Rebane's Ruminations
March 2017
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George Rebane

This morning NPR again alerted the nation to the manufactured Russian threat, still very much a work in process.  They devoted the major segment of their Morning Edition to “reviewing” Russia’s impact on last year’s election by interviewing two ‘experts’ who turned out to be another pair of pot boiling reporters.

We were again breezily informed of the “general agreement” that Russia was the hacker even though “no direct evidence” has yet surfaced to support that.  But the general conclusion spoonfed the listener was that there is indeed something to the “allegation of collusion” between the Trump campaign and whatever nefarious acts by the Russians that NPR was busily constructing in your imagination.  Again, the “no evidence yet” from “ongoing investigations” was the quick codicil wedged into the spray of incidental and immaterial “what we know” items.

The whole affair was another professional hit job that concluded with the Flynn-Sessions ‘double tap’, as if those immaterial conversations really did serve to enable and coordinate the now popularly acknowledged Russian attack on our democratic system.  Here we glossed over the fact that no evidence whatsoever exists to condemn AG Sessions in any wrongdoing during his very routine contacts with the Russian ambassador (lamestream’s “spy master”), or mention that the tapped Flynn telecons contained nothing that could be considered culpable.

The only way that the Trump administration can be convicted in this continental kangaroo court is if the rules of evidence can been reduced to the requirement for a preponderance of allegations, innuendo, and emotions.  However, to date that appears to be more than sufficient, given the agenda of the leftwing lamestream and their Democrat handlers in the federal government.  But here’s what everyone continues to miss.

There can be no reasonable discussion, let alone accusations, of Russia impacting America’s election until some plausible means are at least identified by which they could have accomplished anything to materially affect the election’s outcome.  And this is what no one (apparently including RR readers) in the land seems to grasp.  Without plausible means the whole affair is moot.

As an example, consider Bugsy Jones paroled from prison with the proviso that he not wander more than a mile from his designated residence without permission.  Bugsy’s longtime protagonist Mugsy wants him back in prison and concocts a story of how Bugsy violated his parole – he accuses Bugsy of having circumnavigated the moon last Wednesday night, a trip taking him more than a mile from home.  As evidence Mugsy points to the science fiction paperbacks that Bugsy has been seen reading and from which he must have gotten the idea.  In this case we can be fairly certain that the parole board will dismiss Mugsy’s allegations on their face for the obvious reason that Bugsy had no plausible means by which he could have accomplished the forbidden circumnavigation.

And yet, no one seems to be able to either identify, let alone connect the same dots in the ongoing Russian imbroglio.  I know why the Left does not want to bring up the question of ‘plausible means’, but I have no idea why no one on the Right (save possibly Limbaugh) has introduced this overwhelmingly important factor into the national debate about Trump’s supposed love of Russia and Hillary’s disastrous defeat at the polls.

Postscript: To really understand this baseless and fraudulent attack on Trump we need to recall the national yawn that China’s bought and paid for love affair with President Clinton elicited in 1996.  All governments do their best to influence the internal affairs of other governments when the opportunity exists and it serves their national interests.  The educated know it was ever thus.  Holman Jenkins reprises President Clinton’s role (here) in how the Democrats accepted more than $2M from China to support his and fellow Democrats’ re-elections.  

Posted in , , ,

219 responses to “No Plausible Means in the Lamestream’s Inflated Russian Bubble”

  1. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    Our lil’ ol’ druid is stomping his feet and demanding YES OR NO, with all conversation outlawed by him! Poor ol’ PE is soooo cute when he stomps his feet and gets red in the face.
    Notice how he slides by the terrorist ‘refugee’ investigations issue? The poor ol’ pollhead has no heart for all those future victims who are in the crosshairs of 0’s ‘refugees’. Given how few times we get ahead of terror attacks how many more are out there the FBI does not know about? 😉

