Enough of Bernie

  By Florida Bill  
                                 
                                 I had the idea that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his "free stuff" theories would fade into the sunset. But I was dead wrong; Sanders is like crazy glue. 
                                 His bespectacled, round face and snow white mane keep popping up alongside TV pundits pushing his liberal agenda for the United States. He has few good words for America, and his real praise goes to the government of Denmark where tuition and medical care are free, citizens primarily move about on bicycles and extremely high taxes do it all.                                 
                                  In the USA, where Sanders has been on public payrolls just about his entire life, he is the always-available shill for CNN and NBC and other far left media outlets.  He rants about the fumbling USA, and he charges that billionaires on the top of the mountain are stepping upon the middle class and the poor, enriching themselves.  He denounces President Trump as a bigot, a racist and a bully.  The liberal media eats it up and heralds the 75-year-old Sanders as some sort of a savior who was sent from above.
                                    Peculiarly, the feisty senator labels himself as an "Independent," one of two in the upper house of Congress, but he ran for President as a Democrat and he shuns Republicans for conduct which he says is "immoral, wrong and bad economics." He hangs exclusively with Democrats and recently he has been on the front line of a national Democratic party effort touring the states, urging Americans to "Come Together and Fight Back."
                                   A new TV survey supposedly has determined that the socialist senator, who sees the USA as a defective and unfair republic, is the "most popular politician" in America. Was that the the product of the same pollsters who made 1,000 telephone calls and ascertained that Hillary Clinton was the nation's "most admired woman"? Great stories for the liberal anchors, but they are phony and belong in the garbage can. 
                                    Some stations are predicting that Sanders will be challenging President Trump for the presidency in 2020, so maybe that is what this is all about.  Of course, Sanders would be the first octogenarian in the oval office. 
                                    So what is Sanders now offering for Americans in his persistence to be president. Just more of the same, only with greater largess.  He loves that spotlight and probably continues to receive donations. Key in his vision is for the USA to become socialistic in the Scandinavian way or maybe even a little like Russia where he and his wife honeymooned in 1988.  Taxes would provide the free stuff---education at all levels,  complete medical care; welfare and assistance, food stamps and maybe some walking around money.  The Sanders price tag would be in the tens of trillions of dollars heaped upon a national debt now standing at about $20 trillion dollars-- a sure prescription for bankruptcy.  
                                    The senator was a conscientious objector and a pacifist during the Viet Nam war days.  He now asserts that "Climate Change" is the country's biggest threat, and his rhetoric downplays the nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran.  I do not know if he has changed much since he dodged the draft, but his views on the military have to worry a lot of Americans.  My guess is that he is anathema to men and women who have worn the uniform of their country.  
                                          He has criticized  President Trump as one of the nation's billionaires who pays too little in taxes.  In 2005, it has been reported, Trump paid $38 million in federal income taxes on  income of $158 million.  That same year Sanders and his wife paid $27,653 on combined income of $205,000.  Trump was in a 25 per cent bracket,  while Sanders enjoyed a 13 percent level, and he apparently made use of every gimmick and loophole to get there. Some critics call upon Sanders to find a way to earn more so he could contribute more, so that the free party he envisions can move forward. 
                                 In the 2016 campaign, Sanders had his moment on the big stage, and it whetted his appetite for more of the same. He won support from a select group for his wild views, and received about $80 million in donations. Other than at least one arrest for protest demonstrations against the Viet war in the 1960s, Sanders has been law abiding.  Patriotism and love of country are not part of his bag.  For the most part, Americans are patriotic and view their country as exceptional.  They have heard enough from this "independent" mouth.  

