just as Flynn was blackmailable by the Russians and are clear risks that should be removed from their positions and access, however informal, in as complete a fashion as can be accomplished, immediately--not two weeks later.
@ 7 12 2017
Over the last three days, we learned, via Trump Jr himself, that he, Manafort, and Kushner held a meeting in June, 2016, with a Russian lawyer that he held because he believed the lawyer was with the Russian government and was going to give them opposition research on their opposing candidate, who is a United States citizen.
Trump and numerous of his representatives have repeatedly asserted that the Trump campaign had NO collusion with Russia in interfering with the 2016 Presidential election campaign. At all times when each of these representations were made, Russia and the Trump campaign knew that the campaign had taken the bait of the June meeting. This is the situational equivalent of Flynn's exposure, making Trump Jr. and Kushner, especially--because they have been "retained" by the President through the transition and had to submit sworn security clearance applications accounting for interactions with foreign entities, especially with Russians.
On their applications, both men blanketly omitted all of there interactions with Russians, including the June meeting which they unequivocally intended to be a meeting with a Russian government representative to obtain secret information about a U.S. citizen and presidential candidate. The applications very clearly warn that they can be prosecuted for felonies for failing to fully answer the prompts on the application. Thus, the Russians also knew, since June, that either men had substantive exposure and risk of criminal prosecution if, for example, that June meeting was exposed.
Thus, just as with Flynn, we--the citizens of the United States, should expect that the intelligence community and the U.S. Attorney General acknowledge the risk of having these two men having, inter alia, security clearances, having access to national secrets, having the ability to injure our nation (or the ability to have already injured our nation), and the risk inherent with not be able to trust that either man is putting the nation before his own interests, especially their interest in self-preservation.
Both men are blackmailable just as Flynn was blackmailable by the Russians and are clear risks that should be removed from their positions and access, however informal, in as complete a fashion as can be accomplished, immediately--not two weeks later.
@ 7 12 2017
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
When Believers control a Representational Government
the nation gets a non-independent thinking malignant narcissist as the leader of the free world.
It would be one thing if the Believer personality type was the large majority of the voting demographic and was not subject to great manipulations in rational or logical thought. Its quite a tragic other thing when the defining characteristic of that personality type is that the person so utterly fails to think critically that he/she is extremely vulnerable to, well, thought manipulation...even by the enemy when it comes to exercising her/his voting right.
A decade or so ago, this nation started showing mass signs of anxiety and dissatisfaction. Mean-ness and corruption affected every level and every facet of daily life, which lead this author to believe that maybe our form of government had reached its utilitarian--and just, peak. This was wrong. The 2016 presidential election demonstrated that this form of representational government had crested in its success at democracy and that serious, elemental reformation is in order.
The irony is that the winning candidate, who ran as a political outsider that would drain the swamp--i.e. take the corruption and politics out of government, is the epitome of "purchase politics"...that with enough money, you can buy the most power governmental office in the world. Its not just that he had an assist from an "enemy" foreign power. Its that he bought his assists--all of them.
It would be one thing if the Believer personality type was the large majority of the voting demographic and was not subject to great manipulations in rational or logical thought. Its quite a tragic other thing when the defining characteristic of that personality type is that the person so utterly fails to think critically that he/she is extremely vulnerable to, well, thought manipulation...even by the enemy when it comes to exercising her/his voting right.
A decade or so ago, this nation started showing mass signs of anxiety and dissatisfaction. Mean-ness and corruption affected every level and every facet of daily life, which lead this author to believe that maybe our form of government had reached its utilitarian--and just, peak. This was wrong. The 2016 presidential election demonstrated that this form of representational government had crested in its success at democracy and that serious, elemental reformation is in order.
The irony is that the winning candidate, who ran as a political outsider that would drain the swamp--i.e. take the corruption and politics out of government, is the epitome of "purchase politics"...that with enough money, you can buy the most power governmental office in the world. Its not just that he had an assist from an "enemy" foreign power. Its that he bought his assists--all of them.
Lost at Sea Latitude for Ted Cruz @ 7 2017
For a time, I was privileged to enjoy a mariner's introduction to the seafaring profession aboard a converted cruise ship originally intended for Korean war troop transport. In addition to be blessed with a sailor's mouth through that experience, I also experienced rapid and intense onset of sea-sickness. So, I learned of the "marking" of my "death" at sea by recording the longitude and latitude of the onset of my illness.
Today, at about 10 a.m., Ted Cruz went on live television and stated that no Texas citizen is concerned about or expressed concern to him about, Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election. Thus, let the onset of his illness be made permanent.
Well before his bloviating ceased being given a televised outlet, I called three of his state offices--all were giving off busy signals. So, I called his D.C. office and left him a message: I certainly have been expressing deep concern about the fact that my, and his other constituents', Constitutional right to participate in choosing the president of our representational democracy, was violated by a foreign entity, namely Russia.
Later this afternoon, I emailed this message via his website:
Category: Crime
Today, at about 10 a.m., Ted Cruz went on live television and stated that no Texas citizen is concerned about or expressed concern to him about, Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election. Thus, let the onset of his illness be made permanent.
Well before his bloviating ceased being given a televised outlet, I called three of his state offices--all were giving off busy signals. So, I called his D.C. office and left him a message: I certainly have been expressing deep concern about the fact that my, and his other constituents', Constitutional right to participate in choosing the president of our representational democracy, was violated by a foreign entity, namely Russia.
Later this afternoon, I emailed this message via his website:
Category: Crime
Subject: We ARE talking about Russia
Text: Russia interfered with my and other of your constituents' right to choose their president, with mine and their right to vote. You betcha your constituents are talking about Russia, and you betcha we are talking about you NOT caring about Russia screwing with our exercise of our voting right. We just know its no use talking to you about it--that should be a sign to you...if what you said is really true (that no one has indicated a concern to you about Russia), then you should analyze that. The Sec. of State has publicly stated to Putin that "Americans are concerned about the Russia "thing"", and you think that you can gain political leverage or authority by saying Texas citizens are not a part of the concerned "american public." No one believes that statement of yours. That's just bad strategy on your part, if not an outright lie spewed at the expense of your constituents and their right to choose a president by exercising their constitutionally provided right to vote. And, please, do NOT share my address with any other entity that will send me boatloads of mail -- mail from your political allies and nonprofits. Its harassing--the volume and content of it.
Mind you, I know that it was Trump who allegedly told Putin that it was the American public that was concerned. And, historically, I have asked Cruz to vote a certain way on this or that legislation, and in doing so, I learned the hard way that he "sells" my contact information to his "non-profit" uber-conservative political support groups and they then send my volumes of utter spewing ranting. But lets not get distracted: Our right to participate in choosing our President was violated and Republicans like Trump and Cruz do NOT care and will do nothing to remediate that. This also means that Cruz is aiding and abetting a theft of the highest order.
@ 7 2017
Requiring truthful campaign rhetoric may stop enabling the Thief-in-Chief and Russia @ 7 2017
Look, I am not going to say that I have any sort of preference for any current political party or political bent. Really, just to make people think about the inherently fatal flaws in such labels or categorizations, I have repeatedly said that "If anything, I lean conservative solely because I don't want anyone fucking with my right to be a liberal." That pretty much stops the dialogue, if there even was one to begin with. So, I want all political leaders to hear this...but especially the republican members:
Russia fucked with my constitutional right to cast a vote for the leader of the executive branch of my representational government.
They fucked with all of ours' right.
And the GOP, as I heard Tx Senator Ted Cruz and Donald Trump Jr. say today, is entrenching themselves into this treasonous travesty as if its a partisan concern. Its clearly not a partisan concern. Its a constitutional concern of a "free and democratic" society ...and it abuses all citizens. I only hope that the persons involved with enabling the Thief-in-Chief and Russia to have control over my right to participate in the election pay for that and lose public office ....and go to jail.
Trump and his minions have been calling the inquiries into Russia's meddling as "fake news" and yet almost nothing out of their mouths have demonstrated that they are credible. So, when Trump's lawyer says he wasn't at the June meeting with the Russian lawyer allegedly handing over opposition dirt, it doesn't mean that he wasn't listening in on the conversation, possibly via his own taping system in his own hotel (which he admitted he operates) or via a phone of one of the other attendees (his own campaign officers Manafort and Kushner and his son Donald Jr.) and even texting real time prompts to one of those three.
And no one is buying the GOP default "justification" of "we have to do X, Y, and Z because its what we promised to do." No, GOP politicians will pay for their actions at the polls because of their enabling of an idiot, a traitor, and a thief who stole our constitutional right to elect our president. They will pay for their actions because they enabled Russia to maintain leverage over our executive branch and white house administration. They will pay for their actions because they enabled an idiot, a traitor, and a thief to trade our country's authority and position in the Western world for the ability to improperly manipulate the voting public and abuse an opposing candidate. GOP officials are not going to pay for their actions because they didn't repeal and replace the affordable care act--no voter supporting a GOP candidate made the candidate sign a contract requiring performance of that-or any other, specific act before throwing their vote to the GOP candidate. We all know it just didn't and doesn't work that way.
Which brings me to something that I have been pondering for a year or so now:
That we may need to change our society's three honesty exclusions (well, there are really four).
We are not a society based on the concept of truthfulness. We allow some of the most powerful positions and the most important processes to be infiltrated with dishonesty, and this allowance has brought is to the brink of collapse in terms of our identity with our national values.
