The number 18, was important in Watergate – the 18-minute gap on the recording that ultimately resulted in Nixon’s impeachment and resignation. It also has shown up in the trump presidency. It took trump 18 days to fire National Security Advisor Michael Flynn after he was warned by acting Attorney General Sally Yates that Flynn might be easily blackmailed by the Russians.
On May 18 of last year, we learned from Reuters and the New York Times that there were at least 18 undisclosed contacts between members of the Trump administration and the Russians. That adds up to a cluster of three #18s.
For the last week, trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, has been on trial for 18 charges brought against him. That number again. 18 adds up to 9, the number that represents endings.
But it looks like the energy in the larger scheme of things has shifted. On Monday, Manafort was found guilty on 8 of the 18 charges. At around the same time, in a different court, trump’s personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to 8 charges in a plea deal with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller. There’s also a weird synchro here about these events happening within minutes of each other.
8 represents, among other things, money, the central issue in both cases. Manafort’s trial was about tax fraud, banking fraud, and undisclosed foreign bank accounts. Cohen’s guilty pleas included tax evasion and campaign finance violations. Money. I suspect more 8s will show up over the course of the next month as these stories evolve.
Number clusters – 3 or more of a number or numbers – tend to appear frequently in the news and in global events and provide additional information about what’s going on beneath the surface. They also happen in our personal lives. Carl Jung used to experience number clusters and wrote about them in his autobiography. He believed they were indicative of an archetype that has become active in our own psyches and once we figure out its meaning – or deal with the archetype – those numbers tend to drop away.
Stay tuned for more 8s. I doubt if the people involved in all this are going to confront the archetype or figure out what it means.
BH, tell us your favorite talking heads. Is it Hannity or Alex Jones? I know that’s where you’re getting your nonesense. But will you admit it? I watch Joe Scarborough and Nicole Wallace (both conservatives and Republicans until Trump destroyed the party) as well as and Rachel Madden and Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC. What about you? Expose your sources.
Usually, as you know, I stay out of the political arena. However, just a few brief comments. In my opinion, the current state of political affairs/issues in our country resembles, to some degree, the War Between The States……….There were positive and negative issues both in the Union and in the Confederacy. And, I watch and listen now, and I see good people and bad people on BOTH sides, just as there were good and bad people on both sides of the Civil War. In my opinion, we are once again embroiled in a Civil War, and its outcome remains elusive. I find myself in the middle, so to speak, because I can’t with a clear conscience label ALL the Left good and ALL the Trumpsters bad. I just can’t. As time goes on, it gets worse and worse for ALL of us, and there must be a resolution lurking in our future. We must trust and hope that such a resolution doesn’t involve another JFK type of event. My fingers stay crossed.
Connie, I applaud your open-mindedness.
The political divide in this country is wider than it’s been since the Civil War, and it’s not showing any signs of abating. Name-calling certainly won’t help. We can’t even discuss the real issues anymore, because any attempt to do so invariably devolves into name-calling and mudslinging (from both sides), and people on the left shouting “Trump is a racist!” as if shouting it loudly enough will make it true. Like it or not, that kind of discourse is exactly what gave us Donald Trump in the first place – in no small way, he represents a push-back against the left’s unwillingness to call things what they are and discuss things that make them uncomfortable. There are unpleasant realities that need to be dealt with, President Trump is willing to call them what they are and deal with them, and folks on the left are pretending he’s some sort of monster because of it.
He’s rude and crude and ugly, I’ll grant you that. But there’s a lot of ugliness lurking just beneath the surface in Washington, which is now being exposed for what it is. I much prefer to see the ugliness out in the open rather than hidden behind the fake smiles of career politicians.
Name the unpleasant realities that trump calls out. I’m curious. And what issues make the left so uncomfortable? The only thing I see is a guy whose tweet storms attack everyone who criticizes him. He demeans women repeatedly, non-whites, and applauds white nationalists. He’s an old white guy, BH, an angry white man without any sense of his office, little knowledge of foreign affairs, foreign countries, foreign people. As for draining the swamp – scott pruitt is the prime example of a swamp man he appointed. His supreme court pick will probably be responsible for overturning roe v wade if he gets in. We don’t need another scalia. The political divide is certainly huge and part of that is because of trump. His call to arms is all about divisiveness, anger, hatred, and making everything about himself. His condolences to the McCain family had a photo of himself. Weird.
