Alex Bruesewitzon: Enough “Quid Pro Quo” Gaslighting. – “Horse-trading is not an impeachable offense.” … “At its core, the case for impeachment is more than a sham: it’s a misinformation campaign in which Democrats and their media are willfully ignoring the way our policy process works to prevent our President from governing.”

Eddie Scarry: Impeachment is a power grab by Washington’s establishment and it has nothing to do with Trump’s character or the Constitution – “Everything about the national media’s framing of the impeachment effort is aimed at convincing the public of the laughable notion that this is about doing what’s morally right and wrong. … It’s not”

Mike LaChance : Anti-Trump Media Is Waging Psychological Warfare Against the American People – “Progressives in media are so dedicated to opposing Trump, that the Washington Post eulogized the terrorist with more warmth than they have ever afforded President Trump, or even certain high school students caught on camera wearing MAGA hats.”

Daniel John Sobieski: Why Is Vindman a War Hero but Flynn a Traitor? – “Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn is a war hero who was loyal to the truth, his country, and his president. Vindman, not so much.”

Tristan Justice: Schiff Directing Witnesses Not To Answer GOP Questions – “The latest charges against Schiff come as the ongoing impeachment process has been wrought with allegations of bias where Schiff has been conducting a closed-door investigation interviewing witnesses whose testimony has been selectively leaked to the press to frame the president.”

sundance: Seditious Conspiracy / Sketchy Witness – Schiff Blocks Questioning of NSC Staffer Alexander Vindman to Protect Him from Legal Exposure… “it is highly likely Vindman leaked the content of presidential phone calls illegally while he was a member of the National Security Council;” … “The New York Times is reporting that sketchy Vindman attempted to manipulate the CIA transcripts of President Trump’s call with Ukraine President Zelenskyy to meet Vindman’s ideological interpretations.” … “In an effort to bolster his very sketchy credibility; and likely in an effort to avoid the appearance of sedition; Schiff’s Lawfare staff recommended Vindman wear his military uniform to the hearing today, though Vindman never wore the uniform for his NSC job.”

This repression via silence can also be seen in Mirengoff on The Dems’ frivolous request that Barr recuse himself.

Conrad Black: The ‘Demedia’s’ Impeachment Beat Goes On – “In fact, in these matters, the system is working as it should: the House has no standing to pretend it can order the executive branch about, as the legislative and executive branches are co-equal and the legalities will be determined in the courts by the third co-equal branch—and not by the flaky-left lower benches where the Democrats have judge-shopped, but by the Supreme Court.”

“Nothing has come to light that is remotely presentable as an impeachable offense.
…
Meanwhile, the Democratic allegations we have seen are preposterous legal nonsense: that the president’s legitimate curiosity to know if former Vice President Joe Biden’s son was influence-peddling in Ukraine was a misuse of U.S. government assistance to buy an advantage in the upcoming election. This will not move the Republican senators very far.

David L. Rosenthal: Rampant disrespect for the oath of office has become the norm – “In many cases, the candidates tell us frankly that they are opposed to all that. But even though they tell us, no one in authority is willing to prevent them from taking office, as per the requirement of the law and common sense. That is a major problem.”

Daniel Oliver: On Laws, Guns, And Freedom, Bureaucrats Fight To Overrule The People – “What we in the US are seeing now, and have ever since Donald Trump was elected, is an attempt by Democrats to weaponize the legal system to further a nakedly political agenda.”

see example (HealthNewsDigest.com) – Salt Lake City – “At a time when discussions about access to firearms and gun safety are paramount, trusted health care professionals find it difficult to have those conversations.” with a false premise based on a falsehood, what do you expect? A discussion is a lot easier to start and maintain if all parties climb aboard the reality and reason wagon.

Scott Johnson: Bukovsky’s dissent – “The American left learned from its Soviet friends. The thugs running the Soviet Union pioneered the use of psychiatry for totalitarian purposes. Bukovsky may have been the most prominent victims of the practice. Dissent from the party line was treated as a form of mental illness. The practice continues in the left’s stigmatization of dissent from its agenda as “phobias,” as in “homophobia” and “Islamophobia.”

Thomas Lifson: Trump’s praise for the dog that helped capture al Baghdadi was a psy-ops classic – “Muslims, you see, are taught that dogs are unclean.” Then, of course, there is the Left as illustrated by Aaron Mak: Does Donald Trump Even Like Dogs?

The Babylon Bee: Trump Gets Dems To Interrupt Baseball, Condemn Dogs, Side With Terrorists All Within 24 Hours. Or, how about Texas Luring Jobs Away From California With Promises Of Electricity.

Erielle Davidson: Trump Was Right To Keep The Baghdadi Raid Secret From Schiff – “Back in 2017, Gen. Tony Thomas made this very point at the Aspen Security Conference, where he discussed how a prior lead on Abu Bakr al Baghdadi “went dead” following a media leak.”

“Admittedly, Trump’s labeling of Washington as a “leaking machine” is a revealing and disappointing statement on the federal government, but the blame for this situation does not lie with Trump, and it would require cognitive dissonance of the highest order for the media to blame the president for his recalcitrance to share information with a congressional committee headed by Schiff.
…
If Democrats in the House are so concerned with the sharing of information between the executive branch and the House, perhaps when one of their members engages in inexcusable and unethical behavior, they should reprimand that individual, not celebrate him as some heroic figure worthy of emulation. It only suggests tacit support of the very behavior that every government official, right or left, should be condemning.

Robert Arvay: How America’s justice system is beginning to crumble – “just like a strong and magnificent bridge across a wide river, corrosion can set in.” … “Here are seven warning signs, present today, that we ignore at great peril.” … “In many cases, the remedy is suggested merely by identifying the problem and admitting that it is a serious defect in the system. This is the age of “see something, say something,” and more of us need to get involved.”

neo: Left vs. right: the rules of the game – “Much of the anger of the right at NeverTrumpers and others who have issues with Trump related to style, including his style of combat, need to (in the words of the commenter) “recognize reality for what it is – like it or not.” It’s a sad and sorrowful realization, but as time goes on it increasingly seems to be an inevitable realization.”

Patricia McCarthy: Trump vs. the barbarians at the gates – “The Left today stands for corruption, amorality, gender fluidity, anti-religiosity, injustice and open borders. They intend to flood the country with Democrat voters. They oppose the First and Second Amendments. They oppose due process.”

sundance: UPDATED: Pelosi Calls House Vote to Affirm Speaker Impeachment Inquiry The House Never Authorized… “On Thursday of this week Speaker Pelosi is bringing to the floor a resolution to affirm her previous declaration of an “Official House Inquiry”. Mrs. Pelosi is very purposefully and carefully telling reporters this is not a “House resolution on impeachment”. Read the wording carefully:” … “Pelosi and the Lawfare crew are playing games.”

Linda Tripp: Same Media that Silenced Me Now Glorifying Fake Whistleblowers – “I know a little something about writing a political expose. And, about whistleblowing. Except, my experience was diametrically opposed to that of any of the anonymous whistleblowers or to this coward called Anonymous.”

“The liberal elites in the media made it their business to destroy me, all in a coordinated effort to victimize, and thus save, a truly corrupt president.”
…
There was no hand holding for me. The intimidation factor, from not only the White House but from the press, was enormous. My credibility had to be decimated. They did that handily, and in so doing, ensured that anything I had to say about the corruption of the Clinton White House would be dismissed. The difference is staggering.

Nearly 22 years ago, I was effectively silenced. My story has never been told.

George Avery: What the New York Times Got Wrong About Slavery in America – “Like much else in the Times’ version of the role of slavery in American history, even the project name [1619] is rooted in distortion.” Learn some history; see the effects of bias and hate in the media.

“The New York Times does a disservice to its readers with the 1619 Project by presenting a simplistic and misleading story of the complex role that the institution of slavery played in the history of the United States, and it largely ignores the role that the underlying values of the Anglo-Scottish Enlightenment that undergird the new nation played in ending slavery and the slave trade.

