McCabe's Destiny

     By Florida Bill                                                       

                                            Andrew "Andy" McCabe of the FBI had it all going for him.  His horse in the big 2016 race was Hillary Clinton and she was the odds-on-favorite to become the nation's 45th President, the first woman to hold that office.
                                             McCabe, an attorney, was in solid with Clinton and he believed that he might even be in line to become Director of the FBI, the world's most elite crime fighters, or even become a member of her cabinet.    Nothing was ruled out by McCabe, a 20-year veteran of the agency.
                                             But then, it all went up in flames. Mrs. Clinton lost the election and McCabe's tumble began.  It culminated this month, some 16 months later, with his being fired from the FBI for dishonesty and misconduct, on the findings and recommendations of coworkers in the agency's internal affairs division. 
                                            Traditionally, the FBI is down the middle and stays out of the political fray.  Nevertheless, McCabe took the risk and got active in assisting Clinton. For sure, he hoped it would be President Trump who would be singing the blues, but then life has its twists and turns.  
                                             For some 16 months prior to the 2016 November election,  the FBI was engaged in a criminal investigation into the handling of classified emails by Mrs. Clinton while she had served as Secretary of State between 2009 and 2013.  FBI Director James Comey and his deputy, McCabe, supervised the probe.  Comey announced  90 days before balloting that Mrs. Clinton had broken laws, but would not be prosecuted since she lacked criminal intent. His exculpation of Mrs. Clinton seemed to be greasing the way for her victory. But then, to a nation's surprise,  Trump was elected, and Hillary tucked tail and exited the political stage---at least for now. 
                                            Comey's "get out of jail free card" for Mrs. Clinton was suspiciously out of line, and it became the basis for Inspector General Michael Horowitz to announce on January 12, nine days before Trump was sworn in as President, that he would review the conduct of Comey and the FBI in conducting the Clinton investigation. If laws were broken by anyone, Horowitz asserted at a news conference, he would recommend prosecution to the Attorney General.                                              
                                             McCabe really was returning a favor to Mrs. Clinton who had reached out in 2015 to help his wife, Jill. In that year, his pediatrician wife received a donation of $700,000 for  her campaign seeking election as a state senator in Virginia.  The donation was generous; extraordinary, in fact.  Normally, a gift of nearly three quarters of a million is reserved for candidates running for president, U.S. senator and governor. 
                                               The funds for Dr. McCabe came from allies of Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe who is a close personal friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton. McAuliffe served as a chairman of the former president's successful campaign. McCabe knew that McAuliffe's largess and connections were no accident and that the Clintons had lent their influence.  
                                                McCabe's antipathy for Trump was known among subordinate agents.  Among those agents were Peter Strzok and Peter's in house sweetheart, Lisa Page.  The two exchanged thousands of emails and their contempt for Trump who they called an "idiot" and a loathsome human" being, was no secret. They also made reference to conferences in "Andy's" office to implement plans to take down Trump should he win the election. 
                                                In October, a couple of months before the election, McCabe supervised a petition filed before the secret FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court seeking a warrant which would enable the FBI to eavesdrop on a member of Trump's inner circle.  As probable cause to spy upon an American citizen, attorneys provided the judge with an "unverified and salacious" dossier as evidence that Trump the candidate was a miscreant who whored about Russia and constituted a threat to the USA.   The dossier had been generated and paid for by the Democratic National Committee, and the Clinton campaign, but the FISA judge was never apprised of the source and credibility of the evidence.  
                                                Four months after his swearing in as President, Trump fired FBI Director Comey and then in March 2018, 10 months later, McCabe was discharged on orders from Attorney General Jeff Sessions. About 10 days after President Trump fired Comey, embittered Democrats pushed for and achieved the appointment of a special investigator, Robert Mueller, Comey's close personal friend, to investigate President Trump for "colluding" with Russians in a scheme to defeat Mrs. Clinton. That investigation is continuing, though the House Intelligence committee has declared that there is  no evidence to support a charge of collusion against President Trump.
                                                Trump detractors are now alleging that President's firing of Comey constituted "obstruction of Justice."  That allegation is a fantasy since the president had the constitutional authority and an abundance of reasons to fire Comey, who he has said was incompetent and had dishonored his oath of office by conducting a "sham" investigation of Mrs. Clinton and her emails.
                                                 Inspector General Horowitz reportedly has completed his investigation into the conduct of Director Comey and will issue a written report sometime in April of 2018.  His report is also expected to detail the misconduct of McCabe and the full basis for his termination. 
                                                 McCabe has complained that his discharge was malicious and he is attempting to blame President Trump who has publicly criticized him.  His complaint appears to be specious in that the evidence which revealed the misconduct of McCabe was assembled, not by President Trump, but by fellow agents at the FBI.  

