March 5, 2017

It's the Winter of the Shark, and I find it offputting and childish, but it's also an ominous sign that we don't have enough problems.



There's way too much insanity right now. It's like the "summer of the shark" before 9/11.* If anything really serious started happening, I assume all the participants in the current insanity would suddenly sober up and act like grownups.

I don't have a taste for blood myself, and I've been turning away from this drama, disgusted. I don't know who's most responsible for the current insanity, but I will be looking for some decent journalists to read and politicians to listen to.
_____________________

* "The Summer of the Shark refers to the coverage of shark attacks by American news media in the summer of 2001. The sensationalist coverage of shark attacks began in early July following the Fourth of July weekend shark attack on 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast, and continued almost unabated—despite no evidence for an actual increase in attacks—until the September 11 terrorist attacks shifted the media's attention away from beaches. The Summer of the Shark has since been remembered as an example of tabloid television perpetuating a story with no real merit beyond its ability to draw ratings."

137 comments:

MPH said...

It's obvious who is responsible.

mezzrow said...

Here's hoping we don't get a similar shock to the system to wake us from our frenzied obsessions and make us act like responsible adults. (at least for awhile)

We'll see...

Guildofcannonballs said...

I warned all y'all right here at this blog: Mike Keaton in Batman philo is in play, namely, "you wanna get nuts, LET'S GET NUTS!!!"

Also Hunty Thompson when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.

A plan so crazy, as the 1980's taught the young impressionable Me, it just might work.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NriOZ6ofj_Q



readering said...

Althouse promoting false equivalence between aggressive press and deranged occupant of Oval Office.

Seeing Red said...

Reverse that and we might agree. It's the losers who are deranged.

Crimso said...

Something else got a lot of news coverage that summer as well...

boycat said...

Chandra Levy.

Etienne said...
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Etienne said...

I don't have a taste for blood myself, and I've been turning away from this drama, disgusted.

Ditto.

I feel sorry for anyone pulled-in to participating in the death throes of a Republic.

God Save the Queen

traditionalguy said...

Comeh has not prosecuted Clinton. He is bought.

Ann Althouse said...

"Chandra Levy."

On the morning of 9/11, amidst all the horror. I found myself saying something that still surprises me, because I felt as though all humor had been obliterated and that no humor could have been expressed that soon: "I guess we don't have to talk about Chandra Levy anymore."

rehajm said...

It's the return of Left Shark, out of sync but stealing the show again.

Wince said...

"It's the winter of the shark..."

It's a TRUMPNADO!

stever said...

There's a fair number of people who never thought Hillary would lose, much less that Trump would win. They are still in denial and acting crazy.

Of course there's a lot of people who are enjoying that.

Wince said...

A classic from the late, great "the Onion."

"A Shattered Nation Longs To Care About Stupid Bullshit Again"

The picture at the link is priceless.

Hagar said...

The old Esquire had a short-story "the Dog-days of August," about a concatenation of strange things reported in the media that turned out to be a ruse by the invading Martians so that we earthlings would assume it was more "faux news" when the really strange things started happening.

John henry said...

While all this nonsense is going on, President Trump just keeps chugging along. The progressives who should normally be trying to find ways to stop him just aren't paying attention.

A few examples:

More fracking and drilling
Pipeline

Coal mining

40%, IIRC, cut to the State Dept

Serious cuts to the EPA

Repeal of ammo restrictions

Executive order coming naming the AR-15, M1 and Bolt action 30-30 as the official rifles of the 2nd Amendment. Actually naming them "Militia rifles" under the 2A meaning of the Militia.

Repeal of the gas mileage standards

I'd like to see Obamacare being repealed more quickly but it does seem to be moving. I hope it is.

Moves the office of Black Colleges into the WH. I don't understand why the govt is supporting segregated collegs but this will help get some blacks on his side

Starting to round up and deport illegal aliens in non-trivial numbers

There have been a staggering 1,500-plus sex trafficking, mostly of minors, arrests in one short month since the inauguration; compare that to less than 400 sex trafficking-related arrests in 2014 according to the FBI

The blackshirted fascisti continue to beclown themselves showing that they are the fascists they claim to oppose. Witness Berkely and Bennington this weekend. Or former AG Lynch's calls for deaths and blood in the streets

I am sure that others could add to this list but not a bad start for someone in office for only 40 days.

John Henry

rhhardin said...

It's not insanity. Just be willing to ask who the audience is.

Soap opera woman. So long as they tune in for it, it's the story that never dies.

Trump is playing a counter-story to keep the Russia story from having the MSM to itself.

Whether Trump's story can be counter-spun is another question. See Schumer today.

But it's all about the editorial voice of soap opera women being in control.

Achilles said...

There is no turning back now. Trump is going to pull the whole place down on the rats hiding in DC. If he gets caught inside oh well. He will be a hero for showing the world what a dishonest and truly evil person Barrack Obama is and was.

It is amazing watching the left say it is ok to use the surveillance apparatus on a political opponent.

rhhardin said...

