The Mueller Report Has Been Weaponized

"This is not a presidency. This is a crime spree by a con artist who is repaying his Russian debts and lining his own pockets." Ryan Knight, reporter, on twitter

"Mueller's report is predicated on caring about facts. Our world is about who can claim victory the quickest." Dahlia Lithwack, Slate magazine, March 26, 2019

The tRump/McConnell GOP, via AG Barr's partisan interpretation in four pages, co-signed revealingly by Rod Rosenstein, has weaponized the Mueller Report.

It doesn't matter that no one but a few folks at the Department of Justice (DOJ) have seen it in its entirety.  It doesn't matter that media pundits are talking incessantly about what they haven't read and don't know. It's weaponized. 

Robert Mueller's extreme caution (I guess you can call it that) in not coming to "conclusions" in his long-awaited Report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, even on the blatant obstruction in plain view, has plunged America into further chaos and despair. Putin has achieved his goal. Russia is celebrating. 

The weaponized Mueller Report has emboldened those with the most to gain and the least respect for the Rule of Law.  

Did Mueller underestimate the depth and extent of the GOP tyranny that has taken over our government?   

Is he unaware that Mitch McConnell and his far-right Republican oligarchs have corrupted the three branches of government on which our democracy depends? 

Did Mueller think he could play by the old rules of the game, like a gentleman scholar of the days of yore? That the DOJ would surely make the report public?

Did he think he could just kick the ball to Congress, like a good citizen? 

Did he think facts mattered, when we are bombarded daily with "alternative facts" that some people believe as if they were gospel. Is he aware that tRump has lied over 8,000 times since he was elected? 

Isn't he aware that those supranational oligarchy networks he investigated when he was head of the FBI are thriving and growing expoentially? Surely he knows that tRump, McConnell, Graham, other billionaires like Eric Prince and the Mercers, those in the Russia interference orbit, are part of these networks, get lots of money from Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, and engage in quid pro quos like lifting sanctions against Russia. 

Does Mueller understand that because of this we now have only one half of one branch of our government functioning in accordance with the US Constitution?  One half of one branch. And even in this one-half, we have the likes of Nunes, Gym Jordan,the Freedom Caucus running roughshod over facts, spewing forth propaganda to beat the band, making things up, lying, especially about the Russia investigation.   

Does Mueller have a clue about how hard we had to fight to preserve this last nugget of democracy? The grassroot work it took in every state to overcome the almost insurmountable obstacles of gross partisan gerrymandering and rampant voter suppression, the most undemocratic tactics of all? 

It feels like the noose of corruption and tyranny is tightening around our necks. It is painful to watch what's left of our government fighting so hard to gain some leverage. It's painful to see how easy it has been to disrupt our government, to "deconstruct" it, and how powerless it seems to combat it.    

Yes, the weaponized Mueller Report has emboldened the tRump/McConnell GOP tyranny,  the Barrs, McConnells, Nunes, Pences, to go "full animal," as Steve Bannon put it. 

They are jumping on every opportunity to twist the knife. 

They are attacking the media with more disdain than ever, making a list of critics they want dumped. 

They have taken over the DOJ, a coup d'etat orchestrated by Mitch McConnell. He made sure his Senate Republicans confirmed Barr in spite of, or actually because of, the 19-page letter he wrote to tRUmp to get the job, which outlined his real views about Executive privilege and Mueller's investigation. Many of us thought that was the case during those hearings, as did most Senate Dems. Barr lied like a rug, over and over. He obstructed justice in plain view. It didn't matter.

Overnight, the tRump regime launched a new attack on ACA (Obamacare). This was right after a district judge ruled that it was "unconstitutional." The Justice Department agrees that the whole law should be thrown out. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post).

McConnell and his Republicans blocked the Dems' effort to make the Mueller Report public. They are going full steam ahead in abusing their power. They have even called for Adam Schiff to be removed from the House Intelligence Committee!That's amazing isn't it? 

They are gleefully vengeful.  

