So a special counsel has been hired, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, to look into something about Trump — I think.

Mueller is well respected by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle and has their unwavering support — right up until he renders a conclusion different from their own theory. Then he will suck and be the worst person in Washington, and there will be calls for him to be investigated. 

This gives the Democrats a chance to impeach Trump, with no evidence, because they disagree with him on policy. It's a conspiracy theory in search of facts. Based on the left-wing media’s Trump Derangement Syndrome, we are proceeding with this investigation based on un-sourced, felonious leaks from “deep state” government employees (91 percent of Washington D.C. voted for Hillary Clinton), The Washington Post, and other media confederates. These unnamed sources supposedly gave the “journalists” information that  Trump said something that everyone who was in the room denies he said. And even if he said these things, while perhaps indelicate, they were not illegal. 

Only a week ago Sen. Chuck Grassley, ex-member of the Senate Intelligence Committee (it sounds ironic, but there is such a thing), said the FBI confirmed to him that Trump is not under investigation. Apparently, James Comey told Trump the same thing. So Trump must have committed a “high crime or misdemeanor” in the last week. 

Trump was sent to Washington to be indelicate. He harvested voters' frustrations about Washington pettiness like this. His supporters like his firing of entrenched government dolts. He also goes against the PC nothingness diplomacy of predecessors. We like that. He is a wrecking ball we sent there. And wrecking balls have balls, and they wreck things. 

Democrats’ breathless barrage of baseless accusations paints Trump as a Russian James Bond villain, "Gold Hair." They want all Republicans who have ordered a vodka-based drink in the last year to be investigated. Anyone who has ordered a Moscow Mule should be hauled before Bernie Sanders and asked to explain himself. It feels like the McCarthyism they purport to abhor. “Mr. Bannon, are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist party? Have you ever even been invited to a party where vodka was served?” 

That is the problem with socialists like Bernie Sanders and many "progressives” today. They do not care about governing since their plans have never worked. They just want to protest. Actually governing only serves to illuminate the age-old battle between socialism and its archenemy, reality. 

Democrats called for Trump to fire Obama appointee Comey, but once he did they said Comey should not have been fired. There is no pleasing these folks and no intellectual honesty among them. If Trump came out as pro-choice, Dems would try to impeach him for colluding with Planned Parenthood. Thus, their crying "Wolf" diminishes their future ability to investigate something that might be real. 

Trump planned to fire Comey even before the scathing memo about Comey was sent out from the DOJ. Trump called him a "showboat" and a "nut job."

Trump left this Inside-the-Beltway circus last week for the comparative civility of the Middle East, where more rational minds abound. While the world is a mess, the circus consumes D.C. 

Ron Hart, a libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author, is a frequent guest on CNN. Contact him at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: The circus consumes Washington, D.C.

The only way to get out of darkness is to follow the light. Sometimes, it's just a very faint light. Often you have to be in the darkness long enough to refocus your eyes so that you can look for a glimmer of light to follow out of the darkness.

Darkness is never enjoyable. Often it's a long valley that seems inescapable. There are different forms of darkness such as poverty, failing health, family difficulties, work dissatisfaction, discord in your relationships, failures of all kinds and the list goes on. You may have been there or you may be there now. You may not see any way out.

I read this a long time ago and claim it every day in different ways: “Walk in the light while you have the light before darkness overtakes you.” Throughout life, I've learned if I walked in the light that I had then I usually would receive more light.

When I was a kid, we had a light bulb in the ceiling of most every room. There would be a long string attached to the little silver chain that would pull the switch and turn on the light. Throughout my childhood, I often would go into a dark bedroom at night and search for that dangling string. Finding that string was a relief because it turned on the light.

Often, we look for the dangling string for a long time to turn on the light. Sometimes we eventually find it and sometimes people never do. Some people live in desperation of trying to find the dangling string while others simply gave up a long time ago.

There is something to this old saying that is true: "Let us not grow weary in doing good. We will reap a harvest if we don't quit." Another truth that I have heard is, "Believe in the light while you have the light so that you may become children of light."

I don't know what you are dealing with today, but don't quit. It's easier said than done, I know.

