I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am

— Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Suess

By Blue Bronc, a Trail Mix Contributor

Life is good.  The weather is less so.  This morning I enjoyed a breakfast of real back country Virginia dry cured ham.  It has been a long time since I enjoyed the tang and enjoyment of eating it.  I have seen the hams in stores over the years, but refused to pay ten or even twenty dollars per pound.  Finally in a small town grocery store the hams I have been looking for were in a bin. Poking around the pile I spotted the price.  A price I knew was realistic, two dollars and twenty-nine cents per pound.  So I picked out one that fit my storage space and I happily paid the price.

What does a decent priced ham have to do with the world?  A lot.  Right now the world has started raising tariffs on American products, and pork products are at the top of the list.  The moron’s ignorant trade war is causing a lot of pain on the farms. We are going to see lots of food prices going down as farmers reduce their animals. Then we will see them rise as shortages happen.

A few farmers are starting to reconsider their vote for and support of the orange one, but not many.  I spend many hours in Virginia and Maryland farm country.  I like to talk to farmers, learn about how they are doing.  This comes naturally as my grand-father was a farmer and I spent much of my early life with farmers.  So when talking to them I have a lot of empathy for their lives.  Being able to discuss crops and livestock breaks many barriers the farmers may have with this big blonde with a real bad voice.

It looks like a drought may be starting on the mid-Atlantic region.  Crops are drying up as the moisture from the heavy May and June rains leaves the soil.  A few farmers had planted corn early and it tasseled and can be harvested for a good price.  Others delayed, and the corn stalks are skinny and without any ears formed. Those might be harvested for turning in to feed.  Seedlings are not growing but are drying up.

The moronic administration is floundering around without a clue about world economics and world trade.  The entire concept of destroying America and returning to the good old days of the nineteen-twenties, of white supremacy and build everything in the U.S.,  is causing bad things to happen, not only to the minority of voters who voted for him, but all of us.  The concept that the world has moved on about one hundred years does not resonate in the alternate universe the White House contingent.

Farming is always a gamble — sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.  It is worse when you have a low intelligence person trying to bully the world and failing at it – like everything else he has touched.

More Posts by Blue Bronc

Share

Author: Blue Bronc

Born in Detroit when Truman was president, survived the rest of them. Early on I learned that FDR was the greatest president, which has withstood all attempts to change that image. Democratic Party, flaming liberal, Progressive, equality for all and a believer in we are all human and deserve respect and understanding. College educated, a couple of degrees, a lot of world experience and tons of fun. US Air Force (pre-MRE days). Oil and gas fields, computer rooms and stuff beyond anything I can talk about. It has been quite a life so far. The future is making my retirement boat my home. Dogs, cats and other critters fill my life with happiness. Work pays the bills.

89 thoughts on “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am”

  1. “which team does he play for?”

    heck, he doesn’t even qualify for water boy…nor obnoxious fan…  well, maybe a cracked vuvuzela

  2. the guardian:

     

    Mexico’s president-elect Amlo to take 60% pay cut in austerity push
     

    Mexican president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador has said he plans to earn less than half of what his predecessor made when he takes office in December as part of an austerity push in government.
     
    “What we want is for the budget to reach everybody,” he told reporters in front of his campaign headquarters.
     
    López Obrador said he will take home 108,000 pesos a month, which is $5,707 at current exchange rates, and that no public official will be able to earn more than the president during his six-year term. The transition team calculates that current Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto makes 270,000 pesos a month.
    […]
    López Obrador said he would like to reduce his salary even further, but he does not want to cause resentment among future cabinet members who are in some cases leaving private sector positions and academic posts that pay more than the new ceiling for public officials.
     
    He reiterated campaign promises to cut back on taxpayer funded perks for high-level government officials, such as chauffeurs, bodyguards and private medical insurance. The official presidential residence will become a cultural centre and ex-presidents will no longer receive pensions, he said.
     
    At the same time, he reiterated pledges to stem corruption. Mexico ranks 135 out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption Perception Index, with higher numbers indicating higher levels of corruption.
     
    Public officials will have to disclose their assets, he said, and corruption will be considered a serious offense.
     
