Donald Trump thinks you're dumb

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/464407-donald-trump-thinks-youre-dumb

The president is his own worst enemy — and I, for one, am thankful for it. He strikes a hole in the heart of any decent defense of his behavior on a regular basis. There have been no breaches in whistleblower protocol, no matter what accusations the president hurls at House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) or the whistleblower himself.

According to guidance on “protected disclosures” from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), communication of urgent concern can go to congressional intelligence committees. There is bipartisan consensus on this, with spokespeople for Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) saying that it would be standard practice for the “intelligence committee to tell a potential whistleblower to hire counsel and file a complaint with an agency IG or the IC IG.”

There goes that argument. And with news trickling out about congressional testimony by Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine — which included a text message from Bill Taylor, the former top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, that read, “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance to help with a political campaign” — the president’s story will continue to look more and more ridiculous. (The text message exchange reveals pushback on that assertion and then a suggestion to take the conversation offline.) 

Americans are taking note. 

For those following public opinion on the impeachment issue, a new poll from USA Today and Ipsos finds that 45 percent of Americans support impeaching Trump, compared to 38 percent who oppose it. Critically, 44 percent support the Senate removing Trump from office, and 35 percent oppose it. The rise in support for removing Trump from office represents a shift in attitude toward impeachment from independent voters. Nearly a third feel there is reliable evidence to impeach, compared to 34 percent who say no, but those independents support impeaching Trump by a 37-33 percent margin. Overall support for removing Trump is now up to 37 percent in favor and 31 percent opposed.

This is before any formal inquiry has even begun. 

In the same poll, 52 percent say they believe Trump asking Ukraine to investigate Biden is an abuse of power, compared to just 21 percent who don’t. The gap among independents is noteworthy: 45 percent see it as an abuse of power, versus 16 percent who don’t. It’s even close among Republicans, with 30 percent reporting that it’s an abuse of power and 40 percent saying that it isn’t. And 44 percent believe the whistleblower is a patriot, versus 21 percent who think he’s a traitor.

Unfit for Office

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/george-conway-trump-unfit-office/599128/

And so it is, or ought to be, with Donald Trump. You don’t need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, and you don’t need to be a mental-health professional to see that something’s very seriously off with Trump—particularly after nearly three years of watching his erratic and abnormal behavior in the White House. Questions about Trump’s psychological stability have mounted throughout his presidency. But those questions have been coming even more frequently amid a recent escalation in Trump’s bizarre behavior, as the pressures of his upcoming reelection campaign, a possibly deteriorating economy, and now a full-blown impeachment inquiry have mounted. And the questioners have included those who have worked most closely with him.

'The Reboot of US-UKRAINE Relationship.' Here's What To Know About Newly-Released Texts Between Trump Diplomats and Ukrainian Presidential Aide

https://time.com/5693172/ukraine-impeachment-volker-text-messages-explained/https://time.com/5693172/ukraine-impeachment-volker-text-messages-explained/

In the exchange widely seen as the most damaging, Volker seemed to imply a quid-pro-quo arrangement ahead of Trump’s now-infamous July 25 call with Zelensky, in which Trump asked him to work with Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr to look into the origins of the Russian election probe, and the work Joe Biden undertook in Ukraine as Vice President while his son Hunter was on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company.

“Heard from White House — assuming President Z convinces trump he will investigate / ‘get to the bottom of what happened’ in 2016, we will nail down date for visit to Washington,” Volker wrote to Yermak.

While Trump has freely admitted that he wanted Zelensky to investigate the Bidens, and released the transcript of the call with his Ukrainian counterpart because he thought it would lay bare that he did not link aid money to an investigations, an explicit quid-pro-quo discussion made on his behalf is likely to make the burgeoning impeachment crisis that much harder to fight.

It is not illegal for one country to solicit help from another; however, as Federal Election Commission Chair Ellen Weintraub first noted in June, seeking foreign intervention in a U.S. election is against the law. “Let me make something 100% clear to the American public and anyone running for public office. It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election,” she said. In this vein, Trump’s focus on a potential 2020 rival, Biden, could potentially be viewed as attempting to affect the election.

In another chain of messages on Aug. 9, Sondland and Volker discuss the timing of what was a then-prospective White House visit, set to be scheduled “as soon as Yermak confirms.” Texts that follow seem to refer to a “deliverable” allegedly requested by President Trump — a written statement in which Zelensky would announce that Ukraine was investigating 2016 election interference and whether malfeasance was involved in an investigation into Burisma.

“Once we have a date, will call for a press briefing announcing upcoming visit and outlining vision for the reboot of US-UKRAINE relationship, including among other things Burisma and election meddling in investigations,” Yermak wrote to Volker on Aug. 10.

Volder and Sondland proceeded to discuss the specifics of what the press statement should include on both Aug. 13 and 17, sharing passages they expected it to include.

