The Attacks on Judge Brett Kavanaugh Are Setting a New Low

The Senate calls itself the “World’s Greatest Deliberative Body.” It may have been, but the hearings on Judge Kavanaugh have been an American disgrace, full of defamation, slander, and mud-slinging with little substance or deliberation, mirroring the tone of American politics today. Organized protests filled the hearing room. Absent a glaring faux pas or damaging disclosure, Judge Brett Kavanaugh was going to be confirmed to the Supreme Court thanks to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Senator Reid eliminated in 2013 the filibuster for federal district court and court of appeals judges to stack the lower judiciary with Obama appointees. The Republicans responded in 2017 with eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court appointees. As long as 50 Republicans voted as a bloc to confirm the Judge, his confirmation was assured. The Democrats knew it. They would have liked to block the nomination, but it wasn’t likely. Instead, many auditioned for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination. Senator Cory Booker had his “I Am Spartacus” moment when he disclosed classified, racist quotes by Judge Kavanaugh. The disclosures were neither classified nor damaging to the Judge. Indeed, the quote showed the opposite. Reminder to Senator Booker: Spartacus was crucified. Senator Kamala Harris released a clip showing the Judge saying “Filling out the form would make them complicit in the provision of the abortion-inducing drugs that they were, as a religious matter, objecting to.” That’s a great cite to show the Judge is pro-life and would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Senator tweeted: “Kavanaugh chooses his words very carefully, and this is a dog whistle for going after birth control. He was nominated for the purpose of taking away a woman’s constitutionally protected right to make her own health care decisions. Make no mistake – this is about punishing women.” The full, unedited clip is “They say filling out the form would make them complicit in the provision of the abortion-inducing drugs that they were, as a religious matter, objecting to.“ Judge Kavanaugh was quoting the argument of the Priests for Life, plaintiffs in the case. Even the Washington Post awarded Senator Harris Four Pinocchio’s. Hillary Clinton was quick to repeat the calumny. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said “Women are going to die” if Judge Kavanaugh is confirmed. Senator Patrick Leahy, not running for President, accused the Judge of misleading the Senate under oath. Democrats learned they could defeat Republican Supreme Court nominees by attacking them. Clement Haynsworth and Harold Carswell were rejected in the Nixon Administration after being accused of being anti-civil rights. Democrats controlled the Senate. The first scurrilous, vicious attack was mounted by Senator Ted Kennedy against the nomination of Judge Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. The Senator led the charge in destroying Judge Robert Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court. He went on the Senate floor 45 minutes after the nomination was announced, and uttered these vile words: “Robert Bork’s America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens’ doors in midnight raids, and schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists could be censured at the whim of the Government, and the doors of the federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens.” His attack, followed by his supporters, created a new verb, “to Bork,” in the American lexicon. The Democratic Senate voted down Judge Bork. Then came the failed attempt on Justice Clarence Thomas’s nomination. He was accused, with graphic details, by Anita Hill of sexual harassment. He called the hearings a circus and a national disgrace. He labeled the hearings a “lynching:” “From my standpoint, as a black American, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in an way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the united States Senate rather than hung from a tree.” The hearings on Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, Alito, and Gorsuch had their moments, but none of these four appointments would change the balance on the Supreme Court. Liberals are afraid that Justice Kavanagh will shift a 4½ (Justice Kennedy) conservative majority to a solid 5:4 conservative majority. In short, they view the judiciary as just another political branch of government. The American tragedy is that the judiciary is becoming a third, unelected political branch of government. That was not the intent of the framers of the Constitution and the American nation. The campaign to confirm or deny Judge Kavanaugh to the Court is reaching Apocalyptic proportions. USA Today yesterday reported over 16,200 ads have been run so far. The Kavanaugh supporters have aired over 11,300 ads, mostly in Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, and West Virginia, states with vulnerable Democratic incumbent Senators. Democrats are challenging Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Senator