Rural MD to Get Broadband

Maryland has a plan to beam internet to rural students. But officials say it won’t be ready until next year.

Maryland plans to build a wireless network for education that could beam a reliable, high-speed internet connection to homebound students, reaching the state’s most rural, isolated pockets.

But the network will likely take a year to build. In the meantime, many students are being asked to learn virtually this fall, despite living in parts of Maryland internet service providers have passed over for expansion.

Goh, I hope their back to school by then. They should be, it will be after the election

Officials don’t have a clear picture of exactly which students live in unserved areas, nor where they are located. For now, the state has prioritized building the network around rural communities over population-dense locales like Baltimore.

School systems will have to make do with a patchwork of solutions to help students among the estimated 324,000 rural Marylanders who lack access to high-speed internet, according to a 2019 report from a state task force.

“It’s like they say, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago,” said Scott Boone, IT director for Kent County, one of the first regions slated for the new network. “When’s the next best time? Right now. This may not be our last pandemic.”

A friend of mine, who lives not so far away, but a ways down a rural road without a reasonable sized community nearby, just got cable this year.

8/31/20 Beach Report

 A gray and cloudy day, with temperatures around 77 F, and a light SE wind. Pretty nice after many hot days in July and August. Is this our long term cooling trend? I hope so.

The tide was pretty high, and we didn't get as far up the beach as we often get.

Despite that, we got 24 shark's teeth, including this nice lower Snaggletooth. It didn't quite make the top shelf, though.

 Someone out taking advantage of the breeze.

 Georgia and Skye along the edge of the harbor.

A big girl at the Gas Docks to drink her fill on natural gas.

Russiagate: Ratcliffe Rules

DNI John Ratcliffe dominates this episode of Russiagate. When he was selected as the permanent replacement for Rick Grenell, I only hoped he could be half as effective. But he has exceeded beyond my expectations. Dan Payne at JTN, DNI Ratcliffe informs Congress that election security briefings will now be given in written form

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe informed senators and representatives on Friday that election security briefings, previously given to Congress in person, will between now and the November elections be delivered in written form.

The letter, which was sent on Friday and declassified on Saturday afternoon, notes that the intelligence community has given Congress dozens of briefings on election security over the past two years.

"While many of these engagements and products have been successful and productive, others have been less so," Ratcliffe wrote in the document.

"In order to ensure clarity and consistency across the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's ... engagements with Congress on elections," Ratcliffe continued, "the ODNI will primary meet its obligation to keep Congress fully and currently informed leading into the Presidential election through written finished intelligence products."

Ratcliffe said the move will help ensure that intelligence information is neither "misunderstood nor politicized," and that the new protocol will "protect our sources and methods and most sensitive intelligence from additional unauthorized disclosures or misuse."

Democrats on Saturday evening slammed the decision. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wrote on Twitter that the move represented "a shocking abdication of [ODNI's] responsibility to keep Congress informed."

Jordan Davis, Da Fed,  New Director Of National Intelligence: Congress Illegally Leaks Classified Intel So Much I’m Cutting Them Off

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe joined Maria Bartimoro on “Sunday Morning Futures” today to discuss new intelligence briefing procedures for Congress on security threats like China.

“We’ve had a pandemic of information being leaked out of the intelligence community and I’m going to take the measures to make sure that that stops,” Ratcliffe said.

In his first interview since he was sworn into office, Ratcliffe explained that an increasing number of leaks by Congress for “political purposes,” such as promoting Russian collusion, have motivated him to change to only giving limited or written briefings for those “who are entitled to it.”

“We’ll do what’s required by law. Those members who are entitled to the briefings and classified information will still get that information,” Ratcliffe assured. “What we won’t be doing is all-member briefings. We’ve tried that and the information hasn’t been protected.”

According to Ratcliffe, many of the politicians leaking information want to “create a narrative that simply isn’t true, that somehow Russia is a greater national security threat than China.”

“I don’t mean to minimize Russia. They are a serious national security threat, but day in, day out, the threats that we face from China are significantly greater,” Ratcliffe said. “Anyone who says otherwise is just politicizing intelligence for their own narrative.”

“China is the greatest threat that we face,” he added.

Sundance at CTH has the video: Sunday Talks – DNI John Ratcliffe Extensive Interview….



Jerry Dunleavy, John Ratcliffe says he has filed 'crimes reports' over leaks of classified intelligence

Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who has overseen the nation’s 17 intelligence agencies since May, also defended his decision to shift election security briefings from in-person to in writing over concerns about leaks and politicization during an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News.

“There are investigations” into potentially illegal leaks and that “I know that because I’ve made a number of what are called crimes reports in connection since I’ve been the DNI," Ratcliffe said. "When I become aware of intelligence community information that is disclosed unlawfully, I do what’s called a crimes report — I’ve done that now on a number of occasions, and so those investigations are moving forward.”

The "timing of any prosecutions," he said, "would be something that the FBI would have to address, and I think that they will down the road.”

also, John Ratcliffe says he is coordinating with John Durham and plans to declassify more documents soon

“We’ve actually, for several months, been coordinating with his team of folks to make sure that he has access to all of the intelligence community documents that he needs,” Ratcliffe said of Durham. “He’s looking at the same, some of the same documents that I am, and so our work is running on parallel paths. Now, his is a criminal investigation, and he’s not sharing his findings or the work that he’s doing, but I’m coordinating with him to make sure that he has the intelligence documents that he needs to do his work, and what I don’t want to do is declassify something that might prejudice his work, so we’re going to have to coordinate as we go forward the completion of his work with my ability to declassify documents, and so we’ve communicated along those lines.”

and from Chuck Ross at Da Caller, Ratcliffe Says He Is Coordinating With John Durham, Plans To Declassify More Trump-Russia Documents. That'll piss off the Democrats, not that they need more.

“I’m coordinating with him to make sure that he has the intelligence documents that he needs to do his work, and what I don’t want to do is declassify something that might prejudice his work so we’re going to have to coordinate as we go forward,” said Ratcliffe, a former U.S. congressman from Texas.

