After the FBI was instructed by the White House to interview two of the women who claim Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted them - ignoring a third accuser represented by lawyer Michael Avenatti, The Wall Street Journal attempted to independently corroborate the 3rd accuser's story.
Julie Swetnick - whose checkered past has called her character into question, alleges that Kavanaugh and a friend, Mark Judge, ran a date-rape "gang bang" operation at 10 high school parties she attended as an adult (yet never reported to the authorities).
The allegations were posted by Avenatti over Twitter, which assert that Kavanaugh and Judge made efforts to cause girls "to become inebriated and disoriented so they could then be "gang raped" in a side room or bedroom by a "train" of numerous boys."
To try and corroborate the story, the Wall Street Journal contacted "dozens of former classmates and colleagues," yet couldn't find anyone who knew about the rape parties.
The Wall Street Journal has attempted to corroborate Ms. Swetnick’s account, contacting dozens of former classmates and colleagues, but couldn't reach anyone with knowledge of her allegations. No friends have come forward to publicly support her claims. -WSJ
Soon after Swetnick's story went public, her character immediately fell under scrutiny - after Politico reports that Swetnick's ex-boyfriend, Richard Vinneccy - a registered Democrat, took out a restraining order against her, and says he has evidence that she's lying.
"Right after I broke up with her, she was threatening my family, threatening my wife and threatening to do harm to my baby at that time," Vinneccy said in a telephone interview with POLITICO. "I know a lot about her." -Politico
"I have a lot of facts, evidence, that what she’s saying is not true at all," he said. "I would rather speak to my attorney first before saying more." Avenatti called the claims "outrageous" and hilariously accused the press of "digging into the past" of a woman levying a claim against Kavanaugh from over 35 years ago.
Swetnick will appear Sunday night in a TV interview with Showtime's The Circus - the first woman to levy claims against the Supreme Court nominee to do so. NBC's Morning Joe teased a clip of the interview Thursday, in which Swetnick calls for an investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, October 01, 2018
Our Affectionate Uncle Barry — Review: 'To Obama, With Love, Joy, Anger, And Hope'
Review: 'To Obama, With Love, Joy, Anger, And Hope' by Jeanne Marie Laskas
Dear President Obama,
Congratulations on the new book! It's so great to see you back in print, comforting the afflicted in these dark times. And my, what a pleasure cruise this must be for you: To Obama, With Love, Joy, Anger, And Hope, byNew York Times bestselling author Jeanne Marie Laskas—you didn't even have to lift your famous pen and phone to make it happen.
I had no idea you were such a profuse epistolarian. Answering 10 letters a night during your eight years in office—that's no small feat. It's fascinating reading them in a compilation and seeing how you took pains to correct those who disagreed with your vision, while offering encouragement to those who praised you to high heaven.
One of your detractors might call your dedication to letter writing a mixture of incompetence and neglect with regards to the more important areas of statecraft. But I can't hold it against you. The Iran Deal and the Affordable Care Act be damned: You were this nation's affectionate uncle.
And so cool, too. A loyal husband to Michelle, the woman who worked tirelessly to keep Faygo out of our kids' schools. A world traveler, never finding any reason too slight to jet out to some exotic vacation. Always a great friend to the press—or, "the blob," as your adviser, that chronic sock-forgetter Ben Rhodes, affectionately called us newspapermen. Ah, the memories.
Remember when your good friend Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote that novella-length eulogy for your presidency? How he described that 2016 party where you danced to "Hotline Bling" and cracked jokes about BET to a crowd filled with such luminaries as Janelle Monáe, De La Soul, and Usher? Coates was bedazzled, and so were we all. What a shame that all those pro-life, pro-gun voters frustrated with your eco-friendly regulations, bans, and caps decided to take revenge on you so soon after.
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Dear President Obama,
Congratulations on the new book! It's so great to see you back in print, comforting the afflicted in these dark times. And my, what a pleasure cruise this must be for you: To Obama, With Love, Joy, Anger, And Hope, byNew York Times bestselling author Jeanne Marie Laskas—you didn't even have to lift your famous pen and phone to make it happen.
I had no idea you were such a profuse epistolarian. Answering 10 letters a night during your eight years in office—that's no small feat. It's fascinating reading them in a compilation and seeing how you took pains to correct those who disagreed with your vision, while offering encouragement to those who praised you to high heaven.
One of your detractors might call your dedication to letter writing a mixture of incompetence and neglect with regards to the more important areas of statecraft. But I can't hold it against you. The Iran Deal and the Affordable Care Act be damned: You were this nation's affectionate uncle.
And so cool, too. A loyal husband to Michelle, the woman who worked tirelessly to keep Faygo out of our kids' schools. A world traveler, never finding any reason too slight to jet out to some exotic vacation. Always a great friend to the press—or, "the blob," as your adviser, that chronic sock-forgetter Ben Rhodes, affectionately called us newspapermen. Ah, the memories.
Remember when your good friend Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote that novella-length eulogy for your presidency? How he described that 2016 party where you danced to "Hotline Bling" and cracked jokes about BET to a crowd filled with such luminaries as Janelle Monáe, De La Soul, and Usher? Coates was bedazzled, and so were we all. What a shame that all those pro-life, pro-gun voters frustrated with your eco-friendly regulations, bans, and caps decided to take revenge on you so soon after.
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American Bar Association: All-In Leftists
Many folks don't know that the once-credible American Bar Association has gone all-in with the institutional left. Even some lawyers don't know. Even some lawyers who are ABA members don't know!
But thanks to the Federalist Society, we are treated to the Bar Watch Bulletin that catalogs the ideological drift of the ABA. The latest issue is out, and is full of parody, bias and more than one reason for mainstream American lawyers to end their memberships with the ABA.
ABA President James Silkenat delivered a doozy of a speech at the mid-year ABA meeting. The Federalist Society always catalogs the ideological shenanigans at ABA events. Silkenat didn't disappoint. In is speech he used the familiar left-wing tactic of making an ideological and partisan statement, and saying it wasn't ideological and partisan. From the Federalist Society:
ABA President James Silkenat addressed voting rights and gun violence in his remarks to the ABA House of Delegates on Monday, February 10.
Silkenat warned the House, "Voting rights in the United States are clearly under attack. Whether you agree or disagree with the Citizens United and Shelby County decisions, it is easy to see how our democracy can be undercut by rules and regulatory practices aimed at limiting full and fair voter participation. This is not a partisan issue."
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But thanks to the Federalist Society, we are treated to the Bar Watch Bulletin that catalogs the ideological drift of the ABA. The latest issue is out, and is full of parody, bias and more than one reason for mainstream American lawyers to end their memberships with the ABA.
ABA President James Silkenat delivered a doozy of a speech at the mid-year ABA meeting. The Federalist Society always catalogs the ideological shenanigans at ABA events. Silkenat didn't disappoint. In is speech he used the familiar left-wing tactic of making an ideological and partisan statement, and saying it wasn't ideological and partisan. From the Federalist Society:
ABA President James Silkenat addressed voting rights and gun violence in his remarks to the ABA House of Delegates on Monday, February 10.
Silkenat warned the House, "Voting rights in the United States are clearly under attack. Whether you agree or disagree with the Citizens United and Shelby County decisions, it is easy to see how our democracy can be undercut by rules and regulatory practices aimed at limiting full and fair voter participation. This is not a partisan issue."
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Lurid Accusations of Sexual Misconduct Against Senator Cory Booker
A witness has emerged with allegations of teenage sexual misconduct against Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and that witness is -- surprise! -- Senator Cory Booker. Columns detailing his misconduct, written by Booker in the student-run Stanford Daily newspaper in 1992, were first unearthed by the Daily Caller in 2013. They became an issue again this month after the senator became one of the leading Democratic voices against Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Earlier this month, Booker launched his 2020 presidential bid during a Judiciary Committee hearing where he awkwardly likened himself to Thracian gladiator Spartacus. This Friday, the senator awkwardly decried the "pernicious patriarchy" surrounding California professor Christine Blasey Ford's accusations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Judge Kavanaugh.
"In the United States of America right now, there are dark corners of our culture. The Center of Disease Control reports 'one out of every three American women will experience some form of sexual violence,'" Booker intoned, adding that "60 percent of them go unreported."
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Earlier this month, Booker launched his 2020 presidential bid during a Judiciary Committee hearing where he awkwardly likened himself to Thracian gladiator Spartacus. This Friday, the senator awkwardly decried the "pernicious patriarchy" surrounding California professor Christine Blasey Ford's accusations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Judge Kavanaugh.
