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Monday, October 14, 2019

Syrian Updates - Disgusting Video From Trump's National Doral Miami Conference - So Far, No More Gunshots Heard At SADM... Presidente AMLO Visits & Ley de Bonilla

The Mad King




Latest (and smartest) Syrian Updates:

 ~ From Juan Cole's:

    Informed Comment


 ~ From CNN:

Retired Marine Gen. John Allen: 'There Is Blood on Trump's Hands For Abandoning Our Kurdish Allies' 
by, Paul Leblanc and Jake Tapper

Update/edit 3:01:  the kittens kept me up until about 4:00am this morning so I'm probably not going to update the stats, they (the kittens) freaked out Daca Bob who hid under the bed. We've ordered another large trap from Home Depot that can set next to the other trap.  I've camouflaged the trap so that it isn't so intimidating and covered it with rugs, put a towelie inside.  I'm moving the food and milk closer and closer, altho some of the kittens are already sleeping in the one trap. Mike rigged the trap so it won't slam shut and scare them for the time being.

Meanwhile, Paris hurt her toe, Dr. Silva has it wrapped and she is on antibiotics, she goes back in to have the bandage changed on Tuesday...and he is waiting for the arrival of the kittens to be fixed and get their shots, so wish us luck. Feral cats are a serious problem here, and I hope this works out...at least, if we can get them the medical care they need and deserve, they won't be propagating.  Still, I can't imagine releasing them anywhere but here even though they are gang kittens, so looks like they will end up here ...well. outside and I'll feed them, the poor things.  I asked Mike to build them a little shelter and he looked at me like I lost my marbles... under the circumstances, I probably have.  BTW, William was correct 100% re the machine gun fire, he went up to Real Del Mar and asked the guards if they heard it and the Oxxo by the highway - everyone said yes.  I gave William a copy of "Shut It Down" & "This Is Not a Drill", hope he enjoys both.  He's a good kid. I 'm roasting a chicken for the mother, Susan, we have to move things around inside so we can set up the carrier to trap her.

Mike bought some red snapper fish at the fish market this morning in Rosarito - I'll let you know how it goes...they told him it was caught below Ensenada...which used to be my most fave place.

Okay here are the latest Impeachment & Syrian Updates: hot off the press:

 ~ From CNN:

Latest Impeachment Updates - 10/14/19


 ~ From CNN:

Latest Syrian Developments  - 10/14/19

 
end edit.

~~~~~   

I almost did not want to post this because it is so disturbing, but something to think about...how sick is this ?

 ~ From CNN:

New York Times Fake Video Of Trump Shooting Media and Critics Played At His Resort
by, Paul Le Blanc 

Pasted:


"Washington (CNN)A disturbing video of a fake President Donald Trump shooting, assaulting and stabbing his critics and the media was played at a conference held by a pro-Trump group at his Miami resort last week, according to footage obtained by The New York Times. 


The video, which was shown at Trump's National Doral Miami during a three-day conference held by American Priority, includes the logo for Trump's 2020 reelection bid and showcases a series of internet memes, the Times reported. One part of the video, the Times said, shows a fake Trump's head edited onto the body of a man opening fire in the "Church of Fake News" on a group whose faces were edited to appear as a group of Trump critics and news organizations.

According to the Times, the clip ends with Trump driving a stake into the head of a person who has the CNN logo for a face before standing and smiling as he looks around. The clip appears to be edited from a church massacre scene in the 2014 movie "Kingsman: The Secret Service," the Times reported.

CNN cannot independently verify the video as of Sunday night and has not shared contents of it. CNN has confirmed the video was played at the conference and not in the main ballroom.

"Sadly, this is not the first time that supporters of the President have promoted violence against the media in a video they apparently find entertaining -- but it is by far and away the worst. The images depicted are vile and horrific," CNN said in a statement Sunday night. "The President and his family, the White House, and the Trump campaign need to denounce it immediately in the strongest possible terms. Anything less equates to a tacit endorsement of violence and should not be tolerated by anyone."

Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for Trump's campaign, told the Times he didn't know anything about the video. "That video was not produced by the campaign, and we do not condone violence," he said.
The organizer for the event, Alex Phillips, said in a statement to the Times on Sunday that the clip was played at the conference as part of a "meme exhibit."

"Content was submitted by third parties and was not associated with or endorsed by the conference in any official capacity," Phillips said. "American Priority rejects all political violence and aims to promote a healthy dialogue about the preservation of free speech. This matter is under review."
Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and the President's son Donald Trump Jr. were scheduled to speak at the conference, the Times said. Sanders told the newspaper she did not see the video and a person close to Trump Jr. told the Times that he did not see it either. 
"I was there to speak at a prayer breakfast, where I spoke about unity and bringing the country together," Sanders told the Times. "I wasn't aware of any video, nor do I support violence of any kind against anyone."

The White House Correspondents' Association weighed in on the video Sunday night, saying, "All Americans should condemn this depiction of violence directed toward journalists."
"The WHCA is horrified by a video reportedly shown over the weekend at a political conference organized by the President's supporters at the Trump National Doral in Miami. All Americans should condemn this depiction of violence directed toward journalists and the President's political opponents," said Jonathan Karl, president of the association. "We have previously told the President his rhetoric could incite violence. Now we call on him and everybody associated with this conference to denounce this video and affirm that violence has no place in our society'"

~~~~~

 ~ Ready ??? 

