tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post8812601227375166419..comments2023-10-03T07:01:41.144-05:00Comments on Always On Watch: Semper Vigilans: Ukraine TimelineAlways On Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-83796012622453908802019-11-26T18:31:33.159-06:002019-11-26T18:31:33.159-06:00What foreign aid package isn't predicated on a...What foreign aid package isn't predicated on a quid pro quo of some sort or another? If we're giving money away for nothing, why? Who is more at fault here? The guy who wants corruption investigated? Or the one who wants that investigation blocked? viburnumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381796879179539552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-983084666788735852019-11-26T17:46:51.142-06:002019-11-26T17:46:51.142-06:00Quid pro quo’s do happen all of the time, and thei...Quid pro quo’s do happen all of the time, and their often quite acceptable.....when they advance or protect national security or national policy. If they only seek to advance a domestic campaign, it’s out of bounds.<br /><br />I appreciate your rational take on the issue, and I haven’t pronounced Trump guilty, certainly not of an impeachable offense (as I would define it, as the parameters are vague).......but I’m also not convinced of his innocence.CIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07261660740601698500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-497417152294326062019-11-26T17:26:42.347-06:002019-11-26T17:26:42.347-06:00Hey Ducky!!! All best wishes to my favorite advers...Hey Ducky!!! All best wishes to my favorite adversary. Hang in there bro, there's hope for you yet. >;-) viburnumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381796879179539552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-24439490712967308002019-11-26T15:34:16.410-06:002019-11-26T15:34:16.410-06:00Multiple upvotes for MustangMultiple upvotes for MustangSilverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-25197290426268378442019-11-26T14:41:14.592-06:002019-11-26T14:41:14.592-06:00What mitigates in President Trump's favor is t...What mitigates in President Trump's favor is that corruption and investigations of it (or non-investigation) have been on-going topics between our government and theirs. Also, Burisma was under investigation (and is again) and Burisma obviously hired Hunter Biden as a "roof." Burisma is a legitimate target of interest for the US government to pressure Ukraine on. This wasn't some bolt out of the blue. Also, according to all testimony so far, the President did not ask for dirt. He asked them to "look into it."<br /><br />Right now, this looks like one more premeditated hysteria planned and executed by partisan political operators.Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-77450926008605347602019-11-26T14:35:42.909-06:002019-11-26T14:35:42.909-06:00CI,
Quid pro quo's happen all the time. Bid...CI, <br /><br />Quid pro quo's happen all the time. Biden's video was one example, and it is within the purview of the executive.<br /><br />The facts laid out by the hearings did not prove motive, and that is what you need to do if you tack on to the end of the president's actions that he "did it for 2020 election purposes, inviting in foreign influence in our election."<br /><br />If there is a clear instance of law-breaking, you gotta report it. This was a klatch of snotty know-it-all "experts" pissed at President Trump for not doing what they told him. Also, to be charitable, this group of diplomats had obviously become emotionally-invested in their Ukraine project.<br /><br />It is also notable that this is the first time the bureaucracy has blown a whistle on subjective presidential action, and congress and the media got behind them. This is setting a very bad precedent, which is what Democrats seem to excel at.Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-23752138871927684262019-11-26T13:11:05.348-06:002019-11-26T13:11:05.348-06:00Silverfiddle, that was the impression I got while ...Silverfiddle, that was the impression I got while I watched much of the hearings....I kept thinking "But that's not yours to decide... and anybody who doesn't agree with you isn't necessarily wrong." Thanks for this, SF, because while watching I have also realized Trump is not 100% clear of any unethical wrongdoing. Attkisson is one of the only journalists I respect anymore. I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-19585443687924658252019-11-26T11:41:37.936-06:002019-11-26T11:41:37.936-06:00You’re correct if you limit it to actions they “di...You’re correct if you limit it to actions they “disagree with”. Actions that are unethical or even potentially illegal, is a different matter.CIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07261660740601698500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-57948207519977853762019-11-26T11:35:32.902-06:002019-11-26T11:35:32.902-06:00@ Franco
