Dick Storey

 Poll Watch

The % of adults who say these occupations have high or very high ethical standards

• Nursing = 78%
• Veterinarians = 66%
• Engineers = 56%
• Doctors (MD) = 56%
• Journalists = 19%
• Lawyers = 16%
• Business executives, insurance sales people & stockbrokers = 12%
• U.S. senators & members of Congress = 6%

(source: The Week magazine 2/3/2024 from a recent Gallup poll)

W Leggett

1. Honesty: Being truthful and transparent in all dealings

2. Integrity: Adhering to moral principles and values.

3. Responsibility: Being accountable for one’s actions and decisions.

4. Fairness: Treating everyone equally and impartially.

5 Compassion: Showing empathy and concern for others

6. Respect: Valuing the dignity and worth of every individual.

Loyalty: Being faithful to one’s commitments and obligations

Privacy: Respecting the confidentiality of personal information

These are just a few examples of ethical standards. Ethical standards can vary depending on the context, industry, and culture. They are adopted to inspire trust, fairness, and kindness among parties. Ethical standards also reflect the values and virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty. Ethical standards may also relate to the rights of individuals, such as the right to life, freedom, and privacy 

Connie Schuerman (Von Dielingen)

Hi Bill ....   for some reason I'm not receiving emails from our website about recent posts ...  would you please resend me your last post ....  thanks ! 

W Leggett

W Leggett

This is a sex education lesson from 1929.

P.S. - This is a sophomore class;

the seniors are no longer surprised

Connie Schuerman (Von Dielingen)

Good one Bill !     I received this email, but it went to my spam file ! 

Dick Storey

Email from Senator Jon Tester (D) MT—sent to many people.

2/1/2024

Hi folks—

I'm going to get right to it because this is important: For too long, Congress has kicked the can down the road on securing our southern border. That needs to stop—and as I wrote in a recent op-ed, it's time for Congress to stop pointing fingers and deliver a bipartisan border security deal to get the job done:

What's happening at our southern border is unacceptable. When I talk to Montana sheriffs and mayors across our state, they all tell me that what's happening at the border and with the fentanyl crisis are directly impacting their communities. And when I visited our southern border, I stood at a section of the wall near McAllen, Texas, and spoke directly with Border Patrol agents who told me they need additional manpower and resources to get the job done. Problem is, some politicians in Washington would rather use the border as a political talking point than actually pass commonsense changes. That is completely unacceptable. Montanans sent me to Washington to get things done, and that means fighting for a deal that will protect Montana and this nation.

As I press my colleagues to share this urgency to roll up our sleeves and reach a solution on the southern border, I'm also prioritizing efforts to crack down on fentanyl. That means getting law enforcement the tools to do their jobs—like through my bipartisan ANTI Drugs Act—and it's a reason I've led my colleagues to push for more funding, resources, and innovative strategies for border patrol agents.

To solve these problems and get a bipartisan border deal over the finish line, my colleagues in Congress are going to have to quit the political gamesmanship. Folks are going to have to lean on bipartisan solutions, and they're going to have to bring the kind of hardworking mentality that Montanans take to their own jobs every day.

Bottom line is, Montanans are tired of folks playing politics with border security—and so am I. Securing our border shouldn't be a partisan issue, and I'll work with anyone to get a deal done that protects our state and our nation.

-----------------------------------------

( I agree!)

W Leggett

There is so much happening right now that it feels almost impossible to keep up with everything. With expanding chaos and falling order, war, corruption, poverty and lies, the problems the world faces today are so numerous that I am uncertain that we can find a proper solution to get common sense back on track towards a future worth living in. Is it still possible for us to serve a “best case scenario” for the people of America and to those who want independence around the world?