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O'Reilly is Out

  By Florida Bill                              

                                                               I was flabbergasted to learn that "Big Dog" Bill O'Reilly of Fox News had been fired from his lofty perch. 
                                          The left-wing media has now had its prayers answered. Somehow, it seems suspicious that its always a conservative taking a hit, and not the disingenuous phonies packing the network microphones.
                                          The 67-year-old O'Reilly is out the door, but he steps away with many millions of dollars accruing from his ouster. That money enhances his status as a millionaire, maybe even a billionaire, achieved from big salaries and residuals from the writing of top selling books. He probably gets top dollars for speaking engagements and other activities.                                                                                But so what if he is rich?  Even with the greenbacks filling his pockets, he limps away from his Fox News microphone, embarrassed  and accused of being a sexual predator; a pundit with a loose zipper.  O'Reilly responded in a terse statement that it is "tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims.  But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today." 
                                            Shortly after his termination, the fighting newscaster counter punched on a podcast. He asserted that  "I can tell you that I am very confident the truth will come out," and he indicated that the full story will pretty much expose the claims as being without merit, and will recount accurately what has happened behind the curtain."
                                             Personally, I was saddened to learn of the unceremonious dismissal of Fox's main attraction.  He was knowledgeable and analytical and he delivered the news of the day with his own spin in a "no spin" way. It was informative and entertaining, and reportedly he had four million viewers tuned in for each one hour show.  It goes without saying--O'Reilly will be missed, and I will be one of them.   
                                           For almost 21 years, O'Reilly was the face of Fox News.  His "O'Reilly Factor" was the number one news show on the tube.  When news was on the table, O'Reilly was a bulldog, and he had little patience for left-wing absurdities.   In interviews, he asked the questions, and then he answered them.  If guests sought to provide their own answers, he knew how to talk over them and if a guest persisted in arguing with the "Big Dog," they held losing cards.  His style drew loyal fans.
                                            Some guests tried hard to cross swords with O'Reilly--like former Congressman Barney Frank and Rev. Al Sharpton--but the neatly attired O'Reilly pushed them into grave-like holes and kicked the earth over them. Confirmed liberal Democrats like Juan Williams and Geraldo Rivera frequently challenged O'Reilly, but then they backed away or were put down by the host.  Both Williams and Rivera are paid contributors by Fox News and they make a sweet salary, and the "no Spin" with the Big Dog is not a gig they wished to lose. It's the O'Reilly spin, without liberal nonsense.  
                                               One regular guest and perhaps the only pundit capable of challenging the "Big Dog" with any success was Charles Krauthammer, a widely respected commentator and columnist, with credentials as a trained psychiatrist.  When the frisky O'Reilly offered what he deemed an irrefutable theory, guests normally nodded in agreement.  But Krauthammer nodded only when he considered O'Reilly to be completely accurate on some matter.  More often, O'Reilly would complete his talking points and ask Dr. K, "What say You?  Where did I go wrong?".
