Parallel Construction: "a law enforcement process of building a parallel—or separate—evidentiary basis for a criminal investigation in order to conceal how an investigation actually began."
For instance, you may have evidence of a grand conspiracy to defraud the USA, but the evidence is "Signals Intelligence (SIGNIT): "intelligence-gathering by interception of signals, whether communications between people communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication (electronic intelligence—abbreviated to ELINT)."
So let's say you'd prefer not to reveal how you got the raw SIGNIT, you want to protect your sources, you have to build a case Human Being by Human Being. You need to get people to talk. To explain their actions, to tell the truth, to testify under oath. You need to break, to turn, to flip conspirators. Get them to commit to the real.
So you imagine a Special Counsel and a robust team of Prosecutors working diligently behind the scenes; meticulous, careful, judicious, dedicated to discovering the truth, putting the pieces together, constructing a grand narrative, and a list of indictments, accumulating pleas and convictions.
I put lots of faith in an idea; that there are still some Honest Human Beings amongst us. Wishful thinking? Maybe. I still have a faith that some of us can be loyal to a higher calling; beyond race, class, tribe. Loyal to truth, justice, common sense, rationality, facts.
It is sometimes difficult to see that reality behind the horror-show of our social and media landscape. It all seems like madness. Toil and Trouble. People out of their heads. Fighting for the last dollar, clinging to power by any means. Lording it over others. Needing, wanting, grasping. Faith only in the $$$.
I imagine a different tribe. Human Beings willing to transcend race, class, tribe. Human Beings loyal to being Human. I belong to that Tribe. The Tribe of Transcendence: Human Rights, Dignity, Fraternity, Liberty, Humanity, Justice, Love. I put my faith in a better day. Cooler heads. Intelligence. Discernment. Common Sense. Clarity. Silly me. I know, maybe, Wishful Thinking. What would we do without it?
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Friday, June 29, 2018
Black Robed Guy Compromised Too! Hah!
Paranoia: "a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others."
Right?! You begin to think the rot is everywhere. Deep, rotten, corruption flowing behind the events of the day. You are excessively suspicious. You begin to think you can't trust your own eyes. You start to wonder if there is another story behind the headline stories. A deeper network of connections and corruption. Money flowing in every direction. Money corrupting everything.
Oh man. What the Fuck?! Can it possibly be true that the 81 year old white guy who just hung up his black robe, throwing the Supreme Court into crisis (see previous post), has a son, who was a banker that over the years (1997-2009), loaned our Russian Asset Little Baby Man Wanna Be Dictator over $1 Billion Dollars?
That is not possible? Is it? A Supreme Court Judge compromised? One degree of separation from corruption. Fucking amazing. Why are we finding this out now? Has someone been sitting on this information? Is someone making this shit up just to mess with our heads? We are slimed folks. Trump-ism is sort of like AIDS. Or the Black Plague. We are infected. All of our major institutions, all of our major organs, are infected. Diseased.
“Say hello to your boy,” Mr. Trump said. “Special guy.”
"Mr. Trump was apparently referring to Justice Kennedy’s son, Justin. The younger Mr. Kennedy spent more than a decade at Deutsche Bank, eventually rising to become the bank’s global head of real estate capital markets, and he worked closely with Mr. Trump"
"During Mr. Kennedy’s tenure, Deutsche Bank became Mr. Trump’s most important lender, dispensing well over $1 billion in loans to him for the renovation and construction of skyscrapers in New York and Chicago at a time other mainstream banks were wary of doing business with him because of his troubled business history."
Right?! You begin to think the rot is everywhere. Deep, rotten, corruption flowing behind the events of the day. You are excessively suspicious. You begin to think you can't trust your own eyes. You start to wonder if there is another story behind the headline stories. A deeper network of connections and corruption. Money flowing in every direction. Money corrupting everything.
Oh man. What the Fuck?! Can it possibly be true that the 81 year old white guy who just hung up his black robe, throwing the Supreme Court into crisis (see previous post), has a son, who was a banker that over the years (1997-2009), loaned our Russian Asset Little Baby Man Wanna Be Dictator over $1 Billion Dollars?
That is not possible? Is it? A Supreme Court Judge compromised? One degree of separation from corruption. Fucking amazing. Why are we finding this out now? Has someone been sitting on this information? Is someone making this shit up just to mess with our heads? We are slimed folks. Trump-ism is sort of like AIDS. Or the Black Plague. We are infected. All of our major institutions, all of our major organs, are infected. Diseased.
“Say hello to your boy,” Mr. Trump said. “Special guy.”
"Mr. Trump was apparently referring to Justice Kennedy’s son, Justin. The younger Mr. Kennedy spent more than a decade at Deutsche Bank, eventually rising to become the bank’s global head of real estate capital markets, and he worked closely with Mr. Trump"
"During Mr. Kennedy’s tenure, Deutsche Bank became Mr. Trump’s most important lender, dispensing well over $1 billion in loans to him for the renovation and construction of skyscrapers in New York and Chicago at a time other mainstream banks were wary of doing business with him because of his troubled business history."