I’ve been thinking over all of the stories that have been recently coming out that I have come across and imagining what would be the best case scenario for the world to get back on track and back to business. I’ve spent the past week coming back to this article and writing a little bit more as the news unfolds over days. After mapping out ways that I believe we could achieve the best case scenario, I found myself watching an interview with Colonel Douglas McGregor where, when speaking about conflicts in the middle east and around the world, he said, “I would bet on the worst case”. The opposite of everything I’ve been writing here. Do I believe that good can still come out of these messes that we see today? Yes. Am I also aware that the potential for worst case scenarios across the board of modern life is honestly more probable? Yes. Do I still believe it is worthwhile, as a writer, to think, write and speak hope into the world? Yes. Many believe the world is on the brink of falling apart. Maybe it will. Or maybe these are the turning points in a new age for freedom and prosperity on Earth.

From the farmers protests in France and Germany, to Javier Milei taking the presidency in Argentina and openly speaking out against the World Economic Forum at Davos, back to the open border of the United States where a massive trucker convoy is set to peacefully protest this week, people are turning their backs on the globalism that seeks to dictate how the planet functions. With a looming threat of World War 3, economic uncertainty and a year of important elections well on the way, tensions are rising and no one knows what is going to happen next.

For now, let’s take a look over some of the various issues of the moment to consider how we may create this “best case scenario” to turn all of this chaos back on track towards reestablishing functioning order with common sense freedom.

First, populist protests are breaking out around the world as people are fed up with the objectives of communistic globalism.The mainstream media has completely covered up the fact that these populist protests are breaking out around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people across the European Union from France to Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and more have been taking their farming machines to the streets for weeks to peacefully protest against taxes, communistic reforms and the attempted control over the food supply. At the US border, a convoy of truckers is said to be well on the way to peacefully protest against the mass illegal immigration that has been allowed and facilitated by the Biden administration. What will become of these mass protest movements? Will governments listen to the people and learn to change their ways? Or will all of these efforts be swept under the rug by government and media control who will barely even acknowledge the fact that any of this is actually happening? Will the people be set up like J6? Or demonized like Donald Trump? Has every movement against communistic globalism become a caricature of “far right extremism”? Do the people who stand against these populist movements in government and modern leadership believe that food is essential, or are their attempts at mass control just merely another effort of steps towards reducing the global population?

Best case scenario here is that the people are allowed to have free elections and are capable of just voting all of these people who want communistic globalism out of power. Is this still possible? So far Taiwan has voted for its own independence and China hasn’t come out and directly attacked them for doing so, so so far so good right?

Good enough. I was happy to see the victory in Taiwan and happy to see China do nothing about it. Best case scenario here would be that Taiwan keeps its independence, China changes its mind and allows Taiwan to be its own country, they both make a trade deal and both just get back to business. I know China’s economy is falling apart in real time, as just this week even their massive company of Evergrande was ruled to be liquidated by a Hong Kong court. Who knows where that will end up, but best case scenario there is that China is just too broke and too much of a paper tiger to actually do anything, so instead chooses to do nothing when it comes to war and instead just gets back to taking care of its own people. Another best case scenario would be the youth in China standing up against their own communist regime. I’d love to see China let go of Hong Kong, free Tibet and forget about Taiwan. It’s possible and it would be the best way for everyone just to get back to business. Getting back to business around the world is the best case scenario for any idea of “world peace”.

Regardless, that still feels nearly impossible. Even now China has sent 200 ships to the Philippines over trade route disputes. China wants control of the waters in the area, which cannot be allowed. Best case scenario is we both continue to allow trade for all nations freely without interruption as this is what is best for the people of all of these nations in the region.

New threats are again rising in the Balkan region as well. The old Yugoslavian nations are turning against each other again. Serbia wants mandatory military service to prepare for potential conflict. Kosovo, seeking separation from Serbia by disconnecting from a shared currency is becoming yet another unnecessary flash point on the world stage. Again, best case scenario I can see is that these countries focus on business instead of war talk.

The war between Russia and Ukraine pointlessly rages on with no end in sight. Ukraine is in desperate need for more money, more weapons and more troops. Zelensky and his army are currently going through a power struggle as both are not in agreement with how their operations have been moving forward. Millions of dollars have just come out to have been stolen from aid that was already given to Ukraine, but that is no surprise. There’s still a running joke I see online where our government takes our tax dollars, to send to Ukraine, to be taken by Zelensky, to pay Biden through Hunter. Money laundering by war. That’s a joke, but it’s almost too close too modern reality for comfort. It’s all just so silly at this point. The harsh reality is so many have already died in this war that hardly ever gets spoken about, and there may not be resources enough for this to reasonably continue without other countries deepening their involvement. Best case scenario is some kind of ceasefire land deal is worked out between the two nations and we can all, yet again, just get back to business for our people.

