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 My son has narrated the
last book I wrote.
World &
NationPlease consider listening to it and encouraging others to do so too. (Click on Book Cover) Trump mix of juries gets various trial challenges; most of the courts in liberal regions  Former President Donald Trump is facing jury trials in four jurisdictions where vastly different juries could decide his political future and his freedom. Mr. Trump is headed to trial in New York City, the District of Columbia and Fulton County, Georgia. All are Democratic strongholds. He also faces criminal charges in southern Florida, where the jury pool will depend on which courthouse hosts the trial. “Washington, New York and Georgia will have the least favorable jury pools, but the Florida jurisdiction has a much more even distribution of Republicans and Democrats, which makes it the most promising for Trump,” said Richard Gabriel, a jury consultant who worked for the defense teams that won acquittals in the murder trials of O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony. Acquittal is no slam-dunk in Florida, where Mr. Trump faces 40 federal felony counts related to the storage of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, jury experts say. The trial’s location and the cut-and-dried nature of the charges could undermine a more favorable jury pool.
Inflation Reduction Act is tortuous politics for Democrats  Sen. Joe Manchin III single-handedly controlled the fate of the Inflation Reduction Act, the giant budget-climate law that Democrats rammed through Congress last year. Despite the conservative West Virginia Democrat’s pivotal role, Mr. Manchin runs hot and cold on the law. He threatens to repeal his signature accomplishment some days and sings its praises other days. This week, as the law reached the one-year mark, Mr. Manchin leaned toward praise and called it “one of the most historic pieces of legislation passed in decades for working and middle-class families.” At the same time, Mr. Manchin said the Biden administration hijacked the law to carry out a “radical climate agenda” that ill serves his West Virginia constituents. Rep. Comer Demands Unredacted Records From Biden's Time as VP  Rep. James Comer, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability chair, on Thursday demanded that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) release records from President Joe Biden's years as vice president from times that overlapped with the activities of his son Hunter Biden's activities in Ukraine. Comer, R-Ky., in a letter to NARA Archivist Colleen Shogan, requested that all unredacted documents and communications be released in which Biden used a pseudonym; where Hunter Biden, Eric Schwerin, or Devon Archer are copied; and for all drafts of a speech Biden delivered to the Ukrainian Rada, or parliament, in December 2015. When Biden was running for the presidency, he said in August 2019 that there was an "absolute wall between the personal and private, and the government" while he was vice president under President Barack Obama, and "that is why I have never talked with my son or my brother, or anyone else in the distant family about their business interests, period," Comer said. However, witness testimony from Archer revealed that Biden, while vice president, spoke on via phone with his son's foreign business associates over 20 times, Comer said. Nancy Pelosi repeatedly urges White House audience to clap: 'That's an applause line'  Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., struggled to drum up support amid her remarks about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on Wednesday, insisting the audience should clap throughout certain parts of her speech. Joined by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at the White House to boast about the measure on its one-year anniversary, Pelosi touted what she believes to be benefits of the IRA, which she described as a "remarkable accomplishment." Pelosi said there is "no more urgent task than saving our planet," claiming the issue of climate change is a "health issue," an "economic issue," and a "moral issue." Later during the speech, while recognizing legislative action taken to address climate change by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Pelosi told the audience once more, "That's an applause line." Putin’s plot to split the West may be succeeding  Russia may be struggling to achieve its military goals in Ukraine, but that has not stopped the Kremlin from continuing its efforts to undermine Western support for the Ukrainian cause. While Kyiv’s counter-offensive is not making the rapid progress many had hoped for at the start of the campaign, it is questionable whether the Ukrainians would even have been able to make the modest gains they have so far achieved were it not for the constant supply of military shipments they continue to receive from the West. The Ukrainian war effort, moreover, is about to receive a major boost with the arrival of US Abrams main battle tanks, which are due to reach the battlefield next month. This should give the Ukrainians a significant advantage over their adversaries. To date, Russian efforts to provoke splits within the Western alliance have failed to achieve the desired result, even if the enthusiasm of some Nato countries to maintain support for Kyiv is waning. This was evident at last month’s Nato summit in Vilnius, where Ukraine’s attempts to secure a commitment on future membership of the alliance were rebuffed. 