Has the turning point been reached? I do believe that the Left has lost control of the narrative. That’s the feeling I get; the Swamp exposed their hand last week when they got General James Mattis (USMC-Ret) to issue a blistering attack on President Trump in The Atlantic.
Soon, he was joined by another former Marine general, John Kelly, and for once, I was really worried. I thought that they were signalling an imminent coup by the military, essentially, giving them justification for taking out the President. You know, “muh democracy” and all that. Their critique was seconded by assorted RINOs like Sen Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The piling on continued over the weekend.
What Mattis, et al, did was simply unprecedented. Not only were the words he used to describe the President insulting to the extreme, they all but asked for the military to step in and send Trump to Club Gitmo. Or perhaps signal to not come to his aid should the White House be overtaken by all those distraught “mourners”.
Nervously, I looked to see if there were any other Republicans rising to the bait. Like the time in which three Republican Senators went to President Nixon in August of 1974 and told him that he didn’t have the votes in Congress to prevent his impeachment and probable removal. They at least gave him a face-saving way out and Nixon returned in time to become the Elder Statesman of America. And when the time came for him to slough off the mortal coil, they gave him a magnificent funeral as well.
The modern iteration of the Establishment, call it the kakistocracy, is having none of that. If it were up to them, they’d blow up Trump Tower with him and his entire family in it. I’m sorry, but these people are plug evil. Regardless, I smell desperation on their part. Make no mistake: none of this would be happening if they thought that Joe Biden was a slam-dunk. As Archbishop Carlos Maria Vigano wrote in his letter to the President, Trump’s enemies have lost “circumspection” and have displayed their hand too early. Of this, I’m convinced.
Trump however, has the luck of the Irish. Or the Lord’s anointing. Within a day, prominent GOP senators and intellectuals pushed back against Mattis and they pushed back hard. Mattis, America’s most beloved warrior, was shaken by the push-back. In less than twenty-four hours he went from hero to heel. And then the stock market went through the roof and the new unemployment numbers came out and they were astounding. I imagine the people over at the DNC are having to stock up on Depends.
Oh, and judging by all the “mostly peaceful” protests that were going on in every major Blue city in the nation, I’d say that we’re way passed the pandemic panic. What a load of bovine excrement that was.
Personally, I don’t believe that Mattis wanted to do this. Instead, I believe he was put up to it by the Deep State. Why do I say this? Because the statements which he uttered were foolish to the extreme. Not only were they illogical, but they displayed a profound historical ignorance. The kind of ignorance that one would expect from a barista at the local Starbucks who majored in Latinx Studies. Seriously folks, if that’s what they’re teaching in the war colleges these days then we might as well give up to the Chinese right now and forgo the nuclear fallout.
Oh, I realize that the ostensible reason for Mattis’ “concern” was because Trump had “gassed” the “mostly peaceful” protesters who had congregated on LaFayette Square, between the White House and St John’s Episcopal Church. (I guess that since St John’s wasn’t completely burned to a cinder the night before was because the fires which were set were “not entirely” arsonous. ) According to the nervous Nellies in the Establishment, Trump had supposedly committed this “atrocity” so that he could have his photo-op with the Bible on the steps of the burnt Church of the Presidents.
Not only is Mattis historically ignorant, I guess he doesn’t watch the news. If he had he would have noticed that dozens of American cities are in flames at the moment. He could also have seen the mobs congregating on LaFayette Square and rushing the barricades. He would have also known that Trump and his family were rushed to the underground bunker. I suppose in Mattis’ fantasy-world that such extreme exigencies are a nothingburger. He might have felt different had his own life and domicile had been so threatened.
But isn’t that what police are for? Oh, silly me! The police have better things to do, like abandoning precincts to be burned to the ground. As for the Insurrection Act of 1807 being used against American civilians, that was settled when Honest Abe sent Sherman on his Merry Stroll to the Sea and the Radical Republicans reduced the Southern states to Military Districts. I guess it sucks when the shoe is on the other foot, doesn’t it? (It’s “settled” in the same way that Roe v Wade is settled –not to the losers’ liking.)
