waveshaper

This foreign national/former spy "Christopher Steele" sure had a good thing going, with numerous sources of potential pay for his efforts. A few examples; Getting paid by the DNC to get dirt from the Russians on the Republican Nominee for President. Additionally, he received a promise of more payola from the FBI (October 2017) if he continued this productive/FISA worthy/dirt digging work and he also got to tell his story to Yahoo News. I don't know if Yahoo News actually paid him for this info but this news story did make it into the approved final FISA warrant application on Carter Page. I'm sure that some of the key leadership (we know the names or at least most of the names) in the DNC/FBI/Justice Department/(State Department/TBD?) were delighted with this freebee via Yahoo News/Steele.

I still don't understand why the FBI didn't notify/warn (pronto/day one) the Republican Party Nominee for President of the USA when this Russian Spy wannabe started working on his campaign team? IMHO, giving Presidential candidates/serving Presidents a heads-up about stuff like this should be SOP, particularly if it involves someone that was under a FISA warrant since 2014.

The Full Text Memo; House Intelligence Committee Report On FISA Abuses; https://www.scribd.com/document/370598711/House-Intelligence-Committee-Report-On-FISA-Abuses#from_embed

Yep, you nailed it and I will have to add this to my list of key indicators that Trumps a racist. President Trump being smart enough to take advantage of this great trend started by President Obama's outstanding economic policies is definitely something he is guilty of. President Trumps very own policies are now stoking the U.S. economic engine and they're a complement to President Obama's efforts to get this bull market started. I'll bet the white supremacist/KKK are as enthusiastic about these stats as the democrats were during the Presidents first sotu address.

He just might get a surprise blanket party if some of his schools faculty member are products of the DoD Troops to Teachers program. Overall, veterans seem to do ok in life after the military. A few "high-end" stats; - 33 Presidents served in the US military or State Militias (that's how they served way back in the good ole days); - 10 Presidents were former teachers and 4 of those 10 also served in the US military. - There are currently 14 living US veterans that are billionaires. - There are currently 15 CEO's of Fortune 500 companies that are veterans. - etc.

Don't forget that Nuke Sharing crap; F-35's and them new B61-12's are going to be a perfect match.

Here's just one "small" indicator that the Presidents policies and agenda might be racist:<) If these numbers continue to fall the Presidents in deep shit and he will, at a minimum, probably see an attempt by the Democrats in Congress to censure him:<) Excerpts; - Almost unnoticed by the mainstream media, unemployment rates for Hispanics, African-Americans and Asians have not only fallen, but are now at all-time lows. That's right: Unemployment has never been lower for minorities, at least not since 1972, when such records first started being kept. - The jobless rate for African Americans fell to a record low 6.8% in December from 7.2% the month before. And it was the first time ever that unemployment for African Americans ever fell below 7%. - Hispanics, too, have seen unemployment drop to record-low levels. For Hispanics, unemployment fell below 5% for the first time ever in October. - Asians as a group saw their unemployment rate spike to as high as 8.4% in 2009. In December, it fell below 3% for the first time since 2007, dropping to a record-low 2.5%. https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/dont-look-now-but-minority-unemployment-is-at-record-lows-under-trump/

Senator Durbin is on a roll, he started the week by stirring the "Shithole Country" pot. Now, suddenly him/others consider the official/very old Congressionally originated term "Chain Migration" offensive and it's in his crosshairs.

Here's a visual of what it looks like when things go wrong. I believe this incident happened in late 2015. I personally don't know who was at fault or what type jet dropped the ordnance.

Here's the current official list of the worlds 25 worst shithole countries. Ref; United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) plus other factors. Note; 23 of the worlds worst countries are on the African Continent, the other two shittiest countries in the world are Haiti and Afghanistan. Also, according to UN Human Development Index Norway is the best/most livable country in the world. Note; There's not enough data for the UN to score the shittyness of Somali and North Korea but they would probably be in the top five shittiest countries on earth if the UN ever gets enough data for a UN HDI score. - Here's the UN list (Niger is the #1 worst country in the world). https://247wallst.com/special-report/2015/12/21/25-worst-countries-to-live-in-the-world/ 1. Niger. 2. Central African Republic. 3. Eritrea. 4. Chad. 5. Burundi. 6. Burkina Faso. 7. Guinea. 8. Sierra Leone. 9. Mozambique. 10. Mali. 11. Guinea-Bissau. 12. Liberia. 13. Democratic Republic of the Congo. 14. Gambia. 15. Ethiopia. 16. Malawi. 17. Cote d-Ivoire. 18. Afghanistan. 19. Senegal. 20. South Sudan. 21. Djibouti. 22. Sudan. 23. Benin. 24. Haiti. 25. Uganda. World map with UN HDI score for each country; https://hdr.undp.org/en/countries

