Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #68

Wednesday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #67

Tuesday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #66

Monday.

Overlord L'Orange:Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #65

Sunday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #64

From Saturday, March 25th.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #63

Friday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #62

From Thursday, March 23rd.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #61

Wednesday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #60

You need to wear a seat belt for this sh*t.

Andrew E. Kramer writes for The New York Times: "Paul Manafort, former L'Orange campaign chief, faces new allegations in Ukraine." And: "KIEV, Ukraine — After his name surfaced last August in a secret ledger listing millions of dollars in payments from a pro-Russian party in Ukraine, Paul Manafort not only lost his job running Overlord L'Orange's presidential campaign but also assumed center stage in a bizarre internecine struggle among Ukrainian political forces."

"On Monday, the intrigue took another turn, when a member of Parliament in Ukraine released documents that he said showed that Mr. Manafort took steps to hide the payments, which were tied to Mr. Manafort’s work for former President Viktor F. Yanukovych. The documents included an invoice that appeared to show $750,000 funneled through an offshore account and disguised as payment for computers."

Grant Stern adds: "Manafort intricately managed L'Orange's campaign during the key time period of the Republican National Convention, when a floor challenge nearly upended the primaries."

"Luckily, his L'Orange Tower residence gave him easy access to the candidate who usually flew home overnight to sleep."

"He's old partners with Roger Stone, who spent the whole summer chatting with Russian hackers who - good fortune! - were prepared to help Overlord L'Orange."

"What do to? Treason or winning? I think we know how this story is turning out..."

Sheila Norton writes for Occupy Democrats: "A top Congresswoman just made the L'Orange announcement we've all been waiting for." And: "Get ready for impeachment."

"Never in the history of the United States has so much corruption flooded into the executive branch in such a short amount of time. Just 61 days into this presidency, this regime is already beyond the point of implosion. All that remains is to put a stop to the damage and begin cleaning up the mess."

"If Congresswoman Waters is right, that process is about to begin."

Marisa Manfredo writes for Occupy Democrats: "The Washington Post just uncovered a shady L'Orange-Russia money trail." And: "New financial documents have been released by a top Ukrainian politician and journalist that appear to show Overlord L'Orange's former campaign manager Paul Manafort laundering political money through offshore accounts in Belize and Kyrgyzstan. The information uncovered by Serhiy Leshchenko further muddies the waters surrounding L'Orange and his team’s ties to pro-Putin dictators – and to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin himself."

Colin Taylor writes for Occupy Democrats: "Nixon's Watergate lawyer just predicted the end of L'Orange: 'He's showing how damn guilty he is.'" And: "I was more stunned by the reaction of the White House and their handling of it, which seemed to me to be over the top…They are in a cover-up mode. There`s just never been any question in my mind about that. I`ve been inside a cover-up. I know how they look and feel. And every signal they are sending is we`re covering this up."

"Experienced investigators know this. They know how people react when they`re being pursued."

"This White House is not showing their innocence, they are showing how damn
guilty they are, is what we`re seeing. So, this is par for the course. And they seem to have learned nothing from history because there have been too many cover-ups. And they are just typical in that they`re trying to distance themselves from people that are involved."

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #59

Happy Spring Equinox!

Travis Gettys writes for Raw Story: "L'Orange is acting like a cornered animal on Twitter this morning: what about Clinton and the Russians?" And: "President L'Orange lashed out Monday morning on Twitter ahead of the FBI director’s testimony before a House panel on his campaign’s alleged ties to Russia."

"The president started tweeting at 6:35 a.m. by denouncing the allegations, which are under investigation by the House Intelligence Committee, as 'fake news.'”

"Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, has said he found no evidence of collusion between L'Orange's campaign and Russia, but the committee’s ranking Democrat said Sunday that circumstantial evidence suggested collusion and direct evidence showed deception."

Marisa Manfredo writes for Occupy Democrats: "This Republican just told CNN L'Orange isn't 'intellectually qualified' to be President." And: "There’s a bigger issue, whether this president is intellectually qualified to be President of the United States.”

"I think [L'Orange is] learning about his own health care bill listening to you and Chris in the morning. He does not practice in details, nor understands the finer points of domestic or foreign policy."

"When he throws out a wiretap charge, what does that mean? We know he’s lying about that, but he doesn’t understand what a FISA [Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act] court is. He doesn’t understand that he just made an allegation of a felony, he doesn’t understand that he’s crippling the United States on a world stage. That speaks to more than credibility, that speaks to intellect.”

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #58

Sometimes life gets in the way of Overlord L'Orange, but I'm attempting to keep up.