Insight gained by experience is bias. T...@ Franco<br /><br />Insight gained by experience is bias. That’s not a dirty word or an undue criticism. We are all unique in the way we process information. Good history is objective, but there may be no such thing as total objectivity. In responding to the question, “Was Napoleon a good leader,” it is possible to construct an articulate response supporting both sides of the question, and do so with unimpeachable facts. The sophistication of any analysis (understanding) of the response will depend on the respondent’s familiarity with generally accepted leadership traits in the 18th-19th centuries. In any case, it is the duty of the writer/historian to present facts and if he intends to communicate his or her conclusions, exercise care in making those opinions as unbiased as possible. We do no justice to history by revising it to fit a modern narrative. This was Zinn’s mistake and completely motivated by his contempt for the American experience.Mustanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06388694472897425202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-20430684550098591472019-11-26T11:00:35.038-06:002019-11-26T11:00:35.038-06:00I do not think government employees have a “duty t...I do not think government employees have a “duty to expose” government actions or policies they disagree with. They do have a duty to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, a duty to obey federal laws and statutes, a duty to act in good faith. If someone employed by the federal government believes that laws were broken, and if there is a basis for believing this beyond one’s political preferences, by which I mean factual evidence of wrongdoing, then they have a duty to report these suspected violations through the chain of command. Having done that, an employee did his/her duty. Now, if it happens that they do not agree with the result of their complaint, which is to say that they do not agree that their supervisor adequately responded to their concerns, then they can take the matter higher up the chain of command, including the OIG. After all these steps, persons who are still not happy with the results of their complaint, they have one remaining option: resign. After that, of course, beyond illegally revealing classified information, there is no bar to what they can say, or who they can say it to.Mustanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06388694472897425202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-30316789160544584802019-11-26T10:46:03.296-06:002019-11-26T10:46:03.296-06:00Ducky, everyone I know who's had anything like...Ducky, everyone I know who's had anything like this has done so well. I wish the same for you. All the best.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-54795505970780060192019-11-26T10:14:29.643-06:002019-11-26T10:14:29.643-06:00The flip side of that is that unlike believing tha...The flip side of that is that unlike believing that they can determine foreign policy, if they see (or are being made a party to) a POTUS using a foreign entity for domestic and partisan political chicanery, they would surely have the duty to expose such, no?CIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07261660740601698500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-71614770351767911832019-11-26T08:52:01.244-06:002019-11-26T08:52:01.244-06:00One can first look at the language witnesses used ...<i>One can first look at the language witnesses used as they vented about Trump’s tutelage in ways that veered far from relevance to the impeachment allegations. They conveyed hurt feelings, bruised egos and strong differences of opinion. At times, the testimony sounded a bit like a human resources conference or psychotherapy session.</i>Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-37380163648696085472019-11-26T08:51:40.181-06:002019-11-26T08:51:40.181-06:00Good article from one of the left's favorite h...Good article from one of the left's favorite hate totem, Sharyl Attkisson:<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/471643-impeachment-inquiry-its-a-question-of-who-should-run-the-show" rel="nofollow">Impeachment inquiry: It's a question of who should run the show</a><br /><br /><br /><i>To me, each of the Democrats’ witnesses of the past two weeks appeared to be well-intentioned and hard-working, and seemed genuinely to believe they know what’s best.<br /><br />But a picture also emerged of U.S. diplomats who appear to believe they, rather than the U.S. president, have the ultimate authority to determine our foreign policy. And if the president doesn’t go along? He clearly must be wrong — in their view. Or, even worse, he’s a traitor. He’s to be obstructed. Taken down. <br /><br />In an odd turnabout, they actually make the case for President Trump’s mantra that we need to “drain the swamp.”</i><br /><br /><br />Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-22968883840859419482019-11-26T08:35:27.160-06:002019-11-26T08:35:27.160-06:00All the best, Ducky!All the best, Ducky!jezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14865247084509280406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-50782951778597161682019-11-26T08:08:52.723-06:002019-11-26T08:08:52.723-06:00Get well soon, you crusty old commie!Get well soon, you crusty old commie!-FJ the Dangerous and Extreme MAGA Jewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16745768408538827278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-3593196509820576262019-11-26T07:44:33.476-06:002019-11-26T07:44:33.476-06:00FYI: From WIKIPEDIA [It's always a good idea t...FYI: From WIKIPEDIA <i>[It's always a good idea to include biographial material when referencing any figure largely unknown to the general public]</i><br /><br /><b>Peter Frankopan</b> (born 22 March 1971) is a British historian, writer and hotelier.