Tag Archives: Joe Manchin AKA Lucy

Jan 23 2023

Sunday Talks, HPSCI Chair Mike Turner Discusses Latest in Biden Classified Document Issue


Posted originally on the CTH on January 22, 2023 | Sundance 

The likely Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), Mike Turner (R-OH), appears on CBS Face the Nation with DC stenographer for the regime, Margaret Brennan.

You know the left wing of the DC political operation is riddled with angst, when Margaret Brennan goes tilt, stomps her heels and throws the proverbial coffee pot across the table.  The only thing missing was Margaret pounding the table and yelling ‘curse you villain.‘  The unbiased pretenses are chucked right out the window here.  The interview is a little funny.  WATCH: 

[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Ohio Congressman Mike Turner, he is expected to head up the House Intelligence Committee. Good morning to you.

REP. MIKE TURNER: Good morning Margaret, thank you for having me.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So we have this development in regard to the further materials that were found at President Biden’s Delaware home. What is your reaction? And what does it signify to you that no one realized that this classified material was missing, some of it dating back to his Senate years?

REP. TURNER: This is really incredible. And as you know, congratulations to you, we would not know anything about this if it hadn’t been that CBS had broken this story. The White House nor the Department of Justice had shared any of the information with the public. And this really is one matter, we wouldn’t have this issue if it hadn’t been for Biden’s Attorney General did- making the decision to raid former President Trump’s house looking for- for classified documents that were being held there. What’s amazing about all this is it takes us to the question of why were these documents here? Well, now that we learned that some of these go back to his Senate time, you know, clearly he’s- he’s become a serial classified document hoarder. Why did he have these? Who did he show them to? I mean, the only reason you can think of as to why anyone would take classified documents out of a classified space at home is to- is to show them to somebody. Who did he show them to? This is going to be crucial, I think, to the special counsel’s investigation, is why did the president have these documents? Who did he show them to him? And is it connected to the Biden family businesses?

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you know, the differences of course, too. I want to talk about the Biden situation. But just to clarify, when you reference President Trump, there were 300 classified documents, there was a warrant, there was refusal to comply in terms of handing things over and the White House and the president’s lawyer are pointing out that in the case of Biden, he granted permission, and this was consensual for the DOJ to come in and search. Does the fact that the Justice Department conducted the search signify anything more to you and do you have any insight into the sensitivity of the documents?

REP. TURNER: Sure, absolutely. I think this looks more like a cover up than an investigation.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you have any facts to back up your- your allegations that he was hoarding things in terms of intention to take classified material versus it’s been characterized that it was somehow accidental? Do you have any insight into what these materials were?

REP. TURNER: Well, they didn’t fly to his home without him. They went on a train with him from the- his Senate offices and then in boxes that he was in charge of. The chain of custody here is going to be important, because we know that these were in Joe Biden’s hands and Joe Biden’s control, then ended up behind his Corvette in his garage and in his office, that he did not control and also throughout his house, so the special counsel is gonna have to deal with the issue of what was the chain of custody? Who had these? Why did he take them to begin with? When did he get them? When was he handed these documents? And what did he do with them? And this is a real critical question to all this, why did he have these documents to begin with? And that is why the special counsel’s work is going to be really important, because I can think of no reason why the president should have taken home, as a senator or as vice president, any classified documents that clearly have no protection. They’re available and open to anybody.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You have also before this development asked for a briefing from the Director of National Intelligence. You set a deadline of Thursday, do you have any further reason to believe they will meet that deadline, that you will get any insight into these materials?

REP. TURNER: Well we’ll have to see, but what’s critical here–

MARGARET BRENNAN: They haven’t responded?

REP. TURNER: –And this is very important, this is what’s very important to all of this, Margaret, and that is the FBI and the national archivists were working completely independent of the intelligence community, or the Department of Defense. They claim this was all an issue of national security, but they did not speak to anyone who’s involved in national security.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So no response yet from the intelligence community?