Greg Mankiw: “Too many Republicans in Congress are willing, in the interest of protecting their jobs, to overlook Trump’s misdeeds (just as too many Democrats were for Clinton during his impeachment).” … just what are these “misdeeds”? With Clinton, an investigation yielded a specific list of misdeeds sufficient to get him disbarred if not impeached. With Trump, a massive, hostile, and arguably corrupt investigation yielded no misdeeds sufficient to support impeachment or other action. None of his opposition, nor any such as Mankiw, offer any description of any actual ‘high crime or misdemeanor’ to support their assertions as anything other than sour grapes or political dissonance. Then there is the need to brag about going anti-Trump. That implies irrational involvements such as narcissism, moral preening, hate, or underlying emotional or intellectual dissonance. This is why it is the era of irrational argument and not reasoned debate.

An example can be seen in Alexander Vindman: Was not proper to demand that a foreign government… Vindman’s source for this claim is the transcript released by Trump which does not support his allegation. Why the distortion and deceit or gross misperception from a distinguished civil servant? Why does he refute both his President and the President of the Ukraine? Sour grapes and political dissonance? What makes Vindman arbiter of a Constitutionally delegated responsibility supported by a general election?

Babylon Bee: CNN Uncovers Evidence Hero Dog Sniffed Dozens Of Butts Back In College – “Everyone [else] praised the classified “Hero Dog” for taking down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.” ALSO Nationals Disappointed To Learn Boos Don’t Count As Runs.

Thomas McArdle: Baghdadi Raid, Durham Probe Will Frustrate Impeachment – “The dubious charges against Barr and Durham are an indication that more overplaying from Democrats is ahead, as was the grousing Sunday morning on CBS from Michael Morell, who was acting CIA director under President Barack Obama, that Trump’s “locker room” talk in announcing the Bagdhadi raid might enflame rather than reduce terrorism.” … “What makes so many supposed experts on the United States’ enemies think Islamist savages are impressed by gentlemanliness in the waging of war?”

“The president already brought attention to Democrats’ abuse of power by violating custom and keeping Pelosi and other leading Democrats in Congress out of the loop on the risky Baghdadi operation, on grounds that any leak could imperil U.S. personnel. Add to that petty complaints about Trump comparing the ISIS leader to a whimpering dog; the lopsided, secretive, unorthodox manner in which the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry is being conducted; and then, finally, the possible criminal bombshells to come from Durham that will be difficult for Democrats to depict as tainted.

A president who engineers a landmark victory against the most terrifying terrorist enemy ever seen, who comes off as just as down-in-the-gutter tough as the terrorists, and whose political adversaries’ attacks ring hollow – it all may spell the best defense against impeachment.

Roger L. Simon: After Baghdadi Action, Dem Candidates Have Their Work Cut Out for Them – “actions still speak louder than words. In this case, Ilhan was right. Something did happen — and a lot of lives will be saved this time, mostly Muslim. Also, the president of the United States is well on his way to a second term. Some people will be very upset.”

Lee Smith: How The Obama Administration Set In Motion Democrats’ Coup Against Trump – “The repetition of “by the book” gave away the game—for there was nothing normal about any of it.” So incredible, the real story was hard to believe. Here’s how the facts played out and how an acceptance of an ugly reality took (is taking?) hold.

Victor Davis Hanson: Our Bankrupt Nomenklatura –“What explains the bankruptcy of the elite?” … “To paraphrase an assessment found in Tacitus’s Agricola, the current American nomenklatura has all but ruined our institutions and branded all that success.”

Chuck de Caro: Four-Star Twit Tweets Twaddle – “If Mussolini shares a style with anyone, consider Barry McCaffrey.” See also John Hinderaker: Mussolini Cancels the Times and the Post – “This, like so many attacks on the president, is deranged.”

Clarice Feldman: Was it Trump’s magic wand that turned the Washington Post into a laughingstock? – “The mocking—well-deserved—went on all Sunday. See where there are too many wonderful satire headers for me to repeat all.”

“But the magic wand didn’t stop at making only the Washington Post look ridiculous. As one Facebook poster (Bryan Dean Wright) observed: there are the 354 House members and the 68 Senators who voted to condemn the President’s Syrian policy. And of course the pundits and former Obama military officers (Mattis, Kelly and McRaven) belong in the corner with dunce caps, too.

Glenn Reynolds: ANALYSIS: TRUE. David Rivkin & Elizabeth Price Foley: This Impeachment Subverts the Constitution…. The cite is to MSN which prominently places a caveat that “The author’s, as published by our content partner, and do not necessarily represent the views of MSN or Microsoft.” Reynolds assessment as a legal professor is shown to be well founded in Rivkin and Foley’s article.

Jackie Valley: How a stargazing-themed train ride is boosting tourism in rural Nevada – “What started as an out-of-the-box idea has turned into an economic boon for this mountain mining town.” … “The idea to create a stargazing-themed train ride came to Bassett about five years ago when he overheard a museum customer lament the distance to Great Basin National Park, which is a certified International Dark Sky Park.”

Henry I. Miller: Apocalypse Not! How Science Is Distorted To Serve The Activist Agenda. Part 1 in a series. “Much of modern environmental activism, which owes more to zealotry than evidence, has spawned a nasty perversion — let’s call it the Pseudo-Scientific Method.”

“The “target” is usually an ideologically disfavored industry or its products, such as nuclear power, genetic engineering, or pesticides. The result is flawed public policy choices and the ever-deepening corruption of the scientific enterprise.
…
Now, here’s how what l call the Pseudo-Scientific Method works. If your goal is to cause a certain product to fall into disfavor, for example, first perform or sponsor experiments to get the desired, but inaccurate, results, using shoddy methodology and, if necessary, drawing conclusions not supported by the data. It doesn’t matter if the research paper is rejected by legitimate, peer-reviewed journals, because you can then submit to a predatory journal that will publish it regardless of its scientific validity (in return for a large fee). Then, organize a big media and social media blitz touting the “research,” being sure to include scary pictures or figures, and get friendly journalists and your Twitter echo-chamber to trumpet the conclusions.

Michael Kile: Treating Atmospheric Apocalyptic Anxiety – “Apocalyptic groups – like XR and indeed the UN – who believe “the end is nigh” believe it, I suggest, because they desire it, for one reason or another.” satire or whatever, this essay reveals unpleasant truths.

Rick Hayes: They, Who The Hell is They? – “It is true that the Obama administration was significantly more corrupt than any other because of two disturbing facts. Not because of its high number of scandals or the gravity of those scandals but because the corruption was spread throughout the entire government and because Obama’s administration received unprecedented cover and protection by the fake media.”

Patricia McCarthy: The Russia hoax: The Left’s willful ignorance and denial – “The Left simply dismisses any narrative contrary to their own conviction that Trump is guilty of numerous crimes born of their imagination. So chock full of facts and documentation are those books and articles, one must conclude they simply have not read them. If they do not recognize their existence, they don’t exist.”

Geoffrey Kabat: Who’s Afraid of Roundup? – “In view of the prominence given IARC in the legal proceedings, it is noteworthy that the agency stands alone in its conclusion that glyphosate poses a carcinogenic risk.” … “How has a chemical that has been exhaustively reviewed by regulatory agencies all over the world and repeatedly found to be safe become a vehicle for a torrent of lawsuits?”

John Merline: While Democrats Trash Obamacare, Trump Is Fixing It – “As Trump is showing, allowing more competition, even around the edges of Obamacare, has improved things not only for those who can escape Obamacare’s clutches but for those still in the program.”

Patricia McCarthy: Adam Schiff’s Intelligence Committee chairmanship is Pelosi’s big mistake – To quote Voltaire once again: “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” Indeed.

Edward Ring: The Derangement Syndromes of Our Time – “In the absence of religion, patriotism, and traditions of family and community, people have found new ideologies to absorb their passions.”

David Catron: Impeachment Misfire: William Taylor’s Smokeless Gun – “Like all poorly maintained firearms this one may do more harm to Taylor than its target.” … “Evidently, the “reporters” responsible for this story failed to read Taylor’s opening statement.”

Alex Berezow: Scientific American Says 5G Is Dangerous, Vegetables Are Junk Food … “Due to a severe backlash, SciAm was forced to publish a corrected article, which served as a marginal improvement over the original. Basically, it was “upgraded” from raging dumpster fire to smoldering trash can.”

