By Florida Bill
Former CIA Director John Brennan is an old Obama favorite who shows up periodically on various forums attacking President Trump for alleged inefficiency and for having held hands with the Communist Russians who helped him become the nation's 45th president.
In one recent TV interview, Brennan blistered Trump for having said he was honored to have met Russian President Putin--to Brennan that was a "dishonorable thing to say." He indicated contempt for Putin and the Communist way of life, but his contentions might belie real feelings.
The 62-year-old Brennan is a controversial figure whose past appealed to President Obama, but to others he is seen as questionable in his fealty to Uncle Sam.
In 1976, Brennan, fresh out of college, endorsed and voted for Gus Hall, Communist candidate for President, over Democrat Jimmy Carter, and the incumbent Republican Gerald Ford. Four years later, in 1980, and despite his pumping for Hall and a radical new government for America, he applied for and was accepted for a position in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
He was a member of the spy circle in the CIA for 25-plus years. He worked in the Middle East, near east and in south Asia, and as an analyst and a station chief in Saudi Arabia. Also he served as director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center. He was an assistant to President Obama for Homeland Security from 2009 to January, 2013, when Obama selected him to be CIA chief.
In March of 2013, the Senate approved Brennan's appointment as CIA director, but his 1976 push for Communist Gus Hall was not known to senators or considered in weighing his credentials. There were other reasons for tough opposition to his appointment to the country's highest and most sensitive intelligence post. One called into question his position on the country's use of drones against terrorists abroad and inside the USA, and another involved criticism from a former FBI agent that he leaned too strongly in favor of the Muslim world and could not be trusted.
It was not until 2016 that Brennan's support in 1976 for a radical communist became widely known. Brennan himself made the unabashed revelation when he was speaking during a conference of the annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. He told of his political activism after college and his dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in America at that time, but that he was not a registered member of the communist party. Political activism, he pointed out proudly, should never disqualify a person from serving in the intelligence division of government, and he noted that he was living proof of that.
James Guandolo who was an FBI agent in the Middle East from 1996 to 2008 lobbied against Brennan's appointment as head of the CIA since he said he cannot be trusted. He said that Brennan who was fluent in the Arabic language, was a "closet" Muslim who had converted to Islam in 2008 and was continually lobbying President Obama to employ more Muslims in high government jobs.
Guandolo claimed that Brennan had been persuaded by the Saudi King to convert and he did, and he subsequently fulfilled his Islamic duty by making the pilgrimage to Mecca which is a requirement and a privilege to be exercised only by pious Muslims. Despite criticism of his appointment and challenge to his loyalty, and a filibuster, Brennan was approved by the Senate by a vote of 63-34.
Guandolo's assessment of Brennan lacked some strength since he had resigned from the FBI in 2008 under a cloud in the midst of charges that he had engaged in a sexual affair with a woman in the agency. After leaving, he formed a successful company designed to provide training for police and security officers in assisting them in recognizing and identifying terrorists, and he remained steadfast in his opposition and criticism of Brennan's trust worthiness.
Skepticism over the character and loyalty of Brennan inside the intelligence agency did not end with confirmation by the Senate. In fact, it intensified when he declined to be sworn into office by placing his hand on the Bible. Instead, Brennan insisted on using an 1787 version of the Constitution which did not contain the entire Bill of Rights on which to pledge his loyalty. The complete Constitution, used today, was approved in 1791, and replaced the 1787 draft.
The abbreviated version selected by Brennan did not contain Amendments 1,4,5 and 6 and in effect technically invalidated his obligation to "protect and defend" those civil rights guaranteed in the constitution. Those amendments guarantee to citizens rights of free speech, religion and press; and provide protections against government arrest and prosecution. Through the years there have been a small number of United States officials who have declined to be sworn into a high office with the Christian Bible. Included in those rare occasions were Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota, and Judge Carolyn Walker Diallo of Brooklyn. In 2006 Ellison, and in 2015, Walker-Diallo pledged their loyalties to the United States with their palms on the Koran, the Islamic bible.
