If I Were A Fan Of Conspiracy Theories - George Papadoupolos, Fall Guy...

If I were a fan of conspiracy theories (If?!?) I would have a deep-dive New Year's weekend. My launch point would be this in-the-nick-of-time story about the background to the FBI investigation into the Trump campaign which began last summer.

How the Russia Inquiry Began: A Campaign Aide, Drinks and Talk of Political Dirt

WASHINGTON — During a night of heavy drinking at an upscale London bar in May 2016, George Papadopoulos, a young foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, made a startling revelation to Australia’s top diplomat in Britain: Russia had political dirt on Hillary Clinton.

About three weeks earlier, Mr. Papadopoulos had been told that Moscow had thousands of emails that would embarrass Mrs. Clinton, apparently stolen in an effort to try to damage her campaign.

Exactly how much Mr. Papadopoulos said that night at the Kensington Wine Rooms with the Australian, Alexander Downer, is unclear. But two months later, when leaked Democratic emails began appearing online, Australian officials passed the information about Mr. Papadopoulos to their American counterparts, according to four current and former American and foreign officials with direct knowledge of the Australians’ role.

Oh, well, the so the FBI was inspired by Australian (and presumably British) intelligence agencies. Whew! We were worried that their launch point, as hinted but not directly claimed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, had been the Steele dossier, bought and paid for by Team Clinton.

However! As noted by Paul Mirengoff at Powerline and Byron York, the timing seems off - the FBI didn't actually interview Papadopoulos until February 2017.

But let's have some fun, starting here - why do we believe that George Papadopoulos's contact, the mysterious Professor Misfud, was working for the Russians? The professor was more or less a nobody from Malta claiming to have Russian contacts, and had a vague affiliation with a Russian university. Everything we see in his bio would be perfectly consistent with an MI6 attempt to promote one of their contacts as a Russian go-between. If I remember my Le Carre, and George Smiley, that would mean that MI6 could use the professor as a contact point for coat-trailing operations where they try to draw the attention of other spies, defectors, malcontents or any else interested in reaching out to the Russians. Its a fly-trap - people who want to reach out to the Russians meet the Maltese Stool Pigeon and end up unwittingly chatting with MI6. Impossible? No. Probable? Who can say?

As to the notion that in April 2016 the professor had early inside knowledge about the DNC hack which had only struck e-gold the month before, well, maybe. But if I were a self-promoter I would have been well aware that months of speculation had swirled around the question of whether the Russians had hacked Hillary's secret email server, the existence of which had been revealed in 2015. So, a lucky guess by the professor? Again, who knows?

In any case, the Trump/Putin bromance had been a matter of interest going back to 2015. So as a matter of protecting themselves and their ally, MI6 (with a wink from the US intelligence community) might have mounted an operation against George P. This LOL article about how the recruitment of George P. has all the earmarks of a Russian operation would read exactly the same if MI6 were substituted into it.

So sure, Prof. Misfud could have been part of a Russian operation to get a guy into the Trump campaign. OK, the Reds allegedly had Manafort, who joined the campaign in late March, but maybe he wasn't their guy so they needed to add a nobody with no connections to Team Trump out on the periphery of the campaign. Maybe!

Or maybe George P. was targeted by Western intelligence as, well, an insurance policy in case they needed a pretext to investigate Trump. What, am I suggesting the Western establishment was anti-Trump? Hard to imagine, right?

So now with the Steele dossier emerging as an indefensible pretext for the Trump investigation the FBI throws us George P.

Or not. George P. may well have been speaking to an authentic Russian contact point. That still doesn't mean this FBI-philic leak to the Times accurately describes the real impetus for any warrant applications.

Hall of mirrors stuff.

DO LET ME ADD: One of my 2016 resolutions was "No more crazy theories this year." Almost made it! Now, where's my apple pie and ice cream for breakfast? Next week, The Diet!

Comments

[GUS]

Happy New Year Man Tran, you are old school. You are an engineering RISK TAKER. No risk no reward.

HOLD MY BEER, I'm going to jump this river bed........

They said it couldn't be done.....

[GUS]

Just MAYBE, if we inject nitrous oxide into the carb, it'll go REAL FAST.....