Kailani Koenig writes for NBC News: "Top Intel Democrat: 'circumstantial evidence of collusion' between Overlord L'Orange and Russia." And: "Two weeks ago on 'Meet The Press,' James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence under President Obama, denied that any evidence of such collusion existed while he oversaw the work of U.S. intelligence agencies. The L'Orange administration has also reiterated those denials."

"But this Sunday on 'Meet The Press,' Schiff, D-Calif., told host Chuck Todd, 'I was surprised to see Director Clapper say that because I don't think you can make that claim categorically as he did. I would characterize it this way at the outset of the investigation: There is circumstantial evidence of collusion. There is direct evidence, I think, of deception and that's where we begin the investigation.'

"'There is certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation,' he added. 'The American people have a right to know and in order to defend ourselves, we need to know whether the circumstantial evidence of collusion and direct evidence of deception is indicative of more.'"

John Cassidy writes for The New Yorker: "Overlord L'Orange finally pays a price for his false and reckless words." And: "As a Presidential candidate, Overlord L'Orange led a charmed existence. Whatever he said, no matter how outrageous, it didn’t seem to hurt him. He could insult his Republican opponents, make misogynistic comments about female journalists, call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, describe Mexican immigrants as rapists and murderers, trot out blatant falsehoods by the dozen, encourage the Russians to hack Hillary Clinton’s e-mail account—none of it proved damaging to his candidacy. As he famously remarked, it was as if he could go out and shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue 'and I wouldn’t lose voters.'”

"Now things have changed. He might never admit it, but L'Orange has belatedly discovered a basic principle of politics: words matter. They matter so much, in fact, that they can make or break a Presidency. That’s why every one of his predecessors—during the modern era, at least—has chosen his words carefully. It took a few weeks for it to become clear that President L'Orange, as opposed to candidate L'Orange, would be subject to this principle. But, at this stage, there can be no doubt about it. Virtually every day brings a fresh example of his own loose words coming back to hurt him."

A post going around Facebook (not sure of the author's name): "'Why should coal miners pay for PBS?' This was an actual question asked by the L'Orange administration yesterday. Obviously a blatantly stupid question. We have questions too. Why should a poor black family in Detroit pay for the President to go golfing? Why should a single mother of 3 who's working 2 jobs in Louisiana be denied health-care so that the CEO of Etna can get a tax-break? Why is the guy washing dishes in Baton Rouge paying for the President's wife's secret service protection so she can live comfortably in NYC? We could do this all day. But here's the real question the L'Orange administration and the Republicans who empower him need to answer: ***Do you have a heart? Did no one teach you to care about your neighbors? Do you know what 'empathy' means? Did no one ever teach you to 'share' when you were in kindergarten? Have you never heard the phrase 'do unto others?'*** I can't think of a group of people who need to watch Sesame Street MORE than the Republican party. Perhaps they would learn some common decency." (Please share if you'd like.)

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #57

From Saturday, March 18th:

A post that's going around Facebook: "Immediately after the election L'Orange transition spokesman Jason Miller explained that Melania would be staying in New York because there was 'obviously a sensitivity to pulling out a 10-year-old in the middle of the school year'.

We have since learned that the cost of security for Melania and Barron to remain at L'Orange Tower is $183 million/year. There is also no indication that they will actually move to DC this summer. So in essence the Federal government is giving the L'Orange family a $183 million annual voucher so Barron can attend the elite private prep school of his choice."

Meanwhile, we learned last night that L'Orange's budget would completely eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA, with an annual budget of only $148 million, is able to provide seed money for arts programming in literally every Congressional district in the country.
So, on the one hand you have a $183 million school voucher for a single 10-year-old at an elite private school. On the other hand you have a program that impacts arts and cultural programming throughout the entire nation."

"NOT NORMAL. #Resist
Please cut, paste, and share.

Posted by Occupy Democrats (no author shown): "Remember when L'Orange said he wasn't going to take a salary? He just accepted his second paycheck."

"Remember when he said Mexico was going to pay for the wall? He has asked Congress to appropriate the $25 billion of taxpayer money to cover costs."

"Remember when he said he wasn't going to go on vacation or play golf? 5 of the last 7 weekends he went on vacation and played golf, costing taxpayers $11.1 million."

"Remember when he said he was going to use American steel to build these dangerous pipelines? Russian steel arrived last week for the Keystone Pipeline XL."

"Remember when he said he wasn't going to cut social security and Medicare? The Republican bill does just this."

"Remember when he said that nobody on his campaign had any communications with the Russian government? 7 of his people have now admitted they spoke and/or met with Russian officials, after they lied and got caught."

"Remember when he said he was going to divest from his businesses? He changed his mind."

"Remember when he said he was going to release his tax returns? He changed his mind."

"Remember when he said he was going to drain the swamp of Washington insiders? His cabinet is filled with lobbyists, oil and Wall Street executives."

