Let’s Talk About Russia

Let’s Talk About Russia

By D. S. Mitchell

Chores Done

I’ve walked the dog, made the coffee, run the vacuum, and now I’m ready to sit down and pass on the latest political gossips from the shadowy world of Russian hackers and the Donald Trump 2016 Presidential election campaign. The U.S. political discussion on television, and print media has ramped up the conspiracy talk, recently. It’s like James Bond. Wow, who would have guessed, that American politics could be so exciting.

D.C. And Beyond

Lily and I, are mesmerized.  Explosive rumors and innuendos have filled the newspapers and cable news networks. Actually, Lily is not that interested in the DC uproar. She thinks of walks, treats and visiting her neighborhood friends. I however, can’t get enough of the political hysteria. Sometimes the fireworks are in D.C. sometimes in Mar-a-Lago. It just depends where our golf course hopping president wants to park his golf cart this week.  But, wherever this clown goes he does attract a crowd of reporters and spectators.

Political Persecution

Nigel Farage is a vocal supporter of Trump. He visited the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, on Thursday.  Everyone is asking, why would he be at the embassy? As most everyone on the planet knows, the embassy gave Julian Assange political asylum, in 2012 and he is still there.  The founder and editor of WikiLeaks, has claimed political persecution. Either Farage was visiting Assange or he plans a vacation to Ecuador.

Kremlin Ties

Putin used WikiLeaks to publish stolen documents hacked from Western individuals and governments for years.  It was WikiLeaks that orchestrated the dissemination of emails stolen by Russian hackers during the 2016 presidential campaign  Clinton was a known enemy to Putin’s agenda. Donald Trump was the Russian favorite in the 2016 election, and Putin used Wikileaks to damage the reputation of Hillary Clinton.

Today’s Visit

Assange has just released damaging CIA documents compromising spying techniques and diminishing the United States standing on the world stage. Forage was in the Embassy for about 40 minutes. As Farage exited the building he was met by a gaggle of reporters. The question on everyone’s mind was why was he at the embassy? When he was asked if he had visited Assange, Farage replied, “I never discuss where I go, or who I see.”

As far as I’m concerned his answer  pretty much tells us he was there to see Assange.  It also tells us, that Trump, knew about the visit and will soon know about the details of the visit.

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Russian Connections To Trump Multiply

Russian Connections Multiply

By D. S. Mitchell

A Matter Of Focus

I wanted Calamity News and Politics to focus on thoughtful pieces about  health care, the economically marginalized, unequal justice, the militarization of police departments, income disparity, public education, immigration policy, and other social issues. However, that has not been the case. The daily news commentators are in a frenzy. The daily political news comment and discussion have centered on the Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. election. A very big story. That whole drama has morphed into what did the Russians, and the Trump campaign do together? Was there collusion or conspiracy? OMG, it sure looks like it. But, my intent is to spend more time on discussing social issues.

The Interference Must Be Investigated

The interference in our election, by a hostile power is deeply disturbing, can’t be ignored and must be examined. Up to this point, so much has leaked out that I haven’t been able to keep my head on straight.  I’ve tried to get my puzzle pieces together, but am still looking under cushions and couches for those missing pieces. I recommend that readers go to YouTube or the MSNBC video vault and watch the last two to three weeks of The Rachel Maddow Show.  She is on this story. Rachel has found plenty of Russian dirt under Trump’s fingernails.   Next to Trump, the next last person I want in the Oval Office is Mike Pence.

Impeachment

If Donald Trump were to be impeached, would it be for conspiring with a hostile power to win an election?  Several presidents have been impeached, but none in our  240 years, involved conspiracy to affect an election. We can’t allow ourselves to be complacent in our belief that the U.S.election process is safe. Not only are the election machines vulnerable to hacking, but our system is psychologically vulnerable. What impact does fake news, conspiracy theories, and partisan bubblism have on our election process?

Timeline

I do plan on putting more together on the suspected Russian and Trump campaign collusion. I will likely try tracing Rachel’s timeline of inquiry.  Don’t hold your breath, but I will try to get more of this hot political issue posted soon. The issue is hot, and seems to be getting hotter, despite efforts by the White House to tamper down the agitation in the media.

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TRUMP SHELL GAME

Trump Shell Game

By D. S. Mitchell

Putin Land

Calamity News and Politics doesn’t want you to grab the pitchforks and torches yet, but that could become a necessity. The noise around the Trump White House and it’s growing descent into Putin Land is quite alarming. Just because I’m a liberal. I’ve noticed red-necks are always quick to label me a “red” or a “commie.” Strange considering I’ve never even met a Russian. Since Trump began his campaign, the United States political scene has been dominated with Russians. Unheard of in American political history.

A Long Time Here

I’ve been around the U.S. political scene for a long time. I was born in 1946, I was small, but I remember Truman as president. The campaigns of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Carter, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama and now Trump are still vivid. Not once, did I ever hear any of these men, until Trump, espouse a Russian dictator as a great leader. Putin is a criminal who is known to kill his political enemies. And Trump thinks Putin is  “an amazing leader”. Peculiar to say the least.