"In the United States of America right now, there are dark corners of our culture. The Center of Disease Control reports 'one out of every three American women will experience some form of sexual violence,'" Booker intoned, adding that "60 percent of them go unreported."
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Pelosi: I'm Praying for 'Divine Intervention' to Stop Kavanaugh
Pelosi: Kavanaugh trying to present himself as 'beer-drinking altar boy'
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said Friday she is praying for "divine intervention" to stop Brett Kavanaugh from reaching the Supreme Court.
Pelosi spent much of her press briefing addressing the controversy surrounding the explosive Senate Judiciary Commitee hearing where Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexual assault, testified on Thursday.
Asked by a reporter what she thought Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.) should do about Kavanaugh if Democrats won the House and he took over the Judiciary Committee, Pelosi said she hoped the point would be moot.
"I'm hoping that Judge Kavanaugh will not be a justice on the Supreme Court," she said. "Let's just take it one day at a time."
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said Friday she is praying for "divine intervention" to stop Brett Kavanaugh from reaching the Supreme Court.
Pelosi spent much of her press briefing addressing the controversy surrounding the explosive Senate Judiciary Commitee hearing where Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexual assault, testified on Thursday.
Asked by a reporter what she thought Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.) should do about Kavanaugh if Democrats won the House and he took over the Judiciary Committee, Pelosi said she hoped the point would be moot.
"I'm hoping that Judge Kavanaugh will not be a justice on the Supreme Court," she said. "Let's just take it one day at a time."
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48% Of US Residents In Top 5 Cities Don't Speak English At Home; 67 Million Overall
Almost half of all US residents in the top five largest cities, or 48%, do not speak English at home according to the latest Census Bureau data.
The Washington Examiner reports that the new report, conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), also reveals that "As a share of the population, 21.8 percent of U.S. residents speak a foreign language at home — roughly double the 11 percent in 1980." Overall, roughly 67 million residents don't speak English at home.
In New York City and Houston it is 49 percent; in Los Angeles it is 59 percent; in Chicago it is 36 percent; and in Phoenix it is 38 percent. -CIS
In terms of population, Spanish is the most commonly spoken language at home at 41 million residents in 2017, up from 37 million in 2010. Chinese is the next most common language at 3.4 million using it primarily at home.
In terms of the fastest growing non-English languages spoken at home, Telugu experienced the most rapid growth, followed by Bengali, Tamil, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.
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The Washington Examiner reports that the new report, conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), also reveals that "As a share of the population, 21.8 percent of U.S. residents speak a foreign language at home — roughly double the 11 percent in 1980." Overall, roughly 67 million residents don't speak English at home.
In New York City and Houston it is 49 percent; in Los Angeles it is 59 percent; in Chicago it is 36 percent; and in Phoenix it is 38 percent. -CIS
In terms of population, Spanish is the most commonly spoken language at home at 41 million residents in 2017, up from 37 million in 2010. Chinese is the next most common language at 3.4 million using it primarily at home.
In terms of the fastest growing non-English languages spoken at home, Telugu experienced the most rapid growth, followed by Bengali, Tamil, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.
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Kavanaugh accuser was accused of engaging in 'unwelcome, sexually offensive conduct' by former job
Julie Swetnick, the third woman to accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, faced her own allegations more than a decade ago while employed at a Portland tech company.
Court documents show that in late 2000, the Portland-based company Webtrends filed a civil lawsuit against Swetnick alleging that she 'engaged in unwelcome, sexually offensive conduct' during a business lunch with two male employees and Webtrends customers.
The suit, obtained by Oregon Live, states that she engaged in 'unwelcome sexual innuendo' and 'inappropriate conduct'.
Swetnick, 55, was also accused of making 'false and retaliatory allegations that other co-workers had engaged in inappropriate conduct towards her'. According to the document, she alleged that two other employees at Webtrends had sexually harassed her.
In addition to the misconduct claims, the company accused Swetnick of lying about where she attended school and said she 'falsely described her work experience'.
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Court documents show that in late 2000, the Portland-based company Webtrends filed a civil lawsuit against Swetnick alleging that she 'engaged in unwelcome, sexually offensive conduct' during a business lunch with two male employees and Webtrends customers.
The suit, obtained by Oregon Live, states that she engaged in 'unwelcome sexual innuendo' and 'inappropriate conduct'.
Swetnick, 55, was also accused of making 'false and retaliatory allegations that other co-workers had engaged in inappropriate conduct towards her'. According to the document, she alleged that two other employees at Webtrends had sexually harassed her.
In addition to the misconduct claims, the company accused Swetnick of lying about where she attended school and said she 'falsely described her work experience'.
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Kennedy warns of dangers to democracy, won't talk Kavanaugh
Former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose retirement created the vacancy that produced the no-holds-barred confirmation fight over Brett Kavanaugh, said Friday maintaining civil discourse is critical to democracy's survival.
Kennedy never spoke directly about Kavanaugh, who was once his law clerk, or the bitter battle unfolding in Congress. But it was on the minds of his audience, a group of high school students and teachers who said civil discourse isn't what they're seeing in Washington.
"Nobody's behaving like adults," said Maya Steinhart, a 17-year-old high school senior who will vote for the first time in November. "It's absolute chaos and it makes no sense and it's terrifying and it's not working."
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Kennedy never spoke directly about Kavanaugh, who was once his law clerk, or the bitter battle unfolding in Congress. But it was on the minds of his audience, a group of high school students and teachers who said civil discourse isn't what they're seeing in Washington.
"Nobody's behaving like adults," said Maya Steinhart, a 17-year-old high school senior who will vote for the first time in November. "It's absolute chaos and it makes no sense and it's terrifying and it's not working."
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GOP Senators Furious over Democrats’ Kavanaugh ‘Circus’
Even before Friday’s explosive developments, Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Jon Cornyn (R-TX), top Senate Republicans long part of the establishment, unloaded on their Democratic colleagues during Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, calling it a “circus” and a “disgrace” – the worst since the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s.
“Each of you deserves to be treated fairly and respectfully,” began Hatch, who as the president pro tempore of the Senate is third in the line of succession to the U.S. president, after the vice president and Speaker of the House, speaking of both Kavanaugh and his accuser.
“He’s been a great federal judge on the second highest court in the nation,” he began on Kavanaugh. Hatch continued that the Supreme Court nominee has:
… earned a reputation for fairness and decency. His clerks love him. His students – he teaches in law school as well – his students love him. His colleagues love him. This man is not a monster, nor is he what has been represented here in these hearings.
“But the circus atmosphere that has been created since my Democratic colleagues first leaked Dr. Ford’s allegations to the media two weeks ago, after sitting on them for six weeks, has brought us the worst in our politics,” said Hatch.
“Porn star lawyers with factually implausible claims are driving the news cycle,” the Utah lawmaker continued. “I hate to say this, but this is worse than Robert Bork, and I didn’t think it could get any worse than that.”
“This is worse than Clarence Thomas,” he went on. Hatch was elected to the Senate in 1976, and participated in the committee hearings for both Bork, who was defeated in 1987, and Thomas, who was narrowly confirmed 52-48 in 1991.
Kavanaugh is “a man who, until two weeks ago, was a pillar of the legal community,” the senator added. “There’s been no whisper of misconduct by him in the time he’s been a judge. What we have are uncorroborated, unsubstantiated claims from his teenage years, claims that every alleged eye-witness has either denied or failed to corroborate.”
“I think it’s a disgrace,” Hatch concluded.
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“Each of you deserves to be treated fairly and respectfully,” began Hatch, who as the president pro tempore of the Senate is third in the line of succession to the U.S. president, after the vice president and Speaker of the House, speaking of both Kavanaugh and his accuser.
“He’s been a great federal judge on the second highest court in the nation,” he began on Kavanaugh. Hatch continued that the Supreme Court nominee has:
… earned a reputation for fairness and decency. His clerks love him. His students – he teaches in law school as well – his students love him. His colleagues love him. This man is not a monster, nor is he what has been represented here in these hearings.
“But the circus atmosphere that has been created since my Democratic colleagues first leaked Dr. Ford’s allegations to the media two weeks ago, after sitting on them for six weeks, has brought us the worst in our politics,” said Hatch.
“Porn star lawyers with factually implausible claims are driving the news cycle,” the Utah lawmaker continued. “I hate to say this, but this is worse than Robert Bork, and I didn’t think it could get any worse than that.”
