Kirk Gallaway

Ben on the Ukraine War Exactly, The fact that Ben was the foremost Ukraine hawk here, daring Biden to be a macho man and now is having misgivings and calling Biden a hawk, is the kind of intransigence we've come to expect from Ben, still every one can have their say. But this is really something. These are Ben's posts in one 2 week period in March. I did some editing for purposes of brevity. I think I was fair. A lot of it are Ben's conspiracy theories that were based on fallacies, and never materialized. Ben relentlessly pushed the idea that Biden was weak for not establishing a NFZ in Ukraine. History has shown that that not even the most hawkish people in the U.S. government thought a NFZ was at all necessary because there never was a serious obstacle to our supplying Ukraine with weapons, so a NFZ would have been just a needless, provocative move. I think Biden's conducted the war well, with a calm and seasoned approach and got a greater consensus that anybody ever thought he could. But I do wonder what limit is there on our financing a destructive war indefinitely. But you can't help but notice at so many junctures how wrong Ben was and what a bloody war he would have lead us into. I put in 2 comments in bold print and identifying myself. As well as some bullet points from Ben, and identify quotes from Matt and Bob. These are all separate posts. I think the best way to read this is with a sense of humor. But if Ben thinks the lighting in Biden's anti Maga speech was creepy, could it be 1000th as creepy Ben's obsession with Biden?!!!!!! ***** Ben on the Ukraine War Ben:Personally, I favor a no fly zone over Ukraine, and some real military gear for Zelensky. C-130 gunships, and destroy the convoy. ***** Ben: So...Biden is a muddle. He doesn't know what to do. A convoy is headed to Kyiv and the civilians who live there and Biden is...doing what? Deciding that, "Oh no! We can't allow Poland to send fighter jets to Ukraine. What if Putin gets angry?" I think you need to mention the 1/6 scrum again. That will absolve Biden. ****** Ben: Biden-globalists did nothing. When the tide turned to Zelensky's favor (thanks to Ukrainian resolve and Putin's image, one that cannot be rehabilitated), they half-heartedly backed Zelensky. Which is where we are today. In a muddle. ah, but Trump is history. Biden is president now. Are you satisfied with Biden? Putin has a lethal convoy headed to Kyiv. Biden promised not to intervene militarily, before Russia's invasion. But Biden has declared a no fly zone...over the US. Biden has called out the Army to deter the convoy...well, not that convoy, but a trucker convoy of US citizen-protestors, near DC somewhere. It seems to have escaped people on this forum, the story is not what Trump would have done, or what he said, or the 1/6 scrum. Trump is a nobody now, deservedly so. Biden is the president, and foreign-military policy is one area in which the president is supreme. What is Biden doing? ******* Ben: The latest reports are the Ukrainians have blown up bridges that enter Kyiv, obviously in preparation for an assault. In response, Biden is proposing that Russia be stripped of its "most favored nation" trade status. Biden has not looked strong or shrewd, but rather resourceless, flat-footed and dull. Even feckless. Nations such as Greece and Turkey seem to show some spunk. It is no secret globalists run US foreign-military-trade policy, although sometimes the bureaucratic imperatives of the Pentagon are asserted. Biden has been told to sit on his hands, and so he is. Who is the Putin stooge now? ******* Ben:Seems to me the fix was in from the start. The globalists (including Biden), at bottom, said Putin could take Ukraine if he could. Biden promised not to interfere, even before a Putin-boot had set foot in Ukraine. Biden did not think to arm the Ukrainians a few months ago with the Stingers and RPGs and other useful equipment. Ukraine was a woeful failure of diplomacy and military preparedness--on Biden's watch. Biden may not be a Putin-stooge, but the results are the same. We can only hope that the Russians themselves decide to call this off. And yes, Putin is a thug. But we knew that from Chechnya, from Georgia, from his treatment of political opponents. So why was Biden so flat-footed, so weak? ****** Kirk:Ben suggests the U.S. confronting the Russians directly in Ukraine to Matt. Matt: The only way to stop Putin would be to attack him. That's war. Nuclear war.--Matt Ben:But this defeatism in your sentiments, evidently adopted by the globalist-Biden camp, gives carte blanche to the thug Putin. Can't you come up with any better approaches? Are not you repeating Putin-speak of the RT types? That it is too risky to challenge Putin and level-headed people must compromise? **** But the issue today is: How has Biden performed, in the one area in which the President ascendant? Foreign-military policy? Biden has been president for more than a year. Did he deploy the diplomacy and military tools available to blunt or dissuade a Russian occupation of Ukraine? Seems to me Biden has been flatfooted, unimaginative, sterile. A failure. The fix was in, and if Putin wanted Ukraine then he can take it. Putin took Chechnya, Georgia, Crimea, and the Donbas. An obvious thug. But Biden is going to try to revoke Russia's most favored nation status. China has MFN status. ******* Kirk:Ben, now warmongering far beyond the most vocal hawks in Congress. Ben: Oh, so ugly. Basically, Putin is raining missiles and bombs into Kharkiv. 