There is also the fact that Saudi Arabia is the Trump hotels' best customer.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Oh, by the way....
There is also the fact that Saudi Arabia is the Trump hotels' best customer.
Speaker Pelosi needs to move impeachment forward.
I know it appears as though he is egging the US House to file as he plans to use it as a re-election strategy. The statement has been made that he is impeaching himself with all the misdeeds he carries out in plain sight. Let me just say this, Trump is a dangerous criminal that hands over USA National Sovereignty on a regular basis to the Russians. What if that is Putin's plan? I believe it is.
I don't believe Trump is impeaching himself so much as he is conducting himself as he pleases because he can get away with it. He believe the US House has no resolve to impeach him and he believes the Republicans are still within his control and would never deliver a supermajority to remove him from office. That is the reason Speaker Pelosi doesn't see the resolve to impeach as a reasonable way forward.
I can't answer that for her, but, be sure as long as he is unchecked by Congress he will continue to compromise the USA and hand it over to Putin.
The Kurds have always been the ally of the United States of America. Besides ending the rule of Daesh, they lived a long time under no-fly zones compliments of the USA. We have always been good friends.
Before World War II: (click here)
The British had taken most of the land in the Middle East. There were vast amounts of oil back then and making profits benefited the monarchy.
The "levied armies" were lead by the British, but, their soldiers were from local people.
All too often Americans forget WWII was not just Europe, it was also North Africa.
During his stay (click here) in the Middle East, Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill paid a visit to the Alamein area, meeting brigade and divisional commanders, visiting a gun site, and inspecting personnel of Australian and South African divisions, on August 19, 1942 in the western desert.
The North Africa Campaign removed the Axis Powers of Germany and Italy. There was also an Arab Legion, however, it never became involved with the Allied Forces.
I don't believe Trump is impeaching himself so much as he is conducting himself as he pleases because he can get away with it. He believe the US House has no resolve to impeach him and he believes the Republicans are still within his control and would never deliver a supermajority to remove him from office. That is the reason Speaker Pelosi doesn't see the resolve to impeach as a reasonable way forward.
I can't answer that for her, but, be sure as long as he is unchecked by Congress he will continue to compromise the USA and hand it over to Putin.
The Kurds have always been the ally of the United States of America. Besides ending the rule of Daesh, they lived a long time under no-fly zones compliments of the USA. We have always been good friends.
The British had taken most of the land in the Middle East. There were vast amounts of oil back then and making profits benefited the monarchy.
The "levied armies" were lead by the British, but, their soldiers were from local people.
All too often Americans forget WWII was not just Europe, it was also North Africa.
The North Africa Campaign removed the Axis Powers of Germany and Italy. There was also an Arab Legion, however, it never became involved with the Allied Forces.
By 1942, (click here) the Iraq Levies consisted of a Headquarters, a Depot, Specialist Assyrian companies, 40 service companies and the 1st Parachute Company, which consisted of 75% Assyrian and 25% Kurd. The new Iraq Levies Disciplinary Code was based largely on the Indian Army Act.
By 1943 the Iraq Levies strength stood at 166 British officers controlling 44 companies; 22 Assyrian, five Mixed Assyrian/Yizidi, ten Kurdish, four Marsh Arabs, and three Baluchi. Eleven Assyrian companies served in Palestine and another four served in Cyprus. The Parachute Company was attached to the Royal Marine Commando and were active in Albania, Italy and Greece. In 1943/1944 the Iraq Levies were renamed the Royal Air Force Levies.
The reason the number of Kurds was 25 percent is that they were simply a smaller population of people with fewer men able to fight.
It is time to act against Trump, he is killing people now, without any remorse whatsoever. Why no remose? Because he is giving Putin what he wants.
Friday, October 11, 2019
My thoughts tonight is with my youngest son.
James "The Beast" Beasley (click here)
It has long been my feeling that these men from the USA south live very hard lives. James is no different. I will be talking about him again, but, for today, he is loved and missed.
I am sure General George Washington would not have considered this regicide, but, it comes close enough.
The United States of America has never had no many enemies both domestic and international as it does today. These enemies don't fire cannons, they pretend they have a right to speak to the public without reverence for the country.
I don't know why Guiliani is involved anymore, Barr is Trump's defense attorney and now he is his media consultant with as a strong man to twist Murdoch's arm. Don't forget political consultant.
March 10, 2019
By Marty Johnson
Attorney General William Barr (click here) met privately Wednesday night with Rupert Murdoch, the media giant and known confidant of President Trump, at Murdoch's home in New York, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
It is unclear what the two discussed, as aides of both men declined to speak with the Times.
The move comes amid House Democrats' impeachment inquiry into Trump over his interactions with Ukraine, matters with which Barr played an integral role.
During his now-infamous July 25 phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump asked the Ukrainian president to do him the favor of looking into former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading 2020 candidate, as well as Biden's son, Hunter. Trump told Zelensky to coordinate with Barr and Rudy Giuliani on the effort....
These people are ridiculous. They have been ridiculous and they always will be ridiculous.
Sarah Sanders is saying Trump pulled out troops from Syria because he doesn't want another forever war. Sarah needs to do some real soul searching while everyone else counts the number dead with the USA gone. Genocide is not within the Christian faith in the 21st Century. I suppose she could reach back to the Crusades, but, they didn't have The Hague.
The international community hasn't had a chance to begin an accurate count of casualties.