The news of the day just gets more and more twisted...
Thursday, June 28, 2018
"Sometimes things don't work out... Sometimes things don't work out... Sometimes happens all the time..." - Henry Rollins
An 81 year old white guy decides to hang up his black robe, and it all seemingly goes to shit. Is this how the USA takes another hard right turn and becomes more hostile to Women, Immigrants, Working People, Gays, Liberals?
Is it really possible we have to watch the Russian Dupe/Asset, our own little wanna-be Little Baby Man Dictator, remake the Supreme Court for the next 40 years? Jesus.
What is my deep, fine-honed, insight? FUCK! Things are looking pretty dark this morning. Try as I may, I don't see an upside. The coffee isn't helping. I will have to get back to you on that.
I am left with my tried and true aphorisms & battle-tested quotes.
"Hope Dies Last." - Studs Terkel
"You are the Authority." - Philip K. Dick
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going." - Vince Lombardi
"Don't be denied." - Neil Young
"It's so illogical, you know, about being a Smurf. You know, what's the point of living... if you don't have a dick? " - Donnie Darko
"Instant Karma's gonna get you!" - John Lennon
"Follow your bliss." - Joseph Campbell
"A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what's going on. A psychotic is a guy who's just found out what's going on. - William Burroughs
"All that glitters is not gold." William Shakespeare
"The only rule is that there are no rules." - Del Close
"Run to daylight." - Vince Lombardi
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Fuck it." - Anonymous
"All that is gold does not glitter." - J.R.R. Tolkein
"Rationality is just another mask we wear." - Keith Johnstone
"Consciousness can change in an instant." - Michael Thoms
"He not busy being born is busy dying." - Bob Dylan
"Every step counts." - Sunnyjimmy
"Not all who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkein
"Politics is like trying to screw a cat in the ass." - Charles Bukowski
"All you need is Love." - John Lennon
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." (Editor's Note: Unless you die choking on your own vomit). - William Blake
"Fake it till you make it." - An English Aphorism
Is it really possible we have to watch the Russian Dupe/Asset, our own little wanna-be Little Baby Man Dictator, remake the Supreme Court for the next 40 years? Jesus.
What is my deep, fine-honed, insight? FUCK! Things are looking pretty dark this morning. Try as I may, I don't see an upside. The coffee isn't helping. I will have to get back to you on that.
I am left with my tried and true aphorisms & battle-tested quotes.
"Hope Dies Last." - Studs Terkel
"You are the Authority." - Philip K. Dick
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going." - Vince Lombardi
"Don't be denied." - Neil Young
"It's so illogical, you know, about being a Smurf. You know, what's the point of living... if you don't have a dick? " - Donnie Darko
"Instant Karma's gonna get you!" - John Lennon
"Follow your bliss." - Joseph Campbell
"A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what's going on. A psychotic is a guy who's just found out what's going on. - William Burroughs
"All that glitters is not gold." William Shakespeare
"The only rule is that there are no rules." - Del Close
"Run to daylight." - Vince Lombardi
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Fuck it." - Anonymous
"All that is gold does not glitter." - J.R.R. Tolkein
"Rationality is just another mask we wear." - Keith Johnstone
"Consciousness can change in an instant." - Michael Thoms
"He not busy being born is busy dying." - Bob Dylan
"Every step counts." - Sunnyjimmy
"Not all who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkein
"Politics is like trying to screw a cat in the ass." - Charles Bukowski
"All you need is Love." - John Lennon
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." (Editor's Note: Unless you die choking on your own vomit). - William Blake
"Fake it till you make it." - An English Aphorism
You know... "act as if..."
...tomorrow will be a better day...
... love will conquer all...
... you do believe...
... it ain't over until it's over...
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
The Future is Unwritten - Let's Make it More Progressive, More Humane!
Great video. Great message.
Maybe I'm wrong. But this morning I catch the news that this Young, Charismatic, Progressive, Democratic Woman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won a primary in NY last night against a powerful, long-time Democrat. She's a new face. A new voice. She worked hard meeting folks from all walks of life in her district. She most likely will win this safe Democratic seat easily in November 2018.
I don't know. I think this Woman is the future. Right? And the Future is Unwritten. And maybe that Future could be more Progressive, More Socialistic, More Inclusive, More Diverse, Younger, Bolder, More Humane?
The last time I felt this kind of instant connection with a political figure was when I caught a young, wide-eared Illinois Congressman on local TV. I watched a few minutes of him speaking, answering questions, and I immediately called my Father and told him I just saw the Future of the Democratic Party! That guy was Barack Hussein Obama in 2004.
Maybe I'm wrong. But this morning I catch the news that this Young, Charismatic, Progressive, Democratic Woman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won a primary in NY last night against a powerful, long-time Democrat. She's a new face. A new voice. She worked hard meeting folks from all walks of life in her district. She most likely will win this safe Democratic seat easily in November 2018.
