December 6

That's when the:marhasag will hit the fan in the House Judiciary Committee.  Meanwhile, The Republican ranking member of that Committee sent a letter to the (Democratic) chairman on Saturday, requesting extra witnesses be added to the committee's first impeachment hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, December 4.  The ranking member, Doug Collins, also asked that Republicans have the opportunity to select some of those witnesses.

They might get "extra" testifiers, but I doubt they'll get the chance to decide who those folks should be.  To think otherwise would be to fall into a fox / hen-house type of reasoning.

Back in the Day ...

Peter Baker's book The Breach details the impeachment in 1998, and the Senate trial in 1999, of William Jefferson Clinton.  The volume's final chapter, The Most Difficult, Wrenching, and Soul-Searching Vote, describes just as fully the management of the case being brought against the President  by - wait for it - Mitch McConnell .

Even factors like the order in which Senators spoke (AKA "testified") in favor or against any of the Articles of Impeachment are outlined, as are:

• jockeying among Senators for advantageous positions in the order of speakers
• infighting among the president's advisers
• pressure among Democrats to call for Clinton's resignation
• the War Room set up by Tom DeLay to force Clinton out of office
• the anxiety of some lawmakers who feared the exposure of their own secrets

Given that management of the process coming to the Senate soon is even more firmly Mr. McConnell's grip, and that most Republican Senators exist in a chimera of belief in Mr. Trump, we could very well see at least some of these circumstances repeat themselves.

Doggone Nice

I can't take credit for the pun, but the folks at the Fort Worth, Texas Animal Care & Control Center can, as well as for a simple, sweet act of kindness.

For Once, He Did the Right Thing

Earlier today, Donald Trump signed legislation whose purpose is, at least in part, protecting pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.  Reportedly, Senator Mitch McConnell urged Mr. Trump to sign the bill into law.

High Crimes and Misdemeanors

Everything you ever wanted to know about them but were afraid to ask ...

Here's How It'll Go Down

On Wednesday, December 4, a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee will take place.  That hearing will, in the words of Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D - NY), serve as an opportunity to discuss the historical and constitutional basis of impeachment, as well as the Framers' intent and understanding of terms like 'high crimes and misdemeanors.

Despite repeated claims by Donald Trump and his supporters that the ongoing impeachment inquiry is a hoax and a sham, Chairman Nadler sent a letter to Trump today, notifying him of the hearing, and inviting him or his counsel to participate, up to and including the point of questioning witnesses.  Further, Nadler said We expect to discuss the constitutional framework through which the House may analyze the evidence gathered in the present inquiry ... as well as ... whether your alleged actions warrant the House's exercising its authority to adopt articles of impeachment.

That latter charge is still subject to the conditions high crimes and misdemeanors.  Those conditions include but aren't limited to such misconduct by officials as dishonesty, negligence, perjury of oath, abuse of authority, bribery, intimidation, misuse of public funds or assets, failure to supervise, dereliction of duty, unbecoming conduct, refusal to obey a lawful order,  and more.

Sounds like a LinkedIn page for The Donald ...

A Change of Pace

All the News That Fits, We Print

 

 

from Routers Broadcasting

Tech-Head Society to attempt to save the world

Considers forming a new group dedicated to public service

This reporter has learned that some folks are considering forming an ad-hoc group, Tentatively titled Geeks for Peace and Justice, or GPJ .  The new group hopes to carry out public-service IT projects.

Seems like a natural progression, said one prospective member. After all, we’re people who’re interested in things like Linux, Apache, PHP, MySQL – you know – stuff that works. By definition, then, we’re fairly intelligent and reasonably enlightened. So, you know, we just thought we ought to share some of that around a little bit. After all, you can find truth in lots of places besides tables.

If you get that last groaner, or even if you don't, GPJ wants to talk to you, perhaps even to recruit you.  There is one glitch. Group meetings will have to take place either at 368 Smitbridge Road (also known as the headquarters of Routers Broadcasting), or online. Whether in person or by the Internets, we can discuss how to develop the idea suggested above. So give it some thought.

Should enough of you express a real interest, we can begin to set up meetings via the Manhattan Virtual Classroom that can run on whatever server we establish. Check your schedulers, and let me know if you'd like to queue up for this effort. It promises stacks of fun.  One last thing. Besides the already-cited groaner, there are several puns in this page, that use techie terms as the basis for humor. Don't thrash around; have some fun, and see how many you can find..

Getting in touch with GPJ

GPJ hopes to be unique - an online discussion board without angst or invective. So send us your thoughts on possible projects for the group. But remember  Drudge doppelgangers need not correspond.

Email us with your thoughts for GPJ.

No One Is Above the Law

So says Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.  In her ruling today, she cleared the way for former White House Counsel Don McGahn to testify to the Intelligence Committee in the House as part of their impeachment inquiry.

Jackson certainly didn't do a rush job; her ruling was 118 pages.  In it, she stated  no one is above the law, and  added However busy or essential a presidential aide might be, and whatever their proximity to sensitive domestic and national-security projects, the President does not have the power to excuse him or her from taking an action that the law requires.

And it gets better.  The ruling could encourage other witnesses, like former national security adviser John Bolton, to come in from the cold, so to speak, and to testify in response to House subpoenas.

Et Tu, Devin?

Reports circulate that Rep. Devin Nunes (R - CA   22nd District), one of the most strident supporters of Donald Trump during the impeachment inquiry, may himself become subject to investigation.

Lev Parnas claims to have worked with Rudy Giuliani.  Their goal, according to Parnas, was to promote the theory that Democrats engaged with Ukraine in corrupt practices/.  Parnas alleged further that Nunes took part in meetings focused on getting dirt on the Bidens.