Looking back to the middle east, as China and Russia are far from the only problem we currently face on the world stage, there is so much uncertainty, division and chaos there that, again, I find it difficult to completely wrap my mind around. Just this week we found out that 3 US soldiers were killed in a suicide drone strike in Jordan, injuring dozens of other soldiers and opening the US for calls to attack Iran in response. Now reports are coming out that we may actually even have boots on the ground in Yemen, but the double speak and back and forward between the White House and Pentagon leave that uncertain. Best case scenario here is for the attacks to stop, everyone get back to business, remove Hamas leadership and party rule in Palestine, go with the two state solution or work out some sort of deal to help move the Palestinians to another country peacefully. Hezbollah stands down. War doesn’t spread to Lebanon. The US only strikes in response to direct attacks on trade flow and we all get back to business and back to a peace through strength mentality. No massive war with Iran.

The US and allied nations have pulled funding from the UNRWA after learning that some of its members helped Hamas with the attacks on Israel from October 7th. Trump had stopped funding the organization branch back in 2019, but Biden immediately resumed mass funding for them when he came back into office and has given nearly a billion dollars to them since that time. Best case scenario here is to just  stop funding any branch of the UN, NATO or any of these other hidden compartments of collective government that aren’t serving the well being of ally nations. Best case scenario is that we do not fund terrorism anywhere, whether through the UN or the Biden administration or the military or our allies.

Ben Shapiro and Elon Musk recently visited Israel and shared what I thought to be a great conversation between the two. Right after that Ben Shapiro randomly became the #1 rapper on Earth and Elon Musk revealed that the first Neuralink was installed into a human. Best case scenario is that we continue to see more creative conservative media and art and that Neuralink works well and the person is better for it. Step by step, but I have a great hope for seeing both happen. 

Kari Lake leaked a phone call where the GOP chair of Arizona tried to bribe her out of running. Best case scenario would be he stepped down and was replaced with a better person for the job. On a better note than most of the recent news, that is exactly what happened. Corruption quit while Trump and Kari Lake backed Gina Swoboda stepped up to take over the job. Great to see and a nice step forward in one aspect of all of this.

Ron DeSantis stepped out of the presidential run, which seems like ages ago but was only last week, as Nikki Haley continues to run with democratic funding against the party choice. Best case scenario is Nikki Haley just decides to drop out too so we can focus our time and resources on the candidate that the people of the current Republican Party want to see become President.

E Jean Carroll somehow won over 80 million dollars in court against Trump merely for him talking against her. This is ridiculous. Best case scenario is the case goes to appeal. Fanni Willis in Georgia is caught up in a tax mess payoff love affair scandal. Best case scenario is the case gets dropped and we can get back to a fair election. Same goes for all of the other indictments, in my opinion, as I have even seen some reports saying that NY AG Letitia James met several times with the White House before their case against Trump. Isn’t that an unfair conflict of interest in itself? It’s all silly and I would just like to see a fair election, still. Best case scenario and it is still entirely possible that is exactly what we see.

Had a whole bunch of hollow hearings this week, like a plethora of still worthwhile reruns of shows I had already seen before to various extents. The threat of China. Hackers. How social media affects kids. Mayorkas impeachment. Why does it seem so impossible to get anything worthwhile done? It seems to have been this way for my entire life. Best case scenario is collectivism and corruption get voted out and replaced with a focus on constituents.

34 trillion dollars of debt in the United States. What happens if we ever default? Is this the greatest threat we actually face? Ourselves? Best case scenario is unleashing energy, not to independence, but to dominance, to sell what we produce to cover debt. If not, best case scenario is that modern monetary theory actually works, but frankly, given enough time, I still doubt that.

