The Science of Half-Ass Repairs

Anyone who has ever lived on a farm understands the term half-ass repair.  And even though the meaning of the term is pretty evident; the analysis of the action is far less clear.  You see, the quality of a repair job has a direct correlation to the quality of the performance that will be expected from that which is being repaired.  There will be times when half-ass performance will be acceptable; which in turn will make a half-ass repair totally acceptable.  On the other hand, if the performance or function of the object being repaired must be at a level significantly above that of half-ass; then it is critical that the standards of the repair be increased accordingly.  These are common sense terms; the prevailing of pragmatism over technicality.

For instance, if I am repairing the brakes on my truck; there is absolutely no room for half-ass repair.  If I am traveling down the road towing a 4-ton load of hay, top a hill and discover a school bus full of kids stopped in front me…I have to be able to stop when I push the brake pedal.   If I will be traveling on the interstate in that same truck with my wife and grandkids, I need brakes that work.  If the dog has chewed a lamp cord in two and I have a 2-year old grandchild crawling around the house; a half-ass splice and tape repair simply will not be acceptable.  On the other hand, if a tree limb takes the fence down between the pasture and the woods, there’s no need to run new strands of wire and set new posts; stout splicing with a steel post or two will do just fine.  There are many times when grass-string or bracing wire will be sufficient to repair this or that around farm.  There are times when you use a high dollar bolt and there are times when you can get by with an imported bolt.  These are things we learn by experience. 

This principle of gauging the remedy to the problem can be applicable to many things in life.  It is not always necessary to entirely blow up a personal relationship in order to maintain civility between friends.  However, wielding half-truths when full honesty is called for is a perfect recipe for future disasters.  It would seem that another area where the irony inherent in this axiom resides comfortably is the political arena.  Even though the body politic commonly takes devious and Machiavellian turns; there is no doubt that the strategic application of truth in proper doses is part of playing that particular game successfully.  A good trader doesn’t have to lie in order to be dishonest; you just have to know the right questions to ask them.  They won’t give up any more than they have to.  In many aspects of life, there is a delicate balance between whole truth, partial truth, and no truth.  There are, however, two precise arenas where there is really no place for half-ass repairs or half-truth applications; they would be one’s faith and our justice system. 

Our personal relationship with God is by its very nature one of complete honesty and transparency between the partners.  When one side is omnipotent and omnipresent; there is realistically no alternative to the approach taken by the other.  We might fool others about what we have done and why we have done it; but there is no fooling our Lord when it comes to accountability. 

And when it comes to our justice system, the very foundations of our nation demand that there be equal justice for all people.  The bedrock of our civilization, our society, and our culture is based on equal worth, equal opportunity, and equal dignity.  As recorded in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, the “…All men are created equal…” truth that is held to be self-evident leaves absolutely no room for half-way interpretations.  Unfortunately, our country has been taking an increasingly cavalier attitude towards the simple meaning of this phrase.

No one can deny that to a very large extent, the amount of justice one might receive in America has a great deal to do with the amount of money the accused has available to spend on a lawyer.  While striving and struggling to maintain equal justice for all, the demands on our justice system have taken it to a place where time is of the essence, expediency oftentimes supersedes due process, and power and privilege can override the obvious presence of guilt.  To a large extent, our justice system has been de-sensitized to the ideals our nation was built upon.  While we can all rally behind those ideals of the justice system that we take for granted; we must acknowledge the reality that it is, in fact, an ideal and not a functioning model of equal justice for all people.

Rogue federal judges who are essentially appointed for life have been pushing the limits of their authority more and more in efforts to exact the type of justice in their courtrooms that conforms to their personal agendas.  Their allegiance is not to the rule of law; but rather to their own beliefs and inclinations.  It has become somehow acceptable for something that is perceived by many to be a good thing to be achieved through whatever means are necessary; up to and including subordinating established rules of equal justice to a self-righteous moral code held by those in position to enforce their rulings.  This is, in effect, half-ass justice. 

