RUSSIA MEDDLING—PAYBACK FOR USA MEDDLING IN UKRAINE?

RUSSIA MEDDLING IN US ELECTION IS PAYBACK FOR OBAMA MEDDLING IN UKRAINE

We have just learned today (Friday 2-17-18 that special investigator Robert Muller has indicted 13 Russians for interfering in our election of 2016.  The report has every talking head on TV and opinion makers in  print calling for retribution against the Russians.  Their comments make us look liike week victims of aggression.  We are not.  These commentators all totally ignore the US  activities in this area.  We are the experts.  But let us  ignore all the times the USA has “meddled” in other nations’s elections, killed off their leadership, or simply went to war for “regime change”.  Such acts are only “terrible” when we  are the targets of  election foreign meddling.  (For a good run down on US activities in this are see the Los Angles Times, Dec 21, 2016. “The US is no stranger to interfering in the elections of other countries” , and a piece by Ovwn Jones entitled “Americans can spot election meddling because they have been doing it for years. in the Guardian (Jan 5, 20170).

But here I take up our most recent episode of election meddling and regime change that may have stimulated a “pay back” by the Russians and precipitated the 13 months of political and governmental turmoil we have suffered since the last election.

To find the likely motive for the Russian’s most recent attempts to meddle in our election we must go back  back to the Obama Administration’s foolish policy decision to try to wrest Ukraine, out of Russia’s  sphere of influence and into the west in 2010.  Ukraine is situated  on the most sensitive part of Russia’s western border, and has a long history of  cultural, linguistic, and economic ties to that much larger and more powerful state.  (The analogy of the US and Mexico, (our similarly close neighbor) would not apply—the Ukraine and Russia are much closer religiously, culturally and politically.)   The Obama policy of  “westernization” of Ukraine was very troubling for the Russian state.  In 2010 President Victor Yanukovych—a more or less pro-Russian politician—-was legitimately elected President of Ukraine.  As the head of a state on the border of a powerful neighbor, Yanukovych attempted tp keep a neutral position between Russia,  the west and east European US allies already pulled into close ties with the west—and some of which had become NATO members as well.

President Obama and his anti-Russian State Department aggressively and unrealistically plotted (meddled) in Ukrainian politics...supporting political  demonstrations, and supplying monetary support for political opponents of President  Yanukovych in an attempt to  change the regime and move Ukraine to turn westward toward Europe and the EU and to ultimately join NATO.   Putin complained bitterly that this US policy was an attempt to “encircle Russia”.  Imagine how we would respond if Russia attempted to perhaps  bring Cuba into its sphere of influence.  How would we respond?  Oh Yes!  That actually happened with Cuba!  And how did we react?  We went ballistic..near nuclear war.

Obama’s policy of  “meddling”,  fomenting disturbances and demonstration in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev ultimately destabilized the Yanukovych Presidency, brought down the legitimate government and caused the legitimately elected Yanukovych to flee for his life.  His motorcade was fired upon at one point.   After this American-aided coup, a pro-American president was installed in the Presidential place.  Ukraine descended into civil war when the eastern (ethnically and more pro- Russian) portion of the Ukraine attempted to secede and the whole nation erupted into warfare.  In a response, to the loss of the pro-Russia government in Ukraine,  Putin  invaded and annexed the Crimea where Russia maintained a naval presence. .  The political and regime change (meddling) instigated and supported by the Obama Administration was a disaster which led to civil war, displacement of large portions of the population,  and thousands of deaths.  It also may have been the motive which generated was a diplomatic disaster which led to some of the evens that we are experienceing here in the USA since the 2016 election.

Had Obam and his State Department been more circumspect and had a more realistic appreciation of how Russia would respond to what it saw as an existential threat with the attack on the Ukraine...there would have been no Russian meddling in the 2016 election as “pay back” for the Ukraine fiasco.

Newton’s Third Law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In politics the law applies as well. Obama’s failed and foolish policy was the action—the “equal and opposite” reaction was the Russian pay back. Could it be that some elelments of the Clinton loss, the Trump win, the gutting of Obama’s legislative legacy, and the continuing disruption to our nation’s political stability are in some way the outcome of an unwise attempt by Obama to push the Russians into a corner.

