“10 Things that All Americans Can Celebrate Together"???

Recently, I have been trying to come up with a list of “10 Things that All Americans Can Celebrate Together.” Up until yesterday, I would have cited our sporting events as a possible list contender ... Two decades ago this undertaking would not have been such a daunting endeavor, but sadly in the current United States environment of political divisiveness compiling such a unifying list is no longer a straightforward, simple endeavor.   That being said, four years ago I think we all could have rallied around the idea that bringing down a top ISIS leader was actually a good thing. Four years ago, I think we would have all agreed that ISIS was and IS still a terrorist group responsible to the loss of far too many innocent lives.  Four years ago, I think we all would have agreed that ISIS has little, if anything, to do with the religion of Islam … the distinction between Islamic (of Islam) and Islamism (using the religion of Islam to justify a warped political ideology) being crystal clear. Alas, these days we, as nation, find ourselves trapped within a circus carnival house of smoke and funny mirrors, with the mainstream media being the carnival operators. Illusion is truth and truth is now allusion? I have always held that truth is a matter of perspective and sadly we, in the Divided States of America, seem to have lost sight of any meaningful objective perspective these days.

Bottom line, despite the bizarre rantings and ravings you will bear witness to in the mainstream media: the aftermath of taking out the number-1 ISIS leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi , and his number-2 associate by means of a coordinated and decisive military action DOES indeed make the world a better, safer place for 99.9% of the people on the planet, and a failure to honestly acknowledge this glaringly obvious fact borders on the obscenely immoral to my way of thinking.  Why would any sane, rational thinking human being ever trust a single word these mainstream media Bozos –in keeping with the carnival theme-- utter again moving forward? Instead of praising President Trump for taking out a really horrible and evil extremist leader, in the name of saving countless thousands upon thousands of future innocent lives, the mainstream media, aided by politically divisive pundits and elected ‘leaders’ on the Left, choose to focus instead on “the President’s tone”, or the fact that “President Trump initiated a withdrawal of U.S. Troops prior to the execution of the military operation to take out Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi .” Well, I’ve got news for you ... In the first place, despite what the Left would have us believe, we still live in a world where ACTION speaks volumes louder than mere words –despite the Left’s best ongoing efforts to convince us otherwise.  President Trump is, first and foremost, a man of ACTION. His promise to defeat ISIS necessitated the military operation in northwestern Syria as the next logical step –given the intel and reaching an accommodation with Bashir Al-Assad-- towards the end of accomplishing said promise. Did anyone ever stop to think that the likelihood that Bashir Al-Assad would have allowed U.S. Military troops into northwestern Syria is highly unlikely, had not the U.S. been in a position of removing troops from Syria in the first place???  Oh that’s right, people who word-spin for a living have a difficult time actually thinking ….


As for the President’s tone and his “words being used in future ISIS recruitment videos”, while I do not think it is ever wise to speak ill of the dead, the actions of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in this lifetime do not merit much in the way of any respect.  Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was probably the furthest thing one could ever possibly imagine from being an “Austere Religious Scholar” [thoughtless word-spinning brought to you by way of the Washington Post]. This evil-inspiring ‘leader’ single-handedly unleashed waves of unspeakable violence upon hundreds of thousands of innocents.  President Trump in recounting the death of this truly evil man – a cowardly man who did not hesitate to use three of his own children as human-shields and then took their lives along with his own when cornered-- speaks with clear and concise words that these terrorists can easily understand, stripping away any notion of glory, honor or righteousness from the heinous, depraved deeds of ISIS carried out in the name of Islamism. The President’s words are, if anything, antithetical to future ISIS recruitment. Anyone who cannot see this must have a few screws lose somewhere???


