According to "Reuters" in an article in the "Jordan Times," Turkish investigators were denied access.

October 17, 2018

Turkish forensic officials arrive to the residence of Saudi Arabia’s Consul General Mohammad Al Otaibi in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday.

 ...“Yesterday evening, (click here) unfortunately, police could not search the Saudi consul’s residence. The Saudis claimed that the consul’s family was inside,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters.

“We have said before that Saudi Arabia must cooperate with us in every aspect without delay.”

....An 11-member Saudi investigation team arrived at the consul’s Istanbul residence, broadcaster CNN Turk said.

A pro-government Turkish daily published preliminary evidence last week from investigators who it said had identified a 15-member Saudi intelligence team that arrived in Istanbul on diplomatic passports hours before Khashoggi disappeared.

A New York Times report, citing witnesses and other records, linked four suspects to Prince Mohammed’s security detail.

One name matches a LinkedIn profile for a forensic expert who has worked at the interior ministry for 20 years. Another is identified in a diplomatic directory from 2007 as a first secretary at the Saudi embassy in London. Others resemble officers in the Saudi army and air force.

After his meetings with the King and Crown Prince on Tuesday, Pompeo said Saudi Arabia has committed to conducting a full investigation.

Asked whether they said Khashoggi was alive or dead, Pompeo said: “They didn’t talk about any of the facts.”

Earlier, Trump Tweeted that Prince Mohammed had denied knowing what happened in the Saudi consulate.

“I think we have to find out what happened first,” Trump told the Associated Press in an interview on Tuesday. “Here we go again with, you know, you’re guilty until proven innocent. I don’t like that.”...

...Members of the US Congress, including some of Trump’s fellow Republicans, are among the loudest voices in the United States demanding answers and action on Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who moved to Washington last year fearing retribution for his critical views.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican close to Trump, has called Prince Mohammed “a wrecking ball” and accused him of ordering Khashoggi’s murder.

Trump is not going to get away with this. The Saudi Prince has become a personal family friend and the law does not recognize that as a reason to refuse to invoke the Magnitsky Act.

Despite concerns about Saudi human rights, Trump still says he is unwilling to pull out of arms sales accords with Riyadh.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plans to attend an investment conference in Riyadh next week, even as IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, and top executives from Societe Generale and Glencore joined a growing list of executives who have pulled out.

Mnuchin doesn't have any of his peers at the conference, so I am sure it ruined it for him.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter and a partner in US efforts to combat Iranian influence in the region, has said it would retaliate against any pressure or economic sanctions.

...The Global Magnitsky Act (click here) pierces the veil of diplomatic immunity for crimes committed by foreign governments. Bill Browder, the U.S.-born, British businessman who shepherded the law to passage said, “It is a game-changer. The Magnitsky Act functions more as a strategic tool, a scalpel not a sword, to let the U.S. target foreign malefactors who violate basic human rights by torture and murder of innocents who stand up for fundamental human liberty.”

“There have to be consequences for everybody,” said Browder, You can’t come to America and you can’t use the U.S. banking system. … It is a privilege that should only be afforded to people who are not chopping their enemies into little pieces.”

In the wake of American outrage at the brutality of Khashoggi’s killing, Republican and Democratic lawmakers have said “enough.”...

Killing everyone involved in Jamal Khashoggi's murder isn't going to change international resolve, it will make it worse.

Saudi Arabia needs to recognize the rule of law and allow the people responsible to be tried in a court of law. If Saudi Arabia is incapable of carrying out the rule of law; I am sure the Hague can carry out the process.

The United States needs to lead and return to policies that will eliminate fear among people. Governments are supposed to be benevolent to their people, not a threat.

October 18, 2018
By Mark Moore

Security guards stand outside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul.

One of the 15 Saudis (click here) who arrived in Turkey the same day Jamal Khashoggi disappeared has died in a “suspicious traffic accident” and the Saudi consul in Istanbul could be the “next execution,” according to Turkish media reports.

