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Thursday February 15th – Open 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 †

Someone’s Doing The DOJ and FBI Interrogations and It’s Not Congress…

On a Monday night (February 12th, 2018) episode of Tucker Carlson a Democrat member of the House Intelligence committee said something interesting that almost everyone missed.  Appearing on the show to joust with Tucker, HPSCI member Eric Swalwell stated: “the House Intel Committee has not interviewed a single witness in over a month”.  [Video Here, quote @03:47]  This statement is rather enlightening.

A month earlier, January 4th, 2018, an agreement was finally made between House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes and DOJ Asst. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for complete disclosure of all unredacted documents AND a list of witnesses who Nunes wanted the HPSCI to question.

Included in those names was:  FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who exchanged anti-Trump text messages during an affair and previously worked on the special counsel’s Russia probe; FBI general counsel James Baker, who was reassigned; FBI head of counterintelligence Bill Priestap, whom ex-FBI boss James Comey testified made the decision not to brief Congress about the Russia case during last year’s election; and Bruce Ohr, a DOJ official reassigned after concealing meetings with figures involved in the dossier.

The January 4th agreement between Devin Nunes and Rod Rosenstein was made after a great deal of back-and-forth.  Chairman Nunes then documented the agreement in a letter.

On January 8th, Bruce Ohr was demoted for the second time.  [AND DOJ officials scheduled Bruce Ohr to be available to Devin Nunes on January 17th]

On January 9th, the DOJ provided the unredacted DOJ/FBI documents requested to Chairman Nunes; the documents the DOJ produced surrounded the Clinton-Steele Dossier and the FISA Title-1 application.   The documents were assigned to a SCIF in the basement of the House.  Those documents become the basis for Chairman Nunes to outline his memo; essentially a declassification request to the White House written by Trey Gowdy.

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Update: Broward County Florida School Shooting – Multiple Victims – Marjory Stoneman Douglas High…

Broward County Florida Sheriff’s Office confirmed they have a suspect in custody in connection to a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, that may have injured as many as 20 to 40 people.  Broward County public schools twitter feed here. Broward Sheriff twitter feed here.

The shooter was described as wearing a black hat, a maroon or burgundy colored shirt and black pants.  Gateway Pundit is identifying the shooter as “Nicholas de Jesus Cruz”, possibly a former student, 5′-8″. Miami Herald reports:

  According to law enforcement sources, the shooter, former student Nicolas de Jesus Cruz, is in custody. Helicopter footage shortly before 4 showed police frisking a handcuffed young man outside a squad car. Dressed in a maroon shirt and dark trousers, he was placed in the squad car as TV choppers filmed the scene. He gave no visible sign of being injured, but authorities have said Cruz was transported to Broward Health North.

A teacher at the school told the Miami Herald that Cruz, 19, had been identified as a potential threat to fellow students in the past.

“We were told last year that he wasn’t allowed on campus with a backpack on him,” said math teacher Jim Gard, who said the former student suspected in the shootings had been in his class last year. “There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus.” (more)

Police have notified area hospitals they will receive patients as a result of the shooting. The conditions of the victims were not clear, though Sen. Bill Nelson told FOX News there were “many deaths” at the school.

Parkland is a Fort Lauderdale suburb of 30,000 people just east of the Everglades. The National Council on Home Safety and Security recently placed the city on its list of the 10 safest cities in Florida.  President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences to the victims this afternoon.

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Republican Senator Ron Johnson Tells President Trump “it makes no sense to try and bring back high labor manufacturing jobs”…

Yesterday President Trump invited the media to keep their cameras on during a round-table discussion on trade.  He did this for a reason.  President Trump wanted the American voters to watch Republican politicians demand that he stop trying to bring manufacturing jobs to the United States.

In essence, Trump doing what Trump does best, played the role of Toto and pulled back the curtain on the Republican anti-American corporate business agenda.  The republicans in attendance never paused to reflect upon the sunlight or the reason for their specific invitations. They are comfortable back-room deals and POTUS Toto relaxed them perfectly.

One by one the Republicans took-the-bait and fully exposed themselves.  Lamar Alexander, Mike Lee, Pat Toomey and Roy Blout all took turns telling POTUS to quit trying to save American high-wage jobs, drop the national economic view and just accept multinational corporate globalism.