    Supporters gathered beyond the gates cheered the proposals.“This is what we need,” said Josefina Arciniega, 57, who earns 12,000 pesos a month as an administrative assistant. “We are fed up.”
     
    Arciniega said she is tired of low-level public servants asking for bribes and of watching high-ranking officials living in luxury while people such as her struggle to pay the bills.
    [….]

  9. The problem is not “What’s wrong with the Democrats……”

    the problem is, “What’s wrong with the Republicans….”

    a little FOCUS goes a long way.

     

  10. now here’s a master gamesman

    wapo:
    HELSINKI — Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Helsinki almost an hour late, tossed off his jacket while still on the tarmac and climbed into a new Russian-made limousine on its first foreign tour.
     
    Those were the first moments of Putin’s arrival for his much-anticipated summit meeting with Trump — and they underscored his honed ability to maximize the power of the image and the drama of high-profile, made-for-TV political events.
     
    As he has done with many other foreign leaders, Putin kept Trump waiting, landing about an hour after his scheduled arrival time. The automobile that then whizzed Putin through Helsinki’s blocked-off streets also symbolized the rising global prestige that Putin has cast himself as bestowing upon Russia.
    The car, part of a state vehicle-manufacturing initiative called Kortezh — the Russian word for “motorcade” — rivals the U.S. president’s “Beast” limo in its imposing aura. It’s nearly 22 feet long and five-and-a-half feet tall. Putin took a ride in it from one building inside the Kremlin to another on his inauguration day in May. It replaces the stretch Mercedes that long ferried Putin around.

    […continues…]

  12. Re Helsinki. Trump has warmer relations with Russia that he does with the European democracies Murdoch made this all possible Yet May’s government decided that there was no moral or ethical problem with Fox taking over Sky May’s in his pocket Beyond disgraceful

    —john cleese

  13. Bette Midler @BetteMidler

    The DOJ indicts 12 Russians for interference in the 2016 elections, and Trump meets Putin and blames the US for tensions.  An outright traitor who disparages his own country.  What good is he to us??

  14. From Michael McFaul’s Wapo piece this morning.

    Finally, Putin will probably be late. He made Obama wait for 45 minutes before their meeting in Los Cabos. Kerry wandered Red Square and then chilled at the Ritz-Carlton for several hours before Putin was finally ready to host us at the Kremlin in 2013. Of course, Putin wants to make a good impression with Trump. If he is on time, that might signal his real desire to embrace Trump — and then we should all get a little more worried.

    I think we should all be a little more worried regardless.

  15. Craig – one conversation I had Saturday in Virginia with a farmer was telling.  We were discussing soybean crops, she had planted corn this year, and not being able to sell it to China, or elsewhere.  She asked if he knew the pain he was causing for farmers.  I responded that he probably does not know or care; that he probably does not know what being on a farm smells like.  She laughed and said something about hoping he knew what he was doing.  In my truck, out of her hearing I told my steering wheel that he has no clue about anything.

  17. I awoke at five to see the first photo of the trump and putie meeting…it might have been the early morning eyesight, but the body language was hysterical.  trump was making a heart symbol with his tiny hands in front of his body while putie was stroking his wrist.  trump looked like a contestant on America’s Got Talent, looking for love and approval.  putie with his pencil and pad next to him, always looks disinterested.  I doubt if trump will get the friendship necklace he craves.  Other meetings?  Same tired group of trump brown nosers sitting with him at the larger meeting.

    Far cry from the days of ‘kill a commie for Mommy” or “better-off dead than red.”

    Nice post BB, farmer suicides are up.  trumpeconomics haven’t even hit hard as-of-yet. California, the grocery store of the US, is dealing with many issues of drought, fire, rain, etc. but still remains a strong economy because they are blue, progressive.  How are things working-out for you rabid trump supporters in the red states?  Trading friends and foes are targeting you and there has to be a price paid for your ignorance.

    To Diane F, thank you for your years of service, but it is time to retire, get off of the stage.   I want to see your mentor list.