BAN BATTLEFIELD WEAPONS: AUTOMATIC VS. SEMIAUTOMATIC NO DIFFERENCE!

There is no actual functional difference between an “illegal” automatic rifle or handgun and a “legal” semi-automatic weapon.  They both can lay down a lot of lead. 

The recent (February 14, 2018) horrific school shooting IN BROWARD COUNTY FLORIDA where  thirty or more high school children were shot and 17 were killed brought our the hand wringing and bloviating types. But sadly little seems to change..  These leaders and commentators seem to keep repeating the same words and definitions from past shooting tragedies.  The weapons used remain the same.  The now infamous AR 15.   In making their comments journalists, talking heads, and politicians continue to distinguish carefully between automatic and semiautomatic guns as if this designation was a significant difference.    The terms relate to the firing mechanism.  In an automatic, holding back the trigger will cause the gun to continue to fire, while a semiautomatic requires the shooter to pull the trigger back for each shot.  

But in terms of their actual use there is no functional difference between an assault rifle that is termed automatic and one  termed semi automatic.  They both kill equally well. 

The M4 carbine is the current weapon issued to US Army troops and the Marines. It is presently in service in Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Iraq...and where ever else our troops go.   This new  M4 is an automatic and will continue to fire as long as the trigger is pulled back. It has a theoretical rate of fire  of  700 rounds per minute. Of course that rate of is not actually possible.  The heat generated by friction as each  bullet (which are designed to fit tightly against the inside of the barrel—to hold back the expanding gases) would literally melt the lining of the inside of the barrel and cause the weapon to explode.  The military model has a 30 round curved magazine.  But firing the full clip at once is likely to cause irreparable harm to the barrel were one to fire continuously so as to empty its ammo clip.  In battle situations a second barrel is often carried—just in case. The M4’s actual rate of fire, according to the Military Handbook is actually only about 12 to 15 rounds per minute. The shooter has to fire in bursts to permit the gun’s barrel cool down or risk a blown barrel and a lost eye. 

The AR 15, the so called “sporting” weapon used by the Florida school shooter yesterday—to kill seventeen of his former classmates—is for all intents and purposes almost exactly the same as the M4 military weapon described above.   It fires the same ammo, is issued with a 30 round clip, has the same or similar sights, the same flash suppressor.  It can be purchased in the same barrel length, and might even have the barrel stud to mount a bayonet.  The only difference is that in firing the AR15 the shooter must pull the trigger back for each round to fire. 

I suggest you take out your smart phone and turn on the timer function.  Set it to zero and count how many times you could pull back your trigger finger in one minute.  Yes,  you can readily fire off many more rounds than 12 or 15 in a minute, even with a semiautomatic.  The effects on the target would be the same whether the bullet was fired from an automatic or semiautomatic.   

So realize that these designations “automatic and semiautomatic” are meaningless, phony designations which permit our gun manufacturers to market and sell battlefield weapons to the mass domestic market.  Call it a “semi automatic” and you can hand it over to any mental defective, cuckholded and angry husband, secret jihadist, escaped mental patient or plain nut case, etc. etc. etc.   The AR15 was designed,  not as a sporting weapon, but for use on a battlefield  to kill as many of our nation’s enemies as possible.  It remains an excellent weapon for what it was intended.  It is a battlefield weapon and in its automatic or semiautomatic forms it does not belong in the hands of civilians, and certainly not in the hands of mentally deranged, abused  and emotionally fragile teenagers! 

We must stop fooling ourselves—these weapons have no place in a civil society. They belong only on the battlefield.  

COATES IS WRONG ON DEBT AS A THREAT- COLLAPSING INFRASTRUCTURE IS THE PROBLEM

Intelligence services ignore the threat of crumbling infrastructure to our national security and instead prefer to focus on our national debt instead.  