 ~ From Yashar Ali's Tweet: Clip From The Video Played At the Trump Conference


P.S. gimme a break, you know Sara Sanders watched it ! And so did the dork big man game hunter Don, Jr....prayer meeting my rump, and they enjoyed every second of the video !

~~~~~

Locally, there haven't been any more gunshot or machine gun fire heard at SADM, and it is unknown if it was at all related to this:



  ~ From El Sol: 10/10/19

Decomisan Media Tonelada de Marihuana en Rosarito





"On the beaches of the coast of Rosarito, Baja California, elements of the 67th Infantry Battalion belonging to the Second Military Zone, managed to ensure a speedboat that carried drugs inside and that its logistics were in the hands of a worldwide organization dedicated to illegal acts.

The yacht unit in white of the Yamaha brand with a capacity of 200 horsepower, was located on the shores of Playa Bonita where the troops observed suspicious movement and decided to go to the area.

The alleged criminals, abandoned the boat which was surrounded and after a review located inside: 47 packages that had green and dry grass inside with the characteristics of marijuana, which gave a total of 500 kilograms.

 

 It should be noted that it was the result of an intelligence work carried out by the staff to intercept this drug that was destined for San Diego in the state of California.

 

The military personnel, located among the belongings a map of how the alleged criminals intended to reach Long Beach.  

 

This result is due to the integral strategy of the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime in alignment with the National Plan to recover the Peace and Tranquility of Mexicans, as part of the “Rosarito II” operation.  

 

The action at all times adhered to the legal framework that regulates the MANUAL OF THE USE OF THE FORCE common to the 3 ARMED FORCES, in addition to the fact that the rights of any person in this process were not violated.

 

 The boat and the drug were made available to the Attorney General's Office (FGR) in Tijuana Square."

 

Well, not a huge quantity, so who knows?

 ~~~~~ 

 

AMLO in town & the Ley De Bonilla..... 

 

 

As I've noted before, when figureheads or elections are in process, the killings slow down... if not entirely stop, which is exactly what happened. to a very large degree. This last weekend, Presidente AMLO flew into Tijuana and then on to Ensenada , visiting San Quintin.

 

 On Sunday, the Municipalities participated in a "Consulta Ciudana" regarding the Ley de Bonilla; those results will be in today.

 

More background on the Ley de Bonilla here: 

 

 ~ From Justice In Mexico:

 

Govenor In BC seeks To Extend His Term 

 

 ~~~~~

However, already there have been criticisms of Sunday's event: 

 

 ~ From Animal Politico: 

 

Baja California Abre Consulta Sobre Extension de Mandato de Bonilla Entre Criticas del INE y Opositores 

 

  "Baja California opens consultation on extension of Bonilla's mandate between criticisms of the INE and opponentsThe president of the INE, Lorenzo Córdova, considered that this exercise on the duration of the government of Jaime Bonilla has questions rigged.

Citizens in Baja California go on Sunday to a consultation organized by the local Congress to present their position on the extension of 2 to 5 years of the government of Jaime Bonilla Valdez, who takes office on November 1. 

The exercise will be carried out from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. - local time - it is planned to install 250 polling stations throughout the state in which people with a valid voter credential with domicile in the entity may participate, informed the legislators.

 The results will be presented on Monday, October 14 . 

 The president of the Special Commission for Citizen Consultation, the deputy of Morena, Miriam Cano, said in agreement with Notimex that the consultation on the "Bonilla Law" will cost 250 thousand pesos.

Cano said in a statement that the polling stations were opened in most of the State, although work began a little later in southern Baja California due to distance.

(***Note: Huge storm affected this area on Sunday. Video from Zeta)

“Citizen participation is essential for democratic life. Issues of public interest, in addition to being constructed based on consensus, must gather the feelings of the population so that both public institutions and citizens can build the transformation required by Baja California, ”he said. 

The ballot contains the following question: 

What do you think is the best option for our state?
Project 5. Maintain the approved reform for a five-year government project. Project 2. Carry out a counter-reform to limit the period of government to two years. 


On August 22, the local Congress approved the agreement by which it determined to carry out this citizen consultation , so it formed the special commission to carry it out. 

On October 2, the Superior Chamber of the Electoral Court of the Judicial Branch of the Federation (TEPJF) confirmed the state count, the declaration of validity of the election to the governor of Baja California and the majority record for Jaime Bonilla for two years, Despite the challenges of the parties of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the Citizen Movement and the local Transformmos. 

Find out: Unconstitutionality of the #LeyBonilla 

A query with “rigged” questions

On Saturday, the president advisor of the National Electoral Institute (INE), Lorenzo Córdova, said that the consultation has no legal basis and that the questions are rigged .

"They are the best evidence of the outrage against constitutional democracy that is intended to be consummated in that State," he wrote on his Twitter account.

“We must not forget that if there is a 'counter-reform' in BC, that is what aims to change the rules of the game once the game is over . On June 2, Baja Californians freely and democratically elected their governor for 2, not for 5 years, ”he said.

The INE counselors Ciro Murayama and Jaime Rivera joined in Twitter the questions about the consultation in Baja California.
 
The National Action Party (PAN) accused that the consultation " is a trap of Morena , illegal and uncontrolled, a mockery and more offense to the intelligence of citizens by mounting another simulation to validate their anti-democratic project to increase the age of 5 years. next government ”.
Ángel Ávila, national leader of the Democratic Revolution Party said that the exercise “is unconstitutional and illegal. It is unfortunate that a State Power violates its own norm on Popular Consultations with impunity ”.
"We have ready the Action of Unconstitutionality to 'knock down' this aberrant Law. We call on the SCJN to respect the Constitution," said Ávila in his social networks.
For his part, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador considered that it is the responsibility of the Supreme Court to decide whether it is legal or not for Bonilla to extend his mandate.
"The good thing is that there is now a rule of law and the SCJN will decide," he said in a Twitter message.
~~~~~

More irregularities have been noted  on Zeta's Noticias del dia.

