From Caitlin Johnstone – in June, but still relevant:
The Democratic party built its entire presidential campaign upon the argument that Donald Trump is a racist, xenophobic, homophobic demagogue, so the American people must therefore rally against him. Since losing the presidential election, the Democratic party has revised its entire political strategy around an argument that is steeped in racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and demagoguery, and called the American people to rally behind it.
I found the whole article worthwhile. Ever-controversial, Johnstone makes a thing of former DNI James Clapper’s racial stereotyping of Russians and his obsessive talk of Russian “genes” and whatever Russians are, in his phrase, “genetically driven” to do. It might be possible to defend Clapper’s language as metaphorical; but just barely, and anyway, there’s no reason why I should do that work for him.
As to homophobia: Johnstone gives several examples of the Left doing homosexual imagery of Trump and Putin, as if it’s a reason to hate and fear both Trump and Russia.
As to xenophobia and demagoguery: Russians are the new Mexicans. Democrats accused Trump of wanting to demagogue Mexicans as a bogeyman; then proceeded to demagogue Russians as a bogeyman.
For those interested, Johnstone links The Big Fat Compendium Of Russiagate Debunkery, and Robert Parry’s debunking of the “17 intelligence agencies” canard.
This past week, many have noted that Special Counsel Mueller has moved his investigation to Trumpworld’s finances, and has impaneled a grand jury to bring possible charges in that area. That, right there, is an admission that there was never any Trump-Russia collusion. If Mueller could nail people for Trump-Russia collusion, he would. But he can’t. He is compelled to fish in other waters.
It appears that Mueller is working two grand juries simultaneously: One in the Eastern District of Virginia Federal Courts in Alexandria, Virginia and one in the United States District Court in the District of Columbia.
The Washington Post reports “the choice could reflect Mueller’s reputation for planning ahead and gaming out a possible trial. He could have better chances convicting aides to Trump in a city in which 90 percent of voters supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.”
The Washington Post also correctly states that “in federal cases, a grand jury is not necessarily an indication that an indictment is imminent or even likely. Instead, it is a powerful investigative tool that prosecutors use to compel witnesses to testify or force people or companies to turn over documents.”
Mueller is not investigating a crime. He is investigating the possibility of the existence of a crime. In the process he may well leverage witnesses against one another with promises of immunity in order to catch someone else in a “process” crime such as lying to a Grand Jury. On the entire planet of Earth, only The United States of America and Liberia use the Grand Jury system.
Costello v. United States, 350 U.S. 359 (1956); Lawn v. United States, 355 U.S. 339 (1958); United States v. Blue, 384 U.S. 251 (1966). Cf. Gelbard v. United States, 408 U.S. 41 (1972) find that: If valid on its face, an indictment returned by a legally constituted, non-biased grand jury satisfies the requirement of the Fifth Amendment and is enough to call for a trial on the merits; it is not open to challenge on the ground that there was inadequate or incompetent evidence before the grand jury.
Essentially, the only “loop-hole” open is that the “secret” members of the “secret” Grand Jury were biased. good luck with that. The prosecutors can escape unscathed for engaging in “inadequate” or “incompetent” evidence presented to the Grand Jury.
A competent prosecutor can convince a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.
And as Tucker says: if you buy a ham sandwich in Russia, you’re guilty of money laundering. You can be sent to jail for the most innocent actions.
I read Caitlyn entire piece, it took 3 hours.(Somebody should get her some help making the sight mobile friendly) While some of her premises are wrong her details are spot on. She paints events in a LEFT, Right paradigm, when what is really happening is a Globalist, Nationalist paradigm. However it is good information, and I will try to pass it along. God bless and buy guns and ammo.
Perhaps Mr. Clapper should be reminded that the reason why Russia seems to have such a problem with representative government is not that its people are incapable of embracing it, but because a cadre of Soviet lackeys (including a certain Vladimir Putin) decided that they were going to do everything in their power to preserve what they could to get into power, quash the blossoming of free enterprise and self-governance in Russia, and eventually restore the old regime.
What happened to shame? Clapper, et al, are part of the national “security” apparatus that has us mired in A-stan and Iraq; hands dripping blood from meddling in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and the rest of the dog’s breakfast that is the Middle East.
You’d think some of these people would have the decency to STFU and fade into the background. But you’d be wrong.
(At least most of the Bushies have had the decency to keep a low profile.)
Western politicians have been comprehensively wrong about the biggest issues of our times but nothing seems to give them a moment’s pause.
And yet people still believe that politicians should wield more and more power.