    Like

  2. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    Todd, yes or no, yes or no! Lol
    I listened to Gowdy call into a radio show this morning. He was out of the loop yesterday with family and his wife would not let him check his messages for a few hours. Family time and not up to speed. He said what Jason C said, that he hadn’t seen any evidence yet. But, then again, it was only Monday morning and the news broke over the weekend. He did say he was on the House Intel Committee and is interested to see the details.
    Boy, PE wants answers right now. Right now, I tell you. This instant. Todd, you come here young man and explain this right now.
    The wiretapping happened on Obama’s watch. The way I see it, all those reports the media ran and Paul posted about Russian hacking and collusion….well, many were based on allegations gleamed from wiretapping. Yep….right from stories they ran and were so excited to bust Trump they forgot about the sources they used. Breadcrumb trail right back to surveillance on Trump, lol.
    So, the Alt-Left media has to either come out and say they stand by their previous stories about Trump collusion, which, BTW, means the Trump Phones were hacked by their own inferences, or say there is no there there about Russia and not stand by what they previously published that got PE to shoot his man juice all over the control booth.. Can’t have it both ways. Trump boxed them in a corner….big time.

    Like

  3. George Rebane Avatar

    Gentlemen – When you engage in these one-on-one ‘deep exchanges’, do you consider what they look like when read at some later time; how they reflect on the acumen of the participants; what they contribute to the original post or a related question? The internet is forever 😉

    Like

  4. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    Paul Emery I believe as strongly as you do that Trump colluded with the Rooskies. There.

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  5. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    I’ve already heard that crap.

    Like

  6. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    So once again Todd, specifically:
    So Todd you are saying that there is no doubt Obama ordered wiretaps of the Trump Tower. Yes or no.

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  7. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    Why, why, why? is soooo boring poor ol’ PE! YES OR NO YES OR NO, squawk, said the druid parroting the party line. 😉

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  8. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    Don
    Yes or no do you believe that there is no doubt Obama ordered wiretaps of the Trump Tower?

    Like

  9. ScenesFromTheApocalypse Avatar
    ScenesFromTheApocalypse

    One of those cognitive dissonance thingies.
    https://i.redd.it/c2r16ypbztjy.png

    Like

  10. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    So it would appear that poor ol’ PE is ok with 30% of the FBI’s isis terror investigations being focused on 0’s ‘refugees’. 😉

    Like

  11. Walt Avatar

    Once again, proof is provided to PE, and promptly dismisses it. Maybe PE can make an assumption to why the head guy at the FBI is now looking for those who had access to
    the FICA records. So much for the “no there,,there…”
    Besides. “O” and Co. are not known for their honesty, and abiding by the rules.

    Like

  12. fish Avatar
    fish

    Posted by: Paul Emery | 06 March 2017 at 03:25 PM
    Funny that….you demanding a statement of “no doubt” from Todd over this when everybody is seemingly abandoning your last pet cause of Trump and the Russians over sketchy evidence.
    RUN FORREST…..RUN….

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  13. fish Avatar
    fish

    FISA surveillance has to be approved by a special court, which almost always allows the government to spy on people when asked. But when the Justice Department asked to spy on several of Trump’s associates, the court refused permission, according to the BBC. As McCarthy writes, this is notable because “the FISA court is notoriously solicitous of government requests to conduct national security surveillance.”
    Not taking no for an answer, the Obama administration came back during the final weeks of the election with a narrower request that didn’t specifically mention Trump. That narrower request was granted by the court, but reports from the Guardian and the BBC don’t mention the tapping of phones..
    Former Obama officials issued denials that the former president had anything to do with it, which McCarthy calls “disingenuous on several levels.” Others have characterized them as a “non-denial denial.”

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/03/06/obama-spying-trump-fisa-tapping-glenn-reynolds-column/98779170/

    Like

  14. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    If poor ol’ pollhead PE wants to feed his Trump tap obsession he should watch Lou Dobbs who has the former AG on right now. You can catch the repeat later ya poor ol’ pollhead PE. 😉

    Like

  15. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    Paul Emery has a agenda and it sure is dopey. No amount of truth or facts that are contrary to his beliefs will he consider. Very stubborn, unbending man. Sad.

    Like

  16. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    Poor ol Trump. He doesn’t even have supporters on this blog. Todd and Don don’t even support him on his belief that Obama ordered wiretaps of his tower digs in New York City. No wonder he won’t last long.