[Man Tran]

Right On! GUS

[GUS]

You are the MAN..........TRAN

[Man Tran]

As a side note, there is as an early railway bridge in England that JiB probably knows about that was retired a couple decades ago and they decided to test it to distruction. I don't recall the details, but I think they never got it to fail, because it was so overbuilt even after 150 yrs, it was essentially indestructible. So the dirty little secret in engineering is to apply a generous safety factor which is easy enough when it doesn't have to move, but doesn't work in race cars and other performance critical areas.

[GUS]

Weight, brick and mortar, that are centuries old, aqueducts, Edinburgh Castles and Georgian home construction, are not relevant to the mathematical techniques needed today. Costs, materials, and INDEMNITY enter into the equation. The track beddings from the 19th century were made to last.
The cars from the 40's and 50's.......and even the 60's to mid 70's, were designed, NOT TO LOSE.
Science has made 12 oz aluminum cans, strong enough to build COLLEGE BUNK BEDS.
Margin for error, is costly and LAW SUIT worthy.

[daddy]

the dirty little secret in engineering is to apply a generous safety factor which is easy enough when it doesn't have to move,

This interesting Nat Geo article: Aqueducts: Quenching Rome’s Thirst focuses on the ancient Roman Engineering marvels of Aqueducts, and tells us that in "19 B.C.
Marcus Agrippa, Augustus’s son-in-law, oversees the building of the Aqua Virgo to supply the thermal baths in the Campus Martius."

Later in the article we learn "The Augustan-era Aqua Virgo—named, according to legend, for the young girl who directed thirsty soldiers to the springs that fed it—has been used uninterrupted ever since its construction...The Aqua Virgo still supplies one of the most famous fountains in the world: the 18th-century Trevi Fountain in Rome."

And if memory serves, I am reminded that Agrippa is also supposedly responsible for building The Pantheon, the greatest extant ancient Roman building in the City.

[JimNorCal]

For Left Coasters, RSBN has a live stream for counting down to 2018
https://youtu.be/-S2EvZbCUFM

[GUS]

Daddy, God bless you, is it safe to say, you caught my ANCIENT ENGINEERING opinion??
God bless you my brother.

[GUS]

Did these ENGINEERS, have a PERMIT?????

[Man Tran]

No doubt that Agrippa fella had some kickass finite element models cranking away in the back room. :)

[JimNorCal]

Easter time? Done!
Central? Done!
Mountain? Done!
Pacific? Coming up ...

[JimNorCal]

Done!
We've begun Another Year In Which Hillary Is Not President! :) :)

[Man Tran]

The super moon is so bright here, I can't sleep. I think it is as bright as some of our heavily cloudy days this time of year.

[GUS]

Where are you at Man Tran?

[Man Tran]

Home on our little rock pile out here as far north and west as you can go without saying 'eh? Roughly in the middle of the Salish Sea.

[MJW]

From the NYT story:

Once the information Mr. Papadopoulos had disclosed to the Australian diplomat reached the F.B.I., the bureau opened an investigation that became one of its most closely guarded secrets. Senior agents did not discuss it at the daily morning briefing, a classified setting where officials normally speak freely about highly sensitive operations.

I suppose we're supposed to take this as an indicatoion of the investigation's significance. I can see two other possibilities: 1) They need to explain why hardly anyone in the FBI has heard about it. 2) They were afraid one of the non-"senior agents" would ask why the FBI was investigating a presidential candidate based on a campaign volunteer's drunken hearsay about already-common gossip.

[GUS]

MJW. This Is the SET UP of HOW POWERFUL this UTTER BULLSHIT is/was. This ENTIRE INVESTIGATION is a LIE. There is/was no RUSSIAN COLLUSION vis a vis TRUMP nor his CAMPAIGN. This HORSESHIT, is a PRETEND clean up of NOTHING. Mueller and ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY COMEY, are far far far more DIRTY than ANYTHING that they are PRETENDING to investigate.

POPCORN PLEASE.

[daddy]

Senior agents did not discuss it at the daily morning briefing, a classified setting where officials normally speak freely about highly sensitive operations.

Yeah, super professional "Senior Agents" like Strzok and Page were probably so committed to their Constitutional duty to keep such stuff "hush hush," that they never once texted about it in the 10,000 E-Mails they exchanged while having adulterous sex on the desk in "Andy's office," whenever "Andy" was out campaigning with Hillary's $700K for his wife's Election.