Ric Grenell thinks Ratcliffe is hunky and dory too, Sundance, Sunday Talks – Richard “Ric” Grenell Discusses DNI Ratcliffe’s Challenges and Security Leaks…



But wait, there is other news, Rowan Scarborough at WaEx, McCain associate planned anti-Trump leaks to Washington Post columnist. McCain might have been a little shit, but he was our little shit.

And Politico worries about 5 ways Steve Bannon could beat the rap. But, he could just be innocent, and this is a set up by the SDNY persecutors to smear a Trump ally.

Another Muddy Monday

Wombat has Early Morning Rule 5 Monday: Kaia Gerber ready for your digital delight.

Primitive Deep Sea Fishing

A Terrifying Deep-Sea Fish Filmed For The First Time

Astonishing fish, close to the monkfish, the dragon of the abyss uses a luminous organ to attract its prey. The animal is rare and very few images show it evolving in its natural environment. During an exploration carried out by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, they were able to bring back some footage of this strange specimen.

According to the Monterey Bay AquariumResearch Institute (Mbari), who took the footage, it was the first time that the animal had been filmed at sea. After this recording, biologists recovered the fishfor his observation. Indeed, its study will provide a better understanding of the animal and thus help its conservation in the natural environment. This is an opportunity for scientists to learn more about this surprising animal of the abyss.

More deep sea fishing:

Linked by EBL in The Tempest 🎭⛈️, Sad Kentucky Derby Day 😢🏇🏻🥃😷☣️,   Porgy and Bess 🎭, Celebrate Chanti Day 🍷, Carole King: It Might As Well Rain Until September 🌧️,Lulu 🎭, Nixon in China with Ginger Costa Jackson 🎭🇨🇳🇺🇸 and Peter Grimes 🎭. Wombat has Early Morning Rule 5 Monday: Kaia Gerber ready for your digital delight.

Beach Report 8/30/20

The temperature and humidity dropped to reasonable levels in the wake of ex-Hurricane Laura. A beautiful day in the upper 70s, with a bit of a NE breeze.

A few light fluffy clouds. The beach was lightly populated, except Matoaka Cottages, where the Sunday crowd was in full force.

Not an exceptional day for fossils, 17 teeth, none notable.

From a couple of days ago, birds working off the beach, marking fish pushing bait to the surface.

I didn't even see the the butterfly until I took downloaded the picture! A Gray Hairstreak in the Spotted Beebalm growing in the dunes near the parking lot.

Biden Rallies Update: NPR Condones Rioting and Looting, Trump Supporter Shot and Killed in Portland OR

Jazz Shaw at Hot Air, You Knew This Was Coming: “In Defense Of Looting”

Since this was inevitable ever since Don Lemon noticed that the riots and looting were starting to affect Democratic polling numbers, we may as well get it out of the way. The media was going to have to find someone to trot out and declare that looting really gets a bad rap in the press and all of you racist white people need to learn to appreciate the social significance of both massive organized theft and violent rioting as well. Riding to the rescue is NPR, where they feature a lengthy interview with someone espousing just such a position. And it’s not some one-off bit of commentary, either. The interview subject actually wrote a book titled “In Defense of Looting” back in May when most of this mayhem was breaking out.

The author is Vicky Osterweil and she has plenty to say on the subject. (Actually, I’m pretty sure Osterweil is a male and trans, but I’m not feeling energetic enough to go research that or any transitional operation status, so I’ll just throw caution to the wind and go with a female pronoun for today.) The NPR reporter dives right into the subject, pointing out Osterweil’s contention that “looting is a powerful tool to bring about real, lasting change in society.” I obviously agree with that (as we’ll get to in a moment) though for very different reasons. Still, let’s take a brief look at her overview of the question.

For people who haven’t read your book, how do you define looting?

When I use the word looting, I mean the mass expropriation of property, mass shoplifting during a moment of upheaval or riot. That’s the thing I’m defending. I’m not defending any situation in which property is stolen by force. It’s not a home invasion, either. It’s about a certain kind of action that’s taken during protests and riots.

Right off the bat, we see the typical socialist/anarchist tactic of attempting to redefine language to fit an alternative and highly radical agenda. As we’ve discussed here on several occasions, this is a move straight out of the Karl Marx playbook. You normalize repulsive behavior by attempting to force people to speak about it in conventional terms. Looting isn’t some sort of naughty behavior that deprives others of their rightful property and leaves massive destruction in its wake. It’s simply the “mass expropriation of property.” She would never defend stealing anything “by force.” Perish the thought. Of course, when I look at the ravaged remnants of the Miracle Mile, I can’t help but feel that a little “force” was required to smash all of those huge plate-glass windows and break all of the anti-theft security locks.

Moving on, the NPR host inquires as to what the difference is between rioting and looting. Osterweil cleverly challenges the premise of the question, pointing out that rioting and looting are both perfectly acceptable. But looting is more of a sub-class of rioting.

During the uprisings of this past summer, rioting and looting have often gone hand in hand. Can you talk about the distinction you see between the two?
“Rioting” generally refers to any moment of mass unrest or upheaval.Riots are a space in which a mass of people has produced a situation in which the general laws that govern society no longer function, and people can act in different ways in the street and in public. I’d say that rioting is a broader category, in which looting appears as a tactic.

Often, looting is more common among movements that are coming from below. It tends to be an attack on a business, a commercial space, maybe a government building—taking those things that would otherwise be commodified and controlled and sharing them for free.

Here we see even more corruption of the language on display. The real purpose of rioting, you see, is to break down the “general laws that govern society.” Once you do that, you’re free to “act in different ways.”

NPR delenda est.

A revenge killing for Kenosha? Post Millennial Trump supporter shot dead in downtown Portland

On the 95th day of riots and protests in Portland, Ore., a Trump supporter was fatally shot. He was identified by his "Patriot Prayer" hat and his shooting death was caught by multiple livestreamers.