Just as those half-ass repairs will get you in trouble down the road, costing more to fix in the long run than it does to fix them right in the first place; so it is with arbitrary application of law.  Even though our court system will eventually, through the appeals process, sufficiently examine a ruling to ascertain its validity; that process often takes years.  And while the cases are working their way up the byzantine court channels, the unfair consequences of the original improper ruling is wreaking its destructive consequences on innocent lives.

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A good farmer knows when a half-ass repair is adequate and when it is not.  If there is any doubt…you fix it right in the first place.  When it comes to justice in our nation, there is no place for half-ass repair.  That goes for our court systems from the counties to the Supreme Court of the United States.  It also goes for every single agency and employee in our Department of Justice (DOJ).  Good people understand the science of the half-ass approach.  They know to stay away from it.  Over the last several decades, we have had Democrats and Republicans placing a lot of bad people in the DOJ; people who obviously do not understand this science.  Given the likelihood that some of these bad people will occasionally be placed in positions of authority where they can administer half-ass justice with impudence; the best approach is to prevent the possibility in the first place. 

Regarding the DOJ, that prevention entails limiting the scope and authority of the Department and its officials to no more than that which is absolutely necessary to carry out their stated duties.  We should not trust their integrity.  We should not rely on their judgment.  We should not give them broad latitude to use special authority in cases where it is deemed essential.  Their authorities and activities should be transparent, limited, and sufficient only to the extent of necessary assignment.  Most important of all….DOJ personnel should be held to strict accountability for their job performance.  We currently have a half-ass Department of Justice.  We have had some half-ass people delivering half-ass justice. William Barr is trying to change that.  Good Government is composed of decent folks who honor their pledge to serve the people of this nation with honesty and integrity.

When legislation leads to law, that law should be specific, clear, concise, and written with an understanding that imperfect federal servants will be administering it.  When we place our Courts in a position to legislate from the bench, to interpret exactly what a law means; we place our liberties in the hands of unelected officials whose loyalties extend only to themselves and their personal beliefs.  Good laws start with good debate, a heavy dose of restraint, thoughtful deliberation and language that leaves no doubt as to content and intent. Good Courts start with judges who apply the laws as they are written and appreciate their roles as arbiters of justice in that context.  All of these elements must have at their core the unqualified understanding of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that is the fundamental right of every…single…American citizen.

Bailing Out: Obama is Doing It and the Democrats/States Want It

In rural America, especially the south, there is a derogatory term that we use quite often.  It is a term that implies that a certain person is unreliable, untruthful, irresponsible, full of themselves, and pretty much useless for any meaningful purpose.  Like a man who won’t support his family; or a man that won’t carry his share of the load; or a man who you just can’t trust to be there when you need him.  That term is “sorry”.  With absolutely no doubt in my mind or heart, Barack Hussein Obama is the sorriest president this nation has known in my lifetime of 67 years.

I’ve been doing this blog for about 8 years now and have spent a whole lot of time expounding on exactly why I detest Obama.  When he defeated Mitt Romney to gain re-election to the Presidency, it was truly one of the darkest days of my life.  And when his second term expired, I did not cry out for him to be pilloried for his non-existent ethics or put in prison for his corruption; I just wanted him to go away.  To this day, I come very close to being physically ill when he comes on the television in a clip or speaking appearance.  I get to the remote very quickly in those situations. 

Since Trump beat Clinton in 2016 to succeed Obama, I have quite often wondered how someone so arrogant, so purely narcissistic, could disappear from the bright lights as quickly as Obama did.  I was convinced that he would linger around the media bubble that he so comfortably inhabited while in office; rubbing shoulders with those like him and emotionally massaging each other with their liberal and hypocritical self assurances.  This did not happen. 

He pretty much dropped off the radar and occasionally a reporter might spot him on the golf course or he would make a below-the-radar speech (still with his trusty teleprompter) at some obscure location for some left-wing organization.   I supposed he had gotten his fill of the pressure cooker environment that must exist in the White House.  But in the back of my mind, I still marveled at how out of character this was for someone who was so obviously in love with himself.