“This is not hyperbole or exaggeration. In August, SciAm published an article claiming that our food supply was “poison,” vegetables are “becoming more like sugary snacks,” and chronic diseases such as obesity and cancer are due to GMOs and glyphosate.
…
All together, we have no reason to believe that 5G is unsafe. So, SciAm published an article saying the exact opposite:

It’s the modern idea of science – FUD Mongering for the doomsday cultists.

Liz Sheld: Morning Greatness: Democrats Claim Impeachment ‘Game Changer’ – “There would be no reason to conceal the process if things are as they are portrayed in their media leaks. So along those lines” … “According to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, yesterday’s inquisition wasn’t exactly as The Hill and Adam Schiff reports. “In 90 seconds, we had John Ratcliffe destroy Taylor’s whole argument,” McCarthy said.” … “Adam Schiff won’t let us talk about what happened,” … “The one thing that you find out in this process is all this information is just like that whistleblower… everything is second-, third-, and fourth-hand information,”

J. Marsolo: The real ‘constitutional crisis’ is all on Democrats – “trying to impeach and remove President Trump for political reasons and not the constitutionally prescribed reasons.”

“The Constitution requires “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” This means that the “high crimes and misdemeanors” should be on the same level as treason or bribery.

If the Democrats had any real, credible evidence of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” they would not be requesting that President Trump assist the House Democrats, nor would they be holding secret hearings. They would be having open, televised hearings.
…
The Dems and media have focused on President Trump, and they are obsessed with finding a crime, which means they have to manufacture a crime because no crime exists.
…
The bottom line is that the “abuse of power” claim is a cover for the Democrats’ opposition to Trump’s policies and their hatred of Trump. Trump is a threat to exposing the corruption of the Obama CIA and FBI.

The real constitutional crisis is that the Obama CIA and FBI tried to sabotage the election and subsequent administration of President Trump, and now the House Democrats are trying to impeach President Trump because they disagree with his agenda and refuse to accept the results of the 2016 election.

Conrad Black: Impeachment Will Fail – “The Democrats are being led by a coalition of constitutional renegades, political tricksters, and would-be Maduros. They are speeding over a political cliff. The force of gravity will assert itself.”

that’s odd. Both Allahpundit and Mirengoff are making sense today.

Timothy Meads: Good for These Fast Food Workers Who Manhandled Global Warming Protesters … “Employees at an In-N-Out burger restaurant in Long Beach, California are being praised for adroitly handling “Extinction Rebellion” protesters who thought they could barge into the establishment, create tons of noise, and disturb everybody within earshot all for the sake of raising awareness about global warming.”

Thomas McArdle: China’s Disguised Global Threat Comes Alive … “So the argument against Huawei and its communist masters is economic, as well as based on saving or enhancing political freedoms. Now it’s up to the Trump administration, and 5G companies whose strings aren’t pulled by expansionist tyrants, to spread the truth brought to life so well by “Claws of the Red Dragon.”

John Sexton: NY Times reports on the ‘backlash’ to homelessness in California … “The rule for progressive outlets is always the same: If the story helps Democrats then it’s a story. If the story might help Republicans then the reaction to the story is the story.”

Paul Mirengoff: We’re in E.J. Dionne’s head, he wants into ours … “There’s a certain kind of liberal who likes to tell conservatives what they should think about this or that matter in order to be true to conservatism. He has no counterpart on the other side of the political divide. I know of no conservative who gets off on telling liberals what they should think about anything. We tend to confine ourselves to pointing out liberal hypocrisy.” … “Dionne is pulling an Adam Schiff. When your adversary’s words don’t get you where you want to go, make up the necessary ones.”

John Hinderaker: One Way to Fight Back Against the Vicious Left … “a left-wing group that calls itself “Fight the Hate” or something like that has circulated a list of the top 100 or so conservative web sites to corporate marketing departments, urging them to blacklist those sites”

neo: The elite war on democracy … “one of the ways that the elites are fighting back is through lawfare (something we already know) but in particular through the redefinition of politics as a form of corruption. For those of whom they approve, no act is bad enough to prosecute, but for those they wish to remove, actions that would never have previously been defined as corrupt are now defined that way and the legal system is the means to accomplish their aims.”

Byron York: Thinking clearly about Trump and aid to Ukraine … “But that is not what Mulvaney said at all. Investigating the roots of the Trump-Russia investigation is not “investigating Democrats.” It is investigating the actions of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies during the 2016 campaign.”

Stephen B. Presser: A Trump Impeachment Imperils the Constitution … “Perhaps Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Schiff are simply conducting political theater, to fire up their partisans. If so, they are irresponsibly and contemptibly endangering the American people and their Constitution.”

Roger Kimball: Media Attempt to School Republicans Is a Disingenuous Fraud … “What we are witnessing with such gems of hysterical mendacity are the pathetic death throes of a discredited political franchise and its rapidly disintegrating narrative.”

David Thompson: Preening Interruptus … “What is wrong with you?” they ask.

“Acts of planned and gratuitous aggression, including narcissistic aggression – which is what these ‘protests’ are – should be treated accordingly. It’s important that these cossetted pinheads, so gorged on their own sense of entitlement, learn to fear those on whom they recreationally impose themselves. Their expectations of impunity should be shattered. Along with the conceit that the way to make people sympathetic with your cause, whatever it may be this week, is to screw them over – because you can – while applauding yourself for doing so.

John Merline: The Deep State Comes Out Of The Shadows … “These officials, the story says, are “furious,” “terrified,” “incredulous,” “disappointed,” “fed up,” “livid,” with a “deep well of resentment,” in an “unbearable” situation. … They’re mad that several of them “were demoted or sidelined following attacks by the conservative media.”

“So what we have here are career bureaucrats who don’t like the way Trump is conducting foreign policy. Why? Because they know better than some outsider who doesn’t play according to the rules. There is no question that many of them would be delighted to see Trump removed from office, not because he did anything impeachable, but because they can’t abide by the 2016 election results.
…
Trump’s critics say that his claims about a deep state are the result of his paranoid delusions. But after what the country has witnessed over the past three years, and now the bragging by State Department officials bent on getting Trump out of Washington, it’s the denial of the deep state that is delusional.

sundance … Pelosi Gaslighting Continues – False Claims: Administration “defying lawful subpoenas & document requests”… “Nancy Pelosi continues to mislead her ‘impeachment’ constituents. Unfortunately the compliant media is refusing to hold her accountable.” … “Speaker Pelosi’s ‘Lawfare House rules‘ and/or ‘Lawfare impeachment rules‘ cannot supersede the constitutional separation of powers. She is well aware of this.”

Mick Mulvaney: ‘I never said it was a quid pro quo’ … “Mulvaney pushed back on Wallace saying that his statements were taken out of context.” more media deceit and distortion laid bare for inspection.

Tyler Durden: The American Deep State Would Sooner Sacrifice The Republic Than Lose Again To Donald Trump. “Schiff has little to worry about, however, since the media does not react to Democratic transgressions with nearly the same amount of hysteria as it does with the Republicans, which explains why Trump is fighting a constant uphill battle.”

Sebastian Gorka: When Does It Count as a Coup? “Not only do they want to subvert this president and the will of 63 million Americans, they want to make sure that they never lose an election again.”

“There is only one reason that the Democrats are openly suggesting that the Electoral College be abolished, that 16-year-olds should be allowed to vote, that the Supreme Court should be packed with their nominees, that lawfully owned guns should be confiscated, and that the president should be impeached based on any and every pretext, regardless of the facts. Not only do they want to subvert this president and the will of 63 million Americans by overturning the last election, they want to make sure they never lose an election again.

Are you willing to do whatever it takes politically to make sure that doesn’t happen?

Victor Davis Hanson: Why Do They Hate Him So? “Democrats, NeverTrump Republicans, left-liberal celebrities, journalists, and academics all revile Donald Trump because he is trying and often succeeding to restore a conservative America at a time when his opponents thought that the mere idea was not just impossible but unhinged.”