B-1 Bomber Crews Defend Sniper Pod After Friendly Fire Incident (11 Jan 2018); https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/01/11/b-1-bomber-crews-defend-sniper-pod-after-friendly-fire-incident.html

Here's one positive accomplished, by this administration, that most folks will profit ($$$$) a wee bit from. You can compare your 2016/2017 taxes paid to what you should be paying in 2018. https://www.taxreformcalculator.com/

The ROK seized a second commercial ship (the Tanker Koti) about 18 miles west of Osan (location; Pyeongtaek-Dangjin port). Rumor is the ROK may also try to seize a couple Russian tankers that have been doing this at sea transfer of oil to the Norks stuff. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/31/south-korea-seizes-second-ship-suspected-of-smuggling-oil-to-north

I have no idea who can levy the fine or who should be fined or what other penalties will be imposed on this ship/crew/companies/countries/etc involved in this incident, this commercial shipping stuff is complicated. IMHO, the Taiwanese company that chartered this ship probably bears the most responsibility for circumventing the UN Sanctions that are designed to prevent, at sea, ship to ship transferring of goods to the Norks. The players; The Lighthouse Winmore is a new tanker and was built in 2014. This tanker is owned by Win More Shipping Ltd, managed by Lighthouse Ship Management Ltd, Flagged in Hong Kong, chartered by a Taiwanese company called the Billions Bunker Group, was loaded with Japanese refined oil products and it got this refined oil product from the South Koreans.

Some new info about this latest illegal transfer of oil to the Norks. It definitely seems like someone is getting played in this Nork oil transfer charade :>) On 24 November the South Koreans seized the Hong Kong/PRC registered tanker named the "Lighthouse Winmore". This is the tanker that transferred 600 tons of refined petroleum products to Nork ships. At the time of this oil transfer incident, the PRC registered Lighthouse Winmore was being chartered by a Taiwanese company named Billions Bunker Group. The players involved and sequence of this transfer is definitly strange. - Step 1; The Lighthouse Winmore arrives in the "South Korean" port of Yeosu and takes on a cargo of refined Japanese patroleum products while in this South Korean port. - Step 2; This Hong Kong/PRC registered ship that was being chartered by a Tiawanese company then departes a South Korean port after being loaded with Japanese refined petroleum and heads into international waters. - Step 3; The PRC registered/Taiwanese chartered "Lighthouse Winmore" then meets up with the Nork tanker, the Sam Jong 2 (plus 3 other unnamed ships) in the East China Sea. This is where the Japanese refined petroleum products, that were loaded on the ship in a South Korean port, are transfered to the Nork ships. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/29/seoul-seizes-hong-kong-registered-tanker-used-secretly-sell/ Edit Reply

IMHO, the "jig is up" and the forces of law and order plus punishment are on the way. In the not to distant future, nonconsensual woodies will result in UCMJ action and wont be tolerated in the USAF. The crackdown will start with the Enlisted/Company Grade Officers and eventually progress to Field Grade Officers. Note; E-9s/General Officers will be exempt from this woody hunt.

FYI; AFI 51-201 ADMINISTRATION OF MILITARY JUSTICE; https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_ja/publication/afi51-201/afi51-201.pdf Section 13N—Compliance with the Domestic Violence Amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968 (known as “The Lautenberg Amendment”) 13.22. General Provision. The Lautenberg Amendment makes it a felony for any person to sell or otherwise dispose of firearms or ammunition to any person whom he or she knows or has reasonable cause to believe has been convicted of a “misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.” Additionally, persons convicted of such crimes are also prohibited from: (1) shipping or transporting in interstate commerce or foreign commerce, (2) possessing in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition, or (3) receiving any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce. A “crime of domestic violence” is an offense that has as its factual basis one of the following: (1) the use or attempted use of physical force, or (2) the threatened use of a deadly weapon. One of the factors must be coupled with a crime committed by a current or former spouse, parent or guardian of the victim; by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian; or, by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent or guardian of the victims. Qualifying convictions include a “crime of domestic violence” tried by general or special court-martial which otherwise meets the elements of a crime of domestic violence even though not classified as a misdemeanor or felony. 18 U.S.C. § 922(d) and (g). The term “qualifying conviction” does not include summary courts-martial or the imposition of nonjudicial punishment under Article 15, UCMJ. 13.23. Base-Level SJA Responsibilities. If an accused is convicted at a special or general court-martial of an offense constituting a crime of domestic violence, indicate this on the Report of Result of Trial. SJAs must also ensure promulgating orders prepared for individuals convicted of a qualifying offense contain the annotation “Crime of Domestic Violence. 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9).” The annotation must be one line, centered, in 14-point boldface type, and one inch from the top of the page. SJAs are responsible for informing commanders of the impact of the conviction on the accused’s ability to handle firearms or ammunition as part of their official duties; briefing commanders on retrieving all Government-issued firearms and ammunition and suspending the member’s authority to possess Government-issued firearms and ammunition; and advising members of their commands to lawfully dispose of their privately owned firearms and ammunition. For additional guidance addressing qualifying offenses, as owned firearms and ammunition. For additional guidance addressing qualifying offenses, as well as substantive and procedural requirements under the Act, See 18 U.S.C. §§ 921 and 922.