After observing the TV  broadcast of the Senate Intelligence Committee (on February 13, 2018) as they interviewed the multiple assembled heads of our numerous so-called intelligence agencies, I was sadly disappointed by Director Coates’ list of security threats.  He focused on our national debt problem as if it was a major threat.  It was a common theme  he favored as a Senator.  Now he is supposed to be functioning  in a different capacity—-providing meaningful “intelligence”.  There he failed,    

Director Coates, took his audience (of mostly nodding in affirmation Senate heads) through a litany and laundry list of world “hot spots” (according to him) of “concern for our national security”.  His presentation was designed to intimate that every one of them—even those in the most far flung places around the world—is a threat that should  be attended to by the US military (or clandestinely by the CIA) as if the USA was capable of absolute world domination.    The fact is that we simply do not have the resources, ability or even the moral right to take on all those problems and take on the role of world policeman.  It is unfair and unwise to ask the American taxpayer to suffer a life lived in a nation of crumbling infrastructure so we can  make the world safe for every one else as Coates and the military establishment  “save the world from itself”.  

But most distressing was Director Coate’s final “hot spot” one he considered a primary threat to our national security.   According to Coates, that threat is right there in Washington D.C.  For Director Coates  our burgeoning national debt—- now nearing  $20 trillion dollars—is a threat to our security.  

Yes, it is true, our national debt could rise to such proportions that just paying the interest could financially cripple us.  But that likelihood is still far down the road.  On crossing the a busy road, one must first avoid the bus bearing right down on you before you consider the threat of a distant train whistle. 

What Mr Coates sadly ignored is the immediate threat of our burgeoning MILITARY expenditures and our CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE.  (Budget overruns and debt accumulation due to military largess is apparently OK with Coates.)   What Director Coates ignores is the impact of our over-extended world military commitments that threaten our ability to effectively respond to an actual existential threat.   Over the decades since WWII, we have put our military expenditures in the forefront of our budget outlays.  Today military expenditures consume nearly half of our budget..leaving little for essential repair and renewal of our nation’s underpinnings.  

The bloated military/defense budget (including that of Coates’ NSA) gobble up so much of our income it leaves little for essential (and long over-due)  maintenance and refitting of our out-dated, failing infrastructure.  Our roads, bridges, airports, electrical grids etc. etc, all date from the mid-to late 20th Century.  Since the end of WWII we have done little  but spend trillions of dollars on foreign adventures and ignored our own nation’s needs.   We live now in a nation with infrastructure dating from the mid-20th Century at a time one-fifth through the  21Century!   If this trend line continues on its present course we will become the “Venezuela of North America” in. A few short decades!  Our infrastructure is certainly not up to par with the standards one finds in or most critical competitor China!  And Forget Western Europe where we lag far far behind .  

But our crumbling infrastructure, collapsing bridges, our trains running off their tracks, air facilities dating to the last century,  and coastal ports in decay, these are all imminent existential threats to our survival and our competitiveness.     A nation that can not reliably and safely travel to work due to dilapidated roads and bridges, or depend on the electrical grid providing adequate service, or which ignores the essential access to broadband wifi,  or fails to provide means of fast and safe essential bulk transport by road and rail  is a nation in economic decline— and certainly not likely to be able to survive a real militarily threat.  

So Director Coates should rethink his ‘intelligence” and his list.  Perhaps he could cut his “world threat” list down to real, actual threats.  In that case we could then spend much less than we do now on military “defense” and spend more on repair and replacements of infrastructure necessary for our survival. 

 We probably should trim  Coates’  budget as well—considering the weakness and  illogic nature of his “intelligence” concerning  real “threat assessments” .  

On another matter, Director Dan Coates..should know how to properly pronounce “nuclear”. The word “nuclear” is: “nuc lee ar”— not— “nuc U lar”!  Ugh!

UNCOMPLIMENTARY COMMENTS ON INTELLIGENCE (?) SERVICES SENATE HEARING 2-13-18

Senate reveals itself to be a gaggle of babbling self-aggrandizing chest thumpers and a waste of our nation’s time and money.  It should be decommissioned.  

Intelligence services ignore the threat of crumbling infrastructure to our nati0onal security and instead prefers to focus on our national debt instead.   The massive duplication of our so called “intellegence” services (we have 14 different ones) has shown to provides us no advantage over the simpler two service system we used to have.  Time for change. 

Some conclusions and observations.

After observing the broadcast of the Senate Intelligence Committee-as they interviewed the heads  of our massive so called intelligence agencies I was struck by some desperately needed structural changes.   

