Moscow Mitch McConnell speaks out of both sides of his mouth hoping one will work politically.

Moscow Mitch has openly admitted he intends to work with the president's lawyers for a predetermined outcome. That is a hallmark of a Kangaroo Court.

...As a general rule, (click here) a kangaroo court is any proceeding that attempts to imitate a fair trial or hearing without the usual due process safeguards including the right to call witnesses, the right to confront your accuser and a hearing before a fair and impartial judge. Kangaroo court proceedings are usually a sham carried out without legal authority in which the outcome has been predetermined without regard to the evidence or to the guilt or innocence of the accused....

The US House Speaker really has no option to send the Articles of Impeachment without the reassurances it will be provided a fair hearing. There is no such reassurances coming at all from Moscow Mitch.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is correct in REASSURING the American people every measure of precaution is being leveraged to insure a fair and honest hearing of the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump. It would be remiss of the Speaker to simply expect to have the Articles voted down by a partisan Senate. She is protecting the USA Constitution from such corrupt abuses by waiting for reasonable rules to be handed down for the hearing from the US Senate. She has to provide the best Congresspersons to bring the Articles before the US Senate and that requires an understanding of the rules surrounding that presentation.

There is no current precedent. This impeachment did not stem from a Special Prosecutor. This impeachment was conducted by the US House. There is no precedent for the US Senate hearing. Moscow Mitch needs to SERIOUSLY set down rules with Minority Leader Schumer. This hearing is not about politics, it is about the Constitutional process of the USA Constitution. Dangerous and glib precedent can grow out of these Senate Rules that can taint the future and the high regard of the process laid out in the USA Constitution. There is an oath and the USA Constitution demands a fair hearing.

Moscow Mitch's rantings is about politics not the well being and esteem of the USA Constitution.

January 7, 2020
By John Wagner and Colby Itkowitz

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) (click here) accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) of being “contemptuous of the American people” Tuesday as tensions flared over the continuing impasse on President Trump’s impeachment trial.

Pelosi has held on to the articles of impeachment as Democrats seek guarantees about the scope of a trial in the Senate, including whether witnesses will be allowed. Earlier Tuesday, Trump highlighted objections to the prospect of testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton, as Bolton’s announcement that he is prepared to appear at a trial continued to roil Capitol Hill.

The crux of the Democrats’ case is the allegation that Trump tried to leverage a White House meeting and military aid, sought by Ukraine to combat Russian military aggression, to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, as well as a probe of an unfounded theory that Kyiv conspired with Democrats to interfere in the 2016 presidential election....

As if Puerto Rico needed one more tragedy to hamper it's recovery.

January 6, 2020
By Jim Wyss

One of Puerto Rico’s (click here) iconic natural wonders — a soaring stone arch along the southern coast known as Punta Ventana or Window Point — collapsed early Monday as a 5.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the island.

Denniza Colon, a 22-year-old resident of Guayanilla, said she went by the area Monday morning and was shocked to find the arch, a place that she visited frequently as a child, had simply vanished....

USGS
January 7, 2020

M 6.4 - 8km S of Indios, Puerto Rico

• 2020-01-07 08:24:26 (UTC)
• 17.916°N 66.813°W
• 10.0 km depth
• Shake Map (click here)
• 
  

On Jan. 7, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake (click here) struck the region at 4:24 am local time (08:24:26 UTC). Significant damage is possible. Over the past several weeks, hundreds of small earthquakes have occurred in the Puerto Rico region, beginning in earnest with a M 4.7 earthquake late on December 28 and a M 5.0 event a few hours.

The magnitude 6.4 earthquake was widely felt. According to ShakeMap, strong to very strong shaking occurred across parts of Southern Puerto Rico closest to the event and moderate shaking occurred across the rest of the island. The NOAA Tsunami Warning System states no tsunami warning or advisory. The USGS summary page on this earthquake includes an aftershock forecast. Aftershocks will continue near the mainshock. 

Over the past several weeks, hundreds of small earthquakes have occurred in this same region, beginning in earnest with a M 4.7 earthquake late on December 28 and a M 5.0 event a few hours later. Since the M 4.7 event, over 400 M 2+ earthquakes have occurred in this region, ten of which were M 4+, including today’s M 6.4 event and yesterday's 5.8 quake. The preliminary location of today's 6.4 earthquake is within about 7.5 miles (12 km) of the January 6, 2020, M 5.8 earthquake. The proximity of these events to Puerto Rico, and their shallow depth, mean that dozens of these events have been felt on land, though with the exception of the latest two earthquakes, the M 6.4 and the M 5.8, none are likely to have caused significant damage.

