Meanwhile, Back In Iran

Violent unrest in Iraq, Lebanon and Iran. The NY Times reports on Iran and acknowledges that the financial pressure of the new Trump sanctions are a big part of the Ayatollah's problem.

Iran is experiencing its deadliest political unrest since the Islamic Revolution 40 years ago, with at least 180 people killed — and possibly hundreds more — as angry protests have been smothered in a government crackdown of unbridled force.

It began two weeks ago with an abrupt increase of at least 50 percent in gasoline prices. Within 72 hours, outraged demonstrators in cities large and small were calling for an end to the Islamic Republic’s government and the downfall of its leaders.

...

The gas price increase, which was announced as most Iranians had gone to bed, came as Iran is struggling to fill a yawning budget gap. The Trump administration sanctions, mostly notably their tight restrictions on exports of Iran’s oil, are a big reason for the shortfall. The sanctions are meant to pressure Iran into renegotiating the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and major world powers, which President Trump abandoned, calling it too weak.

Most of the nationwide unrest seemed concentrated in neighborhoods and cities populated by low-income and working-class families, suggesting this was an uprising born in the historically loyal power base of Iran’s post-revolutionary hierarchy.

Left unmentioned, possibly because it is a specious cheap shot - raising gas prices doesn't seem to play well anywhere, as Macron of France and Moreno of Ecuador will attest. But Shhh! Don't tell the Green New Dealers!

And as a bonus "Hmm" - the Chinese leadership is in a quite different position from the Ayatollah, having had good long term success at delivering prosperity. But public memories can be short and I suspect glaring examples of public unrest over poor economic results gives the Chinese leaders a "There but for the grace of Mao go I" chill.

Comments

[Captain Hate]

So the clickbait mafia isn't budging from Uncle Leo Mueller being this Svengali on "our side"? That's as dumb as believing Epstein suicided himself.

[Threadkiller]

This 45 minutes is taking forever.

[Threadkiller]

I hope one of the repukes asks the mail order turkey bride if she was able to read all the transcripts including the ones that Schiff hasn't released.

[Buckeye]

Nadler's clown show is even more blatantly biased than the Schiff show.

Please tell me Noah is not a relative of Clarice.

[henry]

heh... caught again.

🎄Jingle-Jelle🎄 @jellen805
17m

Wait...did Kaplan just admit that she's known she was going to be a witness at this hearing prior to Thanksgiving?
"I was pouring over these transcripts, had to eat a turkey that came in the mail already cooked..."

But the Rs were just given the witness list 48hrs ago?

[Dave (in MA)]

Time for the guy with the sandwich board that says "The End is Nigh!" Willie Nelson quits smoking weed.

Have you seen clips of him performing lately? He's pretty obviously suffering from severe emphysema.

[Another Bob]

Melinda, re. “constrained by California Law, and California Laws only”, I see no difference new vs. old. IANAL but similar language is common in TOUs.

Not much anyone can do about them in any case.

[Buckeye]

This shit is going to piss "regular guy" off big time.

[Dave (in MA)]

Stop leaving your garbage at Tank Commander Mike's house.

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2019/11/27/michael-dukakis-turkey-carcasses

[Stephanie Nene Not Your Normal Granma]

Michael DuCarcass lol

[Melinda]

Nahncee in closed door Dem meeting, today: "Are you ready?":

(Yes, it's the WaPo, so you go to the cheerleader when you want to hear the cheer.)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/are-you-ready-pelosi-makes-clear-to-democrats-impeachment-is-coming/2019/12/04/fd039470-16b1-11ea-9110-3b34ce1d92b1_story.html

[Melinda]

Back to reality, here's some scary science, transmissible tumors:

Quanta Magazine
@QuantaMagazine
Tasmanian devils, dogs and some mollusks are all affected by transmissible tumors — cancer cells that move between individuals. Some researchers are wondering whether such tumor cells have the potential to become their own new species.
quantamagazine.org/can-new-specie…

https://twitter.com/QuantaMagazine/status/1202276652312608769

[James D.]

Wonderful. The lying racist jackass governor, whose lieutenant governor is a sexual predator, is going to criminalize hundreds of thousands of state residents and trash the Constitution.

I hate my state. I specially hate the voters of my country, who worship at the alter of these totalitarian clowns.

[Captain Hate]

Stop leaving your garbage at Tank Commander Mike's house.

And people wondered why Kitty drank so much...