REP. TURNER: I have not received a response, no.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. I also want to ask you what leadership looks like with Republicans in charge. You are also on House Oversight.

REP. TURNER: Right.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Of the 26 Republican members on the committee, 19 of them denied the results of the 2020 election. Your colleagues now include Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Scott Perry. They all played critical roles in – in the former president’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. Do you have any concerns about working with these lawmakers? I mean, you’re very much a centrist.

REP. TURNER: Well, you know, even on the Democrat side, there’s been a number of people who objected to President Bush’s reelection and voted against certifying his election.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I am asking about you, your party, and your colleagues.

(CROSSTALK)

REP. TURNER: There’s a long history of both sides, having raised issues, including, you recall, the- Al Gore taking President Bush’s election all the way to the Supreme Court.

(CROSSTALK)

MARGARET BRENNAN: You are not an election denier by CBS standards just to be clear.

REP. TURNER: I am not, and I work with both sides of the aisle, and there are election deniers on both sides of the aisle.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You are comfortable with all those individuals I just rattled off and the fact that the majority of the Republicans on this committee denied the election results. Is that what you are saying?

REP TURNER: What I’m comfortable with is -the electorate are very smart. And these people have been sent to Congress to represent their districts and to be part of the congressional debate-

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

REP TURNER: -to lead us to what’s going to be bipartisan, bicameral resolutions. We have a split government right now, Republicans control the House, the Senate is controlled by the Democrats, you have a Democrat president. We’re going to have a lot of debate and discussions. And I think this is going to be a very fruitful period for- for Congress and for our country, because it’s going to have to be bipartisan, bicameral, and I believe that the president in opening negotiations with Republicans is beginning to start that process.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What is actually possible in this bipartisan, bicameral situation? What can you actually get legislation through on?

(CROSSTALK)

REP. TURNER: Depending on what the pending- what the president’s willing to do, I think it’s unlimited. Right? We have really tough issues right now. We have out of control inflation. We have an open border and record people crossing our border.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What about gun control?

REP. TURNER: We have -we have the issue of Russia, and certainly in Ukraine, and certainly China, I think we’re going to have a number of issues that we’re going to have to deal with.

MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, Congressman Turner, we have to leave it there today.

REP. TURNER: Thank you, Margaret.

[End Transcript]

Jan 22 2023

Personal Lawyers Admit Joe Biden Took Classified Documents Home When He Was a Senator


Posted originally on the CTH on January 22, 2023 | sundance 

According to multiple media report [See Here and See Here] Joe Biden’s attorneys coordinated a friendly FBI search their client’s Delaware residence.  Lawyers for Biden were present and overseeing the FBI review of the home, when additional classified documents were discovered.

Interestingly, the Biden lawyers seemingly admit their client had been taking classified documents home for quite some time.  According to their statement (emphasis mine):

“DOJ took possession of materials it deemed within the scope of its inquiry, including six items consisting of documents with classification markings and surrounding materials, some of which were from the President’s service in the Senate and some of which were from his tenure as Vice President. DOJ also took for further review personally handwritten notes from the vice-presidential years.”   (link)

That statement was written by Joe Biden’s personal attorney, Bob Bauer.  That’s interesting on many levels, including the fact that Bob Bauer is married to Anita Dunn. Mrs. Anita Dunn is one of the original people who helped put Barack Obama in the White House; and Dunn worked with President Obama throughout his terms.  Additionally, Anita Dunn is on the short list to replace Biden’s outgoing Chief of Staff, Ron Klain.

Many people have wondered if Joe Biden was being set up for failure over this classified document scandal.  In my opinion, the entire operation is being managed – but not to remove Biden, simply to control him and ensure he doesn’t run again.

When it comes to the insurance of their ideological long-term goals, democrats play cutthroat politics much better than most imagine.  Ask Bernie Sanders what it’s like to be viewed as an impediment to the ideological quest, and what lengths his party will take to cut you down.

