Friday, August 30, 2019

Precious


17 comments:

  1. Her name is Grace Leslie. 💖
    And I'm going to hold her today!

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    Replies
    1. Such a sweet little face! I love to see new babies.

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  2. Allow me to add my belated congratulations!

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  3. Thanks, Bill, I've not been keeping up. Thought Gravel was going to hang in there. Oh, well, we have Bernie.

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  4. They got the biopsy results already. Seems I have a certain type of esophagitis. Fortunately, it can be treated with medication.

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    1. Not from yelling at the TV, I hope! [ducks] I hope that once under control, it will stay that way without continuing medication.

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    2. LOL Alan. Not from yelling at the TV only because I studiously avoid watching the pernicious thing. *scratches head* Well, I guess it's not the box that's pernicious, just the garbage that
      goes by the name of cable news.

      The med comes in a thirty-day supply with two refills. After that presumably they'll reassess.

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  5. Last night, on a whim, I started reading James Hilton's Lost Horizon. Haven't gotten too far, but enjoying it so far.

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    1. I'm pretty sure I didn't read the book, but I have a faint recollection of the movie.

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    2. I looked it up on IMDB, and they report FIVE movie versions! I think the one I remember must have been the 1937 version.

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    3. I believe I read the book a long, long time ago. So long I can't remember what it was about. But think I enjoyed it.

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    4. Super-condensed synopsis:

      Plane gets lost in Himalayas, people on board find their way to Shangri-la.

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  6. I have just received this email from a representative in the nearby district I have supported. I have tended to think that actual impeachment would be a political mistake, but a vigorous inquiry would be appropriate and Bill Foster's argument that impeachment on the basis of clearly proven financial crimes might have a chance in the Senate carries some weight.

    Bill-
    As you may have heard, I recently announced my support of an impeachment inquiry. I am writing to thank you for your support, and to outline the reasons behind this complicated and difficult decision.
    First, the obvious: There is compelling evidence that President Trump has committed significant criminal acts. Michael Cohen sits in jail today for criminal acts performed at the direction of Donald Trump. The Muller report details numerous clear acts of obstruction of justice. Although under our system a sitting president cannot be put on trial for these crimes, President Trump will face significant legal challenges as soon as he leaves office.
    Second, President Trump faces significant legal challenges in areas that are unrelated to the Mueller report or any election. I serve on the Financial Services Committee, where we are investigating activities of Deutsche Bank, the Trump Family Organization, and other entities as part of a broad and ongoing investigation into money laundering and other potential criminal financial activities. It is worth noting that prior to his election, Deutsche Bank was the only major bank willing to do business with the Trump organization. It is also notable that Deutsche bank has been repeatedly flagged for laundering the money of Russian oligarchs. While some aspects of this investigation have appeared in the press, others have not.
    Third, the decision to impeach and convict are political rather than purely legal decisions. Mitch McConnell and the Senate are very unlikely to vote to convict President Trump in a Senate impeachment trial for any crime, no matter how severe, that is related to his election. They will simply dismiss it as sour grapes and an attempt to reverse the results of an election that Trump won. President Trump will then claim that he as been exonerated by the Senate trial, present this as proof that he has been found innocent, and potentially win a second term. So there is a real political risk in proceeding directly to an impeachment vote on the basis of the criminality outlined in the Muller report alone.
    This is why our continuing investigation of non-election related crimes is so important – the ordinary, self-serving and venal criminal activities, if proven, may have the best chance of finally shaming Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans into doing the right thing. This is why the Trump legal team has been stonewalling and going all-out with delaying tactics of questionable constitutionality to thwart our legitimate congressional investigations into these activities. Viewing these tactics up close through our investigations in the financial services committee was one of the deciding factors in my decision to publicly support impeachment investigations.
    This has been a difficult decision, and no path is risk-free. In making this decision I spent a lot of time consulting with constituents in my far-suburban district, and frankly for many of them impeachment investigations are not a top priority. However, on balance I have concluded that the risk to our democracy is greater by tolerating Trump’s illegal behavior, even for the remainder of his first elected term, than the political risk from taking the stronger stands that his apparently criminal acts demand.
    As always, I depend on your support to continue my work fighting for facts, logic, justice and the rule of law in Congress.
    Thank you for everything you do.
    -- Bill
    P.S. A Contribution today helps support the only Ph. D. Scientist in Congress.


    Paid for by Bill Foster for Congress
    Bill Foster for Congress
    PO Box 9104
    Aurora IL 60598 United States

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  7. I should offer that an impeachment is an indictment, which is follow by a trial. And it is our custom that we do no try someone who is either incapable of understanding the charges against him or incapable of aiding in his own defense--both of which standards arguably apply to Donald Trump. Instead, we put them into institutionalized care until such time as they are sufficiently recovered to be considered sane, and then try them.

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