The report that retired MI-6 dirt-dogger Steele had briefed senior FBI veteran Ohr about the infamous Steel dossier at a July 30 meeting has struck a nerve.
The NY Times has a river of leaks from the Ohr/FBI/Clinton/Comey side explaining their long time relationship. Since both were involved with probing the Russian mob, large parts of the story ring true.
However! Folks with a long memory (or for those to whom it seems like a long time) this theme of 'controversial leaks followed by exculpatory leaks' is a replay of the May 16, 2018 Times story about the genesis of "Crossfire Hurricane". Back then, when the controversy was whether the Steele dossier had fueled the Carter Page FISA warrant, we were assured that "Crossfire Hurricane" had been launched on July 31 in response to the news that George Papadopoulos had been tipped about Russian possession of emails. We can feel the drama in the lead:
WASHINGTON — Within hours of opening an investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia in the summer of 2016, the F.B.I. dispatched a pair of agents to London on a mission so secretive that all but a handful of officials were kept in the dark.
Their assignment, which has not been previously reported, was to meet the Australian ambassador, who had evidence that one of Donald J. Trump’s advisers knew in advance about Russian election meddling. After tense deliberations between Washington and Canberra, top Australian officials broke with diplomatic protocol and allowed the ambassador, Alexander Downer, to sit for an F.B.I. interview to describe his meeting with the campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos.
The agents summarized their highly unusual interview and sent word to Washington on Aug. 2, 2016, two days after the investigation was opened. Their report helped provide the foundation for a case that, a year ago Thursday, became the special counsel investigation. But at the time, a small group of F.B.I. officials knew it by its code name: Crossfire Hurricane.
Deep in the story the dossier appears:
The F.B.I. bureaucracy did agents no favors. In July, a retired British spy named Christopher Steele approached a friend in the F.B.I. overseas and provided reports linking Trump campaign officials to Russia. But the documents meandered around the F.B.I. organizational chart, former officials said. Only in mid-September, congressional investigators say, did the records reach the Crossfire Hurricane team.
Mr. Steele was gathering information about Mr. Trump as a private investigator for Fusion GPS, a firm paid by Democrats. But he was also considered highly credible, having helped agents unravel complicated cases.
Hmm. So now we know that the "friend in the F.B.I. overseas" was Ohr, and that Crossfire Hurricane was launched the day after the dossier was presented. Kind of buried the lede there.
To be fair, there is no way the FBI responded exclusively to the dossier by formally opening an investigation one day later. But asking me to believe it took Ohr several weeks to tip off his colleagues? Please.
I'll settle for believing the FBI already had concerns and the dossier added to them.
You know I've been meaning to ask about the new Puerto Rico casualty figures from a few days ago. Was that based on new bodies found, missing person reports, or just some stupid analytical guess?
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 12:34 AM
Mostly the last category, rosello has spent a lot of money which should have gone elsewhere, a number close to Katrina was a reasonable calculation.
Posted by: narciso | September 03, 2018 at 12:39 AM
Jim,
They just needed to stack the deck for when the reparations boat docks. No idea what their methodology was.
Posted by: gentlejim | September 03, 2018 at 12:42 AM
narciso, I've seen coverage of Chenitz for the last few days. I didn't post anything because all he coverage was heavily biased.
The anti-immigration people were being depicted as neo-nazis.
They are trying to de-legitimatize then.
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 12:44 AM
The idiot foreign minister gives the game away. Later in the paper.
Posted by: narciso | September 03, 2018 at 12:47 AM
They'll let anyone in here now:
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/upper-w
Posted by: narciso | September 03, 2018 at 12:52 AM
Sorry let me try again:
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/upper-west-and-upper-east-now-home-to-upper-mal-and-upper-kev/news-story/c6764dc0ea2140d03e82acb745b28844
Posted by: narciso | September 03, 2018 at 12:53 AM
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-puerto-rico-death-toll-will-only-get-higher/2018/09/02/7b5d2eec-ad51-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html
"The latest attempt to get an accurate death toll in Puerto Rico following last year’s Hurricane Maria paints a grim picture: 2,975 “excess” deaths could be attributed to the storm, according to George Washington University researchers. That’s 46 times more than the 64 deaths first reported last fall."