“This is worse than Clarence Thomas,” he went on. Hatch was elected to the Senate in 1976, and participated in the committee hearings for both Bork, who was defeated in 1987, and Thomas, who was narrowly confirmed 52-48 in 1991.
Kavanaugh is “a man who, until two weeks ago, was a pillar of the legal community,” the senator added. “There’s been no whisper of misconduct by him in the time he’s been a judge. What we have are uncorroborated, unsubstantiated claims from his teenage years, claims that every alleged eye-witness has either denied or failed to corroborate.”
“I think it’s a disgrace,” Hatch concluded.
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DiGenova: Kavanaugh Inquisition Is Our Future with Democrats in Power
Former U.S. Attorney Joe diGenova framed Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearings with Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh as glimpses of America’s future with Democrat congressional majorities. He offered his remarks in a Friday interview with Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow.
DiGenova said, “What you saw on display by the Democrats on that committee was the raw political power that they will wield against people of goodwill, and all you have to do to know that is what’s going to happen is look at what the IRS did to conservative groups under Lois Lerner and John Koskinen.”
DiGenova continued, “This is the future of our country if the Democrats get control of the House and Senate. They are vile people. There is nothing good anymore to be said about the Democrat Party. They have eschewed all integrity [and] honesty in pursuit of power."
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DiGenova said, “What you saw on display by the Democrats on that committee was the raw political power that they will wield against people of goodwill, and all you have to do to know that is what’s going to happen is look at what the IRS did to conservative groups under Lois Lerner and John Koskinen.”
DiGenova continued, “This is the future of our country if the Democrats get control of the House and Senate. They are vile people. There is nothing good anymore to be said about the Democrat Party. They have eschewed all integrity [and] honesty in pursuit of power."
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Wall Street Journal Editorial Board: ‘Confirm Brett Kavanaugh’
After all the smoke had cleared Thursday, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board called for Brett Kavanaugh to be confirmed.
The board criticized Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s decision to keep Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation private “for six weeks,” only to make a public spectacle that turned the hearing into a “circus.”
Like Kavanaugh himself, the board did not reject that emotion or pain displayed by Ford, Rather, they noted that not a shred of evidence was put forth to tie Kavanaugh to Ford’s claims.
The board wrote: “Yet there is still no confirming evidence beyond her own testimony, and some of what she says has been contradicted. The female friend Ms. Ford says was at the home the night of the assault says she wasn’t there. The number of people she says were there has varied from four to five and perhaps more, but every potential witness she has cited by name says he or she doesn’t recall the party.”
More here
The board criticized Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s decision to keep Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation private “for six weeks,” only to make a public spectacle that turned the hearing into a “circus.”
Like Kavanaugh himself, the board did not reject that emotion or pain displayed by Ford, Rather, they noted that not a shred of evidence was put forth to tie Kavanaugh to Ford’s claims.
The board wrote: “Yet there is still no confirming evidence beyond her own testimony, and some of what she says has been contradicted. The female friend Ms. Ford says was at the home the night of the assault says she wasn’t there. The number of people she says were there has varied from four to five and perhaps more, but every potential witness she has cited by name says he or she doesn’t recall the party.”
More here
Judge allows Democrat 'emoluments' lawsuit to proceed against Trump
Congressional Democrats do have standing to sue President Trump over his continued relationship with his real estate company, a federal judge ruled Friday afternoon, giving the Trump opponents a chance to make their case in court.
Judge Emmet G. Sullivan’s ruling does not find that the president is violating the Constitution. Instead it keeps Democrats alive in the courtroom, where they can continue to make that case and work for a broader ruling against Mr. Trump.
Led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, more than 200 Democrats in Congress have accused the president of violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution by continuing to gain income from the Trump International hotel in Washington, and other properties.
They say that because foreign governments rent rooms at the hotel, Mr. Trump is enriching himself from those governments. The Constitution prohibits the president from taking any “emolument” from a foreign government unless he gets permission from Congress.
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Judge Emmet G. Sullivan’s ruling does not find that the president is violating the Constitution. Instead it keeps Democrats alive in the courtroom, where they can continue to make that case and work for a broader ruling against Mr. Trump.
Led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, more than 200 Democrats in Congress have accused the president of violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution by continuing to gain income from the Trump International hotel in Washington, and other properties.
They say that because foreign governments rent rooms at the hotel, Mr. Trump is enriching himself from those governments. The Constitution prohibits the president from taking any “emolument” from a foreign government unless he gets permission from Congress.
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Pro-Life Leaders Slam Sen. Joe Donnelly on Kavanaugh ‘No’ Vote
National pro-life leaders say Sen. Joe Donnelly is making a serious career mistake in his decision to vote against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), said:
Joe Donnelly’s decision to vote against Judge Kavanaugh is a profound betrayal and Indiana voters will remember this at the ballot box in November. Instead of standing with Hoosiers – who showed their trust in President Trump to nominate Supreme Court justices when they elected him by a 19-point margin – Donnelly caved to pressure from Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin and the radical abortion lobby.
Donnelly, who claims to be pro-life, announced his decision Thursday, stating he had “deep reservations” about Kavanaugh’s nomination. He criticized Senate majority Leader Mitch McConnell for not agreeing to an FBI investigation of Kavanaugh, though in 1991, then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) told the Senate Judiciary Committee twice that an FBI investigation was worthless as a determination of the facts:
The last thing I will point out, the next person who refers to an FBI report as being worth anything, obviously doesn’t understand anything. FBI explicitly does not, in this or any other case, reach a conclusion, period. Period.
The reason why we cannot rely on the FBI report [is] you would not like it if we did because it is inconclusive. They say, ‘He said, she said, and they said.’ Period.
“So when people wave an FBI report before you, understand they do not, they do not reach conclusions,” Biden said.
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Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), said:
Joe Donnelly’s decision to vote against Judge Kavanaugh is a profound betrayal and Indiana voters will remember this at the ballot box in November. Instead of standing with Hoosiers – who showed their trust in President Trump to nominate Supreme Court justices when they elected him by a 19-point margin – Donnelly caved to pressure from Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin and the radical abortion lobby.
Donnelly, who claims to be pro-life, announced his decision Thursday, stating he had “deep reservations” about Kavanaugh’s nomination. He criticized Senate majority Leader Mitch McConnell for not agreeing to an FBI investigation of Kavanaugh, though in 1991, then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) told the Senate Judiciary Committee twice that an FBI investigation was worthless as a determination of the facts:
The last thing I will point out, the next person who refers to an FBI report as being worth anything, obviously doesn’t understand anything. FBI explicitly does not, in this or any other case, reach a conclusion, period. Period.
The reason why we cannot rely on the FBI report [is] you would not like it if we did because it is inconclusive. They say, ‘He said, she said, and they said.’ Period.
“So when people wave an FBI report before you, understand they do not, they do not reach conclusions,” Biden said.
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Mere Creature of the State
It all starts with a good dose of anti-Catholicism. In 1922, voters in Oregon passed a referendum that banned private education. Supported by such Protestant organizations as the Orange Order and the Ku Klux Klan, the new law included in its reach an Oregon military academy and a few non-Catholic schools, but the statewide campaign for the referendum concentrated on the perceived Catholic danger to the American way.
A lawsuit immediately followed, reaching the Supreme Court in 1925 under the title Pierce v. Society of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. And American jurisprudence has never been the same. The case was a key early point in the line of decisions about the free exercise of religion. It served as an indicator of where the Supreme Court would take due process, equal protection, and application of the Fourteenth Amendment. It laid the groundwork, in its analysis of familial decisions, for the development of a doctrine of privacy. And it contained, in Associate Justice James Clark McReynolds's decision for the unanimous court, the extraordinarily powerful line, "The child is not the mere creature of the State."
Pierce v. Society of the Sisters also marks a key moment in the jurisprudence of education—a jurisprudence central to the modern judicial order. Or, in the strong formulation that Justin Driver puts in his new book, The Schoolhouse Gate, "The public school has served as the single most significant site of constitutional interpretation within the nation's history." The schools are "our most significant theaters of constitutional conflict."
More here
A lawsuit immediately followed, reaching the Supreme Court in 1925 under the title Pierce v. Society of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. And American jurisprudence has never been the same. The case was a key early point in the line of decisions about the free exercise of religion. It served as an indicator of where the Supreme Court would take due process, equal protection, and application of the Fourteenth Amendment. It laid the groundwork, in its analysis of familial decisions, for the development of a doctrine of privacy. And it contained, in Associate Justice James Clark McReynolds's decision for the unanimous court, the extraordinarily powerful line, "The child is not the mere creature of the State."
