Tag Archives: Politicians get support from their peers using tenure and status etc.

Aug 23 2024

Benz: It’s Not Republican’s vs. Democrats, It’s Blob vs. Populism


Posted originally on Rumble By Bannons War Room on: Aug 22, 2024 at 07:00 pm EST

Aug 19 2024

Sketchy Business – Ben Sasse Under Investigation for Financial Issues During University Tenure, DeSantis Calls for Inquiry


Posted originally on the CTH on August 18, 2024 | Sundance

A few weeks ago, former Senator Benn Sasse quit his job as President at University of Florida.  The claimed reason given by Sasse was to care for his wife who has epilepsy, but the timing of things now looks very sketchy.

I’m going to outline the details in real time because this is going to become more critical as Ron DeSantis positions his future ambitions for the White House, again in 2028.

CTH noted a few years ago that Ron DeSantis was positioning for 2024 presidency.  One of the supportive datapoints was a $20 million donation by the Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) to Ron DeSantis {LINK}.  At the time of the donation to DeSantis, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts was the RGA chairman.

After the donation was made, Ron DeSantis then used the influence of his office to support Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse for the position of President of University of Florida {LINK}.  As noted by Politico: “Sasse’s sherpa through the university search process was Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff James Uthmeier, who was put in contact with Sasse several months ago after he quietly expressed interest in becoming UF president.“ (link)

After Ben Sasse accepted the position as UF President, former Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts then became Senator {LINK}. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announced Thursday that former Gov. Pete Ricketts will fill the Senate seat of Ben Sasse, who officially resigned from Congress this week to return to academia as president of the University of Florida.  Ricketts, a Republican, like Pillen and Sasse, will serve two years ahead of a 2024 special Senate election.

The quid-pro-quo was complete.  DeSantis took the $20 million from Chairman Ricketts, then opened the path for Ricketts to move to the Senate by using his office to support the movement of Senator Sasse.  Despite the activity taking place over 2 years, the sequence of it was transparent to those who paid attention.   However, now comes the problem.

Apparently, Ben Sasse knew there was going to be a serious problem with his first-year conduct in office as UF President.  Ben Sasse announced he was quitting the job a few weeks ago {LINK}, and now comes the background issue:

WASHINGTON DC – Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has called for an inquiry into former University of Florida President Ben Sasse’s expenses following a report from the school’s student newspaper about spending tripling under his leadership.

Sasse reportedly spent $17.3 million in his first year as president of the university, which was up from the $5.6 million his predecessor, Kent Fuchs, spent in his last year. A majority of the spending came from big contracts with consulting firms and high-salaried remote positions for former staffers of Sasse while he was a senator.

Bryan Griffin, a communications director for DeSantis, said in a statement that discussions with the university and the Florida Board of Governors are underway.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said the “reports of UF’s exorbitant spending by Ben Sasse’s office are concerning,” and that his agency, the Florida Department of Financial Services, will “offer auditing services” to assist in the inquiry. (read more)

This entire story is so brutally Republican it’s almost laughable.

DeSantis moves from congress to FL Governor in 2018 with intent to run for White House in ’24.  Everyone denied it.

DeSantis took $20 million from RGA in 2022 as seed money for his White House run in ’24.  Everyone denied it.

DeSantis announced ’24 run, then uses legislature to rewrite rules allowing him to put $20 million into ‘2024 SuperPAC.  Everyone denied it.

In the middle of all this, DeSantis shifts Sasse to UF President, RGA head who gave DeSantis $20 million replaces Sasse.  Sasse then loots UF, quits and then DeSantis tries to back away from Sasse toward the exits.

After Sasse resigned due to his wife’s epilepsy diagnosis, DeSantis said he wasn’t “involved necessarily” in the selection of Sasse.  He made clear that he would not be involved in the selection process for the new president. (more)

But Ron DeSantis is not a professional republican and sketchy, they say…  lolol 

Aug 18 2024

Royce White On How Minnesota Became The Cultural Battleground For This Election Cycle


Posted originally on Rumble By Bannons War Room on: Aug 17, 2024 at 02:00 pm EST

Aug 10 2024

The 17th Amendment


Posted originally on the CTH on August 9, 2024 | Sundance

Machiavelli said, “It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain by the new ones.”  A prescient and oft repeated quote that is pertinent to the situation.

