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Dennis Donovan
Dennis Donovan's Journal
Dennis Donovan's Journal
February 1, 2018
I hope he walks. This memo business is beyond the pale.
FBI Director Must Be Prepared to Resign Over Nunes Memo, Ex-Agents Warn
Source: The Daily Beast
Former FBI agents are warning that FBI Director Christopher Wray has to be prepared to quit, should President Donald Trump assent over bureau objections to the release of a memo calling the FBI’s integrity into question.
The release of the memo, considered imminent, shows no signs of stopping, even as the leader of Democrats in the House called on its Republican author, Devin Nunes, to be removed from his chairmanship of the House intelligence committee. It was the latest move in an extraordinary episode that appears set to spark a crisis over the criminal investigation into Trump’s potential ties to Russia.
At the center of the storm is Wray, Trump’s hand-picked FBI director. Wray got his job after Trump fired James Comey last year for what Comey described as insufficient personal “loyalty” over the Russia investigation.
On Wednesday, Wray’s FBI publicly attacked Nunes’ memo for “material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” Trump overriding Wray will immediately call Wray’s future in the Trump administration into question six month into his tenure.
Former FBI agents say that they hope Wray can remain in office, and pull Trump and House Republicans back from the precipice of what may be a pivotal moment in the bureau’s history. But they also say Wray needs to show his willingness to walk.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/fbi-director-christopher-wray-must-be-prepared-to-resign-over-nunes-memo-ex-agents-warn
I hope he walks. This memo business is beyond the pale.
February 1, 2018
Oy vey...
Snopes: Did a Train Carrying GOP Congressmen Crash Due to a 'Deep State' Plot?
https://www.snopes.com/train-carrying-gop-congressmen-crash-due-deep-state-plot/
No evidence validates claims of foul play in a train crash involving Republican members of Congress.
On 31 January 2018, an Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat struck a garbage truck that was on the tracks at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Virginia, killing one person. The tragic loss of life did not give even brief pause, however, to conspiracy trolls who made it their latest fodder.
Although there is no evidence the collision was anything more than a horrific accident, disreputable web sites like TheGatewayPundit.com, YourNewsWire and InfoWars.com latched on, reporting with no evidence that the incident was the result of a nefarious “Deep State” plot to either scare Republicans into falling in line or assassinate them, depending on which crank web site or social media feed one happened to be looking at. For example, InfoWars asked:
This is demonstrably false, as WVIR reporter Matt Talhelm, who was at the scene reported, the arms of the crossing guard appeared functional and were down when the accident occurred...
</snip>
No evidence validates claims of foul play in a train crash involving Republican members of Congress.
On 31 January 2018, an Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat struck a garbage truck that was on the tracks at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Virginia, killing one person. The tragic loss of life did not give even brief pause, however, to conspiracy trolls who made it their latest fodder.
Although there is no evidence the collision was anything more than a horrific accident, disreputable web sites like TheGatewayPundit.com, YourNewsWire and InfoWars.com latched on, reporting with no evidence that the incident was the result of a nefarious “Deep State” plot to either scare Republicans into falling in line or assassinate them, depending on which crank web site or social media feed one happened to be looking at. For example, InfoWars asked:
Was [sic] the safety signals for the train carrying GOP leaders outside Charlottesville, Va., hacked to ensure the train would crash – or was the incident completely accidental?
Was the Deep State trying to send a message to globalist Republicans to get back in line – to jump off the Trump train – after the president’s unifying message during the State of the Union?
Of course, the train crash might have been a complete accident, but nevertheless here’s some of the weird circumstances surrounding it so far.
This is demonstrably false, as WVIR reporter Matt Talhelm, who was at the scene reported, the arms of the crossing guard appeared functional and were down when the accident occurred...
</snip>
Oy vey...
January 29, 2018
I can't copy/paste from the link above, but he passed Saturday night.
Investigative Journalist Robert Parry dead at 68
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/01/29/in-memoriam-robert-parry.htmlI can't copy/paste from the link above, but he passed Saturday night.