48 schools flattened, hospitals hit. Biden will not honor Zelensky's request help create a No Fly Zone. But Biden did declare No Fly Zone for Russians...over the US. Biden made sure the convoy was stopped.;.well, the trucker convoy headed to DC. Not the Russian convoy pointed at Kyiv. Note: None of the usual whining from the globalists. "America cannot be trusted as an ally!" "America looks weak, and invites further aggression." Biden appears feeble, woefully unprepared, unimaginative. Whatever one says, what has happened to Ukraine is a diplomatic and military failure. Happened on Biden's watch. ******* Ben:I stand by my assessment that Ukraine has been a huge US diplomatic and military failure, given the horrid results we are seeing unfold. I hope you are correct, and Putin has misjudged circumstances. ****** Ben:And perhaps the West should have been more diplomatic regarding what happened in Ukraine. The mucking around in Ukraine of Biden and son during the Obama years, and the rearrangement of leadership there under Biden/Obama was provocative. Incidentally, the Bidens help loot Ukraine. That said, IMHO when the Russian armored column went into Ukraine...whatever moral ground Putin had was lost. Seriously, no one can invade Russia again as they do have nukes. The "fear of the West" argument is overdone. The Ukrainians, unlike the Crimeans, do not appear to want to be a part of Russia. The result of Putin's armored columns has been a humanitarian disaster, and a humbling failure for Biden diplomatic and military policies. That brings us to today. Biden's leadership has led the US into a dead end. For Putin to prevail in Ukraine is a crime. But the US invents reasons to not enforce a No Fly Zone in Ukraine, bowing to Putin threats. The US is in a muddle, with only bad options. JFK endorsed co-existence and detente, but not abject capitulation. Also he was largely speaking about the US not joining the colonialists all over the world, on behalf of globalist-multi-nationalist interests. I wish there was an answer on how to resolve the Ukraine mess. It looks like Biden will choose to be very brave with Ukrainian lives. The Ukrainians may prevail, but they will have to choose to live like Afghanies. ******* Ben: Shooting down aircraft over Ukraine, if it comes to that...not over Russia. It may be Russian pilots choose not to test a NFZ. Agreed, very unpleasant options available. On the other hand, where do you draw the line? Putin threatens to go nuclear and reabsorbs Poland and East Germany? Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia? See Ron Bulman's post regarding Maruipol. Jeez. Biden looks feckless. Why is it those who oppose a NFZ are not characterized as Putin tools, or Moscow stooges? ********** Ben: Putin says a No Fly Zone over Ukraine is a provocation. Some US citizens, and Biden, echo that a No Fy Zone over Ukraine is a provocation. So...who are the Moscow stooges and Putin puppets? Funny what becomes a M$M narrative or meme and what does not. ******* Kirk:Now of course the biolabs in Ukraine... another Tucker rumor. Then there are stories that get buried as they not PC at the time. Bio-labs in Ukraine? With dangerous pathogens? Why? I happen to be hawkish on Ukraine, and would prefer going to No Fly Zones. That does not mean the bio-lab story is fake news. I guess the Biden Administration knew about the bio-labs, and kept them going. Trump probably did too, and probably Obama. Biden has been on his back foot all along on Ukraine, and the result is a horrible diplomatic, military and humanitarian catastrophe. This does not absolve Putin at all. I hope Putin is toppled yesterday. ***** Ben:The globalists seemed to give Putin a green light on Ukraine. Before the invasion, promising no boots on the ground, and then abstaining from a No Fly Zone as Putin said it would be provocative. I think the globalists were fine with partitioning Ukraine to Putin, but then lost control of the narrative due to stiff Ukrainian resistance, and Putin's foul image (in large part a deserved image, but also a residual of the Trump-bashing regimen). Now there is the scramble to come up a Plan B. De-escalate somehow. No Fly Zone! Open to negotiations! I do not see how Western values will prevail if Putin takes over Ukraine. The spooky thing is how tight the US multinational-globalist set is with the CCP. Do globalists have Western values? Or something else? Is international stability (a good commercial climate), rather than Western values, really the top priority in the DC-globalist set? ****** Ben: The globalist-Biden approach to Ukraine appears to be a failure. Certainly, a humanitarian catastrophe. The situation in Mariupol appears particularly grim, but of course that