Day: February 27, 2017

Closing Thought–27Feb17

Subject:  Immigrants!

Do you recall the faux outrage when the report of wandering gangs of immigrants were attacking and raping Germans?  I believe it was big on alt-Right sites (not to be confused with real Conservative sites) around the first of this year.

I reported that their insane claims were debunked by German police authorities….these massive attacks did not occur….and the alt-Right was silent on this revelation….and some still refer to these non-existent attacks to feed their hatred and bigotry.

Source: Mass sexual assault in Frankfurt by refugees ‘completely made up’ | The Independent

Now more news has coming about immigrants in Germany…..and I bet the alt-Right will by-pass this news or claim, like everything else, is fake…….

More attacks on refugees were reported in Germany last year with more than 3,500 registered across the country, amounting to nearly 10 acts of anti-migrant violence a day while far-right parties have enjoyed a sharp increase in popularity. There were 3,533 attacks on refugees and refugee accommodation and welcoming centers across Germany in 2016, according to a recent report by the German Funke Mediengruppe, as reported by DW. These attacks, apparently motivated by anti-immigration sentiment, left 560 people injured, among them 43 of which were underage.

The numbers, which take into account attacks that occurred outside asylum centers as well, show a slight decline from 2015, the year Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to open the country’s borders to any and all refugees and asylum seekers, a policy which has been widely utilized by economic migrants as well as Islamic State militants and other terrorists.

The report also says that an additional 217 NGOs helping immigrants and volunteers were attacked as well.

These figures are preliminary and may be adjusted.

The rise of populist, anti-globalist and nationalist parties on the European continent was well underway even before 2015 as domestic problems were already being disproportionately created by citizens with immigrant backgrounds, though they never posed a direct threat to the European establishments.

MORE:    https://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2017/02/26/germany-hit-by-10-anti-migrant-attacks-a-day-report-says

Once again….the alt-Right and its minions report on lies to feed their hatred…personally I say let the bastards starve.

This situation will get NO ink of their sites…..it does not feed their need for hatred.

My day is done!  Have a good day and I will return tomorrow with more stuff….chuq

From The Manure Pile Of A Cover-Up

I apologize to my readers for the large number of posts today and probably for the week…..I have 30 drafts in waiting and need to get them cleared out for events will start spiraling soon and I need the space….enjoy.

Not since Nixon and Reagan and possibly Clinton has there been a hint of a possible cover-up….but don’t you know that if anyone would be capable of a cover-up it would be Trump and the malignant toads that surround him.

What I am referring to is the meeting between Rancid Prius and the FBI…..

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus asked a top FBI official to dispute media reports that President Trump’s campaign advisers were frequently in touch with Russian intelligence agents during the election, a White House official told the AP late Thursday. The official said Priebus’ request came after the FBI told the White House it didn’t believe a New York Times report last week describing those contacts. As of Thursday, the FBI had not stated that position publicly and there was no indication it planned to. The White House official would not comment when asked if the administration was concerned about the appropriateness of Priebus’ communications with FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

Priebus’ discussion with McCabe sparked outrage among some Democrats, who said he was violating policies intended to limit communications between the law enforcement agency and the White House on pending investigations. “The White House is simply not permitted to pressure the FBI to make public statements about a pending investigation of the president and his advisers,” says Michigan Rep. John Conyers. CNN reports that after it first reported the discussion, White House press secretary Sean Spicer disputed their account. “We didn’t try to knock the story down,” he said. “We asked them to tell the truth.” The FBI declined to comment.

Do you think that some media reported on this meeting is the reason they are barred from the White House?

Of course according to the Trump camp and the throngs of adoring worshipers this is a “fake” story.  And to control these “fake Stories”…..the Trump clown show has decided to secretly go after anyone who commits the damnable crime of leaking…..and then there was a oops! moment……

Now even White House leak crackdowns are leaking to the press. At a meeting called by press secretary Sean Spicer, staffers were told to dump their phones on a table for a “phone check,” to prove they had nothing to hide. New security measures include random phone checks of staffers, overseen by White House attorneys.

Source: Spicer Leak Crackdown Leaked to Press | RealClearInvestigations

You just cannot make-up a comedy sketch like this one…..gets NO better than this….now does it?

GOP: Yes Irene We Have A Plan!

