ChrisWeigant.com

The Party Of Thuggery

[ Posted Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 – 16:34 UTC ]

I've said it before and (sadly) I expect I will say it again, but it continually amazes me that the Republican Party could sink even lower than it already has. It used to be (according to them) the party of morals, of law and order, and of personal responsibility. It is none of those things any more. The last to go was the "law and order" stance, but now they are openly taking political stances that are absolutely astonishing for their support of lawlessness. Such as standing up for the right of airplane passengers to be as disruptive as they please while breaking the rules all who fly must follow. That's not hyperbole or any type of overstatement, that is exactly what just happened.

The list of pro-thuggery Republicans was provided by a Washington Post commentary today by Jennifer Rubin:

Eight Senate Republicans -- Cynthia M. Lummis (Wyo.), Mike Lee (Utah), James Lankford (Okla.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Ted Cruz (Tex.), John Hoeven (N.D.) and Rick Scott (Fla.) -- wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday to protest the creation of a no-fly list for passengers who lash out at airline personnel attempting to enforce mask requirements. They claim the list "would seemingly equate them to terrorists who seek to actively take the lives of Americans and perpetrate attacks on the homeland."

There were reports just this week alone of two flights where dangerous and deranged idiots tried to open an airplane's door in midflight. Which would have (if successful) taken the lives of many if not all of the Americans on board. This is deadly serious, in other words, which is why the airlines want to defend against such passengers.

The letter itself is impossible to reconcile with any sort of pro-law-and-order stance. Eight U.S. senators have publicly taken a stand for lawlessness on airplanes. There's just no other way to read it.

Here is the key passage from their letter:

According to data from the Federal Aviation Administration, the majority of recent infractions on airplanes has been in relation to the mask mandate from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).... Creating a federal "no-fly" list for unruly passengers who are skeptical of this mandate would seemingly equate them to terrorists who seek to actively take the lives of Americans and perpetrate attacks on the homeland. The TSA was created in the wake of 9/11 to protect Americans from future horrific attacks, not to regulate human behavior onboard flights.

Got that? These people are merely skeptical of the T.S.A.'s mask mandate. They are just being unruly. This is impossible to square with what just happened in one of those incidents this week:

A Delta Air Lines passenger is facing federal charges after he allegedly tried to open an emergency door in-flight in the hope that other passengers would record him sharing his views on coronavirus vaccines, prosecutors announced Monday.

. . .

When asked why he attempted to open the emergency door in-flight, the Portland resident told police he hoped passengers onboard would start filming him so he had "the opportunity to share his thoughts on COVID-19 vaccines," according to an affidavit from FBI agent Adam T. Hoover. In a passenger video obtained by the Register-Guard, Demarre is seen yelling, "We're all being lied to," and muttering about coronavirus vaccines as he is taken off the plane by authorities.

To use the senators' own language, this is not a case of someone merely "skeptical" of a mandate. This is someone attempting a horrific attack on every single person on that airplane which could have caused mass death. It is a crime, it is not exercising constitutional free speech. No doubt every single person on the flight who saw the altercation was terrified. Bluntly, this was nothing short of a politically-motivated terrorist attack. How is this any different from someone rushing a cockpit and taking control of a flight in order to crash the plane? It isn't.

Any passenger who misbehaves on an airplane is endangering the lives of everyone on that plane, period. Any passenger who violently attacks other passengers or members of the flight crew is committing a criminal act. Any passenger who threatens the safety of the plane itself while in flight is nothing short of a terrorist, plain and simple. It does not matter why they do these things -- the acts themselves are dangerous.

Flying on a plane means turning over your personal safety and security to professionals who operate the aircraft. Passengers are the ultimate captive audience -- there is nowhere for them to go to escape what happens to that plane. From takeoff to touchdown, the crew is responsible for everyone's safety. And anyone who threatens that safety in any way is a clear and present danger to every other person on that plane.

Which is why the airlines want to banish such people from their flights -- for the safety of everyone else. Which is an entirely reasonable thing to do -- and which just about any Republican in 2019 would probably have agreed with. Republicans from a decade or two ago would have actually gotten on their rhetorical high horse about "personal responsibility," in fact -- the idea that people are ultimately responsible for their own actions and that severe consequences for bad actions are entirely appropriate. That's back when they actually did believe in the concept of law and order.

Times have changed. As that Post article points out:

It should come as no surprise that members of a party that has characterized a violent insurrection to overthrow an election as "legitimate political discourse" oppose consequences for bad behavior on airplanes. Republicans have repeatedly made clear that they are on the side of the thugs, from demonizing and mocking Capitol Police officers who defended lawmakers on Jan. 6 to defending Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) after he posted an animation on Twitter depicting the murder of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to heralding Canadian truckers who paralyze cities.

Republicans have now become a caricature of something they used to routinely accuse Democrats and liberals of being: moral relativists. If a passenger on an airplane threatens to open a door because he is mad at Donald Trump, well then, send him to Guantanamo Bay and toss out the Constitution. If, however, he or she is ranting about mask mandates and vaccines, then that is just expressing constitutionally-protected free speech and that person cannot be barred from flying. It all depends on what the lunatic is screaming, to Republicans. What gets lost in their moral miasma is any idea of personal responsibility for one's actions.

