What's Ahead for the Fort Hood Killer.

   


   
                                       By Florida Bill 
           
                                    According  to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the average time spent by a prisoner on death row is 16 years.  In 1985, that period was about six years.   
                                    Surprisingly, most death row inmates actually die of natural causes before the order of the court is carried out.  One defendant convicted of brutal murders and sentenced to death set a record by spending 40 years on death row before succumbing to natural causes. 
                                     The sentence of death continues to be debated as to its propriety in a civilized society.  There were times in past years when the Supreme Court suspended use of the death penalty for  a period finding that methods employed were barbaric.   Subsequently, it found that the death penalty when administered in a humane way was constitutional. 
                                      In 2018, there were 2,721 prisoners on death row in the United States. The number of prisoners on death row has decreased annually since 1977. So what is going on with the Fort Hood murderer, Major Nidal Hasan. 
                                     So if the law is on the books, and the punishment is constitutional, how come it should take so long?   Is it fear that a mistake might have been made and that the defendant is actually innocent of the crime?  That is a valid thought and in fact in Illinois some years ago, the death sentence was thrown out by Gov. George Ryan for just that reason. But then, what if there is no doubt about the culpability of a defendant in that his murderous acts were witnessed by scores, and that the defendant has acknowledged the crime and actually is proud of what he did and seeks to terminate appeals so that he can be put to death expeditiously as ordered by a jury following a trial at which he (defendant) offered no defense. 
                                    Army Major Nidal Hasan, a psychiatrist, with malice and foresight, exploded in Muslim violence at Fort Hood Texas 11 years ago and slaughtered 13 persons and wounded 32 others in an assembly hall in plain view of hundreds. In 2013, following a dragged out pre-trial period, a jury found Hasan guilty of the first degree murder of 13 persons, and the attempted murder of 32 others and sentenced him to die for his crimes, committed before scores, maybe hundreds, watching in fear. 
                                     During his trial, Hassan offered no defense and acknowledged that he was the shooter.  In interviews he has said that he does not regret the killings and would change nothing.  He wishes that the order of the court be carried out as it would provide him the status of "martyr," in accord with Muslim tenets. 
                                      He was 39 years old on the day of the shootings.  As participants were sitting and standing in the assembly hall on the Texas army base,  Hasan drew his gun and  began firing indiscriminately while screaming "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is Great) over and over as his fellow soldiers fell like ducks in a row  Within seconds  a soldier was able to return the gunfire and bring down the radical Hasan with bullets hitting his back and  spine. 
                                       Now 50, Hasan is incarcerated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and is paralyzed from the waist down.  Army nurses and doctors continue to tend to his daily needs as he awaits his execution....and he has no regrets. 
                                       For the five years following the shootings and until the jury verdict of guilty, Hasan drew his salary which amounted to about $300,000.  With the verdict came his discharge from the army and termination of his salary.  His accrued pay--he apparently sent the money to Muslim brothers in Syria. 
                                    On death row, he has busied himself writing letters and one of them went to the notorious leader of ISIS,  Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi in which he asked to be made a member of his organization. The terrorist ISIS leader granted his request in a return communication, but al-Bagdadi will not be around to applaud at Hasan's execution, if it ever occurs.  Al-Bagdadi committed suicide last October as Americans were preparing to apprehend him for his criminal and murderous plans to kill Americans and create a global caliphate. 
                                      Aside from whether one agrees or disagrees with the death penalty for capital crimes in America, the delay of 11 years for the slaughter by a muslim fanatic of soldiers and civilians is unreasonable and defies sensible explanation. 
                                      It is true that there are mandatory appeals in all death sentence cases.  Appeals go to the Military Court of Criminal Appeals, then to the U.S. Court of Appeals and on to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Finally, the  sentence must be personally confirmed by the President.                      
                                      In a death case, the appeals courts may consider all evidence, even that which was not part of the record of the trial and lower court rulings. That will add some time to the process. But the defendant Hasan wants to be executed so as to gain "martyr" status. The murders were planned and carried out in full view of fellow soldiers and civilians. Drafting petitions for an amended verdict of "not guilty" for whatever reason or for a new trial would not be difficult for lawyers to prepare and submit to the reviewing judges, and can and should be done without the passage of years.  If congress wishes to make changes in the law and eliminate the death penalty, it should do so.  
                                      It is a good guess that President Trump will review and confirm a final decision to go ahead with the death penalty imposed by a military jury.  
                                     Hasan seeks "martyr" status for his killings of infidels.   Even applying the Muslim religious beliefs,  Hasan may be headed in the wrong direction.  In a closing argument at the trial, a prosecutor said that martyrdom is reserved for the followers of Allah who "give" in his name.  But a prosecutor set the record straight and pointed out that even in Hasan's skewed vision of living and dying and right and wrong and the life beyond, "he can never be a martyr because he has nothing to give."  He is not giving his life--the USA is taking his life.  "This is not a gift to the Almighty--It's his debt to society. and he will never be a martyr." 
                                    