C'mon.

[Miss Marple]

The NYT is full of bad novelists. I bet they screen potential reporters by giving them a criminal scenario and asking them to write a lofty sounding excuse for it.

No links yet. I am on iPad in bed and will hopefully go back to sleep.

[mockmook]

There's a difference between claiming that something is a fact versus saying that you are making a guess based on evidence/intuition.

Don't say "GRAHAM SAYS THE DOSSIER WAS USED FOR FISA!!!!" when all Graham did was bob and weave and sort of suggest/imply.

This isn't engineering versus intuition, this is about being honest with your audience on what IS versus what MAY BE.

[Krackr]

Fake dossier used for at least the initial fisa app.

[daddy on iPad]

8:00 PM here in Seoul and at a favorite local hangout in the city--- Loco''s BBQ. The place is packed and the city itself appears to have a very festive feel, so tho' the local TV channels constantly run repeats of Kim Jung Haircut swearing he'll push the Nuclear Button it appears the South Korean population is in "whatever, dude" mode, and back to ignoring him and enjoying the Holidays.

For those who don't know, South Korea is huge Christian, so our hotel being on top of one of the famous old city hills the vista at night in every direction is of illuminated Christian Crosses atop the many old city Churches, architecturally preserved between the modern Skyscrapers and their overwhelming secular seasonal lighting. Not too cold, the beer is surprisingly great, (Slow IPA on draft) and the Bar B Q is killer since it isnt kimchee seasoned. Medium cold outside, so I've got my beany and gloves and I'll probably catch a cab shortly to the Itaewon "Get in trouble" district while you guys wake up with your hangovers. Happy New Year everyone, and thank you TM for this, wonderful wonderful place. Kamsamnida!

[anonamom]

Happy New Year, JOMers! I wish you health and happiness.

I believe we will find the end of 2017 marks a major change in the attitude of opposition to POTUS.
Although today is nothing but the day that follows yesterday, having a "new year" begin, as well as having almost an entire year since POTUS was inaugurated pass, delivers a psychological wake up if not blow to the resisters, who have had no success in delegitimizing POTUS in any avenue they've taken.

Althouse had a post yesterday on Drudge's picture of a stunning Melania with the guy she's married to, asking readers opinion on the guy

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2017/12/i-wonder-if-you-might-comment-on-drudge.html

She characterizes the pic as provocative, and 85% of the respondents say they were "provoked" this way:

I love it. He's happy. His wife is beautiful. And we're lucky to have him as President.

or

I'm overjoyed that this guy is where he is and that it's so unsettling to people who are not me.

That result say much about her readership, but that level of joy (gosh, is it just "the economy, stupid"?) floating around at work, with relatives, in churches and gyms just has to effect them at some level.

[pagar, a bacon, ham and sausage supporter]

Happy New Year to All!

[daddy at LoCo's]

having almost an entire year since POTUS was inaugurated pass, delivers a psychological wake up if not blow to the resisters, who have had no success in delegitimizing POTUS in any avenue they've taken.

Excellent comments, A'mom.

After shooting blanks for a full year now in hopes of "frogmarching Trump like Karl Rove at Fitzmas" I think his legion enemies are more and more distressed and hysterical, and reduced to flinging whatever Hail Mary poops they have left to toss at the wall. In 2018 may they fully reap the humiliation and profesional destruction they so richly deserve.

[simply stupid]

Just speculation on my part, but I wonder if Supreme leader Ali Khamenei is still alive. The demonstrations may have been timed for his passing while his backers were stilltrying oust one another from the top spot thus causing the mutd response to the uprisings thus far.

[DebinGA]

The foreseeable results of BOzo's "police acted stupidly" are on full display in blue hells. BOzo isn't capable of leading a "We were wrong to blame police" campaign, but a golden opportunity for someone awaits.

[Miss Marple]

I read a comment last night on Twtter that made me wonder.

If you wanted to draw a lot of the thugs out of Iran to protect the people, what would you do?

Recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

I am giving up and getting up to make coffee.

