Repeal OF FCC Rule A Disaster! Or Is It?

Jazz Shaw is one among many decrying the Republican repeal of the October 2016 FCC internet privacy rules covering Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

The entire idea of “adding costs and stifling innovation” is laughable on the face of it. We’re talking about a rule which doesn’t impact the amount of data which is available and collected or any of the normal processes involved in providing internet service to customers. It simply forces the provider to proactively obtain the permission of the user (“opting in”) before all of their personal data can be scooped off and auctioned off for marketing and advertising purposes. The fact that virtually no sane person who doesn’t wish to be further bombarded with spam advertising or have their private online activity shipped around with even more chance of it being hacked would ever want to opt in for that tells you all you need to know.

But is there another side to this? USA Today has a quick recap on how we got here. A key point: until recently the ISPs fell under the regulatory framework set by the FTC. The ISPs were reclassified as common carriers subject to FCC regulation, and now we are entering a world of differing rules.

The current FCC commissioner, Ajit Pai, was a humble dissenter last October:

For the last two decades, the United States has embraced a technology-neutral framework for online privacy. Administered by the Federal Trade Commission, this framework applied across all sectors of the online ecosystem. It reflected the uniform expectation of privacy that consumers have when they go online. It didn’t matter whether an edge provider or ISP obtained your data. And it certainly didn’t matter whether, as a consumer, you understood what those regulatory classifications meant—let alone the technical and legal intricacies that dictate when a single online company is operating in its capacity as an edge provider as opposed to an ISP. Regardless of all of that, the FTC’s unified approach meant that you could rest assured knowing that a single and robust regulatory approach protected your online data.1

That’s why since the beginning of this proceeding, I have pushed for the Federal Communications Commission to parallel the FTC’s framework as closely as possible.

Instead the FCC went with different rules, and now we seem to have no rules. However, the Competitive Enterprise Institute explains that, yes, there are rules even in the absence of the FCC. A flavor:

Much of the narrative surrounding this debate centers on the fear that consumers will have no privacy protection if the president signs the resolution. But these fears, simply put, are based on a myopic understanding of the numerous laws, regulations, and institutions that protect our privacy on the Internet other than the FCC’s burdensome, legally questionable privacy rule. Here’s a partial list of all the things that are stopping ISPs from misusing customer data or selling it to third parties in a way that could harm Internet users.

Federal and state wiretapping laws. Under the Wiretap Act, it’s generally illegal to intentionally intercept or divulge the contents of electronic communications—including Internet traffic—without the consent of a party to the communications. Violators of this law are subject to criminal prosecution, while any person whose communications are illegally wiretapped may sue the perpetrator for $10,000 or more (plus attorneys’ fees and costs). In other words, if an ISP intercepts the contents of a subscriber’s Web traffic, or gives such data to an advertiser, that provider had better be sure it has the subscriber’s consent.

And more:

State attorneys general. Every state has a law on the books making it illegal for companies to engage in deceptive practices. In nearly all of these states, the state attorney general (AG) may go to court to stop a company from deceiving consumers. And although some states also have enacted laws preventing regulation of Internet service providers, these laws generally do not apply to a state attorney general who wishes to bring an action against a provider that has engaged in deception. The upshot: In many states, if an ISP has represented to consumers that it protects their privacy and safeguards their data, that ISP must act in accordance with such representations—or else it may see one or more state AGs in court.

The major ISPs have announced privacy policies:

Although an ISP may amend its privacy policy, it must notify its customers when it does so and give them a chance to opt out of any material change—either by continuing service under the original terms, or by discontinuing service entirely. But if an ISP fails to live up to its contractual promises, a customer may sue the provider for breach of contract—or, depending on the provider, the customer may be able to initiate binding arbitration against the ISP. A provider may also face liability under the common law, which has developed four torts protecting individual privacy, one of which affords injured persons a cause of action against the public disclosure of embarrassing private facts.

Leaving me confused. But confused or not, I am downloading 'Opera', a web browser with an embedded Virtual Private Network.