When CNN and NBC and CBS call, Brennan reports and feathers the media agenda to oppose and impeach President Trump. In the NFL controversy, Brennan praised the players who drop to one knee while the National Anthem is playing. He asserts that the athletes are actually respecting the flag, as they call attention to the mistreatment of their Black brothers. The President's travel bans are too "simplistic," he says, and are heavy against Islam and do nothing to protect the country against visiting terrorists. When the President praised fallen CIA officers, Brennan described his words as a "despicable display of self-aggrandizement."
No one knows the core values of Brennan, but they are suspect. An FBI agent and former Marine officer who worked closely with him in Saudi and in other parts of the Middle East says that he cannot be trusted. As Brennan continues his attack on the "America First" President, be aware of his buried past as he digs in.
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BY FLORIDA BILL
While going through a stack of mail that had piled up over several days, I was hit with the realization that almost every letter was a solicitation for a cash contribution from various organizations. A wide variety of persons, places and things are in dire need of assistance and I wondered how come they they are all zeroing in on me.
Maybe I am just one of the names and addresses taken from the voting lists or from the telephone directory, or whatever. It is more likely that I made a contribution to someone in the past and my name was put on a list that was sold to others as a potential giver; and resold and then resold again. Presto, I am really, really popular and my mail box in Sun City is overflowing. So, if you ever make a charitable or even a political contribution, look out, my friend. There is big "X" on your back, and you are marked as a potential donor for all time, and for almost everything. !!!
Conservatively speaking, and aside from the usual bills, I figure that I am the recipient of about 300-350 letters a month which are in the category of "help us" mail
In this latest batch of letters, there were solicitations from veterans' organizations, churches and religious societies, and animal welfare and rescue groups. Others came from children's homes and shelters, and from centers which provide meals to the needy. One urgent request called for at least $27 to provide "soothing treats" for recently rescued Orphan Donkeys. In return you are given a deck of cards with pictures of donkeys on them.
What it boils down to is that if you don't contribute, they'll keep bombarding you with requests until you do. If you are generous and do contribute, you will receive a thank you letter and for sure the solicitations will continue. Your name is in the "positive" column and you will continue to receive requests for donations until the end of time.
And lest I forget, there are the unending notifications from politicians and political parties.
Even though federal elections are not until November of next year, office holders are gearing up for reelection; and there are men and women throwing their hats and bonnets into the ring--looking for money. I guess that's the way a democracy works, and I respect it. But, it can become annoying with requests from unheard of candidates from other states that one has no reason to support.
Strangest of all are the packages containing goodies to encourage your generosity, such as coins, ranging from nickles to half dollars to checks made out in your name. Or you might get shaving cream and toothpaste--but these are not for you, they are to be returned and forwarded to veterans and soldiers; with the money donation retained by the solicitors. Calendars and name stickers for envelopes arrive almost daily.
Things really heat up around Thanksgiving and Xmas. Solicitations begin pouring in by late summer and the requests arrive in thick envelopes with gifts for the giver which are often Xmas cards, 2020 calendars, calculators and pens. Here it is, nearing the fall and I have acquired some 30 calendars and countless Christmas cards as the holiday season approaches
I am an ex-GI and have a soft spot for the military and for the faithful dogs that served with them. Disabled Vets, Blind Vets, Wounded Warriors, Mutts on a Mission and scores of similar organizations seek donations. The causes are worthy, but who can contribute to every one of them, and who knows which ones are legitimate or if there is a worthier cause. Very often the stories are sad and tug at the heart strings. Perhaps that explains why Americans are so generous in sending out checks. Countless police organizations which have been castigated since the death of George Floyd have hired companies to seek help from the public in repairing the damage. Families of policemen accused of misdeeds, but probably were only doing what police should do, seek funds for paying legal fees.