The difference between words and actions is simply this: that actions typically speak for themselves, while words on the other hand can easily be misconstrued … And in point of fact, the Left tries to leverage this distinction on a hourly, daily basis. Although, the mainstream media surely does their best to also use their words in an ongoing effort to bend, twist and distort speculations as to the motivations behind President Trump’s actions for just about everything he does. But at the end of the day, honest people will see through the unimaginative --ever notice how the mainstream media these days all use the exact same catch-phrase talking point (a.k.a. the sanctioned "words of the day") in their daily broadcasts across multiple networks and platforms?  It's like they're all merely puppets being controlled by some unseen external universal ventriloquist ...it's actually downright scary?!!-- paper-mached, word-spun facade being fabricated by the Left. The prospect of this happening, people exercising the ability to think independently, absolutely infuriates the Left, because they have decided that “We the People” are “basically stupid and as such we should just shut-up, accept, obey and follow.” Perhaps that’s why the Left –politicians, media and academia alike-- is now, more-so than ever before, so BIG on pushing the idea that “words [alone] matter.” Because the Left, largely by way of the mainstream media and academia, currently have the ultimate stranglehold on words in modern day America?  “If you can control speech, you will control thought”? Which brings me to my parting thought: The Price for Freedom in our modern age seems to have become a courageous willingness to seek empirical facts toward the end of unearthing organic truth, to step outside the box of mainstream orthodoxy in order entertain the uncomfortable in contemplating ideas not widely considered ‘popular’ and then to speak up, loudly, on behalf of a truth that will ultimately benefit –as opposed to control-- the American People as a whole, the ruling class be damned. Freedom is not worth having that is not worth fighting for … and this fight, this struggle to maintain our Freedom is ongoing. It requires vigilance on the part of “We the People.” For without our First Amendment right to “Free Speech” --and thereby Freedom of Thought-- none of the remaining Rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution will hold their ground.


10/30/2019 I am reading over the "Federalist Papers", looking for some insight as to what the Founding Fathers might have been thinking with regards to impeachment proceedings, and it occurred to me that the Founding Fathers could never have imagined the state of affairs we are presently witnessing in our modern-day United States of America: the elitism, the self-serving nature of politicians, the outright lies and manipulation --aided by a corrupt, propaganda driven media-- all toward the end of preserving power at the expense of the governed. It is truly shameful! One is left wondering, what if anything can ever be done to set our representative democracy back onto its true course? I suppose, President Trump has gone a long way towards injecting some small measure of course correction. I am thankful for that, even though this Independent  did not vote for a President Trump the first time around. The future has yet to be written; therefore, let us, as citizens, remain engaged and ever-vigilant. As I write, I see the news stories covering the ongoing protests in Hong Kong where brave young protesters are fighting for their own right to self-determination in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness and it truly gives me hope. May God continue to Bless and Guide them in their struggle! And may the protesters in Hong Kong serve as a source of awakening renewal and inspiration for us here in the United States, that we may not fall into a slumber of complacency, taking the freedoms that have been entrusted to us by former generations for granted.

10/31/2019  This clearly partisan 'impeachment inquiry' -- given today's vote in the U.S. House of Representatives-- is ripe with hypocrisy?  That is to say, does not the timing of this informal inquiry --especially given the flimsy, unsubstantiated charges to date ... I mean we have the ACTUAL transcript now and investigating potential interference into the 2016 election to prevent it from happening again is NOT A CRIME-- itself "interfere with an upcoming election"???  Such an impeachment inquiry leading up to a Presidential election is unprecedented in our nation's history.  This is truly such a sad state of affairs, and it not at all what our Founding Father's had envisioned when they contemplated the rare occasions in which impeachment would potentially be invoked.

11/01/2019  Federalist Papers, "Federalist no. 57" .... "What then are we to say to the men who profess the most flaming zeal for republican government, yet boldly impeach the fundamental principle of it; who pretend to be champions for the right and capacity of the people to choose their own ruler, yet maintain that they will prefer those only who will immediately and infallibly betray the trust committed to them?"

In an Alternate Reality, Not so Far, Far Away .....

In an alternate reality, not so far, far away ... An evil seed festers within the core of our representative democracy, rendering the actual will of “We the People” ineffective and wholly inconsequential.  The question of import:  Who will you choose to believe and what, if anything, will you “the People” choose to do about it?

Change your perspective and you change your LIFE .... and quite possibly the lives of those around you.

Here follows a fictional tale???

Image Source (Wikipedia)

"House of Cards in a Perfect Storm"

Dark Party Operative 1, a.k.a. “Collin”:  “Here’s the twenty I owe you. Trump beat the Mueller gauntlet after all. That was pretty unexpected, not to mention anti-climactic. The media my have over-spun that one a bit?”