scenario may play out across Ukraine, in every contested city, in the months ahead. The West is encouraging the Ukrainians to fight, but is not providing a No Fly Zone. Not targeting Russian vessels with submarines, and still buying Russian oil. My take is the globalist-Biden Administration pretty much consigned Ukraine to Putin, and signaled as much pre-invasion. The globalists lost control of the narrative due to Ukrainian resistance, and Putin's foul image (deserved, and also a residual from Trump-bashing). The globalists want stability and commercial relations above all. See how they kow-tow to the CCP. Human rights is low on the agenda. Ukraine is dispensable, and Russia has fossil fuels to sell. The globalist plan presently appears to be to give the Ukrainians enough tools to make the Russian occupation miserable for Moscow. From a cynical perspective, that might work. The cost in human carnage is too horrible to contemplate. Biden appears poorly counseled. Seems to have no ideas. Flat-footed. ******** Ben: Well, when Russia promised to not invade Ukraine, the West had a chance to say they would establish a No Fly Zone over Ukraine as a prophylactic against anyone starting a war. I think it is still a good idea, though riskier. Stop the sale of Russian oil. Declare the port of Odessa a free port, that will be kept open. Zelensky has asked Biden for tougher sanctions. I don't know all the details, but it this is not time for anything except maximum economic sanctions in all regards. How can Zelensky be asking for tougher sanctions? True, the globalists have lost control of the Ukraine narrative. They still want to situation resolved so that business can resume with Russia ASAP, and nothing changes with Beijing. I prefer a victory for the Ukrainians. Biden seems to have no plans for a Ukrainian victory, or a decoupling from Beijing. ******** Ben: Like I say, the globalists lost control of the Ukraine narrative. So...we are seeing limited support for Ukraine from elements within US and Nato. Just enough to make occupation miserable for Moscow (well, maybe not in Moscow, they still have heat and caviar, but for Russia's soldiers). This war could drag on for years. You are not hearing globalists warning, "If Russia can cause this much damage...should we not de-couple from China too?" ****** Ben: The globalists were fine with Putin (see all those McDonalds?), happy to do business in Russia, and even OK with partitioning Ukraine to Putin. See Biden essentially promising to do nothing prior to the Putin invasion of Ukraine. The globalists and Biden lost control of the narrative when the Ukrainians showed unexpected resolve, and Putin's image could not be rehabilitated. After all, Putin was a Trump-pal, the worst sin of all. Now, the globalists just want the war to end and terms are unimportant. But No Fly Zone. That is an executive decision, made by Biden, a globalist lackey. So...looks like a humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine. Prolonged war and death. Certainly, Putin is the villain. Is Biden an accomplice? Accessory after the fact? ******* Ben: Biden is a creature of the Washington establishment, in which the globalist framework is ascendant. The Biden Administration has made clear they will not draw a line in Ukraine. If Ukraine falls to Putin, so be it. The Biden Administration might ship small arms to Ukraine, but no jets, no big stuff. No "No Fly Zone." The Q: Is Biden an accessory before, or after, the fact when it comes to Ukraine? Putin is a thug. The images from Mariupol...surely, this kind of assault cannot be endured. The Biden Administration seems lost. Feeble. Directionless. Clueless. The Ukrainians look tough. ******** Strong NATO, weak U.S., puzzled China: Ukraine war hints at new order ******** Ben:But seeing the shelling of civilian areas in Mariupol, and the column of armored vehicles and tanks pointed at Kyiv, has changed my mind. I now advocate a No Fly Zone for Ukraine, and possibly even NATO boots on the ground. Times change and so yes, I have moved to a more-hawkish position on Ukraine. Biden has floundered, looks weak. NATO has dithered somewhat. Biden and NATO have allowed Putin to dictate terms of battle. Russia can fly jets over Ukraine, but not NATO. Really? This is your idea of the right course? ********** Ben: Biden's Policy: The Russians can fly jets over Ukraine, but NATO cannot. ****** Ben:I do not agree with the de facto Biden-NATO position, that Russian jets can fly over Ukraine, but NATO jets cannot. Biden has been underwhelming on Ukraine. Confused. If Putin is a war criminal, then why no air cover for Ukrainians? ******** Ben:Well...Biden is a globalist puppet, that hardly needs debate. DC is afloat in globalist money. And, in fact, the initial globalist response was to partition Ukraine to Putin. Biden promised in advance of the Russian invasion to not get involved. But the Ukrainians showed resolve, and the globalists lost control of the narrative. Now, the Biden-globalist pathway forward is very foggy. They really did not have a Plan B. They will give small arms to the Ukrainians, and with such