We allow, without repercussion or liability:
1. Police officers to lie;
2. Lies to be told in legal proceedings;
3. Political candidates to lie about opposing candidates; and we allow
4. Children to lie.
In terms of this discussion, it is time that we revisit, as a nation, allowing political candidates to publish un-truths, alternative facts, or out-right fictions against opposing candidates. This last presidential campaign has demonstrated the burden of technology, which is the profound and in-correctable impact of the internet -- the broad, prolific, and immediate reach of false stories that create lasting and irreversible persuasion in the neurology of human minds. We certainly can't ensure that the audience of a false story is going to read, to read and understand, or to read, understand, and conclude a corrected impression of any subsequent retraction, correction, or rebuttal. So, let's just not let lies out there.
Besides, we are too busy to be buried with campaign effluva. So, let's make campaign rhetoric "count" and more efficient by making candidates liable for there dishonesty. We don't have to make the threshold so sensitive that campaigns become litigation generators. We just have to make the threshold weed out claims that have no positive and hard FACTUAL support, and to clearly include wildly obvious warnings when a candidate's or political group's statements about another candidate are not supported by more than a specious indicia of hard facts.
@ 7 2017
Russia fucked with my constitutional right to cast a vote for the leader of the executive branch of my representational government.
They fucked with all of ours' right.
And the GOP, as I heard Tx Senator Ted Cruz and Donald Trump Jr. say today, is entrenching themselves into this treasonous travesty as if its a partisan concern. Its clearly not a partisan concern. Its a constitutional concern of a "free and democratic" society ...and it abuses all citizens. I only hope that the persons involved with enabling the Thief-in-Chief and Russia to have control over my right to participate in the election pay for that and lose public office ....and go to jail.
Trump and his minions have been calling the inquiries into Russia's meddling as "fake news" and yet almost nothing out of their mouths have demonstrated that they are credible. So, when Trump's lawyer says he wasn't at the June meeting with the Russian lawyer allegedly handing over opposition dirt, it doesn't mean that he wasn't listening in on the conversation, possibly via his own taping system in his own hotel (which he admitted he operates) or via a phone of one of the other attendees (his own campaign officers Manafort and Kushner and his son Donald Jr.) and even texting real time prompts to one of those three.
And no one is buying the GOP default "justification" of "we have to do X, Y, and Z because its what we promised to do." No, GOP politicians will pay for their actions at the polls because of their enabling of an idiot, a traitor, and a thief who stole our constitutional right to elect our president. They will pay for their actions because they enabled Russia to maintain leverage over our executive branch and white house administration. They will pay for their actions because they enabled an idiot, a traitor, and a thief to trade our country's authority and position in the Western world for the ability to improperly manipulate the voting public and abuse an opposing candidate. GOP officials are not going to pay for their actions because they didn't repeal and replace the affordable care act--no voter supporting a GOP candidate made the candidate sign a contract requiring performance of that-or any other, specific act before throwing their vote to the GOP candidate. We all know it just didn't and doesn't work that way.
Which brings me to something that I have been pondering for a year or so now:
That we may need to change our society's three honesty exclusions (well, there are really four).
We are not a society based on the concept of truthfulness. We allow some of the most powerful positions and the most important processes to be infiltrated with dishonesty, and this allowance has brought is to the brink of collapse in terms of our identity with our national values.
We allow, without repercussion or liability:
1. Police officers to lie;
2. Lies to be told in legal proceedings;
3. Political candidates to lie about opposing candidates; and we allow
4. Children to lie.
In terms of this discussion, it is time that we revisit, as a nation, allowing political candidates to publish un-truths, alternative facts, or out-right fictions against opposing candidates. This last presidential campaign has demonstrated the burden of technology, which is the profound and in-correctable impact of the internet -- the broad, prolific, and immediate reach of false stories that create lasting and irreversible persuasion in the neurology of human minds. We certainly can't ensure that the audience of a false story is going to read, to read and understand, or to read, understand, and conclude a corrected impression of any subsequent retraction, correction, or rebuttal. So, let's just not let lies out there.
Besides, we are too busy to be buried with campaign effluva. So, let's make campaign rhetoric "count" and more efficient by making candidates liable for there dishonesty. We don't have to make the threshold so sensitive that campaigns become litigation generators. We just have to make the threshold weed out claims that have no positive and hard FACTUAL support, and to clearly include wildly obvious warnings when a candidate's or political group's statements about another candidate are not supported by more than a specious indicia of hard facts.
@ 7 2017
Monday, July 10, 2017
Tracking the Investigations 2017
House
House Oversight and Gov't Reform Committee
Topic: Probing Trump's security protocols for discussing classified info at Mar-a-Lago. 6
Topic:
Unclear now that Chair has changed 1
Maybe looking at Flynn's payments from Russia to Turkey. 3
Leadership:
Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) is stepping into retiring Chaffetz' seat as leader 1
Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) second-ranked Democrat 1
Elijah Cummings, D Maryland. Drives Flynn payments issue, releases evidence. 3
ACTIONS:
Under Chaffetz: 1
Requested Comey meetings with Trump memorandums 1
Requested documents related to Trumps downtown Washington Hotel 1
After Comey fired:
Requested copies of Comey's memos detailing private interactions with Trump
(requested this w S. Jud. Comm (w oversight of the FBI) and S Intl Comm,) 3
Staff:
House Judiciary
House Financial Services Committee
Topic:
Whether Trump has been given any loans backed by Russian interests 3
Lead:
Democratic members only, so far 3
ACTIONS
Requested docs from Deutsche Back 3
House Intelligence Committee
Topic: Likely on HOLD ("suspended animation" 3) Investigating alleged Russian election interference and possible Trump links. 1
Its FOUR QUESTIONS: 3
1. What did Russia do to influence the 2016 election?
2. Were there any links b\w Russian operatives " and individuals associated with political campaigns"?
3. How did the federal government respond to these efforts?
4. How and why was classified information leaked during this process? 3
But R's on the Committee use their questioning time to focus their attention on leaks and whether Obama administration "unmasked" intelligence about Trump associates for political purposes. 3
Result Format: Report--maybe bi-partisan reports. Can not suggest criminal charges. 3
Lead:
Devin Nunes, R-CA... But stepped down temporarily as head of Russia Investigation due Ethics Committee inquiry into whether he improperly disclosed classified information over the course of the investigation 3 (He created appearance of bias in commenting on document leaked to him by Trump WH, which was trying to "prove" to Nunes that Obama admin had improperly unmasked Trump associates surveilled during routine foreign intelligence operations. 3)
Michael Conaway (R-Tex) 1
Adam Schiff, D-CA it is possible that all of these events are not an "entirely unhappy coincidence", but that they are not coincidental, not disconnected, and not unrelated, and that the Russians used the same techniques to corrupt U.S. persons that they have employed in Europe and elsewhere...and we owe it to the country to find out." 3
Staff:
ACTIONS:
3 20 2017 Comey testifies in Open Hearing and in Closed Session. Admits FBI investigating Moscow's role in the election and possible collusion with Trump campaign. 2
Senate
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Topic: Broad inquiry into what, exactly, Russia did to influence the 2016 elections and how that fits into broader "cyber activity and active measures" Russia has used to target the U.S. 3
Result Form: Report with suggestions. No criminal charge(s) recommendations. 3
Leaders:
Richard Burr, R-N.C. Chair [Burr advised the Trump campaign in 2016.] 3
Mark Warner, D-Va, Vice Chair 3
Members:
Kamala Harris, CA 3
Marco Rubio, FL 3
Tom Cotton, AR 3
ACTIONS:
5 10 2017: Issues first subpoena, demanding documents from Flynn after he declined to voluntarily comply with earlier request 2
6 8 2017 Comey (former FBI director) testified: WH lied; I was fired b/c of his handling of the FBI's ongoing investigation into possible Trump campaign coordination with Russian efforts to disrupt 2016 election. 3
Senate Armed Services Committee
Topic: improving cybersecurity and protect against future hacking by foreign actors 3
Lead: John McCain, R-Ariz. 3
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
Lead: Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Actions:
former acting AG Sally yates testified she had warned Trump WH that Flynn was compromised. 3
Senate Judiciary Committee
Topic
Obstruction of Justice questions raised by Trump's decision to fire Comey. 3
Whether or not former A.G. Loretta Lynch improperly interfered with the FBI investigation into HC's private email server. 3
Justice Dept.
FBI
Topic 1: Moscow's role in U.S. election
Topic 2: Collusion b/w Russia and Trump campaign.
Special Counsel/Investigator: Russia Probe
Topic 1: Any links and/or coordination b/w the Russian gov't and individuals associated with the Campaign of President Donald Trump; and
Topic 2: any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.
Lead:
Robert Meuller: from 5 17 2017 to 1
Results form: Can recommend criminal charge(s). Report (on anything it finds 3).
Topic 1: Russia ties 1
Subject 1: Michael Flynn If military was pushing him out, he saw private sector as consultant as lucrative 1
(5/6) points of legal jeopardy: 1
failed to register as lobbyist for Turkey 1
failed to get defense dept. permission for trip to Russia for tv appearance 1
omitted monies from foreign entities on his sec clearance form 1
Flynn didn't think trump was going to win, even took money from turkey on election day. 1
Subject 2: Roger Stone (Trump confidante who intimated he had inside info about when the hacked emails would be released) 5
Subject 3: Kushner
Subject's Legal Team: Jaime Guerelic (helped the couple with background forms, friends w/ Meuller) 1
Subject 3: Donald Trump Jr., added 7 10 2017, after he admitted via tweet that he met in June with Russia lawyer with ties to Putin with Kushner and Manafort to obtain info on HC. It is a criminal violation of federal election law to accept anything of value from a foreign entity in support of a campaign. 4
Legal Team:
Alan Futerfas, NY sole practitioner, criminal defense 4
Topic 2: Whether Donald Trump or other WH officials improperly acted to impede the FBI investigation and likely includes the circumstances of the dismissals of both former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Comey. 3 (committed Obstruction of Justice) 1
Subject 1:Donald Trump
Subject's Legal Team: jay Sekulow, Kazowez 1
Subject 3:
Subject's Legal Team:
Pot. Subject: Pence
Pot. Subject's Legal Team-
ACTIONS:
5 9 2017 Federal prosecutors issue grand jury subpoenas seeking business records from people who worked with Flynn when he was a private citizen. 2.