                                            XXX
                                      
                                        
                                           







I               

schumer's loud mouth

                               
    
                                                 By Florida Bill  
                        
                                                      Recently, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York attacked and threatened two Republican justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. Neil Gorsuch and Brian Kavanaugh were his targets and he asserted during a raucous protest on the steps of that court that "you will pay a price" if you rule in favor of abortion restrictions. 
                                        There was an uproar from many corners of society who recognized that Schumer had gone way over the line with his political attack on the Justices appointed by President Trump.   Some called for Schumer's resignation as a minority leader in the Senate.  Others castigated him and demanded his censure and a public apology.
                                        Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts reacted to the Schumer rant in a prepared statement:  "This morning, Sen. Schumer spoke at a rally in front of the Supreme Court while a case was being argued inside. Senator Schumer referred to two members of the court by name and said he wanted to tell them that 'You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You will not know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.'   
                                        "Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous. All Members of the Court will continue to do their job, without fear or favor, from whatever quarter."

                                          ABA President Judy Perry Martinez took up the issue of personal attacks on judges and prosecutors.  "It must cease,” Martinez said, receiving a standing ovation during a speech. “No one, no one, should interfere with the fair administration of justice..."

                                            Comments from  the Chief Justice of the United States and from the president of the American Bar Association put a needle into Schumer, causing him to squirm a bit. He issued a half-baked apology  in which he said his words were being misinterpreted.  
                                              "I'm from Brooklyn," said the smug Schumer, a Harvard Law school graduate. "We speak in strong language. I shouldn't have used the words I did. But in no way was I making a threat. I never, never would do such a thing," Schumer said on the Senate floor. 

                                             It appears that Schumer, often called "Cry'n" Chuck, is angling to dodge censure or other penalty for his unprofessional, and unlawyerly political mouthing. He is pretty sure that the media will be kind to him, knowing that he is a "never-Trumper," and that will minimize the fall out.
                                            Watching him slither about and find cover in the Democrat loving media, I was reminded of the beating which Sen.Trent Lott  took in 2002 when he toasted Sen. Strom Thurmond at Thurmond's 100-year-old birthday party.                                                                                                                    On that occasion, Lott  raised a glass to the veteran ex-senator from  Mississippi and praised him for his 1948 segregationist Dixiecrat presidential bid.  It was a mistake for Lott to do, not politically correct, but Lott said he intended kind words for Thurmond and nothing more.  When the dust settled, Mississippi Sen. Lott was forced to resign as the Republican Majority leader in the Senate. 
                                             Popular and well liked by his colleagues, he was called "racist" by Democrats and by the media which parroted that party line. President Bush said that the comments were offensive.  Sen. Lott remained a member of the Senate until 2007 when he resigned and declined to seek reelection.  
                                        But while Schumer's comments were wrong and indefensible, he continues like a peacock in his role as minority leader and has no intention to step down. He probably figures it has made him stronger by his professing his love for no-control, any time execution of fetuses and babies. Republicans in the Senate have called for Schumer's censure, but it is doubtful if he will incur that penalty, or a penalty of any kind.  As Dems say, "the storm will pass." 
                                          Some observers have pointed to the "double standard" which always seems to benefit Democrats.  President Trump has noted that if a Republican had criticized  justices in that way and with that angry tone, they would be humiliated and destroyed by the left-leaning media taking its cue and talking points from the Democratic party.   
                                        

                                          xxx

Not Bernie, Thanks.