"Excess" deaths? So these people didn't die in the storm. They died from knock-on effects.
And that, of course is Trump's fault, because he couldn't instantly re-erect a failed electricity grid which had been mismanaged for decades.
It's just an anti-Trump stalking point.
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 01:03 AM
That's the gist of it, and the louder the screams, the more deep their pockets, that was also true of Katrina.
Posted by: narciso79 | September 03, 2018 at 01:13 AM
Former Australian PMs exile themselves to NYC?
Obama doing the reverse would be good.
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 01:16 AM
They ate picky about who they let in.
Posted by: narciso79 | September 03, 2018 at 01:20 AM
I wonder how many "Excess" deaths occurred in the Continental US after all those hurricanes hit us.
I think a good guess would be not many. It was hard to help Puerto Rico since everything had to be brought in by ship or plane. For a FEMA disaster recovery to work you need competent local politicians and agencies to make it work.
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 01:26 AM
It's a Michael Mann standard of proof, meaning it can't but you know what happened to steyn.
Posted by: narciso | September 03, 2018 at 01:34 AM
Extraneus, re: McCain's advance funeral prep:
I believe I read somewhere that all ex-presidents do this.
Ok, but McCain wasn't an ex-president.
Friends were just over for some drinks and we were laughing at some old videos. I think we were making fun of Midnight Oil just as y'all were posting about them.
Posted by: Porchlight | September 03, 2018 at 01:41 AM
Got a text from the Charlie Baker campaign looking for volunteers and/or donations.
I replied that Tall Deval can go pound sand.
Posted by: Dave (in MA) | September 03, 2018 at 01:51 AM
https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2018/09/02/migrant-rappels-into-u-s-nearly-drowns-in-irrigation-canal/
I was thinking of a moat instead of a wall the other night.
If a wall is so offensive, maybe we could dig a moat to re-introduce alligators. I'm sure we could find somebody in the sciences to explain that this was their territory before they had to move elsewhere because of ancient climate change.
We're not anti-immigrant. We're pro-alligator. We're environmentalists.
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 01:52 AM
Last time I checked Mann vs Steyn was still in the court system. That would make it 6 years old by now.
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 02:03 AM
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/03/caixin-china-pmi-august-manufacturing-purchasing-managers-index.html
Growth in China is slowing.
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 02:30 AM
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/syria-war-damascus-airbase-blasts-caused-electrical-fault-180902105650372.html
"Syria and Iran say explosions were caused by short-circuit, denying Israeli strikes were behind the blasts."
An ammo dump near the Damascus air force base was caused by an electrical short-circuit rather than by an Israeli attack?
Why do I find that hard to comprehend?
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 03:02 AM
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-missiles/missile-strike-caused-syria-blasts-official-in-regional-alliance-idUSKCN1LH3W8
This blames the Damascus explosions on the Israelis.
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 03:10 AM
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-backed-syrian-rebels-claim-to-have-foiled-army-attack-in-southeast-syria/
"near al-Tanf base in south-east Syria"
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 03:12 AM
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/irans-air-force-dying-30017
They have planes from the ear of the Shah. They have planes that were flown from Iraq to Iran in 1991. American F-4, F-5, first model F-14s. Russian Su-22 and Mig-29s.
They should have bought as many planes as possible after Obama's deal, but didn't.
That's not an air force, that's target practice. Need to worry more about ground-based missiles.
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 03:38 AM
So, from your 3:12 link above--
I'm wondering who is Alma and why did she name her blog
Alma's darn news? And why is she posting about the ME?
Went to About on the blog and see that I got that wrong.
Posted by: anonamom | September 03, 2018 at 04:21 AM
S/B "era of the Shah" not "ear of the Shah." I should make better use of preview.
