President Trump Will Accept Your Apologies Now

Remember back in February of last year, when the newly-elected President of these United States put out a tweet that blamed Obama for spying on him? Remember the obloquy that rained down upon him for even suggesting such a thing?

Yeah, I do. And I said then (to immense ridicule) that always take the totality of what Trump tweets before you come down upon him like a ton of bricks. There’s always a grain of truth in what he says. Especially when he makes an accusation against somebody.

We now know, thanks to yesterday’s release of the infamous Nunes Memo, that the previous administration committed a series of felonies, perjuries and Lord-knows-what-else to get a warrant to spy on an American citizen.

This is worse than Watergate. On the order of several magnitudes. Before this is over, a lot of heads are going to roll. And they need to roll. We can only hope that the entire, rotten edifice of the surveillance state comes crashing down.

Clearly, the left is losing it. They’ve turned into permanent rage-monsters, alienating friends, family and casual passers-by alike. This can’t go on. But it will. What we are seeing is the accelerating collapse of the entire globalist/statist worldview.

As far as I’m concerned, it can’t happen fast enough.

In the meantime, please see the following editorial from Stefan Molyneaux. In my humble opinion, he lays in eloquent and meticulous detail the enormity of this scandal on both the micro as well as macro level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obywWwAmiEA

Comments

  1. George Michalopulos wrote
    Remember back in February of last year, when the newly-elected President of these United States put out a tweet that blamed Obama for spying on him?

    Which wasn’t true then. And still isn’t true now.

    George Michalopulos wrote
    We now know, thanks to yesterday’s release of the infamous Nunes Memo, that the previous administration committed a series of felonies, perjuries and Lord-knows-what-else to get a warrant to spy on an American citizen.

    No, the Nunes memo shows none of these things. This is untrue spin with no basis in reality whatsoever. Step away from the Hannity.

    George Michalopulos wrote
    In the meantime, please see the following editorial from Stefan Molyneaux

    Stefan Molyneaux, or as I like to refer to him, the dumb religious person’s idea of a smart atheist, is doing nothing more but perpetuating the same false premise and assertions that have no basis in factual reality as the rest of the noise machine. He also has the same experience base and knowledge of the underlying issues as your pizza delivery guy.

    If you wish to read detailed analysis of the memo from subject experts I can provide links. But that won’t be as satisfying as listening to 20 minutes of extemporaneous YouTube ranting of nonsense which happens to jibe with your priors.

    • Peter A. Papoutsis says

      To quote Luke Skywalker from the Last Jedi:

      “Amazing. Every word you just said was wrong!”

      Peter A Papoutsis

    • Ronda Wintheiser says

      Come on, Nate. Show us the goods.

      • Ronda wants the goods. Out of literally hundreds of well-informed experts on the Right, from various relevant fields, whom I could cite, here are just a couple of accessible pieces on this sick farce.
        You don’t want to know what the Center is thinking these days. I take it the Left, such as it is in the US, holds no interest for you, so I omit any commentary from that end of things, too.

        A demolition by a right-wing Whitewater investigator (IOW, anti-Clinton): “The Nunes Memo Makes No Sense.”

        One by an Orthodox, right-wing NSA analyst, and career Naval counterintelligence officer, and War College professor, historian, author of 4 books and numerous scholarly and intelligence pubs.

        A timeline of the many stunts perpetrated by this memo’s author, Devin Nunes, beginning with his stint on Trump’s transition team, by the conservative Brookings Institution’s Lawfare Editors.

        Lastly, a warning to y’all “conservatives” from long-time conservative pundit and author, Charles Sykes. I hope you enjoy that one in particular. Though I doubt many of you have the intellectual integrity to read any of these.

        The self-deconstructing Mehmo itself.

        Fun fact: the number of Republicans in the House who hold security clearances — many of them Chairmen of Committees who actually have a clue about what’s going on in this probe — that are retiring this term: 32, as of this morning. Translation: most of the more prudent … mammals are fleeing the GOP/Trumptanic.

        After having actually read the FISA application in question here, (unlike the mehmo’s author, Mr. D. Nunes [R-LOL]), Trey Gowdy announced his retirement. And Gowdy’s recent public remarks have gotten more and more interesting, not to say haunted (cf. his encouraging deeper investigation of Trump Tower, Cambridge Analytica, Giles-Parscale, etc., etc.). Anyway, one good long look at what the IC has on Carter Page and he bolted for the hills. There will be a lot of that. And Trump Foreign Policy Advisor C. Page, Ph.D. is only one guy. So many more.

        • George Michalopulos says

          Nice try Nemesis. Now try this and see how it works: “Watergate was a third-rate burglary”. Say that three times and see if it works.

          • Thanks, George. Anything adult, rational, and substantive to say in response? Or just the typical hollow bluffing and other Kremlin-kissed & bot-propped deza static? I know of course that you didn’t read a single word by the sane and informed guys I posted. Instead, you resort to ludicrous name-calling like some little 3rd-grade girl. Reality’s not your thing; I get that. It would be really hard to climb out of that deep pit of delusion at this point, not to mention humbling. Can’t have that!

            Anyway, you’re running out of time to catch up & get a clue. Better hurry, “rational flock!”

            lol

            • George Michalopulos says

              It’s slippin’ away, Mike, slippin’ away.

              I now see how traumatic Tuesday, November 8, 2016 was. It was a rigged election –and yet Trump won despite this.

              Regardless how this all plays out in the end, can y’all imagine where we would be today if Mdme Mao had won? None of the corruption that has been exposed would have been and the FBI would be well on its way to becoming the American KGB. The NSA would be invulnerable and the FISA courts would continue to be the rubber stamp that it has been exposed to be.

              I never wanted to admit this, but the surveillance state that was put in place in the form of Echelon during the latter Clinton years and solidified under Bush 43, was never meant for our protection but for our control. This was a satanic enterprise from start to finish. We can only pray that Trump –whatever his faults–survives this onslaught and then destroys it once and for all.

        • George Michalopulos says

          Mike, you do realize of course that there are RINOs and other cuckservatives in the Deep State, don’t you? And some of them are Orthodox.

          • In other words, groups George Michalopulos won’t accept criticisms of the memo from:
            Democrats
            Republicans

            I suppose if Robert E. Lee appeared as a ghostly apparition in George Michalopulos bedroom and moaned “the political origins of the dossier were discloooooooosed in the original application and the court found probable cause to renew the warrant multiple tiiiiiiiiiiimes”, poor Mr. Michalopulos would have an existential crisis and go put his head in an oven.

            • George Michalopulos says

              I await fervently a vision from St Robert and will stand by what he says.

              In the meantime, I can’t help but think that Robert E Lee, the entire Confederacy and every eminence of the Union Army together with the Founding Fathers would have been appalled by the Frankenstein monster that is the modern Federal government. Washington and Jefferson would be grovelling on their knees before the Queen begging forgiveness.

              So, whilst I await a vision from Marse Robert, I will have to console myself with the fervent belief that no great American worth his salt would approve of the present day American Warfare/Welfare State.

        • I worded something carelessly above. Not all of this term’s GOP retirees hold security clearances, didn’t mean that. Though many of them do, and many are Committee Chairmen.

        • Ronda Wintheiser says

          Thanks, Nemesis. Very interesting reading.

          I wouldn’t mind reading whatever the goods are from the Left as well. Maybe those are the goods Nate mentioned but hasn’t produced.

          • Nate Trost says

            My sourcing isn’t centered on political affiliation but rather subject matter expertise. Time is in short supply, so this is a bit of a link dump versus curated commentary. A combination of tweets singular and as start of threads, some of which also link to article material and also some direct article links:

            To summarize subsections this covers:
            * Whether the memo has any connection/bearing on the Muller probe
            * Whether the dossier having political affiliations in and of itself has any meaning
            * The lack of credibility of the GOP HPSCI members who voted to release the memo, but aren’t really going to stand up for Nunes, and didn’t have issues with the 702 reauth
            * That Carter Page is a really strange hill to die on, and involves ignoring or handwaving away a lot of details to make it look like some kind of impropriety might have occurred.

            https://twitter.com/TGowdySC/status/959495152770469888
            https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/960187300121665537
            https://twitter.com/pwnallthethings/status/960190634501050368

            https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-wheeler-memo-privacy_us_5a74b4a5e4b01ce33eb2906f
            https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/01/russia-steele-dossier-democrats-republicans-216921

            https://twitter.com/bradheath/status/959483742711681026
            https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/02/fisa-surveillance-nunes-memo-allegations/300583002/

            https://twitter.com/pwnallthethings/status/959489493479936000

            https://lawfareblog.com/devin-nuness-mystery-memo-repeating-cycle-distraction

            https://twitter.com/Susan_Hennessey/status/960194797397999616

            It was a busy weekend, my clippings file ran to a few dozen links, but that would be a starting point for any further discussion.

          • You’re welcome, Ronda. To the degree you aren’t just another tribalist who couldn’t care less about what’s true and false, like most of the people here and in fact most on the Right these days, you may find this short piece even more interesting. It’s sorta meta, which is my metier. As it were. This is old news to us propaganda analysts, but you may find it helpful to get out of the trap. Before it’s too late.

            THE NUNES MEMO AND A SATURDAY NIGHT MASSACRE IN SLOW MOTION
            by BRIAN BEUTLER

            FEB.5.18

            If you knew nothing about the so-called Nunes memo before Donald Trump declassified it and House Republicans released it to the public, you would have a hard time discerning from the ensuing news coverage that literally every subject-matter expert who isn’t a paid Trump lackey or disingenuous partisan believes the memo was a joke—a childlike attempt to fabricate a scandal out of nothing, and also a scandal in its own right.

            Fox News, and most of the right-wing media, by contrast, didn’t portray the memo in an ambiguous way at all. On the right, the memo didn’t create a partisan row, or “inflame tensions”—it uncovered evidence that should discredit the Justice Department’s Russia investigation, and vindicated Trump’s desire to purge and replace the senior ranks of DOJ and the FBI with loyalists.

            Meanwhile, Fox is going with the lie:
            pic.twitter.com/eHR9u9YtOn [Fox deleted this after enough people knew they had been busted]

            — Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 3, 2018

            Of course, this portrayal was incredibly dishonest {Since deleted and excised as too sleazy even for Fox. Ed.} But the people shaping it understood something fairly profound that their counterparts in the traditional media do not: if you want people to believe something (yes, even something false) you have to tell them what you want them to believe, and you have to tell them that it’s true.

            Everyone in the know knows the Nunes memo was a flop on the merits; but the public at large is for the most part getting two perspectives on it: One, from the right’s vast propaganda apparatus, in which House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes delivered the promised goods on an explosive conspiracy to sabotage Trump, and one from the mainstream press in which ¯_(ツ)_/¯. One where the truth is certain, and one where it is hard to discern because Democratic and Republican interpretations differ.

            To that end, the Nunes memo was an extraordinary success, and an invitation for Nunes and the House GOP to engage in more antic dissimulation, until either Trump feels he has the cover he needs to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, or Republican voters are so convinced that Trump is the victim of dirty tricks that they don’t blink when Mueller reveals his findings, don’t blink when House Republicans ignore them, don’t blink when Trump issues pardons for his family members and campaign team.

            The point is not that the mainstream press should just tell the world the opposite of what Fox News says, but that journalists in the Trump era can’t edify the public without updating their professional mores to account for the words and deeds of newsmakers who speak and act in bad faith.

            On the day #ReleaseTheMemo went viral on Twitter, journalists could watch in real time as the hashtag spread from bots and the pro-Trump fringe, to the trending topics, to Fox News, and ultimately into mainstream coverage. Reporters unearthed the central allegation contained in the Nunes memo—that the DOJ included portions of the famed Trump-Russia dossier in its affidavit seeking a warrant to wiretap former Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page—and exposed it as a non sequitur two weeks ago. They learned that Trump had told confidants that he hoped to use the memo as a pretext to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the Mueller investigation, days ago.

            There is hardly a person at work in politics who didn’t piece together, long before he published the memo, that Nunes choreographed his stunt in order to mislead and confuse the public. That early in his ongoing and multifarious efforts to obstruct and discredit the Russia investigation, Trump recruited and compromised the House intel chair, and nearly the entire GOP has agreed to play along, deploying arguments (about coup plots, and about civil liberties) that they plainly don’t believe.

            That story doesn’t take any meaningful interpretive license with the facts, it is just what’s happening in front of our eyes. A more slanted, but I believe equally accurate version is that Trump is attempting to perpetrate a modern-day, slow-motion Saturday Night Massacre, with the complicity of most congressional Republicans and the conservative media.

            It’s an amazing story! The kind that might ultimately come to define our current political moment. A story people will believe, but only if they are told it’s happening, and shown its true. But in absence of discourse norms that allow reporters to treat bad faith for what it is, the truth is by necessity being subordinated to an alternate reality in which partisan anger is running high and views on the shape of the Earth differ; in which the centrist punditry confines itself to examining how well Republicans executed the Nunes stunt rather than on the scandalousness of the stunt’s underlying purpose.

            Republican politicians grasp the weaknesses in the professional habits of the political media better than members of the political media do. With the Nunes memo, they are consciously exploiting those weaknesses.

          • Traditional Values Trumpsters says

            http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-wolff-book-trump-tried-to-sleep-with-friends-wives-2018-1

            President Donald Trump habitually attempted to have sexual affairs with his friends’ wives, manipulating his male acquaintances into disclosing details about their sex lives and encouraging them to cheat on their spouses, according to a controversial new book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.”

            Author and journalist Michael Wolff wrote that the then-real estate mogul “liked to say that one of the things that made life worth living was getting your friends’ wives into bed.”