                               BY FLORIDA BILL 

               Voters rejected the frantic cries of Bernie Sanders on Super Tuesday, and decided to put their support on former Vice President Joe Biden as the Democratic party standard bearer. 
                Primary elections were held in 14 states.  Biden won 10 and Sanders 4. Sanders won in California as was expected where his left wing thinking appeals to a progressive base there.  Currently, Biden has accumulated 603 pledged delegates, and Sanders has 538.  There is a way to go before the winner  posts the 1,990 needed, but the message was pretty clear in that the angry Sanders is being sent to the bench and will very likely never be the Democratic party nominee with the corresponding possibility of becoming the nation's 46th President.
               Talking heads everywhere are offering bizarre and deep insight as to how Biden emerged as the ballot favorite to take out Sen. Sanders, and how this reversal came about.  They point to the African Americans and their loyal and powerful support of Joe Biden as the answer.  Others say it was suburban women and housewives and mothers; retired workers; senior citizens, farmers, physicians and on and on.   But the reason why Americans are picking the gaffe-prone, somewhat befuddled Biden over the  arm flailing, 78-year-old Sanders is very, very simple.
               And it isn't that Biden is a smart politician-- because he's anything but that; in fact he seems a bit confused by it all.   And it isn't because Sanders is a bit of "doofus," as he was labeled by Hillary Clinton during the his 2016 campaign.
               I am of the opinion that there is a more mundane reason for Biden's pulling ahead:  It is because Sanders is a Neo Marxist, a Communist, though he labels himself a "Democratic Socialist."  He has supported Communist and socialist positions since his days at the University of Chicago in the 1960s where he was an activist who opposed the war in Viet Nam, and loathed the military; and was a conscientious objector, and supported the Communist Socialist Workers Party,  and in 1980 was a presidential elector for that party.   
               In the Cold War years of the l980s, when Ronald Reagan was President and Russian gulags were humming, Sanders, then mayor of Burlington, Vermont, honeymooned in the Soviet Union with his second wife, and took time to speak out in praise of the Russian government. 
               Since post WW II, Americans have distrusted and feared the Communism of Russia.  Spies were anathema and one couple was executed for providing data to the Soviet Union. To this day, Americans are solidly against Communism and Socialism and Sanders who endorses such a society, with loony pie-in the-sky promises of free stuff for everyone, paid for by billionaires with too much money that must be spread around. 
               Joe Biden,77, is clearly losing it mentally these days and is clumsy and seemingly off the wall with some of his public statements.  He has always been given to telling absurd and untrue stories, but he has always been perceived as a patriotic American with sons who have served in the military. He has always denounced as outlandish the radical  socialistic promises of Sanders. 
                 Throughout his entire political life which began when he was first elected a senator at age 29, Biden has wallowed in misstatements and malapropisms.  The Washington Post has called Biden the "Lamborghini of Gaffes." Women have complained that he too frequently would rub their shoulders and smell their hair.  Last year he told a story of a bully known as "Corn Pop" and he somehow linked it to a yarn about his own hairy legs which got rubbed by Corn Pop associates and the hair on his legs bristled under the sun. The yarn puzzled listeners, to say the least. 
                   But to some citizens, that is just "Joe being Joe," and he is always preferable to Sanders, the Communist and Socialist who has praised the good deeds of Fidel Castro, and saw justification in the Iranians holding Americans as hostages for 444 day. 
                   Bernie Sanders has been in Congress since the early 1990s, and an "Independent"  member of the Senate since 2002. In 16 years as a congressman in the House, he was the lead sponsor of only one bill that became law--that being the renaming of a Fair Haven, Vermont post office. 
                   Reportedly, Sanders, a pacifist and conscientious objector, has been unable to win over much support from veterans who feel that Sanders would be unable to function as America's Commander-in-Chief.  Sanders has always been hostile to the military and has supported former President Obama's severe reduction of servicemen and equipment. 
                    Younger Americans have been turned-on to Sanders with his call for free stuff for everyone in accord with his vision of a Socialistic society, and his proposed canceling of all existing student debt.  Those gifts to Americans are attractive and along with free medical care and school tuition for everyone--how can they resist Sanders. But it is all an illusion, as Sanders calls for the spending of trillions and trillions of dollars and explains that all costs will be borne by the "billionaires" who have way too much and that their money must be spread around.
                   But while Biden appears a bit out of it, he is still perceived as a patriotic American who can successfully challenge President Trump. He is preferable to the questionable Sanders who, according to who it is you ask, may or may not even stand at the playing of the national anthem.  
                More primaries will be had in the next few months. and Democrats will formally pick their nominee at their convention next summer. 
                                        xxx