Have a nice Monday off, Impeachment Inquiry, Syrian disaster updates and stats on their way. 
 

Syrian Updates - Disgusting Video From Trump's National Doral Miami Conference - So Far, No More Gunshots Heard At SADM... Presidente AMLO Visits & Ley de Bonilla

The Mad King




Latest (and smartest) Syrian Updates:

 ~ From Juan Cole's:

    Informed Comment


 ~ From CNN:

Retired Marine Gen. John Allen: 'There Is Blood on Trump's Hands For Abandoning Our Kurdish Allies' 
by, Paul Leblanc and Jake Tapper

Update/edit 3:01:  the kittens kept me up until about 4:00am this morning so I'm probably not going to update the stats, they (the kittens) freaked out Daca Bob who hid under the bed. We've ordered another large trap from Home Depot that can set next to the other trap.  I've camouflaged the trap so that it isn't so intimidating and covered it with rugs, put a towelie inside.  I'm moving the food and milk closer and closer, altho some of the kittens are already sleeping in the one trap. Mike rigged the trap so it won't slam shut and scare them for the time being.

Meanwhile, Paris hurt her toe, Dr. Silva has it wrapped and she is on antibiotics, she goes back in to have the bandage changed on Tuesday...and he is waiting for the arrival of the kittens to be fixed and get their shots, so wish us luck. Feral cats are a serious problem here, and I hope this works out...at least, if we can get them the medical care they need and deserve, they won't be propagating.  Still, I can't imagine releasing them anywhere but here even though they are gang kittens, so looks like they will end up here ...well. outside and I'll feed them, the poor things.  I asked Mike to build them a little shelter and he looked at me like I lost my marbles... under the circumstances, I probably have.  BTW, William was correct 100% re the machine gun fire, he went up to Real Del Mar and asked the guards if they heard it and the Oxxo by the highway - everyone said yes.  I gave William a copy of "Shut It Down" & "This Is Not a Drill", hope he enjoys both.  He's a good kid. I 'm roasting a chicken for the mother, Susan, we have to move things around inside so we can set up the carrier to trap her.

Mike bought some red snapper fish at the fish market this morning in Rosarito - I'll let you know how it goes...they told him it was caught below Ensenada...which used to be my most fave place.

Okay here are the latest Impeachment & Syrian Updates: hot off the press:

 ~ From CNN:

Latest Impeachment Updates - 10/14/19


 ~ From CNN:

Latest Syrian Developments  - 10/14/19

 
end edit.

~~~~~   

I almost did not want to post this because it is so disturbing, but something to think about...how sick is this ?

 ~ From CNN:

New York Times Fake Video Of Trump Shooting Media and Critics Played At His Resort
by, Paul Le Blanc 

Pasted:


"Washington (CNN)A disturbing video of a fake President Donald Trump shooting, assaulting and stabbing his critics and the media was played at a conference held by a pro-Trump group at his Miami resort last week, according to footage obtained by The New York Times. 


The video, which was shown at Trump's National Doral Miami during a three-day conference held by American Priority, includes the logo for Trump's 2020 reelection bid and showcases a series of internet memes, the Times reported. One part of the video, the Times said, shows a fake Trump's head edited onto the body of a man opening fire in the "Church of Fake News" on a group whose faces were edited to appear as a group of Trump critics and news organizations.

According to the Times, the clip ends with Trump driving a stake into the head of a person who has the CNN logo for a face before standing and smiling as he looks around. The clip appears to be edited from a church massacre scene in the 2014 movie "Kingsman: The Secret Service," the Times reported.

CNN cannot independently verify the video as of Sunday night and has not shared contents of it. CNN has confirmed the video was played at the conference and not in the main ballroom.

"Sadly, this is not the first time that supporters of the President have promoted violence against the media in a video they apparently find entertaining -- but it is by far and away the worst. The images depicted are vile and horrific," CNN said in a statement Sunday night. "The President and his family, the White House, and the Trump campaign need to denounce it immediately in the strongest possible terms. Anything less equates to a tacit endorsement of violence and should not be tolerated by anyone."

Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for Trump's campaign, told the Times he didn't know anything about the video. "That video was not produced by the campaign, and we do not condone violence," he said.
The organizer for the event, Alex Phillips, said in a statement to the Times on Sunday that the clip was played at the conference as part of a "meme exhibit."

"Content was submitted by third parties and was not associated with or endorsed by the conference in any official capacity," Phillips said. "American Priority rejects all political violence and aims to promote a healthy dialogue about the preservation of free speech. This matter is under review."
Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and the President's son Donald Trump Jr. were scheduled to speak at the conference, the Times said. Sanders told the newspaper she did not see the video and a person close to Trump Jr. told the Times that he did not see it either. 
"I was there to speak at a prayer breakfast, where I spoke about unity and bringing the country together," Sanders told the Times. "I wasn't aware of any video, nor do I support violence of any kind against anyone."

The White House Correspondents' Association weighed in on the video Sunday night, saying, "All Americans should condemn this depiction of violence directed toward journalists."
"The WHCA is horrified by a video reportedly shown over the weekend at a political conference organized by the President's supporters at the Trump National Doral in Miami. All Americans should condemn this depiction of violence directed toward journalists and the President's political opponents," said Jonathan Karl, president of the association. "We have previously told the President his rhetoric could incite violence. Now we call on him and everybody associated with this conference to denounce this video and affirm that violence has no place in our society'"

~~~~~

 ~ Ready ??? 