ONE DAY LATER: The WaPo notes a certain level of undue hysteria. And here is Sen. Flake describing the reasons for reining in the FCC.

 

 

Comments

[Captain Hate]

Tarhole, please provide an end of thread link before you start linking things we've already seen. TIA

[daddy]

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2017/03/repeal-of-fcc-rule-a-disaster-or-is-it/comments/page/99/#comments

Good Morning, Captain!

[henry]

getting ISPs off the common carrier status gets them off certain Patriot Act requirements (on warrantless data sharing) in addition to price controls / access regulations by the FCC. I understand the heartburn, but on balance this is better.

[Captain Hate]

Thank you and good morning, daddy.

Your (almost) daily Children of the Cornhole:

March 29, 2017
Donald Trump’s Embrace of Conservative Cruelty
As president, he's given up on empathetic populism and bought into Paul Ryan's agenda to punish the poor.

By Jeet Heer

Undoing the Clean Power Plan Will Be a Legal Nightmare
Donald Trump can’t erase Barack Obama's signature climate achievement with the stroke of a pen.

By Abby Rabinowitz

Mathias Énard’s Compass Is the Antidote to Europe’s Islamophobia
In a time of fear and loathing, Énard’s magnum opus points us toward the reality behind so many myths of the Orient.

By Jeffrey Zuckerman

Why Are Democrats Fighting Over Free College?
After 2016, every liberal likes the idea. But proposals in New York and Rhode Island are running into unexpected turbulence.

By Graham Vyse

[Dave (in MA)]

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2017/03/repeal-of-fcc-rule-a-disaster-or-is-it/comments/page/666/#comments The last page of the thread of the beast.

[narciso]

I refer to the departed even though I despise practically all of the cast, but recall Daamons chAracter why trying to find the mole in costello' s organizations so they had them follow sheen' s chAracter, an incidental contact.

[narciso]

This is why they've glommed on to Ellis, btw they did point out the associated of the insurgent who nabbed hallums on an inside page.

[sbw]

Just to be ornery I thought I’d link to the First Page.

[Captain Hate]

The Horde weighs in on Clownifornicate's need to protect Planned Genocide:

Defying Moloch

Planned Parenthood gets upset when impudent prolifers expose their charnel houses and threaten their revenue stream. Fortunately for PP, its allies in California government are more than willing to do them a solid:

On Tuesday, the state of California charged David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress on 15 felony counts over their undercover reporting regarding Planned Parenthood. In 2015, Daleiden and Merritt released video showing high-ranking Planned Parenthood members joking about selling baby body parts for market rates and picking through baby body parts in order to demonstrate which sorts of body parts were available for sale for medical research, as well as talking about the best methods of abortion for procuring those baby body parts. The California Department of Justice, under the auspices of now-Senator Kamala Harris, raided Daleiden’s home for footage in April 2016
The charges have to do with California laws governing taping private conversations and whether you need to get permission of both parties.

Apparently, the state's position is that a conversation in a public restaurant constitute private and confidential communication which is protected by these laws. Now, to normal people, this sounds ludicrous on its face and I hope Daleiden and Merritt will find a normal judge who agrees, but this is Democrat-controlled California, where the purpose of law is to not to enforce impartial justice but rather is a tool for progressives to punish their enemies.

For those of you morons who are believers, I encourage you to pray for Daleiden and Merritt. Their witness against the horrors perpetrated by Planned Parenthood has pissed off some very powerful people who will use whatever means they have at their disposal to destroy them. Fortunately, they worship a God who is greater than Moloch.

Meanwhile, according to the ABC-TV affiliate in Chicago, undercover video shows alleged animal cruelty at California poultry farms, slaughterhouse. No word yet on if the reporters covering this story would be subjected to criminal charges for secretly recording the videos that formed the basis for this story.

Update: Donations to the Center for Medical Progress, which presumably will be used to fight these silly charges, can be made here.

