So Much for "No Collusion"

Posted by TomCat at 12:17 pm Politics

Aug 202020

The Senate Intelligence Committee released a report on Russian interference in the stolen 2016 Residential election, and the cooperation of criminal Fuhrer Trump* and members of his campaign staff with that interference. So much for “No Collusion”!

IT’S WORTH wondering what the impact might have been had the Senate Intelligence Committee’s final report on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election appeared six months ago, before the report of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and the twisted account of it provided by Attorney General William P. Barr. On their own terms, the Senate’s findings, released Tuesday after a bipartisan investigation, are explosive: that then-candidate Donald Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort “formed a close and lasting relationship” with “a Russian intelligence officer,” with whom he shared inside information from the president’s campaign and collaborated to concoct a false narrative that Ukraine, and not Russia, was behind the election interference.

Further, the Senate report states that the Trump campaign “sought to maximize” the impact of leaks of Democratic documents by WikiLeaks, knowing the original source was the Russian military intelligence agency, GRU. The campaign’s intermediary was Roger Stone, whose prison sentence for lying about his involvement and tampering with witnesses was commuted last month by Mr. Trump; the president, the committee “assesses,” lied when he said he never talked to Mr. Stone about WikiLeaks.

Then there is what the Senate investigators glimpsed but could not nail down. The report cites “fragmentary” evidence that Mr. Manafort’s Russian associate Konstantin Kilimnik “may have been connected to the GRU’s hack and leak operation,” and two pieces of information linking the campaign chairman himself. The full truth is unknown in part because Mr. Manafort chose to incur an extended prison sentence rather than tell prosecutors the truth about his relationship with the Russian spy.

It is a sad tribute to Mr. Trump’s skill at obfuscation and disinformation that these revelations will likely be ignored by many voters already sated by conflicting accounts of what the president calls the “Russian hoax.” He did it again Tuesday, and on cue, his Senate sycophants — including, contemptibly, the acting Intelligence Committee chairman, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — rushed to assert that the report shows “no collusion” between Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign and the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

That may be true, in the narrow sense of a criminal conspiracy. Yet the report leaves no doubt that, on instructions of Mr. Putin, Russian intelligence sought to aid Mr. Trump’s election; that Mr. Trump and his campaign welcomed and sought to exploit that aid; and that the president, Mr. Manafort, Mr. Stone and several other key campaign officials then lied about the affair… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Click through for more. This is certainly worth reading!

‘Devastating’: Revelations From Senate Intel Report

If that isn’t bad enough, criminal Fuhrer Trump’s* response to the report is to seek advise from his boss, the holder of the tapes, Vladimir Putin [R-RU].

Defiant Trump Seeks Putin Meeting After Report Finds He Lied To Mueller About Russia

The bottom line is this. Trump* and Putin are still colluding to steal YOUR White House from YOU again. What are YOU going to do about it?

RESIST!!

A Republican to Republicans

Posted by TomCat at 11:44 am Politics

Jul 312020

The following is an editorial by MSNBC Republican host, Joe Scarborough. It is obviously directed to Republicans, but I can’t resist sharing it with you as well. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve disagreed with Joe over the years, I could finance a luxurious retirement for us all, but this time, I could not agree more.

What a tremendous burden it must be for you to still be defending President Trump. You have called yourself a constitutional conservative for decades, but now you sit silently as the president pushes to move this year’s election because he might lose. Even some Republican senators are speaking up. Why aren’t you?

Trump remembers how you ran interference for him when he claimed unlimited powers under Article II of the Constitution, so he thinks you will stay quiet. Remember your silence after Charlottesville? You eventually mustered the nerve to claim Trump never preached moral equivalence between torch-carrying Nazis and protesters. How unthoughtful it was of David Duke to expose you by praising the president’s putrid performance and thanking Trump for his “honesty and courage to tell the truth.” The former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard even bragged to reporters that Charlottesville represented a “turning point” for white nationalism. “We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump,” Duke proclaimed. “That’s why we voted for [him].”