Unpleasant realities? Well, let’s start with the folks inside the government who tried to rig the election in favor of their preferred candidate, and have been trying to bring him down ever since that effort failed. From the highest levels of the FBI, CIA, and NSA, to the highest levels of the Justice Department, to who-knows-where else – the investigation is still ongoing, and I’m still not convinced it didn’t go all the way up to Obama. That should frighten the HELL out of anyone who’s paying attention, Republican OR Democrat. Don’t pretend it’s just a Fox News conspiracy theory – this really happened (and is still happening). Imagine how outraged you would be if the situation were reversed. Election interference from inside our own government is much more frightening than anything the Russians may or may not have been up to, I don’t care which side of the aisle you’re on.
Immigration. The system is broken. It has been broken for decades. Democrats and the mainstream media (same thing) keep trying to advance the narrative that the problem was created by President Trump, but anyone who’s paying attention knows that’s not true. A porous border isn’t good for anyone, and border enforcement is a necessary part of fixing the broken system. If anyone can walk into this country illegally, what incentive do they have to go through the legal channels? None. You absolutely need to have strict border enforcement before you can even think about fixing the broken system of legal immigration. And don’t pretend it’s all about Trump’s “policy of separating children from their parents.” Those pictures you saw on CNN of children in cages? Yeah, those were taken in 2010. Who was the President back then? I forget. This is not a new problem created by Donald Trump. It’s an unpleasant reality that past Presidents have been unable or unwilling to face. And don’t pretend it’s “racist” to not want people coming into the country illegally. We all know that immigration and illegal immigration are not the same thing. Immigrants are welcome here. My parents came here legally when I was a child. I got an education, became a citizen, became a productive member of society. That’s not the same as climbing the fence and stealing benefits from American taxpayers.
Racism. The Democrats and mainstream media (again, same thing) keep trying to advance the narrative that President Trump is a racist. What has he done that makes him a racist? Be specific please. Darrell Scott, founder and Pastor of the New Spirit Church (and a black man) has said publicly that Donald Trump has done more for the African American community than any President in the history of this country. You never heard about that if you listen to the mainstream media (FYI, you can learn a lot from what they choose not to tell you about). Black unemployment is at an all-time low, urban revitalization, prison reform, community outreach programs, urban education programs, job training programs, all directly resulting from the policies of the Trump administration, and all directly impacting the real lives of real African-Americans. Stop pretending he’s a racist and look at what’s actually happening. You say he’s a racist because he called a (specific) black person stupid. He also calls a lot of white people stupid. How does that make him a racist? If I say “This person is stupid,” and you hear “All black people are stupid,” who is the actual racist in that conversation? Think hard before answering.
The economy. It has sucked since 2008. I won’t blame President Obama for creating that mess, but I will blame him for not doing anything to fix it. President Trump has done more to stimulate economic growth, in less than two years, than Obama did in eight. And look at the results. Maybe you don’t feel it because your income (I’m assuming) doesn’t come from a 9-5 job like most of us. Mine does. And I’m earning more money and keeping more of it than ever before, thanks to the tax cuts and the roaring economy that resulted from it.
