USA under presidency of a know-nothing, neo-fascist, racist, sexist, mobbed-up narcissist!!

[Peter Lemkin]

While I don't believe the Russians did any hacking to influence the elections, it is interesting that the CIA who claimed this have now been asked by some Electors and others to PROVE their assertions. As is the CIAs usual m. o. they will likely refuse. I am disturbed that most in the USA seem not to understand the problems [putting it lightly] of how elections are run/controlled/manipulated; and one can only hope at some point the catch on. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have gamed the system - the Republicans doing it much more so with their suppression lists, control of much of the judiciary, and electronic voting machines that can not be verified, owned and operated by clearly Republican-leaning companies. Now, apparently the CIA is trying to put in its two cents of spin on the election against Trump. I dislike Trump, as well, but if they have any evidence, they have to release it and not just state it is so. I can't think of any agency that has lied more than they [and that is really saying something - as they all do].

CHRISTOPHER SUPRUN: This is what the Electoral College is for, is so that we do not elect a demagogue, somebody who cannot practice the foreign policy and national defense of the country appropriately, and one who has played fast and loose with the rules of conflicts of interest.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, on Monday, Christopher Suprun made headlines again when he joined with nine Democratic members of the Electoral College to ask the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, for a briefing before next week on whether Russia interfered with the election to help Trump win. The CIA has concluded Russia intervened to help Trump win, but the agency has not released its findings. Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has yet to endorse the CIA's assessment because of a lack of conclusive evidence that Moscow intended to boost Trump over Hillary Clinton. Trump has rejected the CIA's conclusion, decrying it as "ridiculous." But President Obama ordered a review of Russia's role in influencing the presidential election. On Monday, the top Republicans in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, also backed the investigationof course, both Republicans. Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta, has backed the request by the electors for an intelligence briefing. He said, quote, "The bipartisan electors' letter raises very grave issues involving our national security. Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed."
Well, joining us now from San Francisco is Christine Pelosi, Democratic SenateDemocratic California elector. She's the lead author of the letter to Intelligence Director James Clapper. Her mother is House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Welcome to Democracy Now!, Christine. Explain what you are asking for now.
CHRISTINE PELOSI: Good morning, Amy. I am joining with members of the Electoral College to ask Director Clapper to give us a briefing on the newly discovered evidence that the American people first learned about last week, when we read in the paper that the Russians had hacked both Democrats and Republicans but only chose to do a daily drip, drip, drip of information against Democrats in order to try to swing the election to Trump. Our concern is that finding out this information after the electionit's a very alarming charge, so we would like to see the evidence. We would also like Director Clapper to declassify as much of the information as possible, so that all of the American people can take a look and decide for ourselves. And to the extent that we have to protect our intelligence agents, assets, sources and methods, we would like him to lower the classification to where we, the electors, could get what they call a day pass, go to one of the secure classified information facilitiesthey refer to them as SCIFsin our communities. They have them at military bases and FBI offices, where members of the military and members of Congress can go to receive classified briefings without having to go to Washington. We would like to go to the local secure areas in our communities and receive this information before we perform our constitutional duty on December 19th.
AMY GOODMAN: And has James Clapper responded?
CHRISTINE PELOSI: He has not responded. We're hoping to reinforce our request today. We havesince we released the letter yesterday morning with 10 people, we've hadwe've heard from thousands of people across the country, including dozens more electors, who are interested in what we're doing and who would like to find out more about how they could get some of the information that somebody in the CIA saw fit to share with the media. We would like them to share it with us directly so that, as Alexander Hamilton said and as the founders had predicted, we can assure that the president was not elected with undue foreign influence.
AMY GOODMAN: Of course, Donald Trump is denying any Russian involvement in his victory. He tweeted, "Can you imagine if the election results were the opposite and WE tried to play the Russia/CIA card. It would be called conspiracy theory!" Your response?
CHRISTINE PELOSI: Well, this was discussed at one of the presidential debates. The role of Russia was long alleged, so this is not necessarily news to Donald Trump. And the fact that he doesn't believe it doesn't make it less true. Unlike him, we would like an intelligence briefing, and we would like to know what the details are. Amy, if you were involved in an election, and somebody said, "Oh, the Russians were the ones that helped Amy win," wouldn't you want the truth to come out to show that you won fair and square? I know I would. And I know he should. Nevertheless, it's our constitutional duty as members of the Electoral College to make an assessment that we had a free and fair election without undue foreign influence. And we'd like to see the data that the CIA has.
AMY GOODMAN: In July, then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called on Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's email.