The debt ceiling is an excellent opportunity to shutter the EPA, the education department, the energy department and HUD.

Etienne said...
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Etienne said...

EDH says...[link snipped]

Where have you gone, J. Lo? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

Woo, Woo, Woo

wwww said...

If anything really serious started happening, I assume all the participants in the current insanity would suddenly sober up and act like grownups.

My concern is that they would not.

John henry said...

If Russia was helping to get President Trump elected, they should probably ask for their money back.

Opening up fracking, drilling, coal mining, reducing EPA BS is going to hurt the Russia and all other oil producers.

Unlike China, which has developed a pretty strong industrial base, Russia has nothing but oil. If they have to sell it on the cheap, how are they going to run their economy?

John Henry

rcocean said...

"I guess we don't have to talk about Chandra Levy anymore."

Yeah, that pissed me off. I kept thinking, why is this entire country talking about someone getting killed in DC. 15,000 homicides and "The Press" -aka about 100 people in NYC and DC - decide what what's important and national news.

They still do it. George Zimmerman, Ferguson, phone calls to some Jewish Centers, they pick and choose what's national news and what isn't. I thought with the internet this would all go away, but no, everyone follows what the WSJ/NYT/WaPo decide is "News".

John henry said...
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hombre said...

Once again we are treated to NYT blather from "senior American officials," the unnamed ghost army. On January 17th and 19th NYT reported that the ghost army informed them, and others, about an FBI investigation and electronic surveillance of Trump and staffers.

A few questions arise:

Is this the same ghost army as January? If so, were they lying then or are they lying now? If a different ghost army, why rely on them insofar as they contradict the earlier ghost army? Is the reliance on the new ghost army compelled to protect Obam and his corrupt DOJ. Is there a ghost army at all, or is the NYT making it all up?

John henry said...

Blogger John said...

How come we never hear of Imran, Abid and Jamal Awan?

They are under indictment for stealing hardware and data from Congressional computers. They did the IT connected with the Foreign Intelligence Committee, working for Demmie reps like Debbie Wasserman Shultz.

They didn't have to hack her email, they had admin accounts.

I think it far more likely that this is the source of the leaked emails than Russians.

They are Pakistani, though I can't find out if that means Pakistani citizens or US citizens of Pakistani birth.

I searched NY Times and WaPo earlier today and none of them show up.

Politico has a brief article http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/house-staff-criminal-investigation-234714

American Spectator has a longer one with more detail https://spectator.org/the-invisible-awan-brothers-scandal/

John Henry

rcocean said...

Immigration is a perfect example of the Media deciding what is national news. People getting killed or robbed by illegal aliens? Not news. People losing jobs because of H-1B's or immigration? Not news. Illegal aliens on welfare? Not News.

Crops "rotting in the field" because we don't have enough immigrants to pick it? News. Illegal aliens happily working away? News. Illegal aliens afraid of being deported? News. Bigots threatening immigrants? BIG NEWS.

This has been going on for quite a while.

John henry said...

ALso for my list of his first 45 days:

Cancelling federal funding for the California train to nowhere.

If they are going to be seceding anyway, why should we finance their boondoggles?

And letting states choose their own bathroom policies.

SO much winning that I can't even keep track.

And the progs are chasing squirrels.

JOhn Henry

rcocean said...

"Is this the same ghost army as January?"

Yeah, I'm getting so tired of this shit. Its been FOUR MONTHS since Trump won and we're still hearing about Trump and the Russians.

Produce the evidence or shut up!

And all you get from fucking Rino's like Collins or Rubio is that "We're going to have a thorough investigation, blah, blah". Which means what? You're going to take another 4 months to reach a conclusion?

HT said...

Keep in mind, Wallace was a lawyer, Wallace had been a judge! so he knew the system and knew how to operate within it, to say the very least. Plus he used to box, take actual punches and give them. But all that was before the defeat, after which all bets were off. Still, it was somewhat grounding.

Though the cycle of trauma and provocation was set, after a while for better or worse, we let him alone, which must have been soothing to his ire and ego, and grounding to an opportunistic, ambitious, flighty, passionate, lazy fellow - all of that wrapped up in one human being. Some say he needed to just keep running for governor again and again, that was the only thing that truly soothed him and he was better at campaigning than governing. Like a feisty little snake, you let it alone and after a while he may settle down.

That’s all I got. Obviously no one from Alabama has any answers. Any more.

Good luck.

traditionalguy said...

Chandra Levy chum in the water. And where was Comrade Trump the day she was killed. No one has investigated that one!

Michael K said...

"George Zimmerman, Ferguson, phone calls to some Jewish Centers,"

Speaking of Ferguson, have you seen the new Republican governor of Missouri ?

Ex Navy SEAL. McCaskill must be thinking about her next career.

BLM is doing us huge favors.

I don't like mayhem anymore than the next person but the Deep State will not go easily.