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SESSIONS RECUSES OVER KREMLIN-GATE FIRESTORM

Sessions Recuses Over Kremlin-Gate 

D. S. Mitchell

A Progressive Agenda

I am admittedly a Liberal-Progressive. Calamity News and Politics is a known progressive political blog. Calamity has a serious agenda. My agenda is to put Democrats and Independents in office at all levels of American government. I am working to make that a reality in 2018. And, maybe, that is why I find the Republican trash that keeps blowing up in my face, really irritating. Such as: Paul Ryan had the guts to say, “the Dems have their hair on fire for no reason.”  Ted Cruz says, “It’s a nothing burger.”  “Keep moving.  Nothing to see here,” advises a grinning Mitch McConnell.

A Thing Of Interest

It seems many high-profile Republicans just can’t figure out why the people of the United States are interested in finding out the facts.  It has come out that  Attorney General Jeff Sessions, despite sworn testimony, had at least two meetings with the Russian Ambassador while he was acting as a surrogate for the Trump campaign. That information is big news, only to those outside the Republican party.

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A WHITE HOUSE MOST FOUL

A White House Most Foul

By D. S. Mitchell

As you most know, I started the Calamity Politics political blog to vent my frustrations and keep from losing my frigging liberal mind. I try to focus on news and facts and also try to support my statements with at least two sources. With this post, I’ve thrown all those established behaviors to the wind.

1.)  Images of the newly emboldened and empowered ICE agents, handcuffing and loading people into vans, without access to legal representation, reminds me of the Nazi’s rounding up the Jews seventy five years ago in Germany.  Obviously, hate lives on.

2.)  I had a husband once.  He believed, “if you repeat a lie,  enough times, most people believe it.”  I am more of the,  “You can fool all the people some of the time.  You can fool some of the people, part of the time,  but you can never fool all the people, all of the time.”  I believe we are about to find out which theory holds water.  I’ve got my fingers crossed.  There’s a lot at stake here, 240 years of our constitutional democracy.

3.)  There is a stench rising out of  Washington, D.C. that is so foul it has reached me here on the West Coast.  I have never smelled anything so disgusting, except the odor that hovers over a rendering plant in mid-August.  The possibility that a presidential candidate would co-operate with a foreign power, one that our country has sanctions against, is truly sickening.  That despicable cloud of corruption now hangs over the entire United States,  extending from coast to coast.  Republican investigating chairmen (Nunes and Burr), admitted yesterday, that they had, at White House urging, attempted to divert media attention from the Russian investigation.

Right here, right now, I want the world to know, that I personally believe the appointment of an Independent Prosecutor is essential.

4.)  The unrelenting attacks and insults against the media, by President Trump, are inexcusable and dangerous.  A little contention is good, but what is going on is unprecedented.  Since when does the top liar in the country have the right to accuse anyone of being “fake.”  The fabricated accusations by Trump are disgusting and unnecessary.  Trump’s assault against the fourth estate must stop. I’m not a great fan of George W, but let me tell you, I was so damned glad to hear him discuss this issue on the Today show yesterday, you would have thought he was a Democrat.   I was nearly cheering.  Fuck, yeah!  “The press in an indispensable part of our democracy”.  Go George, go.  Thank you, 43.** As an aside, Mr. Bush,  I had no idea you were such a talented artist.  The several paintings I’ve seen recently are amazing.  Beautiful work.

5.) “Who knew, health care was so complicated?” President Trump expressed Monday, February 27, 2017.    OMG.  Well, at least now, he admits, not everything can be solved with a tweet.  We are number 42 on the world health care service effectiveness list.  That’s a pathetic placement.  “42”?  That means 41  other countries in the world are doing it better than we are.  Seriously, 41 other countries provide both  better and cheaper health care for their citizens than we do here in the United States.  Has anyone thought to go to the  number 1 country, or number  2 country; and see how they do it?  Boy, that’s where I’d start, if I really wanted the best for the American people.  Let’s find out how to do it right.  We can still learn.

6.)  In 1973, Richard Nixon declared, “there can be no whitewash at the White House.”

After, protests and investigations, Nixon finally resigned, before impeachment.  I wonder if President Trump will resign, or whether he will order military defense of his position.  Don’t laugh.  Just because it hasn’t happened, doesn’t mean it can’t, or won’t.  Thank you Founding Fathers, for the Second Amendment.

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Dar

Russian Flags Over the White House

Russian Flags Over The White House

By D. S. Mitchell

A Fitful Sleep

I went to bed and fell asleep with the TV on.  Something that I have done a lot of recently. I slept fitfully while the station played.  Dream and nightmare merged as I flopped to and fro. Visions of red, white, and blue, twisted weirdly on a brisk breeze over the White House.  But in my confused sleep, I knew something was wrong.  Something was very wrong.

OMG

In my sleep, I couldn’t make sense of it.  What the fuck?  Why does the flag look so strange?  Where are the stars?  OMG.  The stripes aren’t the stripes of My flag, and My country.  The flag flying over this White House, is the tri-stripe red, white, and blue of Russia.