DONALD TRUMP: Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press."

AMY GOODMAN: At the time, retired Navy Rear Admiral John Hutson said Trump's call to hack Clinton's email was, quote, "criminal intent." Christine Pelosi, what do you say?
CHRISTINE PELOSI: I think it was an outrageous comment for a presidential candidate to make, for any public servant to make, to invite a foreign power to commit espionage. And it wasn't the press who thoughtwho was going to reward Russia mightily; it's actually been Donald Trump rewarding Russia mightily for the work they did do in skewing the election to him, when you look at his appointments, when you look at the closeness to Russia of some of these appointeesmost notably, his potential secretary of state, former head of ExxonMobil. These are deeply concerning allegations. And again, the role of the intelligence community is to collect the information and give it to government officials to make important decisions. Well, we, members of the Electoral College, are about to make the most important decision for our countrythe election, formal election, of a presidentand we need to get that information. It's not just the public statements of Donald Trump; it's whatever private actions may have occurred that the CIA may have unearthed.
AMY GOODMAN: Last week, Democracy Now! interviewed Christopher Suprun, a Republican presidential elector. He explained why he won't be casting his vote for Donald Trump.

CHRISTOPHER SUPRUN: I had intended to support the nominee, but, unfortunately, Mr. Trump has proven again and again he is not qualified for the office. He is a complete demagogue, as we've seen for the past 18 months, up 'til last night, where he picked on a steelworker who had to say something about his jobs plan for Carrier. That's a scary thought: When you're a simple steelworker or union boss there at a factory in Indiana, you question the president, and he comes after you 30 minutes later.

I'm not sure what the president is going to do when North Korea says something even worse about him in international relations, which brings up the second reason why he's not qualified. Fifty of my Republican colleagues, who are national security and foreign policy experts, said Mr. Trump would be a danger if he were president. And we've already seen that, where he has exacerbated situations in Taiwan and China with his change on the "one China" policy, or what appears to be a change.

And then, beyond that, part of the issue with Taiwan was it appeared to be a sales call. Mr. Trump cannot profit off the office of the president. It's expressly forbidden by the Emoluments Clause. And, it appears, every time he calls another country, it's to sell a Trump property.