Just this week 5 more countries have joined BRICS to counter the US dollar. Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the UAE. In direct opposition to the dominance of the dollar, best case scenario here is that we stop printing ourselves into debt oblivion and start working to rebuild confidence in our dollar before it is too late. Sometimes I feel like this is being done on purpose to help achieve that end, or the self destruction of America, but then again maybe it is all just incompetence. Or maybe it is just my own ignorance and the dollar is fine. They do say that the dollar is not backed by anything, but I also do see memes making fun of how the dollar is backed by the US military. Maybe true, maybe enough. Even still, best case scenario is that we just get back to real business instead of market manipulation and corruption.

Even with all of this madness, I still see a hope worth having, everywhere around the world every day. My hope in Europe is that the farmers’ protests will prevail. That their actions will cause their governments, the European Union and policies directed by the UN, WHO & WEF to all screech to a halt, forcing them to remember that they only have power because the people allow them to have power. They need to remember who it is that they are set to serve. The same goes for here in the United States, where the border convoy of truckers who will be peacefully protesting this week will hopefully cause the Biden administration to stop and see that we the people will not allow an open border for the sake of increasing votes for the democratic party. All countries are going through the same, financed and orchestrated by globalism, to deconstruct the idea of national borders. Nobody wants this and the people just want to be able to keep their land, their homes, their farms, their food, their culture and their families without some outside force telling them what they can and cannot do. My hope is that these populist protests and the coming elections this year together will be enough to force change across the world and slow the progress, or even entirely stop the progress, of communistic globalism on the world stage in favor of the independence of nations.

The flash points for the coming future remain the same. You have the US border, Israel and Palestine, Taiwan and China, Ukraine and Russia, the farmers and the European Union, Trump and Biden, supply and demand, printing and producing, freedom and censorship. What can be done about all of this together?

If you ask me, once again, the best case scenario for turning all of this madness around would be seeing Donald Trump take over as the President of the United States for four more years. Is that a one man fix all solution? No, and it will never happen to be that way. But looking at the complexity of the chaos we currently face, I still believe Donald Trump is the best case scenario for restoring American order for the people on all of these fronts.

 Instead of seeing war on any front, I’d rather see the man who wrote The Art of the Deal book to step back onto the stage and work out deals between nations to stop all of these wars. Preventing World War 3 should be our top priority, although many in current leadership seem to show that war is their only priority. I believe diplomacy still has a chance of working in all of these places. Israel and Palestine could have a two state solution where Hamas is no longer allowed to have power and free elections are made to happen there. Ukraine and Russia could work out a land deal, granting access to the seas and pulling back our NATO forces to comply with the deal we set out in the 90’s after the fall of the Soviet Union. Taiwan and China could work out trade deals, where both are allowed to function as they independently please, but China has access to the waterways without war and Taiwan is allowed to keep a free population for a cut of the chips. We could do a deal in the European Union to protect farmers from the overreach of globalism. Money makes the world go around and we all need to get back to business in my opinion. Again, the best case scenario is that Trump could step into office as President and attempt to achieve these things. He had peace through strength before, backed by business deals without war. I see no reason why that cannot simply happen again in the days to come. World War 3 is unnecessary, and much of this could be stopped by simply stopping the funding of those who seek communistic globalism.

My fear is that those currently in power are willing to risk humanity for the sake of keeping power. Look at how Biden has handled the US border. Or the secret partnerships with China and Russia. Or the censorship and the corruption. Look at how US politicians are foaming at the mouth at the idea of war with Iran. Look how the US handled the J6 protestors, no matter if it was an intelligence set up like the Gretchen Witmer case, a false flag event, or a true protest. Then I look back at what is about to happen at our border and I feel concerned there as well. Are we being set up for another J6 like event at the Texas border? Will the truckers here be treated like the truckers that peacefully protested in Canada? You can see it already happening with the farmers protests in Europe, while not being arrested en masse like the J6 people, they are being publicly demonized by the press as “far right” and as a threat to the continuity of the European Union. Can the same thing happen here with our truckers? Some estimates have stated that 700,000 are set to come down to the borders for protesting, which seems like a fairly large number, but no matter the numbers I am both happy that it is happening and concerned that they may be being set up. With backing from 25 other states, governors, national guards and militias, we will see how the tides of time turn over the next week as this specific story progresses.

