Day: May 28, 2017

I’d Call That Annoying

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I’d Call That Annoying

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics is a Progressive political blog where I try to go with the facts, not just my feelings. The headline news is looking really bad right now for Jared Kushner, but those of us at Calamity Politics, we will wait and watch as this new angle on the 2016 Russian Trump collusion investigation continues to suck all the oxygen out of the room.

In another life I was a real estate investor, not on a Donald Trump scale, but bigger than many. What I do know, is that there is a component of risk in real estate. An edgy excitement. Chasing the prey, cornering the prey, teasing the prey and then; maybe, purchasing ‘the prey’.

I can see Kushner being one of those guys, who like to walk the edge. The risk, part of the reward is that zing of power you feel when you conquer the risk. I have found that most real estate investors like the risk, as much as anything. It’s a weird hybrid gambling addiction. I have recovered, however. I am so done with real estate.

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Who is Robert Swan Mueller III ?

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Who Is Robert Swan Mueller III ?

D. S. Mitchell

Robert Swan Mueller III was just appointed by the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, as Special Counsel to investigate the Russian interference in the U.S. 2016 presidential election. Mr. Mueller is a well known and high profile attorney who has served the United States many times. His known integrity throughout the government has made his appointment welcomed by most observers, inside the government and out.

Mr. Mueller is an American lawyer and civil servant who was the sixth Director of FBI. Mr. Mueller served longer than any Director, outside the J. Edgar Hoover, from 9/4/2001 to 9/4/2013.

I support his appointment, however, I believe we need an independent commission, and will continue to speak out for that end.

Dar

Join the Resistance

Trump Wants to Keep Ethic Waivers Secret

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Trump Wants To Keep Ethic Waivers Secret

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics, a West Coast based progressive political blog, attempts to shine a light into the murky world of U.S. political dog fighting

I have been silent for a day or two while I did some archive updates and computer housekeeping. I added lots of new pictures. If you haven’t taken a look at the site for a while, I welcome you back and hope you take a few minutes to look at some of the old stories. As I was adding pictures I was surprised to note that most of the same issues that were shocking me six months ago are still shocking me, today.

Now that the house cleaning is complete I am back. My storytelling fingers have been itching to get back to covering the hot button current events of our day. This White House has dropped a shield around itself. There is not even a pretense of transparency. Dozens of former lobbyists and industry lawyers have been hired by the Trump administration. In late January President Trump signed an executive order that “barred lobbyists and lawyers” hired as political appointees from participating in “particular” policy issues that involved former clients for two years. Trump of course, like previous presidents, reserved the right to “issue a waiver” to anyone he wanted to hire. This action is not new. What is new is that the Trump White House has been steadfastly refusing to release evidence of any such waivers, or acknowledgement of who waivers were granted to, or disclosure of any accompanying documents.

    1. Walter M. Shaub Jr., head of the Office Of Government Ethics has asked every federal agency for copies of all waivers and accompanying documentation issued by Trump be returned to his office no later than June 1, 2017. In response the White House challenged Shaub’s “legal authority” to demand such information. Mick Mulvaney, chief of the Office of Management and Budget requested more time to review “the scope of OGE authorities”, without specifying what those questions were.

In a statement provided to the NY Times, Mulvaney switched tactics, and accused Shaub of “playing politics” and attacked the “expansive scope and breathless timetable, demanded that we seek further guidance”. The reason for the “expansive” scope is because Trump has hired innumerable former lobbyists and industry lawyers for the administration, many of whom the administration has attempted to conceal from public scrutiny. For every minute the waivers are kept secret the Trump appointees are able to potentially advance their own financial interests.

A week after attempting to further stonewall the requests by the OGE, the White House announced it will comply with the OGE request and will publicly disclose all waivers that the White House has quietly given out since January that allow these former lobbyists to work in the administration. The White House position was drawing heavy fire from ethics watchdogs. These waivers are given on a case-by-case basis, and in effect, allow appointees to work on policies that may overlap with issues they worked on with former employers.

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Trump On Tour

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Trump On Tour

D. S. Mitchell

I am screaming at the top of my lungs. It’s a damn good thing this is not a pod cast commentary, because someone would be ordering psych restraints for this old girl.

I started writing for Calamity Politics because I saw Trump as a demented, narcissistic, irrational, terrifying, irresponsible, backward thinking, corrupt and dangerous individual. I was concerned that the country had just elected a gross misogynist clown as President of the United States.

I wanted to speak out against what I expected to be an immediate attack on the environment, entitlement programs and Roe v Wade. I knew the Republicans, heavily financed by the Koch Brothers, and other right extremist Superpacs, would launch an all out attack against anything progressive as soon as the inaugural partying was over.

Because of my intense concern, I felt the pressure to get on line with Calamity Politics as soon as possible. If you as a reader, wonder who I am, and what I stand for, I suggest you take a few minutes and read ‘About Me’ and ‘Mission Statement’ which are located on buttons at the top of this page.

I thought I might be alone in my outrage. Had I “lost” my mind, as was suggested by two family members, or was I one of many?

I found out soon that I was just one of an army of individuals who were truly fearful that the election of Donald Trump was a step back in time. None of us wanted to take 21st century America back to the segregated, air polluted and garbage littered mid 20th century America romanticized by Donald Trump. So fearful in fact were we, that we began organically to call ourselves the “resistance”. I embraced the label as a personal commitment to fight trump, and everything he represents. I am a soldier in the fight against authoritarianism. I am one of the ‘resistance”.

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