90 Miles From Tyranny

Monday, March 5, 2018

CONFESSIONS OF A CONGRESSIONAL STAFFER: “After Tariff Announcement Mueller Ordered To Escalate Trump Investigation”

The following are the insights and opinions of a former senior congressional staffer who is now enjoying what he calls the “…happy uncertainty of a self-imposed semi-retirement.” He spent nearly eleven years working on Capitol Hill, arriving there shortly before Barack Obama became president, and then leaving shortly after Donald Trump succeeded him. His extended family’s ties to prior administrations go back decades – at the highest levels.

Now approaching middle-age, (ancient by D.C. staffer standards) and despite all that time in the belly of the “D.C. beast” he still manages to look younger than his years. He’s quick to laugh, slow to anger, and enjoys the occasional (and most often inappropriate) joke while also being an occasional (and always highly valued) D.C. Whispers’ source.

His contact list is an impressive whos-who of D.C. power players (a benefit of his political pedigree of which he readily admits he had nothing to do with) including both active and retired politicians, staffers, and (too many) lobbyists. (He feels most lobbyists are decent people working in what he calls an epically f*cked up system.) He has attended two inauguration balls, four Congressional retreats, (to which he says members of Congress drink – a lot) and seven State of the Union addresses.

He’s also good friends with a since-departed network news/entertainment television talent who has been more than willing of late to spill the goods on any number of subjects and says he might be convinced to share some of those stories here as well.

First and foremost, though, is his deepening concern over what is taking place in the city he used to call home, Washington D.C., and the country he loves – America.

———————–
“Word is that Mueller has been given the green light to go after the Trump family directly. All business interests, the entire Trump empire, is to be turned upside down under the guise of investigating campaign financing during the 2016 Election. This was sort of danced around before, a few soft inquiries, etc. After the tariff announcement, though, (which surprised some of the President’s own staff) Mueller has been ordered to go all out on digging into the Trump financials directly.

“That is Trump’s Achilles heel. His children. Mueller will now be allowed, with the full support and power of the Deep State, to pull them into the investigation with far greater intensity/scrutiny than what we’ve already seen over...

On Saturday, President Trump made an appearance at the annual Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington and participated in the ceremony that could be best described as a roast.

And as could be expected from Trump, he brought a flamethrower.

Wikipedia describes the event as follows:

The Gridiron Club and Foundation – founded in 1885 as The Gridiron Club of Washington, D.C. – is the oldest and one of the most prestigious journalistic organizations in Washington, D.C. Its 65 active members represent major newspapers, news services, news magazines and broadcast networks. Membership is by invitation only and has traditionally been offered almost exclusively to Washington newspaper bureau chiefs.

The Gridiron Club is best known for its annual dinner which traditionally features the United States Marine Band, along with satirical musical skits by the members and remarks by the President of the United States and representatives of each political party. The skits and speeches by various politicians are expected to be self-deprecating or otherwise sharply comedic.

President Trump showed he can take jabs as well as he throw them when he poked fun at himself at the Gridiron Dinner in Washington, D.C., last night.

Trump joked about the media, Jared Kushner, and Democrats while first daughter Ivanka Trump stole the show in an elegant Carolina Herrera gown.

Trump kicked off by joking that he was late because his son-in-law “Jared couldn’t get through security,” the AP reported. He then added: “Ivanka, you’ve got to...

You have come across a mystery box. But what is inside?

It could be literally anything from the serene to the horrific,

from the beautiful to the repugnant,

from the mysterious to the familiar.

If you decide to open it, you could be disappointed,

you could be inspired, you could be appalled.

This is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended.

You have been warned.

Skipped in School #1 | The Holodomor (pt 1)

Girls With Guns

The Army wants to give soldiers an extra hand during their next firefight — literally.

Army Research Lab engineers are officially testing a mechanical third arm designed to help soldiers wield oversized weaponry and hump heavy loads downrange without sacrificing their performance, the service announced on Feb. 27.

While the service has been hacking away at the abdomen-mounted apparatus — creatively dubbed the “Third Arm” — since last year, the Army says the current 3.5-pound prototype can support an M249 squad automatic weapon — or a 20-pound defensive shield for added protection and cover.

Cool, sweet… but any warfighter worth their salt will recognize this solution as inspired by the M56A2 Smart Gun toted by everyone’s favorite Colonial Marines from Aliens.

It’s unlikely soldiers will have to contend with creepy xenomorphs anytime soon, but the Army’s Third Arm has clear benefits for warfighters already laden with high-tech gear.

We started out with just trying to think of a way to help improve the lethality of the dismounted Soldier,” Army Research Lab engineer Dan Baechle said in a statement. “Generally that means stabilizing the weapon or giving the Soldier a more powerful weapon. Can we stabilize that weapon to improve accuracy? But also if we’re stabilizing the weapon and taking the load off of the Soldiers’ arms, does that improve the Soldier’s readiness? Does it also improve the Soldier’s accuracy with the weapon?”