Dark Party Operative 2, a.k.a. “John”:  “Perhaps, but the media these days seem to have perfected the art of spin.  Still, our efforts are not for naught; we’ve  managed to shadow the bulk of Trump’s first term in office with ongoing controversy and lingering hints of illegitimacy, all thanks to the 24-hour news cycle and our well-oiled propaganda arms in Academia and the mainstream media. And let us not forget to give the credit due to our liberally biased social-media.  Where would we be today without their able assistance in getting our message, and our message alone, out to the public?”

Collin:  “Yeah, but it’s still over a year until official 2020 election, and thus far “the people” seem less than enthused with the bulk of party candidates. Not to mention the fact our best hope --Biden-- is proving to be an absolute train-wreck.  And what happens if Republicans actually manage to get somewhere with respect to investigating the origins of the 'Russia Probe'?"

John:  “Not to worry, the Republicans are pretty straightforward when it comes to conducting investigations.  They always ensure they’ve dotted all their “i” ’s and cross all their “t” ’s before moving forward.  What’s more in-party bickering always seems to ensure they move a snail’s pace.”

Collin:  “Indeed, you’d think the Republicans would have figured out by now how to leverage the plethora of ‘technological’ information available for the purposes of heavy-handed persuasion to ensure Congressmen abide by the party’s approved agenda. Works like a charm; witness our party’s lock-step stance and voting record on almost every issue.”

John:  “[Laughs].. And yet, the public perception persists that the “Republicans are evil, while Democrats are merely stupid.” But, hey I’m not complaining the ongoing misconception works rather nicely to our advantage, wouldn’t you say? Besides, the Republicans don’t have the media to spin narratives for them. Thanks to our mainstream media the American notion of "innocent until proven guilty" no longer matters.  These days, with media spin in the 24-hour news cycle, all it takes is any semi-credible allegation of misconduct and you're automatically 'guilty' until you find some way to prove yourself innocent, and that always takes a long, long time --given our purposely bloated, ineffective bureaucracy-- and a lot of money.  From a financial standpoint alone, we win when financially cripple someone, whether or not we wind up winning from a prosecutorial standpoint."

Collin:  "Yeah, you've gotta love the power of the media in our modern age.  He who controls the media controls the narrative, and by default public perception.  It's a win-win for us! "May you live in interesting times", indeed."

John:  "Not to mention the fact we’ve got a strong first-line of defense with our loyalist well-embedded deep with the State Department, CIA, FBI and even more recently the DNI. These assets will keep us two steps ahead of whatever card the Republicans think they are about to ‘play’  next with respect to the ‘origins of the whole Russia probe’. Subterfuge alone will ensure Republicans never find the evidence they need in order to move forward with their ‘investigation’.  Besides, just look at the number of tenured Republican Congressmen who have announced their intention to resign in the next election cycle.  Anyone who had a clue where to look, not to mention how to look, will soon be out of our hair.”

Collin:  “It’s true, the Republicans have always had an enormous deficit when it comes to their long game. I still don’t like it, though. Public opinion can be fleeting, even when we manage to rig the polling data. We need the shadow of ‘corruption and illegitimacy’ in the Trump Administration to remain fresh within the minds of the American people leading up to and well into the official election season, especially if Trump keeps-up this break-neck pace for getting things DONE on behalf of “the people” --i.e., undoing everything our party operatives did to set the stage for the American people finally being ready and willing to accept 'socialism', the ultimate state of control under the guise of looking out for 'the people'."

John:  "Well, the whole class warfare thing always sling-shots the masses back in our direction.  Sanders and Warren are doing an effective job of trumpeting that call at least.  Unfortunately, the American public may be stupid (i.e., easily led), but you can’t leave them alone with their own thoughts for too long.  We need to get a new message/crisis stirring in the public opinion again, now that the whole Mueller probe outrage has effectively fizzled out.”

[Phone rings on John’s desk.  He quickly answers the call, putting his hand up in a “just a moment” air gesture towards Collin.  Upbeat at first, John’s enthusiasm for the machination master-minding at hand suddenly begins to fade.]

John: [Still on the phone call.] “Uh-huh, and you’re one-hundred percent certain on this.  Alright.  Thanks for the heads-up.  Keep me appraised of any further developments.  Bye.”  [Hangs up phone with an air of gravity washing over his heretofore cheerful countenance.]

Collin:  [Concerned.]  “Who was that?”

John: “My top informant over at State.”

Collin: “And? ....”

John:  “IG [Inspector General] Horowitz is mere week(s) away from releasing his report on investigations into the other side of ‘Russian Collusion’ ... meaning us.”