"Remember when he said he would defeat ISIS in 30 days? He doesn't have a plan. But his administration just mistakenly bombed a mosque in Syria killing 57 innocent people who were in the act of peacefully praying instead of the intended target. Not to mention the botched raid that killed a serviceman and little children he ordered and didn't even have the respect to disrupt his dinner to oversee."

"Remember when he said that the Obamacare replacement would cover more people at lower cost? The AHCA that the GOP and 45 are now pushing; they now admit will cover fewer people at a higher cost."

"If you voted for him, please hold him accountable to what he promised you - for all of our sakes."

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #56

From Friday, March 17th.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #55

Thursday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #54

From Wednesday, March 15th.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #53

Tuesday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #52

Monday. Still trying to catch up from having the flu. Today K.A. Conwoman said that microwaves can take surveillance photos. ??? What the freaking frack?! That woman is cray!

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #51

Sunday, March 12th.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #50

Saturday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #49

Friday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #48

Thursday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #47

Wednesday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #46

Tuesday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #45

Natalie Dickinson writes for Occupy Democrats: "Dan Rather just wrote an urgent L'Orange post, 'We will answer to future generations.'" Here is his post:

At some points words fail, or they are starting to fail me. We have an Administration in freefall. Have we passed through the circle of chaos? Are we at the circle of havoc?

The real Overlord L'Orange has stood up, once again. Let no one ever be fooled. Let there be no doubt. The man who sends out a twitter tirade accusing a former President of crimes for which he provides no evidence, the man who doubles down when everyone with any sense pushes back, that man is our Commander in Chief.

Every one who normalizes Mr. L'Orange now, or has in the past, will have to answer to future generations for their acquiescence, silence or sophistry—if, indeed, not outright cowardice.

How hollow do all those pundit plaudits (including from many progressives) sound now for an average and disingenuous speech of someone else’s words read from a teleprompter to Congress and the nation a week ago?

A “presidential” L'Orange is a punchline to a joke no one wants to have told. Conspiracy theories are corrosive in society at large. When they dictate national policy, they can be lethal.

This is a man who challenged the citizenship of President Obama, with lies, innuendo, and no evidence. This is a man who claimed widespread voter fraud with lies, innuendo, and no evidence. This is a man who has taken a rhetorical blowtorch to our Constitutional principles with lies, innuendo, and no evidence.

Those who rose in Congress to applaud his turns of phrase bear responsibility. Those who cynically use his presidency to push forward unpopular giveaways to the rich and well connected bear responsibility. Those in the press who meet insults with explanations bear responsibility.

Even the most grounded of presidents must fight to keep themselves moored to the real world. The Oval Office can be a bubble. Power attracts sycophants and cynics. But I have never seen anything like this. The sheer level of paranoia that is radiating out of the White House is untenable to the workings of a republic.

I have a real question if President L'Orange actually believes what he is saying. Even Richard Nixon, the most paranoid president to date, ruled for years with a relatively calm hand. This Administration has been an off kilter whirlwind since the inauguration, and news reports suggest that seething anger from Mr. L'Orange is only getting worse. There is a growing consensus that the President may be “unhinged.” It’s a serious allegation, but even if it is not the case, Mr. L'Orange only has himself to blame.

To call a drama Shakespearean or operatic is usually an overreach. But I imagine artists of the future, and even the present, will find ample inspiration in our moment in history. Doesn’t Steve Bannon strike you as an Iago whispering in the ear of an Othello-like L'Orange, consumed by jealousy and paranoia?

As the questions mount around Russia, as the circles of defense begin to falter, the determination to create diversions will escalate. But if the President hoped he could create a distraction, I think he misjudged the will of the American people. We have woken. We are paying attention. And we love our country too much to let it falter without a fight.

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #44

Sh*t is hitting the fan today.

James Devinne writes for Occupy Democrats: "A Republican Senate Judiciary member just gave L'Orange terrible wiretap news." And: "Anyone who respects the sovereignty of this country and the dignity of the office of President should strongly support Sen. Sasse’s call for Mr. L'Orange to, in the service of full transparency, order the release of the FISA authorization. It is only a matter of time before L'Orange's web of lies begins to collapse and the full extent of his treason is exposed."

Brett Bose writes for Occupy Democrats: "L'Orange just gave the press disturbing news regarding his Russian wiretaps." And: "Having implicated himself in the Russia investigation, L'Orange's staffers are now scrambling to figure out their options and it seems they’ve gone for a media blackout. What’s worse is the administration is trying to blame this on former President Obama, arguing that there may have been a political motive behind the wiretaps. This behavior is reminiscent of a child caught stealing a cookie and trying to pretend like it never happened, except that this child just happens to be the President."