Comey seems to have decided to fight Trump. It will not end well for him but he may already be too compromised to back out.

Caroline said...

"I don't have a taste for blood myself, and I've been turning away from this drama, disgusted."

I can only get through this with humor. Otherwise it's just depressing watching so many people going nuts. But I can't turn away -- I wish I could-- from something this big; something that has the potential to become another Watergate in my lifetime. I'd been ignoring most of the (predictable) insanity since Trump won by avoiding TV news and not reading the NYT or Wapo-- as other's have said, thank you for reading them so I don't have to. But this is like a car-crash and I'm a rubber-necker (is that a word?), and I can't look away.

"I don't know who's most responsible for the current insanity, but I will be looking for some decent journalists to read and politicians to listen to. "

If you are successful in your search please let us know who these people are through your blog. I continue to read you because you're one of the sane voices out there on the internet.

walter said...

Stupid bullshit?
Well..Rachel Dolezal changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo..

Hagar said...

About those Jewish cemeteries - at least one of them - in NYC - turned out to be "faux news." The gravestones were down from lack of maintenance over the decades - no vandalism involved.

Sprezzatura said...

"Produce the evidence or shut up!

And all you get from fucking Rino's like Collins or Rubio is that "We're going to have a thorough investigation, blah, blah"."


Presumably it takes an investigation to produce evidence.

Or, it at least takes making a fuss about having a supposed investigation to make it look like you bothered to look for some evidence, before declaring a conclusion. How hard can it be to keep an investigation's parameters narrow such that you make sure you end up w/ the nota-burger conclusion you want? We know that Rs can extend investigations for political gain. Presumably they can figure out the reverse.

Caroline said...

"Yeah, I'm getting so tired of this shit. Its been FOUR MONTHS since Trump won and we're still hearing about Trump and the Russians.

Produce the evidence or shut up!"

Amen to that.

hombre said...

Blogger readering said...
"Althouse promoting false equivalence between aggressive press and deranged occupant of Oval Office."

In January and at other times, it has been widely reported in the leftmedia that DOJ sought FISA warrants for Trump and associates in July and October, that the FBI was investigating them and that electronic surveillance was involved. "Senior intelligence sources" leaked transcripts of electronic surveillance of Mike Flynn. Are the leftmedia and their sources also deranged? Or did you just wake from a very long nap?

BTW, I know that conventional, convenient wisdom has it that Flynn's transcript was actually part of an intercept of the Russian ambassador. Given the likelihood that a disclosure of that sort would alert the Russians that their countermeasures were not working, or more likely that their countermeasures were working, it is more probable that Flynn was the target of the intercept.

Of course, if the WAPo source in the Flynn case tipped off the Russians that their countermeasures weren't working, I'm sure you Democrats think the security breach and federal crime involved are offset by the political gain, because - TRUMP!

Etienne said...
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Etienne said...

I was thinking of the scene in the elevator of Fargo Season 1, where Lester Nygaard forces Lorne Malvo to liquidate.

But that's not the point. The point is that Malvo asks Lester: "Is this what you want?"

It's a classic twist of the question, be careful what you ask for. You might get what you want. But what you want will end the world as you know it.

When Hitler asked Hermann Göring if he could set fire to the Reichstag, Göring said: "Is this what you want?"

"Adolf."
"is this what you want?"
"yes or no?"

Sprezzatura said...

"Of course, if the WAPo source in the Flynn case tipped off the Russians that their countermeasures weren't working, I'm sure you Democrats think the security breach and federal crime involved are offset by the political gain, because - TRUMP!"

So, the idea is that Flynn was using some encrypted Russian line?

Or, the idea was that Flynn used normal lines, and he and the Russians were shocked to learn that we monitor those? He and the Russians were shocked by this news!


Got it.

traditionalguy said...

The way the CNN staff liars are losing their minds tonight points to a Trump win once the truth comes out.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Trump's early morning temper tantrum in the form of insane tweets is childish. The man child totally unsuited to be President, but we've been saying this for over a year now. Too bad you Trumpists fell for this infantile fraud.

John henry said...

Harryo,

Yes about Fargo. Is this really what the progs want? Yes or no?

I don't think it will end any better for them than it did for Lester.

I've been noticing the denials, too: "President Obama did not order the taps" I can believe that. The FISA court did. Apparently. President Obama didn't even ask for the FISA court to do so. Not his job anyway.

I can also believe that Henry ll didn't "order" Thomas Becket's death. When he asked "Will someone rid me of this troublesome priest?" He as merely speaking rhetorically. Not asking anyone to kill him. Besides they could have gotten rid of him in many ways other than killing him. Send him to France on an all expenses Vacay or the like.

Henry was supposedly SHOCKED! that anyone would think he wanted Becket killed.

John Henry

traditionalguy said...

CNN's anchor spent 5 minutes carefully describing in detail what Trump told his staff this morning, and then offered the argument that is why Trump lost his mind in anger at his staff, and Twittered in a rage.