CITATIONS
1. WP, Mike DeBonis, June 18, 2017, "Trey Gowdy now has the House Oversight gavel. But will he investigate Trump?"
2. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/russia-election-hacking-us-investigations-everything-we-know-interference-donald-trump-hillary-a7742426.html
3. http://www.npr.org/2017/06/08/531940912/there-are-many-russia-investigations-what-are-they-all-doing
4. http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/10/donald-trump-jr-hires-lawyer-for-russia-probes.html
5. 7 11 2017 https://www.justsecurity.org/41593/hiding-plain-sight-federal-campaign-finance-law-trump-campaign-collusion-russia-trump/
6. "Chaos Theory" by Philip Elliott, Time, feb 27 - march 6, 2017, p34
House Oversight and Gov't Reform Committee
Topic: Probing Trump's security protocols for discussing classified info at Mar-a-Lago. 6
Topic:
Unclear now that Chair has changed 1
Maybe looking at Flynn's payments from Russia to Turkey. 3
Leadership:
Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) is stepping into retiring Chaffetz' seat as leader 1
Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) second-ranked Democrat 1
Elijah Cummings, D Maryland. Drives Flynn payments issue, releases evidence. 3
ACTIONS:
Under Chaffetz: 1
Requested Comey meetings with Trump memorandums 1
Requested documents related to Trumps downtown Washington Hotel 1
After Comey fired:
Requested copies of Comey's memos detailing private interactions with Trump
(requested this w S. Jud. Comm (w oversight of the FBI) and S Intl Comm,) 3
Staff:
House Judiciary
House Financial Services Committee
Topic:
Whether Trump has been given any loans backed by Russian interests 3
Lead:
Democratic members only, so far 3
ACTIONS
Requested docs from Deutsche Back 3
House Intelligence Committee
Topic: Likely on HOLD ("suspended animation" 3) Investigating alleged Russian election interference and possible Trump links. 1
Its FOUR QUESTIONS: 3
1. What did Russia do to influence the 2016 election?
2. Were there any links b\w Russian operatives " and individuals associated with political campaigns"?
3. How did the federal government respond to these efforts?
4. How and why was classified information leaked during this process? 3
But R's on the Committee use their questioning time to focus their attention on leaks and whether Obama administration "unmasked" intelligence about Trump associates for political purposes. 3
Result Format: Report--maybe bi-partisan reports. Can not suggest criminal charges. 3
Lead:
Devin Nunes, R-CA... But stepped down temporarily as head of Russia Investigation due Ethics Committee inquiry into whether he improperly disclosed classified information over the course of the investigation 3 (He created appearance of bias in commenting on document leaked to him by Trump WH, which was trying to "prove" to Nunes that Obama admin had improperly unmasked Trump associates surveilled during routine foreign intelligence operations. 3)
Michael Conaway (R-Tex) 1
Adam Schiff, D-CA it is possible that all of these events are not an "entirely unhappy coincidence", but that they are not coincidental, not disconnected, and not unrelated, and that the Russians used the same techniques to corrupt U.S. persons that they have employed in Europe and elsewhere...and we owe it to the country to find out." 3
Staff:
ACTIONS:
3 20 2017 Comey testifies in Open Hearing and in Closed Session. Admits FBI investigating Moscow's role in the election and possible collusion with Trump campaign. 2
Senate
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Topic: Broad inquiry into what, exactly, Russia did to influence the 2016 elections and how that fits into broader "cyber activity and active measures" Russia has used to target the U.S. 3
Result Form: Report with suggestions. No criminal charge(s) recommendations. 3
Leaders:
Richard Burr, R-N.C. Chair [Burr advised the Trump campaign in 2016.] 3
Mark Warner, D-Va, Vice Chair 3
Members:
Kamala Harris, CA 3
Marco Rubio, FL 3
Tom Cotton, AR 3
ACTIONS:
5 10 2017: Issues first subpoena, demanding documents from Flynn after he declined to voluntarily comply with earlier request 2
6 8 2017 Comey (former FBI director) testified: WH lied; I was fired b/c of his handling of the FBI's ongoing investigation into possible Trump campaign coordination with Russian efforts to disrupt 2016 election. 3
Senate Armed Services Committee
Topic: improving cybersecurity and protect against future hacking by foreign actors 3
Lead: John McCain, R-Ariz. 3
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
Lead: Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Actions:
former acting AG Sally yates testified she had warned Trump WH that Flynn was compromised. 3
Senate Judiciary Committee
Topic
Obstruction of Justice questions raised by Trump's decision to fire Comey. 3
Whether or not former A.G. Loretta Lynch improperly interfered with the FBI investigation into HC's private email server. 3
Justice Dept.
FBI
Topic 1: Moscow's role in U.S. election
Topic 2: Collusion b/w Russia and Trump campaign.
Special Counsel/Investigator: Russia Probe
Topic 1: Any links and/or coordination b/w the Russian gov't and individuals associated with the Campaign of President Donald Trump; and
Topic 2: any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.
Lead:
Robert Meuller: from 5 17 2017 to 1
Results form: Can recommend criminal charge(s). Report (on anything it finds 3).
Topic 1: Russia ties 1
Subject 1: Michael Flynn If military was pushing him out, he saw private sector as consultant as lucrative 1
(5/6) points of legal jeopardy: 1
failed to register as lobbyist for Turkey 1
failed to get defense dept. permission for trip to Russia for tv appearance 1
omitted monies from foreign entities on his sec clearance form 1
Flynn didn't think trump was going to win, even took money from turkey on election day. 1
Subject 2: Roger Stone (Trump confidante who intimated he had inside info about when the hacked emails would be released) 5
Subject 3: Kushner
Subject's Legal Team: Jaime Guerelic (helped the couple with background forms, friends w/ Meuller) 1
Subject 3: Donald Trump Jr., added 7 10 2017, after he admitted via tweet that he met in June with Russia lawyer with ties to Putin with Kushner and Manafort to obtain info on HC. It is a criminal violation of federal election law to accept anything of value from a foreign entity in support of a campaign. 4
Legal Team:
Alan Futerfas, NY sole practitioner, criminal defense 4
Topic 2: Whether Donald Trump or other WH officials improperly acted to impede the FBI investigation and likely includes the circumstances of the dismissals of both former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Comey. 3 (committed Obstruction of Justice) 1
Subject 1:Donald Trump
Subject's Legal Team: jay Sekulow, Kazowez 1
Subject 3:
Subject's Legal Team:
Pot. Subject: Pence
Pot. Subject's Legal Team-
ACTIONS:
5 9 2017 Federal prosecutors issue grand jury subpoenas seeking business records from people who worked with Flynn when he was a private citizen. 2.
Staff
Aaron Zebley, former FBU Chief of Staff 3
James Quarles, onetime Watergate prosecutor 3
Andrew Weissmann, led DoJ's fraud division and helped investigate Enron 3
Jeannie Rhee, worked at Justice Dept and at Mueller's alw firm WilmerHale 3
CITATIONS
1. WP, Mike DeBonis, June 18, 2017, "Trey Gowdy now has the House Oversight gavel. But will he investigate Trump?"
2. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/russia-election-hacking-us-investigations-everything-we-know-interference-donald-trump-hillary-a7742426.html
3. http://www.npr.org/2017/06/08/531940912/there-are-many-russia-investigations-what-are-they-all-doing
4. http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/10/donald-trump-jr-hires-lawyer-for-russia-probes.html
5. 7 11 2017 https://www.justsecurity.org/41593/hiding-plain-sight-federal-campaign-finance-law-trump-campaign-collusion-russia-trump/
6. "Chaos Theory" by Philip Elliott, Time, feb 27 - march 6, 2017, p34
Squanderer in Chief and Morbid Incapacity @2017
The report recently published by Australia's ABC reporter, commenting on how Trump is given a fleeting gift (of the most powerful office in the world) and is squandering it. Hear, hear. I have been saddened by that since, oh, about, February, 2017.
I also want to put out there that since the earlier revelations that Kushner met with Russian diplomat(s) to request a private/secret and direct communication channel with the Kremlin, I have been saying that we call a person who does that a "spy". Now, there is talk calling the Kushner, Manafort, DT Jr. meeting with Russian lawyer in June treasonous, or bordering on treason.
This is where we, as a society, as a nation, have to come together and figure out a way for those who voted for an obvious malfeasant, and those who still "support" a person exhibiting a morbid incapacity for the office of President of the United States, to dust themselves off and carry themselves with dignity--and great humility, into a new era where they are dismissive of fake news, instigation, bullying, nepotism, insolence, vulgarity, and monetizing public resources/office for personal profit.
I also want to put out there that since the earlier revelations that Kushner met with Russian diplomat(s) to request a private/secret and direct communication channel with the Kremlin, I have been saying that we call a person who does that a "spy". Now, there is talk calling the Kushner, Manafort, DT Jr. meeting with Russian lawyer in June treasonous, or bordering on treason.
