Still awaiting that blasted memo

Thomas Lifson: Why Trump's FBI head Christopher Wray urged withholding the Nunes memo   "When the FBI objected to release of the Nunes memo, at the reported urging of President Trump’s hand-picked successor to James Comey as FBI Director, Christopher Wray, the temptation to dismiss him as another deep state operative was understandable. All the more so when CNN and The Daily Beast’s fabulist Spencer Ackerman pushed the story that he was ready to resign yesterday. Naturally, the rest of the Trump-hating media picked up the story and ran with feverish hopes for a second Saturday Night Massacre, with its scent of President Trump’s departure in disgrace 45years ago..

"Maybe so. But maybe the story is a little more complex, and maybe President Trump has his reasons for continuing to express confidence in the man he chose to reform a powerful agency that appears to have been hijacked at the top executive level.

"For starters, the resignation threat appears to be fake news (again!).  Streiff of RedState:" . . .

Report: There Are Four Explosive Revelations in FISA Memo That Have Not Leaked  . . . “Senior Republicans are pushing back on reports suggesting that this memo will not live up to the hype," Fox News' Ed Henry reported Thursday evening on The Story with Martha MacCallum. "There are four separate explosive revelations in the memo that have not leaked out ahead of tomorrow's expected release,” he added." . . .

Politico: FBI memo firestorm engulfs GOP retreat  "Republicans wanted to tout their accomplishments and agenda. Instead, all they got asked about what was Devin Nunes’ memo." . . .

“Tip of The Iceberg” – The Pending Intelligence Memo is The Beginning, Not The End…  "There continue to be questions about the substance behind the pending release of the House Intelligence Committee memo.  With that release in mind, today it is worthwhile remembering this is the beginning of exposing the corruption within the DOJ not the end." . . .

Chris Wray is quietly cleaning up the FBI  "Failing to get traction on their Russia “collusion” front, Sen. Mark Warner and other top Democratic inquisitors now suggest President Trump is obstructing justice by forcing a shake-up at FBI headquarters. But FBI sources tell me the pressure to clean house is also coming from inside the bureau, and it’s based on real concerns over malfeasance by top brass there." . . .

Wray is also sweeping aside Comey’s old chief of staff, James Rybicki, who appears in -mails watering down the case against Clinton. Another Comey crony, James Baker, reportedly is leaving his post as FBI general counsel. Baker recently got into hot water after internal documents revealed he contacted a reporter who wrote about the Clinton-funded dossier tying Trump to Moscow during the election.

. . . 

Kelly: White House to Release Nunes Memo ‘Pretty Quick’  "President Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff John Kelly said on Fox News Radio that the president will release House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’ memo soon. From Fox News:

Poll: 16% of NFL fans say they won't watch the Super Bowl

Yahoo Finance  "Super Bowl 52 is just a few days away, and after NFL regular season TV ratings fell by nearly 10% this season on average, one of the biggest questions pundits and sports media have is: Will the Super Bowl ratings be good?

"If the results of a new survey from Seton Hall University are to be believed, the answer might be no.

"Seton Hall surveyed 706 Americans across the country, via landlines and cellphones, from Jan. 29 to Jan. 31. The first question asked people how closely they follow the NFL. Of those who said they follow it “very closely,” a group the survey identifies as NFL fans, 16% said they won’t watch this year’s Super Bowl. The poll has a 3.8% margin of error.

"Rick Gentile, director of the Seton Hall Sports Poll, calls 16% a “significant number” that “should be a concern to the league, the broadcasters and especially the advertisers.”

"The poll didn’t ask those why say they won’t watch what their reasons are, but the political controversy that overshadowed this football season is almost surely a factor.

"The poll did ask people if they approved, disapproved or had no opinion about NFL players who protested during the playing of the National Anthem throughout the season. 46% of people said they disapproved of the protests." . . .

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

At least 24 players kneeling this weekend at NFL stadiums that are now having a very hard time filling up. The American public is fed up with the disrespect the NFL is paying to our Country, our Flag and our National Anthem. Weak and out of control!

