NEWSLETTER JUNE, 2020
Absolute Freedom or Absolute Security It goes without saying that we have been in uncharted waters since the Corona Virus was first announced. “Security” now stands in the crowd and screams, “What do we do?” “Where do we go?” “How can we protect ourselves and our families?” How do we make a living? Will we ever be the same again? We “the People” are frightened and when we are, we often times become vulnerable to plans and schemes that, when first heard, appear to offer a permanent Security. However, we must always hold to the governmental rock we have been given; the US Constitution. Keep in mind that the US Constitution offers, “We the People” uncompromised “Freedom.” Why focus on this? Because Progressives never waste the murky water of a crisis to advance their diabolic, depraved-mind causes, and at this point in time, this is where we are. The Progressive agenda is being “dumped” on us each day. In word and promise it offers “Security.” But, “We, the People” the traditional “flag waving, ‘gun totin’ and Bible thumping, ‘Red Blooded Americans,’” are still searching for answers. As we do, we depend on the Health Care professionals and the Federal government for guidance. Regrettably many of those we turn to for direction, information and comfort give us conflicting reports. Therefore, “We, the People” have no point of reference or comparison since the last known pandemic of this magnitude was 1918.
This epic battle of the ages rages all around us; we are all foot soldiers of the light, yet the outcome seems uncertain. History of other pandemics seems to be is the best teacher, but previous pandemics had no universal, international, enemy utilizing the confusing times to offer everyone complete security and protection. It might amaze you to hear me say this, but I believe the Progressives can provide us the “Security” and things they say they can deliver. They really can! Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention the cost. Staying home, washing hands and social distancing seems to be the main cost against the virus, but against the total security and comfort we are offered, the cost is only the total surrender of our freedom !!!!!. Under the leadership of President Trump, I believe relief is in sight. We “the People’ will make the ‘New Normal’ a ‘Temporary Normal’. Freedom will prevail over Security. Joan Reynolds Chairman Shelby County Republican Party
CONFERENCE CALL WITH JEFF SESSIONS AND TOMMY TUBERVILLE Thurs. June 11, 2020 • 6:00 pm • Dial 1-917-900-1022 • Conference ID: 921-1213 email questions to: chairman@shelbyalgop.org
Amanda Adkins of Overland Park, Kansas – Main Street America I do not personally know Amanda Adkins of Overland Park, Kansas. Although she was once state Chair of the Kansas Republican Party for four years and served on the RNC for the state, I did not know her then. Her bio on her website says she was state party chair when Kansas reversed a slow democrat creep into many top state government positions. In 2010 Kansas (as did Alabama) turned totally RED. However democrat creep started again in 2016. Amanda knows me, or at least she has my email address. It is not unusual for a state’s RNC member to receive donation opportunities from Republican candidates (for all local, state and national offices) as they fight the good fight against the “godless, depraved-minded and dangerous” democrats. I received one from Amanda. The letter was nice, but it was a picture from inside her campaign HQ that made me want to vote for Amanda Adkins. I have plagiarized her letter with a copied picture for you to see. This picture is what America is all about, and it is what those of a reprobate mind cannot understand and therefore literally hate. There is “wailing and gnashing of teeth” when they see inside America at work. What do you see in the picture? I see main street America. I see young mothers working (probably as total volunteers) and child caring at the same time. I see one young mom with a healthy toddler on her hip. I see two preteens working in things for the campaign. Doing what must be done from the dining
room table and involving/rearing the country’s future at the same time; that’s America. This picture is not from Cullman, Clanton, Calhoun City or Covington County and they don’t even talk like us. But, they sure “think” like us and they live life like we do. This picture proves it. Thank you Amanda and Jason Adkins for letting us see a tiny slice of America from Kansas. We recognize it immediately because it looks just like a tiny slice of America in Alabama. We pray that you win all the way through and sit with Aderholt, Brooks, Palmer, Rogers and two to be named later. Paul Reynolds Alabama National Committeeman