Joe and Mika

My eyes flew open.  Joe and Mika were talking with the usual crowd at the “Morning Joe” conference table about the General Mike Flynn resignation.  I shook my head. The rest of the Morning Joe story centered on Trump Campaign officials having been in “continuous” contact with Russian officials throughout the 2016 Presidential campaign. No wonder I’m having nightmares.

A Smoldering Fire

I know there is a lot of political wrangling going on in the Congress. Democrats smell a Russian fire smoldering behind the doors of the White House, but there is denial.  The Trump Administration continues to deny Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Republicans, current in control of House, Senate and the Executive Branch are in the middle of an election high and refuse to see the Russian fire.

Smoke Screen

It looks as if the Democrats and the voters are the only way to make our Republican brothers and sisters see the danger for what damage such a potential blaze could do. The main stream press, CNN and MSNBC  and the on-line news sources are screaming bloody murder, but the GOP have blinders and ear plugs in place. Every one outside the Republican sphere is calling 911  but are getting no answer. Right now the Republicans are drunk with power and can’t see the fire for the smoke.

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8 Donald Trump Mind Benders

8 Donald Trump Mind Benders

By D. S. Mitchell

Face Slamming

For me, staying on track, with so many political news stories slamming me in the face, seemingly every minute, is a bit hard. My primary intention with Calamity News and Politics/Calamity Politics, is to be a voice for the progressive political agenda. I believe everything is political, so you will see articles on health care, housing, homelessness, suicide, struggling families, criminal ‘injustice’, and the overall inequality of our existing system. I hope to do that through sensible reporting, comment, opinion and conversation.

Objectivity?

Although, my agenda is progressive, I want to stay as objective as the facts allow me to be. I attempt to use a minimum of two sources for each story. I know my personality, so I expect I am likely to drop a commentary bomb somewhere in almost every post. However, my goal is to give you news. When writing an Editorial, however, I am more likely to go on a screaming tirade.

Outbursts

I will do my best to restrain those outbursts when posting my regular posts.  If you want to watch me eviscerate the powerful, look for posts labeled Editorial.  If I deviate from that set goal, I give my readers permission to remind me of my shortcomings. My central goal is to empower the powerless, encourage the weak and motivate the involvement of the many. When you read Calamity News and Politics it is the same as reading Calamity Politics, you just got to the site using a different URL. I am on Twitter, but find I do not have the energy it requires to be as visible as I would like.  I hate Facebook. Because of that bias I am there only by social media arm twisting. Lastly, you can find CP posts on Pinterest.

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14 Emerging Trump Scandals

14 Emerging Trump Scandals

By D.S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics is a progressive political blog. Our intention here at Calamity Politics is to shed light on the events of the day. We will look at the U.S. political hot button issues, and see if our behind the scenes investigations can offer insight, relevance and engaging conversation.

I was planning on talking about media overload today.  I have been wondering if the American public would tire of having the orange gorilla in their living room every single minute of every single day.  As of this morning, I am convinced that I need not worry about such an event.

Instead, I believe we are going to see a growing crowd assemble.  You know how it is, the train is approaching the collapsed bridge, and you just can’t take your eyes away.  Some of us will be cheering and some will be crying.  That’s politics for you.  I’m just praying, the Republic can survive.

The Scandals

    1. Resignation of retired General Mike Flynn, as National Security Advisor due to his association with Russian government.
    2. Trump’s link to election interventions by Russia.
    3. Resignation of Manafort and his Russian association.
    4. Trump’s bungled Executive Order: “Muslim” Travel Ban.
    5. Kellyanne Conway selling/promoting Ivanka’s fashion line on TV from the White House Briefing Room.
    6. Trump’s refusal to divulge his income taxes.
    7. Trump’s illegal use of his foundation.
    8. Melania Trump’s immigration file.  Possible, felonies and misdemeanors.  Some people are saying she was a call girl?
    9. Trump is an “Unreviewable” President, states White House counselor, Stephen Miller.
    10. Lawsuits against Trump University continue in several states.
    11. President Trump’s lease/contract on the Washington, D.C. Trump hotel.
    12. Trump loading the White House Cabinet with billionaires.
    13. FBI Director Comey and New York FBI office associates of Rudi Giuliani and the  revelation of Clinton emails on Anthony Weiner’s PC.
    14. President Trump’s refusal to divest himself of his worldwide business interests.

So, there you are folks, the down and dirty on the boiling scandals miring this new administration. So, because of Trump’s ridiculous conspiracy theories and his outright lies regarding 3,000,000 illegal voters swinging the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, along with preposterous statements as to the size of his Inaugural crowd size, his vicious and near constant attacks on the press, have convinced me, that we are in for a very bumpy ride. Journalists, bloggers, media outlets I believe President Trump he will do, and say anything, because he knows that the 24/7 news cycle is amenable to short term attention by the audience. So, here we go on the political ride of our lives. I think it will get damn dirty.

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