The January 6 and 7, 2020, M 5.8 and M 6.4 earthquakes offshore of southwest Puerto Rico occurred as the result of oblique strike slip faulting at shallow depth. At the location of this event, the North America plate converges with the Caribbean plate at a rate of about 20 mm/yr towards the west-southwest. The location and style of faulting for the event is consistent with an intraplate tectonic setting within the upper crust of the Caribbean plate, rather than on the plate boundary between the two plates....

The reporting of Barbara Starr regarding the tensions in the Middle East has been established for nearly two decades.

January 7, 2020
By Barbara Starr

US forces and air-defense missile batteries (click here) across the Middle East were placed on high alert overnight Monday to possibly shoot down Iranian drones as intelligence mounted about a threat of an imminent attack against US targets, two US officials tell CNN.

The alert reflects the heightened tensions between the US and Iran in the wake of last week's US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani. US officials have claimed the strike against the general was carried out to prevent an "imminent" attack in the region that would have put American lives at risk, but have so far declined to provide details about the intelligence.

US intelligence also has observed Iran moving military equipment, including drones and ballistic missiles, over the last several days. US officials said the movement may be an Iranian effort to secure its weapons from a potential US strike, or put them in positions to launch their own attacks.

"There were indications that we needed to monitor the threats" even more closely than is already being done, one of the US officials said, referring to Monday night's state of heightened alert. The second official described it as "all Patriot batteries and forces in the area on high alert" against an "imminent attack threat."...

The video below is from August of 2018. (click here)

Let's hope American military intelligence regarding Iran's capacity under Trump is current and not simply old information. The Russians have been selling weapons to Iran for a long time. (click here) I would expect Iran to obtain more sophisticated weapons through trade with Russia, hence, a proxy war against The West.

...the guidance is Infrared Imaging. (click here) This also explains the black protective cap on the missile nosecone. If guided by good INS to the general location, with IIR taking over for terminal guidance, a missile equipped with Mobin guidance could very accurately hit any target on land with no input from GPS or other guidance. This is the same technology used in the Khalije Fars ASBM...

The climate crisis is a highly moral and strongly ethical problem that only a society can solve through its choices

The climate crisis is about the decisions we make as consumers, but, it is also strongly decisions we make as a society at the societal and not personal levels. I do believe most people sincerely concerned know the change needed to save Earth has to occur at a societal level, while personal choices help reinforce the demand for societal change.

The climate crisis also has a legacy dynamic. To some whom find greed more fulfilling than "benevolence to society as a standard" will disregard the legacy of the climate crisis. That voice needs to be replaced with strong statements of benevolence and GENERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

Truncation is not permitted.

Human nature is based in a FULL TIMELINE and not just the truncated timeline of here and now. The greed paradigm is a here and now dynamic that robs human nature of it's basic instincts and desires. Human beings relate to the past because of memory and love by family. In that, the aged of society are embraced in the extent they are able to function. Human beings carry out that same level of understanding and compassion to the disabled and infirmed. Some of that instinct is about self-projection in which a person realizes their vulnerability to life's twists and turns.

Human nature also demands THE FUTURE. The future is as soon as the next second and as distant as our dying days, but, there is also a truncation that takes place with addressing the climate crisis in DENYING the future.

Human nature sees beyond death to the generations embrace within one's own life. The future sees benevolence at a social level, but, the idea of SURVIVAL is instinctively limited to here and now. When human beings think about the future it is within the understanding the world view that exists today will exist forever. It is that idea springboards decisions made by society. That springboard is broken.

There is currently a disconnect from living today, embracing tomorrow and the expectations all generations to come will survive the consumerism of today and the world view currently PRACTICED in financial markets such as energy.

Did I mention the idea of a long time line is mostly limited to the human species? It is up to us to save ourselves and the future. There is no steady state in the world UNLESS human beings make it so. The biotic Earth bends to physics without conscience.

The Future, ethically, is not to be bargained with for the sake of greed. The futures of the stock market is based in anticipated earnings and wealth, not the steady state of Earth. "The Future" is an issue and it is seated deeply in morality, ethics and love of a non-truncated timeline for all generations current and those to come. The well adjusted adult will view the future as a generational responsibility and mentally healthy. That is not a value system enforced by society today.

Finally, government has to legislate. Government is an act of society. It is an institution demanded by people, that when it is a democracy, demands morality, JUSTICE and benevolence. Government has to act to secure the future. Government sets the STANDARD for business to follow, so therefore, the absence of GENERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN GOVERNMENT is an assault on the untruncated timeline that is human nature, hence, happiness. Happiness as described in an untruncated timeline is the very meaning of benevolence.