When our founders created the system of government for our constitutional republic, they built in layers of protection from federal control over the lives of people in the states.  Over time those protections have been eroded as the federal bureaucracy has seized power.  One of the biggest changes that led to the creation of the permanent political class was the 17th amendment.

Our founders created a system where Senators were appointed by the state legislatures.  In this original system the senate was bound by obligation to look out for the best interests of their specific states.  Under the ‘advise and consent‘ rules of Senate confirmation for executive branch appointments, the intent was to ensure the presidential appointee -who would now carry out regulatory activity- would not undermine the independent position of the states.

The nucleus of corruption amid every element of the federal institutions of government is the United States Senate.   The U.S. Senate, also known as the “upper chamber,” is the single most powerful elected element in modern federal government.

The Intelligence Branch is the most powerful branch of government.  However, the U.S. Senate is the most powerful assembly of federally elected officials.  We pretend the IC branch doesn’t exist; that’s part of our problem.  At least we admit the Senate exists.

All other elected federal corruption is dependent on a corrupt and ineffective Senate.  If we correct the problems with the Senate and reconnect the representation within the chamber to the state-level legislative bodies, we will then see immediate change.  However, there would be ZERO institutional allies in this effort.

When the 17th amendment (direct voting for Senators) took the place of state appointments, the perspective of ‘advise and consent’ changed.  The senate was now in the position of ensuring the presidential appointee did not undermine the power of the permanent bureaucracy, which is the root of power for the upper-chamber.

Senate committees, Homeland Security, Judiciary, Intelligence, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, etc. now consists of members who carry an imbalanced level of power within government.  The senate now controls who will be in charge of executive branch agencies like the DOJ, DHS, FBI, CIA, ODNI, DoD, State Dept and NSA, from the position of their own power and control in Washington DC.

In essence, the 17th amendment flipped the intent of the constitution from protecting the individual states to protecting the federal government.

Almost every source of federal issue: ex. spending, intervention and foreign assistance, conflict with the states, burdensome regulation, surveillance and spying on American citizens, the two-tiered justice system and the erosion of liberty & individual rights (see COVID examples), can be sourced back to the problem created by the 17th amendment.

Because of the scale of their power, the Senate will not give up control easily; and every institution of society and government will actively work to block/stop We The People from taking back control of the upper chamber.  Every entity from Wall Street to multinational corporations, big tech, banks, foreign governments and world organizations would align against us.   When you truly understand the epicenter of the corruption, then you are able to see the tentacles extending from it.

It would be easy to say “repeal the 17th amendment;“ it is ‘another kettle of fish’ entirely to walk through the process to make that happen.  Yes, ultimately, we do need a full repeal of the 17th amendment and return the selection of the senators from each state with a nomination and appointment process within the state legislature.  [Common Explainer Here]

Seventeenth Amendment- “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.” (link)

Prior to the 17th amendment, there was significant state level corruption as business interests and senate candidates worked in power groups with party officials to attain the position.  Politicians seeking Senate seats began campaigning for state legislative candidates in order to assemble support.

The state legislative races then became a process of influence amid powerful interests seeking to support their Senate candidate.   Get the right people in the State legislature and you can get the Senator appointed.

Those state-level entities, bankers, wealthy people of influence, later became the permanent K-Street lobbying groups once the 17th amendment was ratified. In essence, they just shifted the location of their influence operation from the state to an office in Washington DC.   [Those same power groups, albeit much larger, now write the physical legislation we see in congress.]  Additionally, prior to the 17th amendment, there were issues of vacancies in federal senate seats as state legislatures could not agree on an individual Senator.

The biggest issue following the passage of the 17th amendment became Senators who were no longer representing the interests of their state.  Instead, they were representing the interests of the power elite groups who were helping them fund the mechanisms of their re-election efforts.

