Quote:Grand juries are powerful investigative tools that allow prosecutors to subpoena documents, put witnesses under oath and seek indictments, if there is evidence of a crime. Legal experts said that the decision by Mr. Mueller to impanel a grand jury suggests he believes he will need to subpoena records and take testimony from witnesses.

“This is yet a further sign that there is a long-term, large-scale series of prosecutions being contemplated and being pursued by the special counsel,” said Stephen I. Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas. “If there was already a grand jury in Alexandria looking at Flynn, there would be no need to reinvent the wheel for the same guy. This suggests that the investigation is bigger and wider than Flynn, perhaps substantially so.”

(08-09-2017, 10:22 AM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: Manafort was raided this morning by the FBI.

(08-09-2017, 01:31 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote:

(08-09-2017, 12:32 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(08-09-2017, 10:22 AM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: Manafort was raided this morning by the FBI.

The pace is quickening.  This investigation may come to a head much sooner than I expected originally.  I'll be shocked if it leads to nothing.

As you might have ascertained I am at times a frustrated cop. There were / are many law enforcement and government investigative personnel in my extended family. Even a few CIA spooks through the years.

From the very beginning (note my original post) I've had horse' sense about this case. If I were an actual cop I'd be smelling blood.

(08-09-2017, 10:22 AM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: Manafort was raided this morning by the FBI.

(08-09-2017, 12:32 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(08-09-2017, 10:22 AM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: Manafort was raided this morning by the FBI.

The pace is quickening.  This investigation may come to a head much sooner than I expected originally.  I'll be shocked if it leads to nothing.

(08-14-2017, 11:01 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: The time to choose is now. You can choose to be a Real Nationalist, a Real American, upholding everything our wonderful soldiers fought for in WW2 and The Cold War. Or, you can choose to go with the God forsaken, anti American, totalitarian scum. Simple choice. You are either with us, or you are with the Red-Brown Axis.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/08/americas-far-right-has-global-roots.html

(08-15-2017, 12:01 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: The Alt right?  You can call them all sorts of names, but not un-American.  It's very traditional for those who have been here longer to try to lock out newcomers, and do so with hate and prejudice.  It's also very American, as you say, to fight this prejudice.  Equality is one of our stronger founding virtues.  I can strongly sympathize with the more rational among the alt right that affirmative action can be taken so far, but when a subculture reserves certain roles to certain privileged groups, the time for affirmative action is not past.

The less rational of them?  Well, they can deal with the less rational of the left.  Go all out wacko if you have to.  I'll sit back and wait for things to resolve as they have tended to resolve in the past.  The self proclaimed privileged scum generally lose in the end.  Alas, the arrow of progress flies absurdly slowly for an arrow.

(08-15-2017, 10:14 AM)David Horn Wrote:

(08-15-2017, 12:01 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: The Alt right?  You can call them all sorts of names, but not un-American.  It's very traditional for those who have been here longer to try to lock out newcomers, and do so with hate and prejudice.  It's also very American, as you say, to fight this prejudice.  Equality is one of our stronger founding virtues.  I can strongly sympathize with the more rational among the alt right that affirmative action can be taken so far, but when a subculture reserves certain roles to certain privileged groups, the time for affirmative action is not past.

The less rational of them?  Well, they can deal with the less rational of the left.  Go all out wacko if you have to.  I'll sit back and wait for things to resolve as they have tended to resolve in the past.  The self proclaimed privileged scum generally lose in the end.  Alas, the arrow of progress flies absurdly slowly for an arrow.

If the theory is to hold, then a resolution must occur within a suitable timeframe.  Will it?  If we assume that the 4T started in 2008, then it followed a longer than normal 3T (unless you wish to move Reagan into the 2T).  In any case, the saeculum started at or very near the end of WW-II, so the mid-2020's would make it 80 years.  It seems that Trump will remain a distraction until 2020, so the resolution will have to be swift and decisive unless Trumpism is the resolution.  I'm doubting that strongly.