Anyone who doesn't follow the rules for passengers on a commercial airline flight is endangering everyone around them. That's why the rules exist. This includes mask mandates. If you don't agree with mask mandates and cannot accept wearing one for the duration of the flight, then there is a very easy answer for you: don't fly. Drive or take a train instead, or just wait until the mandates have been lifted. But once you have boarded a plane, you are then subject to the rules that everyone on board that plane must follow. The time to stage a hissy fit or violent scene is before you board that plane -- because then you might just get away with it. Harassed gate agents might not press charges, if you're lucky. But once you are on board that plane and it is in the air, you have already voluntarily given up some of your constitutional rights -- like the ability to bear arms, for instance. You cannot fly with a handgun in your belt, for a very good reason. And all passengers must accept all of the rules, period.

Again, this is a pretty easy concept to understand. Republicans, not so long ago, would have wholeheartedly agreed with it. Sadly, those days appear to be gone. Because now Republicans are standing strong for any thug who wants to terrorize an entire planeload of people by causing an altercation in the air due to them not being happy about one of those rules. This is dangerous, which is why the airlines want a centralized no-fly list -- so such persons can't just book a ticket with another airline after getting banished by one particular carrier.

Republicans are now on the side of law-breaking. There's just no other way to put it. They insist that no consequences should follow any such lawlessness. In other words, they have truly become the party of thuggery.

-- Chris Weigant

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant

 

52 Comments on “The Party Of Thuggery”

  1. [1] 
    Kick wrote:

    And anyone who threatens that safety in any way is a clear and present danger to every other person on that plane.

    Clear and Present Danger

    Just kidding.

    Awesome writeup, CW. You nailed it. :)

  2. [2] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Love, love, LOVE that movie!

  3. [3] 
    andygaus wrote:

    Violence on airplanes is apparently all right with grandstanding Republicans, IF it's an attempt to defy mask mandates. It would be interesting to see if the same Republicans would defend the "freedom" of passengers who decide they never have to put seatbelts on or sit down during takeoff and landing, and who want to smoke cigarettes at their seats and leave their luggage in the aisles.

  4. [4] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Comedian Kathy Griffin was placed on the “no-fly” list for doing a photo shoot where in one picture she paid tribute to Psycho: she was holding a large kitchen knife in one hand and a fat pumpkin (wearing a straw wig and dipped in ketchup) in the other. It was a photo shoot she did portraying different roles from famous movies. She committed no acts of violence. Griffin was not traveling when the photos were taken. The photos had nothing to do with air travel…it was art.

    But Republicans were fully behind her free speech being silenced and her ability to engage in air travel to be made a nightmare because Trump’s ego was too fragile!

  5. [5] 
    Michale wrote:

    The Party Of Thuggery

    That would be the Democrat Party..

    Based on the FACT that, to this day, the condone, advocate and support TWENTY TWO YEARS (collectively) of Democrat BLM and AntiFa riots and attacks on hundreds of government buildings all over the country..

    HUNDREDS killed, including a least EIGHT COPS!!

    HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS injured...

    BILLIONS of dollars in damages..

    THAT is what the Democrat Party supports, condones and advocates..

    THAT is why the Democrat Party is the Thuggery Party...

  6. [6] 
    Michale wrote:

    JL,

    any and all crimes for which there is evidence that will hold up in court, regardless of the political party of the perpetrator, should result in the convening of a grand jury.

    unless of course those alleged crimes are committed by the president, in which case the proper course is an impeachment inquiry.

    OK... Good.. So, what does it mean to you when one Party actually make up "crimes" (that aren't really crimes) to impeach a POTUS from the other Party??

    as to whether "democrats" should be punished, i would say absolutely not. criminal offenders, if proven in a court of law, should be punished.

    Even if they are Democrats??? :D

    political actors, if no crime can be proven, should be mocked and derided thoroughly, but certainly not locked up. if a crime CAN be proven, they should suck it up and serve their time.

    OK... So, since we now have a FACTUAL BACKGROUND that's actually been filed with the courts...

    What are you thoughts??

    By the bi... Thank you for your sincere and honest answer.. It's refreshing, what with all the BS that's thrown around here by other's who are NOT Weigantian™ Founders... :D

    Per our agreement, I will cut 10 comments off today's commentary... :D

  7. [7] 
    Michale wrote:

    As to the letter that the GOP sent to Justice-Wannabee Garland, that's easily explained..

    The GOP is concerned that Garland will want to treat those who are against mask mandates like terrorists.

    Yunno... Like Justice-Wannabee Garland did with parent's whose SOLE crime is to be concerned about their children and NOT wanting them to be indoctrinated with racist and hate-filled Democrat ideology..

    Of course, the people who actually endanger aircraft should be dealt with accordingly.. But the letter from the GOP has nothing to do with THOSE people..

    I am sure that ya'all.... well... MOST of... OK.. SOME of ya'all are smart enough to see the difference...

    Those who AREN'T smart enough to see the difference?? Those morons who actually BUY into this bogus bullshit stance??

    Well, they posted above ^^^^^ :^/

  8. [8] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ,

    she was holding a large kitchen knife in one hand and a fat pumpkin (wearing a straw wig and dipped in ketchup) in the other.

    As usual, not factually accurate...

    And she was put on the no fly list during the investigation of her actions.. Which is completely proper..

    As usual, you are comparing apples and eskimos...

  9. [9] 
    Michale wrote:

    Liz,

    Canada's House of Commons erupts after Trudeau accuses Jewish MP of supporting swastikas

    The speaker of the House of Commons admonished Trudeau and others to avoid 'inflammatory' language

    The Canadian House of Commons erupted in shouts of condemnation Wednesday after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau replied to a Jewish member of Parliament by accusing members of the opposing Conservative Party of "standing with people who wave swastikas."