 ~ From Yashar Ali's Tweet: Clip From The Video Played At the Trump Conference


P.S. gimme a break, you know Sara Sanders watched it ! And so did the dork big man game hunter Don, Jr....prayer meeting my rump, and they enjoyed every second of the video !

~~~~~

Locally, there haven't been any more gunshot or machine gun fire heard at SADM, and it is unknown if it was at all related to this:



  ~ From El Sol: 10/10/19

Decomisan Media Tonelada de Marihuana en Rosarito





"On the beaches of the coast of Rosarito, Baja California, elements of the 67th Infantry Battalion belonging to the Second Military Zone, managed to ensure a speedboat that carried drugs inside and that its logistics were in the hands of a worldwide organization dedicated to illegal acts.

The yacht unit in white of the Yamaha brand with a capacity of 200 horsepower, was located on the shores of Playa Bonita where the troops observed suspicious movement and decided to go to the area.

The alleged criminals, abandoned the boat which was surrounded and after a review located inside: 47 packages that had green and dry grass inside with the characteristics of marijuana, which gave a total of 500 kilograms.

 

 It should be noted that it was the result of an intelligence work carried out by the staff to intercept this drug that was destined for San Diego in the state of California.

 

The military personnel, located among the belongings a map of how the alleged criminals intended to reach Long Beach.  

 

This result is due to the integral strategy of the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime in alignment with the National Plan to recover the Peace and Tranquility of Mexicans, as part of the “Rosarito II” operation.  

 

The action at all times adhered to the legal framework that regulates the MANUAL OF THE USE OF THE FORCE common to the 3 ARMED FORCES, in addition to the fact that the rights of any person in this process were not violated.

 

 The boat and the drug were made available to the Attorney General's Office (FGR) in Tijuana Square."

 

Well, not a huge quantity, so who knows?

 ~~~~~ 

 

AMLO in town & the Ley De Bonilla..... 

 

 

As I've noted before, when figureheads or elections are in process, the killings slow down... if not entirely stop, which is exactly what happened. to a very large degree. This last weekend, Presidente AMLO flew into Tijuana and then on to Ensenada , visiting San Quintin.

 

 On Sunday, the Municipalities participated in a "Consulta Ciudana" regarding the Ley de Bonilla; those results will be in today.

 

More background on the Ley de Bonilla here: 

 

 ~ From Justice In Mexico:

 

Govenor In BC seeks To Extend His Term 

 

 ~~~~~

However, already there have been criticisms of Sunday's event: 

 

 ~ From Animal Politico: 

 

Baja California Abre Consulta Sobre Extension de Mandato de Bonilla Entre Criticas del INE y Opositores 

 

  "Baja California opens consultation on extension of Bonilla's mandate between criticisms of the INE and opponentsThe president of the INE, Lorenzo Córdova, considered that this exercise on the duration of the government of Jaime Bonilla has questions rigged.

Citizens in Baja California go on Sunday to a consultation organized by the local Congress to present their position on the extension of 2 to 5 years of the government of Jaime Bonilla Valdez, who takes office on November 1. 

The exercise will be carried out from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. - local time - it is planned to install 250 polling stations throughout the state in which people with a valid voter credential with domicile in the entity may participate, informed the legislators.

 The results will be presented on Monday, October 14 . 

 The president of the Special Commission for Citizen Consultation, the deputy of Morena, Miriam Cano, said in agreement with Notimex that the consultation on the "Bonilla Law" will cost 250 thousand pesos.

Cano said in a statement that the polling stations were opened in most of the State, although work began a little later in southern Baja California due to distance.

(***Note: Huge storm affected this area on Sunday. Video from Zeta)

“Citizen participation is essential for democratic life. Issues of public interest, in addition to being constructed based on consensus, must gather the feelings of the population so that both public institutions and citizens can build the transformation required by Baja California, ”he said. 

The ballot contains the following question: 

What do you think is the best option for our state?
Project 5. Maintain the approved reform for a five-year government project. Project 2. Carry out a counter-reform to limit the period of government to two years. 


On August 22, the local Congress approved the agreement by which it determined to carry out this citizen consultation , so it formed the special commission to carry it out. 

On October 2, the Superior Chamber of the Electoral Court of the Judicial Branch of the Federation (TEPJF) confirmed the state count, the declaration of validity of the election to the governor of Baja California and the majority record for Jaime Bonilla for two years, Despite the challenges of the parties of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the Citizen Movement and the local Transformmos. 

Find out: Unconstitutionality of the #LeyBonilla 

A query with “rigged” questions

On Saturday, the president advisor of the National Electoral Institute (INE), Lorenzo Córdova, said that the consultation has no legal basis and that the questions are rigged .

"They are the best evidence of the outrage against constitutional democracy that is intended to be consummated in that State," he wrote on his Twitter account.

“We must not forget that if there is a 'counter-reform' in BC, that is what aims to change the rules of the game once the game is over . On June 2, Baja Californians freely and democratically elected their governor for 2, not for 5 years, ”he said.

The INE counselors Ciro Murayama and Jaime Rivera joined in Twitter the questions about the consultation in Baja California.
 
The National Action Party (PAN) accused that the consultation " is a trap of Morena , illegal and uncontrolled, a mockery and more offense to the intelligence of citizens by mounting another simulation to validate their anti-democratic project to increase the age of 5 years. next government ”.
Ángel Ávila, national leader of the Democratic Revolution Party said that the exercise “is unconstitutional and illegal. It is unfortunate that a State Power violates its own norm on Popular Consultations with impunity ”.
"We have ready the Action of Unconstitutionality to 'knock down' this aberrant Law. We call on the SCJN to respect the Constitution," said Ávila in his social networks.
For his part, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador considered that it is the responsibility of the Supreme Court to decide whether it is legal or not for Bonilla to extend his mandate.
"The good thing is that there is now a rule of law and the SCJN will decide," he said in a Twitter message.
~~~~~

More irregularities have been noted  on Zeta's Noticias del dia.