                       

The Sunday Four

                      By Florida Bill 

                                If you tune into the Sunday morning news shows, there is a common thread running from moderator to  moderator. It's the continued fantasy, which has been totally debunked,  that President Trump is a Russian pawn who  operates with the blessings of Vladimir Putin, who is supporting him in his re-election bid. 
                                 The conduct of the "Sunday Four" is sad and pathetic as these moderators assert the Democratic party talking points which guide their agendas. Are they competing in who can say the most to denigrate President Trump?  Bosses in the DNC appreciate  their loyalty, as do the six unimpressive candidates seeking to become the nation's 46th President.  Truth and fairness do not  seem to matter in any way to avowed "never Trumpers."  
.                                 The ranking "Sunday Four" as I see them, are NBC's "Meet  the Press" with Chuck Todd;  CBS's "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan; ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos and Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace. In past years, Democrat or Republican guests were treated with respect, and the goal was truth; and citizens appreciated it. But this is a new day, where partisan policies rule these "journalists."  
                                  Really, it is all kind of irrational since special prosecutor Robert Mueller determined at the end of his $32 million dollar investigation that President Trump did not "collude" or conspire in any way with Russians in his 2016 campaign. Mueller acknowledged that Russia, and other nations, have been attempting to insert their influence in American elections for years, and the USA is mindful of this and is doing its best to make the Kremlin go away. But then honesty and reality do not fit into the Democrat  agenda which looks only to blame President Trump for fabricated wrongdoing.   
                                  On the Sunday news shows, I kind of skip about and record and watch as I listen to their Q and A sessions of guests put on the hot seat.  In bygone days, these moderators were classy journalists who asked tough, objective questions. 
                                  On a recent Sunday, the aggressive four were onto more nonsense about Russians and their alleged hand holding with President Trump who supposedly will always do their bidding, national security be damned.   

