Day: October 18, 2018

Closing Thought–18Oct18

We had yet another round of the sexual assault of someone in the government or wants to be in the government…..

I found a Repub candidate that is the best example of the Party today, the party of ignorant old white men……

This guy thinks rape can be prevented by educating women……

When Senate Republicans voted this weekend to confirm alleged sexual predator Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, they proved once again that the GOP is the party of rape.

And just in case you thought that was a fluke, Republican congressional candidate Denver Riggleman stepped in on Monday to claim that rape and sexual assault can be prevented by “educating females.”

During the fifth debate in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District between Riggleman and his Democratic opponent, veteran journalist Leslie Cockburn, an audience member asked both candidates how they proposed to reduce incidences of rape and sexual assault.

https://shareblue.com/gop-nominee-denver-riggleman-we-can-stop-rape-by-educating-females/

Seriously?  Once again it is a woman’s fault that she is raped…the man is an innocent by-stander according to the GOP and its nominees…..

Have you heard anything so fucking ignorant in your life?

And then I did…….

former Indiana state lawmaker, who once proudly identified himself as the most “conservative member” of the legislature in the state that gave the country Vice President Mike Pence, used a passage in the Bible to dismiss women who claim they have been raped.

“Only fools or fanatics or feminists (but then I repeat myself) say that all female sexual accusations against men should be believed. Period,” Boys wrote, before adding, “A false accusation can destroy a man’s family, finances, and future. All sexual assaults should be seriously looked at and any rapist should be executed as in bygone years and any false accuser should be branded with an L on her forehead and horse-whipped out of town (figuratively).”

But Boys added a caveat by citing a few choice passages from the Bible.

“Some common sense definitions are necessary regarding this accusation,” he explained. “Rape is having sex with a woman while she screams for help. No scream, no rape according to Deuteronomy 22:23-24. Ford says Kavanaugh held his hand over her mouth so did she scream for help when his hand was elsewhere?”

(rawstory.com)

Wow!  Only if the woman screams?  Wow!

Just wait another GOPer will open his mouth and insert both feet…..I have confidence in my prediction.

GOP is choke full of angry old men and the sooner they die off the better off the country will be…..a bit harsh I know….but as they say….the truth hurts!

Today In History!

One year ago today I went to the ER with 10 toes and woke up with only 6 remaining. And the long road to recovery began.

But since I am not all that important I will check history and see that the very First Balkan War began in 1912…..

The First Balkan War breaks out between the members of the Balkan League–Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro–and the Ottoman Empire.

…….another and far more serious war had broken out in the Balkan peninsula. It took the form of an attack on Turkey by the four contiguous Christian states, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and Montenegro. The alliance of Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and Montenegro – Christians, former rayahs of the Ottoman empire, to the end of solving the remaining problems of the peninsula, had often been suggested, but the idea had regularly suffered shipwreck on the fierce competitive nationalism of the youthful states.

The feelings harbored toward each other by the Serbs and Bulgars were amply divulged by the war of 1885, while the desolating, unofficial conflict in Macedonia among Bulgars, Greeks, Serbs, and Albanians, left no doubt as to the jealousy rampant among these four groups. But what no statesmanship in or outside Balkania working over time had been able to accomplish, the mistaken zeal of the Young Turks brought about in a few months. Their purpose, reduced to its simplest terms, was a resuscitated Ottoman empire. But this, the patriotic hope of the Young Turks, was to the Christian communities only recently rescued from Turkish bondage, nothing less than a nightmare filling them with fear and horror.

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/balkan-1.htm

Keeping with my tradition of trying to make it easier for those that have a hard time with the study of history I have included a short video explaining the event…..

This conflict should have signaled the possibility of a wider war in Europe….but the signals were ignored and in 1914 World War One erupted and the death and the destruction was immense.

Plus 80 years later, after break-up of the former country of Yugoslavia, another situation erupted and the world reacted and once again the death and destruction came to the region.

Have Gun Will Travel

As long as I am writing about assassination…….

Does anyone remember the Western from the 60’s?  Paladin–does it ring a bell?  Never mind….don’t hurt yourself it was a TV western about a hired gun and weekly he made the decisions of life and death…..Richard Boone played probably the first anti-hero hero….

But I digress!

