Category: Government

BLACKWATER PRINCE

  By , , ,

Blackwater Prince

D. S. Mitchell

**Digby Parton for Salon, and Jeremy Scahill for Intercept, have provided most of the investigative information for this story.  Calamity Politics, does not have the ability to do investigative journalism, but instead relies on several reporting sources to bring a story to my readers. The comments and analysis are all D.S.M. 

Who Is Erik Prince?

Erik Prince, is the billionaire Navy Seal and one time owner of Blackwater USA, is in the crosshairs today.  Prince owned the renegade mercenary company when they worked in Iraq.  The private military company was plagued with reports of beatings and theft. In 2007 while guarding an allied convoy, Blackwater soldiers opened fire on unarmed Iraqi citizens, including women and children in Nisour Place, Bagdad.  The massacre killed 17 and wounded 20.

Family Ties

The guilty were prosecuted, after several stops and starts,  the Feds convicted one man of murder, he got 30 years.  Four other Blackwater defendants received lesser sentences. The disgraced billionaire sold Blackwater. Since then he has done financial consulting. A couple of interesting facts have emerged recently. First, Prince’s  sister is the newly appointed and controversial Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.  Second, he is the son of a billionaire far right-wing activist, who spent millions of dollars to push his beliefs legislatively, and as Betsy said, “We expect results, when we give money.”

Back Door

Erik Prince was with Trump on election night.  Prior to the election, Prince would sneak in the back door of Trump Tower, so as not to be seen by the gaggle of reporters in the lobby. When questioned on the Prince association with the Trump campaign, Sean Spicer, denied there was any involvement between the Blackwater founder and the White House. “If there had been an association,” Spicer said, “it was insignificant.” Despite denials of a close relationship between Prince and Trump it is clear that Prince is giving  intel and defense advice. Prince has been a close associate of Mike Pence. Both have an extreme right-wing “militant theocratic worldview,” Salon reported.

On Intel Radar

“Considering that Trump’s knowledge of world affairs can barely fill a shot glass, seeing Erik Prince among the inner circle of advisors is unnerving,” said an inside source, “he has gone off the rails and has exposed many U.S. citizens to criminal liability.” Prince currently lives in Abi Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.  Prince a shadowy figure is known to be under investigation by the Dept of Justice and several other agencies for suspected money laundering, and attempts to broker military services of foreign governments. Erik Prince is aware and angry over the surveillance. He has complained loudly that his movements are constantly monitored.  Numerous associates have acknowledged that the government has warned them to, “cease doing business with him. He is on the radar of every Intel service in the world.”

Breitbart Interview

In July 2016, Erik Prince was on Steve Bannon’s Breitbart radio program.  At the time Prince pushed ” a kill/capture” program that the U.S. used in Vietnam.  Prince suggest the need for a “Phoenix program”  to deal with Islamic terrorists. He called it an “assassination ring”. More recently, Erik Prince met for two days in the Seychelles with officials from the Russian government as an  “emissary” from the Trump campaign.

Another Russian Connection

Another, Trump-Russian association. I can’t imagine this. I remember hiding under my desk because the Russians were going the kill me with an atomic bomb.  Now, I find out that the Russians are here running our government. I pray that the conspiracy/collusion stories are false, but I doubt it. If there was no collusion, why are all these meetings secret? I want to get to the bottom of the Russian election interference. The stonewalling at the legislative investigative committee level, gives me deep concerns. Partisanship appears to be guiding the congressional investigation. I truthfully believe this association between the Russian government and the Trump campaign could spell the death to our democracy.

Mission

I will continue to write about the headline news of the day, and the urgent political stories that are keeping Americans awake at night. The political drum beat is pounding irritably. I believe the Republic is in great danger and if there was ever a need to raise your voice, now is that time.

Join the Resistance

 

“I’m A Smart Guy”

  By , ,

I’m A Really Smart Guy

By D. S. Mitchell

Behind My Desk

Calamity Politics is a political news blog reacting to the world around us through analysis, and commentary. The topics change, but my passion for the news and political policy remains hot. I hope that never changes. The activities in Washington, D. C. affect our lives in a wide range of ways. When those results are harmful to the citizenry emotions run hot. Information is important to keep us informed and involved. If you do nothing else, stay tuned in and participate.

Donald Says

Donald Trump claims, “I’m a really smart guy”. Self evaluation by a diagnosed Narcissistic Personality Disordered person must be measured by the facts, not his bellicose statements.