As cars drive through the intersection, a man can be seen pulling a gun and shooting. The man who is hit stumbles and falls and is then illuminated by headlights.

At the moment of the murder, a voice can be heard to celebrate the death of a "Trumper."

Listen closely. This was the instant of the murder in Portland.

A: "Hey! Hey, we got one right here! We got a Trumper right here!"
B: "Right here?"
<Two gunshots>pic.twitter.com/UxUGdKZ1tJ

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 30, 2020

After the man was murdered, his death was celebrated as a victory over Trump, and the dead man was assumed to be a Nazi.

This is vastly different that the situation in Kenosha, where Kevin Ritteland was clearly involved in scuffles with the left wing rioter and vandals, and was being attacked while defending himself. This is just straight up murder.

Althouse, Can you guess from this NYT headline whether a person of the right shot a person of the left or a person of the left shot a person of the right?

Here's the headline this morning: "Deadly Shooting in Portland After Pro-Trump Ralliers Clash With Protesters/A caravan of supporters of President Trump drove through downtown Portland, which has seen nightly protests against police violence and racial injustice. One person was shot and killed in the conflicts that erupted."

Also from Althouse "Most of the speakers talked about justice peacefully. But near the end of the rally, one man introduced as 'our president' strayed from the message by saying, 'If you kill one of us, it’s time for us to kill one of yours.'"

From "WATCH NOW: Kenosha speaker strays from message at rally" (Kenosha News).

"We've always condemned in the strongest terms the violence which we previously denied existing." https://t.co/2uiUSKlGv3

— Razor (@hale_razor) August 28, 2020

NoenNettle, Three time victim of leftist violence,  Rand Paul Calls for FBI Investigation into 'Paid' BLM Mobs Rioting in Streets

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has called on the FBI to investigate allegations that violent Black Lives Matter mobs are being "paid" to incite riots in America's city streets.

The senator says he believes "crazed mobs" are being "hired" to travel from out of town and across state lines to instigate unrest and rioting.

Paul made the calls during a Friday interview with Fox News's "Fox & Friends" after he was surrounded by an "unhinged mob" of BLM protesters as he left the RNC event at the White House with his wife and friends on Thursday night.

Sen. Paul said he believes he would have been killed if not for the police when his group was attacked by the "mob" yelling threats and shoving cops who were protecting them.

I imagine the investigation is already underway in the parts of the FBI and DOJ that Obama/Biden didn't succeed in corrupting, but will get get buried post haste if Biden is elected.

Linked at 357 Magnum in Wednesday Link Roundup.

Breakfast at Russiagate

Just a three little nuggets, but all three have one thing in common, malfeasance by the Media.

Daniel Payne at JTN, Three-quarters of Democratic voters still believe Trump campaign colluded with Russia

hree-quarters of Democratic voters believe that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to steal the 2016 election, according to a new Just the News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen.

Asked whether it was more likely that Trump colluded with Russia in 2016 or that the Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign that year, 73% of Democrats said the Russia collusion theory was more likely to have occurred.

In contrast, 67% of Republicans expressed more belief in the claim that the Obama administration spied on Trump during that election.

Say what you want about the MSN, but they are very effective organs of propaganda. WaEx, Tucker Carlson to reveal 'shocking' conversation between Michael Cohen and CNN host Chris Cuomo. It would take a lot to shock me.

"Remember Michael Cohen, the president’s former lawyer, the one who went to jail for tax evasion? Cohen was a committed sleazeball, so it probably won’t surprise you to learn that he was very friendly with a number of well-known media figures. Underneath it all, they had a lot in common. The unethical lawyer and the unethical talk show hosts. Cohen talked to all of them recently. Well, it turns out those conversations were tape-recorded ... Copies have been floating around for quite some time now, none has aired publicly yet. Who is he talking to? A lot of people," Carlson said.

"Chris Cuomo at CNN was one of them. Cohen and the governor’s brother had a pretty shocking conversation. Bottom line, Chris Cuomo is not the person he pretends to be on CNN. And there is more. This is a developing story. We'll have all of it for you next week. Tune in."

And via Sundance at CTH,  How The CIA Used The Media to Ensnare Michael Flynn, A Guest Contribution: Authored By Jack Cashill

If Vladimir Putin was willing to help President Barack Obama seal the misbegotten Iranian nuclear deal, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, then chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA),was not. His resistance made him a target, especially once he started advising candidate Donald Trump. As to who launched the disinformation campaign against Flynn, the jury is still out. Best evidence, however, suggests forces within the CIA working in tandem with its friends in the media.

The co-conspirators started publicly setting the trap with a February 2016 Reuters article teasingly titled, “Trump being advised by ex-U.S. Lieutenant General who favors closer Russia ties.” https://reut.rs/2EwzoEL This was a bold gambit. As recently as July 2015 Obama was telling Tom Friedman of the New York Times, “We would have not achieved this [Iran nuclear] agreement had it not been for Russia’s willingness to stick with us and the other P5-Plus members in insisting on a strong deal.” https://nyti.ms/3jaDTnz
Obama praised Putin a year after Putin annexed the Crimea. That invasion was so much water under the bridge for Obama but apparently not for Flynn. Just months later, it was considered newsworthy that Flynn would advise Trump to “work more closely with Russia to resolve global security issues.”

“Flynn raised eyebrows among some U.S. foreign policy veterans,” wrote Steve Holland and Mark Hosenball of Reuters, “when he was pictured sitting at the head table with Putin at a banquet in Moscow late last year celebrating Russia Today, an international broadcasting network funded by the Russian government.” The reporters’ “three sources,” all said to be “former foreign policy officials,” failed to mention that Flynn had been briefed by the DIA before the dinner and debriefed afterwards.

What made me suspicious about this article was the Mark Hosenball byline. Hosenball appears to have been carrying water for the intelligence community (IC) for at least twenty years, maybe twice that long. To say the least, he has a curious background.