That is hilarious, unless CNN really has a mole on Trump's staff with an open cell phone line.

Ken B said...

What is most striking about many of the comments here is how little the truth seems to matter to those making them. We don't know if Trump's claim is true or not. We do not know. But so many here know what conclusion to draw. Life is easy when you draw the same conclusion from every premise.

Drago said...

Unknown: "Too bad you Trumpists fell for this infantile fraud."

I wonder how many near-by items Hillary tossed at John Podesta's head the night of the election?

I hope not too many, since Podesta must keep his wits about his as the key lobbyist for Russia's largest bank.

I wonder if that's why Hillary gave Russia our uranium.

While the coming investigations into the obama-Stasi crank up, perhaps more details on the uranium payoff and the billions given by obama to Iran to kill Americans could also be investigated.

mockturtle said...

From EDH: A classic from the late, great "the Onion."

"A Shattered Nation Longs To Care About Stupid Bullshit Again"

The picture at the link is priceless.


A classic.

John henry said...

Blogger Unknown said...

Yes, Trump's early morning temper tantrum in the form of insane tweets is childish. The man child totally unsuited to be President, but we've been saying this for over a year now. Too bad you Trumpists fell for this infantile fraud.

Enjoy the next 4 years, Inga.

And Crooked Hilary will never be president. She couldn't do it on 08, she couldn't do it in 16. Why would anyone on the right side of batshit crazy think she could do it in 20?

If she tries, she will wind up the punchline in a million jokes. Like Harold Stassen who ran 9 times (1944, 1948, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992), never doing well, never getting nominated.

But if that is what floats your boat, Inga, knock yourself out. In fact, rather than argue with progs in various fora, I have taken to encouraging them. You are making a fool of yourself and progs, more generally, are making fools of themselves.

Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite.

John Henry

mockturtle said...

I think the whole thing is hilarious. Haven't had this much fun in years.

buwaya said...

You are watching the equivalent of a substantial war, being fought with propaganda. Or, perhaps, the propaganda in the lead-up to a war.
It isnt foolishness like the shark thing of 2001.
There are reasons for every little bit of this.

You could actually follow old wars through their propaganda.
This is just like those, without much blood, yet.
It seems a lot like the political wrangling, and polarization, that was fought in the Spanish press and radio prior to their civil war.
In an earlier technological age, consider the same situation in the US in the 1850s.

glenn said...

This is what happens when you dumb down the schools and pretend the result is smart people.

Anonymous said...

"I think the whole thing is hilarious. Haven't had this much fun in years."

Me too! I hope Trump continues his early morning tweet rants accusing people of all sorts of juicy things, what fun!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Drago said...

Unknown: "Me too! I hope Trump continues his early morning tweet rants accusing people of all sorts of juicy things, what fun!"

It's especially fun when all the dem leaks to their press lackeys confirms the very surveillance that the dems claim never happened!

What fun!

Of course, its hardly the first time the lefties argued contradictory points at the same time. Cognitive Dissonance on the left, it's not just for breakfast anymore.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ken B said...

The NYT story, again, names no sources. I value at zero NYT reports based on anonymous sources. Is there a credible link on this claim about Comey?

hombre said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
HT said...

You're all friggin nuts. I'm gonna cook up my comfort food popcorn and bacon and try to find Finding Jesus online.

Anonymous said...

John Henry, we progs and libs love seeing you fools twist yourself in knots to make excuses for your nutty President, thanks for the laughs.

Sorry laughing too hard, had to repost, spelling errors.

Sprezzatura said...

"We don't know if Trump's claim is true or not."

We do know that the articles that the DJT administration said were the proof re DJT's tweet statements did not support the tweets that the DJT folks said were based on them. Therefore, by simply looking at the DJT administration's own claims re the basis of the tweets, we do know that DJT's tweets were not based on facts.

Not sure why that's hard to follow.

I think the problem was that DJT forgot to throw in some "I heard" or "people say" or "if" or "could be" or whatever sorta qualifications, hence he boxed himself in w/ definitive tweets that were not based on any facts that he possesses.



Anonymous said...

I'm waiting for that CNN program that follows Finding Jesus, the one about nutty religions.

Michael K said...

J Christian Adams has been around the barn a few times.

He doesn't think it is a minor matter.

This is going to burn down some left wing houses before it is over.

Inga, I hope you like bonfires.

Michael K said...

Peanut Butter may learn something too but I doubt he/she will ever admit it.

hombre said...

3rdGradePB: "So, the idea is that Flynn was using some encrypted Russian line?

Or, the idea was that Flynn used normal lines, and he and the Russians were shocked to learn that we monitor those? He and the Russians were shocked by this news!"

Actually, the idea is that they were probably monitoring, Flynn. Got that?

Lucien said...

Is it possible to jump the summer of the shark?

John henry said...