The form of legislation that must take place sets a standard for a climate conscience overlay to all measures of human activity that impact Earth's climate. It will impact infrastructure, education and destroys truncation of any timeline for generations. Additionally, it recognizes the disruptive human activity of the past and through scientific investigation devises measures to reverse the ignorance of past generations. That means there will be two lanes to legislation, one that ensures the future and one that actively removes the egregious nature of the past through intervention. To legislate benevolence in energy is one dynamic, but, what the heck is everyone doing to end the abuses today and of the past. The past has sins that need recognition and intervention; the future planning alone will not correct the course of Earth which has seen several tipping points already. Those tipping points are not simply consequential, they require mitigation.

Refuse to surrender. End the abuse. Ensure the future. Demand Justice.

Surrendering is not an option.

...On one level, (click here) my answer to “How can you have a child now?” is simple. I have never been tempted to think we should all stop having children and disappear. Part of the reason climate change is so terrible is the threat it poses to human life and culture, and I want to help them go on. So the question I ask myself every day is how to explain this suffering world to a newcomer. This is what I find myself saying, to this little person who can’t understand me quite yet: “The world is good, for all the bad in it—a good place. And you are good: full of joy, born innocent. But you are not good for the world. When you do all the things you will do—work, play, love—you will be breaking down its systems, making it unlivable. And there is very little that you, personally, can do about it.” What kind of welcome is that?...

...A love for imperfect and impermanent things isn’t a bad starting point for passionate democratic politics. We’ll be sure to tell him that being personally powerless to change the world doesn’t mean being collectively powerless, that we can still make a politics big and generous enough to change course. James was less than a month old when tens of thousands of people rallied in New York City for the global climate strike. We walked him down Riverside Drive and quietly joined in with the chants of elementary-school children marching for the planet. “Look, James,” I whispered, “big kids!” I hope he and his classmates will assume that the Green New Deal is only the beginning of what we need to make peace with the planet, and with one another....

Where to begin to understand the Climate Crisis in Australia.

This is the areas on fires in Australia. (click here)

This might sound like a scoulding but what did everyone expect both in the USA's California and in Australia when there is no comprehensive climate crisis policy? The only solace to anyone alive are scientists who can say, "We told you so." That RIGHT in stating every effort to PREVENT the climate crisis is not a reason for in action now that the reality is upon the world.

13 September 2019

Australia (click here) is experiencing one of its most severe droughts on record, resulting in desperate water shortages across large parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland. Dams in some parts of western NSW have all but dried up, with rainfall levels through the winter in the lowest 10% of historical records in some areas.

The crisis in the far west of the state became unavoidable after the mass fish kills along the lower Darling River last summer, but now much bigger towns closer to the coast, including Dubbo, are also running out of water.

Residents of three distinct areas talked to Guardian Australia about the state of their towns under extreme stress from water shortages, expressing anxiety about their future but also determination to keep communities alive....

8 November 2019

NSW and Queensland bushfires: two dead and 100 homes destroyed (click here)

At least 100 homes have been destroyed in the New South Wales bushfires, with two people dead and seven unaccounted for.

More than 35 people were injured, including 16 firefighters, and 81 fires were still burning throughout the state as of Saturday afternoon....

The land has reached the point of the complete absence of water because of DECADES of a climate crisis. There was a tipping point in California and now in Australia due to the dryness of an entire planet.

The water has to be returned to the land and it is most likely it will have to come from the oceans in order to reverse the lack of water vapor. How the oceans? I have stated this before over and over, desalination plants will have to return moisture to the land and ultimately when the land is moist enough it will return to the air.

There are greenhouse gas levels that have to be dealt with, carbon dioxide and methane. The permission of these gases in growing presence in Earth's atmospheric troposphere is barbaric. The ALLOWANCE of these gases at these levels and growing levels is completely opposed to the decades of scientific research, reporting and advocacy.

Scientists can go to work to return water to the land, at great expense I might add, but, if the levels of greenhouse gases doesn't come down, all of that effort will be thwarted.

The West has to adopt significant policy and laws to match to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases. The view of energy will change and must change. Restoration of moisture to land has to begin, but, it has to be met with laws that will uphold the priority of a "normal troposphere" and not one with deadly consequences to human activity. Human activity has to reflect the morality the climate crisis demands.

Global CH4 levels of ridiculous. (click here)  Currently 1863.6 PPB as of August 2019.

The fight is not over Congerssman Lewis. The country is with you.

January 6, 2020
By Stacy M. Brown

Two Nashville Police officers (click here) carry John Lewis after he refused to obey orders during a protest at Herschel’s Tic Toc restaurant in Nashville in 1962.

Millions adore Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) (click here) for his selfless and lifelong dedication to civil and equal rights.

Some idolize Lewis like a rock star, while most revere him as an icon.