            “In pursuing a friend’s wife, he would try to persuade the wife that her husband was perhaps not what she thought,” Wolff wrote, alleging that Trump would invite his male friends to his office and engage in “more or less constant sexual banter” while the friend’s wife was secretly on speakerphone, listening in on the conversation.

            “Do you still like having sex with your wife? How often? You must have had a better f— than your wife? Tell me about it.” Trump would allegedly say. “I have girls coming in from Los Angeles at three o’clock. We can go upstairs and have a great time. I promise.”

            • George Michalopulos says

              TVT, those who voted for Trump knew all that. And guess what? We didn’t care. Just like all those who voted for Bill Clinton didn’t care. (And with him, there were credible accusations of rape.)

              The point is that with Bush 41, 43 and Obama, we voted for men we thought were patricians, had all the right manners, elegantly creased slacks and so on. Bill Clinton knows the Bible backwards and forwards. What did we get for it? The evisceration of the white working class? The ruination of our manufacturing industry? Hillary as SecState? The Destroyer of the Middle East and Ravager of Europe?

              The Union generals were scandalized by Grant’s drinking habits. Lincoln responded thusly: “find out what he drinks and send a gallon to every one of them”.

              • Peter A. Papoutsis says

                Agreed.

              • M. Stankovich says

                Never would I have imagined that that I would be reading these words under a banner that boldly includes the Life-Giving Cross of our Savior. In effect, in your rash, thoughtless bravado, you are saying that those things the Lord specifically tells us are bound to “ruination” and destruction, and every “earthly sweetness” which is bound to death and saves absolutely no one, ultimately and finally, are more significant than truth, loyalty, justice, mercy, empathy, kindness, and respect and commitment to one’s spouse. We didn’t care. επαραγιέ θεοτόκε σώσον ημάς! I am dismayed to even ask you, but are you able to conceive that some people were guided to act according to their conscience and did not vote for any of these individuals? Not with the intent of making a political statement, but because their heart simply would not allow it? Wake up, for “if you at all forget the Lord your God… I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.” (Deut. 8:19)

  2. Then the serpent said to the woman, “you will not surely die.”(Genesis 3:4)

    Pilate said unto him, “What is truth?”(John 18:38)

    And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness, rather than light, because their deeds were evil.(John 3:19)

    And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.(John 8:32)

    Jesus said to him,”I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”(John 14:6)

    TRUTH NEED NOT APPLY!
    And now the circus begins! I noticed, flipping thru the cable news channels, every channel, had a different spin to a story, that was for the most part, straight forward. Most politicians, and many news pundits, lobbyist, whores of pick your party, or agenda, and our trusted news anchors, who look into the cameras, and into our eyes with such concern for us and our need to know “the truth in the story”, are lawyers, and we all know what lawyers do with the truth.

    Yesterday the only truth cemented for me, in regards to the memo, is that no matter what party one belongs to, no matter what ideology, left or right, no one really cares about the truth, nor what is right or wrong.

    • Peter A. Papoutsis says

      Bob,

      Let me make this simple for you. The FBI, in direct violation of a citizen’s 4th Amendment protections, lied, yes LIED to Federal Judges, for their own political gain.

      I’ve been in from of both State and Federal Judges and if you lie to them they get very, VERY angry. So just sit back, relax and watch the it all explode in front of your eyes in real time.

      There will be motions for contempt, withdrawals of pleas and people being fired and going to jail over this. Contrary to the insane rambling of the DNC, MSNBC baby murdering, sodomy loving left this is a nuclear bomb that was just unleashed on or corrupt political system, and I’m all for it. Very cathartic and needed.

      This is not partisan, this is about the legitimacy of our constitutional Republic.

      Thank you

      Peter A Papoutsis

      • Peter A. Papoutsis wrote
        The FBI, in direct violation of a citizen’s 4th Amendment protections, lied, yes LIED to Federal Judges, for their own political gain.

        Nope. Didn’t happen. And the memo doesn’t even make a case that this happened. The most the memo does, is insinuate that the part of the FISA application that referenced the dossier failed to indicate the political origins of the source material.

        Except, as was revealed yesterday, that wasn’t the case, and the political origins were disclosed, meaning the memo is guilty of erroneous misstatement in one of its most central claims. Or, you know, flat out lying.

        Peter A. Papoutsis wrote
        This is not partisan

        On the contrary, I see you posting nothing but regurgitated partisan spin which isn’t even supported by the actual text of the memo. In this, you are effectively making yourself, Peter A. Papoutsis, a footsoldier for sophistry.

        Peter A. Papoutsis wrote
        Now that one Federal Judge has asked this question because of the FISA memo’ s release in a FOIA lawsuit seeking their release

        This is called the law of unintended consequences with implications for American national security. It would be amusing to hear, in your own words, why FISC exists in the first place.

        • Gail Sheppard says

          Nate, you keep saying the memo didn’t say this or didn’t say that as if the memo were the story. The memo isn’t the story. The memo is the means by which the story can be told. When these “motions for contempt, withdrawals of pleas and people being fired and going to jail over this” begin, as Peter mentioned, the story will unfold for all to see and there will be no refuting it.

          • George Michalopulos says

            Indeed. The memo is just the tip of the iceberg. At the very least it is prima facie evidence that there was criminality and collusion in the Obama DOJ.

          • Gail Sheppard wrote
            The memo is the means by which the story can be told.

            Well, a false story, sure.

            Gail Sheppard wrote
            When these “motions for contempt, withdrawals of pleas and people being fired and going to jail over this” begin, as Peter mentioned

            None of that is going to happen as a result of the Page warrant. Peter A. Papoutsis beliefs have no basis in reality whatsoever.

            George Michalopulos and Peter A. Papoutsis are so given over to delusion that they believe ‘the memo’ impacts the Muller probe, when not even Trey “I like to waste taxpayer money chasing Benghazi windmills” Gowdy, who is one of the few people reviewing the underlying materials of the Page warrant application thinks it is applicable.

          • Nate, you keep saying the memo didn’t say this or didn’t say that as if the memo were the story. The memo isn’t the story. The memo is the means by which the story can be told.

            wow

            That’s not nuts, at all.

            • Gail Sheppard says

              You think when this thing unravels it won’t make for a fascinating story, Nemesis?

              Scene: A country of proud people, who believe in the checks and balances of their government, find that their government violated what they hold dear.

              Former President: (Under threat of perjury) Yes, we violated specific civil liberty protections during my administration by improperly searching and disseminating raw intelligence on Americans and failing to promptly delete unauthorized intercepts. I did know about the plan to get the FBI to spy on our current President’s campaign and I supported it.

              Former Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton: (Under threat of perjury) Yes, I did authorize the DNC to create a dossier for the purposes of lying to the court so I could spy on my opposition. I made up the Russian component to instill fear in the American people so they would vote for me.

              FBI: Yes, we routinely intrude upon the private communications of innocent citizens, amass vast databases of who we call and when, and catalog “suspicious activities” based on the vaguest standards. We submitted the dossier, knowing there were no credible sources, but we went forward with it anyway because it was in the best interest of the presidential candidate the media told us would win.

              Media: Hell, yeah! We lie all the time! Don’t tell us people still take us seriously!

              Justice Department: No, we didn’t know the sources for that dossier but we assisted the FBI with petitioning FISA to allow the FBI to spy on the campaign of our now President of the United States anyway. Yes, we did this based on an unproven assertion that his people had nefarious ties to a hostile government that was messing with our elections. No, the FBI did not provide credible proof. No, the FBI did not present their sources. No, we did not insist upon seeing either.

              Gosh, you’re a tough audience, Nemesis. This memo is the “Deep Throat” of our time! – I’ve got my popcorn ready!

              • George Michalopulos says

                This is the way I look at it: imagine if Spielberg’s movie The Post had been written by G Gordon Liddy. Nixon and the Watergate Plumbers and any other obstructionists would be the heroes.

                The mind boggles. Whereas in days past “liberals” were all in favor of transparency, all of a sudden they’ve acquired a new-found respect for prudence and discretion.

              • Gail, I take it you know what evidence is.
                You wrote:

                Media: Hell, yeah! We lie all the time! Don’t tell us people still take us seriously!

                OK. In that case, what are your sources for the opinions you just typed about Obama, Clinton, the FBI & the DoJ? I assume this is more than just paranoid imagination. What’s it based on? Specific sources, please.

                • Gail Sheppard says

                  Nemesis, you get that my movie of the week idea is based on what WILL happen based on the memo, right?

                  If you’re asking me to prove that the media lies, don’t get me started.

                  • George Michalopulos says

                    WHAT? The media lies? I can’t believe it! You realize that this means our friend Mike is gullible.

                    I for one would never impugn mendacity, prevarication or even outright lying to our beloved Corporate Media. Like Mike, I believe that they are as pure as the wind-driven snow.

                    [Snark off]

                  • Nate Trost says

                    Gail,

                    Respectfully, ‘ok, maybe the FBI didn’t lie but the font they used was too small‘, doesn’t exactly make for gripping television.

                    I must say, Nunes is exercising some feats of goalpost moving that are give George Michalopulos a run for his money.

                    At any rate, how you feel the memo will play out is based on fantasy and not supported by any actual hard facts or evidence. Calling the media liars does not change this.

                    • Gail Sheppard says

                      Nate, I didn’t mean to ignore you but there are so many people that are posting these days, I just didn’t see this.

                      In response to what you said about the memo and about how my version of how it will play out is “fantasy,” you may be right. We shall see. But if I’m right, it will make a brilliant documentary on Netflix!

                  • Gail, I was asking you for your sources of information. It’s obvious to any rational reader that you’re just dodging a highly pertinent question now. You’re not doing it very skillfully.

                    You speak with such confident authority about all this. You clearly want to give the impression of being quite knowledgeable about what’s really going on. That you know things that I don’t, that you are in on the real scoop here and aware of important evidence on these matters, unlike me.

                    So, we’ve heard your assertions. It’s your sources that are unknown at this point. Again: if you haven’t gotten the facts and evidence that presumably support these assertions from “the media” that lies, where’s it all from then? Divine revelation that only Orthodox Christians are privy to? Or what?

              • Asking for your sources was a socratic question, ironical. You don’t have any informed or remotely credible sources, that’s obvious. You sound like thousands of other silly people who just parrot the ever more unhinged Hannity and related miscreants and frauds. I could give this paranoid nonsense of yours the full treatment — and in fact, I did.

                But I just deleted it, mostly because I don’t like to tangle with ladies. Even ignorant ones who publicly troll out libels and well-known Russian deza and other seditious static.

                Gail, here’s the bottom line about your comments in the post above: they’re embarrassing. You should be ashamed. No further comment.

                • George Michalopulos says

                  Mike, I pray that La Sheppard will forgive me for stepping into the breach as she’s more than capable of defending herself, but I must protest your hypocrisy. In fact, your desperation instantly “triggered” me (in the sense that it became so obvious, so fast).

                  Your argument rests on “sources”. What “sources” did the DNC use for their Pissgate dossier? It was made up out of whole cloth. And what’s worse, Trump is a well-known germophobe. Yet the HRC campaign paid at least $10 million dollars to create this dossier.

                  Gail’s arguments however rest on the lay of the land. In other words, what we have to believe in order to make sense of the various institutions’ madness regarding this entire affair. They’re based on reason and observation.

                  The desperation of the left knows no bounds.

                  • Nate Trost says

                    George Michalopulos wrote
                    What “sources” did the DNC use for their Pissgate dossier? It was made up out of whole cloth.

                    This is not correct. The dossier was a big raw intel dump, which means that some of its wide ranging contents were going to be false, some true, and some somewhere in between. it was far, far more than just some allegations about a pee tape. That part just caught the popular imagination.

                    George Michalopulos wrote
                    Yet the HRC campaign paid at least $10 million dollars to create this dossier.

                    This is not even remotely close to correct.

                    George Michalopulos wrote
                    They’re based on reason and observation.

                    Nonsense, it’s the exact opposite. You, Gail and Peter A. Papoutsis appear to be having a running competition over who can most reject reason and make claims untethered from objective reality. This is nowhere more apparent than in making wild sweeping assertions based on the memo, that the memo itself, in its meager few pages doesn’t even attempt to purport.

                    It’s almost as if the contents of the memo itself, much less their veracity is unimportant: it’s just an excuse to blast a bunch of unrelated and unsupported conspiracy theories and claim that the memo means they are true!

                    • Nate, have you read this?

                    • The Steele research was conducted by Russia expert Sir Christopher Steele, honorably retired Head Deskman of Her Majesty’s M.I.6 Russia Station. These days he runs a boutique, very high-priced research outfit in Belgravia.

                      Steele speaks fluent Russian, and, fresh out of Cambridge, was stationed in Moscow for many years during the über-eventful 90s. He either personally knew well, was acquainted with, or, even today, is but one degree of separation from everyone who’s anyone there and knows where all the bodies are buried. And we’re talking about Russia, where the bodies pile up daily. (As does the Wrath.)

                      I am unaware of anything key in the Steele Dossier that has been proved non-factual, aside from one minor detail, the European location of one meeting described in it, and its timing. Evidently, most of the rest of this one account’s turning out to be solid, otherwise. And of course it would be astounding if so much raw intelligence were to hold up in its entirety, as a unit. That simply doesn’t happen. I understand the Shearer memo, which you will be hearing much more about, is another wholly independent source of lots of corroboration.
                      So, when PAP falsely asserts to you rubes that it’s full of lies and has been “thoroughly discredited,” I promise you, this comical ambulance chaser hasn’t the slightest idea what he’s jabbering about. And George as a source … Good Lord — anyone who believes a word from that joker is worthy of the consequences.

                      When it comes to sources and investigations, and warrants, what counts with a judge is probable cause. And your favored candidate is an avatar of suspect sleazoidhood from way, way back. FISC does have additional rigor in standards built-in, by statute, but get real, y’all. You are so being played.

