Monthly Archives: September 2019

Sep 14 2019

Top Canadian Intelligence Official Arrested for Leaking Secret Information….


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on September 13, 2019 by 

Cameron Ortis, a director general with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s intelligence unit (RCMP), faces three charges of violating intelligence laws and leaking sensitive information.  While the destination for his leaked intel is not revealed, his professional business profile shows he speaks “fluent mandarin Chinese“. So, connect the dots…

Obviously Justin from Canada wants to keep a tight lid on the spying compromise; and unfortunately, with the Canadian election a little more than a month away, the compliant state-run media are more than willing to try and downplay the issue.

OTTAWA (Reuters) – A top Canadian police intelligence officer has been charged with leaking secret information, authorities said on Friday, in what could be a major security breach.

Cameron Ortis, a director general with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s intelligence unit, faces three charges under a little-used 2012 security of information law.

“It is alleged he obtained, stored and processed sensitive information … with the intent to communicate that information with people he shouldn’t be communicating to,” federal prosecutor John MacFarlane told reporters outside Ottawa’s court house after Ortis was charged.

Sources with knowledge of national security investigations described Ortis as former RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson’s most elite adviser on issues related to national security. Paulson was in office from 2011-2017.

“Operationally, this could be very, very bad,” said Stephanie Carvin, an assistant professor and security expert at Ottawa’s Carleton University.

Canada is part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network with United States, Britain, New Zealand and Australia.  (read more)

Is it really a surprise to anyone?…

Sep 14 2019

Best “Recession” Ever – Retail Sales Show “Unexpected” Growth in August -AND- Despite Tariffs Import Prices Drop…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree house on September 13, 2019 by 

The recession-hoping pundits took more blows to their remaining credibility today when both the Commerce Department and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) deliver excellent economic results from August that continue to exceed MSM expectations.

The Commerce Dept. announced that retail sales climbed by 0.4 percent in August, twice as high as the 0.2 percent analysts had predicted. The result highlights retail sales strength of more than 4 percent year-over-year.   These excellent results come on the heels of blowout data in July, when households boosted purchases of cars and clothing.

The better-than-expected number stemmed largely from a 1.8 percent jump in spending vehicles. Online sales, meanwhile, also continued to climb, rising 1.6 percent. That’s similar to July, when Amazon held its two-day, blowout Prime Day sale. (link)

(Via Reuters) Retail sales rose 0.4% last month, lifted by spending on motor vehicles, building materials, healthcare and hobbies. Data for August was revised slightly up to show retail sales increasing 0.8% instead of 0.7% as previously reported.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales would gain 0.2% in August. Compared to August last year, retail sales advanced 4.1%. Retail sales have increased for six straight months, the longest such stretch since June 2017. (more)

Doesn’t look like middle-class America is overly concerned about the noise coming from the pundits.   Likely that’s because wages are higher, inflation is lower, and consumer confidence is strong….  MAGAnomics is working.

Additionally, remember all those MSM hours and newspaper column inches where the professional financial pundits were claiming Trump’s tariffs were going to cause massive increases in prices of consumer goods?

Well, exactly the opposite is happening [BLS report]  Import prices continue to drop:

[Table 1 – BLS report link]

This is a really interesting dynamic that no-one in the professional punditry will dare explain.  Trump’s tariffs are targeted to specific sectors of imported products.  [Steel, Aluminum, and a host of smaller sectors etc.]  However, when the EU and China respond by devaluing their currency, that approach hits all products imported, not just the tariff goods.

Because the EU and China are driving up the value of the dollar, everything we are importing has become cheaper.   Not just imports from Europe and China, but actually imports from everywhere.   All imports are entering the U.S. at substantially lower prices.

This means when we import products we are also importing deflation.

This price result is exactly the opposite of what the pundits were predicted back in 2017 and 2018 when they were pushing the rapid price increase narrative.

Because all the export dependent economies are reacting with such urgency to retain their access to the U.S. market, aggregate import prices are actually lower now than they were when the Trump tariffs began:

[…]  Prices for imports from China edged down 0.1 percent in August following decreases of 0.2 percent in both July and June. Import prices from China have not advanced on a monthly basis since ticking up 0.1 percent in May 2018. The price index for imports from China fell 1.6 percent for the year ended in August.

[…]  Import prices from the European Union fell 0.2 percent in August and 0.3 percent over the past 12 months.