arms and a lot of deaths, the Ukrainians may bog down the Russians for years. The Russians can fly jets over Ukraine, but Biden/NATO cannot. Biden has agreed to those terms of battle. Seems a bit muddleheaded, no? ******** Ben: Biden and globalists were willing to partition Ukraine to Putin. Offered Zelensky passage out of the Ukraine. Biden signaled he would not fight for Ukraine. The globalists were fat and happy doing business with Putin. See the Koches presently. ***** Ben: Egads. Biden/NATO need to do a lot more on Ukraine. If Putin dictates terms of war...a civilian slaughter will ensue. Which it is. This carnage could go on for years, unless there is meaningful interdiction. Biden appears muddled, unclear, resourceless. ******** Bob Ness: Give it a break Ben. Gets boring. Ben:Probably life is not boring for those on the ground in Ukraine. Biden and the NATO have failed. Sure Putin looks to have bogged down, a "stalemate." That outcome is perhaps the worst result for the people of Ukraine. How boring! 1. If Putin tanks had simply rolled into Kyiv, then bad, but nobody's dead and Ukrainians can wait for Putin to die and maybe better times. 2. If Biden/NATO had offered stiff resolve pre-invasion, perhaps no invasion. Good. 3. (The option chosen). Globalists and Biden decide Ukraine is not worth fighting for, and publicly invite Zelensky to leave. Signal they will not fight for Ukraine, and all but invite a thug like Putin in. Ukrainians stole the narrative by showing the stiff resolve lacking in Biden/NATO. So now, what is antiseptically called a "stalemate" is daily death and dis-membering for thousands of Ukrainians and Russian soldiers weekly, and incredible damage to Ukrainian housing stock and infrastructure. But if you drink the blue kool-aid, you must cheer this result? ****** Ben:How will this death end the Ukrainian slaughter more quickly? The Western press seems off-point. Ukrainians and Russian soldiers are dying by the hundreds daily, and Biden/NATO seem to have no real plans other than to watch and (perhaps unintentionally, but nevertheless) prolong the conflict. But we chortle at the death of replaceable officers? ******* Ben:The WaPo chortles that Russia is no longer a superpower. How delightful! This is the globalist point of view. Russia has bogged down in Ukraine, a stalemate and that is a good outcome. Whew! That's a relief. The M$M chimes in. As for the people of Ukraine.... The thug Putin has the bombs coming....while Biden/NATO are on a vowed, permanent standby. ******* Ben: I will say it appears the Russians have bogged down, but that also appears to be have been the result of Ukrainian resistance, not Biden/NATO, who all but invited Putin into Ukraine, have not issued a no fly zone, or given weapons to the Ukrainians such a A-10 attack planes. The consensus seems to be that Ukrainian resistance combined with Russian battlefield incompetence is leading to a stalemate. The Biden/NATO position appears to be that a stalemate is a good result, and will drain Putin. It may, but in the meantime Ukrainians, and Russian soldiers die by the hundreds every day. In humanitarian terms, the Biden/NATO result is a cruel debacle. Like you, I wish for a putsch in Moscow. But Stalin stayed in until he died. ******* 'Ben: Biden's European trip will be heavy on displays of Western unity but could be light on actions to stop Putin's Ukraine war" If the Donk in-house mouthpiece CNN says that.... ****** Ben: Have Biden-NATO shown any resourcefulness, any imagination, any capacity for warding off what now appears inevitable? Was essentially partitioning Ukraine to Putin---the pre-invasion Biden-NATO position---a mistake we can learn from? ******* I only know what is on the internet. It appears the Russians are taking heavy losses, in equipment and people. (The thought of youthful Russian conscripts being killed or sent home without body parts is saddening also). I have no idea how long Putin will persist in Ukraine, which many Russians (rightly or wrongly) regard as part of Russia, and important to Russian national interests. It appears Biden/NATO have engineered a cruel stalemate, and globalists cheer that result as a victory. I guess it is non-PC to even discuss or ask if there are better options on the table. ***** Ben:Unfortunately, even the bad guys adopt tactics to situations. It appears Russians units, aware that standing in the open is dangerous, are "digging in", literally digging trenches and placing artillery and tanks behind berms etc. Winter is receding, so there are months of mild and even warm weather ahead. It may be the days of Russian troops blithely advancing and occupying are over, along with the higher death rates. Instead they will dig in and shell from safe, protected positions, and then advance when advantageous. Biden/NATO are flatfooted? Seems so. No new plans, no initiatives, no means to deliver some real losses to Russians. As they say, a stalemate. ****** Kirk: I doubt this will do any good because Ben might be the one writer among all the writers in the world who could never get sick of reading his writing. Just our luck! *

