Open Thread - 14 August 2020

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Comments

[Leith]

Anybody else besides me having a slowdown in delivery of TRICARE/ExpressScripts medications? My SWMBO has several that she depends on that are now taking several weeks.

[EEngineer]

About a week ago I saw an report that the US Navy had seized a ship bound for Iran just outside Chinese waters. Today zerohedge runs a piece about Iranian tankers headed for Venezuela being seized. No details though. Psyop? Real? Someone trying to drum up a nice little war or provoke a response? Anyone have insight?

[Fred]

I was listening to Forrest Pogue's interview with General George C. Marshall recently and in one General Marshal mentioned that the original Normanday invasion plans envisioned using the airborn forces to sieze airfields near Paris and use the transport aircraft to reinforce them rather than the alternate, which Eisenhower chose, to scatter them in drops directly behind the invasion beaches. I don't recall having read or heard of that before but it certainly sounds like it would have changed the course of the war during the summer of 1944.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forrest-c-pogue-interviews-with-general-george-c-marshall/id419418854?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

[ex PFC Chuck]

A couple of provocative reads. First up a two part series by the Canadian Matthew Ehret suggesting, among other things, we here in the USA are still, de facto, a part of the British Empire:
“The Brookings Hand Behind Russiagate Points Back to Rhodes Trust Coup on America”
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/08/10/the-brookings-hand-behind-russiagate-points-back-to-rhodes-trust-coup-on-america/

“The Birth of a Global Nation: What Makes a Modern Rhodes Scholar?”
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/08/13/birth-global-nation-what-makes-modern-rhodes-scholar/

Then there’s this by James Attucher, a long-time denizen of the New York theater scene:
“NYC Is Dead Forever. Here's Why”
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/nyc-dead-forever-heres-why-james-altucher/

[Vegetius]

Anyone know if Van Riper's memo on the Millennium Challenge 2002 exercise has been declassified?

Anybody have any thoughts on this exercise in light of recent and much ballyhooed Russian hypersonic weapons tech? Specifically, are our carrier battlegroups as useless as some would have us believe?

[English Outsider]

Open thread so I wondered if you might like an update on how Brexit's going, Colonel.

https://days.to/since/uk-european-union-referendum-vote

One or two loose ends to tidy up but another few years should see it done.

.................

I loved your new music section.

[J]

Colonel,

Retd. LTC John Nagel, Ret. LTC Paul Yingling sent a letter to CJCS Gen. Mark Milley, the letter was titled "All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic: An Open Letter to Gen. Milley” demanding that he overthrow President Trump.

https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2020/08/all-enemies-foreign-and-domestic-open-letter-gen-milley/167625/

The thing these two individuals seem to overlook is the fact that their claims have no basis in either fact or reality, as President Trump has in no way whatsoever subverted the electoral system or assaulted the integrity of an election that hasn’t even taken place, as well as no one even knowing what private army he has supposedly created.

[Deap]

Do we have a system so fragile that one changed word by staff attorney Clinesmith can be used to take down a President?

Or did Clinesmith provide the thread that unravels the entire deep state conspiracy against Trump, these past four years. Clinesmith is the bottom of the toothpaste tube that will get squeezed all the way to the top, in order to get it all out.

[Bobo]

Kevin Clinesmith has been charged which is a beginning. Seems Page was a source for a governmental agency as well as a source for the FBI but that somehow escaped the initial FISA filing on Page but that was not enough as an honest SSA demanded the information prior to filing a subsequent FISA filing and Clinesmith changed the wording from the other agency to state Page "was not a source".
What kind of people were running the FBI to eat their own in pursuit of another who was innocent. Pure SCUM.

[Schoppee_j]

Sir,

Do you have any thoughts or concerns regarding the current national ammunition shortage? I’m curious if there are any external forces beyond COVID or demand that are making it more extreme. In my area, most caliber ammunition is completely unavailable.

[FakeBot]

1. Elliot Abrams is now US envoy to Iran. I don't think he's going to be fiddling his thumbs for the next couple of months. Is Trump trying to win Adelson back and put money back into Republican coffers with this move?

2. Putin wants a UN security council summit regarding Iran. Says its urgent to avoid a confrontation. Are tensions escalating to point of no return after the spate of orchestrated bombings?

3. Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel, however. There is a possibility Germany is working out some deal with Iran through a backchannel with the US. You can read about it here: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/are-the-us-and-iran-talking-behind-the-scenes/

Given the deal between the UAE and Israel, maybe. Trump did promise the deal of the century. If all parties involved are willing to make the right concessions, who knows...

[turcopolier]

Schoppee j

with the boom in weapons sales there is a logically large boom in ammunitions sales. that's all. i have my pile.

[turcopolier]

deap

He is kinda cute. Would be the most popular guy in the prison showers. He will sing like a bird to get a deal that keeps him from playing "who dropped the soap."

[turcopolier]

j et al

I know Nagl. He is a very conceited man who was swept away by the success of his book about the Arab Revolt in WW1. I debated him once and over a drink afterward told him that counter-insurgency is not a strategy that works unless the country fought over belongs to you. The costs of success in blood and treasure are so high that you give up before the insurgents do. I told him that we would fail in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the failure would destroy him. It did.