Collins of Maine is considered a possible no vote on the nomination. Her office has received about 3,000 coat hangers. Over $1 million has been raised to support her opponent in her next Senate campaign if she votes to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. Her office has been inundated with calls, petitions, letters, and emails. One call to a 25 year old staffer hoped the staffer would be raped and impregnated. Social media can bring out the worse in some nutjobs. The Democrats lack the votes to deny Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, but they can engage in character assassination and antics. Delay, delay, delay is the Democratic game, plan hoping to delay long enough to sabotage the nomination or drag it not only past the first day of the Court’s term, but past election day. Senator Dianne Feinstein disclosed on Thursday that she had received a letter: “I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.” She added: “That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities.” Leaks show the gist of the claim is that two teenagers, Brett Kavanaugh and a friend, took a high school girl into a bedroom, locked the door and started sexually attacking her. She managed to escape. Judge Kavanaugh has “categorically and unequivocally” denied the charges while his friend has “no recollection” of the incident. The alleged victim may not want to come forward, but her identity is known to many. Inexorable pressure will be placed on her to come forward prior to September 20. Ronan Farrow has flown out to talk to her, urging her to come forward as part of the #MeToo Movement. The Committee vote is scheduled for September 20, followed by Senate debate, and then a final vote before October 1. Her story is already being used in attempting to delay the proceedings. Democrats and Progressives see her as their last chance to block the nomination. Senator Feinstein’s “I have information” echoes Senators Richard Nixon and especially Joe McCarthy and McCarthyism 7 decades ago: “I have here in my hand a list ….”. The last minute disclosure also echoes that of the Clarence Thomas hearings when Anita Hill came forward near the end. A Stanford professor sent the letter last summer to Representative Anna Eshoo , who forwarded it to Senator Feinstein. The Senator then sat on the letter. She did not ask the Judge about it, either in a private conference, or during the Committee hearings. It was not part of the 1,278 questions sent to the Judge after the Hearings. The Republicans may not have known the letter was coming, but they were prepared. They quickly obtained a letter from 65 women who knew the Judge in high school: “We are women who have known Brett Kavanaugh for more than 35 years and knew him while he attended high school between 1979 and 1983. For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honorably and treated women with respect. We strongly believe it is important to convey this information to the committee at this time.” Some of the judge’s former clerks sat behind him during his testimony at the Committee. The FBI’s response to the Senator’s referral was to place the letter in the background file and forward it to the White House, who then sent it to the Judiciary Committee. The FBI has conducted 6 background checks on Brett Kavanaugh since 1983. Nothing showed up in them. The Feinstein referral is not giving rise to number 7. Senator Feinstein’s act could be viewed as: 1) A last gasp Hail Mary; 2) A last gasp character assassination; or 3) A Senator worried about reelection, trying to solidify her Democratic base. Senator Feinstein is using momentum in her reelection campaign to a young, telegenic, radically liberal Hispanic. She had beaten Kevin De Leon 44.2% to 12.1% in the primary, but her age is catching up to her in this election year with young candidates often defeating long established incumbents. Senator Orrin Hatch said of Senator Feinstein’s ploy: “The claims are wholly unverifiable, and come at the end of a process that was already marred by ugly innuendo, dishonesty and the nastiest form of our politics. The American people deserve much better from the Senate as an institution.” Even Joe Scarborough, Morning Joe of MSNBC, thought poorly Friday morning of the disclosure: “This looks like a cheap last minute trick by Democrats – whether you’re for Kavanaugh or not.” Senator Mazie Hirono asked Judge Kavanaugh during the hearings if he “ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature? as an adult. Judge Kavanaugh answered he never faced discipline or entered into a settlement over such matters. High school attacks are not new for democrats. Governor Mitt Romney in the 2012 Presidential Election was accused of being a bully in high school. Again, a real cheap shot even if it sorta fit an image being portrayed of him. Perhaps a good rule for the Senate should go back to the Bible: Let he without sin cast the first stone. A question for America: How can we reasonably expect good people of integrity and accomplishment to go through these attacks upon themselves o their families?