[Page #4 – BLS Report, pdf] – BLS press release

Sep 14 2019

Panda Hungry – China Buys Soybeans, Exempts Pork and Beans From Additional Tariffs…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on September 13, 2019 by 

In a quiet admission of food dependency, China purchased 600,000 tonnes of soybeans yesterday (link), and simultaneously announced that U.S. pork and soybean imports would be exempt from further tariff increases.

The surface message Beijing is selling, surrounds their magnanimous panda narrative of reaching out to diminish trade friction.  However, below the surface everyone knows China cannot feed itself,and if food prices keep rising they could likely have growing unrest.

Beijing’s decision to not enhance tariffs of pork and soybeans is very self serving; particularly because China owns Smithfield foods, the largest producer of U.S. pork.  In essence China has lessened tariffs against their own company.

(SCMP) China has announced that it will exclude imports of US soybeans, pork and other farm goods from additional trade war tariffs, opening the door for significant purchases of agricultural products.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday that China’s National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce made the exemption in response to the US’ decision of postpone an increase in the tariff rate on $250 billion of Chinese goods from October 1 to October 15.

It comes after US President Donald Trump spoke on Thursday of the possibility of an “interim trade deal” over the coming weeks.

Beijing will allow Chinese businesses to purchase a “certain amount of farm products such as soybeans and pork
” from the United States, according to the Xinhua report. “China’s market is big enough and there’s great potential to import high-quality US farm products.” (read more)

Now we can see why Vice-Premier Liu He asked President Trump to postpone the tariffs on Chinese products from October 1st to October 15th.

Manipulative panda needed the two-week delay as the basis for a face-saving move.

Likely Beijing was already going to make the bean purchases and exempt the pork products etc.  China has no choice, they need the food.  However, making the purchase as a stand alone would make them appear weak…. So Beijing asks President Trump for a two-week delay,… then they make the purchase,…. and then they position the purchase as a response to the two-week delay.

Typical panda.

POTUS knew….

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

89.7K

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Sep 14 2019

Inspector General Horowitz Completes Investigation – Notifies Congress of Classification Review…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on September 13, 2019 by 

The DOJ Office of Inspector General Michael Horowitz has notified congress that his investigation is complete.  In a letter to congressional committee members with oversight authority, IG Horowitz states the draft report on his FISA abuse investigation is currently undergoing an internal classification review:

PROCESS:  The completion of the draft report indicates: (1) the investigation has concluded; (2) the IG referencer checks are now complete; and (3) the draft is submitted to the DOJ (AG Bill Barr) and FBI (Christopher Wray) for a review.

Depending on the size, scale and content of the report a classification review could take several weeks.  This is where President Trump previously granting AG Bill Barr authority to make declassification decisions will come into play. Ultimately the decision on what can be released is now in the hands of U.S. Attorney General William Barr.

AG Bill Barr’s May 23rd, 2019, declassification authority covers investigative material from the DOJ, FBI, Central Intelligence Agency, State Department, Treasury Department, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

How much AG Bill Barr will declassify is an unknown; and this part will most likely be the source of a great deal of debate and political positioning.

After the classification review, and possible declassification determinations by AG Bill Barr, the draft report will be returned to the Office of Inspector General for a Final Draft assembly.  Any information remaining classified will be placed into a separate “Classified Appendix” that will not be public.

The Final Draft could, likely will, be shared with key stakeholders who are outlined within the report during the Principal Review Phase (generally two/three weeks). Here the IG may accept feedback on the investigative findings.  If the IG accepts feedback for placement in the report; the referencer will generally provide additional material specific to the allowed response from the principal(s), with further comment from the IG.

Interesting note from the IG letter:

An intellectually honest inference would be that several witnesses came forward only after the Special Counsel investigation was complete.

From this point, a good guess based on processes and procedures would be to anticipate a final public report in approximately six to eight weeks.   Though it could be delivered faster depending on the scale/scope/complexity of the classification review.

 

Sep 14 2019

McCabe’s Lawfare Alliance Working With Media Allies to Frame Defense…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on September 13, 2019 by 

When the reports of a possible indictment for Andrew McCabe surfaced, we noted it would be interesting to see how the Lawfare alliance responds. Today we can see that response.

Andrew McCabe’s defense attorney, Michael Bromwich (also the attorney for ‘beach friend’ Christine Blasey-Ford in the Kavanaugh narrative), leaks his communication with U.S. Attorney for DC, Jessie Liu, to the New York Times.