I don't know. I think this Woman is the future. Right? And the Future is Unwritten. And maybe that Future could be more Progressive, More Socialistic, More Inclusive, More Diverse, Younger, Bolder, More Humane?
The last time I felt this kind of instant connection with a political figure was when I caught a young, wide-eared Illinois Congressman on local TV. I watched a few minutes of him speaking, answering questions, and I immediately called my Father and told him I just saw the Future of the Democratic Party! That guy was Barack Hussein Obama in 2004.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
"Self-Justification is a Specialty of Mankind." - Hamilton Nolan
Who is Hamilton Nolan? A writer for Splinter. The late, great David Carr once had some complimentary things to say about him. Carr: “he will just step up and fill somebody with ack ack. I think to myself: Hmm, whether it was true or not, it was executed with a great deal of vigor, in a way I probably do not do any more.”
I just discovered Hamilton Nolan yesterday, via this article... "This Is Just the Beginning." Blazing. Powerful. A bit chilling.
This seems so true. The Powerful always push around those less Powerful. Most of us are the "people who have the power wielded against."
"One thing that people who wield great power often fail to viscerally understand is what it feels like to have power wielded against you. This imbalance is the source of many of the most monstrous decisions that get made by powerful people and institutions. The people who start the wars do not have bombs dropped on their houses. The people who pass the laws that incarcerate others never have to face the full force of the prison system themselves. The people who design the economic system that inflicts poverty on millions are themselves rich. This sort of insulation from the real world consequences of political and economic decisions makes it very easy for powerful people to approve of things happening to the rest of us that they would never, ever tolerate themselves. No health insurance CEO would watch his child die due to their inability to afford quality health care. No chickenhawk Congressman will be commanding a tank battle in Iran. No opportunistic race-baiting politician will be shunned because of their skin color. Zealots condemn gay people—except for their own gay children. The weed-smoking of young immigrants should get them deported—but our own weed-smoking was a youthful indiscretion. Environmentalist celebrities fly on carbon-spouting private jets. Banks make ostentatious charity donations while raking in billions from investments in defense contractors and gun manufacturers and oil companies. This is human nature. It is very, very easy to do things that hurt others as long as those same things benefit, rather than hurt, you. Self-justification is a specialty of mankind."
Here's Hamilton's message for the Trump enablers...
Monday, June 25, 2018
"WE ARE ALREADY ON THE SLIPPERY SLOPE!" - DAVID ROBERTS - VOX
"If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." -Karl Popper - "The Open Society and Its Enemies"
Cool new trend: Shaming and Shunning Folks who espouse, promote, implement, apologize for, and/ or defend abhorrent, anti-human policies. Shame a Racist, Shun a Fascist today! We will all feel better! Have A Nice Day!
Of course this must all be peaceful. But we can stand and be heard. We must organize, evangelize, be smart, be united, for a better day, against HATE. We must speak up, march, and WE MUST VOTE. Every American with a conscience needs to vote for the Democrats this November. No excuses. We must take our country back from the Deplorables.
Of course this must all be peaceful. But we can stand and be heard. We must organize, evangelize, be smart, be united, for a better day, against HATE. We must speak up, march, and WE MUST VOTE. Every American with a conscience needs to vote for the Democrats this November. No excuses. We must take our country back from the Deplorables.
Yes. I can get behind this new trend in DC where folks are Shunning and Shaming Trump Administration members. I don't think it's a bad thing. I think it's necessary. When is deplorable shit just totally deplorable? This Administration is hurtling towards "fascism." We can not stand around and wring our hands. We must raise our voices and declare this is not normal. This is not tolerable! We out-number these people.
If you espouse hatred and division, you should be called out. Shame on you! Remember shame?!
This Tweet-Storm from David Roberts of Vox is quite the beautiful thing (be sure to click over and read the whole thing), I highly endorse, here are some select highlights:
If you espouse hatred and division, you should be called out. Shame on you! Remember shame?!
This Tweet-Storm from David Roberts of Vox is quite the beautiful thing (be sure to click over and read the whole thing), I highly endorse, here are some select highlights:
- The salient fact about US politics is that the right has been going steadily more crazy for decades -- breaking the law, disregarding norms, sinking into a hermetically sealed media bubble filled with paranoid conspiracy theories, seeking to disenfranchise opponents, etc.
- 5. For years, lefties have been warning about this devolution of the GOP, going back to Reagan. They have bene dismissed as crazy partisan hippies, condemned as "uncivil," told they are part of the problem, because being mad about illiberalism is just like illiberalism.
- 10. Now here we are with a president who very openly pines for tyranny, explicitly disregards laws & norms, is nakedly racist, lies as often as he breathes, and oh yeah, is now JAILING TODDLERS TO DETER LEGAL IMMIGRATION.
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