Because Random People Must Be Punished. David Thompson – “And at which point, what you’re seeing isn’t politics or protest. It’s sociopathy.”

New York Times Narrative Engineers Start Positioning DOJ/FBI “Small Group” Coup-Plotters as Victims of CIA and Intelligence Community Manipulation… sundance – “Apparently, this is the big picture defense they will use when the IG report drops.”

CIA Analysts Lawyer Up As Brennan, Clapper Ensnared In Expanding Russiagate Probe. Tyler Durden – “NBC learned of the ‘lawyering up’ from three former CIA officials “familiar with the matter,” while two more anonymous leakers claim there’s tension between the Justice Department and the CIA over what classified documents Durham has access to.” interesting, the owner of that information has provided carte blanche to the DOJ regarding its use. Does the CIA realize who it works for?

David Stockman: How The US Went From America First To Empire First. Fasten your seat belts before you get into this one … “The second thing is this whole Russia-gate issue from 2016. It has essentially neutered the Democratic Party as a rational voice in foreign affairs and the restraint that it historically had on the warfare state.” … “It’s all on behalf of a big, slick lobbying operation that’s created this pro-empire mentality. It got us in the middle of all of these conflicts in the Middle East, but also Ukraine.”

Escobar: Syria May Be The Biggest Defeat For The CIA Since Vietnam. A history lesson … “The first major game-changer was the spectacular Russian entrance in the summer of 2015.” … “The CIA will be after Trump’s scalp till Kingdom Come.” … “Talk about a cultural misunderstanding. As much as the Syrian Kurds believed U.S. protection amounted to an endorsement of their independence dreams, Americans never seemed to understand that throughout the “Greater Middle East” you cannot buy a tribe.”

“The reconstruction of Syria may cost as much as $200 billion. Damascus has already made it very clear that the U.S. and the EU are not welcome. China will be in the forefront, along with Russia and Iran; this will be a project strictly following the Eurasia integration playbook — with the Chinese aiming to revive Syria’s strategic positioning in the Ancient Silk Road.
…
The war may not have been totally won, of course. But against all odds, it’s clear a unified, sovereign Syrian nation is bound to prevail over every perverted strand of geopolitical molotov cocktails concocted in sinister NATO/GCC labs. History will eventually tell us that, as an example to the whole Global South, this will remain the ultimate game-changer.

The Endgame in Syria. Matthew Continetti – “The pattern was established well before Donald Trump took office. It will persist after he departs. There is nothing so consistent as American ambivalence toward our superpower status. Most great powers covet hegemony. We hate it. The costs are too high, the demands too stressful.”

Trump didn’t sell out the Kurds by pulling out of Syria. Kenneth R. Timmerman – “let’s be clear about US goals, too. Our advisors were not in northern Syria to defend a Kurdish government but to fight ISIS. The fight to smash the ISIS caliphate is over, and we won.” … “The Kurds are paying a heavy price in this battle — not because of a US betrayal — but because they remain stateless and thus powerless.” … it’s tribes, again.

Democrats’ ‘Immigrants First’ Policy. Betsy McCaughey – “President Donald Trump’s key immigration rule change, to discourage immigrants from relying on public health programs, food stamps, housing assistance and other welfare, got derailed on Friday by three federal judges.” … “Judge Daniels has his facts wrong.”

“Democrats oppose any limits on immigration, tarring those who disagree as “racists.” That name-calling divides the nation. We need a civil debate over how to welcome migrants to keep our economy growing yet still put our own needy first.

Napolitano Wrong Again: Schiff Inquiry a Kangaroo Court. Daniel John Sobieski – “But, as Napolitano himself notes, the House has rules, and one of those rules says that in the absence of a clear legal guideline, House precedent should be honored. The House may not have trials, but it is capable of witch hunts and inquisitions.” … “The Founding Fathers intended impeachment for real high crimes and misdemeanors — not for policy differences or whatever the House says it is.”

Adam Schiff Flip-Flopped On Whistleblower Testimony After Reports Of Coordination. Mollie Hemingway – “After news broke that Schiff’s staff had secretly worked with the whistleblower prior to the complaint being lodged, Schiff moved to prevent the whistleblower’s testimony.”

Seeing Some Trees in the Forest of Babble. Clarice Feldman – “With candidates whose platform is socialism, unrestricted abortion, higher taxes, nationalized medicine, open borders, ridiculous restrictions on energy production and use and such, it’s questionable how this sideshow will serve them at all in 2020.”

Is America Becoming Sinicized? Victor Davis Hanson [at RealClear Politics, no hassle reading] – “Deng’s revolution came at a cost of terrible environmental damage, the rampant destruction of local communities and continued political repression. A more efficient economy empowered dictatorship.”

Belated Realization: The Old World Order Is in Shambles. Richard Fernandez – “Events on the Turkish-Syrian border revealed how fragile the security arrangements of the last century have become.” … “Problems that were once papered over have burst into the open.”

“The old world order is in shambles. By October 31 the EU will lose one of its most powerful members. In Washington, the political class is paralyzed, unable to adapt to changing circumstances. Even Democratic candidates can’t agree on what constitutes a vital American interest in the Middle East. This implies that the trouble in Kurdistan is only symptomatic of greater geopolitical shifts, a small part of a larger fracture. If Turkey was willing to bomb U.S. positions, menace Incirlik’s nukes, and threaten the EU, the tripwire of U.S. lives was not the sure shield it was assumed to be.

The last few years have been one of belated realization. The cans which for decades had been kicked down the road now constitute a giant metal wall. The realities of the 21st century have outrun the politics of the 20th.

How the media blew the Syria story. Don Surber – “Once again, the press got the story all wrong. President Trump knew what he was doing and succeeded where his predecessors had failed.”

Democrats now holding ‘Soviet-style’ impeachment hearings. Monica Showalter – “Secrecy has always been a pretty effective incubator for corruption,” … “Now we have the reason for the secrecy from the Washington Examiner:” Compare and contrast to the rationalizations provided by Rep. Dina Titus responding to Amodei sees lack of credibility in impeachment inquiry by Humberto Sanchez. Avoid a ‘circus’ or provide a filter so the testimony says what you want it to say? For Titus and the others who use the circus rationalization there is a need to make it clear that their behavior is a circus act.

“Is it any wonder that Republicans are starting to call this a “Soviet” impeachment? Far from this being about finding any truth, these secret hearings are to distort, reverse, or lie about actual witness testimony. Any witness whose words don’t match what Schiff wants to hear in those secret hearings not only gets browbeaten by Schiff, but may get his testimony “purged,” effectively becoming the equivalent of a Soviet “non-person.” It’s a matter of forcing a Vishinsky-like submission on all players to Get Trump. That’s the message with this latest Washington Examiner revelation.

Dr. Strangesсhiff, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Impeachment. Gary Gindler – “Who could have guessed that the words of Soviet secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria to Joseph Stalin, “Show me the man, and I will show you the crime,” would be strangely embodied in American politics and jurisprudence in the 21st century?”

“When presenting the case of impeachment to his committee, Chairman Strangesсhiff used a specially written parody of the conversation between Orange Man and the president of Ukraine instead of the declassified and officially published text. The word “clowning” comes to mind, but the Strangeschiff clan never joke. …

Nevertheless, the actions of the self-appointed troika are getting funnier every day. Recently, they began to invite witnesses, who at the time of the “committing of the crime” had not been White House employees for a long time. …

There is no formal impeachment process because nobody has voted for it. Therefore, the Strangeschiff troika does not even have the legal authority to subpoena anyone to testify. …

Over the past three years, Democrats have called for a recession, stock market crash, nuclear war, the assassination of the president and his family, the rape of his daughter, the rape of his wife, the bombing of the White House, impeachment and rioting, all to fuel the process of the Sovietization of America. …

Is everything happening in the basement of the Capitol a mockery of the impeachment process? Of course. However, most of all, Americans are interested in only one question: what kind of trick will the Democrats come up with after the hocus-pocus of a permanent palace coup, permanent impeachment, and permanent figureheads fails again?