9/11 Defendants May Dodge Death Penalty With Plea Deals The suspected architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and his fellow defendants may never face the death penalty under plea agreements now under consideration to bring an end to their more than decadelong prosecution, the Pentagon and FBI have advised families of some of the thousands killed. The notice, made in a letter that was sent to several of the families and obtained by The Associated Press, comes 1 1/2 years after military prosecutors and defense lawyers began exploring a negotiated resolution to the case. The prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others held at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been troubled by repeated delays and legal disputes, especially over the legal ramifications of the interrogation under torture that the men initially underwent while in CIA custody. No trial date has been set. Ignored warnings, hubris, slow response fueled America's deadliest wildfire in a century  A raging fire burning directly into densely populated areas. A historic city built between the ocean and a volcano with limited escape routes. Gale-force winds that left firefighters on the defensive. In the wake of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century, officials in Hawaii have, at times, insisted that little could have been done to avoid the tragedy that obliterated a historic West Maui town and killed scores of residents. "The largest force at play ... were 80-mph winds," Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said last week. "We have doubts that much could have been done with a fiery, fast-moving fire like that." Yet there is plenty of evidence that government officials should have been aware of the danger to Lahaina, home to generations of Hawaiian families and once home of the Hawaiian king. And what makes the wildfire all the more tragic — forever linking the town with unspeakable sorrow — is there was actually far more time to sound an alarm. 'You and Joe Are Failing!': Kamala Harris Gets Heckled Over Climate Change While Giving Speech at Massachusetts Event  Kamala Harris was interrupted by a loud and passionate heckler while addressing the crowd at a Massachusetts event on Saturday, August 12. While the vice president was speaking at a podium in front of the room, a man tried to talk over her to bring awareness to climate change and the tragic wildfires in Hawaii. "We are in the middle of a climate emergency. Eighty people have died in Hawaii ... thousands have been displaced by the climate chaos!" he shouted while standing up from his seat. "I'm speaking," she told him. "I'm speaking." "The planet is burning, and people are dying and we're wondering if you would uphold your promises," he continued as security guards began escorting him out of the area. Trump refusal to sign loyalty pledge puts RNC in bind Former President Trump’s refusal to sign the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) loyalty pledge is putting the organization in a bind as next week’s GOP primary debate approaches. Trump said he wouldn’t sign the pledge last week and is expected to announce in the coming days whether he will attend the event. RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel must now navigate the thorny situation of appeasing Trump — both a ratings draw and the clear front-runner in the primary — while maintaining her control as head of the party. “It’s a distinct possibility that the Republican nominee for president could simply decide to shun the RNC itself,” said Brian Seitchik, a Republican strategist and Trump campaign alum. “When a candidate refuses to play by the rules, it obviously weakens the RNC’s position.” 5 lies Biden is telling you today about the economy President Biden’s victory tour on the economy rolls on. On Wednesday, he’s “celebrating” the first anniversary of the “Inflation Reduction Act,” a bill even he now admits was a lie. Here are five falsehoods Biden uses to try to deceive voters on economic conditions: 1) Wages and salaries are rising for American workers.
2) Biden has created more jobs than any other modern president. 3) America is producing record amounts of oil and gas. 4) Biden has reduced the budget deficit by $1.7 trillion. 5) Gas prices have fallen under Biden Germany’s capitulation to Russia puts Ukraine and all of Europe at risk For some time, we have known that European weapons supplies to Ukraine have been insufficient for its task of surviving as an independent state. But since Ukraine is, as one writer observed in 1997, the “Keystone in the Arch” of European security, this war is hardly only about Ukraine. The delays and excuses about sending Ukraine high-performance aircraft, tanks, missiles and other weapons represent a major reason the Russians had the time and freedom to build formidable defensive lines, whose potency we are now seeing. They also arguably facilitate Putin’s dreams of outlasting Kyiv, because they confirm his belief that the West is not solidly behind Ukraine and will eventually tire of supporting it. This Western failure is pervasive, but Germany has been the most consistent equivocator of all. Apart from earlier dramas about not sending Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine unless America sent its tanks first, Germany is playing the same dangerous game with regard to its Taurus missiles. It now claims that it will not send those missiles to Ukraine unless they are programmed not to strike Russian territory. This condition is an insulting reflection of a lack of intelligent thinking about this war and a manifestation of what increasingly looks like cowardice. Medal of Honor
THOMAS JEROME HUDNER JR.
RANK: LIEUTENANT, J.G. CONFLICT/ERA: KOREAN WAR MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. NAVY MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: DECEMBER 4, 1950 MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: CHOSIN RESERVOIR, KOREA CITATION
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a pilot in Fighter Squadron 32, while attempting to rescue a squadron mate whose plane, struck by antiaircraft fire and trailing smoke, was forced down behind enemy lines. Quickly maneuvering to circle the downed pilot and protect him from enemy troops infesting the area, Lt. (j.g.) Hudner risked his life to save the injured flier who was trapped alive in the burning wreckage. Fully aware of the extreme danger in landing on the rough mountainous terrain, and the scant hope of escape or survival in subzero temperature, he put his plane down skillfully in a deliberate wheels-up landing in the presence of enemy troops. With his bare hands, he packed the fuselage with snow to keep the flames away from the pilot and struggled to pull him free. Unsuccessful in this he returned to his crashed aircraft and radioed other airborne planes, requesting that a helicopter be dispatched with an ax and fire extinguisher. He then remained on the spot despite the continuing danger from enemy action and, with the assistance of the rescue pilot, renewed a desperate but unavailing battle against time, cold, and flames. Lt. (j.g.) Hudner's exceptionally valiant action and selfless devotion to a shipmate sustain and enhance the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. From the Archive....
