DEFENDING HILLARY : Prosecuting the Prosecutor (Christie's Mock Trial)

Prosecuting the Prosecutor

By Thom Palmer

July 22, 2016

On July 19th, the entire world heard how Chris Christie would like to operate as Attorney General in a Trump administration. On stage before thousands at the Republican Convention and millions of people world-wide, he held a mock trial. Displaying to the world how the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the United States of America has no place in a Trump administration. A trial by mob, with the prosecutor laying out his version of facts, and then, like Pontius Pilate or Cesar, asking the mob to judge the defendant. Who do we release? Jesus or Barabbas? Or in the Colosseum in the first century, King Chris asks the blood thirsty crowd a question posed by raising his thumb up, or thumb down. The loudest roar lends the verdict. The accused is arrested, tried, convicted and executed without representation or the right to defend themself. This was on full display for the world to see on Tuesday. Such is Trumps America. 

The Governor who is likely be on trial himself soon on racketeering charges pertaining to extortion, bribery, and blackmail in the Bridgegate scandal. The man who is more than likely guilty of lying and putting the public in danger for political purposes, has mock tried and mock convicted Hillary Clinton on a host of phony charges before the civilized world, defecating on the Bill of Rights for the world to see.

Since Hillary Clinton was not afforded representation in the "Pants on Fire", seventh-grade mock trial, allow me to be her defense.

Here is the full transcript of Christie's speech at the RC, followed by the defense, and the ruling. 

CHRISTIE: "Over the last three weeks, we've seen the Justice Department refuse to prosecute her. As a former federal prosecutor, I welcome the opportunity to hold Hillary Rodham Clinton accountable for her performance and her character."

(Crowd roars, Christie presents a smug grin, and bobs his head up and down thinking "Oh Ya...")

CHRISTIE: "Were gonna present the facts to you. I'm gonna present to you, a jury of her peers, tonight, in this hall, and in your living room around our nation. Since the Justice Department refuses to allow you to render a verdict, I'm going to present the case now, on the facts, against Hillary Rodham Clinton. She was American's chief diplomat. Let's look around the world at the violence and danger today at every region that has been infected by her flawed judgment. I'm going to be specific so that you can render your verdict on the facts."

LIBYA

CHRISTIE: "Chief engineer of the disastrous overthrow of Gadaffi in Libya. Libya today is after Hillary Clinton's grand strategy, their economy is in ruins, there is death and violence on the streets, and ISIS is now dominating their country. So I ask you this... Hillary Clinton, as a failure for ruining Libya, and creating a next for terrorist activity by ISIS, answer me now, is she guilty or not guilty?"

CROWD: "GUILTY"

DEFENSE: In March, 2011, the United Nations Security Council authorized all necessary measures to protect the Libyan people from its dictator, Gaddafi, who was slaughtering his people during the Arab Spring, when many Arab nations were revolting, and fighting for a democratically elected government. Air strikes by U.N. fighters bombed military targets, as a result of Gaddafi killing thousands of civilians during the Arab Spring.  U.N. air power assisted the rebels, who took Tripoli. In August of that year, Gaddafi was captured and killed. Libya held a democratic election, where liberal leaders defeated Muslim Brotherhood aligned conservatives. Since then however, ISIS forces have occupied a weak Libya, although they do not control the government, and control relatively little land. Relatively few civilians have been killed by ISIS as opposed to the mass killings by Gaddafi prior to the coup. This is actually where Syria comes in. 

All Republicans, including Christie, have been in favor of doing the exact same thing in Syria for years, but with U.S. ground troops added to the air strikes. The reason Obama and Clinton did not take out Assad in Syria is that Libya didn't exactly turn out the way we had hoped. With many times more ISIS fighters in Syria, that country would surely have been taken over, at the government level, by ISIS forces shortly after a coup against Assad. The result would have clearly been another ground war, and another decade or more of mass U.S. casualties.  So, on one hand, they want to blame Obama and Clinton for the unrest in Libya, while on the other hand blaming Obama and Clinton for not doing the same in Syria. Witch-Hunt anybody?

VERDICT: INNOCENT

VERDICT ON CHRISTIE: PANTS ON FIRE

NIGERIA

CHRISTIE: Hillary Clinton amazingly fought for two years to keep an Al Qaeda affiliate off of the terrorist watch list. Now, what happened because of this reckless action by the candidate who is the self-proclaimed champion of women all around the world. These Al Qaeda terrorists abducted hundreds innocent young women two years ago. These school girls are still missing today. What was the solution from the Obama/Clinton team? A hash tag campaign. So let's decide. Hillary Clinton as an apologist for an Al Qaeda affiliate in Nigeria resulting in the capture of innocent young women. Is she guilty or not guilty? 

ANGRY MOB: Crucify Her! (Actually, they said "Guilty" but it sounded more like "Crucify Her to me".)

DEFENSE: Referring to Boko Haram, this is one of the most ridiculous claims Republicans have made. Boko Haram has been on the terror watch list, but not before other nations attempted to bring them to the table. After declaring Sharia law and waging terror attacks in North Africa, the United States and United Nations added Boko Haram to the terror watch list in 2013. Many feel that this was done too late. The U.K, France, and the United States have been assisting the opposition to Boko Haram for years. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have spoken out against them for years. Clinton “Was Heeding The Advice Of Numerous Regional Experts” And There Is Doubt About “Whether The Designation Could Have Prevented” The Abduction Of School Girls. Politico fact-checked Christie’s claims about Clinton’s foreign policy record as secretary of state, noting that Clinton “was heeding the advice of numerous regional experts who argued in an open letter that” designating Boko Haram a terrorist group “could elevate the group's prestige” and that “It is not clear that the group ever pledged formal allegiance to al Qaeda, and the two groups were sometimes described as rivals. Politico: Boko Haram was designated a terrorist group a year before the Nigerian schoolgirls were abducted.  CNN: “No Evidence” Clinton Personally “‘Fought’” To Keep Boko Haram Off Terror List. CNN’s Reality Check Team gave Christie’s claim a “false” rating, noting the lack of evidence that Clinton “was personally responsible for the delay in the designation.” CNN also pointed out the “delay” did not result in the kidnapping of Nigerian school girls, which occurred after Clinton left the State Department. Washington Post: “No Evidence That Clinton Played A Role Or ‘Fought’ To Keep Boko Haram Off The List” Or “That A Terrorist Designation Any Sooner Would Have Prevented” The Mass Kidnappings. The fact check also pointed out that the hashtag campaign “came after Clinton had left the State Department.” ABC: Clinton “Publicly Denounced Boko Haram.” An ABC News fact check rebutted Christie’s claim that Clinton personally “fought” to keep Boko Haram off the terrorist organization list and “responded to its mass kidnapping with a ‘hashtag strategy,’” noting that she publicly denounced the group and that “she was not Secretary of State when the kidnapping happened.”

VERDICT: NOT GUILTY

VERDICT ON CHRISTIE: PANTS ON FIRE 

CHINA

CHRISTIE: Hillary Clinton praised the Chinese government for buying our debt to finance Barack Obama's bloated stimulus plan. She was so desperate for Chinese cash that she opposed the Buy American provision in the stimulus bill, in exchange for the cash, to finance a huge expansion in spending. So, Hillary Clinton, for putting big government spending financed by the Chinese ahead of good paying jobs for middle class Americans. Is she guilty or not guilty?