However, maybe, if you hang in there and keep your head up and your hand stretching out in front of you, then just maybe, you will feel the string dangling in the darkness.

Glenn Mollette is an American syndicated columnist and author.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Finding the string dangling in the darkness

Not a bad week for “fake news.” There were only two major fake news stories that made the rounds last week, and one that started this week.

First, the mainstream media reported that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to quit over the Comey firing. The story, unsubstantiated of course, ran in the major media. When asked a few days later, Rosenstein said he never threatened to resign.

Another manufactured media story intended to hurt Trump.

Second, a story saying that FBI Director Comey was fired because he requested more money for the Russia/Trump investigation circulated for days, was commented on 24-7 by CNN and other news organizations. 

It was later determined to be totally untrue. The FBI does not request money for individual cases, so it was a lie on its surface and easily debunked.

Our government is on a “single payer” system, i.e., our unlimited tax dollars. We watched our FBI director fly in a private Gulfstream 550, which costs us $62 million a year, from a “recruitment meeting” in LA. Maybe that’s the story.

But spending and facts do not serve the media’s agenda — and the media wonder why they are not trusted.

The media slams Trump for his 41 percent approval rating. Yet mainstream media’s approval rating has plummeted to about 12 percent.

The most daunting thing facing the liberal media about Trump, which seems to stump their agenda at every turn, is the truth.

The week before, the media pushed the narrative that the repeal of Obamacare was "racist." They broadcast the celebration of all those white men at the White House signing ceremony. It made me understand why the media hate the Constitution so much. Imagine all the horrifying paintings of nothing but white men signing that thing.

Voters sent Trump to Washington to “drain the swamp.” And there is nothing more swampy than an FBI that is political, distrusted, private-jet-riding, and which too often decides to prosecute based on an agenda.

Democrats called for Comey to be fired for months. But once Trump did it, they were against it and assigned nefarious motives. It never ends.

After he fired Comey, the media started comparing Trump to Nixon. That is unfair. Nixon regularly used the "n-word," was anti-Semitic and made a lot of tapes. It would be more accurate to compare Nixon to a rapper.

Dems dubiously continue to attribute to Russia the hacking of John Podesta's Gmail account. The FBI did say a while back, “Bad actors have repeatedly tried to hack us.” “Bad actors” does not necessarily mean Russia; they could be Iran, China, Nicholas Cage, Barbra Streisand in “Little Fockers” or Miley Cyrus in any of her performances on “Hannah Montana.” I guess what I am saying is there are a lot of bad actors out there, not just Russia.

Dems have now spun this "Russia collusion" story into a tale of its own. With no evidence, they continue to want to try to rewrite history: Hillary lost because of Russia colluding with the Trump campaign.

It is simply untrue, but the truth has never stopped them.

Even the allegation that Trump supposedly told Russia our intel secrets (which the Washington Post again anonymously sourced), speaks more to the “deep state” undermining Trump than to anything meaningful with national security.

Trump wants to expedite this Russia witch-hunt, and he should. Dems count on the ADD of Americans and that all we will remember is that the feds went after Trump. That is their end game, just to discredit their political opponents. Since they have few workable policies, it is the only tool left in their toolbox.

Comey said he didn’t indict Hillary, et. al. because he saw no “intent.” Setting up an illegal server apparently was not “intent.”

Prosecutors can do what they please. So many layers of laws upon laws make citizens confused and vulnerable to prosecutorial agendas. For example, in America, if your teacher sleeps with you, it is punishable by 10 years in prison, but in France, it gets you elected president. 

Ron Hart, a libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author, is a frequent guest on CNN. Contact him at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: If at first you don't succeed, lie, lie again

As a proud two-year member of the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce, I was taken aback by former city councilman Bob Allen’s comment, “…what is this organization doing for the community? Monthly breakfasts and annual barbecue and Halloween events do little to attract outsiders to want to come to this fair city and invest their resources.”

Mr. Allen, you may think Crestview citizens know little about how a municipality works, but it’s more than apparent to me that you do not know how a chamber of commerce works.