Now overlay Joe Biden’s personal lawyer, Bob Bauer.   Think about who exactly it was discovering these documents and why.  If Obama is the silent partner in the background of the Biden administration, then Dunn is the operational manager.  If Dunn is the operational manager, then her husband is very useful as the principle’s attorney.  From the big picture, it sure looks like Bauer is playing the role of Brutus.

Jan 21 2023

Tucker Carlson Outlines the Unbridled Lust of Govt Officials for Power and Control


The Tucker Carlson monologue tonight takes on the issue of extreme government control over the smallest details of life under oppression and totalitarian outlooks amid those who control western democracies.  WATCH:

.

“We will not go gently into that bloody collectivist good night. Indeed, we will make with our defiance such a sound as ALL history from that day forward will be forced to note, even if they despise us in the writing of it.”  ~ Mike Vanderboegh

January 20, 2023 | Sundance

Jan 20 2023

Supreme Court Swears They Cannot Find Leaker of Dobbs Decision


Posted originally on thr CTH on January 19, 2023 | Sundance

Tucker Carlson Outlines the Intersection of the Unelected Administrative State and The Fourth Branch of Government

Posted originally on the CTH on January 19, 2023 | Sundance

The fourth branch of government is the superseding national security apparatus or intelligence branch.  That system actually existed for decades as the unelected intelligence apparatus built out its capabilities while We The People slept.

Then 9-11 happened, and the intelligence surveillance system was retooled under the Patriot Act.  The Legislative Branch came with the big assist.  Then Obama came into office, and all the basic tools were in place to fine tune that surveillance and targeting mechanism.  So here we are.  Enter, Tucker Carlson:

.

Jan 20 2023

During Remarks at World Economic Forum FBI Director Chris Wray Talks About Success in Combatting Pre-Criminal Activity


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 19, 2023 | Sundance 

Lots of people are talking about U.S. FBI Director Christopher Wray discussing the agencies “partnership with the private sector” as it relates to modern FBI activity.  However, I’m just that random oddball in the crowd who just wants to point out something, well, kind of a big picture issue.

I notice in all of the discussions surrounding the FBI activity, and there are a lot of discussions – including admissions and outlines from the FBI itself, there appears to be an element of the subject matter being overlooked.  Here’s a segment from Wray at the World Economic Forum {Direct Rumble Link} as a precursor to what few are noticing.  WATCH:

The FBI is a criminal investigative agency. Meaning, a crime is committed, and the FBI mission is to investigate it, solve it, and bring the information to the justice department for pursuit. At least that was the customary role of the FBI as it was/is commonly discussed.

However, please note that in Director Wray’s remarks, every element of the FBI mission is framed around “prevention” of criminal activity, or what we would call pre-crimes.

Stop for a moment and rewatch it if needed, you’ll see what I am talking about.

Um, please excuse my interruption.

While it might seem like an unusual thing to notice, this is not a small issue.

In the era following the 9-11 attacks, there was public outcry around the issue of “how” and “why” did law enforcement, specifically the FBI, not PREVENT the attack.  In just about every conversation following the attack every framework was about how to prevent an attack.

The 9-11 commission itself was focused on learning lessons from the attack; thereby the direct and implicit message was to construct systems to prevent another attack from happening.  Essentially to move the FBI from a reactive footing in the aftermath of a crime, to a proactive footing to prevent crime.

Now, what I am asking readers to do is to realize when the fundamental mission of an investigative agency changes from investigating the aftermath of criminal activity, to the prevention of criminal activity, we as a society open ourselves up to having severe restrictions on our liberty.  After all, just about everything that we now see as an infringement on freedom, is some form of a proactive action by government.

Change the mission from the investigation of crime to the prevention of crime, and the entire apparatus of the mission fundamentally changes.

Criminals are no longer the target when you are preventing crimes.  Criminals are only targets in the aftermath of crime.  When you are preventing crime, everyone that could commit a crime is the new mission target.  Everyone, regardless of their connection to – or association with – criminal activity, is now a potential criminal.   Potential criminals must be monitored.

