Muller Hands Down Three Indictments Today

Special prosecutor Robert S. Mueller III on Monday revealed charges against three former Trump campaign officials — including onetime campaign chairman Paul Manafort — marking the first criminal allegations to come from probes into possible Russian influence in U.S. political affairs.  One of the three men charged, former Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty earlier this month to making a false statement to FBI investigators who asked about his contacts with a foreigner who claimed to have high-level Russian connections. The agreement was unsealed Monday.  Court documents described extensive efforts Papadopoulos made to try to broker connections with Russian officials and arrange a meeting between them and the Trump campaign, though some emails show his offers were rebuffed.  The third person charged was Manafort’s longtime business partner, Rick Gates. And if we want to read any further in this Washington Post story we have to subscribe. 

Paul Manifort and his friend Richard Gates did work for the Ukrainian government.  Most of the twelve charges against Manifort are financial in nature.  Millions of dollars were transferred.  Counts 3 thru 6 are failing to file reports of foreign bank activity.  Counts 7 thru 9 are the same charges.  Hence charges 3 thru 9 are the same charge.  Count one was filed on both men.  It’s “conspiracy against the United States”.  It isn’t negligence but “consciousness of guilt”.  They impeded the lawful function of a government agency.  That’s pretty wide sweeping but general.  Manifort is up for a fifteen year sentence.  Norman Goldman states that Manifort will have the opportunity to make a plea deal on the campaign collusion stuff, and that doesn’t seem fair.  They’re still trying to hide stuff.  Goldman stated that the document of indictment seemed “incomplete” in his perception.   Also today a court ruling overturned the trans-gender ban in the military.  Trump must be horribly frustrated today as the walls close in.  Senator Dick Derbin says the possibility of Trump pardoning Paul Manifort is very real.  I heard a rumor that Trump himself was inquiring “What are the exact steps to go about resigning?”

You know if this were twenty years ago and I’d call Paul up about a president’s conduct and he was conspiring with Russia and all, I would get a decent reception and he’d be willing to talk about it on friendly, amenable terms.  But nowadays Christians won’t pass condemnation on any government official without knowing their political party.  And then told they were a republican the other person would ask “What kind of Republican, a Trump Republican”.  Christians these days (and perhaps always have) judged you not on your actions but “who you are”.  What kind of authority or status do you have.  I remember how I knew Chuck Smith had completely sold out to the far right when he endorsed the content of “2016”, that hatchet job movie about President Obama.  Of course if I were to go on Twitter and type 140 characters, people would respond to that.  But they won’t respond to four or five paragraphs especially when I’m not writing in my own name.  Perhaps that’s my fault.  I should go back to Google plus. 

 A little after six I heard the news on Chris’ car radio that the Dodgers had scored three runs in the first inning.  Then they scored another run.  Then Houston scored four.  Later on in the evening it was 11 to 8 Houston coming out of the seventh inning.  The Dodgers didn’t score in the eighth.  I went to bed before the end of the game, for lack of coffee.  What apparently happened was that the Dodgers scored four runs in the ninth inning making it 12 to 11 and Houston scored one more run to tie it up at the bottom of the ninth.  Then Houston scored again in the bottom of the tenth and won the game 13 to 12.  If the Dodgers had one I’d say that winning game six at Dodger Stadium would be a slam dunk.  As it is it looks like the Series will go seven games.  The Dodgers will win game six and it’s a toss-up wh will win game seven.  That will be on Wednesday November 1^st after I get paid. 

Sixty Minutes had three good segments.  The first segment was on North Korea testing their missiles and rockets and they had a lot more success in 2017 than they did in 2016.  Experts now say they will be in a position to launch ICBM’s at us next year.  This is because they already have the Hydrogen bomb.  The middle segment was on the leader of Qatar who had been ganged up on by his Arab neighbors who are supposed to be his friends.  They are all of the Wahabbiest Islamic faith.  But women in Qatar have been able to drive for ten years now and they are just getting that right in Saudi Arabia.  Qatar allows Christians to worship.  And Qatar allowed US bases in that country after we were kicked out of Saudi Arabia after 9 – 11, which ought to tell you something right there.  But four Arab countries have issued strong trade sanctions against Qatar and have sealed off the country’s only land bridge.  So they are doing more business by sea and some recent trade has been with Iran.  Qatar’s neighbors complain that Qatar is soft on the Islamic Brotherhood.  Of course the Saudi’s are just as extreme as anybody and are behind 9 – 11 so they shouldn’t talk.  Finally Donald Trump is siding with Qatar, which is a good thing.  The third segment was this French Jewish guy who forged Nazi documents to save the Jewish population from being forced to board the trains headed east.  He was good at what he did.  After this it was “The wisdom of the crowd” and then it was NCIS Los Angeles.  I didn’t stay up for all of that or the baseball game either.  At seven I went for medication from Leah a little after seven.  At least we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. 