[henry]

DNC will fit right in.

Milwaukee police arrested three boys — ages 12, 13 and 14 — for making terrorist threats to Wedgewood Park International School on Milwaukee’s south side.

https://fox6now.com/2019/12/04/3-boys-arrested-for-terrorist-threats-to-south-side-milwaukee-school/

[matt - deplore me if you must]

Indian Raja Justin Trudeau Barbie really stepped in it this time. What a clueless douche. Funny how directional mikes can capture conversations that they would rather not have recorded. Macron came out as an asshole as well throughout the meetings.

Trump really doesn't give a shit what they think, which is one of his endearing qualities to me. And he is completely unafraid in the give and take with the press. The scriveners go back to their cells to count how many times he misspoke all the while he is sucking the oxygen from their lungs.

And they still fall for it every time.

Melania got more coverage for her dramatic cape than most of the leaders of Europe for the entire conference. And the Queen, old dear that she is, was positively regal. She puts her progeny to shame. Twits, cads and trollops all. Ann has always been an intolerable asshole. Met her in Barcelona in '92 when we were Olympic delegates.

And so The Donald jets home after a hell of a trying week; Afghanistan, Florida and then London. That's a lot to ask of any man.

And we get Wimpy chairing a clownshow with virtually nothing accomplished by Congress in this session.

[Porchlight]

LOLGF is a good'un.

For some reason I thought you'd used it before, Cap'n, but maybe you were quoting one of the morons.

[Captain Hate]

I've used it before.

[Captain Hate]

And we get Wimpy chairing a clownshow with virtually nothing accomplished by Congress in this session.

Doing less than Paul Ryan was a difficult thing to aspire to but, by golly, it looks like it'll happen.

[Melinda]

Huh.

philip lewis
@Phil_Lewis_
George Zimmerman is suing Trayvon Martin’s family, prosecutors and others involved in the case for $100 million
miamiherald.com/news/local/cri…

https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1202271956067848194

[Melinda]

Paul Sperry
@paulsperry_
BREAKING:Dems r encouraging GOP Never-Trumpers to exploit "loophole" in Senate impeachment clause whereby they wouldnt need 67 votes to remove but only 2/3 of "members present." If enuf Never-Trumpers sit out trial,pretending to boycott it,they cd remove Trump w/o actually voting

https://twitter.com/paulsperry_/status/1202110518602928128

[Porchlight]

Ah, I thought I hadn't imagined it, Cap'n.

People have been talking about the "members present" thing for awhile. I don't think the NTers have the balls, honestly.

[Jim Eagle]

The Ninja Missle aka The Flying Ginsu Knife kills two Jihadis in Syria using the slice and dice method:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7752629/US-forces-kill-two-jihadis-Syria-using-Ninja-missile-deploys-six-blades-mince-targets.html

I love new technology that mirrors the violence of a suicidal Muzzie terrorist.

[Melinda]

If it threatens cash flows, they'll find the balls.

[D]

Any Republican Senator who sits out an impeachment vote can count this term as their last one in the Senate.
Don’t see that happening.

[Melinda]

Kimberley Strassel
@KimStrassel
1) Still waiting for my fellow members of the media to express their deep outrage and alarm that Intelligence Chair Schiff snooped thru and published phone records of member of the free press. The silence is deafening.

https://twitter.com/KimStrassel/status/1202280409104449537

[henry]

meh.

They simply don't care.

Jim Banks @RepJimBanks
11m

Whoa. Jonathan Turley just flipped the tables on @RepJerryNadler & House Democrats!

“If you impeach a president for going to the courts, it is an abuse of power. It’s YOUR abuse of power. You’re doing exactly what you’re criticizing the president for doing.”

https://twitter.com/RepJimBanks/status/1202286716771618816

[Thomas Collins]

I don't think Duke and Duke GOPers will sit out the trial or the vote. My concern is with the trial rules. The rules should allow for a full vetting as to whether the articles sent over by the House are pretexts and part of the ongoing efforts, starting well before election day 2016, to deligitimize Trump. I could see there being enough Duke and Duke GOPers to vote against that.

[Melinda]

Tim Murtaugh
@TimMurtaugh
Just a reminder that the lawyer hired to handle the questioning for Democrats was making impeachment jokes before President Trump even took the oath of office.

This tweet is from almost 3 years ago.