ANGRY MOB: "BURN HER AT THE STAKE" (Actually, they said "GUILTY")

DEFENSE: Just following the Bush/Cheney financial crash of 2008 was not the best time to launch a trade war with China. The leading opponents of the Buy American provision were business groups, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, because many of its corporate members no longer manufacture in the U.S. "If we refuse to buy foreign-made goods, then our trading partners will refuse to buy from us," Chamber President Tom Donohue said in February 2009. "And since we are the world's largest exporter, who will be hurt more?" Let's face it; unless the President is willing to start new wars, Republicans will never be happy.

VERDICT: NOT GUILTY

VERDICT ON CHRISTIE: PANTS ON FIRE 

SYRIA

CHRISTIE: In Syria, imagine this. She called President Assad a reformer. She called Assad a different kind of leader. There's not 400,000 dead. Think about that. 400,000 dead at the hands of the man that Hillary defended. So we must ask this question. Hillary Clinton, as an awful judge of the character of a dictator and butcher in the Middle East. Is she guilty or not guilty?

ANGRY COMMONERS: "HANG HER HIGH" (or "Guilty"...whatever.)

DEFENSE: What is sold to the piranha's as weakness was actually a brilliant display of how diplomacy backed by strength can solve a problem without blowing up a country. Under intense pressure, the President put a deadline on Assad removing chemical weapons from his arsenal. As the deadline approached, Russia and the United Nations had intervened, and plans were already underway to remove the chemical weapons from Syria. Had President Obama followed through with military force, just as Assad was complying with the ultimatum, ISIS would surely be in total control of Syria at this time. Another cluster**** would have ensued, just like when Bush and Cheney jumped the gun by attacking Iraq in 2003. Had McCain or any other Republican been President at the time, we would currently be at war with Syria, Russia, North Korea and Iran. Thank God for "Brains over Braun".

VERDICT: NOT GUILTY

VERDICT ON CHRISTIE: PANTS ON FIRE and EXTREME DUMB-ASSEDNESS

IRAN

CHRISTIE: She launched the negotiation that brought about the worst nuclear deal in history. Let me be clear. America and the world are measurably less safe and less respected because of the Iran deal that Hillary helped cut. After she launched those negotiations, she became the biggest cheerleader for this agreement in the end. It's a deal that will lead to a nuclear Iran, and Israel will be less safe and secure, and a much more dangerous middle east. So let's ask it. Hillary Clinton, as an inept negotiator of the worst nuclear deal in America history, is she guilty or not guilty? (Christie then gave that smug smile to the crowd and raised and lowered his eyebrows a few times.)

ANGRY MOB: "ARREST HER AND BURN HER AT THE STAKE" (Actual "Guilty")

DEFENSE: Let me be clear. America, Israel, and the entire world is a safer place because of this agreement. UN inspectors are able to verify compliance, and Iran has shipped off its enriched uranium. The billions of dollars released to Iran was THEIR money that we had frozen in the sanctions, and upon signing the nuclear agreement, what was remaining of the money after other nations had been paid the money due them by Iran, was returned to Iran. It is a flat out lies to say that Obama GAVE Iran billions of dollars. It was theirs already, and we swiped it in order to bring them to the table. The President and Secretary Kerry are working diligently to bring Iran into the community of nations, to provide for a more peaceful, cooperative world. Incidentally, most of Israel agrees, and prospects for peace have never been stronger. Under a Republican regime, war would have already ensued, and everything would be in total chaos.  Keep in mind that oil profits, war profits, and gun profits are about the only thing the GOP is interested in. The dark money funding their coffers is all that matters to them.

VERDICT: NOT GUILTY

VERDICT ON CHRISTIE: Extreme PANTS ON FIRE and EXTREME RECKLESSNESS. 

RUSSIA

CHRISTIE: She went to the Kremlin on her very first visit and gave them that stupid, symbolic reset button. Ya know what I think that button should have read? It should have read "delete". Ya know she's very good at that by the way. And it should have read delete because she deleted in 4 years the safety and security that it took us 40 years to build. The next year, she said "America's goal was to strengthen Russia. Strengthen an adversary led by a dictator who dreams of reassembling the old Soviet empire? What an extraordinarily dangerous lack of judgment. So once again, we need to ask; as a flawed evaluator of dictators and failed strategist who permitted Russia back in as a major player in the middle east, Is Hillary Clinton guilty or not guilty?

ANGRY MOB: "FREE BARABBAS" ("Guilty")

DEFENSE: The re-set was a failure. Shortly after the reset, Russia, in protest of United States threats against Iran and U.S. espionage, they began acting more like the old KGB than the free Russia. It was a good try, but didn't work. For God's sake, do we have to start a war with EVERYBODY? The President and the State Department has been at odds with Putin since Putin took over. He is an ex-KGB guy that took over the reins in Russia when Russia was doing pretty bad after the Cold War. Putin disagreed with Republicans when they were fighting in Congress and with the United Nations to blow the hell out of Syria first and then deal with the consequences later. He waited, and waited, and waited for logic to prevail, and then decided to end the deliberation by siding with Assad against ISIS, doing much of our work for us. Unfortunately, this also meant that he had to protect Assad by providing support to him in his fight against the rebels, who the United States supports. It's a mess alright. Yes, Russia is a major player in the Middle East. It's about time someone else picks up some of the work, and arguably, American soldiers are NOT currently being blown up in the streets Damascus. My comments are surely guaranteed to outrage the haters, but it is what it is, and Russia is Russia. Did Hillary's support of the "Reset Button" cause Russia to go the other way? Hell no.

VERDICT: NOT GUILTY

VERDICT ON CHRISTIE: GUILTY OF WARMONGERING, RETURNING TO THE COLD WAR and SPREADING FEAR.

CUBA

CHRISTIE: Hillary Clinton supported concessions to the Castro brothers, and got almost nothing in return for ending the embargo. She supported a deal that didn't even require this murderous regime to return a cop killer. Joanne Chessimard to face justice. You see, I know about this personally. Joanne Chessimard murdered a New Jersey state trooper in cold blood, fled to Cuba and lives there under Cuban protection to this very day. How can someone live with their own conscience when you reward a domestic terrorist with continued safety, and at the same time, betray the family of a fallen police officer waiting for decades for justice for his murder. So let's ask the question. Hillary Clinton, as a coddler of the brutal Castro brothers and betrayer of the family of a fallen state trooper Werner Foerster and his family, is she guilty or not guilty? (smug grin..so proud he could exploit a dead cop and his family for political gain).

ANGRY MOB: "What the hell are you talking about?" (Actually, they said "Guilty" but have no clue.)