A Senator only needs to run for re-election every six years.  The 17th amendment is the only amendment that changed the structure of the congress as it was written by the founders.

Over time, the Senate chamber itself began using their advice and consent authority to control the executive and judicial branch.  The origination of a nomination now holds the question: “Can this person pass the Senate confirmation process?”  The Senate now abuses this power to ensure no one challenges them.  Additionally, the Senate began using their oversight capacity to control elements within the executive branch and judicial branch.   The full scope of that issue in modern form is OUTLINED HERE – which is the cornerstone of the Intelligence Branch of Government.

If we can repeal the 17th amendment and return the selection to the state legislature, you can see where the background work of Tactical Civics and Extreme Federalism begin to take on importance.   [NOTE: Within the repeal effort we would need to include a recall process for states to reach out and yank back their Senator if they go astray; the ability to recall was missing in the original construct of the framers; it would need to be added.]

◊ PATH ONE is the primary platform of the presidential candidate…. a visible and emphasized mandate that includes: “vote me into office and you are voting to repeal the 17th amendment “.  This specific election issue would need to be the #1 priority of the candidate and spoken at every event.

This approach gives presidential candidate Donald Trump the mandate to demand congress to act if he won the 2024 election.  We need a warrior of epic strength, resolve and fortitude. We need Donald Trump.

◊ PATH TWO is the parallel path built along with the 2024 election platform path and put into place in the event that Congress refused to accept the mandate.

Obviously, this would be an ugly battle.   The second path is a convention of states in the first year of President Trump’s second term in office.

The ‘convention of states‘ would be detailed, strategically planned, and the future schedule determined during the 2024 GOP convention preceding the November election (assuming the right candidate wins).   That way, if congress refuses to act on their own, within say the first 100 days of the new administration, the state legislatures will then assemble a convention for the singular and limited purpose of one action item: “repeal the 17th amendment “.  That’s it. Full Stop.  Nothing more. Nothing else entertained.

There is a lot more to this, and a lot more to cover in discussion of this.  However, this is the path that can resolve most of the issues we face with an out-of-control federal government.   The shift in power would kneecap the Intelligence Branch of Government by re-instituting genuine oversight and control. A repeal of the 17th amendment stops Senators from campaigning, needing to raise money and puts them directly into the accountability position as a steward for the interests of their state.

The people within each state would then have a mechanism to address any negative federal action by contacting their state legislative representative.  In a worst-case scenario, a rogue Senator could be removed within days if they support any federal legislative activity that is not in alignment with the state interest.  This approach also wipes out most of the power amid the Senate Majority Leader, as he/she could also be recalled by the state and would be less likely to work against the interests of the majority in the chamber.

The House of Representatives was created to be the voice of the people, ie, “The Peoples’ House.”  However, the U.S. Senate was structurally created to be the place where state government had representation in the federal government decision-making.  The 17th amendment completely removed state representation, and we have been in an escalating battle over state’s rights ever since.

Overlay that DC structural issue with the fact that almost all of the bureaucracy created by this skewed DC system is now in place to defend itself from any outside effort to change it, and you get this UniParty problem that Donald Trump fully exposed.

Repeal the 17th amendment and we would see the most significant restoration of freedom, liberty and social balance in our lifetime.

Aug 9 2024

Why Republics Will Fall


Posted originally on Aug 9, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

  

Republics are the worst form of government, for every representative can be bribed. Those who are honest get very frustrated, for they will pass rules to prevent anyone from actually even making a motion on the floor. Motions will have to come from Committees. If you do not play nicely, the speaker decides who gets on what Committees. Look at the smirks of the woman behind him, knowing nothing will change.

Here, Mike Bost is frustrated at the corruption in the Illinois House of Representatives. We do not live in a Democracy. The “establishment” is dictated by the Deep State, and far too often, the actual direction of the country is determined by people who are behind the shadows and never stand for election. The head of the European Parliament never stands for election. The head of the EU appoints them. The people have no say in anything meaningful.