                                 NBC's Chuck Todd, with his new full beard, similar to one worn by his wise and Trump hating idol, Wolf Blitzer, questioned the respected National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien  and demanded to know what he knew about how the Russians are supporting the President in his bid for reelection. And the President has been told that Russia is helping him in his campaign. 
                                   O'Brien told Todd that you have "bad information."  "I have seen no evidence whatsoever that the Russians are helping President Trump." Relentless, Todd kept demanding and demanding that O'Brien admit it all, but O'Brien remained poised explaining common sense should tell you that the Russians don't like Trump since he has been so hard on them. He pointed out that Trump has been a friend to Ukraine, Russia's enemy, providing them with financial aid and military weapons; and in America he has restored its military to its position as the most powerful fighting force on the planet; and has maintained sanctions against Russia. 
                                   After Todd, I  skipped over to 39-year-old Margaret Brennan, the distaff dope from CBS, and she too had O'brien as her guest and she too peppered him with questions demanding that he acknowledge that the President has been told that Russians  favor him and are helping him. She would not back off despite the NSA chief's denial of her assertions, and she then announced that she and CBS "stand by" the report that the Russians are helping President Trump and that the President has been told that Russia favors him--even though he has denied that he has ever been told that.  
                                    Brennan's focus on the Russians reminded me of her dedication to Democrats in a past session. A few weeks ago, John Kerry, Obama's Secretary of State guested on "Face the Nation," and claimed that President Trump had told a lie in negative comments he made about the Iranian nuclear deal from which he has withdrawn the USA. "Margaret," said Kerry, "you know that the president was telling a lie" and you are an "expert" on the Iran deal and its relationship with the USA.  Brennan was pleased at being called an "expert," by such a distinguished liberal as Kerry.  She exhibited a wry and confident smile when called an "expert, and she clearly  appreciated the flattery--like a bashful child given an unexpected cookie.    Kerry can certainly look forward to future guest appearances on Brennan's show.    
                                   And then came George Stephanopoulos, ABC's liaison with Democrats, and with the NYT,  and he too opined on how the President was being helped by the Russians. NSA's O'Brien made that show too and he told George that he had seen "no evidence" of the Russians  favoring Trump--and that Trump did not "fire" the Director of Intelligence because of revelations by someone that Trump was told that Russians were helping him. "Don't you have a responsibility as NSA chief to find out" what is going on?" Stephanopoulos demanded--but O'Brien refused to acknowledge any truth in George's declarations.  
                                Stephanopoulos has been carrying water for both Bill and Hillary Clinton and the Democrats for about  30 years. He has benefited from their influence and now earns some $20-30 million each year. He has shown his gratitude with donations to the Clinton Foundation (he tried  to keep his largess secret) and through his soft ball interviews with the former president and Mrs. Clinton through the years.  
                                     The final voice of the "Sunday Four," is the deep baritone and mushy voiced 72-year-old Chris Wallace of Fox News television.  Wallace is a registered Democrat, but he shuffles about the halls of Fox pretending to be a conservative-- and he takes a shot at Trump whenever the opportunity arises.  He is much like his former liberal colleague at Fox, Shepard Smith, whose enmity for Trump became so apparent that he had to resign last year from Fox after nearly 20 years there.  
                                                Wallace had as his guest, Marc Short, Chief of Staff for Vice President Mike Pence.  He hit Short with the same old Democrat line about how the Russians are assisting President Trump now, as they did in 2016.   Short attempted to convince Wallace that there is no evidence to support that accusation. It just isn't true and he emphasized that such a belief  defies common sense.  Why would President Putin support Trump who is assisting the Ukraine, Russia's enemy?  But Wallace would have none of it, and he continued with accusatory inquiries, containing negative reflections on the President.       
                                      Chris Wallace is the son of Mike Wallace,who, for many years, was a regular liberal inquisitor  on CBS' "60 Minutes" and was employed in the media in varying capacities for seven decades.  The senior Wallace died when he was in his 90s, and his son seems to be a liberal chip off the old block.  
                                       That Sunday was pretty typical of what is happening on the Sunday morning news shows.   They are a major element of the biased and flawed media which has clearly forgotten its role in a society which asks for truth, and which abhors a media which is tethered to one political party and has disregarded the tenets of unbiased journalism. 
                                     Trump describes the product from the biased media as "fake news,"and has said that lying journalists are the enemy of honest Americans. Undeniably, the President is on target with the "Sunday Four." 

                                             XXX

                                                      
                                   







                            

The "Get Ready for Nevada" Debate.

