Stonepounder
Stonepounder's JournalTrump gives attorney general Barr sweeping power to declassify intelligence in Russia probe review
Source: ABC News
President Donald Trump has given Attorney General William Barr sweeping powers over the intelligence community in his review of their role in how the probe began into Russian interference in the 2016 election and surveillance on the Trump campaign.
In an extraordinary move, the president issued a memo Thursday night giving Barr broad authority to declassify information related to the investigation and directed the intelligence community to fully cooperate with Barr's review so that "all Americans learn the truth," according to a statement from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.
"The Attorney General has also been delegated full and complete authority to declassify information pertaining to this investigation, in accordance with the long-established standards for handling classified information," according to the statement.
"Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions," she said.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-directs-intelligence-community-cooperate-attorney-general-investigation/story?id=63244302
Well, that's the end of the 5-eyes intelligence community. It's now the 4-eyes and we're not one of them. We are now one of the countries the 4-eyes are watching.
I've just got to brag on my grand-daughter.
My granddaughter is finishing up her Sophomore year in High School. She's a fantastic young lady. Her HS had a program where 8th graders could come and work out with the HS marching band. She not only came out, she was in the marching band when she started 9th grade. At the end of 9th grade they invented a new award just for her because of her hard work in band and her willingness to help any other band member that needed it.
This year, early in the season she dislocated her kneecap and ended up having surgery on both knees. As soon as she was able to go back to school she went to every band practice so she could keep up with the music and she will be marching next year.
Oh, and did I mention that she is in several AP classes and is on the Honor Roll? So, we were chatting today and she was talking about her AP English class and how hard it was. For their final project they have to do a debate. Each student had to pick a topic, write a paper on their view and then debate someone in the class who had taken a different position on the topic.
She picked the topic of abortion and is defending the right of women to make their own choices over their own bodies! Bearing in mind that she has grown up in KY, she makes me so proud I'm about to burst!
I'm really depressed this afternoon.
We went to vote today in the KY primary. (For some reason KY does its state office primaries in the off year). In the past we have voted in a meeting room of our City Hall. For reasons unknown to us, our polling place was moved a few blocks away to a High School Gym along with several other precincts. No biggie.
We got there sometime after 3:00. We walked into the gym where the poll workers appeared to greatly outnumber the voters. After we voted, I got to chatting with one of the poll workers. Our precinct has 11,000 registered voters. By the time we voted we were #52 and #53 to have voted. The polls close at 6:00.
Seems like Democracy is dead.
On edit,
Update: Looks like every candidate we voted for won! So maybe #52 and #53 helped after all!
Righteous Rant found on Facebook over the anti-Abortion nonsense going on.
Shoshana Edwards ( feel free to share)
May 15 at 5:58 PM
You have no idea how furious I am today. How steaming, blazing furious I am. I am 76 years old. That means I was 19 when birth control became available. 19. Prior to that incredibly liberating discovery being made available, women lived in fear of pregnancy. Their lives were circumscribed by the fear of pregnancy. Not every pregnancy is planned for or wanted. And women were not supposed to enjoy sex. Those who did were harlots. Married couples almost never admitted to both enjoying sex. So the pill was liberation. Because men balked at the loss of 10% of their pleasure caused by condoms; because condoms sometimes broke; because rape happened, a lot, and still does. And abortion was illegal and dangerous.
And then because women like myself put our freedom and our lives on the line, advocating for legalized and safe abortion, because we stood our ground while getting drenched in blood, spit on, beaten, kicked, and raped -- finally Roe v Wade hit the Supreme Court and we won. But we only won the battle; the war raged on.
And today, today, we can look at Alabama, and Georgia, and Texas where for gawd's sake they want to make a woman carry a dead fetus to term!, and realize that the war is turning against us. Turning because the Republican Party is flexing its muscles like never before. Because men, mostly White men, who want to control women and women's bodies, who want their playthings when they want them, who learned this at their fathers' knees and in church where a distorted and evil version of Xtianity was handed out every Sunday. Because these men, and the women who are cowed by them, have retained power.