Collin:  “Shit, I’d all but forgotten about that. Anything our guys can do to throw a few wrenches into the process, maybe buy us some more time to spin-up some new details toward the end of furthering our established narrative [i.e., that Donald J.Trump is a corrupt and illegitimate President, one who is doing damage to the Office of the President as well as the country]?”

John:  “They’re working on it.  Of course, they’re also open to suggestions if we have any.”

Collin:  “Any of this going to lead back to Biden?”

John: “It might just and that’s not good, but maybe we can find a way to have that work to our party's advantage? So what do you suggest? We’ve beat the whole Mueller thing to a bloody pulp with our stick. Don’t think there’s much chance of restructuring any portion of that argument again. Besides the whole thing kind of left the media sitting with egg on their face. It’s time for a bright new, shiny distraction, and time is of the essence.  We have to get our story out first!”   

Collin:  “Well, have we got any juicy phone call leaks coming out of the White House of late? We could leak something out to the media and see if it sticks; if nothing else, it might buy some time until we can cook up a bigger scandal to fuel the ongoing narrative.”

John:  “No, those bozos in the Trump White House finally caught onto us and started keeping Trump’s calls with Foreign leaders in the coded system.  If we were to leak from there they’d have a pretty short -list of culprits to choose from when assigning blame.”

Collin: “What about an anonymous whistler-blower complaint? It’s worked before.”

John: “Again, they’d still have a short-list to work with and it might wind up backfiring, lending credence to whole the notion of a fully functioning ‘Deep-State’.”

Collin: “That’s right, I forgot that the whistle-blower complaint form explicitly specifies that the complaint must be in reference to “first-hand witness of alleged wrong-doing”.”

John:  “Unless ....”

Collin: “Unless, what?”

John:  “We change the whistle-blower complaint form.”

Collin: “How so?”

John:  “We simply remove the stated requirement for “first-hand witness” on the whistle-blower complaint form.  By removing this requirement we greatly expand the circle of potential ‘whistle-blowers’, thereby providing cover for our people on the inside.”

Collin: “That’s brilliant, actually.  It could just work.  Our guy suddenly becomes the hero-whistle-blower, instead of the nefarious leaker of confidential Presidential phone calls with foreign leaders.”

John: “An the media can really run with this, really hype it up, lending cover for Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff et al to back up Jerry Naddler in moving forward with the illusion of impeachment.”

Collin:  “Indeed, even if the whole ‘process’ never winds up going anywhere in the end, Congress can spend months circling the wagons, all for the sake of the  ‘survival of our Democracy’, while affording Democrats tons of media opportunities to air grievances and advance our Party’s talking points. We’ll blanket the media coverage, sucking all of the oxygen out the room.  The Republicans won’t be able to get a meaningful word in edge-wise.”

John: “I love it! But will Pelosi go for this?”

Collin: “Once I make a few phone calls, Nancy won’t have any other choice but to move forward with the whole impeachment charade.  Sure she’ll try to stave off an actual impeachment vote on the House Floor for as long as possible, but in the end that won’t really matter. The entire point of this exercise is to make the American people think that Donald J. Trump is an illegitimate President, unworthy of the Office of the President of the United States and moreover that Trump poses the gravest threat to ‘precious democracy.’ [Laughs at the notion the people actually still believe they have any say in the matters of government].  That way, when they close the curtain on the voting booth in November 2020, no decent American with any sense of conscience could possibly find their way to voting for a second term of President Trump, right?”

John:  “My only concern is that U.S. Government forms usually require a “date of change” record for any changes made to official forms. So how do we get around that one?”

Collin:  “Simple, we’ll chalk it up to a clerical error, whereby the change-date is ‘accidentally’ omitted.  By the time they get to the bottom of things, if they ever do, the damage will already have been done.”

John:  “Alright, I’ll see to making the necessary changes to the whistle-blower form.  You make your phone calls and identify the target conversation/whistle-blower and we’ll get the team working on the actual text for the complaint.  We need this one to be a home-run. I think the public might be growing wary of all of our empty-to-date promises that the Democratic Party can deliver the actual dirt necessary for impeachment.”

Collin:   "I'm on it ... [Picks up phone to dial]."