Most conspiracy theories formed now are because people are politically stupid and can't understand that other people might think differently than them. So just as people use to pass off events they couldn't understand as the work of many Gods, Now every outcome that doesn't favor their objectives is passed off as an ominous conspiracy.

Trump Was Warned Late Last Year of Potential Legal Peril Over Documents He was warned by was by Eric Herschmann, so it's been proven that Trump ignored counsel. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/us/politics/trump-herschmann-documents.html

New book alleges Trump tried to strongarm the sale of CNN to Rupert Murdoch https://www.salon.com/2022/09/18/new-book-alleges-tried-to-strongarm-the-sale-of-cnn-to-rupert-murdoch_partner/

Yes It is a good article Matt. Thanks! I liked the first half or so when she explained procedurally how the case must be assembled so as to avoid pitfalls. The middle part is what lawyers, including some of my lawyers friends always say, which is to cool off your expectations. Concerning Trump, the most open and shut case I can think of is his tape recording with Brad Raffensperger to throw the Georgia election. Of course, that's indisputable evidence. I'm not aware of limitations regarding using that tape as evidence, though there might be. But from past such cases with wealthy powerful people who aren't even POTUS, a similar kind of case would probably take a long time, unfortunately, though it's now been a year and 9 months!.

Tom, I would slightly change your critique. Tom: , he would have revealed his plan publicly and unambiguously coded it into policy prior to his re-election, and thus your position is based on the notion that JFK was an political idiot. Tom: It's just not an effective political argument. There's no doubt what JFK said in his speeches were hawkish. But there are 2 things to keep in mind. 1) He was talking to Texas supporters, the most Defense conscious, Cold Warmongering state in the union. (eventually evidenced by LBJ) I believe the very last sentence in his last speech in his life, he acknowledged all the work being done in waging the Cold War and said to rally the audience "And Texas will lead the way!" 2)the point you're making, it's poor political strategy to mention definitive future plans regarding Viet Nam. Just as Biden in the 2020 campaign never definitively mentioned his intention to pull out of Afghanistan.

I'm not sure this is appropriate for the" Queen thread." so I'll post it here. Egads! Brits were spending 24 hours waiting in line, some through 45 degree evening weather to pay their respects to the Queen! The monarchy is alive and well, indeed! I think it would be a great comfort to all of us if Cliff could do a cameo here and pay his respects to the Queen and let us know things will carry on as they were, and give us some sense of continuity! Perhaps honor the Queen with a playing from across the pond of "American Taliban" heh heh Hey Cliff!, I think I'm going to have to bone up more on the interrelations of the Royal Family, but right now, I've been more concerned about the Roy's on "Succession"..

Doug, So what I think you're saying is Biden was the first of the last 4 Presidents who had the balls to defy the "deep state" and get out of Afghanistan, and then on top of it, deliberately botched the withdrawal to give Putin a false sense of confidence in order to have Putin invade Ukraine, with Biden knowing full well that Russia's military was a paper tiger that needed to be exposed and that if we just staked the Ukraine military with our short range weapons there was a good chance Biden could bring Putin to his knees politically and a chance of forcing him from office? So in essence, Biden defies the "deep state" , and leaves them griping about the getting out of Afghanistan and the withdrawl. Then rubs their noses in it when we at least severely weaken Putin on the global scene? Whoa!, and they talk about Trump's ability to play 3-d chess???? Look out Joe! Now we have to worry about Putin in desperacy using nuclear weapons in a vain attempt to hold on to power! Right Ben? heh heh!

You should read what I asked more carefully. Kirk: But you don't think JFK's foreign policy (including Vietnam) was really a departure from the established MIC direction. Why was JFK assassinated? I included Vietnam as an afterthought. But it was you who took the Vietnam part and made it 90% of your post. But what you are saying is yes, it was very largely JFK's foreign policy, and I agree with a number of your points. Actually I first suspected some of those points long before i ever entertained the idea it was because of a JFK desire to pull out of Vietnam. But let's review your list. It's not clear from what I've read. What do you think of JFK's handling of the BOP? I I'm not clear what you think of how JFK handled this as well. Without trying to sound pejorative, You've seemed pretty firmly in the Allen Dulles camp on this point. That's not clear either. Was JFK right to fire Dulles and Lenmitzer? As I said, just by the pure volume of your observations here, and the volume of what you posted earlier. You do think that could have been a significant motive, and you're clearly not in the Kennedy camp. Would it be fair to say, that you share a considerable number of the complaints about JFK as the plotters? This isn't a trick question. Of course, you could, and still be repulsed by the idea of assassinating the Chief Executive.