I go back and forward on my thoughts about any concept of “predictive programming” in our modern media landscape. Congressman Wesley Hunt from Texas shared a post on X recently of potential predictive programming from a made for TV movie made by HBO in 1997 called The Second Civil War. Here, a border dispute erupts into a civil war as everyone on all sides is blindsided by a rapid domino effect of events. From the TV media to the military, everything breaks down into a somewhat comical ending of absurd nonsense. The movie was actually great, especially for an old HBO TV special, but I couldn’t help but feel like it was actually a fairly dark warning of how quickly stupidity can spiral into chaos. If you’re interested, and it is worth a watch if you are bored, but last time I checked you could find the movie for free to experience on Youtube.

Is it possible that we can avoid all this nonsense civil war talk and peacefully protest our way into a secure border? Is it possible that we can just have a fair election in the United States and around the world this year? Can peaceful populist protests across Europe protect the farmers and the food supply from the control of those who want to see the population of Earth decrease? Can China get back to business and save itself from a collapsing economy? Can we here in America do the same? Can Russia and Ukraine work out their differences so the rest of us can get back to business without World War 3? Can Israel stop Hamas without causing  Palestinian genocide? Can Iran stop funding terrorism across the middle east to leave room for economic growth? Can we pull all of our American troops back from around the world and focus back on our home here again? Can we fix our judicial system so we do not see anyone having to pay tens of millions of dollars for speaking their own opinion of wrongful accusers? Can we reduce the power of the UN, WEF, WHO, FBI, CIA, DOJ and all the letter agencies without completely eliminating them as a resource for public good? Are any of them actually a resource for true public good? I’d like to believe so, but I’m just not so sure anymore. Can we make America great again? Yes, for damn sure. Can we stop communistic globalism? Yup, and I believe we will.

Best case scenario for humanity is that the best of us continue to keep enough hope in our hearts to continue having kids, we continue doing our best to create a future worth living in and we continue to spread the ideals of truth and freedom across the western world without war or self destruction.

There will always be crises. There will always be corruption. There will always be conflict. So what is the best case scenario for everything to address all of these crises, corruption and conflict in our current time?

Trump 2024.

W Leggett

W Leggett

Fred Miller

Dick Storey

Newsweek website.

Donald Trump's legal team has said that the section of the Constitution's insurrection clause cited to bar the former president from the ballots in Colorado does not apply to him.

In filings submitted to the Supreme Court, which is due to hear arguments on whether Trump can be banned from running for the presidency in Colorado over claims he engaged in an insurrection on January 6, 2021, Trump's lawyers said that the wording of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment means it does not apply to the Republican as he was not an "officer" of the United States while president.

And not fund Ukraine?? The GOPers need a history lesson on Germany & Europe in the 30s and beyond.

The southern border is a total mess. I'm surprised that Biden hasn't nationalized the Texas Guard, or had a subordinate point out the necessity of maintaining federal funding to Texas. If the guard takes Abbott's unconstitutional view of things, I imagine we would cut funding and even refuse to credit members with time counted toward a 20 year military retirement, right? Some of my college students advocated "Texas independence." I pointed out the day TX left the union their banks would no longer be federally insured, not pumping oil or growing cotton would no longer be paid, our military bases would pull out depriving TX of millions in statewide spending, and federal benefits would be cut to veterans, seniors, and others, no protection from foreign military and so on. 

Are Trump and Biden the best our country can come up with?  

W Leggett

Rowland Greenwade

Dick:  RE:  Trump "not an officer of the United States"

Thank you for your post; it made me go to the "video tape", as has been said.  Everybody knows/knew until yesterday, that the President is an "officer of the United States".  You knew it, I knew it, probably everyone on this site knew it.  But:  This reminds me of a situation in my first year law class, I think it was Conflict of Laws.  Our professor had just related a case where one party's arguments prevailed over the other's.  A student chimed up that this HAD to be wrong and gave compelling testimony for his result.  

