Trump's choice of Bill Pulte for acting director of national intelligence is both terrifying and predictable. read more
Patrick Wintour, The Guardian: The far shorter Middle East war has rapidly revealed the strategic weakness of US firepower in an interconnected world. In scale, of course, the current conflict does not match the Vietnam war, which went on for years, led to the deaths of 58,220 US soldiers, and is often perceived as the totemic and unmatchable example of US hubris. By comparison with the Vietnam odyssey, Iran feels more like a day trip. But in terms of consequence, it is still possible that the "excursion" will prove to be the bigger geopolitical turning point for the unrivalled superpower, the moment when the US will have to concede it mishandled a war not just because it had no convincing battle plan, but also no grand strategy to match how the contemporary world works. In an interconnected world, Trump believes progress is achieved through conflict, not cooperation. read more
Karim Sadjadpour: Washington needs a deal, but Tehran needs an enemy. read more
Judith Levine: They've given up even caring about appearances. The president is pilfering money directly from the US treasury -- that is, picking our pockets. And he is doing it in plain sight. read more
Trump, his family, his companies and his administration have always been more concerned with the appearance of conflict of interest than with conflict of interest itself. Indeed, conflict of interest is White House Inc's business model. But something has changed in the last few months. They've given up even caring about appearances. The president is pilfering money directly from the US treasury " that is, picking our pockets. And he is doing it in plain sight. read more
"Americans will be less safe": alarm as Trump picks loyalist as intelligence chief
www.theguardian.com
"Donald Trump's decision to appoint Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence has set off alarm bells in Washington, as a staunch Trump loyalist with little government experience who has shown an eagerness to retaliate against the president's political rivals will now sit atop the US intelligence apparatus."
#10
A pretty non-controversial definition: "A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitation or punishment" (en.wikipedia.org).
The GOP has been selling out Blacks pretty consistently since they opted for the Compromise of 1877.
There's also the matter of "Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 11" (www.law.cornell.edu), which could be a real career killer.
By presenting to the court a pleading, written motion, or other paper"whether by signing, filing, submitting, or later advocating it"an attorney or unrepresented party certifies that to the best of the person's knowledge, information, and belief, formed after an inquiry reasonable under the circumstances:
(1) it is not being presented for any improper purpose, such as to harass, cause unnecessary delay, or needlessly increase the cost of litigation;
(2) the claims, defenses, and other legal contentions are warranted by existing law or by a nonfrivolous argument for extending, modifying, or reversing existing law or for establishing new law;
(3) the factual contentions have evidentiary support or, if specifically so identified, will likely have evidentiary support after a reasonable opportunity for further investigation or discovery; and
(4) the denials of factual contentions are warranted on the evidence or, if specifically so identified, are reasonably based on belief or a lack of information.
Violating Rule 11 may lead to sanctions, which can then trigger disbarment proceedings at the state level. A potential career demise. That's one reason why the regime has difficulty getting people to sign the required paperwork on its retributive persecutions.
Yeah, but I piled up 34 felonies and a sexual abuse conviction. Beat that! Pffffft! I fert in your general direction!
~ MAGAJeebus