Open Thread 26 November 2019

 

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Comments

[Terence Gore]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvehkmNI62U&feature=emb_logo

FBI film on campaign prophylaxis

"Even make Americans think they can alter our campaign sows distrust in the process"

My sense is the chicanery inside the system makes the "foreigners" look like pikers.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774

[catherine]

Could your county use some extra money?

According to the US Census there are 3031 counties in the US.
If we redirected the $3.8 billion plus the 500,000,000 for missile defense that we give Israel to US counties budgets each county would receive about
$ 1.3 million.

If we included the $1.2 billion each we give to Egypt and Jordon for signing the Carter peace treaty with Israel that figure increases to $2.3 million for each county.

While $2.3 million may be a small figure for counties with metro cities, it would be a large amount for the majority of counties across the nation.

Since aid to Israel alone accounts for 50% of US foreign aid who would oppose this re direct of taxpayers money...besides the politicians...and how would the politicians explain their opposition to the districts they supposedly represent?

[Factotum]

For all you Tulsi fans, SNL called the DNC debate just right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8EQFhj8ca4&feature=emb_title (Pardon the short intro ad before the SNL debate clip)

[HK Leo Strauss]

An interesting story on how the Hmong diaspora connect

https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/22/20975911/hmong-radio-conference-line-diaspora-america-phone-djs

[Matt S]

In March of 1992 I was on Ft Myer, nearing the end of my 4 year enlistment. I has just started a meeting with a career counselor or something along that and told him that I had an interest in becoming a writer. He said the man that was in the other office was a writer for Time. I asked for his name, assuming I would not know because I did not read much. He answered “David Hackworth”. I had just finished reading his book, which was immensely popular in my unit. After a few seconds it registered - I charged into the other office and introduced myself saying how much I loved his book. Turns out I had accosted the wrong man, but he was nice enough to refer to to the actual David Hackworth, standing next to him. Mr Hackworth told me he was headed to the Pentagon (I think Sec of Army) and he would sign my book brought it there. I tore home to my place in Fairfax and then to the Pentagon and sure enough he did sign it. I saw a reference to David Hackworth somewhere on this site and thought maybe the memory would be appreciated.

[ex PFC Chuck]

Here's a half hour conversation with Dr. Steve Keen, of Kingston University in London, on how the reality distortion field known as mainstream, neoclassical Economics is grossly underestimating the economic impacts we can expect from climate change.
https://www.rt.com/shows/renegade-inc/474059-economics-crises-recessions-planet/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Keen

[Vegetius]

They're making a lists...

https://www.adl.org/blog/following-sacha-baron-cohens-speech-here-is-adls-short-list-of-social-media-accounts-that

[Diana C]

I would like to say this suggestion is a good idea. However, I don't trust my local officials to spend it wisely any more than I trust state or national officials or politicians.

The difficulties of the world can not always be solved financially.

[catherine]

Trump just did something good....maybe the dog told him to.

''Trump signs animal cruelty act into law''

By Devan Cole and Allie Malloy, CNN
Updated 9:11 AM ET, Tue November 26, 2019

Making harming a animal a felony...up to 7 years prison time... supersedes state laws...making it federal.

[turcopolier]

ex PFC ...

Doomed! Doomed!

[turcopolier]

MattS

I knew him. He and I pled for peace from a stage in Texas a month before Desert Storm. The Yahoos in boots and hats were at a loss and could not bring themselves to boo us.

[oldman22]

"Clinton is the embodiment of a venal system, Trump is its caricature."
John Pilger interview
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/11/27/american-exceptionalism-driving-world-to-war-john-pilger/

[Bill Wade]

Chuck, we're entering a Grand Solar Minimum which will last till 2050, it's gonna be cold!

[Fred]

catherine,

If we didn't give Ukraine money we could fix Flint's water system.

If we didn't let 18 year olds decide on what to study but put conditons on federal loans focussed upon skills actully needed in the workplace as evidenced by the million or so H1B visa holders we would created opportunity for our own citizens.

[Fred]

Chuck,

The science is settled! Therefore we should stop funding colleges and spend that money on fixing the climate.

[oldman22]

Scott Ritter has written a long exposition on "the whistleblower", i.e., Eric Ciaramella.

This includes his history of employment with CIA and NSC, under both Obama and Trump, which is complicated. Included are descriptions of his alleged leaks. Also included are descriptions of the other players: Kendall-Taylor, Vindman, McMaster, Flynn, Fiona Hill, and Kupchan.

There is too much material to summarize accurately, but the theme is:

> the whistleblower, like many of his fellow detailees, had grown attached to the policies of the Obama administration which they had fought hard to formulate, coordinate and implement. They viewed these policies to be sacrosanct, regardless of who followed in the White House.
>
> In doing so, they had committed the greatest sin that an intelligence professional could commit short of espionage—they had become political.

Read whole story here:

https://consortiumnews.com/2019/11/27/scott-ritter-the-whistleblower-and-the-politicization-of-intelligence/

[ex PFC Chuck]

Your brief comment raises a few intriguing questions, First, IIRC you were the head of the DIA Middle East/South Asia desk at that time, whereas Col. Hackworth had been out of the Army for two decades plus, all of which suggests the question of what sort of occasion was this?

If it was not an official Army function of some kine, was it because Hackworth was too much of a persona non grata to the Army establishment?

What policy did you believe at the time was a better alternative to Desert Storm?

Finally Do I presume correctly in your official DIA capacity you would never have offered your opinion on that to higher-ups unless explicitly asked for it?

[turcopolier]

ex PFC Chuck

I had left the government by that time. It was a love fest put on by a big bank in Ft. Worth, Texas. I had known Hack since I was a cadet and he was a captain instructor at the Ranger School. anything else? Several civilians also spoke but the 'all hat - no cattle" crowd didn't care about them.

[Bill H]

Yes, and probably move the voting age back up to 21.

[Terence Gore]

Thanks for link

[Factotum]

The Obama's got very wealthy "writing books (though Barry has still not finished his). Old socialist Bernie Sanders got wealthy writing a book.

Heck, Barry Soetoro became President of the United States because of his Bill Ayer's ghost-written fake biography which propelled him into the spotlight beyond all reason. Politicians writing fake books for partisan audiences is a fast track to instant wealth.

Free market - can't complain.

[Factotum]

WSJ columnist todya raises an old obscure issue today about the Clinton emails and Comey's calculated exoneration of Clinton's culpability.

This story reopens the claim Comey had a report there was an email exchange between Loretta Lynch and Clinton claiming Lynch promised her the DOJ would go easy on Clinton. Coney claimed when confronted with this memo, Lynch merely smiled like the Cheshire cat and nothing more was done.

This memo was later discredited as an alleged planted Russian hoax. Yet the memo story is again put in lead position on the opinion pages of the WSJ this very morning. Why was that? Not clear, bu does the author think this alleged Lynch-Clinton campaign exchange will be part of the upcoming Horowitz report?

(WSJ: 11/27/19 - Holman Jenkins, Jr. - "Who will turn over the 2016 rocks")

[Keith Harbaugh]

I am surprised to see no discussion of the SecNavy/SecDef/POTUS contremps:
Richard Spencer versus Mark Esper, etc.
Is this discussed in some other post, or just not considered at SST?
I did a search using the SST search engine on Spencer, and got nothing remotely relevant.

[Matt S]

I would have been at a loss then too, at the time I took it as gospel that we had to invade Iraq and I never questioned it until much, much later.

[Jack]

The best medical care that money can buy?

https://twitter.com/27khv/status/1199730882698985473?s=21