Aug 3 2024

Posobiec: Ellen Greenberg A Skeleton In The Closet Of Harris Favorite VP Pick Josh Shapiro


Posted originally on Rumble By Bannons War Room on: Aug 02, 2024 at 07:00 pm EST

Jul 29 2024

A Reminder About Information and Research


Posted originally on the CTH on July 28, 2024 | Sundance

After writing the recent article outlining the modern history of the FBI [SEE HERE] a lot of messages and emails flood in.  Here’s a quick reminder for those who use CTH as a reference resource and research library for information.

CTH was founded because everyone seemed more comfortable pretending about the journey than admitting our predictable destination.  From the outset, and with a long view of the challenges we would face, I have repeatedly stated that everything on this website would be free for the taking.

The truth has no agenda, it just sits there -out there somewhere- waiting to be discovered. Our feelings about it are irrelevant to its existence. The core of our assembly is to look deeply at uncomfortable things, then accept them as they are and not as we would wish/pretend them to be.  We are now in the middle of a fully Orwellian information control operation.  A DHS reconfiguration of the U.S. information communication network as we know it.

As a direct result, the voices who put accurate context to our national challenge are targets.  Information is now being categorized according to definitions by people who do not have good intents.  The blocking, censorship and categorization of information is intended to stop any/all information averse to the interests of a few powerful institutions.

Now, perhaps people see why the CTH ‘free information’ cornerstone was set. The truth has no agenda!

Everything you read and review upon these pages is free for the taking.

Anyone, for any reason, can take any content I produce and use it to advance the honest effort of providing raw unfiltered truth to their audience.  Everything is available for use free, without any attribution or citation if necessary. 

All that I provide is free and can be modified, changed, enhanced in part or whole to meet your needs. Images, writing, research, analysis, all of it is provided, along with no expectation of citation or attribution dependent on your motives and intents.

Make the words your own; use them in part or modify to make a more intelligent or comprehensive outline. All the accompanying graphics are available to use as would suit your interests.

Importantly, all the research is cited and verifiable.  This includes all the pdf files, government documents, FOIA outcomes and uploads to the SCRIBD account.   Take anything you want; thanks, sincerely, but no need to ask permission.  [Ex. FBI ARTICLE]

We are not going to save this republic by demanding or restricting information via self-important perspectives on citation or attribution. I simply do not care about such issues. Make it your own in whatever manner or format fits your interests.

We maintain the voluminous reference library as a documented resource for everyone.  Please accept this thankful reminder with the expressed intent.

If you are brave enough to stand in front of the furnace, you have my full and unwavering support and appreciation.  You are simply considered my brother or sister.  It’s ok, just take it. Anything provided here at CTH is yours to take, whole or in part and make it your own.

This is how we ensure our small contribution to a much larger awakening.

Effective solutions require brutally accurate understanding.

…”There is no such thing as “disinformation” or “misinformation”.  There is only information you accept and information you do not accept.  You were not born with a requirement to believe everything you are told; rather, you were born with a brain that allows you to process the information you receive and make independent decisions.”… 

I will always work earnestly to be deserving of your fellowship. As new visitors attest every day, the fellowship in this commenting community is unique, insightful, articulate, intelligent, funny and awesome.  I love you guys.

With humble appreciation and the warmest of regards, Sundance

Remember, we are inside every facility, every institution, every meeting, every moment of their existence – and we notice everything. We are there when they do not expect, and we melt away before they notice our appearance. We see what they hide, we hear what they whisper, we decipher their codes, and we understand the complexity they create in their effort to conceal. We go to the places we know they will travel.  We have allies and resources inside the core of their machinery. We understand what and why everything is being constructed, and we share all the information we discover.  The truth isn’t mean, it’s just The Truth.   

Jul 12 2024

The ETHICS Act – End Insider Trading in Congress


Posted originally on Jul 12, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Lobbying.Votes_

Both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate can agree on one thing – Congress has been using classified information to illegally trade stocks. Our public servants have been bought out by lobbyists and they no longer work for the public. A bipartisan group is passing on a formal consideration to prevent members of Congress and members, their spouses and dependents, from buying and selling stocks under the ETHICS Act (Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks).