                                       "Where didn't you go wrong," Krauthammer might respond and then he would lay out precisely how O'Reilly had erred in his conclusions or analysis. O'Reilly generally argued the point with Krauthammer, but then rhetoric turned to other topics of which they were more in agreement.    
                                               Apparently, a number of young women piled on against O'Reilly, offended by his lack of "political correctness."  O'Reilly saw no negatives in complimenting and in teasing the attractive young newscasters, but apparently they did, claiming that he was hitting on them in a sexual way, breathing hard over the telephone--and more.  
                                              While the veteran journalist has never been known to harbor any animus toward African Americans, he may have been too casual about race, and demonstrated a disregard for workplace etiquette and correctness.  Ms. Perquita Burgess, who is black and was a temp-clerical worker at the news station in 2008, now recalls O'Reilly's sexist and racial misbehavior.   Accompanied by her attorney, Lisa Bloom, she appeared a few days ago on the women's talk show, The View" and shared her story of O'Reilly's unacceptable conduct.  He "grunted and leered" at her cleavage, she said, as he would pass by her desk on the way to his office, and on one occasion called her "hot chocolate."  Greeting her once with a "looking good there, girl," she said he acted like Fox was a "plantation."
                                              Some years ago, those comments to Burgess might have qualified as complimentary and friendly, but in today's milieu, it is to some a sign of racism and sexism rolled into one offensive ball.  You might wonder if the Burgess complaint is typical of the charges being thrown at the prominent O'Reilly, a multi-millionaire.  Is Ms. Burgess and her counsel looking for a little cash?  In truth, complaints such as the one by Ms. Burgess, ought to be tossed into the waste basket. 
                                              O'Reilly's aggressive nature as a tough journalist has no doubt made him many enemies over the years, and they are all jumping on the bandwagon now. It doesn't help his case that it has come out that many of these offended ladies have settled for many millions of dollars with both O'Reilly and the station. 
                                             A few months back, Fox President Roger Ailes was fired for allegedly seeking special favors from attractive women on a quid pro quo basis. Again, who knows what really went on? For sure, Ailes and O'Reilly were reporting to a couple of left-leaning bosses, and those chiefs took the opportunity to make their mark with liberal America. One thing is for sure:  It will be a while before the company fully recovers, if it ever does,  from the financial losses and diminishing number of viewers triggered as a result of the "Big Dog's" discharge.     
                                                   Predictably, in the future, O'Reilly will continue as a man about town.  He will be writing best selling books (often made into movies) and making speeches;  and, as is his pugilistic style, he will be mixing it up with journalists in interviews. Who knows--maybe  he will be reinstated behind a mike somewhere. (Marv Albert had some strange proclivities that cost him his spot behind the lines at NBA games, but he has found his way back behind the mike.)  Prevaricating Brian Williams is back "shooting the bull" for MSNBC.  In my judgment, the "Big Dog," respected by millions of patriotic and hard-working Americans,  would be welcomed back as a regular on the tube.  
                                                      