Hysterical reaction to AG Barr’s landmark speech at Notre Dame. Chuck Donovan – “What could the serene, almost sedate General Barr have said that drove certain left-of-center pundits into the rhetorical ditch?”

“A Washington Post columnist found the Barr speech “terrifying” and a call for the abolition of the separation of church and state. But Barr’s examples had everything to do with attempts by government to coerce religious people to implement portions of the progressive creed and to abolish moral norms. In the past decade, Barr noted, the federal government has sought to require the Little Sisters of the Poor to provide contraceptives and abortifacients in their employee health plans. He decried the attempt by the state of California to force pro-life pregnancy help centers there “to provide notices of abortion rights.”

The Nation magazine went so far as to attack General Barr’s involvement with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty

Hysterical reactions often miss reality.

sundance: Democrats Denounce President Trump For Ending Syrian War They Never Authorized then McCarthy and McCaul: Bipartisan Briefing on Syria Improved After Speaker Pelosi Meltdown and Exit. “If Pelosi wants to have a war with Syria, then declare one. Or, Pelosi could call a resolution to the House floor to condemn Turkish President Erdogan for invading Syria. Instead, the House votes to denounce President Trump for getting our military out of the way.” … “Apparently once Nancy Pelosi finished her political meltdown and stomped out of the briefing, the remaining democrats and republicans engaged in a healthy discussion with U.S. military leadership and President Trump about the purpose of the U.S. draw-down.”

Trump, Turkey, and the Kurds… neo – “In the current mess in Turkey with the Kurds, it’s even more apparent that most people are reacting in kneejerk fashion without much knowledge.” VDH is cited for balance but the cite is to the nagware National Review.

All Democrats are saying is, Give War a Chance. Tom Knepper – “Democrats, always reliably anti-Trump, have now carved out a position for themselves of being the party of Pro-War Protest.” and many Republicans have joined them.

“Now Donald Trump has changed all that. Driven nearly insane by their hatred of the man, and by their continued failure at bringing him down by lies and coup attempts, Democratic leadership is switching sides on the issue of continuing U.S. intervention in what was once the country of Syria. Conveniently forgetting that the blunders of the Obama/Hillary administration were in large part responsible for the Syrian civil war turning into a bloodbath, and that it was the Orange Man who was responsible for the decisive leadership that decimated ISIS, Democrats are now pretending Trump’s plan to withdraw our troops from that region would lead to catastrophe.
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The bottom line is that no policy contortion is too extreme for Democrats to undergo in order to maintain their always and forever anti-Trump position.

Journalists Have Become Hoaxers. Brian C. Joondeph – “For the Washington Post, “Democracy dies in darkness” yet for the American people, their faith and trust in media is dying, not in darkness, but in the light of day, right before our eyes.”

This is more of the “Orange Man Bad” filter through which virtually every news report is presented. The incompetent president is creating chaos in the Middle East by removing a handful of troops from Syria. ABC was mum when, “President Obama ignored general’s pleas to keep American military forces in Iraq.”

That last bit is hypocrisy, not a hoax, holding Democrats and Republicans to far different standards. Instead the hoax is that the video was not of the Turkish military, as reported by ABC, but instead a, “military gun shoot” at a Kentucky gun range.
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journalism has been replaced by fiction writing, so-called reporters parroting partisan talking points, deliberately doctoring audio and video, ignoring inconvenient facts and contradictions, all to push a political narrative. It is, to borrow a line from FBI hoaxer James Comey, their “higher calling” to thwart the will of the people in favor of their preferences as to who leads our country.

Global Warming Alarmism Deflated By The Dem Debate. I & I Editorial Board – “While a large slice of America sees this as a feature, the Democrats’ allies in the press thought it was a bug.”

“Is it possible the Democrats have ginned so many phony issues that if they bite off too many in one debate the public will suffer from an overload of nonsense? Did CNN intentionally steer clear of the subject to help Democrats avoid looking completely loony?
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For once we’d like to see some healthy skepticism of the narrative among Democrats. But they will never take that road, any more than they would admit that poverty isn’t solved by government programs, that society’s ills aren’t cured by invasive public policy, or that a utopia cannot be established by the state if only the right people are issuing the directives.

The Democrats need the hobgoblin of warming to raise cash, raise political visibility, and raise the temperature of the electorate — which would be the only thing that’s getting hotter.

Hobgoblins called for reinforcements?

Australia’s Future and Its Enemies. Mervyn F Bendle – “The National Farmers Federation has announced that it will implement a long-term public relations campaign to mobilise public and political support for a major expansion of the agricultural industry in Australia and combat the zealotry of animal rights activists and green extremists.” It’s a shared problem by the grown, and successful, children of the British empire.

“Tragically, Australia is afflicted with deeply entrenched anti-development forces. It must therefore re-affirm its national identity as a frontier society, ready to engage in nation-building projects on a continental scale, and prepared systematically to harness the natural and human resources required to develop a thriving, highly productive society. This is a battle that must be won in the realm of culture, and it can no more be ignored than the financial or physical infrastructure requirements of this gigantic project can be ignored.

Australia is a country where radical environmentalists have had a free ride for decades, shutting down innumerable worthwhile projects and strangling many others in green tape and with ‘law-fare’ designed to make their successful completion uneconom or even impossible, as has been demonstrated with the Adani mine and in the Hunter Valley. Investors will retreat once they realize that their complex, capital-intensive projects will be slandered, stymied, suffocated, and sabotaged by a well-resourced cadre of cosseted vandals (‘protesters’) aided and protected by an array of political, legal, judicial, academic, and media supporters.

Babylon Bee: Trump Vows To Cut Foreign Aid To California.

The Democrats’ Debate Was Unconstitutional. Thomas McArdle – “The Constitution protects private property from the greedy hand of government. The Fourth Amendment guarantees “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects” – i.e. their property — from search not based on reasonable suspicion of a crime.”

Anderson Cooper Casually Vindicates Hunter Biden. Emily Jashinsky – “Perhaps he thought it was clever to say Trump falsely accused the junior Biden of wrongdoing “while serving” on the board.” It’s these questionable base presumptions that indicate just how deep and severe, and dangerous, the bias at CNN and elsewhere really is. “Stating is as an unimpeachable fact that “no evidence of wrongdoing” exists to implicate Hunter or Joe Biden is wrong. It’s really wrong coming from the purportedly objective moderator of a presidential debate.”

George Orwell – “The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.”

Fraud Continues – Nancy Pelosi Promises House Impeachment Subpoenas Will Not Have Legal Penalties – House Will Not Authorize Impeachment Inquiry… sundance – “It is likely, highly likely, Nancy Pelosi does not have the votes to proceed with a full House impeachment authorization; so Pelosi, Schiff, Engel and Cummings have to rely on the duplicity of the media to help them hide their scheme. So far the media is complying.”

Bill Barr’s Brilliant Touchdown Run at Notre Dame. Terence P. Jeffrey – “And to control willful human beings with an infinite capacity to rationalize, those moral values must rest on an authority independent of men’s wills,”

“They must flow from the transcendent Supreme Being. In short, in the framers’ view, free government was only suitable and sustainable for a religious people, a people who recognized that there was a transcendent moral order antecedent to both the state and to manmade laws and had the discipline to control themselves according to those enduring principles.”

Yes, that is exactly why John Adams said: “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious People.”

Barr argued that “secularists” are now attacking the moral order that is the foundation of our liberty and threatening religious freedom in pursuit of their cause.
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“We cannot have a moral renaissance,” he concluded, “unless we succeed in passing to the next generation our faith and values in full vigor.”

The People’s POTUS… sundance – “We interrupt our worries and fret-filled daily programming for a brief respite.” … “Remember when President Trump had the boys and girls Little League champs at the White House last week?… There’s a whole lot of fun happening there”

“Come to think of it, President Trump has a remarkable ability to focus on the big picture amid circumstances that would likely overwhelm most people. His ability to live in the moment and compartmentalize challenges is a very significant strength.

It would be challenging for anyone to face complex global issues and geopolitics, while simultaneously battling domestic political adversaries…. let alone, stop mid-day and give 100% of your attentive self to celebrate with a group of kids and ensure they understood how valuable and important they are…. Yup, President Donald Trump can do that.