[pagar, a bacon, ham and sausage supporter]

Just think of all the leftists you will never see with their children.

abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics

"Based on available state-level data, an estimated 908,000 U.S. abortions took place in 2015."

https://www.weaselzippers.us/369502-democratic-congressman-criticizes-trump-as-a-father-never-see-him-with-barron/

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
22m22 minutes ago

The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!
=======================
That should get the foreign policy establishment all agitated! HA!

[rse]

MM-this is for you. http://thefederalist.com/2017/12/31/melania-trumps-2017-coats-ranked/

Happy New Year everyone.

Made greens saturday with lots of spicy sausage and will be making Good Luck Soup later from the Jackson, MS Come On In! cookbook. It explicitly says NOT to soak the black eyed peas in case anyone here forgot to start the soaking process last night.

Prosperity and Good Luck to all in 2018.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump

Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

rse,

Thanks for that article on Melania's coats.

I only disagree in that I would hae gien the Inaugural coat #1.

I actually had 2 people call me and ask me if I was seeing it! They especially loved the matching gloves!

[James D.]

BOzo isn't capable of leading

You can end that sentence right there.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

http://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/this-time-its-serious/

Iran analysis.

[Captain Hate]

If you wanted to draw a lot of the thugs out of Iran to protect the people, what would you do?

Recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

I think everything positive which happened in the ME in 2017 began after the meeting with the Saudis. I believe the groundwork was laid there.

[DebinGA]

"Mitt Romney: Your country needs you. The 2012 Republican presidential nominee has been reluctant to announce a primary challenge to Sen. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, the longest-serving Republican senator in history. But America needs Romney to step up, to restore dignity to the Senate — and to save the country from the embarrassment Hatch has become..." [Dem hack Dana Milbank-WaPo]

With Lindsey sounding quasi-supportive of DT, the Dems are desperately seeking their next McRINO. But if Mitt still has POTUS dreams, turning off the base doesn't seem the way to go.

[James D.]

If Mitt still has POTUS dreams, he needs to see a therapist, because that's a sign of some pretty serious mental illness.

[henry]

Happy New Year!

-10 outside. Time for coffee by the fire.

[Beasts of England]

Roll Tide!!

...and Happy New Year! 🍾

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Lou Dobbs
‏Verified account @LouDobbs
10h10 hours ago

Honored to be spending New Years with so many great Americans at Mar a Lago celebrating a New Day in America!

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

I am happy Lou got an invitation. He's been a stalwart supporter.

[Buckeye]

Trump to Pakistan:

"Hey you!"

"Asshole!"

"You know who you're fuckin' with?!?!"

Happy New Year JOMers!

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Happy New Year to all.

And this cold wave can leae wheneer it feels like it. The wind chill here in Indy is -27.

[narcisoyea]

Morning all, yes one must wonder about the state of the supposed plu alumni, for resident of evin prison, an azeri among the persians

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
13m13 minutes ago

Will be leaving Florida for Washington (D.C.) today at 4:00 P.M. Much work to be done, but it will be a great New Year!

[Tom Bowler]

Good morning and Happy New Year! It is -1 in Jackson, New Hampshire!

[Marlene]

Happy New Year! Health and Happiness to everyone!

[Buckeye]

henry,

Mrs. Buckeye was complaining about the cold yesterday. She is definetely not a STEM type, so she allowed herself to become convinced that there must be something wrong with the indoor/outdoor digital thermometer.

I brought the outdoor sensor inside, and it is sitting on the kitchen counter next to the indoor sensor/readout. The both show 71.8 F.

I have been doing my best to avoid the "see, I told you so:)"

[DebinGA]

Weather Channel online says here in NW GA we'll have a high of 31 and added "it feels like 3". How in the world do they determine what it "feels" like?

[Beasts of England]

Windchill and humidity, DebinGA.

[Rocco]

Jackson New Hampshire is beautiful! I'll never forget the view of Mount Washington from the top of Wildcat Mountain.

[DebinGA]

Good to know, Beasts. TY and Go Alabama!

[narcisoyea]

Did this surprise anyone:
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/31/sources-chris-matthews-runs-an-abusive-work-environment

[henry]

Buckeye, I'm using the online temp from the urban heat island in town nearby. By the snow squeak, it is colder than -10 out here in the tundra. Wind chill is at -30 or something, so I'll wear a hat when I resupply firewood.

[Buckeye]

Roll Tide!