                      Another article for Nate.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Yeah Steele is such an expert that he bilked the hrc campaign of $10 million for a preposterous story.

                      Is it possible that Steele was played by Trump?

                    • George Michalopulos wrote
                      Yeah Steele is such an expert that he bilked the hrc campaign of $10 million for a preposterous story.

                      I already corrected you on this once in this thread. That $10 million number is completely bogus.

                      Instead of checking for yourself to verify my reproach, you parrot it again.

                      Mr. Michalopulos, do you really intend to use your blog as a platform to perpetually undermine your own credibility?

                  • Gail’s arguments however rest on the lay of the land. In other words, what we have to believe in order to make sense of the various institutions’ madness regarding this entire affair. They’re based on reason and observation.

                    wow

                    Don’t quit your day job.

                    lol

                    How come I still can’t post to your fascinating* blog under my name, George?

                    *fascinating in its incessant illustration of the Dunning Kruger effect, I mean

                    The desperation of the left knows no bounds.

                    Dunning Kruger effect, and projection

                  • George, it’s embarrassing to watch you publicly venerate those fake icons of Sts. Dunning and Kruger.
                    Far worse, it’s shocking to see you profess the Christian faith while kissing the hem of Father дезинформация, as he strolls by with chalices of Dyscharist, mocking you and everyone like you who gets taken captive by his blasphemy and malice.

                    Your actual faith is Kakodoxy.

                    You’re a madman. You need help.

                • Gail Sheppard says

                  I have to stick up for Mike, here, George. Mike wouldn’t talk to me like this even on his worst day. Nor would he call what Nemesis posted “the full treatment.” Mike’s posts usually have content.

                  • Gail, Nemesis = Mike. George 86ed me temporarily a year ago. And I haven’t been able to post under my name since, due to some glitch only a systems administrator can fix. I guess. Anyway, I remind George of this every few months. But it doesn’t matter. All the veterans here know very well who I am. I’ve got a certain voice that isn’t imitable, or easily missed.

                    I spoke to you above as I would to any adult I cared about who’s making a complete fool of herself in public. Like so many on this blog do.

                    And I did spare you the full treatment. Wrote and deleted it, as I also noted. It was a little too on the harsh if ultra-substantive side, content-wise. I do that a lot here, actually. Delete harsh truths, I mean, written less in charity than white-hot ire. Y’all have no idea what I spare you.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Harsh “truths” (actually opinions) are welcome. All I ask is that they not be spoken harshly. You’re harshness veers close to hatefulness however.

                      So until you apologize to Gail you’re embargoed again.

                    • Gail Sheppard says

                      Yeah, I’m not buying it.

                    • Constaninos says

                      Myers,
                      You have a lot of gall speaking to our dearly beloved sister Gail in such a disrespectful, condescending manner. We love Gail and don’t take kindly to the disgusting way you speak to her. We learn how to love one another from Gail. Go to confession.

                    • Constaninos says

                      Nemesis,
                      We love our dear sister Gail and don’t take kindly to such mistreatment of her. Gail teaches us to love one another. Instead of ridiculing, try emulating her godly, Christlike example. In my very humble opinion, she is truly a living saint. I want to be like her.

                    • Gail, George asked me to apologize to you for treating you like a rational, accountable adult. So here’s part 1 of my apology:

                      I’m sorry you’ve been so poorly taught by your priests and church community that you’d think it was OK to frivolously spread unfounded libels about President Obama and HRC, in public violation of the 6th Commandment, contrary to the warning of Christ:

                      Former President: (Under threat of perjury) Yes, we violated specific civil liberty protections during my administration by improperly searching and disseminating raw intelligence on Americans and failing to promptly delete unauthorized{lol} intercepts.

                      Specific violations? All right, in that case, as a rational, accountable adult you should recognize the need to specify these alleged violations of civil liberty protections you charge them with. Let’s hear it: What specific violations, improper search and “dissemination” occurred”? When, and of whom?

                      Unauthorized intercepts! Individuals from hostile foreign powers, like Putin’s Russia, such as known agents of FSB, GRU and SVR , mobsters, lawyers and oligarchs intimately associated with the Kremlin and Putin — persons like that are under surveillance by law when in the US, and when possible when in their native land, and this is true in every western liberal democracy, in some cases 24/7/365. Has been since WWII. If an American is communicating with such persons, that individual should expect to be recorded and their communications archived. Do you know what counterintelligence is?
                      Gail Sheppard may demand these “unauthorized” intercepts be “promptly deleted,” but sorry, that ain’t happening. Such communications are recorded and stored in perpetuity, and that’s without any recourse to y’all. You appear to be confusing the illegal unmasking you may have heard about with the fact that recordings of such intercepts of communications with hostile persons of interest exist. Those recording ain’t going anywhere, dear. So get over that.

                      I did know about the plan to get the FBI to spy on our current President’s campaign and I supported it.

                      Are you suggesting that surveilling Carter Page comprised the “spy” operation “on the campaign” you allege? Do you know a thing about Carter Page? Doesn’t sound like it. That surveillance, authorized by FISC, began in mid-October. Did you know he left his foreign policy advisory role in the Trump campaign in September ’16? Doesn’t sound like it. I’m wondering how surveillance on this poster boy for the necessity of FISC-approved surveillance would amount to spying on Trump’s campaign, since he wasn’t part of it anymore by the time the warrant was sought by the FBI.

                      Former Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton: (Under threat of perjury) Yes, I did authorize the DNC to create a dossier for the purposes of lying to the court so I could spy on my opposition.

                      The DNC didn’t create a dossier. They paid a few hundred grand at most to Steele. His original contract was with a well-known Never-Trump Republican operative, but the investigation got transferred to the auspices of the DNC after people like you and most here had chosen Trump as the nominee of the Republican party.

                      “… for the purposes of lying to the court” : Huh? This is libel.
                      and “so I could spy on my opposition” : Well, if your saying what I think you are, that’s known as oppo research. Is that some sort of scoop to you? The key intelligence organizations in most if not all western liberal democracies have been spying on Donald Trump for decades. Maybe HRC just wanted in on the fun.

                      I made up the Russian component to instill fear in the American people so they would vote for me.

                      This sentence alone, and in particular the emphasized portions, should lead you to hang your head in shame. A rational and accountable adult would be grateful for this opportunity to recant it, ASAP.

                    • So, I posted part 1 of my apology to Gail, but it got marked as spam when I tried to proof and edit it. I had some juicy bits to add. Wouldn’t let me.

                    • So, I posted part 1 of my apology to Gail, but it got marked as spam when I tried to proof and edit it. I had some juicy bits to add, too. Wouldn’t let me.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Mike, the reason I asked you to apologize to Gail is NOT because you treated her like an adult but because you accused her of being a “fool”.

                      Believe me, she can more than handle her own.

                      If she forgives you, you’re welcome back to this forum. I would kindly ask though that you refrain from calling me a “bozo” or a “madman”. That’s not a lot to ask

                      While we’re on this subject, I ask all commentators to try and keep a civil tongue. When writing a response, imagine you’re addressing Gail.

                      Gracias

                    • Constaninos says

                      Nemesis,
                      This is one of the most insincere apologies I have ever read. To paraphrase Mr. Stankovich: “Dude, you’re in my nose- and I’ve got my eyes on you.” Actually, the eyes of Argus Panoptes are upon you.

              • This comment may be a little late and slightly in the wrong place, if so forgive me.
                Everyone is right to criticize this Nemesis / Mike person for his inexcusable rudeness to Gail. 25 years ago I became a corporate lawyer instead of a trial lawyer (which is what I really wanted to be at first) because I know my weaknesses, and my hot Greek temper can often cause my mouth (and keyboard) to go into action before my brain, especially on things I am passionate about. Even when I think I am right but my tone is wrong, I always try to man up and find the humility to ask forgiveness. If I have treated anyone on this blog that way and not yet asked forgiveness, I ask it now as we are about to begin the Great Fast. George does a good job of allowing free speech but preventing abusive comments, except when they are directed by some posters at him, when he is far too forgiving in what he allows to be posted. And sometimes anger is justified but it can still be expressed without ad hominem attacks or blatant condescension. Gail deserved a sincere apology not the steaming pile of mess that Nemesis Mike offered her as even worse criticism disguised as an apology. Shame on him.
                Gail I don’t think we have ever addressed each other directly, but allow me to thank you for how much you have shared recently of your personal experiences in life and how with your own personal work ethic and the mercy of our great God, you thrived. No one on earth is perfect but you are certainly a very good person and a rich woman. Perhaps not on the treasure of this world, which is none of my businesss, but in what God treasures. You are strong and vocal and your values in life are rooted in a deep personal faith in our good God. You are tough when it is called for, honest and never condescending. I just wanted to thank you for opening up and sharing so much as you are an inspiring person. If I have been too personal in speaking to you so directly I ask your pardon and please know my intention was good.

                • Constaninos says

                  Dear Michael,
                  I aspire to be more like you. What a wonderful role model you are! You’re the best!!

        • *

      • So Peter, Ever think the judges looked the other way in their zeal to rid the system of Trump? They never asked where or who the Steel Dossier came from or paid by. Judges are not robots, and look to their own interest as well. Remember the judges interfering with Trumps travel bans? Just saying, no disrespect to you as a lawyer, but some lawyers are trash, and judges are simply lawyers with black robe, a lot of power, and attitude, but still, lawyers, and humans, with personal agendas.

        • Peter A. Papoutsis says

          If you knew about the FISA court you would never ask that question. Rubber stamping would actually be a step up for them. Just even this is blatant lying. The Federal bench will not overlook this. If it does then turn on Jimmy Buffit’s banana republic and enjoy.

          Peter A Papoutsis

          • Music been playing for a long time Peter. Just because Trump is in office, does not guarantee much change. Fake outrage will arrive to appease the masses, a few nobodies might get some jail time, but the true criminals will walk as usual. America is the greatest Ponzi scheme ever created. Show me the money of the United States will never end. The United States is run by a couple thousand people, the rest is window dressing, just to keep us singing, God Bless America, and support, or even join our troops.

            Trump will bow to the Ponzi masters, even he knows he must. Accidents happen all the time, and he has a large family. Too much power, too much money, tweaks yea, but not much change. Wake me up when there is blood in the streets, and big heads in jail, or dead. Now if Trump is killed, then that will just confirm, what we already knew. Republican, Democrat, independent, or Trump, all the same dish, more or less, just different seasoning. Pass the banana, see you in Margaretaville.

            • Peter A. Papoutsis says

              And that’s why America is becoming a Banana Republic. Just turn up the music brother. You don’t want to hear the Republic fall.

              Peter

          • I have been a lawyer in DC for more than 25 years, largely in private practice but for almost a decade on Capitol Hill. The silly rulings coming down against things like the travel ban and other liberal causes are all coming from judges outside the mainstream appointed by Obama during his 8 years. Some of those judges are pure hacks and dumb as bricks.

            Even though Trump lost on the travel ban by lopsided votes in three federal circuit courts of appeal, by the time it got to the Supreme Court he won a total and stunning victory.

            Get ready for more of that as the garbage from the 4th and 9th Circuits move up to the Supremes. And as the record number of Trump judges are seated on the federal appellate courts, we will see good sense return to the judiciary soon.

            • Michael Bauman says

              Michael, did you see the ruling from a California judge in favor of a cake baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. I was quite surprised that it happened at all, but that it came from a California based judge was amazing. He ruled that while a baker could not refuse to sell cakes already in stock the 1st Amendment trumps the right to service. It was unreasonable to compel a cake artist to use her skills and artistry for something she did not believe in.

              Seems quite reasonable to me. Maybe reason is already returning to the courts?

              • George Michalopulos says

                Michael, we can only hope.

                Chalk up another victory for the people thanks to Trump’s win.

              • George: I am keeping the faith! If we can hold the Senate, three more years of Trump appointed judges should bring back a good bit of conservative common sense to America.

                Michael Bauman: I did see that, and was likewise impressed that the ruling came out of California. I have gay friends that I care deeply about, and would not want to see them or anyone else mistreated. I don’t think anyone should be asked to leave a restaurant or be thrown out of a job or an apartment because they are gay.

                But for the life of me, I cannot understand why anyone would think it fair to require a baker to specifically make a cake with a message that contradicts his faith? If you look past the feel good message, can the next baker be forced to bake a “cake” in the form of a Eucharistic host for a satanic ritual?

                I do not mean to equate civil same sex marriages with satanic rituals. I have been to the civil marriages of gay friends who care deeply for each other and working to build strong healthy lives together based on mutual love and support. And I wish them well and God’s blessings.

                But freedom of religion must also be respected and no one should be forced to participate in or craft a message for an event which in good conscience that person cannot be a part of. It is good to see true conservative judges coming to the forefront, not the extremists from the left or right, to give us these reasonable and common sense decisions.

                • Michael Bauman says

                  Michael, not to belabor the point, but even the best relationships between

                  gay friends who care deeply for each other and working to build strong healthy lives together based on mutual love and support.

                  is not nor can it ever be a marriage.

                  • Michael Bauman I think it is unfortunate that Church and State use the same language in this instance. It creates needless angst all around. I believe the state has no business with marriage in any event. Let the state create a system of civil relationships for purposes of civil law, and let each faith tradition decide what it will solemnize in the sacramental context based on its own beliefs and traditions. As a libertarian and a conservative, I believe that when it comes to government, less is more.

                    • Michael Bauman says

                      Michael, Homosexual activists specifically chose the word “marriage” to create the angst, create division and destroy the reality of what marriage actually is. There has been a concerted effort by homosexual activists that goes back to at least the early 60s to “normalize” the perversion. The Stonewall Riots in 1969 were a turning point on making those efforts more public.

