COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Thursday, April 12, 2018

“The statesman who yields to war fever,” Churchill wrote, “must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.”

A Military Report Card - Andrew J. Bacevich
There are many possible explanations for why our recent military record has been so dismal.  One crucial explanation -- perhaps the most important of all -- relates to those seven principles that undergird our military system. 
Let me review them in reverse order.
Principle 7, the military profession: Tally up the number of three- and four-star generals who have commanded the Afghan War since 2001. It’s roughly a dozen. None of them has succeeded in bringing it to a successful conclusion. Nor does any such happy ending seem likely to be in the offing anytime soon. The senior officers we expect to master war have demonstrated no such mastery.
The generals who followed one another in presiding over that war are undoubtedly estimable, well-intentioned men, but they have not accomplished the job for which they were hired. Imagine if you contracted with a dozen different plumbers -- each highly regarded -- to fix a leaking sink in your kitchen and you ended up with a flooded basement. You might begin to think that there’s something amiss in the way that plumbers are trained and licensed.  Similarly, perhaps it’s time to reexamine our approach to identifying and developing very senior military officers. 
Or alternatively, consider this possibility: Perhaps our theory of war as an enterprise where superior generalship determines the outcome is flawed. Perhaps war cannot be fully mastered, by generals or anyone else. 
It might just be that war is inherently unmanageable. Take it from Winston Churchill, America’s favorite confronter of evil. “The statesman who yields to war fever,” Churchill wrote, “must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.”
If Churchill is right, perhaps our expectations that senior military professionals will tame war -- control the uncontrollable -- are misplaced.  Perhaps our military system should put greater emphasis on avoiding war altogether or at least classifying it as an option to be exercised with great trepidation, rather than as the political equivalent of a handy-dandy, multi-functional Swiss Army knife.  
Principle 6, organizing our forces to emphasize global power projection: Reflect for a moment on the emerging security issues of our time.  The rise of China is one example. A petulant and over-armed Russia offers a second. Throw in climate change and mushrooming cyber-threats and you have a daunting set of problems. It’s by no means impertinent to wonder about the relevance of the current military establishment to these challenges. 
Every year the United States spends hundreds of billions of dollars to maintain and enhance the lethality of a force configured for conventional power projection and to sustain the global network of bases that goes with it. For almost two decades, that force has been engaged in a futile war of attrition with radical Islamists that has now spread across much of the Greater Middle East and parts of Africa.
I don’t know about you, but I worry more about the implications of China’s rise and Russian misbehavior than I do about Islamic terrorism. And I worry more about changing weather patterns here in New England or somebody shutting down the electrical grid in my home town than I do about what Beijing and Moscow may be cooking up. Bluntly put, our existing military system finds us focused on the wrong problem set. 
We need a military system that accurately prioritizes actual and emerging threats. The existing system does not. This suggests the need for radically reconfigured armed services, with the hallowed traditions of George Patton, John Paul Jones, Billy Mitchell, and Chesty Puller honorably but permanently retired.
Principle 5, paying -- or not paying -- for America’s wars: If you want it, you should be willing to pay for it. That hoary axiom ought to guide our military system as much as it should our personal lives.  Saddling Millennials or members of Generation Z with the cost of paying for wars mostly conceived and mismanaged by my fellow Baby Boomers strikes me as downright unseemly. 
One might expect the young to raise quite a ruckus over such an obvious injustice. In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed their righteous anger over the absence of effective gun controls in this country. That they aren’t comparably incensed about the misuse of guns by their own contemporaries deployed to distant lands represents a real puzzle, especially since they’re the ones who will ultimately be stuck with the bill.
Principles 4 and 3, the role of Congress and the authority of the commander-in-chief: Whatever rationale may once have existed for allowing the commander-in-chief to circumvent the Constitution’s plainly specified allocation of war powers to Congress should long since have lapsed. Well before Donald Trump became president, a responsible Congress would have reasserted its authority to declare war. That Trump sits in the Oval Office and now takes advice from the likes of John Bolton invests this matter with great urgency.
Surely President Trump’s bellicose volatility drives home the point that it’s past time for Congress to assert itself in providing responsible oversight regarding all aspects of U.S. military policy. Were it to do so, the chances of fixing the defects permeating our present military system would improve appreciably.
Of course, the likelihood of that happening is nil until the money changers are expelled from the temple.  And that won’t occur until Americans who are not beholden to the military-industrial complex and its various subsidiaries rise up, purge the Congress of its own set of complexes, and install in office people willing to do their duty. And that brings us back to…
Principles 2 and 1, the existing relationship between the American people and their military and our reliance on a so-called all-volunteer force: Here we come to the heart of the matter.
I submit that the relationship between the American people and their military is shot through with hypocrisy. It is, in fact, nothing short of fraudulent. Worse still, most of us know it, even if we are loath to fess up. In practice, the informal mandate to “support the troops” has produced an elaborate charade. It’s theater, as phony as Donald Trump’s professed love for DACA recipients.
If Americans were genuinely committed to supporting the troops, they would pay a great deal more attention to what President Trump and his twenty-first-century predecessors have tasked those troops to accomplish -- with what results and at what cost. Of course, that would imply doing more than cheering and waving the flag on cue. Ultimately, the existence of the all-volunteer force obviates any need for such an effort. It provides Americans with an ample excuse for ignoring our endless wars and allowing our flawed military system to escape serious scrutiny. 
Having outsourced responsibility for defending the country to people few of us actually know, we’ve ended up with a military system that is unfair, undemocratic, hugely expensive, and largely ineffective, not to mention increasingly irrelevant to the threats coming our way. The perpetuation of that system finds us mired in precisely the sort of long, costly, inconclusive wars that sap the collective strength of a nation and may bring about its premature decline. 
The root cause of our predicament is the all-volunteer force. Only when we ordinary citizens conclude that we have an obligation to contribute to the country’s defense will it become possible to devise a set of principles for raising, organizing, supporting, and employing U.S. forces that align with our professed values and our actual security requirements.
If Stormy Daniels can figure out when an existing contract has outlived its purpose, so can the rest of us.
In between his contributions to TomDispatch, Andrew J. Bacevich is trying to write a book about how we got Trump. He is the author, most recently, of America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History.

159 comments:

  1. Spoiler alert: Let me acknowledge right now that I consider our present-day military system irredeemably flawed and deeply harmful.

    For proof we need look no further than the conduct of our post-9/11 wars, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also in Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

    These myriad undertakings of the last nearly 17 years have subjected our military system to a comprehensive real-world examination. Collectively, they have rendered a judgment on that system. And the judgment is negative. Put to the test, the American military system has failed.

    And the cost so far? Trillions of dollars expended (with trillions more to come), thousands of American lives lost, tens of thousands of Americans grievously damaged, and even greater numbers of non-Americans killed, injured, and displaced.

    One thing is certain: our wars have not brought about peace by even the loosest definition of the word.

    Andrew J. Bacevich

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hope this is just stupid non-fact based posturing being used to sober the dangerously irresponsible US media and Washington establishment on anti-Russian hysteria.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I for one wish to see the end to this infantile post-draft American worship of the military end, just not in flames. The hypocrisy of the "outrage" over a nerve gas used by someone in Syria needs to be put into context of actual US military actions over the past 50 years. Here is but one of thousands:

    The Amiriyah shelter bombing was an aerial attack that killed at least 408 civilians on 13 February 1991 during the Persian Gulf War, when an air-raid shelter ("Public Shelter No. 25"), in the Amiriyah neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq, was destroyed by the U.S. Air Force with two laser-guided "smart bombs".

