DUMB STUFF IN THE NEWS
TRUMP AND VENEZUELA
“You break it you own it!”
The USA has a sad and terrible history in regard to our “interventions” in South America. You would think that our leaders would remember our past and learn our lessons. The Trump Administration and the Obamaians before him were on track to destabilize socialist Venezuela. What are we afraid of? That Venezuela had voted in a populist-socialist government and leader? It is clear that political decision must have been what a vast number of the citizenry wanted. We often claim that we support the principle of“self determination”, but we keep making those claims ONLY as long as the leadership of the foreign nation involved toes the USA line. Step out of line and we start turning the IMF against that nation, we put sanctions in place on the leadership, and even stop selling them toilet paper, replacement parts for thier oil industry, and even medicines! That’s how its been with the USA and Venezuela.
But Mr. Trump should be more careful. If he and his administration are perceived as even partly culpable for the chaos that seems likely to result from Mr. Trump’s policies of “regime change”— the collapse and bloodbath which will surely follow will be his to own. The “china shop rule” applies here: You break it—you own it.” A broken and chaotic Venezuela wracked with civil war can only exacerbate the problems we face on our southern border—the surge of refugees and immigrants which (we call a crisis) or an emergency can only get worse .
What motivates our leaders to try and pull down Maduro? Can it be that we have some interest in who will take over the vast oil reserves of that nation?
ON ANTISEMITISM AND REP ILHAN OMAR (D MN)
President Trump has real chutzpah to call for Rep Ilhan Omar to resign because she called AIPAC out for being too pushy and using cash to get its way. Omar tweeted that AIPAC is ready with “Benjamin’s” (C notes) to distribute to Congress and Senators. It’s not quite true—they do not distribute funds directly. But they are much too powerful for a nation which honors democratic processes.
The President has no authority or right to call for her resignation. The people of her district elected Ms Omar fair and square. (Just as the citizens of the USA elected Trump. Perhaps Trump didn’t see the parallel with his own candidacy. Sore looser Hillary supporters have been working feverishly to delegitimize and impeach Trump because they don’t like loosing and his policies and his tough talk irk them.)
Furthermore she is right! AIPAC is unquestionably the one of the most powerful lobbies in all of DC. Keep in mind that lobbyists (NRA, AMA, ADA etc., etc.) use money, gifts, and political influence to control legislation—and more perniciously some very powerful ones (like AIPAC) have enough political clout to even influence candidate selection as well as the outcomes of local elections. In a more perfect world we would ban lobbying (bribing) legislators altogether. . Why should these folks—with some particular axe to grind—- have more access, be able to offer emoluments, cash as well as use threats of primary challenges to control legislation? These are political actions that the average citizen is denied. Perhaps in that more perfect world our representatives would be more responsive to the people’s wishes—were a wiser Congress able to impose more reasonable strictures on how lobbyists operate. .
FOX NEWS DEFENDS—MAJOR GOLDSTYNE! WRONG
Fox News has recently and irrationally tried to defend the indefensible. Fox News keeps trying to protect US Army Major Goldstyne from being sentenced for cold blooded murder, disobeying orders, and bragging on TV in front of millions of viewers about murdering a “bad guy” in Afghanistan! They should be ashamed of themselves.
Major Goldstyne, is a member of one of our elite fighting units. While deployed in Afghanistan his group suffered the deaths of fellow soldiers as the result of a booby-trapped building. Anger and revenge was in the air. In the investigation associated with that event, Goldstyne arrested an alleged “bomb maker”. On the circumstantial evidence recovered in the man’s home. (Keep in mind this officer is not a trained detective, attorney or a trained police officer . ) Concluding that this man “did it” he disobeyed standing orders on how to deal with an unarmed prisoner. Acting on his own—as judge , jury and executioner—like the head of lynch mob—Captain Goldstyne (at that time) took the man out into the field, shot him and buried his remains. Later, perhaps thinking better of his actions and that the body would have clear evidence of the US military weapons, he enlisted others under his command to dig up the body and burn the remains in a US military-camp trash pit.
The event went unreported for years until Major Goldstyne revealed the facts during a polygraph test for a military interview. The results of that test were ignored. Then more years later now Major Goldstyne bragged about the incident during an on-air interview with Fox News interviewer Brett Baer.
The USA has the most professional and the best military in the world. We are a nation governed by laws which extend to the actions and behavior of our military men who represent us abroad. Other nations may send out gangs of thugs to rape, kill indiscriminately and commit premeditated murder. We do not.
Major Goldstyne made several grievous mistakes. Not the least of which was disobeying orders! Sadly he must be punished for his misdeeds. We can not ignore his actions. There is no alternative. Were we—like Fox News — to defend his actions as “bad stuff that happens in war” and slip this outlaw and aberrant behavior under the rug—we as a nation would be as guilty as he is.
Fox News should do better. They obviously have not thought this one through. Too bad!.
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