Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Those Biden scandals

THE STOCK DORK?  Do not know the outlet.  Brandi e-mailed me this from it:


Congressional investigator Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has called on whistleblowers to come forward following the arrest of Gal Luft, co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security.

Luft was arrested in Cyprus on an Interpol warrant, but claims it is “political revenge” for providing the FBI with incriminating information about Joe Biden’s ties to his family’s business with a Chinese energy company ahead of the 2020 election.


According to Israeli international criminal and civil rights lawyer Mordechai Tzivin, who is representing Luft, his client has information that would “bury” Hunter Biden and “shift attention toward the president himself.”


Rep. Issa is urging whistleblowers with information that would advance Congressional investigations into the Biden family business scheme and Department of Justice malfeasance to come forward.

He stated, “One never knows where whistleblowers, concerned individuals and the critical information they provide will be found next. But we must always be ready — especially as we uncover more and more Biden family corruption — to receive evidence that advances the cause of accountability and oversight.”



Again, I am not familiar with the outlet.   Adam Garcia is the person in charge of it and it focuses on finances.  President Joe Biden is also in the news today due to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland testifying before Congress and questions Senator Chuck Grassley asked:


Garland has pledged before not to interfere in Delaware U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss’ probe into Hunter Biden and his foreign business dealings, which are currently under both federal and congressional investigations.

But Garland has come under scrutiny for not elevating Weiss to special counsel status to ensure his independence. On Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, pressed Garland on what would happen if Weiss needed to pursue the case against Biden outside his Delaware jurisdiction.

Garland conceded that Weiss would have to refer the case to another district in that case, though he maintained that the decision on whether to make an outside referral is entirely up to Weiss.

"[I]f it's in another district, he would have to bring the case in another district," Garland said. "But as I said, I promise to ensure that he's able to carry out his investigation and that he'd be able to run it. And if he needs to bring it in another jurisdiction, he will have full authority to do that."

Grassley replied by pointing out that the possibility of a referral means it could be up to a Biden appointee to pursue the case outside Delaware. "If Weiss, the U.S. attorney there in Delaware, must seek permission from a Biden-appointed U.S. attorney to bring charges, then the Hunter Biden criminal investigation isn't insulated from political interference as you have publicly proclaimed," Grassley said.


Which is why so many of us were calling for a special counsel.  This is not independent at all, it is a farce.  And Mr. Garland can not restore trust in his department until he is willing to stop playing favorites. Still on President Biden, let me note this by Darragh Roche (NEWSWEEK):


Voters may view President Joe Biden's age differently to former President Donald Trump, despite the fact the president is not much older than his immediate predecessor.

Biden is the first serving octogenarian president in U.S. history—he turned 80 years old in November—and his age has been the subject of speculation and some mockery.

Trump, who has already announced his intention to seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is 76, but recent polling from Yahoo News/YouGov suggests voters view the men's advancing years differently.

The poll found that 65 percent of Americans agreed that Biden would be "too old for another term as president" when they were informed that he'd be 82 starting a second term in 2025 and 86 by the end of it.

A further 18 percent said he wouldn't be too old and 17 percent weren't sure.

However, poll respondents took a different view of Trump, who is a few years younger than Biden.



Maybe that is because Mr. Trump's crazy remarks go to his ego while Mr. Biden's crazy remarks make you question his senility? 


This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today:

Wednesday, March 1, 2023.  The UN Secretary-General visits Iraq, Moqtada's forces occupy an abandoned area in Baghdad, Marjorie Taylor Greene and her pal Glenneth Greenwald remain jokes, and much more.



I know we've noted the 5,000 year old tavern recently discovered in Iraq several times in the last weeks but I don't believe we've noted a video report of it.  It is a big find and historically signficant.

Centuries ago, people gathered there.

Today?  

Moqtada al-Sadr's militia likes to gather in an abandoned building in Baghdad but the PMF is apparently attempting to root out of the building.









Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is visiting Iraq today.






AFP notes, "UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Iraq for his first visit in six years Tuesday in a show of 'solidarity' after a drawn-out political crisis in the country."  Guterres' last visit to Iraq was in 2017.   Sinan Mahmoud (THE NATIONAL) reports:

“This is a visit of solidarity,” Mr Guterres said in a briefing with Mr Hussein after arriving at Baghdad International Airport.

“A solidarity with the people and the democratic institutions of Iraq and a solidarity that means that the United Nations is totally committed to support the consolidation of the institutions in this country.”

He said he was confident that “Iraqis will be able to overcome the difficulties and challenges they still face through an open and inclusive dialogue”.

Mr Hussein described the visit as important, praising the relations and co-operation with the UN special mission to Iraq and UN.

“We always thank the secretary general for his support to the political process and democracy in Iraq,” Mr Hussein said.


Moving over to the US, we're going to again note THE DAILY SHOW for Chelsea Handler's look at MTG.




Marjorie Taylor Greene: I have people come up to me and say crazy things to me out of the blue in public places that they believe because they read it on the internet.

