Recently fired deputy director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, writes op-ed for the Washington Post.

Courtesy of WaPo: 

I have been accused of “lack of candor.” That is not true. I did not knowingly mislead or lie to investigators. When asked about contacts with a reporter that were fully within my power to authorize as deputy director, and amid the chaos that surrounded me, I answered questions as completely and accurately as I could. And when I realized that some of my answers were not fully accurate or may have been misunderstood, I took the initiative to correct them. At worst, I was not clear in my responses, and because of what was going on around me may well have been confused and distracted — and for that I take full responsibility. But that is not a lack of candor. And under no circumstances could it ever serve as the basis for the very public and extended humiliation of my family and me that the administration, and the president personally, have engaged in over the past year. 

Not in my worst nightmares did I ever dream my FBI career would end this way. 

The next day I woke to find the president of the United States celebrating my punishment: “Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI — A great day for Democracy.” I was sad, but not surprised, to see that such unhinged public attacks on me would continue into my life after my service to the FBI. President Trump’s cruelty reminded me of the days immediately following the firing of James B. Comey, as the White House desperately tried to push the falsehood that people in the FBI were celebrating the loss of our director. The president’s comments about me were equally hurtful and false, which shows that he has no idea how FBI people feel about their leaders.

Towards the end of the 2016 election cycle The Guardian reported that the FBI was essentially "Trumpland," and that Hillary was seen as "the antichrist personified" to a large swath of FBI agents.

That was seen as part of the reason why the FBI's investigation into Trump's ties with Russia were kept on the down low while Clinton's email kerfuffle was featured on the front pages virtually every single day.

One has to wonder now if the FBI is happy with their performance, and in some cases lack of performance, during the 2016 elections?

I am not at all sure what they thought they would gain having Donald Trump as president, but if it was to be attacked on an almost weekly basis, have their top people humiliated and fired, and to have their entire agency undermined, well I guess they certainly got that, didn't they? 

Do you want to see Jared Kushner get humiliated on live TV? Sure you do.

Ouch!

Here is a breakdown courtesy of Washington Journals:  

Kushner made an appearance at the Saban Forum as part of his role as lead U.S. negotiator for Middle East peace — a job for which he has neither the qualifications nor aptitude. 

Speaking on live television with Haim Saban, the forum founder and an Israeli-American telecom billionaire, Kushner seemed as if he thought he was in safe territory. 

Saban has made clear that his global political priority is Israeli security, and Kushner and Trump have actually sabotaged the peace process in order to give symbolic victories to his home country. Saban let Kushner play expert for one full minute, listening to him rattle off a laundry list of Middle-Eastern issues — as though he were diagnosing a complex problem when he was really giving a third grade report — before he had heard enough. 

“I understand that,” Saban said with a chuckle. “But, to achieve that, the team has in it an entrepreneur, a real estate lawyer, a bankruptcy lawyer. I don’t know how you’ve lasted eight months in this lineup, but that’s for another day. And it’s impressive that it’s still going! There’s not a Middle East macher [Yiddish for expert] in this group, so, I mean, how do you operate with people who basically, you know…with all due respect, a bunch of Orthodox Jews who have no idea about anything?” 

And Saban was just getting started. Sure, he and Kushner may be ostensibly on the same pro-Israel side, but Saban is not an idiot. He understands that putting dangerously unqualified people into positions of real power is a threat to everybody. It’s something only the most deeply entrenched factions of Donald Trump’s base have yet to figure out.

"I don’t know how you’ve lasted eight months in this lineup, but that’s for another day."

That's a burn that will leave a mark. 

 Apparently nobody really takes this administration, or Jared Kushner, seriously. 

Employees at Fox News are embarrassed and humiliated by the cable network's coverage of the Robert Mueller investigation.

Courtesy of CNN:

Some employees at Fox News were left embarrassed and humiliated by their network's coverage of the latest revelations in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling, according to conversations CNN had with several individuals placed throughout the network. 

"I'm watching now and screaming," one Fox News personality said in a text message to CNN as the person watched their network's coverage. "I want to quit." 

"It is another blow to journalists at Fox who come in every day wanting to cover the news in a fair and objective way," one senior Fox News employee told CNN of their outlet's coverage, adding that there were "many eye rolls" in the newsroom over how the news was covered. 

The person said, "Fox feels like an extension of the Trump White House." 

The employees spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. A Fox News spokesperson told CNN the network covered the breaking news accurately and fairly across both news and opinion programming.