    Trudeau, a member of the Liberal Party, made his comment in response to being grilled by Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman during a tense, emotional Question Period, which occurs every sitting day in the Canadian House of Commons when members of Parliament ask questions of government ministers, including the prime minister.
    https://www.foxnews.com/world/canada-house-commons-erupts-after-trudeau-accuses-first-jewish-woman-mp-supporting-swastikas

    What is going on with your Canadian government??

    Has the cold up north caused them to go insane???

  10. [10] 
    Michale wrote:

    Lantsman, who became the first Jewish woman to be elected as a Conservative MP last October, read a 2015 quote from Trudeau when he said, "If Canadians are going to trust their government, their government needs to trust Canadians."

    Lantsman contrasted such a sentiment with Trudeau characterizing members of the Freedom Convoy as "very often misogynistic, racist, women-haters, science-deniers, the fringe." Accusing him of fanning "the flames of an unjustified national emergency," Lantsman demanded to know "When did the prime minister lose his way?"

    Adolph Trudeau has gone off the deep end..

    Adolph's imposition of EMERGENCIES ACT is as moronic as Merrick Garland imposing the PATRIOT ACT to deal with parents whose ONLY "crime" is to be concerned for their children..

    Oh... Wait... :^/

  11. [11] 
    Michale wrote:

    The other side of chamber erupted in response, prompting Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota to interrupt in an attempt to restore order. He also admonished all — "including the Right Honourable prime minister" — to avoid "inflammatory" language in the House.

    MP Dane Lloyd later rose to rebuke Trudeau for his comment, saying, "Mr. Speaker, I've never seen such shameful and dishonorable remarks coming from this prime minister. My great-grandfather flew over 30 missions over Nazi Germany. My great-great-uncle's body lies at the bottom of the English Channel. There are members of this Conservative caucus who are the descendants of victims of the Holocaust.

    "For the prime minister to accuse any colleague in this House of standing with a swastika is shameful. I'm giving the prime minister an opportunity. I'm calling on him to unreservedly apologize for this shameful remark," he added.

    Trudeau ignored Lloyd's demand for an apology three times, which Lloyd said "speaks volumes."

    Trudeau has gone off the deep end.. This is the beginning of the end of his fascist reign...

  12. [12] 
    Michale wrote:

    Lantsman later introduced a point of order demanding a personal apology from Trudeau.

    "I am a strong Jewish woman and a member of this House and a descendant of Holocaust survivors and … it's never been singled out, and I've never been made to feel less," she said. "Except for today, when the prime minister accused me of standing with swastikas. I think he owes me an apology. I'd like an apology and I think he owes an apology to all members of this House."

    Lantsman's point of order was met with applause

    As well it should be...

    The clamorous back-and-forth in the lower chamber of the Canadian Parliament came as Trudeau faces intense criticism for his invocation of the Emergencies Act to crack down on trucker blockades and Ottawa protests, which have lingered for 20 days. Trudeau has repeatedly characterized the demonstrations against vaccine mandates as illegal.

    Dr Martin Luther King lead "illegal" protests as well, Adolph Trudeau....

    But apparently Trudeau defines "illegal" protests as any protest that DOESN'T suit his fascist agenda... :^/

  13. [13] 
    Michale wrote:

    For those who hold out hope that Democrats will do OK in the coming mid-term elections??

    Here's why Democrats' chances of winning in November are slipping

    (CNN)House Democrats are retiring in numbers not seen in decades as a dire political outlook, new district lines and a negative environment at the US Capitol have combined into a toxic brew for lawmakers considering their political futures.

    On Tuesday, New York Rep. Kathleen Rice became the 30th Democrat to announce plans to not seek re-election in 2022. By comparison, only 13 House Republicans are planning to call it quits or seek higher office.
    https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/16/politics/house-democrats-retirements/index.html

    Allow me to dash such hopes with FACTS and REALITY.. :D

    Sorry people.. Democrats are going to get TROUNCED in November... :D

  14. [14] 
    Michale wrote:

    For those who hold out hope that Democrats will do OK in the coming mid-term elections??

    Speaking of that.. Where has cad been lately??

    I miss his daily (oft times HOURLY) exhortations on how much he is ignoring me.. :D

  15. [15] 
    Michale wrote:

    Add it up and you see LOTS of Democratic vulnerability and very little Republican danger.

    According to the Cook Political Report's rankings, there are 38 competitive Democratic-held seats compared to just 19 Republican-held seats. With the House Democratic majority so thin, that disparity in competitive seats is a very ominous omen for Democrats' chances this fall.

    The simple fact is this: Democrats see the writing on the wall. Many are opting to retire rather than either lose a reelection bid or become a member of the minority party in the House in January 2023. And that is causing a vicious cycle that further narrows Democrats' chances this November.

    Yes, November 2022 is going to be a LOT of fun for yours truly... :D

    Don't worry, though..

    I plan of sharing all of my joy with all of Weigantia™ :D

  16. [16] 
    Michale wrote:

    And, in the IT REALLY DOESN'T LOOK GOOD FOR DEMOCRATS IN NOVEMBER file...

    Are Democrats’ Nightmare Polls Getting Worse?