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"Transracial" Rachel

  By Florida Bill                            

                                            Ms. Rachel Dolezal has said in an interview that she is "Transracial." She is definitely breaking new ground for celebration by the progressive crowd.
                                            Ms. Dolezal is the 39-year-old woman with the wild, tangled Afro and the confident demeanor, who was forced to resign as president of the Spokane Washington chapter of the  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) after her parents revealed that she was, in fact, a White woman.
                                              This is a real twist and so the acronym LGBTQ will need to be amended in some way to include individuals who "trans" race. (Perhaps a capital "TR" could now follow the "Q.")   Dolezal has claimed in a recent interview that the phenomenon of "transracialing" is a twin sister to transgendering. Ethnicity, she said, is not biological.
                                               Ms. Dolezal is the author of a new book, "In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World." In CNN and other interviews, she indicated she feels that she has been misunderstood.  Yes, she is a civil rights leader, she argues, but never identified herself as African American.  "I've identified as Black....  and Black is a culture, a philosophy, a political and social view," she asserted.  She urges that critics who are filled with hate should read her book with an open mind.          
                                                Born in Montana of White parents, she earned a bachelors degree and later a master of fine arts from Howard University, a predominantly Black school where she assumed the persona of a Black woman, though she may have never stated her race formally.  One person who knew her said that she did not pose as a black woman; it was simply assumed that she was black.  She sounded Black particularly when she spoke on the telephone, one person observed. 
                                                Dolezal also has compared her situation to that of a transgender individual, such as Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympian who transitioned from male to female in 2015.  People should not be defined by who or what they were at birth. "Race is a Social Construct," she declared  
                                                 A glib talker, she went about her activities in the African American community, attending rallies and participating in forums.  She spoke often and her prominence grew, and she rose to become the president of an energetic chapter of the Washington state NAACP.  Her difficulties exploded when her parents revealed that she was masquerading as Black, and that she was their child and they were pure Caucasians of Czech, German and Swedish origin.
                                                She was fired from her NAACP leadership position and lost her job as a teacher of Black history. She was booed when she tried to deliver a lecture and well--old friends quit calling. She even changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo which is said to have the meaning of "Gift of God" in west Africa territory. The new name was designed to recapture her standing and to explain her transitioning from white skin to inner blackness, although that physically she retained the outward characteristics of a Caucasian. Nevertheless, she remained the butt of jokes.  Currently, she is on food stamps unable to find another job.
                                             Back in the 1940s, there was the movie, "Pinky," which told the story of light-skinned Afro-American woman who passed for being Caucasian as she worked and studied to become a registered nurse. She fell in love with a white doctor, admitted her deception, and somehow the whole thing had a happy ending.
                                             Rachel Dolezal's story is sort of a twist on the "Pinky" screen story--but without a happy ending.  She pretended to be Black and blended into that culture, marrying an African American man, and rising to a respected leadership role with the NAACP on the west coast and even nationally. But instead of gaining status and understanding after being "outed" with her true skin color becoming known,  her associates in the Black community and elsewhere dumped her and saw her as sort of a white "loon."                                                  
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The Gotcha Factor