October 11, 2019
In this photo taken from the Turkish side of the border between Turkey and Syria, in Akcakale, Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey, people watch as smoke billows from targets inside Syria during bombardment by Turkish forces Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019
Ackakale Turkish forces (click here) pushed deeper into northeastern Syria on Friday, the third day of Ankara's cross-border offensive against Syrian Kurdish fighters that has set off another mass displacement of civilians and met with widespread criticism from the international community.
There were casualties on both sides and Turkey reported its first military fatality, saying a soldier was "martyred" in the fighting....
This is not the beginning of Erdogan's cultural purge, this is the continuation and now it is with Trump's permission.
6 August 2019
By Alison Flood
More than 300,000 books (click here) have been removed from Turkish schools and libraries and destroyed since the attempted coup of 2016, according to Turkey’s ministry of education.
Turkey’s education minister Ziya Selçuk announced last week that 301,878 books had been destroyed as the government cracks down on anything linked to Fethullah Gülen, the US-based Muslim cleric who is accused by Turkey of instigating 2016’s failed military coup. Gülen has denied involvement.
The figure was first reported by the popular newspaper Hürriyet, with images of books being seized and burned published by online news outlet Kronos27....
Turkey's children have no need for books, since, their president has been asking their parents to commit them to be soldiers. I suppose they will be fighting in Syria soon enough.
Wednesday, October 09, 2019
Turkish Forces Launch Military Attack Against Kurds At Syrian Border (click here for news article - thank you)
Trump surrendered the lives of allies! Who next? Us?
My point of view is not alone.
October 8, 2019
By David M. Halbfinger
Jerusalem - Israel’s national security (click here) does not immediately depend on who controls the border of Turkey and northern Syria, more than 500 miles from its own territory.
Yet President Trump’s abrupt order to withdraw American troops there and abandon Kurdish forces, who have been stalwart American allies against the Islamic State, set off clanging alarm bells among officials in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
And for a simple reason: If such a betrayal could befall the Kurds, Israelis from across the political spectrum are suddenly asking, what prevents the same from befalling another staunch American ally?
“A knife in our back,” screamed the headline over a column by Shimon Shiffer in Yediot Ahronot, Israel’s biggest mainstream paper. “The conclusion we draw needs to be unequivocal: Trump has become unreliable for Israel. He can no longer be trusted,” the column read....
My point of view is not alone.
October 8, 2019
By David M. Halbfinger
Jerusalem - Israel’s national security (click here) does not immediately depend on who controls the border of Turkey and northern Syria, more than 500 miles from its own territory.
Yet President Trump’s abrupt order to withdraw American troops there and abandon Kurdish forces, who have been stalwart American allies against the Islamic State, set off clanging alarm bells among officials in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
And for a simple reason: If such a betrayal could befall the Kurds, Israelis from across the political spectrum are suddenly asking, what prevents the same from befalling another staunch American ally?
“A knife in our back,” screamed the headline over a column by Shimon Shiffer in Yediot Ahronot, Israel’s biggest mainstream paper. “The conclusion we draw needs to be unequivocal: Trump has become unreliable for Israel. He can no longer be trusted,” the column read....
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
I told you so.
Kristalina Georgieva issued a stern warning in her first address
Kristalina Georgieva, (click here) in her first major address as head of the International Monetary Fund, painted a downbeat picture of the world economy and said a more severe slowdown could require governments to coordinate fiscal-stimulus measures.
In a speech that sets the tone for next week's annual meeting of the IMF, Georgieva said the fund will cut its growth forecast for both 2019 and 2020 in its next World Economic Outlook due October 15. In July, the fund lowered its projection to 3.2 per cent this year and 3.5 per cent next year - its fourth downgrade since last October.
Global institutions, economists and investors are blaming the US-China tariff conflict as a prime factor for slowing global growth. The trade tensions have partly caused manufacturing to tumble and weakened investment, creating a "serious risk" of spillover to other areas of the economy like services and consumption, Georgieva said in prepared remarks in Washington on Tuesday. Global trade growth is close to a standstill, she added....
Russia continues to be a menace.
Location of the radiation.
Norway (click here) has found a radiation level 800,000 times higher than normal at the wreck of a Russian navy submarine.
The Komsomolets sank in the Norwegian Sea in 1989 after a fire on board killed 42 sailors.
A sample showed radioactive caesium leaking from a ventilation pipe, but researchers said it was "not alarming", as the Arctic water quickly diluted it.
The Soviet-era sub is also deep down, at 1,680m (5,512ft), and there are few fish in the area, they added.
For the first time a Norwegian remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) examined and filmed the Komsomolets on 7 July, revealing severe damage.
The submarine is also known as K-278 in Russia, and it sank carrying two nuclear torpedoes with plutonium warheads.
Its front section has six torpedo tubes, and the sub could also launch Granit cruise missiles....
Oh, is the fish free of contamination in the Pacific? Russia continues to have this horrible record in the use of nuclear capacity. The accidents happen over and over, but, they are expecting a nuclear powered cargo ship to bring fresh fish to St. Petersburg. Tell me this makes sense. Because I don't see it. Russia should go back to using wooden ships and oars.
September 10, 2019
By The Barents Observer
The world’s only remaining civilian nuclear-powered cargo ship, (click here) the Sevmorput, is sailing south into the Norwegian Sea en route to St. Petersburg with 204 refrigerated containers of frozen fish from the Pacific aimed for the market in European Russia.
The ship will arrive in St. Petersburg by the end of this week after sailing south along the coast of Norway through the Great Belt in Denmark and into the Baltic Sea.
"It’s crucial for Rosatomflot to expand the geography of our work," says Mustafa Kaskha, director of the Murmansk-based, state-owned fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers.