Pierce v. Society of the Sisters also marks a key moment in the jurisprudence of education—a jurisprudence central to the modern judicial order. Or, in the strong formulation that Justin Driver puts in his new book, The Schoolhouse Gate, "The public school has served as the single most significant site of constitutional interpretation within the nation's history." The schools are "our most significant theaters of constitutional conflict."
More here
Sen. Bill Cassidy: FBI Probe Must Investigate Dems’ Collusion to Smear Kavanaugh
Just like their other tactics throughout this confirmation process, Senate Democrats’ demands for an FBI investigation have never been about getting the facts or finding the truth.
If they were, they would have alerted law enforcement months ago, as soon as they learned of the claims. Instead, they waited until the last minute to leak them in order to delay the vote.
That is why any FBI investigation of the allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh should include potential coordination between the Democrat operatives and lawyers that assisted in bringing them forth.
What Senate Democrats really want is more time to smear Judge Kavanaugh, regardless of the toll it takes on his wife, his daughters, and our country.
Democrats will not suddenly require evidence to declare Judge Kavanaugh guilty of being the worst kind of criminal. They will not suddenly abandon their assumption that all accusations against Republicans are credible and to be believed.
If the FBI turns up nothing significant, they will say what Joe Biden said in 1991, that the FBI does not reach conclusions. They will say the FBI did not have enough time to conduct a thorough investigation.
More of Sen. Cassidy's statement here
If they were, they would have alerted law enforcement months ago, as soon as they learned of the claims. Instead, they waited until the last minute to leak them in order to delay the vote.
That is why any FBI investigation of the allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh should include potential coordination between the Democrat operatives and lawyers that assisted in bringing them forth.
What Senate Democrats really want is more time to smear Judge Kavanaugh, regardless of the toll it takes on his wife, his daughters, and our country.
Democrats will not suddenly require evidence to declare Judge Kavanaugh guilty of being the worst kind of criminal. They will not suddenly abandon their assumption that all accusations against Republicans are credible and to be believed.
If the FBI turns up nothing significant, they will say what Joe Biden said in 1991, that the FBI does not reach conclusions. They will say the FBI did not have enough time to conduct a thorough investigation.
More of Sen. Cassidy's statement here
Former Senator Barbara Boxer: Kavanaugh Looked Like Someone Who Could Attack a Woman
Former Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) said after Brett Kavanaugh's testimony Thursday that he is the sort of man "who you could now see attacking a woman."
"It was an exhausting day for everybody and especially for women who have had this experience and for women who have had relationships with very angry men," Boxer said. "All of a sudden we see a man transformed from a choir boy who, up to now, has said, after hours in front of the committee, he lived this very perfect life, all of a sudden his anger is triggered and what we saw today is someone who you could now see attacking a woman."
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"It was an exhausting day for everybody and especially for women who have had this experience and for women who have had relationships with very angry men," Boxer said. "All of a sudden we see a man transformed from a choir boy who, up to now, has said, after hours in front of the committee, he lived this very perfect life, all of a sudden his anger is triggered and what we saw today is someone who you could now see attacking a woman."
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Is July 1, 1982 party key to Christine Ford's allegation against Brett Kavanaugh?
Just hours after the end of the Brett Kavanaugh-Christine Ford hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, some Democrats began to suggest that a key piece of evidence had emerged. Examining the calendars from the summer of 1982 that Kavanaugh gave the committee days earlier, they focused on an entry for July 1, 1982 — 36 years and three months ago.
The entry read: 'Tobin's house — Workout/Go to Timmy's for Skis w/Judge, Tom, PJ, Bernie, Squi.'
Democrats claimed the details of the entry matched Ford's allegation that at a high-school party in 1982, when she was 15, a drunken 17-year-old Kavanaugh forced her onto a bed, tried to undress her, and, when she tried to scream, covered her mouth with his hand.
Ford has said that Mark Judge and Patrick J. Smyth were at the party, along with another boy whose name she could not recall and her female friend Leland Ingham Keyser. Kavanaugh's July 1 calendar entry said Judge and Smyth were there. Ford has said the boys were drinking beer. And the calendar refers to "skis," which was Kavanaugh's shorthand for "brewskis" — beer.
That was enough of a match for some Democrats. On Friday morning, after Thursday's testimony, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse produced an enlarged poster of the calendar entry and laid out the Democratic theory.
More here
The entry read: 'Tobin's house — Workout/Go to Timmy's for Skis w/Judge, Tom, PJ, Bernie, Squi.'
Democrats claimed the details of the entry matched Ford's allegation that at a high-school party in 1982, when she was 15, a drunken 17-year-old Kavanaugh forced her onto a bed, tried to undress her, and, when she tried to scream, covered her mouth with his hand.
Ford has said that Mark Judge and Patrick J. Smyth were at the party, along with another boy whose name she could not recall and her female friend Leland Ingham Keyser. Kavanaugh's July 1 calendar entry said Judge and Smyth were there. Ford has said the boys were drinking beer. And the calendar refers to "skis," which was Kavanaugh's shorthand for "brewskis" — beer.
That was enough of a match for some Democrats. On Friday morning, after Thursday's testimony, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse produced an enlarged poster of the calendar entry and laid out the Democratic theory.
More here
White House ordered FBI investigation to reassure 'persuadable' senators: Raj Shah
President Trump wants to reassure the senators White House spokesman Raj Shah described as "persuadable" about the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Shah said Saturday.
Shah said the White House thinks those senators genuinely want the FBI investigation ordered by Trump on Friday to get more information on the allegations against Kavanaugh by California professor Christine Blasey Ford, who accused the federal judge of sexually assaulting her during a high school party more than 30 years ago.
"It comes down to a few senators' votes. They want to be reassured, so we are going on with the process. Judge Kavanaugh has had nothing to hide," Shah said.
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Shah said the White House thinks those senators genuinely want the FBI investigation ordered by Trump on Friday to get more information on the allegations against Kavanaugh by California professor Christine Blasey Ford, who accused the federal judge of sexually assaulting her during a high school party more than 30 years ago.
"It comes down to a few senators' votes. They want to be reassured, so we are going on with the process. Judge Kavanaugh has had nothing to hide," Shah said.
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A radical new plan to upend the World Wide Web
Last week, Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, asked me to come and see a project he has been working on almost as long as the web itself. It’s a crisp autumn day in Boston, where Berners-Lee works out of an office above a boxing gym. After politely offering me a cup of coffee, he leads us into a sparse conference room. At one end of a long table is a battered laptop covered with stickers. Here, on this computer, he is working on a plan to radically alter how all of us live and work on the web.
“The intent is world domination,” Berners-Lee says with a wry smile. The British-born scientist is known for his dry sense of humor. But in this case, he is not joking.
This week, Berners-Lee will launch, Inrupt, a startup that he has been building, in stealth mode, for the past nine months. Backed by Glasswing Ventures, its mission is to turbocharge a broader movement afoot, among developers around the world, to decentralize the web and take back power from the forces that have profited from centralizing it. In other words, it’s game on for Facebook, Google, Amazon. For years now, Berners-Lee and other internet activists have been dreaming of a digital utopia where individuals control their own data and the internet remains free and open. But for Berners-Lee, the time for dreaming is over.
“We have to do it now,” he says, displaying an intensity and urgency that is uncharacteristic for this soft-spoken academic. “It’s a historical moment.”
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“The intent is world domination,” Berners-Lee says with a wry smile. The British-born scientist is known for his dry sense of humor. But in this case, he is not joking.
This week, Berners-Lee will launch, Inrupt, a startup that he has been building, in stealth mode, for the past nine months. Backed by Glasswing Ventures, its mission is to turbocharge a broader movement afoot, among developers around the world, to decentralize the web and take back power from the forces that have profited from centralizing it. In other words, it’s game on for Facebook, Google, Amazon. For years now, Berners-Lee and other internet activists have been dreaming of a digital utopia where individuals control their own data and the internet remains free and open. But for Berners-Lee, the time for dreaming is over.
“We have to do it now,” he says, displaying an intensity and urgency that is uncharacteristic for this soft-spoken academic. “It’s a historical moment.”