  20. I haven’t always thought Difi was the best choice but I would vote for her any day over Rich DeLeon who is total asshole

  21. Follow Follow @SenFranken

    More

     

    When Judge Brett Kavanaugh appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I wish I could be there. Because I have some questions I’d love to see him answer. Here they are:

     

    6:23 PM – 13 Jul 2018

    [here is an excerpt concluding his list on facebook]
    By the way: Once I had him pinned down on his ridiculous lie, I’d ask where it came from.
    24: Let me ask you about something else. Did President Trump, or anyone in his administration, have any input on your remarks at that press conference?
    25: Did President Trump, or anyone in his administration, instruct, ask, or suggest that you make that assertion?
    I know this might seem like a long chase. Senators have a lot of ground they want to cover in these hearings: health care, choice, net neutrality, and a long list of incredibly important issues on which Kavanaugh has been, and would continue to be, terrible. After all, he was chosen through a shoddy, disgraceful process overseen by the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation.
    And, of course, Kavanaugh is a smart guy. He and his team no doubt know that his easily provable lie is a potential problem, and I’m sure they’re workshopping answers at this very moment.
    But pinning him down on this is important, for a couple of reasons.
    First of all, it was exactly the kind of lie that has been plaguing our discourse for a generation, the kind that has become prevalent under the Trump administration. It’s just a totally made-up assertion that is exactly the
    opposite of the truth, flowing out of the mouth of a committed partisan who doesn’t care that it’s false. And if you’re sick of people doing that and getting away with it, at some point someone is going to have to start using a prominent stage to bust these lies. If they go unchallenged, then why would any of these guys stop lying, ever?
    More to the point: This episode is a perfect illustration of what the conservative movement has been doing to the Supreme Court nomination and confirmation process specifically, and the judicial system generally, for a generation now.
    In theory, judges are supposed to be above partisan politics. They don’t make law, they interpret it. They don’t create the strike zone, they just call balls and strikes. You know the routine.
    The truth is, for the last generation, conservatives have politicized the Court, and the courts. Kavanaugh is the very model of a young, arch-conservative judge who has been groomed for moments like this one precisely because conservative activists know that he will issue expansive, activist rulings to further their agenda. He has spent his whole career carefully cultivating a reputation as a serious and thoughtful legal scholar—but he wouldn’t have been on that list if he weren’t committed to the right-wing cause.
    That’s why it’s critical to recognize that the very first thing he did as a Supreme Court nominee was to parrot a false, partisan talking point. Of
    course that’s what he did. Advancing the goals of the Republican Party and the conservative movement is what he’s there to do.
    When the Kavanaugh nomination was announced, I saw a lot of statements from Senators saying they looked forward to carefully evaluating his credentials and asking him questions about his judicial philosophy. But anyone who ignores the obvious fact that this nomination, and the judicial nomination process in general, has become a partisan exercise for Republicans is just playing along with the farce.
    Instead, we ought to be having a real conversation about what conservatives have done to the principle of judicial independence—and what progressives can do to correct it. I can think of no better example of the problem than Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination and the bizarre lie he uttered moments after it was made official. And I can think of no better opportunity to start turning the tide than Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing—even if it means going down a rabbit hole for a few uncomfortable minutes.
     

  23. his questions 4-5 in case you were wondering about the “ridiculous lie” al was talking about:
    4. When you were introduced by President Trump, you spoke to the American people for the very first time as a nominee for the Supreme Court. That is a very important moment in this process, wouldn’t you agree?
    5. And one of the very first things that came out of your mouth as a nominee for the Supreme Court was the following assertion: “No president has ever consulted more widely, or talked with more people from more backgrounds, to seek input about a Supreme Court nomination.” Did I quote you correctly?
    This claim, of course, was not just false, but ridiculous. The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake (a Minnesota native) called it “a thoroughly inauspicious way to begin your application to the nation’s highest court, where you will be deciding the merits of the country’s most important legal and factual claims.”
    It would be only fair to give Kavanaugh a chance to retract that weirdly specific bit of bullshit.