                      Indeed, all of us who grew up in the 60’s participated in the first great attack on virtue, temperance, modesty and chastity each of which is necessary for a proper understanding and practice of marriage. That same attack has also done a great deal to unleash the predatory male temptation as well. Feminism was a big part of that interestingly. The ultimate problem of tracing the cultural path of sins however is that one always ends up back at Adam and Eve.

                      It is all inter-linked. We all participate in ancestral sin. That is a reality that libertarians often overlook. We are not nor can we ever be autonomous beings. There is a great deal of Libertarian philosophy that is frankly nihilism.

                      We Orthodox pray every Sunday acknowledging that each of us is the greatest sinner, and so it is in reality but our sins are never ours alone. Neither are our moments of grace and forgiveness and mercy. John Dunne was quite correct. We do not even cry alone even though it may seem like it.

                      That reality undergirds the celebration of Forgiveness Vespers which comes quite soon.

                      The marriage law in my state is primarily a property law. It is there to make proper accounting of and division of property including the children. The confusion between the purpose of marriage in the world and its reality in the Church is of long standing and began in Byzantine times.

                      If you have ever read the Canons of Marriage very little is said of the “spiritual” side of marriage. It is all about who can marry whom and who cannot; the legal status of those in marriage and widows and orphans, etc. That was a time in which the legal code was specifically and purposely integrated with the Church.

                      While I sympathize with the civil/religious marriage dichotomy in the end I think that is drastically wrong. That is a subtle way of denying the Incarnation of Christ; fully man and fully God, everywhere present and filling all things. There cannot be a “separation of Church and state” it is impossible. We cannot serve two masters. While the idea of Symphonia has many flaws, it is on the right track and a better alternative to either theocracy or secular/religion separation.

                      The Church needs to be prophetic in announcing and practicing the reality of marriage and the place it has in our culture. It includes far more than a truncated notion of “sacrament”. To be truly sacramental means that the Uncreated is penetrating, embracing and transforming the created in a very conjugal manner. The more modernity rejects our prophetic voice, the more we should be clear what is and is not true.

                      Sexual relations, no matter in what context, between people of the same sex is always wrong, sinful and a block to entering the Kingdom.

                      That does not mean any condemnation on those who suffer same sex attraction or those who act upon that temptation. It is stating the truth. All of us sin and fall short of the Glory of God, all of us need to face our sins and repent so that we might be saved.

                      May God’s mercy be in your life, healing you and making you whole.

      • LOL

  3. Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald) says

    This DOES mean he’s finished!

  4. Peter A. Papoutsis says

    I agree 100%. The only thing I would add, as an attorney, I want to see the original evidence/affidavit used to secure the FISA surveillance warrants. If and I emphasize IF the FISA warrants were based solely or largely on this discredited Steele Dossier then the Plea entered by Flynn must be immediately withdrawn via a Motion to Withdraw Plea based on this new information. The very basis for the meeting with Flynn and the people conducting it would be false and everything garnered from it would be “Fruit from the Poisonous Tree.”

    The same with Paul Manefort. An immediate Motion to Strike and Dismiss all criminal charges as they would based on a false, unverified and discredited Dossier. I can almost guarantee you that Flynn’s and Manefort’s Lawyers are looking into this and preparing their appropriate motions and/or appeals.

    In fact, Muller has postponed Flynn’s sentencing. While I agree that postponing sentencing in these matters is common the added wrinkle here is the FISA Memo! If the basis of the initial warrants that provided the basis for the charges against Flynn is proven to be false, and Flynn’s Original Judge recused himself due to him being the original FISA Judge, I and many others who are involved in Federal Criminal Practice see this as a positioning strategy on the part of Flynn’s lawyers to possibly retract Flynn’s Guilty Plea. I would file to retract the Plea and/or Set this matter up for immediate appeal.

    We shall wait and see, but so far this is not only looking good for Trump, but for Flynn and Manefort. Let’s see what happens.

    As for our Republic…well…with the release of this memo it has confirmed the Deep, Deep corruption in our Government. If this is what will happen to any of us (i.e. unauthorized surveillance), and we know through the Snowden revelations it has, why would any sane person go into politics or if they did why be honest and follow the law?

    If this corruption is not fixed and fixed now with indictments against all involved, including Hillary “Evil Incarnate” Clinton, Barak Obama and this entire so-called secret society cabal in the FBI and the DOJ then America is just one big Banana Republic and we should just stop caring now and stay home.

    Also, just to put a fine point on it, what about the IRS? Remember Lois Lerner? Both Nixon and Obama used the IRS to go after their political enemies. So we have the IRS, NSA, CIA, FBI and DOJ. These are all the major Federal Agencies of our Government, as well as the all secretive Federal Reserve, while not part of our Government, but a private institution, Congress, OUR CONGRESS, has delegated its constitutional duties to this private corporation and its oversight is nothing more than a rubber stamp. Complete Joke!

    So there is your swamp. That is what needs to drained. If it is not drained then stop giving a damn, stop voting, stop your bitching and complaining and stay home from here on out. However, if you actually care about America, about Our Republic, if you actually care in America NOT becoming just another shithole country, like so many other shithole counties out there, then get up, get involved, speak out and support our President and stop listening to the MSM. The MSM IS A SHITHOLE and has been for a very long time.

    So wake up, take the Red Pill and start pushing back and stop caring about being polite and nice. The Swamp does not care and never cared about being polite and nice, and has given us one mess, one war and one disaster after another. Smiling Knifes all of them. So Stop complaining and start doing. Call and email your representatives, State and Federal, and vote to drain the Swamp not just in the Mid-Terms or in the Next Presidential Race, which Trump again will win hands down, but in every election from now on. So turn off the Boob-Tube, Stop Watching Football, Stop it all and get involved. If not for you then for your kids and grandkids. If you don’t then just add America to the Shithole list of Banana Republics and be done with it.

    I’ve already made my choice…MAGA!

    I hope you choose wisely. Our Republic depends on it.

    Peter A. Papoutsis

    • Nate Trost says

      Peter A. Papoutsis wrote
      as an attorney, I want to see the original evidence/affidavit used to secure the FISA surveillance warrants

      To put it mildly, I don’t think you have the security clearances to view highly compartmentalized counter-intelligence sources and methods.

      Peter A. Papoutsis wrote
      If and I emphasize IF the FISA warrants were based solely or largely on this discredited Steele Dossier

      They weren’t. And people with those clearances will testify that they were not. And there is the not insignificant detail of the warrant pertaining to Page being renewed multiple times.

      The memo itself directly contradicts some of the spin being put out. Whether or not you are blindly parroting said spin it versus engaging in critical analysis is left as an exercise for the reader.

      Peter A. Papoutsis wrote
      Plea entered by Flynn must be immediately withdrawn via a Motion to Withdraw Plea based on this new information.

      Flynn is….not Carter Page.

      Peter A. Papoutsis wrote
      The same with Paul Manefort. An immediate Motion to Strike and Dismiss all criminal charges as they would based on a false, unverified and discredited Dossier. I can almost guarantee you that Flynn’s and Manefort’s Lawyers are looking into this and preparing their appropriate motions and/or appeals.

      Manafort isn’t Carter Page either. You are linking the dossier to things that the dossier had nothing to do with.

      And as an aside, the entire dossier is not in fact ‘unverified’ or ‘discredited’. But even if it were, it wouldn’t be relevant. Because the dossier was not the driving force for investigation into Page, Manafort, Flynn or any of it. The memo itself even admits that a counterintelligence operation initiated by the FBI had a completely different root cause.

      Peter A. Papoutsis wrote
      Also, just to put a fine point on it, what about the IRS? Remember Lois Lerner?

      Not this fable again. In the end, there never was any IRS scandal: the IRS also investigated ‘left’ political groups, not just ‘right’ political groups and there wasn’t any disproportionate treatment. I know you may rather cling to a comfortable conspiracy theory than an uncomfortable truth, but there is no comparison to the Nixon or Trump maleficence.

      Whatever you took, it wasn’t a ‘red pill’. I’ll pass on whatever it is you’re having.

      • George Michalopulos says

        It’s slipping away, Nate. It’s slipping away.

        • Just visiting for the outtakes on humorous overinterpretation of partial fisa application and omission information dubbed intelligence to try and salvage the President from his idiotic Russian mob love affair that took down four or his staffers.

          What happens when you embarass the fbi for omission that would not change outcomes?

          They go after you more.

          I expect we’ll see a few more indictments in the coming weeks that will shut up the people on the right who are supportive of this Russian mafia corruption connection.

          The pubdits heads will be spinning from all the exceptional wonderment over whether this was caused by the Steele dossier, blah, blah. A few might even explode over it.

        • That would be a fair assessment of the false narrative you are pushing about the contents and implications of the memo, yes.

          • Peter A. Papoutsis says

            You mean like the Former FBI pundit that went on air and openly threatened a sitting President? Yes that just screams rule of law. Er…NO!

            Peter A Papoutsis

            • George Michalopulos says

              You know, Peter, maybe we should just scrap the Constitution because the left no longer believes in the rule of law. Let’s just sink into the morass that was the later Roman Republic and have triumvirs and internal strife and the occasional civil war.

              Do idiots like Philip Mudd not see where the hell this is going to lead?!?

              • Peter A. Papoutsis says

                Yes they do. Unfortunately the prediction you made months ago, as much as I did not want to believe it, is coming true.

                Peter A Papoutsis

      • Peter A. Papoutsis says

        Mate,

        Great job on the spin, but unfortunately for you, and fortunately for our Republic you are wrong. Like George said it’s slipping away Nate.

        Peter A Papoutsis

    • wow

  5. Peter A. Papoutsis says

    Boom! A federal judge wants to know why all the original.information that was used to secure the FISA warrant cannot be release.

    https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/02/politics/court-response-doj-nunes-memo/index.html

    Now that one Federal Judge has asked this question because of the FISA memo’ s release in a FOIA lawsuit seeking their release, it is a good net the Federal Judge with authorize the release of the information submitted to the FISA court to secure the surveillance warrants.

    Not good for the FBI, not good for the deep state. Strap in boys and girls. It’s going to get very bumpy from here on out. The Federal Court was fooled and Judges do not like being lied to. It’s all happening fast now.

    Peter A Papoutsis

    • George Michalopulos says

      Peter, I’m not a lawyer but I imagine that this judge is royally pissed. Hopefully, the rest of the Federal Judiciary is angered as well.

      • Peter A. Papoutsis says

        They are. Very angry. Just watch what happens. Contempt motions and heard will start, and that will be the just the beginning. Just wait and see.

        Peter A Papoutsis

        • Watch n snore

        • Not a thing in the article you linked about any very angry judges or a judge being lied to. Did you even read it? Do you understand the issues it lays out? Sure doesn’t sound like it.

          Contempt motions against whom, and for what? What are you babbling about?

          • Peter A. Papoutsis says

            The truth. Which you seem to have a very hard time with. I suggest you turn of NPR and turn on Ancient Faith Radio.

            Peter

  6. M. Stankovich says

    Peter,

    With all due respect, you know that I am uninterested in the political aspects of this whole business, but I am continuously concerned of the larger issue(s) of consequence. Further, we have discussed on numerous occasions how the affecting ethics in our respective fields of interest overlap, and where they overlap, the consequences of neglect, in respect to their neglect, can be devastating.

    Like Nate – but for different reasons – I noticed immediately your comment, “The only thing I would add, as an attorney, I want to see the original evidence/affidavit used to secure the FISA surveillance warrants. If and I emphasize IF the FISA warrants were based solely or largely on this discredited Steele Dossier…” In the training of a psychiatrist is the constant warning of trusting “one side of the story,” as it breeds disaster. In my opinion, you have leaped canyons on considerably less than I would ever venture; are already mocking; and the most dangerous of all, predicting outcome. Hedge your bets, my friend; there’s a long, long way to go. Politics is d-d-d-dirty. You know that. Trump is more filthy than most. Slipping away? It’s only beginning…

    • Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald) says

      M. Stankovich is right. The hysterically touted memo is a giant, economy-size, industrial-strength STRAW at which this bunch is desperately grabbing.. Trump’s finished—not like President Obama who, as Mr Papoutsis pointed out, finished his eight year term, but to be counted lucky if he can finish out one four-year term!

      • George Michalopulos says

        And Watergate really was a “third-rate burglary”. (BTW, I’m not being sarcastic –it really was a third-rate burglary. Yet it metastasized into something far greater.)

        • Treason is narrowly defined by our constitution. However, in the broader sense of what treason has historically constituted, what the Democratic leadership did in FISA-gate arguably qualifies:

          * * *

          Another Act, the Treason Act 1702 (1 Anne stat. 2 c. 21), provides for a fifth category of treason, namely:

          “if any person or persons … shall endeavour to deprive or hinder any person who shall be the next in succession to the crown … from succeeding after the decease of her Majesty (whom God long preserve) to the imperial crown of this realm and the dominions and territories thereunto belonging”. – from classical British Imperial law, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason

          * * *

          That is to say, knowingly breaking the law by providing fraudulent material to a court for the purpose of undermining the political campaign of a citizen of the other party could fall into the above category, at least in the philosophical sense. The government (in this case the Obama administration/DOJ/FBI) is no longer playing by the rules of the Constitution but is using raw power, rather than lawful authority, to influence the outcome of the election.

          This actually is much bigger than Watergate. It had to involve the top echelons of the FBI and the knowledge and acquiescence of the DOJ and probably the president himself.

          Also, given that the dossier was in the news during this period, the judges granting the warrants might also be complicit in extralegal activities, having reason to know that the basis upon which they were being petitioned for warrants was fraudulent.

          God willing and the backs of the Republican Congressman remaining firm, this will incarcerate a lot of the Democratic leadership.

