To be clear, I have an intense dislike for James Comey. It started when he was demanding Apple provide the FBI with backdoor access to iPhones to make it easy for the FBI to engage in illegal searches and surveillance of citizen’s phones.
I felt at the time that his demands were antithetical to the protections afforded by The Constitution against illegal search and seizure. I still feel that way. Then he protected Hillary Clinton over her illegal email server and destruction of evidence. All the while facilitating investigations of people who disagreed with Obama.
People who were exercising their rights by attempting to start grass roots political organizations because they felt that neither the Democrat or Republican Party was serving the best interests of the people. A.K.A. Folks who called out the government at large and Obama Administration in particular.
The guy is an absolute douche bag. He should have been tried for his malfeasance and if found guilty put in prison. At the very least he should have been forced out of the FBI much sooner than he was and faded from public view.
All that being said, this latest controversy over 8647 is complete and utter bullshit.
Anybody that’s been around a bar on a Friday or Saturday night knows exactly what 86 means. If a bouncer threatens to 86 you from a bar it means you’re going to be asked to leave. Usually for the night because you’re too rowdy, but in extreme cases, you can be 86’ed permanently.
Comey knew that. He can’t be that stupid, and if he is that stupid, he should never have been the director of the fucking FBI.
This wasn’t a death threat, it wasn’t a call to do harm to the President, it was a simple exercise of free speech. (You know, the First Amendment?) It’s well known that Comey doesn’t like President Trump. I don’t care if he simply took a picture, or if he positioned the stones himself. He’s entitled to exercise free speech, as are we all.
The message is simple. 8647 means throw Trump out of office. That’s it. Reading anything more into it is just stupid.
This is no different than wishing to throw Obama out of office, or Biden, or Bush, or Clinton, or Nixon. There have been, and always will be, people that believe the President sucks and it’s their right to say it.
Conservatives and Republicans making a big deal out of this simply debases both groups to the same level of stupid as their Democrat and leftist counterparts.
Comey is an asshole. That’s been obvious for a long time.
The rest of us don’t have to be assholes, nor should we drop to their level.
I think this whole thing is nothing more than part of a smoke screen to obscure that Congress isn’t getting enough done, Biden was never in control of the government, and the leftists are gearing up for another “Summer of Love”. A.K.A. riots and looting disguised as protests.
We need to keep our eyes on the ball. Regardless of where any of us stand on politics. We all know something is deeply wrong and our country is / has been in trouble for a long while.
Continuing on as if nothing is wrong does not serve us. What does serve us, is trying to make things better by trying different approaches, then keeping what works, and tossing aside those ideas that don’t work.
I’m ready to see DOJ indictments against those people who have been the architects of this mess we’re in. I think a great starting point is with Congressional members who have been in power for 20, 30, 40, or 50 years. There’s a lot to suggest that many members of Congress have failed their duties, The People, and their oaths of office, while becoming wealthy in the process. All of which should be actionable in a court of law.
It’s also time for plans to be drawn up to ensure once our government is cleaned up, this sort of thing can never happen again.
My personal short list is:
No more Congressional stock trades.
All members of Congress shall be under oath to the American People at all times, under penalty of immediate imprisonment. No more lies!
Term limits similar to those of The President.
Members of Congress using the same medical coverage as The People.
No more of Congress voting to give themselves raises.
If the Government shuts down, so does Congressional pay. I’d even be in favor of Congress losing 2X their daily pay for each day the government is shut down.
No more paid lobbyists. No more big campaign donations from corporations, unions, or anyone else.
Level the campaign/elections playing field so that all candidates must demonstrate their ability to budget and win their elections on merit, not funding.
Congress shall turn in a balanced budget and shall not recess until they’ve done so.
No more pork bills. One bill, one issue, one law, at a time. That makes repealing ill conceived laws a hell of a lot easier.
Mandatory reviews of laws and immediate repeal of laws which have negative unintended consequences.
Just to list a few ideas.
Though I obviously don’t speak for all Americans, I’m personally tired of Congress kicking the can down the road, playing with Trillions of tax dollars, drinking champagne and eating caviar at beltway parties, while people like me are down to eating one meal a day.
I’d also say it’s well past time for James Comey to be 86’ed from the airwaves. Why are we still having to put up with his bullshit?
The show is well done and Murderbot’s inner dialog is hysterical.
Here is Grok’s self portrait.