Organizations such as the Charity Navigators remind citizens to be careful of scam artists out there. They try to monitor charities and estimate what percentage of contributions actually go go to the causes, but many groups do not reply to their inquiries or can't be trusted and new ones pop up every day.
This whole world of fund raising, with letters, phone calls, emails, and gifts smacks of big business. Yet I had no idea just how big. I decided to do a little research and try to get a handle on just what is going on. And hey, nickel and dime stuff, it isn't.
According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCSS) there are more than one and one-half million non-profit charities registered in the United States. If you have a particular activity which you feel passionate about, your donation can find a happy home. And in one recent year, charitable giving in the United States totaled $427.7 billion dollars, with 68 percent of that huge bundle coming from individuals. The average annual donation is about $120.
That is some huge amount of giving by generous Americans, and for the record, it even dwarfs the America's foreign aid, of some $50 billion annually.
There are admonitions about giving, say the charity experts. Don't succumb to "knee jerk" generosity or sob stories--give some thought to the charity and check into its operation. Also, hang up on on the telephone solicitor who calls around dinner time. Too many telemarketers get a credit card and a commitment out of the homeowner between bites at supper. In the end, only a few cents on the dollar wind up with the charity, and the rest lands in the pocket of the fund raiser and his aids.
Compensation paid to CEOs and presidents and financial directors of large charities sometimes top $500,000 for a year. These sky high salaries are often the subject of criticism, but these administrators of these billion-dollar enterprises claim they have as much responsibility and as many costs as any titans of industry.
So, open your mail and look over all those begging you for help. Go ahead, contribute to disaster zones and abused animals and lonely soldiers and sick and needy children. But if you want to feel good about it, make sure the charities you choose to endow are deserving of your generosity. Pick a few, check them out, and concentrate on those, instead of sending money to everyone that tells a sad story.
The lion's share of your largess should wind up with those who need your help, and not just provide happy times for the fund raisers.
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BY FLORIDA BILL
Grade school children in Illinois, beginning next July, will be given lessens on the "history and contributions" of the LGBTQ community to American society.
Pursuant to a new law signed by Gov. Pritzker, the story of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and the "Q" community is being made a part of the curriculum in all public schools in Illinois. It is the fifth state in the nation to mandate such controversial elementary school studies.
Gay marriage and homosexuality and the morphosis of male to female and female to male are among key elements of the teachings so that children will know "people come from different backgrounds and are entitled to the same opportunities as everyone else."proponents of the new law have said.
Basically, it is a new twist to the story of the "birds and bees," imparting to children of a very delicate age, the understanding that there are families with two moms and/or two dads; and that some girls will become boys and some boys will become girls. Their contributions to a better America will be discussed and some homosexuals will even be spotlighted for their marriages and their celebratory status as part of the description of contributions to a better America.
Strong motivation for the teachings arises from the demands of the gay community which followed a U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same sex marriages.
State Sen. Heather Steans of Chicago a sponsor of the legislation, said that this inclusive curriculum will not only teach an accurate version of history, but will also promote acceptance of the LGBTQ community and help overcome intolerance through education and exposure to different people and viewpoints.
Detractors see the new law as disturbing and deeply worrisome as to the psychological health of the nation's children. It is a new ethos which does not just recognize homosexual lifestyle, but instead actively endorses a whole range of bisexuality, transgenderism and transsexuality.
There is a broad segment of society which believes strongly that the entire concept is a lot of unnecessary nonsense, and serves to fill very young minds with concerns, ideas and problems that they never knew they had; and that it is confounding that trained educators see value in such programs.
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BY WILLIAM JUNEAU
There are times when even a cynic like me has to step back and say, "That was a great day."
Recently, it was my good fortune to be among 100 military veterans who were hosted and saluted by Honor Flight Chicago on a one-day tour of war memorials in Washington D.C. There's no cost to the veterans, and every convenience is anticipated. Maybe you are not up for a lot of walking around in the heat of August in DC.? Not to worry, you have a volunteer companion at your side all day, and a wheelchair if needed. Luxury buses, guided by police escorts, take you from memorial to memorial. Meals are provided.