And since you brought it up… The Supreme Court. You say “we don’t need another Scalia.” Why not? A Justice who rules based on what the Constitution says, not what he wishes it said? A Justice who has said publicly (paraphrasing here) “Any judge who is happy with all of his rulings isn’t doing their job”? Meaning that sometimes you have to rule against what you want the law to mean, and in favor of what it actually says. To me, that’s exactly what you want in a Supreme Court Justice. We have a legislature to make the laws – if they make a broken law, the job of the Supreme court is to throw it back to the legislature to fix it, not make new ones based on what they “wish” the law said, or what they think the law “really” meant. There should be nine justices on the Supreme Court who feel exactly that way. Unfortunely we only have one who believes that (and hopefully soon two). It’s not about “overturning Roe v Wade.” That’s just something uninformed people say, or talk show hosts on CNN and MSNBC say to get their viewers fired up. Roe v Wade was settled a long time ago, and most of it has long been superceded by subsequent rulings, to the point where it’s hardly relevent anymore. That case was never really about abortion anyway – it was about states’ rights, and whether or not individual states have the right to make their own laws regarding (in this case) the practice of abortion. They do, because the Consitution says they do, just like they have the right to make all kinds of other laws as long as those laws don’t inferfere with the limited powers of the federal government. The Supreme Court got it wrong with regard to what the Constitution actually says about states’ rights, and the right decision would have been to throw it back to the legislature to make a federal law legalizing abortion. They got it wrong precisely because we had a Supreme Court made up of justices who believed their job was to decide what the Constitution means instead of what it says. So yes, we do “need another Scalia”. Nine of them, in fact.
Donald Trump is ugly, rude, crude and disgusting – I get that, I really do. I wish he would tweet less (or at least think more before hitting the Tweet Button). I wish he would brag less, and insult people less, and make his points without rambling so much. I like much of what he says, but wish he would say it more eloquently. I get it. But like it or not, we’re all in this together. When I get on an airplane I root for the pilot, because we’re all going down together if we crash. Donald Trump is our President. You don’t have to like him. But rooting for him to fail? Pretending he’s Satan? That’s childish and unproductive. I didn’t like much about President Obama, but I never once hoped he would fail as president, or pretended he had anything but the best intentions for this country. Keep an open mind and give this president a chance to prove he’s not the Satan the mainstream media pretends he is.
Wow, this is really long – sorry about that, but you asked for specifics. I don’t expect to you publish this comment, but I hope you at least read it. An open mind is a wonderful thing.
Wow, you stated your case. So, back to your first paragraph. Where are you getting the information about the election? Provide links.
And you want to talk rigged? I live in Palm Beach County. Remember where the 2000 election ended up because of the ballots used in this county? In the supreme court. In 2004, diebold machines were used here for voting. I cast my vote 3 times for kerry and 3 times, bush’s name came up. Rigged? You bet. Diebold was in the republican pocket.
The economy: Obama inherited the republican mess, the housing meltdown, the bailout to banks that came from the republicans. Considering what he had to work with, I think he did a fantastic job. Yes, Obama had his drawbacks. He set the bar way too low for universal health care. Why not medicare for all? Why should health care be for profit instead of being a right?
As for roe v wade. As a man, you won’t ever understand what it means to have that choice. And you can’t possibly know what it’s like for a woman who is pregnant and can’t afford to have a baby. For republicans, who crow about the sanctity of life…Then how come when the baby is born, it’s: well, so sorry, you’re now on your own. Your parents can’t afford to take you to the doctor? Well, sorry. Tough luck. Your parents can’t afford to send you to college? Too bad. You should’ve chosen different parents.
Men like scalia have biases, just like anyone else. He had a lot of biases that were based, it seems to me, on his catholicism.
The republicans talk a lot about small government, but look at the facts. Under Bush, we got the TSA and homeland – the 2 that come immediately to mind. More gov’t. Under trump, the republicans have exploded the deficit. How’s that fiscally conservative?
I don’t think in terms of god and satan. I’m not rooting for trump to fail. I just want him gone.
The tax cuts have benefited the wealthy and corporations, not the middle class. I don’t think trump has any good intentions for this country. His intentions are for himself, enriching himself as the expense of everyone else and it doesn’t matter to him how he does it. He’s had nearly 2 years to prove himself and all we get is one shit show after another. My sense is that trump and most everyone in this administration would like to turn the clock back to the 1950s, when our enemies were obvious, in black and white, and a woman couldn’t open a bank account without her husband’s permission. Trump – and Pense even more so- would be delighted with life in the handmaid’s tale.
As for racism: wow, all you have to do is listen to him without any news channel filter – just listen to him as he talks. As for prison reform: I worked in a prison as a librarian and teacher. In the days before they were privatized. Where’s the reform? Where are your figures on black unemployment? I’ve seen figures that say otherwise.