Leaks to the NYT and WaPo are how the Lawfare alliance push their narrative.  These are the same DOJ/FBI officials who leaked to the same media when constructing the Russian Conspiracy narrative around the Trump campaign.  [Same exact people]

(NYT) […] In a letter sent late on Thursday, defense lawyers asked whether a grand jury had considered charges against Mr. McCabe, who is being investigated over whether he lied to internal investigators about interactions with news media. The letter came shortly after the Justice Department told Mr. McCabe’s lawyers that it had rejected their pitch to the deputy attorney general to drop the case.

“It is clear that no indictment has been returned,” the lawyers wrote, citing coverage of the case by The New York Times and The Washington Post. A grand jury hearing evidence that was recalled on Thursday after months of inactivity left for the day without any sign of an indictment, The Post reported. None had emerged on Friday. (more)

Here’s the letter:

The purpose for the letter is to push information gained within the Lawfare network into the media narrative.   It is transparently obvious that Lawfare allied lawyers who left the U.S. Attorneys Office in DC are leaking what they know to the Lawfare allied members on McCabe’s defense; this is simply how they operate.

Notice the informality of the letter from Michael Bromwich to U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu.  The tone is part of the overall group dynamic.  This is a social circle of former and current connected legal interests within the Dept. of Justice.

Bromwich cannot directly say he is aware of Grand Jury evidence, because such information would be illegal to acquire.  However, current and former DOJ officials can leak to the Times and Washington Post, and Bromwich can then cite the reporting on those leaks.  Everyone knows the game, the bastardization of justice is all done with an internal wink and a nod.

The Lawfare objective is for the media and McCabe’s defense to push out information about how a grand jury may have not returned an indictment in 2018, a ‘no true bill’ finding.

Pushing this information into the public sphere supports the objective of the defense; however, the Lawfare alliance cannot admit how they gained that information -leaks from allies inside the DOJ- because that would be illegal.

In addition to Andrew McCabe and Michael Bromwich, the Lawfare alliance includes: former FBI legal counsel James Baker, former DOJ-NSD lawyer David Laufman (who also represented Monica McLean, Blasey-Ford’s FBI bestie and narrative engineer friend), former SDNY U.S. Attorney Daniel Goldman; Lawfare head Benamin Wittes; James Comey’s leaking buddie Daniel Richman;  Obama Administration lawyer Norm Eisen;  criminal defense attorney Barry Berke; and a host of current and former FBI and DOJ foot-soldiers.  All of the characters network in the same social circle.

This tribal network then extends outward to their media allies.  The Lawfare team leak to specific contacts they have within media… the media then write the articles to the benefit of the Lawfare network and collaborative political interests.

Fusion GPS is part of the Lawfare network as a distribution hub for research information needed by the journalists who are writing on behalf of the Lawfare need.  Those of you who have followed politics might remember Ezra Klein’s “Journ-o-List”; the email group of 400+ reporters for multiple media outlets who collectively collaborated on stories.

Journ-O-List was a private Google Groups forum for discussing politics and the news media with 400 “left-leaning” journalists, academics and others. Ezra Klein created the online forum in February 2007 while blogging at The American Prospect and shut it down on June 25, 2010 amid wider public exposure. (link)

After they were exposed the media group closed shop on that specific operation, but they never stopped the process.  They simply changed and evolved their methods for group planning, strategy and distribution.   The network and purpose continues.

The Lawfare Alliance feeds information into this media network based on need.

FBI Director James Comey, FBI Legal Counsel James Baker, Comey memo recepient Daniel Richman, Deputy AG Sally Yates, Comey friend Benjamin Wittes, FBI lead agent Peter Strzok, FBI counsel Lisa Page, Mueller lead Andrew Weissmann and the Mueller team of lawyers, all of them -and more- are connected to the Lawfare group; and this network provides the sounding board for all of the weaponized approaches, including the various new legal theories we saw outlined within the Weissmann-Mueller Report.

The Lawfare continuum is very simple. The corrupt 2015 Clinton exoneration; which became the corrupt 2016 DOJ/FBI Trump investigation; which became the corrupt 2017 DOJ/FBI Mueller probe; is currently the 2019 “impeachment” plan. Weissmann and Mueller delivered their report to evolve the plan from corrupt legal theory into corrupt political targeting. Every phase within the continuum holds the same goal.

And so it goes…

 

Sep 13 2019

Welcome to Petsche’s world!


