Did Russia do it?
Vladimir Putin says no, and we know what that is worth.
President Donald J. Trump says he didn’t see the material that was included in his briefing material, and we know what that’s worth.
The former KGB officer versus the builder/TV show host with a well-deserved reputation for falling short of honesty.
To paraphrase Yakov Smirnoff, what a choice.
We don’t know the truth, but we do have information and intuition.
Russia is accused of offering a bounty to the Taliban to kill American and Allied troops.
Does that sound like something Russia, that nice friend of ours, would do? Just kidding.
Is it something Putin would do?
Of course it is. His aim is to oppose American interests anywhere and everywhere. When he knocks the U.S. down, it builds Russia up. It needs all the help it can get because their entire GNP is less than Texas — $1.8 trillion to Moscow’s $1.6 trillion. A Slavic economic basket case.
Take away oil and stealing neighbor’s territory, Russia has no economy. Manufacturing? Would you want to fly in an aircraft manufactured in Russia? Or a car? (Props to them building space rockets; they do that well.)
Before we good Americans get our noses too far out of joint, let’s remember when the Russkis made the tragic mistake of invading Afghanistan, the CIA and others were busy providing money and arms to the wonderful mujahideen, who turned on us after they drove out the Russians.
Now maybe the CIA didn’t tell the Northern Alliance, “We will pay you two mules and three goats for each Taliban,” but the same principle applies.
If Russia did do it, they could say, “I’m rubber, you’re glue, whatever you do sticks to you.”
Or something similar.
The reporting I’ve read missed an important point.
What was the amount paid for each dead Western soldier?
An AP story said Seal Team Six (thanks for Osama, boys) found $500,000 in U.S. currency during a raid, which lends support to the bounty story. But that doesn’t tell me the price per scalp.
How much would you have to pay me to eat a pint of rocky road ice cream?
Oh, you don’t know me. You’d have to pay me nothing. I would do it for free.
And the Taliban would kill Americans for free — if they did it. That means the Russians were paying for something they could get for free.
But that does not mean it did not happen.
For the past few days, Democrats have fallen on this story like a hawk on a prairie dog.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revived one of her favorite themes — what Putin “has on” Trump?
That could be true, too.
Now that Trump has learned about the bribery plot, if true, what should he do about it?
Sanctions on Russia? Assassinate Putin? Cancel the contract for the Moscow Trumpski Tower?
There are a lot of “ifs” here, so I will add one more: If it is true, the U.S. ought to pay back the Russians deadly and quietly.
Let Seal Team Six decide.
HAPPY WEDNESDAY !!!
Has anybody noticed how timely this latest hoax is ? 4th of July right around the corner, so let’s attack the goodness, glory and patriotism of our President, again and again. BTW ! This crap is only going to multiply as we get closer to November.
So, here’s my take on my beloved country. For reasons more of greed than “freedom from the crown”, our country was found more than 244 years ago. In that time, we have been – just like every other country – deceitful, kind, crooked, merciful – you get the idea. WE ARE NOT SAINTS ! Over the years, you could say that we have had “growing pains”. We came to this country with preconceived notions, and they either worked or failed. We brought with us slavery and we did away with it. We looked for freedom of religion as we persecuted and slaughtered those that would not conform to our wishes. We pushed the original people out of the way. ? in the name of progress ? Yet, because of it all, we are here today, trying to make this a better country, and a better world. But up crops the ugly heads of greed and corruption ! We are not often glad to see our neighbors get ahead, so we plot against them. We go to war to save our country and keep tyranny away from our shores. During that process, things happen. Man shows his very ugly side towards his fellow man. Most of us are kept in the dark, as to what exactly happens during these little conflicts. It’s just as well because most people couldn’t stomach the truth of the “horrors of war”. Then again, if everybody knew what was really taking place, maybe we wouldn’t have any more wars. The biggest nonsense to date, in my opinion, was us getting involved in the problems of the middle east . We went there for greed a long time ago. We tried to win over the locals the old fashion American way. First you try to buy your way in and if that fails, you create a coup. It worked in many places before, but not in the middle east. Each country that we went to, reversed the roles on us. They “took us to the cleaners”, and to save face with the American public, the politicians hid behind the “war playing”. In short, we have done everything imaginable in the name of God, country and the American pie. As sneaky as we are, our enemies are worse ! They don’t have to explain them selves to their citizens. The powers to be just do what they do, and if you have a problem with that, then you wind up dead. Back to today’s troubled times. Since our President was elected, Mr Trump has successfully pissed off more people in Washington D.C. than anybody that ever lived. He truly did expose the “swamp” for what it is. Since. at least the 1930s, “it was all about the Benjamins, baby”. Our government has done more for themselves than they did for the American people. We were kept in the dark for all of those years, prior to this President .
My prediction: Almost every day till November 3, 2020 – election day – we will see more dirt flying out of Washington. The swamp creatures are out to get our President and put the American people back in the dark. I believe that it will be a close race with the republicans winning most races. If that’s the case, then we will have 4 more years of what we are witnessing right now – only worse ! I hope that I am wrong about the the next 4 year war. I hope that the American people rub the crap out of their eyes and finally wake up to all of the injustices that we have done – continue to do. I hope that the elected officials finally are with and for the people of these United States and in so doing, we truly do MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN !
Tony
“In war, truth is the first casualty.” — Aeschylus
This quote is from some 500 years before Christ was born, proving that Trump and Putin are merely carrying on the tradition of governments everywhere: treating the people like mushrooms by keeping them in the dark and feeding them a lot of bullshit.