1. It is apparent that we have too many Intelligence Agencies!  Making a good cut back of the number of these so called “intelligence” groups would save money and eliminate wasteful duplication.  In the UK there are  only two organizations, MI 5 and MI6: the latter the internal and the former the foreign intelligence service.  We have fourteen or seventeen with no better batting average—and some say worse than the Brits.  

2. The Senate is a massive waste of time and money.  

The founding Fathers (bless them) made one massive mistake when they set up our government so long ago.  Fearful of the unwashed body politic as they developed our institutions..they decided to emulate a political entity that was an ancient but undemocratic component of  British political system they knew—-the House of Lords.  Unwilling to use that “royal” designation—they called the US body the “Senate” (or perhaps after the Roman Republic).  This body was to serve the same function as the House of Lords—a means of insulating the government from the direct will of the people.  In time the “Lords” in Great Britain was  disengaged from any political decision-making and now is a politically powerless group of oatmeal dribblers who make incoherent pronouncements.  Unfortunately not so for our Senate.  Unlike the British parliamentary system (which disempowered the Lords years ago) our system can not evolve so easily—-we have a Constitution which admits of  change only with great difficulty, if at all.   

The decision to establish  a House of Lords and call it a “Senate” was the Founder’s worst mistake.  Our Senate with its laughable “60 vote majority”, is undemocratic, unrepresentative, abrogates the “one person, one vote” rule, operates to stall or prevent needed change, wastes time and money,  and is so full of puffed up, self-important, self-aggrandizing, bloviating low IQ types that it makes the ancient and now powerless British House of Lords look a Periclean democracy.   The British wisely disempowered the House of Lords long ago as a waste of time, effort and money.  We should do the same with our US Senate. 

On another matter, Director Dan Coates..should know  how to properly pronounce “nuclear”. It is nuc lee ar. not nuc U lar!  Ugh!

Then too Director Coates after going through a laundry list of world “hot spots” for concern and suggesting that every one of them..in the most far flung places around the world—must be attended to by the US military or CiA as if we were caabable of absolute world domination.    We simply do not have the resources, ability or even the moral right to take on these problems and in effect dominate the world.  

But most distressing was Director Coate’s final “hot spot”..one that he considers a “threat”to our national security.   That threat to our security, according to Coates, was right here in Washington. The threat was our burgeoning national debt now nearing  20 trillion dollars. So according to intelligence czar Coates our national debt is a threat to our survival.  But our crumbling infrastructure, collapsing bridges, trains running off their tracks, air facilities and coastal ports are all in decline and these are not a threat to our survival.     A nation that can not reliably get to work or depend on their wifi, electrical grid, transportation services, roads, bridges, etc. etc. is not one long for world survival and certainly not likely to dominate the world..  So Director Coates should rethink his list.  Perhaps he could cut his world threat list down a bit.  We could spend less than the nearly three quarters of our budget on “defense”.  We should then cut Coates  budget—-or eliminate him all together.  

Spending less on the fools task of trying to dominate the world and more on strenthing our own nation is where we should be putting our efforts.  We would be wise to ignor intelligence from Coates and concentrate on bringing the infrastructure of the USA back into the 21 Century...with our real competitor China.  That would be the intelligent move. 

NETANYAHU: ISRAELI PHONY STORY ABOUT DOWNED PLANE

Mr Netanyahu does more disservice to Israeli reputation with his impossible-to-believe story of the Iranian drone that violated Israeli air space..triggering a massive response by the Israeli Air Force.  think thThe whole world knows the truth—-except for the American dummies who seem to always believe believe the blatant Israeli propaganda.

Israelis were again violating Syrian airspace when Syrian forces shot down an Israeli. F16 ——-inside Syria!  The pilot made it to the Israeli border where the plane crashed and the pilot made it safely to the ground.    But then for Israel to try to claim that it was Syrian aggression and —non existent Iranian drones violating Israeli airspace which were the so called impetus of this fiasco is just too much to swallow.   A little honesty and truth would go a lot further.  The story Netanyahu is peddling is so unbelievable it simply underscores all the other lies Netanyahu uses to hide blatant Israeli aggression.