    According to a poll released this week from Trafalgar, one of the most accurate polling groups from 2016, 2020, and 2021, on a generic 2022 Congressional ballot, Americans would vote for a Republican as opposed to a Democrat by a margin of 54.4% to 41.9%. Translation? Things are already looking very grim for Democrats, and that’s probably not going to change.

    To make matters worse, Nancy Pelosi announced recently that she will indeed be running for re-election. A Morning Consult/Politico poll conducted January 11 – 12 shows that 59% of American voters have an unfavorable opinion of her – a nearly 10 point jump in her unfavorables from April 2021, just around the time she and House Democrats were warming up the jets to try and ram through their radical progressive agenda.
    https://amac.us/are-democrats-nightmare-polls-getting-worse/

    The hits just keep on comin'!!! :D

  17. [17] 
    Michale wrote:

    Over in the Senate, Republicans need just one seat to flip control of the chamber in their favor. Already, Democrat Senators from swing states who hitched their wagons to Biden’s radical agenda are underwater with their voters. Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire – who won by a mere 1,017 votes in 2016 – has an approval rating of 45 percent among New Hampshire voters, according to a Saint Anselm College poll (January 11-12). Democrat Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who beat Republican Martha McSally in 2020, also has a serious problem on his hands, with a Data for Progress poll (January 21-24) putting him at just a 46 percent favorable rating. It goes without saying that both of those embattled incumbents will need more than 45-46% of the vote to win this November.

    Hypothetical Senate 2022 matchups add yet another layer to the troubling outlook for Democrats. A Cygnal poll (January 12-13) shows incumbent Democrat Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado losing out to a generic Republican 44.8% to 45.9%, with education being a main flash point for Colorado voters. In Georgia, a Quinnipiac poll (Jan. 19-24) also has first-time candidate Herschel Walker narrowly leading incumbent Raphael Warnock. But while 30% of respondents say they haven’t heard enough about Walker to weigh in on him, only 13% say the same for Warnock – in other words, while Walker likely still has more potential support out there to win with increased name recognition and messaging efforts, Warnock has already proven who he is to most voters, and they don’t like what they see.

    So that means Senate seats in Colorado, New Hampshire, Nevada, Georgia, and Arizona that Democrats were feeling comfortable about not too long ago now seem to have endangered incumbents.

    Things look as bad for Dems in the Senate as they do in the House.. :D

    And with the drip, drip, drip of the Durham facts right up until the election, Democrats simply have NO HOPE of hanging on to either the House OR the Senate.. :D

  18. [18] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    TWENTY SEVEN YEARS of Conservatives support of Right-wing militias and domestic terrorism. From the Oklahoma City bombing to the failed insurrection on the Capitol, the GOP have shown that extremists are always welcome with them!

  19. [19] 
    Michale wrote:

    TWENTY SEVEN YEARS of Conservatives support of Right-wing militias and domestic terrorism. From the Oklahoma City bombing to the failed insurrection on the Capitol, the GOP have shown that extremists are always welcome with them!

    Except you have NO FACTS to support the claim of the GOP supporting domestic terrorism..

    I have DECADES of facts about Democrats supporting BLM and AntiFa terrorist activities..

    Nice try (no it wasn't) Russ.. But, as usual, I have the facts..

    And you have yer dick in yer hand...

  20. [20] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ

    #18 is ALMOST as moronic as when you claimed that it was the GOP who is the Party of DEFUND THE POLICE.. Something even the Democrat Water Carrier WaPoop ridiculed and mocked as THREE PINNOCHIOS...

    18 is not quite as moronic as that utterly bullshit claim..

    But it's close...

  21. [21] 
    Michale wrote:

    . From the Oklahoma City bombing to the failed insurrection on the Capitol,

    There are ZERO FACTS to support the claim that the GOP supported the Oklahoma City bombing..

    And there was no insurrection, failed or otherwise, at the Capitol..

    So, from start to finish, yer claim is complete, unequivocal and utter bullshit...

  22. [22] 
    Michale wrote:

    Well, gee whiz, Russ..

    You were so mouthy, then you got so quiet...

    Wonder why?? :D

  23. [23] 
    Michale wrote:

    And so it begins..

    Stanytsia Luhanska village targeted in shelling: Ukrainian FM

    Eastern Ukraine’s Stanytsia Luhanska village was “shelled with heavy weapons” from the Donbas, an occupied terrirory, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs, tweeted Thursday.

    He said that civilian infrastructure had been damaged in the attack.

    “We call on all partners to swiftly condemn this severe violation of Minsk agreements by Russia amid an already tense security situation,” he wrote.

    What IS it about Democrats that they always like to be in wars???

  24. [24] 
    Michale wrote:

    The Checkered Past of the FBI Cyber Contractor Who 'Spied' on Trump

    Long before FBI computer contractor and Clinton operative Rodney L. Joffe allegedly trolled Internet traffic for dirt on President Trump, he mined direct-marketing contact lists for the names and addresses of unwitting Americans to target in a promotional scam involving a grandfather clock.

    Not just any clock, mind you, but a “world famous Bentley IX” model, according to postcards his companies mailed out to millions of people in the late 1980s claiming they'd won the clock in a contest they never entered. There was just one hitch: the lucky winners had to send $69.19 in shipping fees to redeem their supposedly five-foot mahogany prize.