DEFENSE: Hillary was not even involved in this issue. Chessimard was arrested in the 1970's, and Obama began easing relations with Cuba after Hillary left the State Department. Chessimard escaped prison in 1979, after having been convicted of killing the cop. The single witness on the New Jersey Turnpike as not called to testify, and the guy she was with was convicted of pulling the trigger. Chessimard was an active leader in the Black Panthers. She was shot twice, once in the arm and once in the back as she had her arms raised up in compliance with orders by the police, and medical examiners determined that she could not have shot the officer. She did not pull the trigger, but New Jersey doesn't differentiate between the killer and accomplice. Apparently, her treatment in the NJ Correctional Facility was pretty bad, and friends from the outside gained her escape. After being on the run for four years, she sought and was granted asylum in Cuba in 1984. 

In order for the United States, who has never formally asked that Chessimard by extradited, make a request from Cuba, Cuba will ask that Luis Carriles, who's failed assassination attempt on Castro and terrorist bombings, granted asylum in the United States, be extradited to Cuba. Oh, what a tangled web we weave when at first we practice to deceive. Bringing Chessimard to the United States serves no value to the U.S. intelligence, but releasing Carriles who was involved in the Bay of Pigs, Contra wars, and a lot of other U.S. spy games could have serious repercussions. It's a decision that the CIA made decades ago. 

Barack Obama has decided that 40 years of punishment of Cuba is enough, and has begun to ease tensions between the two countries as Fidel Castro is no longer in power, humanitarian issues are much better than they had previously been, and economic cooperation between the two countries separated by just 90 miles will make for a more prosperous and free Cuba, and help Cuba move to a more democratic and free society. In addition, United States exports to Cuba will begin, adding jobs and opportunity for Americans. There's a lot more to this whole issue, but I support normalizing relations with Cuba big-time. Again, Hillary had and has nothing to do with this. 

VERDICT: NOT GUILTY

VERDICT ON CHRISTIE: PANTS ON FIRE and a GENERAL LACK OF INTELLIGENCE

EMAIL SERVER

CHRISTIE: Finally, here at home in one of her first decisions as Secretary of State, she set up a private email server in her basement in violation of our national security. Let's face the facts. Hillary Clinton cared more about protecting her own secrets than she cared about protecting American secrets. And then, she lied about it over and over and over. She said there was no marked classified information on her server. The FBI director said "that's untrue". She said that she did not email any classified information. The FBI director said "that's untrue". She said all work related emails were sent back to the State Department. The FBI director said "that's not true". So, as to Hillary Clinton, the charge of putting herself ahead of America, guilty or not guilty? 

ANGRY MOB: "GUILTY"

DEFENSE: How many times do I have to explain this? Through November obviously, but here you go again...

As much as Republicans want to create a different reality, Hillary did not lie to the Benghazi committee or the FBI about her emails. Everything she was aware of, she shared voluntarily. The FBI and DOJ are officially finished with the matter. Their verdict, as well as mine, is "Not Guilty". As hard as it was for him to admit, Republican FBI Director James Comey admitted the following in exonerating Hillary:

A) Out of over 30,000 emails reviewed, only three had any marking stating that they were “Confidential”

B) Of the three found marked “Confidential”, all three were marked in error, and should not have been marked “Confidential”

C) Of the three found marked “Confidential”, none were appropriately marked, and the (c) was misplaced far down into the email body, against regulation.

D) There is no evidence that any of Hillary’s emails, incoming or outgoing, were hacked. Comey initially made it sound like this happened, but no evidence exists that proves that. He put to rest the conspiracy Guccifer hacked into Hillary’s server, stating that this is false, and that Guccifer himself has admitted the hoax.

E) None of the remaining emails, at the time they were sent or received, were marked “Confidential” or “Classified” or “Top Secret.” None.

F) As Hillary stated in the House Benghazi hearings, she did not receive or send any emails marked “Confidential” 0r “Classified” or “Secret” except the three marked incorrectly. She told the truth.

G) While the use of a private server was considered “carelessness,” it was not considered “gross negligence.” The actual term the FBI used was “careless,” which Comey admitted is a far cry from gross negligence.

H) After the fact, some emails that had not been marked “classified” were retroactively marked classified by FBI. At the time Hillary sent or received these emails, they were not marked classified. She told the truth.

I) Despite phony claims, the State Department is not re-investigating Hillary’s email.

VERDICT: NOT GUILTY

VERDICT ON CHRISTIE: PANTS ON FIRE, and it's TIME TO STFU ABOUT EMAILS

DEFENSE CLOSING ARGUMENTS

Driving Hillary's approval rating from 66% in 2012, as she was touted as one of our greatest Secretary's of State, to just 40% today has taken a lot of effort by the GOP, Fox News and Conservative pundits. Every single claim of dishonesty or corruption about Hillary by Republican witch-hunters, is designed to do exactly what it has done to much of the electorate. It is very difficult to defend when this stuff was sold as fact to you for so long, and the lies travel many times through cyberspace before the truth can get a start. 

The reality is that PolitiFact and most reputable journalists have determined that Hillary happens to be the most honest candidate that ran for President in either party. She has worked for decades for the betterment of society as a whole, not just here, but world-wide as well.  With humanity on the brink, we need Hillary's intelligence, compassion, and experience to help us get through some pretty serious problems. Many believe, and I am one of them, that Hillary is our last-best hope for turning the tide in mankind's losing battle with ourselves.  

FINAL VERDICT: Republicans have been found GUILTY of bearing false witness, ironically falsely accusing and convicting Clinton, in a mock trial without defense, of bearing false witness. The problem for Republicans is that there are hundreds of them in the Senate and House of Representatives guilty of the same crime. If we're going to convict without a trial, we should at least convict the right criminals. 

One last thing.... Chris Christie may be the worst Prosecutor in history, and certainly unqualified to serve as Attorney General of the United States of America. Not to worry, Chris, there's a job opening as Trumps personal bell hop. I'll concede that you're qualified to continue carrying his bags for him, but keep in mind, it only pays minimum wage and you've been fighting against an increase in minimum wage for years. Whoops.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SPECIFIC FAKE ALLEGATIONS, PLEASE READ...

RISE: Fulfilling HER Destiny 

Defending Hillary Clinton Against Fake Scandals

Phony Email Controversy

Trump The Pretender

Clinton Foundation

"RISE"

"RISE" : Fulfilling HER Destiny 

By Thom Palmer

September 13, 2016

What is it about this lady? 

Why are Hillary supporters so in love with her? 

Why are so many people so sure that Hillary is the most qualified candidate, man or woman, who has ever sought the Presidency?

In light of the extremist lies told about her on a daily basis, and the hatred, why doesn't she just quit? After all, she doesn't need this crap.

Hillary called half of Trump's supporters "DEPLORABLE". The funny thing is that Trump supporters seem to agree, and they're okay with the tag. The other half are up for grabs, unsatisfied with their candidates xenophobia, racism, sexism and corruption. Those people need to know that Politifact rated virtually ALL of Trump's statements at the so called "Commander-in-Chief" forum as False, Mostly False, or Pants on Fire. 173 lies in 25 minutes, or one every 9 seconds. As someone said recently, "You don't have to be a racist to support Trump. You just have to be okay with it". I think there are less racists in Trump's camp than you think, and they still need to learn the facts about Hillary. 