The subsequent full-throated establishment display stands as one of the greatest plays of the Trump administration to date. However, it was Republican Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin who really went the full distance:

[Transcript] […] In Wisconsin, a big manufacturing state, in seven years I have not visited one manufacturer that could hire enough people. That was certainly my experience in the last 20, 25 years. For a host of reasons, we tell our kids you have to get a four-year degree. We pay people not to work. So we do need to be concerned about, in such a tight labor market, do we have enough workers in manufacturing.

So my final point is, it makes no sense for me to try and bring back high labor-content manufacturing to America. We need to do the value added things. And so I would just say, proceed with real caution there.  (more)

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Remember That You Are Dust, And To Dust You Shall Return

 

Traditionally, Ash Wednesday and Lent are associated with Catholicism, but that no longer holds true. More Christians are taking advantage of the “forty days” (it’s really 46) today prepare for Easter.

Lent is a time to fast, pray, give alms. Many Catholics will give something up. Sweets, alcohol, meat, cursing, something that is supposed to be sacrificial and difficult. We perform acts of penance, and frequently take part in public prayer, such as the Stations of the Cross, which most parishes will have weekly, often before a Lenten meal.

All this is meant to spiritually lead us into the desert, to prepare us to really be able to celebrate on Easter Sunday with a cleansed heart, open totally to Jesus in the Resurrection. It should also open us to our fellow men on this journey, particularly those in need.

If you have never thought much about Ash Wednesday and Lent, I invite you to consider making it a part of your life for the next six weeks. It’s one of the best things you can do for yourself as a Christian.

Should you wish to participate in an Ash Wednesday service, you do not have to be Catholic. You will be welcome at any parish, and you can receive the ashes. As the priest, deacon, or perhaps layperson makes the cross on your forehead they will say “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” or “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” (more…)

February 14th – 2018 Presidential Politics – Trump Administration Day #391

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

trump-president-3

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

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Wednesday February 14th – Open 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 †

Where is Adam Schiff’s Memo?…

According to ranking member Adam Schiff his declassification request was critically important, immediately necessary,… vital to the larger understanding,… intensely important to get released… etc.  Well, where is it?

UPDATE:  Schiff now says he doesn’t want it released.

Last Friday FBI Director Christopher Wray and DOJ AAG Rod Rosenstein, informed the White House chief legal counsel of declassification adjustments needed for release. The White House subsequently informed congress and requested Adam Schiff (House Intelligence Committee) to work with the FBI and DOJ therein for quick release.

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Crowd-sourcing Request: FBI, CIA and NSA Leadership Testify Before Congress…

It goes without saying the U.S. institutional media apparatus have cherry-picked the most useful parts of the collective testimony today to frame their necessary talking points. FBI Director Christopher Wray, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Director Robert Cardillo.

However, with that said, and understanding the aggregate intelligence apparatus are working together with some of the more genuinely significant members of three congressional committees (Chairman Nunes, Chairman Grassley and Chairman Goodlatte); and accepting larger understandings become increasingly worthwhile amid the segments the media apparatus would prefer to overlook; here’s the full congressional testimony of the intelligence agencies:

Feel free to use the comment section to draw attention to any particular points you feel might be of significant interest.  Please note the exact time within the video as it relates to your comment.  Thanks.

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Odd Sluration – Seemingly Inebriated Democrat Senator Jack Reed Asks Intelligence Community to Outline Covert Operations in Public…

It’s doubtful you can find a more succinct example of TDS than a seemingly inebriated Democrat Senator asking the aggregate intelligence apparatus, during a public session of congress, to give specific details of U.S. covert intelligence efforts to thwart Russian, Chinese and North Korean cyber-warfare.   [Watch around 06:30] As Democrat Senator Joe Manchin professionally restrained himself from laughing, even Democrat Senator Kamala Harris couldn’t avoid the eye-roll.  ‘Muh Russia’ is real.

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), ranking member of armed services committee, began his mid-day sluration with a ‘resist-we-much‘ effort to continue the vast White House Russian conspiracy narrative, and slowly morphed into a weirdly-sounding intoxicated demand for the NSA, CIA and intelligence officers to give him specific examples of their efforts to combat quantum cyber-intelligence operations.   Eventually ODNI Dan Coats grabbed the wheel and stopped Senator Reed from going full  Chappaquiddick…  WATCH:

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