"Let's see how this thing plays out"

A bold precedent has been set by our not-soon-enough-to-be-out-of-office-Corruptor in chief, also known as spineless Barry Obama. No, it's not "the Russians did it" which actually was initially promoted by Medusa, although Obomber has strongly taken up that battle cry with as much vengeance and malcontent as he can muster. No, the Spineless One, who will vanish from the scene in a vast amount of citizen relief (even though Der Trumpf will take over), initiated the famous phrase, when discussing his inaction on DAPL: "let's see how things play out."

This mantra has gained so much credibility that even octogenarian D. Feinstein (CA) has taken up the refrain, which I am sure other spineless Dems will adopt as their own mantra. Though she didn't quite word this exactly as the Great Pretender, the meaning comes across as the same.

In response to my emailing DiFi of my disapproval of allowing Bayer (maker of permanent sedatives during WW2) and Monsanto (now ensuring species extinction of bees) to merge, I received this attempted propitiation of my request as follows:

Thank you for sharing your views regarding industry consolidation amongst major chemical companies and pesticide manufacturers. Your correspondence informs my work in the Senate, and I welcome the opportunity to respond to you personally.

Several mergers between major pesticide and agrochemical companies have been proposed in recent years, involving both American and foreign-based firms. I understand you believe that these mergers may reduce competition, limit product choices for farmers and consumers, or undermine public health and environmental protections.

Under current law, proposed mergers or similar transactions may require approval from federal regulators like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. In such cases, federal regulators determine if the proposed merger, acquisition, or transaction would involve sizeable domestic market share or otherwise significantly affect American commerce.

In addition, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) reviews certain proposed acquisitions of U.S.-based assets or sales of American companies to foreign buyers. The CFIUS is comprised of representatives from sixteen federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Defense, State, Commerce, and Homeland Security. Since its establishment by presidential order in 1975, the CFIUS has historically reviewed transactions with national security implications for key American industries such as energy, communications, technology, and defense. The CFIUS is authorized to block acquisitions found to pose significant threats to national security or critical infrastructure.

In December 2015, Michigan-based Dow Chemical and Delaware-based DuPont proposed merging the two companies. In May 2016, Germany-based Bayer A.G. proposed a takeover bid for the Monsanto Company, which is headquartered in Missouri. Given the size of the companies involved, federal regulators are very likely to review these transactions. I expect that the FTC, Justice Department, and other regulators will appropriately scrutinize any final merger or acquisition to ensure that it comports with federal antitrust law. I also expect that the CFIUS will take all appropriate actions to ensure that any foreign acquisitions do not compromise national security or other critical American interests.

On September 20, 2016, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine potential antitrust issues and the consequences of further consolidation within the American seed and agrochemical industries. You may be interested to know that the CEOs for the Dow Chemical and DuPont companies testified at this hearing. Corporate leadership from the Bayer and Monsanto companies also testified. To watch the full committee hearing or review transcripts of witness testimony, you may wish to visit: http://bit.ly/2cimt5n.

As of January 3, 2017, I am the top-ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over antitrust issues in the Senate. As such, please know that I appreciate learning of your views. I will keep your comments in mind as my staff and I continue tracking these proposed transactions closely.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. I hope you will continue to keep me informed on issues of importance to you. Rest assured, I plan to closely monitor these proposed mergers and their review by the federal government. If you have any additional questions or comments, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C., office at (202) 224-3841 or visit my website at http://feinstein.senate.gov. ; Best
regards.

Translation: "Let's see how this plays out".

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asterisk's picture

I assume this non-response "personal response" prettied up with bureaucratic information means she thinks the merger is OK?

What a pair of companies. How long will it be before the entire planet is run by one giant merged company. Because that leads to more competition?

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you can always tell what Feinswine is going to do by how Richard Blum is investing, though now, with the Republicans in power it might be more of an assumption rather than a signal.

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On to Biden since 1973

josb's picture

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Alligator Ed's picture

before we bee gone--bees pollination accounts for one-third of food consumed in the the good ole USA.

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riverlover's picture

but "lone wolves", so nothing except one bee is lost. Those communal bees! I kept two hives for 2 years. Even got honey, but it's much more understanding of bees and bee health that we (partners in the hives, both grad school biologists) do not know. And that was in the 70's! Before neos. Then it was mites.

Hand pollinating is hard work. Done that, too, small-scale for particular genotypes. Of petunias.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Let's Get Trump assigned to it! Then he could put his "pussy grabbing" to good use.

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Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

Bee Lives Matter?

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The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

Bisbonian's picture

for short.

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"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

sojourns's picture

we'll experience major famine four years after the bees go.

This is confusing to me. The common bee used in apiaries is the European honey bee; not an indigenous species, yet the natural flora seemed to thrive just fine without them. I don't know about agriculture and why wild bees cannot do the job?

J heard a radio story the other day where somewhere in India, or Indonesia (wasn't paying close attention at first) that they are suffering from a catastrophic loss of bees. The report focused on a single orchard where they have taken to manually pollinating the blossoms (apples). They are successful. Actually better than the bees as every blossom is pollinated. Tedious work indeed. I wonder if that could be made to happen here.