Posted by: OregonMuse

[daddy]

Rush's point in Hour 2, in so many words, is dumping right back on Paul Ryan and his "Learning to lead is hard" stated excuses. Rush says they know what to do if they want to change things in DC but the dirty secret is that a lot of Repub's don't want to do the Swamp Cleaning." He says there is not a "Party-wide Desire" to do all this Repeal and Replace. Just his opinion, but he says this is intentional.
So stupid or culpable? Hmmm. Tough choice.

[narciso]

That fellows name was mashadani, the only paper to mention it was Carlos slimd

[narciso]

So Georgetown is sponsoring an appearance by al Arian,?

[Old Lurker]

"dirty secret is that a lot of Repub's don't want to do the Swamp Cleaning."

Wrong verb.

"To do the Swamp Cleaning"

is not the same as

"Be thrown out when the Swamp is Cleaned"

[Account Deleted]

But it's okay to phone video record police officers doing their jobs. And for "investigators" and prospective litigants to use such recordings as official records of facts on the ground (a private tape that can be edited for effect)and to prejudice potential jurors.... can't have it both ways even though the scenario in-restaurant vs. on-the-street are fundamentally different in-kind.

Doesn't this all turn on the definition of "public place" and "expectations of privacy" therein?

Forgive my jailhouse lawyering in advance. ;)

[Account Deleted]

As a matter of course, I do not listen to Sean Hannity. But I got wind that Newt Gingerich was going to be on last night.

"They know what to do. They just didn't do it. They've boxed themselves in to the point of not being able to do what needs to be done. They didn't sit down with the President and get clear on where they wanted to end up. So they never got anywhere." The gist of Speaker Gingrich's message.

What would the downside be with having Newt on POTUS' executive staff advising WH Counsel, his legislative director et al?

He's a walking RPG.

[henry]

Kev, given your new senator and one SC justice (chief?) in CA saying law is about feels more than logic... that they are stomping on favored people is enough for a hanging.

[Pagar, a bacon, ham and pork shoulder supporter]

Carried from the last thread.

The answer to OL @12:11.

"he claimed that in 2017 that is no longer the case among generals and admirals serving today."

http://www.truthandaction.org/u-s-general-obamas-military-purge-criminal-treasonous/

"Obama has fired almost 200 top military personnel over the last 5 years."

My guess if you had seen 200 of your friends/associates fired and you wanted to keep your job you would do what you had to to keep your career.

[Account Deleted]

Fake news from Investors Business Daily re the Apple iPhone.

Seems the smartchip manufacturer STMicroelectronics (STM)is being faulted for a projected delay in the launch of the iPhone 8 in September.

IBD is notorious for publishing disinformation on publically-traded companies.

Especially on companies like STM which is poised to explode this year: the company is a principal manufacturer of smartchips that go into new cars and almost every other device linked to the "Internet of Things."

The stock is shorted every morning at the opening bell as the market makers are doing their best to shake small fries out of our shares. It's halfway between 15 and 16 bucks a share and the big boys know it is set to blast past 40 within the next 18 months. It is already paying dividends.

So some publicist gins up a shortage meme which is "bad news" and some saps are selling and the market makers move in to increase their positions below the day's high.

Drops 40 cents at opening and by end of day has churned all the way back. Hmmmmm....

We'll see if Apple is going to take a hit and not release their latest cash cow on time.

Read all about it here:

http://www.investors.com/news/technology/click/apple-iphone-8-could-miss-september-launch-date-reports/?src=A00220A

[henry]

April at it again in the press briefing. Spicer called on her first. She wants a hard date for Trump's evil Russian dressing to be exposed.

[Account Deleted]

""Be thrown out when the Swamp is Cleaned""

Element of the Day: FIRE.

As they stagger out of the muck spray them with hot tar and light em up.

There have to be consequences for these DeepState UniParty loyalist scum.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Kevlar Kid,

Thanks for the update on Newt. I was the one who said he was going to be on Hannity last night, and I am glad I heard him correctly on the radio show.

He is SO right. I am not sure that they all are in opposition to Trump, but I know for sure that Paul Ryan sucks at messaging, and that goes all the way back to his debate with Biden.