“Congress should not be here to make a buck,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said at a press conference Wednesday on Capitol Hill. “There is no reason why members of Congress ought to be profiting off of the information that only they get.” The Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee will hear the proposed legislation on July 24, but this topic and consistently been blocked. “Would you like to vote in favor of losing millions in illegal trades?” We should not be allowing the very people abusing their office to vote on this matter.

The Ethics Act would give legislators 90 days to sell their investments beginning in March 2027. The president and vice president would also need to divest covered investments. Those in violation would lose either their monthly salary or a mere 10% of the value of each covered asset.

Lobbying Good Bad 01

The severity of insider trading in Congress came to a head after March 2020 when the pandemic began. These insiders offloaded millions in stocks as they knew in advance what was to come. Over 72 lawmakers in the House and Senate received money from Big Pharma before the 2020 US Presidential Election. Over 50 invested heavily in the pharmaceutical sector before COVID became public, as reported by Open Secrets. Forty-eight lawmakers purchased Pfizer stock ahead of the vaccine rollout. Then these same lawmakers had the ability to vote on legislation that would directly benefit their investments.

Pfizer donated to 228 lawmakers on Capitol Hill ahead of the 2020 elections to the tune of $14 million. The company wrote out 1,048 individual checks to candidates and effectively manipulated the direction of the COVID pandemic as these lawmakers then voted on restrictions and mandates that benefitted Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies. Republicans and Democrats are both guilty of abusing their powers.

RevolvingDoorLOBBYISTS

Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) were some of the top recipients of donations from the pharmaceutical industry, both holding seats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Tillis and Coons penned a bill in 2019 to protect pharmaceutical patents. Stats News reported that few candidates funded by Big Pharma lost their re-election campaigns.

Pharmaceuticals are one of EVERY sector that American lawmakers have their hands in. Our public sector workers, whose salary is paid for by the taxpayers, made decisions that impacted the health of the nation simply to line their own pockets.

InsideTraderoftheYear.Pelosi.meme_

Those like Nancy Pelosi have made MILLIONS on insider trading. In one example, Paul Pelosi managed to save $600,000 by selling his stock a month before the microchip ban on Russia and China, which cost Nvidia $400,000,000. Another time, Paul earned $5,300,000 after exercising a call option to buy 4,000 Alphabet shares. Not so coincidentally, this occurred when the House Judiciary Committee cracked down on antitrust practices. Nancy claims her husband is merely an extraordinary trader, and she has no involvement in his obvious success. She was against legislation to curb insider trading until her seat was threatened in the 2022 midterms. The ETHICS Act would prevent members from curtailing already proposed restrictions by banning them from trading through spouses or dependents.

Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, proclaimed to his colleagues “if you want to serve in Congress don’t come here to serve your portfolio, come here to serve the people.” Congress is currently only required to disclose their trades. Everyone sees the unethical practice happening, but nothing has been done. “The fact that members of Congress do better than a generalized portfolio suggests that there’s privileged information that folks hear about — may not be inside information, maybe it’s early information, maybe it’s an insight that comes from working on a sector through your committee work or so on an so forth, But that is an issue,” Merkley said.

Merkley and others are concerned that Congress will protest the ban on members of their household, with the Senator saying “members of Congress get very twitchy and when you say your family will be covered too, they have concerns.” We must restore democracy by preventing our public servants from using us as pawns for profit. The abuse became so blatant after COVID that this is perhaps a measure that needs to be passed by executive order. Take note of those who oppose the ETHICS Act as they are clearly sold out politicians who should not serve as public servants.

Jul 12 2024

Democrats are Putin


Posted originally on the CTH on July 11, 2024 | Sundance 

If we accept the actions and outcomes that are visible from Democrats right now, their definition of “democracy” is apparently to dismiss the will of tens-of-millions of Democrat party voters, and instead install a candidate the DC insiders select.

Democrats and even Biden administration officials are being very open about their intent. They are dismissing Joe Biden and debating the installation of their chosen alternative; all while trying to jail their political opponent.