    The shelter was used in the Iran–Iraq War and the Persian Gulf War by hundreds of civilians. According to the U.S. military, the shelter at Amiriyah had been targeted because it fit the profile of a military command center; electronic signals from the locality had been reported as coming from the site, and spy satellites had observed people and vehicles moving in and out of the shelter.

    The United States was responsible for the decision to target the Amiriyah shelter. By its own admission, the U.S. Department of Defense "knew the Ameriyya facility had been used as a civil-defense shelter during the Iran–Iraq War"

    The always reliable CIA

    Charles E. Allen, the CIA's National Intelligence Officer for Warning, supported the selection of bomb targets during the Persian Gulf War. He coordinated intelligence with Colonel John Warden, who headed the U.S. Air Force's planning cell known as "Checkmate". On 10 February 1991, Allen presented his estimate to Colonel Warden that Public Shelter Number 25 in the southwestern Baghdad suburb of Amiriyah had become an alternative command post and showed no sign of being used as a civilian bomb shelter.

    Bombing
    At 4:30 a.m. on the morning of 13 February, two F-117 stealth fighter/bombers each dropped a 2,000 pound GBU-27 laser-guided bomb on the shelter. The first cut through ten feet of reinforced concrete before a time-delayed fuse exploded. Minutes later the second bomb followed the path cut by the first bomb. People staying in the upper level were incinerated by heat, while boiling water from the shelter's water tank was responsible for the rest of the fatalities.

    At the time of the bombing, hundreds of Iraqi civilians were sheltering in the building. More than 400 people were killed; reports on precise numbers vary and the registration book was incinerated in the blast. The blast sent shrapnel into surrounding buildings, shattering glass windows and splintering their foundations.

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  4. Once again we are to believe the CIA and assert our moral authority to attack another country because someone in that war torn country has bombed and killed civilians with "gas". What if they had used good old American made boiling water?

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  5. You want a disgrace? Your wish may come true and all of us own it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a stupid dangerous country we have become. I voted against a known war criminal to support a man who spoke of ending needless criminal stupidity and constant fruitless wars. I chose a known non-killer over a morally corrupt international merchant of death and military terror.

    No one can predict the exact outcome of reckless military destruction in the insane Middle East.

    Anyone with a working brain knows that there will be no good outcome from adding to the death and destruction of the living hell of Syria.

    ReplyDelete
  7. DONALD Trump’s tweet about Russia and Syria could spark a third World War.

    Says who? Well, the US President himself less than two years ago.

    In the days before the November 2016 election, the then-presidential candidate said Hillary Clinton’s plan for Syria would “lead to World War III”, criticising his Democratic rival for being too tough on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    “We’re spending $6 trillion dollars on wars in the Middle East, while our own country falls into total disrepair,” he said during a speech in Ohio.
    “Now Hillary wants to start a shooting war in Syria, conflict with a nuclear power — Russia — which could very well lead to World War III.
    “The way she talks about Putin. She’s always said she has no idea, but she’s always saying — WikiLeaks, it’s Russia, and Donald Trump — I have nothing to do with Russia. She said maybe Donald Trump is involved in projects with the Russians. The answer’s no.”

    News AU

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  8. BACKGROUND

    The tweet ( From Trump), which sent shockwaves around the world, appeared to be a reaction to a quote by a Russian diplomat in Lebanon, who said any US missiles fired at Syria would be shot down and the launch sites targeted.

    “If there is a strike by the Americans, then ... the missiles will be downed and even the sources from which the missiles were fired,” Russian Ambassador Alexander Zasypkin told Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV on Tuesday evening.

    It went further than the Russian line put down by Valery Gerasimov, head of Russia’s General Staff, who last month said Moscow had information a fake chemical attack was being staged against civilians to justify US intervention.

    “In the event of a threat to the lives of our servicemen, Russia’s armed forces will take retaliatory measures against the missiles and launchers used,” Gerasimov said in a statement on March 13.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Trump has publicly warned Russia to “get ready” for missile strikes in Syria as he slammed Moscow for backing “gas-killing animal”. Hopefully, this is some perverted notion of negotiations, akin to what us, who lived through the Cold War, remember the Soviet Union boss Nikita Khrushchev demanded attention during a session of the United Nations by taking off a shoe and banging it on his desk.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Shit Happens

      It would be insane to intentionally start a nuclear war. But the possibility to trigger one accidentally exists and is clearly possible.

      Russia Prepares for Nuclear War

      Russian state-owned television is urging the country’s residents to stock their bunkers with water and basic foodstuffs because Moscow could go to war with Washington.

      Warning that the potential conflict between the two superpowers would be “catastrophic,” an anchor for Russia’s Vesti 24 showed off shelves of food, recommending that people buy salt, oatmeal and other products that can last a long time on the shelves. Powdered milk lasts five years while sugar and rice can last up to eight years, the newscaster explained before showing videos of pasta cooking in a bomb shelter.

      The channel's newscasters also displayed charts explaining how much water people need to store for drinking,
      washing their face and hands, and preparing food every day—and how that amount changes depending on the temperature of a person’s bomb shelter. The program also recommended that people stock up on gas masks and read guides on how to survive nuclear war...


      Posturing on Russia's part? Possibly, but can you be certain? Those are the questions the military will face moving forward. Reagan was the biggest Russian hawk that existed until he started hearing Russian generals talking about the possibility of actually 'winning' a nuclear war. At that point, he realized the Russians actually feared the US might opt for a preemptive strike and were preparing for it. Shortly after that, he agreed to the meeting Gorbachev had been trying to set up for some time.

      That was then. Now we have Trump.

      "If there is a strike by the Americans, then the missiles will be downed and even the sources from which the missiles were fired,” warned Alexander Zasypkin, Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon, during an interview on Tuesday with a television station linked to Hezbollah.

      The increasingly bellicose rhetoric has sparked fears that a conflict could break out between two nuclear-armed superpowers. On Wednesday morning, Trump took to Twitter to issue a stark warning to Russia, which he accused of partnering with “a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”

      But he later walked back the statement, calling for an end to the arms race with Russia.


      Who the hell talks like that? Who the hell knows what the guy will do next?

      Accidents happen and some are worse than others.

      .

      Delete
    2. That's Deuce's man - Trump!

      Delete
    3. At this time, Syria, under Obama's tenure slaughtered 600,000 civilians, created a mass refugee invasion of Europe of several million and displaced several million more in the region. Under Assad, he targeted the Palestinian refugee camp Yarmouk with starvation, in fact more Palestinians have dies in Syria in the last 5 years than that total ever killed under Israel in the last 60 years!

      https://www.quora.com/How-many-Palestinians-have-been-killed-since-the-formation-of-Israel-in-1948

      Yes every baby is precious.

      But one must put into context to those that purposely put women and children in harms way to be human shields and assign the blame for those deaths squarely on those that hid military targets behind them.

      Of course war is sloppy and mistakes are made, on all sides.

      But let's get real..

      Delete
  10. .

    The Donald is projecting his justified hatred of and aggression towards Mueller to an overseas target.