This is the first time that Russia has sailed commercial cargo with a nuclear-powered vessel via the Arctic to St. Petersburg....
Oh, is the fish free of contamination in the Pacific? Russia continues to have this horrible record in the use of nuclear capacity. The accidents happen over and over, but, they are expecting a nuclear powered cargo ship to bring fresh fish to St. Petersburg. Tell me this makes sense. Because I don't see it. Russia should go back to using wooden ships and oars.
September 10, 2019
By The Barents Observer
The world’s only remaining civilian nuclear-powered cargo ship, (click here) the Sevmorput, is sailing south into the Norwegian Sea en route to St. Petersburg with 204 refrigerated containers of frozen fish from the Pacific aimed for the market in European Russia.
The ship will arrive in St. Petersburg by the end of this week after sailing south along the coast of Norway through the Great Belt in Denmark and into the Baltic Sea.
"It’s crucial for Rosatomflot to expand the geography of our work," says Mustafa Kaskha, director of the Murmansk-based, state-owned fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers.
This is the first time that Russia has sailed commercial cargo with a nuclear-powered vessel via the Arctic to St. Petersburg....
October 8, 2019
By Michael Schwirtz
By Michael Schwirtz
Alexander Mishkin, left, and Ruslan Boshirov, who travelled under false names to conduct what became a botched assassination plot in Britain
Last year, (click here) there was an attempt to assassinate a former Russian spy in Britain using a nerve agent.
Though the operations bore the fingerprints of Russia's intelligence services, authorities initially saw them as isolated, unconnected attacks.
Western security officials have now concluded that these operations, and potentially many others, are part of a coordinated and ongoing campaign to destabilise Europe, executed by an elite unit inside the Russian intelligence system skilled in subversion, sabotage and assassination.
The group, known as Unit 29155, has operated for at least a decade, yet Western officials only recently discovered it....
Joking!
October 9, 2019
By Zeke Miller
Washington: The White House declared on Tuesday (click here) it will not co-operate with what it termed an "illegitimate" impeachment probe by House Democrats, setting up a constitutional clash between President Donald Trump and Congress.
Trump attorneys sent a letter to House leaders bluntly stating their refusal to participate in the quickly moving impeachment investigation.
What cooperation? When was there ever cooperation? Like I said before, can acting cabinet secretaries sign Amendment 25?
By Zeke Miller
Washington: The White House declared on Tuesday (click here) it will not co-operate with what it termed an "illegitimate" impeachment probe by House Democrats, setting up a constitutional clash between President Donald Trump and Congress.
Trump attorneys sent a letter to House leaders bluntly stating their refusal to participate in the quickly moving impeachment investigation.
The letter threatens to cease co-operation with Capitol Hill on key oversight matters, accusing lawmakers of formulating their probe "in a manner that violates fundamental fairness and constitutionally mandated due process".
"Given that your inquiry lacks any legitimate constitutional foundation, any pretense of fairness, or even the most elementary due process protections, the Executive Branch cannot be expected to participate in it," White House Counsel Pat Cipollone wrote....What cooperation? When was there ever cooperation? Like I said before, can acting cabinet secretaries sign Amendment 25?
Who actually loves this country's constitution?
By Jamelie Bouie
...A majority of Americans (click here) support the Democratic impeachment inquiry; a plurality wants him impeached already. His defense is anything but, as allies like Rudy Giuliani keep undermining his position with their own misconduct. His approval rating is on the wane, and he trails his Democratic opponents in key swing states like Wisconsin.
And yet most congressional Republicans refuse to break with the president. Despite his obvious wrongdoing and complete unfitness for the job, the vast majority of Republican office holders in Washington are “ride or die” supporters of Trump.
The most common explanation for this stalwart commitment is simply fear. “Across the country,” reports The Washington Post, “most G.O.P. lawmakers have responded to questions about Trump’s conduct with varying degrees of silence, shrugged shoulders or pained defenses. For now, their collective strategy is simply to survive and not make any sudden moves.”...
The King Makers.
The Republicans are coming.
The Republicans are coming.
One if by land.
Two if by sea.
October 8, 2019
By Katherine Faulders, Justin Fishel and Anne Flaherty
A White House official (click here) listening to President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine’s president described the call as “crazy” and “frightening” and was “visibly shaken,” according to notes taken by the intelligence official who filed a formal whistleblower complaint after speaking with the official, and others....
Can acting cabinet secretaries sign Amendment 25?
Syria is Trump's latest capitulation.
Why Syria?
October 8, 2019
By Joseph Hincks
President Donald Trump’s impromptu endorsement (click here) a Turkish incursion into northeast Syria has prompted accusations that Trump had betrayed America’s Kurdish allies in Syria. But his handing Turkey responsibility for thousands of ISIS prisoners has also rung alarm bells among former top officials in Ankara.
Shortly after Trump spoke on the phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday, the White House issued a statement saying Turkey would soon be moving ahead with its “long-planned operation in Northern Syria” and that U.S. forces would “no longer be in the immediate area.” The statement added that Turkey would now “be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area captured over the past two years.”
Taking responsibility for ISIS will be a “nightmare” for Turkey, said Yaşar Yakış, who served as the country’s foreign minister under prime minister Abdullah Gul between 2002 and 2003. “There are already dormant ISIS cells in Turkey. They may wake up and wreak havoc in the country.” In 2015 and 2016, a series of terror attacks in Turkey claimed by ISIS killed at least 276 people.
