Wednesday, January 04, 2017

What is being Jewish have to do with Chris Christi?

It seems to me the 'idea' the Kushners are Jewish is a bit much. It is completely irrelevant to the fact Charles Kushner was guilty as sin.

It seems to me Charles Kushner, his son and Donald Trump plays their Hebrew card a few times too often. I am not impressed.


Chris Christie is a Catholic. His prosecution of legitimate lawbreaker Charles Kushner was completely in line with the criminal justice system of the USA and he would have been completely remiss if he didn't prosecute Charles Kushner.


The Donald Trump camp is acting foolishly with petty superiority as if Chris Christie is having his career destroyed and his pride ground under Trump heel. BULLSHIT!


I have stated Donald Trump is a hubris candidate. The petty revenge by Donald Trump of Governor Chris Christie is below the integrity and dignity of the USA President. Chris Christie knows more about governance than most elected officials of the Republican Party. He played a vital role with Donald Trump in his run for the Presidency in his capacity of Republican Governors Association Chairperson.


Chris Christie needs to distance himself from the Tea Party. In the long run the pettiness of Donald Trump, his administration and his family are going to hurt everyone affiliated with them. The American people are not feeling as if petty hubris is valuable.

Chris Christie should find his footing and possibly return to private legal practice with a focus of a very nice wife and wonderful children. His opportunity will occur again. In complete honesty. Chris Christie needs to stay as far away from Donald Trump as possible.

The truth be known, Donald Trump's 'Bully Act' is a very distant second to the legitimate bully pulpit of Governor Chris Christie.

March 1, 2016

By Allison Kaplan Sommer

After dropping his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, (click here) New Jersey governor Chris Christie shocked the political world by endorsing Donald Trump – giving the maverick candidate his first real stamp of approval days before the crucial Super Tuesday race. It was a move that stunned and disappointed the anti-Trump GOP establishment, including Christie’s own friends and supporters. 


Christie said he appreciated Trump “as a person, and as a friend,” and Trump, in turn described Christie as his “friend for many years” and a “spectacular governor.”...


...In Christie’s early career as a successful New Jersey U.S. attorney, he arrested and charged Jared’s father, Charles Kushner, with trying to foil an investigation into an alleged illicit activity through obstruction of justice and witness tampering.


The case reached telenovella proportions and grabbed national headlines after it was revealed that the elder Kushner hired a prostitute to entrap his brother-in-law and sent the tape to his sister, Esther, in an alleged effort to stop her from being a witness against him in a civil interfamily suit. The sleazy move seemed fit more for The Sopranos than for the religiously observant offspring of a family that is a pillar of New Jersey's Jewish philanthropic community.


Christie subsequently negotiated a plea agreement with Ivanka’s father-in-law in which Charles Kushner was sentenced to two years in federal prison in Alabama, though he was released in 2006 after just 14 months to spend the remainder of his sentence in a New Jersey halfway house....

Donald Trump will lose the trust of the USA. "Donald Trump, you are fired !"

Donald Trump cannot simply throw out USA intelligence and replace it with an agency composed of Julian Assange and Russia.

Julian Assange was not elected and Russia is not a USA satellite. The relationship the current President Elect has with these power players is grossly inappropriate while I am convinced FBI Director Comey purposely put his thumb on the election scale. Donald Trump has a great gratitude to pay to Comey, but, I don't see throwing out the USA intelligence agencies is the answer.


Donald Trump is not instilling confidence in the country AND especially him.


January 4, 2017
By Scott Shane, Maggie Haberman and Julie Hirschfield Davis

President-elect Donald J. Trump (click hereappears to side with the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over United States intelligence agencies, with Vice President-elect Mike Pence backing him up.

She’s hired: Omarosa Manigault gets a White House post, as do some notable Trump loyalists. But Mr. Trump is leaning on Republican veterans in the Oval Office’s top slots.


The president-elect finds something “very strange” about his intelligence briefing on Friday — even though the White House says it was always planned for Friday....


There are many instances I can list where I was more than annoyed at the performance of the USA intelligence agencies, however, to throw the baby out with the bath water is not what I call prudent. 