    If true, that should tell any rational person how unstable and dangerous Trump really is.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  11. .

    Still Waiting for the Proof

    Re: False Flags

    BobWed Apr 11, 11:16:00 PM EDT
    What are the false flag operations to which you refer ?


    Israel was using false flags back in 1954 and they were still using them last year. In '54, there was the Lavon Affair, a false flag operation in Egypt against US facilities. Last year, Bibi visited Putin and tried to force a wedge between Putin and Iran by claiming that Iran was planning on putting up a naval base in Syria. A couple years ago the IDF admitted to publishing phony maps of Lebanon that identified Hezbollah bases there, bases that didn't actually exist. The army does it all the time. A few years back they put out a phony Hezbollah Facebook page.

    All countries do. And that the point.

    Everyone says they are convinced Syria was responsible for the chemical attack. Russia denies there was one but putting that aside where is the proof Syria did it? I haven't seen any produced yet and like a lot of people I gave up just believing everything I've been told by D.C. a long time ago.

    Maybe Syria did it. Show us the proof. If they did it they are felony stupid. They were winning the war. They were moving aggressively against the rebel forces in the area. A gas attack using a few barrels is hardly an effective military strategy if the intent is to actually kill people. The area covered is way to small. The accusers say it was used to spread terror among the population. Possible. But things have been going along pretty smoothly for Assad and knowing if you screw up and get the world aligned against you it could be fatal tends to focus the mind on the big picture.

    We also know that there are others interested in keeping Trump in Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, the rebel groups aligned against Assad, etc. It's been reported some of these groups have access to chemical weapons. And face it, Trump is an open book. At this point, pretty much everyone, ally or enemy alike know how to wind him up or jerk his chain. His reactions are predictable.

    When you have a president who is as credulous and impulsive as Trump, a guy who believes every conspiracy theory his people put in front of him, a false flag may be the simplest way to provoke some dumb ass act he wouldn't have previously considered.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How can you call The Donald a dumbass ?

      He got 30 out of 30 on the cognitive portion of his medical exam, according to the report of his Doctor, which he took voluntarily, too !

      The Doctor has now been elevated to head of the VA, I think it is.

      Delete
    2. .

      Head of the VA?

      Wow.

      -and-

      Why?

      Second largest bureaucracy in the federal government. No experience running even a run of the mill larger organization.

      Perhaps, all it took was him saying 'God' gave Trump incredible genes, 'great' genes thus putting the imprimatur of the divinity on his assessment of Trump. How can anyone argue with that?

      .

      Delete
    3. False flags? yeah I am sure it's true.

      But what is also true? Since the last war in Lebanon, there was a UN resolution that prohibited any Hezbollah missiles and rockets south of the Litani, and as we all KNOW there are 140,000 there now, supplied by Iran. In Syria? Iran has tens of thousands of troops (not including Hezbollah and Iraqi Shia militias) and now we have dead Iranian troops and a Lt Commander in the Revolutionary Guard.

      ISIS of course, are sunni butchers, cut from the same cloth as the Moslem Brotherhood, the very same MB that Hillary's #1 assistant comes from, the same MB that Obama supported taking over Egypt, the same MB that spawned al queda.

      SO maybe the BEST thing to do for the region? Is remove advanced aircraft from Assad, stop the transfer of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah from Iran.

      They can hate one another all they wish, they can hate Israel all they wish, but they should not have weapons of modern precision and devastation.

      Let them have all the AK-47s they want.

      Delete
  12. Early morning Donald Tweets exhibit a distinct mellowing of yesterday's militancy. Is this intentional deception by our Napoleon, keeping all guessing, or nerves after reading Russia's firmness ? The influence of more sober individuals in his Cabinet ? A reflection on the results of nuclear war, the vaporizing of Trump Tower ?

    Meanwhile in Britain PM Theresa May seems to be doing some deeper reflecting and is reported to be considering taking the matter to a Cabinet Meeting. Only 1 in 4 Brits seem to like the idea of bombing Syria.

    Perhaps this is all coordinated deception ?

    No one knows for certain, which may be the point.

    Only time will tell all.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Alawites are about 11% of Syrian population, according to Wiki.

    The Kurds something like 9%.

    The Sunnis most of the rest, some Christians hanging about.

    No one really knows for sure.

    The reality from the Alawite point of view is that they either rule, or vanish in a massive genocide.

    For them it's a conflict of survival.

    Assad has what by all appearances and behavior is a true witch of a British wife.

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    Replies
    1. I expect the brilliance of our Ash to display an instant solution to this hard situation.

      Quirk is not quite right that there are no good guys in Syria. They are just really hard to find, probably living mostly among the Christians and the Kurds, the rest being already dead.

      Delete
    2. Ash would turn the whole problem over to his Hero, 'Lead From Behind' O'bozo, and his red lines. Either that or to the true war monger, Hillary.

      He hasn't made up his mind yet.

      He is considering the situation.

      Delete
    3. .

      Quirk is not quite right that there are no good guys in Syria. They are just really hard to find...

      Right, kind of like Diogenes carrying his lantern around looking for an honest man.

      .

      Delete
  14. PERSPECTIVE

    SYRIA
    A chemical attack was carried out in Syria over the weekend that killed at least 40 people and affected more than 500 others who had to seek medical attention. The international community, including the U.S., blames Bashar Assad and his regime for the attack, and assumes that Russia was somehow involved.

    NEVADA

    The 2017 Las Vegas shooting occurred on the night of Sunday, October 1 when a gunman opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, leaving 58 people dead and 851 injured. Between 10:05 and 10:15 p.m. PDT, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada, fired more than 1,100 rounds from his suite on the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel. About an hour after he fired his last shot into the crowd, he was found dead in his room from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His motive remains unknown.

    The incident is the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in the United States. It reignited the debate about gun laws in the U.S., with attention focused on bump fire stocks, which Paddock used to fire semi-automatic rifles at a rate similar to that of a fully automatic weapon.


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    Replies
    1. But Deuce, Your man Trump moaned on and on about Obama not attacking when the chemical red line was crossed. It got crossed early in Trumps administration and he displayed his balls by lobbing some missiles in response. Its', apparently, happened again. Trumps a mans' man, your man And, God forbid, he can't be made to look weak now can he?

      Delete
    2. Wake up Ash. Obama did more than his share of damage along with war criminal Clinton. Remember? His crown jewel was Libya and he had great culpability in bringing Libyan arms to Syria, that ended up with ISIS.

      I supported Trump because of his anti-war stance. I also posted observations on my trepidation about Trump falling in love with his generals. I will continue to support Trump and will withdraw it if he persists with his policy on Syria.

      For the record, I doubt that he will.

      Delete
    3. Of course, as has become increasingly apparent, Trump bluffs and he finds when his bluff is called. I'm betting he is bluffing this time around.

      Delete
    4. He "folds" when his bluff is called.

      Delete
    5. Obama's libya policy gave weapons to ISIS that is fur sure...

      Not to mention weapons to Hamas, al queda in Sinai and other..

      thanks obama

      Delete
    6. AshThu Apr 12, 09:23:00 AM EDT
      Of course, as has become increasingly apparent, Trump bluffs and he finds when his bluff is called. I'm betting he is bluffing this time around.



      keep watching..