The Brett Kavanaugh Nomination: The Rule of Law or the Rule of Man

We are uncertain how the judge will vote in specific cases on specific issues, but we have a fairly good idea, as we did with the recent nominations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. Are you Pro Choice or Pro Life? Pro Life yea and Pro Choice no. Are you for or against environmental protection? If for, then no and if against yea. How about gun control? In favor, then no. If against, then yes. Illegal immigration? If in favor, then no. If against, then yes. The Chevron Doctrine? If in favor of keeping, then nay. If against, then aye. Are you in favor of capital punishment, or against it? If in favor, then yea and against, no. How about affirmative action? If in favor, then no. If against, then yes. Are you opposed to a nominee described as “friendly to big business or hostile to labor?” Then nay How about diversity in universities? Do you want diversity on the Supreme Court, or are you satisfied with Harvard and Yale? Do you want a liberal justice or conservative justice? Republican or Democrat? None of these are the right questions. Another round of ObamaCare? What about antitrust? Haven’t thought about that one? All these questions and answers mean you want a political justice who will ignore the Constitution and the Rule of Law. The question is if you believe in the Rule of Law or the Rule of Man? The Rule of Law means we are all equal under the law. The United States was founded on the Rule of Law. It’s called the Constitution The law, the Rule of Law, is the glue that holds society together. Faith to the Constitution has held our republic together for 229 years, but it’s starting to fray. The alternatives to the rule of law are anarchy, despotism, or mob rule, none of which follows the rule of law. Article 6, Clause 3 of the Constitution requires all federal and state judges to take an oath to support the Constitution. Members of Congress also take an oath to the Constitution. The oaths are to the rule of law – not to an individual or organization. Obviously some judges and justices ignore their oaths, believing the Constitution is a living constitution, which they can change as they deem fit to pursue their notions of social justice. Many progressives would like the Supreme Court to be a mirror image of the activist Ninth Circuit, which does feel bound by the Constitution or laws. A constitution which can be rewritten by activist judges is not a constitution or even a roadmap. It is meaningless. The Bill of Rights will no longer be a safeguard of the people against the government. We are experiencing a breakdown of the rule of law. Antifa often resorts to violence against those it disagrees with. Conservative speakers and voices are silenced on compass, often with the tacit agreement of administrators. Protestors against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh attempted to break up the confirmation hearing, an example of mob rule. Would you prefer a Senate hearing on the merits and substance or one of theatrics, histrionics, talking points and hissy fits?

The Brett Kavanaugh Nomination: The Rule of Law or the Rule of Man

We are uncertain how the judge will vote in specific cases on specific issues, but we have a fairly good idea, as we did with the recent nominations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. Are you Pro Choice or Pro Life? Pro Life yea and Pro Choice no. Are you for or against environmental protection? If for, then no and if against yea. How about gun control? In favor, then no. If against, then yes. Illegal immigration? If in favor, then no. If against, then yes. The Chevron Doctrine? If in favor of keeping, then nay. If against, then aye. Are you in favor of capital punishment, or against it? If in favor, then yea and against, no. How about affirmative action? If in favor, then no. If against, then yes. Are you opposed to a nominee described as “friendly to big business or hostile to labor?” Then nay How about diversity in universities? Do you want diversity on the Supreme Court, or are you satisfied with Harvard and Yale? Do you want a liberal justice or conservative justice? Republican or Democrat? None of these are the right questions. Another round of ObamaCare? What about antitrust? Haven’t thought about that one? All these questions and answers mean you want a political justice who will ignore the Constitution and the Rule of Law. The question is if you believe in the Rule of Law or the Rule of Man? The Rule of Law means we are all equal under the law. The United States was founded on the Rule of Law. It’s called the Constitution The law, the Rule of Law, is the glue that holds society together. Faith to the Constitution has held our republic together for 229 years, but it’s starting to fray. The alternatives to the rule of law are anarchy or despotism, neither of which follows the rule of law. Article 6, Clause 3 of the Constitution requires all federal and state judges to take an oath to support the Constitution. Members of Congress also take an oath to the Constitution. The oaths are to the rule of law – not to an individual or organization. Obviously some judges and justices ignore their oaths, believing the Constitution is a living constitution, which they can change as they deem fit to pursue their notions of social justice. A constitution which can be rewritten by activist judges is not a constitution or even a roadmap. It is meaningless. The Bill of Rights will no longer be a safeguard of the people against the government. We are experiencing a breakdown of the rule of law. Antifa often resorts to violence against those it disagrees with. Conservative speakers and voices are silenced on compass, often with the tacit agreement of administrators. Protestors against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh attempted to break up the confirmation hearing. Would you prefer a Senate hearing on the merits and substance or one of theatrics, histrionics, talking points and hissy fits?