At the end, the professor said something like:  "Mr. (whomever):  On our journey through life, we are not impeded by the things we don't know, but rather by the things we 'know' that aren't so!" {Something often credited to Pres. Reagan, but this was 1967.]

Until yesterday, you, me, and as I said, everyone could believe that the President was indeed, an "officer of the United States."

"Videotape":  U.S. Constitution [included in President Trump's brief]  Article II, Sec. 3, states in part, that the "President shall appoint all officers of the United States"..."shall" means "must" and "all"  means "everyone"!  He cannot apppoint himself, indeed, he is elected by the vote of the Electoral College.  Thus, he cannot be an officer of the US.

QED:  But, if he is not an"officer of the United States", what is he?  Just my humble opinion, he is the President, the Chief Executive Office, the sole Constitutional member of the Executive Branch, Article II.

If you need further historical knowledge of how revolutionary the idea of having a chief executive as both a head of state and a head of government, I will be glad to further enlighten you.

Once again, Dick, thank you for getting me to look into something I "always knew to be true", but wasn't.  I am a better person for this.  If you understand it, you will be too.

Most Respectully,

Rowland 

Dick Storey

Rowland--very interesting.  Nice catch and lesson!

I had heard this but did not research it. I'm more into things like how a eukaryotic cell works or how a medication can be effective in certain cells.  That kind of boring stuff.

Thanks much.  

Say happy BD to Willie next time you talk with him. We watched the TV show of his BD  party. Good stuff. In my humble, "modern country music" is bad rock and roll. Give me Willie and the boys, the Highwaymen, J. Cash. Hank, etc. Electric guitars and fiddles. (shame about Toby)

Best,

Dick

Nelson Evans

Dick, 

I totally agree about modern country music! We usually listen to Willie's Roadhouse on Sirius XM. My favorite song is The Last Cowboy Song, by the Highwaymen. My main playlist on my phone is Classic Country, although I do have a 60's playlist. Thank heavens we can still listen to the good stuff with modern technology.

W Leggett

W Leggett

Connie Schuerman (Von Dielingen)

Wonder who's toes those are ??   You're so right Bill  - it's been chilly and windy down here this year !  Good golfing as long as you hit the golf ball with the wind 🤣🤣🤣

Dick Storey

POLITICO website

Immigration

Dems’ disapproval of US handling of border hits highest point of Biden’s tenure, report finds

The numbers from the report released Thursday mark a grim trend for President Joe

By Kierra Frazier                                                                                                                02/15/2024  

Democrats disapprove of the U.S. government’s handling of migrant crossings at the southern border more now than at any other recorded point during Joe Biden’s presidency, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.

Seventy-three percent of surveyed Democrats rate the government’s handling of the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border as “somewhat bad” or “very bad,” according to the report — only 11 percentage points lower than Democrats’ disapproval ratings in 2019 during Donald Trump’s presidency.

The numbers from the report released Thursday mark a grim trend for Biden. Last year, Pew recorded that 62 percent of Democrats disapproved of the government’s handling of the border, up from 56 percent of Democrats disapproving in 2021. Pew does not track immigration attitudes every year.

The report comes against a backdrop of immigration taking center stage across the board. House Republicans voted Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his handling of migrant border crossings, while Senate Republicans blocked a border security deal last week — officially ending the unsuccessful talks to shore up border protections that went on for four months.      --------►

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/15/biden-border-immigration-00141388

W Leggett

Dick Storey

Bill—two comments on your long post:

--I would be floored if Trump dropped out of the race (but one can hope). His self-image and self-worth would never permit that.

--Robert Hur—does his report smell political? Why would someone, an attorney, include a behavioral analysis of Biden (although he may be right)? Is Hur a physician, psychologist or MSW?  He is a registered Republican, which, of course, is fine ( please see below). I doubt Biden will drop out either.

Lifted from NBC News website on 2/17/2024.

