Sunday, April 9th open thread: ‘Paint it Black’
Here is the open thread for Sunday, April 9th. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
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Here is Echo and the Bunnymen performing the Rolling Stones song “Paint it Black” live from 1987:
frui diem
MSNBC host wonders if Putin was behind the chemical attack in Syria to help Donald Trump
Since the chemical attack in Syria last week some people on the right have been talking on social media about how this proves there was no collusion between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump during the election–after all, if they were truly the buddies the Democrats have been claiming they are why would the President go against the wishes of Mr. Putin? I happen to fall into this category of thought.
However, what if Vladimir Putin actually was behind the attacks in order to make his buddy Donald Trump look good? It sounds crazy, I know, but this is exactly the question MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell is asking.
Here is more:
“Wouldn’t it be nice,” O’Donnell asked a nodding, smiling Rachel Maddow, “if it was just completely, totally, absolutely impossible to suspect that Vladimir Putin orchestrated what happened in Syria this week — so that his friend in the White House could have a big night with missiles and all the praises he’s picked up over the past 24 hours?”
The theory was impossible to rule out, O’Donnell said, because of the Trump campaign’s ties to the Russian government.
“It changes the conventional wisdom about the dynamic between President Trump and Vladimir Putin,” O’Donnell said. “President Trump has finally dared to do something Vladimir Putin doesn’t like. It changes everything.”
O’Donnell didn’t offer any evidence on his theory, promising only that “you won’t hear … proof that the scenario I’ve just outlined is impossible.”
He admits he has no proof, in fact he goes so far as to admit it will be impossible to find any proof, and that is because this conspiracy theory was made up out of thin air. He exposed his bias here and he even tweeted about it:
To be honest I still have mixed feelings about this attack and whether or not it should have been conducted, especially from a Constitutional perspective, and I also have questions about the official story, however for a so-called news outlet to push this theory without any sort of proof for obvious partisan reasons is irresponsible to say the least. The left is unhinged and it is showing more and more every day.
I suppose this type of speculation is what constitutes news in today’s America.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Devin Nunes removes himself from Russia investigation
As you have all heard by now Devin Nunes has removed himself from the Russia investigation after he shared information with Donald Trump before sharing it with the Intelligence Committee. Here is more:
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) will temporarily step aside from an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, including interactions between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
The move comes as the House Ethics Committee announced that it is investigating allegations that Nunes may have mishandled classified information. With the Ethics Committee now formally involved in the dispute, Nunes could no longer oversee the Russia probe, although he will remain in place as chairman of the Intelligence Committee.
It is hard to understand how Devin Nunes could have mishandled classified information by sharing it with other people who had the proper clearances–if anyone mishandled classified information it appears to be Susan Rice for allegedly leaking the classified information to people without the proper clearances–however I will grant that he mishandled the investigation by sharing the information with one of the the subjects of the investigation before sharing it with the investigators.
That was extremely ill-advised and stupid and I cannot understand what he was thinking. By doing this he became a distraction and with him now out of the way the Democrats can no longer claim the Republicans are trying to rig the investigation. Therefor I believe this was the proper decision to make–the investigation will continue and I think eventually the focus will turn to Susan Rice and the reports that the Obama regime really was spying on Donald Trump’s transition team.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
The big news of the day yesterday was the story about Steve Bannon losing his seat on a National Security Council committee and the revocation of his security clearance. The mainstream media and the Democrats were giddy over this news but all might not be as it was reported yesterday.
One day after being “removed” from the committee Steve Bannon attended a National Security Council meeting with his security clearance still in place, here is more:
One day after what was demonstrably one of the most-covered stories by the media focused on the “removal” of Steve Bannon, President Trump’s top adviser, from the National Security Council (NSC), he attended a council meeting, the Washington Examiner reported on Thursday.
Despite the headlines about Bannon’s removal, most media outlets included the fact that the change on the council only meant Bannon was no longer a permanent member on the council but that he retained top security clearance and could attend council meetings.
“Bannon is still permitted to go to NSC meetings,” Fox News reported on Wednesday.
“He is one of the president’s closest and most trusted advisers,” a White House source told CNBC when asked why Bannon attended.
Despite this news to the contrary there are still reports circulating out there that Steve Bannon is on the way out because of a rift between himself and other Trump advisers. It is hard to determine what the truth is at this point but if today’s meeting is any indication it would seem as if the media is trying to create the appearance of disorder when in fact it is, or is mostly, non-existent. I still think there is something going on behind the scenes but it might not be as dramatic as we are being led to believe.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Steve Bannon loses his spot on the National Security Council amid administration shake up
The big news of the day is that Steve Bannon has lost his position on the National Security Council and his national security clearance has been revoked. You have all heard the news so I do not think I need to provide any links to the story. There are plenty of stories out there with various takes on this issue and you have all most likely read them by now, I would not be providing anything new.