It is why presidents, politicians, members of Congress, and everyday people have taken time this week to pay tribute to the 79-year-old, 17-term congressman, who announced that he’s battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

“If there’s one thing I love about Rep. John Lewis, it’s his incomparable will to fight,” former President Barack Obama wrote on his official Twitter account....

January 6, 2020
By Lynn Elber

Los Angeles - Alex Trebek has a message of support for (click here) Congressman John Lewis as both fight pancreatic cancer.

“We’re starting a new year, and let’s see if we can’t both complete the year as pancreatic cancer survivors,” Trebek said when asked what he would tell Lewis. He noted they’re the same age, 79.

The Georgia Democrat and veteran civil rights leader announced his diagnosis of advanced cancer in late December. In making his announcement, Lewis made clear that he has no plans to step aside and said, “I have a fighting chance.’’

Trebek made his illness public last March and has shared his progress and setbacks.

The “Jeopardy!” host struck a resolute but realistic tone in discussing the disease, including its toll, during during last month’s taping of a prime-time special, “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time,” with top contestants Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer, The contest begins airing Tuesday on ABC....

Last night, the Golden Globe Awards and today the Harvey Weinstein trial.

The Golden Globes (click here)

Leading up the trial those surrounding Harvey Weinstein still lived in complete denial of his problems. How is it that an entire industry allowed a very wealthy producer to sexually assault their starring ladies? How did that happen? That is still a question no one is answering.

January 6, 2020

By Irin Carmon

As New York prepared (click here) to publish this week’s look at the coming trial of Harvey Weinstein, along with a portfolio of women who have made allegations against him, I reached out to his current publicist, Juda Engelmayer, for comment. After some back and forth, Engelmayer sent me a 57-page PowerPoint presentation, dated December 2, entitled “The Proper Narrative for Addressing the Harvey Weinstein Case.”

The document presents oppo research about Weinstein’s accusers, including text messages and photographs, with the goal of vindicating him in the press. (The email from Engelmayer said only “just for your review”; at no point did we ever put any part of our communication off the record.) Asked about its authorship, Engelmayer said it had been written by “a research team prior to me.” The document also refers to “the detailed refutations we have described in this meeting.” What meeting and with whom? “The meeting is really any room in which these slides were presented,” Engelmeyer replied mysteriously. “Stakeholders of various sorts.” I’ve since become aware of an earlier version dated this past July....

There are many women, not just a few, that have reported the disgusting culture of Weinstein and now there are charges on the other coast of the USA.

January 6, 2019
By Richard Winton and James Queally

Harvey Weinstein has been charged with four counts of sexual assault (click here) in Los Angeles County, deepening the legal peril faced by the fallen Hollywood mogul as his trial on similar charges in New York City is set to begin this month.

The charges stem from accusations brought by a pair of women who say Weinstein attacked them in hotels in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills in 2013, Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacy said during a downtown news conference Monday morning.

“We believe the evidence will show that the defendant used his power and influence to gain access to his victims and then commit crimes against them,” Lacey said in a statement. “I want to commend the victims who have come forward and bravely recounted what happened to them.”

Weinstein has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Donna Rotunno, his defense attorney in the New York case, declined to comment on the Los Angeles County case. His lawyers in Southern California could not immediately be reached for comment....

What is so upsetting is the fact women, even today, are still being treated as second class citizens. These women are held in high esteem in our society. They are adored by millions. Teenage girls try to mimic their charisma. What do they get in return? A silent industry exploiting them for their sexual attractiveness which nations of women emulate in their day to day lives.

It is absolutely the most disgusting reality ever to grace the lives of women, but, "hey, we are used to it."

I will say this, it seems as though Weinstein had Trump's act beat.

It is a mess. Trump is creating refugees out of people once believed to be a stable presence to the region and CREATES TENSIONS. IT IS A MESS !!!!!!!!

December 26, 2019
By Tzvi Joffre

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019

American and Russian troops (click here) brawled in Tell Tamer in northeast Syria on Wednesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Russian forces were present in the area at the same time as US troops and when the two parties met it devolved into a fist fight, "due to their presence in the same area," according to SOHR.

The American troops were in the area with an interpreter to get to know the opinions of local residents. According to SOHR, all the people described the US forces as traitors.

Tell Tamer was one of the cities that US troops withdrew from after a decision by President Donald Trump. Syrian troops entered the town after the Syrian government reached an agreement with the Kurdish-led forces controlling the region to deploy into the area to counter an attack by Turkey. Residents of the Christian community in Tell Tamer are threatened by Turkish-backed Syrian militias who caused many Christians to flee towns near the Turkish border after the US withdrawal.

Let me make this extremely clear as to the impetus of the deaths of Iranian generals. IT WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF THE PICTURE!