AMY GOODMAN: So that's Christopher Suprun, who is a Republican elector from Texas, who says he will not be voting for Donald Trump. And he joined your letter, Christine Pelosi, as the one Republican, with nine Democrats, calling for this briefing. Are there other Republicans who have gotten in touch with you, either to join you on the letter or to say they're not voting for Donald Trump, other electors?
CHRISTINE PELOSI: Yes, I've heard from Democratic and Republican electors since we put the letter out. Some of them are interested in joining the letter. Others, having seen the politics of personal destruction directed at me, directed at Mr. Suprun, directed at others, have said, "Look, I support what you're doing. I don't want to expose myself to that kind of social media attack. But know that you have my support, and I absolutely want to find out if there is a possibility of getting that information at a local briefing at an FBI office or military base. Stay in touch." So, I'm very cognizant, as a Pelosi, what it's like when you put yourself out there in the public sphere and the kinds of personal attacks that come with it. A lot of my fellow and sister electors are not. They're living lives of quiet public service, and I don'tI'm not asking for all of them to sign on to the kind of treatment that I'm getting, that I take as part of the price of leadership. But I am heartened by their support and by their communications, that indicate that, yes
AMY GOODMAN: Can you say
CHRISTINE PELOSI: were Director Clapper to receive our request and respond to our request by declassifying the information for the public and for lowering the classification to give us a day pass, there will be electors, both Democratic and Republican, who will be ready to receive and review that information.
AMY GOODMAN: How many Republicans have gotten in touch with you?
CHRISTINE PELOSI: What's that?
AMY GOODMAN: How many Republicans have gotten in touch with you, Republican electors?
CHRISTINE PELOSI: Well, three directly and then others saying that they have talked to more of them, so I'm not quite sure what those numbers actually look like, in terms of how many people the other people say they've spoken to and reflect. But the basic message was: You've got bipartisan support for this, and others may be making their own statements soon. They've also seen, again, what's happening to Mr. Suprun, and they've said, you know, "Look, if Clapper's not going to do this, if we're going to be denied this information, I don't want to step out there and be completely attacked by my own party by asking for something I didn't ultimately get." So, I don't mind, you know, taking the lead and doing that.
I think it's very interesting, though, that there are Republicans who want to make sure thatthough they are presumably there to support their party's nominee, they want to make sure the party's nominee, the partythe victor has won fair and square, because that's their integrity, too. That's their oath that they'll take as an elector, to make sure that they've discharged their constitutional duty. So, we take this very seriously. And our goal right now is to get as much of that information out to the public as possible.
AMY GOODMAN: How did you become an elector in the Electoral College, Christine?
CHRISTINE PELOSI: Well, as you know, there are different rules for different states. In California, we get appointed by our local members of Congress and by our senators. And I chair the California Democratic Party Women's Caucus, and I was thoroughly convinced that this would be my opportunity to cast a vote for the first woman president of the United States, so I petitioned my congresswoman and said, "You know, I've never asked to be an elector. This is a wonderful honor, but I would like to have this opportunity." So I asked, and I was appointed.
AMY GOODMAN: So, you're representing California, which voted for Hillary Clinton. So why would this make a difference to you, this briefing?
CHRISTINE PELOSI: Well, I would like to know the truth before I cast my vote. I'm a former prosecutor, Amy, and, you know, there used to be a closing argument in San Francisco that went something like "You could go race onto the field at the Giants ballpark and knock over the pitcher in front of 50,000 fans and millions of people watching on TV. And you know what? You still get the right to go to court and say, 'Prosecutor, prove it.' It's not a formality. It's the American way, that you get a jury of your peers, and you get a chance to make the prosecutor prove what everybody saw you did." And similarly, when it comes to being a member of the Electoral College, we have agency. And the founders wanted to make sure that we did. That's why they didn't just have an election, but also an Electoral College to meet to make sure that we didn't have a demagogue, to make sure that there was a free and fair election and to make sure that there wasn't undue foreign influence.
So, we have newly discovered evidence that we would like to see. Frankly, I'm disappointed that we didn't know this before the general election, Amy, but we're reading about it now. And rather than just read about it in the paper and have it shape our view of Mr. Trump, we feel it's incumbent upon us to look at that newly discovered evidence in whatever classified setting the director feels is appropriate to defend and protect the intelligence sources.
AMY GOODMAN: In 2012, Donald Trump incorrectly thought Mitt Romney had won the popular vote over President Obama, and he tweeted, "The electoral college is a disaster for democracy." You also are actually opposed to the Electoral College, is that right?
CHRISTINE PELOSI: That's right. It's been a strange political year for me, Amy, in that I'm a Democratic National Committee elected committeewoman, superdelegate, working to end superdelegates, and I'm a member of the Electoral College who would like to see the end of the Electoral College. So, I guess I'm organizing myself out of two jobs.
But my idea is, the more democracy, the better. And I think that, as a longtime supporter of the National Popular Vote, which actually Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law in Californiamany of us have been moving to try to eliminate the Electoral College for years. I thought Donald Trump was correct in 2012. And I would hope that we move to eliminate the Electoral College or reduce the power that small states have over large states like mine, in California.
But now, this is the system we have. These are the rules of engagement that the founders have set forward. And absent a change to them, we have to take our role seriously and do our job. If we're just window dressing, then join me and get rid of us. But as long as you charge me to do a job as an elector, I'm going to do it with agency and with attention. And right now, I'd like to pay attention to the evidence.