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A Massive, Multi-Million-Dollar Character Assassination Machine
The SPLC has for years defamed me as a “hate group leader” and an “anti-Muslim extremist.” These are not mere words. Tyler O’Neil reported in PJ Media last September that former SPLC spokesman Mark Potok declared: “Sometimes the press will describe us as monitoring hate groups, I want to say plainly that our aim in life is to destroy these groups, completely destroy them.”
Potok added: “You are able to destroy these groups sometimes by the things you publish. It’s not so much that they will bring down the police or the federal agents on their head, it’s that you can sometimes so mortally embarrass these groups that they will be destroyed. … We see this political struggle. We’re not trying to change anybody’s mind. We’re trying to wreck the groups. We’re trying to destroy them. Not to send them to prison unfairly or to take their free speech rights away, but as a political matter to destroy them.”
More here
Leftist Sliming Rising
It’s uncanny the way perhaps the three most distinguished Supreme Court nominees in my lifetime—Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh—have all been brutally slimed. Those nominees who sailed through, and now sit on the court, are all distinguished citizens with admirable careers, but their places in the legal history of the United States are unlikely to be as significant as those of Bork, Thomas and Kavanaugh.
In other words, it strikes me as notable that the best of the best get the worst treatment. I think we’d do well to ponder this.
First of all, it’s not new. Bork and Thomas were quite a while ago, one or two generations, depending on your standard of measurement. The sliming of Judge Kavanaugh is part of a long-standing pattern, not a surprising eruption of some new form of feminism or just part of the current political conflict.
I think the pattern has to do with the failure of the left to win substantive debates on central issues. Not so long ago, the left, usually in the form of pidgin Marxism (“the world is the way it is because of economic and social factors, and if you want to change things, you must change the economic and social structure”) Or, as candidate Clinton put it, “it’s the economy, stupid.”
No more.
Keep reading
In other words, it strikes me as notable that the best of the best get the worst treatment. I think we’d do well to ponder this.
First of all, it’s not new. Bork and Thomas were quite a while ago, one or two generations, depending on your standard of measurement. The sliming of Judge Kavanaugh is part of a long-standing pattern, not a surprising eruption of some new form of feminism or just part of the current political conflict.
I think the pattern has to do with the failure of the left to win substantive debates on central issues. Not so long ago, the left, usually in the form of pidgin Marxism (“the world is the way it is because of economic and social factors, and if you want to change things, you must change the economic and social structure”) Or, as candidate Clinton put it, “it’s the economy, stupid.”
No more.
Keep reading
Where is Democrats' concern and support for Keith Ellison's ex-girlfriend?
The former girlfriend of Congressman Keith Ellison is accusing her fellow Democrats of isolating her and attempting to silence her for speaking out about the domestic violence she claims to have suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend.
Democrats say they believe women when they come forward with claims of abuse inflicted on them by powerful men. But this claimed belief in women isn’t unconditional. When a woman accuses a powerful Democrat, all bets are off.
The episode is another reminder that Democrats are champions of women’s rights – but only when championing those women’s rights serves the Left.
Ellison is the in-your-face Muslim U.S. representative from Minnesota with ties to the Muslim terrorist underworld. He is an admirer of convicted cop killer and leftist folk hero Mumia Abu Jamal. He is a former co-chairman of the Communist-linked Congressional Progressive Caucus.
He is also deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Ellison is currently running to be Minnesota’s attorney general. Polling suggests Ellison has a narrow lead over Republican candidate Doug Wardlow in the race.
The ex-girlfriend making the accusations against Ellison is Karen Monahan, an organizer for the Sierra Club. Ellison is leading a smear campaign against her, she tweeted Sept. 23.
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Democrats say they believe women when they come forward with claims of abuse inflicted on them by powerful men. But this claimed belief in women isn’t unconditional. When a woman accuses a powerful Democrat, all bets are off.
The episode is another reminder that Democrats are champions of women’s rights – but only when championing those women’s rights serves the Left.
Ellison is the in-your-face Muslim U.S. representative from Minnesota with ties to the Muslim terrorist underworld. He is an admirer of convicted cop killer and leftist folk hero Mumia Abu Jamal. He is a former co-chairman of the Communist-linked Congressional Progressive Caucus.
He is also deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Ellison is currently running to be Minnesota’s attorney general. Polling suggests Ellison has a narrow lead over Republican candidate Doug Wardlow in the race.
The ex-girlfriend making the accusations against Ellison is Karen Monahan, an organizer for the Sierra Club. Ellison is leading a smear campaign against her, she tweeted Sept. 23.
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Sen. Cassidy: Feinstein Should Be Asked Under Oath if She Leaked Ford Letter
On Saturday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) stated Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) should be questioned under oath about whether she leaked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s letter.
Cassidy said the FBI “should investigate whether indeed there is this intent to coordinate and, in fact, the actual coordination.”
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Cassidy said the FBI “should investigate whether indeed there is this intent to coordinate and, in fact, the actual coordination.”
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Chesapeake Bay Bridge TUNNEL closed after equipment from truck blocks tunnel
According to Deputy Executive Director of Finance and Operations Thomas Anderson, a tractor-trailer traveling northbound with a piece of equipment on the trailer struck the ceiling in Thimble Tunnel around 11 a.m. The equipment fell off the trailer and blocked the roadway.
Crews are currently assessing the situation to determine how to get the equipment and trailer removed.
Indonesia earthquake: Tsunami seen in terrifying footage
Terrifying video footage shows massive waves crashing into an Indonesian island as a tsunami struck after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake.
In the shocking footage, recorded in Palu, Sulawesi, on Friday, enormous waves can be seen surging forward amid terrified screams.
Officials had earlier withdrawn a tsunami warning.
This morning, the spokesman of Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency BNPB said at least 48 people had been killed and the death toll was expected to rise.
"We have not received comprehensive reports yet because communications are cut. Many bodies were found along the shoreline because of the tsunami, but the numbers are still unknown," he said.
The water knocks down homes and smashes into trees, leaving a trail of destruction in its path, as residents cry out and try to run to safety.
The video comes as officials have confirmed a tsunami of up to two metres hit the city after a powerful earthquake rocked central Sulawesi.
More here with the 2-minute video
In the shocking footage, recorded in Palu, Sulawesi, on Friday, enormous waves can be seen surging forward amid terrified screams.
Officials had earlier withdrawn a tsunami warning.
This morning, the spokesman of Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency BNPB said at least 48 people had been killed and the death toll was expected to rise.
"We have not received comprehensive reports yet because communications are cut. Many bodies were found along the shoreline because of the tsunami, but the numbers are still unknown," he said.
The water knocks down homes and smashes into trees, leaving a trail of destruction in its path, as residents cry out and try to run to safety.
The video comes as officials have confirmed a tsunami of up to two metres hit the city after a powerful earthquake rocked central Sulawesi.
More here with the 2-minute video
Steve Hilton: Kavanaugh hearing shows divisive Democrats must be defeated before they destroy America
Millions of Americans have been deeply and emotionally engaged by Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing and the astonishing spectacle that unfolded in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
It is absolutely right to say that we are in a vital cultural moment. Ending sexual misconduct and the abuse, exploitation and harassment of women by men is long overdue.
For as long as I can remember I have done what I can to uphold the principle of gender equality – not just in my own life and behavior, but where I’ve had the chance to be an advocate or shape policy too.
But we are also in a vital political moment. Just as we're moving in the right direction on gender equality, we're moving in the wrong direction when it comes to politics.
And sadly, one party is overwhelmingly to blame. We discovered that Thursday at the reopened Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Kavanaugh.
I came away from watching the hearing convinced that both Christine Blasey Ford – who accused Kavanaugh of attempting to rape her when they were high school – and Kavanaugh are two good people caught up in an ugly war. Kavanaugh said repeatedly that he has never sexually assaulted anyone.
When I watched that hearing Thursday something changed for me. I woke up to the truth about today's Democrat Party establishment.
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It is absolutely right to say that we are in a vital cultural moment. Ending sexual misconduct and the abuse, exploitation and harassment of women by men is long overdue.
For as long as I can remember I have done what I can to uphold the principle of gender equality – not just in my own life and behavior, but where I’ve had the chance to be an advocate or shape policy too.
But we are also in a vital political moment. Just as we're moving in the right direction on gender equality, we're moving in the wrong direction when it comes to politics.
And sadly, one party is overwhelmingly to blame. We discovered that Thursday at the reopened Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Kavanaugh.
I came away from watching the hearing convinced that both Christine Blasey Ford – who accused Kavanaugh of attempting to rape her when they were high school – and Kavanaugh are two good people caught up in an ugly war. Kavanaugh said repeatedly that he has never sexually assaulted anyone.