John:  "And don't forget to somehow tie AG Barr into the complaint.  If we can cast aspersions in Barr's direction, we might be able to force him to recuse himself --just like Sessions-- taking the wind out of the sail for investigations into the 'origins of the Russia probe' ... kill two birds with one little stone."

[To Be Continued .....]

The Perfect Storm ...

Greetings All!  Hope this post finds everyone doing well.  As the post suggests, I have been going through my own perfect storm.  Migraines have been off the charts of late.  Hard to write in this state of mind.  Several conditions seemed to converge all at once and I wound up in the ER. Hoping this storm abates and the headaches subside once again so that I can think and write once again.

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Kind of funny because my next post --prior to monster migraines-- was actually going to be about another perfect storm we are setting ourselves up for and no one seems to even be thinking about it?  The price to be paid for our modern technology ... Well, best to everyone and hope to be back to writing again soon!

~M/Isa

Legislation and Money Alone Cannot Fix all that Ails US ....

I have been so busy lately with studying and the move. Somehow, I missed the shooting at the STEM School in Highlands Ranch, near Denver Colorado. This story of the brave young man, Kendrick Castillo, who risked his life, with the assistance of his two friends, in order to save the lives of other students --ranging in age from 5 on up to 18-19-- is incredible!!! In face of true evil, this young man made a split-second decision to put his own life on the line in hopes of saving other students. Costillo sprang immediately into action and confronted the gunmen with assistance of his friends, XXXX and XXXX. This quick-thinking and heroic action enabled Kendrick and his friends to disarm the shooters, thereby preventing subsequent causalities while allowing time for police to arrive on the scene. The actions of these brave young men are by far the greatest expression of self-less bravery I have witnessed in a long time, especially from young men barely beyond the age of childhood themselves.

In a way, it can be sad to think that Kendrick Costillo, only eighteen years of age, had his whole life ahead of him. He had worked hard in school and ROTC in order to obtain a commission into the Navy and he was scheduled to graduate in just weeks.  The sadness of this tragic loss aside, however, this world could surely use more young men like Kendrick Costillo, men sure enough in the courage of their convictions that they would not hesitate to render timely assistance to others in need, even at their own peril.

Safe travels as you journey on to your next great adventure, Kendrick! Know

that you leave this a world a better place and we are forever grateful for your loving sacrifice.

I think Kendrick Costillo's type of confidence and courage, as well as that of his friends who assisted in confronting the gunmen, comes largely from the environment one grows up within. This is an idea and conversation we seem to have lost sight of in recent decades, from a national perspective anyway. The idea that strong family, extended friends and a connection to communities in which we live truly matters, which is the antithesis of the predominant trend of instant gratification by way of electronic, non-personal, interactions on social media platforms and the like. I suppose the ease of use and the allure of convenience, not having to put yourself out there, make electronic interaction seem easier? You just have to sit back and let the ‘world’ come to you these days? It takes courage to roll up your sleeves and actually get involved on a personal, physical level in the world in which we LIVE? Well, if nothing else, this is a conversation the we should be willing to have, with ourselves at least. Maybe the conversation will spread thereafter? It is encouraging to me that a reported “42% of Facebook users have temporarily stopped using the platform in recent months.” I am optimistic with the prospects for meaningful engagement in the midst of this profound change. Now, I am not saying Facebook and the like are entirely ‘BAD’. I am just saying their overuse, misuse and the ongoing exposure to agents of unchallenged misinformation and blatant bias have real-world, negative consequences: Not the least of which of is growing sense of isolation and disconnectedness among our youth.

All the above being said, I am left wondering if you could step into a Time Machine and go back to a time before the advent guns, would you prevent their invention all-together? And would doing so, in turn, make any real difference in the world of the here and now? Or is it, perhaps, the BEHAVIOR and not the ‘weapon’ itself that kills? That is to say, will someone hell-bent on unleashing violence and destruction find a mechanism for carrying out their intended objective, guns or not? Perhaps at the end of the day, where guns are concerned, the time has finally come to acknowledge the reality that we cannot legislate behavior and that guns in the hands of law-biding citizens actually save lives.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of the rights of law-abiding citizens continually being called into question every time we witness the unfolding of such a tragedy in our nation, much to the benefit of the lawless among us. This feel-good ‘easy-button’, knee-jerk response is rather moronic to my way of thinking. Why? Because it fails to fundamentally address the underlying causes for this tendency to violence in the first place, particularly among the youth of today ... which goes back to my initial premise: that you cannot legislate behavior where weapons are concerned. BUT what you can and SHOULD DO is embrace a willingness to begin a sustained conversation about the circumstances that predispose our nation’s youth to acts of unthinkable violence in the first place. National funding to help secure our nation’s schools was a great place to start, but there are some things that you just can’t fix with money and legislation alone. Realizing this and accepting the challenge to get personally involved is an often overlooked, necessary step toward helping to prevent future such attacks in our nation’s schools.