Election Preparation in the Midst of Covid-19 We have two important elections coming up in Shelby County: the Republican Primary Runoff Election which will be held on July 14, 2020 and the Special Election for Alabama House of Representatives District 49 which will be held on August 4, 2020. Local Elections Officials want to make sure voters in Shelby County are aware of these upcoming elections and know that we are taking steps to ensure they are safely able to exercise their right to vote. For voters who plan to vote in person at their assigned precinct, we have been working to put necessary precautions in place to protect the health and safety of both voters and poll workers. Each polling location will be set up to adhere to social distancing requirements and all poll workers will be utilizing personal protective equipment when in contact with voters. The number of voters allowed in the precinct at a time will be limited to comply with
any restrictions in place at the time of the election. All voting areas and election equipment will be sanitized prior to election day and will be cleaned frequently throughout the day. For voters who have concerns about contracting or spreading the coronavirus, Secretary of State John Merrill has directed that they may cast an absentee ballot. The deadline to submit an absentee ballot application is Thursday, July 9, the deadline to return an absentee ballot to the Absentee Election Manager is the close of business Monday, July 13, and the last day to postmark an absentee ballot is Monday, July 13. Allison Boyd Shelby County Probate Judge
Alabama State Rep. Weaver resigns to join Trump administration The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Region IV announced that former State Representative April Weaver (R-Briarfield) was appointed by President Donald J. Trump (R) to serve as Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Region IV. As a presidential appointee, Ms. Weaver provides regional executive leadership as the primary representative for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar. Region IV is based in Atlanta, Georgia and includes the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, and North Carolina. “I’m honored to have this opportunity to serve our country and to continue my public service in my new position at HHS,” said Weaver. “I am eager to get to work supporting the initiatives of President Trump and Secretary Azar as well as the mission of the Department of Health and Human Services.” HHS said in a statement that Regional Director Weaver brings leadership experience in both public service and the private sector to HHS. Prior to her appointment, she served ten years as an accomplished state legislator in the Alabama House of Representatives, including five years as the chair of the House Health Committee. A registered nurse who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration, Weaver worked for over 23 years as a hospital leader in various management roles in urban, suburban and rural hospitals. Weaver resigned from the Alabama House of Representatives to accept a position with the Trump Administration May 12. “Serving in the Alabama House of Representatives has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and it has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve for the past ten years,” Weaver said. “I will
always be thankful to the people of House District 49 for allowing me to serve in this capacity and for the trust and confidence they have placed in me as their Representative. I am also deeply honored to have been chosen to join the Trump Administration. I am excited to be able to use my skills and experience at a national level during this unprecedented time and I look forward to supporting President Trump’s initiatives and serving the people of our nation.” A special election will be held August 4, 2020 to elect Weaver’s successor, representing District 49 in the Alabama House of Representatives. The following candidates have qualified to run in the District 49 seat: · Russell Bedsole · James Dean · Chuck Martin · Jackson McNeely · Mimi Penhale · Donna Strong Joan Reynolds, Chairman of the Shelby County Republican Party, said “Representative Weaver’s years of experience in hospital management with a medical background makes her well qualified to serve in this position. We wish her well.”
DEADLINES FOR THE JULY 14 PRIMARY RUNOFF ELECTION: Register to vote
Monday, June 29
Submit an absentee ballot application
Thursday, July 9
Return an absentee ballot
Monday, July 13
Postmark an absentee ballot
Monday, July 13
Voters who are eligible to vote pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act will have until Tuesday, July 14 to postmark an absentee ballot.