Chelsea Handler:  Well if that's not the pot calling the kettle QAnon.  This woman thought 9/11 was a hoax, that the Clintons killed JFK Jr. and that Jews are in charge of space lasers.  But please, don't come at her with some crazy ideas -- she might believe them. 



MTG is still calling the kettle QAnon.  As Daniel Villareal (LGBTQ NATION) reports, Marjorie is whining that she was eating out and a woman and her son yelled at her:


“People used to respect others even if they had different views. But not anymore. Our country is gone,” she concluded. Last week, Greene called for a “national divorce” between blue and red states.

The last time the U.S. had such a division, it resulted in a 4 year civil war. The war killed over a million Americans, including soldiers, non-combatant civilians, and slaves.

In response to Greene’s tweet, [David] Hogg, now age 22, wrote a tweet directly tagging her Twitter screen name.

“@mtgreenee Man that sucks. I was attacked and screamed at in 2018 by an insane woman named Marjorie Taylor Greene. She had no respect for the privacy of me as an 18 year old school shooting survivor or my staff. She was self righteous, insane, and completely out of control,” Hogg wrote.


Ever notice that if Marjorie were a Drag King, she could impersonate Glenneth Greenwald?  It's the nose, right?  Maybe that's why he made her his hag?

The great Glenneth Greenwald has spoken -- or at least hissed -- Elizabeth Warren is a fool.  The thing about Glenneth and other foolish people is that they never realize they're foolish.  What prompted his fit?  The senator Tweeted the following:




Elizabeth Warren
@SenWarren
·
Feb 24
In the 1990s, America had 51 major contractors bidding for defense work. Today, there are only five massive companies remaining. Defense contracting should be reworked to break up the massive contracts awarded to the big guys and create opportunities for firms of all sizes.


Glenneth reTweeted a mocking of her and then added this:


Glenn Greenwald
@ggreenwald
Replying to
@JordanUhl
Most Elizabeth Warren tweet ever.
5:20 PM · Feb 24, 2023
·
12.8K
Views



In the mocking thread they go on and on about weapons.

Is Elizabeth really the fool or are they?

Now we actually pay attention to Iraq so I'm fully aware that defense contractors do much more than just defense.  They're hired by the Defense Dept so they're contractors for the Defense Dept.  But they may be doing something as basic as cleaning, they be part of a construction project, they can do any number of things.  The Government Accountability Office has noted that service acquisitions account for a big portion of the budget and has stressed that oversight is greatly needed.  

Was Elizabeth the fool or was the fool all the people who were so stupid -- including Glenneth -- that they didn't realize how the defense contractors work?


Excelsior University notes:

The use of defense contractors stretches back to the American Revolution. During that war, the Continental Army was inexperienced and ill-equipped, so contractors provided food, clothing, horses, wagons, weapons, and even scouting services. Today, the Department of Defense still requires the help of defense contractors for the U.S. military.

A defense contractor is a business organization or individual who provides products or services to a government’s military or intelligence department. These products and services can include technical support, training, weaponry, aircrafts, vehicles, communications support, logistics, and electrical systems.







Defense contractors often play a major role overseas, where they provide deployed troops with services such as language interpretation, perimeter security, weapon systems maintenance, and supervision of other contractors. During past US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, they have often made up 50% or more of the entire DOD presence, including military personnel.



If it's all too confusing for you -- and if you're a fan of Glenneth, it probably is -- you can refer to this primer from the US Defense Dept on their contractors.  We'll note this since it's about Iraq:


In Iraq, armed and unarmed security contractors have been employed to provide services such as protecting fixed locations; guarding traveling convoys; providing security escorts; and training police and military personnel. The number of security contractor employees working for DOD in Iraq and Syria has fluctuated significantly over time, depending on various factors. As of the fourth quarter of FY2022, DOD reported 941 security contractor personnel in Iraq and Syria, none of whom were identified as armed security contractors. 


Glenneth truly is an idiot.

Glenn Greenwald
@ggreenwald
Replying to
@JordanUhl
Only thing missing was this diversity angle but, with a tweet that perfect, who can complain?




That wacky Glenneth taking time out from giving Marjorie Taylor Greene a dry hump to provide laughs on Twitter.  As for the diversity angle -- it's built into contracts with contractors.  Does it hurt when you're that stupid, Glenneth?

And, for the record, the Tweet fits in perfectly with other Tweets the senator's been offering:


Elizabeth Warren
@SenWarren
A study by
@BostonFed
found that corporations in the most concentrated sectors have been the most successful at expanding their profit margins on the backs of consumers. This is exactly why we need to enforce antitrust laws and increase market competition.
8:51 AM · Feb 27, 2023
·
112.4K
Views



Or are those concepts beyond your limited vision and, sadly, even more limited knowledge base?

Maybe Glenneth could get off Twitter for 24 hours and work on composing an apology to the Iraqi people for promoting the Iraq War that destroyed their country and killed over a million people?  

 





The following sites updated:




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