This is where we, as a society, as a nation, have to come together and figure out a way for those who voted for an obvious malfeasant, and those who still "support" a person exhibiting a morbid incapacity for the office of President of the United States, to dust themselves off and carry themselves with dignity--and great humility, into a new era where they are dismissive of fake news, instigation, bullying, nepotism, insolence, vulgarity, and monetizing public resources/office for personal profit.
Friday, June 23, 2017
The Question of Collusion b/w Trump and Putin @2017
There is much discussion on all news outlets exploring the impact of Russia's meddling in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. The crux of these discussions almost always gets to the heart of the matter, and that is how are we going to prevent that meddling from happening again. That is going to prove to be a near impossible endeavor because it means more than just moving back to paper ballots and prosecuting hackers. It means dealing with 63 million U.S. voters minds--minds that are comfortable with voting with emotions-including gullibility, instead of with knowledge and with compassion.
The Russian Meddling is basically a two-pronged attack.
Prong One is where someone hacked campaign emails and computers, and then published that material in a choreographed and strategic manner benefitting their favored candidate.
Prong Two is the strongly suggested collaboration with either Cambridge Analytica directly or with the Trump Campaign Tech/Media officer (who had married Cambridge Analytica's Facebook profiling Election Management software with the extensive GOP voter database) to employ bots to mass-broadcast fake stories worded to sway the beliefs and minds of the 5 personality types of Facebook users (and probably other social media users).
So, even though, at this time, we have repeated "confirmations" from various public servants that "Russia's meddling did NOT include actual vote-tampering", there certainly was "mind-tampering" ... an intentional, strategic, exploitation of gullible and/or manipulatable U.S. voters that fail to see the horror of a U.S. election significantly influenced by a foreign entity.
Granted some of the 43 million Trump voters came to their act without being influenced by "bot bombings" or by Russian Meddling. Nevertheless, Trump's "base" is still saying that they support and approve of his presidency so far. This is shocking when considered in light of all the evidence of Russian contacts with his administration and campaign and of all of the evidence corroborating the existence of Prong One and Prong Two. This means that we--the United States of America, have tens of millions of citizens that find no serious problem with Russians participating in OUR election process, or with a foreign entity (or a group of organized Russian "citizens") providing IT assistance to a U.S. political campaign.
Is there something to be done to prevent any candidate from benefiting from IT assistance, fake news bombing on social media, or neurolinguistic manipulation of voters by a foreign entity -- it seem like "no". We have to burden voters with the responsibility of motivating themselves to make their decisions based on facts and with the responsibility of knowing how our brains can be manipulated by digital, print, and linguistic sensory data--and I just don't see that happening.
So, we are stuck with a president whose best campaign staff was Russian and who can run for re-election using the same staff and techniques.
That is both scary and brilliant.
@2017, June 23
UPDATE: June 25
FEC Commissioner on MSNBC today saying we need new rule to prevent things like Russian Meddling in the future.
Her short is that foreign influence is not allowed already but if it comes through a U.S. source/business, it is hidden and undiscoverable to the regulators/Commission.
The segment also referenced a recently filed FEC complaint filed by Free Speech for the People and Campaign for Accountability against Trump.
The amendment to their complaint is here:
https://freespeechforpeople.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FSFP-FEC-Complaint-re-Russia-Trump-WEB.pdf
It has numerous live links which also make for juicy reading.
On a general note, I am noticing a lot more analysis of Trump's personality traits without any admission that those traits allow a diagnosis of some sort of pathology. I know--well, strongly feel, that the unspoken agreement is silence on this issue, just like there is an unspoken agreement in the media to remain silent on public discussion of Trump/Trump campaign's active collusion with and reliance on Russian intermediaries for significant strategic "advantages."
And, really, why subject us repeatedly with John Dean's opinion that Trump's actions do not rise to obstruction of justice. That seems like its an attempt at a "sophisticated" version of sensationalism, but, really, its a boring waste of time. Its like making us sit through listening to Newt Gingrich expound upon his opinion that there can be no seamy circumstances in which to serve your spouse with divorce papers.
The Russian Meddling is basically a two-pronged attack.
Prong One is where someone hacked campaign emails and computers, and then published that material in a choreographed and strategic manner benefitting their favored candidate.
Prong Two is the strongly suggested collaboration with either Cambridge Analytica directly or with the Trump Campaign Tech/Media officer (who had married Cambridge Analytica's Facebook profiling Election Management software with the extensive GOP voter database) to employ bots to mass-broadcast fake stories worded to sway the beliefs and minds of the 5 personality types of Facebook users (and probably other social media users).
So, even though, at this time, we have repeated "confirmations" from various public servants that "Russia's meddling did NOT include actual vote-tampering", there certainly was "mind-tampering" ... an intentional, strategic, exploitation of gullible and/or manipulatable U.S. voters that fail to see the horror of a U.S. election significantly influenced by a foreign entity.
Granted some of the 43 million Trump voters came to their act without being influenced by "bot bombings" or by Russian Meddling. Nevertheless, Trump's "base" is still saying that they support and approve of his presidency so far. This is shocking when considered in light of all the evidence of Russian contacts with his administration and campaign and of all of the evidence corroborating the existence of Prong One and Prong Two. This means that we--the United States of America, have tens of millions of citizens that find no serious problem with Russians participating in OUR election process, or with a foreign entity (or a group of organized Russian "citizens") providing IT assistance to a U.S. political campaign.
Is there something to be done to prevent any candidate from benefiting from IT assistance, fake news bombing on social media, or neurolinguistic manipulation of voters by a foreign entity -- it seem like "no". We have to burden voters with the responsibility of motivating themselves to make their decisions based on facts and with the responsibility of knowing how our brains can be manipulated by digital, print, and linguistic sensory data--and I just don't see that happening.
So, we are stuck with a president whose best campaign staff was Russian and who can run for re-election using the same staff and techniques.
That is both scary and brilliant.
@2017, June 23
UPDATE: June 25
FEC Commissioner on MSNBC today saying we need new rule to prevent things like Russian Meddling in the future.
Her short is that foreign influence is not allowed already but if it comes through a U.S. source/business, it is hidden and undiscoverable to the regulators/Commission.
The segment also referenced a recently filed FEC complaint filed by Free Speech for the People and Campaign for Accountability against Trump.
The amendment to their complaint is here:
https://freespeechforpeople.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FSFP-FEC-Complaint-re-Russia-Trump-WEB.pdf
It has numerous live links which also make for juicy reading.
On a general note, I am noticing a lot more analysis of Trump's personality traits without any admission that those traits allow a diagnosis of some sort of pathology. I know--well, strongly feel, that the unspoken agreement is silence on this issue, just like there is an unspoken agreement in the media to remain silent on public discussion of Trump/Trump campaign's active collusion with and reliance on Russian intermediaries for significant strategic "advantages."
And, really, why subject us repeatedly with John Dean's opinion that Trump's actions do not rise to obstruction of justice. That seems like its an attempt at a "sophisticated" version of sensationalism, but, really, its a boring waste of time. Its like making us sit through listening to Newt Gingrich expound upon his opinion that there can be no seamy circumstances in which to serve your spouse with divorce papers.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Misogyny: Pelosi as leader @2017
Apparently, since 2010, republicans have been running campaign ads "mal"-igning democrat candidates by warning voters that the democrat candidate will vote as minority leader Nancy Pelosi votes. The ads apparently are effective in damaging the democrat candidate's campaign.
Democrats run no similarly crafted ads. Apparently, they know that its no criticism to warn that a successful candidate will vote in sync with the male leader of the party. And, apparently, they don't see the value in calling out the misogyny in this.
The gop's leaders are/have been both male. The gop apparently understands that there is no risk in speciously standing the female party leader in the place of the candidate.
Its common course and expected that a successful candidate will have a tendency to vote in sync with her/his political party/leaders. Voting in step with your male party leader is treated by our society as "loyal", but voting in step with your female party leader is such a "sign" of some deep flaw in the candidate that it can be leverage--and leveraged effectively, to disparage the candidate.
So, why is voting in sync with your party baggage when the leading person in the party is female, but not when he is male, and why haven't the dems figured out and run effective responses countering this anti-Pelosi strategy???
These ads and the dems failed response reflect the rampant and not so subtle misogynistic culture that we currently live in.
@2017
Democrats run no similarly crafted ads. Apparently, they know that its no criticism to warn that a successful candidate will vote in sync with the male leader of the party. And, apparently, they don't see the value in calling out the misogyny in this.
The gop's leaders are/have been both male. The gop apparently understands that there is no risk in speciously standing the female party leader in the place of the candidate.
Its common course and expected that a successful candidate will have a tendency to vote in sync with her/his political party/leaders. Voting in step with your male party leader is treated by our society as "loyal", but voting in step with your female party leader is such a "sign" of some deep flaw in the candidate that it can be leverage--and leveraged effectively, to disparage the candidate.
So, why is voting in sync with your party baggage when the leading person in the party is female, but not when he is male, and why haven't the dems figured out and run effective responses countering this anti-Pelosi strategy???
These ads and the dems failed response reflect the rampant and not so subtle misogynistic culture that we currently live in.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Trump's Tell re: Obstruction Efforts @2017
Ok, so I have watched Comey testify twice and watched Sessions testify today, I listened to the questions put to each man, and now I am listening to the "reporters". I have to put it out there that what is not being asked, talked about, or analyzed is the fact that Comey's boss did NOT fire him--Trump's did.
Let's review the context:
1. U.S.A.G. Sessions is Comey's supervisor, responsible for reviewing his work and firing him. Rosenstein is Deputy AG.
2. Session's was an "officer" in Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Today, June 13, 2017, Sessions denied ever having received a classified or any briefing on Russia's election meddling.