Hosenball moved to England when he was 17 to attend school. After spending a year in England and three in Ireland, he moved back to England to become a reporter. This information comes from a 1977 British appeals court document explaining why the United Kingdom chose to deport the 25-year-old Hosenball “in the interests of national security.” . . .

That would be a recommendations to the US media.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and linkfest.

Palm Sunday

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and linkfest. Wombat has Early Morning Rule 5 Monday: Kaia Gerber ready for your digital delight.

Belushi Killer Dies at 73

Best known for injecting the lethal dose of coke and heroin into John Belushi, Cathy Smith was also Gordon Lightfoot's girlfriend, and inspiration for "Sundown."  Althouse: "Cathy was a great lady. Men were drawn to her, and she used to make me jealous. But I don’t have a bad thing to say about her."

Said Gordon Lightfoot, quoted in a NY Post item teased on the front page as "Back-up singer best known for killing John Belushi dead at 73." The more dignified headline at the link is "Cathy Smith, who injected John Belushi with fatal overdose, dies at 73."

Until Belushi’s death, Smith was known in rock music circles for singing back-up for Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel, later founding members of The Band, and in the early 1970s becoming Lightfoot’s girlfriend and muse. Lightfoot wrote the #1 1974 hit “Sundown” about his tumultuous, extramarital and occasionally violent relationship with Smith, the dark lyrics masked by a lilting, bluesy melody: “[I can see her lyin' back in her satin dress/In a room where ya do what ya don't confess/]Sundown you better take care/If I find you been creepin’ ’round my back stairs.”

She also claimed credit for inspiring The Weight.

This Spanish article is interesting.

Wombat has Early Morning Rule 5 Monday: Kaia Gerber ready for your digital delight.

Oregon, My Oregon

Ace, Antifa Occupies Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's Apartment - Police Called, But No One Responds

BREAKING: Activists occupy Portland mayor Ted Wheeler’s apartment and aren’t leaving until he: resigns, abolishes the police by 2022 with no tech or private replacement, and allots saved resources to BIPOC communities and city services. #TearGasTed #AbolishPPB #WheelerResign pic.twitter.com/V5NsRG9tH3

— Rising Tide NA (@RisingTideNA) August 29, 2020

Rioters are vandalizing @tedwheeler’s condo building with what looks like red paint. #PortlandRiots

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 29, 2020

The police are probably under orders not to meddle with Antifa unless there's fire or gunshots involved. Sow the wind . . .

Russiagate with a Bang

Wow. The remnants of Hurricane Laura (now post-tropical cyclone Laura) arrived late last night with a bang, in fact many bangs, with an impressive thunderstorm that dropped 1.4 inches of rain before midnight, and another 1 by day break. It's overcast and rainy now, and will remain so for most of the day allegedly, although total rain isn't supposed to be much more.

Oh yeah, Russiagate. Well, there's a little. Tracy Beanz at UnCoverDC asks the question Is Kevin Clinesmith Cooperating with John Durham? but her article makes it pretty clear he is, or else.

However, this is where the juice lies, and again please pay close attention to the highlighted (and underlined) sections.

In closing, we were told Clinesmith wouldn’t be “earth-shattering” which I take to mean that he is the lowest fruit and the plea is for a lesser charge. We were told there would be more significant developments before the election, Clinesmith as the baseline. He is clearly cooperating/has cooperated if you read documents and don’t react emotionally, and the rest will follow in due course.

We were given a heads up about what was coming. It was an honest assessment. Why folks doubt Durham now given all of what we know and the fact that we have a plea deal is beyond me. I think we need less emotion and desperation, and transparent analysis of the facts in front of us, something that is sorely lacking.

Chuck Ross at Da Caller informs us that a Steele Associate Offered To ‘Feed’ Michael Flynn Story To WaPo Columnist, Ex-Spy Testified

Kramer was already known to have met with reporters to discuss the dossier. He has acknowledged providing the dossier to a reporter for BuzzFeed News, which published the salacious document on Jan. 10, 2017. But the Steele messages suggest Kramer played a more proactive role in trying to put negative stories in the media about Trump associates.

Kramer’s most eye-catching references are to David Ignatius, a Washington Post columnist who writes about national security issues.

“The Flynn calls story is picking up legs,” Kramer wrote to Steele, seemingly referring to a Jan. 12, 2017, column by Ignatius that revealed that Flynn spoke by phone weeks earlier with Sergey Kislyak.

According to text messages read at the trial, Kramer suggested to Steele that he would provide dirt on Trump associates to Ignatius.
“I think it’s time to get that other [Manafort] story out there,” Kramer wrote in a message to Steele, referring to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

“And Ignatius is the one I’ll feed it to,” he also wrote.

Steele insisted during his testimony that Kramer was suggesting feeding a story to Ignatius about Flynn rather than Manafort.

“It’s a Michael Flynn story, isn’t it?” Steele asked during the cross-examination.

He went on to say that the information regarding Flynn he discussed with Kramer was not found in the dossier.

“Any story here about Michael Flynn is completely independent of anything in the dossier,” said Steele.

At Da Fed, Margot Cleveland explains how The Michael Flynn Saga Reveals Democrats’ Near-Coup Use Of Federal Power

. . . Flynn’s fate, however, was sealed when Yates conveyed to the White House that Flynn had lied to Pence and had been questioned by the FBI. Even then, had Yates conveyed the truth—that the agents believed Flynn had not lied—the Trump administration might have resolved the situation differently.

Instead, though, Obama administration holdovers and partisan career employees succeeded in causing the ouster of the new administration’s pick for national security advisor. And that plot only succeeded because of illegally leaked classified intel. These facts shake the foundation of our constitutional republic and threaten the peaceful transitions of power, and will be a blot on our country’s history long after Flynn obtains some semblance of justice.