Good luck tonight Beasts.

I want to see Dabo melting down on the sidelines:)

[narcisoyea]

Off victors feed
http://rudaw.net/mobile/english/middleeast/iran/311220172

[Beasts of England]

Thanks, all!! 🐘

[Buckeye]

By the snow squeak,

Something the southern JOMers aren't likely familiar with:)

[sbw]

Happy New Year, JOMers! Toasted and texted the kids at just past midnight.

Woke up to -15 degrees and sunshine this AM after a good eight hours sleep.

Greater love hath no Dad than to walk our son’s Goldendoodle first thing this morning. Didn’t stay out long.

[Jim Eagle]

Good Morning from The First Coast of Florida. Cold, wet, turbulent sea - a real 'noreaster slamming the coast.

50F but probably high 30's wind chill since we have 20-25 mph winds. Taking Mrs. JiB and Frederick to MCO (Orlando) for their flight up to Long Island. Leave around 12:15 and I can see the traffic is hell already especially going north on 95. With these winds and wet roads I always worry about the lorries jackknifing or flipping shutting down the Interstate and visiting chaos on travel.

At least I am heading south and west but its coming back that will be the issue. I might take A1A out of Daytona instead of 95. Longer but more scenic drive:)

I have Oklahoma in my club's pool. But wishing all the teams good play and better results.

[Jim Eagle]

Oh, I forgot:

Happy New Year
Bonne Année
Gellukkig Neuwjarr
Selamat Tahun Baru
Frohes Neues Jahr
Felice Anno Nuovo
DIS chu' DatIvjaj

100 attaboys if you recognize the language of the last one:)

[boris]

"we went to the moon with fricken sliderules!"

... And computers ...

A lot of real world engineering can be done with 3 decimal places. Using a sliderule or a calculator requires the sense to know when the result if FUBAR.

Design can't be done without "intuitions", inferences, and hunches but production generally requires proof of concept.

[James D.]

I recognize it, JiB. But what's the literal translation from the Klingon?

[narcisoyea]

It seems bezod is starting the year extra stupid:
https://althouse.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-sincerity-of-roberts-intentions-can.html

[James D.]

narc @ 9:15

That's about what I'd expect from Matthews. And I'm sure he's far from the worst.

[RattlerGator]

Happy New Year to one and all.

Love and kisses to Clarice for the prominent mention in her Sunday column.

I'll likely never catch up on the December 2017 posts but a heartfelt thanks to all of you who have made TM's board such an incredible community.

From MM's Faith and Patience Portico on this first day of the rest of our lives, and yes we're just chillin' and relaxin' on the virtual veranda as we stare out at the coming year (it's a cold 35-to-38 degrees around Tallahassee / Leon County right now; very little relaxin' outside today but a whole bunch of chillin' -- and I know you see what I did there).

It's about time to start getting my all day grub on while watching some football so . . . how about three Twitter threads to help keep the faith? They've probably been cited on here somewhere already:

December 7th thread on the new head of the FBI, Christopher Wray;
https://twitter.com/DaveNYviii/status/938991227466260480

December 11th thread proclaiming 2017 as The Year of the Shield (a protective shied, that is, by using the DOJ OIG investigatory tools) and 2018 The Year of the Sword (using the DOJ OIG investigatory findings);
https://twitter.com/DaveNYviii/status/940033552577544192

December 16th thread on the successful War for Independence by DOJ I.G. Michael Horowitz from the corrupt clutches of the Obama Administration;
https://twitter.com/davenyviii/status/942227779579498496?lang=en

Later, Gators.

[henry]

Today's train, the N&W 2-8-8-2 Y6b. Once all the moving parts are oiled, it should thunder around my living room something like this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kacbKLnJV3o

I like that guy's layout. Walls should not constrict your trains. ;)

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I have to confess Matthews' "sexist" comments seem a little clod-like at worst, but the claims of rage and verbal abuse should have earned the punk a good beat down, especially when done in front of others.