3. On March 2, 2017, Sessions recused himself from any investigation involving Russia because, by March 2, 2017, he knew a law existed that required recusal of any investigative officer working on an investigation of a political campaign where that officer has a "relationship" with the campaign because of having worked in the campaign (which Sessions did work for Trump's campaign). [Today, June 13, 2017, Sessions clearly and repeatedly explained he recused himself at that time and in that manner for this exact reason and even cited the law.] This means that by March 2, 2017, Sessions knew that the Trump campaign was being investigated within the overall Russia Election Meddling investigation. His testimony strongly suggests that he knew about this fact even before being sworn in as U.S. A.G.
4. On March 20, 2017, Comey revealed to all--made public, that Trump Campaign officials are also being investigated for their alleged interactions with Russian officials during their meddling with the election.
5. On May 9, 2017, Sessions testified today, that he was asked his "opinion" about Comey's work performance by Trump, who told him to put that opinion in writing, which he did, and he delivered it to Trump along with his Deputy AG's "opinion". "Opinion" is the language Sessions used today, while also denying that no discussion of Russia investigation(s) occurred during his conversations with Trump about Comey.
This is where we should start paying close attention, because while a man can lie, he can't ever UN-KNOW a fact his brain has already processed. So, in delivering a lie or in squirming out of telling the truth, a human's response will occur in the context of knowledge of the fact trying to be hidden or circumvented.
CNN has Trump's "Comey, You're Fired" letter, Sessions' and Rosenstein's Trump-requested "Comey Opinions", and the WH's press release on the firing here: http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/politics/fbi-james-comey-fired-letter/index.html
6. Note that each of the men's letters May 9th, 2017 letters to Trump re: Comey's failures omit any reference to Russia investigations. In listing Comey's faults, Rosenstein certainly could have added that Comey failed to deliver to Sessions (before he recused himself) any briefing on the Russia investigation(s). This certainly would corroborate the image of Comey that Rosenstein was trying to create in his letter. Instead, the A.G. and Deputy A.G. mainly focus on Comey's improper handling of the Clinton Email/Server investigation. This cleansing of their Opinions reflects a coordinated--yet overdone, effort to make the Comey firing look justified and properly done.
7. On May 9th, 2017, Trump himself fires Comey by issuing a press release that included his terse "Comey, You're Fired" letter even before Trump's personal security officer delivered the letter to Comey. The point is, there is no reason why Sessions--who is Comey's supervisor, should not have released Comey from his job, especially if the basis for the firing is truly what Sessions writes in his "Opinion". Short of Sessions doing it correctly, Rosenstein should have done it, especially, again, if the basis for firing Comey is truly what Rosentstein (and his supervisor, Sessions) writes in his letter to Trump re: Comey's faults.
But neither of Comey's supervisors fired Comey--Trump did.
8. Less than a day later, on May 10th, 2017, while hosting Russian officials in the Oval Office, Trump admits to them that the investigation "cloud" is over now because yesterday he fired the "nutbag" Comey. Then, in an interview with Holt, Trump further admits that he fired Comey to obtain relief from the Russia investigation(s).
Ignoring the completely idiotic self-sabotaging nature of that kind of strategic analysis, let's get straight to what I think happened between Trump, Sessions, and Rosenstein on May 9th:
--Trump had what he thought would be a brain-storming session with Sessions and Rosenstein in which he specifically posited to them to fire Comey, citing how much of a relief it would be to all of them for a myriad of alleged reasons which included taking the wind out of the "witch-hunt" called the investigation into Russia's interference with the election and his campaign team.
--Sessions and Rosenstein rightly informed Trump that neither of them could fire Comey without risking what would be rightfully-deserved criticism which would very likely be so fierce as to interfere with their agendas/work product.
--Trump, working the art of the deal with our nation's top justice gate-keepers, brought Sessions and Rosenstein to compromise by insisting that they at least put in writing their "opinions" about Comey's mis-conduct.
--Trump then takes matters into his own hands and fires Comey, telling the world he did it to relieve the pressure or cloud from the FBI's Russia investigations.
What should be remembered is that Sessions, especially, has bent himself into a pretzel to avoid any linking of the firing of his own subordinate with the FBI's Russia investigation. The trouble for Sessions is that his success here corroborates the allegation that he absolutely knew what Trump was planning and took action to obstruct justice--and he, Session, has participated, aided, abetted...that crime.
Let's review the context:
1. U.S.A.G. Sessions is Comey's supervisor, responsible for reviewing his work and firing him. Rosenstein is Deputy AG.
2. Session's was an "officer" in Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Today, June 13, 2017, Sessions denied ever having received a classified or any briefing on Russia's election meddling.
3. On March 2, 2017, Sessions recused himself from any investigation involving Russia because, by March 2, 2017, he knew a law existed that required recusal of any investigative officer working on an investigation of a political campaign where that officer has a "relationship" with the campaign because of having worked in the campaign (which Sessions did work for Trump's campaign). [Today, June 13, 2017, Sessions clearly and repeatedly explained he recused himself at that time and in that manner for this exact reason and even cited the law.] This means that by March 2, 2017, Sessions knew that the Trump campaign was being investigated within the overall Russia Election Meddling investigation. His testimony strongly suggests that he knew about this fact even before being sworn in as U.S. A.G.
4. On March 20, 2017, Comey revealed to all--made public, that Trump Campaign officials are also being investigated for their alleged interactions with Russian officials during their meddling with the election.
5. On May 9, 2017, Sessions testified today, that he was asked his "opinion" about Comey's work performance by Trump, who told him to put that opinion in writing, which he did, and he delivered it to Trump along with his Deputy AG's "opinion". "Opinion" is the language Sessions used today, while also denying that no discussion of Russia investigation(s) occurred during his conversations with Trump about Comey.
This is where we should start paying close attention, because while a man can lie, he can't ever UN-KNOW a fact his brain has already processed. So, in delivering a lie or in squirming out of telling the truth, a human's response will occur in the context of knowledge of the fact trying to be hidden or circumvented.
CNN has Trump's "Comey, You're Fired" letter, Sessions' and Rosenstein's Trump-requested "Comey Opinions", and the WH's press release on the firing here: http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/politics/fbi-james-comey-fired-letter/index.html
6. Note that each of the men's letters May 9th, 2017 letters to Trump re: Comey's failures omit any reference to Russia investigations. In listing Comey's faults, Rosenstein certainly could have added that Comey failed to deliver to Sessions (before he recused himself) any briefing on the Russia investigation(s). This certainly would corroborate the image of Comey that Rosenstein was trying to create in his letter. Instead, the A.G. and Deputy A.G. mainly focus on Comey's improper handling of the Clinton Email/Server investigation. This cleansing of their Opinions reflects a coordinated--yet overdone, effort to make the Comey firing look justified and properly done.
7. On May 9th, 2017, Trump himself fires Comey by issuing a press release that included his terse "Comey, You're Fired" letter even before Trump's personal security officer delivered the letter to Comey. The point is, there is no reason why Sessions--who is Comey's supervisor, should not have released Comey from his job, especially if the basis for the firing is truly what Sessions writes in his "Opinion". Short of Sessions doing it correctly, Rosenstein should have done it, especially, again, if the basis for firing Comey is truly what Rosentstein (and his supervisor, Sessions) writes in his letter to Trump re: Comey's faults.
But neither of Comey's supervisors fired Comey--Trump did.
8. Less than a day later, on May 10th, 2017, while hosting Russian officials in the Oval Office, Trump admits to them that the investigation "cloud" is over now because yesterday he fired the "nutbag" Comey. Then, in an interview with Holt, Trump further admits that he fired Comey to obtain relief from the Russia investigation(s).
Ignoring the completely idiotic self-sabotaging nature of that kind of strategic analysis, let's get straight to what I think happened between Trump, Sessions, and Rosenstein on May 9th:
--Trump had what he thought would be a brain-storming session with Sessions and Rosenstein in which he specifically posited to them to fire Comey, citing how much of a relief it would be to all of them for a myriad of alleged reasons which included taking the wind out of the "witch-hunt" called the investigation into Russia's interference with the election and his campaign team.
--Sessions and Rosenstein rightly informed Trump that neither of them could fire Comey without risking what would be rightfully-deserved criticism which would very likely be so fierce as to interfere with their agendas/work product.
--Trump, working the art of the deal with our nation's top justice gate-keepers, brought Sessions and Rosenstein to compromise by insisting that they at least put in writing their "opinions" about Comey's mis-conduct.
--Trump then takes matters into his own hands and fires Comey, telling the world he did it to relieve the pressure or cloud from the FBI's Russia investigations.
What should be remembered is that Sessions, especially, has bent himself into a pretzel to avoid any linking of the firing of his own subordinate with the FBI's Russia investigation. The trouble for Sessions is that his success here corroborates the allegation that he absolutely knew what Trump was planning and took action to obstruct justice--and he, Session, has participated, aided, abetted...that crime.
Monday, May 29, 2017
The Nixon-Trump Parallel @ 2017 #2
Nixon complained incessantly to his staff about the leaks coming out of his administration. In the week following the arrest of his Watergate burglary gang on June 17, 1972, an agitated Nixon, was also deep into strategizing against McGovern (whom he anticipated was his strongest opposition to re-election). So, on June 21, Nixon laid down general instructions that every time they had a leak in their organization, they should claim that they are being bugged--even if they had to plant and discover the bug themselves.
Compare this president's strategy with Trump's March 4th, 2017, (red-herring) tweet that his predecessor "wiretapped" Trump Tower.
