Reckless and Feckless President

If Trump were a machine, he might be a piledriver. Instead of clanging and banging, it's a quiet tweet storm in the middle of the night from the commander-in-chief bugged by being upstaged by Jeff Sessions.

"They're after me from all sides," he might be thinking, and he would be correct. Postcards are storming The White House" bearing the word, "Resist." The "real majority" of Americans didn't want one day of Trump in office. He is there, polluting the nation's reputation and stirring a brew for fights, foreign and domestic.

House Minority Leader, Pelosi calls him the "deflector-in-chief." His blaming is as constant as his lying. Lying by a federal government official is an impeachable crime, by only if the liars in charge of Congress say it's so.

The "leaker-in-chief" let the cat out of the bag. He revealed secret government information thereby making it declassified by the rule of sloppy tweeting.

"If you're gonna try and walk on water
Make sure you wear your comfortable shoes."

"If – through his tweets – Trump revealed secret government information about surveillance, he exercised an exclusive privilege afforded only to the president as the ultimate declassification authority. 

If any other government employee had single-handedly made such revelations they could see prison time for potentially damaging U.S. national security, a former official with intimate knowledge of the government secrecy policies told ABC News.
“It's an extremely serious offense,” ABC News Contributor Matt Olsen, who is the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center and a former FBI counsel, explained. 

“Anyone who would reveal the existence of a wiretap would violate federal law,” he said. “It is against federal law to disclose the existence of a wiretap, whether that wiretap is for criminal purposes or intelligence purposes.” 

Wiretaps regarding foreign espionage and terrorism fall under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), issued by a secret court which meets in a secure courtroom shielded from public view or eavesdropping. Trump campaign aides have fallen under FBI scrutiny because of their repeated contacts with people alleged to be tied to Russian intelligence agencies, which the Trump associates may not even have been aware of." 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/tweetstorm-trump-exercised-exclusive-declassification-authority/story?id=45912824

"ARCTIC MONKEYS LYRICS
"Piledriver Waltz" 

I etched a face of a stopwatch
On the back of a raindrop
And did a swap for the sand in an hourglass
I heard an unhappy ending
It sort of sounds like you leaving
I heard the piledriver waltz
It woke me up this morning
You look like you've been for breakfast
At the heartbreak hotel
And sat in the back booth
By the pamphlets and the literature
On how to lose
Your waitress was miserable
And so was your food
If you're gonna try and walk on water
Make sure you wear your comfortable shoes
Mystery's flashing amber
Go green when you answer
But the red on the rest of the questionnaire
Never changes
I heard the news that you're planning
To shoot me out of a cannon
I heard the piledriver waltz
It woke me up this morning
You look like you've been for breakfast
At the heartbreak hotel
And sat in the back booth
By the pamphlets and the literature
On how to lose
Your waitress was miserable
And so was your food
If you're gonna try and walk on water
Make sure you wear your comfortable shoes
Ohh, piledriver"

ABC News

Leaker in Chief

Tyrannical Trump wants Obama investigated

President Trump continues to demonstrate maniacal behavior while failing to address charges of emolument clause violation among many other cases of abuse of power and conduct unbecoming a U.S. President.

Consistent with the President's suspicious mental behavior, he is now lashing out again at President Obama. Last week, he alleged that Obama was responsible for leaks inside his cabinet. The FBI reported that leaks came from the President's unsecured Android.

Now, Trump alleges, in the absence of facts and indications, that Obama tapped his phone during the election cycle and did so illegally. That is just plain goofy too.

I took a couple of days off to set aside Trump. Now, the President serves up more newsworthy stories while the legal noose tightens around him.

"President Trump requests Congress determine whether the Obama White House abused its powers in 2016 

A statement from the White House press secretary said, "Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling." This came a day after the president claimed without evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower before the 2016 election.

via The Washington Post email 

Indivisible, Grassroots Campaign

Saturday, Maureen and I stopped at her hometown, Worthington, Ohio, on her birthday. We both lived there during our long marriage, and we love the old village, Now, the old hardware store is gone. In its place is something unusual.

In the front is a paper and gifts retail shop, and in the back is a workshop filled with job and litho presses. It is a place where people can come to set type and print whatever they want.

Today, a women's group commandeered the presses to print postcards and to send them to their elected representatives. Political representatives addresses were posted for all to see. Stacks of postcards were made available for women to write individual messages. Some of the cards bore the title: "Resist!" Others had similar themes.