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"Untouchable" Louis Farrakhan

    
  By Florida Bill            


                                            A fair question to ask:  Just how wired is Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam?  Is his armor all about having friends in high places?                                                                                                With regularity, and never quiet about it, he calls out Jews as "bloodsuckers" who have caused and continue to cause problems in the world.    Just recently, he lashed out at "powerful Jews...  responsible for all of the filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out...turning men into women and women into men." 
                                             When it comes to being anti Semitic, the iconic Farrakhan, whose speeches often last three hours or more, heads the list.  He has even called Adolph Hitler "a very great man." 
                                            But his venom is not reserved exclusively for Jews--no, not at all.  The NOI, also known as the "Black Muslims" has long tagged the white man as the "blue-eyed devil" on earth and recently the minister was quoted for having said that "white people deserve to die."
                                             The  84-year-old Farrakhan has also whipped up ill will for police who, he laments, are killing young black men.   In a speech at an Episcopal church in Washington, D.C., following publicity about some black youths shot by police, he told followers that "if the federal government will not intercede in our affairs, then we must rise up and kill those who kill us.  Stalk them and kill them and let them feel the pain of death that we are feeling."                             
                                             With all of that incendiary rhetoric, it is surprising that he gets away with it and no one seems to bat an eye.  It's just Farrakhan being Farrakhan, no harm in that.  So what's going on here? 
                                            The NOI is headquartered in Chicago and espouses a belief that the black man is superior to all other persons.  Prominent black athletes like Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and the late Muhammad Ali were members.  Entertainers who follow the NOI include Ice Cube, Kanye West  and Snoop Dog; and the well-known television personalities, Dr. Oz and political analyst and commentator, Fareed Zakaria. Actor Will Smith and his wife, Jada, have donated  $150,000 to the black supremacist organization. 
                                             My guess is that the heavy endorsement of Minister Farrakhan comes from former President Obama whose coat tails deliver the message that Farrakhan is an untouchable. 
                                              Dr. Vilbert White Jr., a scholar of Black history who split from the Nation in 1995, is the author of a book critical of Farrakhan and the NOI.  In it he explains that a black man goes nowhere in Chicago politics without the Nation's leader, and around the Windy City, there is no dispute of that fact.  White, now a university professor of black history, also says that the relationship between Farrakhan and President Obama "runs deep."
                                              In 2008, Minister Farrakhan spoke out forcefully on behalf of then candidate, Sen. Obama.  Reports tell us that during that campaign, Farrakhan even referred to Obama as a "Messiah" and called upon all black men to vote for him.  Obama was elected to the nation's highest office that year with the support of about 95 per cent of the African American vote, becoming America's first African American President. 
                                              With Obama in front, leaders in the Democratic party, both white and black, have only good words for the leader of the Nation of Islam. His well-known anti Semitic posture is overlooked, as, apparently, no one wants to incur his wrath. The mainstream media is reserved with its criticism of Minister Farrakhan, unlike its non-stop bashing of President Trump as a down and dirty racist. 
                                               Is Farrakhan's hate-filled rhetoric the type which could justify prosecution?  A few years back, then Attorney General Loretta Lynch promised to prosecute anyone whose rhetoric against Muslims "edged toward violence."  Reportedly there have been more than 40 prosecution for anti Muslim talk which "edged toward violence" since the 9-11 attack in New York, but somehow Farrakhan's call for the ''stalking and killing of policemen," and how "white people deserve to die" goes unchallenged and unpunished, and just doesn't pass the proverbial red line.  
                                                Is it possible that the federal administration under Trump will be reminding the minister that his  incendiary rhetoric and public anti-Semitic comments could be inciting and inviting violence, and that these outbursts could land him before a judge?  With Trump, that's possible. 
                                                Farrakhan was born Louis Eugene Wolcott.  As a young man, he was a talented violinist and calypso singer before he dedicated his life to the Nation and to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.  He became a foot soldier to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, an early proponent of the NOI, who was regarded by members as a Messenger of Allah. Elijah Muhammad conferred upon Wolcott the name of Farrakhan, who prior to becoming the leader of the NOI had functioned for a time as an assistant to Malcolm X, who was assassinated in 1965.