To be honest I am not sure why Steve Bannon had a security clearance in the first place other than it being a reward for helping Donald Trump win the election and that alone does not qualify him to receive classified national security secrets. I actually think this was the proper move to make.
It is being reported that Steve Bannon will still have a high ranking position as an adviser to the President and I think that is probably where he is best suited. This does not look good and of course the left is running with this, claiming this shows the administration is in disarray, but I would remind the left that Donald Trump shook up his campaign staff a couple of times before settling on the winning combination. The left was claiming the Trump campaign was in disarray and yet he beat Hillary Clinton, could we see the same scenario play out this time around as well with Donald Trump winning in the end? We will have to wait and see…
I would rather see him get it right the first time but at least, through his actions if not verbally admitting it, he is willing to move on when he deems it necessary.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
I know I am asking quite a bit here but I beg you to listen to three minutes of Elizabeth Warren advocating for the nuclear option back in 2013. It might seem unbearable but trust me it is worth it.
So much of what she said in defense of the nuclear option back then sounds exactly like what we are going through now: she said the Republicans were engaged in a “naked attempts to nullify the results of the last Presidential election” and how Barack Obama was trying to do his job to “fill open vacancies on the Federal bench.” That is what is happening now only in reverse–the Democrats are trying to nullify the results of the last Presidential election and prevent Donald Trump from doing his job.
Donald Trump is trying to do his job to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court and while the Democrats are upset that the Republicans refused to hold hearings on Merrick Garland that has nothing to do with Donald Trump and his attempt to do his job, all the Democrats had to do was win an election they thought was in the bag and this would not be an issue.
She also went so far as to claim that Senators not only had the right to change the filibuster rules but had a duty to change the filibuster rules. That is not what we are hearing from the Democrats today…
I also find it amusing that while the senior Senator from Massachusetts is quoting from the Constitution she has to look down at her notes to tell us what that document actually says…
Here is the video:
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Back in 2013 Harry Reid invoked the so-called nuclear option (the Democrats at that time called in the Constitutional option) to end the filibuster on most judicial and Presidential nominations with some exceptions. Harry Reid was praised by his fellow Democrats and by the mainstream media for ending the gridlock and obstructionism in Washington. Harry Reid went so far as to say the Republicans should thank him because they would benefit if they ever got back control.
Now the Republicans are in control and there is the real possibility that they will end the filibuster on Supreme Court nominees on Friday if they have the votes to do so and the very same Democrats are not happy. Suddenly this is not an issue of ending gridlock and obstructionism but rather protecting the integrity of the Senate. If this does happen the filibuster will only remain on some Presidential appointees and on legislation.
Mitch McConnell is now vowing that he will not end the filibuster on legislation while he is in charge. Here is more:
Donald Trump promised to not accept a salary as President of the United States and today it was announced that he has donated his first quarter salary to the National Parks. Here is more:
President Donald Trump has donated the first quarter of his presidential salary to the Department of the Interior to help fund the National Parks.
Zinke said that the additional funds would help maintain infrastructure of some of the national battlefield sites.
“We’re about $100 million or $229 million behind in deferred maintenance on our battlefields alone and that’s on our 25 national battlefields,” he said. “We’re excited about that opportunity.”
According to Spicer the check, that was made out for $78,333 was “every penny” that Trump received since his inauguration as president.
“The Park Service has cared for our parks since 1916, and the president is personally proud to contribute the first quarter of his salary to the important mission of the Park Service,” Spicer said.
Not bad for someone the media and the Democrats have claimed does not care about the environment but of course this will be ignored by the mainstream media, or if they cover it at all they will claim this was just an attempted diversion from the Russian hacking scandal or his failed attempt at replacing Obamacare…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
We are now learning, if this story is true, that Donald Trump, his aides, and his family were under surveillance for over one year before he took office in January. Nobody is disputing the claim the President was being surveilled before he assumed the office any more, it is now only a question of whether it was direct or indirect surveillance.
There is a report out there that claims Barack Obama was using national security as cover to spy on a political opponent. We know that none of the information captured on Donald Trump and his aides was related to the so-called Russian hacking scandal, and we also know that no information relevant to national security or foreign governments was found, so that raises the question of why the surveillance in the first place? Everyone is still claiming despite this that the surveillance was incidental and indirect and while I tend to doubt this I will assume it is true for the sake of this post.
Chuck Schumer says Donald Trump should replace Neil Gorsuch with a ‘mainstream nominee’
The Democrats are still upset that the Republicans did not give Merrick Garland a confirmation hearing and they are taking it out on Neil Gorsuch. Honestly I do not blame them because in all likelihood I would probably, nay definitely, do the same thing if I were in their shoes.
However, all they had to do was win the election and this would not be an issue. But of course they lost the election because they rigged the primary in order to nominate one of the least liked and least trustworthy candidates in modern political history. That is something they would like to forget…
Chuck Schumer appeared on Meet the Press today and he said that Neil Gorsuch should be replaced by a more “mainstream nominee” if he cannot get the 60 votes needed for confirmation. Here is what he said:
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