Soapbox Moment - Online story: "A group of FBI agents appeared to fire back at President Donald Trump after Trump slammed the agency on Sunday and said its reputation was "in Tatters." * “Every day, FBI Special Agents put their lives on the line to protect the American public from national security and criminal threats," Thomas O'Connor, the president of the advocacy group FBI Agents Association, said in a statement Sunday evening."-- You know.. when a few people within an organization have the power to destroy lives, abusing that power in an unlawful manner, in and abusive manner, undermines the integrity of all that work there. We're seen this vividly in the past.. and especially the past two terms of former President Obama.. We've seen the IRS used as a "hitman" against ordinary Americans who wanted to express their rights guaranteed by our Constitution; we've seen establishment Congresspersons overpowering the civil rights of those who work for them; and we are seeing mainscream media create their version of the "news" it wants to "print"... yes all these "Institutions" are further destroying the confidence America "feels" and "thinks" about them.. but.. BUT when the FBI has power, the opportunity.. to protect the us from abusive organizations/people, and FAILS us in any capacity, Americans have the right to demand perfection, and who more representative of America is our president, and exposing the corruptness of a few withing the DOJ/FBI leadership is President Trump's promise to us.. to Make America Great Again. Between Holder. Lynch, and Comey, political criminals have walked among us without fear of the repercussions we average Americans would receive if we did the same. When Trump speaks of the reputation of the FBI being "in tatters", he is giving the 99% of the rest of the "good agents" a chance to step forward, and help oust the ones at he top who have tainted their reputations. America needs to know that OUR FBI wants us to trust in them again... wants to feel confident in them to the shine light of truth into the dark shadows of not only the "underworld", but of those who govern us. Are you listening Thomas O'Connor!

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From the "doesn't mainscream media KNOW that December comes after November" department - Online headline/story: "Top Trump transition official in private email: Russia 'has just thrown' the election to Trump * A senior member of President Donald Trump's transition team said in email to a colleague on December 29, 2016, shortly after the Obama administration had imposed new sanctions on Russia, that the transition team should try to reassure the country that had just "thrown" the election to Trump. * The transition official, KT McFarland, told the unnamed colleague in the email obtained by the New York Times that the sanctions were aimed at delegitimizing Trump's election victory." -- Good grief.. the real story is Obama trying to further damage US-Russian less than a month before Trump took office, and the REAL STORY was from 2021 when Obama was caught on a "live Mic" telling the Russian official to tell Putin he "would be more flexible after the election".

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From the "oh yeah, then I can trump firing Lauer with suspending a REAL news person" department - Online story: "ABC News said on Saturday it had suspended Brian Ross, its chief investigative correspondent, over an error in his reporting about former national security adviser Michael Flynn which sent U.S. stocks, the dollar and Treasury yields lower on Friday. * "Effective immediately, Brian Ross will be suspended for four weeks without pay," added ABC News, owned by the Walt Disney Co." -- Guess mainscream media just "set a standard"... mess with President Trump.. get suspended, mess with an intern/co-worker, get fired"!

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L-E headline/story: "REDEVELOPMENT * New North Columbus plan raises concerns * the project would also include traffic improvements and enhancements at Flat Rock Park. A road would be developed to ease traffic from the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Talokas Lane all the way to Flat Rock Road. * The improvements were requested by city planners. * Mayor Teresa Tomlinson immediately raised concerns about the proposal, stating she was unaware the plans existed until they appeared on the council agenda. * “Usually, almost always, TADS are in distressed properties, that’s the point,” she said. “It’s not the public’s role to subsidize private development." -- I'm not so curious about the request, but I'm more than curious about Council's seemingly obliviousness... Why wouldn't Council KNOW about it if a request to build a new road was requested to.. or by... City Planners? And what a road.. Looking at the map, it appears there are streams, Flat Rock Park, an existing subdivision, huge rock formations or an apartment complex that would have to be dealt with regardless of any route chosen. Hmmm... anybody remember what Buffalo Bob use to open his show with? Remember, "Hey kids, what time is it... and the kids responded, "It's Howdy Doody time!" Well, looks like Councils response will be, "It's quandary time"! Time for Mayor Tom-LYING-son to "pay the piper".