    Like

  17. fish Avatar
    fish

    Posted by: Paul Emery | 06 March 2017 at 04:40 PM
    ….still president Paul.

    Like

  18. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    You can try stuffing your words in other peoples mouths ya poor ol’ pollhead, I don’t play that. If you are too dense to have read your media brothers reports and not have comprehended them in recent months with the details, its not my problem. You don’t control the conversations fakenewsman.
    You parroting the party line is BORING! You cant even craft an original thought, squawk, squawk parrot boy. I want to talk about 0 letting in terrorists. I want to cheer the 40 air strikes in Yemen in the last week, more than 0 did in his last year there.
    Repeal and replace 0 care outline looks GREAT! 😉

    Like

  19. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    I’ll get back to that one Don. Thanks for reminding me. By the way do you believe that there is no doubt Obama ordered wiretaps of the Trump Tower. Yes or no.

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  20. George Rebane Avatar

    Led by Mr PaulE, the Left will not touch the facts that federal wiretaps of the Trump campaign were the plat du jour when Obama was in office. Now they are denying that Obama kept them going after the election when he had even a greater motive to continue the practice.

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  21. Walt Avatar

    Give it a rest PE, no one is going to find any document with “O”‘s fingerprints on it. Even “O” ain’t that stupid. His “people” have made sure he had plausible deniability.
    “Your side” Paul, made sure to gum up the works with fake accusations and conspiracy theories.
    Your friends down in Berkeley have thrown the first punches. So much for “free speech”
    in “free speech” land.

    Like

  22. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    Sad and pathetic now, squawk, squawk. 😉

    Like

  23. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    George
    Show me one credible source that Obama ordered wiretaps of Trumps Tower as Trump has alleged.

    Like

  24. Walt Avatar

    PE is now officially in TROLL mode. Back at ya’ Paul, give PROOF that Trump colluded with the Ruskies.(good luck with that)

    Like

  25. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    Yo, pollhead! Look to your own volumous rantings on Flynn. American citizen Flynn was in the Trump Tower when he talked to the Russian ambassador. So given that, the Trump Tower was tapped. Geeezzzz. 😉

    Like

  26. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    I have no proof Walt. I support an Independent Prosecutor to sort out the issue.
    Meanwhile fellas the Repubs are taking your lead and refusing to support Trummp on his babble about Obama wiretaping his Tower. Here’s the latest
    “President Donald Trump will have to look somewhere besides Republican-controlled Capitol Hill for backup to his explosive and unsubstantiated charge that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower before the election. The unsubstantiated allegations are putting the congressional GOP in a box. If Republicans jump in behind Trump wholeheartedly, they risk being proved wrong by congressional probes into Russia’s influence on the election. But they also know all too well that Trump harbors grudges and values loyalty from his allies.
    Trump was reportedly incensed Sunday that Republicans didn’t defend his allegations on the Sunday shows — in fact, several pointedly refused to lend Trump a lifeline when pressed. And more than 48 hours after the initial allegation, Republicans in Congress remained mostly mum as the controversy flared and threatened to create a lingering distraction for them as they try to pass major legislation in the coming weeks.
    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan offered no comment on the matter. And some of the chief critics of the Obama administration on Capitol Hill said they were aware of no evidence to support Trump’s claim.
    “Boy. I have no idea,” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, appearing puzzled. “I mean, I don’t know what’s behind it. I’m hoping in the next few days we’ll find out,” said Thune, the chamber’s third-ranking Republican.
    It was perhaps the most vivid example of Trump’s “tweet first, ask questions later” policy damaging the fortunes of the congressional GOP. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) said the lesson for the president should be that some notions are best left unsaid.
    “There’s something called the unexpressed thought, which would probably aid the president well,” Roskam said.
    http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-wiretapping-republicans-congress-235740

    Like

  27. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    How come our resident poor ol’ pollhead never mentions the breakout on the polls? Dems hate him, R’s support but the big point is President Trump has the independent/unaffiliated on policy. 😉

    Like

  28. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    One more from John McCain
    “I haven’t seen anything like this,” the Arizona Republican told reporters, explaining that the Trump administration “should answer questions.”
    “The American people should demand it,” McCain continued. “The dimensions of this are huge.”
    He said his first reaction upon reading Trump’s Tweet on Saturday morning was “intense curiosity.”
    “This is unprecedented,” he added. “I have never heard of a president of the United States accusing his predecessor or any other president of the United States of violating the law.”