January 21, 2018
50 years ago today; 1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash - "Broken Arrow"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Thule_Air_Base_B-52_crash
On 21 January 1968, an aircraft accident (sometimes known as the Thule affair or Thule accident (/ˈtuːli/); Danish: Thuleulykken) involving a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52 bomber occurred near Thule Air Base in the Danish territory of Greenland. The aircraft was carrying four hydrogen bombs on a Cold War "Chrome Dome" alert mission over Baffin Bay when a cabin fire forced the crew to abandon the aircraft before they could carry out an emergency landing at Thule Air Base. Six crew members ejected safely, but one who did not have an ejection seat was killed while trying to bail out. The bomber crashed onto sea ice in North Star Bay, Greenland, causing the conventional explosives aboard to detonate and the nuclear payload to rupture and disperse, which resulted in radioactive contamination.
The United States and Denmark launched an intensive clean-up and recovery operation, but the secondary stage of one of the nuclear weapons could not be accounted for after the operation completed. USAF Strategic Air Command "Chrome Dome" operations were discontinued immediately after the accident, which highlighted the safety and political risks of the missions. Safety procedures were reviewed and more stable explosives were developed for use in nuclear weapons.
In 1995, a political scandal resulted in Denmark after a report revealed the government had given tacit permission for nuclear weapons to be located in Greenland, in contravention of Denmark's 1957 nuclear-free zone policy. Workers involved in the clean-up program have been campaigning for compensation for radiation-related illnesses they experienced in the years after the accident.
</snip>
On 21 January 1968, an aircraft accident (sometimes known as the Thule affair or Thule accident (/ˈtuːli/); Danish: Thuleulykken) involving a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52 bomber occurred near Thule Air Base in the Danish territory of Greenland. The aircraft was carrying four hydrogen bombs on a Cold War "Chrome Dome" alert mission over Baffin Bay when a cabin fire forced the crew to abandon the aircraft before they could carry out an emergency landing at Thule Air Base. Six crew members ejected safely, but one who did not have an ejection seat was killed while trying to bail out. The bomber crashed onto sea ice in North Star Bay, Greenland, causing the conventional explosives aboard to detonate and the nuclear payload to rupture and disperse, which resulted in radioactive contamination.
The United States and Denmark launched an intensive clean-up and recovery operation, but the secondary stage of one of the nuclear weapons could not be accounted for after the operation completed. USAF Strategic Air Command "Chrome Dome" operations were discontinued immediately after the accident, which highlighted the safety and political risks of the missions. Safety procedures were reviewed and more stable explosives were developed for use in nuclear weapons.
In 1995, a political scandal resulted in Denmark after a report revealed the government had given tacit permission for nuclear weapons to be located in Greenland, in contravention of Denmark's 1957 nuclear-free zone policy. Workers involved in the clean-up program have been campaigning for compensation for radiation-related illnesses they experienced in the years after the accident.
</snip>
January 21, 2018
Yesterday's marches prove (to use a tagline from an old Virginia Slims ad) you've come a long way, baby.
110 yrs ago today; NYC passes Sullivan Ordinance making it illegal for women to smoke in public
...but it was vetoed by Mayor McClellan 2 weeks later.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_Ordinance
The Sullivan Ordinance was a municipal law passed on January 21, 1908, in New York City by the board of aldermen, barring the management of a public place from allowing women to smoke within their venue. The ordinance did not bar women from smoking in general nor did the ordinance bar women from smoking in public, only public places. Right after the ordinance was enacted, on January 22, Katie Mulcahey, the only person cited for breaking this ordinance, was fined $5 for smoking in public and arrested for refusing to pay the fine; however, the ordinance itself did not mention fines nor does it ban women from smoking in public. She was released the next day. The mayor at the time, George B. McClellan Jr., vetoed the ordinance two weeks later.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_Ordinance
The Sullivan Ordinance was a municipal law passed on January 21, 1908, in New York City by the board of aldermen, barring the management of a public place from allowing women to smoke within their venue. The ordinance did not bar women from smoking in general nor did the ordinance bar women from smoking in public, only public places. Right after the ordinance was enacted, on January 22, Katie Mulcahey, the only person cited for breaking this ordinance, was fined $5 for smoking in public and arrested for refusing to pay the fine; however, the ordinance itself did not mention fines nor does it ban women from smoking in public. She was released the next day. The mayor at the time, George B. McClellan Jr., vetoed the ordinance two weeks later.