And there is virtually no end to the accolades. Strangers
thank you for your service and shake your hand at every turn. The tributes were warm and emotional and unforgettable for the ex-servicemen. I was more moved than I thought possible.
We took off from Midway Airport, where we rallied at 4 a.m., and set off for the nation's capital, after a round of cheers from a flag-waving crowd.
Honor Flight doesn't ignore any memorable detail of military life. We were all surprised by a Mail Call on the flight home, in which we were handed letters and cards from family and friends, public officials and other "notables" thanking us for our long ago sacrifices.
On our arrival back at Midway, we were greeted by more hoopla and a big surprise. Bag pipers led our group through a crowd of our own cheering family and friends, waving flags, and encouraged to show up by the local Honor Flight planners.
There were only three WWll vets, who are in their 90s by now, and a rather large contingent of Viet Nam vets, who were perhaps the most poorly treated by the public on their arrival home. There was a smaller group of Korean vets, and I fell into that category.
Way back in the 1950s, I was a soldier in Korea. The armed conflict between the north and the south had come to an end with an armistice, but the post war tension was causing concern and GIs were put on alert on a number of bases in South Korea. Me--I was in a Quonset hut in a base in Ouijonbu, just a few miles south of the demilitarized zone, and 30 miles from Seoul. We were part of the eighth army known as I-Corps.
I walked guard duty on the post from time to time with my rifle slung over my shoulder and for most of the time I was accompanied by my faithful dog, Maggie, who helped watch for any interloper onto our base.
We did not face combat, but we spent 16 months of our lives in a place we did not want to be. By our very presence, we kept the enemy from making incursions into the rest of the pennisula. Left behind was a new wife, and all the conveniences of American life. We lived in a hut warmed by a pot belly stove, we and used outhouses located a good distance from our shelter. Showers were rigged up from pipes connected to a water tank, and hot water was just a memory.
After 16 months of counting the days on my calendar, I returned in one piece to the USA and was discharged. With the army behind me, I found employment, had children and grandchildren and and my days as a soldier became a distant memory.
That is, until Honor Flight Chicago, one of many such volunteer Honor Flight organizations nationwide, supported by donations and corporate sponsors, stepped up.
They reminded us that what we did way back then was worthwhile, and deserving of the appreciation of a grateful nation. Thank you, Honor Flight, for YOUR service.
BY FLORIDA BILL
The Attorney General has announced that the federal government has decided to resume executions of individuals who have been sentenced to death in a court of law.
Certainly at the top or near the top of those on death row is Major Nidal Hasan, the army psychiatrist who killed 13 persons, including 12 fellow soldiers, and wounded 32 others in an explosion of Islamic rage on November 6, 2009, at Fort Hood, Texas.
As the massacre was being carried out, Major Hasan, a medical doctor, screamed "Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest) as he fired his gun and watched the soldiers and civilians fall like dominoes. After he had fired scores of rounds, he was taken down by gunfire from an American soldier.
Now 49, Hasan, a paraplegic as a result of a bullet which hit his spine, has been incarcerated and cared for in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, since the shooting and his trial and conviction in a military tribunal four years later.
The former army major and doctor who had been trained at government expense, has admitted the killings which he has said in interviews gave him a "good" feeling, and he looks forward to martyrdom as a SoA, (Soldier of Allah). .
Confined to a wheelchair, Hasan has written countless letters. Among his missives was a letter to ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi informing him that it would be "his honor" to join the Islamic caliphate; and another missive to Pope Francis in which he praised Islamic Jihad. He always signed his letters using his SoA acronym.
In an interview with the NYT, he said he did not regret the massacre and that his actions would help atone for the sins of his mother who once operated a small store and sold alcohol in contradiction to the command of Allah.