          Or it might not. It’s hard to say given the political realities and breadth of the corruption involved.

      • Good to see some good reliable fact-checkers on this site, in likes of Nate , the good Bishop,and M. Stankovich. Puts everything in perspective!

        • Michael Bauman says

          Facts are important, but in today’s ideologically saturated society checking facts alone is not prudent. Facts are always subject to the bias of the person using them and checking them. They rarely “speak for themselves” except in very specific highly defined situations. The selection and prioritizing of what is a fact/important fact is highly capricious in the political realm.

          Facts are certainly to be preferred over fabrications but how does one honestly know in politics what is a fact and what is a fabrication. Goebbels technique of the “Big Lie” is the working philosophy of all political machines. Over the years the technique has been refined so that it is quite difficult to know for certain if there are any facts that can be discovered. It is present in virtually every aspect of our lives. Leaders in every major institution use it with effectiveness to manipulate, enslave and destroy us.

          Since all political “facts” are suspicious one must begin (as my father always taught me and as logic demands) with the premise (the general) in order to properly evaluate “facts” at all.

          Such are difficult to ascertain but it is impossible to even begin evaluating a set of “facts” without at least attempting to do that work.

          The objection to Democrats many like me have is not a factual objection. It is a philosophical objection. They represent nothing that I find at all attractive in government or culture. Their main opponents suffer from many of the same defects unfortunately. Trump’s virtue, it seems, is that he stirs the pot so that a lot of stench comes up and we can begin to see the corruption. He does not care because he is used to corruption and is corrupt himself in many ways.

          Surely no one doubts that the level of corruption in the federal government is obscene. Why should be expect, much less demand, that it be the source of what is true and right?

          Michael Stankovich, man of mystery, the deplorables you identify are not the same as the deplorables Hillary identified. The deplorables Hillary identified are you and me and all people of faith who put God before government; especially those who have the desire, training and knowledge to defend themselves against federal intrusions; especially those outside large urban areas. It was her attack on the deplorables (of which I am one) that got me to go out and vote for Trump. In almost every other political contest on my ballot I voted “None of the Above”.

      • Peter A. Papoutsis says

        Fritz, want to bet on that? Again?

        Peter A Papoutsis

        • George Michalopulos says

          Peter, I’ll go in on that! I only drink every now and then but when I do it’s good old Bourbon, Jameson’s or any single-malt Scotch.

    • Peter A. Papoutsis says

      I trust the Federal district court, not the FISA court, to carefully evaluate this matter, which they currently are, are act accordingly. If the Federal bench was lied to, as an institution, they properly investigate this matter and do what is necessary to correct this.

      As for Flynn’s and Manefot’s lawyers they will act accordingly. Let’s wait and see.

      As for filthy Trump, that filthy Trump gave the deplorables a voice and much needed relief when all the other nice guys gave us the shaft. For now ill stick with the filth called Trump. He does seem to always win some how like God likes filthy sinners or something. I think I read that somewhere once.

      Peter A Papoutsis

      • M. Stankovich says

        No, no, no, my brother! What you intended to say was “καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει.” That is what God likes, and that is what you read somewhere once. And who gave anyone a voice? I know you, my dearest brother! You actually meant to say, “Κύριος κρινεῖ λαούς. κρῖνόν με, Κύριε, κατὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην μου καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀκακίαν μου ἐπ᾿ ἐμοί!” I am sincerely disappointed that you would respond to me as if I am a $2 political hack offering you “flack” when you know me better than that.

        I am mystified how you are able to say the “deplorables” have been given both a voice & relief when I am the one living among & diligently working with the “deplorables” – trying my very best to be encouraging, to be hopeful, and to be an example of an ethical man (and I might add, voluntarily for the yearly salary of $39,000) in the midst of human beings who despair – yet I have not seen them receive anything for which the rich white men were cheering during the State of the Union Address. And as a matter of fact, my household benefit from the greatest tax cut in US history is $52 per combined pay checks, while our per-paycheck healthcare contribution rose nearly $65. I will not belabour the point by asking how it is that you number yourself among those whom “all the other nice guys gave us the shaft.”

        That the president “always seems to win somehow” does nothing to change the fact that our God has promised to vindicate the righteous, the obedient, the steadfast, and them that are of “one heart and of one soul,” (Acts 4:32) or are you no no longer over this target? I will certainly leave you to your own politics.

        • Peter A. Papoutsis says

          $2 political hack? Never! Love you too much, but what said stands. I could address you poi t by point, but it’s the contents of the memo that are the issue.

          The FISA court has complained, as I have learned, about the dishonesty of the Obama DOJ and FBI in past dealings, and the IC – Inspector General is taking this matter under investigation. The Federal Court is asking the DOJ to substantiate the basis of its FISA warrants, and people are finally waking up and getting a fast track course on why we ever needed FISA court to begin with as they are a direct violation of the Constitution.

          So let’s wait and see what the Id’s investigation finds due to the FBI’s lies to the FISA court. My gut tells me it will not be good, but very catastrophic for the FBI and DOJ and HRC and the anointed one Obama.

          Peter A Papoutsis

    • Peter A. Papoutsis says

      Btw just remember you always take flack when you are over the target. So in this instance flack is good. Keep it coming.

      Peter A Papoutsis

  7. Michael Bauman says

    Cal Thomas although certainly a conservative has always seemed a pretty reasonable guy. His take:

    The Republican memo is not the end but rather the beginning to exposing behind-the-scenes maneuvering by liberals to keep Donald Trump out of the White House and put Hillary Clinton in it. The public has a right to know all the facts in this case, wherever they lead.

  8. Yeah Steele is such an expert that he bilked the hrc campaign of $10 million for a preposterous story.

    Steele was paid at first by a Never-Trumper Republican, and then, after y’all had made him your Chosen One, by Dems. No way he got paid anything close to 1M, much less 10. That’s a stupid and baseless assertion. You may think it’s ” a preposterous story,” but who are you? Nobody who knows anything agrees.

    Is it possible that Steele was played by Trump?

    We know you people just hurl crap at the wall for no reason whatever aside from distraction and deza, but in the unlikely event there is some rational communicative intent here, I’ll ask: What does this even mean?

  9. Gail Sheppard says

    You’re not very good with apologies, Mike. This rebuttal is the last thing you will receive from me.

    1. You insulted my priests and Orthodox community. You said they failed to teach me anything. You also said I was frivolous. Ad hominems, Mike.

    2. You accused me of libel, yet I published no false statements or defamed anyone. I published the outline of a story I believed was unraveling. I am allowed to take what I know and project into the future. People do it all the time.

    3. As far as I know, there is no “6 commandant of Christ.” There are the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God. Is that what you’re referring to? (Rhetorical question; do not wish to hear from you.) For someone who insists on specificity, you sure are vague with your Bible references.

    4. With regard to our former President, you want me to name specific violations of civil liberties, including improper search and discrimination.” On July 11, memos were publicly released through Freedom of Information Act litigation by the American Civil Liberties Union. They detail specific violations that the NSA or FBI disclosed to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Justice Department’s national security division during President Obama’s tenure between 2009 and 2016. ACLU documents, as well as compliance memos released by the NSA inspector general, identified more than 90 incidents involving Americans, many of which involved multiple persons, multiple violations over extended periods of time. I obviously can’t detail every breach but on one occasion an analyst ran the same search query about an American “every work day” between 2013 and 2014. NSA issued a report which included the name of a United States person whose identity was not foreign intelligence, from an incident report in 2015. NSA eventually discovered the error and “recalled” the information. Likewise, the FBI disclosed three instances between December 2013 and February 2014 of “improper dissemination of U.S. persons identities.” The NSA also admitted it was slow in some cases to notify fellow intelligence agencies when it wrongly disseminated information about Americans. The law requires a notification within five days, but some took as long as 131 business days and the average was 19 days. – These are but a few examples. I grabbed this from one source but there are many, many others. What I said was true.
    https://tinyurl.com/yb8pwk2t

    5. You talked about intercepts from foreign powers and asked if I know what counterintelligence is. I do. But I wasn’t talking about intercepts involving foreign powers.

    6. You asked me if I knew anything about Carter Page. I do. Page served as a foreign-policy advisor to Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential campaign. He left the campaign because news reports began to appear describing his links to the Russian government. You state the warrant would have nothing to do with his tenure on the campaign. Until the information is released, you don’t know that. All we know is that there was a warrant to obtain information on someone associated with Trump’s presidential campaign. Obtaining information from a source associated with your adversary’s campaign during a Presidential election is highly suggestive of spying.

    7. I didn’t’ say the DNC created the dossier. I said they authorized it. How much they paid is immaterial, although I suspect they paid a lot more than you’re suggesting. The DNC supported it. Hillary Clinton was the head of her party so the buck stops with her.

    8. The dossier was nothing because of the way it was put together, but the FBI and the DOJ got the FISA(s) anyway. When they examine the sources for the dossier, I suspect heads are going to roll. The Court does not like being misled.

    9. Why would I recant that the purpose of introducing the Russian component was to instill fear? (Again rhetorical.) Of course it was! No American wants to believe that the Russians are messing with our elections! The same tactic was used during the McCarthy era. It’s effective. The problem with the current scenario is there is no credible evidence to support it. Had there been any tampering, it would have been evident by now, as they’ve been looking for the smoking gun for months.

    George said you owed me an apology but I think even you would agree you weren’t feeling terribly apologetic when you addressed me. If I had been George, I would have banned you from my site for good, but I’m not George.

    Do not address me again. This is the end of our dialog.

    • George Michalopulos says

      Gail, I’m sorry I posted Mike’s “apology” to you. I went out of my way to extend a courtesy to him but I should have gone with my first instinct (which was that he was being snarky). As for your response, it’s –as usual–very reasoned.

      That’s it, Mike: you’re banned. Go take your ball and play somewhere else.

      • Gail Sheppard says

        George, you’re responding to something I’ve written that you haven’t release from moderation yet. It might be best to release it so people know what you’re talking about.

    • Gail Sheppard says

      George, I wrote my response to Mike over 16 hours ago and though you saw it and responded to it, Mike never had the opportunity. You read it and banned him in one fell swoop. If I hadn’t said something, my response would never have appeared on your blog, although there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. I believe you called it a “well reasoned” response.

      From now on, I will just quit responding. What’s the point if everyone is going to jump in there and “save the day;” something I never asked for and something I don’t need.

      • George Michalopulos says

        Gail, I didn’t have access to my laptop today and as I was in the waiting room fiddling with my smart-phone I missed several responses. Often accidentally “unapproving” them.

        Sorry.

      • George Michalopulos says

        BTW, I thought it was well-reasoned.

      • Gail,
        I’m sorry, but this censor, and “saving” business, is the kind of the disservice, I believe was unfair to you, and us readers, in that we never heard your wise, and usual notable response. It’s cute for a while, and allows the boys to become knights in shining armor, to your rescue, but in the end, your simply silenced.

        • George Michalopulos says

          Bob, for the record Gail’s response was published, then accidentally and unknowingly unpublished, then published (when it was brought to my attention).

          Afain, the fault was mine and mine alone. (I explain my chaotic situation yesterday in today’s vlog.)

          I beg everybody’s forgiveness.

          • Always George, hope all is well for you, as well.

            • George Michalopulos says

              Thank you

              • George I don’t need to know the details, just know that whatever the people you care about are dealing with, they are lucky to have you, and you are all in my unworthy prayers.

                • George Michalopulos says

                  Anastasia is a name I would appreciate if you would remember her in your prayers.

                  • Greatly Saddened says

                    George … you can be sure Anastasia will be in my daily prayers as well. Let us all try to do the same. The power of prayer is unbelievable and the more prayers, all the better.

          • Theocentric says

            Why silence Nemesis? The First Amendment is for dangerous times like this. He’s trying to reason with people about what’s happening to our democracy and its institutions.

            You rolled out the red carpet for Misha and Michael Warren as guest essayists lots of time in the past few years. You showcased them both. They’re open enemies of the West and liberal democracy. Both called for a Russian Federation war against NATO on your blog. Yesterday, Misha got all sentimental about the prospect of a Hobbesian civil war in the US. It wasn’t the first time.

            Are you out of your mind?

            • George Michalopulos says

              Fair question, Theo. I am very much a First Amendment absolutist. One of the men you mentioned was put on a contingency basis, he was allowed to say anything provided it wasn’t heretical and the other just dropped out of his own volition.

              As you know, nobody here has advocated for war or for the overthrow of the US government. That doesn’t mean that a person can’t comment on unnecessary provocations which might lead to war and hence, our possible destruction.

              As for the “Hobbesian civil war” I too see it as a most unfortunate possibility. The reason the stock market crashed this past week was because the investor class feels that the anti-Trumpist forces are going to engage in civil strife. Listen, I’ve got liberal friends on Facebook who I’ve known for the better part of 4 decades and they are barking mad at both Trump and me personally. Their attitude is not only hateful but hatefilled. It’s not a pleasant sight. If anything it’s the left that’s going to initiate violence, of that I’m sure.

              But let’s play this game: how did you personally feel in the run-up to the second Iraq War when all those people were demonstrating in the streets with signs that said “No blood for oil!” That’s a fair question.

              I’m gonna be honest here: as for myself, I was for both Iraq wars because I believed that they were justified. Now we know that the second Iraq War was initiated under false pretenses. In other words, I was bamboozled.

              Regardless, as long as you keep a civil tongue, you’re welcome to comment. There’s nothing wrong with saying “have you lost your mind” but it’s just plum evil to call somebody a “madman”. Boisterous comments are fine, inflammatory ones –not so much.

              And that goes for everybody.

              Thank you.