Further, the targeting of Flynn was but one thread of the Obama-Biden administration’s attempt to interfere with the Trump administration. The spying on the transition team, the failure to provide Trump defensive briefings, the attempt to sidestep Trump’s attorneys general—successful with Jeff Sessions, but not Barr—and the weaponization of whistleblowing laws to impeach the duly elected president represent the most destructive attack on our government ever.

Come November 2020, Americans should make clear that such interference in their freely chosen commander-in-chief will not profit.

 According to Tracy Beanz (again), Richard Grenell Reveals Stunning Information About Spygate During RNC Speech

Last night Grenell told the world that there were, in fact, whistleblowers inside of the Intelligence Community who spoke up about (and tried to stop) the illegal spying operation on the Trump campaign and then the Presidency, but those people were silenced.

It went largely unnoticed by many, however, the ramifications of this statement from a man in a position to know what happened should be echoing all over the land today.

Let’s break down some of what Grenell did as DNI, while working alongside Kash Patel, former lead on the HPSCI investigation entitled “Objective Medusa”, run by Devin Nunes when he was chair.

As discussed in acclaimed journalist and author Lee Smith’s new book “The Permanent Coup” Grenell and Patel were responsible for a stunning amount of transparency:

• Declassification of all interviews before the HPSCI in regards to the Trump/Russia Collusion saga
• Declassifying the footnotes in the FISA report that showed that the FBI knew that Steele Dossier was based on misinformation and more.
• Declassified Rod Rosenstein’s scope memo for the Mueller Special Counsel Investigation.
• Declassified a list of the Obama Administration Officials who had requested unmaskings of General Michael Flynn
• Declassified the transcripts of General Flynn’s calls with Ambassador Kislyak, of Russia, which show that sanctions were never discussed, contrary to what the DOJ and FBI had previously said
• Declassified the memo for the opening of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation
• Declassified the January 4, memo closing the investigation into General Flynn, which showed that there was no derogatory information found.
• Declassified the text messages between Lisa Page, Peter Strzok, and Joseph Pientka discussing the General Flynn case

And much more- these were just a few of the items that Grenell and Patel worked together to provide the American public.

So, when Richard Grenell tells us that there were “good” guys trying to stop a corrupt and weaponized intelligence apparatus from committing what the President called treason, and many have called sedition? We sit up and listen. This is brand new information and something we have not heard out of official channels thus far. It leads me to believe there is still information of significance that the public hasn’t seen yet- the story is bigger than we even understand. Grenell showed that last night.

I wonder why it is that Adam Schiff isn’t clamoring to praise and shield these brave whistleblowers, the way he jumped to protect Eric Ciaramella during the Democrats impeachment charade? The world may never know…

Spygate perpetrator James Comey inventing new things to worry about. Jeffrey Lord, Yes, Jim Comey: The Police Already Showed Up At My Polling Place In Pennsylvania

Rule 5 Saturday - Demi Rose

Demi Rose Mawby (born March 27, 1995) is a British model. She was born and raised in England and has a sister. Demi is of English and Colombian descent.

Demi Rose went to New Oscott Primary School before attending the John Willmott School for high school in Birmingham. She also went to Walsall College for higher education where she pursued courses in beauty therapy and Spanish.

Demi wanted to become a model since her childhood:

"Since I was a little girl I always dreamed of becoming a model. I loved being in front of the camera and striking a pose, now, my dream is reality." 

Demi Rose joined Instagram when she was 18 years old. She began taking selfies and quickly gained a following.  Mawby first got her start on Myspace, according to an interview she did in a cover story for SIXTY6 magazine (via The Sun):

She seems to exist to be wear swimsuits and be famous. Good life if you can get it:

2 days ago - Demi Rose ensured all eyes were on her as she made her latest public appearance in Ibiza on Tuesday afternoon

3 days ago - Bikini Bombshell Ditches The Beach For Something Else. Demi Rose poses reading a book on the beach.

5 days ago - Bikini Bombshell Spending Her Days 'Wisely'. Demi Rose poses in a car bear bikini by rocks. 

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and linkfest. The Wombat has Early Morning Rule 5 Monday: Linda Ronstadt and FMJRA 2.0: Willin’ up at The Other McCain. I sense a theme. Linked at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama and at Proof Positive in the weekly  Best of the Web*.

Be Careful What You Ask For

Stacy McCain, Sex Offender Joseph Rosenbaum Taunted Armed Civilians: ‘Shoot Me, N–r!’

When 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse opened fire during Tuesday night’s riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the first person he shot was Joseph Rosenbaum. The head shot was fatal, and it was quickly learned that Rosenbaum, 36, was a convicted sex offender who earlier in the night had been taunting the armed civilians guarding property against the rioters.

“Shoot me, n–r!” Rosenbaum repeatedly shouted, in a bizarre scene captured on video by Townhall reporter Julio Rosas.

Now that it is confirmed Joseph Rosenbaum was one of the people shot and killed by alleged gunman Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, I filmed him earlier in the night taunting the armed civilians, saying, "Shoot me, n***a." pic.twitter.com/Nn2encm78Y

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 27, 2020

Think about what kind of white man would be shouting the n-word during a protest allegedly in support of Black Lives Matter. And then you discover that Rosenbaum served more than 10 years in an Arizona prison after being convicted in 2002 of “sexual conduct with a minor.”

By my calculations, Rosenbaum would have been 19 at the time of his sentencing, and his offense must have been quite severe in order for a judge to impose a 10-year sentence and lifetime registry as a sex offender. According to Arizona records, Rosenbaum was repeatedly cited for disciplinary infractions while he was incarcerated; he was twice returned to prison after violating terms of release, and did not finally leave prison until 2017. He was a very bad man, in other words, and it is difficult to find any reason to mourn his death.