Speaking of John Podesta, as Drago just did, I would reference this story from the Washington Post. Apparently no longer available on their site but the internet never forgets:

Folks attending a house tour in the Lake Barcroft neighborhood in Falls Church earlier this year got an eyeful when they walked into a bedroom at the Podesta residence hung with multiple color pictures by Katy Grannan, a photographer known for documentary-style pictures of naked teenagers in their parents' suburban homes.

"They were horrified," Heather recalls, a grin spreading across her face.


The article is from 2004 is archived here: https://archive.fo/vddrO#selection-3837.1-3913.74

You can find copies of the Katy Grannan "art" online with search. If you or I had it on our walls, we'd get arrested. Since she is an Artiste, and under protection, she can get away with it.

The teenagers look in the 14-16 age range. It is not subtle with shadows and gauze hiding the girl and boy parts. It is full frontal with nothing hidden and about as artistic as a police mug shot.

Do the large numbers of arrests that I mentioned earlier for kiddie porn and sex trafficking have anything to do with the blood rage progs are exhibiting? Like sharks around chum.

It might work. Arrest a bunch of relatively lowlevel lowlifes then lean on them, hard. "Who might you know in DC?"

Disgusting people, the Podestas. Anyone who can "grin" about child porn in their bedroom deserves a place in the lower levels of Hell.

John Henry

Sprezzatura said...

hombre,

Either way, you can see why the dude was fired (twice). Using Russian mole com or being DNI Dir but not knowing what we monitor = fail.

Ken B said...

3rdGrade
Are you serious? You do not know if Trump has evidence. Trump is president; he has access to records. And there seems to be evidence that a FISA order was sought. So your smug dismissal is silly.
That said, we don't know yet any details behind the order, nor what was done, nor for how long, nor who knew what about it.
Some people wait to know the facts. I guess you got the jump on them, huh?

Sprezzatura said...

"Actually, the idea is that they were probably monitoring, Flynn. Got that?"

Then it's not a breach of our security re monitoring the Russians.

Ya gots to pick one side, and ride it out.

dreams said...

It seems to me that Comey is begging for help but no help in sight.

Sprezzatura said...

Ken B,

I'm not guessing at what DJT was said to have used as the basis for his tweets. Read for yourself:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/03/05/trumps-evidence-for-obama-wiretap-claims-relies-on-sketchy-anonymously-sourced-reports/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_fc-wiretap-1138am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.2510e956acc3

Lewis Wetzel said...

Dear God, PB! You can't just run with anonymously sourced reports! That's the kind of thing that destroys reputations for honesty and fair dealing!

Sprezzatura said...

Mike,

While y'all spin and promote "if" type theories about the Feds aiming to harm a POTUS candidate, you may want to keep one eye on the fact that Comey tipped the election for DJT using extraordinary actions:

http://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/1/11/14215930/comey-email-election-clinton-campaign

Or, not. Maybe y'all should bigly push the theory that Obama tapped DJT's lines because Obama was working to hinder DJT. Run hard with that. Run!

Sprezzatura said...

The Feds taking actions that would result in a POTUS candidate sinking and losing would be all that stuff in Mike's link.

Really amplify this point. Since BHO was the one that tapped DJT's lines, we know that pushing this is to DJT's advantage. R's really need to get us all taking about the FBI tipping the election.



Carry on.

Lewis Wetzel said...

PB&J, Vox and his writers are tools. Dumber than stumps. They have nothing more enlightening to say on the topic than, say, Barbara Streisand.
That is some crappy analysis, right there.

tim in vermont said...

Yeah, Vox is scrupulously non partisan.

dreams said...

"Wayne Barrett, Donald Trump, and the Death of the American Press
How did we get from ‘Village Voice’ reporters digging up everything there is to know about a flashy New York real estate salesman to not knowing anything about the President of the United States and his ties to Russia?"

http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/225587/trump-american-press

Sprezzatura said...

Sure, let's put Vox aside.

We must really maximize the conversation about the destruction of democracy that results when the FBI extraordinarily meddles to sink one POTUS candidate and help another.

Please, do continue expressing the horror of this crime. We all know that this helps DJT who had his lines tapped by BHO.

hombre said...

Time for Trump to announce that he was relying on reports in January by NYT and other leftymediaswine.

Will they respond that they were relying on the unreliable ghost army? There is real potential here. Lol.

Sprezzatura said...

BTW, it's too early to see the wheels moving, but how many R pols have thoughts/discussions re sinking DJT in favor of Pence?

It seems like they can wait for six months to see if the puppet performs. But, then the timing gets tricky re sneaky leaks and a quick impeachment/conviction, and then cleaning up appearances early enough for 2018.

I dunno.

glenn said...

Obamas defenders didn't do themselves favors by sending James Clapper out to play defense. He's a proven and admitted liar. On the other hand it may just be Barry booger flipping again.

Michael K said...

"how many R pols have thoughts/discussions re sinking DJT in favor of Pence?"

Delusional. Why don't you take a 7th grade Civics class ?

Drago said...

3rdGradePB_GoodPerson: "I dunno"

Truer words have never been spoken.

Jon Ericson said...