                  By Florida Bill                              

                                Was there anything memorable about the Democratic debate held as a runner up to the Primary election in Nevada?  The arguing and nit picking at each other, and a main cannon aimed collectively at the "Fat Cat" Michael Bloomberg, went on for two hours.  When it was over, the pundits, including the fawning Democrat-controlled media, acknowledged that the result was a zero for Democrats, and and a victory for President Trump. Even candidate Michael Bloomberg called it a win for the President.                               
                               The smart and confident face of Sen. Amy Klobuchar took a rip from candidate Pete Buttigieg who stood next to her on the six-person stage.  It was a "gotcha" as the 39-year-old Mayor Pete reminded everyone that the Senator was recently interviewed by a reporter from Telemundo, and was unable to name the President of Mexico. Wake up and smell the roses, and get with it, Buttigieg told Klobuchar in so many words. 
                                 The Minnesota senator, who is 59, grimaced and her wide mouth quivered at the corners at the put down from the former mayor of South Bend, Ind. She snapped, "Are you saying that I am dumb....or are you mocking me here, Pete?"  Obviously embarrassed, she said that she had suffered from "momentary forgetfulness" of the President's name, and so what's the big deal. She pointed out that she works in "the arena" with the pros and that Buttigieg's workplace is small and meaningless. As a way of putting down the smiling Buttigieg, she told of having had passed 100 bills in the Senate, more than any other Democratic senator.  She sought to show that Mayor Pete was in the minor leagues compared to her and operated a long way from "the arena," where she has toiled since 2007. 
                                   On and off for much of the debate, candidates offered negative comments about billionaire Bloomberg, who in  recent weeks has spent some $400 million for print and televised ads suggesting to citizens that "Mike can do it"--if they just vote for him.
                                With the help of that big wallet,  he has actually catapulted his new candidacy to a spot as one of the leaders seeking to become the Democratic standard bearer, according to the polls. 
                                    Bloomberg is a former Republican mayor of New York, who has flipped over and become a Democrat.  Reportedly, he has a net worth of $60 billion.  He is small in stature, often referred to by President Trump as "Mini Mike;" but for this debate Bloomberg did not stand on a box in an effort to gain altitude.  Generally, it is reported, he is on a box behind his podium whenever he has a mike in his hands. . 
                                    Sen Warren took off her gloves, began waving her arms and then tore into Bloomberg.  You are  a billionaire who wants to be President and you have called women "fat broads and horse-faced lesbians."  Bloomberg appeared a bit shaken at the accusation, but didn't deny it so maybe he once had made the remark. 
                                    Warren was just getting started. She then demanded to know how many non-disclosure agreements had been signed with women of his company who had complained of being harassed in the workplace.   Bloomberg said "a few" but that he did not intend to cancel the agreements as Warren was demanding, and that the nondisclosure was binding on the parties  to the contract. He said that he has hired many, many women in top positions and they are paid no less than any man and that he has a respect for the "MeToo" movement and for the rights of all women.  
                                    Others peppered Bloomberg for his endorsement of the "Stop and Frisk" policy used on New York streets when he was mayor.  He apologized for the policy, acknowledging that African American young men and Latinos suffered at the hands of aggressive policemen.  He said he regretted his endorsement of the policy which had reduced street crime by some 50 per cent.  
                                     Joe Biden actually had little to say, and when he did speak he appeared confused in trying to express himself and make his point. He actually had that far away look of a person who is not quite hitting on all cylinders.  In between his criticism of Bernie Sanders for his unworkable dreams of a socialist society which would cost trillions, he asserted that a Nevada poll had found Biden, and Biden alone, was most electable to beat President Trump in the coming election. 
                                    When Bloomberg had a chance to attack, which was in between his trying to defend himself for his treatment of women and his "stop and frisk" policy detrimental to African Americans, he called Sanders an unpopular "communist" with his pushing of programs which he had admired so in Scandinavia and Russia.  He also referenced Sanders' three homes with his position as a hard headed socialist who did not like people with money.  
                                    Sanders, 78, was criticized for not releasing all of his medical reports detailing all problems as a result of his heart attack a few months back, but he argued that he had released everything necessary to  answer all questions about his health,which he said was good. 
                                   Buttigieg noted that the Nevada Culinary Union had sent out a flyer to its members knocking Sanders because of his wanting to to "End Culinary Healthcare." Sanders flailed his arms and claimed to be a long time friend of unions and that the accusation is ridiculous, and everyone knows it. 
                                   All in all,  it was a 120 minutes stage presentation showcasing six non descriptive, and unappealing  men and women who made a strong case that they do not belong in or anywhere near the White House.

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                                    ..

VINDMAN IS OUT, DESERVEDLY SO.