Yesterday's marches prove (to use a tagline from an old Virginia Slims ad) you've come a long way, baby.
January 21, 2018
White House budget director: 'Kind of cool' to be in charge of government shutdown
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/20/politics/mick-mulvaney-government-shutdown-kind-of-cool/index.html
CNN)As the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney has been tasked with negotiating a deal with congressional leaders to fund the government and end the shutdown that began on Friday midnight.
If Congress doesn't reach a deal, come Monday, thousands of federal employees will be placed on furlough.
Before the shutdown went into effect Friday, Mulvaney described his role in charge as "kind of cool."
"Obviously, I'm heavily involved in this, Sean, is that the Office of Management and Budget is charged with, you know, sort of implementing running a shutdown," Mulvaney said on conservative commentator Sean Hannity's radio show Friday before the shutdown went into effect.
He added, "In fact, I found out for the first time last night that the person who technically shuts the government down is me, which is kind of cool.
</snip>
CNN)As the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney has been tasked with negotiating a deal with congressional leaders to fund the government and end the shutdown that began on Friday midnight.
If Congress doesn't reach a deal, come Monday, thousands of federal employees will be placed on furlough.
Before the shutdown went into effect Friday, Mulvaney described his role in charge as "kind of cool."
"Obviously, I'm heavily involved in this, Sean, is that the Office of Management and Budget is charged with, you know, sort of implementing running a shutdown," Mulvaney said on conservative commentator Sean Hannity's radio show Friday before the shutdown went into effect.
He added, "In fact, I found out for the first time last night that the person who technically shuts the government down is me, which is kind of cool.
</snip>
January 20, 2018
Actress Dorothy Malone, who won hearts of 1960s television viewers as the long-suffering mother in the nighttime soap Peyton Place, died on Friday in her hometown of Dallas at age 93.
Malone died in an assisted living center from natural causes days before her 94th birthday, said her daughter, Mimi Vanderstraaten.
After 11 years of mostly roles as loving sweethearts and wives, the brunette actress decided she needed to gamble on her career instead of playing it safe. She fired her agent, hired a publicist, dyed her hair blonde and sought a new image.
“I came up with a conviction that most of the winners in this business became stars overnight by playing shady dames with sex appeal,” she recalled in 1967. She welcomed the offer for Written on the Wind, in which she played an alcoholic nymphomaniac who tries to steal Rock Hudson from his wife, Lauren Bacall.
“And I’ve been unfaithful or drunk or oversexed almost ever since on the screen, of course,” she added.
</snip>
Rest in peace, Ms Malone. She starred (with Robert Stack) in one of my favorite movies, The Last Voyage.
Oscar winner Dorothy Malone, mom on Peyton Place, has died
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jan/20/oscar-winner-dorothy-malone-mom-on-peyton-place-has-diedActress Dorothy Malone, who won hearts of 1960s television viewers as the long-suffering mother in the nighttime soap Peyton Place, died on Friday in her hometown of Dallas at age 93.
Malone died in an assisted living center from natural causes days before her 94th birthday, said her daughter, Mimi Vanderstraaten.
After 11 years of mostly roles as loving sweethearts and wives, the brunette actress decided she needed to gamble on her career instead of playing it safe. She fired her agent, hired a publicist, dyed her hair blonde and sought a new image.
“I came up with a conviction that most of the winners in this business became stars overnight by playing shady dames with sex appeal,” she recalled in 1967. She welcomed the offer for Written on the Wind, in which she played an alcoholic nymphomaniac who tries to steal Rock Hudson from his wife, Lauren Bacall.
“And I’ve been unfaithful or drunk or oversexed almost ever since on the screen, of course,” she added.
</snip>
Rest in peace, Ms Malone. She starred (with Robert Stack) in one of my favorite movies, The Last Voyage.
January 15, 2018
Rest in peace, Dolores and thank you.
Zombie by The Cranberries. Video by me - circa 2006
Rest in peace, Dolores and thank you.
January 14, 2018
"Trump should embrace Dr King because HE'LL soon be writing letters from jail.."
Mark Thompson on AM Joy just now. 
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