GOT UKRAINE ON THE BRAIN?

The tweeter-in-chief has been calling each corruption probe of his gangland administration a “witch hunt.”  Well, this week the witch hunt has uncovered a whole coven, working in and for the White House.

Rudy Giuliani working as private lawyer and diplomat without portfolio in Ukraine.  Attorney General Barr who took a serious whistleblower report under advisement and tried to hide it from Congress, violating federal law.  Acting security chief Joseph Maguire who may have threatened to quit if he was ordered to duck Congressional testimony but who also hid the whistleblower report for weeks. White House Chief Counsel Pat Cipollone who apparently told Maguire not to give the whistleblower report to Congress. Various other lawyers in White House and at NSC who helped cover up the phone call and the resulting whistleblower report.   The White House Chief of Staff who apparently held up Ukraine’s foreign aid for weeks without any clear legal power to do so. Trumpster himself, gang leader in this conspiracy, overtly trying to extort political assistance from Ukrainian government to discredit the hated and feared Biden clan.  U. S. Special envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, who simultaneously worked for a consulting firm working for Ukraine while Volker was officially working for U. S.  Suddenly Volker resigns after he is exposed to daylight.  Nexus of greed and politics—which witch is in most trouble?

The players can be found described here.

Let us recall that the Ukraine craziness began with Paul Manafort who worked for the pro-Russian regime there.  Clearly if you want dirty money, solicit business from Ukrainians.  Apparently the crooked gas company there hired Biden’s son to give themselves a patina of respectability, didn’t work out too well, it seems.

Pence’s positioning in all this: he has leaked that he advised Trump against release of phone call “transcript” (shows loyalty)  but he was outside this crooked loop….he’s playing to the loyal Repubs, yet keeping distance so he can proclaim innocence should it be necessary.  Will this earn him a kiss from Mrs. Pence?  Meanwhile the churchy private school where she teaches has been the scene of alleged racial attack on sixth grade black girl by three white boys there.  Sadly, none of this is a surprise. Above allegation turns out to be a lie.

The reverberations may be extensive.  We now hear that two years ago Trump told Russian officials on an earlier phone call that he was not bothered by Russia interfering in American elections, apparently confident that he and Putin are best buddies.  It took two years for that story to make it to public.  David Frum shrewdly picks through the coming months and coming clashes.  He points out that much more may leak now that some inside the government feel something may be done to stop Trump …maybe from trading California to Denmark in exchange for Greenland…or some other ill-conceived madness from the Oval Office. Frum is certainly correct in pointing out that Mitch McConnell is the key person in the coming collision.

It was sad to see that former Senator Flake claims there are thirty Republican senators who would vote for impeachment…if it were a secret vote.  Their cowardice and selfishness would not allow them to vote in public, might hurt their career or fortune-building.  Far better to sink the republic, let it wallow in a criminal slough than take any personal risk.  Another pathetic sign that our culture now values personal gain over almost everything.  These are the same people who will do nothing to preserve a habitable planet for future generations.

This whole pathetic situation and the crude rapacity and the prone position of elected Republicans speaks to the downward spiral of an American nation and culture that has given up hope, trust and honesty for the sake of a possible short term gains of power or money.  Has the market economy so drained our nation of fairness, truth and future hope that we now accept any level of public malfeasance as long as we can still stream sports and entertainment shows?  If you read America: The Farewell Tour (by David Hedges) the author proclaims us having moved into national suicide mode because the system is so rigged, especially against the sectors of our nation where industry is gone and most jobs pay subsistence wages at best (how many decades since the federal minimum wage was raised?). The nihilism abroad in the land includes self-destruction to go with the periodic mass shootings for which we hold the world record.  Are we Americans now simply listening to our own demise play out on late night TV?  If all this goes to the packed Supreme Court, can we depend on Chief Justice Roberts to save us?  Do we hang on until next November wishing the out-dated Electoral College was not so warped as to over-rule the will of the popular vote which Trump has no hope of winning?

Meanwhile our nation pushes the planet deeper into the sun plus carbon cataclysm.  Whoopee, we be living the curse: “May you live in interesting times.”

TURGENEV WOULD RECOGNIZE OUR WORLD

Nihilism is abroad in the land.  Fathers and Sons may be as timely now as when it is was written.  FBI has arrested a U.S. Army soldier for plotting destruction.  One of his goals was “create chaos.”  And these days that means identifying with white-right extremists.

Howe many guns can this soldier buy even if he spends some time in prison…walk into any gun show…

ARE WE JUST ANOTHER FAILED SPECIES?

Clearly it will take great and concerted effort for us to survive the climate change we’ve unleashed.  Nationalism, xenophobia (let those guys sacrifice their comfort) and greed will not make us safe.  Yet, one prominent researcher into politics and behavior says we are not up to democracy, let alone global co-operation.

Is the sound of a worldwide toilet flushing?

MOST IMPEACHABLE MONTH EVER?

The current U.S. President has repeatedly bragged about or threatened actions that could be considered impeachable offenses.  Sexual assault of women.  Not paying taxes because that would be stupid.  Releasing classified information to Russian officials in the Oval Office.  Using official events and his own schedule to increase income at properties owned by his family corporation.  Even Nixon stayed with Bebe Rebozo for free–we didn’t have to pay for it.  He used his “non-profit” foundation to raise money for the good of himself and his corporate interests, not for charity.  There’s evidence he repeatedly lied about his financial status to get loans or avoid taxes but this matter may never get fully explored but remain tied up in court ad nauseum.  Can New York State finish its investigations soon enough to matter to the nation?

But August, 2019, should be the month that makes impeachment unavoidable.  He has done or proposes to do three things that should not be allowed to any president of this nation unless we want to see a dictatorship and even more corruption than we see now.

1. He instructed officials to pull money from FEMA to build some of his border wall that Mexico stubbornly refuses to pay for.  That is in direct contradiction of a budget passed by Congress and signed by him.  If these minions have to break the law, he said, he will pardon them!!   
2. The oath of president reads: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”  Yet forcing other nations to stay at his Doral Resort (which will weather Hurricane Dorian that is swerving northward) would surely violate the emoluments clause of that very constitution.  I supposed the loyal Trumpians could argue he has no ability to uphold the Constitution so the oath is moot, maybe even mute.
3. The President has tweeted out an image of an Iranian installation that likely is classified.  One of Dick Cheney’s henchmen went to prison for blowing the classified cover of a single CIA agent. Think of Snowden or Assange or several other leakers. This is far more important than the Valerie Plame affair as it likely gives away information about our classified information gathering techniques, beyond just showing a picture that was given to the President in a security briefing.                                                                                                                                                                                   Forget the myth of the smoking gun, just read the smoking tweets.                              Oh, and why don’t the Democrats file suit to overturn every confidentiality agreement signed by every member of the Trump Administration?  The courts have repeatedly ruled that public employees can only be silenced legally if they divulge or threaten to divulge classified information.