I bring this up because of something that is being reported……there seems to be an hired American hit team operating for the UAE……

It’s “almost like a murder squad,” an incredulous former CIA official told BuzzFeed News. The site had called him for comment as it dug into a potential bombshell of a story: that former elite US special operations fighters were assassinating high-profile figures in Yemen, but not as part of a military operation. Rather, the targeted killings allegedly came at the request of the United Arab Emirates, which had engaged the private US company the former fighters now work for. The CIA official told BuzzFeed this simply wasn’t possible. Then he asked around and called back: “There were guys that were basically doing what you said.” So what is BuzzFeed saying? Aram Roston centers much of his lengthy piece around what he says was a planned Dec. 29, 2015, hit, staffed by employees of the Delaware-incorporated Spear Operations Group.

Spear’s founder is Abraham Golan, “a charismatic Hungarian Israeli security contractor who lives outside of Pittsburgh,” whose employees—a former Green Beret and former Navy SEALs among them—were to kill Anssaf Ali Mayo, a key figure in a political party the UAE sees as having terror ties (critics counter this). Roston recounts Golan and his team flying to the UAE and receiving a 23-person hit list while on board; Golan viewed the targets as “legitimate,” as Roston puts it, because the UAE selected them, and the US backs the UAE’s military efforts. Things went awry with Mayo; they managed to bomb the party’s HQ, but had no proof Mayo was dead, and he seems to still be alive. But Roston sees the attempt on his life as an opening salvo, with “members of Al-Islah, and other clerics in Aden [subsequently] dropping dead at an alarming pace.” Golan says his team was behind a number of those hits. Read Roston’s full piece, which explores the “surprisingly unclear” question of whether Spear’s alleged actions are illegal under US law.

The excuse for this rings hollow but also is used to justify the murder of Khashoggi…..

Once again mercs being used to do the dirty work that governments want to keep their hands clean….plausible deniability.

The report made me think of the TV show but it also lead me to something that was a secret until recently……Murder Inc…..when I was in the service of my country there was a group operating internationally their title was “Service 7″….it was an assassination squad from Bulgaria…..

“The Bulgarian state security services had a super-secret special bureau responsible for the eradication, kidnapping or discrediting of Bulgarian émigrés around the world long before the notorious assassination of Bulgarian writer Georgi Markov in London in 1978.

The SMERSH-style Cold War clandestine structure was called ‘Service 7’. It began operations in mid-1963 and by 1972 was engaged in at least 10 cases against Bulgarians who escaped to Italy, Britain, Denmark, West Germany, Turkey, France, Ethiopia, Sweden and Switzerland before 1989.

https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/opinion/murder-bureau-department-of-murders-existed-in-bulgaria/

More on these American mercs……

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/aramroston/mercenaries-assassination-us-yemen-uae-spear-golan-dahlan

There was a time after Vietnam when I actually thought about becoming a merc or at least joining the Foreign Legion….but the birth of my daughter changed all that silliness.

There use to be a consequence for fighting in a war not declared by the US…those days are gone…sadly this trend is very disturbing.

Further Reading if you would like to know more……

https://lobotero.com/2018/05/15/wars-we-dont-know/

https://lobotero.com/2018/10/03/afghanistan-october-2018/

https://lobotero.com/2017/08/11/dont-privatize-the-afghan-war-just-end-it/

Human Trafficking Or Slavery?

Today is Anti-Slavery Day!  18Oct18!

A few years back I went to a seminar on human trafficking as part of a certificate that I wanted….the subject is fascinating and a topic that needs more attention in the news.

But first we need to understand just what is human trafficking…..

Slavery is a product of human trafficking…..and there has been a study made on Modern Slavery…..

Slavery, long banned and universally condemned, persists in many corners of the world, victimizing tens of millions of people.

https://www.cfr.org/interactives/modern-slavery/

Then there are the countries where slavery is a part of life….a sad indictment of the world today…..after all it is the 21st century and we should be better than this…..

As you can see that slavery is not some aspect of life from the past…it is real and people are suffering from its practices today.

I hope the shirt vids that are provided here was of help in understanding what is happening in the world….virtually under the noses of our leaders.  Maybe my post will help generate interest in the subject….and help generate a concern that leads to action to help the world move beyond this barbarous act.

If you can please do whatever it takes to help fight this subject….if you are not sure how to fight this ….then maybe this vid will help…..

Thanx for your time and attention on this subject……please help if you can.

Khashoggi–The Story That Will Not Go Away

That is what the Saudis are thinking…..and guess what…it should not go away!

***This is a lot to read but please give it some time for there is much to be learned***

Our Dear Supreme Leader is acting as the front man the PR agent for the Saudis…..

President Trump Tuesday criticized rapidly mounting global condemnation of Saudi Arabia over the case of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, warning of a rush to judgment. In an interview with the AP, Trump compared the situation to the allegations of sexual assault leveled against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing. “I think we have to find out what happened first,” he said. “Here we go again with, you know, you’re guilty until proven innocent. I don’t like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was innocent all the way as far as I’m concerned.” Trump spoke Tuesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Monday with King Salman. He said both deny any knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi, who entered their country’s consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago and hasn’t been seen since.