  24. KGC, to me, it is too late to stop the change.  There are a lot of old, good humans who have to move aside for assholes to take their place.  Change lets in good and bad.   The change in the democratic party is not different.  As it responds to the corruption in the republican party and deals with its own ageism, misogyny, racism?  Nothing will ever be as it was.   To me?  It is the digital nature and culture of our current society.   It is so easy to sway humans from one side to another with amazing speed and conviction.   I am of the old analog humans and although I appreciate computers, communication and ease of operation of the digital society?  I understand it’s divisive nature.  You are either ‘for or against,’ ‘on or off.’   I hold-out hope for the qubit computing where I believe the ‘real AI’ will start.  The qubit can hold ‘yes, no and maybe’ in its realm.  Something that is missing from the today’s digital messaging.  You are either ‘for or against.’  The qubit simulates the true human thought.

  25. BW – just have to wonder how many of those pens are really pens and not recording devices.

    I have been thinking that one of the side hints from the Mueller indictments last week was to let the KGB(Putin)/FSB/SVR and especially the GRU know that we are in their house.  That whatever they were transmitting from the KGB-SFB solo meeting was being listened to by the NSA too.  SFB may not have worn a wire, but I am positive Putin and his translator were.


  26. “If you look around the table and can’t figure out who the mark is- it’s you.”
    -mid 20th century American proverb

  27. Bink, I see two marks, the guy with the white around his eyes and the guy with the over-sized white mustache.  The other mark, Big Mike (fresh from his n.korean successes), is not pictured.

  28. The ruskie pens probably release pheromones, too.

    Or there might be ‘sniffer’ pens getting a smell of the old prez…a waft of the US delegation.

  29. BBronc…  I forgot to tell you what a terrific post.  The pain that farmers are feeling is just the beginning.  It’s hard for some to admit they’ve made a mistake and backed the wrong horse.  But sooner or later those farmers will admit it, IMO.  Farmers can’t be stupid… or they become former farmers.

    The old vs the new debate will be all the rage this fall… but you know who’s going to settle it… the voting constituents.

  32. RR – thank you.  Farming is important to the US, even though the 1930’s or 1950’s version of the farmer is no longer correct.

  34. Enemies of the state announced to the world.

    Democrats, intelligence, hillary, the server, bowder, strzok, the mueller probe, the EU,Canada and children of asylum seekers on our southern border .

  36. DeLeon is not going to win  – he came in second in the primary and she was first by a big margin.

    As for DiFi mentees   I guess I’m one
    Oddly she really wanted to be governor and couldn’t get elected.
    I agree she has stayed too long and for my taste way too conservative. But regardless of the rumors of conflicts of interest with her husband Dick Blum, she is honest and I doubt personal gain has ever influenced her vote.
    She has a lot of people who owe their careers in government – she’s old and so are they,

    I think the fault lies not so much with the office holders but with the party especially John Burton and Willie Louis Brown two of the worst people on earth.

    When she was mayor she had a police an fire scanner and used to show up at fires. She is an interesting person and while I wish she was more progressive on balance I would rather have her than Rich DeLeon who is loon

    DiFi was in one of the early CORO classes and a lot of her pay it forward is done through this program.

    CORO FELLOWS PROGRAM


    I like to call them Corons but they are everywhere is state and local government in California.

  37. Thanks, RR, corrected.

    KGC, I like a lot of what Diane has done…a lifetime of work.  It is why I wish more elder politicians would graciously share their mentor list — give some more visibility and access to their younger underlings.  It might prevent assholes from filling the vacuum when the hook comes and yanks you off-of-the-stage.

  38. “…the digital society?  I understand it’s divisive nature.  You are either ‘for or against,’ ‘on or off.’   I hold-out hope for the qubit computing where I believe the ‘real AI’ will start.  The qubit can hold ‘yes, no and maybe’ in its realm.  Something that is missing from the today’s digital messaging.  You are either ‘for or against.’  The qubit simulates the true human thought.”

    BW, well put.  am all for a ‘yes, no and maybe’ take on concepts with “wows” or their opposite “eye rolls” thrown in there now and then to spice up society, conversations and politics.

  40. time:
    At a 46-minute joint press conference with Putin, Trump argued that the Russian president had “powerfully” denied meddling in the election and said he didn’t see “any reason” why they would have.
     