                                                Is Farrakhan's rhetoric protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech?  Yes, but there is a red line which cannot be crossed.  For example, there are legal consequences for screaming "fire" in a crowded theater.  Government should pay more attention to Farrakhan's rhetoric lest the violence he calls for happens.  

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The "Obstruction" Fantasy

  By Florida Bill                                            

                                                No one has asked me about allegations that President Trump obstructed justice when he fired FBI Director James Comey. But it's hard to keep still. 
                                 The entire matter strikes me as a pipe dream, made out of cloth. The claim of "obstruction" flows from haters of President Trump who seem to have lost a grip on reality. In the front line are the New York Times and  various lawyers tethered to the Democrats.                           
                                 This charge of "obstruction of justice" is the kind of stuff which excites the main stream  media which has abandoned all fairness and objectivity in its coverage of the  Republican President and his administration.
                                It sends politically-obtuse elected officials like Rep. Maxine Waters and her mentor, the worn and torn Rep. Nancy Pelosi into off-the-chart exhilaration.  It provides a trickle on the leg of Chris Matthews, and it feeds into the non-stop attack on the Republican president by the mealy-mouthed Rep. Adam Schiff who has a degree from Harvard law school, but fails to demonstrate anything of substance under his hat, save a boot licking dedication to Democratic determination to impeach the President. 
                                 Last May, with twisted leadership in the Department of Justice stemming from the recusal of Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions,  Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to investigate alleged "collusion" by President Trump with Russians in a scheme to help him defeat the entrenched Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, who was considered a cinch to win.  After almost a year, Mueller, who  assembled a team of 17 lawyers including several who publicly opposed Trump when he was a candidate, has run up a heavy legal bill, but has found zero evidence that the President did anything improper in support of a "collusion" theory. 
                                  Although Mueller himself has been close mouthed about his investigative dead end, other intelligence officials have said publicly that no evidence of "collusion" has been found.  Recently, the Intelligence Committee of the House of Representatives has said that it has closed its 15-month investigation into "collusion" since evidence of such is non existent. The Intelligence Committee of the Senate, also investigating allegations of "collusion," is expected to do the same. 
                                  Empty handed in showing "collusion,"  Mueller reportedly has broadened his investigation and now focuses upon alleged "Obstruction of Justice" by Trump in his firing of FBI Chief Comey. 
                                 "Obstruction of Justice" is defined by federal statute as any "interference with the orderly administration of law and justice" as set forth in 18 U.S.C. 1501-1521.  In past years, it has been a popular theme for use in pushing for  impeachment proceedings against other  Presidents.   Articles of impeachment for obstruction of justice were voted against Presidents Nixon and Clinton, prompting Nixon to resign, and Clinton to opt for trial in the Senate. 
                                    It is all pretty much up hill for Mueller since President Trump had every right and and an assortment of legitimate reasons to discharge Comey. Also, the President is the country's chief law enforcement officer, and he can decide who will head the world's most elite police department. 
                                    President Trump fired Comey on May 9 of last year, exercising his constitutional authority to do so.  He explained that he considered Comey to be incompetent and that he had dishonored his oath of office by conducting a "sham" investigation of how Mrs. Clinton handled classified emails.  He said also that he acted upon recommendations from the deputy attorney general and other officials in the Department of Justice; and from trusted advisers. 
                                    Following his discharge, Comey declared in a note to fellow workers in the FBI that the President had the right to discharge him. Democrats have charged that the President fired Comey who had been appointed to the office in 2013 by former President Obama, because he was leading an investigation into Russian hand holding with Trump.  The President has said it is a political "witchhunt."
                                    The President, who is the chief executive officer of the federal government, can fire anyone who works in the executive branch for a good reason, a bad reason or for no reason at all.  It is doubtful whether the firing of Comey would cancel an investigation into Russian meddling, but it makes no difference either way since the President had the constitutional right to fire and replace the FBI director if he chose to do so. 
                                   "I do not see obstruction of justice in this situation," said Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard law school, a highly respected legal scholar.  Frankly, said Dershowitz, "I am a Democrat and always have been.  But I try and separate my political views from what I see as true and right.  Sometimes I please Democrats, and sometimes I please Republicans."  The bottom line, he adds, is that the President has the constitutional right to discharge someone, and that is the way it is, "and that is how I see it."                                                               Prof. Jonathan Turley of Georgetown University law school has pretty much agreed with Dershowitz.  Obstruction might involve corruption or  a corrupt intent to interfere with a proceeding---nothing like that has been demonstrated, he explained.  At this point, he adds, there appears to be no obstruction, but we are not privy to evidence which Mueller may have.  
                                             Comey and Robert Mueller are reported to be very close friends, having worked together in the justice department for many years.  Mueller was the FBI director himself from 2001 to 2013 when President Obama replaced him with his friend and coworker, James Comey.     However, Mueller is regarded by both Democrats and Republicans as a man of integrity who will follow the evidence.  
                                                    For the past 15 months, the embattled  Comey also has been under investigation by Inspector General Michael Horowitz of the Department of Justice for possible misconduct in conducting the probe into the Hillary Clinton's handling of emails.  Both Democrats and Republicans had complained to Horowitz that Comey had conducted a "sham" investigation.  Democrats claim that Comey caused Clinton to lose the election, and Republicans charge that Comey is dishonest and betrayed his oath of office. The Horowitz findings are expected to be released in March or April of 2018 in a written report.