Aliens may be the most immediate pop-culture example of mechanical limbs in action, but the best description of the apparatus’ impact on lethality actually comes from Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, in my opinion. “If you load a mudfoot down with a lot of gadgets that he has to watch, someone a lot more...

‘All sorts of criminal laws’ may have been violated by FBI: Judicial Watch president examines FISA scandal

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton discussed the possibility that the FBI may have violated criminal statutes in the process of getting FISA applications.

Fitton was reacting to a letter from Rep. Devin Nunes to Attorney General Jeff Sessions Thursday listing five criminal statutes – including conspiracy, obstruction of justice and contempt of court – that may have been violated by applications made by the FBI to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court in order to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

“I think it’s pretty darn interesting that you have an Intelligence Committee chairman having to remind the FBI and the Justice Department what the rules and the laws are,” Fitton said on Fox News Friday, noting that one of those rules is making sure “that they are presenting accurate information to the FISA court.”

“The court is expected to rely on it, but of course they didn’t make sure it was accurate,” Fitton continued, referring to the use of the infamous, unverified anti-Trump dossier that was funded by Democrats in order to obtain warrants to spy on Page.

“They pretended it was accurate and arguably misled the court,” he added, noting that, if that’s the case, then “all sorts of criminal laws” were violated.

Fitton reminded viewers that the Intelligence Committee had to fight the Justice Department and FBI for almost a year to get the background information on...

10 R-Rated History Facts You Won’t Learn In School

Let’s face it—schools could do a much better job of making history fascinating for students. Teachers seem obsessed with getting us to remember dates of wars and reigns and often forego the juicy bits that make history so much more captivating. Admittedly, it’s hard to include all the sex, violence, and debauchery in a school curriculum, but a bit of salaciousness does wonders to kindle one’s interest.

10James Cook Was Mistaken For A Sex God

British navigator James Cook became famous for his voyages where he explored regions barely known to Europeans, such as Australia and New Zealand. During his third voyage between 1776 and 1779, Cook explored the islands in the Pacific. It was here that Cook met his demise at the hands of Hawaiian natives, and it might have had something to do with him being mistaken for Lono, god of fertility.Cook’s first contact with the natives in 1778 was friendly. They traded with each other and exchanged gifts. After establishing a successful relationship, Cook continued exploring the archipelago. He returned to Hawaii in 1779 to winter in Kealakekua Bay. However, he happened to arrive during Makahiki, a festival in honor of Lono, and many Hawaiian priests took it as a sign that Cook was actually the god returned from his travels. At first, this was a stroke of fortune. Cook was paraded from village to village where he was met with gifts, supplies, and sacrifices. However, the Hawaiians soon became concerned with the Europeans’ disregard for their culture. The relationship worsened when Cook and his men began using wooden idols of Lono as firewood.Due to a cultural misunderstanding, natives tried to take goods from the Europeans on several occasions. Eventually, Cook’s men began retaliating with gunfire, which led to several extended conflicts. As a final gamble to end hostilities, Cook kidnapped the king of the island, King Kalani’opu’u, but was beaten to death on his way back to the ship (shown in the painting above).

9The October Revolution Led To A Massive Drinking Binge

The October Revolution of 1917 officially ended the Tsarist regime and shifted power to the Bolsheviks. The defining moment of this insurrection was the assault on the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, the official residence of the monarch. It was almost a bloodless affair. The palace was mostly guarded by cadets and female soldiers who surrendered to a superior force with superior firepower. A few years later, Lenin staged “The Storming of the Winter Palace,” a reenactment witnessed by 100,000 people which portrayed the Bolsheviks in a much more heroic light and became the official story. It also omitted the fact that after seizing the palace, the Bolsheviks got completely stinking drunk.While exploring the palace, the revolutionaries stumbled upon the Tsar’s secret stash—the largest wine cellar in the world. This discovery sunk most of the city into a drunken stupor for days on end. Any efforts from the few sober Bolsheviks to try and contain the situation were completely in vain. They barricaded the cellar, but the thirsty mob knocked down the wall. They poured the wine down the drain, but crowds of people simply gathered at the other end, drinking straight out of the drainpipes. People even died in the freezing waters of the Neva trying to recover crates that were thrown into the river. It wasn’t until the new year that the city finally restored some semblance of order.