The purpose of a chamber is to gather business owners to network with one another and help each other in advancing their own businesses. I know the staff and many of the executive board members personally and I can assure you they work diligently to make sure that the chamber’s members are well accommodated.

The Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce is also the most forward thinking in the county concerning young professionals, despite the city of Crestview’s tendency toward the contrary.

The Crestview Chamber has the first active young professionals committee among the county’s other chambers and has a chair-elect that is in her early 30s.

The Crestview Chamber is really the biggest asset to keeping Crestview businesses alive in a city that levies unnecessary hardships on entrepreneurs. If you don’t believe me, just look at all of the empty buildings downtown and along the highways.

When business owners had to fight to get the Crestview City Council to lift an antiquated alcohol ordinance to allow more businesses to open in the downtown area, it became the embodiment of what the city of Crestview thinks of accommodating new business.

On top of the Gerrymandering of the city itself, the high asking price of commercial property plus taxes and the dubious fast-track process the city allows for corporate businesses to sprout like mushrooms while entrepreneurs are required to nearly bankrupt themselves in order to get established, it’s obvious that the city, not the chamber, is the problem.

Furthermore, when outsiders come to invest their resources into making the city itself more efficient, they tend to get run out of town by one particular city councilman who not only shoots down new ideas, but calls said outsiders everything short of “damn Yankees” in the process.

Thankfully, there is a new wave of progress coming to our fair city: something I like to call the “Hub City Spring.”

Crestview citizens are calling for change in the form of a Facebook group, and it’s already made a dent in the good-ole-boy way of thinking in this town.

Crestview Citizens for Change still has a long way to go, but at least its members are taking steps in the right direction. 

Johnny C. Alexander is a Crestview resident and freelance writer, photographer and videographer.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview, not the chamber, is the problem

I’ve requested information about Crestview's 2012 charter review commission; who was on it, how were they chosen, what was their charge and responsibility, what did they consider, who did they consult, what did they find, what did they conclude, and what did they officially recommend.

We do know that, after a long and thorough research and debate, the 2012 commission recommended the following, which is the text of the official 2012 Okaloosa County ballot.

“Shall the city of Crestview replace its current charter with a new charter providing for:

•A council-city administrator form of government with an appointed city administrator, replacing a mayor-council form of government;

•A five-member council and mayor elected by the electorate of the city;

•An appointed city clerk, replacing a city clerk elected by the electorate of the city; and other administrative changes as described in Ordinance No. 1474.”

The ballot measure was declared invalid because someone in city hall failed the voters and put an incorrect date on the official filing. (Didn’t we have a city lawyer to review critical official city filings to protect the interest of the city, voters and taxpayers?)

Many, myself included, were happy to see the council begin to act to make our city government more efficient and accountable.

However, many are now concerned that some in city hall are prejudicing the process and outcomes by limiting the commission size, diversity of opinion and excluding consideration of core issues, like the responsibilities and appointment of a city clerk instead of an elected clerk, as we have now.

I’m a member of Crestview Citizens for Change. Most our 1,000-plus members are younger families, many new to the area, and make up a large portion of the city’s population. Will we be represented on the seven-member commission handpicked by the current elected city politicians?

Few of our members are new to Crestview politics and government. Will new voices and opinions be represented on the commission, or just the same crowd protecting the status quo?

Voters need to understand why the 2012 commission thought it was important to adopt the best practices outlined in the ‘model city charter’ employed by the overwhelming majority of municipalities in Florida and around the country.

That information will help inform voter consideration and increase voter confidence in the current effort.

Professionally, I manage technology and systems support and am all about ‘best practices.’ Here’s what the expert competent authorities at the National Civic League says about the appointment of charter review commissions:

“The appointment of this group of individuals, typically between 15 (and) 20 registered voters… (a)ll segments of the community should be represented…” the league’s “Guide for Charter Commissions, Sixth Edition,” states. “While in many cases the mayor and/or council plays a role in the appointment of commission members, the involvement of elected officials should end at that point. The charter process functions best when it is rooted in citizen involvement rather than one influenced (intentionally or unintentionally) by political officials directly serving as members.