The progressives, like Jack Petsche, are fixated on creating a Utopia every place they reside. Unfortunately, as we know, utopias do not exist and  when despite a 100% failure the progressives are consistently trying to find a way to make it work.  Apparently progressives are stuck in a mental state that is divorced from reality. For example creating bike lanes on all the streets so the citizens can bike to work and stop driving those evil SUV’s. Now where did this insane concept come from? Oh, it came from the same place that gave us WW I and WW II Europe; now that makes perfect sense.

European cities were created thousands of years ago many during the formation of the Roman Empire. The streets were laid out to accommodate foot, horse and carriage traffic and were narrow winding paths with multi story building on both sides. Now of course there were larger avenues  but the narrow lanes were very common. So European and all the worlds cities that were settled back then were densely populated communities with a infrastructure appropriate for the time they were created.

American cities started that way but because of the vast open lands the people rejected the dense crowed cities and spread out especially after the automobile  was invented over a hundred years ago. The result was that after WW II large portions of the working class moved into the open lands around the central cities forming “bedroom” communities. To support this thousands of roads were constructed and the Interstate highway system was created to speed up access as well. So the bottom line today is unlike European cities American cities are set up for cars and long commutes that are just not suited for bike and/or scooter traffic world.

So what we have today is a movement that would work in Europe but not in America bike lanes make absolutely no sense here!

Akron Beacon Journal      9-12-18

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Hellish roads, good intentions

Kenmore Boulevard is no longer. It is Kenmore Street or Avenue with traffic down to one lane in each direction, parking spaces dropped into the center and bike lanes at the curb. The lovely boulevard which years ago featured streetcars on the median strip is gone.

Similarly, Canton Road, north of East Market, formerly four lanes of flowing traffic, is now two lanes with a turn lane in the middle and, of course, bike lanes on both sides.

The biggest mess of all is East Exchange westbound from the expressway past the university. Four lanes are now two, parking eliminated and, of course, bike lanes on the school side of the street. Traffic is constantly backed up to Carroll Street. Emergency vehicles get caught in gridlock trying to get to Akron General Cleveland Clinic Hospital.

Merchants must be losing business because of the lack of parking and congestion. To bypass this parking lot, you can go down Buchtel Avenue to the university and get downtown to another destruction project which will have traffic down to two lanes on Main Street and, of course, you guessed it, more bike lanes. Never mind all of the 20- to 30-year-old trees taken down.

These government “look good,” “feel good” changes are not in the best interest of Akron’s drivers. The

money would be better spent paving more of the city’s awful streets, along with painting lines on the expressway and other four-lane streets, Kenmore Boulevard excluded.

Dennis Murphy, Akron

 

Akron Beacon Journal      9-12-18

 VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Nightmare on the boulevard

We were glad to see that Kenmore Boulevard was finally repaved. The crews did a great job. Then they put many gallons of white paint designating no-go zones over most of what was repaved. What were they thinking?

The designated parking in the middle of what used to be a much-used traffic lane is simply dumb. Traffic is forced into one lane each way and anyone turning (left or right) holds up that one lane. While adding a bike lane seems to be the thing to do these days, the way it was done is, again, dumb. Look for chaos when it snows.

How are they going to plow when there are cars parked in the middle of the street and how is anyone going to see all those dumb white lines when it snows? Someone’s dream of a bike-friendly boulevard has become a nightmare for anyone wanting to drive there.

Bill Collins, Akron

 

Akron Removes Short-Lived Bike Lane Experiment on Exchange

By TIA MYERS-ROCKER • SEP 27, 2018

The City of Akron is closing the newly installed bike lane on East Exchange Street.

Engineers for the city installed the double bike lanes in early August, before University of Akron students returned to campus. The bike lanes are scheduled to be removed October 11.

The Hands on Exchange experiment was an opportunity for the City of Akron to address roadway improvements in the area. They took one lane of traffic out and replaced it with a two-way bike lane. City of Akron Engineering Bureau project manager, Christine Jonke says she met with representatives from the University of Akron to discuss their needs.  Jonke says that Exchange Street is “almost a barrier between the students and the main campus,” so they wanted to bring both sides together.

Initially, the University of Akron responded well to the bike lanes, but the City of Akron wanted to hear from the public.  Walkers and bikers were encouraged to give feedback on the bike lanes using online surveys, website comments, and phone calls.

 

This experiment was not successful but Akron hasn’t given up they are going to try again in 2022 when more federal money can be used in wasteful projects that cannot work, nor make sense!