C'mon Pee-Wee, squeeze out another couple of your 'thoughts'.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

The timing of everything makes me thing Trump has the evidence and has had it for some time. This is a shot across the Democrat's bow, perhaps meant to get to get Obama's attention in particular. Play nice or I use the knowledge I'm privy to as POTUS to burn your house down. What the Democrat's do in the next week or so, not what Trump does or doesn't reveal, will be a great indication of the veracity of the accusation.

Sprezzatura said...

JE,

I put it in the wrong thread. The Titus one.

It's quite somethin' though.

TRISTRAM said...

"Something else got a lot of news coverage that summer as well..."

China forcing down our spy plane and embryonic stem cells.

Bruce Hayden said...

Well..Rachel Dolezal changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo..

Last I knew, she was homeless in (I believe) Spokane, still claiming to be trans-black. Unfortunately, her former employer, the NAACP, seems to prefer real blacks.

I hope not too many, since Podesta must keep his wits about his as the key lobbyist for Russia's largest bank.

I think that that was Tony Podesta, John Podesta's brother. John Podesta was the alleged pedophile who was Crooked Hillary's campaign manager.

I wonder if that's why Hillary gave Russia our uranium.

Both the Podestas have been close to the Clintons for a long time, but I think that selling our uranium reserves to the Russians was more likely the result of pretty naked bribes to the Clinton Foundation.

Bay Area Guy said...

It's hard to sift through all the misinformation and disinformation, but here's the guys/gals on this story who have a good grasp:

Andrew McCarthy
Michael Mukasey
J Christian Adams
Kimberly Strassel

Mark Levin gets a bit hysterical, so he gets only an Honorable Mention

Per Michael K's excellent link re FBI spying on Nixon during Watergate above, the Obama DOJ loyalists who are illegally leaking the content of FISA wiretaps are using the NYTimes reporters as Mark Felt used Woodstein.

Sprezzatura said...

"I wonder if that's why Hillary gave Russia our uranium."

That's not an issue for most here. But, foreigners stockpiling lithium weighs on the minds of many (most?).

Bob Loblaw said...

"Produce the evidence or shut up!

And all you get from fucking Rino's like Collins or Rubio is that "We're going to have a thorough investigation, blah, blah"."


Presumably it takes an investigation to produce evidence.


Congressional investigations never produce evidence. Once in a blue moon they take open Washington secrets and put them out for the rubes to see. Mostly they're just a chance for Congressmen to grandstand and stir up the base with an eye to collecting donations.

damikesc said...

Thought keeping Comey was a mistake. Keeping ANY Obama people was a mistake.

JPS said...

Ken B, 6:17:

"What is most striking about many of the comments here is how little the truth seems to matter to those making them."

Funny, I was thinking that about the official spokespeople for both the Obama and the Trump camps. We've got "Not even a smidgeon of corruption" up against, "Hey, what was Ted Cruz' dad doing hanging out with Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963 anyway?"

It would not shock me at all if Obama had let it be known that he wanted done exactly what Trump says was done. No more than it would shock me if Trump made this shit up to seize command of the news cycle yet again. Or best of all: Maybe Trump totally made that shit up, but he's actually right.

And I thought the '90s were a cynical time....

3rd Grade PB... "foreigners stockpiling lithium": Not sure I get it. Are you hinting at widespread depression, or nuclear fusion weapons?

Bryant Likes said...

Thanks for this post, sometimes I feel like the world is going insane and it is nice to hear that it isn't just me.

Ken B said...

JPS
Indeed. I keep reading that if the bugging occurred that Obama had to know and consent. I consider that unproven speculation. If, as many Trumpets believe, the "deep state" hates Trump I do not consider it impossible that some elements of it acted on their own. At this point, how can we know? So, investigate. And ignore the anonymous second hand reports from unreliable media.

mockturtle said...

Thought keeping Comey was a mistake. Keeping ANY Obama people was a mistake.

For sure. Too many swamp creatures still crawling around.

Achilles said...

Not sure why the leftists are getting mad about this. PBJ is still mad ad Comey for not burying Hillary's corruption deep enough. We are about to root out all of those neocons that "lied" us into Iraq.

Oh I forgot they joined the left so they are ok now.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Blogger Ken B said...
JPS
Indeed. I keep reading that if the bugging occurred that Obama had to know and consent. I consider that unproven speculation.

It's a reasonable supposition. Lynch had to approve seeking a warrant from FISA. If Lynch did it without consulting with the man in the Big Chair during campaign season, Obama would have had her hide. At the point when Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee it became more of a political matter than a legal matter.

paminwi said...

I believe they will never be able to prove Obama approved of asking for the FISA warrant but we all know it happened. They probably had a blink twice for "yes" if you want the DOJ to move forward with the tapping of Trump Tower.
The exact same thing happened with Lois Lerner and the IRS going after Tea Party groups. It only had to be a nod, a wink, a bank from Obama to get the wheels turning.