Corps of Engineers Seeking Advice on Barren Island Restoration

Dorchester Star: Barren Island restoration effort requests input

Planners of an effort to restore Barren Island in Dorchester County are seeking input from local residents.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration, the project’s non-federal sponsor, is preparing a supplemental environmental assessment for the Barren Island component of the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Islands Ecosystem Restoration Project. Barren Island is an element of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

The Mid-Chesapeake Bay Islands Ecosystem Restoration Project recommends remote island restoration at James Island and Barren Island, both on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and in Dorchester County, through the beneficial use of dredged material.

Looking across Barren Island to the Upper Bridge to Nowhere

As I've noted previously, they wouldn't be considering this at all if they didn't have a continuous source of dredge spoils from Baltimore Harbor.

USACE will be preparing a supplemental EA to update documentation for the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, focused on the Barren Island component of the project. A similar action will be undertaken at a future time for the James Island component.

The authorized project consists of restoring Barren Island (72 acres), which is 100 percent wetland, in combination with the restoration of James Island (2,072 acres), with a habitat proportion of 45 percent upland to 55 percent wetland and an upland dike height of 20 feet above mean lower low water. The project will restore a combined 2,144 acres of remote island habitat, while also protecting approximately 1,325 acres of potential submerged aquatic vegetation adjacent to Barren Island.

Better hurry, or they won't be able to find what's left of James Island.

Restoration of the islands will occur by the beneficial use of approximately 90 to 95 million cubic yards of dredged material over a period of more than 30 years. The sources of the dredged material are the federal navigation channels in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay serving Baltimore Harbor and the southern Chesapeake and Delaware Canal approach channels.

Detailed information on the specific components of the project can be found in the recommended plan section and engineering appendix of the Final Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Feasibility Report & Environmental Impact Statement, dated September 2008 (and updated in April 2009). These documents, as well as additional information about the project, are available online at www.nab.usace.army.mil/mid-bay.

 More fishing structure, please.

Hogan Green Lights School Reopening

WaPoo, Hogan pushes schools toward in-person classes

Just four days before the school year begins in many parts of Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced the state’s 24 school systems are “fully authorized to begin safely reopening” for in-person classes, based on improving health metrics.

Joined by State Superintendent Karen Salmon, Hogan urged local school leaders to reevaluate their decisions about the fall months, saying there is no substitute for face-to-face learning and accusing some county school boards of not even attempting to plan to bring children back to classrooms amid the pandemic.

His words came as another jolt to an already chaotic beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. Hogan does not have the power to order schools open, but said he is strongly suggesting that they look for safe ways to begin returning students to campuses.

Every school system in the state has already committed to an all-virtual reopening. Some systems proposed bringing some students back a few weeks or months into the fall, but others opted for a full semester of remote education until late January.

Montgomery and Prince George’s counties have approved plans for a full semester of virtual learning.

“Perhaps it was easier for a local school board to simply say they do not want to open and to say they have developed no plans to safely reopen or to bring any children back in for any in-classroom instruction for the rest of the calendar year,” Hogan said, meeting with reporters Thursday afternoon.

“But that is not acceptable,” he said. “It is not in line with our health metrics or with state policy, and it is not the right thing for our Maryland children.”

So lets look at Maryland's  WuFlu "metrics":

First, cases:

We're well past the peak of a "second wave" and down to less than 500 cases daily. And deaths?

Very little sign of the "second wave" in the mortality statistics, and currently running about 5 per day. And remember, deaths occur about 2 weeks after diagnosis. Of the 3560 confirmed deaths in MD, 2115 have been in "Nursing Homes, Group Homes and Assisted Living Facilities."

I believe the teachers unions will start pushing to reopen schools Nov. 4, regardless of the outcome.

Time for More Russiagate

It's getting harder and harder to find names for these. Today is an odd lot, none of the stories terribly connected; just dots in the pointillist painting that's slowly being created.

Dan Chaitin at WaEx records that James Comey says 'Public record' can't explain why ex-FBI lawyer doctored email in Russia inquiry. But maybe he can.

Kevin Clinesmith is the former FBI lawyer who pleaded guilty last week to one count of making a false statement by doctoring a CIA email during the process of the bureau seeking a court's permission to renew an order to wiretap Page for the third and final time. In that email, Clinesmith, 38, wrote that Page was "not a source" for the CIA when the agency had actually told the FBI that Page was an operational contact for them. “At the time, I believed the information that I was providing in the email was accurate, but I am agreeing that the language that I entered into the email was not originally there and that I inserted that in there,” he said during his plea hearing.

Comey signed off on the original Page FISA warrant application and two renewals but not the third one, as he had been fired. He insisted to Cooper that he does not know Clinesmith.

"Maybe I was in a meeting with the guy," he said. Comey also said the matter should be taken "seriously" but also downplayed Clinesmith's significance by repeatedly calling him a "junior lawyer" and said he can't understand why Clinesmith altered the email like he did, judging from the "public record."

So he's already setting the stage for the "doesn't remember" defense, in case emails come out showing he corresponded with Clinesmith about the Page FISA warrant, and other relevant matters.

Until today we were unaware that there were whistleblowers and patriots who were silenced when trying to stop the spying operation on POTUS. https://t.co/gyBO9Gq1sl

— Tracy Beanz (@tracybeanz) August 27, 2020

Da Signal, 3 Key Points in Newly Released FBI Documents on Foreign Bid to Influence Clinton Campaign 1. Foreign Government Sought to Donate to Clinton Campaign . . . but the FBI refuses to identify which, unlike the Trump/Russia probe. 2. Defensive Briefing (she got one, Trump didn't). 3. What Comey Knew:

On April 14, 2015, the special agent in charge of the Clinton foreign-meddling case took concerns directly to Comey about what seemed like a stalled investigation.

The agent, who was not identified by name in the documents, respectfully told the director in an email, “I hope I am not overstepping in this matter.” The message said that Comey would be getting a briefing the next day about the foreign government and Clinton.

“The FISA application has remained in limbo for the last four months, even though subsequent investigative activity by [redacted] provided additional probable cause for the FISA application,” the agent’s message to Comey said. “[Redacted] is still uncertain as to why the application has not been sent to [the Justice Department] for final approval, although several reasons have been put forth by [the Counterintelligence Division], most recently that the decision to put the application on hold originated ‘on the seventh floor.’”