Q:  What steps could you, personally, take toward the end of reinforcing positive values and a sense of tangible belonging in your own community?

5/21/2019  Growing up on military bases as a child, we had recreation centers in our communities which had everything from bowling lanes, pools tables, tennis courts and ping pong to board games.  These centers also offered classes like gymnastics, martial arts etc.  They were a great place for allowing children from diverse backgrounds and faiths to come together, interact, learn and grow in the absence of any planned agenda (i.e., religion) and unlike YMCA, there was no cost involved for participants.  I honestly think our youth would greatly benefit from having such places available to them in the places where they live.  Especially, in a day and age where most parents works full-time.  Such centers would also provide tangible opportunities for adults in the community to volunteer their time and skills to mentor the next generation ... pay it forward.  We have a recently built community center where we live now, but the way it is run is such that the primary function of the center is to host paid events such as weddings.  Opening the space for the community and teens in particular seems to paid lip service only.  It's truly sad!  Were we staying here, that is something that I would fight to change.  Hopefully, someone else will pick up this worthwhile cause?  Suicide rates seem pretty high in our community?  Maybe the First Lady's "Be BEST" campaign can work to help secure matching funds for building community centers with a youth/teen focus across our nation?  Surely such community centers would go a LONG way towards helping our youth find their center, a meaningful connection to others, purpose, passion and direction in their lives once again.  They would also provide adults looking for volunteer opportunities a valuable place to focus their attentions and skills.

5/22/2019 My daughter suggested perhaps the outrageously wealthy, Mr. Jeff Bezos could help to get community centers built and running around the nation ... A living legacy of investing in future generations who will wind up running the show, so to speak.

What Makes America Unique?

What makes the United States of America unique from other countries is our FREEDOM to pursue our own version of "Life, Liberty and Happiness."  These are our inalienable rights per the U.S. Constitution and every American should, where our government is concerned, hold these truths to be sacred above all else.

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Message for Joe Biden:  Our most fundamental right is NOT the "Right to Vote." By far our most fundamental right is our individual FREEDOM to pursue our own version of "Life, Liberty, and Happiness", so long as we do not directly interfere with the rights of others in pursuit of these objectives.  Perhaps we should be wary of those who would convince us otherwise???

One wonders, is political correctness antithetical to this pursuit of LIFE, LIBERTY and HAPPINESS?  Does subjugating ourselves to the mob rule by way of "political correctness" limit who we are, who we are capable of becoming .. being? Isn't it time for Americans to begin embracing our authentic selves?  By truly owning our uniqueness, chiefly our diversity of thought --the one thing we actually get to choose, unlike gender or skin color-- only then will we be in position to make America great (FREE) again.  Dare to color outside some annoying, limiting PC lines???  And choose your government, elected officials wisely!

Wherein lies the true Collusion and Obstruction?

Watching the news and CSPAN these days, I find myself wondering "Wherein lies the true Collusion and Obstruction?"

Okay, I'll be honest I have not yet had time to read the "Mueller Report" in its entirety.  That being said, I have taken in inputs from multiple noteworthy news and information sources.  My take away from what I have come to understand thus far is the following:

1)  Mueller's primary job was to investigate for evidence of "collusion to interfere in a Presidential Election."  He halfway did this, choosing to ignore evidence on the Democratic side of the equation, namely the origins of the Dossier --provided by Fusion GPS, via funding from Hillary Clinton and DNC, and now we are hearing possibly some funding from President Obama's campaign funds-- where this 'Trump Dossier' was improperly used to obtain multiple FISA warrants on Carter Page and other elements of the Trump Campaign.  Hopefully, the DOJ will pull on these threads to see where this information leads.