Shelby County has 36.67 percent voter turnout on Super Tuesday By ALEC ETHEREDGE Managing Editor, Shelby County Reporter With Super Tuesday came a busy day of voting for many residents across Shelby County, and at the end of the day, several candidates had won primary elections, while other races are headed to run-offs. With 57,517 ballots cast, excluding provisional ballots, 40,531 filled out a Republican ballot, 16,832 filled out a democratic ballot, 154 filled out a nonpartisan ballot and three submitted blank ballots. With 156,837 total registered voters in the county, that meant 36.67 percent of registered voters actually cast a vote in the primary election. Locally, Kevin Morris (Shelby County Commission) and Daniel A. Crowson Jr. (District Court Judge, Place 2) picked up primary wins, while other races on the local ballot included President of the United States, United States Senator, Associate Justice (Place 1), Court of Civil Appeals (Place 2), Court of Criminal Appeals (Place 1), Court of Criminal Appeals (Place 2) Public Service Commission President and a proposed amendment. On the democratic ballot, presidential candidate Joe Biden took the presidential nominee in the state with 63 percent of the vote, which was part of a strong night featuring wins in Arkansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia. Also on the democratic ballot, Laura Casey grabbed the party’s nominee for Public Service Commission President. She totaled 249,934 votes to Robert Mardis III’s 67,952 votes. While current President Donald J. Trump ran away with the Republican primary win in Alabama thanks to 690,381 votes (96.19 percent), the U.S. Senate race was a tight one that is now headed to a runoff between Jeff Sessions and Tommy Tuberville. With a total of seven candidates, neither Tuberville nor Sessions could secure 50 percent of the vote with Tuberville gaining 233,408 votes (32.81 percent) and Sessions gaining 221,894 votes (31.19 percent). The two finished ahead of Bradley Byrne in third with 185,411 votes, while Roy Moore, Ruth Page Nelson, Arnold Mooney and Stanley Adair all finished with 7 percent or less of the vote.
In Shelby County, Tuberville received 15,698 votes, while Sessions received 12,272 votes. That runoff will take place on March 31 and the winner will advance to square off against incumbent Democrat Doug Jones for the senate seat in the general election, which will take place on Nov. 3. In the Associate just of the Supreme Court, Place 1, incumbent Greg Shaw took the Republican nomination with 335,615 votes compared to 235,671 from Ward. But in his home county, Ward claimed 20,587 votes compared to Shaw’s 15,191. In the race for Place 2 of the Court of Civil Appeals, Matt Fridy picked up an easy win over Phillip Bahakel. Fridy took 341,838 votes statewide, while Bahakel managed just 177,476 votes. In the county, Fridy snagged 24,700 votes compared to 10,210 in favor of Bahakel. In the Court of Criminal Appeals, there will also be a runoff for Place 2 between Beth Kellum and Will Smith. Kellum received 230,323 votes (43.34 percent), while Smith received 196,957 votes (37.06 percent). With the race also featuring Jill Ganus, who had 19.6 percent of the vote, Kellum and Smith will head to a runoff after not getting the necessary 50 percent of the vote needed to secure a win. In Shelby County, Kellum, the incumbent, received 13,388 votes, while Smith received 9,108 votes. Place 1 of the Court of Criminal Apeals, however, was settled with Mary Windom claiming 69.4 percent of the vote compared to Melvin Hasting’s 30.6 percent. The Republican nomination for Public Service Commission President was also settled with incumbent Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh receiving 455,741 votes compared to 164,422 votes for Robin Litaker. In the two local races, Morris beat Peters with a percentage of 66.70 of the vote, while Crowson narrowly got by Alan Miller behind 54.54 percent of the vote. As a state, Alabama voters overwhelmingly said no to proposed statewide amendment one to change the State Board of Education with 826,703 saying no and just 272,121 saying yes. In Shelby County, 39,033 voted against it and 15,977 voted in favor. Originally published 03/04/2020; reprinted with permission
Legislative Update Shelby County Representatives and Senators worked in coordination with the our County Commissioners and County Manager to solve the issues businesses and residents are experiencing concerning their sewer and water charges with Southwest Water. We will continue our efforts to solve the problems in the next Regular Session of the Legislature. The Delegation also unanimously supported Representative Corley Ellis in getting a local Constitutional Amendment passed that, upon passage by a vote of Shelby County citizens, will authorize Shelby County, cities and utilities to enter mutual aid agreements authorizing restoration of utility service in emergencies. Newly elected members of the Shelby County Delegation are: Chairman – Rep. Matt Fridy Vice Chair – Rep. Arnold Mooney ALABAMA LEGISLATIVE SESSION OVERVIEW • The Alabama Legislature’s only obligation under the 1901 Constitution is to draft and pass balanced state budgets, and we completed that duty in a manner that is fiscally-responsible, conservative, and disciplined. • Since Republicans gained control of the Legislature in 2010, significant fiscal reforms have been enacted. • Rather than appropriating dollars based upon risky, undependable revenue projections, for example, we now use a rolling average of previous years’ revenues. • As a result, the proration that was declared in our budgets on an average of every other year under Democrat control has not been declared in the decade since Republicans have taken charge. • Our rainy day funds, the Advancement and Technology Fund, and important Republican budgeting and spending reforms have ensured that several hundred million dollars remain accessible and available in times of crisis, so Alabama is better prepared than many other states to weather this economy. GENERAL FUND • Because of federal mandates and rulings in ongoing lawsuits over state prison conditions, General Fund spending increased by 7.5% under the budget that was sent to the governor, but the increase was
