Monday • December 4 • 2023
Vol.XV • No.XLIX
Manchester, N.H.
Will Chamberlain: The Persecution of Jeffrey Clark
Prominent liberal legal analysts portray Clark as a desperate gambler, hoping to get away with nefarious behavior. Harry Litman, the law professor and legal affairs columnist for the Los Angeles Times, tweeted on Tuesday that Clark was “playing a very high-stakes game” and “could easily lose his law license” as a result of the actions of the January 6th committee. MSNBC legal analyst Glenn Kirschner described Clark as “gambling on being able to go in with a lot of bluff and bluster and… play privileges and walk out unscathed.”
The truth, however, is that Clark is the victim of an arrogant, lawless, partisan, and hyper-aggressive select committee. They have already brought charges against Steven Bannon for contempt of Congress—the first time that anyone has been indicted for that crime in forty years.
But the position that the committee is putting Jeff Clark in is even more appalling and contemptible than that of Bannon. As a lawyer and former DOJ official, Clark has professional ethical obligations to protect lawful privileges, such as attorney-client privilege and executive privilege.
Right now, Clark is being threatened with prosecution for being too reticent to answer the committee’s questions. But, if he were to answer too fulsomely, and a court were to later find that the contents of his testimony should have been protected by executive privilege, that bell can’t be un-rung, and Clark could face discipline from the bar. No congressional committee should make an executive branch employee choose between the loss of his bar license on the one hand and a criminal contempt charge on the other.
[...]
Back in July, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) selected Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Banks of Indiana to serve as the minority members of the committee—and House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) simply refused to seat them. Without a ranking minority member, the committee has no lawful basis on which to depose anyone. It can hold hearings and invite witnesses to voluntarily testify, but its depositions should be seen as unlawful.
Read the rest here.
The WaPo claim that Biden is actually treated more harshly than Trump proves Gove Vidal's point of how "any delusion can become fact.”https://t.co/WKdsI2ebE2 The problem is not that the media failed to challenge deception; it became part of the deception. https://t.co/0OTcFxXgkl
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) December 6, 2021
Do read the linked article.
INBOX: pic.twitter.com/cHSEru3Hf0
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) December 5, 2021
NOW - Group called "Patriot Front" is currently marching on the national mall in Washington, DC.pic.twitter.com/mMu8XrzJeJ
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 4, 2021
Democrats are getting ready to stick it to middle-class, working Americans in order to pay for Build Back Better. That means undoing the Trump tax reform that Democrats say disproportionately favored the rich. One problem with that:
Income data published by the IRS clearly show that on average all income brackets benefited substantially from the Republicans’ tax reform law, with the biggest beneficiaries being working and middle-income filers, not the top 1 percent, as so many Democrats have argued.
A careful analysis of the IRS tax data, one that includes the effects of tax credits and other reforms to the tax code, shows that filers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $15,000 to $50,000 enjoyed an average tax cut of 16 percent to 26 percent in 2018, the first year Republicans’ Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect and the most recent year for which data is available.
Filers who earned $50,000 to $100,000 received a tax break of about 15 percent to 17 percent, and those earning $100,000 to $500,000 in adjusted gross income saw their personal income taxes cut by around 11 percent to 13 percent.
[...]
That means most middle-income and working-class earners enjoyed a tax cut that was at least double the size of tax cuts received by households earning $1 million or more.
What’s more, IRS data shows earners in higher income brackets contributed a bigger slice of the total income tax revenue pie following the passage of the tax reform law than they had in the previous year.
Read the rest here.
The following article was provided by Stefan Gleason, President of Money Metals Exchange.
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The emergence of the new Omicron coronavirus strain is roiling financial and precious metals markets. Investors fear government health officials will order new lockdowns to try to contain it.
Never mind that previous lockdowns don’t appear to have worked. Some of the most draconian were imposed by Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer. Her state now records the nation's highest seven-day rate of infections.
The so-called experts who craft official guidance, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, have been wrong at every turn.
The list of things they have gotten wrong about COVID-19 would be too extensive to document here. But their credibility on everything from the origins of the virus to the effectiveness of masks, social distancing, and vaccines has been shot.
All the while, the virus seems to defy all attempts to predict its upturns, downturns, and breakout variants.
Back in the summer of 2020, when public health authorities were ordering churches and schools closed, and weddings and funeral services cancelled, they inexplicably endorsed mass civil unrest by Black Lives Matter protestors.