Mashal Saad al-Bostani, 31, a lieutenant in the Saudi Royal Air Forces, was among the 15-member “hit team” that landed in Istanbul in two private jets from Riyadh on Oct. 2 and headed to the Saudi consulate.

He died in a car crash in Riyadh, but few details have emerged, the newspaper Yeni Safak reported, adding that his role in the “murder” was not clear....

50% of Millennials are college educated. Low wages and college debt don't work well together.

Right there in Montana, is the prime mover of voters today, RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE!

The Trump economy has stranded people, especially young Americans, in an economy where commitments and children are a dream and not a reality.

October 17, 2018

In Montana (click here) it’s apparently the sad, sad tale where money wins over love, according to a survey released Wednesday that finds unmarried couples in the Treasure State are more likely to move in together quicker for financial reasons.

The survey by Mattress Clarity found that 55 percent of cohabiting couples surveyed  in Montana moved in together sooner than they had initially intended to, mostly to cut housing costs.

Mattress Clarity, a mattress review website, said it surveyed 2,000 couples nationwide.

It found that on the average, unmarried couples move in together 13 months into a relationship; one in 10 said they’d moved in with a partner sooner than they’d wanted to – and regretted it; and the biggest source of friction for newly cohabiting couples is a desire for their own space.

Unmarried South Dakota couples are the least most likely to cohabit for love rather than financial reasons. It may be due to lower rent prices there as 4.4 percent of them move in with their partner early to save money, the survey said....

Senator Tester has to fight to keep Montana's water and air quality clean for the benefit of it's growing economy.

501(c)4 has to be rewritten to provide transparency to donors. This is just speculation, but, if Trump doesn’t envoke the “Magnitsky Act” or call for it from Congress regarding Saudi Arabia, then it is a clear indication of profound corruption in the US government that equates to legalized killing.

If campaign contributions are pouring into dark money funds that are very dangerous precedent that the USA is for sale when events go very wrong in the world. That is what is so worrisome regarding Alfa Bank’s Brian Benczkowski. After the election of 2016 and Russian interference, all of a sudden a former Russian banker shows up out of nowhere to become Assistant AG. Then the Republicans usher him in as if they know how much dark money actually backed up the appointment.

The Trump Administration has a legitimacy problem now. If the death by high ranking Saudi officials is not dealt with appropriately, the people of the USA have a larger problem with Republicans than just lying. They don’t care about the sovereignty of the country.

Case in point.

October 17, 2018
By Matthew Brown

Billings - Outside groups (click here) and individual donors have poured more than $45 million into Montana's U.S. Senate race as President Donald Trump prepares a third trip to the Big Sky state in his crusade to unseat two-term Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

The contest is on pace to be the most expensive in Montana history, and it's been driven by Trump's apparent personal interest in Tester's defeat and his efforts to ensure Republicans keep power in the Senate.

Republican challenger and Trump loyalist Matt Rosendale is far behind in fundraising. But he's stayed competitive with $14 million spent by deep-pocketed conservative groups on his behalf, largely on ads attacking Tester on guns, immigration and taxes, according to an Associated Press review of spending reports....

This time it is an Australian company back channeling monies to fight the people. It is a lot of work and dedication and lots of signatures to file a ballot issue. This is exactly the problem. Foreign interests pour money into an election in attempts to override the voices of the people.

October 18, 2018
By Matthew Brown

...In a complaint filed Tuesday (click here) with the Federal Election Commission, sponsors of Initiative 186 alleged campaign law violations by the Montana Mining Association, Sandfire Resources Inc. and others.

Sandfire Resources is an Australian company that's seeking through a Canadian subsidiary to develop the Black Butte copper mine near White Sulphur Springs. Foreign corporations are prohibited under U.S. law from donating to state, local or national elections.