[Peter Lemkin]

Demagogue-in-Chief

Posted on Dec 11, 2016

By Chris Hedges

Mr. Fish / Truthdig

For Donald Trump, the presidency will be a vast stage for accommodating his megalomania and insatiable appetite for money. Those who mock, defy or anger him will feel the wrath of the state. Those who are not obsequious will be cast aside. He will invest most of his energy in his brand. Self-promotion is the only real talent he possesses. Corruption, already rife within the political system, will explode into a full-blown kleptocracy. Manufactured stories about Trump's prowess, brilliance, sexual allure and goodness, as well as how America is becoming "great again," will be pumped out by the White House smoke machine. He will demand encomiums that will become ever more outrageous. All love, devotion and allegiance will be to Trump.
Trump is the sick expression of a dysfunctional political system and mass culture that celebrate the most depraved aspects of human naturegreed, a lust for power, a thirst for adulation and celebrity, a penchant for the manipulation of others, dishonesty, a lack of remorse and a frightening pathology in which reality is ignored. He is the product of our escapist world of constant entertainment. He embodies the mutation of values in American society that has culminated in an enormous cult of the self and the abandonment of the common good.
"When a population becomes distracted by trivia," wrote Neil Postman, "when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people becomes an audience and their public business a vaudeville, then a nation finds itself at risk: cultural-death is a clear possibility."
Demagoguesinsecure and crippled by an unbridled narcissism and seldom of high intelligenceplay to the inverted values of a decayed society. They attack all who do not kneel before the idol of "the great leader." "Saturday Night Live" can continue to go after Trump, but Trump, as president, will use every tool in his arsenal, no matter how devious, to banish such public ridicule. He will seek to domesticate the press and critics first through the awarding of special privileges, flattery, gifts and access. Those who cannot be bought off will be destroyed. His petulant, childish taunts, given authority by the machinery of the security and surveillance state, will be dangerous.
Trump's fight with the Fox News host Megyn Kelly illustrates his vindictiveness. Kelly, who was sexually harassed by Roger Ailes when Ailes was Fox News chief, questioned Trump on her television program about allegations of rape made by Trump's first wife, Ivana. Ivana Trump later recanted the allegations, although she had provided graphic details of the rape in a signed deposition during divorce proceedings. Trump was furious with Kelly for raising the matter.
In an interview by Terry Gross on "Fresh Air" that was posted last week, Kelly said that for months Trump attempted "to woo menot romantically, but just, you know, into favorable coverage." Trump demanded that she phone him, Kelly said, and she did so. There was a moment in that telephone conversation when he realized he had failed to persuade her, she said. "He became very angry. He told me I was a disgrace, that I ought to be ashamed of myself, and that's when he said, I almost unleashed my beautiful twitter account against you and I still may.' "
The conflict between the two exploded after the first Republican primary debate, in August of 2015, in which Kelly asked Trump about his derogatory comments about women.
Kelly was savagely attacked by Trump for nine months after the debate, including repeatedly on Trump's "beautiful twitter account." The attacks ended when Kelly went to Trump Tower to film what she called "a softer focus interview" with Trump but which in journalism slang is called a "puff piece," one that flatters the subject of the interview.
Kelly told Gross that the attacks by Trump "unleashed a chaos in my life unlike any I have ever experienced."
"I was receiving death threats regularly, serious death threat against me, against my family," she said. "Strange men showed up at my apartment building demanding to see me in a threatening manner. People started casing my home. Photographers were found on my property. I don't know if they were private investigators or what they were, but people started digging into my past, bothering my mother, bothering my closest friends, bothering my high school friends, trying to dig up dirt on me."
"The c-word was in thousands of tweets directed at me," she said. "Lots of threats to beat the hell out of me, to rape me, honestly the ugliest things you can imagine."
"The thing I was most worried aboutI have a seven, a five and a three-year-oldand I was worried I would be walking down the street with my kids and somebody would do something to me in front of them, that they would see me get punched in the face, or get hurt."
Kelly said the "crescendo of anger" sent "my life into lockdown."
When Gross asked Kelly about the "alt-right" figures gathered around Trump, including Steve Bannon, Kelly was unequivocal. "They will come after you," she said. "They will target you. And they will be relentless about it."
Ridicule especially antagonizes the demagogue. It deflates the pretentious and the powerful. It reduces to human size those puffed up by their self-importance. It exposes them for who they are. It affirms the self-respect and dignity of the oppressed. Demagogues, lacking the capacity for self-transcendence, cannot see the ludicrousness and absurdity of their pretensions. They cannot distinguish between their inner fantasies and reality. They can belittle and ridicule others, as Trump does, with great cruelty, but they see nothing humorous about similar treatment directed at the self-created edifice of their own glory.
"There are people who tell jokes," goes a joke illustrating the morbid humor prevalent among the populace in East Germany during the communist rule. "There are people who collect jokes and tell jokes. And there are people who collect people who tell jokes."