Do these Deep-Staters not realize that if the White House can be rushed and overtaken by a few hundred “protesters” with a Republican in power, that it can also happen when a Democrat is in power? Are they really that delusional to believe that history only goes one way? I guess so, after all, isn’t that what Progressives believe?
The most ridiculous statement Mattis made was uttering this quote from President James Madison: “America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier exhibits more forbidding posture to foreign invaders than an America disunited”.
I suppose “Mad-Dog” has been taking heavy doses of estrogen, probably in preparation for his gender-reassignment surgery. Or he’s just plain stupid. But as I said earlier, I don’t believe either possibility, that’s why I think he was put up to it. Basically, the Deep State gave him some talking points and like all Swamp Creatures, he went out and dutifully did as he was told, not imagining that he would receive any criticism.
Personally, I was shocked. On these (digital) pages, I have sung Mattis’ praises to the moon on at least two occasions. You do not become a four-star general in the Marine Corps unless you have some serious cojones. And smarts. But something didn’t seem –right. Being a civilian, and out of respect for his service, I restrained myself. But I was still livid. And concerned. Somehow, someone “got” to him.
Others came to the rescue however. Powerful men. Men who did not feel the need for restraint in calling out Mattis for his sedition. The best criticism came from the inestimable Pat Buchanan.
In response to Mattis’ invocation of James Madison, Buchanan took Mattis to the rhetorical woodshed in a scathing, contemptuous editorial entitled “Liberal Mush from the Mad Dog”:
“And how, General, did that work out for Madison when the ‘foreign invaders’ arrived in Maryland in August 1814, marched up Blandensburg Road, and burned the Capitol and the White House and Alexandria, while ‘Little Jimmy’ fled out the Brookville Road? If memory serves, it was Gen. Andrew Jackson and the troops he pulled together for the Battle of New Orleans who defeated the British and saved the Union’.”
Ouch. Innumerable normal people took to YouTube and also castigated the former SecDef: “Why do you get upset about the rights of ‘mostly peaceful’ protesters but not the thousands of citizens who are having their businesses looted?” How about “Black Livelihoods Matter”? Or, my personal favorite: “why do you think we should be in Afghanistan for no perceivable purpose but our cities are burning in flames?”.
So tell me Hombre, how do you explain this to the American people? “Muh democracy” ain’t cutting it anymore.
Or is this just a prelude to the restructuring of America as happened to Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union? (Of course, we won’t be so lucky, once the neocons were kicked out, Russia restructured itself into a Christian polity.) If so, it will end in chaos and even more anarchy. You can make book on it, now that policemen are resigning all across the nation.
Colin Powell, decided to jump into the fray. According to Mr Powell, Trump is a “liar”. That’s rich, especially coming from the man who lied us into Iraq.
Being called a liar by this clown should be worn as a badge of honor. Seriously.
And now we are told that former President George W Bush has let it be known that he “hasn’t decided” on whether he’s going to work for the incumbent Republican who is running in 2020.
“President George Walker Bush”, from the Epstein Collection
I get that this is all part of one of Soros’ “color revolutions”. It was easy at first to buy into the media narrative about the necessity for “regime change” years ago but nobody believes the legacy media anymore. And if you look at the results of all of Soros’ color revolutions, whether it be in Eastern Europe (Ukraine), the Balkans (Montenegro), the Caucasus (Georgia) or the Middle East (Syria), they’ve all blown up in the elites’ faces. Instead of turning into examples of his much-vaunted “open societies”, they are known for their ruined economies.
Instead, when the people have been allowed to vote, whether in Great Britain, Brazil, Hungary, Israel, Greece, Italy or wherever, it’s the populists and nationalists who win. And it was clear as day that before this crazy train took off, Trump was going to win reelection. This was the reason why the only pandemic in history which had a death rate of 1/4 of one percent was unleashed upon the world. When that didn’t work, then that was thrown out faster than a girl changes clothes and we were treated to the George Floyd festivities.