It seems like DoD and the Feds have been dropping the ball on reporting this criminal history stuff to the FBI for a long time; - 'An FBI database known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which contains information for use in background checks on prospective gun buyers, had only one Pentagon entry for domestic violence convictions as of Dec. 31, 2016. Most federal agencies had zero entries in that category.' - 'At its core, the problem is that military criminal investigative organizations have too frequently, for too long, failed to comply with rules for reporting service members' criminal history data to the FBI.' - Etc, etc. Pentagon Has Known of Crime Reporting Lapses for 20 Years; https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/11/08/pentagon-known-crime-reporting-lapses-20-years.html

Anyone know if the M4 Bushmaster used in the Resorts World Manila Casino attack had a bump stock? This attack took place on 2 June 2017 (38 killed/70 wounded) and the attacker was a high roller/loser. The Las Vegas shooter and his girlfriend spent mucho time a her brothers house about 25 miles from this casino in Manila and I wouldn't be surprised if he also gambled there. IMHO, the Manila casino attack may have provided the Las Vegas shooter a wee bit of inspiration/motive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Resorts_World_Manila_attack

Some early info; The Shooter Stephen Paddock? 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know; https://heavy.com/news/2017/10/stephen-paddock-las-vegas-route-91-mandalay-bay-shooting-shooter-gunman-suspect-photos-motive/

Today Russian warplanes bombed US/SDF forces in Syria. Thankfully there are no reports of any US casualties "yet" but it appears there are SDF casualties. IMHO, the last paragraph sez volumes! Excerpt from CENTCOM; Russian warplanes deliberately targeted the U.S. backed anti-Islamic State Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Dayr Az Zawr Saturday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The strike did not wound any U.S. special operators embedded with the SDF though they were in the same area. The Coalition and its partners remain committed to the defeat of ISIS and continued de-confliction with Russian officials. Coalition forces and partners always retain the right of self-defense, CENTCOM stated.

Today, President Trump taunts "Rocket Man" Kim Jong-un in tweet aimed at North Korea dictator;

Blame for the Norks developing Nukes goes waaaay back. A few timeline/highlights; - 1956, Scholarly Exchange: The Soviet Union begins training North Korean scientists and engineers, laying the foundation for future nuclear development. - 1959, Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: North Korea and the Soviet Union sign a cooperation agreement under which the Soviet Union would provide basic nuclear training and technology to its Korean allies. The agreement spawns plans for a nuclear facility near Yongbyon that would later become a flashpoint with the US. Note; Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor is where the Norks are currently producing/enriching their fissile material for these Nuke Test, etc. - 1962, Spinning Up Research: North Korea completes the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Centre, which includes an IRT-2000 research reactor. - 1963, On the Market: The USSR sells nuclear materials to the North Korean government. - 1965, Fission Experiments: Once the Yongbyon reactor reaches a power rating of 2 MW, North Korea begins to pursue fission experiments. - 1970s, Friends Without Benefits: Throughout the 1970s, the North Korean government attempts to acquire nuclear weapons assistance from the Soviet Union and China, but the communist superpowers refuse. North Korea also offers to form a secret nuclear program with South Korea, but the South declines. - 1984, Recycling: The construction of a plutonium reprocessing facility enables North Korea to extract plutonium from spent nuclear fuel. - 1985, Baking Yellowcake: North Korea finishes constructing a factory at Yongbyon to refine “yellowcake” uranium, producing a suitable fuel for a nuclear reactor. - 1986, Overreacting: North Korea completes construction of a graphite-moderated nuclear reactor that can produce plutonium. It also starts construction of a second, larger nuclear reactor. - 1989, Caught Red-Handed: Using satellite images, the United States obtains conclusive evidence that North Korea has a nuclear weapons program. -1991, Run for the Border: North Korea tries to hire Soviet nuclear physicists to boost its weapons program, but the Soviet Union gets wind of the plan and detains the scientists. - 1993 to now; Along comes Clinton, Bush, and Obama, all of whom epically screwed the pooch when it comes to the Norks Nuke program. Now it's President Trump turn in the barrel and it appear the Norks (with assistance) have perfected a functional thermonuclear warhead and ICBM's that can reach the USA. The next logical step will be the Nuke warhead/ICBM mating process.