That tweet has spawned a lawsuit demanding records that prove or disprove the statement.
Note that the DNC, within a week of the Watergate arrests, filed suit against Nixon's Committee for Re-election, filing on behalf of all Democrats.
Compare this president's strategy with Trump's March 4th, 2017, (red-herring) tweet that his predecessor "wiretapped" Trump Tower.
That tweet has spawned a lawsuit demanding records that prove or disprove the statement.
Note that the DNC, within a week of the Watergate arrests, filed suit against Nixon's Committee for Re-election, filing on behalf of all Democrats.
Sunday, May 28, 2017
The President and Criminal Prosecution @ 5 2017
Federal Election Laws, Espionage, Sabotage, Sedition, Conspiracy, and Treason: The Trump-tanic @2017
AND
Perjury, Computer Hacking, and Solicitation: the Trump-tanic @ 7 2017
So there is a lot of discussion now about impeachment, removal, and/or criminal prosecution of a wayward U.S. President. So far I haven't heard of a sitting U.S. President being prosecuted criminally for espionage, sabotage, and/or treason, but I think we may be close to witnessing a quite novel and historic event where this may be the most appropriate process.
The day that the president-elect visited Obama, Trump's physical demeanor and scared expression almost made me feel for the man. The persons that I immediately did feel concern for were his adult children, as my prediction then was that his conflicts immunity (notwithstanding the Emoluments Clause issues) was no protection to his children and so they were likely to end up in jail. albeit for bribery, corruption, etc..
In the days after his inauguration, it became clear that he would in fact put his family into play, so to speak. Starting in February, I started thinking that our "cultural" discussion of criminal prosecution of Trump (and certain of his family members) may be too limited and may need to consider the federal crimes of espionage, treason, and sabotage. Now, with the recent release of information that Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, sought during the transition to establish a communication back channel directly with the Kremlin, this thought becomes even more interesting, if morbidly so, because, well, its my layman's understanding that a civilian attempting to skirt U.S. surveillance to communicate directly with the Kremlin is usually called a "spy" .
Now I acknowledge that Presidents pretty routinely establish back-channels and send their officials to attempt whatever policy progress that they conclude would be good for the country and good for their legacy. Nixon sent Kissinger into secret meetings with the Soviets and we ended up with the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty (SALT). But Kushner's actions are completely different:
- He wasn't a public official--and even if he was we have a "One President" policy in this country;
- He didn't have a security clearance;
- He didn't have/express a policy motive;
- He (and Trump) did/do have a sizable personal financial motive. Kissinger and his President-father-in-law didn't have any massive personal financial interests/wealth associated with important Russians/Russian banks;
- Kissinger didn't ask to have secret communications directly with the Kremlin solely on Russian soil and solely using Russian equipment and protocols; and most important of all right now,
- The Soviet's hadn't just interfered with Presidential election and hacked the DNC, actions which both party's members have characterized as an act of war, as an attack.
And, as you already know if you read my previous posts, I predict that VP Pence is too tainted to avoid going down with the Trump-tanic. In the "high crimes" thought, we have to remember that Pence lead Trump's transition team and so was in charge of background screenings for clearances, among other things. Pence knew or had a duty to know a lot of important things that were going on from November 9th to January 20th.
Let's start with:
VIOLATION OF FEDERAL ELECTION LAW
TREASON
The law: U.S. Constitution
Article 3 Section 3
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
Reader be aware that treason has distinct importance as a crime for which one can be prosecuted and convicted and a distinct importance as a cultural legal and political concept. This point is important because there may be treasonous acts which demand prosecution but which occurred not during a time of war, which is a requirement for the criminal prosecution of treason. Also, it may be interesting to remember that states have their own version (criminal versions) of "treason".
So, as history shows, when War has not been declared, the "perpetraitor" is subject to prosecution and conviction for violation of any of a myriad of other "black letter" crimes.
The U.S. Constitution, at Article III, section 3, defines "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." It then speaks to the crime of treason and what is required for the criminal conviction.
First, let's highlight that Trump's/Trump's team's actions very likely meet the understanding of "Treason" as we know it culturally in that they have betrayed their country by attempting to overthrow a government to which they owe allegiance. They colluded amongst themselves and with a foreign government to subvert election laws and to subvert U.S. citizens' right to participate in the election of their president, with the goal of assuming control of the executive branch of the U.S. government, and in exchange for depleting the authority and power of the U.S. within the Western world and as against Russia's position in that system.
Because several important public officials - elected and appointed (Congressional and Intelligence Community) have characterized Russia's 2016 interference with our electoral process as an "act of war", conviction for treason may not be the long shot that I originally thought. So this is an important characterization when it comes to exploring whether Trump, member(s) of his campaign or transition team, or his staff/family can be charged with committing treason. Further, convictions have been obtained using only circumstantial evidence, and against a father harboring his spy son.
SABOTAGE
The law:
U.S. Code › Title 18 › Part I › Chapter 105
18 U.S. Code § 2153 - Destruction of war material, war premises, or war utilities
(a) Whoever, when the United States is at war, or in times of national emergency as declared by the President or by the Congress, with intent to injure, interfere with, or obstruct the United States or any associate nation in preparing for or carrying on the war or defense activities, or, with reason to believe that his act may injure, interfere with, or obstruct the United States or any associate nation in preparing for or carrying on the war or defense activities, willfully injures, destroys, contaminates or infects, or attempts to so injure, destroy, contaminate or infect any war material, war premises, or war utilities, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than thirty years, or both.
(b)If two or more persons conspire to violate this section, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each of the parties to such conspiracy shall be punished as provided in subsection (a) of this section.
This may be a non-starter due to the apparent requirement of a state or war or a declared national emergency. Nonetheless, it is a very interesting prosecution to consider, since the violation is an act that sabotages the ability of the government to prepare for or participate in war or national defense. Operating a "fake media" system that usurps the government's ability to inform its citizenry about important security matters may fall into this category.
ESPIONAGE
The law: U.S. Code › Title 18 › Part I › Chapter 37
18 U.S. Code § 794 - Gathering or delivering defense information to aid foreign government
(a)Whoever, with intent or reason to believe that it is to be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation, communicates, delivers, or transmits, or attempts to communicate, deliver, or transmit, to any foreign government, or to any faction or party or military or naval force within a foreign country, whether recognized or unrecognized by the United States, or to any representative, officer, agent, employee, subject, or citizen thereof, either directly or indirectly, any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, note, instrument, appliance, or information relating to the national defense, shall be punished by death or by imprisonment for any term of years or for life, except that the sentence of death shall not be imposed unless the jury or, if there is no jury, the court, further finds that the offense resulted in the identification by a foreign power (as defined in section 101(a) of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978) of an individual acting as an agent of the United States and consequently in the death of that individual, or directly concerned nuclear weaponry, military spacecraft or satellites, early warning systems, or other means of defense or retaliation against large-scale attack; war plans; communications intelligence or cryptographic information; or any other major weapons system or major element of defense strategy.
Prosecution and conviction is possible during peace time-- no formal declaration of war is necessary. Violation occurs when, for example, a person gathers and transmits defense information knowing it will be used to damage the United States or assist foreign nation(s).
Also see this other section:
18 U.S. Code § 798 - Disclosure of classified information
(a)Whoever knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States any classified information—
(1) concerning the nature, preparation, or use of any code, cipher, or cryptographic system of the United States or any foreign government; or
(2) concerning the design, construction, use, maintenance, or repair of any device, apparatus, or appliance used or prepared or planned for use by the United States or any foreign government for cryptographic or communication intelligence purposes; or
(3) concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States or any foreign government; or
(4) obtained by the processes of communication intelligence from the communications of any foreign government, knowing the same to have been obtained by such processes—
SEDITION AND CONSPIRACY
There are federal and state version of sedition laws, so this opens up a whole new set of questions. But, basically, sedition laws make criminal the act of advocating/aiding overthrow of the government.
Coordination v. Collusion
Coordination is an election law term: plan with another to interfere unlawfully with campaign
AND
Perjury, Computer Hacking, and Solicitation: the Trump-tanic @ 7 2017
So there is a lot of discussion now about impeachment, removal, and/or criminal prosecution of a wayward U.S. President. So far I haven't heard of a sitting U.S. President being prosecuted criminally for espionage, sabotage, and/or treason, but I think we may be close to witnessing a quite novel and historic event where this may be the most appropriate process.
The day that the president-elect visited Obama, Trump's physical demeanor and scared expression almost made me feel for the man. The persons that I immediately did feel concern for were his adult children, as my prediction then was that his conflicts immunity (notwithstanding the Emoluments Clause issues) was no protection to his children and so they were likely to end up in jail. albeit for bribery, corruption, etc..
In the days after his inauguration, it became clear that he would in fact put his family into play, so to speak. Starting in February, I started thinking that our "cultural" discussion of criminal prosecution of Trump (and certain of his family members) may be too limited and may need to consider the federal crimes of espionage, treason, and sabotage. Now, with the recent release of information that Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, sought during the transition to establish a communication back channel directly with the Kremlin, this thought becomes even more interesting, if morbidly so, because, well, its my layman's understanding that a civilian attempting to skirt U.S. surveillance to communicate directly with the Kremlin is usually called a "spy" .