I have covered numerous demagogues as a foreign correspondent, including the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, the Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and the Syrian dictator Hafez Assad of Syria, as well as Erich Honecker of the former East Germany, Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania and Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia. They had different idiosyncrasies and styles. Gadhafi and Ceausescu loved the spectacle and pomp that come with power. Milosevic and Assad spent long periods out of the spotlight. But all had patterns of behavior exhibited by Trump.Bertolt Brecht's "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" provides the blueprint for how demagogues work. It is the story of a Chicago mobster cornering the cauliflower market in 1930s Chicago through threats, blackmail and coercion. It is also a thinly disguised allegory for the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. The Barker, who opens the play, lays it out in the prologue:

Ladies and gentlemen, we present today,
The great historical gangster-play!
Learn all bout blackmail and framing! Further:
How to succeed in big business through murder.

Demagogues expend great energy marginalizing, censoring and silencing all critics, something the corporate state has already done to dissidents such as Noam Chomsky and Ralph Nader. They use the media, especially the airwaves, as a vast public relations department to amplify their lies and promote their personality cults. They destroy cultural and education institutions, replacing them with rote vocational training, nationalist kitsch and tawdry entertainment. They elevate members of their family, sect, tribe or clan to the inner circles of power. (Trump's tribe, of course, is the billionaire class.) They put generals in key positions. Those in the military appeal to demagogues because they are not trained to think but to be obedient. The military also does not shrink from violence. The demagogue and the inner circle grow fabulously rich by pillaging the state. They live in private inner sanctums of opulence and depravity that resemble Versailles or the Forbidden City. They banish anyone in the court who tells them unpleasant truths. They read into the most benign acts wild conspiracies. They often sexually assault girls and women. Hussein and Gadhafi were notorious rapists. Trump's misogyny is well documented.Demagogues foolishly see the elaborately staged public events held for them as proof that a populace loves and respects them. And in the final, decrepit stages of their rule they became grotesque parodies of themselves. The sycophants around them, profiting from the orgy of corruption, feed their gargantuan self-delusion. The demagogues, believing they are divinely inspired geniuses and omnipotent, make decisions based on hallucinations. When a demagogue reaches that stage, society can be obliterated.Demagogues usually seek to immortalize their grandeur in huge building projects that are monuments to their immortality. Saddam Hussein sought to rebuild the ancient city of Babylon. He constructed a replica of the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II on the ruins of the original, embossing his name, like Nebuchadnezzar II, on many of the bricks. Gadhafi built the largest irrigation system in existence, calling it "the eighth wonder of the world." Ceausescu, whose birthday was a national holiday, constructed a massive palace, The People's House, at a cost of $1.75 billion in Bucharest. He conscripted as many as 100,000 workers for the project. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands, who died from accidents during the construction. The palace, which is the second largest building in the world, after the Pentagon, has 3,500 tons of crystal and 1 million cubic meters of marble. It was two-thirds finished in December 1989 when the regime was overthrown. In a visit to the national museum that winter, I found it filled with idealized portraits and busts of Ceausescu. Rooms were devoted to hagiographic accounts of his mythical life story. Building projects and image creation of this kind make Trumpwho has decorated his residence in Trump Tower as if he were Louis XIV, the Sun Kingsalivate.Demagogues foster the psychosis of permanent war, which often leads to actual war. The psychosis of permanent war becomes a tool to abolish civil liberties and condemn dissent as treason. Huge expenditures go into the military, which demagogues see as an extension of their personal power, while the rest of the country decays. There is nothing a demagogue loves more than a big military parade.The story of demagogues is as old as civilization. They have risen and fallen like the tides, always leaving in their wake misery, destruction and death. They exploit the frustrations and anger generated by a decayed society. They make fantastic promises they never keep. They demonize the vulnerable as scapegoats. They preach hatred and violence. They demand godlike worship. They consume those they rule.