Hail to the Victors! 2018 is the Year to Win it All

This is the year. The Wolverines will be back, finally. They will win it all. Michigan will beat Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Ohio State on the road and Penn State and Wisconsin at home, the Big (Ten) Title Game, and the two playoff games. Don’t scoff! I know the stats. Michigan is 1-13 against Ohio State in the past 14 game. Lloyd, the coach whose name shall not be mentioned, Brady and now Harbaugh are 0-16 since 2006 in road games against ranked teams. Harbaugh is 1-2 against Michigan State. No Big Ten titles since 2004. Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Ohio state are road games this year. Penn State and Wisconsin are at home. The Wolverines will prevail. The breaks will fall their way this season. So many games were oh so close last year. This is the year. Michigan’s problem for a decade has been a porous offensive line that sometimes leaked like a sieve. The school which routinely sent OL’s to the NFL has had a few All Americans in recent years, David Molk, Jake Butt and Taylor Lewan, but a OL is only as good as its weakest player. The result is twofold: 1) the team is beaten down by the end of the season and loses games, and 2) relatedly the RB’s and QB’s are banged up. Denard Robinson, Devin Garner and whoever entered the Ohio State game unable to throw the ball. The passing game has been anemic. Wide receivers could not create space at the line of scrimmage. Running backs had to execute their best moves to get back to the line of scrimmage. A running game can open up the passing game. The passing game can open up the running game. If neither is effective, then the offense will underperform. His offensive game plans were often simplified by necessity. Good old fashion smash mouth football didn’t work. Watch Michigan open it up this year with a bevy of solid quarterbacks and running backs. Coach Harbaugh made adjustments during the off-season. He’s hired a new conditioning coach, offensive coordinator, and offensive line coach. The offensive line will click this year. Michigan has lost too many games at the end of the season. Lucy will not pull the football out this year from Charlie Brown. What do I really think? 8-5 to 14-1. If Michigan beats Notre Dame Saturday night, it should be able to defeat Michigan State on the road. One of these years the pendulum will change against Ohio State. Penn State and Wisconsin are beatable in Ann Arbor. All Michigan needs this year is a solid offensive line and a few breaks to go along with a great defense. 14-1. Let not Ohio State be the loss. POST GAME POSTING Lucy pulled the football out again. The offensive line problems continue and Michigan continues to have trouble with a running quarterback.

Memo to Ohio State "President" Michael Drake: Football Coach Urban Meyer is TOSU President - Not You

University of California Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake was appointed President of The Ohio State University on January 30, 2014. His vision was undoubtedly to take an outstanding university and raise it to greatness. The Chancellor from California did not understand the ethos of Ohio. Football is the state religion of Ohio. A winning Ohio State football coach is God in Ohio. The Buckeye Nation worships at the altar of Meyer. Mere mortals genuflect to him. Urban Meyer has won one national championship in six years in Columbus. More than that he has defeated that school up north, aka Michigan, 6 times in 6 years. Coaches who consistently lost to Michigan, e.g. Earle Bruce and John Cooper, were fired. He is God of Ohio football. He tolerated Zach Smith, a spousal abuser on his staff; he must have had a good reason in his mind, just as he did with Aaron Hernandez and a host of other players earlier at Florida, where he won two national titles. Coach Meyer gave Zach promotions and substantial salary increases over the years despite increasing erratic behavior. His judgment cannot be questioned. He is a winner. President Drake earns $1.09 million a year. Coach Meyer’s is $7.6 million, the highest paid person at Ohio State. Gene Smith, the athletic director, earns almost twice as much as the Ohio State President. Any questions about the state’s priorities? He lied to reporters. Who cares? Coach Meyer said at the Wednesday press conference: “I wish I had done more and I wish I had known more.” He’s still lying about his ignorance. His wife knew and apparently never told him. Yet he asked an administrator how to delete the text messages on his phone after the scandal went public. Coach Meyer knows football – not smart phones. Urban Meyer’s body language at the press conference was one of arrogance and disgust. It was snarly and surly, like “How dare