Potential criminals are now the target.  You are a potential criminal.  As a result of your potential ability, you are a target for pre-crime investigation.  Within the process of pre-crime investigation, your archaic views of freedom and liberty are dispatched.

The office of the Director of National Intelligence was created to turn the terrorist radar internally.  Every American is now a potential “domestic terrorist.”  Thus, you see FBI Director Christopher Wray sitting on a stage and openly admitting the FBI partnerships with the private sector are key to the mission; a mission of pre-crime targeting.

Can you see how this rolls along?…

As soon as the FBI changes from investigating the aftermath of a crime committed to intercepting the potential criminal conduct, things get very opaque, sketchy and weird.  When the FBI is investigating crimes, you have rights.  When the FBI is preventing crimes, those rights are impediments.

Our entire legal system is structured around criminal accountability.  An event takes place, and we hold the criminal accountable.  Judges, lawyers, courts, systems, processes, protections, rights of the accused, fourth amendment, fifth amendment, etc. etc.  Hundreds of years of rules and regulations within a criminal justice system.

We do not have a “pre-crime” justice system.

The current FBI mission is pre-crime enforcement.

Think about the ramifications; it shouldn’t be hard, because we are living them.

I will sit down now….

Jan 19 2023

Musk on the SEC


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Jan 19, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Jan 19 2023

If Someone is Charged with a Ponzi Scheme – It is Always a Cover-Up


Armstrong Economics Blog/Rule of Law Re-Posted Jan 19, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

We always hear that some high-profile case is always a giant Ponzi Scheme. As soon as you hear that, you know the charges are FAKE NEWS! Why, because the actual legal definition of a Ponzi Scheme means that there was “no legitimate business” and the entire thing was a fraud. By calling it a Ponzi scheme, they do NOT have to prove each and every fraud. They then try to claim that everything was a fraud because they cannot prove individual transactions and that immediately cuts off any other investigation. That is why they are calling FTX a Ponzi Scheme to prevent any investigation that would uncover money laundering. The court-appointed lawyers are a JOKE. They will never defend you. They put on a show and that is it. In my case, they had to drop that because I knew the law. Every theory they would use, I attacked. They just get to constantly change the theory and the press never pays attention.

In the end, they wrote the script and simply reduced it all to I failed to tell my clients that the bank stole the money for its own benefit. Hence, they had to even drop any restitution for I would get to haul in every bankers and expose what really went on. So that was it. A dog and pony show.

Jan 19 2023

President Trump Outlines Policy Video Calling for Ban on China Acquisition of American Infrastructure


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 19, 2023 | Sundance

On Wednesday President Trump released a new policy video {Direct Rumble link} highlighting “China’s intrusive actions to own America’s infrastructure and vital industries.”

Within the policy, the Trump campaign pledges to enact aggressive regulations to prevent China from influencing American sovereignty. According to the proposal, “the United States will also pressure the Chinese to sell off any current holdings that threaten the country’s national and economic security.” WATCH:

President Trump was the largest voice amid U.S. politicians to call out the economic threat represented by China back in 2015, an extension of criticism and warnings he carried for more than a decade before entering the world of politics. Transcript Below:

[Transcript] – “China is buying up our country. While corrupt Democrats and RINO-type politicians in Washington have been spending trillions of dollars on the Green New Deal nonsense, foolish foreign wars, and providing lavish benefits to illegal aliens from all over the planet, China has been spending trillions of dollars to take over the crown jewels of the United States economy. And they are doing that.

China is buying up our technology. They’re buying up food supplies. They’re buying up our farmland. They’re buying up our minerals and natural resources. They’re buying up our ports and shipping terminals. And with the help of corrupt influence peddlers like the Biden Crime Family, China is even trying to buy up the pillars of the U.S. energy industry. Because frankly, Biden and the group don’t care about real energy. They only care about nonsense energy, energy that doesn’t work, and it never will.