My keyboarding is suffering. I'm not hitting the "t" key hard enough. I keep messing up on the "r" and "e" keys, keep writing thr, what comes out as "waht."
Auto-cucumber fixes things I don't want fixed. And doesn't alert me to ear vs era, cause they're both words.
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 04:21 AM
Anonamom,
There are a lot of ME news sites out there. I don't always know whether they're straight news or propaganda. So I try to be careful in citing them.
But in this instance it made sense. Ammo dump blows up from electrical short-circuit or Israeli strike?
I mean how does an ammo dump blow up from a short-circuit? I can't imagine such gross negligence.
Reminds me of a Jewish joke.
Two Jewish businessman meet on the street. Aaron asks David how's business.
David replies, "Horrible, I had a fire and it destroyed my whole business. Thankfully, I had full insurance coverage, how about you."
Aaron replies, "Oy vey, like you my business was destroyed by a flood, but I too had insurance."
David says to Aaron, "How to do you start a flood?"
Posted by: jim nj | September 03, 2018 at 04:46 AM
I took auto correct off my phone a month ago. The word substitutions were making me crazy. Leftist version didn't fit what I was saying. ;-)
I'm doing a big catch up, so am going to repost some links that others my have missed this holiday weekend.
Another Bob, Friday evening. A thoughtful perspective on what one should consider doing as a layperson.
(I happen to agree completely.)
https://www.davidwarrenonline.com/2018/08/31/what-to-do/
Posted by: anonamom | September 03, 2018 at 04:47 AM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6125217/Giant-flames-tear-National-Museum-Rio-Janeiro.html
200 year old museum going up in flames with many of brazil's national treasures. The footage looks surreal.
Posted by: rse | September 03, 2018 at 05:13 AM
He crashed two due to pilot error; flew one (recklessly) into power lines; was in the cockpit of one on the Forrestal; and had one shot out from under him.
Posted by: Beasts of England | September 02, 2018 at 08:06 PM
He owes a great debt to this country. Or his estate anyway.
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 05:29 AM
But still, Great Moon's of Jupiter those canucks were awful. Some reviewer once described Peart's lyrics as "mystically inane". Couldna put it better myself.
Melodyless, self-indulgent crud, IMO.
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkywatzky | September 02, 2018 at 09:48 PM
Your futile attempt at Fighting Words amuses me.
"I don't read reviews. If I believed the good ones I'd have to believe the bad ones." Neal Peart
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 05:33 AM
Holy Shit-Smoke on the Water with Queen, Pink Floyd, Rush, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, etc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tsw3nKDlBE
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 05:37 AM
I bet Iggy would rather see Armenia a smoking ruin as it were...
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 05:39 AM
I love dogs. And Rush Limbaugh. Does that help?
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkywatzky | September 02, 2018 at 10:21 PM
You're still in the game.
Here's self indulgent rock at it's best:
Bryan Adams-[I Wanna Be] Your Underwear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekM8J2cTuig
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 05:42 AM
Tennessee Store Puts 'No Gays Allowed' Sign Back Up After Supreme Court Cake Ruling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5AVv6SMeGY
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 05:47 AM
Is Baghdad Bob working for the Iranian Air Force now?
Posted by: gentlejim | September 03, 2018 at 05:50 AM
Black people are moving on from The Fire Challenge:
BEECH GROVE, Ind. – A man has been arrested after he brazenly poured a bag of flour onto a 68-year-old woman at the Beech Grove Walmart on Wednesday.
https://fox59.com/2018/08/30/man-arrested-after-dumping-bag-of-flour-on-68-year-old-woman-at-beech-grove-walmart/
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 06:05 AM
Meet New York City’s pickiest panhandler.
Ron Clarke, 51, regularly positions himself in front of Union Market, the snooty Park Slope grocery spot that a local realtor nicknamed “Millionaire Market.” The discerning Clarke, often seen holding a cup full of coins at the chain’s Seventh Avenue outpost, would not disagree.