dramatically less than originally expected when the Legislature convened in February. • The General Fund includes a $94.4 million increase for the state’s matching portion of the Medicaid program, which provides health insurance for one million Alabamians, mostly children, elderly, and those with disabilities. • The budget also added about $35.5 million to the Alabama Department of Public Health because federal mandates now require the state to assume 20% of the funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides coverage to roughly 220,000 chil- dren in low-income households. • The Department of Mental Health will get an increase of $26 million, and the Alabama Department of Corrections, which is the target of multiple federal lawsuits regarding liv- ing conditions, staffing, and health services in state prisons, will receive and additional $21 million. • The budget fully funded the “annual required contribution”, commonly known as the ARC, for the Employees’ Retirement System, just as it has done every year. EDUCATION TRUST FUND • Highlights of the $7.2 billion spending plan for K-12 public schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities include: • $70 million in new overall spending for K-12 education with $8 million directed toward the Alabama Reading Initiative, $18 million for early grade reading to comply with im- plementation of the Alabama Literacy Act • Funding increases for the Computer Science Initiative; the Science, Technology, Engi- neering, and Math (STEM) Initiative; and professional development for literacy and math instructors ... continued, next page.
Legislative Update, continued • A funding increase for the Other Current Expenses (OCE) line item to assist local sys- tems with financial challenges resulting from the COVID-19 shutdown • An additional $3 million for the state’s nationallyrecognized “First Class” pre-kinder- garten program • A $10.4 million increase for the Alabama Community College System with $4.3 million allocated for the state’s popular and effective dual enrollment program • All public four-year universities received a minimum 2% funding increase • A $2 million increase for the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect • Additional investments in scholarship and tuition forgiveness programs that encourage physicians, physician assistants, and dentists to locate and practice in rural areas of Al- abama • Full funding for the Teachers’ Retirement System and the Public Education Employees’ Health Insurance Program to ensure that the retirement system remains stable and health insurance premiums for both active and retired education employees remain level
• Supplemental appropriations for the current fiscal year to both K-12 and higher education • The budget fully funded the “annual required contribution”, commonly known as the ARC, for the Teachers’ Retirement System, just as it has done every year. BOND ISSUE A $1.25 billion bond issue for school construction was also approved - which is the state’s largest capital improvement investment, and the first in more than a decade. SPECIAL SESSION It is expected that Governer Ivey will likely call a Special Session, possibly one late summer or the fall to deal with liability issues and potential revenue shortfalls resulting from the Coronavirus and other economic legislation incentive issues. Arnold Mooney Alabama House District 43 Alabama State Chair for ALEC
County Commission Report Since mid March leadership in Shelby County has worked hard to keep county offices open including the tag office, the building inspection office, property tax office, probate office, highway department, etc. We were able to handle the social distancing and keep all county offices open and serving the people of our county. I am not aware of any county employees contracting the coronavirus so we are fortunate in that regard. Going forward we will probably retain many of the new systems we had to put in place such as appointments by phone calls for the tag office, glass sneeze guards for county employees dealing with the public and many activities being handled thru the internet. Our Shelby County Manager and County Sheriff have been true leaders in addressing our problems and have found ground breaking solutions. The Shelby County Commission is very proud of our management team and the 700 county employees who have continued to service the needs of our citizens and keep our county offices open when many
counties just closed up shop and went home. We are also addressing the problem of reduced income from our hotel tax and reduced sales taxes along with smaller gasoline sales by postponing future projects until revenue returns to normal patterns. However, we will continue with the new county services annex in Chelsea since we have the cash to fund construction. The cost of this much needed facility will be over 12 million and should be finished in 17 months. Stay safe and God Bless Shelby County .