They have taken the wind out of our sails. The truth will be revealed, in time. But meanwhile our nation is bleeding.  We are reeling in chaos and uncertainty, exactly what Putin wanted. We are suffering.

It doesn't feel good. I'm feeling like a Ukrainian, in survival mode, trying to be stoic, aiming to accept that "this is the way it is."  My Peace Corps days in far-eastern Ukraine (2009-11) keep popping into my mind. Since Russia's illegal invasion in 2014, they have been going through hell in the Donbas and in Crimea, where I served. They are also facing another presidential election, and they are conflicted. They were conflicted during the 2010 election campaign, too, when pro-Russian Yanukovich, with Paul Manafort's help, beat Yuliya Tymoshenko. I remember the "Lock her up" slogan against Tymoshenko, and the constant propaganda, the cyber warfare disinformation campaigns. The results landed like a thud.  Yanukovich didn't last long, either. And we know what's happened to Manafort. 

But what can you do, my friends asked rhetorically?  That's when they seemed to have more dinners together, waking me at 9 pm to come join them. That's when they biked to the Aydar river for sunbathing and picnics, and pulled me along with them. They tended their gardens, worked for hours preserving the bounty for the coming winter, even after long days at work. They enjoyed each day as it came. I was caught up in it. It's not that they didn't give a damn; they cared deeply. But life, afterall, goes on. 

As I was thinking about these experiences, along came a Ukrainian-American citizen, Max Yemets, who  expressed these same views much better than I could. His letter was posted by a fellow resister on my Indivisible link. It hit home.

Hi, fellow friends of justice. I am a naturalized US citizen, originally from Ukraine. As someone who went from bread lines and potato farming to a nice suburban middle-class American lifestyle, I wanted to share a couple of thoughts about the recent political developments in the US.

1. The United States is now closer than ever to a full-blown oligarchy similar to the newly-independent states that formed after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The Kochs, Adelson, Schwarzman, and other big-name GOP donors are clones of the dudes who muscled in on revenue-producing assets in the 90s post-Soviet space and never let go. Putin has absorbed several oligarchs in Russia. Ukraine is ruled by a sugar/confections oligarch with a banking oligarch about to install his puppet as president. Belarus is ruled by a dictator oligarch. The US is now ruled by whoever can leverage Citizens United the most. These guys don't pay taxes, treat the electorate as those human batteries from The Matrix, and have no regard for anything unless it generates more power for them.

2. Since 2014, I feel like I've lived the same timeline twice -- the first time in Ukraine, where many of my family members still live, and the second time in 2016 when Donald Trump was elected. The tactics, the propaganda, and most importantly, the reaction of my fellow citizens were shockingly similar in both the Trump and the Yanukovich elections. From misinformation campaigns to social media targeting to middle-American Joe Sixpacks yelling about libtards, it's literally all the same. Although it seems like all roads lead to Putin, my [bet] is on a transnational cohort of neo-feudals who busted up the planet into fiefdoms.

3. What can we do about it? Well, the Ukrainians hit the streets in such numbers that the sitting president literally fled the country. Can you imagine the organization and resources that would be required to pull something like that off in the US? It's literally impossible, especially considering the size of the country and how split we are on even the basic facts. The only ways left to fight are the same ways we always had: organize, raise hell about bullshit, and make like 90s gangsta rappers and stack them bills for our candidates. The GOP gutted the unions, passed unlimited campaign contributions, took over corporate interests, infected the religious message, and made huge inroads with the workers, the cops, the military. However, we have grass roots, ethnic minorities, women, coalition-builders, and most importantly, the message -- we actually believe in liberty, justice, and the Enlightenment ideals. This is why no one reading this is too poor to kick in $1-20 a month for your favorite ActBlue candidate. If we're supposed to be more tech-savvy, more educated, more critical, we need to at the bare minimum match the unlimited corporate contributions, no matter how daunting that sounds.