Grow Into The Job

Today, I want to talk about Donald Trump’s “growth.”  A widespread pundit theory has it that Donald Trump is “learning and growing” into the job. Apparently, some people feel comfortable watching Trump learn on the job. I do not. He is the president of the United States, not an apprentice grocery checker.

Campaigning

On the campaign stump, Trump often said running the country was, “so  easy, folks.” The fast talking New York con artist told audiences that Washington wasn’t working because, all those people are “too stupid” and “too corrupt,” to make it work. Finishing with, “I can make it work”. Big claims for a guy who was a historic failure at most everything. He went through bankruptcy six times, married three times and avoided military service with doubtful claims of “bone spurs”. Even more important, he never served in government, and was never elected to office, not even in high school or college.

Lots Of Drama

Trump’s simplistic claims resonated with a lot of people. The speeches ginned up and excited the attendees. “Lock her up.” “Drain the swamp.” Heated rhetoric spun by a know-nothing television celebrity drew big crowds across the country. The violent overtones of the rallies were palpable. Drama, lots of drama. It never seemed real. But, it was. And Trump is now president. The hell with government policy. The hell with experience and knowledge.  Who cares that people are suffering  around this country.  These are vulnerable people who depend on good government to help them with housing, health care, education and food security.

Continue reading

The Deepening Swamp

  By , , ,

The Deepening Swamp

D. S. Mitchell

Diggin’ For Dirt

As a political junkie, my ears perked up when I heard the White House Visitor Log will no longer be publicly available. Journalists and nosy neighbor’s are similar in some respects. We want to know what’s going on. It just drives us bird dogs, tail chasing crazy when there are secrets. It makes no sense to me. Why would an administration that is already embroiled in multiple scandals, on multiple fronts, decide to hide the visitor log information?

It Is Obvious

The answer is obvious. The White House does not want the public to know which corporate executives, lobbyists and other people of interest visit the West Wing of the White House. The more the President and his associates try to run a secret government, the more we will investigate. Us nasty, disgusting, journalists will dig around to uncover “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why” and “how”. And, that process all starts with the basic, “why”?

Continue reading

Trump Claims Immunity

  By ,

Trump Claims Immunity

D. S. Mitchell

Lily

I’m still pounding out blog posts, between answering the Calamity Politics phone and letting the dog in and then out. It is a game Lily likes to play. But, her game is torture to me. If you have a dog you get it. If you have a cat, you don’t know what I’m talking about.

Turn It Off

I turned off the television, quieting the week-end political news shows. I am sick of hearing about North Korean military parades, and listening to the “what we will do next” scenarios. There are several old stories that don’t want to die. This Trump news story began several years ago. And as with most court cases I expect it to drag on a ridiculously long time.

Continue reading

RUMBLINGS AND GRUMBLINGS

  By

Rumblings And Grumblings

D. S. Mitchell

FOREIGN POLICY

The dog has been walked. My Dinner is the remainder of my Cobb Salad, from lunch. I’m waiting for The Rachel Maddow Show to end. Dan Rather is giving an interesting interview, or I would just turn it off.

I worked on a long Calamity Politics blog post earlier today. The article focused primarily on the similarities between Donald Trump and Jared Kushner. What I want to do now, is drink an Irish Coffee, and get into the hot tub, and zone out.

But, I spend 23 hours a day wound up, thinking about the wild, turbulent, U.S. political daily may lay, and have trouble unwinding. Like right now, I cannot forget that 59 Tomahawk missiles were launched at a Syrian airbase on April 7th, 2017 by United States naval forces, for a yet, undefined purpose. Each one of those Tomahawk missiles cost a million dollars.

Less than a week later, the American military dropped the “mother of all bombs,” or, a MOAB, on a set of ISIS tunnels and linked caves, in Afghanistan. So, back to the previous question. What is the purpose? Is there a thought out strategy? We killed 36 terrorists. How much did that bomb cost? I think I read that bitch cost 314 million dollars. That is about $85 million dollars per ISIS fighter.

On top of that, the Carl Vinson and its Pacific Command strike force are headed toward the Korean Peninsula. Where apparently, the 30 year old dictator of North Korea, is having a party to celebrate his Grand dad’s birthday, and possibly detonate a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. Vice President, Mike Pence, is headed to South Korea as the first stop on his Asian tour. Is that reassuring, or not? I mean, Pence being there. If there is going to be a conflagration, wouldn’t he want to stay away? Or, maybe they know that no one is going to push the button and start a war, so it’s okay for him to go, right?