      Delete
  15. Russia To US: Let’s Coordinate Your Punitive Airstrikes On Assad
    ED MORRISSEYPosted at 10:01 am on April 12, 2018


    Is Russia negotiating missile strikes as a method of appeasing Donald Trump? The Washington Post reports that Russia has shifted gears from confrontation to mitigation with the US after assisting Bashar al-Assad’s capture of the rebel stronghold Douma. At first, Moscow threatened a military conflict if Trump followed through on his threat to punish Assad for yet another use of chemical weapons that Russia had guaranteed were destroyed:

    Russian officials on Thursday sought to tamp down public fears of a looming conflict with the United States, even as Syrian government forces took control of the town where they are suspected of carrying out a chemical attack last weekend....

    https://hotair.com/archives/2018/04/12/russia-us-lets-coordinate-punitive-airstrikes-assad/

    The air is going out of the balloon as far as fighting between USA and Russia is concerned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      At first, Moscow threatened a military conflict if Trump followed through on his threat to punish Assad for yet another use of chemical weapons that Russia had guaranteed were destroyed.

      This charge is oft repeated. However, you can only destroy weapons that you control.

      There have been past reports indicating rebel groups and ISIS insurgents controlled areas were chemical weapons were stored. No one knows what happened to them all.

      Creating 'new' chemical weapons is fairly easy if all the precursor ingredients are available. The FSA started out as Syrian military who were disaffected with the Assad regime. It has since devolved into a mishmash of numerous disparate groups of varying degrees of competency and philosophies. It's possible somewhere among this mishmash there are people who worry about Trump pulling the US out of Syria but don't worry about using chemical warfare to obtain their objectives.

      There are also numerous state actors who have the ability to not only create chemical weapons but to also deliver them.

      I'm not saying Syria didn't use the chemical weapons. There is no proof of that. However, at this point there is no proof that they did. Therefore, IMO, it's too early to be threatening, actually promising, a military response.

      .

      Delete
    2. The reports i saw suggested it was chlorine dispersed via helicopter.

      Delete
  16. .

    The Rise of the Internet and the Death of Checks and Balances

    In the past, the executive was always given deference on when and how to use military force to execute his duties as commander-in-chief; however, Congress always maintain its role to balance and approve matters involving war. Over the last six decades, Congress has slowly relinquished its role as a check on presidential impulses.

    Since 2002, the Patriot Act and the AUMF, that trend has accelerated. Presidential actions under the so-called 'War on Terror' have rendered Congress useless. And now things have devolved to the point that diplomacy and threatens of war are handled within 280 character tweets.

    That people can't see problems with this amazes me.

    It's time for Congress to grow some balls and reassert their constitutional rights and duties.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  17. SARAH PALIN: Why Should We ‘Sacrifice Even One of Our Sons or Daughters’ in Syria?

    Palin warned of advocacy for military operations in Syria rooted in financial self-interest. She stated, “I hate to say it, but a lot of the talk that’s enthusiastic about war, unfortunately, comes from people with strong ties to defense contractors and have strong ties to those who ultimately can make money on the operations. So often you've got to follow the money and that leads you to what the root is of some of these arguments.”

    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/04/sarah-palin-why-should-we-sacrifice-even-one-of-our-sons-or-daughters-in-syria/

    ReplyDelete
  18. On Tuesday the Special Counsel Robert Mueller ordered the FBI to raid the home and business of Trump Attorney Michael Cohen.

    Not only was this an assault on client-attorney privilege – it also allowed the Mueller Special Counsel and the New York District attorneys to examine the Republican Party finance records.

    Michael Cohen is the deputy finance Chairman of the RNC.

    So these partisan Democrats who have no respect for US law have in their possession the RNC finance records.

    But you can trust dirty cop Mueller. He certainly will not do anything illegal or unethical with the records, right?

    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/04/dirty-cop-mueller-and-his-democrat-attorneys-nabbed-rnc-finance-committee-documents-with-michael-cohens-computers/

    ReplyDelete
  19. heh, Deuce's man Trump sure is a piece of work...



    ...now he's talking about rejoining the TPP.


    flip flop flip flop

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Donald got the Chinaman on the run, Ash, over the tariffs. Xi blinked. It's wise to keep one's eyes open to all possibilities, including rejoining TPP under different circumstances.

      It's a work in progress.

      Don't freak and dirty your Depends over it yet.

      Delete
    2. No one here is going to change your diapers for you, Ash.

      You will have to depend on your care giver to do that.

      ;)

      Delete
    3. China Trade: Trump Stares, Xi Jinping Blinks

      Gordan Chang, The National Interest

      http://nationalinterest.org/feature/china-trade-donald-trump-stares-xi-jinping-blinks-25337

      :)

      Delete
    4. Ash needs a portable sponge stick, or tersorium, to go with his Depends.

      The History Blog » Blog Archive » Greeks, Romans wiped their asses ...
      www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/22921
      Jan 21, 2013 - In public latrines, the sponge-stick, or tersorium, would then be rinsed in running water and left in a bucket of vinegar for the next poor bastard to use. The existence and use of the tersorium is confirmed in ancient writings. Seneca describes the implement in a deeply disturbing anecdote in the 70th of his ...

      Tersorium - Wikipedia
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tersorium
      A tersorium was a hygienic utensil consisting on a sea sponge attached to a stick, used by ancient Romans to wipe their buttocks after defecating. The tersorium was shared by people using public latrines. To clean the sponge, they simply washed it in a bucket with water and salt or vinegar. This became a breeding ground ...

      Images for tersorium
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      4 days ago
      More images for tersorium


      Toilet Issue: Anthropologists Uncover All the Ways We've Wiped ...
      https://www.scientificamerican.com/.../toilet-tissue-anthropologists-uncover-all-the-wa...
      Mar 1, 2013 - Charlier et al. cite no less an authority than philosopher Seneca to inform us that “during the Greco-Roman period, a sponge fixed to a stick (tersorium) was used to clean the buttocks after defecation; the sponge was then replaced in a bucket filled with salt water or vinegar water.” Talk about your low-flow ...



      Images of tersoriums -

      https://www.google.com/search?q=tersorium&rlz=1CAACAY_enUS780US780&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiU1MrtoLbaAhVP-lQKHQ4zD6MQ7AkIQw&biw=911&bih=468

      Some of those tersorii are really quite handsome.

      Delete
    5. Rapid Eye Movement

      ....And Beijing will, in all probability, continue such rapid eye movement. America holds almost all the high cards in trade with China, and almost none of Beijing’s supposed points of pressure are real threats. Most of the threats, for example, would hurt China’s fragile currency far more than the sturdy U.S. economy. “Many of the proposals or suggestions on how China might respond to U.S. tariffs have the air of ‘Surrender or I will shoot myself in the foot,’” writes Steven Englander on the Bloomberg site.

      The only element Washington lacked in previous administrations was political will to use its overwhelming power. So far, Trump has demonstrated such will, even in the face of withering criticism, especially at home.


      http://nationalinterest.org/feature/china-trade-donald-trump-stares-xi-jinping-blinks-25337?page=2

      Delete
  20. Trump On Syria: You’ll Never Know…
    TAYLOR MILLARDPosted at 4:41 pm on April 12, 2018


    President Donald Trump is now suggesting the coming (?) attack on Syria may not be as soon as people think.