Last Tuesday morning, shortly after blowing part of a previous day’s proceeds on a pair of lottery tickets (“I buy them once in a blue moon,” Clarke insisted), he told The Post, “By standing in front of Union Market, I get nice groceries.”
Clarke may rely on the kindness of strangers for sustenance, but he won’t take everything he is given — even if it’s high-quality fare from the ritzy store.
https://nypost.com/2018/09/01/this-nyc-panhandler-only-accepts-high-quality-food/
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 06:09 AM
200 year old museum going up in flames with many of brazil's national treasures. The footage looks surreal.
Posted by: rse | September 03, 2018 at 05:13 AM
Some of it looks Post Modern.
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 06:12 AM
I've got auto-finish on gmail now. It's creepy when it knows what I want to type. I think I've turned it off.
Posted by: Ralph L | September 03, 2018 at 06:13 AM
from my 'On This Day' feature on FB -
September 3, 2013 at 9:34 PM ·
Headline at Drudge - "GAME TIME: MCCAIN PLAYS POKER DURING WAR HEARING"
Again... boy oh boy do we need some new leaders. Perhaps Sen. McCain could spend some time looking up the basic tenets of Islam. Familiarize himself with the actual teachings of Muhammad instead of playing poker. There's an idea....
Posted by: Janet 🚬 | September 03, 2018 at 06:16 AM
Larkin Poe - Mad As A Hatter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGEjbJkxFhs
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 06:19 AM
When Phil Collins' marriage breaks up he writes In the Air Tonight.
When Milwaukee's Kevin Tenner has unrequited love he shoots the place up. https://fox6now.com/2018/08/31/turn-yourself-in-us-marshals-seek-youtube-rapper-kevin-tenner-wanted-for-shooting/
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 06:23 AM
2,975 “excess” deaths could be attributed to the storm, according to George Washington University
"excess" and "could be attributed".
Kind of like the vague and unverifiable measure of "jobs created or saved" under Zero.
Posted by: James D. | September 03, 2018 at 06:24 AM
What if U2 had a girl singer?
Alice Phoebe Lou - She (Live)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPH9j0qVM3A
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 06:33 AM
I'm thinking that maybe the way to blow open the corruption is to show that the Democrat loyalists in our government agencies were spying on the other Republican candidates too, not just Trump.
I don't think the MFM will ever care what those agencies were doing to Trump.
repost of this link - https://themarketswork.com/2018/09/02/2015-employment-of-nellie-ohr-by-fusion-gps-raises-new-questions/
"Illegal NSA Database searches were endemic. Private contractors, employed by the FBI, were given full access to the NSA Database. Once in their possession, the FISA Data could not be traced.
Which brings us back to the original question: What was Nellie Ohr doing in 2015? And who were the FBI’s private contractors?"....
Posted by: Janet 🚬 | September 03, 2018 at 06:48 AM
Red Beard and The Den of Tools
Published on Aug 16, 2018
Sears Closed by Christmas? Sears has gone from a hard decline to base jumping!. They sold off most of their property and are renting it back. They sold off Craftsman and now it looks like they are going to sell off Kenmore! Most investors are saying they won't even make it to Christmas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSsjZTklWEM
Posted by: Pinandpuller | September 03, 2018 at 06:57 AM
John Brennan was already familiar with outside contractors getting into government databases.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/22/passport.files/index.html
2008 - "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The CEO of a company whose employee is accused of improperly looking at the passport files of presidential candidates is a consultant to the Barack Obama campaign, a source said Saturday.
John O. Brennan, president and CEO of the Analysis Corp., advises the Illinois Democrat on foreign policy and intelligence issues, the source said."....
The Analysis Corp employee was not fired.
Posted by: Janet 🚬 | September 03, 2018 at 06:59 AM
Heck Janet, they aren't going to care about them spying on other Rs besides POTUS--they don't even care that they were spying Diane Feinstein, remember?
This is NOT Ds v Rs--this is Leftists on the march, using the clueless.
Just so happens most of them are Ds.