The extent to which the riots helped spread the virus is unknown, but they helped unleash a record-breaking surge in violent crime that is still ongoing.
Now the experts are worried that a recent wave of organized looting sprees…is being called looting.
According to San Francisco’s ABC7, “Experts caution use of 'looting' in describing rash of Bay Area smash and grabs.”
Much of what gets pushed by the mainstream media as expert opinion is not grounded in sound science at all. The good news is that because the bias has become so blatant, more people are seeing through it.
More people are becoming skeptical of official pronouncements – be they from government health bureaucrats or central bankers.
The Federal Reserve has certainly lost credibility on inflation being transitory. The White House has lost credibility on the economy being strong. And Wall Street may lose credibility with investors if artificially high valuations do prove to be transitory.
Markets are inherently unpredictable.
Holding gold and silver bullion is a great antidote to many of the threats currently facing financial markets. However, prudent investors should be skeptical even of experts who tout precious metals. (Including us!)
If you’re stacking gold and silver coins based solely on the price forecast of some guru, then you may be doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.
If the guru changes his forecast, will you suddenly change your investment strategy (perhaps at the exact wrong time)?
While there may be a place in your portfolio for trading and speculation, the purpose of a core precious metals holding is to protect against unpredictable events at all times.
The case for having such a holding is based on the very modest proposition that you don’t know what will happen next – and neither does any expert.
Stefan Gleason is President of Money Metals Exchange, the company recently named "Best Overall Online Precious Metals Dealer" by Investopedia. A graduate of the University of Florida, Gleason is a seasoned business leader, investor, political strategist, and grassroots activist. Gleason has frequently appeared on national television networks such as CNN, FoxNews, and CNBC and in hundreds of publications such as the Wall Street Journal, TheStreet, and Seeking Alpha.
The following article was provided by Sam Jacobs, Lead Writer and Chief Historian for Ammo.com.
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Never again will there be a man like George S. Patton. The four-star general wasn't just a great man on the field of battle, he was also an inspiring paragon of American values and civic virtue, a tale of man's will to overcome.
George Smith Patton Jr. was born on what would become Veteran's Day, November 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, California. His father, George Smith Patton II, graduated from Virginia Military Institute on a scholarship but chose law over military service. Patton Jr. never seriously considered any other career path.
Despite being an avid reader, Patton struggled to learn how to read at an early age but was an otherwise excellent student at Stephen Clark's School for Boys, a private school in Pasadena. He liked to read classical military histories. After spending two years at the Virginia Military Institute, he transferred to West Point where he continued to struggle with reading and writing, but excelled during inspections and drills.
While at West Point he earned the ranks of sergeant major during his junior year, and the cadet adjutant his senior year. He played football before an arm injury thrust him into the worlds of fencing and track and field.
In 1909, he graduated 46 out of 103 cadets and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the Cavalry branch of the United States Army.
Junior Officer George S. PattonHis first posting was with the 15th Cavalry at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He quickly earned a reputation as a dedicated, driven leader of men. He became friends with Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, serving as his aide, as well as quartermaster of his troop.
In 1912, he competed in the modern pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics finishing in fifth place, behind four Swedes. He was the only American in the competition. All were military officers. As a junior officer, Patton served with distinction in the Pancho Villa campaign and even designed a new kind of sword for the cavalry. However, his country was about to go off to war and Patton was about to fall in love.
Patton's Love Affair With the TankPatton was originally assigned to horse procurement stateside. But after the personal intervention of General John J. Pershing, Patton was sent to Europe as part of the American Expeditionary Force. Patton immediately became dissatisfied with the cavalry, taking an interest in tanks.
While in the hospital, Patton met Colonel Fox Conner, who encouraged him to work with tanks instead of infantry.
In 1917, Patton was assigned to establish the Army Expeditionary Force Light Tank School. He personally observed the manufacture of tanks and was promoted to major in 1918. When the school opened, Patton was the one to back the tanks off the delivery truck. Later in 1918, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and attended the Command and General Staff College.
Upon its debut, Patton was placed in charge of the U.S. 1st Provisional Tank Brigade, part of the American First Army. Here, his bold command style was already making him something of a minor legend. He commanded his unit wounded from a shell hole for an hour, braining a man with a shovel and possibly killing him because he refused to work. He received the Distinguished Service Medal and the Distinguished Service Cross.