Being her birthday, stopping by to participate in this protest initiative could not have been more appropriate. I bought her a pair of earrings while she trooped on with a mailing campaign.

She was making America great again by seeking to oust the Trump regime.

Organize your own event.

https://www.indivisibleguide.com/download-the-guide

Anticipation and Prediction

I lost a bet this year and owed someone a car wash. I bet that Hillary would win and that the Congress would flip to Democrats.

Did Hillary lose? Not the majority of the population, they were with "her." Republican domination of the House and Senate was a surprise to me. However, I can explain that because Democrats failed to produce fresh leadership. Their message was tired, and they had no description of how they would build a vibrant economy. Otherwise, they didn't demonstrate knowledge and skill in getting things done.

In the past, I have successfully predicted the past elections. My skill set as an analyst is predictive management. Therefore, I expect to be on track.

That is why I anticipate that America will make a huge adjustment to align its government with the majority of the people. It can take until the midterm elections. However, there is a strong possibility that the preponderance of evidence against Donald Trump's presidency will mount to a successful impeachment.

It is the impeachment process that holds some barriers because it must begin with action by the House of Representatives to initiate it. After that, it is the Senate that must prosecute. With both chambers being controlled by Republicans, there is a strong possibility for conflict of interest and obstruction of justice. Citizens have already witnessed the House and Senate exercising such conflict. Those matters must be appealed to the Court for correction. All of that takes time.

The rule of law, the courts, and a viable opposition with some assistance from Republicans who possess patriotism and integrity, the matter of who governs the nation with legitimacy will eventually be settled.

The US Constitution offers little guidance beyond protocols and doesn't say anything about what happens with the process is corrupted. We the People must chart the way.

Taking a day off

The Tragedy of Jeff Sessions

The tragedy of Jeff Session comes in multiple parts.

Part 1, his entry into politics
Part 2, having given voice to bigots
Part 3, rising in the ranks
Part 4, spreading his gospel
Part 5, co-opting Donald Trump
Part 6, getting caught
Part 7, disgracing America

I have friends and relatives from Alabama. I have had work engagements in that state, and know that some outstanding scientists and professionals live and work there. I am also familiar with the state's tarnished history. So where does Sessions fit?

Jeff Sessions is a conservative Republican who opposes civil rights and equal rights for gays and lesbians. As a Senator, he backed the War in Iraq and tax cuts the combination of which nearly doomed the nation financially. He is aligned with President Trump and the current profile of the Republican Party. Indict him, and you have the rest.

"Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician who is the 84th Attorney General of the United States. Sessions served as the junior United States Senator from Alabama from 1997 until 2017 and is a member of the Republican Party. From 1981 to 1993, he served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. Sessions was nominated in 1986 to be a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, but his nomination failed due to criticism of his record on civil rights, as well as allegations that he had made racially insensitive remarks. Sessions was elected Attorney General of Alabama in 1994, and to the U.S. Senate in 1996, being re-elected in 2002, 2008, and 2014. 

He opposed legal and illegal immigration and amnesty and supported the expansion of the border fence with Mexico. He supported the major legislative efforts of the George W. Bush administration, including the 2001 and 2003 tax cut packages, the Iraq War, and a proposed national amendment to ban same-sex marriage." 

Wiki

Jeff Sessions

• 84th United States Attorney General
• Incumbent
• Assumed office February 9, 2017
• President    Donald Trump
• United States Senator from Alabama
• In office January 3, 1997 – February 8, 2017
• 44th Attorney General of Alabama
• In office January 16, 1995 – January 3, 1997
• United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
• In office 1981–1993
• President    
• Ronald Reagan
• George H. W. Bush
• Personal details
• Born    Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III
• December 24, 1946 (age 70)
• Selma, Alabama, U.S.
• Political party    Republican
• Spouse(s)    Mary Blackshear
• Children    3
• Education    
• Huntingdon College (BA)
• University of Alabama (JD)
• Military service
• Allegiance United States
• Service/branch     United States Army
• Years of service    1973–1977
• Rank    US-O3 insignia. svg Captain
• Unit    
• 1184th United States Army Transportation Terminal Unit
• United States Army Reserve

The collective tragedy of Jeff Sessions is that voters from Alabama have chosen this man to represent them for many years. This very flawed character has served in positions of responsibility in the military service and legal profession while harboring values and views that are exceedingly misaligned with most Americans. His having accomplished this serves as a red flag to Americans that they need to purge their elected officials of such persons as they are also misaligned with Constitutional values.