At some point in these musings, a theory began to form in my mind.  I always suspected that Obama’s role in his Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) corruption was much more prominent that anyone suspected.  I always figured that most everything that took place with Comey, Clapper, Brennan, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Yates, Rosenstein, Yates, Rice, Rhodes, and Mueller occurred with either his wink or his nod.  I was pretty certain that he had constructed sufficient deniability firewalls to protect his sorry arse from any tangible culpability.  But what if his involvement was more nod than wink?  What if his firewalls were a bit more flimsy and shorter than intended?  What if instead of being a passenger on this train of corruption; he was one of the primary engineers?  Might this be the reason he was keeping his head low, his presence out of the limelight, and his mouth mainly shut?  Was he possibly concerned about the possibility that the entire episode might come unwound and his role in the despicable scheme might become apparent?  Heaven forbid the bloom fall from the rose.

Obama recently released some statements regarding the DOJ dropping charges against Lt. General Michael Flynn.  Why now?  Why on this particular incident which is obviously important but certainly not the largest bomb to drop in this whole deal?  Do you suppose it had something to do with the recent revelations about his January 5, 2017 White House meeting?  Please remember that this is the meeting that Susan Rice wrote about in her infamous self-addressed note composed during Trump’s inauguration; read about it here: https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/375384-susan-rice-attorney-denies-message-she-sent-herself-on-trumps . 

This White House meeting was significantly after the November 2016 election during which our nation selected Donald Trump, not Hillary Clinton, to be our next President.  Read more about this particular meeting here: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/05/january_5_2017_a_day_that_should_live_in_infamy.html .  What kind of a man, much less a President, lays land mines for his successor rather than co-ordinate for a smooth transition?  This little weasel not only succumbed to his basest instincts of spite and malice; but knowingly placed our nation’s welfare in jeopardy to satisfy his own selfish agenda and his burning hatred for Flynn and Trump.  Is it disrespectful for me to speak of an ex-President in this fashion?  It is…and I am; but he so richly deserves it.

The audacity and arrogance of Obama and his ilk is nothing short of breath-taking.  Read about some of his prior legal exploits while roosting in the White House: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/obama-laments-flynn-dismissal-after-granting-clemency-to-faln-terrorist/ .  This little White House fraternity of power player wannabes that were in way over their weight class had no compunction whatsoever to bending, breaking, and ignoring the rules of ethics and law when it came to shaping the world in their vision.  The idiotic mainstream media permitted themselves to be played as fools while Obama and his merry band of immature infantiles took them for granted and treated our government as if it were their own private social laboratory.  Here is some additional perspective on this pathetic bunch: https://thefederalist.com/2020/05/11/why-did-obama-tell-the-fbi-to-hide-its-activities-from-the-trump-administration/ .

Maybe Obama was smart enough to pull off this ish without getting caught.  Maybe he has thrown enough people under the bus to save himself from getting run over.  Maybe he is sitting back in his golf cart and laughing at all of his critics about their accusations.  On the other hand…he might sometimes lie awake at night wondering if the bodies are buried deep enough.  He might be somewhat concerned about how the dots are connecting and the blanks are being filled in.  He might be reconsidering exactly how faithful his acolytes will be if the heat becomes truly scorching.  He might even consider throwing out some misdirection that his friends and allies in the media can use to help distract the public from the sheet being pulled back on one of the most corrupt Presidential Administrations in our nation’s history.  Is that maybe what is actually going on here?

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In an earlier post, I speculated about how the Democrats in Congress would be pressing for state pension bail outs under the guise of cornonavirus emergency legislation:  http://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-pension-time-bomb-is-closer-to-boom.html .  This effort is apparently gaining strength and preparing to be debuted.    

