the stand

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” (A Tale of Two Cities/Charles Dickens)

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper asked for the resignation of Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer on Sunday after losing confidence in him over his handling of the case of a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes in Iraq, the Pentagon said. Spencer’s ouster was another dramatic turn in the story of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL who was accused of committing war crimes during a 2017 deployment. Gallagher was acquitted of murder but convicted in July of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State prisoner. In his appearance on Fox & Friends, Gallagher said he was “overjoyed” by Trump’s intervention. “I don’t know how many times I’ve thanked the president. He keeps stepping in and doing the right thing,” he said. (Washington Post)

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, a Democrat, called out the network in his opening statement. "Col. Vindman, we have seen far more scurrilous attacks on your character," he said. "And watched as certain personalities on Fox have questioned your loyalty. I know that you have shed blood for America, and we owe you an immense debt of gratitude. I hope no one on this committee will become part of those vicious attacks." Schiff may also have been referring to an Oct. 28 episode of Laura Ingraham's primetime show, during a conversation with a guest, former Bush administration lawyer John Yoo. "Now, wait a second, John,” Ingraham said. “Here we have a U.S. national security official who is advising Ukraine, while working inside the White House, apparently against the president’s interest, and usually they spoke in English. Isn’t that kind of an interesting angle on this story?!” Yoo, an unpaid Fox News guest, replied: "I find that astounding. Some people might call that espionage." (The Hollywood Reporter) Vindman has drawn increasing ire from the president ever since it was revealed that he reported two events to an NSC lawyer earlier this year, most notably Trump’s July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine because Vindman was concerned they could endanger national security. The public attack on Vindman stands out from Trump’s typical stream of attacks on his perceived enemies precisely because it did not originate in Trump’s personal account, but instead came from an official social media account. (CNBC)

“No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out on the other side. Or you don't.”/ “Show me a man or a woman alone and I'll show you a saint. Give me two and they'll fall in love. Give me three and they'll invent the charming thing we call 'society'. Give me four and they'll build a pyramid. Give me five and they'll make one an outcast. Give me six and they'll reinvent prejudice. Give me seven and in seven years they'll reinvent warfare. Man may have been made in the image of God, but human society was made in the image of His opposite number and is always trying to get back home.” (The Stand/Stephen King.) I shall remain, briefly, without my own input or comment. Facts matter, the fool speaking fiction always seems to have the footlight follow him or she, noise collects the incoherent leading them to that one lonely light bulb on a porch on a warm summer; night. They seek what they want to believe is the enlighten of an electrical charge, whose sole purpose is to burn you alive. There are signs of the Trump disease, and the first of the pox upon your own soul comes from the words and misdeeds of FOX. Be afraid, because once they confirm the madness of a maniac, and you swallow the pill, death, and doom and dumb will follow!