TO KILL OR FEED A MOCKINGBIRD By Geoff Metcalf July 29, 2002 Two mutually exclusive and under reported stories have been troubling me. * The apparent penchant for political operatives to leak classified information that jeopardizes national security. * The generational control of information dissemination by powerful controllers. So we have another ‘Catch-22’. The complicity of the mainstream media to spin, cover, and obfuscate government abuse of power under the color of authority was not unique to the Clinton administration. It may have been more ubiquitous, and at times even clumsy, but it was not unique. It has been reported that in June 1991 David Rockefeller allegedly told a Bilderberg meeting in Baden Baden German, "We are grateful to the Washington Post, the New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years." He went on to explain: "It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supernational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national autodetermination practiced in past centuries." Some argue that quote is apocryphal urban legend. However, although I have never been able to find three corroborating independent sources for it, it IS consistent in content and tone with other Bilderberg quotes I HAVE been able to confirm. “If we had been subjected to the light of publicity….” Indicates the one world, globalist, wannabe controllers were/are successful in managing the message. Operation ‘Mockingbird’ was a program supposedly conceived by a brilliant Machiavellian State Department official, Frank Wisner. Wisner selected Philip Graham, then publisher of the Washington Post to manage the program. According to Deborah Davis, author of ‘Katharine the Great’, "By the early 1950s, Wisner 'owned' respected members of the New York Times, Newsweek, CBS and other communications vehicles, plus stringers, four to six hundred in all, according to a former CIA analyst." Over twenty five major newspapers and wire services became willing house organs for the CIA media manipulation. Investigators digging into MOCKINGBIRD have been flabbergasted to discover FOIA documents in which agents boast (in CIA office memos) of pride in having placed "important assets" inside every major news publication in the country. I know, this is the stuff of Ludlum novels conspiracy wackos, but not until 1982 did the ‘Company’ finally concede that reporters on the CIA payroll have been case officers to field agents. I have too often observed, “Some people don’t like to be confused with facts that contradict their preconceived opinions.” I have also noted (and struggle to maintain) “It is not WHO is right or wrong…but WHAT is right or wrong.” Anyone with almost ‘any’ military experience has no doubt seen the once ubiquitous posters cautioning “Loose Lips Sink Ships”. It is a left over phrase from WWII and among “lessons learned”. In the complex world of intelligence loose lips can and have cost lives. Once upon a time, not so long ago, Senator Patrick Leahy (currently the Senate Judiciary committee’s lead obstructionist) used to be the Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the mid 80s. Leahy allegedly ‘inadvertently’ exposed a top-secret intercept of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak that led to the capture of the Achille Lauro terrorists. That supposed slip of the tongue “cost the life of at least one Egyptian operative.” http://www.newsmax.com/showinside.shtml?a=2001/1/31/85757 Loose Lip Leahy was forced to resign in disgrace 14 years ago in the wake of having to acknowledge he leaked secret intelligence to the press. However today he lords his power over the Senate Judiciary committee. Congress’ institutional memory must be as short as some of Jennifer Flowers former paramours. In our contemporary environment in which whistleblowers have become in many cases heroes it is important to make the distinctions between the appropriateness of corporate and political whistleblowers and the idiot or miscreant who leaks information with genuine national security implications. Currently the FBI is investigating national security leaks from specifically the House and Senate Select Intelligence committees. This is serious stuff. Defenders of the indefensible will argue it is a political witch-hunt by politicians in a heavy C.Y.A. mode. That is not true but a convenient political spin job. Sure it is true the white house is p.o.-ed over media reports that the National Security Agency had received but not acted on two early warning messages to 9/11. Dick Cheney reportedly went ballistic and ripped congressional leaders. Both House and Senate Select Intelligence committees asked the Attorney General to conduct an investigation (and no doubt quietly prayed it would be botched). Justice said in a statement, “…the appropriate department officials will expeditiously review this matter and take any appropriate action.” Not if congress has anything to say about it. Don’t expect anything fast. Remember Leahy resigned in disgrace 14 years ago and today has the chutzpah to pontificate ad nauseum to the Judiciary committee and stall any and all Bush judicial appointments. More on Operation Mockingbird http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/ MOCK/mockingbird.html http://www.grandconspiracy.com/library.html#operation © 2002 Geoff Metcalf - All Rights Reserved Geoff is a veteran media performer. He has had an eclectic professional background covering a wide spectrum of radio, television, magazine, and newspapers. A former Green Beret and retired Army officer he is in great demand as a speaker. Metcalf has hosted his radio talk show on the ABC/Disney owned and operated KSFO and in worldwide syndication. www.geoffmetcalf.com |
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