Ryan is fascinated by process and numbers. Clueless Paul doesn't realize that NO ONE ELSE IS. So he goes on and on about stuff that is, essentially, boring.

Newt is absolutely right.

[Account Deleted]

"...She wants a hard date.."

Have Amy Schumer set her up with a bondage leather daddy.

[Account Deleted]

off

[Account Deleted]

krikey

[Account Deleted]

henry--> SPOT ON!

[DrJ]

Off.

[Account Deleted]

VDH rockin the Casbah er Casbog---

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/446148/russian-farce-trump-collusion-hysteria-diverts-attention-surveillance-scandal

[exdemocrat]

apologies if this has already been posted and discussed in my absence: https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2017/03/28/oh-my-president-obamas-own-defense-deputy-admits-obama-white-house-spied-on-candidatepresident-elect-trump/

[Account Deleted]

A cacophany of crickets:

http://www.mediaite.com/online/report-john-podesta-failed-to-disclose-stocks-from-russian-financed-company/

[Account Deleted]

I guess Trump Tower security costs more than all the date nights and personal use of Air Force Uno and, almost forgot, greens fees for the Bath House Rat.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/petition-move-melania-trump-to-white-house-or-she-can-foot-security-bill/ar-BByYjg7?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

[maryrose]

Newt may be right but he has no power.
Someone needs to give him some.
People may not like process and numbers but it does factor into the equation. Thank God we have someone who understands this.

[Account Deleted]

About the RATCARE repeal and replace fiasco: a couple of moneyquotes but this Reagan quote reminded me of his humor and grace while wading the swamp---

"Another truth was reconfirmed Friday. Once an entitlement program has been created with millions of beneficiaries, it becomes almost impossible to repeal. As Ronald Reagan said, “A government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”

http://takimag.com/article/the_ryancare_route_winning_by_losing_patrick_buchanan/print#ixzz4cjyHRSxz

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

It has already been announced that she will move tot he White House in June, after Barron's semester ends.

[Jim Eagle]

You really want to "drain the swamp"?

Sign an EO that prevents any member of Congress raising re-election or PAC money while Congress is in session.

I know and EO can dictate congressional actions but when they are not in a committee meeting or on the floor, that is what takes up their non-sleep time. In fact, one of the hardest things for us when I was there was deciding which one of 20 or 30 per night fund raisers and greet and meets to honor. I remember one time my 3 associates and I did 12 in one night.

You're going to need more than a slogan and sump pump to drain that place.

[Account Deleted]

All right then... the down time has been rejuvenating. Lunch, 5 mile phat dawg walk and then it's time to punch it for 8 solid.

I love Wednesdays.

Kev out.

[Jim Eagle]

...[an] EO can't dictate...

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

maryrose,

We are talking about messaging - getting the point of what you are doing out to the American people.

A doctor needs to understand chemistry. However, when he prescribes a medication he doesn't give you a 10-minute lecture on organic chemistry. He tells you to take the medicine, what it will do, and that's it.

[Old Lurker]

"He tells you to take the medicine, what it will do, and that's it."

And then he tells you what adverse side effects might be that would lead the Doc to change the drugs so please let him know immediately...

[Tom R]

This answers a question I had a couple days back on whether Trump can unilaterally end the taxpayer-funded subsidies of Obamacare.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-29/obamacare-explosion-could-come-may-22nd-heres-why

It appears Trump can if he refuses to continue the appeal process started by the Obama administration. Dropping the appeal means no more taxpayer subsidies to Big Insurance companies to help offset the cost of Obamacare policies.

[Old Lurker]

Nobody ever reacts when I suggest Newt should be Speaker for the balance of this session. Takes a simple majority vote of the House.

[maryrose]

No MM , You are talking about messaging.
People have to understand the costs and how to maneuver in the system to get to reconciliation mode.
When Boehner was in charge these same complaints were in play by this blog.
Fact:
Ryan isn't going anywhere.
Trashing him daily in my opinion is pointless and doesn't move the ball forward.
OL and Cecil:
You are both wonderful and I thoroughly enjoy your posts.
I am devoted to my husband of 36 years who is my true soul mate.