[Peter Lemkin]

Professor Who Criticized Trump Is in Hiding After Death Threats

Posted on Dec 15, 2016

By Kali Holloway / AlterNet

A professor who gave a lecture criticizing Donald Trump, and the divisiveness and racist rhetoric of his presidential campaign, has gone into hiding after receiving death threats.
Olga Perez Stable Cox, a psychology instructor at Orange Coast College, was secretly recorded by a student during a class days after the presidential election. In a video posted to YouTube on December 6, Cox expresses disappointment, fear and to a lesser degree, hopefulness about the future. The footage begins with Cox stating the incoming administration is led by a "white supremacist and a vice president that is one of the most anti-gay humans in this country." She goes on to say that, "Our nation is divided, we have been assaulted, it's an act of terrorism….And so we are in for a difficult time, but again, I do believe that we can get past that."
The student who surreptitiously filmed Cox remains anonymous, but Joshua Recalde-Martinez, whom the Los Angeles Timesidentifies as the president of the Orange Coast College Republicans Club, released the video publicly. In the weeks since its appearance online, Cox has been subject to "more than 1,000 emails, calls and Facebook comments." Almost all of those messages have been critical, and some have included threats to Cox's life, according to the Orange County Register.
Rob Schneiderman, president of the local teachers' union, said Cox identifies as a "lesbian, Latina woman living in [conservative] Orange County." Schneiderman told the Register that though Cox is "pretty strong," the sheer number of harassing messages, as well as the violence some expressed, was frightening enough to force Cox to leave the state for a period.
"Someone emailed her a picture of her house, with her address," Schneiderman told the Register. He said the letter warned that Cox's "home address is now going to be sent everywhere."
Another email reportedly read, "You want communism, go to Cuba…try to bring it to America and we'll put a (expletive) bullet in your face."
Earlier this week, a group of 60 students and faculty held a rally in support of Cox. Some held signs reading "We support academic freedom" and "OCC for Olga," according to the LA Times. Later in the day, a group of conservative students, including Recalde-Martinez, showed up in counterprotest.
Elias Altamirano, an OCC student who organized the demonstration, told the Register he hoped to reassure Cox her presence on campus was welcome. "She has been here 30 years and impacted over 30,000 lives," Altamirano said. "I want to let Olga know this is her home and she doesn't have to feel threatened."
"Some of us were upset that the media was only showing one side…I think her comments were taken out of context," OCC student Autumn Durand, told the Times. "Undocumented students are scared, women are scared. Olga's speech was about protecting students."
A lawyer has filed a complaint against Cox with OCC president Dennis Harkins. The Times reports the "complaint suggested that Cox attend anger management classes and apologize to her students, and that the complaint be placed in her personnel file." The college is currently reviewing the request. The school is also trying to determine if the student who secretly made the video violated any rules by recording without Cox's consent. This may be due partly to the content of the class. A student who previously took the course, which is focused on human sexuality, told the Times it was a forum where "students can share their sexual experiences during class discussions."
Cox has an entry on the Professor Watchlist, a right-wing websitethat asserts its mission is to "Expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students, promote anti-American values, and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom." Conservatives have long condemned institutions of higher learning as bastions of liberal ideology. The political winds may be blowing in a direction that leaves many professors vulnerable to attacks from conserative, Republican and other right-wing groups.
"My experience talking to students is that they want a diverse range of professors and opinions in class," said union president Rob Schneiderman. "The problem here is the lack of dialogue, with students turning the classroom into a reality TV show when they surreptitiously videotape and publish it."

[Tracy Riddle]

While I don't believe the Russians did any hacking to influence the elections, it is interesting that the CIA who claimed tghis have now been asked by some Electors and others to PROVE their assertions. As is the CIAs usual m. o. they will likely refuse. I am disturbed that most in the USA seem not to understand the problems [putting it lightly] with how elections are run/controlled/manipulated; and one can only hope at some point the catch on. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have gamed the system - the Republicans doing it much more so with their suppression lists, control of much of the judiciary, and electronic voting machines that can not be verified owned and operated by clearly Republican-leaning companies. Now, apparently the CIA is trying to put in its two cents of spin on the election against Trump. I dislike Trump, as well, but if they have any evidence, they have to release it and not just state it is so. I can't think of any agency that has lied more than they [and that is really saying something - as they all do].