Norm Eisen @NormEisen
Love it! purchasing an inauguration package entitles you to a discounted stay in event if future impeachment proceedings ;-). twitter.com/jerryjcarbone/…

twitter.com/NormEisen/status/807981259955769345

https://twitter.com/TimMurtaugh/status/1202266111426940928

That'll be scrubbed soon...

[Buckeye]

Congresswoman Lofgren says she has been present for the last three Impeachment inquiries, but she looks like she was present for Johnson's as well:)

[Melinda]

Ed O'Keefe
@edokeefe
INBOX: @RepDennyHeck (D-Wash.), member of the Intelligence Committee, announces he will retire after his current term, the 6th House Democrat to announce plans to retire. (Four other Dems have resigned or are seeking higher office).
https://twitter.com/edokeefe/status/1202292801511317505

[Captain Hate]

Ewok vs Paul Singer

http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=384592

[sbwaters]

The silence is deafening.

Mel, I replied to her in a public retweet:

"As an owner of a local daily newspaper, I see #Schiff’s misuse of investigatory powers to investigate both other representatives and the press as unacceptable. It ought to subject him to censure and even expulsion from the #House."

[Threadkiller]

Ad then the part that drives me nuts. They adjourn for votes and Doug Collins starts whispering in Nadler's ear, stands up and starts yucking it up with the dem lawyer. All smiles and pats on the back.

This is mortal enemy time. Stop the fucking hands-across-the-aisle shit.

The whole damn thing is Kabuki. No winners at my level of the game.

[Melinda]

narciso-

You're going to need more yarn for your "wall art":

https://www.michaelwest.com.au/operation-slippery-russian-aviation-magnate-diverts-australian-defence-profits-to-tax-havens/

[James D.]

The whole damn thing is Kabuki. No winners at my level of the game.

That's exactly what it is, tk.

And these jerks have so much contempt for us that they don't care that we know it, because they think there's nothing we can or will do about it.

Which is true...until the day it stops being true. And nobody wants that day to come, but by their actions, they're going to force it to happen.

[clarice]

https://www.nysun.com/foreign/our-man-at-nato-trump-suddenly-finds-success/90926/

[GUS]

Hello friends, just stopped in to say hello!!

I'm recuperating, and it is no fun.

[Melinda]

#29Leaks

Going to have to remember that one....

https://www.occrp.org/en/28-ccwatch/cc-watch-indepth/11252-29leaks-inside-a-london-company-mill

[sbwaters]

Hey, Gus! Missed that you had the need to recuperate. Git 'er done!

[henry]

Hey Gus, recuperate well.

[Neo]

As proof that some stories never go away ..

George Zimmerman sues family of Trayvon Martin, publisher, prosecutors for $100 million

[Buckeye]

Praying for a quick recovery GUS.

[Captain Hate]

Best wishes, SUG!

[Jim Eagle]

My doctor was on Harley Street. Known throughout London for all the private physician offices and clinics.

What happened to Gus? Is this the foot issue?

[Dave (in MA)]

Gus, let's hope things go well and you are once again in CAPSLOCK form.

[GUS]

There are some pretty special people here.
Thank you all.

[Melinda]

Hope you feel better soon, GUS!

[GUS]

Hey Jack, yes my foot had an infection last summer as you probably know. Well, I had a couple broken bones that needed mending. I don't have insurance, so I put it off as long as I could. It's quite sore, but I promise you.....I'll live.

[Neo]

Constitutional scholar Noah Feldman: "If we cannot impeach a president who abuses his office for personal advantage, we no longer live in a democracy - we live in a monarchy, or we live under a dictatorship."

If this clown isn't used as a piñata by small children with baseball bats, then Democracy is Dead

[D]

Gus:
Get better soon.
What happened?

[Narciso]

Best wishes gus.

This deal 8nvolvee dymcorp as well,

[clarice]

Sorry to hear you are still under the weather, GUS

[D]

Neo:
Totally agree.
I am not watching the Dem sham show and neither is anyone else.
President Trump does look tired ,Robin.Hopefully he will rest up when he returns.
He is doing great work for NATO.

[henry]

I assume Obama's bailout got this fine citizen on GM's board.

Former GM board member Joe Ashton, a retired UAW leader, pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal charges as part of an ongoing federal corruption probe into the union.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/04/ex-gm-board-member-union-leader-pleads-guilty-to-accepting-kickbacks.html?