I’m sorry, but what is happening here in the mostly Blue cities of America are not “protests”. They are not even simple “riots” at this point. Anybody with eyes to see know that what we are witnessing is the planned, deliberate destruction of American cities. That is the perception and the one that is taking hold in the eyes of most normal Americans –whether black or white.
If the Deep State succeeds in taking down Trump before the election, do they honestly think that the majority of the American people are going to stand up and cheer? Especially when the Democrats put new fetters on the people? When they raise taxes (but only on the “rich”)? And seriously start defunding –or more likely replacing the police with Antifa and BLM types?
And spare me the talk about how Joe Biden just came out against the whole “defunding the police” thing. Smart move politically in better times but the Jacobins won’t allow it. He’s going to have to do a Drew Brees and bend the knee to The Oprah and her minions in order to extricate himself from exercising common sense. (You read it here first, folks.) In any event, the entire “defund the police” thing has taken on a life of its own and in most Blue cities it’s going to happen.
If the American kakistocracy really believes that America will “snap back” to “normalcy” once Trump is gone, they will be sorely disappointed. In sowing the wind, they will reap the whirlwind. And the first three-and-a-half years of Trump’s administration with all of its economic successes will seem like a golden age in retrospect.
My advice to them: choose wisely.
Jackass.
In the meantime, here is what you three gentlemen can do with your opinions:
https://buchanan.org/blog/pjb-a-brief-for-whitey-969
This deserves a re-read or first read if you have never seen it. It is Pat from back in 2008. Very timely.
Btw, Happy Birthday, George! Mnogaya Lyeta!
Did you just tell two of the greatest warriors of our time, and a former president [Editor: Deleted. One more expletive and you’re done here, “come and take them” boy.] because they spoke ill of your golden boy? Careful where you tread, George.
RE: “Careful where you tread. . .”
And what’s going to happen if he doesn’t? You going to take your pearls of wisdom somewhere else? – Probably time to put your affairs in order because it’s looking like your time on the blog is short.
You don’t use expletives on our blog and you don’t tell us where we can and cannot tread. That you can’t seem to offer anything of substance makes you expendable in my book, and quite frankly, and I’m tired of having to pull your stuff out of trash to make what you say acceptable for consumption.
There was a person who used the expression ” careful where you tread” in the past. He directed it at me and some others who posted here. If it’s who I think it is, he should have been shown the door a long time ago.
Yes, and he was, but I foolishly believe in redemption. Not so much in this case anymore.
I see Molon Labe’s “careful where you tread” and raise him one.
Ready for the battle. Bush and Powell are fakes. They’re the secular equivalent of Uniates.
JS, agreed. What was a kick in the balls to me was Mattis’ going over to the dark side. That was uncalled for (unless he was one of them from the first).
Sad.
No, Gail, you aren’t foolish. You are a better Christian than I am. I quit posting, because I have offended people. I don’t like pointing out other people’s faults, when I have so many of my own.
However, we are treated to a Subdeacon who thinks the Masons are just fine and apparently believes one can get sick from the chalice. Then we have an Orthodox lady monastic who seems to believe in astrology. And we have a priest who says his great pleasure is going into synagogues to recite the psalms in Hebrew. I don’t see any bishops, priests, or even deacons addressing these things. God forgive me, a sinner.
AS, as you know, it takes a very long time to become Orthodox and some of the folks you mentioned, may be closer to the beginning of their journey. If being Orthodox required us to be at the end of the journey, none of us would be Orthodox because the journey never ends.
Some of our greatest apologists were once Masons (George was one of them). However, I can’t defend a priest or his bishop for allowing him to recite the psalms in a synagogue but that’s more the fallout of the Ecumenical movement, which is a true illness.
These things should be addressed, but you’re right. No one seems to want to.
With regard to other errors, I am reminded of the Athabascan Indian villages in Alaska and what a transition it must have been for them to embrace Orthodoxy when first exposed to it. I always thought it was a credit to the Russians that they didn’t shove it down their throats the way some Catholic missions did in the Southwest. Instead, they allowed them to keep some of their ideas and customs until they were willing and able to move past them.
Estonian Slovak,
” I quit posting, because I have offended people. I don’t like pointing out other people’s faults, when I have so many of my own. However, we are treated to a Subdeacon who thinks the Masons are just fine….”