“Special attention should be paid to the problem of interference in the political processes of the United States especially with the alleged involvement of some Ukrainian politicians. I want to declare that this is unacceptable. We intend to initiate and complete a transparent and unbiased investigation of all available facts and episodes, including those involving Burisma and the 2016 U.S. elections, which in turn will prevent the recurrence of this problem in the future,” Sondland said in the first conversation which Engel, Schiff, and Cummings say occurred after Volker had reached out to Giuliani for guidance.

In the follow-up exchange on Aug. 17th, Sondland tells Volker he wants Ukraine to send them a “clean draft” of the statement.

derech eretz - what is it?

Rav Dessler

מכתב מאליהו:

(עמוד ריג)

עוד אמרו עליו על רבן יוחנן בן זכאי שלא הקדימו אדם שלום מעולם ואפילו נכרי בשוק. (ברכות י"ז). נתאר לעצמנו רבן יוחנן בן זכאי, "שלא הניח מקרא ומשנה גמרא הלכות ואגדות דקדוקי תורה ודקדוקי סופרים תקופות וגימטראות... שיחת מלאכי השרת... ומעשה מרכבה" (סוכה כ"ח), שהיה נשיא ישראל בתקופת חורבן הבית וכל צרכי ישראל עליו היו מוטלים... ומעולם לא קרה שיהיה כל כך טרוד במחשבותיו שישכח להקדים שלום אפילו לנכרי בשוק! איזו הרגשת חיוב היתה ממלאת את לבו שתבטיח מסירות נאמנה כזו לכבודו של זולתו!

ואל נחשוב שמדה זו היא ממדת חסידות, הרי לא הלל היה אלא שמאי שאמר "והוי מקבל את כל האדם בסבר פנים יפות" (אבות א' ט"ו), והנמנע מזה הריהו גוזל את חברו. כן אמרו ז"ל (ברכות ו') כל שיודע בחברו שהוא רגיל ליתן לו שלום יקדים לו שלום, שנאמר "בקש שלום ורדפהו", ואם נתן לו ולא החזיר נקרא גזלן... ואם זה אתה נוטל ממנו על ידי זלזול ברגשותיו, אין לך גזלה גדולה מזו.

שורש ענין עבדות הוא היות אדם קטן במדרגת "כלי" לאדם גדול במה שעוזר לו להגיע אל תכליתו הרוחנית... אבל במשך הדורות החליפו האומות את הכוונה הראשונה ונעשו הגבורים למושלים והחלשים לעבדים. מכל מקום ברצותם להראות כאילו הם ראויים למשול הנהיגו בעצמם כת המושלים קצת מנהגי עדינות ודרך ארץ, כי בזה רצו להראות הצטיינותם על עבדיהם. כאלה היה עפרון החתי שעליו נאמר "רשעים אומרים הרבה ואפילו מעט אינם עושים"... אך דבורו היה בנימוס גדול ובדרך ארץ רבה כמנהג האצילים. ועם צבועים כאלה נהג אברהם אבינו ע"ה כפי נימוסיהם בדייקנות רבה, אבל בכבוד ובדרך ארץ אמתיים. מכאן אפשר ללמוד את גודל חובת דרך ארץ.

בתקופות מאוחרות יותר נשתלשלו הדברים עד שהעבדים פרקו מעליהם את עול אדוניהם, אז ביזו לגמרי את יסודות דרך ארץ, וכל החצוף יותר מצליח יותר, ואדרבה החוצפה נעשית לכבוד והזלזול ליוקרה. מזה באה לדאבוננו החוצפה גם לרחובות ישראל, ונתקיים בנו "כמקולקלים שבהם" וכו' (סנהדרין ל"ט) רחמנא ליצלן.

ואמר ז"ל שביאור אז"ל שדרך ארץ קדמה לתורה כ"ו דורות (ויק"ר ט' ג') היינו הדורות קודם מתן תורה שבני אדם הוצרכו לסמוך על שכלם לבד להגיע אל האמת...

...ולפי מה שלמדנו במאמר הנפלא הנ"ל, שדרך ארץ היינו עבודת השכל, יצא לנו פשט חדש במה שאז"ל "אם אין תורה אין דרך ארץ, אם אין דרך ארץ אין תורה" (אבות ג' י"ז). כי אינם מדברים כלל בענין פרנסה גשמית אלא רק שצריך להגביר השכל להגיע אל האמת יחד עם התורה שהיא תורת אמת, ואם שניהם לא יבואו יחד גם האחד לא יתקיים. ובדרך זו אפשר לבאר גם משאז"ל "יפה תלמוד תורה עם דרך ארץ שיגיעת שניהם משכחת עון" (אבות ב' ב'). ומה שאמר אחר כך "וכל תורה שאין עמה מלאכה וכו' הוא דבר בפני עצמו. (

Top Diplomat Rips Trump Ukraine 'Scam' As Damning Texts Emerge | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC

Republican defends President Trump: There is no crime

Why Republicans Aren't Turning on Trump

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/trumps-ukranian-favor-what-impeachment/598849/

What the Framers may not have contemplated, however, is the extent to which a demagogue is capable of convincing his supporters that the president and the people are one and the same, and therefore, the president is incapable of betraying the people, because he is their purest expression made flesh. Trump is but a crass distillation of this anti-democratic idea, but if it were not deeply rooted in the Republican Party, he could never have ascended to its leadership.