              • Theocentric says

                “As you know, nobody here has advocated for war or for the overthrow of the US government. That doesn’t mean that a person can’t comment on unnecessary provocations which might lead to war and hence, our possible destruction.”

                Not true. Misha was advocating here for Russia to attack Western Europe because of NATO and US meddling in Ukraine, as he claimed. Michael Warren said even more insane stuff here all the time. The point is you showcased them both. Gave them special emphasis. Who else have you made a guest essay writer? Why did you choose them?

                “The reason the stock market crashed this past week was because the investor class feels that the anti-Trumpist forces are going to engage in civil strife.”

                That’s a lie, completely untrue. What’s your reason for telling divisive lies like this? Sure it’s why your “liberal” Facebook friends are mad at you. You tell dangerous lies, just like Trump always does. Like Satan does. Russia spreads disinformation on Facebook. You’re a fellow traveler, you do it here.

                “But let’s play this game: how did you personally feel in the run-up to the second Iraq War when all those people were demonstrating in the streets with signs that said “No blood for oil!” That’s a fair question.”

                How did you feel? Don’t see what the questions got to do with anything.

                • George Michalopulos says

                  Theo, thank you for your thoughtful response.

                  If I may defend Misha, it’s one thing for Misha to “advocate” for war in Western Europe over Ukraine but that hardly falls under the rubric of overthrowing the government of the United States.

                  Speaking for myself, I don’t want war in Ukraine or American boots on the ground in Syria.

                  • Theocentric says

                    That’s not true. You’re lying again! He’s advocated for civil war on your blog plenty of times, and on this page in this essay of yours he says he would find civil war here today exhilarating and refreshing. Read his words below! And his cheerleading for a terrible war against our European allies by America’s main adversary is awfully close to treasonous.

                    “Really, it calls into question the whole Social Contract by which we live here and leaves us perilously close to the Hobbesian state of “Warre” into which few wish to descend (though I personally would find it exhilarating and refreshing).”

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      That’s Misha’s opinion. It’s not mine. Regardless, it’s not seditious or treasonous.

                    • Theocentric,

                      I’m a lawyer. I understand the law regarding what one can and cannot say in the way of advocacy and provocation of violence. I have never crossed that line on this site, always hedging each and every post in that vein with contingencies (“If this were to happen, then . . .”) or simply stating that I would welcome something, rather than encourage it.

                      That crosses no line, no prior restraint, no incitement.

                      IF I were ever going to advocate “self help” in a particular situation, I would not be stupid enough to share my plans with anyone other than those absolutely necessary to move forward, and never in writing or online.

                      So give it a rest.

                    • Theocentric says

                      You put him up on a soapbox! You sure choose weird Christians to marquee and make guest essayists. Why do you do that? “That’s Misha’s opinion” is your answer to a question about why did you make him an essayist on your blog. He wants a refreshing and exhilarating Hobbesian civil war in US, all against all! So Misha will be refreshed and energized. Satan too probably. Great blog you got! Let’s have a civil war so Misha can be refreshed and exhilarated. That’s very pious I’m sure. Very traditional. Are you out of your mind?

                      Not seditious or treasonous to want a civil war here and a terrible war against out allies! Okay, but it’s evil as hell and insane. Who are you??

                  • Theocentric says

                    Stock market falling is from rising interest rates, wage and salary increases in a more competitive labor market and an overdue correction. And probably by chaos Trump causes, and scaring people by his creepiness and lies, and threats of nuclear war. Not fears of anti-Trump protest and strife for heaven’s sake! The whole world fears Trump, except Russia! It’s because they can recognize evil and see how he’s like the devil!
                    You’re spreading diabolical lies. Just like SATAN! Do you worship Christ? Could have fooled me! How come you can’t recognize anti-Christ’s like Putin and Trump who lie and kill and steal, just like Jesus said about Satan? Are you out of your mind?

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Theo, the only people who are caught up in any Russia collusion are Democrats. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?

                    • It strikes me as very odd that you actually believer that, yes it does! If you do. Hard to imagine how anyone could be truly be so brainwashed. Doesn’t seem sincere.

                    • Michael Bauman says

                      They, the stock market is a giant Ponzi scheme. Even by it’s own rules investing directly in the market is wholly unsuitable for most people. The ways to make money are largely illegal but the large investors are mostly immune from the rules.

                      The biggest mistake most average investors make is attempting to invest from their income rather than from capital or savings.

                      By far the best manner for average folks to build a capital foundation for their financial lives is a dividend paying whole life insurance policy from a top line mutual company (not indexed products). There are only a few companies who qualify with Penn Mutual being the best I know.
                      (I have been in the business for 37 years and was a securities principal for a number of years and run countless secanaios and seen many examples. I have a lot of empirical knowledge)

                      The volitility in the current market is likely caused by trading “bots” that trade massive amounts of stock quite quickly based on the alogrithims that power them. Way beyond anything an average investor can understand or respond to. The Cyber Lords rule.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Michael, would you do me a solid? Please conside writing an essay on economics and finance. I’m fascinated by mutuals and cryptocurrencies, viewing them as a way out of the current globalist scheme of usury.

                    • Peter A. Papoutsis says

                      The evidence piling up that the FBI and DOJ worked not only on HRC with President Obama. I cannot fathom the level of corruption! It’s immense and probably going on for a very long time.

                      Time to finally put an end to the FISA courts and the illegal spying of the NSA, et. al., as revealed by Snowden.

                      President Trump is the beginning, but not the end. We need to elect and demand better politicians if we are ever going to drain the swamp and restore the Republic.

                      Peter A Papoutsis
                      A/k/a midwest deplorable

                  • Theocentric says

                    You say you don’t want war in Ukraine, I guess you just want everyone to roll over and let Putin steal it from the Ukrainian people. I remember a lot of people used to say similar things about Onkel Dolfi too after Poland and Austria. That worked out great! So you don’t want war in Ukraine, even tho 80% of Ukraine’s people want nothing to do with Putin. Look at all the polls!

                    No US boots on the ground in Syria? Before Putin’s done with the place it’ll be nothin but rubble and corpses anyway. Why bother at this point. Your Putin probably started all the horror or surely helped out a lot by encouraging Assads brutality against peaceful protests 5 years ago. Over water mostly! And bread prices! He’s such a holy Christian he sends Russian bombers to destroy hospitals and apartment buildings full of people for the Glory of your God. Russian priests bless them, nukes too! How holy is that! Chemical weapons r used all the time by Assad, it;s’ fine with Putin apparently. Like Chechnya, just kill em all!!! That won’t have any blowback anywhere, at all. Gott ist mit uns!
                    Some of these people are Orthodox Christians! Is that OK with you? I’m sure they’ll be real popular in the Middle East after he’s done with it, him and Bush — who you voted for too!!! What a tool.
                    He sends Russians to kill Orthodox Christians in eastern Ukraine. You want to let him kill more, without NATO or anyone else resisting him? Why is that? Your Christianity is pretty stinky and fake to me. What’s wrong with you?

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Theo, it’s not our job to police the world. I simply don’t care who is “right” or wrong in Syria or Ukraine. Using your logic, we should send a Marine Expeditionary Force to the Gaza Strip to “liberate” the Palestinians from Israeli rule. It’s an open-air prison and not that long ago the Israelis dumped white phosphorous powder on the civilian population. That’s a war crime.

                      If that’s too obnoxious an example, then we need to attack Turkey and wrest Northern Cyprus from them.

                      I don’t care about “injustice” in other countries. I care more for Flint, MI than Fallujah; more for Baltimore than Baghdad. Tugging at the heart-strings or invoking “muh democracy” no longer does it for me.

                      There’s a lot of things I don’t like about the way they do things in other countries. In Germany, parents can’t home-school their children. In China and India they abort baby girls like it’s going out of style. In many Western European countries you can go to prison for simply being in possession of certain books. In Egypt, they made a TV mini-series about The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion and presented it as truth. In Africa, they rape virgins because they think that that will cure AIDS. In South Africa, lesbians are “cured” by rape. And so on. The point is that there are a lot of things that piss me off about other countries. But I’m not willing to spend American blood and treasure just because some Yankee sensibilities are upset.

                    • Theocentric says

                      Never said our job to police the world. Just strange that you are such a Putin fan and that you are Okay with him to be the cop. You think Putin is righteous! Vlad of Christendumb! Holy Russia! A gas station run by the mob and thieves! That’s what Trump wants US to be like. You too I guess!

                    • Theocentric has drank so much Kool-Aid that it’s like a fifth-grade birthday party. Sheesh.

                    • Joseph Lipper says

                      …and Saddam Hussein gassed thousands of his own Kurdish people in 1988. The moral outrage! This was one of the main reasons that the U.S. justified invading and going to war with Iraq.

                      http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/world/05iht-saddam.html

                      Even more outrageous are the lost lives of 4,486 young and courageous U.S. soldiers who died in Iraq and 2,345 U.S. soldiers who died in Afghanistan, 1 million U.S. soldiers wounded in both wars, and an additional monetary cost to the U.S. taxpayers of potentially up to $6 trillion.

                      It was still more outrageous that there were many, many Christians here in America who supported these wars. I believe a book by a prominent Orthodox scholar was even published at that time about the justification of war, and this book was used by many Orthodox Christians in America to justify these wars.

            • Theo,

              This kitchen is pretty hot. But most of us can handle it. It seems to grate on your nerves and, if so, maybe you shouldn’t play in this sandbox.

              It is common knowledge that the West staged a coup d’etat in Ukraine against its elected leader, Yanukovich:

              https://www.globalresearch.ca/what-americas-coup-in-ukraine-did/5581520

              Russia has undergone a period of dramatic turmoil during the twentieth and early twenty-first century, passing in stages from an Orthodox monarchy/empire to a democratic socialist state (for about 7 months), to a union of socialist republics (USSR) to its present dominant party democracy model (the Russian Federation).

              Putin laments the strategic power Russia has always guarded because of the ever-present reality of Western encroachment. Traditionally, “Russia” is composed of “Great Russia”; “Malorossija”/”Little Russia”/the Ukraine (“Frontier”); and Belarus (“White Russia”, being the territory of Rus’ untarnished by Mongol rule).

              That is Russian cultural history and current events are inexplicable outside of context. Khrushchev “gave” Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR when it was a constituent part of the Soviet Union. That is the only reason it has been, de jure, in Ukrainian hands after the breakup of the Soviet Union. I.e., it is a historical anomaly.

              Most of the populace in Eastern Ukraine (Novorossija/Donetsk-Lugansk) are ethnic Russians, speak Russian and identify with Mother Russia. They were in danger of cultural attrition after the coup d’etat. Moreover, much of the economy in Eastern Ukraine is dependent on the Russian military for which it is an industrial producer of military hardware.

              Russia intervened and created a frozen conflict until some solution acceptable to all sides can be worked out. This was a measured response. Putin could have gone in and overthrown the Kievan government. He may yet do that.

              But starting a “color revolution” in Russia’s front yard was the greatest strategic error of the West in the post-Soviet period, Georgia and Kosovo being previews.

              The West has no idea what it is doing over there. Americans have no sense of spirituality or culture to offer. We only have “democracy” and “the rule of law”. But even here, democracy has been an abysmal failure in the post-WWII period. It is nothing more than a political/media/academic elite creating public opinion through the Mainstream Media (MSM). Why would other nations want to import it?

              Russians have a clear idea of who they are and what they believe in (Orthodox Christianity). Muslims have a clear idea of who they are and what they believe in (Islam). It is only Americans/Westerners who are schizophrenic and are sometimes Secular Humanists, sometimes Evangelicals, sometimes Cafeteria Catholics, etc.

              It is the West’s internal disorder that constitutes the problem.

            • Gail Sheppard says

              Theo, how do you know George silenced Nemesis?

        • Gail Sheppard says

          Bob,

          George is like the rest of us. He screws up from time to time (yes, even George). I don’t know how the guy does it. We keep him pretty busy and he works full time, too.

          I agree that I don’t need saving. George knows that, too. He made a mistake. I should have given him the benefit of the doubt before I jumped all over him. I was angry because this is one of those times I didn’t want to be saved. Turns out that’s not what he intended at all.

          There are times, however, when people go too far. I have watched George give them some rope and then pull them back. If I were George, I wouldn’t give them the latitude, but he is a strong advocate of our first amendment rights and it just isn’t in him to not give people a fair shot. Of course, he sees what we don’t so if something isn’t right, it just disappears. Other conversation floods the hole and no one remembers it. BTW, George RARELY does this. As long as people are respectful, they can say pretty much anything they want.

          With regard to me, these guys are protective because I’ve posted so long on this blog. It’s very unusual that they’ve felt the need to stand up for me so often recently, but from their point of view, it was necessary and I appreciate it. They will do the same for you because you’re becoming a familiar voice. They may not be as gallant in defending you, but I’m the girl so that’s allowed! At the end of the day, we disagree on a lot of things but it doesn’t matter. We’re like a very noisy family at the dinner table and once you have a seat, you don’t lose it. These friendships transcend the blog. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know one or two of these people in “real life” and it’s no different than it is here. You may not agree on a single thing, but they will do anything to help and support you. That’s why I disagree with Father George (who is ALSO one of us whether he wants to be or not) that we shouldn’t have these conversations without clergy oversight. Because we have affection for each other, it’s healthy. It is also healthy that we can work through our disagreements and come out the other side.

          Well, that’s my 2 cents. I’m glad you are one of us. I kind of knew you’d fit it. George made an honest mistake and I should have given him the benefit of the doubt.

          Sorry, George. You know I love you!

      • Gail told you she wanted him to have an opportunity to reply “George, I wrote my response to Mike over 16 hours ago and though you saw it and responded to it, Mike never had the opportunity. You read it and banned him in one fell swoop.” “What’s the point if everyone is going to jump in there and “save the day;” something I never asked for and something I don’t need.

