Consider this an open thread to catch up and discuss ongoing events...

( Via LA TIMES ) FBI investigators on Friday were expected to continue their days-long search of a lake in San Bernardino for electronics discarded by the shooters in last week’s deadly terrorist attack. But whether any devices were actually left behind and what value they might hold remains unclear.

David Zimmerman, chief executive of Clearwater, Fla.-based data recovery firm LC Technology International, said investigators have a strong chance of accessing the data from any water-submerged digital devices even if they’ve been in there for more than a week.  (link)

Senator Ted Cruz relies on two essential political elements to keep his “conservative” ruse afloat. The first is that people don’t follow “unanimous consent” passages in the Senate; the second is that people don’t follow “cloture votes” – Both of which are never recorded “roll call votes”, and allow candidates to obscure their intent and later claim a counter position.

It’s a good trick, and indeed fools almost everyone.  Unless, that is, you’re tracking them while they occur…

Red Circled Candidates All Support Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement (TPP)

CASE IN POINT – HR2146 (TPA “Trade Promotion Authority” or “Fast Track”): This House Bill #2146 originating April 30th ’15, became the vehicle for passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.

HR2146 was originally introduced in the House of Representatives as a bill to address issues with retirement funds of federal law enforcement officers and firefighters.

BACKSTORY – In the beginning of the congressional session, with Republicans now in control of both the House and Senate, in Feb-March-April of 2015,  Senator Ted Cruz and House Ways and Means Chairman, Representative Paul Ryan, supported Trade Promotion Authority being added to HR2146.

Their support was most notable when they posted the following Op-Ed which appeared in the Wall Street Journal on April 22nd: (more…)

Matt Drudge Was RIGHT – “Stay off Their Platforms“

Last month we revealed that Breitbart.com was data-mining for the Ted Cruz campaign. Now, another report shows how Ted Cruz is using a Zuckerberg assisted Facebook Surveillance program to track, monitor and target YOU.

( Via Veterans Today ) Ted Cruz using firm that harvested data on millions of unwitting Facebook users Exclusive: Documents reveal donor-funded US startup embedded in Republican’s campaign paid UK university academics to collect psychological profiles on potential voters.

Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign is using psychological data based on research spanning tens of millions of Facebook users, harvested largely without their permission, to boost his surging White House run and gain an edge over Donald Trump and other Republican rivals, the Guardian can reveal. (more…)

“PROSELYTIZE”: using faith to recruit someone to join one’s party, institution, or cause…

There is a strategy, albeit a rather divisive strategy, which can be deployed politically by those intentionally selecting a very specific gathering of supporters.

In a highly fractured presidential bid, this proselytizing strategy may even garner enough of a base to mount a bid amid a larger field of candidates. However, it is exceptionally narrow -hence works only amid large numbers of possible options- and can ultimately only gain the advocate a small percentage of the overall audience.

The strategy can NEVER win a general election.

Current evidence reflects this approach is the preferred direction of Team Ted Cruz and the presidential campaign therein. (more…)

A couple of short points (because the focus needs to be on his words) about this recording.  Initially, when questioned Cruz denied the statement.  Secondly, when questioned again by Megyn Kelly (last night) Cruz refused to take ownership of his words.   This is a pattern, a long, historic, and very specific pattern.  Pay close attention to his words.

Here’s the full audio as referenced in the New York Times article (click orange arrow):

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “2016 Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Presidential Race and/or any of the candidates therein.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

They’ve now been ‘MISSING’ four days !!

The police and FBI would NOT be releasing their identities if this was NOT a security threat.  This release increases the likelihood there is something very sketchy afoot…

(Via AJC) The names and passport photos of two missing Afghan national air force students were released Thursday. But there’s still no sign of the two men, last seen Friday on Moody Air Force Base.

The men have been identified as Mirwais Kohistani and Shirzad Rohullah, Channel 2 Action News reported. The two are among a group of 23 from Afghanistan who have been at the base since February and both are assigned to the 81st Fighter Squadron.

But a federal investigation was launched when Kohistani and Rohullah but did not show up for work Monday, Moody said in an emailed statement. (more…)

Remember the recent reports of five men with Syrian passports trying to gain entry into the U.S. through Honduras/Mexico, and the three men stopped in St. Maarten…

Trump is right – WE NEED TO STOP EVERYONE COMING IN – until this can all be digested and figured out.

(Via ABC News)  With the U.S. and other countries on high alert for ISIS attacks, American authorities are warning the terror group’s followers may have infiltrated American borders with authentic-looking passports ISIS has printed itself with its own machines, according to an intelligence report obtained by ABC News.

The 17-page Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Intelligence Report, issued to law enforcement last week, says ISIS likely has been able to print legitimate-looking Syrian passports since taking over the city of Deir ez-Zour last summer, home to a passport office with “boxes of blank passports” and a passport printing machine. Another passport office was located in Raqqa, Syria, which has long been ISIS’s de facto capital. (more…)

Blue Lives Matter..

Brief comments on current events and controversies from Candidate Donald Trump who is in Milford New Hampshire meeting with the New England Police Benevolent Association:  “we need a safe great country” !!

Additional Live-Link

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