you force me to be here!” It was a damn inconvenience for him to be there as he woodenly read a prepared statement. He was sorry for the Buckeye Nation, but did not mention Courtney Smith, the victim. The assistant coach, Zach Smith, took high school coaches to strip clubs on the university tab. He had sex toys sent to his office, and was sleeping with a secretary in the athletic department. President Drake fired Jonathan Water, the innovative marching band director, on July 24, 2014 for not stopping a history of sexualized misconduct by the band. Jonathan, as a student member of the band, dotted the “I” at the November 21, 1998 Ohio State – Michigan game. The President said: “We expect every member of our community to live up to a common standard of decency and mutual respect and to adhere to university policies.” Not always – apparently a pattern of domestic violence does not count. Jim Tressel, once a great Ohio State coach, was fired for less. Don’t cry for Tressel. The state of Ohio has taken good care of him. The former football coach of Youngstown State is now the President of Youngstown State. This though is Urban Meyer, the legendary Urban Meyer. I don’t know if President Drake has ever met former President James Duderstadt of Michigan, who has been concerned about the relationship of big time athletics to institutions of higher education. His book, Intercollegiate Athletics and the American University: A University President’s Perspective (2003), should be a must read for university presidents. He writes in his preface: “While it is tempting for university presidents to regard intercollegiate athletics as merely a peripheral activity, far removed from the mainstream mission of the university, it is also clear that the unusual public visibility of big-time sports programs can place the university at considerable risk.” Big Ten universities are a shining example of sports debacles affecting university missions of academic excellence. The University of Michigan had a major scandal 15 years when it was discovered a booster was paying many of its star basketball players. More recently Penn State has incurred $237 million in costs as of January 2017 in the Jerry Sandusky Scandal. Esteemed Coach Joe Paterno was shabbily treated by the Board. Michigan State recently agreed to pay $500 million to 332 victims of Dr. Larry Nassar. Ohio State is experiencing revelations about a doctor for the wrestling teams. He died years ago, but the liability lives on. Maryland has a football team scandal on its hands and Rutgers has several players arrested in recent years for a variety of offenses, including credit card fraud in the past week. USC, in the Pac 12, is undergoing a scandal similar to Michigan State and Ohio State. An NCAA basketball scandal is unfolding and may involve Arizona, Auburn, Kansas, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, and USC. Baylor’s football program has been wracked by a series of alleged sexual assaults. Ohio State is appearing to condone domestic violence. I suspect not everyone in the Buckeye Nation is happy about that message. Ohio State’s Board took almost 11 hours Wednesday in deciding Urban Meyer's future – at least for now it’s a three game suspension and several weeks without pay. That won’t even put a dent in his $7.6 million salary. Rumors are that President Drake wanted the coach terminated. Both the coach and athletic director violated a cardinal rule of governance. They sprang a major avoidable, unpleasant surprise on the President, Board, and University without warning. Zach Smith’s lawyer, Brad Koffel, isn’t helping. He issued a statement Wednesday: “Zach Smith married a woman he should not have married. Vengeance against her ex-husband resulted in collateral damage to Urban Meyer, Gene Smith and the Ohio State University.” Yep, blame it on the victim. Urban Meyer finally tweeted an apology Wednesday to Courtney Smith. The odds are he didn’t write it, just as he didn’t write the statement he read Wednesday. The tweet said: “Let me say here and now what I should have said on Wednesday. I sincerely apologize to Courtney Smith and her children for what they have gone through. My words and demeanor on Wednesday did not show how seriously I take relationship violence. This has been a real learning experience for me. I fully intend to use my voice more effectively.” We will see. Penn State disgustingly fired Joe Paterno, stripped him of his victories and removed his statue in front of the stadium eventhough Joe Pa had reported Jerry Sandusky to his superiors. Gene Smith and Urban Meyer should be fired, but this is Urban Meyer. Gene Smith’s contract is up in 2020. He will probably quietly retire. Urban Meyer ????

Will President Trump Trump President Erdogan?