You have to really look to find any balance to the propaganda onslaught.

Make Columbus Day Great Again. Stephen Kruiser – “Christopher Columbus was one of the first victims of Cancel Culture before it was even called Cancel Culture.”

“Now I’m supposed to celebrate “Indigenous Peoples Day,” … There is also the fact that many of them weren’t any nicer than Columbus, so if we’re canceling people for being awful, they’re as cancel-worthy as our intrepid Italian.

The Strategies of Targeting Trump. Victor Davis Hanson – “We are headed for a train wreck. No one knows for certain which outcome is most likely.”

“After failing with the voting machine gambit, the Logan Act, the 25th Amendment, the emoluments clause, the McCabe-Rosenstein faux-coup, the Comey memos farce, the “resistance” efforts outlined by the New York Times anonymous op-ed writer, the campaign finance violations accusations, Stormy, tax returns, whistleblowers, leakers, the Mueller 22 months charade, and now impeachment 2.0, what exactly is the point of impeaching Trump just 13 months before the election?
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There doesn’t have to be a point to impeachment. Democrats loathe Trump. That is enough.
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Sane observers see impeachment as a travesty without either moral or legal grounds to justify removing an elected president 13 months before the 2020 election. But sanity means nothing these days, given the hatred of Trump, the volatility of the electorate, and the furious bias of the media.

“But I think the piece worth highlighting today is from the Wall Street Journal editorial board, who, like Matt Drudge (have you seen the Drudge Report lately?), appears to have had it with the dunce cap model in the Oval:” This one is from Patterico and illustrates the nonsense in ad hominem judgment that defies reality. “Dunce cap” for a man who won a presidential election and then had such a positive impact on the economy and international trade? Then there’s the vox populi [Merriam-Webster] logical fallacy … With so many blinded like this, is it any wonder Trump wins?

Democrats ratchet up impeachment secrecy. Byron York – “A week ago, House Republicans complained that Democrats imposed excessive secrecy on interviews conducted as part of the drive to impeach President Trump. Now, the situation appears to have gotten worse.”

“In his much-criticized letter to Congress, White House counsel Pat Cipollone said Democratic handling of the impeachment investigation “violates fundamental fairness.” He meant fairness toward the target of the proceeding, President Trump. But there is also the question of fairness toward the American people trying to follow an impeachment process shrouded in secrecy. Don’t they have the right to know what the president’s accusers say?

 

Scientists Gone Mad. J. Frank Bullitt – “Worse, they’re ignorant, and overly willing dupes. They’ve fallen for what is so obviously an exaggeration if not an outright fraud. And they should be, as British columnist Brendan O’Neill suggests, “criticized and ridiculed out of existence.”

Glyphosate Doesn’t Cause Cancer. It Saves Native Ecosystems. Ted Williams – “Misinformation has created a lucrative business for ambulance-chasing lawyers and NGOs.” What’s this doing on Slate?

Rep. Jim Jordan Asks 17 Awkward Questions About Pelosi’s “Impeachment Inquiry”. Tyler Durden – “Rep. Jim Jordan has been among the most outspoken critics of the farce that is the Democrats’ “impeachment inquiry,” and tonight, in a series of tweets, the Ohio congressman asks the uncomfortable questions that the media seems unwilling to.”

Nolte: Good Riddance to Shepard Smith – “Tell me, what exactly is honorable about pretending to be an unbiased journalist whose only job is to inform the public when you are, in reality, just another far-left talking head spreading conspiracy theories, just another leftist having narcissistic temper tantrums in public about guns and gay marriage, just another propagandist serially misleading your viewers with crazed conspiracy theories as a means to grind your sorry little ax… just another sanctimonious, blow-dried, fake news grifter?”

Trump’s Foreign Policy Deals Properly with Tyrants. Roger Kimball – “Trump’s coddling of the dictatorial mind is not capitulation but a steely eyed gambit to get part—he hopes all, or a lot, but at least some—of what he and what the United States wants.”

“The bottom like, however, is this. Trump’s actions are “a strategy.” (“Obviously,” says Roger. It is obvious to me. But is it obvious to Bill Kristol, to Pastor David French, to Jonah Goldberg?) It is indeed true, as Roger acknowledges that “It’s not clear the extent to which it will work.” But here’s payday: “if it does even some of the time, it’s miles ahead of what his predecessors ever did.”
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It’s especially rich that some of the sharpest criticism of Trump on this issue is coming from some of the architects and enablers of that litany of self-absorption and failure. Meanwhile, what if Trump strikes a big trade deal with China? What if he manages to get Kim to denuclearize? What if he lures the mad mullahs in Iran into the 21st century? He hasn’t managed it yet. But so far he’s had a lot more success than did Obama with his spineless habit of “leading from behind.”

Trump, Ukraine, and Justice. Jesse Richman – “Even if we assume the worst, Trump did nothing wrong in Ukraine, and nothing more than his duty.”

“Those who claim that a request from the head of one state to the head of the other constitutes a crime may perhaps be imagining that the positive response to such a request would in this context constitute a “campaign contribution” and hence it would be in violation of campaign finance law. To see how little sense it makes to stretch campaign finance law this far, let’s reflect on it for a minute.

Producers of the Flailing Impeachment Inquiry. Clarice Feldman – “The whistleblower tale has crumbled and the backup witnesses the Democrats are relying on only confirm the Deep State bureaucrats and Democrats believe that they, not the elected president, have a lock on executive powers.”

Has the Time Come to Put Down Lawlessness, Insurrection and Rebellion? David Solway – “The issue, however, is whether the great purge of unsavory and dissident institutions, organizations, and power brokers can succeed via discursive, procedural, and electoral means or whether something far more dramatic is needed to prevent the end of the unique republican experiment that is the United States of America.” The people will speak, even if they say nothing. The question is about what they will say and how they will say it.

FISA Judges Collyer and Boasberg Both Identified NSA Databases Used for Political Surveillance… sundance – “One of the weird aspects to both Collyer and Boasberg is that both FISC judges did not ever seek to ask the “why” question: why are all these unauthorized database searches taking place? Instead, both judges focus on process issues and technical procedural questions, seemingly from a position that all unauthorized searches were done without malicious intent.”

Little League Champs “Catch a Ride Home” With President Trump – Video… sundance – wonder what the malicious intent was on that?

Morning Greatness: Urine, Spitting, Violence from Trump Rally Protestors in Minneapolis. Liz Sheld – “On Thursday, the president held a rally in Minneapolis and the violent left showed up to riot because our culture is laden with feeble-minded adultchildren who can’t control themselves and lash out violently when presented with something they don’t want to hear. And then they are rewarded.”

“I can’t imagine it will be long now before some of these targets will fight back. The police are handcuffed by the Trump-deranged liberal local government that insists on facilitating this violence and can’t really control the riots. It’s a powder keg especially with the campaign season ramping up.

Last Night, We Saw Fascism In the Streets [Updated]. John Hinderaker – “These leftists are identical to the Nazi Brownshirts of the 1930s. But make no mistake–they represent today’s Democratic Party. A sitting Democratic State Representative, Aisha Gomez (DFL-Minneapolis), was seen among the fascists, dressed in black like an Antifa hoodlum.” … “The facts are very, very bad for the Left and for the Democratic Party. We need to bring those facts to light before it is too late.”

Will We Ever Prosecute? Gordon Wysong – “Can anyone hold to the faith in American justice? Those who support the rule of law feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick a football. It’s coming — oh, wait, it’s coming…oh, wait…”

“The full scope of what has gone on will never be known, but the lessons for future participants in such a scheme is essential. The next time, the prosecution will be more severe, more certain, and more expedient. Protecting the Constitution is more important than perfect justice. Some miscreants will escape, but they will never sleep well again. The lesson must be taught.

A DOJ that fails to move loses its credibility and its honor. The foundation of the Republic is placed at risk. Without the rule of law, what do we have?

At some point, deferral of prosecution is dereliction or abetting. Has it reached that point?