The article goes on to  reveal that though Fox did cover the recent indictments they did not focus on them, and instead spent a lot of time on the NFL protests, North Korea, and Trump's tax plan, while also airing pieces that questioned Muller's credibility. 

My friend emailed me last night and insists that at least one of these nameless folks in the piece above is most likely Shep Smith, who must be constantly cursing under his breath all day long about now.

Fortunately for conservatives in "the bubble" this is coming from CNN so Donald Trump will just dismiss it as "fake news."

New York Times is reporting that Donald Trump berated and humiliated Jeff Sessions over Robert Mueller's appointment as Special Counsel.

Courtesy of the New York Times:  

Shortly after learning in May that a special counsel had been appointed to investigate links between his campaign associates and Russia, President Trump berated Attorney General Jeff Sessions in an Oval Office meeting and said he should resign, according to current and former administration officials and others briefed on the matter. 

The president attributed the appointment of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, to Mr. Sessions’s decision to recuse himself from the Justice Department’s Russia investigation — a move Mr. Trump believes was the moment his administration effectively lost control over the inquiry. Accusing Mr. Sessions of “disloyalty,” Mr. Trump unleashed a string of insults on his attorney general. 

Ashen and emotional, Mr. Sessions told the president he would quit and sent a resignation letter to the White House, according to four people who were told details of the meeting. Mr. Sessions would later tell associates that the demeaning way the president addressed him was the most humiliating experience in decades of public life. 

The Oval Office meeting, details of which have not previously been reported, shows the intensity of Mr. Trump’s emotions as the Russia investigation gained steam and how he appeared to immediately see Mr. Mueller’s appointment as a looming problem for his administration. It also illustrates the depth of antipathy Mr. Trump has had for Mr. Sessions — one of his earliest campaign supporters — and how the president interprets “disloyalty” within his circle of advisers.

I have no sympathy for Sessions, he should have known what type of man Donald Trump was way back before he even announced his candidacy.

Trump has been mistreating people for his entire life, and is infamous for holding a grudge. 

At this point Sessions, as well a number of Cabinet members and White House staff, are in an abusive relationship with a man who will humiliate and verbally assault them in one breath and then stroke their ego and tell them he loves them in the next.

This is how pimps control their whores, and this is the same technique that Trump is utilizing to control his weak willed subordinates as well. 

But the clearly the one person that he fears above all others right now is Robert Mueller.

And that suggests that he knows the investigation will be his downfall.

The humiliation of Ted Cruz.

What Donald Trump said about Ted Cruz and his family was reprehensible.

If it was anybody but Ted Cruz I would certainly be able to drum up a little sympathy.

But I can't.

Just a video of Donald Trump humiliating and manhandling a former Miss Universe in front of an audience in Sydney, Australia.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Revenge has been a fixture of Donald Trump’s corporate speeches for years. It almost always comes up as he offers advice to his audience on how to succeed in business, and usually includes a Rosie O’Donnell anecdote. 

But at one speech in Sydney in October 2011, he decided to give the audience a live example of what revenge looks like by calling a woman he felt had slighted him onstage and sexually humiliating her in front of thousands of onlookers.

“Get even with people. If they screw you, screw them back 10 times as hard. I really believe that,” he begins, receiving a round of applause and cheers. 

“I’ll give you an example: Jennifer Hawkins. Where’s Jennifer? Where’s she sitting? Get over here, Jennifer,” Trump says, referring to the 2004 Miss Universe winner, who is Australian. “First of all, how beautiful is Jennifer? This is about getting even.” 

Trump then explains why he needs to “get even” with Hawkins, whom he accuses of declining to introduce him at the event. “I was so angry at her yesterday. Seriously, as I said, I thought that she dissed me. I thought that my Jennifer ― I’m going around saying she’s my favorite Miss Universe, but I think I like the new one better, Jennifer. So I go around saying she’s the greatest ... then when I came here, there was no Jennifer Hawkins to introduce me.” 

As you can see in the video Hawkins tries to explain herself but Trump dismisses her and at one point physically pushes her away from the microphone while he continues to  insult and demean her.

And when all is said and done what does he try to do?

He grabs her, gropes her, and tries to kiss her.

Just the fact that this POS brags that he has to "get even" with people, and "screw them back 10 times as hard," should be more than enough to disqualify him from running for the job of Commander-in-Chief.