The US-Turkey fight is purported to be over Andrew Brunson, a Protestant Minister, imprisoned in Turkey for 21 months. That’s only the surface of several layers; it’s much deeper than one minister and goes back several years. . President Trump is tough. He’s a New York City streetfighter, who made it in New York City real estate, one of the toughest markets in the world. He has survived financial setbacks and fake news as well as the collective slings and arrows of the media. He is a tough survivor. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is tough. He has survived imprisonment, banishment from political office, a legal coup, and a military coup. He is a tough survivor. Both use strong language. Neither suffers insults easily. President Trump tweets and insults. President Erdogan jails. President Trump is challenged by the Deep State. President Erdogan is eviscerating his Parallel State. We are currently witnessing a battle for survival between the two presidents. We were in Istanbul 5 years ago. It was a dynamic city with a booming economy. The fast pace of the people reminded me of the first time in Manhattan, witnessing the hurried pace of multitudes of New Yorkers on 5th Avenue. Optimism permeated Istanbul. Turkey wanted in the EU. The EU needed Turkey’s economic success as a model. It didn’t happen. The EU toyed with Turkey, which even eliminated capital punishment as a condition of joining the EU, but the answer was No. I believe Western Europe holds strong biases against the Turks, remembering the centuries of Ottoman rule and attacks on Austria. Many still view Turkey as backwards. The Greeks, Albanians, Serbs, Hungarians, Ukrainians and Romanians have no love for the Turks. Anti-Muslim bias probably also played a role. Roughly 2 million Turks work in Germany, but they are definitely second class non-citizens. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was on a roll. He had tamed inflation while keeping inflation low. He unleased the economy. He invested in major infrastructure projects. Turks were rightly proud. Let us start with an underlying premise. Turkey’s main economic problem is a heavy debt load. Its growth was financed by foreign debt, usually in dollars or Euros. A drop in the Turkish Lira adversely affects debt repayment. Turkish companies owe about $220 in foreign exchange loans. Moody’s removed the “investment grade” rating from Turkey’s debt rating in 2016. They just rerated it as “junk.” Warning signs were present five years ago of President Erdogan’s megalomania. President Erdogan had already imprisoned scores of reporters and, with the assistance of Muhammed Fethullah Gulen’s supporters, framed scores of military leaders in 2005. There was not going to be another military coup on his watch. Iman Gulen founded in Turkey the Gulen Movement (Hizmet), which is a form of soft Islam, emphasizing hard work, education, altruism, and tolerance. A split between the allies occurred in December 2013, when the sons of three cabinet ministers were arrested for corruption. A tape was leaked, with Prime Minister Erdogan instructing his son to dispose of millions of dollars in incriminating funds. The inference was that the devoutly religious prime minister was also a deeply corrupt prime minister. The prosecutors forgot the cardinal rule. If you try to depose the king, sultan, shah, ruler, president, prime minister, boss, leader, make sure you succeed. They failed. The PM resisted calls to resign. The responsible prosecutors and police were quickly arrested. Gulen supporters in the judiciary, police, prosecution, and intelligence services were purged. Erdogan blamed Gulen, who moved to the United States in 1999 for medical treatment, has a Green Card. He lives in a compound in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. An arrest warrant was issued in Turkey for him on December 19, 2014. Then came the botched military coup on July 15, 2016. Over 160,000 Turks were arrested or detained, and over 180,000 fired from their jobs. Over 140,000 passports were cancelled, precluding them from leaving Turkey. 4,000 judges, 25% of the country’s total, were dismissed, so much for an independent judiciary. Elected officials, including members of Parliament, mayors, and party leaders, were purged and sometimes arrested. The broad brush of Erdogan’s vengeance includes, at recent count, includes 24,000 police officers and prosecutors, 7,300 academics, 15 universities and over 1,000 schools closed, 28 TV stations closed, as well as 36 radio stations, 66 newspapers, 19 magazines, 26 publishing houses, and 5 news services. Over 1,000 private businesses, often of his political opponents, were seized. The story is that Turkey had to empty its prisons of ordinary criminals to make room for the political prisoners. The Gulen Movement has been labeled a terrorist movement, but Erdogan’s victims include Kurds, socialists, communists, and innocent victims. The President again blamed Fethullah Gulen and has actively sought his extradition from the United States, which has been rejected several times on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Erdogan wants Gulen to the same extent Stalin wanted Trotsky. The Reverend Andrew Brunson has been in Turkey for 23 years, ministering to a small church with about 25 congregants in Izmir, Turkey. He was arrested on October 7, 2016 on grounds of terrorism as a member of the Gulen Movement. He has essentially been held as a hostage for 21 months in exchange for Gulen. The Reverend is not the only one though. 