[maryrose]

TomR:
President Trump should go ahead and stop the payment to the companies and get out of the Obamacare business faster.

[Old Lurker]

Great link, thanks Tom R.

Governing is so hard, especially when nobody gives you any rules to guide you.

With the lower court having ruled the obvious that the Executive cannot spend $10B not appropriated by Congress, while a Dem might object and appeal such nonsense, one would think it the essence of R's to encourage the application of the Constitutional procedure for spending money. To take up Obama's appeal would be a hanging offense, seems to me.

[Old Lurker]

So Maryrose, you are saying Cecil does not stand a chance with you I guess. I understand...he can be stubborn.

[Captain Hate]

Nobody ever reacts when I suggest Newt should be Speaker for the balance of this session.

I react by saying to myself "Yep, I agree with OL again".

Newt crossed the Uniparty by including term limits in his Contract With America which the RINO careerists gritted their fangs over and then lied about supporting it. When the scam lawsuits started coming at Noot, they all told him he was on his own. They have very long memories about stuff like that.

[henry]

OL, that depends on what the insurance execs told Trump. On the one hand, if you want the lever that will get the "moderate" (ie Chamber of Crony) R's to negotiate that $10 billion subsidy could be it. On the other hand, if you want to protect the insurance CEOs you goota keep that option open. Not clear to me which way Trump wants to go. I kow which way I would go with that, but I don't know about Trump.

[Dave (in MA)]

sbw, if you were REALLY ornery you'd sneakily link to the page that really matters:

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2017/03/repeal-of-fcc-rule-a-disaster-or-is-it/comments/page/99/#comments.

[Old Lurker]

I know, Henry. But regardless, Trump should demand that such expenditures go through the regular order budget process. Without regular order, it is, as it has been, the Wild West of borrowing, spending and non-accountability. You can't drain the swamp and let a POTUS spend $10B without a proper appropriation.

[Frau Barmheriziglos]

LUN From The Hill comes this latest baroque attack on all things Trump, in this case Ivanka:

In a highly circulated opinion essay for Cosmopolitan magazine, Republican strategist Amanda Carpenter, who once served as Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) communications director, railed: “What’s she doing exactly? Nobody knows. What qualifies her? Apparently being the president’s daughter.”

"There’s a word for this: nepotism,” Carpenter wrote. “And it makes everything Ivanka has done up to this point to position herself as an example for working women into a farce. By taking this role, Ivanka is taking away a life-changing opportunity from another woman, who undoubtedly would have more expertise than the first daughter.”

Let's try this with ValJar.
What's she doing exactly? Nobody knows. What qualifies her? Apparently being the president's Svengali.
There's a word for this: bigly creepy!
By taking this role, ValJar is taking away an opportunity from someone with more governing expertise than this Chicago Way puppet master.

Cosmo opinion piece? bwahahahahahaha! Stick to interviews with Lena and Amy, please.

[Clarice Feldman]

From the end of the prior thread
Cecil you're very getting very warm.It's not the collecting, it's the viewing and telling and there are records. I think I said this earlier, but I repeat, I believe the reason Obama wrote that E.O. after the election distributing the reports to 16 agencies was to cover who leaked them before the election.I think the FISA warrant was granted on a purely pretextual basis BTW..probably on the basis of "the Dossier" phonier than Joe Wilson's claim.

I think people falling for the Johnson- con man Montgomery crap are distractions--perhaps deliberately set up by those who want to further muddy the waters.

[henry]

Sour grapes from someone not employed by the White House despite being a "Republican strategist." What strategy did she come up with? The one that landed Cruz in the White House?

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

CK MONSTER‏ @StockMonsterUSA

BREAKING : FBI's #2 Andrew McCabe who's wife was given 700K by Clinton/McAuliffe may be one of the wrong doers in Donald Trump unmasking etc

Grassley is asking a lot of tough questions. Reported by Katherine Herridge of Fox..

