Denouement of U.S. Empire

[cwolff]

Bill McRaven, retired U.S. Navy admiral who oversaw operation that killed Osama bin Laden, writes that he would “consider it an honor” for President Trump to also revoke his security clearance in solidarity with John Brennan. https://trib.al/bZv7y40 - @washingtonpost

I am heartened by these patriots. If the trumplican did actually honor the troops, the constitution, the flag and our national ideals then editorials like this would give them some pause. It'd be a moment to reflect and possibly re-think the way in which they view our president. I'm afraid it won't of course, but that's the lay of the land. When you've invested deeply in your religion you can't be objective.

William H. McRaven, a retired Navy admiral, was commander of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014. He oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.




Dear Mr. President:
Former CIA director John Brennan, whose security clearance you revoked on Wednesday, is one of the finest public servants I have ever known. Few Americans have done more to protect this country than John. He is a man of unparalleled integrity, whose honesty and character have never been in question, except by those who don’t know him.

Therefore, I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.
Like most Americans, I had hoped that when you became president, you would rise to the occasion and become the leader this great nation needs.

A good leader tries to embody the best qualities of his or her organization. A good leader sets the example for others to follow. A good leader always puts the welfare of others before himself or herself.
Your leadership, however, has shown little of these qualities. Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation.

If you think for a moment that your McCarthy-era tactics will suppress the voices of criticism, you are sadly mistaken. The criticism will continue until you become the leader we prayed you would be.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...a7a_story.html

[cwolff]

12 former senior intelligence officials, Ds & Rs, write to object to POTUS stripping Brennan of security clearance as an “attempt to stifle free speech...We have never before seen the approval or removal of security clearances used as a political tool, as was done in this case”https://twitter.com/jaketapper/statu...80073113464832

Those signing the letter were former CIA Directors William Webster, George Tenet, Porter Goss, Michael Hayden, Leon Panetta and David Petraeus; former CIA Deputy Directors John McLaughlin, Stephen Kappes, Michael Morel, Avril Haines and David Cohen; and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.https://www.politico.com/story/2018/...iticism-782898

Good to see a group of Sr. Intel officers get together to say this.

[cwolff]

President Donald Trump says he expects to "quickly" revoke the security clearance for the Justice Department official whose wife worked for the firm involved in producing the dossier on Trump's ties to Russia.
Trump says the official, Bruce Ohr, is a "disgrace."

Asked about Ohr's security clearance, Trump said: "I suspect I'll be taking it away very quickly. For him to be in the Justice Department and doing what he did, that is a disgrace."

Full on political retaliation. Let's see if Ryan thinks he's just trolling us or if the GOP congress finally stands up to the little orange monster.

http://www.wndu.com/content/news/For...491101161.html

[Wrathbringer]

Full on political retaliation. Let's see if Ryan thinks he's just trolling us or if the GOP congress finally stands up to the little orange monster.

http://www.wndu.com/content/news/For...491101161.html

you're retarded. Also,

butter.jpg

[Androidpk]

Full on political retaliation. Let's see if Ryan thinks he's just trolling us or if the GOP congress finally stands up to the little orange monster.

http://www.wndu.com/content/news/For...491101161.html

Highly unlikely Ryan will do anything.

[cwolff]

Highly unlikely Ryan will do anything.

Oh no. They won't do anything. They've given up their responsibility and their oath of office to be followers instead of leaders. Checks and balances is a now a cute throwback term to when our founding fathers took this shit seriously.

[Methais]

Full on political retaliation. Let's see if Ryan thinks he's just trolling us or if the GOP congress finally stands up to the little orange monster.

http://www.wndu.com/content/news/For...491101161.html

Highly unlikely my fictional lawyer will subpoena anything.

This is correct.

[cwolff]

Here is where consciousness of guilt becomes so straightforward. From the very beginning the President has used every power at his disposal to stop investigations into what happened. He tried to end the investigation into Michael Flynn. He demanded loyalty and protection from the head of the FBI. He fired the head of the FBI because of the Russia probe. He told us it was about the Russia probe. He tried to fire Robert Mueller. He tried to bully Jeff Sessions into resigning so it would be easier to neutralize the investigation. He has been at more or less constant war with the FBI and the Intelligence Community. He openly dangles pardons to thwart the investigation. According to a Washington Post article published today, he’s now pushing ahead with revoking the security clearances of various former officials who were tied to the origins of the Russia investigation. He now says it’s about the Russia probe. In ordinary life, such flagrant and on-going efforts to prevent the truth from coming out are a clear sign of guilt. We rightly demand a higher standard before the criminal law because that is about taking away someone’s liberty. That’s not the case here. We’re only talking about taking away or restraining the power we have given him to use on our behalf.
...
Trump is guilty. Why there’s such resistance to this reality is an interesting question. My own best guess is that it is too disquieting a reality to grapple with. Someone who has deliberately betrayed his country and who is compromised by and under the thumb of a foreign despot clearly should not be President. But his supporters don’t accept that. And as long as they don’t there’s no path to removing him from power prior to 2020 and maybe even beyond. That means that for the present we are locked in a situation in which we must operate in a system in which the person with the most power is working for a foreign adversary, whether out of avarice or fear. That is a profoundly uncomfortable reality. Remaining agnostic on the big question is more comfortable.

Excellent summary of what we're up against. Like WMD and the Iraq war, the lie is too big and it overwhelms. This is why we see such a contrast between the malaise surrounding thousands killed and maimed in Iraq and the fury of 4 killed in Benghazi. People can come to grips with a quick violent outburst and comprehend it more readily than they can a slow drawn out bleeding even if that loss of life is orders of magnitude greater.


Trumps lies are too big, too overwhelming. The intense level of discomfort the trumplicans would feel if they actually woke up and smelled the coffee here is just too much to bear so they will suffer any manner of constitutional indignity to keep from feeling that pain.


https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog...e-admitting-it

[Methais]

Excellent summary of what we're up against. Like WMD and the Iraq war, the lie is too big and it overwhelms. This is why we see such a contrast between the malaise surrounding thousands killed and maimed in Iraq and the fury of 4 killed in Benghazi. People can come to grips with a quick violent outburst and comprehend it more readily than they can a slow drawn out bleeding even if that loss of life is orders of magnitude greater.


Trumps lies are too big, too overwhelming. The intense level of discomfort the trumplicans would feel if they actually woke up and smelled the coffee here is just too much to bear so they will suffer any manner of constitutional indignity to keep from feeling that pain.


https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog...e-admitting-it

[Tgo01]

Excellent summary of what we're up against. Like WMD and the Iraq war, the lie is too big and it overwhelms. This is why we see such a contrast between the malaise surrounding thousands killed and maimed in Iraq and the fury of 4 killed in Benghazi. People can come to grips with a quick violent outburst and comprehend it more readily than they can a slow drawn out bleeding even if that loss of life is orders of magnitude greater.


Trumps lies are too big, too overwhelming. The intense level of discomfort the trumplicans would feel if they actually woke up and smelled the coffee here is just too much to bear so they will suffer any manner of constitutional indignity to keep from feeling that pain.


https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog...e-admitting-it

You're such a dumb ass. Trump has used "every power at his disposal to stop investigations"? No. He could have pardoned Flynn which would have stopped all investigations on Flynn. He could have gotten Mueller fired if he really wanted to. You should probably start researching shit yourself before taking people's word as gospel just because it's what you want to hear. You would look like less of a dumb ass then.