Posted by: anonamom | September 03, 2018 at 07:00 AM
"Unlike Stanley Inc., a huge government contractor listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Analysis Corp. had fewer than 100 employees, and its one culpable employee apparently escaped discipline. The Post article told us only that “his or her employment status is under review.” "
http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/brennan.htm
Posted by: Janet 🚬 | September 03, 2018 at 07:04 AM
Good Morning! I received an email from my youngest sister yesterday. She told me that she and her husband are going to be house parents at a safe house for women involved in sex trafficking. She told me they had been called to this ministry and I told her I admire them for taking on what is sure to be a difficult job. They could use your prayers.
Posted by: Marlene | September 03, 2018 at 07:18 AM
That is sad about Sears.
Their 'Outdoor Life' clothing line is great.
We actually shop at Sears quite a bit.
Posted by: Janet 🚬 | September 03, 2018 at 07:26 AM
Good morning!
Look what Sundance found and put in a screen cap (click on link):
Posted by: Miss Marple (the real one) | September 03, 2018 at 07:32 AM
Donald J. Trump
Verified account @realDonaldTrump
19m19 minutes ago
Richard Trumka, the head of the AFL-CIO, represented his union poorly on television this weekend. Some of the things he said were so againt the working men and women of our country, and the success of the U.S. itself, that it is easy to see why unions are doing so poorly. A Dem!
Posted by: Miss Marple (the real one) | September 03, 2018 at 07:35 AM
Donald J. Trump
Verified account @realDonaldTrump
7m7 minutes ago
Happy Labor Day! Our country is doing better than ever before with unemployment setting record lows. The U.S. has tremendous upside potential as we go about fixing some of the worst Trade Deals ever made by any country in the world. Big progress being made!
Posted by: Miss Marple (the real one) | September 03, 2018 at 07:36 AM
I don't remember them selling the Craftsman brand to Black & Decker. What did Stanley think?
Posted by: Ralph L | September 03, 2018 at 07:39 AM
https://nypost.com/2018/09/03/nearly-a-dozen-shot-in-san-bernardino-apartment-complex/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow
Posted by: Miss Marple (the real one) | September 03, 2018 at 07:45 AM
Look at it this way, Janet; Sears lasted longer than Montgomery Wards by quite a period of time. I used them mainly for Die Hard batteries and lawn mowers.
Posted by: Captain Hate | September 03, 2018 at 07:47 AM
Sears never missed a chance to make a business mistake. They owned Allstate insurance and got rid of it. They owned Dean Witter (now Morgan Stanley) and got rid of it. They've been coasting on the Kenmore appliances since the 1990's, and they're typically the first big store to close in any mall headed for abandonment.
Posted by: hrtshpdbox | September 03, 2018 at 07:55 AM
They're the last big store in my local mall. Belk and JC Penney moved to the next exit.
Posted by: Ralph L | September 03, 2018 at 07:59 AM
Sears sold the Craftsman brand last year.
Posted by: Beasts of England | September 03, 2018 at 08:00 AM
Re shared experiences, American children waiting for the Sears Christmas catalog must be near the top. Our local Sears added a huge Lionel train set-up at the entrance.
Posted by: DebinGA | September 03, 2018 at 08:01 AM
Randy Weston RIP
Posted by: Captain Hate | September 03, 2018 at 08:13 AM
I have a small request - can we not talk about dead people today?
Thanks
Posted by: Jane | September 03, 2018 at 08:16 AM
Jim NJ -F-5? Surely you must be referring to Iran's new air superiority jet.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/08/21/iran-unveils-new-fighter-jet-with-washington-in-mind.html
Posted by: Davod | September 03, 2018 at 08:17 AM
Trumpka's praising DT's deal-making last week must have caused Dem heads to explode.
Posted by: DebinGA | September 03, 2018 at 08:18 AM
Very sad about the national museum of Brazil. It looks to be gutted. Some artifacts were located in other buildings, but that hardly minimizes the impact. Maybe they'll spring for a sprinkler system if they ever have reason to rebuild...