Have a nice Monday off, Impeachment Inquiry, Syrian disaster updates and stats on their way. 
 

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Way to Go Norway ! - Check Out Stockhlom Center For Freedom Site (; - Current Updates Impeachment & Syrian Disaster - Trawling For Squid/Shrimp In The Contaminated Waters At SADM, Or ?! - 10/11: Yes Juan Cole Nails IT RE: LEV & IGOR THE GANGSTAS, CITIZENS UNITED, CORPORATE & FOREIGN MONEY IN OUR ELECTIONS AND JOHN ROBERTS WOW WOW WOW With Link To Jon Schwarz & Lee Fang Of the Intercept !




This is going to be quick, will return tomorrow with the local stats.  Worldwide all across the globe just about, Trump is receiving censure over his outrageous Syrian policy.  Looks like Norway has been the the first to actually step up to the bat:

From i24news:

 Reports: Norway Suspends New Arms Exports To NATO Ally Turkey

~~~~~

Also  here its a terrific link giving us more insight into  Erdogan, which you probably already knew. 

Stockholm Center for Freedon

~~~~~

Current Updates On Syrian Disaster: 

From CNN:

Live Updates


~~~~~

And of course, the Impeachment Updates.....


Lev & Igor:: More Trump Gangsters.  Hell, they even look like gangsters.  Oh right, they look like gangsters because they are gangsters.



 ~ From 12 News:

Florida Men Tied To Guiliana Arrested On Campaign Finance Charges

AP: Biesecker, Balosamos, Butler & Tucker - 10/10/19


 - Update/edit 10/11:

10/11 Latest Updates from CNN:

Live Updates 

~~~~~

 ~ Yes, Juan Cole Absolutely Nails It with Links To Jon Schwarz & Lee Fang of The Intercept:


 ~ From Informed Comment : (with bonus video)

How The Roberts Court's 'Citizens United' Allowed Parnas And Fruman To Buy Influence In America 
by, Juan Cole - 10/11/19 


" Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – As I pointed out last week, the most powerful intervention in US politics allowing foreign influence in US elections, which contributed to Trump’s victory in 2016, was the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, (2010) decision. Like Michaelangelo’s God creating Adam with a pointing finger, SCOTUS created out of thin air a doctrine that corporations are persons. They added to this ridiculous conclusion their previous creatio ex nihilo, the terminally stupid argument that money is speech and so money in politics can’t be regulated. The result is that corporations can now donate on their own to Super-Pacs. Since corporations are often opaque as to ownership and since foreigners can be prominent on their boards, SCOTUS has allowed foreigners to donate to and influence US elections.

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of Rudy Giuliani, were arrested attempting to leave the US with one-way tickets to Austria, after they had been subpoenaed to testify before the House.

One of the charges on which they were arrested was that they set up a dummy corporation, represented as a gas and oil enterprise but which did not actually exist, calling it Global Energy Producers. GEP then made a donation of $325,000 to America First Action, a pro-Trump political action committee, in May of 2018.

They donated big sums to other PACs via their corporate personhood, funneling money from the Ukraine and $1 million from one Russian businessman alone. Citizens United allowed them to operate anonymously and to give as much as they liked (or as their foreign patrons liked).

 They also used GEF to influence Republican congressman Pete Sessions to write a letter to secretary of state Mike Pompeo, demanding that he fire the US ambassador to the Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.

They also did illegal fundraisers for Florida governor Ron DeSantis, helping him win the governorship.

I wrote last week:

“A series of pro-corporation Supreme Court decisions and the latter’s disingenuous equation of money with speech, including “Citizens United”, have turned the United States from a democracy to a plutocracy. It is not even a transparent plutocracy, since black money (of unknown provenance) has been allowed by SCOTUS to flood into elections. These developments are not only deadly to democracy, they threaten US security. It is increasingly difficult to exclude foreign money from US political donations. We not only come to be ruled by the billionaires, but even by foreign billionaires with foreign rather than American interests at heart.”

At The Intercept, Jon Schwarz and Lee Fang explained that Citizens United (2010) changed everything, allowing corporations to contribute their own money to Super-PACs, with the only restriction that they not directly coordinate with the candidates’ campaigns (a vague restriction, the contravention of which is almost impossible to prove).

Citizens United, by bestowing political personhood on corporations, opened US elections to foreign money in several ways, they point out.

Ghost corporations, the ownership of which is opaque, can be set up precisely for the purpose of contributing to super-PACs. The FEC is underfunded and castrated and lacks the resources and the will to look into the actual owners of the ghost corporations.

 Further, some 25% of securities in US corporations are owned by foreign nationals, and it is absolutely impossible to squester foreign and US interests within these corporations or the super-PACs they support.