A Star Is Born in the Battle Over Trump’s Tax Returns. Editorial of The New York Sun – “She reckons that the way House is going after Mr. Trump violates the constitutional prohibition against bills of attainder.” The knee jerk response to her opinion described in this editorial is indicative to the point that she hits a nerve. It addresses those who should know better like Mirengoff or Wallace.

“Rather, Judge Rao quotes case law to suggest that the prohibition of attainder bills was intended “as an implementation of the separation of powers, a general safeguard against legislative exercise of the judicial function, or more simply—trial by legislature.” She reckons the Framers “understood the importance of prohibiting Congress from turning its substantial powers against an individual.”

As usual, California goes too far with new red flag law. Jazz Shaw – “California Governor Gavin Newsom kept himself busy yesterday by signing a new red flag gun control bill into law. (This was only one of fifteen new gun control laws.) The strange part of this story is that the Golden State already had a red flag law on the books, similar to those in sixteen other states and the District of Columbia. But now they’re going much further.”

A Sensible Take on Syria. John Hinderaker – “James Carafano of the Heritage Foundation and the Institute of World Politics gave an interview to the Daily Signal that gives the best take I have seen on Trump’s recent Syria move.” See also the earlier citation of Richard Fernandez on this. Both Fernandez and Carafano provide a bit of balance to the anti-Trump knee jerk responses.

Left-wing Rioters Attack Trump Supporters Leaving Minneapolis Rally. Joel B. Pollak – “A protestor can be seen waving the Chinese flag in front of riot police. While people in Hong Kong wave American flags for freedom, we wave Chinese flags.”

“The scene was reminiscent of the riot outside a convention center in San Jose in June 2016, when anti-Trump rioters attacked Trump supporters leaving the venue in full view of the media — and Mayor Sam Liccardo blamed Trump.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey proclaimed Thursday as “Love Trumps Hate Day” in the city, in solidarity with protests against Trump. Evidently, however, some of those among the “protesters” felt “hate” trumped “love.”

Who has the love here? Who puts the hate on parade? Mayors cannot see?

Are all Dems above the law? J. F. Gaski – “In the present Ukraine matter, the mainstream media propaganda machine is missing something very basic. The error is exposed by the uniform and diversionary way the Trump-Ukraine accusation is framed:” … another case of very clear factual evidence being turned upside down in false witness by non-fringe actors.

“The explanation is that to assume one of an infinite number of potential motives is face-invalid and unreasonable. All one must do to falsify such a pseudo-argument is identify a single plausible alternative motivation, and a big one is readily at hand: As the chief law-enforcement officer of the United States, Donald Trump has a constitutional obligation to investigate illegal behavior, especially when committed at the highest level of our government.
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How convenient that the Democrat position in the latest faux scandal reduces to this: All Dems are above the law.

The Democrats and the MSM have gotten bolder about lying… neo – “Why would the Democrats think this would be effective? And why would they think the public will buy their statements that, if Trump doesn’t co-operate with their “inquiry” and letters of request for testimony, he is obstructing justice?” … “The combination of the takeover of our educational system by the left and a press that is completely dedicated to being political rather than telling the truth allows the Democrats to feel invulnerable.”

Sustainability Is Baked Right Into the Heart of Capitalism. Coyote Blog – “the company [Tesla] can’t be very sustainable because it spends far more than it earns, ie it consumes more valuable resources than it produces (a ratio made even worse if one factors in all the taxpayer subsidies the company consumes as revenue).”

“I would argue that financial stability has everything to do with environmental sustainability (though I will admit that this comparison is a bit hard since environmentalists seem to bend over backwards to NOT define “sustainability” very precisely). In fact, I think that sustainability is baked right into the heart of capitalism.

The reason for this comes back to the magic of prices. Of all the amazing, wondrous things we celebrate in the world, prices may be the most overlooked. Just think of it: with no governing structure or top down ruling board, a single number encapsulates everything most everyone in the world knows about a particular product: both its utility and relative scarcity, both now and as anticipated in the future. It is a consensus derived voluntarily between millions of people who never meet with each other and likely never communicate with each other.

Syria Risks Becoming Erdogan’s Vietnam. Richard Fernandez – “Turkey’s border offensive against the Kurds, far from being a blitzkrieg, is limited by the resources available to Ankara’s forces.” Here’s a bit of reality on the latest anti-Trump tirades.

Is the Pope a Catholic? Mark Powell – “Committed Catholics have been increasingly concerned about many of the Pope’s statements regarding divorce and remarriage, homosexuality (‘Who am I to judge?’), capital punishment, the existence of hell, and even the re-wording of the Lord’s Prayer.”

“But the reason I address this is because it is the responsibilities of leaders to uphold the values of the institutions which employ them. If they can’t continue to do that then they should have the integrity to resign. As Gillette has found out the hard way, once you go woke you quickly go broke. Which is precisely the direction the Church of Rome is heading under its current theologically progressive leadership.

Bottom Lining the Democrat-manufactured Trump-Ukraine Scandal. Judi McLeod – “When the Democrats Investigate Trump For Over 2 Years; And The Only Thing They Can Uncover Is Their Own Crimes.” … “Problem with that is that all the perps in the ongoing pumped-up scandal are comfortably nestled and protected inside a most devious Congress.”

If Anyone Should Be Impeached, It’s the Liberal Media. Trevor Thomas – “Contrary to their sacred duty to provide what is truthful, they have willfully presented false and misleading information to the public at large concerning, but not limited to, the following:”

No, the Electoral College Isn’t “Electoral Affirmative Action” for Rural States. John W. York, Ph.D. – “The reason Trump was able to win the presidency while losing the popular vote has nothing to do with “affirmative action” for rural states. It has everything to do with the way states choose to apportion their delegates.” … “It is a nod to a historical reality: When large swaths of a vast country feel they have been forgotten, dark days are likely to be on the horizon.”

Zelensky: “This is not corruption, it was just a call” Ed Morrissey – “it’s tough to build a case of quid pro quo and corruption when the two players in the alleged act both say nothing of the sort occurred — and the record backs that up.” … doesn’t matter to House Democrats or their propaganda machine (or Volokh Conspiracy lawyers, see below), though.

Anti-Trump Psychodrama 10.0? Victor Davis Hanson – “The particular narrative is not all that important, at least compared with a general overriding theme: We are in a virtual civil war, and the Left believes that it can win over the hearts and minds of 20 to 30 percent of the swing voters in the United States with therapeutic tales of racism, sexism, unearned white privilege, and right-wing greed and selfishness, and also by destroying the elected president.”

The Bluffpeachment. Gary Gindler – “The current situation in Washington is, in the language of poker, a bluff. The Democrats are bluffing; they have only weak cards in their hand. They actually have nothing against Trump. That’s all they have ever had.” Gindler also notes: “The U.S. Constitution empowers only the entire House of Representatives with the impeachment authority, not just the speaker of the House or the chairmen of the committees of the House.” This is interesting in light of the argument that the Constitution is vague on the issue and, therefore, the House can use whatever process it wants. That starts playing games on what one means by House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress. (See Volokh Conspiracy post and the following assertions)

New Statement from Checks and Balances on President Trump’s Abuse of Office. Jonathan H. Adler – “We believe the acts revealed publicly over the past several weeks are fundamentally incompatible with the president’s oath of office, his duties as commander in chief, and his constitutional obligation to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed.’” This is signed by a number of rather prestigious lawyers and is a conclusion based on their reading of the Ukraine matter. What these lawyers are saying is that chasing corruption in the affairs of U.S. elected officials involving other nations is “fundamentally incompatible with the president’s oath of office.” Trying to wrap one’s head around that, even when dressed up in a lawyerly sounding epistle such as this, is a difficult task. The base logic is just the expressed part of the problem. The context (i.e. Mueller findings) and the reference in long established precedent are missing and very likely it is because they show this official sounding pronouncement to be a farce. But why would such a distinguished collection of lawyers expose themselves like this?

Trumperman and the Joker Legions. Peter Smith – “But, disdain doesn’t nearly do it to for the Left. Republican presidents are always demonised by the Left but this time is different. The hate is palpable and unremitting.”