What is needed is a bit more military balance in the Middle East. It does not advance  ME peace when there is only one bully in the ring who thinks he/she could do just anything with impunity—- then blame the victims!

When Americans understand this situation more clearly...there wil be a better possibility for peace.

IRONY; GOOD ECONOMY DRIVES STOCKS DOWN

THE STOCK MARKET TAKES A HIT. GOOD NEWS FOR WORKERS?

In the last few days (and maybe today too) the stock market has taken a big drop.  What happened?
All was going so well.  But what is good for the investors and big companies is often not so good for the average American worker and the economy in general and vice versa.

Over the last decade, since the Great Recession, the FED has kept interest rates near zero and with the weak economy jobs were scarce.  That was a great time for the investor class.  Profits soared for the big companies...wages were low, and borrowing money was cheap.  Good deal!

But with the Trump economy has come a new optimism.  People have been put back to work.  The recent job numbers are very good.  The Trump tax break had put an enormous amount of money back into the hands of workers.  The “crumbs” that Congresswoman Pelosi describes as a mere $1000 per worker annually...is an enormous amount of money entering the economy when you consider that there are 160 million workers.  A thousand bucks to each worker amounts to $160 billion dollars entering the economy and in the hands of every day worker folks who will spend every bit of it.  Not to be sneezed at.  That kind of distribution is in line with classical Keynesian economic theory.  So the economy is expected to grow. With a growing economy wages will go up too.  We have seen evidence of that even now...only a year into the Trump administration.  More jobs available means employers will have to pay more for labor to fill those jobs.  That is good for common folks and Main Street.

But with that growth comes the threat of “inflation”. When folks have more money in hand, the prices of goods and services goes up. Rising costs of goods and services in effect cheapens money.  Our dollars are worth less since they can buy less.  That is inflation.  The FED has seen to it that we have not experienced a hint of inflation for a good decade.  There was not enough money in the hands of common folk to create strong DEMAND for goods or services.  Therefore no inflation.  The FED had no reason to raise the cost of borrowing money—the prime interest rate. Borrowing money was cheap and good for the big guys.  But now in a better economy..the threat of inflation raises its scary head..again.  The mere hint of inflationary pressures suggests to investors that the FED—which is mandated to control inflation—will be more likely to RAISE INTEREST rates.  That makes their businesses less profitable.   Investors have been living in a low interest “la la land” for so long this seems very threatening to them.  Thus the jittery market.

Put those two factors together...businesses (and the investors) see the comfortable scenario of low wages and low interest rates evaporating in the new Trump economy. That is a threat to their profits.

Another factor is that the Trump market has risen so fast and to such heights...some opine that it might be a bit over priced.

These are the three factors that seem to be in play here.  They are not good for the investor class—though those folkwill continue to make plenty of money.  But it may mean a decent job and a better income for the common folk on Main Street.

It is ironic that a good economy, rising wages, higher demand for goods and services and a better life for workers and small businesses could be the cause of the jittery market, but that is what seems to be in play here.

 

NUNEZ MEMO=MASSIVE SCANDAL IN DC.

THE NUNEZ MEMO—EXPOSE OF A MASSIVE SCANDAL

Rep (R) Devin Nunez has released a summary memo regarding recent  findings of the Congressional Intelligence Oversight Committee.  The memo reveals evidence that a foreign agent, Christopher Steele (UK), the Clinton Campaign, (and shockingly the vaunted) FBI and the Department of Justice colluded to mislead the FISA court with a document purported to be “intelligence” but was in fact a document prepared as political opposition research (“dirt”) for the Clinton team to use against a Trump campaign agent and the Trump candidacy.  The implied motives of this collusion was to undermine one political candidate in favor of another, and ultimately to affect the 2016 election.  This conspiratorial relationship persisted after the election, during the transition. It subsequently morphed into an attempt to destabilize and unseat a sitting President.   

Though the Nunez document makes no mention of the Trump-Russian inquiry—the irony of the revelations  must be noted here.  That is  -so far—after more than 18 months of intensive and unrestricted investigation—and hysterical and misleading statements from the Democrats regarding Trump and Russia—there is no evidence of Trump campaign collusion with Russia to interfere with the election.  The only “collusion” that the nation knows of at this time with certainty is that of rogue elements within our own FBI and Justice Department which acted conspiratorially to defeat candidate Trump and help candidate Clinton.  