“The most effective charter commissions are not dominated by lawyers, scholars and accountants, but made up of civic-minded, intelligent lay people with a common-sense approach to things. The members should a) be in touch with the perspectives present in the community; b) command respect from local residents; and c) bolster the confidence of citizens in the process and the work of the commission.”

Please, don’t stack the deck. Give us a voice. 

Matt Gates is not to be confused with Matt Gaetz, the U.S. congressman. He lives in Crestview.

What are your thoughts? Write a letter to the editor. 

Editor's note: The first version of this column stated a public records request to the city of Crestview had yet to be filled. That's no longer the case. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Council, please don’t stack the deck

In the past several weeks, I have read articles concerning a lack of understanding of the wishes of the electorate in years past, and an obvious lack of knowledge about the proper role of municipal government.

In the paragraphs that follow, let us look at both subjects.

The idea of altering our city administration has once again raised its ugly head. Thrice in the past decade, or perhaps a little longer, it was suggested that the city employ a city manager, hired and supervised by city council, while reducing the role of the elected mayor to one who rides in parades, attends ribbon cuttings, and kisses babies, and three times the electorate voted down the idea.

When one considers this idea, it appears on the surface to be as a matter long overdue for adoption. But, think about this subject for a little while.

A professional city manager, based on classified advertisements that I have seen, does not come cheap: annual salaries are approximately $125,000, plus whatever benefits cost, plus a city automobile, plus a secretary and that individual's salary and benefits, plus a private office complex.

Add all this up and it is obvious that it would cost well over $200,000 per (year) for not much more than is already had.

The City Council, consisting of five individuals who normally meet twice a month to discuss city business, and who are not allowed by the state's Sunshine law to discuss any business outside of an open meeting would find it extremely difficult to garner a majority and timely vote to express a supervisory directive to a manager.

In other words, once hired, the city manager would virtually do what he, or she, wanted, or not. Assuming that the manager performed unsatisfactorily, it would require the council to bring up a discussion of concern in an open meeting and then have a majority vote to direct the manager to act otherwise.

As council would be entrusted with hiring a manager, it would also mean that it would be the duty of the council to dismiss the manager. This would mean that three out of five members, in an open meeting, would have to agree to act.

One recent article about this subject stated that of the 400-plus municipalities in Florida, only a handful of cities and towns function without a manager. Therein, it was implied, since most of the other places function with a manager, Crestview should do likewise.

This thought reminds me of the old joke in which a mother was asking her juvenile, "If Johnny Smith jumped off that bridge, would you have to do likewise?" Except, here we could ask, "Should Crestview have a manager just because others have managers?"

Obviously, there (are many) factors to be considered before a decision is made.

Before the citizens can be wooed into making the above-cited changes, I, for one, have a different solution, if it is deemed that our current form of government is lacking.

Like Pensacola — and I am not saying that we should mirror that municipality — I would strongly urge that the thought be given to converting to a "strong mayor" form of government. In this way, should the mayor be found lacking, it would be up to the electorate to fire the incumbent, either at the polls or by impeachment, should matters so warrant such an action.

The second item of concern is about City Council failing to bring more businesses, restaurants and places for the kiddies to play to Crestview.

It is apparent that those who voice these opinions are not familiar with the proper role of municipal government.

The role of municipal government, simply, is to provide those services that the individual citizens cannot provide for themselves, i.e., police and fire protection, roads and sewer systems, and whatever other services are deemed to be necessary for the body politic.

I once heard a distinguished educator and a former member of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania state very emphatically, "If they want something else, let them go out and build it."

Granted that this is a hard line to take, but if analyzed it has merit. Council has no more authority in our form of government to create a business or open a restaurant than any citizen.

One solution to this dilemma is to address such concerns to the local chamber of commerce. Locally, this organization boasts of a membership of some 500, but what is this organization doing for the community? Monthly breakfasts and annual barbecue and Halloween events do little to attract outsiders to want to come to this fair city and invest their resources.

I earnestly suggest that great research and study be conducted regarding these subjects. 

Bob Allen is a former Crestview City Council member. 

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview doesn't need a city manager