What am I gonna do? I can’t just ignore this stuff. It’s my job to report on the political news. I think I’ll have that Irish Coffee, to start with. Good night.

Join the Resistance

Dar

TRUMP TAX MARCH – Saturday, April 15

  By , ,

Trump Tax March

D. S. Mitchell

Two Hot Topics

I woke up this morning and turned the TV channel to ‘New Day’. There were two hot news topics. Christine Romans and the guests were mostly focused on 1.) Trump’s attack on the Syrian air fields and 2.) how long Steve Bannon would be able to hang on at the White House. It seems Bannon has been banging heads with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. To escape the two big stories, here at Calamity News and Politics I’m going to focus my political discussion for a few minutes on the Trump Tax March, scheduled for April 15, 2017.

Frank Started It

N.Y. comedian Frank Lesser, started it all. Lesser admits he has somehow become the center of the protest tax movement. He is definitely pushing the “Don the Chicken,” mascot theme. Just from a personal perspective, I want to see those dumb birds floating over huge protests from coast to coast.

Changing Story

Trump’s story has changed over time. Before Trump ran for president he said he would release his tax returns. When Trump entered the 2016 election campaign he said he would release his taxes when “the IRS finishes its audit.” After he won the election,  Kellyanne Conway stated flatly that Trump would “never release his taxes.” She did however, back off somewhat, later saying, “maybe,” he would release his tax records.

Tax Returns Tell A Story

As a self-appointed political analyst it is clear to me that the only way Trump is going to publish his tax returns is if the public forces that publication. It will probably come through the courts. There is currently noise in the Congress to subpoena Trump’s taxes. The reason to look at his tax returns is, “to unravel his entanglements with foreign governments to discern whether he used illegal tax shelters,” said Lessor. It is essential we know “who he owes money to”. And how does that debt affect his actions as president.

Ready And Willing

I am hoping for a sizable turnout across the country. I hope political fatigue is not setting in. It hasn’t happened to me. I am still fired up, and looking for a reason to irritate this president in any I can. So, I’m ready to march in Portland, Oregon on 4/15/17. I hope there is a big turnout. But, I won’t be disappointed if it is only me and six friends. Because I am speaking out against the worst scoundrel and liar to ever occupy the Oval Office.

Four Decades Of History

Every U.S. President for four decades has released his tax returns. Trump is being sued right and left over the issue. The suits center over payments from foreign governments that might violate the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. The American people care what our president is doing financially, and his indebtedness. We care if the president is dishonest. We care where his money is coming from, and where it’s going. There is an unprecedented amount of self promoting going on.  I see Trump frequenting his golf courses, and hotels. Pushing the brand. Ivanka and Melania are seen modeling jewelry on Pinterest. Pushing the family brand never stops. I believe, along with several others, it’s time for Trump to release his taxes.

Robert Reich

I’m going to add some comments that Robert Reich, Former Secretary of Labor, made to Newsweek. Reich thinks Trump would already be facing impeachment proceedings if the Congress was not top-heavy with Republicans.

First Issue

When Trump swore to “faithfully execute laws of the Constitution,” he broke that oath when he went on a baseless twitter attack on Barack Obama, accusing him of wire tapping the Trump Tower.

Second Issue

Article 1 Section 9 of the Constitution which forbids government officials from taking things of value from foreign governments. Trump steers diplomatic delegations to his hotels. He had an application for the Trump brand trademark approved in China, after the election. This was an application that had previously been rejected.

Third Issue

According to Robert Reich, the First Amendment that “bans any law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise there of.” Reich believes the “travel ban,” is a ban on Muslims and as such is unconstitutional.

Fourth Issue

“Abridging the freedom of the press”.  Labeling the press “enemies of the people” and limiting access of the press to the administration. Trump thinks limiting access gives him and the administration more positive coverage. This is a very bad precedent.

Fifth Issue

The fifth cause, Article II Section 3 of the Constitution defines treason against the U.S. “adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort”. Many are saying, supported by growing evidence, that Trump and his campaign colluded with the Russians to win the 2016 Presidential election.