[GUS]

Maryrose, it's a long story, it started with 2 stress fractures from running.
Clarice, thank you, I'm really quite well all things considered. I've broken the 200lb barrier and I'm 5"11. My HEALTH is good, my foot isn't.
I've got a LOT of use out of these feet.

Clarice someone told me that you are coming to town.
If so, fill me in.

[henry]

ELINT News @ELINTNews
2m

#BREAKING: U.S. officials say a Navy warship has seized a “significant cache” of suspected Iranian guided missile parts headed to rebels in Yemen.

https://twitter.com/ELINTNews/status/1202313826139561984

[Buckeye]

Sensenbrenner pinches off a few into the punch bowl:)

[henry]

The seizure from a small boat by the U.S. Navy and a U.S. Coast Guard boarding team happened last Wednesday in the northern Arabian Sea and the weapons have been linked to Iran.

[clarice]

No, Gus. I was there months ago for a short trip (HS reunion).

[clarice]

If you wonder why there are so many loony tunes judges, look to the numbskulls who teach law school.

[Buckeye]

More than just a little bit of animus on the part of that Karlan bitch.

[KevlarKid]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7756349/George-Zimmerman-SUES-Trayvon-Martins-family-100MILLION.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed#newcomment

[Threadkiller]

I am reminded of the econ professor from Back to School when the jr birdscout law professor speaks.

[sbwaters]

Feldman:If we cannot impeach a president who abuses his office for personal advantage, we no longer live in a democracy

And if we cannot punish House members who abuse office for personal partisan advantage, what will happen?

[henry]

Since we can't even criticize an ex vice president running for president who abused every office he's occupied for personal advantage, we must not live in a democracy.

The funny part is that "Constitutional Law prof" thinks this is a democracy. The Constitution sets up a Republic, if we can keep it. what a dope.

[Captain Hate]

@JesseCharlesLee

Fox News' Judge Napolitano crushes Turley: "The House has sole power of impeachment. It does not need to go to a court... When the president receives a subpoena, Mick Mulvaney, Mike Pompeo receive a subpoena and they throw it in a drawer... that is the act of obstruction."

It's terrifying that fanatics and dimwits like Napolitano and the "constitutional" law professors had, have or could have the power to destroy lives.

[Dave (in MA)]

Neo | December 04, 2019 at 02:41 PM, I was going to suggest that there's no satisfactory outcome to this whole damned thing that doesn't involve pencil neck and some guys with pipes and bats in an alley somewhere.

[Tom R]

MM @ 10:07

Thanks for that DawsonSFields tweet thread. His observations and conclusion pass the logic test.

So why would you go back to a bugged building to take Swamp offers from Hillary's friends?

A great rhetorical question.

[jimmyk]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, GUS.

[Dave (in MA)]

Amazing how low One Inch Forehead is willing to stoop just because Trump didn't give him a job.

[Melinda]

BonginoReport has launched!

https://bonginoreport.com/

[Jim Eagle]

Nadler knew who he was calling as impeachment law experts. Surprised he asked Turley instead of say, Boies.

[Rocco]

Kick ass (gently) GUS!

Can we ever trust the FBI again? Unless there's hell to pay, I won't. John Solomon asks the perfect question.

In the evitable political bitterness that grips Washington, each political party will seek to score points by cherry-picking their favorite Horowitz findings. But there is a far weightier question than electoral politics to be resolved: Can the FBI be trusted going forward to adequately, fairly and honestly protect civil liberties of Americans while conducting counterintelligence, counterterrorism and criminal investigations.

https://johnsolomonreports.com/the-10-most-important-revelations-to-expect-from-the-russia-probe-fisa-report/

[lurkersusie]

JIB

Republicans were allowed one witness, they
picked Turley

[Captain Hate]

Major Garrett on CBS is talking about how the Democrats are being completely unfair to Trump with this impeachment circus and Norah O'Donnell is actually nodding her head in agreement. This is going disastrously for Democrats. If Pelosi is smart she'll save the party from itself and scrap impeachment.
Posted by: Lamont Cranston at December 04, 2019 02:59 PM (3ufaJ)

[Narciso]

And this hearing needs sam kinisons history professor from that film

[jimmyk]

Surprised he asked Turley instead of say, Boies.

Haven't been able to follow this 3-ring circus, but I assumed Republicans picked Turley while Nadler chose the other clowns. If Nadler asked Turley to speak he's either dumber than I thought or has more integrity than I thought, and I'm pretty sure I know which is the case.