Can democrats see their version of “democracy” is identical to horrible Vladimir Putin?

I can only imagine the conversation atop various government offices around the world as they watch this all unfold.

Additionally, having just returned from an extended visit to Russia, where I literally spent exhaustive time researching how the government views their role within the social compact – and its consequence upon the average population, the “we know better” outlook currently on display by Democrat influence operations in DC is stunningly similar.

Democrats are defending “The Motherland,” where “mother” is their retention of omnipotent power. Yes, Democrats are Putin.

(VIA CNN) – […] there have been clear signs throughout his term of Biden being increasingly stage-managed, with lists of talking points, names of questioners and drawings of where he should walk presented to him by aides. Ahead of closed-door Cabinet meetings that Biden attends, it is customary for Cabinet officials to submit questions and key talking points that they plan to present in front of Biden ahead of time to White House aides, two sources with direct knowledge told CNN.

“The entire display is kind of an act,” one of those sources told CNN. “They would come and say, ‘Hey, the president is going to call on you about 25 minutes in, and ask this question. What are the bullet points you’ll respond with?’”

[…] In fact, the last full Cabinet meeting took place on October 2, 2023. Sources also said Cabinet meetings during the Obama years, which Biden attended as vice president, were not pre-scripted this way.

[…] “There’s this general sense of just, unbelievable holding your breath every time he does an event, every time he’s with people,” one top Democrat in close touch with Biden’s inner circle of advisers told CNN. This person added that some of those advisers have privately acknowledged: “This is going to get worse.”

That Democrat was blunt about how the president’s closest advisers have responded to any criticism or concerns expressed about the president – including his age and fitness: “Everyone who expresses any level of suspicion or contrary views? They call everyone and they beat the s*** out of them and say: ‘Stay on message.’”

At least one official involved in Biden’s debate prep at Camp David raised doubts about his ability after seeing how rehearsals were going, according to one source briefed on those preparations.

“It’s not like Biden’s inner circle didn’t know this,” one Democratic strategist close to the White House said of the extent of the president’s recent decline.

Campaign officials have rejected Clooney’s and other donors’ characterization of Biden at the Los Angeles fundraiser, with one senior Biden official who was in attendance telling CNN that while the president had in fact been tired that day, he was “animated and extremely present.” (read more)

“I find it both laughable and preposterous that the same people who, for the past four years, forced you to carry a vaccine passport to dine in a restaurant, hold a job or get on a flight are the same people now opposing common-sense legislation requiring individuals to show proof of American citizenship to vote in elections.” – Rep Paul Gosar

Jul 10 2024

Federal Marshal Shoots Carjacker at Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor Residence


Posted originally on the CTH on July 9, 2024 | Sundance 

This is so typically DC; the irony is a little grimacing on many levels.  Apparently a not very smart carjacker pulled a gun and tried to steal a car belonging to a federal marshal while he was on the protective detail of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s condo in DC.

In response, the marshal fired “several shots” at the carjacker along with shots from another officer on the detail.  The young ‘dindunuffin’ was not seriously injured but suffered a major hemorrhaging in street credibility amid the local DC thug population.  Meanwhile, Justice Sotomayor is fine and continues to Build the Better World that surrounds her.

(WASHINGTON DC) – A deputy U.S. Marshal tasked with protecting Supreme Court justices’ homes shot an alleged armed carjacker near the Washington residence of Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor last week, authorities said Tuesday.

The suspect, 18-year-old Kentrell Flowers of Southeast D.C., allegedly pulled a handgun on the marshal, who was in a parked car in the Northwest section of the city around 1:15 a.m. ET on Friday, the Metropolitan Police Department said in a press release.

The marshal drew his own gun and “fired several shots at the suspect,” the MPD said. Another marshal in a separate vehicle also fired at Flowers, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said. (read more)

Lord, please help me not to laugh about this because none of it is funny, yet for some reason I cannot stop snickering.

I always got in trouble when I was a kid for laughing at the wrong stuff.