(from Coolidge by Amity Shales)
". . . Balance was all; wherever there was dispute, or costs, he must nonetheless seek the islands of agreement, the middle ground. If there was to be a war, then finding that middle ground, sacrificing principles for the duration would be even more important. Spending would be especially important, however much Coolidge personally deplored it. . .
". . . Barr, asked if Mueller intended for Congress, not the attorney general, to decide whether Trump obstructed justice: “Well, Special Counsel Mueller did not indicate that his purpose was to leave the decision to Congress. I hope that was not his view. ... I didn’t talk to him directly about the fact that we were making the decision, but I am told that his reaction to that was that it was my prerogative as attorney general to make that decision.”
THE FACTS: Mueller’s report actually does indicate that Congress could make that determination.
The report states that no person is above the law, including the president, and that the Constitution “does not categorically and permanently immunize a President for obstructing justice.”
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: “Today’s release of the Special Counsel’s report confirms what the President and I have said since day one: there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and there was no obstruction of justice.”
KELLYANNE CONWAY, White House counselor: “What matters is what the Department of Justice and special counsel concluded here, which is no collusion, no obstruction, and complete exoneration, as the president says.”
THE FACTS: No. The special counsel specifically leaves open the question of whether the president obstructed justice. . . “If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment,” the report states. . . The report identifies 10 instances of possible obstruction by Trump and said he might have “had a motive” to impede the investigation because of what it could find on a multitude of personal matters, such as his proposal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. . . “The evidence does indicate that a thorough FBI investigation would uncover facts about the campaign and the President personally that the President could have understood to be crimes or that would give rise to personal and political concerns,” the report states. . . In explaining its decision, Mueller’s team said reaching a conclusion on whether Trump committed crimes would be inappropriate because of Justice Department guidelines indicating that a sitting president should not be prosecuted. It nevertheless left open at least the theoretical possibility that Trump could be charged after he leaves office, noting that its factual investigation was conducted “in order to preserve the evidence when memories were fresh and documentary material were available.”
BARR: “These reports are not supposed to be made public.”
THE FACTS: He’s not going out on a limb for public disclosure. . . Justice Department regulations give Barr wide authority to release a special counsel’s report in situations it “would be in the public interest.” Barr had made clear during his Senate confirmation hearing in January that he believed in transparency with the report on Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference during the 2016 campaign, “consistent with regulations and the law.”
BARR, saying it was “consistent with long-standing practice” for him to share a copy of the redacted report with the White House and president’s attorneys before its release: “Earlier this week, the president’s personal counsel requested and were given the opportunity to read a final version of the redacted report before it was publicly released. That request was consistent with the practice followed under the Ethics in Government Act, which permitted individuals named in a report prepared by an independent counsel the opportunity to read the report before publication.”
THE FACTS: Actually, Barr’s decision, citing the Ethics in Government Act, is inconsistent with independent counsel Ken Starr’s handling of his report into whether President Bill Clinton obstructed and lied in Starr’s probe.
. . . as I grow older. But I'm not giving up! I'm not crying for the past, like the spammy emails you receive about the 'good ole days' when men were men and children had to walk uphill (and from) school in three feet of snow without legs, because I firmly believe with age, both individually and societally, things always do get better. (If your gonna make something great again, be sure you can prove that it was truly ever great.) But I do clearly recall viewing adults through a very idealistic lens. Of course my parents taught me (rightly, I might say) to respect my elders and I took that very seriously. I thought that every and all adults were very smart, very reasonable, unselfish, giving, caring individuals who had nothing but the best interest of us all at heart. Not a bad beginning. In hindsight, children should learn to respect all others regardless of any pre-conceived notions 'cause what kind of pre-conceived notion has a child? Only those they've learned from adults. You must learn the respect before learning analysis of education, intelligence or motives. I learned quickly, beginning with college and very clearly at my first full-time job, that that was just not true. Life since then has only confirmed to me that while I may not be the impressive intellect one would write home about, there all all kinds of folks ranging from blindingly bright to barely a flicker, and I for one intend to continue learning and growing. . .
(from http://www.concordmonitor.com/Azzi-Trump-media-coverage-U-S-politics-1979775.aspx)
". . .‘It’s a universal law – intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education,” Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote. “An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.”. . . a sad reflection of the state of politics and education in America. Such is the result, too, of a media more obsessed with celebrity and acceptance than with representing the interests of civil society. . . Of a media more engaged with style than substance, profits than policy, access than accuracy. At a time where the political barbarism of Donald Trump – the original “Birther” who fed the anti-Obama movement from the beginning – has given license to his followers to engage in delusionary, racist rhetoric against women and whole communities of minority Americans, the press chose to treat Trump-ism as a soap-opera phenomena rather than as a challenge to American values. That there are Americans who are today celebrating the anointment of a charismatic professional bully, serial liar, misogynist, xenophobic demagogue who divides through hatred in order to conquer is not only the result of eight years of a nativist, racist revival movement but proof that a nation created on the promise of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness still has a long way to go to fulfill its promise to all its citizens. . . The very media that failed us after 9/11, that failed us during Afghanistan and Iraq and the so-called “War on Terror,” and later failed to directly confront institutional corruption, corporate oligarchs and ruling elites. Now, they have failed to directly confront the rise of nativism, white nationalism, bigotry and racism that followed President Obama’s election. . ."
My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills
(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)
(http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/the_nra_once_supported_gun_control/)
". . . For nearly a century after, its founding in 1871, the National Rifle Association was among America’s foremost pro-gun control organizations. It was not until 1977 when the NRA that Americans know today emerged, after libertarians who equated owning a gun with the epitome of freedom and fomented widespread distrust against government—if not armed insurrection—emerged after staging a hostile leadership coup. . . In the years since, an NRA that once encouraged better markmanship and reasonable gun control laws gave way to an advocacy organization and political force that saw more guns as the answer to society’s worst violence, whether arming commercial airline pilots after 9/11 or teachers after the Newtown, while opposing new restrictions on gun usage.. . It is hard to believe that the NRA was committed to gun-control laws for most of the 20th century—helping to write most of the federal laws restricting gun use until the 1980s. . . “Historically, the leadership of the NRA was more open-minded about gun control than someone familiar with the modern NRA might imagine,” wrote Adam Winkler, a Second Amendment scholar at U.C.L.A. Law School, in his 2011 book, Gunfight: The Battle Over The Right To Bear Arms In America. “The Second Amendment was not nearly as central to the NRA’s identity for most of the organization’s history.”. . ."
My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills
(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)
(from the writings of The Rev. Howard Bess**)
" . . . Is there anything in the Lazarus story for me? My answer is “yes.” I cannot get past “Unbind him and set him free.” This is the great mission of devoted followers of Jesus. We are to help set people free from superstitious beliefs, destructive behavior, harmful habits and selfish patterns of living. The life of the follower of Jesus is neither inactive nor passive. No human being should live in bondage of any kind. I can think of no more exciting life than a life given to setting others free. . ."
** The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.
OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com
My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak
(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)
small.jpg)