    Donald J. Trump

    @realDonaldTrump
    Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our “Thank you America?”

    3:15 AM - Apr 12, 2018
    93.8K
    66.4K people are talking about this
    Twitter Ads info and privacy

    This is a bit of a switch from 24 hours ago when Trump tweeted “get ready Russia,” and 72 hours after he said, “big decisions,” were going to be made about U.S. response. It does fall in line with comments by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders suggesting all options were on the table. The final decision probably won’t be made until the National Security Council meets today. Great Britain has a similar meeting scheduled.

    It will be interesting to see if both countries will speak with French President Emmanuel Macron, who claimed earlier today to have proof Bashar al-Assad is behind the chemical attack in Syria. Macron was hesitant on suggesting if France would start bombing Syria, only noting to the press he’s been talking to Trump every day this week. Macron also appears to be hedging on whether any attack should happen (via France 24).

    France will in no way allow an escalation or anything that would harm regional stability, but we cannot allow regimes that believe they can act with impunity to violate international law in the worst possible way.

    One country which will not be involved in any strike is Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters today there was no plan for German forces to hit Assad, even though she also thinks the evidence is clear he used chemical weapons. Merkel did note they’d be willing to “assist” allies, just not with the military.

    So why all the confusion about Trump’s tweets? It’s completely possible he’s doing his own spin on Richard Nixon’s Madman Theory of trying to keep everyone guessing what he does next. Here’s how H.R. Haldeman described it:

    We were walking along a foggy beach after a long day of speechwriting. He said, “I call it the Madman Theory, Bob. I want the North Vietnamese to believe I’ve reached the point where I might do anything to stop the war. We’ll just slip the word to them that, for God’s sake, you know Nixon is obsessed about Communism. We can’t restrain him when he’s angry — and he has his hand on the nuclear button — and Ho Chi Minh himself will be in Paris in two days begging for peace.”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Who know if it will work or if Trump is actually using this theory. Given his propensity to switch his opinion on policy so quickly (see the entire “due process” comments on guns, which he backtracked on a couple days later), it’s possible Trump is in favor of military strikes, but backed down a bit because someone got in his ear and suggested it wasn’t a good idea to announce an attack before it happened. It’s also possible Trump was just blustering to get a rise out of Syria/Russia/Iran to see what they might do. It might not be a smart move, but it could also fall back into the Madman Theory idea. There still needs to be a vote in Congress whether the U.S. goes to war, since that’s in the Constitution, but it’s doubtful that’ll happen given past precedent and Congress’ abdication of power to the executive. The vote should still take place.

      My opinion on more involvement in Syria hasn’t changed since 2013: we shouldn’t do anything militarily about the chemical weapons attack because it’s not our business. I wrote Sunday Assad wasn’t a threat to the United States, and as horribly awful the chemical weapons attack was, Syria is in the middle of a civil war. The Western involvement in the civil war has actually destabilized the area even more, and caused more problems. It helped ISIS’ rise, escalated further the entire refugee crisis in Europe, and probably prolonged the civil war itself. The U.S. shouldn’t be Team America: World Police, and there are limits to military might. It’s time to end our military involvement in Syria, and get out.

      https://hotair.com/archives/2018/04/12/trump-syria-youll-never-know/

      Delete
  21. Anchorage voters first in the nation to reject bathroom bill....DRUDGE

    Voters in Alaska's largest city have become the first in the U.S. to defeat a so-called bathroom bill referendum that asked them to require people to use public bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender at birth.

    Anchorage voters turned down a proposition that would have repealed part of a city ordinance that allowed people to use public bathroom and locker rooms according to their gender identity and would have instead required them to use those facilities according to their gender at birth.

    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/anchorage-voters-nation-reject-bathroom-bill-54411566

    Never been to Anchorage but find this surprising. I've never read that's it's Berkeley North.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Older very sober Russian expert interviewed on Fox has convinced me we best not do anything that kills any more Russians in Syria, or anywhere else.


    USA shoulda taken Bob's advice earlier about dividing Syria up into protected zones for the peace and security of the inhabitants but alas no one ever listens to Bob.

    Once the Rooskie arrived in force the opportunity had passed.

    Uncle Ed's advice from the Casino now applies:

    "Let them all kill one another - Stay out"

    ReplyDelete
  23. British Cabinet has agreed on the necessity to take further action to protect from further use of chemical weapons -

    from Fox News Channel

    ReplyDelete
  24. Faggot of the Senate

    Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) on Thursday made news after repeatedly demanding to know CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s views on gay sex at his confirmation hearing to become Secretary of State.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pompeo says the pervs shouldn't marry -

      Mike Pompeo grilled by Cory Booker over gay marriage stance during ...
      www.foxnews.com/.../mike-pompeo-grilled-by-cory-booker-over-gay-marriage-stance-...
      17 hours ago - During his secretary of state confirmation hearing, CIA Director Mike Pompeo refused to say whether he thinks same-sex relationships are a “perversion” when pressed multiple times and said he stood by his earlier views against gay marriage. Referencing a past speech Pompeo ...

      Delete
  25. .

    China Trade: Trump Stares, Xi Jinping Blinks

    Me? I just try to avoid making eye contact altogether.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Understandable, and as is proper for a man of your position in society.

      Head down, countenance humble, eyes to the ground, hat off, silent, you stand bathed by the rays of the your superior's sun.

      Delete
    2. .

      When faced with an unstable, clearly delusional nutjob it is similar to encountering a rabid squirrel, best not to draw attention to yourself.

      .

      Delete
    3. The unstable, clearly delusional nutjob lowered your taxes.

      What a disgraceful thing to say about a man that lowered your taxes.

      You haven't an ounce of gratitude in you !

      Pure TDS.

      Delete
    4. >i am giving q the opening to harangue on about the tax cuts being only for the rich....;) we'll see if he bites....;) he he he <

      Delete
    5. For a Kakistocrat, The Donald is doing pretty good, lowering taxes, defeating ISIS, kick starting the economy, increasing energy output, lifting the mood of the country, cracking down on illegal immigrants, going after MS-13, getting unemployment down to almost nothing, bringing jobs back to USA, getting Kim Fatso III to the table, making better trade deals....

      Delete
    6. ....showing the country how to use precise, descriptive language....like calling Comey a slime ball....a perfect description of His Pompouscy....

      Delete
    7. COMEY THE 13TH
      STEPHANOPOULOS 'STUNNED'
      PRESIDENT CALLS 'SLIME BALL'....DRUDGE

      Delete
    8. .

      The unstable, clearly delusional nutjob lowered your taxes.

      He didn't lower my taxes. It's a fact.

      Even if he had, I didn't really need them lowered. A lot of people did. Some will suffer. For others, its merely trinkets for the natives.

      You know who the big money went to. If not, here's a clue. It wasn't us.

      .

      Delete
  26. Former UK Ambassador to Syria: Syrian Chemical Weapons Attack Was STAGED By Islamic Jihadi Propagandists, No One Actually Died

    by George Washington
    Wed, 04/11/2018 - 11:41

    The former UK Ambassador to Syria, Peter Ford, told BBC Radio Scotland regarding the alleged Douma chemical weapons attack:

    The Syrian government is probably not guilty
    The sources claiming there was a chemical weapons attack are pro-Islamist jihadi propaganda outlets
    The incident was probably staged, and it is likely that no one actually died

    VIDEO OF PETER FORD

    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-04-11/former-uk-ambassador-syria-syrian-chemical-weapons-attack-was-staged-islamic-jihadi

    PM May isn't buying the line, though.