<br /><br />Frankopan is the second of five children born to Yugoslavia-born Croatian aristocrat Louis Nicholas Anthony Doimi Frankopan (1939–2018), who emigrated to the United Kingdom after his family's land and fortunes were seized by the Yugoslav communist government in 1951, and Swedish-born barrister and professor of international law Ingrid Detter de Frankopan. His elder sister is Lady Nicholas Windsor.<br /><br />He attended Eton College and then received a degree in Byzantine history from Jesus College, Cambridge before getting his D.Phil at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He is a senior research fellow at Worcester College, Oxford, and director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research.<br /><br />His areas of focus are the history of the Byzantine Empire, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Russia, as well as the interdependence of Islam and Christianity. He has also studied Greek literature of the Middle Ages]<br /><br /><br />Frankopan's first book of history, The First Crusade: The Call from the East, was published in 2012. The book received a rare five-star review from Nicholas Shakespeare in the Telegraph. He called it a "persuasive and bracing work" and said "Peter Frankopan is not yet well known, but he deserves to be."<br /><br />In 2015, his book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World was published. Writing in the Telegraph, Bettany Hughes praised it as a "charismatic and essential book",[10] while Anthony Sattin, writing in the Guardian, called it "ambitious" and "full of insight but let down by factual errors". His follow-up book,The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World (Bloomsbury Publishing), was published in 2018.Franco Aragostahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11088635482766081825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-75459644053389959822019-11-26T07:38:19.248-06:002019-11-26T07:38:19.248-06:00Are they "BIASES," Mustang, or might the...Are they "BIASES," Mustang, or might theyy better be described as "INSIGHTS" gained from observation and personal experience.<br /><br />After all, I think it fair to say that virtually everything produced by human beings began as a flash of insight in someone's fertile imagination that came to fruition via the determined exercise of human willpower.Franco Aragostahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11088635482766081825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-27601793470772253832019-11-26T07:24:19.915-06:002019-11-26T07:24:19.915-06:00Also INANE.<b>Also INANE.</b>Franco Aragostahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11088635482766081825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-33040562647381793002019-11-26T06:52:31.894-06:002019-11-26T06:52:31.894-06:00Ducky,
I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this or...Ducky,<br /><br />I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this ordeal. I’ve had several close friends who had the same or a similar experience. Recovery is more challenging than the surgery, itself, but it’s been remarkably successful in all the cases I’ve known, except one.<br /><br />Like most leftists –– and far too any others in our lsrgely misinformed, miseducated, malconditioned populace –– you’ve made the great mistake of taking what I’ve said LITERALLY.<br /><br /><b>As irksome and irritating as you pride yourself on being it’s not YOU I wish were dead; it’s your miserable, hideously destructive Marxian IDEOLOGY I would cheerfully stamp out, incinerate, plverize, and scatter over the middle of the Pacific Ocean from an aeroplane had I the power to do so.</b><br /><br />But you have nothing to worry about, Ducky. I’m sure you will live and continue to bedevil the bogosphere and Americn society in general for a very long time, because –– in cse you’ve never heard –– <b><i>"Only the GOOD die young.”</i></b> <br /><br />Seriously, <b>GET WELL SOON, and have a good THANKSGIVING</b>. Being alive, even in a benighted world such as this, is still something for which all survivors should be thankful.<br />Franco Aragostahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11088635482766081825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-4436153995467061372019-11-25T22:21:31.787-06:002019-11-25T22:21:31.787-06:00Hey Ducky! Take care of yourself!Hey Ducky! Take care of yourself!(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-81442814002484843112019-11-25T19:34:07.317-06:002019-11-25T19:34:07.317-06:00Best wishes for a speedy recovery Ducky!Best wishes for a speedy recovery Ducky!Les Carpenterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01120280762698472496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-4427081523081734962019-11-25T19:00:14.417-06:002019-11-25T19:00:14.417-06:00I have missed your acidic quacking, I am glad they...I have missed your acidic quacking, I am glad they found the blockages before they killed you, and I wish you a full and speedy recovery.Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-77373629319307297602019-11-25T18:58:11.176-06:002019-11-25T18:58:11.176-06:00Can you provide some examples of where I have lied...Can you provide some examples of where I have lied?Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-54660605391012195382019-11-25T18:55:46.073-06:002019-11-25T18:55:46.073-06:00++Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.com