    Like

  29. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    1) One must bear in mind the important fact that all Mark Levine released Thursday was exclusively MEDIA reports. He did not piece together “hunks” of stories as CNN stated. He listed dates and links. Everything about wiretapping was reported in already published media stories, including the word wiretapping. Every single word including FISA.
    2) Therefore, the question begs to be answered. Do you believe the NYT and other media accounts or not? It all gets down to that. If you do, then there were two FISA requests. If you believe what was already published, then there was wiretapping of Trump’s close associates at a minimum? If you believe the media, then one FISA request came from the Justice Department.
    3) Which ever side you come out on this current dust devil all depends if your believe what you read in the media or not.
    Myself, I find it near impossible that a Justice Department FISA request could have happened without consulting the Commander in Chief. I don’t know that for certain, but it is highly unlikely that Loretta Lynch would take it upon herself and leave the President in the dark. That has yet to be revealed, so I will see where this story goes over the course of time.
    Paul wants one credible source. Obviously if someone from the Obama Administration was in the know, they are not going to cop to it without consulting a lawyer or several lawyers, lol.. Is a media report such as the NYT or The McClatchy Group a credible source? That is up to the reader to decide.

    Like

  30. Walt Avatar

    McLame? Really? He’s more Lefty that Right.
    Politico? MAD Mag. of LIB news.
    So paul. how did GEN. Flynn’s private conversation he had get out if Trump Tower wasn’t bugged? That conversation was IN Trump Tower.

    Like

  31. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    Bill
    Trump has not even talked to the FBI or the CIA about this. He has made no effort to find out the truth. Neither has he talked to the NSA. The FISA court records are open to Trump as well. All he has to do is find the source to justify his claims. So far he has offered zero information. that’s what McCain and others are asking him to do. After all he tweeted this at 4AM. Trump is not mentally sound or has no sense of judgement to be President.

    Like

  32. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    Walt
    If Flynn was so innocent of wrongdoing why did he lie to Pense about it?

    Like

  33. Walt Avatar

    How the hell would you know Paul? I bet he has.
    The Washington Post is now in hot water.
    http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/washington-post-tech-employee-allegedly-impersonated-ice-agent-article-1.2990021
    This is just one that got caught.

    Like

  34. Walt Avatar

    Another “why” out of you? How bout this? “WHY” do you insist on being a TROLL?
    Nice try. How come Pelosi LIED about meeting with Russians?(then the pictures showed up)
    I don’t see you demanding her getting kicked to the curb.

    Like

  35. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    Shall we count the items collecting dust in the cricket corps twilight zone;
    30% of the active terrorist investigations are 0 ‘refugees’.
    Repeal and replace 0 care looks to have found the sweet spot on most issues.
    The administration is bombing the crap out of Yemen with all that intelligence that was never was collected said the lamestream fake news. Gob Bless Mrs. Owens.
    One of the jihadies zorched in a Yemeni jhihadi base was a Guantanamo scum bag who 0 let go. A twofer on that raid.
    Da Prez is rollin’ bigly!
    Poor ol’ fakenewsman PE is steadily working his way to very fake news, dem parrot status. 😉

    Like

  36. Don Bessee Avatar
    Don Bessee

    Darn, left off one of my fav’s- The US offloaded the THADD anti ICBM/rocket defense system significantly sooner than expected in South Korea today. That’s decisive leadership. China hates this given its range and state of the art long-range sensor systems. Look at a map to see where Korea sits on China. 😉