4. Lastly, while all this is happening, let's not forget to live our lives. There was a period in my life where the mere thought of a Russian asset (Trump) running my new country the same way a Russian asset (Yanukovich) was running my old home was driving me insane on the daily basis. Allocate the time in your day to be politically and socially active, but don't forget that we're just some hominids from the great apes family running around on what's left of this planet for 30-40 years and then returning to dust from whence we came. The best fighters aren't emotional, but methodical. They don't miss training, make excuses, or give up. In the end, I think justice will prevail, but it will prevail in a world very different from what it is today.  PS. If you have any Soviet or post-Soviet-related questions, hit me up."

Maybe this message from a warrior can help us get through these dark days. Maybe one half of one branch can keep hope alive and the Resistance can keep going until 2020, when we will have our say. 

Some sources:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/25/18281788/doj-obamacare-unconstitutional-trump

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/03/mueller-report-barr-summary-obstruction-conspiracy-close-reading.html?fbclid=IwAR3xzNKMB9LHKOhlLH-SVgfLq145GY5HhOYxCifAOzJ5rvAxnxTWwSFEWNI

https://www.yahoo.com/news/republicans-call-rep-adam-schiff-231635991.html

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/3/25/1844911/-Source-With-Knowledge-of-The-Probe-Mueller-was-making-a-case-to-Congress??detail=emaildkre

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/03/mueller-report-trump-mcconnell-facts-dont-matter.html

Serendipity in San Miguel de Allende 2019

Me and famous Mexican artist and muralist
David Leonardo. 

The Jacaranda trees, a gift from Japan to Mexico, are blooming among the bouganvilla in San Miguel and surrounding mountains, a lovely purple world infusing our soul and spirit. 

It was serendipity, for which San Miguel de Allende is famous, among the thousand other delights  that make this beautiful World Heritage city in the Mexican mountains such a treasure, so beloved.
When you're in San Miguel the soul and spirit of the place envelops you. You bump into happy circumstances and people, make discoveries that you weren't looking for but welcome, unexpected surprises that delight. A form of good Karma.

We were walking back to our hotel Ruisenor, Sophie, Linda and I, after a fabulous birthday (felicidades) dinner, which included a luscious dessert with one bright candle courtesy of the 13 Cielos restaurant. We strolled past shop after shop brimming with arts and crafts hecho en Mexico, wonderful cafes and restaurants bustling with activity and happy people, and through the Jardin, the central square, the heart of the town. The iconic Parroquia stood in awesome splendor, lighting up the night. 

The Parroquia.

"Let's sit a minute."  We went around the Mariarchi band, dressed in azul splendor, trumpets and violins in full voice, loud and joyous, to a nearby bench. We breathed in the spirit. Sophie poked me, nodding her head to the right. "Isn't that David Leonardo?"  I looked. Wasn't sure. It's been many years.  I walked up to him (brazenly, maybe because I had just turned 79), and asked.  "Are you David Leonardo, the fabulous artist?"

He had been playing the violin, the sound drowned out by the Mariarchi. He looked up, and smiled. "Yes, I am." 

Oh good heavens! The famous artist and muralist David Leonardo right next to us in real time. I told him I had bought one of his paintings, long ago, during his romantic Conquistador period, and that it still brings me great joy after all these years.  He was pleased. Genuinely pleased. That beautiful sexy smile. "It's nice to hear from people who have bought my paintings and still like them." Born in Mexico City, he speaks perfect English, and he was happy to talk with us.

Brunch at a lovely courtyard
cafe.

I introduced Sophie and Linda. "Sophie moved from California to San Miguel, 10 years ago. She made this beautiful necklace," I said, fingering the jewelry around my neck. "I was friends with her mom Zuzu, an expat from New York, an artist, my San Miguel connection of the heart for many years, along with our old friend Estelle."  David thought he recognized Zuzu's name. "And this is Linda Furney, pioneer Ohio politician, Ohio State Senator, happily retired, my Toledo friend and fellow traveler."  "Toledo?"  "Not Spain, Toledo, Ohio!"