Considering the FBI's role in investigating everything from the JFK assassination and MLK to OKC to 9/11 and the Boston Bombing, I would say the Bureau is far worse. Again, the Operations people at the CIA are the ones involved in overthrowing governments, assassinating people, planting propaganda in foreign media, drug trafficking. Not the Analysis side of the CIA (which got "so soft on communism" that hard-liners had to form Team B in the 1970s to cook the data against Soviet military strength.)

[Tracy Riddle]

That is an epic piece by Chris Hedges, by the way. I hope his cell is next to mine.

[Magda Hassan]

That is an epic piece by Chris Hedges, by the way. I hope his cell is next to mine.

::

[Peter Lemkin]

That is an epic piece by Chris Hedges, by the way. I hope his cell is next to mine.

::

Sadly, this might not be a laughing matter. After he tries to establish a list of 'Muslims' and 'climate activists', he will surely construct one of those who are progressive and do not like him - First Amendment be damned. DHS prisons will be full of all of these kinds of innocents sooner than you think, I fear. Maybe then the People will wake up...if it is not too late. Hate filled Trumpf is about to unleash his hate at nearly everyone who doesn't worship him. Even the most progressive people will long for W to be back rather than have Trumpf! I agree it is an epic piece by Hedges. He will be high on the 'list'. I fully expect a modern equivalent of HUAC to soon be back destroying lives of the progressive and non-white, non-Christian, those that don't bow to Trumpfism.

[Magda Hassan]

That is an epic piece by Chris Hedges, by the way. I hope his cell is next to mine.

::

Sadly, this might not be a laughing matter.

Yes indeed. I wanted another emoji to go with it to show the serious side.

[Tracy Riddle]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-...-the-worst
[FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]By[/FONT]JOSH MARSHALL[FONT=&amp]Published[/FONT][FONT=&amp]DECEMBER 16, 2016, 8:12 AM EDT[/FONT]


[/FONT][FONT=&amp]I have seen David Friedman, Donald Trump's nominee to be the next US Ambassador to Israel, described in the mainstream press as a supporter of settlement expansion. The analogies that readily spring to mind are too coarse for me to repeat. Let's say this is a wild understatement. Friedman represents the extremes of the most vicious and destructive elements of rightist Zionism and the indeed the most radical elements of American Jewry.

Chemi Shalev captures the essence here.

By Israeli standards, Donald Trump's designated Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is an extreme right-winger. He might find a place in the settler movement or with Naftali Bennett's Habayit Hayehudi Party, but only on its right-wing fringes. He makes Benjamin Netanyahu seem like a left-wing defeatist. From where Friedman stands, most Israelis, never mind most American Jews, are more or less traitors.

Friedman has repeatedly attacked J Street, the pro-Israel, pro-Peace group, and its members as worse than the Jewish collaborators who served the Nazis during the Holocaust.

On the one hand, it's too hard for me to get too upset about the appointment of any Ambassador since Ambassadors don't make national policy. Anything they do of consequence only has lasting meaning because they are backed by the US government. But this suggests US policy in the Middle East will be guided by some mix of Adelson, Trump's impulsiveness and perhaps most critically Trump/Kushner clan politics. So it is as bad as it gets but mainly because Trump policy will be as bad as it gets.



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[Peter Lemkin]

This Administration is shaping up to be a HORROR SHOW. The Congress can, of course, block most of these monsters if they had the will and the guts...but I expect they will block very few. While, as expected, those who were against Trumpf are reacting in fear and writing worrying pieces of the nightmare ahead, I must admit I'm shocked that those who voted for him, and should see already that he was a Trojan Horse for 'another' agenda than he said, and not true to his word [sic] have so far said all but nothing. This truly will be the USA's nightmare. My fear is that it will be one from which we can not awake. I think people are being naively optimistic to simply assume that in four years we can simply throw the bums out. We collectively will now 'pay' for decades of allowing a long line of bums to run the country - even as King Rat has now come to take the last of the cheese. Impeachment is the only viable option - but I don't think the Congress has the courage nor the moral compass. It is a very sad state of affairs.