Sorry, but, at this point Donald Trump does not have the insight or experience to throw the agencies out. There is a learning curve for intelligence agents as well as a newly elected President. That learning curve cannot be dismissed when a new President is taking office. 

This rash approach is a worry no American can ignore. It is and has been my opinion when administrations are changing in the USA it is important to have the current DOD Secretary and Homeland Security Secretary remain for at least one year before they are replaced. It is a matter of the new President and his cabinet to come up to speed to protect the country and carry out national security.

As much as I find Comey necessary to replace, a new administration has to respect the agency and it's director for the service and loyalty to the country. They have done their jobs. There is no reason for them to be removed from their place in the national security structure. A year or two into the practice of the President would prove to have enough knowledge gathering and experience with these people to decide to remove them.

Julian Assange has created an incredible power machine that has removed the mystique of government. The people have come to understand their role better in their country to bring about the governance they are hoping for, but, to hold Mr. Assange as an ideal to the new intelligence is a bit much. Mr. Assange isn't even a USA citizen.

Whistleblowers take on a great deal of risk to bring a message to the public in hopes the electorate will move to change their outcome in elections. That is admirable and heroic, however, a stark revolution will bring about a great deal of instability in an economy and the peoples' own security.

Right now in the USA there is a greater danger in the country. Violence has increased. There is racism and hatred in ways no one expected when the primaries began. The country has changed it's character. It is a worry. To throw more fuel on that fire is not a matter of "let's go there and see what happens." Such profound destabilization allows huge holes for very dangers elements to begin a civil war. 

Is that what Donald Trump wants? A civil war in the USA to satisfy his White Supremacists? It would seem to be the case. I think Americans need to reassess their place in this circus and begin a far more serious approach to the stability of their country.
4 January 2017
By Harriet Alexander

Ivanka Trump (click here) and her husband Jared Kushner have completed a deal on a $5.5 million (£4.4m) home in Washington DC, as they prepare to move to the city to work in Donald Trump’s administration.

The six-bedroom, two-storey house is in the Kalorama district of the capital, and is only two streets away from the home President Barack Obama and his family will rent when they move out of the White House.

The Trump-Kushner property was built in 1923 but has been thoroughly renovated, and photos on the estate agent’s website show an elegant, light-filled home decorated in greys and beiges.  The décor is similar to the Park Avenue apartment Ms Trump currently lives in with Mr Kushner and their three children in New York, which has been shown off in interior design magazines....

It would seem Ivanka is becoming comfortable with the idea of a career at the White House. Ivanka must have a great deal of interest in a political career. If she is going to play a role in the White House, her path will not be dissimilar than Hillary Clinton, both perhaps representing the State of New York.

January 4, 2016

...The house (click here) was previously owned by a Latvian-born financier with extensive investments in Russia and ties to a Russian opposition leader....

...The home was previously owned by Dan K. Rapoport and his wife, Irina, according to property records filed with the District of Columbia. Neither responded to emailed requests for comment....

The Affordable Care Act provides for all Americans, not just the ones that want a menu of choices.

This news agency is based in California and so is the Kaiser Family Foundation that conducted the survey. California is among the states that have seen larger increases in their health care policies. If those with higher costs due to manipulations of doctors seeking greater wealth through the ACA still wants to keep the coverage, there can't be that much wrong with the ACA as it stands today. 

The Democrats have to realize this health care law is near perfect, except for politicos. If the Republicans want to shot themselves in the foot, don't get in the way.

There has to be a "Single Payer" system that addresses the chronically ill. That would create a specialized insurance that amply takes care of them with excellent care and good "Doc Fixes."

That is all that has to happen and the higher costs to average Americans will come down.


December 1, 2016
By Tracy Seipel

...The new survey, (click here) conducted by the Menlo Park-based Kaiser Family Foundation in mid-November, found that 49 percent of the public want to keep the law or see it expanded, versus 43 percent who want lawmakers to eliminate or dial back the law, commonly called “Obamacare.”
On the campaign trail and again at a rally in Cincinnati on Thursday night,  President-elect Donald Trump vowed to “repeal and replace” the law, which has insured 20 million Americans since 2014, many of them through an Obamacare provision that expanded Medicaid, the nation’s health care program for the poor.
Republicans, who now control both houses of the Congress, have voted dozens of times to repeal the Affordable Care Act since it was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010.
But post-election, according to the poll released Thursday, fewer Republican voters (52 percent) now say they want to see the law repealed, down from 69 percent in October. And 24 percent of Republicans now just want to see the law scaled back, up from 11 percent in October. The poll was taken after Trump told the Wall Street Journal and CBS’ “60 Minutes” three days after the election that he liked some key parts of the law....