I’m not pretending anything and could toss those same silly statements back at you. Open your eyes, have an open mind… What you’re really saying is “Believe as I believe.” Show me YOUR facts. And while you’re at it, why not use your real name? Even your gmail address is bogus.
Clearly we differ on some things. That’s okay. Different people have different priorities, and what makes America great is that we can discuss our differences and vote in ways that point the country in the direction we think it should be going. Or at least that’s how it used to work.
First paragraph, you asked for links regarding the attempt to rig the election and what happened after that. Start here:
https://www.amazon.com/Russia-Hoax-Illicit-Hillary-Clinton/dp/0062872745
And don’t just dismiss it as a crazy conspiracy theory because you don’t like Gregg Jarrett, or because he used to work for Fox News. There is real information in there, backed by real evidence. The evidence is still coming out, albeit slowly, and there are people inside the government who are doing everything in their power to keep it from coming out. Dismiss it as a conspiracy theory if that makes you feel better, but even the thought that something like this could happen should absolutely terrify you. There needs to be a way to hold the people in power accountable, and secret courts and redacted documents are antithetical to that end.
Next paragraph, you brought up rigged voting machines. Honestly, that doesn’t surprise me. There are likely just as many machines rigged in the other direction, not to mention dead people and non-citizens voting, and fraudulent absentee ballots. And there are people who want to enable voting over the internet and by smart phone. Frankly, that scares the hell out of me, and I hope that idea gets squashed quickly! There are already too many ways to cheat, and we need better ways to make sure that can’t happen, not more ways to make sure it can. Going back to hand-counted paper ballots would be a good start.
Next paragraph, the economy: I mostly agree with you here, in that Obama inherited a mess. The part where I disagree is about health care being a right. A right, by definition, is something you have, that no one can take away – not something the government gives you. If there was no government, you would have no “right” to universal healthcare. Contrast that with your right to free speech, which you have automatically, and the government can’t/shouldn’t take away – if there was no government, you would still have that right. See the difference? Universal healthcare is a privilege, and if you want to fight for that, then fine. I’m mostly okay with that. Just don’t call it a “right”, because it’s not one. It’s a program that the government could/should provide.
Next paragraph, abortion: You are correct – as a man, I can’t possibly understand. But you’ll notice I never argued against abortion. I argued for states’ rights. That is, the individual states are allowed to make their own laws regarding just about everything, as long as it doesn’t conflict with the Constitution or federal law. The 10th Amendment guarantees that: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Roe v Wade was about whether or not states could make their own laws about abortion (or anything else, for that matter), and the 10th Amendment clearly says they can. And by the way, “overturning” Roe v Wade wouldn’t make abortion illegal, it would just mean that states are free to decide for themselves. Some states would surely decide to make it illegal. Other states would decide not to. That’s the beauty of a democratic republic – we are not a monolithic block, we are a collection of states. If you don’t like your state’s position on an issue, you can move to another state, or elect legislators in your state who will change it.
Agreed on the Republicans, small government, and the deficit. They dropped the ball there. That’s another reason why I want term limits. My representative has consistently voted to increase the size of the federal government, and I want him out. But since the party won’t primary him, the only way to get him out is to elect a Democrat to replace him. Term limits would solve that problem (and a lot of others). Go to https://conventionofstates.com for information on how we can do that. Maybe this is something we can agree on?
The tax cuts have only benefited the wealthy? Really? I’m firmly in the middle class, and I’m taking home about $600/month more than I was last year at this time. My employer gave us all a pay raise because they got a tax break, and I’m paying less taxes out of my paycheck. I put that money back into the economy by buying more stuff (mostly beer 🙂 ), which is why the economy is doing so well – “a rising tide lifts all boats”, as the saying goes. So how exactly did the tax cut not benefit the middle class? Maybe your situation is different, but for me the tax cut was absolutely and hugely beneficial.