2) Mueller's conclusion as to the above was "no evidence of collusion" on the Part of President Donald Trump or his election campaign.  Let me repeat this, because the mainstream media isn't accurately reporting this.  They seem to be spinning the narrative that it isn't over yet, because Congress has further investigations to conduct, which is legally inaccurate.  Robert Mueller and his team of lawyers were tasked to put this matter to rest and they found no evidence of collusion on the part of the President of the United States.  Robert Mueller is the Special Counsel 'hired' to make this determination; Mueller made his determinations and now it's over.  Congress has already conducted numerous independent investigations, none of which turned up any material evidence of a crime.  What does this mean?  It means that after years of ongoing investigation it's about TIME the U.S. Congress finally gets back to the business of legislating!  One wonders, has the U.S. Congress completely forgotten that their primary reason for being is to actually LEGISLATE??!!??

3) "Obstruction" was a secondary aspect Mueller chose to investigate.  That is to say, did the President interfere, with malicious intent, into the investigation into "Russion collusion" in any legally indictable manner ---aside from Trump's being angry at having the start of his Presidency mired under investigation, along with suspicions that his campaign had been spied on.*  Keep in mind, the sole job of the Special Counsel is to indict, in the absence of formal indictment our justice system operates under the assumption of "Innocent until proven guilty."  The burden of proof does not rest with the accused, be he/she a sitting President or just an ordinary citizen, contrary to what many sitting members of the U.S. Congress (Democrats) would have us believe.

*[Evidence has recently come to light which appears to support Trump's suspicions of "being spied one" and Attorney General Barr has vowed to investigate further.]

Had Mueller found clear evidence of obstruction, legally speaking he was obligated to have put forth that claim, along with supporting evidence to back it up in his report.  That was his JOB, but Mueller didn't make this claim.  So to claim now, after the fact, that underlying --necessary!-- criminal  evidence does exists for an "obstruction" charge against the President means one of two things:

Either a) Mueller didn't do his job or b) Partisan Politicians are now choosing to abuse their 'oversight' powers in order to continue their spin-narrative toward the end of delegitimizing the duly elected sitting President, thereby openly attempting to negate the outcome of the 2016 Election and subsequently the "will of the people."

These politicians actually think they know what is better for "We the People."  They basically think  that the collective "we" are too stupid to make valid choices for ourselves.   They mistakenly think that we are too inept to hold them accountable for their abuses of power and lack of producing any meaningful legislation (e.g., meaningful immigration reform legislation) that would actually benefit "We the People."  This egregious behavior should enrage voters on both sides of the aisle!  Because at the end of the day our entire country suffers when our elected representatives chose to serve interests other ours, particularly when they fail to attend to their legislative duties.  This current mentality that if Rules, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution, aren't working for you can just work your way around them is BEYOND SCARY!  Operating from this perspective, one is left wondering can the outcome of any election be manipulated in such a manner moving forward?  Biding time with costly, time-consuming bogus investigations until the next election cycle rolls around.

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"We The People?"

4) Attorney General Barr did go up to the Hill and testify before the Senate as requested.  His answers were pretty straightforward and to my way of thinking his responses served to dispel many of the mistruths being put forward by the Democrats and dishonest media outlets.  You would have reached a similar conclusion if you had watched the testimony being carried live on a few networks and CSPAN, while the dishonest networks just showed clips that supported their ongoing propaganda narrative that "Trump must be an agent working on behalf of Russia."  One wonders, where were these same vigilant, hard-hitting investigative journalist when President Obama had his HUGE 'hot mic' moment with Prime Minister Medvedev? Maybe it's me, but I'm not seeing any sort of rational balance in reporting these past few years.

As such, my recommendation to you is that you watch the congressional proceedings on CSPAN for yourself ... DVR them.  That way you can begin to get at a version of truth without the concerted propaganda spin-narrative being presented by the mainstream media.  Because in the absence of accountability for the actions (or lack thereof as the case may be) of our elected representatives and senators --which is underpinned by our access to accurate information, which we used to be able to obtain from our mainstream media-- the "consent of the governed" is basically meaningless.  The job of "We the People" extends beyond merely voting in elections.  We have a duty to remain continually, and moreover accurately, informed such that we can become fully engaged in monitoring the business of government.  Only then can we make meaningful choices, with intentional consequences, when we engage in our political election process.