    Tens of thousands of folks forked over the fees, only to discover the grandfather clock that arrived was nothing as advertised. It was really just a table-top version made of particle board and plastic and worth less than $10. Some assembly was required.
    https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2022/02/17/the_checkered_past_of_the_fbi_computer_contractor_who_spied_on_trump_816761.html

    A perfect example of a Trump/America hating Democrat..

  25. [25] 
    Michale wrote:

    According to court papers, Joffe cherry-picked data to create a "narrative” that Trump was secretly communicating with the Kremlin as part of the Clinton campaign’s effort to make the GOP nominee look like he was compromised by Russia, a foreign adversary. Before the election, Joffe led a team of computer researchers vying for a major Pentagon contract to link Trump to Russian Alfa Bank through private DNS logs. He handed off their findings to Sussmann who fed the data to the FBI to drive an investigation and bad press against Trump.

    “The data was highly manipulated,” said Robert Graham of Atlanta-based Errata Security, an independent cyberforensics expert who examined the logs and debunked the link at the time. He suspects Joffe and his biased crew set out to invent a connection between Trump and Russia.

    “A link between Trump and Alfa bank wasn’t something they accidentally found, it was one of the many thousands of links they looked for,” he added. “The purpose was to smear Trump.”

    Though Graham as a Clinton supporter shares Joffe’s disdain for Trump, he said the suspicious server data were easily explained as innocent spam traffic. Graham noted that Trump didn’t even have control over the domain in question: trump-email.com. It was created by a hotel marketing firm that inserted Trump’s name in the domain.

    “Hints of a Trump-Alfa connection have always been the dishonesty of those who collected the data,” Graham said.

    It's truly amazing that you people bought into this complete and utter scam...

    But then again, ya'all suffer from President Trump Derangement Syndrome so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised...

  26. [26] 
    Michale wrote:

    Even though Joffe encouraged Sussmann to present the server data to the FBI as possible evidence of foreign espionage, he privately confessed to his reseachers in an August 2016 email obtained by Durham that the host for the trump-email.com domain “is a legitimate valid [marketing] company” – Boca Raton, Fla.-based Cendyn. “We can ignore it,” Joffe said, "together with others that seem to be part of the marketing world.” He urged his team to keep searching for data that would “give the base of a very useful narrative."

    Clinton's tech guy hisself said that trump-email.com is a bogus lead vis a vis the Russia Collusion Delusion...

    That's all that the Russia Collusion Delusion was..

    A bullshit narrative created out of thin air with some bogus and planted and cherry picked data as support..

    And you people bought it.. Hook line and sinker..

    Don't ya'all feel so completely and utterly stupid???? :D

  27. [27] 
    Michale wrote:

    In previous statements, lawyers for Joffe and the researchers he recruited have said they had no political ax to grind but were monitoring Trump to track a credible national security threat related to Russia. But Joffe’s lead researcher – Manos Antonakakis of the Georgia Institute of Technology – revealed in one email obtained by Durham that “the only thing that drives us is that we just don’t like [Trump].” Other emails, released this week by Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act request, show that Antonakakis believed even the most salacious – and debunked – rumors in the Clinton-commissioned Steele dossier.

    Recent court filings indicate Durham and his prosecutors aren’t buying their "concerned patriot" defense. Some see a crime in exploiting high-security government contracts for political purposes.

    “In my opinion, Joffe is someone who should be indicted and probably will be,” former FBI official Swecker said in an RCI interview.

    It was ALWAYS about GET TRUMP... That's all the Russia Collusion Delusion ever was...

  28. [28] 
    Michale wrote:

    “As I see it,” Swecker explained, “Joffe, who worked for Neustar at the time, had a contract with either the Executive Office of the President or the [presidential] transition team, and he used information gleaned from his contractual relationship to provide that private information to the Clinton campaign. Depending on the actual facts on the ground, it could constitute mail or wire fraud, and if it were an actual government contract, perhaps fraud against the government – that is, the Executive Office of the President.”

    Added Swecker: “There could be other criminal statutes [invoked] as well" -- including conspiracy -- "but to me, the key issue is his contractual relationship. He also engaged researchers at Georgia Tech who were working on a government contract and being paid by the U.S. government.”

    Joffe is going to be the next Clinton official who will be indicted....

    And onwards and upwards the chain the indictments will go...

  29. [29] 
    Michale wrote:

    In a 2015 promotional video by Neustar, Joffe disclosed that his real gift is recruiting other experts, making phone calls to people in high places, and providing the resources needed for projects.

    "I’m not the smart guy in the room. I’m really the dumb guy that carries the bags – but fortunately in those bags, I have a lot of money," Joffe said with a grin. "So my role has really been carrying the bags of money to help whenever I can when folks in the [cyber-security] community want things. I’m really happy to be able to do that kind of thing."

    "So those are the things I really do,” he added. "I’m not really good at actually understanding spam and finding that. I’m not any of those things. I couldn’t have an intelligent conversation about the techniques and methods used.”

    So, Democrats hired the dumbest guy in the room..

    Yep... That sounds like something Democrats would do...

    And to think that there are actually totally moronic Weigantians™ who think the Russia Collusion Delusion is still valid... That President Trump actually did anything illegal...

    MIND BOGGLING....

  30. [30] 
    Michale wrote:

    And now another litany of FACTS from the only objective and unbiased OFFICIAL Weigantian™ news source..

    ‘The Brand Is So Toxic’: Dems Fear Extinction in Rural U.S.

    SMETHPORT, Pa. (AP) — Some Democrats here in rural Pennsylvania are afraid to tell you they’re Democrats.