Whitfish Contract Canceled to Rebuild Power Grid in Puerto Rico

Facing withering criticism from members of Congress and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the governor of Puerto Rico moved on Sunday to cancel a $300 million contract awarded to a small Montana company to rebuild part of the island’s battered power grid.  While government officials in Washington and San Juan have argued over how a company from Whitefish, Mont., with connections to the secretary of the interior but only two full-time employees secured an emergency contract that requires the work of thousands of people, the majority of Puerto Rico is still without electricity, nearly six weeks after Hurricane Maria knocked down thousands of poles and lines.  Some stores, medical centers, restaurants and a fortunate few private residences are running on generators, but most of the island’s 3.4 million people are plunged into darkness after sunset.  The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, known as Prepa, is generating just 30 percent of its normal output, the government said. The power grid is in such bad shape that the power authority is not able to say exactly how many of its customers are without power. The authority has estimated that repairs will cost at least $1 billion.  Gov. Ricardo A. Rosselló announced on Sunday that he had decided to ask the power authority’s board — which he appoints — to cancel the contract with Whitefish Energy Holdings, two days after FEMA issued a strongly worded statement criticizing the deal. FEMA said it had “significant concerns” and warned that it might refuse to cover the costs of the contract if it was found to be improper.

  I watched the Norman Goldman program till ten to four.  He was saying that the Estate tax covers property of over 5.5 million and that is in the top one fifth of one percent.  That can’t be right.  Not with the thunderous applause you hear at campaign rallies every time abolishing the estate tax is mentioned.   And not when people measure their wealth not in millions but billions of dollars.  Rumor has it that my parents' combined estate is over a million dollars.  If this is the case I do not believe that five times that would be a fifth of one percent of the population.  That is REALLY rarified territory.  I think whoever keeps the statistics on income brackets is asleep at the switch.  I think it's safe to say that President Trump's constituancy isn't limited to hillbillies from Kentucky and heartland truck drivers, or even disgruntaled factory workers in the Midwest.  It's the right wing that always talks about "Class Warfare".  And why not?  They started "class warfare" under Reagan - - and guess what?  They have won the war and the rest of us have lost.  Up till 1980 the classes were fairly clearly defined as to where each group stood and the same had been true for decades.  Of course our side talks about the "good" rich people who support liberal causes.  This must be as offensive to the right as the term "good nigger"was t liberals in the sixties.   The implication is that "good rich" aren't your average day rich person but must be closet Marxists or something.  I have a feeling we aren't going to be a better republic till there is a drastic turnabout in events and vast economic changes are made both in our tax policies but health care too- - - For The Better. 

 On Chris Matthews now the charge is leveled that conspiracy theorists all believe that “you have the belief first, and then you have to try to come up with the facts to back it up”.  In my opinion this is patently untrue.  I don’t believe that I’ll turn on Bill Handel today.   Bannon says that “It is a season of war against the Republican establishment”.   You heard it.   I posted today’s blog a few minutes ago.  I am hoping that improved content will drive my readership numbers up.   Mitch Mc Connell says he wants to back people who have a good chance of being elected.   Chris Matthews doesn’t believe there is an actual civil war among Republicans because basically they’re all after the same thing and that is screwing over the average American.   Both are after a party “purification”.  

You’ve heard the expression of “a chicken in every pot”.  Now an eleven year old kid wants “a locker-board in every locker”.  He’s the one who shortened the standard skateboard so that it would fit in a school locker or even in a back pack.  Apparently he got financial backers on “Shark Tank”, which should be to their liking.  They shouldn’t shy away from something that isn’t capital intensive.  All you need is a saw and a screw-driver and some paint to decorate the board.  He’s already sold some boards. 

I had Leo Le Port on.  The I phone 10 was officially “released” a week ago.  But now you had to wait till yesterday to be able to actually order one.  But you won’t get that order filled until the following Friday, November 3^rd.   But Leo tried to get one but he struck out.  But his wife called and got an order for November 10^th.  The device has a better camera and better facial recognition.  I don’t get it.  They say the devices won’t be generally available till Christmas.  This to me shows some major screw up in planning.   I don't see how they can have record setting sales and not get the merchanrise on the shelves.

They had Fats Domino day on Rhapsody in Black.  They covered his carrier from 1950 to at least spring 1960.  The fidelity of his recordings gradually improved.  “All My Myself” is that mystery rocky song I couldn’t remember last week they played.   Sometime I'm planning on doing anothe rock compilation featuring more earliest songs or rock.  In the year 1958 Fats Domino tried to change his sound even adding re-verb to tracks.  But the records didn't sell so at the beginning of 1959 he went back to his former style.