  By Florida Bill 

                         
                    The way to get ahead in this dog-eat-dog world is simply to deliver the best zinger.  It has nothing to do with what is right, and what is wrong; or what is true or what is false.  What you need is that poisonous dart, known as a "gotcha," thrown to demean, disparage and destroy. 
                     This phenomenon applies in most every walk of life, but seems most prevalent and effective in the world of politics.  If you can deliver the most tiger-like "gotcha" punches, even via twitter, you will likely win the day. 
                     So what constitutes the "gotcha"?   It may be a comment or an observation or a charge or perhaps a question.  It can take many forms. It might be an item of clothing, such as a glove too small to fit the hand of O.J. Simpson. Former President Clinton's "gotcha" was an unlaundered blue dress.  
                     But usually it is made up of insulting words. The nation's new President, Donald Trump, is a daily target, but he is also a champion at delivering "counter gotchas," and when the dust clears, he remains standing.  That is the way it was in the primaries with the debates and then in the battle against Hillary Clinton, or as Trump referred to her, "Crooked Hillary," a haymaker "gotcha."
                     In many ways, Trump is like "Horatius at the Bridge."  Like the great Roman,  he stands virtually alone, defending his territory against thousands hell-bent on bringing him down. When the media exploded over Trump's claims of being wiretapped by Obama, he came back with evidence of "incidental surveillances" of him and his team, turning the spotlight on former NSA adviser to Obama, Susan Rice. "I think that she is guilty of a crime," he asserted.  Gotcha!  
                                           In news conferences, the media representative reaches for the sledgehammer "gotcha"  such as when  Fox News' Megyn Kelly wanted to know why candidate Trump called women "fat pigs and slobs and disgusting animals." Trump flinched and tried to turn it around by twittering that Kelly was a "bimbo...incompetent and crazy," but he lost with his comebacks since Kelly was not a candidate, only a part of the media. With all of the publicity, her celebrity grew, signing a $25 million dollar a year contract with NBC.  The anti-feminine "gotcha" bruise to Trump faded away after he and Kelly made up on a TV special.     
                             The debate stages in the last Republican and Democratic primaries had little to do with policies.  Everyone of the candidates promised to bring more jobs and good things for citizens, but the promises for a better America paled alongside the insults which seemed to resonate. 
                       In the Democratic campaign for the nomination, the outcome had been decided from day one in favor of Mrs. Clinton so a "gotcha"  brawl was unnecessary.   Sen. Bernie Sanders accused Clinton of being a cash driven double talker who voted for the war in Iraq,  but Clinton brushed it off and consistently seemed to be grateful to Sanders for him avoiding the sensitive email issue.  Any "gotchas" were of the super soft ball variety with no one getting hurt. 
                       Much different story in the Republican war zone which eventually led Donald Trump into the nomination.  Candidate Trump hammered  everyone with nickname "gotchas" and the public loved it.  One by one they fell.  There was "Low Energy Jeb",  "Lying Ted,"  and "Li'l Marco."  Gov. Christie had to hang up his skates when nailed by Sen Paul for the TV hug he gave to President Obama when Obama visited New Jersey in the aftermath of a storm.  Recalling the hug was a damaging "gotcha" which assisted Trump and gave  Christie a very red face. That had to be the impetus for Gov. Christie to withdraw as a candidate and join forces with Trump. 
                      Trump was labeled a "con man" by Sen. Rubio but all his attacks about  the integrity of Trump University ended up as tiny flesh wounds which quickly healed. "The Donald" maintained his lead in all polls by using effective counter "twitter gotchas," denouncing Sen. Rubio as a useless squirt and an ineffective Florida senator.  Screaming insults at "Li'l Marco," Trump won handily in the Florida primary.                        
                         In Trump's head-on-head with Hillary Clinton, he nicknamed her "Crooked Hillary," asserting before millions that she should be in jail, not even allowed to run for President.  She attempted to counter by calling his followers a bunch of "deplorables," but her counter got her nowhere, and actually caused her to lose ground.  In a way, her "deplorables" comment, which even turned into the subject of a T-shirt, came back at her as a "backfiring gotcha."                        
                          So on the road to this White House, never mind all that talk about new policies, the key to the door of the Oval Office in this election turned on the big and little "gotchas," the uglier the better.  Mrs. Clinton and  16 other Republican candidates running in the primaries all fell to the power of the slings and arrows that came out of Trump's bow.  Face facts.  That is how a blustering, billionaire outsider with no experience in government became America's 45th President, and the most powerful man on the planet. It is not what you know, but it has everything to do with who delivers the the most crippling "gotchas."  