Anyone who believes otherwise is what I call a Dem lemming.

Sprezzatura said...

I'm a longtime lurker, but never commenter here.

But, I must write that this Shark Winter media stuff and the liberal trolls in these threads are sickening. They're destroying the country and the blog, respectively. After all, it was BHO who tapped DJT. DJT is the victim of a coup attempt.

Terrible!

I'm grateful that Althouse is here to represent the silent majority who just wants to let DJT get to work w/o all this fuss over a wee little, slight inaccuracy here or there. That way he'll bring back steel worker jobs and manufacturing jobs and the Merry Christmas phrase and anti-PC common sense and there'll be no more refusing to name Islamist Radical Terror Fascist Evil Axis Terrorizers.

hombre said...

Blogger 3rdGradePB_GoodPerson said...
"I'm a longtime lurker, but never commenter here."

Lol!

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Etienne said...

Washington will never bring back the Industrial Revolution.

Unknown said...

An article appears in the alt-right Breibart News about Obama wire-tapping Trump prior to the election. Trump reads article and sends out multiple tweets based on this news article.

Nothing wrong except Trump is the President of the USA and supposedely the most powerful person in the world.

If Trumpies cannot see what is obviously wrong with Trump's behavior and the potential consequences downstream then 'you' and 'us' are living in alternative universes. And of course, we are as has become clear since Trump's election.

Unknown said...

From the DISHONEST and FAKE NEWS New York Times Editorial today:

"This is a dangerous moment, which requires Congress and members of this administration to look beyond partisan maneuvering and tend to the health of the democracy itself."

Don't forget Trumpies, if Trump burns down all the institutions that make up the USA, all of you will also go down with him.

Lewis Wetzel said...

In the universe I live in, everything is A-OK, "Unknown." Maybe you need to change your address to some non-crazee place?

Unknown said...

obama thinks his bold, dynamic sneaky pearl harbor stealthy cloaked attacks will win the day, not counting on trump to respond with 1,200 major combatant ships, 27 aircraft carriers, 8 battleships, and crippling him with resolve, perseverance and massive response... the shotgun can often work better than the sniper popgun. college mirror boy going down.

Molly said...

Why haven't reporters asked Loretta Lynch for a denial? Google "Lynch FISA Trump" ---crickets. It's news even if she says no comment. Or even "Calls to Lynch requesting comment were not returned."

Lewis Wetzel said...

The problem the Democrats have is that, despite his uncouth way of expressing himself (granted, it's Twitter), no one other than "Unknown" seems to think it is unreasonable to believe that Trump and or his associates were bugged by the JD. Look at the leaks, for God's sake. Look at the hatred coming at Trump from "the intelligence community." Even Schumer said Trump should watch what he says about the intelligence services because they will get him, presumably by doing something they would never dare admit to doing.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Lewis Wetzel said...
In the universe I live in, everything is A-OK, "Unknown."

Mine too. Unknown must be getting very nervous though.

"Don't forget Trumpies, if Trump burns down all the institutions that make up the USA"

Obama lit the match and poured gasoline on the fire.

"all of you will also go down with him"

Ach, Inga, you and your concentration camp dreams! How you'd love to see us all herded onto cattle cars!

Get a grip.

Rusty said...

mockturtle said...
"I think the whole thing is hilarious. Haven't had this much fun in years."

Iwould too until I realized we have two governments in this country.
The one we elected and the one administrative one which is trying its damnedest to overthrow the first one.
Trumps first act should have been to fire every federal official or employee that serves at the pleasure of the president. Period. No exceptions.

Big Mike said...

@Rusty, true that.

mockturtle said...

Rusty, I agree and believe the GOP is a bigger danger to our new administration than is the Left. But I also know that there are enough of us who support Trump and his plans to prevent its demise or, at least, to retaliate if it happens. At my age, I'd happily fight a revolution.

traditionalguy said...

Sweet Mika was in anguish this AM. She knows Trump has trapped them and Sacred Obama's Army is done for.So Mika wails with grief.

khesanh0802 said...

And Obama said "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?" and his minions at the DOJ went for their knives. Anyone who has worked in any organization knows that no one would undertake something as major as the FISA action - never mind the tap - without the head honcho's okay. Soon we'll hear he read about it in the NYT. Where's that BS tag?

Drago said...

Unknown: "If Trumpies cannot see what is obviously wrong with Trump's behavior and the potential consequences downstream then 'you' and 'us' are living in alternative universes. And of course, we are as has become clear since Trump's election."

LOL

Unknown throws the MSM under the bus!

So let me see if I've got this straight: for 9 months we have been told by the MSM that half a dozen federal intelligence services and agencies have been investigating a Trump/TrumpTeam - Russia collusion connection and the MSM/Dems have actually written and stated that transcripts and wiretaps of Trump associates have been captured and they will PROVE that Trump and the Russians colluded.

And now, all of a sudden, we are being told that is all "ABSOLUTELY UN-POSSIBLE" because there was absolutely no surveillance or wiretapping going on!!