    Like

  37. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    Shoot, we don’t even know if there was ever a FISA request, according to Clapper!! FISA court? What FISA requests? Where is the evidence it even happened.
    The media reported FISA requests and 6 different agencies going after Trump and the Russian connection. That was A-OK with the Leftists because they were merely trying to nail Trump to the wall. The monitoring of phone calls, leaked transcripts, the whole ball of wax was going on with the Alt-Left Media’s blessings because they were just getting to the bottom of the Trump-Russian scandal bigger than Pearl Harbor or 9/11. Impeach Trump!
    But now, when pressed, nobody knows nothing. FBI did not do it, NSA knows nothing. Was there a FISA request in October, 2016 before Election Day or not? Was there spying on Trump’s calls and communications or not? Was there a warrant issued or not?
    What is real and what is fake?
    If, as Clapper said, there was no connection between Russia and the Trump Campaign, then how does Clapper know? What investigative tools did Clapper use to come to that conclusion? Did he read it in the paper??
    Clapper did say he would not know if Level 3 agencies made FISA requests. His words, not mine. So, according to page one of the NYT, the story is now a big lie?
    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/us/politics/trump-russia-associates-investigation.html?_r=0
    We have a counterintelligence investigation in Trump and nobody knows anything about it? Is Clapper lying or the media lying?
    We have a big contradiction going on. The media is circling the wagons going counterclockwise and the “wiretapping” boys are circling the wagons going clockwise.
    Maybe this will magically burn off like when the sun hits the morning mist.

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  38. Walt Avatar

    Don. WAY back when we developed working airborne lasers just for this reason.
    From what I gather, that idea got scrapped. (hope I’m wrong)
    “If” there is a working model, anything the North launched would rain back down on where it came from. “Back then”, one aircraft could eliminate 10 missiles from 100 miles.
    I hope the new stuff works.

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  39. Walt Avatar

    Bill. Ask PE. I’m sure “he knows”.

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  40. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    Walt, one thing for sure. Trump sure threw a monkey wrench into this collusion nonsense……except for the next ten years of Dem political stunt investigations. That is a given since they offer no tangible solutions to solving problems.
    Yep, you said it well last night. Trump is quite the knife fighter….which happens to be my preferred weapon of choice. This is too much fun.

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  41. Walt Avatar

    Bill. I don’t believe the Left knows just how much politics is involved in business dealings. OH YES.. Trump is well prepared for the job, and knows how to “F U” back.

    Like

  42. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    Mystery solved. It was not the Russian meddling that caused Hillary to be the biggest upset loser in modern political history. It was the FBI who was doing a criminal investigation into Hilary’s unlawful use of her private server that received, transmitted , and stored State secrets that caused her to lose the election. The dirty Russians are off the hook!
    “Mrs. Clinton has said his [Comey] decision to reveal the existence of new emails late in the campaign cost her the election”

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  43. Walt Avatar

    Yup,, Hillary got hung in the court of public opinion. The people of this great land ain’t as stupid as LIBS hoped they were. With rigged polls, a rigged DEM election media in the tank with Clinton, and manufactured bad news for Trump,, nope “we” did’t take the bait
    I will give credit when due. Al Gore was right. The Internet was to be the LIBS downfall.
    The free flow of information in real time was to be the DEMS stake through the heart.
    So Paul can lay the blame of the LIBS fall from grace at Gore’s feet. As we all know, “he” invented the net.

    Like

  44. George Rebane Avatar

    PaulE 520pm – That’s my point. The Left has made an uproar of the Russians’ supposed collusion with Team Trump and influencing the election having neither evidence nor even the ability to identity a plausible means for such influence. And you are the local disciple playing that baseless tune. But I propose a less challenging consideration that Obama continued what he was already doing in wiretapping Team Trump before the election, and that now requires immediate evidence before it can be discussed. Funny how different minds work.

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  45. Walt Avatar

    As LIBS have said in the past.” Evidence be damned! The seriousness of the charge is all that matters”. I do believe this is where we say, ” by any means necessary” to stick it to Trump. Right LIBS? That’s the way you role.

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  46. Walt Avatar

    This is for Paul. It will explain plenty. “warrant? screw that! do it anyway. It can’t be pinned on me.”
    http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/06/napolitano-obamas-alleged-wiretapping-is-profoundly-unconstitutional-but-it-is-legal-video/

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