Republicans Don’t Want to Talk About It

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/10/how-republicans-learned-tolerate-foreign-election-interference/599413/

What’s more, Trump has cast the solicitation of political assistance from whichever foreign power is forthcoming as a routine “duty” and “absolute right” of his office. “As President I have an obligation to end CORRUPTION, even if that means requesting the help of a foreign country or countries. It is done all the time,” he wrote on Twitter today. Trump’s concern about corruption, however, happens to focus solely on a case affecting his personal political interests and one he claims to have already cracked despite a lack of evidence.

UKRAINE ENVOY TESTIMONY 'DEVASTATING' FOR TRUMP, GIULIANI CASE, FOX NEWS' CHRIS WALLACE SAYS

< https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-envoy-testimony-devastating-trump-guiliani-fox-news-1463360

Fox News host Chris Wallace has warned that testimony from former U.S. special representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker is highly damaging to President Donald Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani.

Volker—who resigned from his role abruptly last week—testified to Congress this week about his involvement in Trump's efforts to solicit Ukrainian interference in the 2020 election

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/10/04/fncs-chris-wallace-kurt-volkers-testimony-is-quite-devastating-to-the-president/

On Friday’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s “Shepard Smith Reporting,” network anchor Chris Wallace said former U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker’s opening statement to Congress “is quite devastating to the president and Rudy Giuliani’s case.”

Wallace said, “The breaking news to me, today, is— Fox has gotten ahold of the 11-page statement, opening statement by Kurt Volker yesterday in a closed session. He, of course, was the special envoy from the administration to Ukraine. He was very involved in all of this. This 11-page opening statement is quite devastating to the president and Rudy Giuliani’s case.”

He continued, “It basically says that Volker, who all sides agree was an honest broker in this whole thing, was very disturbed by the information — he thought disinformation — that various Ukrainian officials were sending to Rudy Giuliani, the president’s private lawyer, and that Rudy Giuliani was then spreading that information in Washington. And that might be a reason why the president was so reluctant to meet with [Ukrainian president] Zelensky and also to, of course, push Zelensky to investigate in that July 25th phone call both potential involvement in the 2016 election by the Ukrainians and also Joe Biden and his role.”

Opinion: What impeachment? Trump reiterates call for foreign governments to investigate his foes

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-10-03/trump-ukraine-china-investigate-bidens

You’ve got to hand it to President Trump — when he says he doesn’t see anything wrong with asking a foreign leader to go after his political rivals, he really means it.

Preparing to fly to Florida to give a speech contrasting his work on healthcare for seniors to the Medicare for All proposals advanced by some Democratic presidential candidates, Trump told reporters that Ukraine should investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. In fact, Trump said, China should too.

Jewish Press Dispatch column on Public School decadence and NYS Educational (sic) Equivalency Regulations (to be voted on next Tues Oct. 8) (p.84), Parshas Vayeilech, 5 Tishrei 5780 /4 Oct.,'19

BS"D

4 Tishrei, 5780

A good year to all.

Attached is this week's* Jewish Press Dispatch column, p.84, addressing Public School decadence and NYS "Educational" (sic) Equivalency Regulations. Those much opposed Regulations are reportedly to be voted on next Tues Oct. 8). This Education Crisis in NYS impacts the entire country. If G-d forbid NY State falls, the entire country may eventually follow suit, unless properly opposed.

* {Parshas Vayeilech, 5 Tishrei 5780 /4 Oct.,'19}

The emphatically understated tone of this article hopefully will help convey the seriousness of the matter to some of those who remain unconvinced, and specifically those turned off by what appears to them as rhetoric or extreme.

Additionally, as clarified in previous columns, the understated remarks here about the "Dignity for All Students Act" (DASA, passed in NYS in 2010) are specifically referring to it's application of the LGBTQ regime to private and religious schools. [That is CLEARLY the ultimate goal of the NYS Democratic Establishment.]  It's application to public schools was never in question, and, on that basis alone, DASA qualified for the status of an antireligious edict - and demands our irreconcilable opposition (as similarly clarified in previous columns).

Please also see previous columns (attached).

The only practical way to stop this antireligious edict is to coalesce a critical mass of genuine resistance who refuse to cooperate with the LGBTQ takeover of religious schools. They have to see that enough people are willing to brave the consequences of statutory "truancy," including incarceration and the specter of state-removal of their children - in order to rescue our children from their antireligious, LGBT-led transformation of religious education.

We have the clear majority on our side. What we need is a vibrant minority - even relatively very small - who have enough conviction to sacrifice for all children, and to educate by actions.

In the merit of mesiras nefesh, may we have a G'mar Chasima Tova,