Sessions and his kind, have successfully hoodwinked American voters by confusing Constitutional freedom and independence to distract from their undermining equality and liberty for all. Since the President has chosen him for the important position of Attorney General and to this moment stands by him, the pair must be considered as being tied at the hip. When Sessions goes down to perjury and possibly worse, so will President Trump.

The cards are all on the table, except the President's IRS filing.

"Jeff Sessions Is a Disgrace to the Justice Department

He didn’t just lie about Russia—he’s put the Trump Administration on the wrong side of every major issue.

ARI BERMAN" 

https://www.thenation.com/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DAILY_2017_03_02&utm_term=daily

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

Time To Oust Corruption

We are at the moment in American history that is unlike any other. What makes it so different?

1. The President is in violation of the Emolument Clause of the US Constitution with conflicts of interest that he seeks to keep secret.

2. Members of Congress including the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader have aided and abetted the President by obstructing justice and failing to perform their sworn duties and responsibilities.

3. As a result, the entire Executive Branch and senior leadership in the Republican-controlled Congress are illegitimate in their capacities, which disrupts the Constitutional protocol.

4. It is possible that no member of the Executive Branch including the Vice President is eligible to lead the government in the event of Trump's impeachment. It is equally possible that the House of Representatives and Senate Republican leadership are conflicted in their duties to initiate impeachment and to conduct impeachment trials as prescribed by the Constitution.

5. The integrity of the US Government will be left to the rule of law, the Supreme Court, and Democratic Members of Congress who may be joined by Republicans who have not violated their capacity through conflicts of interest.

How the process moves forward must be defined by the nations' legal scholars and the court in conjunction with viable members of Congress.

The White House Is Blazing

When I read an article from Foreign Policy, a highly-respected news channel, I know that the information has been vetted and verified. As an independent journalist and analyst, I depend on such sources.

Among the smoke and ashes in the air from most major news outlets this day coming from conflict of interest allegations about Attorney General Sessions and even his having committed perjury, it is hard to breathe. Not hard to believe.

Facts:

• Trump met with Russian officials in Europe before his inauguration.
• Obama rushed to preserve evidence.
• The trail of evidence exists, and the pursuit persists.
• Trump and associates and Congressional allies obstruct and attempt intervention that is interference.
• Sessions must recuse and now faces charges of lying to Congress that is perjury.

This news can't be snuffed out. The fire is spreading like Trump lies and gasoline.

"SITUATION REPORT
The National Security Daily Brief from Foreign Policy

Thursday, March 2, 2017
By Paul McLeary Adam Rawnsley  

Russia ties. Spurred by Intel from European allies that Trump associates were meeting with Russian officials in Europe prior to the inauguration, intercepts of Kremlin officials talking about meetings with Trump officials, and fearful that evidence of Russian meddling in the election would be buried or destroyed, the Obama administration rushed to preserve evidence and spread information about Russian efforts in their final weeks in office. 

The New York Times reports that former Obama officials say they had two aims: “to ensure that such meddling isn’t duplicated in future American or European elections and to leave a clear trail of intelligence for government investigators.” The rush included officials moving to ensure that materials related to Russian activities and contacts with Trump officials were classified at the low levels and information was shared with Congress, to ensure the widest audience possible. 

Double trouble. The report comes at the same time as the Washington Post tells us that while still a serving Senator last year, current Attorney General Jeff Sessions twice met with Russia’s ambassador to Washington, despite telling Congress during his confirmation hearings that he had no contact with Russian officials. Sessions told his confirmation panel that he was unaware of Trump allies having met with Russian officials, and through a spokeswoman, denied that he misspoke to Congress. 

The Wall Street Journal adds, “disclosures about Mr. Sessions’ contacts led quickly late Wednesday to demands that he step aside from any investigation involving the Trump administration, or that he resign for failing, to tell the truth during his confirmation hearing.” 

FP’s Elias Groll writes that the House Intelligence panel has pledged to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections, as well as ties between the Trump campaign and Russian government and intelligence officials. 

Trump taps critic for post. In a surprising move, “the Trump administration has offered a well-respected scholar and sober critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin the position of White House senior director for Europe and Russia, a White House official told FP’s John Hudson in an exclusive get. 

“The decision to hire Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, for one of the government’s top jobs dealing with U.S.-Russia relations is likely to earn bipartisan praise in Congress where Republicans and Democrats have expressed mounting unease with the Trump administration’s apparent contacts with Russian officials during the presidential campaign.” 

Foreign Policy, email

David Hicks painting