[boatbuilder]

On the engineers vs. normal people discussion last night ;-)* I can't believe that nobody brought up this old chestnut:

Joke of the Week - Engineers & Guillotines
September 29, 2011 at 6:23am
During the French Revolution, three professionals were arrested and convicted of having bourgeois values. They were a doctor, a lawyer, and an engineer. They were to be led to the guillotine one by one. The crowd was roaring with anticipated pleasure. First up was the doctor. How dare he enrich himself through other people's illnesses? Access to basic health care is a right, right? The doctor was placed in the guillotine, and the lanyard was yanked. The blade started on its massive, implacable way down, and suddenly lurched to a stop. The official in charge declared that it would be inhumane to make the doctor suffer this way more than once, so he set the doctor free. The crowd howled. The executioner checked his equipment. All was in order. He put a small tree branch in, and successfully lopped it in half. He re-sharpened the blade. Next up was the lawyer. Who needs an excuse to wish such a lying, cheating scoundrel dead? The crowd was thunderous in its applause. The lawyer was placed in the guillotine, and the lanyard was yanked. Again, the blade stopped part-way down! The presiding official once again said that he would set this prisoner free because of the unusual circumstances. The crowd screamed in frustration. Now came the engineer, a man whose innovations and devices were costing jobs all across the land. The crowd fell silent. The executioner checked and re-checked his equipment. As the engineer was marched up to the guillotine, he looked carefully at it and said, "Wait. I see your problem...."

*Kidding! My Dad was an engineer.

[boatbuilder]

"By the snow squeak..."

Back in my college days in Maine we measured the temp by how quickly the nose hairs froze. I think it was '78 when the temp did not get above 0 degrees for three weeks.

[sbw]

RG, excellent tweets on the IG.

I am so proud of the underlying integrity of this country. We tolerated the weaponization and abuse of Obama/Clinton and cronies until they could be defeated by peaceful election,

... and in doing so, saved the Constitution.

[boatbuilder]

...As I recall the "scientific consensus" then was that "WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!" because of the coming ice age.

[boatbuilder]

Thanks for posting, sbw. Thought I was talking to myself. Which is OK, I'm used to it, but I made a New Year's resolution to try to talk to actual people this year.

[Jim Eagle]

bb,

That joke was the first thing my structural engineering 101 instructor told us on day one. In electrical engineering its Old Sparky and not the guillotine.

RG, great summary. Wouldn't it be wonderful if in Trump's SOTU speech he reads out the indictments of Comey, Strzok, Page, Weissman, McCabe, et.al. including Yates, Ben Rhodes and Rice, noting a warrant has also been issued for Zippy, the Ferret and Brenna.

[James D.]

That would be glorious, JiB!

[Old Lurker]

SBW "I am so proud of the underlying integrity of this country. We tolerated the weaponization and abuse of Obama/Clinton and cronies until they could be defeated by peaceful election... and in doing so, saved the Constitution."

Assuming a conclusion not yet assured.

Happy New Year, my friends.

[boatbuilder]

I think it was my Dad who told it to me JIB. Recently tried a case and I had an expert who has been a tenured professor of mechanical engineering for 20 years. I told him that joke and he had never heard it before. It also took him a while to get it...

[RattlerGator]

OL, you remain a hard nut to crack I see. Keep standing on that wall, my man. You're right to remain vigilant, I guess, but you're going to join this celebratory party sooner or later.

* * *

I am so proud of the underlying integrity of this country. We tolerated the weaponization and abuse of Obama/Clinton and cronies until they could be defeated by peaceful election,

... and in doing so, saved the Constitution.

Posted by: sbw | January 01, 2018 at 10:26 AM

Yep, yep. Throughout my life I have been invariably met with kindness and people quite willing to meet me halfway on the social interaction scale. Mind you, this is just as integration was occurring all over the South. Demonstrate basic decency? You get decency in return. Rarely have I run into warped idiots. I have, unfortunately, run into more than a few people driven by agendas who could only see and interact with others via absurd caricatures that denied their targets any real humanity at all. The perpetrators were black, white, and otherwise.

The response by the Defense Intelligencee community, the federal Inspector General corps, and scores of others constitute living proof of the genius of our founding. A lasting genius.

[Jim Eagle]

bb,

Not surprising. Most likely a student or fellow professor would think he would take it as an insult. There are a lot of anal retentive engineering professors.

I read in The Daily Mail today that the Left were in a twitter blaze over CNN dropping Kathy Griffin from their New Year's Even broadcast. Further evidence that progism is a mental defect.