In Turkey earlier Tuesday, a high-level Turkish official told the AP that police investigators searching the Saudi Consulate had found evidence that Khashoggi was killed there. Also Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the king and crown prince in Riyadh and said later the kingdom had made a “serious commitment” to hold senior leaders and officials accountable if implicated in Khashoggi’s death. Trump said he hopes the Saudis’ own investigation of Khashoggi’s disappearance will be concluded in “less than a week.” Trump said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s trip to attend a Saudi investment conference is still on, but that it could be canceled by Friday depending on what the investigation finds. (Inside the Saudi consulate, suspicious new paint.)

I see his dumb fumbling supporters are on the same page as their Supreme Leader……..

Now to be honest…I think Turkey is up to something behind the scenes….I would not put it past them to cut a deal with the Saudis and the evidence they have collected.

President Trump has mused it might have been “rogue killers” who murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while other sources are buzzing that Saudi Arabia plans to admit Khashoggi was accidentally killed during an interrogation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got directly on the case Tuesday in Riyadh, where he was sent by Trump to meet with King Salman and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Reuters and CBS News report. After that sit-down, Pompeo was expected to dine later Monday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (aka MBS), who’s been linked to an order to abduct Khashoggi, an ex-senior US official tells the New York Times. Pompeo’s meeting with the king was “hastily arranged” and “short”; CNN estimates it lasted just 15 minutes, based on motorcade arrival and departure times.

State Department rep Heather Nauert didn’t reveal much about the meeting, other than Pompeo thanking the king “for his commitment to supporting a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation.” Meanwhile, witnesses tell Reuters that Turkish crime scene officials scoured the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where Khashoggi was last seen, for more than nine hours Monday, and a Turkish government rep says police are expected to go back Tuesday. CNN reporters noted that before investigators descended upon the consulate, they’d seen a cleaning crew head inside. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered a bit of eyebrow-raising insight into what authorities are focusing on. “The investigation is looking into many things such as toxic materials and those materials being removed by painting them over.”

MbS is behind this and he has a dark side (go figure)…….

The disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has put the spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS.

Since he outmanoeuvred his rivals to become Saudi Arabia’s de-facto leader in 2015, the 33-year-old has received favourable coverage in international media, with a multitude of reports focused on his economic and social reforms in the conservative kingdom.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/mohammed-bin-salman-dark-side-saudi-arabia-crown-prince-181015123719153.html

The Saudis probably spend more cash on lobbying than any other country…..and the firms that represent the Saudis are bailing from them…..

A Washington lobbying firm has told Saudi Arabia it will no longer represent the kingdom, as international furor builds over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A person familiar with the move says The Glover Park Group informed the Saudis on Monday of the decision. The person wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

Disclosure records filed with the Justice Department show the firm has been providing the Saudi Embassy with “government relations and communications counsel” for $150,000 a month.

The decision underscores the growing pressure facing Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi hasn’t been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. He wrote columns critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Another lobbying firm, The Harbour Group, severed its contract with the Saudi government late last week.

(yahoo.com)

And the list keeps expanding…..hit where it hurts….in the PR bread box….

As I keep saying this story is far from over…..no amount of false starts will change the outcome…..

Would you like to know what the rest of the Arab world is saying?  Of course you would.  I would like to be fair so I have found what others are saying outside the realm of the Western Powers.

Palestine

On Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he offered his “full confidence” to the kingdom and thanked its leaders for their support of the Palestinians.

“Palestine was – and shall remain – on the side of Saudi Arabia,” Abbas said in a statement.

Palestinian sources told the Jerusalem Post they believed that the statement was issued at the request of the Saudi leadership.

Lebanon

Lebanese Minister Saad Hariri said in a statement also on Sunday that he stood in solidarity with Saudi Arabia “in the face of the campaigns targeting it”.

“The status of Saudi Arabia in the Arab and international communities places it among the central countries entrusted with the stability of the region and the support of the Arab causes,” he said.

“The campaigns against it constitute a violation of this stability and an unacceptable call to drag the region towards further negative developments.”

Last November, Hariri announced in a televised address from Riyadh that he was stepping down as prime minister of Lebanon, sparking concerns that he was being detained against his will.

After France intervened, Hariri was freed and rescinded his resignation the following month. He was named premier for a third term earlier this year after Lebanon’s first parliamentary polls in nine years.