I have often advocated for a smaller federal government featuring a reduction in federal programs and spending.  But notwithstanding my inclination towards that fiscal restraint, it is pretty clear to me that our state governments need some federal support to help repair the damage this pandemic is wreaking.  Most states must, by law, balance their budgets.  That does not prevent them from playing accounting games and being utterly irresponsible with their state tax revenues; they simply don’t have the option to print more money like our WDC representatives are so inclined to do.  It is entirely proper that based on the severe economic damage this virus has inflicted on state treasuries; the federal government should step in to help them out in a measured and thoughtful fashion.  The question is….what exactly is measured and thoughtful?

It is my hope that two principles will guide the legislation that will imminently be passed by our Congress and President to help out the states with their budget woes.  The first one is that the aid should be clearly targeted to cover the loss of state revenues directly attributable to the coronavirus pandemic.  It should not take into account any prior budget actions that contributed to their shaky budget standings and it should not broaden out into areas that are totally unrelated to the impact of the virus.  It needs to be a rifle shot; not a shotgun blast.  This can be done.  It will not be easy and it will not be pretty…but it can be done. 

And if the federal government is going to be saddling American taxpayers with the burden of financing this gift to some sorry state governors and irresponsible state legislatures, then it has every right to demand that a condition of receiving the funds should be the institution of significant revisions that will address existing budgetary problems.  I am talking about the poor decisions and promises that led them to the desperate financial straits in which they find their states; things such as overly-generous pension systems that are clearly unsustainable.  Without micro-managing state business (we elect state governments to do just that), Congress and the President should demand that if states are going to accept federal money to bail out their budgets, they will agree to move their budgets towards a more stable and sustainable footing for the future.  The choice should be clear.  Here is a hand up if you are ready to help me begin filling in the hole you have dug.  Or…keep digging the hole and I will take my dirt and go home.  Read here about how public and private pension rules differ and have allowed certain states to run their plans into ruin: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2019/11/16/public-pensions-are-woefully-underfunded .

Secondly, these funds should be prorated per a formula that reflects the actual damage attributable to the coronavirus economic carnage.  This too will be difficult; but not impossible.  It will require a greater sacrifice from some states that were less impacted by the virus to disproportionately help out those states that were greatly impacted by the virus.  A fair proration formula will help to mitigate this inequity; but it cannot eliminate it.  This is where we as nation come together and share the burden; we will survive as a nation and not a collection of separate states.  The essential elements to this legislation are the reasonableness of the funding amount and the objectivity of the proration formula.  A sober, deliberate, and transparent process is critical if this is to be embraced and accepted by the people who are footing the bill for this effort…the American taxpayers.  We are presently having trouble keeping our national ship afloat considering the profligate federal spending that has become so common.  We can take on a bit of water for our state neighbors who are in worse shape; but let’s not put them in yachts while our boat continues to sink.

Though Uncertainty Remains; It is Time for Common Sense to Prevail

Every person in a position of authority, each trustee of the public trust, all of our elected officials….they have each tried their best to deal effectively with the coronavirus pandemic.  That includes Cuomo of New York, Newsom of California, Whitmer of Michigan, Beshear of Kentucky, Inslee of Washington, DeSantis of Florida, Kemp of Georgia, and of course Trump of America.  This was an onslaught unlike any challenge faced by any of these leaders and there was no precedent available to offer guidance or advice.  They did the best they could with the resources they had in the situation that faced them.  All of these should be given wide latitude of support and appreciation.  Mistakes were made, words were misspoken, and wrong turns were taken.  But in the blistering heat of battle, it is difficult to think clearly and few of us are up to that task.  These people were not only in the arena; they were at the head of the column facing an unknown and fearsome enemy.

To date (May 6, 2020), nearly 74 thousand American lives have reportedly been lost due to this deadly virus.  Once the grim reality of this horror fully manifested itself on the consciousness of the United States, it was already too late to take pre-emptive actions to head off its terrible consequences.  In the dead of night, this awful calamity crept into our population and obtained a foothold in the citizens of our nation.  While remaining anonymous inside of those who were asymptomatic, it silently spread from coast to coast.  And then, once its presence became obvious; it had already begun its grim harvest of human life.  