Grant Stern writes for Occupy Democrats: "The F.B.I. just shot down L'Orange's claims that Obama ordered his wiretaps." And: "The New York Times reports that controversial FBI Director James Comey just made a very public move to shut down President L'Orange's outrageous allegations against President Obama in an early morning tweetstorm this weekend."

"The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, asked the Justice Department this weekend to publicly reject President L'Orange's assertion that President Barack Obama ordered the tapping of Mr. L'Orange's phones, senior American officials said on Sunday. Mr. Comey has argued that the highly charged claim is false and must be corrected, they said, but the department has not released any such statement."

"Mr. Comey made the request on Saturday after Mr. L'Orange leveled his allegation on Twitter. Mr. Comey has been working to get the Justice Department to knock down Mr. L'Orange's claim because there is no evidence to support it and it insinuates that the F.B.I. broke the law, the officials said."

Grant Stern writes for Occupy Democrats: "CNN just confirmed a major part of L'Orange's Russian blackmail dossier." And: "CNN’s Jim Acosta just reported that former L'Orange foreign policy advisor J.D. Gordon told him that it was Overlord L'Orange himself who ordered the abrupt change in language to the Republican Party’s official policy platform regarding the Russian Federation’s invasion of the Ukraine, the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, and support for the pro-Moscow 'rebels' in Donetsk and Luhansk."

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #43

I'm recovering from the flu and have fallen behind this week, but here is today's news (BIGLY news):

Brett Bose writes for Occupy Democrats: "L'Orange just implicated himself in Russia collusion investigation with his own Tweets." And: "President L'Orange definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. The president unleashed a barrage of tweets early Saturday morning that are going to come back to haunt him in a big way."

"In a petulant tantrum, President L'Orange openly accused President Obama of 'wiretapping L'Orange Tower before his election victory, calling it 'McCarthyism.'”

Colin Taylor writes for Occupy Democrats: "Dan Rather just said what we're all thinking about L'Orange's wiretap scandal." And: "Today, President L'Orange was hoisted by his own petard when his Twitter attacks on President Obama backfired in a spectacular way."

"By accusing President Obama of wiretapping L'Orange Tower during October 2016, he inadvertently appeared to confirm the existence of a suspected Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant that provided for the monitoring of communications out of L'Orange's campaign headquarters (which were based in L'Orange Tower so that L'Orange could funnel campaign funds into his own pocket) due to suspected collusion with Russian agents."

"Legendary journalist Dan Rather took to Facebook this afternoon to share his thoughts on the events in a heartfelt and thought-provoking essay:"

It is understandable that Overlord L'Orange's twitter attack on President Obama early this morning would immediately be consumed by the churning political hurricane that is America today.

The deepening divisions that are pulling at the fabric of our nation are on raw display. On one side we see understandable outrage, with many questioning the mental fitness of our Commander and Chief. On the other side we see L'Orange's allies rallying under their shared hatred of our previous President.

Perhaps it is my age or experience, but I feel no schadenfreude or eagerness to say, “I told you so.” I feel only a deep and abiding sadness. This is my country that I love with all my heart. We are a weakened nation, in our own estimation, and that of the world. If this was happening in some distant land, we would shake our heads and thank our lucky stars that we are Americans. But this nightmare is happening here, and we have no choice but to confront that disorientating truth.

My reporter’s instincts make me wonder at L'Orange's actions. It has the feeling of a classic smokescreen. What is he hiding? Is this a kind of trap? Does he have something he is about to drop? Or does he know something else is about to drop on him and his administration, which is facing a withering crescendo of scandal?

We must carefully separate what we know to be true, from what we think to be true, from what we do not yet know. And in the early days of a story like this, what we do not know will far outpace the other two. We do know that there were numerous contacts between close aids to Overlord L'Orange and senior Russian officials at a time when all indications point that the Kremlin was actively trying to undermine the integrity of our election.

What we don’t know is what these discussions were about. We do not know what is in Mr. L'Orange's tax returns, which he seems so hell bent on hiding. We do now know all the other suggestions of links between Mr. L'Orange and people close to him and Russia. And then, of course, we do not know what else there is to know.

It is long past time that we have a complete and independent bipartisan investigation, especially since the director of the FBI is under such a cloud of political manipulation. Now is the time to breathe the cool winds of impartiality and facts. We need statesmen of steady head and temperament, willing to put country ahead of politics. We cannot afford for our democratic institutions to be consumed by a bonfire of lies, innuendos, and conspiracy theories.

We can all work ourselves into fervers of indignation. But the only antidote to these deep and understandable anxieties is the truth. We are the people of the United States. Our great nation is in a perilous moment, and the world is watching with great unease. We want the truth. We demand the truth. We can handle the truth.

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #42

Friday, March 3rd.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #41

Thursday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #40

Wednesday, March 1st.