Anthony Clark
Best post I have ever seen on this forum.
Only a demoncrap would believe the Taliban needs Russian money to make them want to kill Americans.
NYT unnamed sources. ha Ha Ha
Stu—–Where have you been the last 18 years? Are you advocating a nuclear war with Russia? Russia hoax #5.
Thank God your hero FDR colluded with Russia against Hitler.
Read my post to the end and you will see what I recommend. Reading before commenting is a good idea.
Charles, since you decided to use the word “demoncrap” I will now use the word repukiklan.
Fool me once shame on you , fool me a thousand times shame on us all….. BAMBOOZLED OVER AND OVER since Trump was elected. Please read Molly Hemingway’s latest on this.
https://thefederalist.com/2020/06/30/media-are-playing-games-yet-again-with-anonymous-russia-leaks/
I agree with Charles. What a great analysis Tony has afforded us on the greatest country ever!! What will the idiots rename it when they take over? It’s time to pick a side. No joke
I would argue that the profane vulgar denier-in-chief has spent his time ‘urinating off’ most of us in and out of the Beltway, and not only the sizable majority who voted against him….doing for himself and not the country(like a true swamper), in the process exposing himself for what he is, if one cares to notice
I like your writing! Like your sense of humour (British spelling). Bella
Thank youse. Philadelphia spelling.
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Stu & readers,
There seems to be no definitive proof either way on this story.
Until and unless good evidence turns up, its perhaps best to pass it over in silence.
H.G. Callaway
Definitive proof is not required of the accused, only of the accuser. Somehow we have forgotten that important point in law. Today, someone makes an accusation and suddenly the one being accused is presumed guilty and has to prove his innocence. We saw that with Justice Kavenaugh and with Donald Trump. Hate him or love him, still has no need to prove his innocence; but the accuser has to prove guilt.
I believe speculation is OK, without convicting anyone.
Respectfully disagree by saying, “Not if speculation destroys one’s reputation, which is the aim of most ‘speculation.'”
Please verify that the aim of most speculation is the destruction of someone’s reputation, or is that merely an unsubstantiated …. speculation?
Well, let’s see… I was referring to political speculations (as your writings deal almost exclusively with politics or related subjects) such as “Did Donald Trump collude with the Russians to defeat Hillary Clinton?” And “Did Justice Kavenaugh sexually assault a young woman at a party?” As Raymond Donovan famously asked after unsubstantiated accusations ruined him, “Which office to I go to to get my reputation back?” I am astonished that any man or woman would run for high office in the USA, given the desire (on both sides of the aisle) to destroy reputations rather than enlighten the voters.
I do not recall writing columns such as you describe. If I did, my conclusion would be, as it this case, we don’t “know,” which means with evidence.
I think certain writers may cross the line from question to accusation — and conviction.
Per my recollection of Kavanaugh, I said they were both credible, and there wasn’t enough there to keep him off the court.
Exactly! Mission accomplished! We can bet there’ll be many more.
Perhaps another Strzok & Page
“Insurance policy.” (just in case)
Our sinister media will willingly carry the narrative, they being, beyond reproach.
HAPPY THURSDAY !!!
If this wasn’t so serious, it would be hilarious ! Think of it in local terms. You want to remove someone from the city. You either do it yourself or hire a contractor. No one’s the wiser,’cause you aint gonna open your mouth and for sure, the person that you hired is a professional, meaning, if he/she wants more work, they keep their mouth shut also.
Now, on the international level, people are removed quite often and it’s usually goes unnoticed UNLESS ! you’re sending a message. Everybody plays the same game. Probably been like that since Noah parked the ark.
H.G. missed the point. This is all bull. Another shot at the President, and probably tomorrow, there will be another false accusations. They are the best kind. You don’t think that some one will miraculously show you a hit contract, do you?!?
Tony
“It’s all bull.”
So was Noah, but I liked the parked the ark line.
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Anthony, Stu & readers,
First of all, the accusation in question is not a legal case at law. In law, of course, the accused is innocent until proven guilty.
If, as you say, “its all bull,” then its often best to ignore it –though social media makes this very difficult for many people. It counts as “click bait.” Someone, of course, is making a lot of $ out of those clicks –the more outrageous the more lucrative. But why circulate unproved allegations where the possibility of purely political motivation is all too plausible?
The frequency of doubtful accusations in the media and in private gossip is, in fact, a chief symptom of the pernicious divisiveness and factionalism abroad in the country. We are repeating the libelous, acrimonious and divisive politics of the 1790s, 1850s, and 1890s. It leads to no good. My advice is: don’t play into that game.
H.G. Callaway
H.G.C.
I agree. I limit myself to all of the nonsense coming from the media- both sides.
Tony
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Anthony & readers,
Thanks for the point of agreement.
The media are in poor shape, pushed ever further into financial trouble by the competition of the big internet media firms. Who, we might say, delight in intensive controversy–to put it mildly. Is the press not tempted to compete in kind?
One obvious step would be to require the internet firms to pay for the stories they “borrow” from the press. That might help curb the excesses.
But the politicians sit on their hands.
H.G. Callaway
The media was not pushed toward bankruptcy by “big internet media firms.”
The short version: They allowed Google to distribute their copyright material for free. “Aggregator,” my ass. It was theft, then compounded by the idiots putting their content on the Web for free. I wrote a column in the Daily News about 25 years ago predicting disaster.
Publishers own stupidity accelerated what might have happened anyway.
Today, Google and I believe FB are sharing a minor slice of their profits with newspapers because without newspapers, they have no content.