[Threadkiller]

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/326263-hatch-i-may-retire-if-romney-runs-to-replace-me

[Clarice Feldman]

Robert Costa‏Verified account @costareports 45m45 minutes ago

Per a top WH official, those meetings were related to the ongoing investigations, not about staffing.

Big mtgs at wh last night per robert Costa

[exdemocrat]

agreed, Clarice. the Farkas 'statements (inadvertently) against interest' are dispositive, imo

[sbw]

Mitt Romney won’t. He’d have to play 2nd fiddle to too many others.

And people would laugh at him.

[Threadkiller]

Ivanka and Amanda are about the same age, and I am unable to find what makes Amanda an expert on anything.

Sounds like a jealousy issue.

[Captain Hate]

Republican strategist Amanda Carpenter

I guess I should be grateful that all these strategists, primarily for losing, feel emboldened to reveal themselves as Betty Blowtorch wannabes. Game on.

[Jane]

So when are we getting the big news? I assume it has to do with the unmasking that started with Obama. I assume the left's big announcement on the Russian investigation is an attempt to cloud the issue.

Anyone else have other ideas?

[Porchlight]

BREAKING : FBI's #2 Andrew McCabe who's wife was given 700K by Clinton/McAuliffe may be one of the wrong doers in Donald Trump unmasking etc

Didn't we wonder awhile back if McCabe was the guy who quashed/held back the Clinton email investigation?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Clarice Feldman]

Source, porchlight?
wasn't amanda Carpenter onr of McCain's stab Palin in the back gang?

[Tom R]

So the DNC never allowed the FBI cybersecurity forensics team to analyze their "hacked" servers and instead only allowed the Ukrainian-owned CrowdStrike firm to conduct the analysis. That doesn't sound fishy at all

[Old Lurker]

Rep strategist, my ass.

This alone "By taking this role, Ivanka is taking away a life-changing opportunity from another woman"

Did you all know that the goal of Federal hiring is to bestow life changing opportunities on women? I did not know that. Explains a lot. Including why her "client" is not President.

[maryrose]

Romney would be a good replacement for Orrin Hatch.
OL:
When I first joined JOM ,Cecil thought I was a troll!
MM:
McCabe being involved in this makes perfect sense to me.
Also the lack of disclosure of the biased contributions of Clinton and McAuliffe.
Chuck Grassley is one of the smartest senators.
His takedown of Eric Holder wrt Fast and Furious was epic.
He held the false correspondence from Holder's office in his hand as he he castigated Holder about the false statements contained therein.
It left Holder speechless.

[Captain Hate]

R$ versus Hatch? I'll think about that as soon as these Angels stop dancing on the head of this pin.

[maryrose]

SBW
Totally disagree.
As a former governor Romney has a wealth of experience.
Who would be laughing at him?

[Old Lurker]

Delicious if true "BREAKING : FBI's #2 Andrew McCabe who's wife was given 700K by Clinton/McAuliffe may be one of the wrong doers in Donald Trump unmasking etc"

That would add "doing it for money" to "doing it for political reasons" and "using the FBI for personal gain"...the list could be long.

[maryrose]

Carpenter is indeed jealous as are all the women who should supporting a self made entrepreneur like I Anna.
They know they will never marry as well nor succeed as much as she will.
Mean Girls one and all.

[sbw]

MR, his ego would not stand up to not being listened to--to not being followed.

[maryrose]

Should' be Ivanka

[sbw]

And, besides, his “wealth of experience” isn’t necessarily the coin of the realm.

[Old Lurker]

"Who would be laughing at him?"

Low hanging fruit if I ever saw any, that.

[maryrose]

Agree to disagree wrt Romney and the Senate as he would have the best chance to win the seat.

[maryrose]

Also it would discourage Egghead from pursuing the seat.

[maryrose]

What is the coin of the realm for a Senate seat nowadays?

[Clarice Feldman]

A couple of days ago CrowdStrike walked back the guts of its crack report.