As they had never before done in my lifetime of 67 years, Americans willingly subverted their personal rights and liberties in an effort to maintain the health and welfare of the masses.  They supported their elected officials even as their jobs were eliminated, their children’s schools were shut down, and they were barred from their houses of worship.  Why did we all give up our individual freedoms in this fashion?  Because of the uncertainty; no one really knew how bad it could be.  Although the uncertainty remains, we are now approximately 45 days into this ordeal and a few things have become obvious. It is time to reassess the situation.

2,813,503 souls perished in the United States for year 2017.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) charts diseases of the heart as the No. 1 cause of death that year.  To gain that top ranking, heart disease was the cause of 647,457 American deaths.  Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumors) claimed 599,108 lives that year.  169,936 people died in accidents and 160,201 passed away due to chronic lower respiratory disease.  Alzheimer’s disease took 121,404 people from us in 2017.   That same year, diabetes was blamed for 83,564 deaths.  It is tragic, it is heart-wrenching, it is painful, and it is emotionally draining; but as human beings, we all must realize that dying is part of living.  A little perspective can be very clarifying.

The best efforts of our leaders and our populace could not prevent the coronavirus from taking far too many lives.  And in spite of all best efforts and utmost concerns, more lives will be lost to this ravaging monster.  But it is now time for our national attention, for our state and county control efforts, to change their focus from the many to the few.  There are today 1.26 million known cases of coronavirus in our country and that number will grow rapidly as testing becomes more prevalent.  It is becoming more obvious with each passing day that the virus was here amongst us far earlier than anyone suspected.  It is equally obvious that in most cases, the effects to those who contracted the pandemic ranged from mild to asymptomatic. 

We now largely understand the characteristics of those who are most vulnerable to this malady and how they might be protected.  As time has passed, we have also come to better terms with recognizing those who might feel fairly secure from the viral threat.  And as the frantic race for an effective vaccine continues, we are beginning to appreciate that while we must acknowledge the terrible wages demanded by this pandemic; it is time to move on with our lives.  A prevailing concern for the overall health must now be supplanted by a concern for the individual health, buttressed by individual accountability.  Within practical parameters and civil protections for all, individuals must be permitted to re-engage with society if they so choose.  And if they have legitimate concerns for their own safety; they must be permitted to continue their personal practices of prevention.  Personal health must revert back to personal decisions.

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We grieve for our dead.  We mourn with their survivors.  We honor their lives with our thoughts and our prayers.  But as has always been the case in the cycle of life, our concerns must return to the living and the time that lies before us.  While respecting those we have lost in a dignified fashion, our leaders must look ahead to a time of healing and recovery.  A page must be turned and a new chapter must be started.  If we pause unceasingly to fixate on death and loss, the journey of life can never be completed.  Just as leadership helped us withstand the ill winds of sorrow; it must now help to lead us into a new day of promise.  Mayors, Governors, President…you have led through the darkness; now lead into the light.

Using common sense, compassion, and while doing all we can within reason to cushion the personal non-health related costs involved with this episode; we must begin to restore some semblance of normalcy to our society and culture.  We must begin to heal those parts of our world that have been scarred and damaged by this attack.  We can do this while responsibly protecting our friends and neighbors who might remain at risk.   We should no longer demand a terrible economic levy on our nation and its people in a futile effort to save every life that is threatened by this wave of misery.  That cannot be accomplished.  Common sense compels us to cautiously and thoughtfully open our schools, exercise our rights in a free marketplace, attend recreational events with family and friends, to resume the pursuit of our dreams through employment and fiscal management, and most important of all…to sit once again in the Houses of God and Pray for His Love and Understanding as we struggle to regain our footing.

Michael Flynn’s Case: The Week the Dots Began to Connect

One of the great advantages the scoundrels involved in the Trump/Russia Collusion travesty have held since its inception is the fact that what they did is so outrageous, so far-flung and complex, so arrogant and audacious, and so well protected by the mainstream media; all of the players involved never thought for one second that they would have to answer for their actions.