He was enchanted, and enchanting. It felt like we were floating on a lavender Jacaranda cloud.  We embraced the night this way.  Sang and danced and laughed. "I have to play music. The harmonica, and the violin...also the piano...other instruments. It inspires me."   "Do  you still paint?" "Of course, they go together. I have to do both."

The powerful artist, impelled from within to create. "Fran, Fran!" he sang, between the notes of his harmonica.  "Linda, Linda, Linda!"   "Sophie, Sophie, dance. Dance!" Such exuberance. Such joy. Serendipty. In San Miguel. On my birthday.

My David Leonardo, the romantic Conquistador, and next to it a Vermillion, "Tango," over my fireplace.
A Mexican mirror, painted frames, Talivera, arts and crafts I've collected over the years, are on the mantel.
After this period, David went full throttle into his powerful murals of the indigenous Mexican people conquering 
the Spanish and reclaiming their land. The murals are at the Biblioteca and the Instituto. 

 My birthday dessert.  

SMA street on a typical blue sky day.

This is how I spent a fantastico eight days in San Miguel with Linda Furney. The start of it might have daunted other travellers, but not us.  Turns out the Airbnb I had chosen was on top of one of the steepest hills in town, high up on cobblestoned Garita street. In fact it was a such steep climb that after one attempt down it, slowly, carefully, and a cab ride up (I laughed), Linda made reservations at a Hotel Ruisenor, and there we went. We spent the rest of our days in this nice little place on Mesones street, near Relox, just a few blocks from the Jardin, near everything wonderful about San Miguel. 

We had lots of little adventures, like you do in San Miguel, like bumping into David Leonardo. Serendipitous adventures. One sunny, blue-sky day, after a few hours imbibing the beauty of the Bellas Artes Cultural Center, I happened by chance to walk past the studio of artist Vermillion on Canal street. I had forgotten it was there. Wow. Something must have pulled me there. I had bought paintings from Vermillion as well. I went in and there he was. I told him I had some of his paintings and loved them still. We chatted for almost an hour, philosophizing about how time goes by, how he has become interested in theatre, how we learn and grow.

Colorful Talavera ceramics at the Mercado de Artesanias.
Linda saw lots of it on a trip to Delores Hildago, bought
some beautiful tiles.

When Linda and I compared notes at the end of the day, it turns out that while I was chatting with Henry Vermillion, she had gone into the Instituto, the historic, iconc art school, and guess who was there? David Leonardo! They shared more time and conversation, to Linda's delight. I think this was Linda's first real San Migueleno serenditous experience!

On another afternoon we went to a popular corner cafe on the Jardin, one my sister and I love, me for a marguerita, Linda for tea and shared quacamole. Shoot, no place to sit. Two women at one of the tables motioned to us and said we could sit at their table, no problem. And we did, and this is how we made new best friends with two wonderful southern California women.  Linda (yes, another Linda) is originally from Ashtabula, Ohio, and Pittsburg, we learned, and Ilya, originally from Panama, bilingual. We were meant to connect. California Linda and I share an Italian heritage and an Ohio sense of place. Ilya has a long-planned business trip to, of all places, Toledo, Ohio! She'll stay with me when she gets here.

This is the way to spend late afternoons in San Miguel, enjoying the setting sun, toasting to happiness, enjoying the moment, making new friends. We bumped into them again a few days later, on our last day there. Hugged and kissed.Talked up a storm. It was their last day too. We ended up having a farewell dinner together at an Argentine restaurant, good food, great service, great fun. We said goodbye, adios, hasta luego. See you in California one day soon, Linda, and see you in Toledo, Ilya!

Serendipity. The joys of San Miguel. The "fun side of the wall," where the people are kind and caring, the culture is vibrant and welcoming of all visitors, the atmosphere authentic, down-to-earth, honest. The soul and spirit of Mexico. It was hard going home.

David Leonardo murals, Biblioteca, San Miguel de Allende