There are about 11,000 ISIS detainees in over 30 detention facilities across northern Syria. A separate camp for internally displaced persons known as al-Hol, located in northeastern Syria, holds nearly 70,000 people, including thousands of ISIS family members, according to a recent Defense Department Inspector General’s report....
Turkey's entry to the issues with Syria should be no surprise.
March 13, 2019
The number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey (click here) this year will increase by around 10 to 15 percent, exceeding 6 million, according to Firuz B. Bağlıkaya, the president of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).
“Turkey is a very suitable travel destination for Russians,” he told Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of an international industry fair in Moscow on March 13.
”Here, we offer travel agencies the opportunity to meet with business partners,” he said.
He noted that the Russian tour operators exceeded their potential in directing holidaymakers to Turkey last year.
“This played a role in the increase in the number of foreigners visiting Turkey. Since the sales of [holidays in] Turkey increased, this also helped balance the prices in our benefit.”
Last year, 5.9 million Russians visited Turkey....
Why Syria?
Why Venezuela?
Why Ukraine?
Hint: Proper name, begins with P and have five letters.
P - U - T - I - N
Putin: "If Hillary Clinton wins the presidential elections there will be nuclear war. If Trump wins there won't."
Interpretation: "If Hillary Clinton wins the presidential election she values USA national security over money. If Trump wins the presidential election he values money over USA national security."
Putin has oligarchs to dangle billions in front of capitalists with bad credit. But, alas. The Clinton's take it on the chin when the Clinton Organization falls on hard times. Putin has no leverage to put fear in the hearts of those occupying the Oval Office if it is a Clinton.
The question is not "Why Syria?" the question is "Why Trump?"
By Joseph Hincks
President Donald Trump’s impromptu endorsement (click here) a Turkish incursion into northeast Syria has prompted accusations that Trump had betrayed America’s Kurdish allies in Syria. But his handing Turkey responsibility for thousands of ISIS prisoners has also rung alarm bells among former top officials in Ankara.
Shortly after Trump spoke on the phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday, the White House issued a statement saying Turkey would soon be moving ahead with its “long-planned operation in Northern Syria” and that U.S. forces would “no longer be in the immediate area.” The statement added that Turkey would now “be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area captured over the past two years.”
Taking responsibility for ISIS will be a “nightmare” for Turkey, said Yaşar Yakış, who served as the country’s foreign minister under prime minister Abdullah Gul between 2002 and 2003. “There are already dormant ISIS cells in Turkey. They may wake up and wreak havoc in the country.” In 2015 and 2016, a series of terror attacks in Turkey claimed by ISIS killed at least 276 people.
There are about 11,000 ISIS detainees in over 30 detention facilities across northern Syria. A separate camp for internally displaced persons known as al-Hol, located in northeastern Syria, holds nearly 70,000 people, including thousands of ISIS family members, according to a recent Defense Department Inspector General’s report....
Turkey's entry to the issues with Syria should be no surprise.
March 13, 2019
The number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey (click here) this year will increase by around 10 to 15 percent, exceeding 6 million, according to Firuz B. Bağlıkaya, the president of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).
“Turkey is a very suitable travel destination for Russians,” he told Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of an international industry fair in Moscow on March 13.
”Here, we offer travel agencies the opportunity to meet with business partners,” he said.
He noted that the Russian tour operators exceeded their potential in directing holidaymakers to Turkey last year.
“This played a role in the increase in the number of foreigners visiting Turkey. Since the sales of [holidays in] Turkey increased, this also helped balance the prices in our benefit.”
Last year, 5.9 million Russians visited Turkey....
Why Syria?
Why Venezuela?
Why Ukraine?
Hint: Proper name, begins with P and have five letters.
P - U - T - I - N
Putin: "If Hillary Clinton wins the presidential elections there will be nuclear war. If Trump wins there won't."
Interpretation: "If Hillary Clinton wins the presidential election she values USA national security over money. If Trump wins the presidential election he values money over USA national security."
Putin has oligarchs to dangle billions in front of capitalists with bad credit. But, alas. The Clinton's take it on the chin when the Clinton Organization falls on hard times. Putin has no leverage to put fear in the hearts of those occupying the Oval Office if it is a Clinton.
The question is not "Why Syria?" the question is "Why Trump?"
Sunday, October 06, 2019
Don't force the US Republican Senate into a corner to protect Trump. Give them a chance to do the right thing.
Listening to some of the interviews today with Republican Senators it was obvious to me they don't know the facts or simply don't care about them.
The simply don't care about them crowd is using rhetoric and not facts. In not caring about them crowd needs a strong Democrat to run against them when their term is due to expire. They don't care about the USA Constitution if they don't care about the wrongdoings of the president, either.
But, for the folks laughing this off as "Trump loves baiting the press," they don't know all the facts either. The facts will be in the "Articles of Impeachment."
Some people are calling Trump's extortion of Ukraine a complete government shakedown and some are calling it a scandal while yet others are calling it a misunderstanding.
This is not a scandal or a misunderstanding, the president broke the law. Just that simple.
The "Articles of Impeachment" are argued by a group of US House members called "Managers." The Democrats need to include in the impeachment document a reply to Trump's lies because they will come up in the US Senate trial. A good example of a lie are his claims no other country contributes to the efforts in Ukraine. That is a blatant lie and the proof of so will no doubt be demanded by the US Senate in the trial. I would expect every one of Trump's lies to be brought up in defense of him in the trial.