Non-profit foundations can also contribute to super-PACs. They write,

“Want an example? Consider, for instance, that the American Petroleum Institute is partially financed by the U.S. subsidiary of Aramco, the state-owned Saudi oil company. In the 2010 midterm elections, API was one of the funders behind attack ads that helped the Republican Party take back the House of Representatives from the Democrats and stop most of Obama’s plans in their tracks.”

Nor is there any prospect of this situation improving. When Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed on the Supreme Court, I wrote,

“Big Money Dominating Politics. Citizens United (2010) and other recent Supreme Court cases allowing the super-rich to saturate the airwaves with advertising for the candidate they back, with full knowledge that they thereby ingratiate themselves with the candidate and can expect to call in favors– all this has made money king in the American electoral system. It isn’t that most Congressmen are personally bribed. It is their campaigns that receive the money. But a big war chest is job security for congressmen and senators. Richard L. Hasen explains that “Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the Supreme Court in 2010 in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission,” rejected the idea that it is corruption for large donors to the campaign of a politician is corruption. Rather, the donor receives only “Ingratiation and access” which is permissible. In a case decided in 2014, McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, Chief Justice John Roberts went even further, celebrating the idea of politicians responding to the wishes of big donors and spenders. Not only are “ingratiation and access” afforded those making large campaign contributions not corruption, Roberts explained. Donors “embody a central feature of democracy — that constituents support candidates who share their beliefs and interests, and candidates who are elected can be expected to be responsive to those concerns.” In a democracy, Roberts tells us, we should want politicians to be responsive to big donors.Citizens United was … a fragile 5-4 decision that could have been weakened or ultimately overturned. Now, it is 6-3 and likely become set in stone to the vast detriment of our democracy.”

So arguably if you’re upset about soliciting or permitting foreign interference in US elections, John Roberts is somebody you should look at impeaching.

I think I nailed it."
—-

Yes you nailed it and thank you Prof Juan Cole, wow., WOW And wow.


end edit.  wow.
~~~~~


 ~ From CNN:

Live Updates


~~~~~

Back to Syria:

Must read this one re  "Normandy": from yesterday:

~ From Common Dreams: (latest news & headlines on sidebar of report)

Now Trump Is Whining the Kurds Didn't Help US at Normandy and They and We Are Doomed 
by, Abby Zimet

LMAO, Abby is completely out of sight !



 ~ Adding this one from the Washington Post via MSNBC:

Actually, President Trump, Some Kurds did fight In World War II 
by, Siobhan O'Grady

~~~~~


Gunfire at or around SADM??? 



Back home in Indiana, I mean SADM .  The kittens have been running me ragged.  The mother, Susan, has basically left them on their own (which is normal for feral cats) so now I'm feeding them three times a day, but still they want their mom.    I'm, going through about 1/2 gallon of organic grass milk every other day and 24 cans of cat food a day, but they are so fucking cute.  The problem is when Susan shows up really late for a snack - at around 2:30 am she calls out for them even though she no longer is nursing them and they come running including running in the house which Paris does not like.

I'm finding if I feed them then, or around about 3:00am they settle down and go back to sleep. Three nights ago when I was putting this 3:00am feeding out, I distinctly thought I heard a rash of firecrackers - and of course the kittens just ran.  

The next day, our neighbor William told Mike that he heard machine gun fire and contacted the guards who told him the sound  of gunfire was coming from Real Del Mar.  I thought it was fireworks, but I was really tired.

The next night at exactly ten minutes after 3:00 am there was more loud gunfire which even woke Mike up. I hid under the blankets. For sure these shots were coming from behind us I believe, across the highway.  Last night, there was no gunfire.

Mike thinks that the shots - and machine gunfire were the fishermen who are trawling for squid or shrimp in front of us, either killing or scaring away any seals.  The boats come in really close at high tides, almost to shore.

The problem with his theory is that William, and  the guards and I swear the shots were coming from behind us.  Three against one.

The other problem is that the ocean water in front of us is contaminated to the max, you can still smell the raw untreated sewage.  Would someone actually be trawling for squid/shrimp in these waters? Well, yes.  Just a few months ago boats were trawling for commercial shrimp or squid and I could not believe it !

Let's put it this way, I love calamari & shrimp but I am avoiding it locally down here.  Gross !

And BTW, I did not hear or see any fishing boats. They are loud, you cannot miss them and they have bright lights which they shine into the water to attract the squid. Also, these boats only come in to trawl on a high tide, tides have been low here at that time in the morning. As far as seals, we haven't had any in years here due to the contamination.

Over and out for now, I'm swamped here.


Way to Go Norway ! - Check Out Stockhlom Center For Freedom Site (; - Current Updates Impeachment & Syrian Disaster - Trawling For Squid/Shrimp In The Contaminated Waters At SADM, Or ?! - 10/11: Yes Juan Cole Nails IT RE: LEV & IGOR THE GANGSTAS, CITIZENS UNITED, CORPORATE & FOREIGN MONEY IN OUR ELECTIONS AND JOHN ROBERTS WOW WOW WOW With Link To Jon Schwarz & Lee Fang Of the Intercept !




This is going to be quick, will return tomorrow with the local stats.  Worldwide all across the globe just about, Trump is receiving censure over his outrageous Syrian policy.  Looks like Norway has been the the first to actually step up to the bat:

From i24news:

 Reports: Norway Suspends New Arms Exports To NATO Ally Turkey

~~~~~

Also  here its a terrific link giving us more insight into  Erdogan, which you probably already knew. 

Stockholm Center for Freedon

~~~~~

Current Updates On Syrian Disaster: 

From CNN:

Live Updates


~~~~~

And of course, the Impeachment Updates.....