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No Hunter Like The Cairn

  By Florida Bill 

                                                                    Tip your hat to the hunter extraordinaire: the Cairn terrier. The little dog with the big personality. 
                                              The feisty Cairn, almost always  wheaten or black in color, though maybe a blend leaning slightly to toward rouge, is a descendant of a wolf, believe it or not, and gained its fame and reputation as an aggressive hunter in the fields and underground tunnels of beautiful Scotland. Some say it was in the Isle of Skye.   They were commissioned to examine rocky piles known to farmers as cairns and to rid them of any interlopers such as mice, rats, snakes, rabbits or squirrels or any other unwelcome critter hanging around.
                                              In fact, it was said these hunters would "go to ground," in search of such critters, and there are still competitions where terriers are sent into tunnels with caged rats and timed on how quickly they reach the prey and for how long they perform: barking, baying, scratching or staring intensely.  
                                          With a determined nature and guided by a nose which can always detect a foreign critter hiding where he does not belong, the sturdy Cairn would do his work and provide for the farmer, his friend and mentor, a rock pile as free and as sterile as a rock pile can be.  Unwelcome visitors are dispatched by the Cairns by grabbing them by the neck and delivering some mighty shakes. 
                                                In America and much of the world, the tough little Cairn has become a respected and beloved pet in tens of thousands of homes. They love their owners and the kids and other dogs--well, most of the time, when it comes to other canines.  They do a  good deal of barking and they will sound off mightily at footsteps, even those dropped by a squirrel or bunny. Some owners will laughingly say their Cairns bark at the sound of a leaf dropping.
                                                They are powerful and dominating when it comes to rodents and the unlikeable critters are never too much for the determined Cairn. According to canine expert Stanley Coren, he learned of a terrier named Tiny who was said to have polished off some 5,000 rats in his lifetime.  That's dedication. 
                                                 Recently, I saw on a social media site an inquiry and concern from a Cairn "mom" that her pet was an overly aggressive hunter of little critters, and that perhaps that was a negative quality which her Cairn possessed.  Somewhat distressed, she invited comments from other owners on what she perceived as an unwelcome trait which she was not fond of.
                                                  The answer is that the instinct to hunt is in the canine genes. For me, also a Cairn booster, I look upon their talent to ferret out the intruder with admiration--a Cairn doing what a Cairn was meant to do. 
                                                   Not too long ago, our male, Andy, a handsome, wheaten colored Cairn weighing in at about 16 pounds, left our back door and raced to the far end of our fenced one-acre yard. He seemed to be on a mission.  Minutes later I saw him furiously shaking a black "rope" in his mouth.  It wasn't a rope, it was a black garter snake about three feet long.  Most interesting was that Andy seemed to know that the alien was there. He made quick work of the intruder.   How?  What tipped Andy off?                                                                                          Just a couple of days ago, our 7-year-old black Cairn, Wendy, declined to answer our whistle and call which was completely unlike her while inside our home in South Florida. We went to look for her and found her staring at a closed closet door.  It was the unmistakable Cairn "death stare," with her nose inches from the tiny slit under the door. No question, but there had to be something inside the closet where we have boxes stored with Xmas decorations and other items and some luggage.  We were hoping that a mouse had not gotten into the house. 
                                                  Opening the door, Wendy shot in without hesitation. She nosed around items piled on the floor and darted under the shelf housing the air conditioner. Presto, within seconds, she exploded out with a large Palmetto bug--an unpleasant fact of life in Florida--in her mouth, zoomed to another corner of the house, and then dropped the lifeless meddler onto the floor. Thanks, Wendy.  We cleaned up the remains, and Wendy then went about her business. 
                                                Niki, another female cairn of ours back in our Chicago days, would suddenly stake out a pantry or closet and we knew it was time to buy a mouse trap. 
                                                  The search by the young and middle aged Cairn is never ending.  Maybe age will slow them down, but just a little.  The cairn does not discern which intruder might be a more or less welcome addition to the terrain. They are all prey.                                                          Here in Florida, and perhaps elsewhere where there is an abundance of sun and showers, we need to keep an eye on the inquisitive Cairn lest in his instinct to hunt, he comes upon the dreaded Bufo toad, which will react to danger by exuding a substance on its skin which is poisonous to dogs and can even be fatal. When the Cairn sees the  toad, he attacks and most large toads cannot move fast enough to escape.  If it happens, which it has to us three times, we wipe out the inside of the dog's mouth with a wet rag and then rush the little fur head to the vet for immediate treatment, which will save the dog if the action is timely enough. Anyway, be on guard against these dog menaces.  Bufos are ugly looking dudes whose size can match a dessert plate. 
                                                Is the cairn a dedicated hunter?  I would say, yes,  absolutely.  We sometimes fear ours got an overabundance of terrier genes.  So, what is it about an unwelcome  critter which draws their attention?  What do they hear?  What do they smell?                    
                                                      The dog's nose is, according to some experts, about a million times more sensitive than man's ability to smell. In one experiment I read about, a tiny mouse was placed in the center of a one acre field of grass, and the dog--I like to think it could have been a cairn--was released to hunt.  Within minutes, the proud dog returned, mouse in tow. That was all nose.  It was the hunter, home from the hills. 
                                                      The Cairn terrier has a tradition to uphold.  Hunting is what he does and what he has always done. His people and the unconditional love which he bestows upon his owners of course comes first.  But intruders and aliens are definitely not welcome in Cairn territory.   So do not be concerned.  Enjoy your Cairn.  There is no other dog like yours in the world!!!!                                                    
                                              XXX
                                             

  