Elwyn Bearden Chairman Shelby County Commission.
Preparing for the Journey During a Pandemic Our world drastically changed on March 13, 2020, as we started the process of abruptly closing schools for theyear in light of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Our schools immediately made the transition to e-learning. While we have changed the way instruction is delivered, Shelby County Schools continues to be the model of excellence even in a time of crisis. As the school year has closed in this most unexpected way, our supports are impressive as reflected in our e-learning analytics and other district highlights listed at right. This pandemic has presented uncharted challenges. However, we have weathered it with great resolve. We have missed the opportunity to be with our students face to face, but we have worked diligently to serve our students and community. Thank you to the teachers, leaders, school nurses, cafeteria staff, bus drivers, parents, community partners and others who helped Shelby County Schools navigate through the challenges of COVID-19. We started this school year with the theme “Together”. We could not have imagined how prophetic this theme would become and how it would drive and motivate the way we serve our children. As we start prepping to open the 2020-2021 school year, we know now more than ever, what it takes to exercise resiliency and perseverance. There is a lot to be proud of, and I am proud to serve the Shelby County community.
Lewis Brooks Ed.D. Superintendent Shelby County Schools
Laura Joseph’s son participates in a Google Meet with his class.
District Highlights: • 20,149 active Google Classrooms • 145,468 files shares • 603,055 files added • 9.172 Google Meets • 3,340 active classrooms per day • 6,435 posts by teachers per day • 337 posts by students • All Shelby County high schools were ranked inthe top 3rd of schools in Alabama by U.S. News and World Report (565 public high schools in Alabama), Oak Mountain High ranked #9 and Helena High ranked #16 • Shelby County Schools was recognized as a District of Distinction for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) • Montevallo Elementary School was named a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by Franklin Covey • 186,888 breakfast and lunch meals served to students and families
QUOTE OF THE DAY: America does not need to see the tax return of a billionaire who became a public servant. America needs to see the tax returns of public servants who became millionaires while being public servants.
Republican Women of Shelby County The RWSC have had a very busy spring. We have found a way to actively involve our members while observing the government guidelines during this trying time. Some of our activities include: 1. Hosting a webinar with our membership and guest. The webinar featured Senatorial Candidate, Jeff Sessions. Senator Sessions spoke to our members for over thirty minutes. He also answered questions that had been submitted by attendees. This opportunity to meet during the COVID-19 peek period was a way to keep our membership informed and connected to Republican Candidates. 2. We had a very informal club meeting in the parking lot of the Shelby County Services Center in late May. The meeting focused on club goals. Everyone attending brought lawn chairs and their own snacks. It was a nice way to see each other by months of isolation. Please like our new Facebook page: “Republican Women of Shelby County Alabama�.
Sheltering In Place
Hewy Woodman Family Easter photo during quarantine
Freddy and Vesta Ard with decorative face masks.