If people like you quit posting here, who should do the posting, the Masons and the other people you mention?
Lord have mercy!
You don’t get to tell me what I can or can’t do. Come on, George and Gail. Enforce the rules evenly. That’s all I ask.
If you look more closely ES, you will see that what he is saying is that YOUR voice is needed on the blog because if you’re not here to stand up for what’s right, who will? At least that’s how I interpreted what he said. Had he said something derogatory, I would have responded differently. Like you, Ioannis is as traditional as they come.
ES, that’s the way I understood it as well. Please feel free to contact me if need be.
FWIW, it is voices like yours’ that need to be listened to.
Estonian S,
thank you, it was a good lesson for my indirect/unclear lateral way of putting it.
I only meant to say that we need your posting here.
Thank you Gail for your support.
I should have listened to Mrs Monomakhos the first time.
ML, please read Mikhail’s comment below. I have lost all respect for these men. If nothing else, they are insubordinate to the Constitution. Yes, I realize that they are no longer active military but they are most definitely giving aid and comfort to our enemies in two ways:
My only regret was that I did not add the name of the current SecDef, Mark Esper to the list of seditious men.
So I swore the oath and because I agree with these men you’re accusing me of sedition? Do I have that right?
Since when does military service place a person above criticism?
It only does if you hate on a GOP president.
As Lenin asked, “who, whom?”
Don’t be ridiculous RIP. You are entitled to your opinion –while you still have it.
And that is the point, because they are actively pouring gasoline on the fire.
In any event, they know (as I’m sure you do) that once you serve in an Administration, you owe the incumbent Commander-in-Chief your silence.
Yes I did. Besides being a historical observation (you think Iraq was wonderful? Yes or No).
As for being “careful where I tread”, I will continue to make use the First Amendment (while we still have it). Whether they spoke ill of the Glorious Leader is immaterial; if they can speak in such a horrible manner then what’s to stop me? Ever think this whole “freedom of speech” thing through?
My opinion and 50 cents will buy you a cup of coffee. So too, their’s. Hence my suggestion.
George W Bush, Colin Powell, Mitt Romney, Condy Rice, and James Mattis have decided to join the clown cult. This poses a serious problem. The Orthodox bishops bought a clown car that was only big enough for themselves because tithing is down and they are on a budget. Now we have many others who have decided to join the clown cult, and the clown car is too small! Perhaps all the clowns can unite (Bishops and secular) and take out a clown loan.
Historical point: When the Battle of New Orleans occured the war of 1812 was officially over. The peace treaty had been signed. Treaty of Ghent was signed in Dec 1814. Battle of New Orleans, Jan 1815.
We lost no territory and the boundaries of the US were clearly defined for the first time.
It was our Navy that forced the British to the table (and the defense of Ft. McHenry). Our diplomats, led by John Quincy Adams won the war though. Madison’s stalwart will not to give in gave our diplomats the authority they needed. Andrew Jackson got all the glory but actually did almost nothing significant. Even though the myth, played with consumate political skill, got Jackson elected President and enabled him to win Presidential battles.
Given Mattis is a Marine, using the historical truth would make a stronger point. Buchanan should know better. His “memory” is wrong. Indeed the whole premise of Buchanan’s article falls apart in light of the facts.
Thumbs down on this one. You need a truthful premise.
That being said, Trump has a temperament and governing style as President much like Jackson’s. I am amazed that so little has been done with that.
Jackson was the founding father of the Democrat party. His populism and his position as a slave owner from the frontier south unafraid to stand up to the movers and shakers of the Old South delayed the Civil War for a generation. Had it been fought in the 1830s the South likely would have won. Jackson was not a fan of Federalism though. He was a Unionist in every fiber of his being. If you read his letters, as I have, the idea of union takes on an almost mystical quality.
Michael, nobody knew that the Treaty of Ghent had been signed. As far as the combatants on the field were concerned, the war was still ongoing. The British certainly thought so, else they wouldn’t have tried to conquer New Orleans.