Sep 13 2019

Stocks rise with Rising Interest Rates & Falls with Lower Rates


Armstrong Economics Blog/Basic Concepts

Re-Posted Sep 13, 2019 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: I mentioned that you said the stock market rallies with rising rates and declines with lower rates to an analyst. He said you were wrong and everyone knows that is not true and President Trump just came out calling on the Fed to lower rates to zero of negative.

You have only showed 1929 as your example. Can you support your argument otherwise?

Skeptical

REPLY: Well skeptical, we need people like you on the opposite side. It is not my job to convince you. Trump is a borrower and only sees the world through his personal experience. The people with savings and pension funds are being wiped out. That is a statement he has made which is HIGHLYdangerous and proves I do not advise Trump which seems to be a Democratic accusation running around.

 

I do not care what period you look at. This notorious group of “everyone” illustrates that if you tell a lie long enough, you yourself will believe what you are saying. These people constituting everyone just repeat what others say without any verification whatsoever. They even teach this nonsense in school. I had one student who said his professor was teaching the same nonsense.

I fully understand that the talking heads on TV also portray the stock market from the borrower’s viewpoint just as Trump has done. Not everyone borrows and the big money does not. So if people believe what they want to believe. I prefer to assemble the largest possible database, correlate everything, and see how the world REALLY ticks. So believe what you want. There are always two-sides to a market so I fully respect that it is ABSOLUTELY vital that the major be on the wrong side for that is what makes the markets move.

Categories: Basic Concepts
Sep 13 2019

Politicians Love a Crisis


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics

Re-Posted Sep 13, 2019 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Dear Mr. Armstrong,
Thank you for your blog. It has taken the veil off my eyes.
As I understand, not only is the hypothesis that mankind can alter the Earth’s climate nonsense, it is also detrimental to the world’s economy. It misplaces important resources, and anti-CO2 regulations hinder growth and the betterment of mankind.
In Norway, where I write from, there is pure hysteria. Children are being brainwashed into fear. People are talking about “Norway’s climate policies” not being good enough, and such nonsense.
Although I understand that this helps governments grow stronger by allowing them to introduce new taxes and regulations, I also thought that the powers that be, the ones really calling the shots, prefer more economic growth and less regulation.
Why has not the climate hysteria been globally debunked yet? It wouldn’t take so long. Aren’t the financial and industrial powers that be powerful enough? Or do they also benefit from the anthropogenic climate hysteria? Could you please shed some light into this?
Thank you.
ROM

ANSWER: This has become the agenda of the left. They are using it to grab more power and justify class warfare. The media is on board. I asked someone I know in that political camp and he said: “Look, fear politics is best. You know that!”

My summation of dealing with governments most of my adult life, well, I have come away with a simple reality.

When I was young and naive, I believed that the government was really there to help. It soon became clear to me what really drives governments.

I can show with absolute proof, say 25 million people will die next month because of something. They will respond, perhaps you are wrong.

I have come to realize that politicians LOVE a crisis for that is when they can look impressive.

If I were to run for president and said, “Vote for me because I saved your job, home, and your life!”you would look at me and ask how I did such a thing? It is impossible to convince you that whatever I did saved everything that you had no idea was even in jeopardy.

It is far better to run for office with a crisis and then I can say, “Vote for me, I will go get the guy that caused you to lose your job, home, and your family!”

With every crisis, they form committees. Just look at the Russia nonsense. Even if they bought adds on Facebook, that will not win an election. If they released Hillary’s emails, then that was the truth. There was no allegation that anyone faked the emails. So they turned it into a crisis and have kept it going. There is nothing like a good crisis for politicians on both sides.

Sep 13 2019

Can Hidden Camera Shots of Taylor Swift Trick America into Thoughtful Perspective?


143K subscribers

Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, an appointee of President Trump’s, makes two simple, but extraordinary statements in a new interview. His thoughtful insight into American exceptionalism and partisan divisions bring much-needed perspective to the raging public debate on both of those subjects. Right Angle with Bill Whittle, Stephen Green and Scott Ott, appears 20 times each month thanks to the Members who’s contributions fund it. We invite you to join them, and to find a community of common sense, at https://BillWhittle.com/register/ * Note: This episode contains no hidden camera shots of Taylor Swift, but merely a click-bait headline in hopes it would trick America into thoughtful perspective. We know…it’s embarrassing.