Posted by: Beasts of England | September 03, 2018 at 08:23 AM
Donald J. Trump
Verified account @realDonaldTrump
3m3 minutes ago
The Worker in America is doing better than ever before. Celebrate Labor Day!
Posted by: Miss Marple (the real one) | September 03, 2018 at 08:26 AM
Almasdar Arabi is the Arab source, fwiw,
Posted by: narciso | September 03, 2018 at 08:42 AM
Re "The Worker", I expect DT to really highlight skilled trades ed at some point, perhaps closer to 2020. Plumbing, electrical, and heating/air pay very well but iirc there are relatively few black tradesmen/biz owners. Hope this is changing with shows like Dirty Jobs and Flip This House, but there's a real opening for DT there.
Posted by: DebinGA | September 03, 2018 at 08:47 AM
DebinGA,
There was some program they were starting with apprenticeship programs to encourage kids who didn't want to go to college into better paying skilled jobs.
You know how it goes with positive stories from the administration - they appear as a blip and then disappear.
Posted by: Miss Marple (the real one) | September 03, 2018 at 09:12 AM
--Your futile attempt at Fighting Words amuses me.--
Bingo!
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki | September 03, 2018 at 09:29 AM
Some links I meant to post yesterday:
PENTAGON CANCELS $300 MILLION IN MILITARY AID TO PAKISTAN. Looks like it actually totals quite a bit more. I like a President who actually expects something in return for all the
bribesforeign aid we've been paying out.JOHN KERRY RAILS AGAINST OBAMA-ERA SYRIAN POLICY — US ‘PAID A PRICE’ FOR NOT ENFORCING RED LINE. A little late for that rat to abandon the ship upon which he hoped to relaunch his legacy. Politicians with a book to sell suddenly start not ruling out another run for office. If McCain were still around, they could join hands not ruling out another run together. I can just hear the two of them bickering over who has dibs on heading up that 2020 dream ticket. Since Kerry's only lost once, I suppose it would be his turn for top billing.
OBAMA PREPARES FOR THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, BUT SOME DEMOCRATS WANT HIM TO BACK OFF. Meanwhile, a Trump endorsement is apparently worth its weight in election gold. Who'd a thunk it? Trump has already written the script in terms of wooing black voters. I suspect the Dems will probably try to keep Obama busy raising money in California and sundry other liberal enclaves.
Posted by: JM Hanes | September 03, 2018 at 09:35 AM
I wasn't invited to the funerals this weekend, but the eulogies were all about me.
Weird.
Posted by: President Donald Trump at September 03, 2018 09:30 AM (fqUgw)
Posted by: Captain Hate | September 03, 2018 at 09:35 AM
Trump has already written the script in terms of wooing black voters.
That script has always been there but Top Men have been too gutless to use it. Even Reagan, who surely wanted to do it, was advised against it.
Posted by: Captain Hate | September 03, 2018 at 09:40 AM
Red Hen update - I bet the other businesses are not happy to be lumped together with them!
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/09/02/actions-have-consequences-red-hen-restaurant-refusal-to-serve-press-secretary-leads-to-drop-in-town-tourism/
Posted by: Momto2 | September 03, 2018 at 10:14 AM
Criticism of the notion of a self-regulating market has recently risen to a level that makes it almost impossible to take it seriously. After the steady string of economic crashes brought on by deregulation, only the most rigid among us cling to that idea. But it’s useful to remember that Wood wrote this in the early 1990s.
Second, Wood says that capitalists use markets to further the ends of capitalism instead of to meet the needs of human beings. The market is a tool to establish dominance and control over producers. Wood puts it this way:
I have suggested throughout this book that the capitalist market is a political as well as an economic space, a terrain not simply of freedom and choice but of domination and coercion. Kindle Loc. 5997.