8The Ballet Of Chestnuts

The House of Borgia is well-known for the power it attained in Renaissance Italy and all the crimes, depravity, and debauchery that came along with it. Arguably the most influential member of the family was Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI. His papacy was fraught with controversy due mainly to his many illegitimate children by several mistresses.One of those children was Cesare Borgia who, with the help of his father, became a cardinal. On October 30, 1501, Cesare allegedly staged what was probably the most depraved party ever held at the Papal Palace—the Ballet of the Chestnuts. Along with nobles, clergymen, and everyone else you might expect at this kind of event, 50 prostitutes were invited to attend the banquet. At first, they simply danced to entertain the guests. After a while, servants covered the floor with chestnuts. The prostitutes undressed, got down on all fours and proceeded to crawl between attendees, collecting all the chestnuts. Afterward, the guests were invited to have sex with the prostitutes, and rewards were even offered for the ones who showed the most stamina. All the while, the pope and his entourage sat back and enjoyed the show. Although this kind of debauchery fits perfectly with the historical view we have of the Borgias, not everyone agrees on the chain of events. The only written source for the banquet comes from Johann Burchard, who mentioned it in Liber Notarum, his compendium on all the papal ceremonies he attended. While Burchard was a respected chronicler, he also wasn’t a friend of the Borgias.

7Olga Of Kiev’s Revenge

Today, Saint Olga is an important figure in the Russian Eastern Orthodox Church. During the 10th century, she was the wife of Igor I, ruler of the Kievan Rus’, a federation of Slavic tribes extending over regions of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Prince Igor was killed by the Drevlians when he went to collect tribute. The Drevlians then sent word to Olga, demanding that she marry their Prince Mal.According to the Primary Chronicle (our main source of information on the Kievan Rus’), Olga embarked on a bloody journey of vengeance. She started out by burying alive the Drevlian envoy who came with the demand. Then, Olga sent word to the Drevlians that she accepted their proposal and that they should send their most distinguished men after her so that she might leave Kiev with honor. The Drevlians obliged and, when their new retinue arrived, Olga invited them to bathe in the bathhouse. She then had her men lock it up and burn them alive (shown above).Unaware of the gruesome fates of their brethren, the Drevlians prepared a feast when Olga arrived. When they were all drunk, Olga had her men slaughter everyone in attendance. The survivors offered to pay her tribute, but Olga only asked for three sparrows and three pigeons from each house. The Drevlians happily complied, but Olga took the birds and tied embers to their feet and released them. The birds returned to their homes, quickly setting the whole city on fire.

6One Of Europe’s Most Powerful Dynasties Was Destroyed By Inbreeding

The House of Hapsburg was one of the most influential families in history. They ruled the Holy Roman Empire for 300 years. At times, they also ruled over most other...

Computer scientists may have solved the mystery behind the ‘sonic attacks’ in Cuba

A team of computer scientists from the University of Michigan may have solved the mystery behind strange sounds heard by American diplomats in Havana, who later suffered a variety of medical disorders.

Professor Kevin Fu and members of the Security and Privacy Research Group at the University of Michigan say they have an explanation for what could have happened in Havana: two sources of ultrasound — such as listening devices — placed too close together could generate interference and provoke the intense sounds described by the victims.

And this may not have been done intentionally to harm diplomats, the scientists concluded in their study, first reported by the Daily Beast.

The Associated Press has obtained a recording of what some U.S. embassy workers heard in Havana as they were attacked by what investigators initially believed was a sonic weapon.

Those who have followed the case closely say the new theory makes sense.

“This is a variation of what I have always thought,” James Cason, a former top U.S. diplomat in Havana, told el Nuevo Herald. “It explains the sonic part, that no one was spotted planting new devices inside the homes and doing it from the outside would require something huge.”

The health incidents — which took place between November 2016 and August 2017 at homes and two Havana hotels — were initially blamed on “sonic attacks.” The cause has perplexed the Department of State, the FBI and other U.S. agencies that have been trying to figure out just what made 24 intelligence officers, diplomats and relatives based in Havana ill. Many reported a variety of symptoms such as hearing loss, headaches, cognitive problems and other ailments that doctors said correlate with concussions.

University of Miami Dr. Michael Hoffer, who led the initial team of physicians who examined the victims, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Michigan report. The State Department said: “We still do not have a cause or source of the attacks. The investigation is ongoing.”

Most of the victims said they heard a shrill sound coming from a specific direction before experiencing the ailments.

Fu and his team used recordings of the sound obtained by The Associated Press and applied reverse-engineering to replicate what was heard by diplomats. By combining various ultrasound signals, they discovered that the resulting distortion produced an audible sound similar to what was heard in the original recording.

“When a second inaudible ultrasonic source interfered with the primary inaudible ultrasonic source, intermodulation distortion created audible byproducts that share spectral characteristics with audio from the AP news,” the university report said.

The Cuban government, which has independently investigated the incidents, has said that it found nothing suspicious in the recordings provided by U.S. agencies and that the sounds are similar to those produced by...