It is in part because women of color, as well as men, have been systematically denied the right to vote via every trick in the book. And it is in very large part because a whole huge bunch of people decided not to vote: they decided not to vote locally, not to vote statewide, not to vote nationally. And so we have men of privilege in power, and all of mine and my sisters' sacrifices -- the beatings, the dousing in pig blood, the rapes, the jail time -- all seem for nought.
So yeah, I'm furious today.
Starting today (5/17) I will be posting daily suggestions of how to fight these people effectively. Please check those out and feel free to share also.
Second edit of the day: While I have no problem with someone calling someone's ideas fucking stupid, I will not tolerate calling that person fucking stupid. We need to change hearts and minds, not humiliate and belittle people.
Found on Facebook. Abortion. How to help.
This was posted with 'permission to share far and wide'. Note the Twitter hashtags:
Hey ladies who are feeling trapped in an impossible situation in Texas/Alabama/ Missouri/Ohio/Georgia/whatever new state has decided you shouldn't have autonomy over your own body,
if you need to visit your Auntie/Cousin/Sister/BFF, you just DM me.
No judgement.
No questions.
I'll be here, pick you up from the airport/train/bus, hold your hand, help with "reservations", take you where you need to go, give you a peaceful place to escape.
We'll take some selfies at the monuments, go to the zoo, chill out by a campfire, check some cool art. You know, for your social media for those new state border checks just to prove you're all good.
And you will be all good.
Let's face it. It's been too long since we've seen each other. 😉
#GeorgiaGOPcansuckit
#TexasandOhiocansuckittoo
#AlabamaBlows
#FamilyTrip
#undergroundrailroad2019
Feel free to share far and wide.
Note: If you can do this, please add a way to contact. I would if I could, but my health won't allow it.
A daughter's gift to her mother saves two lives
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-daughters-gift-to-her-mother-saves-two-lives/2019/05/11/59dead7c-7277-11e9-9eb4-0828f5389013_story.html?wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1A daughter’s gift to her mother saves two lives
Just 42 years old, Erosalyn Deveza was drifting toward death. Her kidneys were barely functioning. She was constantly exhausted. She had vertigo and vomited frequently. She was tethered to a home dialysis machine for eight hours each night as she slept.
A kidney transplant was the only thing that could save her, but it was unlikely to happen in time. There is a severe shortage of kidneys from deceased donors in the United States. No one on Deveza’s side of the family could provide an organ through a living donation, doctors said, because all were at risk for the same kidney disease. It was too dangerous to leave any of them with a single kidney. Other family and friends were not a match.
This is a story of a daughter’s answer to her mother’s illness, an idea so obvious yet so inventive that it had never happened before, and hasn’t since.
It took four women, two computer scientists, teams of doctors and support staff, luck and uncommon selflessness to pull it off. Though it occurred nearly two years ago, few knew about the case until it was published in a medical journal last month.
This is a long article and all I can post is the opening. If you have a subscription to WaPo, you of course can read the whole article. If you are an Amazon Prime subscriber you can also get to WaPo via Amazon. (Also check your local library and see if they have a subscription.)
I'll try and summarize the story. The daughter was doing everything she could to help her mother and, at the same time, trying to find a way to get her mother a kidney transplant. One of the new techniques is 'chained transplants' where Patient A needs a transplant, unfortunately even though there are several family members willing to donate to A, none of them are compatible. Patient B is in the same boat. Needs a transplant, willing donors, none compatible. But, a couple of the willing donors for B are actually compatible with A, and some of the willing donors for A are compatible with B. So an agreement is struck and an A donor gives a kidney or a lobe of the liver to B and a B donor gives their transplant to A.
This actually goes on. I think the longest 'chain' was something like 113 'chained transplants'.