Ouch. That one had to sting, but you kept on defending Donald…

…By this time, you began mindlessly regurgitating the former reality TV host’s propaganda about the “Russian hoax,” and hoped Americans would be stupid enough to ignore the mountains of damning evidence against Trump. Your singular focus turned to the Steele dossier’s most lurid tales, and you believed then, and now, that Christopher Steele’s fantastical claims could erase a multitude of Trump’s sins. You repeated the lies of Attorney General William P. Barr and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey O. Graham when they falsely claimed the FBI’s investigation began with Steele’s dossier. And you kept repeating this idiotic defense even after it became painfully evident that Trump’s team welcomed Russia’s interference in American democracy and then tried to cover it up. You still refuse to criticize the Trump team’s use of material stolen by Russia during the last month of the campaign, just like you and your president continue turning a blind eye to any Russian bounties.

None dare call it treason, but perhaps one day they will. [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Please click through and read this editorial in it’s entirety. There is too much essential content to miss.

Here’s a related video.

Joe: ‘Donald Trump Will Lead To The End Of The Party Of Abraham Lincoln’

I could not disagree more with Joe on the opinions he shares about Democrats in this clip, but at least I can respect his integrity.

RESIST!!

Open Thread–7/1/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:04 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 012020

It’s a crazy day. I’m waiting for Safeway.com to arrive, and hoped they would be here, before I publish this, but their tracking app shoes them over one hour late. They have emailed me my receipt. They are out of stock for $100 out of $190, including toilet paper. I can do without a lot of the items, but it may be a shitty week, here in the CatBox. Tomorrow, please expect no more than Personal Update. WWWendy will be here in the morning. Hump Day Hugs!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:59 (average 5:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0701TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 2,730,803

US Deaths: 130,134

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Oregonian Channel): Portland Police declare a riot on June 30, 2020

It was a riot… a police riot. They attacked demonstrators, because they were in front of the police union office protesting police violence. Sadly, policing is one of the few areas in which Oregon does NOT lead the way. RESIST!!

From NY Times: American officials intercepted electronic data showing large financial transfers from a bank account controlled by Russia’s military intelligence agency to a Taliban-linked account, evidence that supported their conclusion that Russia covertly offered bounties for killing U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan, according to three officials familiar with the intelligence.

Though the United States has accused Russia of providing general support to the Taliban before, analysts concluded from other intelligence that the transfers were most likely part of a bounty program that detainees described during interrogations.

Investigators also identified by name numerous Afghans in a network linked to the suspected Russian operation, the officials said — including, two of them added, a man believed to have served as an intermediary for distributing some of the funds and who is now thought to be in Russia.

The intercepts bolstered the findings gleaned from the interrogations, helping reduce an earlier disagreement among intelligence analysts and agencies over the reliability of the detainees. The disclosures further undercut White House officials’ claim that the intelligence was too uncertain to brief President Trump. In fact, the information was provided to him in his daily written brief in late February, two officials have said.

Now we have undeniable proof, both that Russia paid for the murder of US troops, and criminal Fuhrer Trump* knew about it since February, 2019. He rewarded Russia in spite of it. Criminal Fuhrer Trump* has now fallen back to his defense of last resort. He’s calling it “fake news”. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): he Hollies – He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Donald Trump* [R-Russia]

Posted by TomCat at 11:28 am Politics

Jun 302020

The first time I covered this story, most of you were surprised to read it. Now it’s all over the news, so I’ll cover it again. Not only has criminal Fuhrer Trump* known that Russia pays bounties to Afghan terrorists for killing US troops, but also Trump’s* only response had been to fight to add Russia to and invite Putin to the G7, over the objections if our allies.

American officials provided a written briefing in late February to President Trump laying out their conclusion that a Russian military intelligence unit offered and paid bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan, two officials familiar with the matter said.

The investigation into the suspected Russian covert operation to incentivize such killings has focused in part on an April 2019 car bombing that killed three Marines as one such potential attack, according to multiple officials familiar with the matter.

The new information emerged as the White House tried on Monday to play down the intelligence assessment that Russia sought to encourage and reward killings — including reiterating a claim that Mr. Trump was never briefed about the matter and portraying the conclusion as disputed and dubious.

But that stance clashed with the disclosure by two officials that the intelligence was included months ago in Mr. Trump’s President’s Daily Brief document — a compilation of the government’s latest secrets and best insights about foreign policy and national security that is prepared for him to read. One of the officials said the item appeared in Mr. Trump’s brief in late February; the other cited Feb. 27, specifically.