Buchanan’s point stands in my estimation. Little Jimmy’s Hallmark bromides did not defend the US one iota. If it wasn’t for his wife, we would have lost the famous portrait of George Washington. As much as we may hate to admit it, George Orwell’s dictum –that men are able to sleep in their beds peacefully at night thanks to the fact that there are violent men willing to fight–stands.
Yes, Jackson was a controversial character. Of this, there is no doubt. Your estimation in the last paragraph is spot on. (I highly recommend American Lion by Jon Meacham.) But unlike the men mentioned in my essay, he sent no American boys to die in useless wars overseas for nothing.
ML, please read Mikhail’s comment below. While I have sung their praises in the past, I have lost all respect for them now. If nothing else, they are insubordinate to the Constitution. Yes, I realize that they are no longer active military but they are most definitely giving aid and comfort to our enemies in two ways:
My only regret was that I did not add the name of the current SecDef, Mark Esper to the list of seditious men. If this isn’t sedition, nothing is.
Undercover Investigation Reveals Minneapolis Riot Was Preplannedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MmS-72YQKM&feature=youtu.be
A call to patriots!!!
Link
Anarchists & ‘antifa’ occupy Seattle police station abandoned by ‘regime’ forces, set up ‘Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone’ :
https://www.rt.com/usa/491347-seattle-autonomous-zone-police/
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/tyler-o-neil/2020/06/09/antifa-militants-seize-seattle-police-hq-set-up-autonomous-zone-n512621
That precinct is just a few hundred feet away from the Greek Church of the Assumption and ROCOR St Nicholas where St John Maximovich died. May St John soften their hearts and souls!
If this isn’t crushed soon, we might be seeing more of these springing up over the States. Mini-Maidans all over America…
Mainly you’ll be seeing these mini-caliphates popping up in the Blue states.
We should all remember one thing: this whole “defund the police” thing is not about actually defunding the police but replacing them with Antifa, BLM and Black Panthers. Giving them uniforms and letting them bust heads of suburbanites, because, you know, centuries of white privilege.
Maybe Al-Shabaab can establish a branch in Minneapolis.
Perhaps it is time to add some new examples to the dictionary under the entry for ‘hyperbole’.
Former military, now civilian Americans suggesting that the incumbent President is not really up to the job and should probably lose his upcoming campaign for reelection is a pretty far cry from calling for a military coup.
It would seem that their real sin is having both a long history of service to the country, and having had the direct hands-on experience with Trump to be able to make a critique that demands to be taken seriously. It is telling that I see no consideration that their criticisms may have merit, but do see the absurd allegation that they are seditious for making them in the first place.
Flavius, considering that the “incumbent president” presided over the greatest economy with the lowest unemployment in our history and has not gotten us into any new wars (the horror!), then I have to question the sanity of these men who state that “he is not up to the job”.
What “job” specifically are they talking about? Being a Bushite clown or a Clintonite war criminal? How about President Hussein Drone-killer? Can somebody please explain to me why St Hussein got a Nobel Peace Prize but took Bush 43’s two wars and trebled them to six? It’s interesting, but during Obama’s eight years, one person was killed by a drone or other “kinetic military action” every twenty minutes.
Let that sink it.
Claims of the greatest economy in history do not hold up to the actual economic record at least in terms of the common metrics that would be used to judge such a title. For some metrics, Trumps first term pre-pandemic were lower than Obama’s second term, but somehow the framing of those figures completely changed. Curious that.
While I think it is entirely fair to criticize Obama’s record on drone strikes, I find it fascinating you do not care to criticize Trump for not only increasing the tempo of drone strikes but cloaking them in greater secrecy. Of course, that approach seems to have worked for him since I genuinely believe you have no idea that Trump took Obama era policies on drone warfare and escalated them.
Would one expect to see greater and greater use of any technology, including drones. It doesn’t look to me like anything is cloaked in secrecy. You can actually Google the progression from the Obama’s era to today which you no doubt know because you’ve done it yourself. – Trump is not a “boots on the ground” kind of guy and neither are those who support him. That doesn’t mean we can afford to let the weeds proliferate in these countries that, for whatever reason, can’t (or won’t) maintain their own gardens.