Progressive Editor: Trump Brought ‘Korea’s Version Of Tiny Tim’ To SOTU

The tolerant, compassionate left is revealed for who they are. We are disturbed when tasteless conservative neanderthals post vile remarks toward the liberals. But here, recognized spokespersons of the left go viral with their venom. TD

Daily Caller

"Left-wing Counterpunch editor Jeffrey St. Clair trashed President Donald Trump for inviting a crippled North Korean defector to his State of the Union address.

"St. Clair referred to Trump’s guests as “human shields” and specifically pointed out Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean defector that Trump honored during his address. St. Clair mocked Seong-ho’s crutches, referring to him as “Korea’s version of Tiny Tim.”

"Trump’s telling of Seong-ho’s story ended up being one of the most emotional parts of his address.

"Seong-ho spent his childhood stealing coal from train cars so he could exchange it for food, but lost his left hand and leg after falling under one of the trains. He was forced to undergo surgeries without anesthetic, and the entire incident eventually convinced his family to try to defect into China." . . .

Looks Like Manning May Not be Eligible to Run for Office

Sometimes a guy just can't catch a break.

Legal Insurrection

Manning had been sentenced to 35 years for releasing hundreds of thousands of secret documents to WikiLeaks. Manning appeared at court martial in the uniform of an enlisted man.

Private B. Manning

"In January, Chelsea Manning announced she filed papers to run for the Senate in Maryland, making her an opponent of Sen. Ben Cardin.

"It turns out, Manning may not be eligible to run because “she is on a technical form of unpaid active duty.” This goes against “Department of Defense regulations that prohibit military personnel from seeking public office.”

"The Washington Post continued:

Shorty after she launched her Senate bid, conservative media questioned her eligibility to run. A Daily Caller headline read, “Former Military Lawyers: Chelsea Manning Subject To Prosecution For Running For Office.”

Manning, who is running as an anti-establishment alternative to Cardin, shrugged off the apparent conflict.

“If you ask me, this doesn’t sound like a story beyond the conservative blogosphere,” Kelly Wright, a spokeswoman for the Manning campaign, said in a statement.

"Yeah, well, the rules still apply to you, Manning.

"Manning received a 35 year sentence in 2013 and dishonorable discharge from the Army due to “passing government secrets to WikeLeaks in violation of the Espionage Act.” She served seven years of that sentence.

"It’s important to note that former President Barack Obama only commuted her sentence and did not pardon her. Manning has continued to appeal her conviction, which means she is still on active duty even until that ends. USA "Today reported last May:" . . .

Democrats Boo America

Ann Coulter  "Unlike the president, I don't call everything "incredible," but Trump's State of the Union address was incredible, beautifully delivered. (This guy could have a future in television!)

"As proof, I cite every single media outlet bitterly complaining after the speech that, as MSNBC's chyron put it: "TRUMP FAILS TO MENTION RUSSIA'S ELECTION MEDDLING IN STATE OF THE UNION." He did not address the elephant in the room! A lot of people don't like Trump, but no one was thinking that. It's only an elephant in your room, media. This is the very definition of solipsistic. What did they want him to say? "I confess!"? Then they would have complained that the speech was all about him. There would be five Mueller deputies going over the speech, line by line. If that's all they got, it was a great speech. The media claimed that Trump tricked them into reporting that his address was going to be bipartisan -- and then double-crossed them by delivering a "divisive" speech. To be sure, there were a few partisan flourishes, galling to both sides.
"Points Liberals Hate: 

-- "Beautiful clean coal";
-- The end of Obamacare's individual mandate;
-- Keeping Guantanamo open; and
-- Firing useless government employees working for the Veterans Administration.

Points Conservatives Hate

• - Amnesty; -- Pointless wars; and 

• -- Any policy Trump mentioned when the camera flashed to Ivanka.

 "Altogether, these partisan remarks consumed about seven minutes of an 80-minute speech.

"The bulk of Trump's address celebrated:

• -- A booming economy; -- Companies bringing jobs home;
• -- Low black unemployment;
• -- The flag; -- The national motto;
• -- God; -- Rebuilding roads and bridges;
• -- Law enforcement;
• -- The life of a child born to an opioid addict;
• -- The military;
• -- Veterans; and
• -- Getting the best immigrants we can.