President Obama was a successful Commander and Chief.

President Obama is humbled by the honor expressed to him by the USA military. The military and President Obama has had a special relationship in providing rights to all members of the military.

September 20, 2011
Today, the discriminatory law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (click here) is finally and formally repealed.  As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love.  As of today, our armed forces will no longer lose the extraordinary skills and combat experience of so many gay and lesbian service members. And today, as Commander in Chief, I want those who were discharged under this law to know that your country deeply values your service....

December 3, 2015
Today, the Defense Department (click here) is taking another historic step forward by opening up the remaining 10 percent of military positions, including combat roles, to women.  As Commander in Chief, I know that this change, like others before it, will again make our military even stronger.  Our armed forces will draw on an even wider pool of talent.  Women who can meet the high standards required will have new opportunities to serve.  I know that, under the leadership of Secretary Carter and Chairman Dunford, our men and women in uniform will implement this transition -- as they have others -- in a responsible manner that maintains military readiness and the unparalleled professionalism and strength of our armed forces.  Together, we're going to make sure our military remains the finest fighting force in the history of the world, worthy of all our patriots who serve -- men and women....


January 3, 2017
By Jeff Schogol

The Marine Corps (click here) will make history on Thursday when the first three female infantry Marines join their unit at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, officials said. 

The women are headed to 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, where they will serve in the following infantry military occupational specialties: rifleman, machine gunner and mortar Marine, said 1st Lt. John McCombs, a spokesman for II Marine Expeditionary Force.

The battalion has a team of women leaders consisting of a logistics officer, motor transport officer and wire chief to support the female infantry Marines, McCombs said....

December 27, 2013
The day after Christmas, (click here) President Obama signed a defense bill with provisions to curb sexual assault in the U.S. military. Under the new law, anyone who engages in sexual assault will face dishonorable discharge, commanders are prevented from reversing jury decisions, legal assistance will be provided for victims, and “retaliation” against a victim will be punished.

The bill came in response to a Department of Defense report issued earlier this year, which claimed there were 26,000 victims of assault in the military in 2012. In the previous year, 19,000 assaults were disclosed from 2010. The numbers were not comprehensive, however, omitting additional accounts of sexual harassment, or “unwanted gender-related behavior.” The 26,000 figure also excludes quid-pro-quo intimidation, according to which victims are blackmailed into committing sexual acts in return for job security or career advancement. Repeated assaults are also discounted, as are assaults against civilians....

He ended the "W" forever war.

December 18, 2011
By Joseph Logan

The last convoy of U.S. soldiers pulled out of Iraq on Sunday, (click here) ending nearly nine years of war that cost almost 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, and left a country grappling with political uncertainty.
The war launched in March 2003 with missiles striking Baghdad to oust President Saddam Hussein closes with a fragile democracy still facing insurgents, sectarian tensions and the challenge of defining its place in an Arab region in turmoil.
As U.S. soldiers pulled out, Iraq's delicate power-sharing deal for , Sunni and Kurdish factions was already under pressure. The Shi'ite-led government asked parliament to fire the Sunni deputy prime minister, and security sources said the Sunni vice president faced an arrest warrant.
The final column of around 100 mostly U.S. military MRAP armoured vehicles carrying 500 U.S. troops trundled across the southern Iraq desert from their last base through the night and daybreak along an empty highway to the Kuwaiti border....