    “My people came to me — [Director of National Intelligence] Dan Coats came to me and some others. They said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin — he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this, I don’t see any reason why it would be,” Trump said Monday, when asked whether he believed U.S. intelligence officials over Putin and whether he would denounce the Russian interference.
    [..]
    “I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,” Trump said Monday. “And what he did is an incredible offer — he offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that’s an incredible offer.”
     
    [….]
     
    Asked if he held Russia accountable for anything, Trump said, “I hold both countries responsible,” doubling down on tweets earlier Monday in which he faulted “U.S. foolishness and stupidity” for the country’s relationship with Russia.
    Both Trump and Putin repeatedly denied accusations that the Trump campaign had colluded with Russian intelligence officials to swing the election. “You can trust no one,” Putin said, calling claims of collusion “utter nonsense.” Trump, meanwhile, called Mueller’s investigation “a disaster for our country.”
     
    “I do feel that we have both made some mistakes,” Trump said, referring to the United States and Russia. “I think that the probe is a disaster for our country. I think it’s kept us apart, it’s kept us separated. There was no collusion at all.”

  41. SFB  scarier everyday

    Remember when Russian was a popular HS language choice   sorry you passed it up?

  42. KGC, unfortunately, in all landslides, tsunamis and earthquakes, there is a loss of of a lot of good people, collateral damage.    Diane is an outstanding human, but the young are beginning to outnumber the old.  Voting has changed and the russians have delivered a really old prez to us.  I hope the dems deliver a younger candidate for 2020.  Not a rehash of the old going back in time.  But, we need to focus on 2018 and it would be easier for us to elect all dems no matter how awful than to fight it out in 2020.  The 2018 midterms will be interesting and get everyone you know to register and vote.  I think trump can be impeached if the blue side wins.

  43. depicting vlad and bff twit  “a unicorn, riding a unicorn over a rainbow” to quote sean spicer 

  44. In California, people are doing everything we can to take back as many congressional districts as we can and except for the ones that are so out of whack they can’t be won – I think there will be an even bigger blue tint to the California delegation.

    I guess that I am age sensitive  I’m 72 and Mr. Cracker is 90.  I like to think we have a clue.

  45. just to repeat for emphasis:

    Both Trump and Putin repeatedly denied accusations that the Trump campaign had colluded with Russian intelligence officials to swing the election. “You can trust no one,” Putin said, calling claims of collusion “utter nonsense.” Trump, meanwhile, called Mueller’s investigation “a disaster for our country.”

  46. the guardian
    Vladimir Putin: I wanted Donald Trump to win US election – live

    Russian president says he was in favour of Trump because he ‘spoke about normalising Russian relations’. Follow live updates

    LIVE Updated 5m ago

     

     

  48. KGC…I am 64 and a great volunteer, but not employable (paid) . Old humans still make new brain cells.   And it is more of a sign of when we are born and demographics than usefulness, wisdom or longevity.  There are many super-agers in America.   But there is also too many people and not enough young to support the old.  Our birth rate is dropping while the gop is trying to limit immigration.  I thought I had more working time ahead of me, but young people need jobs and futures.

  49. wait wait wait

    To me the most serious employment problem in the country are people who get laid off after age 50, it ruins lives.   I think people should not step aside and one of the things I have repeatedly said about almost any federal spending that it should encourage and demand where possible the hiring of people who are now long term unemployed because of their age.   Currently there is no special help for people in this category.

  50. I have no connections with California beyond Travis AFB, Oakland Army Terminal, the Oakland Bay Bridge, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Oops, I forgot many GIs’ favorite song which is down below.

    Still, despite the lack of tangible connection, I have offered Senator Feinstein my financial support for the upcoming election. She is a stabilizing, mature voice in an institution that desperately needs individuals with those qualities.

  51. I wonder who won the design contest for Russia’s new flag……red, white, and blue…….catchy.

  52. I am a road warrior today so I heard the Putin’s/SFB “News” conference. What an embarrassment. Not sure exactly how far up SFB’s ass Vlad has his hand but definitely somewhere between the wrist and elbow.

  53. Never good when a former CIA director calls you a traitor …

    “Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you??”