First off, they never thought that Hillary would lose to Donald.  Therefore, and based on that assumption, nobody would ever hear about what they had been up to.  Had Clinton won (Plan A); no one would have.  Secondly, when Trump shocked the world and actually won the presidential race; they shifted gears to a mode that would simply get rid of this man (Plan B) who, in their eyes, was nothing more than a pretender to the throne.  And finally, when plans A and B both failed; they came up with the monstrous scheme of denial, misdirection, and cover-up (Plan C) in an attempt to keep the details of their murky enterprise from ever seeing the light of day.   

Plan A was possible because they were in power at the time it was hatched and had the tacit approval of a sitting President on their side.  The media enabled this effort by their refusal to even address it in their medium.  Plan B was possible because even though they had been defeated at the ballot box, they still retained enormous power and authority at high levels in the government and they were dealing with an absolute rookie administration that was struggling to find out where the doors and bathrooms were located.  While being forced to cover this news, the media nonetheless allowed their partisan mask to slip by how they covered these events; always in a reliable fashion for the Democrats.  And then when Plan C finally arrived, the media cast aside any pretense of ethics or journalistic integrity; instead, jumping fully clothed in the deep end of the Democratic pool of insidious, Machiavellian, and yes…even treasonous collusion.

Pending the outcome of the upcoming Presidential Election and the system shock resulting from the cornonavirus pandemic; it is questionable whether or not Attorney General Barr and U.S. Attorney John Durham will have sufficient time to disclose the full story of connivery that has unfolded over the last three years.  If a Democrat wins the White House this November and if the story has not yet been laid out by then; that ship will have sailed and history will essentially erase the essentials of this corruption over the next four years.  On the other hand…if Trump is re-elected, another four years should be adequate time not only for the story line to be fully exposed; it should also provide sufficient space to mete out some accountability.

In either case, this past week has been a linch pin period for anyone following this political escapade.  Michael Flynn’s case was the connection and transitional point between Plan A and Plan B.  For a story which has been simply too large, too disparate, and too concealed for many people to fully appreciate; Flynn’s case is the lens that has dramatically brought much of it into a greater focus.  The attempt by Obama’s corrupt corps of over-zealous ideologues to utterly destroy a THREE STAR LT. GENERAL WITH 33 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE TO THIS NATION is beyond contempt.  Read about Michael Flynn’s career here: https://www.stripes.com/news/us/michael-flynn-s-transformation-from-storied-military-officer-to-heated-partisan-1.560739 .  But as contemptible as this personal attack on Flynn was; the full context of it serves to connect the dots in this overall scheme to subvert the will of the American people, abuse and corrupt the powers of our government, and essentially execute a coup to overthrow a duly-elected President. 

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You will find below a series of links that will set forth the timeline of this tragic chapter in American politics; the darkest such chapter thus far in our history.  It is long, it is involved, and it is really unbelievable.  The fact that it in fact occurred is a blight not only on the people who perpetrated it; but also on the people of our great nation who put them in the position to do so.  Even as these gross abuses become matters of public record, we continue as a government and as a nation to extend the powers and authorities of our elected officials and place them in a position to repeat this sad chain of events at some point in the future.  Take the time to read the links.  Take the time to think for yourself.  Take the time to consider what kind of government you want for this country.  And then, come face to face with these harsh realities:  Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  We get the government we deserve. 

Now keeping in mind the three plans, A/B/C, referenced above; follow the logic of the Democratic Party as this plan unfolds.  Because the recent revelations in the Flynn Case have dramatically clarified events, the calendar dates of the news item links appear to be disjointed.  They are not; the news was simply reported as it became public (Plan C was pretty effective).  Even though the Flynn Case is the linch pin to understanding the entire story; it is the most recent to be examined.  In a chronological sense, it was actually the transition point between Plan A and Plan B.