Now I acknowledge that Presidents pretty routinely establish back-channels and send their officials to attempt whatever policy progress that they conclude would be good for the country and good for their legacy. Nixon sent Kissinger into secret meetings with the Soviets and we ended up with the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty (SALT). But Kushner's actions are completely different:
- He wasn't a public official--and even if he was we have a "One President" policy in this country;
- He didn't have a security clearance;
- He didn't have/express a policy motive;
- He (and Trump) did/do have a sizable personal financial motive. Kissinger and his President-father-in-law didn't have any massive personal financial interests/wealth associated with important Russians/Russian banks;
- Kissinger didn't ask to have secret communications directly with the Kremlin solely on Russian soil and solely using Russian equipment and protocols; and most important of all right now,
- The Soviet's hadn't just interfered with Presidential election and hacked the DNC, actions which both party's members have characterized as an act of war, as an attack.
And, as you already know if you read my previous posts, I predict that VP Pence is too tainted to avoid going down with the Trump-tanic. In the "high crimes" thought, we have to remember that Pence lead Trump's transition team and so was in charge of background screenings for clearances, among other things. Pence knew or had a duty to know a lot of important things that were going on from November 9th to January 20th.
Let's start with:
VIOLATION OF FEDERAL ELECTION LAW
The law: 11 CFR 110.20 - Prohibition on contributions, donations, expenditures, independent expenditures, and disbursements by foreign nationals (52 U.S.C. 30121, 36 U.S.C. 510).
(a) Definitions
Title 11, Chap. I, Subchapter C, Part 300, Section 300.2, Definitions
(a)Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1)Disbursement has the same meaning as in 11 CFR 300.2(d).
(2)Donation has the same meaning as in 11 CFR 300.2(e). [Which says:
"(e)Donation. For purposes of part 300, donation means a payment, gift, subscription, loan, advance, deposit, or anything of value given to a person, but does not include contributions."]
(4)Knowingly means that a person must:
(i) Have actual knowledge that the source of the funds solicited, accepted or received is a foreign national;
(ii) Be aware of facts that would lead a reasonable person to conclude that there is a substantial probability that the source of the funds solicited, accepted or received is a foreign national; or
(iii) Be aware of facts that would lead a reasonable person to inquire whether the source of the funds solicited, accepted or received is a foreign national, but the person failed to conduct a reasonable inquiry.
(g)Solicitation, acceptance, or receipt of contributions and donations from foreign nationals. No person shall knowingly solicit, accept, or receive from a foreign national any contribution or donation prohibited by paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section.
(h)Providing substantial assistance.
(1) No person shall knowingly provide substantial assistance in the solicitation, making, acceptance, or receipt of a contribution or donation prohibited by paragraphs (b) through (d), and (g) of this section.
(2) No person shall knowingly provide substantial assistance in the making of an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement prohibited by paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section.
(i)Participation by foreign nationals in decisions involving election-related activities. A foreign national shall not direct, dictate, control, or directly or indirectly participate in the decision-making process of any person, such as a corporation, labor organization, political committee, or political organization with regard to such person's Federal or non-Federal election-related activities, such as decisions concerning the making of contributions, donations, expenditures, or disbursements in connection with elections for any Federal, State, or local office or decisions concerning the administration of a political committee.
CASE LAW:
Bluman v. Federal Election Commission, 2012 : A lawful resident alien has no First Amendment right to contribute to American candidates and political committees, and that foreign national political intervention implicated a principle "fundamental to the definition of our national political community," "which is that "foreign citizens do not have a constitutional right to participate in, and thus may be excluded from, activities of democratic self-government." It is the sovereign's obligation to preserve the basic conception of a political community.
CASE LAW:
Bluman v. Federal Election Commission, 2012 : A lawful resident alien has no First Amendment right to contribute to American candidates and political committees, and that foreign national political intervention implicated a principle "fundamental to the definition of our national political community," "which is that "foreign citizens do not have a constitutional right to participate in, and thus may be excluded from, activities of democratic self-government." It is the sovereign's obligation to preserve the basic conception of a political community.
TREASON
The law: U.S. Constitution
Article 3 Section 3
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
Reader be aware that treason has distinct importance as a crime for which one can be prosecuted and convicted and a distinct importance as a cultural legal and political concept. This point is important because there may be treasonous acts which demand prosecution but which occurred not during a time of war, which is a requirement for the criminal prosecution of treason. Also, it may be interesting to remember that states have their own version (criminal versions) of "treason".
So, as history shows, when War has not been declared, the "perpetraitor" is subject to prosecution and conviction for violation of any of a myriad of other "black letter" crimes.
The U.S. Constitution, at Article III, section 3, defines "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." It then speaks to the crime of treason and what is required for the criminal conviction.
First, let's highlight that Trump's/Trump's team's actions very likely meet the understanding of "Treason" as we know it culturally in that they have betrayed their country by attempting to overthrow a government to which they owe allegiance. They colluded amongst themselves and with a foreign government to subvert election laws and to subvert U.S. citizens' right to participate in the election of their president, with the goal of assuming control of the executive branch of the U.S. government, and in exchange for depleting the authority and power of the U.S. within the Western world and as against Russia's position in that system.
Because several important public officials - elected and appointed (Congressional and Intelligence Community) have characterized Russia's 2016 interference with our electoral process as an "act of war", conviction for treason may not be the long shot that I originally thought. So this is an important characterization when it comes to exploring whether Trump, member(s) of his campaign or transition team, or his staff/family can be charged with committing treason. Further, convictions have been obtained using only circumstantial evidence, and against a father harboring his spy son.
SABOTAGE
The law:
U.S. Code › Title 18 › Part I › Chapter 105
18 U.S. Code § 2153 - Destruction of war material, war premises, or war utilities
(a) Whoever, when the United States is at war, or in times of national emergency as declared by the President or by the Congress, with intent to injure, interfere with, or obstruct the United States or any associate nation in preparing for or carrying on the war or defense activities, or, with reason to believe that his act may injure, interfere with, or obstruct the United States or any associate nation in preparing for or carrying on the war or defense activities, willfully injures, destroys, contaminates or infects, or attempts to so injure, destroy, contaminate or infect any war material, war premises, or war utilities, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than thirty years, or both.
(b)If two or more persons conspire to violate this section, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each of the parties to such conspiracy shall be punished as provided in subsection (a) of this section.
This may be a non-starter due to the apparent requirement of a state or war or a declared national emergency. Nonetheless, it is a very interesting prosecution to consider, since the violation is an act that sabotages the ability of the government to prepare for or participate in war or national defense. Operating a "fake media" system that usurps the government's ability to inform its citizenry about important security matters may fall into this category.
ESPIONAGE
The law: U.S. Code › Title 18 › Part I › Chapter 37
18 U.S. Code § 794 - Gathering or delivering defense information to aid foreign government
(a)Whoever, with intent or reason to believe that it is to be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation, communicates, delivers, or transmits, or attempts to communicate, deliver, or transmit, to any foreign government, or to any faction or party or military or naval force within a foreign country, whether recognized or unrecognized by the United States, or to any representative, officer, agent, employee, subject, or citizen thereof, either directly or indirectly, any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, note, instrument, appliance, or information relating to the national defense, shall be punished by death or by imprisonment for any term of years or for life, except that the sentence of death shall not be imposed unless the jury or, if there is no jury, the court, further finds that the offense resulted in the identification by a foreign power (as defined in section 101(a) of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978) of an individual acting as an agent of the United States and consequently in the death of that individual, or directly concerned nuclear weaponry, military spacecraft or satellites, early warning systems, or other means of defense or retaliation against large-scale attack; war plans; communications intelligence or cryptographic information; or any other major weapons system or major element of defense strategy.
Prosecution and conviction is possible during peace time-- no formal declaration of war is necessary. Violation occurs when, for example, a person gathers and transmits defense information knowing it will be used to damage the United States or assist foreign nation(s).
Also see this other section:
18 U.S. Code § 798 - Disclosure of classified information
(a)Whoever knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States any classified information—
(1) concerning the nature, preparation, or use of any code, cipher, or cryptographic system of the United States or any foreign government; or
(2) concerning the design, construction, use, maintenance, or repair of any device, apparatus, or appliance used or prepared or planned for use by the United States or any foreign government for cryptographic or communication intelligence purposes; or
(3) concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States or any foreign government; or
(4) obtained by the processes of communication intelligence from the communications of any foreign government, knowing the same to have been obtained by such processes—
SEDITION AND CONSPIRACY
There are federal and state version of sedition laws, so this opens up a whole new set of questions. But, basically, sedition laws make criminal the act of advocating/aiding overthrow of the government.
Coordination v. Collusion
Coordination is an election law term: plan with another to interfere unlawfully with campaign
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
The Nixon-Trump Parallel @ 2017
The Great Parallel @ 2017
Let's Start with a summary:
This Parallel, that I first noticed while reading the Haldeman Diaries earlier this year (2017) and first wrote about this March, is disturbingly informative of the existence not of some coincidental basket of personality traits and political antics but of the existence of a diagnosable personality disorder--a psychopathology, with similar outcomes when occurring in a similar situational context and access to social or cultural power.
Diagnosable narcissist
Governing style: pure partisanship consistently at the expense of the U.S. citizenry
Obsessed with his own media image
Targeted the media and labelled as "enemy"
Morbidly obsessed with revenge: Nixon's target was Ted Kennedy, developing a crystallizing and seething anger when JFK bested him in the 1960 presidential election. Trump's target is Hillary Clinton, having developed a crystallizing and seething anger at Obama having embarrassed him at the White House Correspondents Dinner. For both men, their targets represented the embodiment of--and access to, the person who actually triggered their revenge. Couching his actions as attacking an opposing candidate in the next presidential election, Nixon actually arranged to have Ted Kennedy "set up" and demanded that CIA give him the Lodge files/CIA files re: the death of Diem and the Bay of Pigs events, intending to use the classified info to publically tarnish JFK's legacy (and further taint Ted K.). Since assuming the job as president on Jan. 20, Trump has repeatedly blamed numerous gaffs and failures on Obama, regardless of the truth of the matter, and further stating the he inherited a mess from Obama and remaining entrenched, in his public speeches in his campaign rhetoric.