Farkas who admits leaking is linked to alperovitch who's on the borad of crowdStrike IIRC.

[James D]

No MM , You are talking about messaging.
People have to understand the costs and how to maneuver in the system to get to reconciliation mode.
When Boehner was in charge these same complaints were in play by this blog.

Numbers and profess are a big part of Ryan's job. But messaging is just as important, and he (and the Congressional GOP leadership generally) seem to be unable or unwilling to grasp that.

Wonkery and mastery of arcane legislative rules and backroom negotiation are necessary to craft workable legislation and actually get it passed.

But mastery of PR and political theater and engaging/mobilizing your base and moving public opinion on the issues (and bringing focus onto issues you want and away from ones you don't) is vital for creating an environment to make it easier to get legislation passed, and to put pressure on your opponents and demoralize their base and exploit fault lines along their various interest groups.

That is just as much Ryan's job as the power points and spreadsheets and mastery of procedure, whether he likes it or not.

[Old Lurker]

Dem seat or Rep seat, Maryrose?

Different coins required.

All the Dem has to do is hold a burning card in his hand then spit on a cut and mix his blood with that of another Made Man already serving in the Senate.

R's are different. First off, they have to be free of any rock solid principles of the scope of Govt vs Individual Liberty being a fixed size pie. Beyond that, they will tell you the price as you go along.

[sbw]

What is the coin of the realm for a Senate seat nowadays?

Venality.

[exdemocrat]

from Zerohedge:

"On a related note, Evelyn Farkas is also a senior fellow at the vehemently anti-Russia Atlantic Council, along with Crowdstrike founder Dimitri Alperovitch. The Atlantic Council is funded by the US State Department, NATO, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukranian Oligarch Victor Pinchuk."

The thick plottens...

[Porchlight]

The charges have to do with California laws governing taping private conversations and whether you need to get permission of both parties.

Apparently, the state's position is that a conversation in a public restaurant constitute private and confidential communication which is protected by these laws.

How about a conversation on a tour bus?

[Old Lurker]

James, my old B School joke applies to Ryan.

A students work for the B students who run the big companies which are owned by the C students.

I'm sure Ryan was an A student.

[Marlene]

Jack @ 2:25...as you know,that is my daughter's life,not only the evening "events" but the breakfast and lunch events. As you mentioned,every waking moment is about the congress critters raising money. I have to admit,it has been a real eye-opener for us to realize what goes in in D.C.

[Old Lurker]

Funny that CA can charge a guy with 15 felonies for taping a conversation in a crowded restaurant, but the FBI and DoJ can't seem to find a crime when Dems appropriate government spy tools to eavesdrop on political opponents for political advantage.

If you wrote that into a movie script you'd get laughed out of Hollywood.

[Porchlight]

clarice, re: McCabe:

http://hotair.com/archives/2016/10/31/family-feud-fbi-doj-roiled-clinton-probe-disputes/

Not entirely clear what McCabe's role was, but his wife did get the big $ from the Clintons.

That’s not to say that all of the feuding described in the article took place between the FBI and the DoJ. Investigators on both cases got frustrated with McCabe too, who seemed to want to walk a tightrope between all sides. A few sources claimed McCabe did issue a “stand down” order, while others deny it. Investigators on the foundation case wanted a look at the e-mails earlier in the case (before they appeared on Weiner’s laptop), but when federal prosecutors denied them permission, McCabe forbade them from taking the request to a different prosecutor.

[glasater]

All the worry about term limiting congress critters is useless in my book when it really comes down to the entrenched bureaucracy who do the real damage to the country.

[Clarice Feldman]

I agree glasater--inexperienced solons would be a really uneven match against the deep state.

[Rocco]

Comey praised the DNC paid Crowdstrike when they refused to let him examine their servers during the Hillary fiasco. Instead, he relied on Crowdstrike's expertise on the matter calling them, "a highly respected private company."

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/313555-comey-fbi-did-request-access-to-hacked-dnc-servers

[Jane]

Did any of you see Trump's conference on opioids this morning.