Repeal and Replace…..repeal and replace……the chants of the Right and of course few have any idea of what they protest…..

But we were promised that as soon as we elected Trump as the leader of the free world then everything would change around Obamacare…after a month of his constant Tweeting we may have an idea of what their dynamite plan will be…..

House Republicans want to get rid of the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies, Medicaid expansion, and individual mandate, according to a leaked draft of a bill to repeal ObamaCare. The bill, which was obtained by Politico, would give money to states to cover some people with pre-existing conditions and replace subsidies with tax credits based on age rather than income. As it stands, people under 30 would get a $2,000 tax credit, while people over 60 would get $4,000. Vox, which has an in-depth explanation of the bill, reports that sets up the possibility that tax credits would mostly benefit richer Americans, who are typically older. But insurance, as laid out in the bill, would overall be better for younger, healthier people than older people. And it would still be possible to refuse coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

House Republicans plan to pay for their healthcare plan by restricting tax breaks on employer health plans. This is a version of ObamaCare’s “Cadillac tax,” which was opposed by businesses, unions—and Republicans. The draft bill is likely to change as it passes through various committees. Meanwhile, ObamaCare is more popular than it’s been in seven years. A survey released Friday shows 48% have a favorable view of the ACA compared to 42% with a negative view, US News reports. That’s a sizable turn around from December, when only 43% viewed it favorably and 46% viewed it negatively. According to USA Today, nearly 50% of people polled were worried a family member would lose coverage if the ACA is repealed.

There it is…..a possible plan to make health care available to the people of this country…..

I did not particularly like Obamacare either….but this is just too much crap in a can……..

All I can say is….enjoy your next illness it could be your last.

But there is a way for an adequate health plan and for Trump’s promises to be fulfilled…….

Cut the bureaucratic mess.

Reduce costs.

Expand coverage.

Make it great.

President Donald Trump put forth a good number of lofty promises on healthcare on the 2016 campaign trail. A new analysis released Tuesday reveals there’s only one way to achieve them: Enact a single-payer, Medicare-for-All system.

Source: ‘Medicare for All’ Only Way for Trump to Keep Healthcare Promises | Common Dreams

Or this article…..

Proposals floated by Republican leaders won’t achieve President Trump’s campaign promises of more coverage, better benefits, and lower costs, but a single-payer reform would, according to a commentary published today [Tuesday, Feb. 21] in Annals of Internal Medicine, one of the nation’s most prestigious and widely cited medical journals.

Source: Single-Payer Reform is ‘the Only Way to Fulfill the President’s Pledge’ on Health Care: Annals of Internal Medicine Commentary | Common Dreams

Source: Amid GOP Attacks on Health Care, the Movement for Single Payer Is Growing

A solution for this issue is NOT rocket science…..the solution is a simple one if not controlled by insurance companies or big Pharma….but sense our country is run by lobbyists and morons…..it appears harder than it is…..

Black History Month–William Carney

During Black History Month I like to spotlight some people that most Americans have never heard of or the contribution they made to our society….

Who was the first African-American to win the Congressional Medal of Honor?

You guessed it…….William Carney.

William Carney was the first African-American recipient.

He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on July 18, 1863 at Fort Wagner, S.C. while a member of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment in the Civil War — the state’s first all-black regiment. During the disastrous battle at Ft. Wagner, Carney noticed that the man who carried the flag had been wounded.

So Carney bravely rescued the flag and carried it for him. He delivered it safely to his regiment and reportedly shouted “Boys, the old flag never touched the ground.” Carney was wounded during the battle but was not killed.

After the war he spent 31 years working for the postal service. Finally, in May 1900, Carney became the first African-American to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. His brave deed is depicted on the Saint-Gaudens Monument in Boston and the rescued flag is enshrined in Memorial Hall, also in Boston.

Here is more information on Carney from the William H. Carney Elementary School and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

View From The “Sidelines”

There has been a few rumblings that Trump appointed adequate people but has NO intention of allowing them to help make policy…..we cannot know for sure that any of that is anywhere near true…..but a recent report shows that there could be a possibility of a grain of truth in these accusations…..