    ReplyDelete


  27. Video:

    STEPHANOPOULOS: “Did you tell him that the Steele dossier had been financed by his political opponents?”

    COMEY: “No. I didn’t.”

    STEPHANOPOULOS: “But did he have a right to know that?”

    COMEY: “That it had been financed by his political opponents? I don’t know the answer to that.”

    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/04/james-comey-admits-he-never-told-potus-trump-that-steele-dossier-was-funded-by-dnc-video/

    ReplyDelete

  28. Ann Coulter recently declared at a talk at Columbia University that the President was a "shallow, lazy ignoramus" and that she's now a former Trumper.
    "If he doesn't have us anymore, that's what he should be worried about,"
    Coulter later told The New York Times.
    "He's not giving us what he promised at every campaign stop."


    ... and we're still at least two months from the punchline.

    Promises Made - Promises Broken

    ReplyDelete
  29. The Rooskies are saying it was the Brits who used poison gas in Syria !

    This at least admits poison gas was used, which they seemed to be denying earlier....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Russia basically calls Syria chemical attack a “false flag” by Britain

      TAYLOR MILLARD Apr 13, 2018 2:01 PM

      https://hotair.com/archives/2018/04/13/russia-basically-calls-syria-chemical-attack-false-flag-britain/

      Only the wunderkids Q and J and A might believe this.

      Delete
    2. Russia is calling the Syrian chemical attack a “false flag” by Great Britain. Via TASS:

      Russia’s defense ministry has evidence proving the United Kingdom’s direct involvement in the organization of the provocation with the alleged chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta, Igor Konashenkov, the ministry’s spokesman, said on Friday.

      He said the ministry had found those who took part in filming the rent-a-mob chemical attack in Syria’s Douma and these people told how the video had been shot.

      Today, the Russian defense ministry has other evidence proving the United Kingdom’s direct involvement in the organization of this provocation in Eastern Ghouta,” he said

      In his words, the so-called White Helmets were pressed by London in a period from April 3 to 6 to hurry up with the implementation of the planned provocation. “The White Helmets were told that in a period from April 3 to 6 Jaysh al-Islam militants would conduct a series of massive artillery bombings of Damascus. It would provoke a retaliation operation by government forces and the White Helmets were to use it to stage a provocation with an alleged use of chemical weapons,” he said.

      Delete
    3. See great pic of Russian Federation UN Representative in article.


      Great grandson of Nikita Khruschev ?

      Delete
  30. The Donald had hookers pee on him in Moscow ?

    Ugh.

    I don't do that kinda shit.

    And, Quirkie wouldn't like it.

    He's normal, and true, and faithful. And beautiful too.

    ReplyDelete
  31. The bombing is about to begin.

    Bolton is pleased.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bombing has begun.

      French and Brits involved too.

      Delete
  32. Coalition of the willing - Precision bombing - Saving women and children with lethal bombing

    ReplyDelete
  33. Barack Obama originally billed his attack on Libya as a discrete military action to prevent an impending civilian slaughter in Benghazi.

    Coalition of the willing - Precision bombing - Saving women and children with lethal bombing, all escalated into a catastrophe with regime change, murder and civil collapse, largely controlled by terrorists of every stripe. What could possibly go wrong this time?

    ReplyDelete
  34. There is no US interest in further destabilizing Syria.

    ReplyDelete
  35. B-1's reported to have led the way.

    Here's hoping Kim Fatso III takes note.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. B-1's seem to be firing stand off cruise missiles.

      Delete
  36. General Jonathan Shaw found out what happens when you don’t stick to the pro-war script.

    The former commander of British Forces in Iraq was abruptly cut off and had his segment ended on Sky News when he questioned why Syrian leader Assad would launch a gas attack on his own people.

    ReplyDelete
  37. .

    Last year they targeted an isolated airfield.

    This year they attacked targets in the middle of Damascus.

    40 people died from the chemical attack. It will be interesting to see how many people died in the retaliation.

    The Biggest U.S. Navy Task Force Since Iraq Invasion May Be Sailing Toward Syria

    Just saying.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm hoping Assad is one of the dead.

      He is deserving.

      Let some other killer take over for awhile.

      He's had a good enough run.

      Delete
    2. .

      My opinion...

      there are only two possibilities

      1. The bombing is limited and short lived. In this case, all it amounts to is a bit of chest beating by the executive. As with last year's raid, Russia, Iran, Syria will pay little attention and it will the raids will amount to no more than a fart in the wind. Well, except for the people taken out in the raids.

      2. The bombing continues until others respond and the fighting spreads. We've seen that scenario play out before. In fact, we've been seeing it play out for almost two decades.

      .

      Delete
  38. I don't understand the risk/reward ratio.

    ReplyDelete
  39. It's all about nobility of soul.

    Someone must stand up for the good, the true, and beautiful.

    It falls to USA, Britain, France....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Mad Dog' Mattis is explaining this rationale on Fox right now.

      Delete
    2. 'Mad Dog' cites Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution.

      hmmmm....

      Delete
    3. First wave of the attack is over. No additional attacks planned right now, according to Mattis.

      Delete
    4. .

      Are you nutz?

      We were selling cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen until the condemnation by the UN and human rights grew so loud we had to stop it.

      Someone must stand up for the good, the true, and beautiful.

      It falls to USA, Britain, France....


      Right, that was also the Obama/Clinton rationale for Libya and we've seen how that played out.

      .

      .

      Delete
    5. Pentagon's hallowed principle of 'proportionality discrimination', I think it was called, was used in target selection.

      Delete
    6. .

      'Mad Dog' Mattis is explaining this rationale on Fox right now.

      Then you probably saw him choke when the reporter asked...

      'If you are bombing the chemical weapon centers in the middle of Damascus won't that create a danger to people in the area?'

      .

      Delete
    7. Don't get your knickers in a twist, Quirk.

      I wasn't being deadly serious.

      And consider the Doctrine of 'Proportionality Discrimination' was in effect during the op.

      Being deadly serious, I do hope Assad turns up seriously dead.

      He deserves it.

      Delete
    8. the chemical weapon centers in the middle of Damascus

      ?

      You must be joking.

      We were told the Russkies and Assad removed all such long ago.

      By Secretary of State John Kerry no less.

      100% gone.

      Delete
    9. .

      Pentagon's hallowed principle of 'proportionality discrimination', I think it was called, was used in target selection.

      Bushwa.

      Discrimination and proportionality are principles of 'Just War' theory. It has nothing to do with the Pentagon.

      .

      Delete
    10. I agree it's a damnable thoughtless Catholic doctrine, most always reactive only and often leading to disaster.

      Delete
    11. .

      After watching Mattis, I am more convinced than ever that the US and our friends in the UK and France have no proof whatsoever of what chemical weapons if any were used in Douma.

      .


      Delete
    12. .

      the chemical weapon centers in the middle of Damascus

      ?

      You must be joking.


      Don't be obtuse. I was simply quoting the reporters question. Besides it was Mattis saying that was what they were bombing.

      .

      Delete
    13. .