In your first post, Joe. I'm not sure where we disagreed. I think you've pointed to a number of good examples of what I'm talking about. Here I think you've asked the critical questions. What is the alternative? Since I try to be a solution oriented person which granted doesn't work very well sometimes in a conspiracy forum. My answer to that, is that you have to reignite the American industrial base and produce American goods for Americans and protect those industries, because the prices will be higher because we're going to pay our workers a wage they can live on. Some economists who aren't necessarily globalists may say that the specifics you noted about apparel and the garment industry might not be such an industry because the margins are so low. But I once bought a Chinese made hydraulic jack in Costco, that I didn't need for a year only to find that when I first used it, it was a lemon and I couldn't take it back! Those are items that could easily be produced at a much higher quality here. Joe:What is the alternative? Thrift stores? Dollar stores? Goodwill and Salvation army stores? Actually I do go to thrift stores, mostly for clothes, because I don't need any of the latest styles, and there's maybe 3 occasions a year to dress up at all, and I pretty much got those covered already. But it's true, I'm not a typical consumer. And because I don't see any point in paying more money for everyday items, occasionally I go to dollar stores too, Though there are certainly problems with that for local retailers, and you are still buying dirt cheap foreign goods, but you aren't contributing as much to the problem because they are such small ticket items.

Well, this needs to be updated. The President, in his official capacity and not as campaign rhetoric, has said the MAGA Republicans are greatest threat to US democracy. Even with Mr. Buffalo Horns in prison. The people swilling the Donkey-piss kool-aid agree. The CCP is not a threat to American democracy, but we tend to agree oi this issue. But the real issue is with the American people, who have been spoiled on cheap Chinese goods, and particularly now with this inflation, think it's one of their few entitlements left. They have to be convinced that paying a little bit more and buying American goods are in everybody's long term interest. Trump was never going to tell people that. He was trying to convince everybody that, with a wave of his wand, he could change the economy into prosperity with no one having to make any sacrifices at all. He saw his election chances tied to the performance of the economy, so he was like a deer in the headlights, and was flat footed when the covid pandemic came around. His single biggest historical achievement is alerting people to the economic danger of China, but they ended up fleecing Trump and didn't hold up their bargain. I showed you the numbers on that in a previous article. I'm glad you mentioned Kushner and Saudi Arabia. That was in the David Johnston Salon article that Joe posted,that I suggest you read, and you can also check into Ivanka's fast track with Xi and the CCP for her apparel company. None of these things have no strings attached. Similarly, Josh Bolton also released in his book, that Trump was quite willing to compromise his "get tough on China" policy when he asked asked Xi for favors to investigate his political rival Biden, exactly as he had done with Zelensky. I'll never understand why he wasn't subpoenaed in the first Trump impeachment, because he would have had to reveal that very relevant information, but maybe he was granted a pass because they didn't want to p spoil it for Bolton's upcoming book? It was ultimately useless for a multi nationalist globalist like Trump who has no other real interest than self interest to effectively execute such a policy. Though I'm sure you'll keep believing it. But it was important for Trump to bring it up and i think 10 years from now, people will recognize it as the single most important issue that Trump raised. Otherwise we can just hope what happened in 1he 80's to Japan,(who were on a much lesser scale, were going to economically take over the world, if you remember), happens to China.

These 97 Members of Congress Reported Trades in Companies Influenced by Their Committees Pelosi and the Dems are now trying to pass a bill outlawing trading in stocks that Congressional members have committees in. In this article Kate Kelly exposes 97 members of Congress that "have the appearance" of conflict of interest. Interestingly it's pretty much right down the middle in Democrat to Republican with a slight edge.49-47 to the Democrats, who also have a slight edge in Congress. Both Pelosi and Mitch Mac Connell have appearances, but apparently not Schumer. Notable Republicans:Rand Paul, Adam Kinzinger, Thomas Massie, Mo Brooks, Dan Crenshaw, James Imhoffe Notable Democrats:Diane Feinstein, Zoe Lofgren, Tammy Duckworth, Ro Khanna, John Hickenlooper, Mark Warner https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/13/us/politics/congress-members-stock-trading-list.html?searchResultPosition=1

Michael, It's not clear to me You think JFK was assassinated as result of a conspiracy You believe there was and is? a deep state? But you don't think JFK's foreign policy including Vietnam was really a departure from the established MIC direction. Why was JFK assassinated?