[RattlerGator]

On the football front -- SEC all the way, baby bubbas, SEC all the way !!! Hope springs eternal in Gator Country; we won't be down for long.

[JimNorCal]

Great to see you back, RG!
Like many of us, The Diet begins today for you? :) :)

[Old Lurker]

RG, I cannot wait to say you were right all along and all will be revealed in 2018.

But Eeyore just gotta be Eeyore then he won't be disappointed.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Vice President Mike Pence
‏Verified account @VP
14m14 minutes ago

As long as @RealDonaldTrump is POTUS and I am VP, the United States of America will not repeat the shameful mistake of our past when others stood by and ignored the heroic resistance of the Iranian people as they fought against their brutal regime... (1/2)

Vice President Mike Pence
‏Verified account @VP
13m13 minutes ago

(2/2)...The bold and growing resistance of the Iranian people today gives hope and faith to all who struggle for freedom and against tyranny. We must not and we will not let them down. #IranProtests

[JimNorCal]

Another principled and intelligent newspaper editor
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/frank_miele_editors_2_cents/20171230/column_a_finger_in_the_dike_holding_back_the_fake_news
I took a rare shift as news editor last Saturday, which gave me an unexpected chance to put my finger in the dike holding back the flood of fake news caused by those afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome.
... I ran through the story three times trying to get the editor to see where Superville had made up her own facts to buttress her bias, but eventually he got frustrated and told me he was passing me up the line to an editor in Washington, D.C.

[Buckeye]

Back in my college days in Maine we measured the temp by how quickly the nose hairs froze. I think it was '78 when the temp did not get above 0

When I was in the 6th grade had a morning paper route. Got up at 0 dark thirty and took care of bidness before school.

One day temps took a dive to about -20 F. Did it on a bike and had to stop every block or so, take off my glove and use the heat of my hand to unfreeze my eyelashes so I could open my eyes to see again.

Might have been late to school that day:)

[JimNorCal]

The good editor wins in the end.
Such enormous amounts of fake AP news to debunk!

[Jane]

Rattlegator, Can I ask you a really inappropriate question? (People who know me in person know I am the queen of inappropriate questions)

Here goes, and don't answer if you don't want.

Was there ever a time in your life that you lead with the fact that you are black? Or did you always lead with the fact that you are Rattlegator?

[Buckeye]

All on Harbaugh's shoulders to deliver an 8-0 sweep of the bowls by the BIG 10.

He will probably choke.

[pagar, a bacon, ham and sausage supporter]

IMO, firing employees for trying to defend themselves and their workplace is wrong. IMO, it simply promotes more robberies.

https://www.weaselzippers.us/369518-waffle-house-waitress-fired-after-shooting-gun-during-robbery/

At the bottom of the article it says the waitress left with no income for her family has started a Gofundme page. Does anyone know how to find that GoFundme page?

[jimmyk on iPhone]

"That result say much about her readership, but that level of joy...."

It's no insult to Trump to say that some part of that joy is from the fact that Hillarybis a private citizen.

Happy New Year, JOM!

[DebinGA]

Wow, Buckeye. Today your parents would be in court fighting to keep child protective peeps from removing you from their home.

[Buckeye]

(People who know me in person know I am the queen of inappropriate questions)

Hmmm Jane. I think we might be cousins:)

[JimNorCal]

Another example of that editor taking on AP, from Oct 2016, just before The Blessed Day in Nov :) :)

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/archive/article-87c1c224-9895-11e6-be9a-ffefc56d2eab.html

[Buckeye]

Wow, Buckeye. Today your parents would be in court fighting to keep child protective peeps from removing you from their home.

And a couple of generations of candy-asses later, here we are.

I didn't feel exploited one bit. I was too busy counting my earnings.

[DebinGA]

The waitress fired a shot from the parking lot after the robbers had left the Waffle House and were running to their cars. The diners were lucky she didn't scare the robbers into running back inside.

[Jane]

Buckeye, I'm terrible, but for good reason. I've never had any bias or prejudice, just curiosity, so I'm curious, sometimes inappropriately so.

[sbw]

Was there ever a time in your life that you lead with the fact that you are black?

He is?

[Old Lurker]

:-) SBW. Perfect.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

What RG is, is OPTIMISTIC!

And that is a trait I really appreciate!