Less than one month ago the USA was leaving the Middle East. 

HELLO!

There is no way any additional actions by the USA to escalate any conflict was expected. There was nothing in the ACTIONS of Trump's White House to indicate there was going to be additional anything by the USA.

ADDITIONALLY, there was every expectation other foreign military presence would move into the areas once occupied by USA forces, including the military of Iraq. There was every expectation that Iranian General Soleimani was going to become a greater presence in the region. THAT FACT was known when Trump decided to pull troops out of Iraq.

Russia moved into Raqqa (click here). Everyone should know Raqqa was the Daesh capital. The reason Russia moved their troops into Raqqa is because the USA was abandoning any presence there and it was the first place Daesh would seek to re-establish it's forces.

None of these troop movements and/or presence of leadership was a surprise and was expected to help stabilize the region while Trump was leaving. Just that simple. When a significant military presence is removed from a region it is an absolute decision. This is not a ping pong game! The presence of Daesh is life and death to the people of the region. The idea an Iranian General, who particularly dislikes the USA, was going to demand the entire mess Trump was dealing was to end is not surprising. What is surprising is Trump's idea of political pawns, namely Iranian generals that conveniently died before his impeachment trial.

The sudden and unannounced reversal of Trump's decision not only shocked many, but, changed the perceived posture of the USA when it comes to it's military presence. One day it is out of a region and within the next 24 hours all that changes. That is not the way the USA handles it's military deployments. There is no knee jerk reactions when it comes to military involvement anywhere in the world, but, Trump is the exception and he has no excuse.

AN OPPORTUNITY to kill Iranian generals is appropriate for the Middle East? That's the rhetoric regarding this mess? I don't think so.

December 9, 2019

Moscow - Russian forces have entered Raqqa, (click here) the former de facto capital of the Islamic State caliphate, in one of the starkest examples yet of how Moscow has filled the vacuum created by President Donald Trump’s decision to pull U.S. forces from northern Syria.

Russian troops were shown in footage on the defense ministry’s Zvezda TV channel shaking hands with Syrian children and unloading humanitarian aid bundles with the slogan “Russia is with you” from the back of trucks.

Raqqa was captured two years ago by U.S. troops and their Kurdish-led Syrian allies in the biggest victory of Washington’s campaign against Islamic State in Syria. But since Trump abruptly ordered a pull-out in October, Moscow has swiftly advanced into territory where U.S. troops had operated.

Russia is a close battlefield ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, which was invited by the Kurds into territory they controlled after Trump pulled his forces out of the way of a Turkish assault against Kurdish-held areas....

As president, Trump is a very dangerous ally. His unpredictable administration is a gross concern.

There is simply nothing Trump can say that will reverse the ill effects of his administration. Are the American people to believe the UK can't be trusted with classified information and potential movement of the USA military? If Trump even tries to imply allies can't be trusted, he is lying. Our allies SHARE an entire military operation with NATO. There is no way Trump's actions can be condoned or repeated.

As it is, every USA ally has to watch their backs wondering when and how Iranian retribution will occur. The entire action by the Trump administration is destabilizing.

January 6, 2020
By Mark Landler

Boris Johnson (click here) and his girlfriend are spending a week in Mustique and he is expected to register the holiday as a gift, it emerged yesterday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (click here) was on the Caribbean island of Mustique, still basking in the glow of his recent election victory, when the news came last Friday that President Trump had ordered the killing of a powerful Iranian general — without tipping off, let alone consulting, his British ally.

The British government was livid about the lack of notice, according to current and former officials, particularly because there are about 400 British troops deployed in Iraq, and Britain has historically been more closely aligned with the United States on combat operations there than any other country.

But Mr. Johnson held his tongue until Sunday evening, after he returned to London. Even then, he issued a carefully worded four-paragraph statement that said he would not “lament” the killing of the general, Qassim Suleimani, warned Iran against reprisals and said nothing about Mr. Trump’s action.

It was a circumspect reaction for a politician not known for his circumspection, and it underscored Mr. Johnson’s dilemma as he confronts what is arguably the first foreign policy crisis of the post-Brexit era....

The US Senate must allow witnesses to give testimony at the Senate Impeachment Hearing.

No one knows what Former Ambassador Bolton will say in his testimony, but, the country has a right to hear it. This impeachment is based on lawlessness by Donald J. Trump and not because anyone hates him. The USA Constitution demands the actions the US House took and it is up to the US Senate to allow for a fair trial. Witnesses must be allowed considering developments by the courts since the House impeachment took place. It is outrageous to think the former ambassador can't provide answer to questions that most Americans are concerned about.