Egypt

Ahmed Hafidh, Egypt’s foreign ministry spokesman, said on Sunday that the country was following the repercussions of Khashoggi’s disappearance with great “concern” and warned against using his case politically against Saudi Arabia.

“Egypt reaffirms its support for the kingdom in its efforts and positions dealing with this event,” he said.

Bahrain

Bahrain’s foreign ministry released a statement on Sunday emphasising the country’s support for Saudi Arabia in the face of those trying to harm the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is “the essential foundation for the security and stability of the Arab and Islamic worlds and the solid foundation and strong pillar of stability in the region,” the statement said, adding that Bahrain “rejects” the attempts to infringe on the “sovereignty, policies and prestige” of the kingdom.

Yemen

Yemen’s president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi – who has been living in exile in Riyadh since 2015, after the Houthi movement captured significant territory in the country – affirmed its “full solidarity” with the kingdom.

“The cheap political and media targeting of Saudi Arabia will not deter it from continuing its leading role in the Arab and Islamic worlds,” the president said in a statement reported in Saudi media.

Arab League

The Arab League affirmed on Sunday its rejection of any political pressure applied on Saudi Arabia in relation to the Khashoggi affair.

“It is totally unacceptable, in the context of relations between countries, to wave economic sanctions as a policy or tool to achieve political goals,” an Arab League official told Wafa agency.

“Concerning the disappearance of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi authorities have clearly stated their cooperation in ongoing investigations.”

Iran

Saudi arch-rival Iran said on Monday it would adopt a wait-and-see approach to Khashoggi’s disappearance.

“We prefer to wait until more details and facts are revealed … It is too early to comment,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told a news conference, broadcast live on state TV.

Most of these testimonials are disingenuous at best….they are protecting their butts by all this fake acceptance.  The one statement that got my attention was that the Saudis were an anchor for the stability of the region….truth is anyone that knows the Middle East should get a good chuckle out of the statement.

I will be watching and writing…..

I did not have to wait long for the BS from Our Dear Supreme Leader……he casts doubt on anything happening……his ass scratching supporters to follow suit….

With Saudi Arabia working on the exact language of their admission that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in their consulate in Istanbul, President Trump is shifting his policy toward increasingly vocal defense of the Saudis, and blanket denials that the Saudis are doing anything wrong.

Talk of punishment if found guilty is drying up, and now President Trump is complaining that the media is treating the Saudis as “guilty until proven innocent,” despite having admitted himself that he’d also heard the Saudis are working on an admission that they in fact killed Khashoggi during a “botched interrogation.”

Trump appears content to take the word of Saudi officials as absolute insisting that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denied any knowledge of what happened in the consulate, and citing the king’s promise of a full investigation.

(antiwar.com)

Then there is graphic recordings…..

A pro-government Turkish newspaper published a gruesome recounting Wednesday of the alleged slaying of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, just as America’s top diplomat arrived in the country for talks over the Washington Post columnist’s disappearance, the AP reports. The Yeni Safak report cited what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi’s slaying, which it said showed the writer was tortured. The newspaper said Saudi Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi could be heard on the tape, telling those allegedly torturing Khashoggi: “Do this outside; you’re going to get me in trouble.” The newspaper said one of the Saudis torturing Khashoggi replied: “Shut up if you want to live when you return to (Saudi) Arabia.”

The report adds to the ever-increasing pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi, who vanished Oct. 2 while visiting the consulate to pick up paperwork he needed to get married. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held separate meetings with Turkey’s president and foreign minister for around 40 minutes each on Wednesday in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Pompeo met with Saudi King Salman and his son, the 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on Tuesday. Before leaving Riyadh, Pompeo told reporters that the Saudi leaders “made no exceptions on who they would hold accountable.”

Does anyone out there believe the words of a lying d/bag like Pompeo?

There’s a bit more…….

…….an audio recording of the slaying. Khashoggi—who was also drugged, per the Wall Street Journal—was dead within minutes, but not before his fingers were cut off, the official said.

Khashoggi was beheaded, then his body dismembered, the official told the Times. Putting on headphones, a doctor of forensics advised others to do the same, claiming music made the work easier, the official said. Like the Yeni Safak report, the official cited audio recordings said to have been obtained by Turkey. After noting Tuesday that the US should “be smart” to avoid losing a “$110 billion order” for arms from Saudi Arabia, per the Journal, President Trump said Wednesday he had requested access to the audio. But as Turkish police searched al-Otaibi’s residence in Istanbul, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he’d be patient. It’s “reasonable to give [the Saudis] a handful of days more to complete [their investigation] so they get it right,” he said, per CBS News.

So I Have Written!