Methinks you might be something of a masochist. Don't get me wrong, I applaud your efforts. I would never expect anything better from a senator. Just a letter of non-speak speak. Unless, you dissect it and return to her an analysis of why her letter is meaningless, pointing out that this is a major contributing factor as to why the congress is held in contempt by the general public. You should read one of Marco Rubio's letters sometime. gACK.

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"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage

orlbucfan's picture

You mean he's actually semi-literate?? Or is he more like tRump, a clueless cretin who misspells words in a simple tweet. SNORT! Rec'd!

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

sojourns's picture

there is none better than Rubio. I believe he and his staffers must spend hours on each mass mailing. Rubio brand Turd Polish. Accept no substitute.

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"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage

MsGrin's picture

She does not love her grandchildren apparently. Or just thinks they don't need food to eat or a planet which is inhabitable. Maybe she just thinks they can tough it out.

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'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member

terriertribe's picture

We're taking care of it...

Did she include an autographed picture?

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Now interviewing signature candidates. Apply within.

Alligator Ed's picture

But I do have a marvelous toothy grin.

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CB's picture

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Big Al's picture

All handled by the staff with standard replies. Unless half the "constituents" write at one time, they pay no attention to the rabble.

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"send them the Bug Letter."

when are all these horrible people going to GO AWAY. Far away.

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"Unprincipled and Gutless" tm
"Keeping our powder dry since 2002"
"All of the above including Clean Coal"
"I'm with her...Majesty"

add your own!

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Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

But that's only after they change their name to

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Amanda Matthews's picture

merger? There's always something lucrative to be had for either the hubby or herself when she starts putting her not inconsiderable bulkage behind some scheme that screws the rest of us. She must be heavily invested.

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

riverlover's picture

It always outs.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Alligator Ed's picture

not inconsiderable bulkage behind

So maybe HER should start the Adkins diet:

She must be heavily invested.
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mimi's picture

Women with fat butt are smarter - say the researchers (this is a google translation from a German article into English)

More butt is more brain! Yes, right: women with big asses and wide hips are smarter than slim women. This has now been confirmed by a study by the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California.
The researchers looked at more than 16,000 women for the study and came to the following conclusion: Curvaceous women, on average, performed significantly better on cognitive abilities than thin women.
Cognitive abilities include perception, attention, memory, learning and problem solving, creativity, planning, and orientation.
A fat butt alone is not enough to be more intelligent than the others. According to the study, the ratio of hip to waist is decisive. Thus only women with an hourglass figure, ie wide hip and narrow waist, have an intelligence advantage.
The researchers explain it this way: The more fat in the ass and in the thighs, the more fat the woman has and in this fat are important omega-3 acids, which stimulate brain growth! Aha!

Gives the saying "smart asses" a new meaning.
Acute

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Alligator Ed's picture

Looks like we'll have to reserve that comment for men with fat asses. For those who care, the scientific term for this condition is called "steatopygia", which means "fat ass."

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Steven D's picture

If only they would find someone to write the short version and save us all a lot of time.

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"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

coloradoblue's picture

I sent an e-mail to my (corporate-owned) Senator Bennett regarding his vote to cut off funding for ACORN. The e-mail was polite and highlighted my disapproval of his vote to cut off funding.

I received an e-mail response about how PROUD Bennett was of his vote.

My follow-up was less polite and asked if anyone bothered to read my e-mail or did some office drone just see the phrase ACORN and send out the "how proud" response. I closed with the comment that no further response was required, or desired, regarding this issue since Bennett wasn't interested in the reality that ACORN hadn't done anything wrong.

And I prefer 'feckless' for Barry.

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Dear Dems: You lost the WH, Senate, House, dozens of governors, state level SOS and AG and about 1,000 state legislative seats. Maybe...you're doing something wrong.

would be capable of controlling corporate behemoths like Monsanto and Bayer, even if it had the will to do so -- which it obviously does not have. They are like ravenous dinosaurs that keep getting bigger and bigger by devouring one another, and feasting upon entire governments as they stride across the globe... leaving enormous footprints for commoners to deal with, as best they can.

Senator Feinstein is anything but a Dragon Slayer. She's more likely to be feeding them blood and raw meat whenever she can.

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native

Alligator Ed's picture

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sojourns's picture

if it were concluded that Monsanto is manufacturing a disaster, which it is. I'd be delirious if they were taken to task for strong arming farmers. Not going to happen, sadly -- and wrongly.

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"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage

"Corruptor in chief"
"spineless Barry Obama"
"Obomber"

...and I stop reading. This school-yard stuff means I don't read the rest of you post.

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riverlover's picture

And I also turn off/bail after too many bon mots that are not.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

TheOtherMaven's picture

Some of us read him just to see what smartass nickname he'll come up with next. To quote the Doctor (yes, that one - version 4, as I recall): "What's the good of being grown up if you can't be childish?" Smile

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

mimi's picture

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sojourns's picture

And I thought this place was free from elitists!

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"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage

I was none too smart when I began and that had to have hurt my mind. oohh.

edit. excess

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