When I watched that hearing Thursday something changed for me. I woke up to the truth about today's Democrat Party establishment.
More
Woman charged in NYC stabbing at suspected birth tourism site
A woman accused of stabbing three babies and two adults at a suspected birth tourism site said she mistook the newborns for wolves.
Yu Fen Wang, 52, told the New York Daily News from Rikers Island she was sorry for the stabbing spree at the residence in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens. Three babies — a 12-day-old, a 32-day-old and a 33-day-old — were taken to the hospital in critical condition after they were stabbed around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 20. Wang was charged with five counts of attempted murder.
“I don’t know why I did such a thing or what I was thinking about,” Wang said in Mandarin to the New York Daily News. “At the moment, I thought they were not babies, but wolves. So I slashed.”
According to multiple reports, the building was being used to house pregnant Asian women who sought to travel to the U.S. on tourist visas so their babies could be born and gain U.S. citizenship.
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Yu Fen Wang, 52, told the New York Daily News from Rikers Island she was sorry for the stabbing spree at the residence in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens. Three babies — a 12-day-old, a 32-day-old and a 33-day-old — were taken to the hospital in critical condition after they were stabbed around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 20. Wang was charged with five counts of attempted murder.
“I don’t know why I did such a thing or what I was thinking about,” Wang said in Mandarin to the New York Daily News. “At the moment, I thought they were not babies, but wolves. So I slashed.”
According to multiple reports, the building was being used to house pregnant Asian women who sought to travel to the U.S. on tourist visas so their babies could be born and gain U.S. citizenship.
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University of N. Florida and Pentagon Cut Ties with China’s Confucius Institutes
The University of North Florida announced that it will cut ties with the China-funded Confucius Institute on its campus. Others of the approximately 100 colleges and universities hosting Confucius Institutes are considering doing so as well or have already done so.
Ostensibly, Confucius Institutes are apolitical partnerships between American and Chinese universities, giving American students opportunities to learn to speak Chinese or study abroad. But the Chinese themselves say that they serve as “an important part of China’s overseas propaganda” and they also serve as outposts of China’s intelligence and surveillance operations, as FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to the U.S. Senate in February.
In addition to the 100-plus Confucius Institutes in the U.S., China runs about 500 “Confucius Classrooms” at American K-12 schools. In Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, and other countries, China runs 1,500 Confucius Institutes and Classrooms, with 40 percent of them in the U.S., more than any other country.
The Confucian Institutes are one of the programs of Beijing’s international coercive propaganda agency, the United Front Work Department (UFWD). Every aspect of the Confucian Institutes is tightly controlled by the Hanban agency, a Chinese Communist Party agency. Teachers and teaching materials are all supplied by China. Taiwan and Tibet are portrayed as undisputed territories of China, with no alternate views permitted. The 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the one million Uighurs in re-education camps, the human rights abuses in China are all forbidden subjects.
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Ostensibly, Confucius Institutes are apolitical partnerships between American and Chinese universities, giving American students opportunities to learn to speak Chinese or study abroad. But the Chinese themselves say that they serve as “an important part of China’s overseas propaganda” and they also serve as outposts of China’s intelligence and surveillance operations, as FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to the U.S. Senate in February.
In addition to the 100-plus Confucius Institutes in the U.S., China runs about 500 “Confucius Classrooms” at American K-12 schools. In Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, and other countries, China runs 1,500 Confucius Institutes and Classrooms, with 40 percent of them in the U.S., more than any other country.
The Confucian Institutes are one of the programs of Beijing’s international coercive propaganda agency, the United Front Work Department (UFWD). Every aspect of the Confucian Institutes is tightly controlled by the Hanban agency, a Chinese Communist Party agency. Teachers and teaching materials are all supplied by China. Taiwan and Tibet are portrayed as undisputed territories of China, with no alternate views permitted. The 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the one million Uighurs in re-education camps, the human rights abuses in China are all forbidden subjects.
More
Cotton says Feinstein will be investigated over leaked letter
Sen. Tom Cotton said Sunday that Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office will be investigated to determine whether or not they leaked the confidential letter from Christine Blasey Ford that detailed allegations of sexual misconduct by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Feinstein, who represents California and who is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, had received the letter from Ford sometime over the summer and was asked to keep it confidential. At some point, however, the letter was leaked to the press, although Feinstein denies that anyone in her office is responsible.
“They have betrayed her,” Cotton, R-Ark, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” about Ford. ” “She has been victimized by Democrats ... on a search-and-destroy mission for Brett Kavanaugh.”
Cotton added that the Democrats will be to blame if women stop coming forward to report sexual assaults because Ford’s confidentiality was compromised.
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/30/cotton-says-feinstein-will-be-investigated-over-leaked-letter-by-kavanaugh-accuser.html
Feinstein, who represents California and who is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, had received the letter from Ford sometime over the summer and was asked to keep it confidential. At some point, however, the letter was leaked to the press, although Feinstein denies that anyone in her office is responsible.
“They have betrayed her,” Cotton, R-Ark, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” about Ford. ” “She has been victimized by Democrats ... on a search-and-destroy mission for Brett Kavanaugh.”
Cotton added that the Democrats will be to blame if women stop coming forward to report sexual assaults because Ford’s confidentiality was compromised.
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/30/cotton-says-feinstein-will-be-investigated-over-leaked-letter-by-kavanaugh-accuser.html
Sen. Hirono doesn't answer when asked whether Dems leaked Christine Ford's letter
Sen. Mazie Hirono, who has emerged as one of the most vocal opponents of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, on Sunday didn't directly answer when asked if she was confident Democrats didn't strategically leak Christine Ford's accusations against him just days before a crucial Judiciary Committee vote.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., received a letter from Ford in July outlining her claim that Kavanaugh had attacked her at a house party in the 1980s, and her office immediately recommended Ford retain a prominent liberal lawyer. But, as Sen. Lindsey Graham, D-S.C., and other top Republicans repeatedly noted last week, Feinstein failed to follow committee protocols and notify her colleagues or federal authorities, even on a confidential basis, about the accusations.
"Are you confident the Democrats didn’t leak that letter, and how do you respond to Senator Graham’s charge that it was inappropriate for the Democrats to refer Dr. Blasey Ford to a lawyer?" host George Stephanopoulos asked Hirono on ABC's "This Week."
More here
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/30/sen-hirono-doesnt-answer-when-asked-whether-dems-leaked-christine-fords-letter-on-kavanaugh.html
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., received a letter from Ford in July outlining her claim that Kavanaugh had attacked her at a house party in the 1980s, and her office immediately recommended Ford retain a prominent liberal lawyer. But, as Sen. Lindsey Graham, D-S.C., and other top Republicans repeatedly noted last week, Feinstein failed to follow committee protocols and notify her colleagues or federal authorities, even on a confidential basis, about the accusations.
"Are you confident the Democrats didn’t leak that letter, and how do you respond to Senator Graham’s charge that it was inappropriate for the Democrats to refer Dr. Blasey Ford to a lawyer?" host George Stephanopoulos asked Hirono on ABC's "This Week."
More here
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/30/sen-hirono-doesnt-answer-when-asked-whether-dems-leaked-christine-fords-letter-on-kavanaugh.html
10 Reasons The FBI Will Clear Kavanaugh
The FBI will conclude its “supplemental” background check into Judge Kavanaugh (it’s 7th), limiting its time and scope to focus on purely the claims of sexual misconduct earlier than the Democrats hoped.
Those Democrats will resort to additional dirty tactics. Speeches from all of the Democrats will occur on the floor of the Senate—most opposing Kavanaugh. They will throw seismic fits, and spittle-flying rants, condemning Kavanaugh, republicans and even the very FBI they begged to investigate all in an attempt to destroy and demoralize Judge Kavanaugh.
Newly dubbed Majority Leader “Cocaine Mitch” McConnell will whip the vote and Judge Kavanaugh will fill the spot of the ninth justice on the Supreme Court
It will conclude one of the ugliest periods of American politics. Sadly about fifty percent of the American people will be too uninformed to explain why it was so ugly. The average American will mistakenly think (thanks to the horrifically awful media) that Judge Kavanaugh did something that no one ever proved he did.
Not one scintilla of evidence revealed, and all witnesses involved clearing him of any involvement, attendance, or even having met.