Before beginning the deep dive into the individual Plans and their links, it would be really instructive to view the following video.  No one person on the planet has been more useful in tracking and reporting on this three-year subterfuge than journalist Andrew C. McCarthy.  His experience at the highest levels of U.S. law enforcement coupled with the common sense and clarity exhibited in his writing results in a clear, objective, and cogent accounting of this perversion.  If you really want to understand what went down, then read all of the linked stories.  But first…set the table with this:   https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/01/ball-of-collusion-the-video.php .

Plan A.  Even though they have an incumbent President supporting them, a stupendous advantage in campaign financing, a compliant media that guarantees positive news coverage, and a clear demographic voter preference; the Hillary Clinton Campaign for President and the Democratic Leadership Committee conspire with Russian elements through Christopher Steele and his dossier to defeat Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election.  This is the effort to win the presidency.

You can find the actual Steele Dossier document here: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2017/12/who-was-that-masked-source.php .

Just how trustworthy was Mr. Steele: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/outlets-that-covered-steele-dossier-during-russiagate-go-silent-as-steeles-ties-to-kremlin-revealed/ .

And then there is this about Mr. Steele’s methods: https://dailycaller.com/2020/04/23/christopher-steele-dossier-deleted-emails-source/ .

Was the document reliable: https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/fbi-received-repeated-warnings-about-steele-informant .

At the end of the day…just how close was the 2016 Presidential Election: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/weekly-standard/the-election-came-down-to-77-744-votes-in-pennsylvania-wisconsin-and-michigan-updated .

Plan B.  Having lost the Presidential Election and unable to come to grips with the consequences of that defeat, Hillary Clinton partisans and Obama Administration holdovers in the Department of Justice, along with their co-conspirators in the mainstream media, initiate operation Crossfire Hurricane.  The scheme is designed to sabotage the incoming Trump Administration, preserve as much of the Obama legacy as possible, and potentially remove a sitting President from office.  Their biggest challenge is figuring out a way to extend the investigation from the Obama Administration over and into the Trump Administration.  This is the effort to destroy a presidency.

President Trump assumes office and selects Michael Flynn as his National Security Adviser.  Because he was despised by the Obama holdovers and was the key to future investigations of the Trump Administration, Flynn is ambushed by the perjury trap meeting with FBI personnel.  The Flynn meeting subsequently led to the Trump/Russia Conspiracy Hoax and the Mueller Investigation.  This event was the key to carrying the investigation forward.

A good preview of the Flynn episode to set the table: https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/04/criminalizing-politics-the-investigation-of-general-flynn/ .

Flynn did nothing wrong: https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/fbi-found-no-derogatory-russia-evidence-flynn-planned .

Once again…Michael Flynn did nothing wrong: https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/30/breaking-fbi-closed-flynn-case-dubbed-crossfire-razor-in-early-2017-until-strzok-ordered-it-to-stay-open/.

And why was Flynn being interviewed to begin with: https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/05/fbi-set-up-michael-flynn-to-preserve-trump-russia-probe/ .

Some recently discovered facts regarding the Flynn deal: https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/04/explosive-revelations-in-the-flynn-case/ .

What is the current status of the Flynn episode: https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/04/24/flynn-case-update-reviewing-missouri-u-s-attorney-provides-exculpatory-evidence-under-seal/ .

Using the Flynn meeting as a pretext, the conspiracy heads into the surreal investigation of the Trump Campaign and Administration.  Obama green-lights the Steele Dossier as legitimate and the Mueller Games begin, along with all of the FISA madness: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ex-fbi-officials-obama-order-drove-push-to-include-steele-dossier-in-report-on-russian-interference .

Events begin swirling down the rabbit hole.  Here is a non-partisan, “official” analysis of the FISA activities: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2020/a20047.pdf .

And more “official” findings: https://www.scribd.com/document/439020741/Office-of-the-Inspector-General-Review-of-Four-FISA-Applications-and-Other-Aspects-of-the-FBI-s-Crossfire-Hurricane-Investigation#from_embed .

DOJ IG Horowitz “officially” updates Congress on the FISA monkey business he has discovered: https://www.scribd.com/document/439371125/Horowitz-Testimony#from_embed .