Well then, what were those 14,000 stories the MSM hit us with over the past 9 months all about then since the left is now saying the basis for those stories never existed!

#WhenLeftyNarrativesCollide

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Mika was almost in tears when she revealed that Hillary camp contacted MSNBC and asked them to fire her/silence her.

good times. Happy tears.

Drago said...

Unknown: "Don't forget Trumpies, if Trump burns down all the institutions that make up the USA, all of you will also go down with him."

Well, I happen to think its still a bit early in the day to be threatening mass incarceration of ones political enemies.

Etiquette usually requires such apocalyptic threats to be uttered no earlier than the cocktail hour.

But then again, I'm sort of "old school" when it comes to the appropriate timing of homicidal threats. Oh, and a sport coat for gentlemen when uttering threats is also de rigueur.

Matt Sablan said...

"Keeping ANY Obama people was a mistake."

-- That's the worst part of this debacle. It has cemented in my mind that Republicans need to fire every political appointee whenever the government changes hands. They've proven, again and again, that enough of them are political first, appointees second.

Which is sad. That's a bad thing for a two-party system to realize that it must engage in purges or the other side will sabotage attempts at governing.

Matt Sablan said...

"Well then, what were those 14,000 stories the MSM hit us with over the past 9 months all about then since the left is now saying the basis for those stories never existed!"

-- Clearly, the transcripts came from non-government sources. The whole point of this is that they do not want Obama's reputation sullied with it.

Michael K said...

That's a bad thing for a two-party system to realize that it must engage in purges or the other side will sabotage attempts at governing.


It's the end of the Civil Service concept. 50 years ago, Dr Alex Comfort a British writer said, "The Civil Service in Britain is a career of public service. In America, it is a rogue form of private enterprise."

I'm not sure he was right then but that is the case now.

Staffing Republican administrations is going to be difficult and may require removing everything above GS8 from Civil Service. There are probably a lot of ex-military who would be willing to take those jobs.

Static Ping said...

Ann, I would like to note that the common denominator of the Summer of the Shark and Red Scare 2.0 is the media, which pretty much has not changed in 16 years. The only real question is whether the tabloid ratings chase is their day job and their blatant politicking for the Democratic Party their hobby, or if it is the other way around.

Anonymous said...

The Winter of the Shark goes way beyond the Press, it extends to the guys who throw chum into the water, which includes Trump himself. Trump can't control himself on Twitter and stepped on his own dick. Speech, what speech?

mockturtle said...

Unknown is right about this: 'you' and 'us' are living in alternative universes.

And I, for one, am glad of it.

Matt Sablan said...

[Note: I'm being sarcastic about where the transcripts came from.]

I'd rather not see the civilian service overhauled, but if Republicans have to deal with this EVERY time one gets elected, well.

Anonymous said...

Mockturtle, I'm glad as well. I prefer reality.

JAORE said...

"Bolt action 30-30"

Perhaps you mean bolt action 30-06?

There have been bolt action 30-30s, but they are rare. The typical 30-30 is a lever action rifle.

Hope they add the M-i carbine as well.

JAORE said...

Ooops, M-1 Carbine, of course.

Chuck said...

Now on Drudge I am seeing the headline above the banner that Obama was "all smiles" as he and Michelle were seen out and about in Washington over the weekend. Drudge had to go to the London Daily Telegraph to find that story, from which to justify that headline.

Was the Drudge-intent to make Obama look clueless? Arrogant? Oblivious?

I expect that right now, Barack Obama has as much to fear substantively from Trump's latest accusations, as he did from Trump's accusations that there was something seriously amiss with the records from Obama's birth.

Rusty said...

"At my age, I'd happily fight a revolution."
I'm with ya babe.
Soon as my hip is fixed. Man the barricades!

mockturtle said...

Unknown audaciously claims: Mockturtle, I'm glad as well. I prefer reality.

No, you don't. Even if you recognized reality, which you do not, you couldn't deal with it.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Drudge's intent? Really? His intent is to provide the journalism so you can read for yourself, and unfortunately that often means we have to go overseas to get the info because American news is dominated by the DNC-Media complex that covers news "with a pillow until it stops moving" if the news is inconvenient to Dems.

(Iowahawk reference)

mockturtle said...

So true, Mike!

Bad Lieutenant said...

John said...
Blogger John said...

How come we never hear of Imran, Abid and Jamal Awan?

They are under indictment for stealing hardware and data from Congressional computers. They did the IT connected with the Foreign Intelligence Committee, working for Demmie reps like Debbie Wasserman Shultz.

They didn't have to hack her email, they had admin accounts.

I think it far more likely that this is the source of the leaked emails than Russians.

They are Pakistani, though I can't find out if that means Pakistani citizens or US citizens of Pakistani birth.

...

Iraqi, I thought.
...

John Henry

3/5/17, 5:33 PM

Red flag, IMHO: they were vastly overpaid. (That, or I want one of those jobs.)