January 6, 2020
By Kylie Atwood, Jeremy Herb and Manu Raju

Former White House national security adviser John Bolton (click here) said Monday he is willing to testify — if he is subpoenaed — in the Senate's impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

Bolton issued a statement Monday after the courts did not rule whether he would be compelled to testify during the House's impeachment proceedings, saying he was trying to meet his "obligations both as a citizen and as former national security adviser."

"Accordingly, since my testimony is once again at issue, I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study," Bolton said. "I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify."

Bolton is potentially a crucial witness, as he had firsthand knowledge of many of the events that formed the House's impeachment of the President over his dealings with Ukraine. The House sought his testimony but ultimately never subpoenaed Bolton, and Democrats withdrew their subpoena for his former deputy after it was challenged in court, as Democrats wanted to move forward with their impeachment probe and not wait for the court's decision....

Speaker Pelosi is correct in that the attack on Iranian generals that caused their deaths is disproportionate and Congress must act to limit Trump’s powers to conduct war against Iran.

No one is saying Iran is a friend to the USA, but, Trump’s foreign policy is endangering American lives. He has no foreign policy. He has no policy that is predictable. The only actions that can be predicted is his hatred. The deaths of Iranian generals was shocking to everyone. That is not policy that is abuse of the powers of the presidency and endangers the USA. There is no way Trump can justify his decisions.

The USA has allies and a handful of people at Maralogo decided to escalate international hostilities. Excuse me? Because there is no immediate response to Trump’s actions doesn’t mean it is not coming, it shows the unexpected nature of the Trump administration. That reality alone changes the international assessment of the USA. Before the actions by Trump the Middle East was a tinderbox, Trump has now changed the flashpoint internationally in response to the USA.

Congress must act to limit Trump’s war powers with Iran. This is a president that was pulling out USA troops out of the region, other powers were going to take up that gap for real world reasons, namely Deash. There is no way Trump did anything to stabilize this region of the world. No way. Trump needs to be limited in his unpredictable nature with Iran. His hatred is completely obvious and he indulges it using USA assets.

Nothing night.

I believe Trump is expected to speak to the country tomorrow. My recollection is the speech was before the attack in an Iraqi airport, but, probably not before the planned assassinatons.

Until later.

Thank you for your interest.

Announcing Department of Defense movements on Twitter is treason.

The attacks in Kenya are most likely related to the Iranian generals deaths. The deaths of these Iranian generals is on the tail of a war against Deash. The entire  region, not just the Shite Crescent, are on alert all the time. The religious undertones in this region of the world is intractable and directly related to honor by Allah. There is a great deal more danger in the Middle East today that wasn’t there before. 

The USA needs to reassure the region it is not interested in war so much as diplomacy to resolve the tensions that currently exists.

The USA soldiers that killed al Baghdadi were never viewed as a threat. They were respected in acting to end Daesh’s impact in the region. Perhaps it is possible to rebuild confidence in American forces with that reality.

The wrong question.

The fact that Trump MAYBE using the intelligence community to make decisions, but, the correct question is WHOM’S intelligence community. If he is actually using intelligence information the question is intelligence by whom and how was it obtained?

The USA shares intelligence with allies and vice versa. Every bit of the intelligence from this administration regarding Iran sounds as though it is information Mossad has supplied unfiltered by USA intelligence agencies. I am not saying Mossad has control of Trump’s actions, but, Trump favors it over other sources.

The plan Trump has is not an American plan. Our intelligence community would never list civilian/religious sites. The USA intelligence isn’t interested in committing human rights violations. The Secretary of Defense needs to be careful, pardoning power may not save him from the World Court.

The intelligence from other countries may not have even been supplied willingly. I think the high level of security clearance by Trump’s Star Chamber could obtain information from lower level officers. That method has already occurred with Kushner and I believe it was the Emirates. No it was Qatar.

There is a very real reason why others were not consulted by Trump before THE DECISION was made. The intelligence was probably obtained illegally.

The obvious hatred of Iran’s culture is wholly owned by Trump, not the USA.

Pompeo is lying to the American people.

Secretary Pompeo is lying to the media. He is factually wrong and towing the line of “The Decider.”

The groups in the Shia Crescent are primarily autonomous. The only group of rebels supported by Iran are the Houthis. Shipments from Iran were seized by the USA. Some shipments got through, because, the Houthis have displayed and launched missiles.

But, the majority of the Crescent are autonomous. Hezbollah since the war with Deash, has grown its own method of wealth through loyalists in Venezuela. Drug trade. Pompeo himself has stated there are active Hezbollah cells in Venezuela.

Pompeo in the media is stating the monies Iran gained under the Iran Agreement is used for the groups in the Crescent. That is nothing but political rhetoric of the Trump Administration.