In many cases there are more boots on the ground in addition to more drone strikes.
The Obama admin was far from perfect in regards to transparency when it came to troop deployment levels and activities overseas. But under Trump there is even less, the DoD likes it that way and the Trump admin doesn’t care. There are more American “boots on the ground” in many parts of the world three years into Trump’s first term than there were when Obama left office.
I don’t think I said anything about how many boots there were on the ground, only that Trump was not a supporter.
Gail, if I may jump in here in order to answer Flavius, there are certainly fewer American boots on the ground in Syria and Afghanistan. And if Trump get’s his way, 25% fewer boots on the ground in Germany.
I’m afraid you are mistaken. When Obama left office the US count in Afghanistan was around 8,500. Under Trump it went back up to around 15,000 at one point. I believe it is still around 12,000. Later this year it may drop back to around 8,500, where it was when Trump took office, but there is a lot of on again off again with Taliban negotiations.
Syria is more difficult to accurately judge because the government has been very opaque and vague over actual numbers. At the end of the Obama admin there were likely a few hundred special operations forces on the ground in Syria. Under Trump this number likely peaked at somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000. Currently the best estimate is probably slightly under 1,000. Troops have been withdrawn, but others deployed, and some merely relocated in Syria or across the border.
Then, for instance, we have the 2019 deployments to Saudi Arabia.
“The Obama admin was far from perfect in regards to transparency when it came to troop deployment levels and activities overseas.”
The Obama regime backed literal flag waving Nazis in the violent overthrow of the legal government of the Ukraine, because that government accepted a better trade deal from Russia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWkfpGCAAuw
And Biden’s son was put on the board of company that profited off the obtaining natural resource rights to lands after the ethnic cleansings of Russians and/or Orthodox.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-13/farce-complete-joe-bidens-son-joins-board-largest-ukraine-gas-producer
They also seem to have directly created and controlled ISIS, and been behind the civil war and ethnic cleansing of Christians in Syria, and events in Egypt, Libya, and more. Meanwhile, yeah, they were “transparent” with the DoD’s uniformed military, meaning they crippled with rules of engagement that set them up to fail.
And we shouldn’t forget how Obama and Eric Holder didn’t prosecute armed Black Panthers at polling booths at the 2008 and 2012 elections; because 2020 seems to be a repeat, with the aim to allow for Democrats to vote by mail (with the geater potential for fraud) and use mobs at physical locations to suppress the Republican vote.
Let’s not forget that in the last days of his caliphate, when Obama landed in Red China, they literally did not roll out the red carpet for him but forced him to deplane from Air Force One from the same egress used for luggage. The Reds treated him like the hired help. I guess they really had his number.
Clearly, I must disagree. I well remember the Reagan Recovery (I imagine I’m much older than you) and while he did pull us out of the Stagflation 70s, rebuilt the Armed Forces and took down the Soviet Union, the free market also took off. Unfortunately, the free market took on a life of its own and during the Bush-Obama era of 32 years, globalism depressed the wages of American working men.
The Trump administration was the first to address that situation and unemployment fell dramatically. For the first time in ages, employers were actually bidding for the services of workers. In the Red states, construction took off like a rocket ship during that time.
This is not to say that the cultural rot that was instigated during the 1960s did not continue. It most certainly did. What we are seeing now of course is the penultimate end-state of a American Maoist cultural regime. But that is a story for another day.
I am in fact old enough to remember the Reagan-era recessions caused in part by the campaign to crush inflation. As with Trump you overstate Reagan-era economic growth beyond what the numbers support. Indeed, the stagnation of the earnings of the working man that you ascribe to Bush-Obama began right around 1980.
Well, you certainly don’t remember the Nixon-Ford-Carter era of stagflation, long gas lines and the attendant military humiliations.
I could really kick myself for not remembering this: things were so economically bad in America during Reagan’s first administration that he lost reelection in a massive landslide. NOT.
A long history of service to the interests of Israel, actually. There is no other reason for any war we’ve been in since Vietnam.