Justice Kavanaugh’s life will never be the same. Nor will his accuser’s. But sadly some of the Senate Democrats who decided to ruin these lives will sleep like babies and never take so much as a moment to ponder the damage they did. They will never question the unethical use of violating the trust of a constituent who confided in them and desired an anonymous process. They will never regret their attempt to slander an honorable father in the eyes of his own daughters. They will only move to plot their next step in attempting to regain power.
Those Democrats will resort to additional dirty tactics. Speeches from all of the Democrats will occur on the floor of the Senate—most opposing Kavanaugh. They will throw seismic fits, and spittle-flying rants, condemning Kavanaugh, republicans and even the very FBI they begged to investigate all in an attempt to destroy and demoralize Judge Kavanaugh.
Newly dubbed Majority Leader “Cocaine Mitch” McConnell will whip the vote and Judge Kavanaugh will fill the spot of the ninth justice on the Supreme Court
It will conclude one of the ugliest periods of American politics. Sadly about fifty percent of the American people will be too uninformed to explain why it was so ugly. The average American will mistakenly think (thanks to the horrifically awful media) that Judge Kavanaugh did something that no one ever proved he did.
Not one scintilla of evidence revealed, and all witnesses involved clearing him of any involvement, attendance, or even having met.
Justice Kavanaugh’s life will never be the same. Nor will his accuser’s. But sadly some of the Senate Democrats who decided to ruin these lives will sleep like babies and never take so much as a moment to ponder the damage they did. They will never question the unethical use of violating the trust of a constituent who confided in them and desired an anonymous process. They will never regret their attempt to slander an honorable father in the eyes of his own daughters. They will only move to plot their next step in attempting to regain power.
Watch - Pat Buchanan: 'Trend Worldwide' is National Sovereignty
Populist conservative author and columnist Pat Buchanan says the “trend worldwide” is toward President Trump’s worldview of national sovereignty and away from the Bush dynasty’s desired “New World Order.”
During a panel discussion on The McLaughlin Group, Buchanan said in response to Trump’s anti-globalism, pro-Americanism speech at the United Nations last week that the president is leading the trend worldwide.
“The trend worldwide now is not towards George W. Bush, H.W. Bush, New World Order, it’s not towards global democracy, it’s not toward transnationalism anymore, it’s not towards institutions like the [World Trade Organization],” Buchanan said.
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During a panel discussion on The McLaughlin Group, Buchanan said in response to Trump’s anti-globalism, pro-Americanism speech at the United Nations last week that the president is leading the trend worldwide.
“The trend worldwide now is not towards George W. Bush, H.W. Bush, New World Order, it’s not towards global democracy, it’s not toward transnationalism anymore, it’s not towards institutions like the [World Trade Organization],” Buchanan said.
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Newt Gingrich: Blue wave of liberal cash from California and New York flooding Georgia governor's race
You’ve probably heard a lot about the supposed blue wave the political elite are predicting for the election cycle. I’m confident Republicans will keep control of the House and the Senate, but a different kind of blue wave is currently washing across several states.
It’s a blue wave of liberal funding.
A massive flow of money from liberal donors in California and New York is pouring into traditionally Republican states and districts. We first saw this blue wave of cash during the special elections held to replace the Congressmen and Senators who were appointed to the Trump Administration. The most notable was the race between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff in my old district, the 6th District of Georgia.
This Georgia special election was the most expensive in history. According to The New York Times, the campaigns raised about $28 million – with the bulk, $23.6 million going to Ossoff. Of Ossoff’s haul, 82 percent was from outside Georgia, and the majority of contributions came from notoriously left-wing states, like California and New York.
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It’s a blue wave of liberal funding.
A massive flow of money from liberal donors in California and New York is pouring into traditionally Republican states and districts. We first saw this blue wave of cash during the special elections held to replace the Congressmen and Senators who were appointed to the Trump Administration. The most notable was the race between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff in my old district, the 6th District of Georgia.
This Georgia special election was the most expensive in history. According to The New York Times, the campaigns raised about $28 million – with the bulk, $23.6 million going to Ossoff. Of Ossoff’s haul, 82 percent was from outside Georgia, and the majority of contributions came from notoriously left-wing states, like California and New York.
More
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/newt-gingrich-blue-wave-of-liberal-cash-from-california-and-new-york-flooding-georgia-governors-race
Brooks: Democrats Threaten America ‘as We Know It’ with Push for Illegal Alien, Non-Citizen Voting Rights
According to Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), the “lawful” policy some municipalities around the country are implementing that allows illegal aliens and non-citizens to vote could be the nation’s “biggest threat.”
In a speech to a gathering of local Republicans in northeastern Alabama on Saturday, Brooks explained this effort underway in these cities is a trend the entire Democrat Party wants to adopt, and if successful it would dilute the vote of American citizens.
“This may be the biggest threat to our nation,” Brooks proclaimed to the Jackson County, AL Republican Party gathering. “Democrats want non-citizens voting in our elections. Not only do they want that – there are about a dozen cities right now, Democrat-controlled cities – they have passed municipal ordinances that allow illegal aliens and unlawful immigrants to register to vote and actually vote in their local elections. That means it is no longer a United States that they’re seeking. It’s a United Nations of sorts where we are no longer Americans, as we have been for centuries. We’re something different.”
“That is the Democrat Party’s position,” he added. “The biggest city is San Francisco and don’t take my word for this threat. Look at how these cities are lawfully registering [illegal aliens and non-citizens]. It’s lawful because they’re passing ordinances that allow illegal aliens and non-citizens to register to vote and then vote, thereby diluting the vote of American citizens.”
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In a speech to a gathering of local Republicans in northeastern Alabama on Saturday, Brooks explained this effort underway in these cities is a trend the entire Democrat Party wants to adopt, and if successful it would dilute the vote of American citizens.
“This may be the biggest threat to our nation,” Brooks proclaimed to the Jackson County, AL Republican Party gathering. “Democrats want non-citizens voting in our elections. Not only do they want that – there are about a dozen cities right now, Democrat-controlled cities – they have passed municipal ordinances that allow illegal aliens and unlawful immigrants to register to vote and actually vote in their local elections. That means it is no longer a United States that they’re seeking. It’s a United Nations of sorts where we are no longer Americans, as we have been for centuries. We’re something different.”
“That is the Democrat Party’s position,” he added. “The biggest city is San Francisco and don’t take my word for this threat. Look at how these cities are lawfully registering [illegal aliens and non-citizens]. It’s lawful because they’re passing ordinances that allow illegal aliens and non-citizens to register to vote and then vote, thereby diluting the vote of American citizens.”
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Maryland authorities say they'll investigate Kavanaugh -- if a victim files a complaint
Authorities in Maryland on Friday said they were prepared to conduct a state-level criminal investigation into sexual assault allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh -- provided that a victim comes forward.
The disclosure by Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy came Friday, the same day that President Trump ordered the FBI to conduct a limited "supplemental" investigation.
But Manger and McCarthy noted that prosecution was unlikely in Maryland because authorities would have to apply the law that existed at the time of the offense, not the law that exists now, Baltimore's FOX 45 News reported.
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The disclosure by Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy came Friday, the same day that President Trump ordered the FBI to conduct a limited "supplemental" investigation.
But Manger and McCarthy noted that prosecution was unlikely in Maryland because authorities would have to apply the law that existed at the time of the offense, not the law that exists now, Baltimore's FOX 45 News reported.
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Dems say Kavanaugh should recuse from cases involving party: 'He revealed himself as a partisan'
Democrats on Sunday said that if Judge Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, he should recuse himself from cases involving congressional Democrats because of his “partisan” performance during last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
“I think the proper thing would be, yes,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler said on ABC’s “This Week.” “I was astonished at his rant… he’s supposed to be non-partisan.”
“His animus toward the entire Democratic party, toward people associated with it like the Clintons, should be disqualifying,” said Mr. Nadler, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. “He showed no judicial temperament.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono said on the program that the judge’s performance showed that he’s a political and “partisan” operative and that “the veil is revealed.”
“He revealed himself as a partisan,” said Ms. Hirono, Hawaii Democrat. “I would think that if I were a Democrat going before him, I’d ask him to recuse himself.”
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“I think the proper thing would be, yes,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler said on ABC’s “This Week.” “I was astonished at his rant… he’s supposed to be non-partisan.”
“His animus toward the entire Democratic party, toward people associated with it like the Clintons, should be disqualifying,” said Mr. Nadler, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. “He showed no judicial temperament.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono said on the program that the judge’s performance showed that he’s a political and “partisan” operative and that “the veil is revealed.”