Reich Explains

A President of the U.S. can be impeached for “high crimes and misdemeanors”. Reich says, “The question is no longer whether there are grounds to impeach Trump, but whether there’s the political will.” As long as the Republicans are holding power in the House of Representatives it is unlikely much will happen. Any Bill of Impeachment originates in the House. This is why it is critical to flip the House to Blue in 2018.

April 15, 2017

So, with all of this going on, don’t forget to come to the April 15, 2017 Trump Tax March! Hope to see you there. Any discussion of U.S. politics today has to include the disparity of wealth. The Tax March should be part of that larger protest about the income inequality and Trump’s plans for huge tax cuts for the rich, including himself, his cabinet, his friends and his family.

Calamity News And Politics

Calamity Politics was founded to attempt to understand and explain U.S. government policy. CNP is a grass-roots liberal voice. This is a no profit site. There is no advertising. We present news, argue ideas, comment on events and analyze policy from a Progressive point of view.

Join the Resistance

Sunday Morning

  By ,

Sunday Morning

D. S. Mitchell

Cookie Time

I’m making my family’s favorite Molasses Cookies. It takes awhile, mostly because the dough has to sit in the frig for 3 hours. I Don’t know why, that’s just what Mom’s recipe says I’m supposed to do. But, it does give me a chance to reflect on the political landscape, and make my first entries to today’s Calamity News and Politics, blog.

Random Thoughts:

I am upset about the chemical attack on Syrian citizens and the killing of babies, apparently by the Assad government. Barbaric. Inhuman. After saying that, I don’t like all the praise President Trump is getting from both sides of the Congressional aisle. If it was another president, I might be showing support for the action, but in the case of Donald Trump I reserve my praise.

Questions

Why? For one thing, Trump showed no heart when brown babies, in their mother’s arms, stood crying on our doorstep. Secondly, we all know that Donald Trump is a narcissistic sociopath. So, now what? Let’s go bomb, North Korea, because he thinks his poll numbers might go up. Thirdly, nice distraction. You’ve tried a bunch of stuff, but now you really turned their heads from the 2016 Russian election collaboration investigation. Fourthly, who is actually running the government? Is it Trump, Bannon, Kushner, Putin or a frog in the pond? I know Don is the figurehead, but who is actually setting policy? If there is a policy.

Strategy vs Muscle Flexing

President Trump is now moving ships of the U.S. Pacific Command toward the Korean Peninsula. This is real fire power. Seoul, South Korea, our ally, and home to 26 million people is in the crosshairs, caught between two madmen. I hope we have a true strategy, and are ready to accept all possible consequences, before we start lobbing missiles all over the place. What are our goals? Who are we aligned with? What is our strategy? How many war fronts are we ready to fight on? Our military attacked a Syrian air base with 59 Tomahawk missiles,  we have blown up half of Afghanistan with MOAB (Mother of all bombs) and we have a naval strike force headed to the Korean peninsula. Wow, in one week, we have taken several major steps toward world destabilization.

Is this part of Trump’s “secret plan” to destroy ISIS or us? I guess I’ll just hide under my desk and wait for the all clear whistle.

Join the Resistance

STALLED INVESTIGATION

  By , ,

Stalled Investigation

D. S. Mitchell

My Hackles Are Up

We have our hackles up here at Calamity News and Politics. The sanctity of our institutions are at risk. Our U.S. political system is sliding into the sewer. It is looking really bad around the White House, like a great sink hole is opening up at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue. The lies, the deflection, the distractions are centering themselves, now around Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA). Devin Nunes is the Chairman of the House Intel Committee. Nunes has created a firestorm over the last week.

Recusal Time

Mr. Nunes was part of the Trump transition team. That fact alone should require him to recuse himself from investigating possible collusion between the Russian government and the Donald J. Trump Presidential Campaign.  Nunes says that his personal connection with Trump and his staff will have no effect on his committee’s investigation. Because he says he was involved “after the campaign”.

Investigation

My thought on his explanation is, bull shit.  Nunes has a relationship with Trump and his associates, most of whom were involved in both the campaign and the transition team. Having a close relationship with those being investigated spells bad news.  It wouldn’t surprise me if Nunes doesn’t find himself thrown off that  big Trump bus, anytime he’s no longer useful.

Morphing Accusations

Approximately three weeks ago, Donald Trump, President of the U.S, accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of “wiretapping Trump Tower” (a felony) in a 6:00 a.m. tweet rant.  All the intelligence agencies called the accusations false.  Trump keeps blurring the lines of what he meant by “wiretapping”.  Each day it has morphed slightly. The accusations now include spying microwaves and television sets, surveillance photos, telephone conversations between foreign entities where names of American citizens were illegally unmasked.