Obama's Surveillance of Donald

  By Florida Bill 

                             There has been a fascinating turn around in the controversy surrounding President Trump's allegation that former President Obama, while still in office, was the force behind a "wire tap" of him and members of his team.  
                              News that forces loyal to the former president had been recording conversations of Trump and his surrogates before and after the election was communicated to the President by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Devin Nunes. The surveillance was arranged by application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court through which Trump and his associates became "incidental" participants in NSA intercepted conversations.  Their identities were unmasked and their conversations were recorded and apparently disseminated. "Legal, but for what reason," asked Nunes who has shared the new information with unhappy Democrats on the committee. 
                                 It all started on March 4, when Trump tweeted:"Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism." The accusation brought swift denials and President Trump was labeled a liar.  Former president Obama issued a statement that he never ordered a wire trap of Trump.  
                                 After receiving the information of the surveillance, Trump told newsmen that he felt that he had been "vindicated."  One newsman said that former Pres. Obama should be asked to explain the "incidental" surveillance of the Trump team before the Intelligence committee.   
                                Thrown into the controversy has been the bombshell claim put out by former New Jersey Judge Andrew Napolitano, who has a reputation for political savvy and legal knowledge.  In public comments on Fox News which employs him as its legal and news analyst, Napolitano said that he had been informed by "three intelligence agencies that President Obama went outside the chain of command and arranged a surveillance of Trump and his team in a way that left no record.
                               "He didn't use the NSA, he didn't use the CIA, he didn't use the FBI, and he didn't use the Department of Justice," the judge said.  Instead, Obama used a British agency with access to the NSA database.  "There's no American fingerprints on it.  What happened to the guy who ordered this...he resigned three days after Donald Trump was inaugurated," Napolitano said.
                              The veteran judge was castigated as a teller of tall tales by Shepard Smith, a left wing afternoon anchor at the Fox News station, which also employs Napolitano.  Nevertheless, the judge says that he "stands by what he has said."  The long and short of it is that Judge Napolitano is nobody's fool and someone ought to be investigating the allegation?
                               FBI Director Comey, no stranger to TV pronouncements, was back in the spotlight recently, testifying before the Rep. Nunes' House Intelligence Committee. The six-foot, eight-inch Comey told the committee that the FBI has been investigating activities surrounding the recent campaign since last July, and had determined that Russia hacked into DNC emails and communicated them to Wikileaks, which then published them.  However, said Comey, he had no evidence of Russia's manipulation of the voting process, and had no evidence in support of Pres. Trump's tweet concerning an Obama wiretap.  He said the investigation into "collusion" between the Trump team and the Kremlin is ongoing and that he has no way of knowing how long it will go on.  He indicated that the investigation will be all encompassing.
                                  Under tough questioning by Rep. Trey Gowdy, Comey acknowledged that one Trump surrogate, General Mike Flynn, had been "unmasked" improperly and that a transcript of his  conversation with a Russian ambassador had been recorded and leaked to the press.  "That is a felony, and the leaker would face a possible 10 years in prison, would he not?" Gowdy asked Comey, who reluctantly acknowledged that there had been a leak and that it would be a violation of a criminal statute.  "The FBI takes  leaking very seriously," its director said, but he stopped short of saying that that incident was being investigated. 
                                    Certainly, Comey had to know of the  surveillance of Trump and his associates which has now been revealed by Intelligence Chairman Nunes.  President-elect Trump and members of his team became unwitting "incidental persons" as part of intercepted conversations monitored by Obama intelligence agencies. Their identities were then unmasked and their conversations followed and recorded, according to data discovered by Rep. Nunes.      
                                  Comey, 56, was appointed to a 10-year term as FBI director by President Obama in 2013.  Last July, in the busy months leading up to the November 8 election, Comey held a news conference to announce that he would not recommend a prosecution of Hillary Clinton for her mishandling of emails. She was reckless and had lied about matters in public statements, he said, but nevertheless, will not be prosecuted since she did not harbor a criminal intent. Eleven days before the election, Comey sent a letter to Congress that he was reopening that investigation, but then, eight days later, 3 days before balloting, said again that there would be no prosecution.
                                   Initially, Trump denounced Comey for dodging prosecution of "Crooked Hillary" but then commended him when he "did the right thing" and reopened the  investigation. When Comey cleared her for a second time, Trump looked upon Comey with suspicion. 
                                   Following the election, it was presumed that President Trump would ask Comey to resign, but after a meeting with him, allowed him to continue as director. He remains as FBI chief, sort of "twisting in the wind." 
                                        Currently, Congressmen on both sides of the political aisle have lost confidence in the integrity of Director Comey.  In fact, because of his peculiar on again, off again investigation of Mrs. Clinton and her emails, there have been demands for his resignation with accusations that he is dishonest and incompetent.  Newt Gingrich, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, said that Comey has been "twisted into an indefensible pretzel of contradictions."  
                                        On January 12, Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who oversees and monitors the activities of the Department of Justice and the FBI, its investigative arm, responded to the continuing criticism of the FBI director, with an unusual and somewhat unprecedented announcement.  
                                        He said that there would be a review of the allegations of misconduct involving Director Comey and how he handled the probe of Hillary Clinton's email practices.  The investigation, he said, will be wide ranging and will encompass Comey's various correspondence  and will determine whether the FBI or other Justice department employees leaked non public information. 