Let's examine some of the highlights of Hillary's life so far. A life and path that has led her to this moment. By examining the past, the present makes more sense, and the future is easier to extrapolate. When forecasting climate change, future profits for businesses, etc., we need to take the facts from the past, combine them with present data, and then use logic to draw the line into the future. The model reveals a most unbelievable destiny, but the destiny was not a matter of stars aligning in a certain pattern, cannot be explained by simply calling it "being in the right place at the right time". Her place in history has been designed and written, engineered, and has been tested and put on trial by fire, honed, tempered, and refined over the last six decades...by HER.

EARLY DAYS

We are often impressed when we see a kid take on a highly mature subject at a very early age. We look at them as a prodigy, having a fairly good idea that this kid is going to be somebody someday. Growing up, Hillary Rodham was a good student, who regularly raised her hand and engaged in class discussions. She was a favorite among her teachers. Active in sports, Brownies and then Girl Scouts, she moved into her teens with a higher level of drive than most pre-teens seem to feel. Her parents were conservative Republicans, but advocated for Hillary to be independent and to not be limited in what she decides to do in life by her gender, so in her mind, there was no difference in what a woman could do versus what a man could do in life. Then, in 1961, at age 13, she sent a letter to NASA, asking them what steps she could take in order to be an astronaut some day. They responded that "No women were being accepted into the space program". This must have had quite an impact on her, since her mother had always told her that she could be anything she wanted to be when she grows up. I would imagine that, from everything I know about Hillary, that this irked her first, and then this hard headed Republican kid got mad. As the 60's rolled on, she watched as women began fighting for equality and respect.

She was never afraid to take a chance. Never afraid to fail, get back up, dust herself off, and try again. In High School, she was in the Student Council, National Honor Society member, and lost her bid for Class President in her Senior Year to a boy who told her "You are really stupid if you think a girl can be elected President." I would love to hear the conversation with this boy, now a 67 year old man after Hillary is elected 45th President of the United States of America. 

Because her parents were Republican, and they were her biggest influences, the young Republican's political career began at just 13 years old, when she helped canvass neighborhoods in Chicago for Republicans and Richard Nixon in 1960. At age 17, she actively campaigned for failed Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. Her youth minister introduced her to Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1962. It appears that the stage was set for young Hillary to begin making a difference.

COLLEGE YEARS and POST COLLEGE

What does a highly driven girl do when she loses her bid for High School Class President to a misogynist? She dusts herself off and runs for Class President in college and wins, of course. Wellesley College, Massachusetts, graduating in 1969. By then, having been around politics a while, Hillary realized that her ideals were more closely aligned with the Democratic Party, and she broke with her parents and registered as a Democrat, having seen the Republican party become less and less a party of the people, and more the party of big business. She saw President Johnson follow through with President Kennedy's goals of improving civil rights, and she was very moved by the speeches and peaceful protests by Martin Luther King, Jr. Hillary felt that the best way to improve things in the United States was to become a part of the solution, so, she attended Yale Law School and graduated with Honors in 1973. She then did one year of post-graduate study on children and medicine, which as you'll read later suggests that many of her bold goals had been set, and she was taking the steps to implement them at just 27 years of age. 

In 1970, after graduating from Wellesley, she secured a grant and first went to work for the Children's Defense Fund. In the summer of 1971, she went to Washington and worked on Senator Walter Mondale's subcommittee on migrant workers, housing, sanitation, health and education. It as here that she was introduced and became involved in George McGovern's 1972 Presidential bid, working on western states. Once more, she lost (McGovern lost), and once more, Hillary would dust herself off and keep on going.  At Yale Law School, she volunteered in their Child Study Center, studying new research on early childhood brain development. She also volunteered at New Haven Hospital, where she took on cases of child abuse, providing free legal service to the poor. After graduating from Yale, she served as staff attorney for the Children’s Defense Fund in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

In 1974, she was hired as one of the 44 lawyers to investigate Watergate. Hillary was one of the people in the room listening to Nixon's Watergate tapes for the first time, and advised the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives. In the fall of that year, after Nixon's resignation, she was hired at the University of Arkansas Law School, where her boyfriend from Yale, Bill Clinton was also a Professor.  They would marry shortly thereafter.

By the age of 27, Hillary Rodham had amassed more political knowledge and insight than just about anybody her age could be expected to absorb.  She had already formed her thoughts and ideas on how she could make a difference, and was constantly going out of her comfort zone, traveling the country to amass more data. 

FIRST LADY OF ARKANSAS

In 1975 after four years of dating, Bill and Hillary tied the knot. She was appointed in 1978 President Jimmy Carter to the board of Legal Services. The same year, husband Bill won bid for Governor of Arkansas, the first of five terms as Governor before winning the Presidency. Hillary was hired and then became a partner in the Rose Law Firm, served on the Board of Directors for Arkansas businesses such as TCBY and Wal-Mart, where she fought for equal opportunity for women as well as environmental issues pertaining to business. This gave her a needed and comprehensive insight on economics and business. She chaired for the Arkansas Education Standards committee and co-founded Advocates for Children and Families, and served on the boards of Arkansas Children's Hospital Legal Services and the Children's Defense Fund. She wrote a weekly newspaper column titled "Talking it Over". Talking it over appears to have been a prelude to her ability to go into the community and discuss and learn about issues affecting everyday Americans. She was twice named to the list of The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America.

FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES

At age 45, Hillary became the First Lady to the 42nd President of the United States. After nearly two decades of doing good work in Arkansas, Bill won his 1992 bid for the Presidency. In retrospect, it is highly theorized that this was Hillary's first and second term as President. I do not believe Bill could have done it without her, and the active role she played and good work she had done in Arkansas, combined with one of Bill Clinton's campaign slogans "You're getting two for the price of one" tells me that she served side-by-side, more than likely advising Bill on a daily basis. Which one was actually in charge? I'm not sure, but by the end of the Clinton Presidency, our economy was booming, we were running a budget surplus, and the world at relative peace.

Within five days of taking over the White House, Bill named Hillary to head the President's Task Force on Health Care Reform. Her efforts raised national awareness on the problem of millions of uninsured Americans. While her objective of transforming heath care failed, her efforts gave way to later compromises, which led to the Affordable Health Care Act passed in 2009, allowing millions of Americans to gain health insurance, allowing students to remain on their parents insurance policies through age 26, and forbids insurance companies to deny or drop people for pre-existing conditions. Since passing ACA, the rate of inflation of insurance premiums has been at the lowest level in decades. 

In addition, Hillary worked on many other health care issues, such as initiating the Children's Health Insurance Program, increases in funding for prostate cancer, childhood asthma, assistance for Gulf War Veterans who had been suffering the toxic side effects of the chemical "Agent Orange" used in that war. She is credited with the Adoption and Safe Families Act, helping orphaned children, rallying support from private foundations who helped lobby for the Act's passage in 1997 and then the Foster Care Independence Bill, helping unadopted children transition to adulthood. She held and hosted numerous White House conferences that related to children's health, school violence, reading development which pediatricians provided free books for new mothers to read to their infants, which in turn nurtures their rapidly developing brains. She pushed for annual mammograms for older women, covered by Medicare, in order to reduce the rate and survival of breast cancer. She was involved in many decisions made by the President, such as Welfare Reform, violence Against Women, and continued her work for gender equality in economics, employment, health care and education.