But then to watch him mistreat a woman like this in front of a bunch of strangers just proves that he has no respect for over half of the human beings living in the country that he wants to lead.

Indiana elementary school student isolated from other children due to his lack of faith in God.

Courtesy of Raw Story: 

A lawsuit recently filed against a teacher at Forest Park Elementary School in Indiana alleged that a 7-year-old student was “banished” from sitting with other students at lunch after he revealed that he did not believe in God. 

According to the lawsuit obtained by The Washington Post, second grade teacher Michelle Myer interrogated the student, who was identified with the initials A.B., about his religious beliefs after he told his classmates on the playground that he did not go to church because he did not believe in God. 

As a result, the child was ordered to sit by himself during lunch for a three-day period. 

“The defendant’s actions caused great distress to A.B. and resulted in the child being ostracized by his peers past the three-day ‘banishment.'” 

“Ms. Meyer asked A.B. if he had told the girl that he did not believe in God and A.B. said he had and asked what he had done wrong,” the lawsuit explained. “Ms. Meyer asked A.B. if he went to church, whether his family went to church, and whether his mother knew how he felt about God… She also asked A.B. if he believed that maybe God exists.” 

Several days later, Meyer sent A.B. to talk to another adult at the school, who “reinforced his feeling that he had done something very wrong,” the lawsuit said. 

“On the day of the incident and for an additional two days thereafter, Ms. Meyer required that A.B. sit by himself during lunch and told him he should not talk to the other students and stated that this was because he had offended them. This served to reinforce A.B.’s feeling that he had committed some transgression that justified his exclusion.”

Of course this resulted in the child forming negative feelings about school and growing anxious about attending, as he felt both the teachers and children hated him. 

This story really hits me where I live since I went through a similar situation when I was about seven years old as well.

In my case I was ostracized by the other kids, and felt isolated and unwelcome for most of that year.

The next year I learned to keep my opinions to myself.

As you can see that did not last. 

Of course this is just one of the consequences facing those of us who use logic and critical thinking skills to navigate life, instead of relying on the comfort of ancient superstitions.

Lawrence O'Donnell uses Sarah Palin to shame John McCain over his remarks about UN Ambassador Susan Rice. Oh, this is going to leave a mark!

I was all fired up last night about these insulting and derisive statements from Lindsay Graham and John McCain directed at Susan Rice and was prepared to go all medieval on their asses.

But then I watched the Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and realized I simply could NOT have done it any better.

Here take a look for yourself. It is a thing of beauty.

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There is NO war on women, and the Republicans ALWAYS support the military, and the proof of that is that they are blocking access to abortions for pregnancies that result from rape in the military. Wait, that can't be right.

Courtesy of Comedy Central's Indecision (Don't let the source fool you, this is far from humorous.):  

The Pentagon reported 471 rapes of servicemembers in 2011, a number that grossly underestimates the actual number of sexual assaults. And although the military is trying to reduce instances of rape through education and prevention programs, it would be sane and reasonable for the Defense Department to offer women some options in case their assault results in pregnancy. 

Unfortunately, current policy follows the Rick Santorum's policy of turning rape lemons into baby lemonade. A pregnancy cannot be aborted at a military facility, even in cases of rape or incest, nor will military insurance cover abortion at an off-base facility. It's a more restrictive policy than that offered to State Department workers or the guards in the federal prison system. Or inmates in the federal prison system. 

Senator Jeanne Shaheen has led the effort to provide military families with the same access to abortion that other federal employees receive, but although it's found bipartisan support in the Senate, the measure is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled House… 

"We don't really understand why anybody would oppose [Shaheen's bill]," says Sharon Levin, the director of federal reproductive health policy at the National Women's Law Center. "The only reason it wouldn't go through is if the Republican leadership in the House tried to block it." 

That appears likely. A GOP staffer "familiar with defense issues" told Army Times last week that the Shaheen amendment "stands little chance of surviving" when the House and Senate meet to work out their differences on the defense bill. "Historically, social provisions that are not reflected in both bills heading into conference don't survive," the staffer said—conceding that the House version of the defense bill will not include anything like Shaheen's proposal.

Religious ideology trumps real world necessity once again.

I guess the Republicans are still embracing the Todd Akin idea, that a "legitimate" rape would certainly not require a woman to terminate any pregnancy.

Women have made such progress in the world today, it is simply a shame that in the eyes of many their contributions are overshadowed by the need to see them as baby manufacturing plants.