Before the trial starts the entire US Senate has affirmed or taken an oath at the opening of the proceedings. Basically, they are sworn in to be engaged in a way that honors the truth. Let's hope each Senator will conduct themselves with all due diligence and honesty. The USA Supreme Court Chief Justice presides over the trial. The process of the trial is frequently equated to that of a Grand Jury.
I do not accept the idea this is nothing but 100% politics. This is a serious investigation for fact finding to bring about the removal of a president. Facts are not political, they are the basis of a trial. Political issues sometimes don't have facts but simply ideology. This process is not about ideology either. It is not a scandal, a misunderstanding or ideological politics; this is a serious process to remove the president from office, because he broke the law.
The president or the US Senate may have not worked to release the entire amount of military spending to Ukraine which may be the reason investigations are being conducted yet again regarding the USA elections and The Bidens.
This is from Defense News:
September 12, 2019
By Joe Gould
Washington - The White House (click here) has relinquished its hold on $250 million in military aid to Ukraine after weeks of bipartisan pressure from lawmakers who said the funding was needed to deter Russia.
Republicans and Democratic members of the Senate Appropriations Committee said Thursday the administration had relented late Wednesday. The news emerged in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on fiscal 2020 defense spending.
President Donald Trump’s initial hold angered some lawmakers who are typically his allies, including South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Senate subcommittee that covers State Department spending.
“I will be the strongest voice here if they don’t timely release the [2020 military aid],” Graham said....
September 25, 2019
By Joe Gould and Howard Altman
Washington ― At the center of the latest scandal (click here) threatening to take down President Donald Trump is $391 million in military aid that the U.S. leader reportedly asked his staff to freeze for two months before dropping the hold a week ago, under pressure from lawmakers....
...In June, the Pentagon announced plans to provide $250 million to Ukraine in security cooperation funds for additional training, equipment and advisory efforts to build the capacity of Ukraine’s armed forces. The U.S. State Department separately planned to provide $141 million in aid....
...The U.S. has committed more than $1.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014, when Russian-backed separatists began driving tanks through eastern Ukraine. The latest equipment was largely more of the same aid the U.S. previously supplied, aimed at helping Ukraine monitor and secure its borders, deploy its forces more safely and effectively, and make progress toward NATO interoperability....
What was that number? $1.5 billion since 2014. I guess President Obama did his part, too.
...The Defense Department’s tranche was set to include sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, counter-artillery radars, electronic warfare detection and secure communications, night vision equipment, and military medical supplies and treatment. The department previously included counter-sniper equipment, Humvees and tactical drones as well.
The State Department funding included $115 million for a broad array of purposes, to buy American-produced weapons through the Foreign Military Financing program, but also to provide advisers and training to boost Ukraine’s NATO interoperability: English language labs, medical equipment and improvised bomb simulators. The funds could also pay for spare parts, sustainment and training for previously purchased U.S. gear....
Below, the "Military Times" discusses impeachment. It draws attention to five freshmen US House Representatives whom all have military experience. No one, not even Trump, can say the Democrats are playing to their extreme left.
September 25, 2019
By Leo Shane III and Joe Gould
A coalition of national security Democrats, (click here) including five freshmen with military experience, on Tuesday blasted President Donald Trump’s alleged political dealings with Ukraine as a potential “impeachable offense” and joined their House colleagues in demanding the White House provide public answers on the scandal.
In a Washington Post opinion piece Monday night, the group — all of whom represent districts Democrats flipped in the last mid-term election — called the latest accusations stunning and a significant national security threat.
Trump on Sunday seemed to acknowledged that, during a recent phone conversation, he urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into links between corruption in that country and Hunter Biden, the son of former vice president and current Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden....
The White House never discussed the delay in aid to Ukraine and were diligently trying to find out what the problem could be. Why would anyone from the White House discuss the hold on Ukraine's aid, it was illegal.
September 30, 2019
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill (click here) couldn't figure out over this past summer why nearly $400 million in aid they'd voted to go to Ukraine still wasn't in the country's coffers.
There was growing speculation by the end of August. Congressional leaders, their aides and members of key committees -- including the Appropriations, Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees -- were scrambling to figure out why money that had been appropriated by Congress months before still hadn't been disbursed. Outreach by lawmakers to key agencies left few clues other than the delay was coming from the White House and no one could pinpoint exactly what the reason was....
Corruption was never a deterrent to Ukrainian aid before.
October 5, 2019
By Kathy Gilsinan
...After Barack Obama left, (click here) Trump announced, and Congress approved, a plan to provide anti-tank missiles as well, something both military and diplomatic officials had recommended. Joseph Dunford, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in congressional testimony in the fall of 2017 that “Ukraine needed additional capabilities to protect their sovereignty” from Russia, which was supporting an insurgency in the eastern half of the country and had already seized the Crimean Peninsula. To the extent corruption was a concern at the time, it did not take precedence over the determination to try to stop Russian tanks....
I found the article cited by "The Atlantic" (click here) more than interesting. This is from that same story.
“The U.S. rarely gives [security assistance] to Switzerland or Canada because they don’t need it; the states that need it are rarely governed as effectively as Switzerland or Canada.”
I am ending it here tonight because I am traveling tomorrow and need sleep beforehand.
Until later.
The simply don't care about them crowd is using rhetoric and not facts. In not caring about them crowd needs a strong Democrat to run against them when their term is due to expire. They don't care about the USA Constitution if they don't care about the wrongdoings of the president, either.
But, for the folks laughing this off as "Trump loves baiting the press," they don't know all the facts either. The facts will be in the "Articles of Impeachment."