While some are focused on China’s purchases near power plants and military bases, the fact is we should be very concerned about all Chinese Communist activity in the United States. As I’ve long said, economic security is national security. China does not allow American companies to take over their critical infrastructure. And America should not allow China to take over our critical infrastructure. I didn’t allow it when I was president, and I won’t allow it when we become president again.

To protect our country, we need to enact aggressive new restrictions on Chinese ownership of any vital infrastructure in the United States, including energy, technology, telecommunications, farmland, natural resources, medical supplies, and other strategic national assets. We should stop all future Chinese purchases in these essential industries, and we should begin the process of forcing the Chinese to sell any current holdings that put our national security at risk.

If we don’t do this, the United States will be owned by China which would make them very happy. When I’m president, I will ensure that America’s future remains firmly in American hands just as I did when I was president before. It’ll happen again, and our country will be stronger than ever. Thank you.” (link)

Jan 19 2023

Twitter Downsizing Data Center in Atlanta GA (Near GA Tech), and Shutting Down Data Center in Sacramento


Posted originally on the CTH on January 18, 2023 | Sundance

Curious news about Jack’s Magic Coffee Shop, aka ‘The Twitter’, surfaces as the social media company announces that to save money, they will shut down the Sacramento data center and substantially downsize the Atlanta data center.

Oddly enough, the Atlanta data center is in the same regional complex as Georgia Tech University, which is the same university under U.S. government contract (think Rodney Joffe and the Trump-Russia Alfa Bank hoax) for cybersecurity research efforts.

[NOTE: Shortly after Twitter expanded its data center in Atlanta, on Nov 29, 2016, Georgia Tech received a $17.3 million contract from the U.S. Dept of Defense for “cybersecurity” research.  Three days later, Georgia Tech announced new collaboration with China’s Tianjin U, which hosts the APT hacker groups and is a partner of China Telecom and Huawei. Funny that, and you already know my suspicions, so I digress.]

(Data Center Dynamics) – Twitter is shutting down its data center in Sacramento, and will downsize its facility in Atlanta, Platformer’s Zoë Schiffer reports. The decision was previously rumored in November.

The company operates three main facilities in the US, with its remaining site in Portland, Oregon, expected to take the increased load. It is not clear if Twitter has done an analysis of the migration and whether the remaining servers can handle the load – when the Sacramento data center collapsed in September it caused a system outage. The move is expected to happen as soon as early January.

Twitter also has cloud contracts with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud, but new owner Elon Musk is believed to be trying to renegotiate the contracts and cut expenses.

At the same time, he said that he plans to release new services that will require more storage and compute, including long-form high resolution video.

Former Twitter employee Sasha Solomon, who was fired after tweeting “sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” about Musk’s acquisition, responded to the data center closure report with: “Omfg like good luck when a failover needs to happen. So excited to see what 1-ish data center can do with all of Twitter’s traffic.” (read more)

This downsizing and reorganization of the background data-processing is happening at the same time the Daily Mail is discussing the financial viability of Twitter [SEE HERE].

Now, I don’t want to go down that rabbit hole again, but if Elon Musk was notified the US Govt was no longer going to subsidize the extreme data processing costs (coffee making), due to a lessening of the ‘national security partnership‘ per se’, then wouldn’t it make sense to start shutting down and downsizing costly data centers.

Just sayin’.

#Jack’sMagicCoffeeShop

Jan 19 2023

December Retail Sales Drop -1.1%, November Sales Data Revised Lower to -1.0%


Posted originally on the CTH on January 18, 2023 | Sundance 

There is something predictable about Main Street economics, eventually what you see around you overwhelms the great pretending.  CTH has been outlining the state of the consumer economy in great detail for quite a while, and though it is difficult to note when the outcomes will surface, eventually they do surface. [Reminder Here]

CONTEXT. CTH outlined the moment when the purchasing power of the U.S. middle class actually began contracting.  It was March and April of 2021 when that Rubicon was crossed.  We saw it in the second and third quarter data from 2021, but few were willing to admit.