Campaign finance filings show Sandfire Resources America contributed almost $18,000 to the "Stop I-186" political committee and more than $270,000 to the mining association, which also funds the committee.

Sandfire Resources America spokeswoman Nancy Schlepp said the money was paid through a Montana-based subsidiary, Tintina Resources Inc. The mining association did not respond to a telephone message seeking comment....

Protect Montana's $7 billion outdoor economy and property rights. Doesn't Montana have enough dirty water and pollution already?

Protects our water from toxic pollution (click here)
Is pro-responsible mining and does not impact current mines or jobs
Protects property rights
Protects Montana's $7 billion outdoor economy
Is supported by a diverse, bi-partisan group of real Montanans who believe clean water is a vital part of our health and wellbeing as individuals and as a state.

It sounds like a really vital issue for Montana. Water quality issues are populating the election season. Who expected Montana to have a water quality problem that effects the people. Wow.

Toxic pollution from mines – including arsenic, lead and mercury – contaminates our rivers, lakes and streams while threatening public health through our drinking water. When mining companies file for bankruptcy and leave their toxic waste behind, Montana taxpayers get stuck with clean-up costs.

I-186 will ensure that new mines in Montana operate responsibly. It will hold mining companies accountable and no longer allow them to leave behind a toxic mess requiring perpetual treatment of water contaminated by acid mine drainage and heavy metals.

It ain't no joke. This is from the "Outdoor Industry Association."

81% OF MONTANA RESIDENTS (click here) PARTICIPATE IN OUTDOOR RECREATION EACH YEAR

Communities across Montana recognize that outdoor recreation supports health, contributes to a high quality of life and—perhaps most importantly—attracts and sustains employers and families. Investing in outdoor infrastructure attracts employers and active workforces, ensuring those communities thrive economically and socially.

MORE FUN FACTS

SPENDING ON OUTDOOR RECREATION in Montana ($7.1 billion) exceeds the value of statewide agricultural crops, livestock and poultry products sold ($4.3 billion)

Montana residents are more likely to participate in day hiking and wildlife viewing than the average American....

Montana has moved away from industries like mining. This is already settled. The service industries have grown considerably over time.

Adding another layer of water quality protections is correct. Mining is not contributing very much to Montana's overall economy. The Montana economy would benefit from such actions as clean water and air quality as well. The idea a foreign company can come in and railroad over top of Americans is exactly the problem with our elections. The dark money has to go.

...The goods-based industries of manufacturing, construction, mining, and agriculture now comprise about 24% of Montana’s personal income derived from work. The goods-producing industries are still expanding in terms of the value of their products, generally increasing production value in real terms over time, but their share of the overall economy has shrunk because the service-based industries are growing at a faster rate than the goods-based industries. This trend is expected to continue as Montana builds its post-industrial economy....

The Democrats have never seen "Open Borders" as an answer to anything.

In 2014, President Obama brought the leaders from the "Northern Triangle" to the White House to discuss the influx of illegal immigrants, including children.

The current issue of border crossing involves asylum seekers from one of the most unstable and violent areas of the world, the "Northern Triangle."

June 26, 2018
by Rocio Cara Labrador and Danielle Renwick

...The number of asylum seekers (click here) worldwide originating from the Northern Triangle reached 110,000 in 2015, a five-fold increase from 2012. Unaccompanied minors accounted for much of this surge [PDF]. Migrants from all three countries cite violence, forced gang recruitment, and extortion, as well as poverty and lack of opportunity, as their reasons for leaving. While Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama have reported a sharp increase in flows from the Northern Triangle since 2008, most migrants are passing through to settle in the United States. In 2015, the latest year for which data is available, as many as 3.4 million people born in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras were living in the United States, more than double the estimated 1.5 million people in 2000. About 55 percent of them were undocumented....


I've discussed this once before on this blog. This area is where the drug cartels' TRAFFIC from South America becomes congested on it's way to the USA's market. The drug cartels flourish because of it's ability to establish militias along the way for the passage of their product.