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From the "we need a little help here" department - Remember the assault on our Property Tax Freeze in 2016? The "Keep the Freeze" group filed all it's required donations/expenditure forms on time. The "Thaw The Freeze" group's final disclosures are still not posted.. who do we contact?

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LIV's L-E "soundoff": "To the writer who saw “illegal immigration” as the same thing as “sexual abuse,” you need to read about the poverty and violence immigrants are trying to escape. Ignorant words are destructive and hurtful." -- "read about the poverty and violence immigrants are trying to escape"? Hmmm ...this "soundoff" writer needs to read about the poverty and violence illegal immigrants ARE CAUSING once they get here!

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L-E headline/story: "Retired military leaders call for gun control * Sixteen of the nation’s top retired military commanders are urging Congress to pass gun control legislation, arguing that there are many steps that can be taken to curb gun deaths that do not violate the Second Amendment." -- "16 of the top retired military commanders"? 16 out of what 1000s and 1000s of top retired military leaders? America revolted... and won .. from a foreign government because of the guns our forefathers had when the foreign government tried to control us with its own military forces. No.. just say "NO" to military/political leaders - retired or otherwise - who advocate for gun confiscation from law abiding citizens exercising their rights of the hard fought for 2nd Amendment!

You know, mainscream media has more to worry about than private citizens if the 2nd Amendment was ever repealed.. or, for that matter, weakened.. The 2nd Amendment is the only thing standing in the way of eliminating the 1st Amendment, and the 1st Amendment is all media has to give them the right to disagree with the 2nd..

From the above L-E story: "According to the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of gun deaths rose for the second straight year in 2016, to 12 per 100,000 people." -- Hmmmm... it seems to me that mainscream media ought to be siding with removing the 2nd Amendment rights of CRIMINALS, not law abiding citizens...

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From the "now it's gone full circle" department - L-E guest commentary: "Democrats need to drop identity politics — now *BY FROMA HARROP * Creators Syndicate * Bernie Sanders helped elect Donald Trump, and for that he will never be forgiven. But give this to Sanders: He’s totally right that Democrats must drop their obsession with identity politics if they want to regain power." -- Good grief.. mainscream media will say anything other than Hellary was the victim of herself! And as far as Democrats needing "to drop their obsession with identity politics". when have you seen a Democrat political ad proudly proclaiming its focus candidate IS a Democrat?

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Our L-E publishes the drivel of Leonard Pitts, Jr., another McClatchy newspaper's in-house columnist:

This is the real Leonard Pitts... racist! - he wrote about the murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, a white couple who were raped and murdered by five black assailants in Knoxville, Tennessee. In his column addressing the murders, Pitts wrote: "I am [...] unkindly disposed toward the crackpots, incendiaries and flat-out racists who have chosen this tragedy upon which to take an obscene and ludicrous stand. I have four words for them and any other white Americans who feel themselves similarly victimized. Cry me a river." - Copied from Wikipedia .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Pitts

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You know, after a weekend of mulling the effect that a San Francisco jury inflicted on all Americans by finding an oft captured/deported illegal alien, using a stolen gun and killing a random American citizen "not guilty" of murder has made me remove any doubt of returning to California for any event, Anybody want to buy my Rose Bowl tickets I'm not buying for January 1st?

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From the "we need a little help here" department - Remember the assault on our Property Tax Freeze in 2016? The "Keep the Freeze" group filed all it's required donations/expenditure forms on time. The "Thaw The Freeze" group's final disclosures are still not posted.. who do we contact?

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You know, the four teams picked as "The FOUR" for the FBS Championship series is the best group picked since it started..all four state's supported Trump in 2016 ( in fact, the states of 10 of the Top 11 did).. and continue today!

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Dang -- now we're gonna have to deal with real Auburn fans having to deal with Malzahn until 2024. I don't mind them rolling the Oaks at Toomer's Corner.. or losing a game, but all the whining is a bit much..

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Was nice to see Ricky Fowler tear it up with a 11-under par round of 61 to win in the Bahamas, and it was nice to see Tiger Woods finish in the money.. in fact, it was nice, very nice,  to see Tiger finish an event..