                                                            BY FLORIDA BILL

                      Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman has had his day in the sun, angling to help the Democrats put down his Commander in Chief, but it didn't work.  For all of his twisted testimony and his alliance with the sneaky, lying Congressman Adam Schiff, he has been dumped from his prestigious desk in the White House and escorted by Secret service agents out the door-- "reassigned" to a paper shuffling position at army headquarters.  
                     After monitoring President Trump's July 25, 2019, conversation with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, career officer Vindman put together an inaccurate version of the telephone call claiming that the President, his Commander-in-Chief,  had "demanded" that Zelenskyy dig up dirt on his political opponent, or else.  The "or else" meant that millions in foreign aid for Ukraine might not  materialize.  Inappropriate, and improper, said Vindman.  
                     Vindman promptly delivered his skewed oral version of the  conversation and apparent "quid pro quo" to colleagues and skipped the normal chain of command. One went to a superior and another to his twin brother,Yevgeny, who also is an army officer working for the NSC.  The dagger narrative went to an  intelligence officer who had no real need to know of the conversations of President Trump, and whose identity is being kept secret. It appears that that recipient, reportedly a friend to Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden,  had a consultation with Rep. Schiff, a Trump detractor who has vowed to take the President down and have him booted from office.  
                      The unnamed carrier of the Vindman "spin" became the "whistle blower" and attached his name to a formal complaint filed with the Justice department alleging Trump's misconduct  The complaint was drafted with all necessary legalese and appropriate background.  It is strongly believed by Republicans, independents and even some Democrats that the actual complaint was composed for the complainant by the prevaricating Schiff or a member of his staff, or even by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Jerrold "Fat Jerry" Nadler, whose enmity for the President is widely known.  
                       The filing of the complaint engendered a news frenzy with the biased media excoriating President Trump for his "quid pro quo," bribery and even extortion, and for endangering America's national security.  The clamor reinforced the Democrats' demand for impeachment of the nation's 45th President. 
                       But Trump surprised everyone by taking the unprecedented action of releasing for public consumption a transcript of the conversation,  and it clearly refuted the Vindman version as false; and it countered "Trump-hate" screams from CNN, MSNBC and others in the biased media mob.  President Zelenskyy held  a news conference in which he said that his conversation of July 25 with President Trump was friendly with no "pressure" and that the subject of foreign aid was never mentioned. His comments confirmed all that the President had said, and it destroyed Vindman's make-believe version of the conversation. 
                       The Democrats pushed for impeachment and took depositions in a basement office, sans representation on behalf of the President. Subsequently, the Adam Schiff Judiciary Committee held public hearings and called Vindman as its most important witness.
                      In the witness seat, the uniformed Vintman  squirmed and frowned at questions from Republicans on the committee who questioned the accuracy of his version of the telephone call, and wanted the names of everyone to whom he told of the call and provided them with his "spin."  He even became peeved at a congressman who addressed him as Mr. Vindman.  Please, he snapped, "that's Lieutenant  Colonel Vindman." When it was all over, his testimony fell flat. 
                       At conclusion of the hearings. two feeble and lame Articles of Impeachment were voted by the completely partisan House and sent to the Senate for trial in accord with dictates in the Constitution. After long and lame question and answer sessions before the presiding chief judge of the Supreme Court, and following nonsensical arguments about calling witnesses, the Senate voted that President Trump was"not guilty" and was acquitted of all charges contained in the Articles of Impeachment.  
                       Two days after the Senate acquittal, President Trump  focused on Vindman and had him "reassigned."   He predicted that the military may well investigate him for his false testimony, and his dodging of military protocol.  The decision as to an  investigation, he said, belongs entirely to the military.  But he emphasized that Lt. Col. Vindman was through working in the Trump White House.   
                      Asked by newsmen if he was being vindictive, Trump said "should I be happy about the way he has acted?"  It appears  that Vindman  will be staying in the army since the army is his career, but his pitching of poisonous darts at his Commander in Chief will not be helpful in advancing his career as a soldier.  
                      Vindman, 44, is a native of the Ukraine.  He and his twin brother, and a sister came to the USA with their parents when they were children.   Alexander Vindman is a recipient of a Purple Heart while in combat in the Middle East.  It was his credentials as a brave soldier with an ability to speak the Ukrainian and Russian languages which apparently lifted him from  being a line officer to a position of trust inside the Trump White House.  
                      Former Trump Chief of Staff General John Kelly commented recently that Lt. Col. Vindman had spoken out as he was trained to do, indicating that criticism of him was misplaced.    Perhaps Kelly is right in some ways.  However, Kelly fails to confront the fact that Vindman's testimony and depositions were grossly inaccurate and aided Democrats in a completely partisan attack upon his Commander-in-Chief.  The impeachment was undeserved and disgraceful and it was Vindman's tailored narrative which was key.
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. Alcee Hastings, the Impeached Democrat Congressman.