OK, back to the story. Daughter is scouring the internet and stumbles over a researcher who is doing work in the field. Daughter gets in touch with researcher and says 'Hey, what if I give a lobe of my liver to someone who needs it and they have a doner who is willing to give a kidney to my mother? Why does it have to be liver for liver or kidney for kidney?' The researcher is stunned at the simplicity of the concept that no one has ever thought of before.
After some more research, checking with the Medical Ethics panel and the like, the idea gets approved, mama gets her new kidney and daughter donates a lobe of her liver and two lives are saved.
Talk about thinking outside the box.
Hot off prosecuting 11-year old rape victims, Ohio GOP following up with #HumanCentipedeBill
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/5/9/1856469/-Hot-off-prosecuting-11-year-old-rape-victims-Ohio-GOP-following-up-with-HumanCentipedeBill?detail=emaildkreHot off prosecuting 11-year old rape victims, Ohio GOP following up with #HumanCentipedeBill
A new Ohio bill would ban most private insurance coverage for abortions. Opponents say it would also ban effective methods of birth control.
One-fifth of representatives in the House, all Republicans, have signed onto House Bill 182 sponsored by state Rep. John Becker (R-Union Twp.) that would prohibit most insurance companies from offering coverage for abortion services.
The bill would ban non-therapeutic abortions that include "drugs or devices used to prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum.”
Becker says the bill also speaks to coverage of ectopic or tubal pregnancies where the fertilized egg attaches outside of the womb.
For those of you old enough to remember Robert A Heinlein 'Future History' stories, we are certainly in the 'Crazy Years'. Take a look at the above bill:
1. You can't get an insurance policy that covers any form of abortion, including saving the life of the mother.
2. It bans just about all forms of (female) birth-control. If course it doesn't say anything about anything that prevents fertilizing said egg.
3. But you get insurance for the relocation of a fertilized ovum that it ectopic or tubal to where it belongs. Of course the fact that there is NO medical procedure currently known to do this is irrelevant to these cretins.
What the Hell is this country coming to? And who wants to bet that is any of these sanctimonious idiots needed an abortion for their mistress or if their daughter was raped and got pregnant and the pregnancy turned out to be ectopic, they would be flying off to an expensive clinic where they could 'get it taken care of'?
This IS NOT the country I grew up in. I am NOT proud to be an American any more, I am ashamed of my country!
A proud mother.
Mrs. Stonepounder has a group of women the regularly chats with on line. One of the was saying that she couldn't figure out why her son's school lunch bills were so high. She kept grumbling about it until other members of the group suggested that she go to she school and inquire.
So, off she went and asked to see an accounting. The school was happy to oblige. Turns out her son was buying 4-5 lunches a day. Turns out her son was buying lunches for several other students who couldn't afford to buy their own lunches. Mama didn't say a word, paid the bill, and told her son she was so proud of him!
There's a mother who is doing a great job of parenting.
Five rules for life.
Found on Facebook.
AN OLD WOMAN WALKED UP AND TIED HER OLD MULE TO THE HITCHING POST.
AS SHE STOOD THERE, BRUSHING SOME OF THE DUST FROM HER FACE AND CLOTHES, A YOUNG GUNSLINGER STEPPED OUT OF THE SALOON WITH A GUN IN ONE HAND AND A BOTTLE OF WHISKEY IN THE OTHER. THE YOUNG GUNSLINGER LOOKED AT THE OLD WOMAN AND LAUGHED, "HEY OLD WOMAN, HAVE YOU EVER DANCED?"
THE OLD WOMAN LOOKED UP AT THE GUNSLINGER AND SAID, "NO,... I NEVER DID DANCE... NEVER REALLY WANTED TO."
A CROWD HAD GATHERED AS THE GUNSLINGER GRINNED AND SAID "WELL, YOU OLD BAG, YOU'RE GONNA DANCE NOW," AND STARTED SHOOTING AT THE OLD WOMAN'S FEET.