The militias enforce terror and fear and enlist children against their will to be part of the militia. The drug cartels have larger budgets for their militias then the governments do and movement of refugees from this area results in an influx into the USA at it's southern border.

The answer for this region is somewhat different than that of Mexico. Mexico rehabilitated it's economy with NAFTA to the point where illegal migration into the USA was silly. Mexicans do not want to leave their families any different than any American. Migration into the USA was and always has been about BEING ALIVE. In case anyone doesn't get the picture, poverty in many countries means death can be a real end to the poverty.

These countries are poor. 

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United States was worth 19390.60 billion ($19,390,600,000,000) US dollars in 2017. The GDP value of the United States represents 31.28 percent of the world economy. GDP in the United States averaged 6991.52 USD Billion from 1960 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 19390.60 USD Billion in 2017 and a record low of 543.30 USD Billion in 1960.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in El Salvador was worth 24.81 billion US dollars in 2017. The GDP value of El Salvador represents 0.04 percent of the world economy. GDP in El Salvador averaged 8.13 USD Billion from 1960 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 24.81 USD Billion in 2017 and a record low of 0.63 USD Billion in 1960.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Guatemala was worth 75.62 billion US dollars in 2017. The GDP value of Guatemala represents 0.12 percent of the world economy. GDP in Guatemala averaged 17.35 USD Billion from 1960 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 75.62 USD Billion in 2017 and a record low of 1.04 USD Billion in 1960.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Honduras was worth 22.98 billion US dollars in 2017. The GDP value of Honduras represents 0.04 percent of the world economy. GDP in Honduras averaged 5.99 USD Billion from 1960 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 22.98 USD Billion in 2017 and a record low of 0.34 USD Billion in 1960.

When countries are this poor, there are frequently a place in the country for organized crime. We still see the corruption in Mexico when a group of college students were assassinated. However, Mexico is moving into a place where the economy is stronger and fighting crime rather than running from it has become a habit among the people. There are still areas of Mexico with violence and drug cartel dominance, however, those areas are becoming smaller and the USA has a major King Pin in prison.

...The nature of the violence is distinct in each country, but the proliferation of gangs, narcotics trafficking, weak rule of law, and official corruption are common threads.

Organized crime is a legacy of decades of war in the region, notes a CFR special report. In El Salvador, fighting between the military-led government and leftist guerrilla groups (1979–92) left as many as seventy-five thousand dead, and Guatemala’s civil war (1960–96) killed as many as two hundred thousand civilians. Honduras did not have a civil war of its own, but nonetheless felt the effects of nearby conflicts; it served as a staging ground for the U.S.-backed Contras, a right-wing rebel group fighting Nicaragua’s Sandinista government during the 1980s....

The issues in these countries are profound. Their people are desperate for LIFE sustaining economies and the threats are real. Their people die and the government cannot stop it. Their children are removed from loving and FAITHFILLED homes and put to work as soldiers within the world of the drug cartels.

The problem is always has been the hunger for drugs in North America. The smartest country on Earth is Canada. Canada has legalized marijuana. It is looking at it's illegal drug trade and deciding where and how it can end this blight that visits on the people of Central America. Canada is moving in the right direction and it will have an impact on the drug cartels.

Fighting the drug habits within the borders of the USA and Canada will help eliminate the demand and will begin to end the nightmares of the people in the "Northern Triangle."

The USA is a destination for these people. That is not going to change. The USA is caught between being the cause of these migrations and the humane demand of their treatment. We cannot become viciously violent and kill people seeking help.

IT IS WHY THE "CATCH AND RELEASE" PROGRAM WORKS. There is no other answer for the USA at this time. The PROCESSES at the USA southern border are good and allows for the identification of criminals. We know the danger the Border Guards face every day from drug cartels' movement of their products into the USA. The Border Guards are successful in interrupting drug shipments, but, there are also the east and west coasts that receive drug shipments from Central America.