The “seventh floor” at the FBI refers to the most senior agents at the FBI.
The message continued:

While superficially connected to political candidates, the investigation targets a NONUSPER [non-U.S. person] involved in illegal activity; it does not target the candidate(s), and there is no evidence the candidate is even aware of the potential targeting.
I would like to either see this investigation move forward, or at least get an understanding of why we are not being allowed to move forward.
My team has put a lot of time and effort into this matter, and they don’t understand why they are not being allowed to vigorously investigate this case.

That day, Comey responded to the special agent in charge.

“Don’t know anything about this, but will get smarter,” Comey wrote.

That last is dubious. So the FBI scotched an investigation of a  non-U.S. person] involved in illegal activity on behalf of the Clinton campaign. Jack Cashill at Am Spec, So Who Exactly ‘Cozied Up’ to Russia, Joe? "Democrats point one finger, but three point right back at them." The Democrats are mad at Russia because it wouldn't stay bought, and vice versa. No honor among thieves.

So far, if I'm not mistaken, impeachment has been mentioned more at the RNC than at the DNC. A sign that the politics of impeachment did not go as the Democrats planned.

— Matthew Continetti (@continetti) August 28, 2020

Newly freed Daily Caller Men's Fashion editor, Roger Stone comment on non-sartorial matters: The Newest Big Lie About Trump Hinges On One Slimy Word, And Two Guys Desperate To Avoid Prison

Because there was a general mainstream media blackout of the coverage of the show trial I was subjected to in Washington, D.C., many people do not know what I was charged with. It is therefore important to know that my trial never produced any evidence that I possessed or knew about the content or source of any of the Wikileaks disclosures prior to their public release.

The other falsehood that the mainstream media manipulators got huge mileage from is my entire innocuous exchange on Twitter direct messages with the persona of Guccifer 2.0, who our intelligence agencies insist without providing any proof was a Russian intelligence asset.

Robert Mueller himself recycled the whopper in a op-ed in the Washington Post the day after the president commuted my sentence. “Roger Stone was communicating with Russian Intelligence Officers known to us” he wrote. His claim that my innocent and innocuous exchange with the persona of Guccifer 2.0 on Twitter DM, which I released entirely publicly in 2017, was proof of collusion between the GRU and the Trump campaign is disproved by the timing and content of the exchange which took place after the release of DNC documents by Wikileaks. The exchange itself proves no collaboration or collusion.

Mueller’s assertion that I claimed advance knowledge of the Wikileaks data release is meaningless; Julian Assange had already said in multiple interviews in the late Summer of 2016 that he had more material on Hillary Clinton and would release it.

Jordan Davidson at Da Fed, VP’s Top Foreign Policy Aide: John Bolton Is A Liar Who Fabricated Intel To Start Wars



WaPoo, House Democrats seek probe of Vindman firings amid new allegations involving Trump’s national security adviser. A lie. Vindman was reassigned from the NSC staff. It happens, Lt. Colonels get reassigned all the time. They rotate from position to position. He then resigned because the hand writing was on the wall regarding his career. Somehow he seems to feel entitled to stay at the NSC despite the fact that he's clearly working against the administrations policies.

Linked at 357 Magnum in Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups.

Fish Pic Friday - Erica Lynn

 Well, I figured out who she is: Eric Lynn

Erica Lynn grew up in Pennsylvania, where her Grandfather took her fishing since she was a toddler. Unfortunately he passed away and Erica’s Grandmother sold the boat stopping her days on the water.

Years later and all grown up Erica, moved down south to Clearwater, Florida. Obviously moving to Florida – the Mecca of fishing – she rekindled her childhood love for the sport and became an Internet sensation at the same time.

On Instagram Erica has almost 200,000 followers, and she has a rapidly growing YouTube channel too.

Erica loves living in Florida because of all the options for Fishing. Offshore, Inshore and Lake Fishing she regularly does all three. As you can tell she’s quite talented. Though you won’t find her at the popular fishing spots, her favorite part of Fishing is the piece and quiet. She’s more likely to be off in a hidden inlet, or lake catching massive: Tarpon, Snook, Red Fishing, Trout or even Bass.

Erica has been improving her Fly Fishing, however she currently spends most of her time on the water spin casting.

Instagram


Linked at Proof Positive in the weekly Best of the Web* and at the Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama. The Wombat has Early Morning Rule 5 Monday: Linda Ronstadt up at The Other McCain.

Oregon, My Oregon

John Sexton, Hot Air, Development Company Warns Portland Mayor: Companies Are Relocating Because Of ‘Lawlessness You Are Endorsing Downtown’

Businesses were in bad shape because of the pandemic even before the riots started. In Portland the protests happen every night and riots have been declared nearly every other night in the month of August. A business group sent Mayor Ted Wheeler a letter warning him an exodus from the city had begun because of the ongoing lawlessness:

For Greg Goodman, the co-president of the Downtown Development Group, there are other numbers that tell a deeper, even more disturbing story: the number of businesses that are moving out of or locating outside the central district of Portland.
“The number is like nothing I have seen in 42 years of doing business in downtown,” Goodman said in a letter he sent to Mayor Ted Wheeler and the members of the Portland City Council…
Their departure, he said in the letter, has nothing to do with the Black Lives Matter movement “but does have most everything to do with the lawlessness you are endorsing downtown.”

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a link to the full letter available but Fox News published some of it:

Goodman said companies include Daimler Trucks North America, Airbnb, Banana Republic, Microsoft, Saucebox, and Google, which he claimed: “leased 90,000 square feet in the Macy’s building [and] has stopped construction of their improvements.”
“The list goes on and on. If you know a retail or office broker, give them a call and ask them how many clients they have are trying to leave,” he continued.
Goodman encouraged city leaders to “walk around downtown Portland in the morning,” adding that he would personally give them a tour.
“You aren’t sweeping the streets, needles are all over the place, garbage cans are broken and left open, glass from car windows that have been broken out is all over the streets, parks are strewn with litter,” he wrote. “You are willfully neglecting your duties as elected officials to keep our city safe and clean.”