Indeed, throughout the book Wood argues that the market is an imperative, not a choice in a capitalist society. Few of us have the ability to produce to meet our needs. If we want to eat, we are forced to sell our labor. Even those who can produce goods and services must, as the tenant farmers Wood describes, sell their goods and services to get cash for other needs. Capitalists produce those things they think they can sell without little regard to the long-term consequences, and without any input from interests affected by such production. Wood quotes Marx from Das Kapital:
The real barrier of capitalist production is capital itself. It is that capital and its self-expansion appear as the starting and the closing point, the motive and the purpose of production; that production is only production for capital and not vice versa, the means of production are not mere means for a constant expansion of the living process of the society of producers. Kindle Loc. 2647
In other words, the point of capitalism is to provide returns to capital. The point isn’t to make life easier or better for the vast majority of workers and citizens. In the exact same way, the point of markets is to provide a return to capital, not to provide the best allocation of resources or to provide the lowest price for goods and services. We see this more clearly as neoliberalism tightens its grip on the economy. Big Pharma is a good example..
Posted by: Disraeli Gears | September 03, 2018 at 10:27 AM
Kavanaugh joined two other Republican-appointed judges in a unanimous 2012 ruling in favor of the Trump Organization, after company executives asked the NLRB to throw out the results of a union election at Trump Plaza, arguing that support from politicians had introduced bias. As a July Bloomberg article points out, in 2015 Kavanaugh sided with the management of Sheldon Adelson’s Venetian Casino Resort in a similar case, authoring a majority opinion upholding the casino’s First Amendment right to summon police to issue citations to union protesters trespassing on company property
One of Kavanaugh’s most high-profile dissents of NLRB authority was in a 2014 case against SeaWorld’s Florida theme park involving events depicted in the documentary Blackfish. When a killer-whale trainer died during a live show in 2010—the second death at the location—the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched an investigation that found the theme park had willfully endangered its employees. The DC Circuit upheld the decision of a Department of Labor administrative judge, who ruled the theme park had violated OSHA guidelines and imposed a $7,000 fine. In his dissent, Kavanaugh said OSHA was uncharacteristically trying to “stretch its general authority.” He said the SeaWorld employees’ position was no different than any other occupation where workers consent to put themselves in danger, comparing their work to tiger taming and football.
“When should we as a society paternalistically decide that the participants in these sports and entertainment activities must be protected from themselves—that the risk of significant physical injury is simply too great even for eager and willing participants?” he asked, calling the “physical risk…among the greatest forms of personal achievement for many who take part in these activities.”.
Posted by: Day after LABOR DAY!! | September 03, 2018 at 10:32 AM
Neil Peart is an intelligent dude.
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/neil_peart
Sometimes his quotes, make me a bit ashamed of myelf. He understands a lot of shit, that you can only understand, if you understand yourself.
Pearts' intellect, opened my mind to RUSH'S brilliance.
Posted by: GUS | September 03, 2018 at 10:33 AM
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2018/09/03/hollywood-cut-out-the-flag-so-lets-cut-out-hollywood-n2515325
Posted by: Miss Marple (the real one) | September 03, 2018 at 10:39 AM
Did Trump designate McCain as worthy of a state funeral? According to the rules, that seems to be the only way it could have happened. See here:
https://history.army.mil/books/Last_Salute/AppA.htm#AppA1965
Posted by: Extraneus | September 03, 2018 at 10:51 AM
That Schlichter link is good.
"...we’re tired of being scammed, lectured, and condescended to by a class of betters who are many things, but “better” is not one of them."
Hah!
Posted by: Janet 🚬 | September 03, 2018 at 10:52 AM
new thread
Posted by: DebinGA | September 03, 2018 at 11:13 AM
?? Don't see it, Deb
Posted by: art in newport | September 03, 2018 at 11:16 AM
Where?
Posted by: henry | September 03, 2018 at 11:16 AM
Your Latin Phrase of the Day:
Si post fata venit gloria, non propero.
A counter to the McCain plans.
Posted by: Jack is Back (Again)! | September 03, 2018 at 11:25 AM
Mean't to add, that it is from Marcus Valerius Martial, "Father of the Epigram".
Posted by: Jack is Back (Again)! | September 03, 2018 at 11:27 AM
Good morning and belated birthday wishes for Frederick and Frau. And what a beautiful tribute to catsmeat.