    — John O. Brennan, 1:14 PM – 16 Jul 2018

  55. Republican congressional leaders to Trump:  “Putty ate your lunch asshole”

  56. It scares the shit out of me that Trump can send our military to war on a whim. Even now our Air Force is recalling retirees to active duty to pilot airplanes. I don’t mind that he has the authority to recall me to active duty—but is that in the best interest of those who would work for and report to me? It’s only been 35-years since I marched out the gate.

  57. I think that CA could do a lot worse than re-elect Sen Feinstein, but Mr Solar would vehemently disagree with me.

  59. Flatus I hope the bench isn’t so thin that SFB is recalling 35 year retirees. I’m all for the wisdom that experience provides, but that’s a bit beyond. I suspect you’ve forgotten more than the current crop of NCOs has learned, but in 35 years you can forget a lot more than troop readiness might require.

  61. yeah, but what do they know…..    actually a lot

     

    click2houston:  Former intel chiefs condemn Trump’s news conference with Putin

     
    Former US intelligence chiefs expressed astonishment and condemnation Monday in response to President Donald Trump’s comments at Monday’s news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with former CIA Director John Brennan calling the US President’s performance “nothing short of treasonous.”
    Following his one-on-one meeting with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, Trump declined to endorse the US intelligence community’s assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election over Putin’s denial, saying the Russian President was “extremely strong and powerful” in his denial.
    “Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treasonous,” Brennan, a frequent critic of Trump who served as CIA chief from 2013 through January 2017, tweeted during the event. “Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???”
    Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Trump “failed America today,” but stopped short of calling the President’s behavior “treasonous.”
    “I would not have said it the way John (Brennan) said it. John can say it the way he wants to say it. But as to impeachment, we’ll see how this plays out. That’s a congressional responsibility and the Congress must do what they think is in the best interest of this country,” Hagel told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
    The Obama-era defense secretary said that Trump didn’t appear to have a strategy.
    “This was not a golf outing. This was not a real estate transactional kind of arrangement. … Engagement must be connected to a strategic interest, a strategic purpose. I don’t know what that strategic purpose was. I am now convinced we didn’t have one,” Hagel said, later remarking that the meeting with Putin marked “a sad day for America” and “a sad day for the world.”
    Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who served during the Obama administration, called the news conference “truly unbelievable.”
    “On the world’s stage, in front of the entire globe, the President of the United States essentially capitulated and seems intimidated by Vladimir Putin. So it was amazing and very, very disturbing,” Clapper, a CNN national security analyst, told Anderson Cooper Monday afternoon.
    Former CIA and National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden, who led the NSA during the final years of George W. Bush’s presidency, also expressed dismay over the President’s performance.
    In one tweet, Hayden expressed agreement with an analysis that Trump believes Putin more than American intelligence agencies. And when another user tweeted “holy f****n s**t” following the news conference, Hayden responded, “I agree.”

  62. drum beat begins

    ny times:

    Trump and Putin vs. America

     
    From the beginning of his administration, President Trump has responded to every new bit of evidence from the C.I.A., F.B.I. and N.S.A. that Russia intervened in our last election on his behalf by either attacking Barack Obama or the Democrats for being too lax — never President Vladimir Putin of Russia for his unprecedented cyberhit on our democratic process. Such behavior by an American president is so perverse, so contrary to American interests and values, that it leads to only one conclusion: Donald Trump is either an asset of Russian intelligence or really enjoys playing one on TV.
    Everything that happened in Helsinki today only reinforces that conclusion. My fellow Americans, we are in trouble and we have some big decisions to make today. This was a historic moment in the entire history of the United States.
    There is overwhelming evidence that our president, for the first time in our history, is deliberately or through gross negligence or because of his own twisted personality engaged in treasonous behavior — behavior that violates his oath of office to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
    Trump vacated that oath today, and Republicans can no longer run and hide from that fact. Every single Republican lawmaker will be — and should be — asked on the election trail: Are you with Trump and Putin or are you with the C.I.A., F.B.I. and N.S.A.?

    [….]