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson feels that he has been sidelined—along with the entire State Department—and is looking for ways to boost his profile, insiders say. A State source tells Politico that Tillerson has privately asked aides for advice on boosting his profile and engaging with the media more often. The Washington Post reports that President Trump has relegated the former Exxon CEO to a “mostly offstage role,” with Tillerson usually absent from high-profile meetings with foreign leaders. The State Department’s traditional daily press briefings ceased when Trump took office and there has been no word on when they might resume.

Insiders say one reason Tillerson hasn’t become the face of US foreign policy the way his predecessors were is the fact that his views aren’t always in line with Trump’s. He is “clearly a very talented and able guy,” former State official Eliot Cohen tells Politico. “The problem is that this is the Trump administration, and one has to surmise that he is not where the president is on some of his zanier days.” Trump rejected Elliot Abrams, Tillerson’s choice of deputy, for having criticized him. The president has also delegated elements of foreign policy to advisers instead of State, including Israeli-Palestinian talks, where son-in-law Jared Kushner is playing a leading role.

The more we learn the clearer the picture will become…..

History is full of leaders that have appointed people around them but they were nothing more than advertising or for show……appears our new ring master is gonna be one of those……

This situation will be monitored and soon we will see who it is that is sidelined for they will be off like a dirty shirt.  Likewise we will see who the “whores” are that will change to suit their position….(Richard Haas comes to mind)…..

The New “Game Of Drones”

Did you watch the Oscars?  Why?

The country is going to crap and you spend your time watching mindless sh*t!

Okay my rant is over…time to get serious.

While the MSM has everyone diverted to lesser news…like a stolen jersey or who pays protesters or how many Tweets some people attempt there is something happen that could be a game changer in the War on Terror….but you were too distracted to care.

I have written many times here on IST about the American drone program (a search for IST will give one all the posts) used by the US military to fight their wars….I understand their use as it saves lives of the troops involved in the conflict but I also dislike their constant use for the drones cannot differentiate between combatants and civilians….as a result we have killed more civilians than bad guys and the numbers expand.

I point this out because it appears that ISIS has developed a drone program to be used as the one for the US……

Islamic State fighters are launching an ever-wider assortment of deadly drones, even as their UAV factories come under heavy attack.

Grenade launchers, kamikaze bombers, flying decoys, eyes-in-the-sky, and soapbox-derby dinosaurs: as the Islamic State group loses neighborhood after Mosul neighborhood, it is still dispatching a wide variety of UAVs on deadly missions.

“Over the last two months, coalition forces have observed about one adversary drone every day around Mosul,” a U.S. Central Command official told Defense One.

Source: The Drones of ISIS – Defense One

Then once this program was discovered they started with world predictions of doom for the rest of us…..

Killer drones guided by Islamic State terrorists have made their debut in Northern Iraq, prompting concern about a new terror weapon outside of Iraq.

“I can verify that the enemy has used drones to release grenade-sized munitions,” wrote U.S. Air Force Col. John Dorrian, chief spokesman for the Combined Joint Task Force, Operation Inherent Resolve, in an email from Baghdad. He went on to say that Iraqi forces closing in on Islamic State’s last-remaining high-population stronghold in Iraq are dealing with them.

Source: ISIS drones could target Europe – Washington Times

Right now their, ISIS, program is far from sophisticated but each time they are employed the more they learn about their operation……

As they (however they are) say…it is only a matter of time.

What Price NATO?

The NATO group has been making news lately……Trump says it is obsolete….Pence says they need to pay up…..and SecDef says that NATO will remain strong with the US in support…..all really good ideas but what is the real idea for NATO?

I have written a couple of posts on NATO recently……

Source: Has NATO Run Its Course? – In Saner Thought

Source: The Uselessness of NATO – In Saner Thought

I have written others and the search widget will get you to all of them if you are interested…

I bring all this up because of something I have read about a couple NATO members…..it appears that a couple of the members would feel better if they were defended by Russia….and you read that right!  Russia!

Former Warsaw Pact member Bulgaria and former Yugoslav Republic Slovenia, which both joined NATO in 2004, say that they would feel safer being defended by the Russian military in the event of war than they would by NATO.

Perhaps more worryingly for NATO top brass are Turkey and Greece. Both joined the alliance in 1952 and have a history of being at odds with each other (to put it mildly) say that they too would feel safer being defended by Russia in the event of war.

Source: 4 NATO members choose Russia to defend them over NATO – poll

Is this a fray showing in the fabric of NATO?