Has this been fisked yet from Gateway Pundit?
If Obama AG Lynch Pushed Through Original FISA Warrant to Spy on Candidate Trump – Did AG Sessions or Rosenstein Renew it?
The last comment makes an interesting observation.
Possible?
Posted by: Rocco | September 03, 2018 at 11:32 AM
Forgot the link
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/09/if-obama-ag-lynch-pushed-through-original-fisa-warrant-to-spy-on-candidate-trump-did-ag-sessions-or-rosenstein-renew-it/
Posted by: Rocco | September 03, 2018 at 11:32 AM
Oops. Sorry, y'all
Posted by: DebinGA | September 03, 2018 at 11:34 AM
I am sad about Sears, too. I love our local store. I wish I'd shopped there more over the years but I avoided the mall for a long time.
Posted by: Porchlight | September 03, 2018 at 11:38 AM
https://pjmedia.com/michaelwalsh/a-tale-of-two-funerals-and-two-waves/
http://www.atimes.com/article/a-funeral-for-a-world-that-never-was//
Two worthwhile essays
Posted by: Clarice Feldman | September 03, 2018 at 11:48 AM
I don't understand why some people are suspecting that Lynch used the emergency loophole. From the redacted doc release, we know that 4 judges signed off on 4 warrants. From the FOIA, we know that there were no hearings, all rubber-stamped. Why the speculating? Just because I Rex found the loophole in the regs?
Posted by: Extraneus | September 03, 2018 at 11:49 AM
Excellent analysis of today’s political dynamics.
Burying the Dead With Bile-Filled Histrionics
https://amgreatness.com/2018/09/03/burying-the-dead-with-bile-filled-histrionics/
Posted by: lurkersusie | September 03, 2018 at 11:55 AM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6126649/Catholic-churchgoer-shouts-shame-Washington-BISHOP-talks-sex-abuse-scandal.html
Cardinal Wuerl gets some dissent.
Posted by: Miss Marple (the real one) | September 03, 2018 at 11:56 AM
Fascinating link on military and state funerals, Extraneus - thanks!
Posted by: Beasts of England | September 03, 2018 at 11:58 AM
"Open your heart, naïvely, to Christ, and let Him do the work only He can do. Do not assume that He has been defeated." -from anonamom's 4:47
i find strange comfort sometimes. the bald emergence of evil arising in church AND state: in the former Christ works through a mere mortal; in the latter, Christ works through another.
common denominator: prayer. and we, the People, have used an extension of our inalienable, God-given right--- the vote----to be instruments for Good.
for some, DJT is an answer to prayers. sure, many of us work on political campaigns, or support those efforts with money and in-kind supports. but had those efforts not been sanctified with pure intent, would we have prevailed.
Good vs. Evil- Love vs Fear: age-old struggles which have moved us as a species forward in the world of our own making, a world which needs religion and spiritual consciousness in order to retain its moorings into Something Greater.
call it what we will--- the physics of Spirit are undeniable. it is why the decomposing forces within church and state will destroy themselves against Something Greater.
this is my statement of faith in the power of scientific prayer. Emmet Fox speaks for me:
https://morningstar.netfirms.com/goldenkey.html
Posted by: Kevlar Kid | September 03, 2018 at 12:00 PM
Seahawks Owner Paul Allen Gives $100,000 To Help Republicans Keep Control Of U.S. House
Posted by: Captain Hate | September 03, 2018 at 12:04 PM
My new avatar is a doppelgänger for the White Album cover. Very subtle...
Posted by: Beasts of England | September 03, 2018 at 12:06 PM
Pope Francis says response to division should be silence and prayer.
Posted by: DebinGA | September 03, 2018 at 12:15 PM
Frankie Omertà.
Posted by: Captain Hate | September 03, 2018 at 12:20 PM
Yes, and as a Practicing Catholic, Pope Che should shut his pie hole. SILENCE!!!!!
Posted by: GUS | September 03, 2018 at 12:24 PM