Republican Women of North Shelby County The Republican Women of North Shelby County now boasts 68 paid, active members. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been able to meet either in person or virtually every month in 2020 except April. On February 11, we had a full house when we hosted Coach Tommy Tuberville, candidate for U.S. Senate. He articulated his reasons for running for the seat and his desire to represent the people of Alabama. We hosted Matt Murphy and Andrea Lindenberg, morning hosts on FM 94.5 radio at the March 10 meeting. They recapped the current political climate in Alabama and told many entertaining stories about recent guests. Unfortunately, we were forced to cancel our April 14 meeting due to the statewide shutdown of most venues. Terry Lathan, Chairwoman of the Alabama GOP was scheduled to speak. She has been rescheduled to speak at our live June meeting, replacing Secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Hal Taylor whose father is very ill in Mississippi. In addition to hearing Ms. Lathan cover current Party news, our club will be raffling off a beautiful American flag quilt, handmade by member Alma Gaertner. Proceeds from the raffle will help fund our 2021 Scholarship program. Apryl Marie Fogel was our guest via Google Meets for our May meeting. Apryl Marie, a Birmingham resident with over 10 years of experience in political activism and communications, currently runs the blog/website Alabama Today, www.ALToday.com.
Apryl Marie discussed what happened during the most recent legislative session and other political news in the State. The RWNSC has extended the deadline for entries for its first-ever 2020 Scholarship contest. Qualifying high school seniors will be judged on leadership, drive, integrity and citizenship. Applicants must submit an essay detailing why they embrace the conservative values of the Republican Party as well as their qualifications for the scholarship. Entries are due by June 20 with one or more winners notified no later than July 7. Scholarship winner(s) will be introduced at the July 14 meeting. Upcoming speakers include: o July: Britney Garner, AFRW President o August 11: Cam Ward, Candidate for Alabama Supreme Court o September 15: Mike Vest, Shelby County Commissioner o October 13: Paul Reynolds, RNC National Committeeman for Alabama o November 10: Will Smith, Candidate, Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals and Richard Friedman, U.S.-Israel Education Association The Republican Women of North Shelby County meet on the second Tuesday of each month; 12:30 pm at Inverness Country Club. Annual dues are $40. For membership information and an application, please contact club president, Liz Bishop: (205) 612-4152.
Greater Birmingham Teen Age Republicans Scholarship My name is Juan Luis Contreras and just graduated from Spain Park High School. I am honored to be the recipient for the Shelby County Republican Party Scholarship. I have been a part of the GBTARS Club for the past four years and have served as its president for the past two years. GBTARS has truly helped me grow as a person and gave me the opportunity to help our community with service projects. I have also learn the importance of being involve in the every day political life. GBTARS taught me to not be afraid to stand up for our conservative values. I am excited to announce that I was accepted to Auburn University with a Presidential Scholarship in the Honor College. I will make our voices heard on
our college campus. I cannot wait to start this next chapter in my life! Once again, I am honored to have been awarded the Shelby County Republican Party Scholarship.
Democrats Duped by Russians, or Are They Complicit?
April 11. 2020 I Tom Richardson As the Covid-19 pandemic peaks in America, Democrats have already launched yet another investigation in President Trump, this time on the handling of the pandemic response. Even though the death rate as well as the infection rate is significantly lower than what all models predicted, Democrats are still looking to find fault with the President’s actions. The real question is why? After all, haven’t the last three years been nothing but one failed investigation after another targeting President Trump by Democrats? So again, we must ask why? And I think the answer lies with the expected conclusion, likely over the next couple of months, of US Attorney John Durham’s investigation into the FBI Russia probe. And from what we are hearing, there is likely to be some real fallout from the results. Yes, that Russia collusion thing has reared it’s ugly head again, and I believe the truth is about to be revealed, and so Democrats are going to try once again to deflect, with anything they can, so yes, yet again, one more investigation of President Trump. “Yes, that should do it”….so they have said how many times now? As an informed electorate, we must understand what is going on in our political arena in order to make informed decisions. The following is an encapsulation of the Russia collusion narrative and the resulting attempt to impeach President Trump. It is clearly understood by all that Russia does try to interfere in elections and the results there of. Russia has attempted to disrupt elections before 2016, they attempted to disrupt the 2016 election and they