17 Turkish Americans are also being held, including Dr. Serkan Golge, a NASA scientist with dual U.S. Turkish citizenship. Dr.Golge was vacationing in Turkey when he was arrested. The prosecutor told the judge that the serial number on one of Dr. Golge’s dollar bills represented his hierarchy in the Gulen Movement. Apparently, they believe that serial numbers beginning with “F” are suspect. Dr. Golge’s wife is barred from leaving Turkey. The State Department is further upset because the mass arrests included three Turkish employees, Metin Topuz, Hamza Vlucay, and Mete Canturk, of the United States Embassy. Due process is non-existent in these arrests and dismissals in Turkey. More twists are in the dispute. President Erdogan’s body guards attacked several demonstrators in Washington, D.C. on May 16, 2017 outside the Turkish Embassy during a visit by President Erdogan. 15 were indicted. Reza Zarrab, a gold trader who helped Turkey violate the sanctions on Iran in trading for oil, was convicted of money laundering and sentenced to 32 months in prison. Erdogan wants him back. He will also want Mehmet Hakan Attila returned. Mehmet was Vice President of state owned Halkbank, which funneled the funds to Iran in breaching the sanctions. He has also been sentenced to 32 months while the bank is awaiting the imposition of perhaps substantial fines. Washington feels betrayed by President Erdogan. Israel arrested Ebru Ozkan, a 27 year old Turkish woman, in June for helping Hamas. Presidents Trump and Erdogan met on July 11 at the NATO meeting. The Americans believe, the Turks deny, that an agreement was reached for the release of Ebru in exchange for Reverend Brunson. President Trump phoned Prime minister Netanyahu on July 14, requesting the release of Ebru. Israel deported her the next day. Reverend Brunson remains a prisoner in Turkey, albeit now under house arrest. Charges were dropped at the same time against 11 of the indicted bodyguards. President Erdogan played President Trump for a fool, which he is not. The State Department then imposed sanctions on Turkey’s Interior and Justice Ministers. President Trump imposed tariffs of 20% on Turkey’s aluminum and 50% on Turkish steel. 11% of Turkey’s steel exports go to the United States. President Erdogan still believes in massive infrastructure, borrowing heavily. He built a railroad tunnel under the Bosporus, connecting Europe to Asia. He’s building a third bridge across the Bosporus, and a third international airport for Istanbul on the Asia side of the Bosporus at a cost of at least $10 billion. He wants to build a new canal connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, bypassing the Bosporus. The environment be damned! Turkey’s boom was financed by borrowed money. Turkey’s banks borrowed dollars and euros, and loaned in Turkish Lira. 1/3 of Turkey’s bank borrowings are in foreign currency. Similarly, Turkey’s companies have often borrowed in dollars, such that about ½ of Turkey’s international debt is in dollars. The precipitous fall of the Turkish Lira jeopardizes the financial viability of the Turkish institutions. President Erdogan refuses to raise interest rates to fight the collapse in the Turkish Lira. Inflation is shooting up. He appointed his apparently unqualified Son in Law, Berat Albayrak, to be the Minister of both Finance and Treasury after his recent election victory. A few tweets and tariff increases should not sink a strong currency, but the Turkey Lira had already sunk 40% this year prior to President Trump’s actions. The TL was 2.4 to $1 when we were there 5 years ago. It was down to 3.8 at the beginning of 2018. It plunged to 7.23 to $1 before rallying. It’s hovering in the 5-6 range for now. Qatar offered Turkey $15 billion in investments, which buoyed the TL, but will only serve as a short term palliative unless Turkey’s economy is reformed. The good news for Turkey with the plunging TL is that it will attract large numbers of tourists for the bargain prices. Turkish residents will pay the price. The election gave President Erdogan peremptory powers. He can issue edicts, which can only be overturned by the Parliament, which he currently controls. He also controls the judiciary. The Turkish leader is acting like a true demagogue, giving a series of speeches blaming others for the country’s economic problems. He proclaimed “There are economic terrorists on social media,” and ordered an investigation of 360 social media sites. He said on Thursday: “If they have their dollars, we have the people. We have Allah.” Allah did not save the Ottomans, whom he admires. Allah did not save the later Sultans from financial insolvency by building two new palaces, the Dolmabahce and the Yildiz, which replaced the famous Topkapi. The foreign debt load financially hobbled the Sultans during their last decades in power. He exclaimed on Monday “We are together in NATO, and then you seek to stab your strategic partner in the back.” Turkey is increasingly a shaky member of NATO. Turkey was a bulwark of NATO against the Soviet Union during the Cold War because of its