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wendy's nose

   By Florida Bill 

                                  That Cairn terrier nose is something to really admire.  Some experts say it is about 100,000 times as sensitive as that belonging to its two-footed friends.  
                                   Wendy, a black Cairn whose ancestors first appeared centuries ago on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, tells us exactly what sniffing out an intruder is all about.
                                 


                                   A few days, we opened the back door of our Florida home and whistled and shouted an "out" to notify our Cairns, Sammi, 10, and Wendy,8,  that they could visit the rear yard for a look around and do whatever Cairns like to do in a grassy yard.  Sammi appeared immediately and exited the door, but Wendy never showed.  After repeated whistles and calls, we started looking for her.  Had she somehow gotten out and was roaming about the neighborhood? Hopefully not that. 
                                  We began searching the house, and in a rear office of our ranch style home, we found her alongside a desk, motionless, but staring intently.  Her focus on someone or something behind the furniture was obvious.  There are a good many wires for TVs,  stereos, lamps and a fax machines jumbled together behind the desk and partially concealed by a "Dolphins" trash can.  Access is difficult as space between the wall and the desk is about eight inches. 
                                 Wendy would not take no for an answer and so we removed the basket and she roared into the small space, rooted about the wires, and emerged with a black bug the size of a quarter in her mouth---which she promptly dropped at our feet, and accepted our praise.  It was of course dead and we grabbed it with a napkin, but did not recognize it as a bug which we had seen before.                                    But I must congratulate our Wendy who must have smelled or heard something from that tiny interloper and she was not going to rest until she had removed it from territory on which she resides and protects. Wendy, you are magnificent and for that, a piece of your very favorite Pupperoni.