After orchestrating the Flynn ambush, James Comey is fired as FBI Director and a Special Investigator is appointed by Comey’s successor, Rod Rosenstein.  He selects Robert Mueller and his Merry Band of Democrat Lawyers.  No rules, no budget, no supervision…Just take Trump down.  Here are some details on that little adventure and what it cost America: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/453941-key-numbers-to-know-for-muellers-testimony

Here is the “official” Mueller Report: https://www.scribd.com/document/406725805/Mueller-Report#from_embed .

When it was finally released, here is what Attorney General Barr had to say about it: https://www.scribd.com/document/402974697/Barr-s-Letter#from_embed .

And how credible was the Mueller Circus and his Legal Clownshow: https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/13-revelations-showing-fbi-never-really-had-russia .

Plan C.  The Mueller probe is a colossal flop.  Still unable to come to grips with Plan A’s failure and gradually realizing that Plan B will ultimately meet a similar fate, the players in this nefarious absurdity utilize every trick in the book to cover-up and distract from their failed efforts.  This Plan is executed mainly by Congressional Democrats through their clownish investigations, their Impeachment Circus, the Ukraine telephone call foolishness, and their constant partisan joint-efforts with the mainstream media; who by this time realize that they were demonstrably complicit in Plan B and might as well throw themselves full-bore into Plan C. 

Why…in…the…world…did…California…send…this…man…to…Congress: https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/how-adam-schiff-secretly-thwarted-efforts-bring

What exactly was wrong with this telephone call: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Unclassified09.2019.pdf

Regarding media bias…YOU be the judge.  Here is a great starting point: https://libguides.com.edu/c.php?g=649909&p=4556558 .

Here are two good articles to sum up the entire series of events: https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/04/welcome-to-the-real-russia-scandal/ .

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/04/a-historic-travesty-primary-documents.php .

If you have gotten this far and are a Republican; you no doubt feel some vindication for your frustration and anger at the years of spite and malice exhibited by the Trump Derangement Syndrome so prevalent in the Democratic Party and the mainstream media.  But don’t be too smug.  If the laws are not changed and the consciousness of the American public is not raised; the next time a travesty like this unfolds, the partisan roles just might be reversed.

If, on the other hand, you are a Democrat; you have to ask yourself how in a political party so large and diverse, not a single individual with influence and authority stood up in public and condemned this despicable effort to undermine our nation’s government.  How could the membership of a political party with such a proud and productive history of service stand silent while a small band of corrupt individuals commandeered their party and pursued such terrible ends? 

And if, like me, you are an Independent; you continue to be dismayed by the situation we find ourselves in where the national political parties consistently nominate individuals who are so frightfully-flawed, have allegiance to nothing but the increased gain of power and influence, and cling to their elected offices or appointed positions as if they represented their last breaths on earth.  Neither national party has any discipline whatsoever when it comes to federal spending restraint; there is no daylight between them.  The only difference is what they choose to spend federal dollars on.  That argument is, and always will be, a legitimate function of government.

But when it comes to standing on the principles of our constitution, the very foundation upon which this nation was formed; the Republican Party is on the side of liberty and freedom.  They have many times lost their way under the influence of power and still grapple with the allure of governmental dictates; but at least they cling to a semblance of allegiance to the ideals of our forefathers. 

It is difficult to find promise and hope for government reform in the Republican Party.  The fiber of their leadership is not much different than that of the Democrats.  But by their actions during the Trump Administration as chronicled above, the Democratic Party has foregone any legitimate claim to the helm of civic leadership.  A price should be paid for this type of behavior and the bill should come due this November. 

As bad as this story was…and is…unless significant changes are made in the quality of the people we elect to administer our government and if the wisdom of the laws that are passed to dictate our lives is not dramatically increased; I fear that the lessons from this debacle will be short-lived and soon forgotten.  Consider the weasel-like and shallow Obama or the arrogant and crude Trump.  If we cannot find the political will to address the governmental deficiencies that led to these occurrences; we are condemned to a similar course of events at some point in our future.  And who then will we blame?