Patton Between the WarsAfter the war, he was returned to his regular rank of captain, though he was promoted to major the next day. Commissioned to write a manual on tank operations, he became convinced of tanks as their own entity separate from infantry support.
Unfortunately, the Army did not move to create a serious tank corps until 1940. Much of Patton's interwar years were spent in abject boredom, as he detested the life of a peacetime staff officer in the cavalry. While assigned to the Office of the Chief of Cavalry in Washington, D.C., Patton began to formulate his ideas of tank warfare.
The biggest event between the Wars for Patton was his encounter with the Bonus Army. This was an "army" of veterans who had marched on Washington to demand early payment of "war bonuses," the returns on war bonds, during the Great Depression. Under orders from General MacArthur, Patton dispersed the group with tear gas and bayonets.
Patton was sympathetic to the Bonus Army's demands, and he found the manner in which he dealt with them to be the most distasteful episode of his military career. However, he never expressed regret for breaking them up. Patton believed that the Bonus Army would have created an insurrection, resulting in violence and the destruction of property if unchecked.
Less known is Patton's role in identifying Japanese aggression early on. While a lieutenant colonel in the Hawaiian Division, he wrote a paper on how to intern Japanese citizens in the event of a surprise attack by the Empire of Japan. Written in 1937, it was described as "chillingly accurate" after the Pearl Harbor attack.
Patton yearned for war. He eventually turned to drinking and an alleged affair with his 21-year-old niece by marriage. Accounts differ as to whether he was having an affair or simply trying to be boastful.
Patton's Second World WarThe United States military began mobilization in 1939. He made brigadier general on October 12, 1940 and major general in April of 1941. He was in charge of training one of the only divisions that centered around heavy tanks. Patton went so far as to earn a pilot's license so that he could observe his tank formations from the air. During the Tennessee Maneuvers, he finished 48 hours of operations in nine.
In combat, Patton was known as an aggressive commander who always sought to keep pressure on the enemy front lines. He was widely admired by the men he commanded and earned a reputation as a fearsome general in the North African campaign. He was instrumental in the invasion of Sicily.
During the Sicily campaign, Patton became a bit of a figure of scorn in the media after he slapped a private under his command. The soldier claimed to be suffering from what was then called "battle fatigue," but Patton believed him to be a goldbricker and slapped and verbally abused him. It is believed that this incident is why he did not lead the Allied invasion of France.
The Axis powers, however, firmly believed he would lead the invasion. So the Allies used him in decoy operations far away from the invasion site. In fact, the Ghost Army, as it was called, worked so well that the Axis believed they were fighting a diversionary force when confronted with the landing at D-Day.
Patton's next big moment was at the Battle of the Bulge. After the Battle of the Bulge, Patton made quick progress into Germany.
After the WarPatton begged for action in the Pacific Theater, but General MacAruthur set the condition that Patton have a Chinese port secured for operations, an unlikely scenario. He was tapped for military governor of Bavaria. Upon learning of Japan's surrender, Patton wrote "Yet another war has come to an end, and with it my usefulness to the world."
Patton became depressed at the notion of no more battles to fight. He was relieved of command after a heated exchange with General Dwight Eisenhower, who is believed to have demanded his resignation. Upon being relieved of command, the always poetic Patton remarked "All good things must come to an end. The best thing that has ever happened to me thus far is the honor and privilege of having commanded the Third Army."
On December 9, while on the way back from a pheasant hunting trip, Patton was killed in a car accident. He spent 12 days in traction before passing away, commenting "This is a hell of a way to die." He died in his sleep from pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure at the age of 60.
Patton's legacy is a mixed one. He was most feared and respected by the Axis generals, but the Allied generals often questioned his judgment. He spoke in a frank manner that rubbed many the wrong way and ultimately lead to his removal from command. He had a unique, brash style that was all his own, with his self-designed uniforms and ivory-handled pistols.
Patton is buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in the Hamm district of Luxembourg City. This is in accordance with his request that he be buried with his men. He represents the best of America's military traditions. We will never see his like again.
Written by Sam Jacobsthe glasses got me pic.twitter.com/7tHbfDtejs
— Jessica O’Donnell (@heckyessica) December 2, 2021
Best take Down of Brian Stelter ~
— Lawyerforlaws (@lawyer4laws) December 4, 2021
By the founder of the Weather Channel~
John Coleman pic.twitter.com/Z9EUu31qpz
Mind food 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/PfDAIye2PX
— Brian Maitland (@brianRmaitland) December 3, 2021