    The party’s brand is so toxic in the small towns 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh that some liberals have removed bumper stickers and yard signs and refuse to acknowledge their party affiliation publicly. These Democrats are used to being outnumbered by the local Republican majority, but as their numbers continue to dwindle, the few that remain are feeling increasingly isolated and unwelcome in their own communities.

    “The hatred for Democrats is just unbelievable,” said Tim Holohan, an accountant based in rural McKean County who recently encouraged his daughter to get rid of a pro-Joe Biden bumper sticker. “I feel like we’re on the run.”

    The climate across rural Pennsylvania is symptomatic of a larger political problem threatening the Democratic Party ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Beyond losing votes in virtually every election since 2008, Democrats have been effectively ostracized from many parts of rural America, leaving party leaders with few options to reverse a cultural trend that is redefining the nation’s political landscape.
    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/02/17/the_brand_is_so_toxic_dems_fear_extinction_in_rural_us_147207.html

    Let's play that again for the cheap seats..

    Beyond losing votes in virtually every election since 2008, Democrats have been effectively ostracized from many parts of rural America, leaving party leaders with few options to reverse a cultural trend that is redefining the nation’s political landscape.

    Democrats are becoming extinct everywhere outside of isolated liberal enclaves on the coasts...

  31. [31] 
    Michale wrote:

    The shifting climate helped Republicans limit Democratic gains in 2020 — the GOP actually gained House seats despite former President Donald Trump’s loss — and a year later, surging Republican rural support enabled Republicans to claim the Virginia governorship. A small but vocal group of party officials now fears the same trends will undermine Democratic candidates in Ohio, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, states that will help decide the Senate majority in November, and the White House two years after that.

    Meanwhile, the Democratic Party continues to devote the vast majority of its energy, messaging and resources to voters in more populated urban and suburban areas.

    In Pennsylvania, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a leading candidate in the state’s high-stakes Senate contest, insists his party can no longer afford to ignore rural voters. The former small-town mayor drove his black Dodge Ram pickup truck across five rural counties last weekend to face voters who almost never see statewide Democratic candidates.

    Democrats are going to be toast in 2022 and even MORE toast in 2024... :D

  32. [32] 
    Michale wrote:

    Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee, who recently announced he would not seek reelection to Congress this fall, warns that the party is facing extinction in small-town America.

    “It’s hard to sink lower than we are right now. You’re almost automatically a pariah in rural areas if you have a D after your name,” Cooper told The Associated Press.

    Even if Democrats continue to eke out victories by piling up urban and suburban votes, former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota fears her party will have “unstable majorities” if they cannot stop the bleeding in rural areas.

    “Democrats have the House, they have the Senate, the presidency, but it’s an unstable majority. By that, I mean, the narrowest kind, making it difficult to advance ideas and build coalitions,” said Heitkamp, who now heads the One Country Project, which is focused on engaging rural voters.

    She criticized her party’s go-to strategy for reaching rural voters: focusing on farmers and vowing to improve high-speed internet. At the same time, she said Democrats are hurting themselves by not speaking out more forcefully against far-left positions that alienate rural voters, such as the push to “defund the police.”

    DEFUND, DEMORALIZE, DEMONIZE THE POLICE is at the HEART of Democrat Party losses in 2020...

    And, because the Party STILL supports the DEFUND policy, that is why Democrats will lose again in 2022 and 2024..

    The VERY few outliers that are recognizing the failure of the DEFUND policy won't be enough to save Democrats...

  33. [33] 
    Michale wrote:

    “We’re letting Republicans use the language of the far left to define the Democratic Party, and we can’t do that,” Heitkamp said. “The trend lines in rural America are very, very bad. ... Now, the brand is so toxic that people who are Democrats, the ones left, aren’t fighting for the party.”

    And the GOP is KILLING Democrats with the Democrats' own message!!! :D

    How AWESOME is that, eh!!?? :D

  34. [34] 
    Michale wrote:

    Barboza said she’s grateful that Democrats like Fetterman are willing to come to rural areas, but she isn’t hopeful that it’ll change much.

    “It would take a lot more than just him,” she said. “It would take years and years and years.”

    Likely more like DECADES before Democrats are relevant again...

    It's gonna be a GREAT time to be an American!!! :D

  35. [35] 
    Michale wrote:

    And back in the great state of FLORIDA!! :D

    Florida House passes GOP 15-week abortion ban
    Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives have approved a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, moving to tighten access to the procedure ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could limit abortion rights in America

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives early Thursday approved a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, moving to tighten access to the procedure ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could limit abortion rights in America.

    The GOP-controlled House passed the 15-week abortion ban after several hours of debate between Democrats who said the measure would impose an unnecessary burden on women and Republicans who said they were protecting the unborn.
    https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/florida-house-passes-gop-15-week-abortion-ban-82946349

    Sorry (not sorry) Democrats..

    You don't get to kill babies anymore...

  36. [36] 
    Michale wrote:

    Near the end of the House debate, a group of activists in the House gallery broke out into a chant of “my body, my choice,” forcing the chamber to pause before lawmakers cast their votes.

    Except it's NOT the woman's body..

    At conception, the baby has it's own unique DNA..

    At 6 weeks, the baby has it's own unique heartbeat..

    At 17 weeks, the baby has it's own unique fingerprints..

    The FACTS and the SCIENCE proves beyond ANY doubt...