strategic location. Turkey signed a contract with Russia last year to purchase the Russian S-400 surface to air missile system. It is also acquiring a Russian nuclear reactor and buying Russian natural gas. Congress responded to the Russian missile pact by barring the sale of F-35’s to Turkey. The United States is rumored to have between 50 and 200 nuclear bombs stored at Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base. I hope the U.S. has gradually been pulling them out. President Erdogan said the US tariffs were an “act of economic war,” and “Once again we are facing a surreptitious plot.” He postures: “They cannot use the language of threat and blackmail against this nation,” and “Bullying this nation will get them nowhere.” He’s demagoguing the United States, but so far has been careful to not personally denigrate President Trump. President Trump has simply stated: “Our relations with Turkey are not good at this time.” And then we have the eternal issue of the Kurds. The Kurds were promised a homeland at the end of World War I, but it didn’t happen. Instead, they are spread between Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. The Kurds have fairly regularly engaged in guerilla warfare against Turkey. The current Kurdish “freedom fighters” or “terrorists,” depending on your perspective, are in the Kurdistan Workers Party The Kurds have carved out a major part of oil rich northern Iraq. The United States has backed Kurdish rebels in Syria fighting the Assad Regime. President Erdogan views the Syrian Kurds and the Turkish Kurds as identical terrorist groups. The Turks are frightened at the prospect of Syrian, Iraqi, and Turkish Kurds carving out an independent country. President Erdogan responded by banning the import of U.S. electronic products, specificallppy singling out Apple’s IPhone, which are actually manufactured in China. Turkey also announced an antitrust investigation of Google, following up on the recent EU actions. He further responded by imposing 120% tariffs on U.S. cars, 140% on alcoholic products, and 60% on leaf tobacco, as well as tariffs on American rice, coal, and cosmetics. The Turkish President is making nice with Iran and Russia, both also feeling the sting of American sanctions. He is playing with fire with those two, historic arch enemies of Turkey. The tsars, commissars, and now Vladimir Putin have all wanted control of the Turkish Straits, the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, which control access to the Black Sea. Be careful of the Bear Hug. Iran is Shia and Turkey Sunni. The U.S. is upping the ante by promising more sanctions if the minister is not released. President Trump on Thursday called Andrew Brunson a “great patriot hostage” and said “We will pay nothing for the release of an innocent man.” He’s laid the marker: “The United States will impose larger sanctions on Turkey for their long term detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being.” President Erdogan's problem is that he is dealing with President Trump - nor President Obama Turkey will cave, but remember there’s multiple layers, nuances, and pieces to this puzzle.

And So, Donald Trump, Jr. Met With Russian Attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya to Get Dirt on Hillary

President Trump admitted Donald Trump, Jr. met with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower to get dirt on the Clinton campaign. The media is ecstatic. Congressman Adam Schiff has surfaced after a summer hiatus screaming “Collusion! Collusion! Collusion!” Which leads in the media’s eyes to impeachment and indictment. So they hope. Let me get this straight. The Clinton Campaign and Democratic National Committee retained a lawyer through his law firm, Perkins Coie, to hire Fusion GPS to hire Christopher Steele, a British former agent, to compile a dossier on Donald Trump with information from Russians. About $10 million dollars followed this path. And that’s OK? The FBI was interested to paying for the Steele Dossier. And that’s OK? But Donald Trump, Jr. should be packing for jail? Donald Trump’s mistake was based on the Trump Campaign inexperience and naivete. He should not have met directly with the Russian lawyer, nor, indeed, left any finger prints on the contact. Instead, he should have the actions taken by third parties. It’s called “plausible deniability.” The meeting was not illegal. Collusion is not illegal. Lying to the media is not a crime. Lying about it is stupid. Nothing can be kept secret in D.C., especially when the media is trying to scrape up any dirt it can on the Trumps. The Steele Dossier was the primary source for four FISA warrants against Carter Page to indirectly get info on Donald Trump and the Trump Campaign. And that’s OK? The Steele Dossier was the primary source for the initial rumors of the Trump-Russia Collusion and the four FISA warrants against Carter Page eventhough not verified. Christopher Steele has even said much of it probably isn’t true. And that’s OK? Opposition research is the norm these days. Opposition research is a euphemism for getting dirt, any way possible, on an opponent. The Clintons have pulled some sleazy campaigns, with the aid of the media, such as vicious attacks on the women accusing Governor Clinton of sexual assaults, in their careers. And that’s OK?