will attempt to disrupt the 2020 election, as well as elections into the future. Their primary goal is to sow seeds of dissention among the American people and especially between the political parties. What is true over the past four years is that Russia has been immensely successful in that disruptive endeavor. They have propagated dissention and as a result, the Democratic Party has run with a collusion narrative in an attempt to overturn the 2016 election and further influence the outcome of the 2020 election. The democrats have been duped….or have they? What we must understand is that the Democratic Party, including the leadership at the top and as well as the left leaning media outlets, has grasped the idea of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and they continue to run with it despite the Mueller Report’s exoneration of the campaign. We must ask ourselves “Why?”. The conclusion can only be one of two pretexts. The first is that the left leaning in America are still so overcome by the 2016 election results and their hatred for this President, that they will continue to run with the collusion narrative despite the findings. Secondly, they may actually believe the Trump campaign colluded and as a result, they feel the need to impeach the President for ‘anything’ they can find with which they can make a case, whether legitimate or not. Whether the first pretext or the second is actually the case, we can legitimately conclude the following; After looking at the divided political spectrum and the hatred that has evolved over the past 4 years,
we can definitely attribute, at least partly, that the Russians have indeed be very successful in dividing our country. The question is who has been duped and or who is complicit with the Russian efforts? The answer again seems to be perfectly clear. It was the Democratic Party, key elements of the intelligence community, and lastly, the left leaning news media in our country. If they weren’t duped as a result of naivety, then they grasped the untruths and ran with them because of their hatred for conservative values and for President Trump. Either way, this means the Russians have indeed been successful and the left leaning in the country have been the ones complicit in Russian efforts to divide this country and the electorate, whether knowingly or not. If the answer does not lie within the first or second pretext, then the only other rational is just what they were accusing the Trump campaign of at the beginning; Democratic collusion with the Russians or some other foreign entity to undermine and overthrow the duly elected President of the United States of America…. and that by definition is Treason. I trust my last stated hypothesis is not correct and that the Democrats were simply duped by naivety or just pure hatred of conservative values and Donald Trump, as if those are not bad enough. Unfortunately, I just don’t see Hillary Clinton and the Democratic machine as being susceptible to gullibility. Their constituents? Yes. The new media? Yes. So that leaves hatred of Donald Trump and the platform on which he ran and or direct collusion with a foreign entity (Russia) to undermine a sitting President. Either one singularly or both of those in concert along with the unfounded effort to remove him from office is by definition treason. We can only hope that the truth will be revealed to the American people and justice is served regardless of those who have had a hand in dividing America the way they have over the past 3 ½ years. With that said, be informed and share you knowledge with friends, family and especially those on the left. Truth is power. The following items are facts regarding the Russia Collusion theory promoted by those seeking President Trumps’s impeachment. This list is from a William Barr, Attorney General, interview following the Horowitz IG report released on December 9, 2010. (1) 1. Don’t expect Durham’s findings to be announced before late spring or summer 2020. 2. The FBI did spy on the Trump campaign. That’s what electronic surveillance is.
3. Regarding the FBI’s actions in surveilling Trump campaign associates, it was a “travesty” and there were “many abuses.” 4. From “day one,” the FBI investigation generated exculpatory information (tending to point to the targets’ innocence) and nothing that corroborated Russia collusion. 5. It’s a “big deal” to use U.S. law enforcement and intelligence resources to investigate the opposing political party, and I cannot think of another recent instance in which this happened. 6. Evidence to start the FBI’s investigation into Trump associates was “flimsy” from the start and based on the idea that Trump aide George Papadopoulos expressed he may have had pre-knowledge of a Democrat National Committee computer hack. However, it was actually just an offhand barroom comment by a young campaign aide described merely as a “suggestion of a suggestion, a vague allusion” to the fact that the Russians may have something they can dump. But by that time, May 2016, there was already rampant speculation online and in political circles that the Russians had hacked Hillary Clinton’s emails in 2014 and that they might surface. So the idea that Papadopoulos’s comment showed preknowledge of the Democratic National Committee hack and dump “is a big stretch.” 7. It was “wrong” for the FBI to presume the Trump campaign was part of a plot. They should have gone to the campaign and discussed their suspicions. 8. The normal thing to do would be to tell the campaign that there could be attempted foreign interference. There is no legitimate explanation as to why the FBI didn’t do this. The FBI’s explanation for this was that they only do “defensive briefings” if they’re certain there’s no chance they’re tipping someone off. But this simply isn’t true, isn’t plausible, and doesn’t hold water because our intelligence officials and President Barack Obama repeatedly contacted the Russians, the guilty party, to tell them to “cut it out.” 9. If the purpose were to protect the election, you would have given the Trump campaign a defensive briefing. You could have disrupted any foreign activity in time to protect the U.S. election. ... continued, next page.