    To watch an American president dis his own intelligence agencies, blame both sides for the Russian hacking of our election — and deliberately try to confuse the fact that there is still no solid proof of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia with the fact that Russia had its own interest in trying to defeat the anti-Putin Hillary Clinton — actually made me sick to my stomach. I completely endorse the former C.I.A. director John O. Brennan’s tweet after the news conference:

    “Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???”

    [….continues…]

  63. the guardian: Trump ‘treasonous’ after siding with Putin on election meddling

     

    Donald Trump has been condemned as “treasonous” for siding with the Kremlin over his own government agencies after a stunning joint appearance with Vladimir Putin in which he seemingly accepted the Russian leader’s denial of election meddling.

    […]
    John McCain, chairman of the Senate armed services committee and a former Republican presidential nominee, said: “Today’s press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory. The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naivety, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake.”
     
    There was even a rebuke from the most senior elected Republican, House Speaker Paul Ryan, who said both the US intelligence community and the House intelligence committee concluded that Russia interfered in the election.
    “The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals,” he said. “The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy.”
     
    [….]
     
    And Jeff Flake, a Republican senator from Arizona, tweeted: “I never thought I would see the day when our American President would stand on the stage with the Russian President and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression. This is shameful.”
    […]
    The comments prompted consternation in Washington. Republican senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska said: “This is bizarre and flat-out wrong. The United States is not to blame. America wants a good relationship with the Russian people but Vladimir Putin and his thugs are responsible for Soviet-style aggression. When the President plays these moral equivalence games, he gives Putin a propaganda win he desperately needs.”
    […continues..]

     

     

  64. Although the games are far from over, recent score —

    Mueller 35 36

    trumpence junta  0

    russian agent butina, gun moll, arrested Sunday and appears in federal court.

    Maria Butina, 29, was arrested Sunday in the District and made her first appearance in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson. Her attorney, Robert Neil Driscoll, told the judge that Butina’s residence was searched by the FBI in April, that she had testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in a closed session several months ago, and that “we have been offering to cooperate with the government the entire time.”

    Butina is accused of developing relationships with American politicians and a “gun rights organization,” none of which are named in the affidavit supporting the criminal complaint. FBI Special Agent Kevin Helson wrote that Butina was attempting to “establish a ‘back channel’ communication for representatives of the Government of Russia.”

    (notice NRA is NOT formerly named.)

  67.  

    Random tweeter

    Please note! California Senator Dianne Feinstein was the first Member of Congress to request documents concerning the NRA’s relationship with Russia. In her letter to Trump campaign staffers, she named Paul Erickson, Maria Butina & Alexander Torshin.

  68. Bronc

    Great post about an issue that gets way too little attention.  Farmers are often the ones who feel impending depression/recession first.

    I’m in the DiFi camp just as I am with Pelosi.  They are elderly.  They both have probably been around too long, but they will be desperately needed to transition from their generation to the younger ones coming in.  It is always good to take riding lessons before you try to take up championship jumping and a lot of these incoming youngsters such as the newbie from New York will need a lot of training before anyone hands over the reins.

  69. Well….  now we know why the republican party has always favored the color red…

  70. Red…….

    I never could figure out what, if anything, it meant, but I was watching Ollie North testifying. and I began to notice something in the background…….when the camera was at the side and North was in profile……at the end of the row of seats where North was, to his left hanging against the wall was a floor to ceiling scarlet red drape or something, like a soviet flag without the hammering cycle, and North would at times be framed by it.   It was weird looking.

    i couldn’t recall seeing any such testifying rooms before to be adorned by large red rectangles.

  72. Pelosi, Ginsburg, and Feinstein. Three great old ladies, who were once the new generation.

    Carve them on Mt Rushmore.

    Then make room for the new generation.

  78. Craig, that illustration of the Thanksgiving Eagle dinner without attribution to the original artist (Norman Rockwell?) of the Turkey Dinner work on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post is shameful.