Lev & Igor:: More Trump Gangsters.  Hell, they even look like gangsters.  Oh right, they look like gangsters because they are gangsters.



 ~ From 12 News:

Florida Men Tied To Guiliana Arrested On Campaign Finance Charges

AP: Biesecker, Balosamos, Butler & Tucker - 10/10/19


 - Update/edit 10/11:

10/11 Latest Updates from CNN:

Live Updates 

~~~~~

 ~ Yes, Juan Cole Absolutely Nails It with Links To Jon Schwarz & Lee Fang of The Intercept:


 ~ From Informed Comment : (with bonus video)

How The Roberts Court's 'Citizens United' Allowed Parnas And Fruman To Buy Influence In America 
by, Juan Cole - 10/11/19 


" Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – As I pointed out last week, the most powerful intervention in US politics allowing foreign influence in US elections, which contributed to Trump’s victory in 2016, was the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, (2010) decision. Like Michaelangelo’s God creating Adam with a pointing finger, SCOTUS created out of thin air a doctrine that corporations are persons. They added to this ridiculous conclusion their previous creatio ex nihilo, the terminally stupid argument that money is speech and so money in politics can’t be regulated. The result is that corporations can now donate on their own to Super-Pacs. Since corporations are often opaque as to ownership and since foreigners can be prominent on their boards, SCOTUS has allowed foreigners to donate to and influence US elections.

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of Rudy Giuliani, were arrested attempting to leave the US with one-way tickets to Austria, after they had been subpoenaed to testify before the House.

One of the charges on which they were arrested was that they set up a dummy corporation, represented as a gas and oil enterprise but which did not actually exist, calling it Global Energy Producers. GEP then made a donation of $325,000 to America First Action, a pro-Trump political action committee, in May of 2018.

They donated big sums to other PACs via their corporate personhood, funneling money from the Ukraine and $1 million from one Russian businessman alone. Citizens United allowed them to operate anonymously and to give as much as they liked (or as their foreign patrons liked).

 They also used GEF to influence Republican congressman Pete Sessions to write a letter to secretary of state Mike Pompeo, demanding that he fire the US ambassador to the Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.

They also did illegal fundraisers for Florida governor Ron DeSantis, helping him win the governorship.

I wrote last week:

“A series of pro-corporation Supreme Court decisions and the latter’s disingenuous equation of money with speech, including “Citizens United”, have turned the United States from a democracy to a plutocracy. It is not even a transparent plutocracy, since black money (of unknown provenance) has been allowed by SCOTUS to flood into elections. These developments are not only deadly to democracy, they threaten US security. It is increasingly difficult to exclude foreign money from US political donations. We not only come to be ruled by the billionaires, but even by foreign billionaires with foreign rather than American interests at heart.”

At The Intercept, Jon Schwarz and Lee Fang explained that Citizens United (2010) changed everything, allowing corporations to contribute their own money to Super-PACs, with the only restriction that they not directly coordinate with the candidates’ campaigns (a vague restriction, the contravention of which is almost impossible to prove).

Citizens United, by bestowing political personhood on corporations, opened US elections to foreign money in several ways, they point out.

Ghost corporations, the ownership of which is opaque, can be set up precisely for the purpose of contributing to super-PACs. The FEC is underfunded and castrated and lacks the resources and the will to look into the actual owners of the ghost corporations.

 Further, some 25% of securities in US corporations are owned by foreign nationals, and it is absolutely impossible to squester foreign and US interests within these corporations or the super-PACs they support.

Non-profit foundations can also contribute to super-PACs. They write,

“Want an example? Consider, for instance, that the American Petroleum Institute is partially financed by the U.S. subsidiary of Aramco, the state-owned Saudi oil company. In the 2010 midterm elections, API was one of the funders behind attack ads that helped the Republican Party take back the House of Representatives from the Democrats and stop most of Obama’s plans in their tracks.”

Nor is there any prospect of this situation improving. When Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed on the Supreme Court, I wrote,

“Big Money Dominating Politics. Citizens United (2010) and other recent Supreme Court cases allowing the super-rich to saturate the airwaves with advertising for the candidate they back, with full knowledge that they thereby ingratiate themselves with the candidate and can expect to call in favors– all this has made money king in the American electoral system. It isn’t that most Congressmen are personally bribed. It is their campaigns that receive the money. But a big war chest is job security for congressmen and senators. Richard L. Hasen explains that “Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the Supreme Court in 2010 in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission,” rejected the idea that it is corruption for large donors to the campaign of a politician is corruption. Rather, the donor receives only “Ingratiation and access” which is permissible. In a case decided in 2014, McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, Chief Justice John Roberts went even further, celebrating the idea of politicians responding to the wishes of big donors and spenders. Not only are “ingratiation and access” afforded those making large campaign contributions not corruption, Roberts explained. Donors “embody a central feature of democracy — that constituents support candidates who share their beliefs and interests, and candidates who are elected can be expected to be responsive to those concerns.” In a democracy, Roberts tells us, we should want politicians to be responsive to big donors.Citizens United was … a fragile 5-4 decision that could have been weakened or ultimately overturned. Now, it is 6-3 and likely become set in stone to the vast detriment of our democracy.”

So arguably if you’re upset about soliciting or permitting foreign interference in US elections, John Roberts is somebody you should look at impeaching.

I think I nailed it."
—-

Yes you nailed it and thank you Prof Juan Cole, wow., WOW And wow.


end edit.  wow.
~~~~~


 ~ From CNN:

Live Updates


~~~~~

Back to Syria:

Must read this one re  "Normandy": from yesterday:

~ From Common Dreams: (latest news & headlines on sidebar of report)

Now Trump Is Whining the Kurds Didn't Help US at Normandy and They and We Are Doomed 
by, Abby Zimet

LMAO, Abby is completely out of sight !



 ~ Adding this one from the Washington Post via MSNBC:

Actually, President Trump, Some Kurds did fight In World War II 
by, Siobhan O'Grady

~~~~~


Gunfire at or around SADM??? 