        Why not do what she asks? You’re censoring for no reason.

        • George Michalopulos says

          Marcos, as I explained two or three times now, I did not censor Gail. I accidentally unpublished her (and a few other people) by accident and unknowingly. It was only when it was brought to my attention about 6 hrs later that I realized my mistake.

          For the record, what Gail wrote was judicious and well-reasoned.

        • Gail Sheppard says

          Yeah, Marcos, I screwed up on this. Nemesis made me so mad, I wanted the opportunity to respond right that second! TOO much, in retrospect. He’s the kind of individual I should be avoiding entirely. I’ve got to work on that. – I do appreciate you sticking up for me, though. Thank you for that. Turns out that George did give me the opportunity. I shouldn’t have doubted that he would.

  10. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2018/02/08/why_fisa-gate_is_scarier_than_watergate_136214.html

    The only thing that might keep a healthy cross section of the DNC leadership, Hilary campaign, Obama Administration and FBI/DOJ out of prison is the incontrovertible fact that they are and have been in collusion with the mainstream media (MSM) who are protecting them by issuing disinformatsiya as rapidly as possible to cool the pot from a boil.

    But it’s gonna boil over anyway. Too much heat. What they did was too openly unAmerican that it just won’t go away and the tentacles of the effort, of which this was but a little subplot, to torpedo the Trump machine by the Obama Administration using the government as a weapon are still being investigated. I.e., the worst may be yet to come, as if this isn’t bad enough.

    They tried to subvert the normal electoral process through illegal espionage against a bona fide candidate for President of the United States.

    There is no question about the “what happened”, only about how extensively we might apply the term “they”; i.e., who all were involved?

    It seems that Obama wanted to be updated on the progress of this little illegal op, and so we can assume he either directed it or approved of it. “What did the president know and when did he know it?” will again likely be the question asked.

    But it reaches to the Hilary campaign itself which bankrolled the fraudulent evidence used to suborn the illegal surveillance and throughout the DNC, which peddled in it. Deeper still, some of this, much of it, was in public controversy at the time such that the integrity of the judges issuing the FISA warrants might be called into question depending on what they knew independently or should have known regarding the Steele dossier and the lack of supporting evidence for the surveillance.

    There’s one hell of a RICO case here.

    It’s a great, big, massive sh*t sandwich for which I doubt there’s enough bread to make it go down well for any of the major players. I’m sure the call has gone out to send “lawyers, guns and money” to help fix the situation and that will play out in the press in the days to come.

    But the days when we could say that the Dems are playing above the board in good faith are far behind us. It has always been about raw power to them and the rest of the left, rule of law be damned. The fig leaf is removed and the game is now open and it’s just taking awhile for the degree of the corruption to sink in to the public which has a hard time fathoming it.

    Really, it calls into question the whole Social Contract by which we live here and leaves us perilously close to the Hobbesian state of “Warre” into which few wish to descend (though I personally would find it exhilarating and refreshing).

    “Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of Warre, where every man is Enemy to every man; the same is consequent to the time, wherein men live without other security, than what their own strength, and their own invention shall furnish them withall. In such condition, there is no place for Industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain; and consequently no Culture of the Earth; no Navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by Sea; no commodious Building; no Instruments of moving, and removing such things as require much force; no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continuall feare, and danger of violent death; And the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short.” – Thomas Hobbes, The Leviathan

    • Gail Sheppard says

      Good grief, Misha, I hope it hasn’t come to all that! Although, I agree that it’s starting to feel dicy. It makes me nervous to see crazy people with vulgar signs flooding the street. So many of my guy friends want me to learn how to use a gun. I mean they’re insistent and won’t talk about much else. I’m such a pacifist when it comes to these things. I can’t imagine having to shoot anyone; let alone, spend the money and the time to learn how. What have we come to?

      I wonder what Life Magazine would say about all this. I loved that magazine because it chronicled the most important events with pictures and not words. It’s amazing to me someone isn’t doing this now because it was so effective. I don’t remember them taking a particular point of view, but I wane nostalgic on these things. Maybe they did and I just didn’t notice. The past seems sane and predictable in comparison to today.

      We’re in a very weird space and few people seem to be mapping the trajectory, like you’re trying to do. I can’t say that you’re wrong, but I HOPE you are wrong because I’m totally unprepared. The world is fast becoming a place I don’t know how to live in.

      • George Michalopulos says

        I miss Life very much as well.

      • Gail,

        Ok, truce, I’ll bite. All forgiveness for past locking of horns. Mistakes were made.

        Now, on to the kitty:

        I was not really exaggerating though we are a very restrained and polite society when compared to some others. But it is clear to me that we are heading to some sort of Constitutional Moment due to the irreconcilable worldviews of major groups led by powerful actors in government. The media stories are telling. Lotsa projection, lotsa introspection – actually some of it on both sides, but especially the Left, is uncharacteristically introspective, almost like they are self conscious of the madness but can’t shake it.

        They just can’t believe that this is what supposedly civilized society has come to.

        It’s a hot mess. What they are all thirstily seeking in their own ways, because it is objective reality, is the Orthodox phronema. They just can’t get to it from where they are sitting in the festivities due to lack of internal software. There’s no need for all this dualism that pollutes their thinking. But they can’t get a grip on it.

        The problem is that everyone can see which way the Thing is going but one side simply can’t accept it because it is not what they have expected all their lives. The tension between these two artificial constructs, Modern American Liberalism and Modern American Conservatism has become so intense that it is seeking to resolve itself in some type of catharsis.

        Where it wants to go is a morally conservative, economically generous (welfare state) fortress America with reciprocal trade and the beginnings of fiscal reform – one coherent policy offered by a dominant party that makes sure everyone gets healed and stays sane, other parties acting as minority checks on the big dog.

        Getting from where we are to that land of milk and honey will be quite the trick, if it can be pulled off. But the danger is that it will blow up into carnage before it can resolve itself.

        Part of me thinks that the carnage is inevitable and actually the healthier, cleaner, more decisive way to move it forward than the current dysfunctional food fight that satisfies no one.

        One side is going to lose this national conversation/hissy-scream-fest. And the fact that progressivism has been ascendant for quite some time, showing signs of ever-escalating decay from its internal contradictions, should be an indication of how it’s gonna resolve.

        It ain’t gonna be pretty though and the show is probably best viewed from a distance, unless you’re locked and loaded and just enjoy the sh*t.

        • Michael Bauman says

          Misha, do not entirely disagree with you it just sounds too much like dialectical determinism to ring entirely true.

          I will say that our Cuvil War and what followed was a false solution to the centfugal forces at work in our polity from the beginning.

          Lord have mercy on us.

        • Gail Sheppard says

          Misha, other than the cotillion and other such nonsense, my parents didn’t do a whole lot for me. To give you some perspective, it cost them $2,000 for me to bow to society and yet they wouldn’t buy me a bicycle for college. Nor did they buy me clothes from the time I turned 12. I had to babysit. They wouldn’t pay for my prom dress either. They told me this 2 days before the prom. I didn’t have the money for a proper dress so I bought drapery material and like Scarlett O’Hara, my great aunt made a dress for me! (I’m not exactly complaining, as it was gold brocade and it was stunning, but still.) My parents were touring the Near East, the Far East, and everything in between at the time (first class, of course) so it was not like they couldn’t afford it. I was an only child, too. This makes me sound like Cinderella, but growing up I slept in the “guest” room, which was the term they used for my bedroom. I wasn’t allowed to sit on the bedspread because I might mess it up so I had to sit on the floor . . . in my own room! Their world was the only world that mattered and I existed to fulfill their expectations. I remember a phone call I got from my mother when I made the Dean’s list in college. My mother was extremely disappointed in me. She said, “Gail, why do you think we sent you to college?” (They did pay for my education.) I wasn’t sure exactly. “I don’t know,” I answered. She said, “We sent you to school to find a husband and if you’re getting 4.0s, you’re clearly not socializing enough!” She was a TEACHER, by the way.

          The point is, I was expected to look out for myself in all things big and small and not disappoint them in the process. I was not sent to self-esteem classes, I did not get participation trophies, my activities were not supervised by adults (my parents didn’t even know where I was most of the time), and if my teachers mistreated me, no one complained to the principal. It was assumed that if something went wrong, it was my fault and I should have known better. One time an older kid who took me to school lost his car keys and *I* got in trouble! My parents didn’t coddle me EVER. – After I moved to CA for a job in my early 20s, my boss told me she had miscalculated my salary, but that I would get a raise in 6 months. My apartment was $245 a month and my car payment was $245 a month; my 2 paychecks were $245, as well. My grandmother sent me $25 a month for food. It never occurred to me to go to my parents for help. 6 months later I got the promised raise and the first thing I did was renew my car insurance. There was a penalty and I asked the guy how much it was. He said, “Gail, I didn’t want you to go without insurance so I’ve been paying your premiums. There is no penalty.” I cried when I realized the insurance guy cared more for me than my parents.

          But, on the plus side, I learned how to take care of myself.

          I think the 20-30 somethings are genuinely afraid of what it would be like to live in a world where their needs aren’t met. They are used to having things done for them and the idea of making their own way terrifies them. Although there are certainly ways for kids to go to college these days, many don’t apply. The girls would rather get pregnant, as being subsidized is a whole lot easier than working. Men are just as scared. They worry that if they marry it won’t work out and they’ll be indebted to their ex-wives for an eternity. Trump must scare the bejesus out of them. Many of them can’t find their way out of a paper bag and they know it. (If they can’t Google it, forget it!) The kids who do go to school aren’t challenged unless we’re talking about their memorization skills. They are encouraged NOT to think. My daughter was struggling with a “position paper” her Sociology professor assigned. I said, “Jess, you’re an excellent writer. Why is this paper so difficult for you?” She said, “Mom, you don’t get it. We’re not allowed to express our opinion. The first paper I turned in was handed back to me because my teacher didn’t agree with it.” I so wish I had sent her abroad instead of to a university.

          The point is too many of the 20-30 crowd, the same people flooding the streets, are terrified. They will do everything within their power to bring back the Obama days. They cannot take care of themselves and they know it. (Those that can are probably too busy working!)

          What if these people get it together enough to vote in the next election. Then what are we going to do?!

          • Tim R. Mortiss says

            Stories like that shock me still, though I’ve seen a few in my own experience and that of some of my kids’ friends.
            We raised 3 girls and 2 boys on exactly opposite principles to your parents, as did our own parents and the parents of our 12 grandchildren have.
            Frankly, as a dad (with a big gang of kids and grandkids putting on a 70th birthday dinner for me today), I feel real outrage at parents like those you’ve had to suffer with, Gail. I probably wouldn’t post, except that fatherhood has been such an integral part of my life. I’ve been a dad since I was 19, and, to abandon humility for a moment, I did a great job at it (as my wife has done as a mom).
            God bless you and the strength and wisdom you show so often here.

            • George Michalopulos says

              Indeed. I had no inkling to the extent that Gail pretty much raised herself. Be that as it may, she is by all accounts an accomplished, self-made woman. And an insightful thinker. We are blessed to have her on this blog.

              • Gail Sheppard says

                Thank you, Tim & George! I didn’t mean to turn this into a pity party. Yes, the way I grew up was challenging, but I had wonderful grandparents and caring friends who made up for the deficit. A lot of my past was healed through being a good parent to my own children. It’s kind of like giving to yourself which I’m sure you both know. I can pretty much withstand anything, but it would have broken my heart to have missed being a mother. It’s the absolute greatest thing I’ve ever done and certainly the most rewarding. I was also blessed to be able to open my home to other kids who came from equally challenging, albeit different, circumstances. God is good!

          • Gail,

            Don’t get me started on “The Greatest Generation”. They were the ones who ushered in Roe v. Wade, after all. And it was on their watch when they came into power in their latter years that feminism was teething.

            My dad was quite worthless. I say that without a hint of guilt. He was par for the course and never acted like pater familias in any way. Macho enough to intimidate but never providing the structure that fathers give to their children, especially males. He was too old to be a true hippie but was a musician – ne’er do well. And I remember all the weird cultural sh*t from the seventies, the “Free to Be” stuff. It’s all priceless nostalgia and wrongheaded, just as is the Iron John nonsense.

            I don’t preach the patriarchy because I blame women for anything or think they haven’t had a rough ride. I don’t preach the patriarchy because of boyish self interest. I preach the patriarchy because it is God’s will and the only medicine for what ails us. I come on too strong sometimes, especially in terms of physicality. But I don’t really regret it given the stakes involved and the carnage behind us.

            The bottom line is that alpha males in society will have to stand up and take charge, replicate and disseminate some structure throughout our society or it will continue to decay into Catholic/Feminist/Humanism and Islam will prevail until the Second Coming.

            I would rather dispense with feminism, soft and hard, and have us relegate women to their position of secondary authority over other women and children, but never men, as worthy assistants to their fathers, husbands or eldest sons. That would take care of much of the carnage with respect to the slaughter of the unborn, single family poverty and the cycles of violence.

            And it would make us stronger against Islam as well. But until enough people get the memo, it ain’t happening.

            I’ve been watching Homeland, the series with Claire Danes. I like it because of the counter intel, counter jihad angle. But she is no heroine. She is an unmitigated trainwreck, utterly obsessed with the wrong vocation in life. That’s why she appears so “psycho” in the series.

            It wins Emmy’s. Cutting edge drama.

            They know that something is wrong. They are unconsciously documenting it in the entertainment industry. In one episode she almost deliberately drowns her baby, the baby she had by an American soldier/turncoat “jihadist”. Totally denatured as a woman.

            There is nothing admirable about her character except her determination not to lay down and die. Nothing at all. That is what American Woman has become.

