Saturday, October 30, 2021

Trump To Russia With Love: Secret Back-Channel Exposed

The world's most renowned cybersecurity experts found unexplained communications between an email server used by the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank, one of Russia's largest financial institutions, back in October of 2016.

Under Trump's regime the story was buried and discounted. A massive disinformation program was pushed by Trump minions AG Bill Barr and other corrupt officials.

Just before Trump was kicked out of office he appointed a lackey, John Durham, as a special counsel to look into the origins of the Russia investigation. It was a desperate last minute attempt to keep the Russia disinformation campaign flowing.

Last week, Durham brought charges against Michael Sussmann, a cybersecurity lawyer and former computer crimes prosecutor, who he claimed represented a technology executive and the Hillary Clinton campaign and lied to the FBI.

In fact, Sussmann told the truth as later revelations show. Daniel J. Jones, a former investigator for the FBI and the U.S. Senate, filed a lawsuit against Alfa Bank on Sept. 14, 2021.

Jones' 2018 report found that the Trump server was configured to accept incoming mail from certain entities and to reject all other incoming messages. 

After submitting a 600+ page report in 2018 to the Senate, Republicans made it disappear. 

Still, with the information gathered by cybersecurity experts it's apparent the case against Sussman and another cybersecurity officials is going nowhere. Facts have disputed Durham's bogus report.

The damning testimony given by Sussmann about the relationship between the Trump organization and Russia's largest bank is now public knowledge.

When the New York Times shared the DNS data (accumulated by Sussmann and others) with Alfa Bank's representatives the Trump Organization took down their email domain two days later.

But the damage was done. An investigation was launched. Jones filed a lawsuit on Sept. 14, and the previously stuffed reports he wrote during Trump's reign, were made available.

The Sussmann indictment has actually opened a Pandora's Box of Trump lies instead of the false narrative given by Trump's corrupt lawyer.

The irony in all of this can't be ignored. Republicans spent years going after Hillary Clinton over her email server. Now the shoe is on the other foot.

Friday, October 29, 2021

This Is Another Example Of Why We're Experiencing a Constitutional Crisis in America

Fox News is where truth goes to die thanks to a foreigner who hates America, but loves making money here.

Rupert Murdoch has turned one of his dogs loose at Fox News in an all-out effort to discredit what happened on Jan. 6 when Trumpies stormed the Capitol.

In essence he's allowing Tucker Carlson to go full Infowars on prime time TV. 

The far-right host announced Thursday that, not only is he debuting a special Fox Nation docuseries promoting 1/6 trutherism, but he is making it his "first ever week-long event" starting Monday. 

Carlson released a new trailer for the special week of programming that claimed he will expose "the lies" about the attack on the US Capitol. He hinted he will promote the notion that "other groups" were involved in the violence.

It's important to realize Murdock doesn't care about the incalculable damage he's doing to our democracy.

I shudder to think about the impact of a full week of outright poisonous lies that belong in the dark corners of the web, being shown on prime time TV.

Two GOP members of the 1/6 House Committee had this to say:

Liz Cheney, "Fox is allowing Carlson to spread the same type of lies that provoked violence on Jan. 6."

Adam Kinzinger, "Carlson spews lies and his network is committed to $$$ over truth."

Even Geraldo Rivera called the idea "...inflammatory and outrageous and uncorroborated."

The truly outrageous thing about letting Carlson goose ratings with the same lies Trump and his minions have been pushing, is not only is he going to get away with sharing alt-right information... people are going to tune in and watch it.

Therein lies the Constitutional crisis we're all living in. The polarization level is at critical mass now. What is Carlson's attack on reality going to spur? Another coup attempt?

It's something to watch for.

Thursday, October 28, 2021

What Do You Think Happens When You Go To Jail?

Okay. You committed a crime and are in jail awaiting trial. What are your expectations?

-The ability to call someone anytime?

-Access to the internet?

-A big screen TV?

-A beauty rest mattress with controls?

-A privacy screen on the bars?

Wait a minute!

Let's get real. Jails are not hotels. Apparently the insurrectionists in jail that tried to overthrow our electoral system think they should be in private first-class bungalows.

The Capitol riot defendants have been whining about their living conditions since they got tossed into their cells.

Instead of dealing with the jail system the defendants have hired corrupt lawyers to bring every little grievance they have about their living quarters and treatment to a judge.