Superlative post George!
Still can’t believe how Colin Powell got scot free from lying to us about Iraq — talk about ANAXIOS?
Sage-Girl, it’s called “failing up”. I wrote about this concept last year. It’s one of the underpinnings of the kakistocracy.
No matter how badly you screw up, say Benghazi, Iraq, Kosovo, it doesn’t matter if you were doing the bidding of the Wilsonian religion of “muh democracy”. You will merely be given a position on some board of directors or a cush “teaching” job at the Kennedy School of Government, or merely moved from one desk at State to another desk. All lateral at worst, never any consequences.
Trump has upended that system in particular. Henry Kissinger for example is seeing his entire life’s work go up in flames. Things like that.
S-G, here is what I meant when I wrote my essay “Failing Up”:
https://www.monomakhos.com/its-called-failing-up/
Wow GM, just read the thread ? from one year ago this month! Who would’ve guessed what was in store… I remember going to Hilton Hotel ? for luncheon in honor of Elpi – went too long with those speeches but glad I met Fr Paisios of St Anthony monastery + some delightful nuns + other clergy I’ve not seen in long time; thread is painfully overwhelming to wrap my head …KYRIE Eleison
Sage-Girl, yes, Colin Powell lied to us about Iraq, but he was just the front man who gave that speech at the U.N. There was much in-fighting behind the scenes during the George W. Bush Administration regarding the whole issue of WMDs. Powell was one of the skeptical ones. He gave a faulty speech at the U.N. based on very shaky intelligence sources, and the prodding of Dick Cheney. But does that wipe the slate clean for him? No it does not. He knows that he messed up. He also realized that he didn’t agree with his fellow cabinet members. That’s why he didn’t serve again in George W’s second administration. So, in essence…they all lied about Iraq. (Though, he’s the one that had to fall on his sword.)
If Powell had had any integrity, he would have done what General George C Marshall did when he was Truman’s Secretary of State or Cyrus Vance did when he was Carter’s SecState: and that was resign immediately after the President went ahead and did what they advised against.
In Marshall’s case, it was the recognition of Israel while in Vance’s case it was the botched execution of Desert One.
I’m not here to argue for the merits –pro or con–regarding these actions, only that these men strongly advised against them, did nothing to sabotage them, and then tendered their resignation. This was the principled thing to do.
Powell rather enjoys his get-togethers at Bohemian Grove. And anyway, it’s not like it’s any big deal, he hasn’t voted for a Republican since McCain. He didn’t even vote for Romney. And these were NWO globalists.
True, C. Powell should have resigned in disagreement. That I don’t dispute. I just took exception to Sage-Girl saying that he got (away) scot free from lying to us about Iraq. They all got away scot free from lying about Iraq. (Though, Powell seems to always be the one people aim at…because he gave the speech.)
I had a neighborhood friend in the Marines that died in Fallujah, Iraq. His family was devastated. He was fighting in a ridiculous war, for a ridiculous reason. If we spent more time trying to build things up instead of destroying them, we’d be so much better off.
I see your point, Alex. You are largely correct that all of them got off “mostly scot-free”, not just Powell. However Powell has developed a cottage industry of undeserved unpopularity by turning on the GOP’s last three presidential candidates. Bush 43’s reputation hasn’t been rehabilitated to the same point despite the best efforts of the kakistocracy to have him sit next to Ellen DeGeneres.
Bush’s merry band have revealed themselves as the globalist jokers they always were. I regret ever supporting him; turns out he is America Last just like the Clintons. Sweet and gentle Laura Bush is also a big abortion supporter.
To those clutching their pearls about “muh ‘Merican herooooos”: there are plenty of clowns in uniform. Leading the military in wars for Israel and the globalist order does not make one a hero. That goes quadruply for top brass who perpetuate the military industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us about.
AS, while I share your assessment, do you see what a quandary ordinary America-loving patriots were in? Bush or Gore? At least with Bush we got 1.5 good SCOTUS picks and he turned back the gun-grabbing agenda of Clinton. Even given what we know now, I’d probably do the same thing again.