Rich and very white, Joe Kennedy gives an anti-American response to Trumps very pro-American State of the Union.

 I'm trying to imagine FDR opposing any of that. But according to today's Democrats, those issues are "divisive." (Calling the president a "racist" 2 million times a day -- that's not particularly divisive.)
"Democrats have apparently decided that the magic of immigration-created demographic transformation means the future is theirs! They no longer have to worry about middle-of-the-road voters, independents, undecideds -- or really any Americans at all.
"The entire party has embraced Harvard law professor Mark Tushnet's advice (offered back when he thought Trump was going to lose): "The culture wars are over; they lost, we won. ... F*ck Anthony Kennedy." (No asterisk in the original.) "Drawing on his family's mystique, Rep. Joseph Kennedy III delivered the Democratic rebuttal while standing in an auto body shop in front of a broken-down car. The only thing missing was a wet girl in the back seat, seaweed in her hair, desperately scratching at the windshield.
"To drive home the point that the Democratic Party is not a moribund carcass with nothing but memories, next year Chelsea Clinton should give the response. Then Hillary, followed by Amy Carter.
" Kennedy began by unironically denouncing privilege and celebrity. (As everyone knows, Democrats cannot STAND celebrity!) He then devoted the lion's share of his speech to the Democrats' pet issues: transgenders and foreigners. This is a party so completely insulated from the concerns of normal people that it is now dedicating itself to exotic micro-issues.
"Kennedy said:
"'As if the parent who lies awake terrified that their transgender son or daughter will be beaten and bullied at school is any more or less legitimate than the parent whose heart is shattered by a daughter in the grips of an opioid addiction."
"Once Middle America is reminded that Trump hasn't done anything to address the bullying of transgenders, they'll come to us in droves! 
"To be fair, the Democrats haven't cared about Middle America for years and are frankly relieved they no longer have to pretend to like losers in flyover country. Their No. 1 priority is dragging in more and more foreigners to vote for them. Kennedy repeated a slogan from the anti-Trump rallies: "Build a wall and my generation will tear it down." We shouldn't have borders. In fact, it's crazy to have borders!
"If JFK could have been brought back to life to see this speech, he would have instantly had young Joe committed to a mental institution.
"The Kennedy scion compared the civil rights of African-Americans to the (non-existent) rights of foreigners, assuring viewers that the Democrats are dedicated to protecting everyone, regardless of "the color of your skin" or "the country of your birth."
" Being an American means nothing to these citizens of the world.
" He denounced the Trump administration for ignoring the "promise" we apparently made to the 7 billion people who are not Americans. How dare we arrogate to ourselves the right to decide "who makes the cut" and becomes our fellow citizen?
" Incidentally, which grandee decides who "makes the cut" at the celebrity V.I.P. rooms at Democratic conventions?
"Transgenders and foreigners are specialty hobbies, like building ships in a bottle or urban cheesemaking. It's as if the big thinkers of the party ran into someone at Burning Man: What are you working on?
"Transgenders! Oh, that sounds interesting. Can I join you?
"Normal American: How about good-paying jobs and putting food on the table? "This is what the Democratic Party has become -- a group of utterly decadent coxcombs, with no concept of economic insecurity and no interest in finding out."

About the only thing Democrats will stand to honor:

http://www.michaelpramirez.com/index.html

Parents Of MS-13 Victim At SOTU: Democrats “Very Disrespectful” Refusing To Stand For Them

"Democrats have no shame, they hate Trump so much they will treat these poor parents with disrespect.

"Via Real Clear Politics:

On the Wednesday edition of her FOX News show, Laura Ingraham interviewed Elizabeth Alvarado and Robert Mickens, the parents of a teenage girl murdered by the gang MS-13 that were guests of President Trump at his first State of the Union address on Tuesday.

“Everyone in America is grieving for you,” Trump said to them. “And 320 million hearts are breaking for you. We cannot imagine the depth of your sorrow, but we can make sure that other families never have to endure this pain.”