It shows his skill better than anything I've seen so far.

He knows what he doesn't know.

[Janet 🚬]

It is interesting who has to obey laws & who doesn't.
Democrats, citizens of other countries, liberal activists, BLM rioters & Big Abortion can do ANYTHING.

David Daleiden & Sandra Merritt get charged with 15 felonies.
LeVoy Finicum gets shot & killed.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Since the PP videograhers were filming for public exposure and education it seems to me there is a pretty high first amendment hurdle here.
The mainstream media would be in their corner but of course they know they'd never get prosecuted for secretly taping non progs.

[Davod]

"I agree glasater--inexperienced solons would be a really uneven match against the deep state."

'Yes Minister', while a comedy, is an ideal TV show to show the manipulation of ministers by the entrenched civil service.

[maryrose]

Jane:
I am very pleased with President Trump's performance thus far.

[anonamom]

Here's Trump today--opioids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GIxt-xcrug

BTW--the government caused this. They made up the "Fifth Vital Sign " out of nowhere--pain. Through their torture arm, the JACHO, which evaluates hospitals. Paid hospitals based on that in part. Maybe Medicare, I'm guessing. So nurses were waking sleeping patients (obviously, not too much pain of they are sleeping) to get "pain scores," then giving narcotics to get those self-reported, and totally arbitrary numbers down.

At that time, nobody knew how easily narcotic tolerance develops---

[Jim Eagle]

I didn't do well in my brackets so I will now attemtpt to playout the end game.

The clues and evidence are in the PDB. Why? Because we know from press reports and other reports it goes back to July 2016. That is in the timeframe of the first FISA warrant being denied. Call in the spooks and have them set up a "red herring" for the fake.

If you look at some of the manueverings after that as the race tightened but not enough to be troublesome, the Russian thing began to develop because of Podesta's email and the DNC.

Now they are worried. Why? Because they the DNC and Clintons are the ones in the bag to the Russians, not Trump. Turn the tables and leak the hell out of it daily, if not hourly, reports on the Trump team regardless if they are talking to the Russians but because we own the press and can lie to them until their Cheerios are soaked.

Somewhere in the corrupted "deep state" is a patriot, one not turned just yet but still has a smile on his/her face. Decides enough is enough and sends Nunes to the PBD's. He needs cover to review them. Trump already has (by the way) and could be the snitch.

Now can they identify the reading parties? Beside the 13 to 19 agencies given open access by the Obama last minute EO? You bet they can because of the distribution stamp and sign off.

Remember Ben Rhodes is a Fiction Writing graduate and this is a simple novel for him.

[Jim Eagle]

anonamom,

I tried to keep the OxyCodiene to a minimum during my recoup but it was hard. In any event, I have no longing for it once the 10 scale pain subsided. I think a vodaka martini suffices from time to time to blunt that sating.

[rse]

anonamom-I have mentioned few opioids work on me. Doctor treating disc issues years ago that were quite major with oxy and then ir for breakthrough pain. It's not working and I am on highest dose possible. Doc has already written script for next month when she decides I am lying to get meds.

I am stubborn and don't appreciate being accused of lying to get drugs that aren't working. So I stubbornly stop taking cold turkey to prove I am not abusing. That's when I learned you can be physically dependent on a drug that never provided the desired pain relief.

Stubborn won, even though I was sick for a week. When I sold the 470 last year I came across that old written script.

The real downside is whatever causes it may be hereditary and show up in one of my kids. I would never want them to go through this.

[Old Lurker]

Now I am confused.

Michael Moore tweeted "“Historians in the near future will mark today, March 28, 2017, as the day the extinction of human life on earth began, thanks 2 Donald Trump,”

But is that not exactly what the enviro-whackos want...a reduction of humans from 7B to 2-3B?

So is Fat Boy happy or sad?

[anonamom]

Remember, Trump's older brother died from alcohol abuse.

[Jim Eagle]

anonamom,

Is Opiod addicts different than alkies? Can you be both without calling the undertaker?