Yep, these lightweights are taking the Generals "Pussy" comment way out of context. The only pussy the Warrior Monk has any "hands-on" experience dealing with are the "Pusillanimous" types.

This little ROK/Nork artillery/rocket dual has been a wee bit mischaracterized. Getting in the weeds/more detailed info; - Yeonpyeong island is mostly forested and has a small population of civilians (1,780). The main population center (small town) is located on the southern end of the Island. These ROK civilian folks are well trained/experienced and have bunkers to take cover in when there's an attack (this was the 3rd Battle of Yeonpyeong since 1999). Also, right next to the this small town is a small ROK military base that supports six K9 155mm SP artillery pieces. These six K9 155mm SP artillery pieces are housed in hardened emplacements (right on the southern coast of the Island) and these artillery pieces/emplacements are only about a 1/4 mile (maybe less) from this small town (main civilian population center on the Island). - The Norks first salvo was at 1434 locale; They launched 150 to 170 rocket and artillery rounds. Most of the rounds fired in this first salvo were 122mm rockets (BM-21's were the launch vehicles). This was a poor choice of weapons to utilize on the first salvo if the Norks were trying to take out the ROK's K9 155mm artillery pieces/emplacements. Most of the 122mm rockets overshot the southern end of the island and landed in the drink. The 122mm rockets caused most (maybe all) of the "limited" civilian casualties and started numerous forest fires on the southern portion of the islands. - The Norks second salvo at 1512 local appeared to be more effective. They only fired 20 Artillery rounds and they all hit their target/landed on the Island. - 50% of the ROK's K9 155mm SP artillery pieces were taken out of action for various reasons. Two ROK K9 155mm artillery pieces took hits from Nork artillery rounds and were disabled due to damage to their firing control systems. One K9 155mm artillery piece was temporarily taken out of action (early in the game) due to a round jammed in its breach/barrel. Only three out of the six units (initially) were able to provide return/counterbattery fire on the Nork positions. Eventually (late in the game), the howitzer that had the jammed round joined the counterattack after receiving field repairs. - On a positive note the Norks didn't target/hit the local Chinese restaurant or Catholic Church. - The ROK K9 155mm SP artillery return/counterbattery fire total was 80 rounds. -- 35 of the ROK rounds landed in the drink (sea) while 45 others reached North Korean land. -- Shoot and Scoot; North Korean artillery/MLRS systems slid into tunnels after firing their salvos. The Norks accomplished this movement before the ROK artillery returned fire. Not a single ROK round hit a Nork target. -- Of the ROK rounds that hit the mainland, only 14 got relatively close to the North's artillery/MLRS positions. These 14 rounds impacted in rice paddies near the Norks "former positions". There was no damage to Nork artillery/MLRS systems, it appears the only damage was to the Norks food supply. -- The ROK National Intelligence Service director Won Sei-Hoon was directed to carry out a thorough investigation. -- The ROK defense minister resigned over this incident. - 122mm Rocket impact point, Yeonpyeong island; - Concrete structure in the K-9 Marine artillery base on Yeonpyeong Island bears marks from North Korea's attack; - Timeline; 08:20: North sends a message requesting a halt to the South's artillery training exercise. 10:00: South starts the artillery training exercise. 14:30: North deploys five MiG-23ML fighters from the 60th Regiment at Pukchang. 14:34: North starts firing shells (150 to170 122mm rockets, of which about 60 land on Yeonpyeong) 14:38: South conducts emergency sorties with two KF-16 fighters. 14:40: South deploys four F-15K fighters. 14:46: South conducts additional emergency sorties with two KF-16 fighters. 14:47: South fires back with the first round of K-9 howitzers (50 shells). 14:50: South issues a 'Jindogae Hana (Jindo Dog 1)' alert, the highest military alert given for a local provocation. 14:55: North stops firing temporarily. 15:12: North starts firing for the second time (20 artillery shells, all of which landed on the island). 15:25: South resumes firing back with K-9 howitzers (30 shells). 15:30: South telexes the North's military general level talk representative requesting an immediate halt to artillery shelling. 15:40 – 16:00: The South's JCS Han Min-gu and USFK Commander have a video conference (a review of cooperative crisis management). 15:41: North stops firing. 16:30: First military casualty reported. 16:35 – 21:50: Foreign and National Security representatives have a meeting. 16:42: South stops firing. 18:40: Lee Hong-gi, the South's Joint Chief of Staff Director of Operations, holds a press briefing. 19:00: North Korea's Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army releases a statement labelled "Our Army is Making No Empty Talk" publicized through KCNA. 20:35 – 21:10: South Korean President meets with his Joint Chief of Staff.