This is how seriously you can take Ben. This is the group that Ben has said over and over again that he has hopes to take over the Republican Party. My guess is Ben can tell you the names of about 4 of these faces. And that's how seriously you can take what Ben says. Trai-tors for sale or rent!

"Born every minute" P.T.

Like a tyrant out of power hasn't ever tried to force his subjects to pick between him and the present government? And Ben just knee jerk swallows it and becomes his disciple and proclaims to everyone here his allegiance to Trump over the government, and he actually thinks he's an original for thinking that? How much more willing an attitude could a slave have? " Sucker born every minute" P.T. Barnum *Reprise due to Ben's repetitive posting on another thread.

Oh, so now not sensible, but preferable Ben? Like a tyrant out of power hasn't ever tried to force his subjects to pick between him and the present government? And Ben just knee jerk swallows it and becomes his disciple and proclaims to everyone here his allegiance to Trump over the government, and he actually thinks he's an original for thinking that? How much more willing an attitude could a slave have? "There's a sucker born every minute" P.T. Barnum

Ben Ben Binary Ben: You fit the Trump denial profile to a tee, continually talking about how repulsed you are by Trump and yet you'd slavishly grant him the powers of a dictator. Plato said the problem with Democracy is that the everyday person would eventually become so overwhelmed with the existential choices in his life, he'd eventually give up his freedom to a tyrant, and that Democracy would eventually cyclically lead to despots. There's a sucker born every minute. P.T. Barnum

And yet you would actually accept Trump, of all people as the sole arbiter of who determines classified documents? Case closed! Bad judgment, No grown up table for Ben! But we have set up a nice card table, so he can listen! Ben voted in High School least likely to tend to his Father's candy store!

Yes Ben, I know you have the foreign posting record on this thread and you're going for the all time record, but you must be more prepared than to ask such a question at the grown up table. Research isn't always easy! Let W's clues inspire you! Meanwhile, we'll just keep exploding those false equivalency question myths! Maybe a more fitting role at this stage of his career for Tom Hanks, rather than the Colonel, would be Justice Roberts! heh heh

The present legitimacy of the Supreme Court. These are among the issues that everyone including, we'll say that those that "minimize the damage of Trump"( since they'll never admit to voting for him) have to become more conversant with if they want a seat at the grown up table. They have to do much better research than her.