“He revealed himself as a partisan,” said Ms. Hirono, Hawaii Democrat. “I would think that if I were a Democrat going before him, I’d ask him to recuse himself.”
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Samuel L. Jackson Compares Brett Kavanaugh to ‘Liars and Rapists’
Actor Samuel L. Jackson took to Twitter Friday evening and slammed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as a “lying ass fratboy,” in response to a video that depicted the actor’s character from Pulp Fiction having a conversation with the judge.
“Funny as hell, but there’s nothing funny about his Lying Fratboy Ass!!!” Jackson wrote of the video posted by Twitter user @girlsreallyrule. The edited video shows Jackson’s Pulp Fiction character Jules Winnfield and Judge Kavanaugh’s opening remarks during his hearing Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Funny as hell, but there’s nothing funny about his Lying Fratboy Ass!!!” Jackson wrote of the video posted by Twitter user @girlsreallyrule. The edited video shows Jackson’s Pulp Fiction character Jules Winnfield and Judge Kavanaugh’s opening remarks during his hearing Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Graham: ‘Somebody Needs to Ask’ Ford’s Lawyers: ‘How Could She Not Know About’ Our Offer to Go to Her?
Sen. Lindsey Graham said that he almost fell out of his chair in disbelief when Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, testified Wednesday that she wasn’t aware that the Judiciary Committee had offered to visit her in California to hear her story.
At a committee hearing on Thursday, Sen. Graham quoted the email offer sent to Ford’s attorneys on September 19, 2018:
“The email interactions between this committee and her lawyers: ‘My staff would still welcome the opportunity to speak with Dr. Ford at any time, at any place convenient to her. Come to us, or we to you. I’m willing to have my staff travel to California, or anywhere else, to obtain her testimony.’ September the nineteenth.
The committee repeated the offer in a letter to Ford’s attorneys, which has been publicly posted on its Senate website since September 19th.
Sen. Graham, noting his years of experience as a lawyer, called for an investigation into how, and why, this offer was not clearly explained to Ford by her attorneys:
“I don’t know what to believe, but I tend to believe that Dr. Ford did not know about this invitation. Now, I’ve been a lawyer most of my adult life, and somebody needs to ask the question to her lawyers: How could she not know about this?
“Are you beginning to understand what’s been going on for a very long time in this case?
“It’s not that hard to figure out.”
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At a committee hearing on Thursday, Sen. Graham quoted the email offer sent to Ford’s attorneys on September 19, 2018:
“The email interactions between this committee and her lawyers: ‘My staff would still welcome the opportunity to speak with Dr. Ford at any time, at any place convenient to her. Come to us, or we to you. I’m willing to have my staff travel to California, or anywhere else, to obtain her testimony.’ September the nineteenth.
The committee repeated the offer in a letter to Ford’s attorneys, which has been publicly posted on its Senate website since September 19th.
Sen. Graham, noting his years of experience as a lawyer, called for an investigation into how, and why, this offer was not clearly explained to Ford by her attorneys:
“I don’t know what to believe, but I tend to believe that Dr. Ford did not know about this invitation. Now, I’ve been a lawyer most of my adult life, and somebody needs to ask the question to her lawyers: How could she not know about this?
“Are you beginning to understand what’s been going on for a very long time in this case?
“It’s not that hard to figure out.”
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Elizabeth Warren teases 2020 presidential run: It's time 'for women to go to Washington'
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced to a crowd Saturday that she's thinking about running for president in 2020.
"After Nov. 6, I will take a hard look at running for president," Warren said at a town hall in Holyoke, Mass.
Attendees wrote on Twitter that she received a standing ovation after saying this.
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"After Nov. 6, I will take a hard look at running for president," Warren said at a town hall in Holyoke, Mass.
Attendees wrote on Twitter that she received a standing ovation after saying this.
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The U.S. and Canada reached a last-minute agreement to salvage Nafta, a move that will keep the trilateral trade deal intact.
The deal came after a weekend of frantic talks to try and preserve a trade agreement that has stitched together the economies of Mexico, Canada and the United States but that was in danger of collapsing amid deep divisions between President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
#IAMBRETKAVANAUGH
I watched the Brett Kavanaugh hearings last week, with utter shock. Here was a man who was – in my opinion destroyed by a culture of people hell bent to recoup their power. Then it hit me as why I was so upset. I realized that I achieved an #IAMBRETTKAVANAUGH moment. Because what is happening to Judge Kavanaugh, could have happened to ANYONE in my class. Falsely accused memories of 40 years later, discussions about words in a yearbook… even being with girls. I am going to run this out there, and any one of my Catholic school friends can debate me on this... this could have happened to any of us and it is unfair.
40 Years ago, this year I graduated from my All Boys Catholic High School. My group got together 2 weeks ago we came to celebrate this event. To the single one of us, we described events, that vividly came back to us when discussed. Many of the things we did, if looked at from today’s perspective obviously made us cringe, and also laugh. To say the least we were crazy kids - “boys” back then, and honestly when we look back any one of us could be Brett Kavanaugh today.
The only difference between Judge Kavanaugh’s school and mine, is that we were not rich kids. Most of us were lower middle-class kids. Our parents some of them worked 2-3 jobs to give us a quality education. Some of us lived pretty close to or in some of the worse neighborhoods in the city. We were not all the same color or race, or even ethnicity. In the final result. We learned about each other, and we had one thing that both banded us together– we were all young men. We all moved on to be pretty successful young men. This could have happened to any one of us.
Having lived through a Catholic all Boys School, I can possibly tell you many salacious stories of young men who were in their teens, full of testosterone. I know many back then who were bragging about sexual escapades that never happened, and doing what young men do all the time, when they are alone together – Brag about their “manhood”. Maybe women today will call that sick. Many revisionists who look back at their teen years and don’t see awkwardness and self-discovery, and just plain dumbness are really deluding themselves. But one thing rings true. We made mistakes at a time when we were supposed to make mistakes. After this moment – sadly that is now lost too.
Any man who has gone three decades to create an exemplary life for his family, who has been a good man, whose friend’s male and female said they looked up to and even in some cases revered. A man who raised a daughter that asked him and his wife to pray for their enemy. I believe him. Just as much as I believe Ms Ford had a bad experience – I just do not believe that it was this man that perpetrated it.
What I can say quite clearly is that 40 years later if we did anything in our school, EVERYONE knew about it. Many things happen when we are alone. We are not talking about those moments. But Judge Kavanaugh was not alone with Ms. Ford. Secrecy between 2 people can be easily kept and hidden many years later. It is the secrecy of 2,3, and even 4 people that is incredulous to believe. Because someone blurts something out, or a rumor is started. None of that happened. That is why I believe Judge Kavanaugh, and NOT Dr. Ford.
What has happened to this man from a political perspective has me upset. My wife keeps asking me why AM I so obsessed about it. I will tell you why…. Because this is not political – an example of what can happen to you when the mob rules society as it now has started to do. it is a public crucifixion of a good man, and if we watch it from the sidelines, and do nothing – we are all participating in it, and there is not enough water on the entire earth to wash or hands of it or even wash this away.
In my high school days, I heard of secret liaisons that were said to have occurred amongst my classmates. I know we did some nutty and outrageous things. I also know that while we may have covered up a secrecy or two and some of the things that might have went on during those years. Not a single one of would have kept secret any abuse of another. None of us would have allowed ANYONE to get away with ANY kind of sexual assault on ANY woman. If a party occurred, we would have heard about it. If a party occurred and some was assaulted, we would have heard about it and done something about it. It would have been discussed in detail the next day, among all of us. If it happened in the summer, the phone lines would have gone off the hook, with teenage gossip. What people who never went to a small private school is that most things are not private.
Cassidy: FBI Should Investigate Dems' Efforts to Delay Kavanaugh Confirmation
Sen. Bill Cassidy on Saturday accused Democrats of strategically attempting to delay the Supreme Court confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh.
Following Friday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, President Trump ordered the FBI to conduct a "supplemental" probe into the sexual misconduct accusations against the nominee.
"How many more charges can be brought out to smear this man?" Cassidy (R-La.) asked.
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Following Friday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, President Trump ordered the FBI to conduct a "supplemental" probe into the sexual misconduct accusations against the nominee.
"How many more charges can be brought out to smear this man?" Cassidy (R-La.) asked.
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http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/09/29/brett-kavanaugh-fbi-probe-bill-cassidy-says-fbi-should-investigate-democrats
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