  79. bw, butina not one of muellers which is a good thing since the nra deserves special limelight — preferably a very big power beam and searchlight — on it.  this way it won’t get buried amidst Manafort, cohen, Flynn et al.

    nice touch that they were using the prayer breakfast and its hypocrites who should have known better and heeded matt 6:5 [And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.]   let us hope they, indeed, get their “reward” come November.

    buzzfeed:

    Charges Say Accused Russian Agent Used The NRA And The National Prayer Breakfast In Effort To Influence US Policy

    […]
    According to court documents, which spell her first name as Mariia, Butina worked “at the direction of a high-level official in the Russian government” from 2015 through at least February 2017 to cultivate relationships with US politicians and activists friendly to Russia. Descriptions in the document match Torshin, though he is unnamed.
    She was helped in those efforts by two Americans who are identified only as Person 1 and Person 2, the court filings say.
    The charges were made public just hours after Trump met with Putin in Helsinki, and three days after a dozen Russian intelligence officers were charged with hacking Democrats during the 2016 election campaign. The case is not part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling, but was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
    Butina had become a familiar face in conservative political circles. She founded a Russian gun rights group, Right to Bear Arms, in 2011 and repeatedly claimed on social media that she was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. In 2013, her gun rights group got John Bolton, now Trump’s national security adviser, to appear in a video that was used in the group’s lobbying.

    [….]

    Her social media posts reveal just how extensively she and Torshin worked to meet politicians and others they thought would be influential for years. Her LiveJournal shows them both meeting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker when he was a Republican presidential candidate. Photos of her with former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Sanotorum and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindhal are available on the internet.

    [….]

    Butina also used the annual National Prayer Breakfast as a way to make contacts with influential people, according to the court filings. On Nov. 30, 2016, Butina emailed “US Person 1,” saying the Russian delegation attending the National Prayer Breakfast had been “handpicked” by a senior Russian official and were “VERY influential in Russia.”

    She said the delegation was attending the National Prayer Breakfast to “establish a back channel of communication.”

    […continues…]

  80. This is a problem that effects all Americans, but is wholly owned by the republican party.  Whether they step up and remove this turd from the punch bowl, or continue to say “somewhat negative” things against the narcissist – all the time keeping him in power: will determine the future of the republican party in the US.  The people will only take too much.

     

  81. sooo butina might be the link that explains nunes and the other gopers intent on doing in the Russian investigations.  could she have coordinated the funneling of russian campaign contributions to them thru the nra? is that why they owe more than the usual allegiance to the twit and were willing to sell their souls?

  83. Protest tonight in Lafayette Park across from the White House.  Loved the “Lock Him Up” sign I saw.

  85. pai at the fcc and ethics or fear?   He turned down the musket from the NRA for his courage.  Now he takes on the media giant and trump fav, sinclair.

    Sinclair Broadcast Group had everything going for it when it announced its $3.9 billion purchase of Tribune Media in May 2017: close ties to the Trump administration, and a friendly Federal Communications Commission chairman who cleared a path for regulators to approve the mega-deal.

    But 14 months later, Sinclair’s deal is headed toward an almost-certain defeat, with that same FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, sending the merger on Monday into an administrative proceeding that is tantamount to a death sentence.
    “Let’s be honest, if you’re Sinclair and you lose Chairman Pai, you’ve done something wrong,” said a person in the media industry who opposed to the transaction.
    Within hours of Pai’s announcement Monday, FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr, a fellow Republican, and Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, indicated they would support the chairman’s plan to send the matter to an administrative law judge, a lengthy process that in past transactions has proven to be a deal killer. That represents a majority on the commission needed to advance the measure.

  86. mini-me trump, runt paul has beeen sounding like trump at the presser today.  Dissing Mr. Mueller, praising russia, trashing nato, praising putin and calling the investigation a Witch Hunt.  Guess who is headed to Russia?

    Paul announced on Monday that he would be visiting Russia in a few weeks “to discuss common ground with their leaders and help prevent further, unnecessary escalation of tensions.”

    Paul’s strange behavior resumed after Trump’s disastrous press conference with Putin. First, Paul retweeted a Pizzagate truther who was covering the event.

    Paul followed that up by expressing support for Trump’s performance in Finland, which has been criticized by many members of his own party.

  89. trump is merely a russian oligarch. That answers every question about trump’s behavior on the international scene. It is all perfectly clear now.

Comments are closed.