In all forms of government, the most critical process is the eventual necessary transfer of power from one administration to another.  In ancient Persia and again during the Roman Empire  the power to govern was believed  to reside in certain “royal” families. When a ruler died the right to govern was simply passed on to his/her eldest heir.  The concept of “people power” or democracy evolved first in Greece in the 6th and 5th Century BC where  Solon introduced reforms which admitted most citizens into the decision making process.  Later the great leader  Pericles helped to establish a true demokratia.    (Our word “democracy” is from the Greek: demokratia  formed from two Greek words “deme + kratos”  or literally “people + power” ).  In a democracy the power to govern resides (not in a king or royal )  in the “demos” or the people.  In our  modern democracy—as in the tradition of the Greeks—only the people have the power to choose their leaders—- through the ballot and election process.  That power of governing was legitimately passed on by the American voters  on the eve of November 8 from President Obama to President Trump— as a result of the  election of 2016.   The FBI, NSA, CIA, our former presidents, the media, etc. etc.all have no special rights (other than their own vote) to decide who governs.  That right resides only with the consent of the people!    Attempting to control, weaken or undermine  the legitimate democratic process of transfer of power —- as some on the left (and elements within the FBI and government ) seem to have done and continue doing—are illegitimate and misguided efforts that  are a prescription for political chaos and national disaster.    If we permit these acts and efforts to go unpunished or persist we are no better than the ancient Persians or the corrupt Roman Empire—or a modern tin pot dictatorship—like Egypt,  Communist China, or North Korea—all which have powerful and uncontrolled  secret police forces...which control the people and make the choice of candidates. 

What does the Memo reveal?  

Nunez and the Intelligence Oversight Committee have stated that rogue elements within the FBI upper echelons misused their power of investigation to spy on an American citizen who was a volunteer member of the Trump election organization with the apparent intention of undermining the candidacy and later the presidency of Mr. Trump.  Our nation, justifiably concerned about security for its citizenry from foreign threats has allowed its intelligence agencies (FBI, CIA, DOJ, NSA) the ability to perform and use (for existential purposes) intrusive domestic investigation of its citizenry.   And rightly fearful of this power to spy on its citizens  it has strictly regulated these functions to protect the constitutional rights of our citizenry.  These laws require the FBI et.al. to provide strong evidence that spying a US citizen IS WARRANTED and REQUIRED for national  security purposes only.  In those cases where domestic spying is deemed necessary for national security...the intelligence agency must provide substantial intelligence evidence to a special secret court: the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA).    This FISA court then may issue a special warrant to permit the investigation (spying) on an American citizen.  The FISA court warrant, in effect makes a temporary “secret police” out of our FBI and other agencies.   This is a serious decision and must be permitted only for the nation’s national security since  it fully abrogates that citizen’s constitutional rights.  This power given to our intelligence agencies to temporarily act as a “secret domestic police force ”  ( like the SS or the Stasi) is strictly controlled (or should have been).  It is certainly forbidden, (as well as illegal, unconstitutional) for this FISA warrant  to be used for domestic political purposes as it seems to have been employed in this case. 

Primarily the Nunez Memo establishes the fact  that the powerful investigative institutions of our nation, such as the FBI, CIA, NSA, and others of the deep state clearly require a great deal more of meaningful oversight to keep them honest in a Washington awash with foreign money, campaign cash, slush funds like the Clinton Global Initiative, the sale of influence, nepotism, husband and wife power couples, cushy well-paying government jobs, and all infected with intense political division.  So far with the exception of the Nunez committee...oversight has been too much “rubber stamping” in character.  

Congressman Devin Nunez should be honored for having uncommon (in Congress) honesty, courage and persistence to persevere  despite massive obstructionism from powerful forces  in the government, the establishment, the Democrat and Republican parties, and the politicized media. In face of these obstacles he and his Committee brought forth an existential warning to the nation’s citizens that meaningful and intrusive oversight of our powerful and intrusive institutions is necessary to maintain our democratic ideals.