On the international stage, Hillary spoke out against abuse of women by the Taliban and other oppressive groups. She helped form Vital Voices, an international effort to promote participation of women in their nation's political process, which is something very impressive, as we see more women at the higher ranks of politics world-wide today as a result. Vital Voices also played a role in the "Good Friday Peace Agreement", which ended the civil war in Ireland. Her own candidacy today is testament to the success of her efforts. She actively supported the USAID, which awarded loans to small businesses begun by women. She openly challenged the Chinese government in September, 1995, when she spoke at the United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing, a controversial and effective speech. Hillary doesn't back down to tough challenges. Never has...never will.

Regarding traditional First Lady roles, she initiated the "Save the Treasures" program, to rescue national sites and items from deterioration and neglect, National First Ladies Historical Site, Millennium Project, Sculpture Garden artwork, Restoration of the Blue Room, State dinners and other traditional First Lady duties. She hosted the Bicentennial State Dinner, which hosted more Presidents and First Ladies than any other time in history. 

On November 7th, 2000, HIllary Rodham Clinton became the first First Lady ever to be elected to public office, winning the U.S.Senate seat vacated by retiring Senator Patrick Moynihan. Just as President Bill Clinton was ending his political career as an elected official, Hillary's was just beginning. 

U.S. SENATE 

Hillary served as Senator for three weeks while also serving as First Lady. She served on many Senate Committees and sub-committees, including Armed Services, Airland, Readiness and Management, Environmental and Public Works, Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property, Nuclear Safety, Fisheries, Wildlife, Water, Waste Control, Risk assessment, Senate Heath, Education, Labor, Pensions, Aging, Children and Families. Very busy woman indeed. She worked to secure a $21 billion fund to assist in the cleanup and recovery following September 11th WTC, and to provide health tracking for first responders and volunteers at Ground Zero. She issued two studies in 2005 which examined disbursement of federal Homeland Security funding to local communities and first responders. She visited and spoke with American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, continued work on heath care and other benefits for Veterans. In addition, she won the extension of the Unemployment Insurance benefits for those who lost their jobs in the 2008 financial crash. She was arguably the most active and hardest working Senator in Washington, working with Republicans to get things done for the American people, and protecting the middle class.

Veterans and First Responders

Serving in the Senate Armed Services Committee, she introduced the "Heroes at Home Act" to help family members care for Veterans with traumatic brain injuries, She increased the military survivor benefit from $12,000 to $100,000, in order to help families whose loved ones were killed in action. She worked hard for Veterans during her time in the Senate. She saved 800 jobs in New York by working across the aisle to keep the Niagara Falls Air Station open while the Pentagon was shutting down bases. 

Hillary racked up quite a lot of major achievements during her time in the Senate. From expanded health care for National Guard members and reservists, fighting hard to secure funds 9/11 rescue and recovery volunteers, immigration reform, health care, stockpiling of vaccines for public health emergencies, No Child Left Behind, Prevention First Act, designed to decrease abortions and increase access to family planning, and much, much more. Looking at Hillary's voting record in the Senate, she constantly pushed for the middle class, and pushed to reduce poverty and hopelessness. There is way too much to outline in this article.

Hillary's time in the Senate, serving on the Armed Service Committee seemed to fill in the only missing link in her current experience level, which millions feel surpasses the experience and insight of any candidate that has ever run for President, man or woman. Foreign policy experience. She went on to lose her battle to win the White House in 2008, but made such a huge impression on President-Elect Barack Obama, that he simply couldn't blow the chance to have such an experienced, intelligent and well-rounded Secretary of State behind him in Washington. 

SECRETARY OF STATE

Another trail-blazing accomplishment, Hillary became the first First Lady turned Senator turned Secretary of State in history in January, 2009. Hillary's responsibilities as Secretary of State were to serve as the primary adviser on foreign affairs to the President, to enact Presidential policy decisions through the State Department. She was also responsible for negotiating with foreign leaders on treaties, passports, and in advising the President on individuals for the post of Ambassadors and consuls, etc. She used what she viewed as "smart power", or strong diplomacy efforts combined with military "hard power". With global economic and social issues, "soft power" was used to improve global economics, developmental aid, technology, creativity and human rights advocacy. 

Hillary visited 112 countries during her tenure at the State Department, where she also worked on the empowerment and welfare of women and girls world-wide. What has come to be known as The Hillary Doctrine", she viewed improvements in women's right as playing a critical role in U.S. security interests by linking the level of violence against women and gender inequality within a state, and the instability to international security of that state. Time magazine stated that "Clinton's endurance during her time as Secretary of State is legendary".  She held town hall meetings, speaking with leaders, press as well as the public in 40 countries, learning, answering questions, and promoting her peace platform and human rights agenda. 

According to President Obama, Hillary was a huge player in the decision to send in helicopters to Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Laden. She advocated and encouraged taking the risk, stating that the goal was worth the risk in light of the superior talent of our Seal Teams, military power, combined with the evidence at hand. She showed strong leadership in the situation room, and helped the President get over the top on the decision to invade. It turned out pretty well. Her ability to calmly assess a bad situation and make an intelligent decision is second to none.

She lobbied for the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution, and declared that gay rights are human rights, creating a huge shift around the world and at home as LGBT employees had a safer, more stable place to work. Negotiating the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, Hillary took to the air as rockets rained down on Israel. One day after she landed, a ceasefire took effect, and things have been mostly quiet ever since. Whatever she did over there was amazing. 

The list goes on and on. Under the Clinton State Department, exports of products made in the U.S.A. to China increased 50%. She negotiated with United Nations on putting sanctions on Iran, forcing them to the table to negotiate an end to their nuclear weapons program. The result of her efforts was that Iran came to the table, destroyed or delivered all of their enriched uranium to the United Nations, and agreed not to work on a nuclear weapons program. U.N. inspectors are now able to go into Iran and verify compliance, and the world is a much safer place as a result of her hard work. She worked her tail off as Secretary of State. 

PERCEIVED TRUSTWORTHINESS ISSUES

Back in the mid 1990's, David Brock, a conservative Republican writer, known as a right-wing political hit man, attacked the Clinton's with scandal after scandal. The rhetoric has been repeated for the last 25 years, yet each and every scandal has been debunked by fact-checkers and investigators throughout. The attacks and the vicious lies and exaggerations continue through today. When Hillary was serving as Senator and then Secretary of State, the attacks waned for a while, and Hillary's approval rating shot all the way up to 66% as her good work nationally and on the world stage were on full display.

Brock's articles were designed to discredit Bill Clinton and de-legitimize his Presidency, as well as quash any political aspirations of Hillary Clinton, as her path was becoming evident. He later recanted his own articles, is now a Hillary Clinton supporter. He is also the founder of "Media Matters". Brock now admits that he was part of a right-wing conspiracy to smear Bill and Hillary with false information.  In his book “Killing the Messenger,” Brock admits the Republican conspiracy in what he describes as “a steady infiltration of mainstream by the right-wing factories of disinformation”.

The false scandals are so plentiful, the attacks continue and are sold as fact to the public, with the objective of creating a plausibility in the minds of the electorate. Each and every fake scandal has been debunked, but as Mark Twain stated, "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes". But in the digital age, a good lie can permeate through cyberspace and be shared millions of times before the truth has a chance to begin to fight back. 

THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY

We believe that Hillary Clinton has the experience, intelligence, and proven results at a time when humanity really needs a strong leader. By year 2100, Earths temperature will have risen by three degrees over the last century, putting islands and low-lying coastal communities under water. Thousands of species of animals will become extinct, and up to a billion people will be displaced without immediate action. Terrorists are trying to take over nations, and countries are trying to obtain nuclear weapons. The world economy continues to be on edge from the global financial melt-down of 2008, and the gaps in so many aspects of life in the United States and around the world seem to widen with each and every false statement and fear mongering by conservative pundits. Glass half empty or glass half full? We choose the latter, and believe that Hillary Clinton has prepared herself for this moment in human history better and longer than any candidate in history. 

We're at a crossroads of sorts in the evolution of human history. One path leads to a cliff, and it's a long way down. The other path leads to possibilities and cooperation to heal many of mans self-inflicted wounds. This is an opportunity that I certainly hope the electorate wakes up to, and give DESTINY a chance to do it's thing. It is time for us to RISE, and reject the witch-hunt once and for all. There is an unemployed man in Michigan, a polar bear in the Arctic, a whale in the Pacific, and a 5 year old girl in Indonesia counting on us to make the right decision. 

"We can either FALL together, or we can choose to RISE together. The choice is ours." -Hillary Clinton

For those of you still questioning the integrity and honesty of Hillary, please find your answers in the "Defending Hillary" series in www.dailynewsbin.com . Some links are listed here for your convenience. Share freely, all or part of any article which clears things up. 

References

DEFENDNG HILLARY, PART 1

OPEN LETTER TO CENTER-RIGHT REPUBLICANS

DEFENDING HILLARY - EMAIL CONTROVERSY

DEFENDING HILLARY - CLINTON FOUNDATION

FASCISM IN THE USA

NO LIVES MATTER

HOUSE and SENATE FIX

TRUMP THE PRETENDER

INCOME INEQUALITY CHALLENGED

CROOKED HILLARY - LIES DEBUNKED

CROOKED HILLARY - LIES DEBUNKED

By Thom Palmer

July 14, 2016

Driving Hillary's approval rating from 66% in 2012, touted as one of our greatest Secretary's of State, to just 40% today has taken a lot of effort by the GOP . Whenever I hear a Republican state as fact that Hillary broke the law, committed a crime, or can't be trusted on MSNBC or CNN, and the host does not push back with the truth, my shoulders drop, an audible sign comes from my chest, and I worry about the future of humanity. It really makes me want to punch them in the face a few times.

Every single claim of dishonesty or corruption about Hillary, waged originally by Republican witch-hunters, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, etc. have been completely debunked. Early GOP hit men admit that it has been a three decade long smear campaign, designed to do exactly what it has done to you. As a matter of convenience, some Bernie supporters jumped on the bandwagon over the last year and repeated the smears in order to bolster Bernie's chances. Even Bernie stayed out of the muck for the most part, but his supporters are a tight-knit group, and the smears were circulated for a year within your section of the Democratic party. It is very difficult to defend when this stuff was sold as fact to you for so long. The reality is that Politifact and most reputable journalists have determined that Hillary happens to be the most honest candidate that ran for President in either party. She has worked her ass off for decades for the betterment of society as a whole, not just here, but world-wide as well.

I don't know what can convince you that she's honest. Even though ALL of the FBI investigators cleared her of any corruption, and stated publicly that she did not break any laws, Republicans are on TV daily claiming that she broke the law, shouldn't be given security clearance, etc. They call the Clinton Foundation, which has done amazing work throughout the world, The Clinton Crime Family Foundation. This just plays into the preconceived notions that have been pumped into the electorate for the last three decades, but none of it is true. NONE.

If the truth is allowed to prevail, Hillary's approval rating will once more be at 66% or greater within the first two years of her Presidency. How many lies perpetrated by Republicans have to be debunked before you give her the benefit of the doubt? The really strange thing is how so many Republicans can lie on a daily basis, be proven to be dishonest in their rhetoric, and yet the lies still stick, and Republicans get a pass on their own corruption.

Media has a lot to do with this. As long as CNN, MSNBC, and even Fox News allow the lies to be told without being challenged in the face of overwhelming fact, Hillary's approval numbers will stay under 50%, which benefits Republicans (their whole mission). As long as media play the ratings game, meaning that more people watch when the race is close, then the truth cannot prevail without a epic grass roots effort by us to debunk the fake claims. From what I see, grass roots may not be enough, but if we continue pushing back, eventually I believe media will realize that they could be responsible for some really bad changes in Washington, which will set back progress on climate change, women's rights, civil rights, voter rights, environmental protections, world-wide reputation, wars, common-sense gun control, income inequality, and a host of other things that if not tackled over the next couple of years will surely put humanity in a really tough bind that some feel will be too difficult to pull through. Humanity itself is at risk under Trump and Republicans. There is too much at stake to allow media to control the results through lack of accountability. Send them letters and emails, demanding honest journalism.

So, you have enough proof that claims of Hillary's dishonesty and trustworthiness are lies. When someone is bullied for three decades, as she has been, and the claims have all been debunked, don't we have an obligation to give her the benefit of any doubt that remains in your mind? Someone who had nothing to gain by running for President, but has devoted her entire adult life to making positive changes to society by protecting the environment, assisting children get ahead, getting everyone insured, making positive advancements in treatment of disease in third-world countries, bringing nations together for common causes, etc. is running to put the icing on the cake, and making generations-long changes for the betterment of Americans and mankind as a whole. On top of that, she happens to be a woman, and it may be the last time in a long time that a woman has a shot at the top job in the free world, which will have a long flowing ripple effect throughout the world.

There is no room for lies. Mankind is at a crossroads, and one of the roads ends at a cliff, and it's a long way down. The other road advances peace, prosperity, allows middle and lower class students to go to college, which evens up the playing field, increases wages nation-wide, adds tens of thousands of clean energy jobs, and brings the world together to solve our most pressing problems. To those of us who have already rejected the Republican lies, this is a total no-brainer. What we don't understand is how so many people can still allow themselves to be taken for fools by Republicans. Enough is enough. Reject Republican partisan lies and obstructionism.

Go to https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/ and read up on her positions. I'm sure that if you make the leap of faith, you'll be proud that you voted for her.

If you need more information on how you've been taken for fools by Republicans, browse the following articles which lay some of these things out fairly well.

DEFENDNG HILLARY, PART 1

OPEN LETTER TO CENTER-RIGHT REPUBLICANS

DEFENDING HILLARY - EMAIL CONTROVERSY

DEFENDING HILLARY - CLINTON FOUNDATION

FASCISM IN THE USA

NO LIVES MATTER

HOUSE and SENATE FIX

TRUMP THE PRETENDER

INCOME INEQUALITY CHALLENGED

INCOME INEQUALITY CHALLENGED - WHY WOMEN NEED TO VOTE HILLARY

INCOME INEQUALITY CHALLENGED - WOMEN FOR HILLARY

By Thom Palmer

Updated July 13, 2016

Voting against equal pay for women, as well as holding down the pay for middle class workers, has long been a part of the Republican platform. The cost to both men and women, and their families more that most people realize. We're talking trillions. Clinton vows to increase pay and opportunity for all workers, but women and families have the most to gain.  