Moreover, a description of the intelligence assessment that the Russian unit had carried out the bounties plot was also seen as serious and solid enough to disseminate more broadly across the intelligence community in a May 4 article in the C.I.A.’s World Intelligence Review, a classified compendium commonly referred to as The Wire, two officials said… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

If you’re wondering why Russia is doing this, it’s an act of vengeance. When Russia invaded Afghanistan, Republican Presidents in the 1980s supported Osama bin Laden and the Taliban with weapons and money to kill Russian troops. So this problem, not to mention the existence of Al Qaeda and ISEL, aka the Daesh, is a gift from the Republican Reich. Now, back to the present.

What To Know About Allegations That Russia Bribed The Taliban To Kill U.S. Troops

If you believe Kayleigh Lie-a-lot that her beloved Fuhrer was not briefed, see me about buying my bridge in NYC. However, if he ignored his Daily Brief, and his staff never brought this to his attention, that’s even worse.

RESIST!!

Republicans on Parade–6/23/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:06 am Politics

Jun 232020

Here is the one hundred seventy-eighth article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s winner Republican Nazi soldier and traitor, Ethan Melzer. He is so honored for plotting a jihadist terrorist attack against his own Army unit.

An American soldier has been arrested for plotting with what prosecutors describe as a “neo-Nazi cult” to attack his own Army unit.

The Washington Post reports that 22-year-old Ethan Melzer gave intelligence about his unit to a racist U.K.-based group called the Order of Nine Angles so they could help launch an attack against it.

“Melzer allegedly provided this potentially deadly information intending that it be conveyed to jihadist terrorists,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Strauss described the planned attack as a “murderous ambush” and said Melzer was “motivated by racism and hatred as he attempted to carry out this ultimate act of betrayal.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Raw Story>

I have no doubt that our veterans will agree that our service personnel trust each other with their lives, so it’s hard to imagine a more Republican crime than this. Frankly, I hope he gets life without possibility of parole.

Note the ease in which Nazis and Islamic terrorists work together. As much as Republicans like to associate Al Qaeda and the Daesh (ISIL) with the left, the association could not be valid. These organizations are right wing. How could they be leftists when they act just like Republicans.

This does give me cause to worry about the future of brand new Acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss of the the SDNY. After Melzer committed an act that would qualify him for a high government post in the Republican Reich, criminal Fuhrer Trump* may sic Barrf on Strauss for prosecuting Melzer.

RESIST!!

Open Thread–6/2/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:24 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 022020

It’s a very busy day, here in the CatBox, so this is my only article today today. JD, you might want to cover the new John Pavlovitz video. WWWendy got back to town late last night and is coming to de-stink me this afternoon. I could not need it more. I received a reply from my palliative care team. They upped Oxycodone my dosage to 5 – 10 mg every 4 – 6 hours as needed, so when I’m in my chair, I’m gradually increasing my dosage to find the minimum that works. This morning I had a video visit with Megan, my PCP. She took me off of insulin, simvastatin, and lisinopril. After that, I ensconced my butt on the throne for about an hour. I unloaded virtually everything that had collected since leaving the hospital and before. It was done in a healthy fashion, but I swear that some of the Republicans that came out of me met Abe Lincoln personally! Tuesday is flush Republicans day! I did!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:50 (average 5:17). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0602TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,862,343
Deaths: 107,066
Recovered: 615,654

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: A controversial new study suggests that the United States of America could benefit from having a President.

The study has raised eyebrows by claiming that a President could be helpful in unifying a country and, in a best-case scenario, providing moral leadership.

“At a time of crisis, a President could be a galvanizing figure who leads a country to a better future,” the study theorizes. “He or she could bring a nation together rather than tear it apart.”

In one of the study’s most radical proposals, it argues that a so-called Justice Department could include an Attorney General appointed by the President to uphold the rule of law.

But Andy, if the US had a President instead of Resident Trump*, then Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch and Barrf could not run the Republican Reich! RESIST!!

From YouTube (Lincoln Project Channel): Flag of Treason

The Republican Reich, led by criminal Fuhrer Trump*, is the party of hate, the party of racism, and the party of treason! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black (Official Lyric Video)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–2/29/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:31 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 292020

It’s become a busy day here in the CatBox, as two days missed has me way behind in research. I was also sick most of the night, and today, and I have thrown up four times since breakfast. I really think it’s pills blocking the passage. Then food and saliva collect and fill the esophagus. ARGH! Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, and normally I would publish only a Personal Update, but I’ll try to add a piece on the SC primary. Have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:57 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

0229Cartoon

That is the machine I was in yesterday.