Some people are calling Trump's extortion of Ukraine a complete government shakedown and some are calling it a scandal while yet others are calling it a misunderstanding.
This is not a scandal or a misunderstanding, the president broke the law. Just that simple.
The "Articles of Impeachment" are argued by a group of US House members called "Managers." The Democrats need to include in the impeachment document a reply to Trump's lies because they will come up in the US Senate trial. A good example of a lie are his claims no other country contributes to the efforts in Ukraine. That is a blatant lie and the proof of so will no doubt be demanded by the US Senate in the trial. I would expect every one of Trump's lies to be brought up in defense of him in the trial.
Before the trial starts the entire US Senate has affirmed or taken an oath at the opening of the proceedings. Basically, they are sworn in to be engaged in a way that honors the truth. Let's hope each Senator will conduct themselves with all due diligence and honesty. The USA Supreme Court Chief Justice presides over the trial. The process of the trial is frequently equated to that of a Grand Jury.
I do not accept the idea this is nothing but 100% politics. This is a serious investigation for fact finding to bring about the removal of a president. Facts are not political, they are the basis of a trial. Political issues sometimes don't have facts but simply ideology. This process is not about ideology either. It is not a scandal, a misunderstanding or ideological politics; this is a serious process to remove the president from office, because he broke the law.
The president or the US Senate may have not worked to release the entire amount of military spending to Ukraine which may be the reason investigations are being conducted yet again regarding the USA elections and The Bidens.
This is from Defense News:
September 12, 2019
By Joe Gould
Washington - The White House (click here) has relinquished its hold on $250 million in military aid to Ukraine after weeks of bipartisan pressure from lawmakers who said the funding was needed to deter Russia.
Republicans and Democratic members of the Senate Appropriations Committee said Thursday the administration had relented late Wednesday. The news emerged in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on fiscal 2020 defense spending.
President Donald Trump’s initial hold angered some lawmakers who are typically his allies, including South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Senate subcommittee that covers State Department spending.
“I will be the strongest voice here if they don’t timely release the [2020 military aid],” Graham said....
September 25, 2019
By Joe Gould and Howard Altman
Washington ― At the center of the latest scandal (click here) threatening to take down President Donald Trump is $391 million in military aid that the U.S. leader reportedly asked his staff to freeze for two months before dropping the hold a week ago, under pressure from lawmakers....
...In June, the Pentagon announced plans to provide $250 million to Ukraine in security cooperation funds for additional training, equipment and advisory efforts to build the capacity of Ukraine’s armed forces. The U.S. State Department separately planned to provide $141 million in aid....
...The U.S. has committed more than $1.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014, when Russian-backed separatists began driving tanks through eastern Ukraine. The latest equipment was largely more of the same aid the U.S. previously supplied, aimed at helping Ukraine monitor and secure its borders, deploy its forces more safely and effectively, and make progress toward NATO interoperability....
What was that number? $1.5 billion since 2014. I guess President Obama did his part, too.
...The Defense Department’s tranche was set to include sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, counter-artillery radars, electronic warfare detection and secure communications, night vision equipment, and military medical supplies and treatment. The department previously included counter-sniper equipment, Humvees and tactical drones as well.
The State Department funding included $115 million for a broad array of purposes, to buy American-produced weapons through the Foreign Military Financing program, but also to provide advisers and training to boost Ukraine’s NATO interoperability: English language labs, medical equipment and improvised bomb simulators. The funds could also pay for spare parts, sustainment and training for previously purchased U.S. gear....
Below, the "Military Times" discusses impeachment. It draws attention to five freshmen US House Representatives whom all have military experience. No one, not even Trump, can say the Democrats are playing to their extreme left.
September 25, 2019
By Leo Shane III and Joe Gould
A coalition of national security Democrats, (click here) including five freshmen with military experience, on Tuesday blasted President Donald Trump’s alleged political dealings with Ukraine as a potential “impeachable offense” and joined their House colleagues in demanding the White House provide public answers on the scandal.
In a Washington Post opinion piece Monday night, the group — all of whom represent districts Democrats flipped in the last mid-term election — called the latest accusations stunning and a significant national security threat.
Trump on Sunday seemed to acknowledged that, during a recent phone conversation, he urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into links between corruption in that country and Hunter Biden, the son of former vice president and current Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden....
The White House never discussed the delay in aid to Ukraine and were diligently trying to find out what the problem could be. Why would anyone from the White House discuss the hold on Ukraine's aid, it was illegal.
September 30, 2019
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill (click here) couldn't figure out over this past summer why nearly $400 million in aid they'd voted to go to Ukraine still wasn't in the country's coffers.
There was growing speculation by the end of August. Congressional leaders, their aides and members of key committees -- including the Appropriations, Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees -- were scrambling to figure out why money that had been appropriated by Congress months before still hadn't been disbursed. Outreach by lawmakers to key agencies left few clues other than the delay was coming from the White House and no one could pinpoint exactly what the reason was....
Corruption was never a deterrent to Ukrainian aid before.
October 5, 2019
By Kathy Gilsinan
...After Barack Obama left, (click here) Trump announced, and Congress approved, a plan to provide anti-tank missiles as well, something both military and diplomatic officials had recommended. Joseph Dunford, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in congressional testimony in the fall of 2017 that “Ukraine needed additional capabilities to protect their sovereignty” from Russia, which was supporting an insurgency in the eastern half of the country and had already seized the Crimean Peninsula. To the extent corruption was a concern at the time, it did not take precedence over the determination to try to stop Russian tanks....