What changed in those two months back in ’21 was a dramatic drop in the “unit sales” of stuff within the consumer economy.  The drop in unit sales was hidden because it happened simultaneously with the first wave of massive spike in prices.  Prices rose so fast the sales data was giving an artificial impression of sales growth, but in the background the actual unit sales dropped.   Those analysts correcting and adjusting historic data to ‘inflation adjusted terms’ are now noticing.

Additionally, and not coincidentally – because the metrics are connected, you will note this line from the Wall Street Journal review of the producer price index. “The producer-price index, which generally reflects supply conditions in the economy, rose 6.2% in December from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Wednesday, the slowest annual pace since March 2021.”  In essence, the current rate of wholesale price increase on materials is now returning to the rate of price increase that happened in the period when prices spiked.  Again, this is predictable.

Inflation is the measure of the ‘rate’ of price increase over time.  March and April of 2021 were the beginning of the first inflationary spike.

Driven almost entirely by the supply side shock from Biden energy policy, in the subsequent 20 months the rate of price increase skyrocketed, peaked August 2022, and now the rate of increase starts returning.  This does not mean price declines; this means the rate of growth in the price increase is lessening.

This is a cyclical outcome.

After 20 months of dropping unit sales, a result of massive price increases; and as the rate of inflation now starts to moderate created by the cyclical nature of it; what we now see is the inability of the price increases to continue hiding the drop in unit sales.   [Background pdf Data] Total retail sales data is now exposed and that’s why we will see this increasing story about negative sales data as the inflation cycle plateaus.

(Via Wall Street Journal) – Retail spending fell in December at the sharpest pace of 2022, marking a dismal end to the holiday shopping season as rising interest rates, still-high inflation and concerns about a slowing economy pinched American consumers.

Purchases at stores, restaurants and online, declined a seasonally adjusted 1.1% in December from the prior month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Sales were also revised lower in November and have fallen three of the past four months.

The decline in retail spending late last year adds to signs that the U.S. economy is slowing. Hiring and wage growth eased in December, U.S. commerce with the rest of the world declined significantly in November, and existing-home sales have fallen for 10 straight months. The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that industrial production slumped in December, led by weakness in the manufacturing industry.

S&P Global downgraded its estimate for fourth-quarter economic growth by a half percentage point to a 2.3% annual rate after Wednesday’s data releases. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal this month expect higher interest rates to tip the U.S. economy into a recession in the coming year.

“The lag impact of elevated inflation weighs heavily on U.S. households, it’s very clear that the median American consumer is still reeling from the loss of wages in inflation-adjusted terms,” said Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US LLP. “We’re moving towards what I would expect to be a mild recession in 2023,” he added. (read more)

When the Baghdad Bob economic pretenders say, “mild recession,” anticipate something more akin to a mild nuclear meltdown, something with breadlines and soup kitchens.

Now, you must keep in mind that almost every financial media outlet used the same Retail Federation talking point about anticipating an 8% increase in holiday sales last year.  [Reminder] Apparently, collective pretenses must be maintained.  Meanwhile, news crews and camera crews were having a desperate time finding any holiday shopping to use as background footage for the claims that sales were strong.  Here we are in January and the pretending has hit reality.

Negative retail sales in November and December when prices are roughly +10% over the prior year, means the unit sales collapse was far more dramatic…. Far more.

Trying to survive policy driven price increases in housing costs, energy costs, electricity costs, home heating, food and fuel costs has forced consumers to reevaluate purchasing decisions.  Consumer demand for non-essential items has collapsed, and Americans are dig deep into their savings just to sustain unavoidable expenses.  Eventually, pretending this is not happening is going to run into the wall of reality.

On one hand the leaders of large multinationals must pretend everything is splendid; after all, the only acceptable position they can articulate is to support interest rates being raised because demand is just too darned high….  pretending.  But on the other hand – those same suppliers and multinationals are furiously trying to calculate how to avoid being stuck with billions worth of unsold inventory and idle industrial equipment.