Elizabeth Alvarado, the mother, responded to MSNBC’s Joy Reid for dismissing the Hispanic gang and downplaying them as something only heard about on FOX News.

Keep reading…

Trump Approves Release Of FISA Memo

Daily Caller   "The document allegedly contains proof that some of the top officials in the Obama-era national security establishment abused their authority to obtain surveillance warrants on members of  the Trump 2016 campaign. House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin "Nunes assembled the memo with fellow Intel committee members and staff based on classified information turned over by the FBI and the DOJ."

"The memo will be released with some technical redactions requested by the FBI, which continues to object to the document’s release. House rules dictate that the legislature can vote to declassify material in the public interest stipulating the president must approve its release within 5 days.

"After the president’s approval the memo will be transferred back to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence who will then publicly release it. Trump reviewed the memo after the committee voted to declassify the memo Monday. Administration officials insisted the memo was undergoing a thorough national security review before any decision on its release.

“ 'As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy,” the bureau said in a rare public statement Wednesday."

Trump’s SOTU Was First in Eight Years Not to Mention ‘Global Warming’

Liberty Review

"While President Donald Trump touted policies to make the U.S. into an energy superpower, his first State of the Union (SOTU) address to Congress left out a hallmark of Obama-era speeches.

"Trump’s address is the first in eight years to not refer to manmade global warming — nine years if you include former President Barack Obama’s 2009 address to Congress. Instead, Trump emphasized deregulation and boosting energy production — many of the regulations Trump rescinded were Obama-era global warming policies.

“ 'In our drive to make Washington accountable, we have eliminated more regulations in our first year than any administration in history,” Trump said in his speech Tuesday night.

“ 'We have ended the war on American Energy – and we have ended the War on clean coal,” Trump said. “We are now an exporter of energy to the world.”

"Nearly all of Obama’s addresses to Congress explicitly mentioned climate change. Obama addressed Congress eight times, explicitly mentioning “climate change” in all but one speech.

"While Obama’s 2011 SOTU address did not explicitly say climate change, he did call for investments in “clean energy technology” to “protect the planet.” Obama’s six other SOTUs used the term “climate change.”

"While not technically a SOTU, Obama said in 2009, “to truly transform our economy, to protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy.' ” . . .

Nancy Pelosi's reactions during the SOTU

One supposes she was making sure no Democrat showed approval for any point Mr. Trump made. 

This Democrat said Pelosi's expression was their's as well.

. . . "Needless to say, there were a lot of *amazing* reactions to Trump's speech, but the look on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's face at the State of the Union definitely stole the show. In fact, I think it's safe to say that Pelosi is literally all of us right now." . . .

Before the SOTU:  Pelosi Wants Eyes on ‘Slobbering’ Trump at SOTU, Warns Democrats to Stay in Line or Stay Home  "House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) warned her caucus Tuesday to stay in line during President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address.
"Pelosi addressed the House Democratic Caucus about her expectations during a weekly private meeting Tuesday morning, Politico reports.
"Let the attention be on his slobbering self," she said, according to two sources in the room. "If you want to walk out, don’t come in."
"Pelosi told Democrats she expects all eyes to be on the president during the speech, and wants to avoid any kind of interruption that could fuel the Republican base." . . .   Emphasis added by TD

“If his nose isn’t running and he isn’t burping, he did a great speech,” she reportedly remarked.

This is NOT my father's Democrat Party.

"Let’s hope that at some point in the near future that the Democrats will be able to grow up, to put their country before their party, and to participate in our government with the express purpose of making America the land of liberty and opportunity." Kevin Cee

.terrellaftermath.com/

The State of the Democrats at the State of the Union  "Did you see how the Democrats, especially Pelosi and Schumer, acted while the President was giving his positive message for America?

"I did, and they reminded me of kids when they are too young to know better." . . .    

. . . "At first, I laughed.  They were so funny, and so infantile.  However, the more I saw of their behavior the sadder I became.  It soon dawned on me that these are adults.  They are not children.  Yet, they are acting like children.  That is sad. 