Continue reading

Tentacles of the Kremlin

  By , ,

Tentacles Of The Kremlin

D. S. Mitchell

An Irritation

I’m here to tell you it is colder than hell here at the beach. But, the U.S. political news scene is hot. Really, really hot. The political shenanigans that went on during the 2016 Presidential campaign are a constant lingering pimple on the ass of the President of the United States. We all know it is weird. I mean, have you ever heard so many Russian names in your whole freaking life? Well, whatever you just answered, I didn’t hear it. Speaking for myself, in 70 plus years I have never heard so many Russian names.

Lobbying For Putin

The tentacles of Putin’s Kremlin are pervasive. It seems Russia has penetrated the highest levels of the U.S. government. Russian interests are actively engaged in U.S. policy.  The Russian government and Russian special interest groups, have spent millions of dollars contracting with American lobbying firms. Their goals are specific. 

Kremlin Motives

First and foremost, the Kremlin wants a softening, of Obama era sanctions. The first round of sanctions came as punishment for Russia’s annexation of Crimea.  Those sanctions were intensified because of Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.  The second target aimed at reducing fracking in the U.S. The fracking process has produced abundant oil supplies. With abundant product has come plunging oil prices. The dip in prices have devastated the Russian economy.  The third major lobbying target has been the financial sanctions. Sberbank and VTB Capital have faced severe cash shortages due to plunging oil prices and the U.S. sanctions.

Web Of Corruption

The FBI and the Justice Department are conducting an investigation into possible links between the corrupt former Ukrainian pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych and former Trump campaign manager, Paul Manafort. In a Hot Air article, John Sexton wrote that the Democratic super lobbying firm, The Podesta Group, LLC is under investigation.  John Podesta was Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager.  John denies recent involvement with the group he helped found.  I don’t know if we  will ever know the full extent of this web of corruption.  It looks like it is world-wide.

Corruption

Rick Gates, a Paul Manafort deputy, hired The Podesta Group, reported HotAir. The FBI is attempting to discover if any U.S. companies and financial system were used to aid illegal activities and corruption by the party of former president Viktor Yanukovych. By reports, The Podesta Group did not register their work as agents for a foreign government as required by law.  Buzzfeed says that PG has lawyered up.  PG was listed on lobbying disclosure forms, however.  The Podesta Group reported receiving $24 million in fees in 2016, mostly from foreign governments.

Money Flying

The Democratic super lobbyist Podesta Group, got $170,000 over 6 months from Sberbank to lobby for lifting sanctions on Russian banks. Records show Sberbank met with State Department officials twice accompanied by a Podesta representative. The PG did not at any time register as an agent of a foreign power during this time. The Podesta Group represented Sberbank and its subsidiaries, Troika Dialog Group.  Interestingly, “Troika Dialog” was related to Klein Ltd, a Cayman Island organization. Klein Ltd is known to have funneled tens of millions of dollars to environmental groups to oppose low-cost fracking in U.S.” said Richard Pollock, Daily Caller.

Democratic Ties

Two other big lobby groups, best known for their Democratic ties have also become entangled with the Russians.  Manatos & Manatos, known backers of Carter and LBJ, represented VTB Capital at the tune of $17,500 monthly to lobby for sanction lifting. VTB and Sberbank are known to have spent at least $700,000 in 2016 to end financial sanctions.

Conclusion

My concern here is of course, that even without meddling in the election, the Kremlin is actively undermining many aspects of our lives.

Join the Resistance

 

Tillerson’s Big Lie

  By , ,

Tillerson’s Big Lie

D. S. Mitchell

Morning Cable

I just watched Christine Romans, on ‘New Day,’ a morning political cable news show on CNN. I like her style, she really knows how to put her guests on the hot seat. Her questions are pointed and intuitive. Sometimes I feel sorry for the guests. LOL. I used to start my morning’s with ‘Morning Joe,” he comes on at 0300 her in the West. But recently Scarborough’s poorly veiled support of Trump is a turn off. If it wasn’t for Mika Brzezinski, I would have turned to ‘New Day’ a lot sooner. After watching New Day I have a choice of half a dozen activities. I either walk, bike or swim for an hour. Next, I grab breakfast. Then I go start research for a new blog post.

Continue reading