Article dated Jan. 12, 2023,

By Rebecca Shabad

WASHINGTON — Robert Hur, named Thursday by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the investigation into President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents, is a former federal prosecutor who has worked with many Republicans throughout his law enforcement career.  --->

After he graduated from Stanford Law School in 2001, he clerked for federal Appeals Judge Alex Kozinski, who was nominated by President Ronald Reagan. After that, he was a law clerk from 2002 to 2003 to then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist, a staunch conservative who was nominated to the court by President Richard Nixon and nominated for promotion to chief justice by Reagan. ---->

According to federal campaign filings, Hur has donated to at least three Republican political campaigns. ---->

President Donald Trump nominated Hur to be U.S. attorney for Maryland, a role he held between April 2018 and February 2021.  ---->

----------------------------------------------------------

From:  Financial Times website

Robert Hur, the special counsel who blindsided Joe Biden

By Stefania Palma in Washington

February 10 2024

Hur, a registered Republican, has also given donations to a handful of the party’s political candidates over the years, including John McCain in 2008, during his presidential campaign, and Maryland governor Larry Hogan in 2017, according to Open Secrets. ----> 

A spokesperson for Hur’s office declined to comment.

Some legal experts called Hur’s report unusual. The “language and analysis” of Biden’s memory “crossed the line into being gratuitous and beyond [Hur’s] remit”, said Ryan Goodman, professor at the New York University School of Law. “One has to entertain that politics might have influenced the report because of the most unusual nature of it, the political context in which it is released and the gratuitous statements that have an obvious political repercussion.----->

https://www.ft.com/content/ae08eb5e-ba1f-4bdf-bae2-10bb75f84615

W Leggett

DICK, CHECK THIS OUT

A massive shift is happening in the American Media. The corporate elite news media has lost the trust of the American people.

New York Times huge layoffs...

BuzzFeed News out of business...

CNN closing divisions and selling off parts...

CBS downsizing...

Vice News out of business...

MSNBC off the rails...

Washington Post sacking staff...

Half the American people believe national news organizations intend to mislead, misinform, and push their bias and opinions on you and the American public.

W Leggett

The Balance of Perspective in Media Questioned

The role of the media in framing conflict narratives could not escape attention in this unfolding saga. Sheryl Sandberg's interview with Gettleman, which could have been an opportunity for hard-hitting journalism, was criticized as too lenient. The allegations of fraudulent journalism went unchallenged, raising eyebrows about the commitment to truth in reporting.

Amidst the outcry, Palestinian American lawmaker Rashida Tlaib brought a different angle to the discussion. Her voice, firm and unwavering, called for a broader acknowledgment of sexual violence in the conflict. Tlaib's stance was a poignant reminder that the narrative was incomplete.

Tlaib submitted an article to the congressional record, asserting that Israeli forces had also committed sexual violence against Palestinians. The one-sided nature of House Resolution 966, which condemned sexual violence by Hamas but not Israeli forces, was a point of contention for her. The resolution's passage without opposition, save for Tlaib's "present" vote, underscored the political dynamics at play.

War crimes cannot justify more war crimes. This resolution falls well short of also acknowledging the sexual abuse of Palestinians. We all have a responsibility to denounce sexual violence in all forms, regardless of who is responsible.

Political Challenges Reflect Deep Divisions

The passage of House Resolution 966, amid the commotion and controversy, was not just a political maneuver. It was a stark illustration of the challenges faced by those who dare to criticize established narratives. The unanimous vote, with Tlaib's notable exception, sent a clear message about the prevailing sentiments in the House.

W Leggett

Surprise Birthday

Why did I get divorced? Well, last week was my birthday.

My wife didn’t wish me a happy birthday. My parents forgot and so did my kids.

I went to work and even my colleagues didn’t wish me a happy birthday.

As I entered my office, my secretary said, “Happy birthday, boss!” I felt so special.

She asked me out for lunch. After lunch, she invited me to her apartment.

We went there and she said, “Do you mind if I go into the bedroom for a minute?” “Okay,” I said.

She came out 5 minutes later with a birthday cake, my wife, my parents, my kids, my friends, and my colleagues all yelling, “SURPRISE!!!”…

…while I was waiting on the sofa… naked.