I might add, when hurricanes lay devastation along those coasts, including the Gulf Coast, it makes it far easier to be a drug cartel.

The people of the "Northern Triangle" need answers as they do love their countries, but, face death everyday and the loss of their children. The USA is doing it's part to move away from it's drug habits, but, it can do more. The USA makes other less wealthy countries more safe by improving it's own bad habits. But, the idea all the migration north can stop by threatening to take children from the migrants is nonsense. That won't stop it. More children will come to the USA unaccompanied at great risk to their lives if the destination is becoming part of the USA's population through adoption or becoming a permanent Foster Child.

Migrant families MUST stay together, processed for criminal backgrounds and at that point allowed to move into the country to find their own way. It is the only answer while the USA grapples with it's nasty bad drug habits.

THERE IS NO OTHER ANSWER TO THIS ISSUE. 

GOT THAT?

THE DEMOCRATS NEVER APPROVED OF OPEN BORDERS, THERE IS ONLY ONE ANSWER FOR BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS. BELIEVING OTHERWISE IS POLITICAL HORSE HOCKEY.

Do you want a $156 billion in US Treasury surplus every year?

The increasing US national deficit explained. It has NOTHING to do with entitlements! The Trump tax cuts are dwarfed by "W"s.

Who is left to trust?

October 17, 2018

Former USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny invokes his right under the Fifth Amendment not to answer questions during a Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 5, 2018. The hearing is on "Preventing Abuse in Olympic and Amateur Athletics: Ensuring a Safe and Secure Environment for Our Athletes." 

Former USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny (click here) will face charges in Walker County.

Penny was arrested Wednesday in Gatlinburg, Tenn. by U.S. Marshals on third degree felony charges of tampering with evidence in Walker County. Penny is currently being held in Gatlinburg awaiting extradition....

February 6, 2018

Once a renowned training facility (click here) owned by legendary gymnastics coaches in the East Texas woods, the famed Karolyi Ranch is shuttered and being investigated by the Texas Rangers after dozens of the women victimized by Larry Nassar said he abused them there. Now, the future of the ranch is murky. As the investigation continues, here's a primer on the history of the training facility that produced many of Team USA's gymnastic medalists.

1. The ranch is owned by Martha and Bela Karyoli. The couple from Romania has worked in women's gymnastics for more than 50 years, and spent dozens of those years training Team USA. Bela retired from coaching in the 1990s, and then his role as Team USA's national coordinator in 2001. Martha retired in 2016. They were the coaches of the famed Magnificent Seven in 1996, and under the couple's tutelage, U.S. women won 79 world and Olympic medals between 2001 and 2012....

Hate begets hate.

Nonviolence is not sterile passivity, (click here) but a powerful moral force which makes for social transformation. (1946)

As you press on for justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapon of love. Let no man pull you so low as to hate him. Always avoid violence. If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in your struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos. (1956) 

We believe in law and order. We are not advocating violence. We want to love our enemies. If I am stopped, our work will not stop, for what we are doing is right. 

- 1956, in Montgomery, Alabama

 

Lindsay Graham showed his true colors.

When Senators speak in terms of hate, the electorate should wonder how much legislation and foreign policy exists because of hate. There is no room for hate within American policy. The Republicans are not acting in the best interest of the country because they are backed financially by those that do hate.

October 17, 2018

The National Iranian American Council (click here) slammed Republican Senator Lindsey Graham after he joked on "Fox & Friends" it would be “terrible” if a DNA test showed he had Iranian ancestry.

Jamal Abdi, president of the influential American-Iranian advocacy group, called Graham’s comment as “disgusting” in a statement and demanded an apology.

“If you dread the notion of Iranian ancestry and believe all Iranians are liars, you are hopelessly bigoted and unfit to serve in the U.S. Senate where votes affect tens of millions of Iranians and millions more of Iranian ancestry in the diaspora,” Abdi said....