I found the article cited by "The Atlantic" (click here) more than interesting. This is from that same story.
“The U.S. rarely gives [security assistance] to Switzerland or Canada because they don’t need it; the states that need it are rarely governed as effectively as Switzerland or Canada.”
I am ending it here tonight because I am traveling tomorrow and need sleep beforehand.
Until later.
The USA is not exempt from it's own homegrown corruption infused by Russia.
"Moscow Mitch" is at it again. He has no loyalty to the USA Constitution and is in violation of his oath of office. Trump and his loyalists, including Secretary Munchkin, hack away at the Russian sanctions in every way possible.
Putin's money clad corruption is still alive and well in the USA and it includes the US Senate Majority Leader.
October 5, 2019
By Billy Kobin
Earlier this week, (click here) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said his chamber would have "no choice" but to hold a trial on whether to remove President Donald Trump from office if the House votes to impeach.
But in a new campaign ad on Facebook, the Kentucky Republican claims that any impeachment attempt will fail as long as he remains in charge of the Senate.
"Nancy Pelosi's in the clutches of a left-wing mob. They finally convinced her to impeach the president," McConnell says directly to the camera in a 17-second video. "All of you know your Constitution. The way that impeachment stops is a Senate majority with me as majority leader.
"But I need your help," he adds, standing in front of a picture of an elephant. "Please contribute before the deadline."
The McConnell campaign, according to Facebook's "Ad Library," started running the digital ad last week, a few days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry over whether Trump improperly pressured Ukraine's president to investigate political rival and possible 2020 opponent Joe Biden....
Putin's money clad corruption is still alive and well in the USA and it includes the US Senate Majority Leader.
October 5, 2019
By Billy Kobin
Earlier this week, (click here) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said his chamber would have "no choice" but to hold a trial on whether to remove President Donald Trump from office if the House votes to impeach.
But in a new campaign ad on Facebook, the Kentucky Republican claims that any impeachment attempt will fail as long as he remains in charge of the Senate.
"Nancy Pelosi's in the clutches of a left-wing mob. They finally convinced her to impeach the president," McConnell says directly to the camera in a 17-second video. "All of you know your Constitution. The way that impeachment stops is a Senate majority with me as majority leader.
"But I need your help," he adds, standing in front of a picture of an elephant. "Please contribute before the deadline."
The McConnell campaign, according to Facebook's "Ad Library," started running the digital ad last week, a few days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry over whether Trump improperly pressured Ukraine's president to investigate political rival and possible 2020 opponent Joe Biden....
Shokin
There were a number of reasons the people of Ukraine, the EU, the International Monetary Fund and the USA were against the work of Viktor Shokin and why he was replaced.
Besides the war at the eastern border of Ukraine, the primary problem President Poroshenko faced was eradicating corruption within it's sovereign borders. All one has to do is realize that the previous president, Yanukovych, and his activities were to know the corruption was rampant. The national military was disarmed and the Oligarchies throughout the country were provided weapons and uniforms to form their own militias. The Oligarchs under Yanukovych were the organizers of the economy, so everything went through them. Replacing that organization and rearming of the national military while disarming the militias didn't happen overnight.
While seeking to strengthen the domestic economy and government infrastructure the IMF lead the charge against corruption in Ukraine. When it was obvious that wasn't going to occur, Shokin was viewed as the cause.
13 February 2015
“The nomination of Shokin is a shock” (click here) – shouted the participants of the manifestation in front of the Ukrainian Embassy in Warsaw. Ukrainians, Kazakhs and Warsaw residents gathered in front of the building and protested against the most recent changes in the Prosecutor General’s Office in Ukraine and the nomination of Victor Shokin to head the prosecutor’s office.
Representatives of the Open Dialog Foundation, which organised the protest, were drawing the attention of passers-by and the media present on location, to the attempts by the Prosecutor’s Office to protect and cover for the people responsible for the massacre on Maidan. An appeal was also filed with the Ambassador and addressed to the Ukrainian President, the Prime Minister and MPs, in which Shokin’s nomination was heavily criticised.
From the Irish Times
March 29, 2016
By Daniel McLaughlin
The European Union (click here) has welcomed the dismissal of Ukraine’s scandal-ridden prosecutor general and called for a crackdown on corruption, even as the country’s political crisis deepened over efforts to form a new ruling coalition and appoint a new prime minister.
Ukraine’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to fire Viktor Shokin, ridding the beleaguered prosecutor’s office of a figure who is accused of blocking major cases against allies and influential figures and stymying moves to root out graft.
“This decision creates an opportunity to make a fresh start in the prosecutor general’s office. I hope that the new prosecutor general will ensure that [his] office . . . becomes independent from political influence and pressure and enjoys public trust,” said Jan Tombinski, the EU’s envoy to Ukraine.
“There is still a lack of tangible results of investigations into serious cases . . . as well as investigations of high-level officials within the prosecutor general’s office,” he added....
An investigation into The Bidens doesn't even enter the picture. Shokin was a died in the wool Russian sympathizer. He won't bring charges against those that murdered all those people in the Maidan and he was not seriously pursuing the corruption left behind by Yanukovych. He was hostile to the priorities of President Poroshenko. I think the war on the eastern border was more the focus of the president and it wasn't until the EU, the IMF and the USA started to insist Ukraine deal with corruption did Shokin finally come into view as a problem.
It is sometimes difficult to understand how such corruption could still exist after a revolution that lead to changes in the constitution, but, these people existed under Russia oppression for years under Yanukovych. They were used to coping with the existing corruption and to some extent corruption has its own economy. So, a new democracy was moving forward albeit slowly and with enormous problems, including the pressures from Putin; the political infrastructure was still very fluid and allies were not necessarily easy to identify.