    It's NOT the woman's body.. It's the baby's body..

    The woman is simply the carrier.. Morally and ethically, there is NO DIFFERENCE between a woman carrying a baby at 8 weeks internally or carrying the baby in a carrier at 1 month after birth...

    Morally... NO DIFFERENT..

    Ethically... NO DIFFERENT..

    NOT the woman's body.. The BABY's body.. And one MUST assume that the baby wants to live...

    End of discussion...

  37. [37] 
    Michale wrote:

    Yea.. Russ's and vick's claims are pretty much nonsense, I agree...

  38. [38] 
    Michale wrote:

    Clinton campaign lawyer Sussmann files motion to dismiss Durham prosecution

    Michael Sussmann claims 'extraordinary prosecutorial overreach'
    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/clinton-campaign-lawyer-sussmann-durham-probe-motion-to-dismiss

    BBBBBWWAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

    ANYONE with more than 2 brain cells to rub together KNOWS how slow and methodical John Durham is...

    Sussmann is DESPERATE... He already knows he is going to be Vince Foster'ed...

  39. [39] 
    Michale wrote:

    Hay vick,

    Tell us again how the STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS has run out on Sussmann's crime??

    BBBBBWBWBABBAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHA

  40. [40] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    The woman is simply the carrier.. Morally and ethically, there is NO DIFFERENCE between a woman carrying a baby at 8 weeks internally or carrying the baby in a carrier at 1 month after birth...

    They are the same to you? Except only one can throw up her arms and say, “Look! No hands!” without injuring her baby!

    And if both women dropped their baby off with you so they could go to work, would both of those babies be dead by the time she got off work? You’d be responsible for how many deaths? Babies can survive outside of their carriers.

    “THE WOMAN IS SIMPLY THE CARRIER”??? Wow, you misogynistic asshat! Was she simply your “jizz dump” before you promoted her to “carrier”?

    And why is it always the people who think they get to define what is ethically and morally acceptable end up being the people who lack both ethics and morals completely?

  41. [41] 
    Michale wrote:

    They are the same to you? Except only one can throw up her arms and say, “Look! No hands!” without injuring her baby!

    So, in addition to being an addled brained moron, you also have a reading comprehension..

    MORALLY... ETHICALLY.... There is no difference between a woman carrying a baby at 6 weeks internally and a woman carrying a baby externally at 1 month after birth..

    Do I need to dumb it down any more for you, Russ???

    And why is it always the people who think they get to define what is ethically and morally acceptable end up being the people who lack both ethics and morals completely?

    Once again, comparing apples and eskimos..

    Did you lose your last brain cell, Russ???

    I see you concede that your #18 comment was complete and utter bullshit..

    I accept your concession..

  42. [42] 
    Michale wrote:

    Now, run away again, Russ.. That's all yer good for these days, eh?? :^/

  43. [43] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    So, Democrats hired the dumbest guy in the room..

    Says the guy who voted for Trump for President…you remember Trump? The guy who claimed that HE understood complex issues because HIS UNCLE was a professor at MIT!

    The guy who bragged about how great he did on a test given to the elderly that are showing signs that they are suffering from mental disorders that effect cognitive functions!

    The guy who wanted to drop a nuclear bomb into a hurricane on the premise that it would “kill” the hurricane!

    Yeah…Republicans don’t just hire idiots, they worship them!

  44. [44] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    And why is it always the people who think they get to define what is ethically and morally acceptable end up being the people who lack both ethics and morals completely?

    Once again, comparing apples and eskimos..

    Once again, I wasn’t making a comparison!

    MORALLY... ETHICALLY.... There is no difference between a woman carrying a baby at 6 weeks internally and a woman carrying a baby externally at 1 month after birth..

    The issue with your sexist and misogynistic beliefs is that a woman IS NOT SIMPLY A CARRIER for what is growing in her womb — so your whole argument is moot at that point! You do not get to determine what is ethical and moral for anyone BUT yourself! Your FACTS are nothing more than your opinions. But, pretending you aren’t a woman-hating mouth breather, I will explain why if your argument’s position was actually valid, it would still be wrong!

    If a woman were “simply the carrier”, as you so stupidly put it, then she provides nothing more for that baby than serving as a mode of transportation! What do ethics and morals have to do with “being a carrier”? A woman who has given birth can get drunk without harming the baby. A pregnant woman cannot.

  45. [45] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ,

    Says the guy who voted for Trump for President…you remember Trump?

    Yea, I did.. And look how well President Trump did for this country..

    Compare and contrast THAT to how utterly incompetent your Biden and Democrats have been...

    The guy who claimed that HE understood complex issues because HIS UNCLE was a professor at MIT!

    The guy who bragged about how great he did on a test given to the elderly that are showing signs that they are suffering from mental disorders that effect cognitive functions!

    The guy who wanted to drop a nuclear bomb into a hurricane on the premise that it would “kill” the hurricane!

    All of which only happened in the dark recesses of your single-celled brain that is consumed with Trump/America hate and bigotry and racism..

    The issue with your sexist and misogynistic beliefs is that a woman IS NOT SIMPLY A CARRIER for what is growing in her womb

    We're talking about the BABY, dipshit..

    Are you REALLY that utterly stoopid??

    You are obviously clueless about this subject..

    Comes from being ignorant about parenting and babies, I assume..

    This simply FACT is there is absolutely NO MORAL OR ETHICAL difference between killing a baby at 6 weeks gestation and killing a baby at 1 week after birth..