Google contacted KOIN to say that its plans weren’t impacted by the riots so take that for what it’s worth. I’m not sure they tell us the truth if they were? Any response to BLM activity is a PR issue for major companies. They are going to handle this as PR, i.e. spinning this in whatever way will do the least damage.

Maybe it's time to think about investing in Portland. As Baron Rothschild once noted "Buy when there's blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own."

A Walk Around the Neighborhood and in the Garden

Georgia, Skye and I decided to take a short walk around the neighborhood in lieu of a beach walk because it was bloody hot and humid out. Unfortunately, along the way, Skye ducked under vine, which unhitched her collar from the leash, and I had to go off and chase her while Georgia went home to wait for a call from the number on her collar. It was a relatively short chase; two streets up the hill she made the mistake of going onto someone's deck with only one way off, and I managed to corner her. On the way back, we met a young friend.

 Later, Georgia caught this female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird taking a heat bath on the deck rail under the feeder.

 After a while, I went out to see what kind of butterfly life was out in the garden. Zebra Swallowtails, although not as abundant as some years, are at least still fairly common.

And the Eastern Tiger Swallowtails still visit the Butterfly Bush

 As did this Clear Wing Hummingbird Moth.

 A bumble bee in Georgia's Cosmos.

And a Zabulon Skipper, another regular. 

Updates on "Fiery but Mostly Peaceful" Kenosha Biden Rally

Yesterday we reported on two dead and one wounded at what CNN calls a "fiery but mostly peaceful" Biden rally in Kenosha, following the shooting and wounding of Jacob Blake by police, when they attempted to detain him following an encounter in which he resisted, and ran around to the drivers side of the car.

Seriously, CNN? Would it still be mostly peaceful if they were torching CNN headquarters, burning your vehicles, and beating (and possibly worse) your employees?

Well, 17 year old Kyle Rittenhouse, from nearby Antioch has been arrested and charged with first degree homicide in the shooting. This link has all the known footage of Rittenhouse that night. The three people shot (two dead) have been identified, and researched by Andy Ngo:

The 3 shot (2 killed) in #Kenosha, Wisc. at the BLM riot have been identified.

Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, was the first one killed. Video allegedly shows him chasing teen shooter & throwing something at him. Rosenbaum was a registered sex offender for a sex crime involving a minor. pic.twitter.com/up1VgDyrgZ

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 27, 2020

Anthony Huber, 26, was shot & killed in Kenosha, Wisc. at the BLM riot. He was filmed chasing down the armed teen and hitting him when he was on the ground with a skateboard. He has a criminal history that includes charges of battery & repeat domestic abuse. #KenoshaRiots pic.twitter.com/1rvx7ltKKS

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 27, 2020

The third who was shot (& survived) is Gaige Grosskreutz, 26. He's a member of the People’s Revolution Movement. He was filmed chasing after the teen w/a pistol. He was shot at close-range in the upper arm. He has a criminal record that includes being intoxicated & armed w/a gun. pic.twitter.com/U9Q3R7pcPH

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 27, 2020

Just your typical Biden voters. It looks like Ritterhouse has a strong case for self defense in all three cases, but of course, that depends on state law, whether he has the means to fight the case in court, and the jury. Still better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. And this might help, “Enough Is Enough ” Lin Wood Offers to Help Kyle Rittenhouse For Free.

The left is rushing to try to "cancel" Tucker Carlson for his statements regarding Rittenhouse:

“Are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder?” Carlson said. “How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?”

Nevertheless, 17 year olds shouldn't have to be out on the street carrying AR-15s (or equivalent). Police should be protecting businesses. But they aren't, or they can't.

Regarding Blake, new evidence shows that he had a knife in the drivers side of the car that he was attempting to get into, not that there's anything wrong with that. When police try to arrest you, stay arrested, don't fuck around; it makes them nervous.

The next night the Biden voters took their protests to a mostly peaceful suburb nearby, to continue soliciting Biden votes:

BLM march now going through the residential areas of Kenosha and they are trying to wake people up by chanting, using megaphones, and banging buckets. pic.twitter.com/78wgKDGFxP

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 27, 2020

Residents fire warning shots as rioters move into residential neighborhoods in Kenosha, and they got their asses out of there ASAP:

A homeowner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin fired a warning shot at protesters in his neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/YAEHDfcBBk

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 25, 2020

Once Don Lemon admitted that the violence was starting hurt Democrat's polling . . .

CNN anchor Don Lemon is warning Democrats that they’ll face consequences on election day for ignoring rioting across the country — saying it represents a “blind spot” for the party.
“I think Democrats are ignoring this problem, are hoping that it will go away,” Lemon told fellow anchor Chris Cuomo during his 9 p.m. Tuesday handoff. “And it’s not going to go away.”

Lemon agreed with Cuomo’s take that the ongoing unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, since Jacob Blake, 29, was shot by police on Sunday represents a “Rorschach test for the entire country” — and said Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden “may be afraid” to address it before the Nov. 3 election.

“So the problem is not going to be fixed by then, but what they can do, and I think maybe Joe Biden may be afraid to do it — I’m not sure, maybe he won’t, maybe he is,” Lemon said. “He’s got to address it. He’s got to come out and talk about it.”

Somebody told Joe Biden he should come out against it albeit just a little and a bit late.

For the first time in three days, the biggest political news of the day didn’t come out of the Republican convention. It came out of a basement in Delaware.

Joe Biden finally raised an objection to the riots, arson, murder and looting tearing apart American cities. To be sure, his wasn’t a strong voice, but at least he finally broke his silence.

“The needless violence won’t heal us,” the Democrats’ nominee said in a statement focused mostly on the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.