Democrats Duped by Russians, or Are They Complicit?...continued. 10. As to the FBI’s motive, “that’s why we have Durham.” I’m not saying the motivations were improper, but it’s premature to say they weren’t. 11. The inspector general operates differently as an internal watchdog. Horowitz’s approach is to say that if people involved give reasonable explanations for what appears to be wrongdoing, and if he can’t find documentary or testimonial evidence to the contrary, he accepts it. 12. Contrary to much reporting, Horowitz didn’t rule out improper motive; he didn’t find documentary or testimonial evidence of improper motive. Those are two different things. 13. Instead of talking to the Trump campaign, the FBI secretly “wired up” sources and had them talk to four people affiliated with the Trump campaign, in August, September, and October 2016. 14. All of the information from this surveillance came back exculpatory regarding any supposed relationship to Russia and specific facts. But the FBI didn’t inform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court, which approved wiretaps against former Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page four times. 15. At one point early on, the FBI didn’t have enough probable cause for a wiretap warrant, so it took the “Steele dossier” information against Trump, “which they’d done nothing to verify,” and used that to get the wiretaps. 16. The wiretaps allowed the FBI to go back and capture Page’s communications, emails, and other material from weeks, months, and even years ago. 17. Should the four FBI applications to wiretap Trump campaign aide Carter Page have ever been made, considering there were 17 critical omissions or errors by the FBI making it appear they had better evidence than they had? This is the meat of the issue, and “if you spend time to look at what happened, you’d be appalled.” 18. The FBI withheld from the court all of the exculpatory information and the lack of reliability of the main FBI source, Christopher Steele, who was being paid by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign to find evidence connecting Trump to Russia.
19. The major takeaway is that after the election in January, the FBI finally talked to one of Steele’s important sources to try to verify some of the “dossier” information and sourcing, as they’re required to do. This Steele source told the FBI he didn’t know what Steele was talking about in the dossier, and that he’d told Steele that the information he’d provided was “supposition” and “theory.” At that point, “it was clear the dossier was a sham.” Yet the FBI didn’t tell the court, and continued to get wiretaps based on the dossier. 20. Further, the FBI falsely told the court that Steele’s source had been proven reliable and truthful. In fact, what the source had told the truth about was that “the dossier was garbage.” It’s hard to look at this “and not think it was gross abuse.” 21. Were the four Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act judges who approved the four wiretaps against Trump associate Carter Page badly misled by the FBI? Yes. 22. Are people going to be held accountable, including at the very top of our intelligence agencies and FBI? Well, they’re all gone. 23. The whole Russia collusion hype was a “bogus narrative hyped by an irresponsible press” that proved entirely false in the end. Are former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI official Andy McCabe and others implicated in the Durham investigation? I think there was a failure of leadership in that group. Quoting the inspector general, the explanations he received “were not satisfactory. You can draw your own conclusions.” 24. Why haven’t we already thrown people in prison? “These things take time.” The government has to have proof beyond a reasonable doubt before we indict; it’s a substantial hurdle. Nobody is going to be indicted and go to jail unless that standard is met. In his interviews this week, Barr provided a treasure trove of information about what stands to be one of the most important investigations into our U.S. intelligence community of our time. His signposts indicate that we can expect a shakeup of a system that may have been broken for decades. (1) References: 1. www.theepochtimes.com, William Barr Has Suddenly Become ChattyAnd he’s Provided Quite An Information Dump, Sharyl Attkinson, December 11, 2019