Exploring what can happen when people think for themselves.
This is the kind of action that restores the public trust:
Chicago police recommend firing of 7 cops for false reports
Lots of people go to jail when they lie to the police; when the police lie, they should go to prison. Removing their ability to wield police power, though, is a good start.
Now, let’s see how long it takes for the police union to get them reinstated (with back pay).
The State Department now admits that a video concerning disclosures by the department’s own Jen Psaki regarding the Iran nuclear deal was altered to delete her comments. They admit that this was done by a technician, based on a phone call the technician received requesting the edit. But they don’t know who made the phone call?
State Department says review into deleted briefing footage ‘inconclusive’
Seems like we’ve got a propaganda machine operating within our government, which concerns me greatly. What ever happened to the government transparency Obama promised us?
….to take money from foreign donors while she is running for president – just not if she wins?
Michael Bloomberg named World Health Organization ambassador
Note that Bloomberg will be responsible for non-communicable diseases, which includes cancer, diabetes, heart and lung disease, and – listed later in the article – “combat injuries”. Based on Bloomberg’s long history of opposing the 2nd amendment, how long do you think it will be before all gun-related deaths fall into the category of “non-communicable disease” – like “combat injuries” – and thus fall within his domain? I predict that Bloomberg will use his new post to push for international gun control.
Remember, you heard it here first.
Bill Clinton pardoned a lot of people before he left office. Normally I don’t cite Wikipedia, but this looks like a well-documented list so here it is. It can be cross-checked with the Justice Department here. Do yourself a favor and read up on some of these pardons. For instance:
Roger Clinton, Jr. (Bill’s own half-brother), convicted of drug charges but pardoned by his half-brother on his last day in office. How convenient is that?
Or how about international fugitive Marc Rich, wanted for tax evasion and defying trade sanctions with Iran (which made him rich), whose former wife had contributed millions to Clinton causes and has now renounced her America citizenship (possibly to avoid taxes?). Even Eric Holder, Barack Obama’s appointee as U.S. Attorney General was involved, advising Clinton that he was “neutral leaning towards favorable” on Rich’s pardon. Note, too, that it was Eric Holder who advised Rich’s attorneys to bypass the justice department process and petition the White House directly, preventing the justice department from protesting the application.
Political appointees convicted of crimes are also on the list, such as Henry Cisneros, Clinton’s HUD secretary. Cisneros was convicted of lying to the feds about his mistress (sound familiar?). Relatives of political appointees are also beneficiaries of the Clinton’s pardon pen, such a Richard W. Riley Jr. (who applied for his pardon the day before it was granted). Richard Jr. is the son of Clinton Education Secretary Richard Riley.
The list goes on and on, but the most egregious are reviewed here. The list of pardons includes former business partners (think Whitewater), politicians, political supporters, financial supporters, appointees – you name it. Read it; it’s a good synopsis of what to expect when the Clinton’s are back in the White House.
Does all this amount to favoritism or pay-for-play? I don’t know, but what I do know is that this is what the people are fighting against when they rally behind Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump: they are pushing back against the potential for another 4+ years of a Clinton “friends and family” administration.
Court finds IRS may still be targeting conservatives
And in an election year, no less. However, it does follow the play book this administration has been using (“Rules? We don’t need no stinking rules…!”).
Here’s a question: Do you think this will improve in a Clinton administration? Yeah, that’s what I think, too….
OK, so on a slow news day it turns out that a joke can become a major cold-war event.
By now everyone has heard about Donald Trump having “…encouraged a foreign power to conduct espionage against his political opponent…” , or so claims Hillary for America senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan. Sullivan went on to say that , “This has gone from being a matter of curiosity, and a matter of politics, to being a national security issue.” A number of press organizations latched on and repeated this claim here, here, and here to name a few. However, the truth of the matter is quite different.
What Trump actual said (according to this article) is:
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’ll be able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he said, referring to deleted emails from the private account Hillary Clinton used as secretary of State. “I think you’ll probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”
He also tweeted:
If Russia or any other country or person has Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 illegally deleted emails, perhaps they should share them with the FBI!
This is pure tongue-in-cheek, not a call for espionage. Jake Sullivan should be embarrassed for even attempting to make the claim. Such an act of absurdity on the part of the DNC shows how desperate they are to draw attention away from Hillary’s own email problems, or the leaked DNC emails showing bias against Bernie Sanders.
To make matters even more surreal, former CIA director Leon Panetta made the claim that “Donald Trump, who wants to be president of the United States, is asking one of our adversaries to engage in hacking or intelligence efforts against the United States to affect our election.” He went on to say that, “…I think that kind of statement only reflects the fact that he truly is not qualified to be president of the United States…” Really, Leon? I think the facts actually show only that you and the DNC can’t take a joke.
Let it go, people, before you embarrass yourself further.
Let’s ignore the 2nd amendment issues for now. When a lawmaker decides to effectively change a law by interpreting it in a radically different way than it is written, then laws becomes an unstable foundation upon which to build a business or household. Actions such as these are a good reason to look for somewhere else to live – someplace where laws are interpreted as a clear text reading would suggest.
The Massachusetts AG has decided to interpret their “assault weapon” law as they would see fit, rather than based on what the law actually says. Their actions effectively ban all “assault” rifles, whether as described in the law as written or not. Note that the firearms in question have been considered legal since the law’s inception and widely sold in the state. It is also important to note that Massachusetts had zero murders last year committed with any rifle, let alone an “assault” rifle, making their expanded interpretation of the law solely an act of political grandstanding.
Turkey’s Erdogan declares three-month state of emergency following failed coup
Erdogan, who said the measures were put in place to “take all steps needed to eliminate the threat against democracy,” stopped short of declaring full martial law. He said that the state of emergency was “strictly a measure taken to overcome terror.”
Why is it that acts of oppression by leaders are so often claimed to be in the name of preserving democracy? (and why do we so often believe it?)
Turkey detains more judges and military officers
Already, nearly 10,000 people have been arrested while hundreds of schools have been closed. And nearly 60,000 civil service employees have been dismissed from their posts since the failed coup Friday.
Does this sound like democracy and freedom? I didn’t think so…
Fear Grips Turkey Amid Government Crackdown After Failed Coup
“These are the families of the traitors,” a passerby whispers to his friend.
Fear is a powerful weapon. It is frequently used by despots and terrorists.
The headline from NPR gives a clue as to what will come:
Turkey Says 6,000 People Have Been Detained After Failed Coup
Some of these people being detained are judges or opposition leaders. As some have noted, this seems to be an opportunity for Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to “clean out” some unwanted (pronounced “uncooperative”) elements of the government.