President Poroshenko was a businessman when he took leadership. His focus was moving Ukraine forward to encourage growth and inclusion into a European market. One of the reasons Ukraine wasn't involved in European markets before the revolution was because Russia backed Yanukovych and Yanukovych was corrupt to the core. His palace alone and all it's opulence came as gratitude by Russia.
Poroshenko had to change all that and he never focused on the fact his Prosecutor General was part of the problem. Part of that was political and appearing competent, but, his new allies insisted he move forward before sincere relief and the European markets could be open to Ukraine. That is the reason Shokin was removed from his position. It had nothing to do with Biden, except, the Vice President put an ultimatum to Poroshenko. That was the only involvement VP Biden had in removing Shokin and it had nothing to do with his son. It was about moving Ukraine out of it's vast corrupted Oligarch networks.
I might add at the time all this was going on the war in the east, vanquishing corruption, encouraging economic growth, President Poroshenko was involved with Germany, Russia and the rebels in the east in writing two treaties. First was Minske I that was violated by the eastern rebels and Minske II had the same fate. Putin's promises of ending the war didn't even come close. Instead, Russia armed the eastern rebels.
Besides the war at the eastern border of Ukraine, the primary problem President Poroshenko faced was eradicating corruption within it's sovereign borders. All one has to do is realize that the previous president, Yanukovych, and his activities were to know the corruption was rampant. The national military was disarmed and the Oligarchies throughout the country were provided weapons and uniforms to form their own militias. The Oligarchs under Yanukovych were the organizers of the economy, so everything went through them. Replacing that organization and rearming of the national military while disarming the militias didn't happen overnight.
While seeking to strengthen the domestic economy and government infrastructure the IMF lead the charge against corruption in Ukraine. When it was obvious that wasn't going to occur, Shokin was viewed as the cause.
13 February 2015
“The nomination of Shokin is a shock” (click here) – shouted the participants of the manifestation in front of the Ukrainian Embassy in Warsaw. Ukrainians, Kazakhs and Warsaw residents gathered in front of the building and protested against the most recent changes in the Prosecutor General’s Office in Ukraine and the nomination of Victor Shokin to head the prosecutor’s office.
Representatives of the Open Dialog Foundation, which organised the protest, were drawing the attention of passers-by and the media present on location, to the attempts by the Prosecutor’s Office to protect and cover for the people responsible for the massacre on Maidan. An appeal was also filed with the Ambassador and addressed to the Ukrainian President, the Prime Minister and MPs, in which Shokin’s nomination was heavily criticised.
From the Irish Times
March 29, 2016
By Daniel McLaughlin
The European Union (click here) has welcomed the dismissal of Ukraine’s scandal-ridden prosecutor general and called for a crackdown on corruption, even as the country’s political crisis deepened over efforts to form a new ruling coalition and appoint a new prime minister.
Ukraine’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to fire Viktor Shokin, ridding the beleaguered prosecutor’s office of a figure who is accused of blocking major cases against allies and influential figures and stymying moves to root out graft.
“This decision creates an opportunity to make a fresh start in the prosecutor general’s office. I hope that the new prosecutor general will ensure that [his] office . . . becomes independent from political influence and pressure and enjoys public trust,” said Jan Tombinski, the EU’s envoy to Ukraine.
“There is still a lack of tangible results of investigations into serious cases . . . as well as investigations of high-level officials within the prosecutor general’s office,” he added....
An investigation into The Bidens doesn't even enter the picture. Shokin was a died in the wool Russian sympathizer. He won't bring charges against those that murdered all those people in the Maidan and he was not seriously pursuing the corruption left behind by Yanukovych. He was hostile to the priorities of President Poroshenko. I think the war on the eastern border was more the focus of the president and it wasn't until the EU, the IMF and the USA started to insist Ukraine deal with corruption did Shokin finally come into view as a problem.
It is sometimes difficult to understand how such corruption could still exist after a revolution that lead to changes in the constitution, but, these people existed under Russia oppression for years under Yanukovych. They were used to coping with the existing corruption and to some extent corruption has its own economy. So, a new democracy was moving forward albeit slowly and with enormous problems, including the pressures from Putin; the political infrastructure was still very fluid and allies were not necessarily easy to identify.
President Poroshenko was a businessman when he took leadership. His focus was moving Ukraine forward to encourage growth and inclusion into a European market. One of the reasons Ukraine wasn't involved in European markets before the revolution was because Russia backed Yanukovych and Yanukovych was corrupt to the core. His palace alone and all it's opulence came as gratitude by Russia.
Poroshenko had to change all that and he never focused on the fact his Prosecutor General was part of the problem. Part of that was political and appearing competent, but, his new allies insisted he move forward before sincere relief and the European markets could be open to Ukraine. That is the reason Shokin was removed from his position. It had nothing to do with Biden, except, the Vice President put an ultimatum to Poroshenko. That was the only involvement VP Biden had in removing Shokin and it had nothing to do with his son. It was about moving Ukraine out of it's vast corrupted Oligarch networks.
I might add at the time all this was going on the war in the east, vanquishing corruption, encouraging economic growth, President Poroshenko was involved with Germany, Russia and the rebels in the east in writing two treaties. First was Minske I that was violated by the eastern rebels and Minske II had the same fate. Putin's promises of ending the war didn't even come close. Instead, Russia armed the eastern rebels.
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