5) Holding Attorney General Barr in contempt of Congress is really rich, given the fact that Barr has made a nearly non-redacted version of the "Mueller Report" available to members of Congress.  The only condition being that the document has to be viewed at the DOJ, and this is for legal reasons surrounding the release of documents containing Grand Jury testimony.  ***As far as I know, to date, not one single Democrat has taken advantage of the opportunity to go and read this near-non redacted report version currently available at DOJ.***  Furthermore, it is the actual LAW that prevents Barr from releasing a non-redacted version of the report --again given the legally binding confidentially of Grand Jury proceedings/information-- and the Democratic members of Congress know this!  ***If AG Barr gives them what they want he will be breaking the law.  The Democrats are just trying to make it appear as if Barr is trying to hide something in an effort to further their dishonest spin-narrative.***  This type of behavior is actually disgraceful and such a wide deviation from what our Founding Father's intended when they established our representative form of democracy.  It's shameful really to see our politics degenerate to this level of open partisanship and hostility.

Also from what I understand, Barr's refusal to testify before House is due to a deviation from standard procedure.  Members of the House Judicial Committee are supposed to present their questions directly to the Attorney General.  Instead they want to bring in 'legal staff' to ask the questions, likely in the hopes catching Barr in some legal entrapment scenario I guess???  As such, AG Barr is well within his legal rights --and quite frankly common sense rights-- to refuse to appear before the committee.


Bottom line:  Whether or not the current Democratic machinations and spin-narratives actually work --that is can they pull one over on "We the People", which ironically winds up proving their current modus operandi that "We the People are basically stupid" -- will ultimately be up to you and me, "We the People."  So now is the time for all good women and men to be truly informed --from multiple news and information sources, especially CSPAN-- and to embrace a willingness to think outside the box in which they would have us 'safely' contained.

This whole two-plus years of one-sided investigation, where little truly meaningful legislation has been put forward and completed by Congressional initiative has truly left a bitter taste in this Independent's mouth.  As much as I would have had an appreciation for some of the Democratic policies aimed at improving the lives of the less fortunate in the past, I am just not seeing these initiatives being carried out anymore with actual policy implementation.  The Democrats are all talk of late, while President Trump is action, followed up by more action.  Moreover, the Democrats seem to have a complete disregard for the hard-working blue/white collar middle class.  The Democrats seem to have lost all perspective from where I am standing.  Quite frankly, like President Trump or not, any honest person has to admit that  he's getting some pretty important policy implemented across the board and the lives of millions of Americans --not just those at the top-- are improving as result of his efforts. When you stop and think of all that the President has had going against him since election day 2016 --and even before as it may turn out-- it's actually rather remarkable that Trump has been able to accomplish so much. But perhaps some of us have yet to pull our heads out the mainstream media's "acceptable narrative" box in order to see it?


5/9/2019  Apparently President Trump has now invoked "Executive Privilege" --and keep in mind he could have done so at any point throughout this entire process.  President Trump has chosen to prevent Robert Mueller testifying any further before Congress --Mueller has already previously testified.  I say, good for the President!  Maybe this is what it takes to hit the "reset" button and to finally get the U.S. Congress back to the business of legislating on behalf of "We the People."  The President has indulged those in Congress eager unseat him for long enough.  If they can't find their own way to an end to their ongoing delusional trip, then I am perfectly fine with letting President Trump find it for them:  Enough is ENOUGH!  No more distractions, innuendo, lies and letting the pressing business of the country slide.  It's time to get back to doing the business of "We the People" U.S. Congress!

5/12/2019  Over the weekend I saw an interview with renowned legal scholar who holds that Robert Mueller's 400 page report, laced with reams of abject speculation, deviates dramatically from what is the legal norm.  Where the legal norm is to put forth only evidence of indictable offenses for subsequent prosecution.  In the absence of formal indictments, the Trump side of "Russian collusion" and obstruction should be a done deal.  The TIME has come to spend our investigative oversight time and money on looking into the origins of the "Trump Dossier" and abuses by the FBI in weaponizing their investigative mandate during the 2016 Presidential Election, neither of which have been looked into thus far.  Objective balance requires we complete these investigations in order to prevent such abuses from happening in future election cycles.  Maybe the Democrats response to the conclusions drawn by the Mueller report -- namely there were no indictable offenses-- amounts to a shell game (i.e., "Keep looking over here; don't look over there") because they are concerned about where an investigation into the other side of collusion and obstruction will lead?