Since the fragmentation seems to be widening, and positions hardening, is that likely?  We have a economic and climate crisis to address in the interim, and the world isn't getting any less scary either.

(08-15-2017, 12:01 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote:

(08-14-2017, 11:01 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: The time to choose is now. You can choose to be a Real Nationalist, a Real American, upholding everything our wonderful soldiers fought for in WW2 and The Cold War. Or, you can choose to go with the God forsaken, anti American, totalitarian scum. Simple choice. You are either with us, or you are with the Red-Brown Axis.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/08/americas-far-right-has-global-roots.html

I have my biases.  Cultures adopt to technology available and current environment.  I've listed elsewhere my arrow of progress and why adapting a new culture when a new situation comes around is often necessary and a win.  At the same time I can see where a tension can come from.  Cultures have inertia.  They developed generally for valid reason.  They don't respond lightly to forces for change.  Also, existing established elites don't lightly acknowledge new elites or release the handles of power.

Quote:But the above binary either or view seems shallow and partisan.  A lot of folks proclaim themselves American and apply hateful labels to those who disagree with them.  People on both sides wear red white and blue and wave the flag.

Quote:The Alt right?  You can call them all sorts of names, but not un-American.  It's very traditional for those who have been here longer to try to lock out newcomers, and do so with hate and prejudice.  It's also very American, as you say, to fight this prejudice.  Equality is one of our stronger founding virtues.  I can strongly sympathize with the more rational among the alt right that affirmative action can be taken so far, but when a subculture reserves certain roles to certain privileged groups, the time for affirmative action is not past.

Quote:The less rational of them?  Well, they can deal with the less rational of the left.  Go all out wacko if you have to.  I'll sit back and wait for things to resolve as they have tended to resolve in the past.  The self proclaimed privileged scum generally lose in the end.  Alas, the arrow of progress flies absurdly slowly for an arrow.

(08-10-2017, 12:35 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(08-09-2017, 12:32 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(08-09-2017, 10:22 AM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: Manafort was raided this morning by the FBI.

The pace is quickening.  This investigation may come to a head much sooner than I expected originally.  I'll be shocked if it leads to nothing.

Speculating on possible objects of investigation: bank records, travel itineraries, and any contractual materials. If any of these were present and they look at all incriminating he might be grilled for tax evasion, being an unregistered foreign agent, or money laundering.

Even importer-exporters who deal heavily with one overseas firm often register as foreign agents.

Quote:One could almost pity the executives from Facebook, Google and Twitter as they were grilled on Capitol Hill earlier this week by senators upset about Russian meddling in last year’s presidential election via the posting of cleverly worded propaganda ads and messages on social media sites.

After all, how do you detect – let alone stop – a small group of determined foreign nationals manipulating and taking advantage of what’s supposed to be open, free-flowing Internet platforms idealistically designed to allow billions of people across the globe to voice their thoughts on everything from world politics to the type off pigeons in Trafalgar Square?

Of course, the Facebook, Google and Twitter executives at the Senate hearing earlier this week bowed their heads, expressed remorse and vowed to do better in combating the threat of foreign interference in our democratic elections.

But the question is: Can they do better? Is it possible? Remember: Facebook alone acknowledges that it received only about $100,000 in paid ads by those it later learned were tied to various Russian groups, but those ads were still seen by about 10 million people, according to media reports.

When you include free Facebook messages posted on bogus accounts taken out by Russians – and the corresponding “like” endorsements by almost countless readers – the number of people exposed to manipulative Russian antics ballooned to about 126 million, Facebook admits, according to media reports.

Now think about it: A swing of only 100,000 votes or less in last year’s presidential election could have put Hillary Clinton in the White House, not Donald Trump. So you get the picture. It doesn’t take much on social media to effectively “interfere” in a presidential election.