  By Florida Bill  

                                                                              One Democratic member of the House of Representatives has credentials as a genuine expert on the subject of impeachment.  He gave it his all in the House's partisan effort to take down President Trump,  but the Senate had other ideas and on February 5 found him not guilty of a long list of make believe charges against him. 
                                                    On the side of his Democratic colleagues, bug-eyed Adam Schiff and Schiff's hypocritical partner, "Fat Jerry" Nadler,  was 83-year-old Alcee Lamar Hastings who has been elected to Congress 14 times from his 20th Congressional district in South Florida, and is a senior member and vice-chairman on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.                                                                  Hastings' call for and expertise on impeaching the President flows from his activities in the l980s when he, himself, a federal judge appointed by President Carter,  was impeached for bribe taking and dishonesty by Congress and booted from the bench.  But the disgrace, disbarment and appellation of being a thief,  did not slow down the smooth talking, skirt chasing, silver tongued Hastings from embarking on a change of professions and a  new political career.  But, hey, that's the way it goes when Democrats give the green light. 
                                                   Hastings was a busy attorney and a contributor to Democrat causes when President Carter nominated him to be a United States District judge.  His  appointment sailed through the Senate and he promptly picked up a gavel and went to work.  He became the first African American Federal judge in the state of Florida.  
                                                   Federal judges in the USA have a special aura  about them. Unlike jurists in the state systems where judges are elected, federal judges answer to no one, and are appointed for life.  It is virtually impossible for federal judges to be removed from the bench because of  controversial rulings.  The only way to remove a federal judge is impeachment by Congress, and that has happened only six times in American history.  Hastings was the last and his incredible rebound is one for the history books.
                                                  In 1989, the People's House brought charges against Hastings for trying to sneak some $150,000 in bribe money into his pocket.  After much controversy and various types of litigation, the impeachment by the House went forward and in  1989, Senators found him guilty of bribery and high crimes and ordered his removal from the bench.  Hastings was removed from the federal bench because he was dishonest, but the senate failed to provide in its finding of guilt that he should be barred from ever holding any other federal office.  Hastings impeachment and ouster from the federal bench by Congress was subsequently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
                                                   Hastings epitomizes the Latin phrase of "Sui Generis" which means only one of its kind. He attained that distinction because he is the only federal judge impeached by the House of Representatives, and now sits as a member of that chamber.  Along with his credentials as a U.S. congressman, he has garnered praise from Speaker Pelosi who made him a permanent member of the select House committee on Intelligence. 
                                                  After expulsion from the federal bench and disbarment as an attorney,  Hastings promptly ran for  Florida Secretary of State, but lost.  The following year, 1992, he ran for Congress and was elected in a predominantly African American district by a close margin after he accused his white opponent of being a "racist bitch."                                                                                                        He brought to the People's House  a fiery rhetorical style and a penchant for controversy.  He became a favorite of Speaker Pelosi and she was prepared to  appoint him as the chairman of the select committee on intelligence, but then backed away from that plan following complaints that citizens did not want a "crook" in that spot.
                                                    Several years ago as the "MeToo" movement was gathering steam, it was revealed that Hastings was being sued by a woman who had been on his staff for targeting her for sexual favors.  Hastings found a way to settle the matter by having a special House fund pay her $220,000.  Republicans and others objected to the misuse of the money supplied by american taxpayers, but promises of a full investigation of his conduct never materialized. 
                                                     After President Trump took office, Hastings was among Democratic congressman who declined to stand for the President at his swearing in and later displayed his displeasure and refused to  applaud during Trump's state of the union messages.                                                                                   The nattily-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 now 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 money.  He is reported to have a net worth of nearly five million dollars, yet, 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 has employed his girl friend on his staff and she has been paid  several million dollars 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' annual salary was 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 be criticizing President Trump. for being corrupt and dishonest.  
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