    NO DIFFERENCE.. ZERO.. ZIP.. NADA... NONE..

    Now address THAT fact if you can..

    You can't because yer an ignorant idiot..

  46. [46] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    The usual handful of observations followed by acres of vomments.

    I mean comments.

    Listen thanks for addressing the Abortion for Dummies task at hand. I'm going to keep these, they're that good.

  47. [47] 
    Kick wrote:

    ListenWhenYouHear
    46

    Says the guy who voted for Trump for President…you remember Trump? The guy who claimed that HE understood complex issues because HIS UNCLE was a professor at MIT!

    Heh. I know, right!?

    Water is Wet

    That time Dumbass Donald showed his mastery of science by proclaiming Hurricane Florence: "One of the wettest we've ever seen, from the standpoint of water."

    Continental Army Anachronism

    That time the inveterate moron praised George Washington's Continental Army that "took over airports" during the Revolutionary War? Idiot.

    I could go on all day with hundreds of links with proof of the Trumpian ignorant gene pool, but I'll fast forward to his most recent stroke of "genius." Trump's accounting firm Mazar's drops him like a hot potato, and Trump (in his infinite wisdom) releases a multi-page statement through his publicist's twitter account wherein he confesses to exactly some of the things he's being investigated for:

    My Financials are Incorrect... Count on It

    "We have a great company with fantastic assets that are unique, extremely valuable, and, in many cases, far more valuable than what was listed in our Financial Statements."

    So then, the various New York taxing entities claiming you routinely undervalued your properties for purposes of real estate taxation are correct. Case closed. Thanks for the written admission clearing that up. Idiot.

    Today, Dumbass Donald's lawyers had to go into court and explain how an investigation into the Trump Organization was completely unnecessary and no reason whatsoever to put Trump and his spawn under oath over the organization's financials. You know, those financials Trump just admitted via his publicist on twitter were totally inaccurate because he said so.

    The stupid is bone deep.

  48. [48] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    We're talking about the BABY, dipshit..

    Are you REALLY that utterly stoopid??

    Really? You were talking about the BABY? Let’s review the film..

    MORALLY... ETHICALLY.... There is no difference between a woman carrying a baby at 6 weeks internally and a woman carrying a baby externally at 1 month after birth..

    You DID NOT say “There is no difference between a BABY being carried internally for 6 weeks and a BABY being carried externally after being born a month ago.”! You were comparing the women, NOT the babies!

    You were comparing the two women in your ignorant blather.

    And a “baby” does not exist 6 weeks after conception. It’s a clump of cells called a zygote. So you are arguing that morally and ethically there is no difference between one thing that does not exist as you describe it and one that can exist.

    This simply FACT is there is absolutely NO MORAL OR ETHICAL difference between killing a baby at 6 weeks gestation and killing a baby at 1 week after birth..

    Really? Our legal system disagrees. So it is wrong for parents who discover that they both carry the rare recessive gene for Tay-Sachs disease to choose to terminate the pregnancy to spare their child to spend their short lives in constant pain and suffering? Tay-Sachs disease (TSD) is a genetic condition that affects the nervous system. It becomes progressively worse over time. Symptoms usually first appear at around six months of age in previously healthy babies. The life expectancy for children with TSD is around five years of age.

    By all means, please go on YouTube and listen to the parents of children born with this rare disease describe what their children suffered through for the majority of their short lives! I’m crying just typing this from the memory of what they said. I am not so sure that the unborn child would wish to be born if they knew what was waiting for them.

  49. [49] 
    Kick wrote:
  50. [50] 
    Kick wrote:

    One of the idiots on Fox News was "all in" for dropping the nuclear bomb into the hurricane... and water is wet! :)

  51. [51] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Kick [53][54]

    I had meant to put the Revolutionary Airports comment in my post, but somehow missed doing so. It is one of my favorite Trump quotes that boldly shows the true level of genius that Donald Trump possesses!

    I cannot believe that I completely forgot all about Trump’s groundbreaking analytic conclusion that water is wet! How he did not receive the Nobel prize for that one is baffling.

    Now to something I need to say to you…

    I suffer from depression — which I am normally able to keep in check and not allow it to overtake me completely. On January 20 of this year, I was drowning in a very dark sea like I have never faced before. For some reason, I logged onto this website and was reading the posts when I saw one of yours addressed to MtnCaddy that read:

    I love you too... almost as much as I love Russ. ;)

    We’ve always been very open in sharing what I believe is a mutual respect, appreciation and genuine affection for each other. So while I was not necessarily surprised by your words, I was stunned at how powerful those words were in that moment. There was no way that you could have known what I was going through when you typed those words. You threw me a life vest that night! Upon reflection of that day and where I was mentally and emotionally, I honestly believe I would have been overtaken by the darkness had it not been for your kindness…and I can never thank you enough for just being you!

    I hope those that read this will be reminded of just how powerful little acts/words of kindness can be! I encourage everyone to take a minute each day to tell someone around them how much they are appreciated and why that is. You never know what a person is dealing with internally nor do we realize just how powerful those little words of kindness.

    I realize that I have opened myself up for personal attacks with this post, but thanking you and letting you know what you did for me is too important to give that a second thought.

    I love you, sweet friend! I have to stop now as I have become dehydrated typing this! XOXO!

    Russ

  52. [52] 
    Kick wrote:

    We are peas and carrots.

    Love you, Russ. :)

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