I realize that that’s thin gruel but that is why the patriots are hoping for Trump’s reelection: he was a horse of a completely different color. For most conservatives, it always boils down to the “lesser of two evils”. For the record, I couldn’t guarantee that 9/11 wouldn’t have happened had Gore been POTUS. And all the attendant globalist sequelae.
I am of more than two minds about the quandry between letting Dems in and voting for do-nothing Reps who will let almost the same things happen anyway. Sometimes I feel like an accelerationist and sometimes I feel like I should be happy to at least have meager scraps.
I did support Bush at first, and I was totally suckered by the Iraq war. Then Katrina, his handling of immigration, and the financial crisis pretty much ended it for me. Then there was the absolute joke of McCain/Palin, the GOP’s fear of opposing muh black president, the fool Mitt Romney and his self-sabatoged campaign. John Roberts has been a disaster for the Supreme Court; at least a devoted leftist is true to his beliefs, but Roberts is beneath contempt.
Frankly I think running Trump is the only good thing that the Republicans have done in my active political lifetime, and it was done kicking and screaming and opposed at every turn. From Mitch McConnell on down we have Republicans bending the knee to lawless people who they wouldn’t have given the time to day even two years ago.
I just talked myself into accelerationism for the rest of today.
Sometimes I don’t know why we put up with “at least…” Democrats don’t. If the Republicans had ears open to their own fringes as the Democrats are, they’d be goose stepping in front of the capitol, yet they can’t even muster to say “let justice play out.”
It’s not going to calm people down. It will reach a point that some will say, they will call us racist Nazis regardless, so let’s be actual racist Nazis and get something done. Then it will truly be over.
AS, “accelerationism” is pretty much upon us, whether we like it or not. Isn’t it?
If the police simply disbanded you would see a million local militias and armed neighborhood watch groups pop up, and they will have no rules of engagement like the police do.
In truth I think they want the feds to take over policing. We have already seen the feds will not hesitate to charge people with unconstitutional “hate crimes” when local authorities don’t feel there is a case.
A centralized national police force that takes orders from the same person. What could go wrong?
To answer your question, this was just sent to me. It seems that just like our feminized military, the FBI has now gone over to the dark side of unreality:
https://www.redstate.com/shipwreckedcrew/2020/0608/social-justice-warrior-ing-a-class-soon-to-be-taught-at-the-fbi-academy/
Absolutely. And the FBI is on-board with Antifa.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/06/07/fbi-pledges-allegiance-to-black-lives-matter-antifa-nation-of-islam-and-new-black-panthers-protesters/
Meanwhile, AG Barr has taken the unusual step of allowing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to conduct policing activities that normally the FBI handles—this after the FBI found “no Antifa activity” at the White House protests.
https://www.salon.com/2020/06/03/william-barrs-doj-gives-dea-authority-to-conduct-covert-surveillance-of-protesters-memo/
There is a clear power struggle happening in Washington. Everyone in the FBI is a scumbag, and they want to become the national police to enable Antifa. Generals are openly threatening Trump with a coup. Barr is having to take extreme steps to restore order with an agency he can trust to enforce the law.
Very interesting.
AS, that is very interesting. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
God help us!?
There are always the Texas Rangers. The oldest law enforcement agency in the US.
It only does if you hate on a GOP president.
As Lenin asked, “who, whom?”
Psalm 68 KJV
“Very interesting, but not funny”
Well, it looks like George P Bush is supporting the Golden Don.
This is why I’m so glad we have 1,000 military installations all over the world, to “protect our freedoms”:
https://pitchfork.com/news/lady-antebellum-change-band-name-we-are-deeply-sorry/?utm_medium=social&utm_brand=p4k&utm_source=twitter&utm_social-type=owned&mbid=social_twitter
It’s funny actually, Lady Antebellum decided to grovel before the mob even before anybody noticed them.
This is interesting; why even retired military are prohibited by law from criticizing the President of the United States:
https://justthenews.com/government/security/retired-generals-who-denounced-trump-could-be-recalled-active-duty-and
In a nutshell: they can be reactivated and then court-martialed for insubordination.