            And it’s tragic, even Shakespearean.

      • Michael Bauman says

        Gail, the trajectory is obvious: dismemberment, destruction and death. The only question is how fast or if God will hold His hand back.

        As to the personal question on guns, if you are unwilling to pull the trigger you are better off without the gun. It is a fearsome thing to take a life.

        • George Michalopulos says

          That’s an individual choice of course but I think women should be armed.

          It is a fearsome thing to take a life but there is no sin in protecting oneself.

          • Michael Bauman says

            If it is not a sin George then why is repentance required and why are priests no longer able to serve the Eucharist ?
            It is not a moral problem but it is a mark on your soul.

            We treat it too casually. Christ died and rose so that we all might live and live abundantly.

            If I had a gun.and there was an active shooter situation I would use the gun but it would be a sorrowful thing. The person killed does not stand alone any more than I do.

            Besides in a wholesale societal collapse, me having a gun does little good. There will be plenty of folks who shoot better and more ruthlessly than I could.

            • George Michalopulos says

              Michael, I stand corrected: it is a sin. Repentance is required. But it is not equated to the same level as murder (which also can be forgiven).

              • Back up guys. Homicide, in and of itself, for example in self defense or in defense of others or in executing a penalty, is not a sin. God does not order people to commit sins. Murder, killing against the law, is a sin. Killing in wartime is not murder and not a sin but the shedding of blood was thought to leave some ritual or psychological uncleanliness by some of the Fathers such that abstinence from the eucharist was required.

                We need to be clear on that. I shoot from the hip verbally sometimes so don’t take my metaphors too seriously. Violence in defense of self and others is permissible. Engaging in violent coercion with weapons above and beyond the law – except perhaps in some extraordinary circumstance – is not.

                When I say “enjoy the sh*t”, I mean conflict and high temper interaction. But in these outdoor scream fests, Antifa has come armed, the fringe right has come armed and it is probably not a bad idea for the sane to come armed as well.

                It does create more tension in a way, but on the other hand, weapons in hand, everyone is a bit more focused on not escalating than they would be unarmed, paradoxically.

    • Misha, the one common denominator that keeps America from falling about into civil war, is the all mighty dollar. When the Democrats, and the Republicans, have no use for each other, keeping all sub groups at each others necks, while they keep their money wheel working, for themselves, and when common folk have not two nickels to rub together, and the banks are taking away their homes, then look out. When common folk finally take to the streets, because they have no jobs to go to, SSI is gone, and when the trillion plus dollar deficit Ponzi scheme finally taps outs. God help us all. Bombs will drop.

      • George Michalopulos says

        True. I imagine that when the food stamps run out and/or too many illegals crowd out the American-born Welfare recipients then things will get really hairy.

  11. Theocentric says

    Hey, Oh Yeah! you know how we can always tell a Trumpanzee? They never say a damn thing that makes any sense or means much that’s real, or true!

    “Theocentric has drank so much Kool-Aid that it’s like a fifth-grade birthday party. Sheesh.”

    Well, Oh Yeah!, I got some of your Kool-Aid right here!!! Drink it all, right down to the dregs!!!!!!. Bottoms up all you Trumpistas!!:

    Your Donnie TicTac Trump, so proud of his life of adulteries, don’t you just love his schemes to corrupt his friends and sleep with their wives? Tricking his buddies into telling him all their dirty cheating secrets while the wives listen on the speakerphone! HAHAHAH!!! The Sleazoid-in-Chief tells the same friends to mistreat their wives, says: “You have to treat women like s***” to improve your relationship, let em know who’s Boss! Then swoops in I guess!!. King Leer heads down to Dixie to campaign for a credibly accused child molestor and predator of teenage girls (they threw his pervy arse out of the MALL!!) to help get him elected into the US Senate. Only in ALABAMA!!! HAHAHAHA

    Agent Orange stiffs contractors for millions, but still manages to go bankrupt over and over and over and over ON CASINOS!!!! How is that even possible?? LOL!!
    The Hypocrite-in-Chief, your Lone DeRanger trashes each and every one of our major allies over total BS mostly and alienates every single one of them. But he heaps the praise on mass-murdering dictators, admires and looks up to them, aspires to be like them, especially war criminal/master thief/journalist-killing Putin!!!
    He runs a total scam, TRUMP UNIVERSITY, bilks young students out of MILLION$ for fake courses taught by fake experts, gets convicted has to pay only a small part of it back, $25M. The Art of the Deal!!!!
    Made a profit on the con anyway, looks like — but then like Papoutsis says, he’s a winner!! (by always cheating and lying and defrauding more shamelessly than anyone on Earth, but who cares about that!)

    Genghis Can’t orders his ICE thugs to rip families apart, dying kids separated from Daddy, cheerleads police brutality against minorities.
    Draft Dodger Don makes stupid rubes mix up protests against police violence with disrespect for the flag and the military!!! LOL!! Adolf Twittler’s still encouraging violence against reporters, The Apprentice to Putin there all right!!!

    Barbecued Brutus decided to make the US the ONLY COUNTRY ON EARTH THAT OFFICIALLY DENIES CLIMATE CHAOS FROM CO2 AND METHANE, rolls back hundreds of laws against polluting the air, land and water, because OBAMA and freedom and filthy lucre.
    Takes bribes from foreign countries diplomats executives and mobsters, profiting at his hotel, he and his kids profit from office contrary to the Constitution on Emoluments, but hey, Benedict Donald’s been a money launderer of Russian mob money for decades, he’s the virtuoso of traitorous financial fraud.

    Boss Tweet commits daily abuses of power, very creative about it, breaks most every law on cybersecurity of devices and comm systems in the White House and Mar-A-Lago, but Mango Mussolini still wants HRC in jail for having a home server when SoS.
    The Fraud of Fifth Avenue campaigned against “globalism” and then all his economic advisors and Cabinet turn out to be globalists, big banksters, Goldman Sachs execs, billionaires and assorted other crooks and incompetents. Commerce Sec. ran Bank of Cyprus, money laundering capital of the world!!! HEHEHEHE. Russian mob have their money there, if it’s not in Trump properties!
    Out of the minority of jobs he actually gets it together to fill, 1000 don’t even have nominees after ONE YEAR!!!!!! Well on the way to destroying the State Dept., the Tangerine Wrecking Ball has left half of the staff positions ambassadors and assistant diplomats and other posts unfilled. Threatening war on Korean peninsula, but no ambassadors anywhere in sight. Lots of career State diplomatic corps still there are quitting in disgust and despair.
    Great White Dope slanders the FBI, guts EPA and Interior, put an incompetent know-nothing totally ignorant about nukes as head the DoE (Putin LOVES that!!!) Obama had a Nobel-prize winner there, but only idiots and crooks sign up to work for Putin’s PapayaColored Pawn in Cult 45!!!! He’s ruining the FDA, too.
    Hair Fuhrer is hard at work at one thing, ruining the Federal courts with idjits.Tried to nominate dozens of judges who never tried a case or gross incompetents in federal law or have blogs as moronic as this one, to the point even Republicans vomit in hearings when these clowns stumble and fumble to answer questions, too much even for Rethug Senators who reject them in shame. But he’s diligent about that anyway, appointing nut job airhead judges, the only thing he’s any good at, I’ll give him that one!!! That and reversing all of Obama’s best Exec Orders that actually helped people the environment and children’s health, sane trade policy and consumer protections!!! But the Last of the Mango Mohawkans isn’t having any of that Kenyan commie crap, no sirree!

    Now your Cheeto Benito wants a yuge military parade like every other deranged banana republic thug. Who saw that coming!! Even the military brass and enlisted think that sucks!

    Has already burned hundreds millions of taxpayer dollars to play golf every weekend at his own clubs, most of the money right back into his pocket!!! After The Talking Yam campaigned on promises he’d be working so hard for MAGATs he’d have no time for golf!!! Secret Service has busted their budget on him already paid 100K+ so far for golf carts to guard Pudgy McTrumpCake’s ample orange butt.

    Your Comrade Cheetolino want his political opponents and critics in jail and you fake Christians howl for their blood like Putinbots: LOCK HER UP!! LOCK THEM ALL UP! FAKE NEWS, FAKE NEWS!! MAGA! MAGA! MAGA! BUILD THE WALL! BUILD THE WALL!!!

    The wannabe Lyin’ King lies almost every time he opens his mouth, 2000 lies and counting in one year from Creep Throat ! AMAZING productivity!!
    Your beloved White Pride Piper tramples like a wild animal on every decent norm and custom of civilized politicians. More and more lawless in spirit every day. The Infuriatior is hated by all sane and decent people everywhere, mocked and despised by the whole world but rancid, phony Christians just love and adore him! 80%!!! MAGA MAGA MAGA!!! LETS MAKE AMERICA STUPIDER AND MORE DEPRAVED THAN IN IDIOCRACY MAGA MAGA MAGA!!! TRUMPOCALYPSE NOW!!!

    EVERYONE AROUND PUTIN’S KOCHHOLSTER IS LINKED TO PUTIN TOO — OR ALMOST EVERYONE!! DARTH HATER OWES RUSSIAN MOBSTERS HUNDRED$ OF MILLION$, WHO KNOW$, MAYBE BILLION$!!!! THATS OK WITH YOU??

    Fanta Fascist hires “all the best people”, except they get indicted or caught beating up their wives or turn out to be corrupt sleazy grifters. Or Kremlin assets. Others quit in shame and disgust as they see how Everything Trump Touches Dies!!! Who still works for the Combover ConArtist after one year, beside Hope Hicks and Jarvanka? General Kelly just got there as Chief of Sixth-Rate Staff after failing upwards from his previous post as OberFuhrer of Child and Refugee Deportation, but he’ll be gone any day now, for trying to catch up with Lyin’ King in shameless falsehoods and giving secrets to someone who’d never get clearance! Big patriotic Marine! Should have known it’s dangerous to compete with Prima Donald for media attention, even if it’s for gross incompetence arrogance and deceit.

    But you, you’re still fiercely loyal to the Tangerine Tornado, because you voted for him and because you love ya some corrupt and corrupting pathologically lying, thieving, adulterating, bankrupting budding dictatoring conman/fraud/narcissist freak who’s ruining America just as fast as he possibly can, because ….. because why? I don’t get that part.
    Oh Yeah!, THAT’S RIGHT, cuz God and Putin chose Cheeto Jesus to save America!!! And also cuz we’ll never admit to intelligent, educated, civilized and adult liberals that we were stupid phony morons who ushered in the Trumpchurlian Candidate! NO WAY JOSE!

    HAHAHAHA! Okay, so I can see it all clearly now. Monomakhos is an internet club for people who think theyre Orthodox Christians but can’t think straight or see stinking filthy historic evil for what it is, who don’t know their right hand from the left one! Darkness is light, war is peace, evil is good, slavery is freedom, lies bring us together! Jesus hates the poor and refugees and wants good conservative traditionalists to send them all back to those countries we helped to ruin and rip apart, by all of those other lying war-mongering creeps we elected, too — so they can just die! Build the wall!!!! Kill the lying press!! especially when they tell the truth and hold a mirror up to our madness and derp!!!!

    Trump Christians?! Putin Christians?! NO, ANTICHRISTIANS and REPROBATES WHO WORSHIP THE WILD BEAST! AND HATE GODLINESS! YOUR PUTIN AND TRUMP: THE DRESS REHEARSAL FOR ANTICHRIST! OR MAYBE THIS IS IT!

    HELL IS REAL. AND YOU ARE WELL ON THE WAY, GOIN’ DEEPER INTO THE PIT. THAT SMELL OF BRIMSTONE AND SENSE OF HORROR?? — A WARNING!
    THERE IS STILL SOME HOPE FOR YOU MAYBE , THO YOU WILL HAVE A LOT OF SHAME AND HUMBLING TO ENDURE. BETTER THAN A LONG TERM IN THE PIT!!! FAST AND PRAY IN SACKCLOTH PHONY ONES AND BEG GOD TO FORGIVE YOU!!! HE WILL IM SURE, IF YOU’RE SINCERE AND FACE YOUR DELUSION.

    BUT IN THE MEANTIME, AWESOME JOB, TRADITIONAL CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS!!!!

    • George Michalopulos says

      “Cheetoh Benito”, I like that. Really, get a grip.

      • George it’s your blog and your rules. But this post just demeans it’s author and adds nothing to the intellectual discourse which brings most of us here. It is pure invective directed against our President and everyone in here who supports him. Reminds me of the old saying about a monkey climbing a tree. Perhaps you let this post through on the theory that is proves how the President is living rent free in the small minds of leftists everywhere, but I found unworthy of this fine blog and the people who come here to dialogue and disagree respectfully on important issues.

    • Theocentric,
      Not one word about his draft dodging in your entire post. This, my friends, is excellent, colorful satire. I salute you sir.

  12. Greatly Saddened says

    Below please find an article from Tuesday on the Katehon website.

    WILL THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST TRUMP AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY GO UNPUNISHED?

    http://katehon.com/article/will-conspiracy-against-trump-and-american-democracy-go-unpunished

  13. Greatly Saddened says

    Below please find an article from today on the Fox News website.

    James Kallstrom: FBI leaders showed a shocking failure of judgment in the Clinton and Trump investigations
    By James Kallstrom |Fox News

    http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/02/12/james-kallstrom-fbi-leaders-showed-shocking-failure-judgment-in-clinton-and-trump-investigations.html

  14. Greatly Saddened says

    Below please find another article from today on the Fox News website.

    Michael Goodwin: Did Hillary Clinton pull off the dirtiest dirty trick in US presidential history?
    By Michael Goodwin|New York Post

    http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/02/12/michael-goodwin-did-hillary-clinton-pull-off-dirtiest-dirty-trick-in-us-presidential-history.html