Again on the racism thing. What has President Trump actually said or done? Not statements taken out of context or twisted to mean something they don’t, I mean what has he actually said or actually done? I’m really curious here, so please be specific. You cited the example of where he “praised the nazis” but that’s exactly what I’m talking about with the statements taken out of context or twisted to mean something they don’t. Listen to what he actually said there, not what CNN and MSNBC told you he said. He could have said it more eloquently, but to pretend he was “praising the nazis” with that statement is disingenuous at best, if not outright dishonest.
Good discussion.
First link, this one about Jarrett’s book: https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2018/aug/02/fact-checking-fox-news-analysts-pro-trump-book-rus/
There are 2 sides to every story – the made up facts and the real facts.
I’ve read John Kruzel’s critique of that book before – he has cherry-picked a few bits and pieces, constructed a straw man argument against those bits and pieces, and then torn it apart. But he ignores all the other facts presented in the book, to which he has no response.
Read the book. With an open mind. It should terrify you that any of this is even possible. And we (the people) can’t get anywhere near the rest of the facts, because all the documents that have been released are redacted to the point where we can’t tell who said what to whom, or when. Doesn’t that bother you even a little bit? Or is it okay with you, because the goal is to “get Trump” no matter what? What happens when it’s your guy next?
What terrifies me is trummp and his entire administration. I was a bernie supporter, not clinton. But I voted for her because the idea of trump – and his fundamentalist VP pick – scared me even more. No question that clinton isn’t squeaky clean. But the idea that some sort of cabal existed, some sort of conspiracy to keep trump out of the white house… I don’t buy it. Now if you’d like to talk about the JFK assassination…or 911….
You hate and fear Trump with every fiber of your being, but you won’t even consider the possibility that there were people inside the government who felt the same way? Powerful people, with the means and connections to do something about it? That suggests to me that you may be so blinded by your hatred of the man that you can’t see the forest for the trees. I don’t mean that as an insult, I’m just trying to understand how or why you can’t see the evidence for what it is. Try to imagine if it were Bernie in the White House instead, and powerful people were trying to bring him down. Would you see it then? There is too much secrecy inside our government, and too little accountability. This kind of stuff can not happen. But it did. And it will happen again. Next time it might be your guy. That’s why you should care.
The people bringing down Trump are Republicans he appointed.
Somehow, I think you didn’t get on the plane with Obama and you wouldn’t have done so with Hillary. Were you a birther like Trump, the primo birther? Are you still? I bet you thought it was fine that Trump said there was lots of Nazis at Charlottesville. Good people on both sides, even though one side was shouting anti-Jewish slogans. I bet you thought the people who stood up against them were just as bad as the ones who originated the pro-Nazi event. Shameful on Trump. Okay, tell us how righteous those Nazis were for fighting the anti-fascists.
Last year Trump sounded like a white nationalists. Now, especially with the release of tapes, he sounds more like a mob boss. A mob boss, though, that is a made man to the Russian mob.
I would like him just once to recognize that we live in a liberal democracy. Instead, he just praises the autocrats as if that’s the way to go.
I’m putting this comment here. The margins on later comments are shrinking!
In reply to bh.
I never said I hate trump. That’s a strong word.I agree there’s a lot of secrecy in the government, it’s one of the reasons the full truth about Roswell and similar incidents still isn’t known. It seems you’re projecting your own hatred of clinton onto me. There’s other evidence that you don’t see because you’re blinded by an adulation of trump. I grew up under a dictatorship. I recognize the signs in this administration.
Sorry, I didn’t see this comment and replied to your top-level comment above instead. See that one and continue from there. And I retract the part about your “hatred” of Trump – you’re right, it’s a strong word. Substitute whatever word you feel is appropriate there. I still stand by the rest.
FINALLY! My computer is now working properly and I can once again come to SS. Not sure I agree with Jung about significant numbers disappearing once they are recognized.
My work with number frequencies indicates that each individual has an “operative number” that is present at birth and is expressed in many ways throughout the person’s life Anyway, good post and I’m so glad to be back online!Now will scroll down to see the ones I’ve missed…..
Yay! You’re back. Glad the computer issues got straightened out!
Good to see you back, Connie!
Allen Weisselberg has been granted immunity!!! I think that’s it. Done. Kaput. Just like Al Capone brought down by his accountant.