[turcopolier]

All

I would not be surprised to see Trumpy pull a deal with Iran out of his a-s with German help.

[Jim]

Kevin Clinesmith

The indictment of ex-FBI lawyer Clinesmith today for falsifying information presented to FISA court, by AG Barr’s Special [prosecutor] Attorney John Durham, includes information saying CIA [indictment says OGA, other government agency] provided Crossfire Hurricane investigators documentation showing Carter Page was a CIA asset of some sort. [Page has said numerous times publicly he assisted CIA.]

Indictment says this information: provided by CIA to FBI/DOJ in August 2016 -- at request of Crossfire Hurricane investigators [showing Page's work for agency].

This would be more than two months before FISA court authorized spying on Page, that October.

Indictment says none of this particular information was: included in any FISA application sought by DOJ – that is, showing Page was CIA asset of some sort.

It says the 4 FISA against Page [all good for up to 90 days] approved on
Oct. 21, 2016
Jan. 12, 2017
April 7, 2017
June 29, 2017

What is interesting is that today’s Durham indictment of Clinesmith says that:
“During the preparation of FISA #4, an FBI Supervisory Special Agent, who was the affiant on FISA #4, asked the defendant [Clinesmith] to inquire with the OGA [other government agency, CIA] as to whether the Individual #1 [Carter Page] had ever been a ‘source’ for the OGA.” [Page is identified as Individual #1 in indictment.]

It is at this point, in June 2017, Clinesmith, the indictment said, allegedly broke the law by falsifying information.

The false information involves Clinesmith making representation that Page wasn’t CIA asset of some sort.

This false information was in FISA #4 [that expired Sept. 22, 2017].

To recap:
1] Crossfire Hurricane investigators had the correct information on Page, at least since August 2016. [And did not include this in FISAs #1-3]]

2] An FBI Supervisory Special Agent asked Clinesmith, June 2017, to verify this [again], in June 2017. [And did include the falsified information, in #4].

This shows incompetence and/or malice and/or?

If the correct Page CIA information was not included in first three FISA, why was false information provided in fourth one? Wouldn't it have not still been approved? [albeit, however falsely, as 1-3 were?]

Why did this FBI SSA ask for this re-affirmation about Page, from Clinesmith?

Five page indictment at

https://www.scribd.com/document/472463918/DCD-Clinesmith#from_embed

-30-

[EEngineer]

What are the odds the Iranians take the beating to give the US (Trump) a bloody nose in return? Trump seems to negotiate like a mafia don that's used to pounding on suits that will settle when you throw them a few dollars. The Iranians are made of a lot harder stuff. Both side might also think war works in their favor, even if only for domestic political reasons.

[ked]

Col,
I would be equally unsurprised if a US military action against Iran took place. Say, sometime in October.

[Deap]

Open thread topic: Into the mix of new information about potential covid comorbidities, California Dental Association presents a study linking periodontal (gum) disease with extreme covid reactions: http://www.mouthcovidconnection.com

This can be a possible explanation why this concentrated in congregrate care facilities, where one can assume dental care for the very frail elderly is marginal at best. Worth more exploration.

[mcohen]

Had anyone tried a fish called orange roughy.Beautiful white fillets.They are in season in oz.Going to try cooking them in coarse salt.

Also thinking of grilled turkey fillets in bread crumbs.I think that the Beirut blast loosened the African rift plate.Definitely.

[Deap]

Any insights into this article from American Thinker: "What is with all those (anti-Trump) retired military officers?" https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/08/what_the_heck_is_going_on_with_those_retired_military_officers.html

[Deap]

Alleged Kevin Klinesmith statements after election day 2016 (FOIA):

Attorney 2: “I’m just devastated. I can’t wait until I can leave today and just shut off the world for the next four days…

---I just can’t imagine the systematic disassembly of the progress we made over the last 8 years.

---ACA is gone.

---Who knows if the rhetoric about deporting people, walls and crap is true.

---I honestly feel like there is going to be a lot more gun issues too, the crazies won finally.

---This is the tea party on steroids.

--- And the GOP is going to be lost, they have to deal with an incumbent in 4 years. We have to fight this again.

---Also Pence is stupid.”

[Jim S]

A lack of musical interlude lately, so here's ein klein popmusik:

Moskau - Dischingis Khan
99 Luftballons - Nena
Together In Electric Dreams - Giorgio Moroder
Plastic Love - Mariya Takeuchi
Take On Me - A-Ha
Désenchantée - Mylene Farmer
Please Don't Leave Me - Pretty Maids
Sleeping Sun - Nightwish
Dans Ma Memoire - In-Grid
Byakkoya no Musume/White Tiger Field - Susumu Hirasawa
There's Something About Us Under The Sheets - Ellie Goulding vs. Daft Punk

The In-Grid track is the weakest of the list; any suggestions to replace it?

[Babak makkinejad]

I would be.

[Babak makkinejad]

Fakebot

There will be no deal with US, that train was wrecked when Major General Solimani was murdered.

Germany is a nobody, in fact, so is the entire European Union.