Short Takes:

From Alternet: According to a report from the Star-Telegram, a senior member of the rightwing paramilitary group Oath Keepers who moved to Texas in 2015 is actively recruiting local law enforcement employees while telling them a “bloody civil war” against the U.S. government is on the horizon.

The report states that John D. Shirley, the national director of the Las Vegas-based Oath Keepers finagled himself a job as a county constable in Hood County which provided him with access to other police officers and now he is using his position to recruit.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Oath Keepers organization is “one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the U.S. today” with, reportedly, thousands of members made up of former law enforcement officials and military veterans.

The Oath Keepers are Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian terrorists. Because of the group’s treasonous activities, membership in Oath Keepers ought to be a court martial offence for military personnel and cause for termination for other government employees, especially those in law enforcement. RESIST!!

From NY Times: President Trump announced on Friday that he intended to nominate Representative John Ratcliffe, Republican of Texas, as his director of national intelligence, choosing someone he considered last summer before senior Republicans in Congress deemed him unqualified for the job.

When even Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch’s prime lackeys consider this bozo unqualified,it shows that he’s only sycophant that criminal Fuhrer Trump* can find to be his Barrf in the DNI position. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Moody Blues – Tuesday Afternoon (1970)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Criminals to Call Out

Posted by TomCat at 9:42 am Politics

Feb 012020

0201Pigs

Yesterday the Republican Caucus of the US Senate betrayed the people of the United States by depriving us of our right to hear witnesses and see documents in the impeachment trial of criminal Donald Trump. Watch and burn with righteous anger!

See how each senator voted on witnesses at Trump’s trial

Here is a complete list of the total and two partial traitors.

Alexander, Lamar (R-TN)

Barrasso, John (R-WY)

Blackburn, Marsha (R-TN)

Blunt, Roy (R-MO)

Boozman, John (R-AR)

Braun, Mike (R-IN)

Burr, Richard (R-NC)

Capito, Shelley Moore (R-WV)

Cassidy, Bill (R-LA)

Collins, Susan M. (R-ME)*

Cornyn, John (R-TX)

Cotton, Tom (R-AR)

Cramer, Kevin (R-ND)

Crapo, Mike (R-ID)

Cruz, Ted (R-TX)

Daines, Steve (R-MT)

Enzi, Michael B. (R-WY)

Ernst, Joni (R-IA)

Fischer, Deb (R-NE)

Gardner, Cory (R-CO)

Graham, Lindsey (R-SC)

Grassley, Chuck (R-IA)

Hawley, Josh (R-MO)

Hoeven, John (R-ND)

Hyde-Smith, Cindy (R-MS)

Inhofe, James M. (R-OK)

Johnson, Ron (R-WI)

Kennedy, John (R-LA)

Lankford, James (R-OK)

Lee, Mike (R-UT)

Loeffler, Kelly (R-GA)

McConnell, Mitch (R-KY)

McSally, Martha (R-AZ)

Moran, Jerry (R-KS)

Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK)

Paul, Rand (R-KY)

Perdue, David (R-GA)

Portman, Rob (R-OH)

Risch, James E. (R-ID)

Roberts, Pat (R-KS)

Romney, Mitt (R-UT)*

Rounds, Mike (R-SD)

Rubio, Marco (R-FL)

Sasse, Ben (R-NE)

Scott, Rick (R-FL)

Scott, Tim (R-SC)

Shelby, Richard C. (R-AL)

Sullivan, Dan (R-AK)

Thune, John (R-SD)

Tillis, Thom (R-NC)

Wicker, Roger F. (R-MS)

Young, Todd (R-IN)

*Safe vote Susan and Little Lord Willard did vote to include witnesses, but would not have done so, if their votes would have made a difference.

I’ll have to call these traitors Republicans. I’d call them excrement, but to do so would be too great an insult to shit!

Do any of these Senators represent you? If so, show them your wrath. Go to their town hall meetings and shout them down. If you see them getting haircuts, ask the barber to scalp them. If you see them in a restaurant, tell them your taxes paid for their food. Say you want it back. If you see them on the street, ask a dog to mark their path before them. They didn’t care enough to represent 75% of American voters. Make their lives miserable, as long as they are in office. The time for forgiveness is after they are defeated and unemployable!

RESIST!!

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