"Then, as the State of the Union address continued, another thought overwhelmed the comedy and the sadness.  What they are doing is frightening, frightening because they are also the representatives of the people, and they have been given the privilege and the responsibility of protecting and supporting a form of government that will give our citizens the freedom and the opportunity to live life to the best of their ability.   Their obligation is to protect and preserve our republic for the benefit of the citizens of our great country." . . .

Ohio Coal Mine Canary at the SOTU: Democrat Tim Ryan   "You have to shake your head in amazement as to what has happened to the Democratic Party. To see what I mean, look at Rep. Tim Ryan. He represents Ohio's 13th Congressional District in northeast Ohio which is centered in the gritty city of Youngstown." . . .

Photo Catches Democrats Literally Playing iPhone Games During Trump’s SOTU Speech  Remember school kids doing this when they were made to be at something they didn't like?

Democrats did themselves no favors with their SOTU responses

These people must love their party more than those they represent:

David Horowitz: Democrats´ Hatred Of Trump Is Going To Bring Them Down

"

"This was the Democrats’ reaction throughout the evening. When Trump made eloquent appeals on behalf of the men and women who serve this country in arms; when he praised his newly appointed Veterans Administration chief for firing VA officials who did not have the love for these American heroes that the American people do, the TV camera panned on Republicans rising to their feet and applauding and then to the Democrats reclining listlessly in their chairs and consulting their cell phones. What the images showed was that the Democrats’ hatred of Trump overwhelmed the most patriotic instinct – to care for the people who risk their lives to care for us.

Lucianne

IBD: Democrats Dig Themselves Into A Hole After Trump's Speech

. . . "Their sophomoric behavior didn't go unnoticed, even by the liberal press. The headline in an NBC News story about the speech said: "Democrats scoff, boo, groan, glower" during Trump's speech."Illinois Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez was so offended by his fellow congressmen chanting "USA" that he stormed out of the chamber.Who is being petulant?

After many disappointments this was, as we say, the last straw for me. TD

"( Following the "Petraeus/ Betray us" kerfuffle in 2008) "I have been part of a Democrat family all my life with my father a member of the IWA-CIO and myself also a union member throughout my career. I am absolutely sickened by the actions of almost all elected Democrats and many, many of their supporters. Terrible statements appear in the press, supporting the insurgents in Iraq while our troops fight in what is without a doubt a fight for our survival. The performance of Democrats in the room with Gen. Petraeus has been the final straw for me and I utterly reject this party and its membership.   The Tunnel Dweller 

Posted in the right sidebar of the Tunnel Wall

Things Democrats Refuse To Applaud

One Democrat you didn't see scowling at the SOTU: Dem Rep. Jan Schakowsky Says She Skipped SOTU Because Trump Is A “Sexual Predator”…

Black is the new color of liberal hypocrisy

Ethel C. Fenig  "Proving once again that Washington D.C. is Hollywood for ugly people, some female legislators plan to wear black to President Donald J. Trump's (R) State of the Union address next week, mimicking their Hollywood sisters and daughters who last month protested their new discovery of gross male inappropriate sexual behavior in the entertainment workplace.

"Democratic female legislators that is because most -- but not all of course -- of these allegations in Hollywood and Washington are aimed at men who are Democrats. Who profess – publicly -- great respect for women. And donate generously to Democratic and/or liberal causes. Graciously, in the great liberal inclusive sudden awakening, Republican women are invited to join the somber wearing herd of (non)independent Democratic minds.

"Granted that the Washington D.C. women are really not ugly. And there will be no pre-event red carpet preening of their black outfits which will definitely be more modest than their Hollywood counterparts. And legislators, being legislators, not flashy entertainers, often wear mainly black in their workday lives. But still, the move reeks of the same Hollywood hypocrisy." . . .

Virtue Signalling

Advocating a political or philosophical position, and/or taking up a public cause, from a position of vanity, for the primary purpose of demonstrating your conformity with fashionable pop culture values.

Angela's sudden advocacy for the local pet shelter was mostly an exercise in public relations and virtue signalling. She had never much cared for dogs and cats before, but she instinctively understood teary-eyed public support for defenseless animals generally said something good about her as a person.