According to WageGap.org, along with many other reputable sources, women over the next 37 years will have lost a mean average of $1,300,000 of income and savings. This is an average of women with a high school diploma, college and doctorate degrees. The measly 22 cent per dollar gap earned by men over women needs to be viewed as $1.3 million dollars per family over a lifetime of work. Over a million stolen from you from right under your nose. Who is stealing your money?

The income gap doesn’t include money that may have been earned through other investments, such as real estate or retirement accounts. It’s only 22 cents, or 78 cents earned on the dollar that a man earns. That’s nothing, right? WRONG.

There are 66 million women working in the United States of America. Multiplied by the 37 year income loss, corporate executives are stealing approximately $86,000,000,000,000 (86 trillion dollars) from the net worth of our women and families. It’s not just something that affects women, but also affecting two-income families and children. Talk about your income inequality… there it is… right there is a big chunk. 86 TRILLION EXTRA DOLLARS in the pockets of greedy corporate executives. $86 trillion to be inherited by their already wealthy children some day. Money taken, or stolen from you, your children and grandchildren. It’s really a crime that should have been corrected a long time ago, but no matter how hard women scream, their voices are not heard, and the pick-pocketing continues.

No matter how hard we’ve tried, the business world, largely dominated fat and greedy conservatives, has continued the practice of ripping off women as compared to men, but they do their share of damage to men as well. Women are afforded less opportunities than men as well, which makes the gap that much further apart. Suffragette, Equal Rights Amendment attempts, Lily Ledbetter Act, and decades of activism have not changed a whole lot when it comes to equal pay for women. It is amazing to me how many people don’t realize the impact of a President Hillary Clinton with a Democratic Senate and House of Representatives, and a progressive Supreme Court. If you’re interested in making an additional $86,000,000,000,000 for the 66 million women working, now is your chance.

THE MIDDLE CLASS NEEDS A CHAMPION

Hillary, as President of the United States, will crack down on income inequality. It’s one of the major issues she has been working on all of her adult life. In fact, one of the attacks on Hillary is her time on the Wal Mart Board of Directors. She served for 6 years on the board, her main focus being to increase opportunity in management for women. She gets bashed by the GOP and even some Democrats for serving on their board. The bashing cites low wages of Wal Mart employees, however, it’s important to know that HRC fought for 6 years with the other board members for equal opportunity and equal pay for women while serving. She didn’t have a lot of success with pay, but changed the game with regard to opportunities. She, along with you, have not been heard in the past. But then again, she wasn’t the President of the United States.

Executive opportunity

In the 240 year history of this nation, the White House has been no place for a woman unless she’s standing behind her man. Opportunity has eluded the female gender in national politics until recently, but representation in all wings of government are still skewed in favor of men. Even in this crazy political season, of the twenty-something candidates that began their quest for the White House, two of them were women. Not great odds. Odds are now 50% chance of having the first woman President. One that will champion equal pay, climate change and environmental protection, and world peace through smart power and negotiation before war.

World inspiration

When I think of the inspiration that a Hillary Clinton presidency would have on young girls and boys growing up today, it almost brings tears to my eyes. Not just for Americans, but girls world-wide who may live in a country that disrespects and suppresses women will be shown an example of leadership which exceeds anything they've ever seen before. The 21st century has changed a lot of paradigms, but so far, any woman running for President or Vice-President has been discounted at about the same rate as your income as a woman has been discounted. Do you allow this to continue or do you take the opportunity to change the future? It may well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In the minds of our young daughters, is it the ceiling or the sky that will be the limit? You’ve always told them they can do whatever they want in life. Time to put your money where your mouth is.

Bottom line

I could go on and defend the witch hunt attacks on Hillary, but that’s another entire essay. I've included links on Defending Hillary below. The only dishonesty that I see here are the Republican and Fox News claims of lies and corruption. Republicans, for over three decades, have been telling lies about Hillary lying. The lies they’ve told have been proven to be lies over and over, yet they continue to repeat them, in hope that a good chunk of the electorate take it as fact. Then these evil geniuses then claim moral superiority. Garbage in…garbage out. When a political party lies to you with such conviction and regularity, you can assume that whatever they say to you is more than likely a lie. Republicans have no credibility with me.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the most qualified, most intelligent, experienced, and well adjusted candidate that has ever sought the Presidency, man or woman. It just happens that she is a woman. So, if you're a woman, or you have a wife, girlfriend, daughter, neice, or sister who happens to be a woman, or you're a man who cares about your own family income, and disagrees with extreme corporate and conservative greed, you really need to vote for Hillary in November. I don't know when you'll have another opportunity to right some wrongs. 

HOW TO DEFEND HILLARY

OPEN LETTER TO CENTER-RIGHT REPUBLICANS

DEFENDING HILLARY - EMAIL CONTROVERSY

DEFENDING HILLARY - CLINTON FOUNDATION

FASCISM IN THE USA

NO LIVES MATTER

HOUSE and SENATE FIX

TRUMP THE PRETENDER

DEFEAT HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN. SUPPORT TOM BREU FOR WI-01

FOCUS on SENATE, HOUSE, STATE and LOCAL RACES, and MID-TERMS

FOCUS on SENATE, HOUSE, STATE and LOCAL RACES, and MID-TERMS
By Thom Palmer
July 11, 2016

This weekend, House Leader Paul Ryan (R-Iowa-District1) stated that if Americans want common-sense gun control and background checks to ever come to a House vote, they're going to have to vote in Democrats to lead the House. We couldn't agree more. However, he knows the history of Democratic voters turning out to vote, especially at mid-term elections, and is banking on apathy to hold the House for the NRA (Their boss). I think we're mad enough to now to wake up and vote in huge numbers, not just here in the General Election, but two years from now, where we have the opportunity to gain a supermajority in both the House and Senate. At that point, all economic, humanitarian, foreign policy, voter suppression, women's pay abuse, and environmental problems will quickly diminish. So, let's give Ryan his due by supporting his opponent, Tom Breu, who is mounting a strong challenge, and VOTE BLUE up and down ticket. If you have a couple extra bucks, donate to Breu to help make the statement. "If you refuse to represent the people, we refuse to employ you". www.TomB4House.com

Congressional approval rating in 2012 was about 15%, and by 2013, approval rating was as low as 10% according to Gallup.  In 2014, 435 House members and 33 out of 100 Senators were up for election. With an approval rating of 10%, 90% of the House races and 91% of Senate races were won by incumbents. I give Democratic voters a 17% approval rating in 2014, because only about 17% of Democratic registered voters showed up at the polls. The result, in spite of a 10% congressional approval rating, was that the Republican majority in the House and Senate, the "do nothing congress" gained seats. In the House of Representatives, Republicans are getting very close to a super-majority, or 2/3 control, which would allow them to over-ride Presidential vetoes, and pass anti environmental legislation, etc. Think  of the veto as our only firewall against environmental disaster. In addition, voter suppression will increase, gerrymandering continues, and the progressive agenda is quashed in blue states with red leadership. 