The government has now lifted the prohibition to the death penalty which had been in effect for several years. The ban on implementing the penalty had been ordered because of the fear that an innocent defendant might be executed in error. With Hasan, there is no doubt that he is a murderer.
The U.S. military has executed 135 persons since 1916. The last was the execution of army Pvt. John Bennett in 1961 for rape and attempted murder.
In Hasan's case, he acknowledges his violence and his Islamic rage; and the screams of "Allahu Akbar" were witnessed and heard by scores of fellow soldiers and civilians. Hasan has earned the penalty of death and there will be no misgivings when it is carried out. The hope of Americans and of the relatives of victims of his rage is that execution of this madman will take place without further delays.
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By Florida Bill
That Democratic-controlled stronghold, otherwise known as the House of Representatives, has voted to condemn as "racist" President Trumps tweets about his female "squad" of detractors. These "women of color," all recently elected to Congress, have become the latest media sweethearts.
There is nothing unusual or unexpected here, since Democrats and this obtuse quartet of congresswomen find "racism" in all aspects of Republican discourse and policies. They have learned well from the Rev. Al Sharpton who has been shouting racism and finding it under every stone for about 40 years. Any critical comment aimed at any bone-headed politician who happens to be African American is per se "racist." These newly elected representatives, making up "the squad," are "women of color," and therefore, any criticism is racially motivated, and the speaker is a bigot, and that is that. Vote to condemn.
Factually, there is nothing "racist" about the President's tweets and his responses to the squad who have denounced his policies as "garbage;" have insulted him with foul language, (to wit "Impeach the Motherfucker;") and called him a racist, a bigot and a white nationalist (like a Nazi) seeking to divide this country and make it white again. Fair minded Americans do not blame President Trump for firing back at this dopey foursome and his tweet is on target, but it is not "racist," despite the contrived emotion of Democrats and the tethered media which has abandoned all journalistic fairness and objectivity..
Trump is not the type that turns his cheek when he is disrespected and accused of inept leadership and of being a "racist." He will fire back at anyone, color irrelevant, who insults him and hurls dishonest charges at him. He will never sit still for that, and Americans, and all fair minded Democrats as well as Republicans, agree. So what did the President say in his response to the representatives which has set off this fictional firestorm:
"So interesting to see progressive Democrat congresswomen who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst and most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world...., now loudly and viciously telling the people of the USA, the greatest and most powerful nation on earth, how our government is to be run.
"Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done.
"W hen will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said. So many people are angry at them and their horrible and disgusting actions"
The four congresswomen,elected last November, are American citizens, but their comments suggest that they are really anti-American. They are Alexandria Occasio Cortez of New York; Ilhan Omar of Minnesota; Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. They have been called "The Squad" by Speaker Pelosi, who appears not to like them, yet praises them for their aggressive and progressive posture in attacking the nation's 45th President.
The four use the "F" word regularly to make their points. They call themselves socialists and apparently believe that vulgarities strengthen their rhetoric for their life saving plan, the Green New Deal, which, unless quickly implemented, will allow the planet to be destroyed in 12 short years. The New Deal will provide for the elimination of all air travel and airplanes; and possible construction of roads to Hawaii and Europe; and for the rebuilding of 99% of all structures in the country. And along with this, there will be free college tuition and medical care for everyone. Reparations are a must, apparently with checks of several thousand dollars for each and everyone of color--although details on reparations for the slave era have not yet been disclosed by the squad. The bottom line cost will be in the tens of trillions, or more, but then,who's counting.
The squad's Green New Deal is nutty and impossible, yet it has been endorsed by virtually every Democrat candidate running for president to replace Trump.
Democrats say that they know a racist remark 'when they hear one." President Trump says that he is not a racist and never has been one. But he says he knows anti American rhetoric when he hears it, and he has heard plenty of it from the "squad" and other Democrats.