Criminality: Nixon fired persons (IRS) resisting his commands to commit criminal or unethical acts for "the party". Trump fired persons resisting his commands to commit or criminal or dishonest acts supporting his false accusations and pursuing the Russia investigation(s).
Publically excoriates "leaks" yet harbored demand for media to comply with his use of leaks.
Hypocritical position on transparency and openness: Both refused to release tax returns, publically challenging opponents to be open and transparent. Nixon stated that opponents don't release tax returns because they are hiding bad conduct. Trump tells citizenry the White House is the people's house while prohibiting media attendance and disclosure of WH visitor's log to the public.
Pathologically obsessed with infiltrating opponent candidate's/party's "offices". Nixon's Plumbers/Watergate 5. Trump's Hackers.
TIP: Nixon's vanity led him to record the very conversations that exposed his criminality. Given the significant parallels in the Trump and Nixon personalities, there is reason to conclude that Trump is also somehow memorializing his "negotiating excellence".
Let's Start with a summary:
This Parallel, that I first noticed while reading the Haldeman Diaries earlier this year (2017) and first wrote about this March, is disturbingly informative of the existence not of some coincidental basket of personality traits and political antics but of the existence of a diagnosable personality disorder--a psychopathology, with similar outcomes when occurring in a similar situational context and access to social or cultural power.
Diagnosable narcissist
Governing style: pure partisanship consistently at the expense of the U.S. citizenry
Obsessed with his own media image
Targeted the media and labelled as "enemy"
Morbidly obsessed with revenge: Nixon's target was Ted Kennedy, developing a crystallizing and seething anger when JFK bested him in the 1960 presidential election. Trump's target is Hillary Clinton, having developed a crystallizing and seething anger at Obama having embarrassed him at the White House Correspondents Dinner. For both men, their targets represented the embodiment of--and access to, the person who actually triggered their revenge. Couching his actions as attacking an opposing candidate in the next presidential election, Nixon actually arranged to have Ted Kennedy "set up" and demanded that CIA give him the Lodge files/CIA files re: the death of Diem and the Bay of Pigs events, intending to use the classified info to publically tarnish JFK's legacy (and further taint Ted K.). Since assuming the job as president on Jan. 20, Trump has repeatedly blamed numerous gaffs and failures on Obama, regardless of the truth of the matter, and further stating the he inherited a mess from Obama and remaining entrenched, in his public speeches in his campaign rhetoric.
Criminality: Nixon fired persons (IRS) resisting his commands to commit criminal or unethical acts for "the party". Trump fired persons resisting his commands to commit or criminal or dishonest acts supporting his false accusations and pursuing the Russia investigation(s).
Publically excoriates "leaks" yet harbored demand for media to comply with his use of leaks.
Hypocritical position on transparency and openness: Both refused to release tax returns, publically challenging opponents to be open and transparent. Nixon stated that opponents don't release tax returns because they are hiding bad conduct. Trump tells citizenry the White House is the people's house while prohibiting media attendance and disclosure of WH visitor's log to the public.
Pathologically obsessed with infiltrating opponent candidate's/party's "offices". Nixon's Plumbers/Watergate 5. Trump's Hackers.
TIP: Nixon's vanity led him to record the very conversations that exposed his criminality. Given the significant parallels in the Trump and Nixon personalities, there is reason to conclude that Trump is also somehow memorializing his "negotiating excellence".
Beyond the talking points @2017
* I hope that I can continue "Beyond the Talking Points" as a frequent themed-post looking beyond the media's analysis and politicians' spin of important cultural issues. These posts won't be fashioned as pre-cursors to white papers or the like, but as succinct thought-provokers.
1. RECENT WHITE HOUSE AND GOP CITATIONS OF SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSING MAKES FOR $20b BORDER WALL IRRESPONSIBLE
Trump White House administration and loyal GOP'ers have recently published statements that "illegal border crossings" are down well over 60% since January 20th (the day that Trump took office). They present this statistic in support of Trump's promise to build a $20B+ "border wall", when it is more likely to present the strongest argument against it: $20Billion now seems like a fiscally irresponsible policy to achieve the remaining goals intended by the border wall, and perhaps is even just a "gratuitous" real estate deal by a bloviating real estate mogul.
2. GOP LEADERS FACILITATED COMEY FIRING TO DELAY CURRENT WHITE HOUSE ADMINSTRATION COLLAPSE
Trump's firing of FBI director Comey may have caught the DNC, media, and public (and Comey) by surprise, but was more likely planned with the assistance of certain GOP leadership. This act will, in fact, delay the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. 2016 elections and the investigation into Trump campaign's ties to Russian intermediaries. And, where either investigation is likely to have progressed to critical knowledge/acquisition of evidence points, a party in control of Washington D.C. is likely to strategize delays to the implosion that are long enough to allow them to achieve some partisan advantage. The GOP certainly has a reputation for this kind of selfish myopic strategizing, and would certainly desire to at least like to retain a majority through the next election cycle.
3. WHEN TRUMP SAYS THE WHITE HOUSE IS THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE, HE DOESN'T MEAN THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR HIM.
He means the people who paid for him.
4 MEDIA, PUNDITS, AND POLITICIANS HAVE ALL FORGOTTEN THAT REPUBLICANS FUNDAMENTAL POSITION IS AGAINST ANY TYPE OF HEALTH CARE PROGRAM, MAKING ANY GOP "REPLACE" EFFORTS A COMPLETE-YET UNSPOKEN, FLIP FLOP
Remember when Obama and the Dems were trying to get the ACA passed? Remember those Republicans that argued to vote "no" because there really won't be an opportunity to make changes once the American public gets used to having the ACA in the version that was passed? Remember that the GOP, rather than crossing the aisle and telling the American people that it, too, wanted all citizens to have access to affordable health care, adopted a partisan divisive demonizing approach in order to ensure the loyalty of its conservative voters? What the media and pundits are not analyzing is that the current efforts by the GOP and WH to repeal and replace the ACA requires a fundamental policy position that is the exact the same position for which the GOP demonized the Dems and the Obama WH when the latter struggled to pass the ACA. Why aren't the Dems harping on that, especially to leverage that criticism into bi-partisan-ism on the issue of access to health care FOR ALL.
On that last note, I want to point out again, as I did during the ACA fight, that the real issue is that the ACA is an insurance bill. Its not a health care bill. In that fact, there was/is no reason to think that any bill that is really an insurance bill will ever be sufficient or successful as a health care bill.
@ 2017
1. RECENT WHITE HOUSE AND GOP CITATIONS OF SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSING MAKES FOR $20b BORDER WALL IRRESPONSIBLE
Trump White House administration and loyal GOP'ers have recently published statements that "illegal border crossings" are down well over 60% since January 20th (the day that Trump took office). They present this statistic in support of Trump's promise to build a $20B+ "border wall", when it is more likely to present the strongest argument against it: $20Billion now seems like a fiscally irresponsible policy to achieve the remaining goals intended by the border wall, and perhaps is even just a "gratuitous" real estate deal by a bloviating real estate mogul.
2. GOP LEADERS FACILITATED COMEY FIRING TO DELAY CURRENT WHITE HOUSE ADMINSTRATION COLLAPSE
Trump's firing of FBI director Comey may have caught the DNC, media, and public (and Comey) by surprise, but was more likely planned with the assistance of certain GOP leadership. This act will, in fact, delay the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. 2016 elections and the investigation into Trump campaign's ties to Russian intermediaries. And, where either investigation is likely to have progressed to critical knowledge/acquisition of evidence points, a party in control of Washington D.C. is likely to strategize delays to the implosion that are long enough to allow them to achieve some partisan advantage. The GOP certainly has a reputation for this kind of selfish myopic strategizing, and would certainly desire to at least like to retain a majority through the next election cycle.
3. WHEN TRUMP SAYS THE WHITE HOUSE IS THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE, HE DOESN'T MEAN THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR HIM.
He means the people who paid for him.
4 MEDIA, PUNDITS, AND POLITICIANS HAVE ALL FORGOTTEN THAT REPUBLICANS FUNDAMENTAL POSITION IS AGAINST ANY TYPE OF HEALTH CARE PROGRAM, MAKING ANY GOP "REPLACE" EFFORTS A COMPLETE-YET UNSPOKEN, FLIP FLOP
Remember when Obama and the Dems were trying to get the ACA passed? Remember those Republicans that argued to vote "no" because there really won't be an opportunity to make changes once the American public gets used to having the ACA in the version that was passed? Remember that the GOP, rather than crossing the aisle and telling the American people that it, too, wanted all citizens to have access to affordable health care, adopted a partisan divisive demonizing approach in order to ensure the loyalty of its conservative voters? What the media and pundits are not analyzing is that the current efforts by the GOP and WH to repeal and replace the ACA requires a fundamental policy position that is the exact the same position for which the GOP demonized the Dems and the Obama WH when the latter struggled to pass the ACA. Why aren't the Dems harping on that, especially to leverage that criticism into bi-partisan-ism on the issue of access to health care FOR ALL.
On that last note, I want to point out again, as I did during the ACA fight, that the real issue is that the ACA is an insurance bill. Its not a health care bill. In that fact, there was/is no reason to think that any bill that is really an insurance bill will ever be sufficient or successful as a health care bill.
@ 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)