                                                XXX     

U.S. Rep. Hastings, Hypocrisy Alert

   By Florida Bill                                               

                During the recent swearing in of Donald Trump as America's 45th President, there was one Florida congressman who declined to appear at the inauguration ceremony in the Capitol building in Washington.
                 Actually there were some 40 Democratic representatives who decided to skip the inauguration, but Congressman Alcee Lamar Hastings of sunny Florida was among the most disenchanted, castigating the new President for failing to embrace the values and tenets of the Constitution. His behavior, asserted Hastings, prohibits him from occupying the highest office in the land, and with his Russian connections, he will never keep this country safe. There shall be "no harsher critic (of him) than me."
                With all the luggage and shameful background attached to Hastings' name, you might wonder about his sincerity in calling out Trump for misconduct and bigotry. His house is about as messy and unconstitutional as it gets. He spent 10 years as a jurist, appointed by President Carter, before being thrown off the bench for dishonesty.
               The 80-year-old Hastings is one of only six federal judges to have been impeached and removed from the bench by order of the United States Senate in about 250 years. He was removed as a judge in 1989 after conviction by the Senate for bribery, perjury and other forms of corruption. 
               In response, Hastings threw himself into Florida politics.  He ran unsuccessfully for Secretary of State in 1991 and rebounded in 1992 with election as congressman from the state's 20th district. As of 2017, he has been reelected 12 more times. Here he is,  a disgraced federal judge, and now a representative in Congress, barking about the unwholesome core values of the new President. This has to be a first in America, appropriate for the Guinness book of records.
             Florida's 20th district extends over portions of Hedry, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Democraphically, it is predominantly African American. The well-dressed congressman is garrulous and friendly and is said to have snake-oil charm and skill in peddling his medicine of choice. Inside the 435-member House of Representatives, he is part of the Democratic leadership, sitting as a senior member of the House Rules committee; and as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Congressional Black Caucus.
            Money seems to remain a necessary goal of Hastings, as it was when, in his black robes, he was accused of granting leniency in exchange for $150,000.
            A few years ago, he was in the forefront of congressmen demanding an increase in their annual $174,000 salary. The demand fostered an uproar and the ex-judge was castigated for his "arrogance" and "insensitivity." One man observed that with the country's shaky economy and a median American household income of $51,000 a year, the congressional cry of poverty over a $174,000 salary is grossly misplaced. The Wall Street Journal took issue with the congressman's poor mouthing, and pointed out in an article that Hastings spent $25,000 in one year--2008--to lease a luxury car.
           Hastings employs his girl friend on his staff and she has earned nearly $2.4 million since 2000. In 2012, Judicial Watch, a nonpartisan government watchdog organization, reported that Rep. Hastings was Congress' number one practitioner of Nepotism on Capitol Hill, having paid Ms. Patricia Williams $622,000 between 2007 and 2010. Hastings did not quibble about the amount of her earnings, but argued that since she was a girl friend, and not a family member, it did not equate to "nepotism." Williams had served as his counsel and companion during his trial and impeachment problems, and the generous staff salary helps with his relationship and maybe an unpaid legal fee. Williams' present annual salary is reported as $168,000.
          With all of his history as a dishonest federal district judge and his congressional maneuverings for money, Hastings remains popular with Democrats and the liberal media, and is endorsed and re-elected regularly. Still, with his history and unique "credentials," it seems like he should "zip it."  He is the last person to criticize  anyone else in government.

                                           XXX












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