Back home in Indiana, I mean SADM .  The kittens have been running me ragged.  The mother, Susan, has basically left them on their own (which is normal for feral cats) so now I'm feeding them three times a day, but still they want their mom.    I'm, going through about 1/2 gallon of organic grass milk every other day and 24 cans of cat food a day, but they are so fucking cute.  The problem is when Susan shows up really late for a snack - at around 2:30 am she calls out for them even though she no longer is nursing them and they come running including running in the house which Paris does not like.

I'm finding if I feed them then, or around about 3:00am they settle down and go back to sleep. Three nights ago when I was putting this 3:00am feeding out, I distinctly thought I heard a rash of firecrackers - and of course the kittens just ran.  

The next day, our neighbor William told Mike that he heard machine gun fire and contacted the guards who told him the sound  of gunfire was coming from Real Del Mar.  I thought it was fireworks, but I was really tired.

The next night at exactly ten minutes after 3:00 am there was more loud gunfire which even woke Mike up. I hid under the blankets. For sure these shots were coming from behind us I believe, across the highway.  Last night, there was no gunfire.

Mike thinks that the shots - and machine gunfire were the fishermen who are trawling for squid or shrimp in front of us, either killing or scaring away any seals.  The boats come in really close at high tides, almost to shore.

The problem with his theory is that William, and  the guards and I swear the shots were coming from behind us.  Three against one.

The other problem is that the ocean water in front of us is contaminated to the max, you can still smell the raw untreated sewage.  Would someone actually be trawling for squid/shrimp in these waters? Well, yes.  Just a few months ago boats were trawling for commercial shrimp or squid and I could not believe it !

Let's put it this way, I love calamari & shrimp but I am avoiding it locally down here.  Gross !

And BTW, I did not hear or see any fishing boats. They are loud, you cannot miss them and they have bright lights which they shine into the water to attract the squid. Also, these boats only come in to trawl on a high tide, tides have been low here at that time in the morning. As far as seals, we haven't had any in years here due to the contamination.

Over and out for now, I'm swamped here.


Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Impeachment Updates ! Kurds Sold down the River...Again ! - "Turkey's Bombing Of Kurdish Forces Has Begun" : 10/08 Edited re Bombings

  So here's the latest and you can sign up to receive updates on your email:

 ~ From CNN:

Impeachment Updates 


 ~ From CNN: (sign up here)

Impeachment Updates 

*****

 The Betrayal Of The Kurds:




This is what I've been reading on and off today, check the sources more current events of this and other subjects:

 ~ From The Guardian : (four years ago)

Now the Truth Emerges: How the US Fuelled The Rise Of Isis In Syria And Iraq 
By, Seumas Milne 

*****


 - From Common Dreams :

Trump Talks Tough With Journalists But Lets Real Strongmen Like Turkey's Erdogan Walk All Over Him
by, Juan Cole

Here's a new one from Prof. Juan Cole, interesting and informative: 

Winners and Losers From Trump Throwing Syrian Kurds Under The Bus
by, Juan Cole


Juan Cole
Juan Cole teaches Middle Eastern and South Asian history at the University of Michigan. His new book, The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation Is Changing the Middle East (Simon and Schuster), will officially be published July 1st. He is also the author of Engaging the Muslim World and Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East (both Palgrave Macmillan). He has appeared widely on television, radio and on op-ed pages as a commentator on Middle East affairs, and has a regular column at Salon.com. He has written, edited, or translated 14 books and has authored 60 journal articles. His weblog on the contemporary Middle East is Informed Comment.

*****


 ~ From Truthdig: (also appeared on Common Dreams)

The Domino Effect Of Syria Withdrawal
by, Yijay Prashad and E. Ahmet Tonak


Vijay Prashad
Vijay Prashad is the Director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and Chief Editor of LeftWord Books. He is a Writing Fellow and Chief Correspondent at Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He writes regularly for The Hindu, Frontline, Newsclick, and BirGün.
E. Ahmet Tonak is an economist who works at Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research.

*****

From The Intercept:

The U.S. Is Now Betraying The Kurds For the Eighth Time 
by, Jon Schwarz 

*****

From Common Dreams: 

Update/edit 10/08:

"This story has been updated to include new reporting and clarify claims and counter claims about Turkish airstrikes inside Syria."

Just Hours After Trump Bends To Erdogan, Reports Indicate Turkey's Bombong Of Kurdian Forces Has Begun
by, Common Dreams Staff 


Update/edit 10/8: 

 ~ From MSN News: No mention of gone astray bombings however maybe they don't want to freak us out, and notice Iran's reactions:

Turkey Dismisses US Threats, Amasses Troops On Syrian Border 

end edit. 

***** 

Democracy Now|Syria 

***** 

Update/edit 10/08:

Here's a new one....

 ~ From the Intercept:

Trump Turned His Back On Syrian Kurds. Here's How They View their New Precarious Position

by, Danny Gold & Murtaza Hussain


end edit. 


~~~~~

 ~ From Informed Comment:





Locally down here, so far this is a non-topic. I'll be back with the stats on the next blog because it is out of control again.