Great stuff Miles! a lot to unpack. I'll deal with a chunk of it. Miles:and this forum's misguided hatred of Trump. In what way misguided? There's a variety of reactions to Trump here. Some of it is, heavy moral condemnation emphasizing Trump as a vile, evil person. I thought I'd try to dispassionately tell you the political issues we have about the Trump Presidency. The people here who tend to minimize the danger of Trump are pitifully weak on issues and any real sort of political philosophy. Whatever philosophy you're projecting on Trump, he is effectively a Mitch Mac Connell Republican in a time, that some neophytes will tell you that the 2 parties are the same. I notice even you seem on the surface to be saying this, Miles:and the true differences between Democrats and Republicans are usually limited to minor differences in domestic issues That's true, but it has little real meaning because most people don't vote in their interests. Whatever the guy in the street says. To keep on "substantive issues" I've probably spent a bit longer watching this than you have and I can tell you it's a fact that there's no greater difference between the 2 parties as there is now, The 2 parties have polarized to the extent that that one wants to shrink the size of government and bring the social safety net to a size comparable to the 50's while the other has been polarized to project that government can solve many ills of society. If you don't realize this, you're not living in the present political reality , and continually harping on how the 2 parties foreign policies have melded together is a real problem, but unfortunately it's not going to be solved soon. And you have to have some form of priorities. That comes with some sense of organization. Another sense that those who minimize the danger of Trump don't have. And despite all the whinin' and the cryin' and the shootin' and the dyin' in Ukraine.The real issues right now are domestic. Sure that could possibly change on a dime. So are we going to wait out being partisan at all concerning the 2 parties, because some intellectually lazy people have been saying for 50 years that the 2 parties are exactly the same, and are not even present enough to see what's currently going on? And are we going to "reserve" judgment about Trump, (despite the fact that he's so careless and inept he doesn't even bother to hide his tracks), because he's being investigated by the law. Oh! not the law, but the "Deep State?" My guess is that people who hold those views are so muddled, they've probably never taken any real concrete action about anything. Much less hold to a topic, but I guess that's just me. Miles:The once feared FBI, CIA, and federal government have now been successfully propagandized as the "good guys", to such an extent never before seen in history that no major political party deigns to question their authority or allegiance. Unfortunately, all this is happening concurrently with the Trump investigations, and there's a lot of dualistic or binary thinking. Either people believe in Trump, some are slavishly devoted, but some are forgiving of his foibles as , "that's just who he is" or "he's like a innocent young boy, but I love his policies!". And then on the other hand you have the criminal justice system or as some here on this conspiracy forum call "the Deep State". Like there's nothing in between? I like your first post about your concern of our future rights eroding. But being able to reconcile that the criminals be prosecuted, no matter who they are is about as easy for me to process as LBJ's being able to walk and chew gum at the same time. The issues you've raised about future rights and technology are very real. And it's true to say that the nature of government is to fill into gaps of human rights. Government is ever more intrusive, mostly because technology is a runaway train. In Europe the tech companies don't have near the power they have in the U.S. In my personal experience, I just felt in the mid 90's, with the advent of the internet, a huge group of the younger generation just gave up their rights overnight it seemed. At first I was alarmed, then I was leery, but sure enough. I just ended up following suit! As regard to what W. has said. I am a boomer, I can't think of a more unsettling time then when I grew up, lots of protests, demonstrations about Civil Rights and an ongoing war, drugs, and resultant crime. With each succeeding generation I was hoping they'd rebel like we rebelled, but my expectation grew less over generations and now it never happened and it's been 50 years. I look at the succeeding generations including my own kids and my observation is that it's actually gotten tamer. Which don't get me wrong is a good thing. Of course I lived in a middle class strata and have been fortunate that some things haven't completely degenerated as they have with others. Which is not to say, there aren't severe economic problems facing the younger generations. And their seeming complacency could also turn on a dime, but it seems their direction is also muddled and part of it could be explaining what they don't understand about their current problems in term of omnipotent conspiracies. The concern for free speech rights is very healthy, but I do often wonder, has there really been a great issue for the succeeding generations of government harassment? You might mention a sort of self imposed censorship on University campuses. But have you ever been on a FBI list? Were you ever really experiencing drug laws at their most Draconian? or discrimination or jail simply for the way you look? Anybody can pretty much look whatever way they want now. Ok, to a great extent. Have you ever even been audited with your taxes? What kind of government overreach can you claim? I think a lot of it, is people completely off the radar crying wolf! Frankly sometimes on this forum I wonder if it's a call for recognition or prominence. But the real issue regarding the technocracy intruding on our lives is that is the public is just not aware and nobody has articulated a policy that anyone can truly understand. But to paint it with a big deep state brush is not correct either. Do you know the IRS works with a 40 year old computer systems? I'd be for completely modernizing and streamlining them, simplify the tax code a bit and go after the mega wealthy tax cheats. Does that make me a "Deep Statesman?" heh heh Re Trump:, I think criminals have to prosecuted. I think Trump's been treated with kid gloves about everything including the scope of every previous investigation and the ongoing investigations. Forgive me if I don't follow the forum suit and shake in my boots at the mere mention of the "Deep State". I think in this case, they can just as often be splintered and pretty inept. But right now I have to be content that justice is a long process and I'm going have to wait and see. Still in 2 months, if Trump's candidates fail, and the Democrats even keep the Senate the Republicans could just dump Trump and his only recourse would be (if he's around of course) in 2024 to run for President under his third party, which could only benefit the Democrats. So there's a lot happening that could change the equation. ******

Well put Jean Paul! I've often wondered this. LNers would say everything Oswald did was poorly planned that day. i also tend to agree that something lead Oswald to think he was being set up. But what was that?. It reminds me of a mystery quiz I heard many years ago. A husband gets up in the morning to go to work leaving his wife sleeping in bed. At some point on the way to work, the husband turns around and goes back home, finding his wife in bed with another man, and shoots both of them! What lead to the husband turning around to go back home? You can only ask questions that can be answered with a "yes" or a "no". My intention is not to sidetrack this thread with this, so i won't. Though this does involve similar sleuthing skills. And it's kind of ingenious, So I'm not going to spoil it by revealing it, unless others want to make another thread of it. If anybody has heard this, and knows the answer to this. Please don't spoil it.

I love exploding false equivalency myths. https://external-preview.redd.it/cnUFaTBAl2C0Zqf9EqPgXrSgLC8rEBSZxarrGbbMzoI.png?width=640&crop=smart&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4720b4bcf67920f95ac7ba4fc00ab9e42c993281