THE OLD WOMAN PROSPECTOR -- NOT WANTING TO GET HER TOE BLOWN OFF --STARTED HOPPING AROUND. EVERYBODY WAS LAUGHING. WHEN HIS LAST BULLET HAD BEEN FIRED, THE YOUNG GUNSLINGER, STILL LAUGHING, HOLSTERED HIS GUN AND TURNED AROUND TO GO BACK INTO THE SALOON.
THE OLD WOMAN TURNED TO HER PACK MULE, PULLED OUT A DOUBLE-BARRELED SHOTGUN, AND COCKED BOTH HAMMERS.
THE LOUD CLICKS CARRIED CLEARLY THROUGH THE DESERT AIR, AND THE CROWD STOPPED LAUGHING IMMEDIATELY.
THE YOUNG GUNSLINGER HEARD THE SOUNDS, TOO, AND HE TURNED AROUND VERY SLOWLY. THE SILENCE WAS ALMOST DEAFENING. THE CROWD WATCHED AS THE YOUNG GUNMAN STARED AT THE OLD WOMAN AND THE LARGE GAPING HOLES OF THOSE TWIN BARRELS.
THE BARRELS OF THE SHOTGUN NEVER WAVERED IN THE OLD WOMAN'S HANDS, AS SHE QUIETLY SAID, "SON, HAVE YOU EVER KISSED A MULE'S ASS?"
THE GUNSLINGER SWALLOWED HARD AND SAID, "NO M'AM... BUT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO.
THERE ARE FIVE LESSONS HERE FOR ALL OF US:
1 - Never be arrogant.
2 - Don't waste ammunition.
3 - Whiskey makes you think you're smarter than you are.
4 - Always make sure you know who has the power.
5 - Don't mess with old people; they didn't get old by being stupid.
Some days karma is good to you.
We have a new puppy in our house. About a month ago we had to say good-bye to our Maggie. We had helped her get through over a year of end-stage CHF, but the time had come to help her shake free of her earthly bonds and run free at the Rainbow Bridge.
A couple of weeks later I was on Facebook and there was a post from Lucky Star Rescue that they had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel they were looking to get adopted and he was only about 100 miles from us. He was a cute looking fellow, but when I dug a little deeper I discovered he was 9 yo. I just didn't think we could handle another short-timer. Just on a whim I checked the Cavalier Rescue USA web page. I almost fell out of my chair when I found a Cavalier puppy, again only about 100 miles from us. I put in my app and 1 week ago he came to live with us.
He is 9 months old and hasn't had much training. We're working on house breaking him and he's making good progress. When we got him he wouldn't go outside after dark. Now he just needs someone to go with him after dark, so the number of 'incidents' have decreased significantly. He is also a chewer. I suspect that his adult teeth are coming in. Oh my! He chews EVERYTHING. Even through we have chew toys all over the house, they aren't enough. A couple of days ago he managed to get hold of my cordless mouse and totally destroyed it. Sigh - off to Best Buy for a replacement. He's managed to get hold of pill bottles, sewing thread, and on and on. Last night at about 3:00am I was awakened to the sound of crunching. Beau had managed to get hold of a full bottle of pills and was merrily chewing the cap to pieces. I leaped out of bed, chased him around the house a bit and finally got the pills away from him. As I headed back to the bedroom I heard the Mrs. hollering at him. Evidently, as soon as I got the pill bottle from the little rascal, he dashed back into the bedroom, jumped up on the bed, and got my glasses off the nightstand!
By the time we got them away from him, he had popped one lens out and scratched both lenses. Arrrrgh! This morning at 9:00am I was waiting at the glasses store to see what could be done. Answer: you need to get the lenses replaced. And here's where the karma kicks in. I asked them to check the warranty (the glasses come with a 1 year unconditional warranty, but I couldn't remember when I got my current pair). My warranty is good through May 10! So, they will replace the lenses at no charge!!
The dog gets to live. 
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Member since: Sun Jun 27, 2010, 10:05 PMNumber of posts: 4,033