House of Representatives Election Results

After 2008 GENERAL election : Democrats 257, Republicans 178. Net gain for Democrats +21

After 2010 Mid-Term election : Republicans 242, Democrats 193. Net gain for Republicans +63

After 2012 GENERAL election : Republicans 234, Democrats 201. Net gain for Democrats +8

After 2014 Mid-Term election : Republicans 247, Democrats 188. Net gain for Republicans +13

Senate Election Results

After 2008 GENERAL election : Democrats 57, Republicans 41. Net gain for Democrats +8

After 2010 Mid-Term election : Democrats 51, Republicans 47. Net gain for Republicans +6

After 2012 GENERAL election : Democrats 53, Republicans 45. Net gain for Democrats +2

After 2014 Mid-Term election : Republicans 54, Democrats 44. Net gain for Republicans +9

I assume everyone sees a pattern here? Democrats need to begin promoting the 2018 mid-term elections beginning now and continuing through November, while the electorate is engaged, and keep the peddle to the metal throughout the next two and a half years. Progressives complain about the republican extremism and obstructionism, and then fail to make the change. 

Remember, 1/3 of the Senate go up for re-election every two years. 100% of the House of Representatives go up for election every two years. If Democrats concede elections every mid-term, you end up automatically increasing Republican numbers with a 66% advantage.   Having the moral high ground means nothing if you freely give up the elections to Republicans. It's like scratching and saving money for years, and then freely giving access to your savings account to a known thief, and then complaining that the thief stole your money. 

This should be easy. If Democrats show up at even 30% from the recent 17% to vote in mid-terms, Democrats will have a super-majority in both the House and Senate in a mere 2 years, possibly 4 years. Diagnosing the problem doesn't solve the problem, so how do we accomplish the task of improving Democratic Voter Turnout? Here are a couple of ideas, but I would love to hear your thoughts as well.

1. At the Democratic Convention, a strong case should be made for voters to show up in 2018 as well as local special elections that fall in odd years. The importance of State and Local elections cannot be ignored. A web site and hot line needs to be set up and promoted so that Democrats know when to vote, and where their polling places are, along with Voter Registration help. All Democratic candidates, whether they win or lose in 2016, need to promote the mid-terms. Whether they're giving a victory speech or a concession speech, this should be done. We need to be proactive and look ahead.

2. The DNC needs to obtain the list of supporters from ALL Democratic candidates on down-ticket ballots, whether or not they win their election. These voters should be asked to calendar the mid-term election, and without asking for donations, they should be courted for the next two years through monthly newsletters to keep them engaged.

3. Massive advertising needs to be done at our colleges and universities beginning 6 months prior to the mid-term election. These should also include a list of polling places, early voting instruction, and a list of Democratic candidates that they should be supporting in both congressional and state elections.

4. We all need to chip in, remind and encourage our fellow Democrats to show up. Tell them why their vote counts. Show them the statistics.

Please let me know what other ideas and thoughts you have on this. We'll try to promote these ideas among candidates, party leaders nationwide, and progressive media. I know that we're focused on the November election, but I believe that ignoring 2018 is short-sighted, and inhibits progress through frustrating losses at mid-terms. Republicans, after every mid-term say "The people have spoken". Well, I suppose they're right in that failing to show exhibits support for your nemesis. We can't afford excuses.

The Head of the Underworld

Paul Ryan (R) WI-01

Support Tom Breu (D) WI-01

NO LIVES MATTER

NO LIVES MATTER
By Thom Palmer
July 7, 2016

4000 years ago, Hammurabi, the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty, created a series of laws, or "codes" which define punishment for crimes against a person or property. One of the Codes of Hammurabi, and the one that sticks through today in most nations world-wide is "An Eye for an Eye, and a "Tooth for a Tooth". Here is the text translated... "If a man destroy the eye of another man, they shall destroy his eye. If one break a man's bone, they shall break his bone" Popular public opinion is that Hammurabi's Code is a good thing in general. We use it when sentencing criminals found guilty of any crime. If you take a life, you lose your life, either through life imprisonment or death penalty. Premeditated murder does not come with a slap on the wrist. If you purposely kill a innocent man, you deserve to lose your life. It's accepted in the United States and world-wide as a whole. In fact, Hammurabi is one of the twenty-three lawgivers depicted in marble bas-reliefs in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. An image depicting the "great lawgivers of history", including Hammurabi, is on the south wall of the U.S. Supreme Court building. In essence, the U.S. government supports the Code of Hammurabi, and can arguably be defended in the Second Amendment. 

Last night we saw videos of innocent cops bleeding out, and dying on the streets of Dallas, fellow officers with their heads in their hands, families of cops destroyed forever. I fear that this is just the beginning. Just as the act of one Islamic terrorist can create a reaction against all muslims by many, the act of one bad racist cop can create a hatred toward all cops by many. Neither is right, both are misguided, and at the same time, both are somewhat understandable. Killing unnecessarily is always wrong, whether a cop killing an innocent black man or a black man killing an innocent cop. This article is not to suggest that any of this is okay. On the contrary, continued peaceful demonstration and a good Democratic Senate and House of Representatives will help greatly.

When a reckless cop kills an innocent black man, and is not dealt with immediately and harshly by the P.D. and/or DOJ, convicted and sentenced as a murderer appropriately, every other cop in the nation is at risk of retaliation now. The blue shield, protecting cops regardless of guilt, is only protecting that particular cop. All other cops are exposed as sacrificial lambs, inviting very angry people who have not seen justice served, to seek revenge. 

Marches have not helped, Presidential pleas have not helped, body cams have not helped, religious leaders asking for peace have not helped. Nothing has helped, as we seem to see almost every day, as another young black man is treated as less than human by some racist cop. Families of these young black men are destroyed forever, and the expectation is that there will be no justice served. Therefore, fear and anger flows throughout the black community, as they know they're always at risk of another crazy cop killing them unnecessarily. This is LIFE we're talking about. When a small minority of cops do very bad things, and the entire law enforcement community seem to always back up the bad cop, then all cops wear the stench of racism and hatred in the eyes of many. All cops are at risk when the few bad ones consistently walk. Something is very wrong here. In the absence of justice against the perpetrators, the anger and the threat becomes the department which supports this behavior. 

The National Rifle Association and the Republicans in the House and Senate, regularly tout the notion of arming America in order to defend yourself against personal threats. Following the money, so to speak, and by the logic of the NRA and Republican Party, attacks by the public against a group which openly murders innocent black men is perfectly justified. However, the killing of innocent cops wasn't what they had in mind, but it's the result of their rhetoric. Lack of common sense gun control and background checks has once more allowed a crazy individual to mow down 5 innocent police officers. The act, the murders, the carnage, is 100% sanctioned by the NRA and the Republican Party who refuse to allow logical and sensible gun laws. They always call for prayers. Prayers do not help either. 

The blood of the five dead cops is on the hands of the NRA and GOP, along with the 25 year old killer, who was allowed to purchase his AR-15 rifle and was pushed to insanity. 

I always ask gun nuts "Which well regulated militia do you belong to?". 

Their answer is always ...... "silence". DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...VOTE BLUE.