Mueller statement: No exoneration

This Poser Prez we've been saddled with for the 29 long months works so hard to spin all the breathtakingly-horrible events in his accursed administration.

And the sycophants around him are first-class spinmeisters, too.

So, of course AG Billy Barr and the MAGAts who work for the head of the trump crime family did their very best to spread the utterly-ridiculous notion that the Mueller Report was a full exoneration for the boss.

It succeeded. Brilliantly. They're good at what they do.

The fact that trump was able to find an AG who will run political interference for him and act as his personal attorney--something he said he wanted from day one--is a stunning development in itself. It could certainly be fodder for another post.

But that's been covered by so many journos and bloggers that I don't need to go there.

But the MAGA crowd believes the lies and spin--as they always do--and that narrative ruled the day.

So it comes as no surprise that Bob Mueller knew he had to step up and engage in some truth-telling.

And it's a very good thing that he did.

The full transcript of his statement is here.

Although we know that what he said yesterday will have absolutely no effect on the trump faithful, it was a badly-needed correction to Barr's evil spin and will help keep hope alive for those of us who still believe that the thug who now occupies the Oval Office will one day be called to account for his many crimes.

If you'd like to read an article that covers Mueller's statement and how it may affect things moving forward, just follow this link.



"Bulldog Ben" Basile


© 2019 Ben Lawrence Basile

Species are disappearing while humans...

It’s alarming to think about, but it’s nevertheless true that hundreds of thousands of species are disappearing while humans carry on with their ever-expanding enterprise to exploit absolutely everything on God’s green Earth.

In early March of this year–just over two months ago at the time of this writing–the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, or IPBES, issued a Global assessment and highlighted for an ignorant and often-uncaring world just how grave the situation is.

Nature is collapsing at an astonishing rate and many humans are blissfully unaware that this is happening.

The assessment was quite wide-ranging and examined closely many dark trends which we have not yet addressed as aggressively as we must to keep our situation for going from merely horrible to unthinkable.

Among the issues which the assessment addressed are:

• Land degradation
• The health of fish stocks
• Plastic pollution
• The rapid collapse whole ecosystems
• The full extent of the threat to non-human species
• How much of the Earth’s land surface and water resources are devoted to livestock and farming

To read the press release issued by the IPBES at the time the results and conclusions of the assessment were publicized, click here.

It’s past time to stop driving so many plant and animal species into extinction and putting at risk our own survival.

Way past time.

"Bulldog Ben" Basile

© 2019 Ben Lawrence Basile

The Juice of the Sacred Bean

This puppy loves coffee! My Mom got me hooked on black coffee when I was only twelve. I’ve always believed it was good for me.

Studies that show that the juice of the sacred bean can be a boon for one’s health are not hard to find. A new one published in March in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is the most recent.

The study’s bottom line: quaff up to five cups each day and you’re likely to reap considerable health benefits.

Here’s a link to an article that excerpts that study. It’s an excellent source if you’d like know more without diving into the clinical literature.

Continue working your personal wellness strategy, that’s always a good thing.

And make sure you don’t slack up on your caffeine consumption!



“Bulldog Ben” Basile

© 2019 Ben Lawrence Basile



Photo credit Benjamin Basile

At the Bottom of the Ocean! Really?!

The deepest point on our planet is appropriately named Challenger Deep. You can find it on the ocean floor in the Mariana Trench, a mere 35,814 ft below the surface.

Intrepid explorer Victor Vescovo reached that point in a submersible last week and the results of that dive were released this last Monday, May 13th.

Although the expedition was a great success in so many ways, one of the things we learned from Mr Vescovo’s ground-breaking mission is that there is–wait for it–there is a plastic bag on the ocean floor, at the absolute deepest point on the planet.

Let that sink in. In Humanity’s mad rush to despoil the Earth, we've placed trash on the ocean floor. What an achievement!

If you’d like to read more about Victor’s very deep dive, follow this link.

“Bulldog Ben” Basile

William Barr makes the boss proud

The main thrust of yesterday's post was that special Counsel Robert Mueller knew that A.G. William Barr misrepresented his report that wrapped up his two year investigation.

Like so many others, I'm shocked but not surprised to see that Barr engaged in this charade to protect the boss.

It's now crystal-clear that trump's new, hand-picked A.G. is just another lackey. No shortage of those in trump's accursed administration!

It's all laid out for you in reporter Dahleen Glanton's just-published story in the Chicago Tribune. Just one more outrage from trump's lawless and incompetent administration.



"Bulldog Ben" Basile


© 2019 Ben Lawrence Basile

Mueller's letter to William Barr

Yesterday's revelation that Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrote a letter to Attorney General William Barr complaining that he had misrepresented his report is a very big deal.

Mueller also followed up with a phone call.

This is not a surprise in the sense that many of us were 100% certain that Barr's infamous four page summary was nothing more than a whitewash.

It is a surprise in the sense that the letter and the call were things we could never have known about had the Washington Post not uncovered them.

Barr's testimony at today's hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee will be starting in about three minutes.

Even though the committee is very trump-friendly, you can bet that the testimony will add a lot more fuel to this fire.

Count on it!



"Bulldog Ben" Basile