Europe and the members of the P5 + 1 less the USA are not that stupid. Transactions with Iran must be void of support for terrorism.

The media of The West, especially the USA, needs to be careful of becoming a stenographer to the highly corrupt and lying Trump Administration. We’ve been there before. It is a legitimacy issue. 

The USA has a real problem with Trump. He is lawless and now he is violating international standards, policies and practices.

Holiday travel is finally coming to a close. Just survived a six hour trip.

So, let me look at what is occurring. Trump's attack is unjustified. It was only a few days ago that the protesters at the USA Embassy left.

Trump is threatening Iran with more strikes if Iran retaliates for the death of it's top brass. That is not realistic. To begin civilian deaths are out of the question.

Trump has no real strategy, he is a reactionary president and he puts the USA in danger because of his lack of knowledge and insight.

January 3, 2020
By Kenneth Rapoza

...Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (click here) told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday that the U.S. had embarked on an “illegal power” move and called for dialogue with Iran....

There really isn't anything much for a foreign minister to say after the fact. It seems as though the US Congress wasn't the only authority left in the dark.

...Lavrov seemed most upset that Russia was not notified of the actions before hand. He said that the actions of a UN member state to eliminate officials of another UN member state on the territory of a third sovereign state “flagrantly violate the principles of international law and deserve condemnation.”...

The RULES FOR THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL in the US Senate needs to be set down and must include WITNESSES the US Courts state must comply with Congressional subpoenas.

Senate Minority Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi are absolutely correct in their approach to demanding rules for the hearing to be sure it is fair and not pre-determined by a corrupt Republican Senate Majority.

...Washington sees an attack on its Embassy as an attack on its private property, though that attack was provoked by a previous U.S. military action.

The Russian Minister said this step by the United States is “fraught with grave consequences for regional peace and stability.”...

Setting aside Russia does not see it's own actions in Ukraine as consequential for regional peace and stability; Foreign Minister Lavrov has never been more correct. I appreciate him speaking the truth.

In case the Foreign Minister hasn't decided on the reason for the abrupt attack and deaths of Iranian military leaders, allow me to provide an impetus for such outrageous actions.

Both the people of the USA that see Trump for what he is and those trying to understand such brash decisions don't bother to contextualize the man making the decisions, or better said PLANS. Trump is a zealot. There is no reasoning with him. Besides that, I believe some of the impetus is due to the quaking leadership in Israel. I strongly believe "the Kushner Peace Plan" was nothing but a way to set a tone for expectations in the region that is far more than can be delivered. With people making decisions to impart a certain level of investment, anything short of that is barbaric and standing in the way of progress.

FINGER POINTING 

I reflect on Trump's history and outrageous overtures to Israel. He is blind to any other country besides Israel. Israel spells votes and if Trump can turn heads in the USA he has a larger political base. One of his most outrageous moves was to open a USA embassy in Jerusalem. I don't care if he tried to justify it by cost-effectiveness, he literally assigned any mission to Palestine to the basement. The Palestinians did not get the same esteem as Israel did when Trump and Kushner made their decisions. 

TENSIONS IN THE REGION DIDN'T JUST RISE, BUT, BEGAN TO BOIL OVER.

Every brash decision made by Trump and carried out as PROOF of his devotion to Israel over and above that of the Palestinians was increasing tensions that would spark anger and hate. The protests no matter where they were to take place should have been expected and rightfully so, but, INSTEAD was viewed as an attack on the USA. Sorry. But, when a country has a mission on foreign soil and carries out insult after insult in the region, there is going to be a backlash and danger. Trump didn't care and now he is parlaying all that momentum into a war chant. A war chant that the extremists in Israeli leadership welcome with the idea Trump can actually pull off a change in the Middle East paradigm to benefit expansionism.

Donald J. Trump has carried out and continues to carry out a "Star Chamber" and a "Cabal of USA Authority." He tells no one and he is at the top of one of the most powerful militaries in the world. He is not interested in peace. He eliminated any good relations with Iran by dissolving the USA interest in the P5+1 agreement.


The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) (click here) between Iran and P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States—plus Germany) and the European Union signed in Vienna on 14 July 2015....

To measure the degree of which Donald J. Trump has disrupted global order, realize where the world is today compared to four short years ago. That is not an accident, that is a plan. Trump didn't care about how he achieved his satiation of hatred which resounds in his constituency about Muslims. All he knew is that he needed votes and he would get them at any cost, even global instability. He wants this war. He wants it more than anyone can imagine and it is why he killed Iran's top generals. It was a guarantee to war. Isn't it?

The death of those men was a waste. It accomplished nothing in terms to regional stability. It is my guess that once Iran exacts it's own plans, the USA Embassy in Iraq will be the first target. A billion dollar fortress will fall. It will give more reason for Trump to escalate his plans.