I just heard. Fantastic!
Hey, Trish , what’s going on astrologically that’s making this such a good week for our side — Manafort, Cohen, Duncan Hunter, Pecker, Weisselberg??? Plus we found out about Don McGahn.
My sense is that we’re approaching a grand trine in earth signs – it will be exact tomorrow. Involves the sun (government), Saturn (authority) and Uranus (unexpected & sudden events). It’s hitting trump in his natal 9th house, which rules, among other things, justice, the judiciary, the judiciarcy system. Uranus has been in that house of his for awhile, when it was in AAries, but now that it’s in Taurus, it’s a different energy altogether.
When you discuss numbers of course my mind automatically goes to I Ching.
Hexagram 18, “Work on what has been spoiled” or “Decay.”Alfred Haugn calls it, “Remedying.” When I receive this hexagram I think of the need for therapy.
If hexagram 18 changes to #8, Union, three lines would change. Line 2 is about fixing what has been spoiled by the mother. Line 3 discusses being humiliated by the what has been spoiled by the father and not changing. Line 5 is more about father issues.
My view of hexagram 18 is here:
https://www.ichingmeditations.com/ching-hexagrams/hexagram-18-decay-therapy/
8 for union: hmmm… their union with the justice system?
As usual with the I Ching one can read a number of interpretations into most readings – always subjective. My first hit was as you said, the union with the justice system. He sure is into decay big time – so much has been spoiled.
Yes, the decay has been going on for decades, and much has been spoiled. It’s a darn good thing we have a guy in the White House who is willing to drain the swamp and remove all the gunk that has accumulated over time (or at least expose it to the light).
Oh, wait. That’s not what you meant?
Oh, wait! You mean the swamp isn’t in the trump administration?
Have you been to Washington in the last 50 years? Have you seen what’s been happening there? Have you spoken to your congresscritters? Swamp. Both sides. This is not a partisan issue.
Term limits for Senators and Reps. Can we at least agree on that?
Drain the swamp.
I’d love to see term limits. But the fact remains that the entire trump administration is corrupt. It’s like a crime family with a mob boss. That’s incredibly obvious.
Have you watched the news lately and seen what’s coming down? They’re after the mob boss, aka POTUS.
Yes, they’ve been “after” him since election night 2016. And they’ve got nothing. A few guys who worked for him got nailed for tax evasion. What crime has the President committed? Be specific please, citing the code and statute. Thanks.
BH, you may have a degree from Trump University, but that doesn’t mean you know anything about the law. Paying off porn stars and Playmates before an election with the intent of altering the election results, which clearly was his intent, is campaign finance fraud and conviction may result in fines and imprisonment. After all, one of those payments came 10 years after the illicit affair. Two of Trump’s lawyers – the clown lawyer Guliani, and the Fixer lawyer have both attested the Trump did indeed make those payment, and Trump himself admitted it yesterday in his rambling FOX News interview.
…Tick, tock.
No hand-waving allowed. What law did he break? Code and statute, please.
Cheating on your wife is sleazy, but not a crime. Paying someone to keep quiet about it is even sleazier, but still not a crime.
Pretending it’s a crime is different from it actually being a crime. To make it a crime you need to cite the specific statute that was violated, and prove it. Wishes and feelings don’t count.
Unseemly? Sure. Illegal? Nope.
He wasn’t elected to be a saint. You don’t have to like him, but he was elected to drain the swamp. And there are creatures in the swamp who don’t want it drained.
Let’s see what Mueller comes up with. Paying someone to keep quiet IS a crime if it comes out of campaign finances. And Cohen pleased guilty to what you say isn’t a crime. As for draining the swamp…well, we differ there. He brought the swamp with him. And then there’s the 25th amendment. And the fact that we’ve never seen trump’s tax returns. Why not? What’s he hiding? He’s like a 2 year old, throwing tantrums through twitter.
Only someone wearing blinders would not see that Trump is filling the swamp, not draining it. Look at all the indictments, guilty pleas, and forced resignations of so many around him. But maybe you can’t look.