      Mattis obviously wasn't prepared for this presser. Either that or they haven't got their story straight yet.

      When asked about his statement that they didn't have actual proof that chemical weapons yesterday, Mattis said now they do have evidence. When asked what those chemicals were he said they weren't sure. When asked about that, he said they are sure of at least one of the chemicals that was used. When asked what it was, he said chlorine.

      The problem of course is that as was mentioned at the time of last year's raid, chlorine is not on the list of prescribed chemicals from the Chemical Weapons Convention. Beyond that, there have been reports of chlorine being used in Syria numerous times in the last year.

      Again, just my opinion but what this tells me is that Trump was again played. He announced he was pulling out of Syria. Not good for the usual suspects. Therefore, he was manipulated into taking action rather than looking like a weak sister. Trump's too dumb to realize it and is too big an ego to let it matter even if he did.

      Trump says you have to be unpredictable. The problem is of course that he is so very predictable.

      .

      Delete
    14. Mattis knows Draino was also utilized, but is keeping that in the closet.

      Delete
    15. Britain and France should have put an end to Hitler right after his very very first moves.

      But they didn't and soon the Brits were in boats heading home from Dunkirk and soon the Krauts were at the gates of Moscow.

      Delete
    16. Trump could of really faked 'em out if he'd done absolutely nothing.

      Too predictable, damn him.

      By doing nothing, he could have worried them all to death.

      Delete
  40. Did they target Damascus because of the Deuce's video?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Brits used your beloved Torrrnaaderssss.

      Damascus was the only spot within Tooorrnaadder range.

      Delete
  41. Cruise missile shootdown:

    https://twitter.com/VanessaBeeley/status/984976619025641472

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those commentators are all traitors.

      Delete
    2. .

      Hey, is this our Rufus.

      Sounds like him.


      Rufus



      @Rufus65380222
      56m
      56 minutes ago


      More
      Replying to @VanessaBeeley @KeepingLeft
      That's where this f*cking orange Hitler is taking the U.S. This twit is such an incompetant leader. He wont stop until we are in the next world war, in a trade war, a recession with millions needing to file bankruptcy since his fake tax cuts actually are only for the rich.


      .

      Delete
    3. .

      Love it.

      What kind of account is this from?

      .

      Delete
    4. .

      If it's him, it's good to see he hasn't lost his touch.

      .

      Delete
    5. .

      Never mind, I see it's twitter.

      Almost makes wish I had an account.

      .

      Delete
    6. .

      If anyone here has a twitter account, they ought to go on and give him a hard time just for laughs.

      .

      Delete
    7. Rufus !!!!

      Great find, Quirk !!!!

      He's alive !!!!

      I had worried about that....should have known he's too tough an old cactus to ever die.

      Set yourself up a twitter account, Qtwit, and give him a hello from us all !

      Delete
    8. Damn, no picture of Rufus included.

      Delete
    9. f*cking orange Hitler sure sounds like Rufus.

      It's all there....tax cuts for the rich, too.

      Delete
    10. I wanted to reply on Twitter once, so I signed up.

      What happened next caused me to immediately cancel my account.

      Delete
    11. .

      Maybe Ash or Sam have an account.

      Heck, maybe Deuce is a closet twitter user.

      .

      Delete
  42. Mattis indicated they didn't target Assad.

    Seems more reasonable to target Assad, to me.

    Maybe he'd 'get the message' better then.

    ReplyDelete
  43. The British effort targeted Homs, and consisted of FOUR (4) Toorrnayders from Cyprus.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Used Storm Shadow missiles, launched from outside Syrian air space.

      The Toorrnayders were never in Syria.

      Delete
    2. https://www.google.com/search?q=Storm+Shadow+missiles&rlz=1CAACAO_enUS720US720&oq=Storm+Shadow+missiles&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

      Delete
    3. "The main Tornado squadrons are based at RAF Marham in Norfolk, which will become the new home of the cutting-edge of the F-35 Lightning stealth fighter jets."

      Save money, buy F-16's, have a real airplane.

      Delete
  44. Bashar al-Assad’s wife Asma was an ordinary British schoolgirl before marrying the world’s most reviled war criminal

    Asma al-Assad has turned from a 'Rose in the Desert' to being accused of a cheerleader for evil

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6041729/bashar-al-assad-wife-asma-british-schoolgirl-syria-first-lady/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, the She Devil is Syrian Sunni.

      That explains it.

      I knew she must be a witch.

      And she doesn't even care that hubby is butchering her Sunni brothers and sisters.

      Verily, Allah hath created a special place of cold in a dark hell for her.

      KARMA

      Delete
    2. "BEAMING out of her class photo alongside her pals, Emma was like any other British schoolgirl.

      The bright teenager with a flair for languages was popular at her Church of England School, remembered by her friends as typically image conscious."

      Delete
  45. Nigel Farage Retweeted

    Nigel Farage

    Verified account

    @Nigel_Farage
    6h6 hours ago

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Our track record of intervening in Syria and the Middle East is terrible.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Think about the consequences to US military spending if this is half true





    ;

    The majority of rockets fired in Syria by the UK, US, and France were intercepted by Syrian air defense systems, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Russian air defense units were not involved in repelling the attack.
    The warplanes and vessels of the US and its allies launched over 100 cruise missiles and air-surface missiles on Syrian civil and military facilities, the ministry stated.

    The strikes were conducted by two US ships stationed in the Red Sea, with tactical air support from the Mediterranean and Rockwell B-1 Lancer bombers from Al-Tanf coalition airbase in Syria’s Homs province, according to the statement.

    Syrian Al-Dumayr Military Airport, located 40 km north-east from Damascus, was attacked by 12 cruise missiles, the Russian MoD confirmed, adding that all missiles were intercepted by Syrian air defense systems.

    To repel the attack, Damascus deployed Soviet-made surface-to-air missile systems, including S-125 (NATO reporting name: SA-3 Goa), S-200 (SA-5 Gammon), 2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainful) and Buk.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Mattis mentioned at east three times that disinformation would start over the details of this absurd reckless strike.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's no way they can shoot down a Tomahawk traveling @ 550 mph!

      Delete
    2. Not even the Sioux can throw Tomahawks that fast !

      Delete
    3. Don't cruise missiles fly low over the terrain thus making them hard to track and shoot down ?

      I remember Quirk describing his Ultra Light The Q-Low Skimmer as sort of like a cruise missile in this regard - the one he was flying into Area 51 when he got shot down by an F-15.

      Delete
    4. What's the topography of Syria?

      If flat around Damascus, why couldn't they have cruised in @ 200 feet?

      Delete
    5. They could, I think.

      I recall a famous incident during one of the Iraq wars when some of our correspondents had a TV camera out on the porch of an upper hotel unit, and, by Allah, a cruise missile came swishing past making a left turn !

      Delete
    6. Baghdad was lit up that night, I recall.

      Endless anti-aircraft fire of a machine gun sort....never hitting anything....

      Delete
    7. This is as close as I can find - and it's a Russian cruise missile -


      Low-flying Russian cruise missile passing over Hama and Idlib this morning


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvzftNRIvxk

      Delete
  48. REPORT

    4:20 a.m.

    The Russian military says Syria's Soviet-made air defense systems have downed 71 out of 103 cruise missiles launched by the United States and its allies.

    Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff says Saturday's strike hasn't caused any casualties and Syrian military facilities targeted by the U.S., Britain and France have suffered only minor damage.

    He says the Russian air defense assets in Syria monitored the strike but didn't engage any of the missiles.

    Rudskoi says the Syrian military used Soviet-made air defense missile systems with high efficiency, shooting down all of the missiles aimed at four key Syrian air bases.

    He notes that Russia in the past refrained from providing Syria with its state-of-the-art S-300 air defense missile systems on Western prodding but could reconsider it now.

    ReplyDelete
  49. If true, invaluable anti-missile training experience for Iran and Russia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Russians also said Britain did the chemical weapons attack in Syria.

      I'm not buying it.

      Delete
  50. THIS IS NOT A JOKE

    Syria, the same power being accused of carrying the deadly attack, will assume the presidency of the U.N.'s Conference on Disarmament, the forum which produced the treaty banning chemical weapons, opening in Geneva on March 28.

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/04/guess_whos_heading_the_un_conference_on_disarmament.html#ixzz5CdcA0PFr

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I remembered who it was who many years ago suggested renaming the organization the "United Regimes," because it represents not the nations of the world, but the regimes.

      I think a new League of The True Democracies ought to be created.

      Delete
    2. .

      The US signed onto the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997. The CWC set requirements that all chemical weapons be destroyed by 2012. Russia destroyed the last of their weapons last year. The US hasn't committed to get rid of all our chemical weapons until 2023.

      These are the countries that still have chemical weapons facilities...

      Known Chemical Weapons Production Facilities (CWPFs)[edit]

      Fourteen States Parties have declared chemical weapons production facilities:[11]
      Bosnia and Herzegovina
      China
      France
      India
      Iran
      Iraq
      Japan
      Libya
      Russia
      Serbia
      Syria
      United Kingdom
      United States
      1 non-disclosed state party (referred to as "A State Party" in OPCW-communications; said to be South Korea)[61]
      As of May 2015, all 97 declared production facilities had been deactivated and 93% (90) have been certified as destroyed or converted to civilian use.[11]


      Wiki.

      .

      Delete
    3. .

      Do what I say not what I do. I'm a democracy.

      .

      Delete
  51. The Real Investigation

    By ANDREW C. MCCARTHY

    https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/04/michael-cohen-investigation-serious-peril-for-trump/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a bad indicator when Mr. Pecker is involved.

      Delete
    2. Report: Mueller has evidence Trump’s lawyer visited Prague in 2016 (Update)
      JOHN SEXTON Apr 13, 2018 8:41 PM
      TOP PICK

      “I have never been to Prague in my life.”

      https://hotair.com/archives/2018/04/13/report-mueller-evidence-trumps-lawyer-visited-prague-2016/

      Delete


  52. The U.S. special counsel in the Russia probe has evidence that President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen traveled to Prague in 2016, refuting Cohen’s claim that he never visited the Czech capital and bolstering an intelligence dossier that first described the trip, McClatchy reported on Friday.

    Investigators for Special Counsel Robert Mueller have evidence that Cohen entered the Czech Republic through Germany in late summer 2016, McClatchy reported, citing two unnamed sources


    Maybe Marine Mueller handed off the critical case load to the regional office of DoJ in southern NY, at Rosie's direction ...
    Knowing that if both of them are fired, the case lives on, along multiple lines of investigation.
    They metastasized the prosecution of the Trump crime family.

    A hilarious set up for the coming punchline

    ReplyDelete
  53. Where is the proof that Assad would do anything so stupid as to needlessly use chemical weapons at a time that they were unnecessary and counter-productive to the extreme? Which one of the many Middle East countries and other political interests would benefit from a false flag chemical attack in Syria that would excrete a US Pavlovian response? Too many to discount and each and everyone of them would have more perceived benefit that Assad.

    ✧✧✧

    AS to whether Cohen was ever in Prague, Cohen tweeted his passport claiming it as proof that he had never been. There is no passport control between Germany and Czechia. I have driven many times between Czechia and Germany and there is no obvious border. Anyone that made that trip would know that. Most Americans would assume that a visa and border control would be in place. My point is that Cohen is anything but stupid. He would not tweet his passport as proof of never having been to Czechia if he actually had because there is no border control. He would only know that and would surely know that if he made the crossing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "My point is that Cohen is anything but stupid."

      ===

      Cohen:

      "What do you call someone that graduates from a third rate college with a 2.0? "

      Ans:

      "Counselor"

      Delete
    2. Mike's wife is Ukrainian.

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    3. In January 2017, Michael visited the University of Southern California with his son to meet the university’s baseball coach. This trip was at the same time that an uncorroborated report had claimed that Michael Cohen had been in Prague to meet with Russian officials. Cohen said this was a false report. In a statement to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 2017, he wrote: “I was in Los Angeles with my son who dreams of playing division 1 baseball next year at a prestigious university like USC. We were visiting the campus, meeting with various coaches, and discussing his future. Media sources have been able to confirm these facts and I can provide you with proof.”

      https://heavy.com/news/2018/04/laura-cohen-michael-cohen-wife-trump-lawyer-photos/

      Delete
  54. Pentagon says ALL the missiles hit their targets, none were shot down.

    Perfect Mission Accomplished

    ReplyDelete
  55. "Mission Accomplished"

    Mr. Trump really isn't very smart. Not smart at all.

    ReplyDelete
  56. That remains to be seen. All I know, with a very high degree of confidence is:

    1. Assad did not execute a poison gas attack
    2. Putin did not poison two Russians in Britain
    3. Comey picked the wrong week for his book tour
    4. No one, with the basic ability to think, believes Trump colluded with the Russians
    5. Kim Jong-un realizes he has met his match with Trump

    ReplyDelete

  57. By Rowan Scarborough - The Washington Times - Saturday, April 14, 2018

    Michael Cohen, president Trump’s personal lawyer, again on Saturday denied that he ever traveled to Prague during the 2016 election, as alleged in ex-British spy Christopher Steele’s dossier funded by the Democratic Party.

    Mr. Cohen tweeted in response to a McClatchy News story that said specialcounsel Robert Mueller has evidence that he traveled to Prague in August 2016. The dossier said he went there to meet with Vladimir Putin aides to supposedly discuss covering up Russian-Trump hacking into Democratic Party computers.

    Mr. Cohen has testified repeatedly under oath, and thus under the penalty of perjury, that he never made such a trip. He has filed a libel suit against BuzzFeed, which published the dossier.

    He tweeted on Saturday: “Bad reporting, bad information and bad story by same reporter Peter Stone @McClatchyDC. No matter how many times or ways they write it, I have never been to Prague. I was in LA with my son. Proven!”

    ReplyDelete
  58. Shocking, simply shocking, who could have predicted?

    A study conducted by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs has found a direct correlation between the mass influx of migrants during the migrant crisis and the rising level of violent crime in Germany.

    The criminologists behind the study looked at the period between 2014 and 2016 in the state of Lower Saxony and found that before the migrant crisis violent crime had only increased by 10.4 per cent compared to after the height of the crisis where the number had dramatically increased to 92.1 per cent, Die Welt reports.

    Migrants have been shown to commit far more violent acts proportionally to their size of the population in Germany and according to the researchers, they accounted for suspects in one in every eight violent crime cases.

    ReplyDelete