Donald J. Trump has to be stopped. He is lawless and is extremely dangerous. There is no reason for any country, including North Korea, to ever trust The West's diplomacy again, at least as far as that of the USA. Right now even Americans are asking how can such a man be outside the ability of our own laws to end such danger to Americans as well as the global community.

Let me just say this. Balance all that has gone on internationally with the reality that he is handing military pardons to officers that don't deserve them. It is a plan and is has to end now!

Iran has declared war on the USA

That should be of no surprise when two top generals have been killed. Russia and China are allies and this will be a proxy war or it will be a war of the at least three nuclear countries. Killing generals meant nothing and played right into Putin’s plans. Russia and China will send their own generals to fill in the gap of authority that now exists. 

Trump is a stupid president and plays politics with American lives.

I believe this was all premeditated by Trump. There are four B-52 bombers on the tarmac in Qatar right now to prove it. Trump provoked the war and now Russia and China have a real reason to confront the USA. 

Putin.

The reassessment of the prosecution for the Flint Water Crisis can't go on forever. This is day 4 of 2020.

December 18, 2019
By Ron Fonger

Flint - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (click here) says she’s expecting “some announcements at the beginning of the year” about a criminal investigation into the Flint water crisis.

Speaking after helping to serve a Christmas lunch at the Hasselbring Community Center in Flint on Tuesday, Dec. 17, Whitmer said she trusts Attorney General Dana Nessel “to do the right thing.”

“I think she has shown she’s taken it very seriously. These timelines we are bumping up against means that she’ll probably be making some announcements at the beginning of the year,” the governor said....

I hope Governor Whitmer speaks to the state soon. This has gone on far too long. Everyone wants those most responsible charged. There are many people that suffered and died in this episode of so-called "Fiscal Responsibility." That isn't supposed to happen. The people with the least amount of power suffered horribly due to some wacko idea that government debt of a city can be acted on at any cost, including human life.

Americans need to realize they are not held to the highest esteem by their government. This is governance gone wrong. I realize there are other cities now testing water and finding fault with its management, but, Flint is slightly different. That is not to so those who allowed city water to become dangerous should be given a slap on the wrist, but, Flint was undermined of its already excellent water source. Flint did not have a water contamination problem before Snyder sent in his hatchet men to bring about Fiscal Responsibility. 

The Flint Episode is about water. Sure. But, it is about more than mismanagement, this is maniacal stuff. There was nothing wrong with the water Flint, Michigan was using except the expense. The health of the people of Flint was fine. They had no real issues except the cost of the water. That cost was also a city budget issue for the water the city used, but, at no point in time was the health and well being of the people, INCLUDING UNBORN BABIES, were to be compromised to make up for a budget shortfall.

Governor Whitmer was expected to oversee an administration that would tell it like it is and was and carry out prosecutions for the decision makers, not just the people carrying out orders handed down from the Governor's office. All the people along the way should have put a stop to it. Absolutely. But, there is only one person that demanded FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AT ANY COST and that was Rick Snyder. He demanded the managers to make changes to bring about fiscal compliance and he didn't care how. As a matter of fact in some instances of such management Snyders cronies directly benefited from actions rendered to bring about changes in a cities budgets, including the sale of assets.

There needs to be accountability all the way to the top. It needs to happen soon.

Trump has really done it this time. China, Russia and Iran just completed war games in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, North Korea has an itchy trigger finger and Trump violated the no assassination policy. The UN Security will be ground zero tomorrow morning. Trump has no policy of peace.

The USA policy that removed targeted assassinations as an option on foreign soil began when Nixon’s CIA was plotting against Castro and other Latin American leaders.

How exposed is the USA in Cuba and Venezuela?

China was having talks with Japan and South Korea under the guise of trade talks. Perhaps it was, but, it is difficult to believe North Korea and Hong Kong didn’t enter the discussions as well.

At the forefront of all this is the lack of a national security staff.

On top the of all this, domestically, the Republicans have submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v Wade.

The stage is being set for elections of 2020 and Trump is wagering high on all fronts and the Middle East is all part of the gamble.

Turkey’s government has voted to open a war front in Libya. It is doing so without consideration of NATO, best I can tell.

Australia is locked in a different battle against the climate crisis, extensive wildfires

I hesitate to discuss Israel and the increased threat Trump has leveraged against it. Talking tough is one thing, but, the Shia crescent has been turned loose. It has become impossible to estimate the danger.

If any Shi’ite authority has their pulse on the crescent it would be Nasrallah. The immediate concerns domestically has to be higher concerns for terrorism. We are back to a 911 status.