It seems judges have their limits however.  Petty-ass bullshit complaints are wasting their time. Especially when the court isn't the proper venue to deal with their daily whine sessions.

One judge, Emmitt Sullivan, wasn't having any more of it. "They're running a jail, not a hotel," he said last Wednesday. "Some people want hotel services," the judge concluded. 

Other judges have been noting that they're working with the D.C. jail to improve conditions and address legitimate complaints. In Sullivan's view these claims should be directed toward the jail authorities.

One such case involves a member of the Proud Boys, Christopher Worrell, who is constantly inventing medical needs. All of his claims have been contradicted or unsubstantiated by medical records, or the doctors examining him.

What really disgusts me is the coordinated efforts by Trumplicans in the Senate and the House to paint the rioters as patriots.

That's the equivalent of giving Benedict Arnold a Medal of Honor for his efforts to sell out Washington's army, and kill democracy in it's cradle.

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

It's Haunted House Season: Expect Some Really Scary Shit This Year!

Last October the Haunted House season was canceled by the pandemic.

Nothing was more scary than COVID-19 which was killing thousands of unvaccinated Americans daily. 

The Grim Reaper of reality was more than enough fear for most. Somehow, being scared to death by students dressed up like monsters in haunted houses just didn't seem right. Or, safe.

The Haunted House season is back this year and a lot of people intend to make up for last year's pause in horrific fun.

The king of all the haunted house events - Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Hollywood - is ready to serve up ghoulish experiences for cash.

As expected, the production value of the "scare rooms" is excellent as visitors cower from Michael Myers of "Halloween," and Leatherface from the "Texas Chain Saw Massacre."

Local fundraising events sponsoring haunted houses will once again open up across the nation. 

Yes, the experience will be a little weirder as face masking is practiced indoors to slow the spread of the Delta variant.

The scariest haunted house this season - by far - will be a private affair for Trump minions at Mar-a-Lago holding a fundraiser (what else?) to overthrow democracy.

Giant Trump-O-Lanterns will look down (according to one insider) at the gathering of Trump supporters wearing sheep, ostrich and chicken costumes.

The faithful will be channeled like a snake through a maze of rooms that will be a collection of all of their fears.

Visitors cries of horror and surprise will ring throw the rooms like a symphony of lost souls as they see the BIDEN ROOM, where it shows him as the current President of the United States.

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Politicizing the Weather: Spurred By 'Sharpiegate' Trump Supporters Gleefully Deny Science

Remember "Sharpiegate?"

On September 1, 2019, as Hurricane Dorian approached the U.S. mainland Trump displayed his ignorance of weather conditions and tracking by using a Sharpie marker with his own prediction.

The former reality star altered the real forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and claimed the tropical-force winds from Hurricane Dorian could impact Alabama.

Reportedly he told his aides to obtain an official retraction from NOAA, supporting his version of the hurricane's path.

NOAA produced an unsigned letter in support of Trump's lie. Since then multiple agencies have investigated the possibility that political influence was exerted on NOAA.

Two reports were released in 2020. Both found political influence was a factor. Hurricane Dorian wasn't going anywhere near Alabama. In fact, it headed up the Atlantic coast.

The committees found that Neil Jacobs, the acting NOAA administrator and Julie Kay Roberts, the former NOAA deputy chief of staff and communications director, twice violated codes of the the agency's scientific policy.

There's a third investigation being done by a committee from the House of Representatives that has not been released yet. I think we all know what that committee will find.

The whole incident was met with scorn and mockery from the scientific community and the general population. Memes mocking Trump with his sharpie can still be found on the internet.

But, and this is where the wheels hit the road, Trump supporters backed his version (even though it never happened), thereby cementing a foundation for the cult's platform of science denial.

It's no surprise then that this one-man cult has embraced lies about climate change, and made it a mission to spread disinformation about the environmental disasters that plague the planet daily.

It's also no surprise that Trump minions won't get vaccinated in defiance of 98 percent of scientists in the world that have determined vaccines and safety measures (face masks for instance) are the best way to combat the virus.

This is one time however where the Trump faithful are literally dying for their master as they fill up hospitals in red states. 

In the end, science catches up to the Trumpies who will still deny its existence right up until their last tortured gasp for oxygen.

Universal Music Power

In a delightful description of the power of music William Congreve wrote "Music hath charms to sooth a savage beast..." in his 16...