“Of course, as progressivism wreaks its havoc, Islam or China or both are waiting in the wings. But progressives being deficient in the cognitive ability of weighing consequences can’t see that far.

Will Trump prove decisive in turning the tide? Will they get him first? In any event, is even two terms enough time? I don’t know but we better hope he prevails. No one else is in sight.

Trump is unique; a very special, one-off leader. A cometh-the-moment figure like Churchill in 1940. His achievements are remarkable; even more so when every day with unheard of fortitude he bats away the indefatigable baying media mob.
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Where Trump gets the strength is completely beyond me. I don’t believe anything quite like it has happened before. If he isn’t a superhero he makes a good fist of acting like one.

Babylon Bee: God Working On Backup Plan To Accomplish His Will Just In Case Trump Doesn’t Get Reelected.

More Evidence That Trump’s Tax Cuts Are Working. John Merline – “How would you describe a year in which the amount of money that corporations paid in taxes shot up by 12%? Believe it or not, Democrats are calling it a giveaway to corporate fat cats. For everyone else, it’s a sign that the Trump tax cuts are working as promised.”

How Unreasoned Impeachment Dysfunction Is Trashing Democrats. Lewis K. Uhler and Peter J. Ferrara – “it is unpopular because it is so unreasoned in trying to impeach Trump for the corruption of Biden, just as it was Hillary who actually colluded with Russians. Yet it will dominate the political landscape for many months, highlighting the role of the socialist progressives most dangerous to the future of the traditionally blue-collar Democrat Party.”

Rod Rosenstein “Unindicted Co-Conspirator”? – Durham Expands Timeline for Probe… sundance – “One aspect heavily monitored by CTH surrounds frequent redactions to ongoing DOJ releases that touch upon former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.”

“We’ve always said that Attorney General Bill Barr’s biggest challenge would not be gathering evidence of what took place; the evidence is so obvious there have been books written about it. The real challenge for AG Barr is navigating through what We The People are already aware of; against a likely disposition that Barr would not want to believe it, and certainly would be conflicted in facing it.

White House Background Outline on Rebuttal Letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Impeachment Effort… sundance – “This is the first time ever that someone — that a House has tried to pursue such an inquiry while denying the minority that right.” The questions from media personnel quoted here do not reflect well on the media.

“It’s a political stratagem because the Democrats want to overturn the results of the 2016 election and they want to use impeachment as a political strategy to influence the results of the 2020 election. And this, again, is unprecedented in the history of our nation to use such a grave constitutional proceeding for such raw political ends.
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And the letter concludes by explaining that, given these constitutional flaws and the President’s obligations under the Constitution and to future occupants of the Office of the Presidency, that he cannot have his administration participate in this unconstitutional procedure, and that, under the current circumstances, at least as currently framed, that he and his administration will not participate in this process.

Protesters Swarm Max Rose’s Office Over His Support of Impeachment. Hannah Bleau – “I will support and I will defend the United States Constitution, and it is for that reason that I intend to fully support this impeachment inquiry and follow the facts,” he told supporters at a town hall last week. Compare and contrast this canard with another story: Seems James Clapper just admitted Obama ordered him to ignore 2016 Russian election interference. Jack Hellner – “Somehow, the complicit media have never been interested in connecting the very clear dots”. When Rose adds emphasis that “I’m gonna follow these facts wherever they lead, no matter the consequences,” he makes it very clear that he would rather follow ghosts rather than facts that attempt to lead him in directions he doesn’t want to follow. That is what his constituents are trying to tell him in swarming his office but he, like others in his party, express denial and further alienate those they are supposed to represent.

Today’s Democrats or the Deep State. Ned Ryun – “If you’re wondering how all of this stops, how we return to normal, I will tell you what a friend told me: “There is no normal. There is only Clausewitz.”

“Like a child with a box of matches, deranged Democrats seem to think they have their hands on a good idea. Their thinking goes something like this: “If we can’t be in control, let’s burn it all down, destroy norms, throw an epic political tantrum, hold the American people hostage! That’ll show the irredeemable deplorables to question their betters!”
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There is only absolute and total political war on this axis we face until we beat them into an unconditional surrender. The Left wants it that way because they think they can win. They want no holds barred total political war. Since we can’t escape it, I say we give it to them measure for measure.
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For those who think there is some middle ground with the Left, there isn’t. There’s no negotiating with them until they sue for terms. Time to man up and fight: the future of our constitutional republic depends on it.

Trump is Winning the Great Game of American Political Football. Conrad Black – “Trump has gained full control of his party, has held at least 45 percent of the country solidly behind him, and is threatening to derail the liberal slide of post-Reagan America and to pulverize and convert or expel the “OBushinton” cadres of the political class.”

“Some drama is being generated because the Bush Republicans resent Trump’s trashing of them and are unctuously saying he was improper, though not impeachable in his conversation with Zelensky, and because even the relatively professional media love a crisis and the thought that the president could be in real trouble. If the media do not pull themselves together and start treating this burlesque professionally, they will suffer severe and durable harm. Whatever they do, the contrast will be vivid between this fabricated crisis and the long-awaited official and impartial view of the Democrats’ conduct in and after the last presidential election campaign. Russians and Ukrainians didn’t seriously threaten U.S. democracy; Americans angry about the results of it have done that, and the guilty will not hide for long behind this fatuous Ukrainian carnival of false righteousness. The system can punish venal politicians on election day; a national press corps that can’t distinguish real from false assaults on democracy is an almost inoperable malignancy. The media is on trial now, not the president, or even his accusers—though some of them soon will be.

Elizabeth Warren: Leading Liar in the Party of Liars. Fletch Daniels – “Warren has surpassed Joe Biden in more than the polls. She has also eclipsed his role as the race’s most shameless prevaricator, which is practically a job requirement in today’s Democratic Party.” Compare and contrast the case here to what you get in the accusations like this aimed at the President.

The left’s encouraging “whistleblowers” from the intelligence community to file complaints for political reasons has a long history… neo – “Those who believe that the current push of the left against Trump is mainly about Trump himself would do well to ponder this history. The left is neither stupid nor lazy, and they have been working hard at this for a long long time.”

The Madness of Progressive Projection. Victor Davis Hanson – “What is behind this strange collective psychological condition of projecting one’s own guilt on to another?”

Nixon: Victim of a Media Riot. Ben Stein – “For friends who ask, here’s the man I knew. And please remember him especially on Yom Kippur.”

Lee Smith: It’s not all about the Bidens. Scott Johnson – “Once again, much of the media seem to be treating every allegation against Trump as probable fact, while dismissing any questions and concerns as conspiracy theories.”

“Thus the panicked clamor coursing through the press at present is not about Joe Biden or his son or Trump’s alleged commerce with foreign powers. Rather, it is the fear that the Russiagate bubble is likely to burst. And the fear that none of the reporters, intelligence officials, and political operatives responsible for pushing the largest and most destructive conspiracy theory in American history will escape the ruin.

Trump’s exaggerations stand in stark contrast to Democrats’ actual lies. Howard J. Warner – a few examples …

“The media tells us regularly about President Donald Trump’s exaggerations and overstatements. Some keep count on what they call “lies” and they number these in the thousands. Trump’s hyperbole is well understood especially when he claims to be the “best” or “greatest” on any subject (such as the crowd at the inaugural). However, these kind of statements are not material lies that adversely affect policy or citizens (such as the promise that President Obama assured would allow us to keep our doctor or insurance plan). The same cannot be said about statements from many of the Democratic opposition. Unfortunately, the media’s prejudice is demonstrated by their lack of reporting on these issues.

Intel Community IG Stonewalling Congress On Backdated Whistleblower Rule Changes. Sean Davis – “Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for U.S. intelligence agencies, acknowledged that his office secretly changed key whistleblower forms and rules in September, but refused to explain to lawmakers why those changes were backdated to August.”

And then there’s Hillary Clinton: on impeachment, Watergate, and Whistlegate… neo – “The difference between the process then and the process now is extreme. During Watergate, Congress was reacting to an event, and launched a bipartisan investigation. Now, one party is using the intelligence corps to create the appearance of an event, with the long-stated goal – one made clear even before Donald Trump became president – of removing this president from office.”