[jimmyk]

Oops, I see lurker susie got in with the answer.

[henry]

yeah... they do this.

Matt Stoller @matthewstoller
1h

McKinsey is a disease vector for fraud and monopolization. Here's a marketing report for their services to private equity firms encouraging PE to simply buy medium size companies with market power and raise prices instead of improve operations.

https://twitter.com/matthewstoller/status/1202293504090738691

[Narciso]

No these phone records which are just metadata are supposed to ompress who.

[Thomas Collins]

I hope you're in tip top fighting form soon, GUS!

Re impeachment: I think it's gone too far for San Fran Nan to call it off. It's a matter of keeping the prog base motivated at this point.

[henry]

Huh. Karlan was in Catsmeat's class in New Haven. I have no memory of this person.

Another dude was in Sen Whitehouse's class. Don't remember him either.

the third stooge (Eisen) went to Brown.

[jimmyk]

I think it's gone too far for San Fran Nan to call it off.

Maybe, but the question is whether she has the votes. I doubt she'd hold a vote if the numbers weren't there.

[henry]

link for Karlan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamela_S._Karlan

[Melinda]

Would any of Schiff's phone calls to Nahncee in Madrid be subject to FVEye inspection?

Asking for a friend...

[Melinda]

Meanwhile, back in Ukraine....

Alex Panchenko
@AlexPanchenko2
UPDATE: today's #Ukraine Security Service (SBU) search in the oligarch #Medvedchuk's office pertains to a "private security company" involved in "illegal eavesdropping & video surveillance of citizens", as well as theft & trading of personal data & #cybercrime SBU spokeswoman.

https://twitter.com/AlexPanchenko2/status/1202316442798034951

[Tom R]

Turley has always given me the impression he is a traditional liberal who possesses objective integrity. How many prominent Democrats are there left that you can say that about?

[clarice]

Republicans got to pick one and they picked Turley.
There will not be an impeachment vote this year.

[MissMarple2]

I am home!

I heard Turley's excellent opening on the way to my sister's. Didn't hear the others, which judging from late afternoon radio comments, were not worth listening to.

Local late afternoon radio guys are mocking the liberal professors, as I guess to normal people, they sounded nuts.

Meanwhile, someone had stapled signs to the telephone poles on the way to my sister's house. They said, "The Queen Killed Epstein." HA!

[sbwaters]

that is the act of obstruction

Did Napolitano ever learn about the three separate but equal branches of government? Probably not in law school.

[MissMarple2]

Thank you @NATO! #NATOLondon pic.twitter.com/8gJeXZxwpH

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2019

Video at the link.

[James D.]

Can the FBI be trusted going forward to adequately, fairly and honestly protect civil liberties of Americans while conducting counterintelligence, counterterrorism and criminal investigations.

Absolutely not.

And it’s pretty much impossible to imagine the people who run the FBI or oversee it making the changes (and the confessions and acceptance of responsibility and punishment on the part of the FBI’s leadership for decades of failure and corruption) that would allow them to be trusted in the future.

[MissMarple2]

"Beat Army!" Stu Cvrk
@STUinSD
·
5m
Karlan reminds me of Ruth Bader-Ginsberg. Passionate about her personal opinions, and evil and rotten to the core.

[MissMarple2]

Henry Williamson
@HenryW611

Replying to
@sethjlevy

Turley must be working for Putin.

[jimmyk]

There will not be an impeachment vote this year.

A lot of media types are making hay over this:

Chad Pergram
@ChadPergram
McConnell releases 2020 Senate schedule. But leaves January off the calendar because the schedule is in flux. Lots of questions about a potential Senate impeachment trial.

[Porchlight]

How can McConnell schedule a Senate trial when no one knows when or if the House will vote?

Hell, I'd leave February off the calendar too. Show Americans how the clownshow is holding everything else in thrall.

[Porchlight]

There will not be an impeachment vote this year.

Clarice, do you mean you don't think the House will vote before the year is out?

[MissMarple2]

Yes, she did. Video at the link.

Did Karlan just attack Barron Trump? pic.twitter.com/391UTR0Z8m

— Wojciech Pawelczyk 🇵🇱🇺🇸 (@PolishPatriotTM) December 4, 2019

[jimmyk]

I wouldn't say she attacked him, but she brought his name into it, which is classless, i.e. typical leftwing behavior.