President Obama resolved to diplomatic solutions with Syria to end it's chemical weapons program. President Obama was accessible to prevent war and death of innocent people when diplomacy was successful.
On August 21, 2013, (click herechemical weapons were used in the suburbs of Damascus, Syria. 1,429 people died, including 426 children. [1] As gruesome video footage of the victims' suffering circulated worldwide, heated debate over how the international community should respond ensued. Most agreed that the Syrian regime should not be able to use chemical weapons, in violation of international law, with impunity. For some, prominently including the U.S. and French governments, the appropriate response appeared to be the use of force. President Obama announced his administration's intent to use limited air strikes to deter further chemical weapons use, and to damage the regime's capabilities to perpetrate such attacks. Other countries, including Russia and China, strongly opposed military action, advocating a diplomatic solution....

President was the hero to the Yezidis of Iraq.

August 7, 2016


The President:  Good evening.  (click here) Today I authorized two operations in Iraq -- targeted airstrikes to protect our American personnel, and a humanitarian effort to help save thousands of Iraqi civilians who are trapped on a mountain without food and water and facing almost certain death.  Let me explain the actions we’re taking and why...
....Second, at the request of the Iraqi government -- we’ve begun operations to help save Iraqi civilians stranded on the mountain.  As ISIL has marched across Iraq, it has waged a ruthless campaign against innocent Iraqis.  And these terrorists have been especially barbaric towards religious minorities, including Christian and Yezidis, a small and ancient religious sect.  Countless Iraqis have been displaced.  And chilling reports describe ISIL militants rounding up families, conducting mass executions, and enslaving Yezidi women. 
In recent days, Yezidi women, men and children from the area of Sinjar have fled for their lives.  And thousands -- perhaps tens of thousands -- are now hiding high up on the mountain, with little but the clothes on their backs....

President Obama failed to end the presence of American troops in Afghanistan. The elections in Afghanistan in 2014 saw an increase in violence, including an assassination attempt on candidate Abdullah Abdullah. Three of his body guards were killed by suicide bombers. The armored vehicle was severely damaged. The Afghanistan elections of 2014 was the first time someone other than Karzai would lead the country.

October 15, 2015
By Matthew Rosenberg and Michael D. Shear

Washington — President Obama (click here) halted the withdrawal of American military forces from Afghanistan on Thursday, announcing that the United States will keep thousands of troops in the country through the end of his term in 2017 and indefinitely prolonging the American role in a war that has already lasted 14 years.

In a brief statement from the Roosevelt Room in the White House, Mr. Obama said he continued to oppose the idea of “endless war.” But the president, who once traveled to Afghanistan to declare “the light of a new day on the horizon,” said Thursday that a longer-term American presence there was vital to the security of the United States and a country that is beset by the Taliban, their allies from Al Qaeda, and militants from the Islamic State....

President Obama secured the death of Osama bin Laden.

May 4, 2011
By Bob Orr and Pat Milton

The raid on Osama bin Laden's Pakistan home produced what could be the biggest intelligence windfall since 9/11. (click here) Some of the most critical evidence was recovered from Osama bin Laden himself.
CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports that after Navy SEALS scrambled away with the body of the al Qaeda leader, they made a startling discovery: Sewn inside bin Laden's clothing was cash, 500 Euros, and two phone numbers apparently intended to aid an escape.
Now, intelligence analysts are digging into those numbers, tracing previous calls to and from those phones, mapping out a network of terrorist communications.
CBS News national security analyst Juan Zarate says they could reveal who bin Laden was talking to, who he was directing, as well as other phone numbers linked to al Qaeda operatives.
The bin Laden compound gave up more evidence than U.S. officials had ever expected: At least five computers, a dozen hard drives, storage devices such as DVDs and thumb drives and more than one hundred computer disks. The SEALs also grabbed handwritten notes, weapons, and an assortment of personal items that could reveal key clues about other high-ranking al Qaeda leaders and potential plots. It appears everything was being brought to and from the compound by couriers....
I could go on including the fact, President Obama united the world in ending the charasmatic Daesh.

The Obama military saw drones that carried out some very heinous attacks with successes in ending the lives of international criminals engaged in terrorist activities.

But.

There were also innocent people killed by errors in the drone program. Besides weddings turned into blood baths of innocent people, perhaps the worst "Oops" of the drone program was an attack on a "Doctors without Borders" hospital. 

If there is one area tarnished and in question is the fact President Obama signed off on a drone program that was merciless known to have killed innocent people, including the son of an American Imam.