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BY FLORIDA BILL
Ex-CIA director John Owen Brennan was and is perhaps President Trump's fiercest accuser. In recent years he has sashayed from news station to news station, and to interviews, excoriating the nation's 45th President as paranoid, a charlatan and a traitor who is in "Putin's pocket."
After all, he had a top security clearance and the phony journalists at CNN, MSNBC and NBC and of course, Morning Joe, were always ebullient and obsequious when he would grace their mikes and rip into the nation's 45th President.
But now the jury is in and Special Counsel Mueller reports that President Trump never conspired or colluded with Russians for help in winning the 2016 election.
Brennan is still around and about, but he has toned down his rhetoric a bit telling Morning Joe that "I suspected that there was more than there actually was" concerning Trump's behavior. Despite Brennan's lying and irresponsible conduct, he isn't particularly red faced or about to apologize for his statements, and will likely be continuing to express his public disdain for the President .
President Trump has now stripped the 63-year-old Brennan of his elite security clearance for lying amid reports that Brennan is being targeted by the Attorney General in his investigation into dishonest FBI and government intelligence officials who promoted the bogus charges of "collusion" against Trump following his unexpected win over Hillary Clinton.
With Brennan, one might wonder how he ever rose to become the head of the nation's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in view of his background and strong support of Communism during the cold war years and in view of charges by an FBI agent that he was untrustworthy because of his unabashed support of Muslims.
In 1976, Brennan, fresh out of college, endorsed and voted for Gus Hall, Communist candidate for President, over Democrat Jimmy Carter, and the incumbent Republican Gerald Ford. Incredibly, four years later, despite his call for a radical change of government in the USA, he applied for and was accepted for a position in the (CIA.
He was a member of that spy circle for 25-plus years. He worked in the Middle East, near east and in south Asia, and as an analyst and a station chief in Saudi Arabia. and became fluent in the Arabic language. Also, he served as director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center. He was an assistant to President Obama for Homeland Security from 2009 to January, 2013, when Obama selected him to be CIA chief in January, 2013.
Some members of the FBI balked strongly at his appointment as CIA boss. James Guandolo who was an FBI agent and a terrorist analyst in the Middle East from 1996 to 2008 lobbied against his appointment as head of the CIA, complaining that Brennan simply could not be trusted.
Guandolo said that Brennan, with whom he had worked, had become fluent in the Arabic language and had converted to Islam in 2008. The fact that Brennan was a "closet" Muslim was not really the issue; the concern was one of trust and his allegiance to the USA, he said. Brennan kept urging President Obama to appoint members of the Muslim brotherhood to top positions in his administration, he charged.
Brennan, the agent said, had been persuaded by the Saudi King to convert to Islam and he did so while assigned in the Middle East. He subsequently fulfilled his Islamic duty by making the pilgrimage to Mecca which is a requirement and a privilege to be exercised only by pious Muslims.
In February, 2013, the Senate, by a vote of 63 to 34, confirmed Brennan as CIA chief. But, skepticism over his character and loyalty inside the intelligence agency did not end with confirmation. In fact, it intensified when he declined to be sworn into office by placing his hand on the Bible. Instead, Brennan insisted on using an 1787 version of the Constitution which did not contain the entire Bill of Rights on which to pledge his loyalty. The complete Constitution, used today, was approved in 1791, and replaced the 1787 draft.
The abbreviated version selected by Brennan did not contain Amendments 1,4,5 and 6 and in effect technically debunked his obligation to "protect and defend" those civil rights guaranteed in the amendments. Those amendments guarantee to citizens rights of free speech, religion and press; and provide protections against government arrest and prosecution.
No one really knows the core values of John Brennan, and of his fealty to the United States; but they are suspect. When an appointee to a high office declines taking his oath with a hand on the bible; and when an FBI agent and former Marine officer who worked closely with Brennan in Saudi and in other parts of the Middle East says that he cannot be trusted, it should be taken seriously.
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