XXX

Shut Up and Dribble

   By Florida Bill   

                                                 
                                                   A new feud has broken out  between the NBA's multi-millionaire player, LeBron James, and the comely, aggressive  Fox News commentator and ex-litigator, Laura Ingraham. 
                                                   The fracas got touched off in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting when "King" James took to the airwaves in a video, "Uninterrupted" and attacked the President for his "scary, laughable and racist policies," and for "not giving a f*** about the people."  
                                                    Ingraham, who hosts a nightly talk show on Fox News, had some terse comments for James:  "Its unwise to take to heart political guidance from someone who makes $100 million a year for bouncing a ball. "Shut up and dribble."
                                                    The put down by Ingraham probably hurt James who has declared himself to be the greatest basketball player in the game today--maybe the best ever. and now is speaking from his platform as a special athlete. Says James: "We will definitely not shut up and dribble. I mean too much to society, I mean too much to the youth, I mean too much to so many kids that feel like they don’t have a way out and they need someone to help lead them out of the situation they’re in."                                                                                        In the past, James has voiced his support for NFLers for kneeling at the playing of the national anthem.  When President Trump called them out for their un-American conduct, James said that the president was a "bum."  And now,  following the massacre in the Parkland Florida High school, James said that the "climate (in the country) is hot...the number one job in America, the appointed person, is someone who doesn’t understand the people. And really don’t give a f*** about the people.”                                                                                                                His comments were right out of the Democrat's playbook, and were delivered by James in a vulgar and ungrammatical way, highlighting his lack of letters. 
                                             James, who likes the moniker, "King,"  is widely considered to be one of the best-ever basketball players in the history of the NBA.  He himself has declared from time to time that, yes,  he is the best ever. (MJ's fans will always disagree.)
                                             At 33, James, who carries 40 self-effacing tattoos on his powerful, six foot, eight inch frame, has been in the NBA since he was 19.  He says he was graduated from high school, although others dispute that. His youth and childhood were one of poverty, but today he is considered to have a net worth of $400 million with lavish homes in various locations.  He is a bulldog in his criticism of the nation and the nation's Republican  President.  
                                              Laura Ingraham, 54, is the Fox News host of a popular, nightly political talk show, "The Ingraham Angle."  Before her TV days, she was a practicing attorney who had clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.  She espouses strong conservative views and is a supporter of the president and his agenda to "Make America Great Again."  She is the author of a number of best selling books.
                                              Upon hearing the James spiel and attack on the President, Ingraham called him out, noting his vulgar, ungrammatical criticism coming from an athlete who never finished high school.  "Must they run their mouth like that?...  Unfortunately, a lot of kids and some adults take these ignorant comments seriously....it is unwise to take to heart political guidance from people who are paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball... so keep the political commentary to yourself, or, as someone once said, 'shut up and dribble.'"                                               
                                                     Ingraham's remarks and James' awkward and ungrammatical response describing his incredible value to society did a good job, according to some observers,  in revealing that there is very little of substance rattling in that rich, pumped up head.
                                                      The outspoken James, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers,  has been joined by another NBA millionaire superstar, Kevin Durant, in punching back at Ingraham. They charged that it was just  "racism" which motivated Ms. Ingraham's put down.  Surprisingly, even Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat agreed with the "racism" charges by his ex-teammate James, and from Durant who plays for the Golden State Warriors. 
                                                       Ingraham said later that if pro athletes want to freelance as political pundits then they should not be surprised when they are called out for insulting politicians.  "There was no racial intent in my remarks......charges of racism are a  transparent attempt to immunize sports elites from scrutiny and criticism."                                                                                                                                                     Ingraham has invited Lebron and Durant to come on her show and explain their denunciation of America's 45th President.  No answer to that yet, but if it happens, it should be interesting. 
                                             



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