Tag: Assassination

Assassination Investigation

Closing Thought–19Feb20

Nope this is not some BS about some Iranian general…this is about famous assassination….that of Malcolm X in 1965……

In case you did not pay attention in history class….I can help….

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/malcolm-x-assassinated

Looks like there may be a new look at this crime and those that were convicted….

Three men were convicted of assassinating Malcolm X in 1965. One of those men confessed, but the other two always maintained their innocence. Now, after the release of a Netflix documentary, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is considering reopening the case over what critics say was a botched police investigation. Coverage:

  • The trio: Three members of the Nation of Islam were sent to prison. Mujahid Abdul Halim (known then as Talmadge Hayer and Thomas Hagan), admitted he was one of the gunmen in New York City. But the other two men convicted, Muhammad Abdul Aziz (then known as Norman 3X Butler) and Khalil Islam (Thomas 15X Johnson) said they were innocent, per the Innocence Project. Halim backed them up.
  • Still fighting: Islam died in 2009, but Aziz is now 81 and hoping to clear his name with the help of the innocence group. He served 20 years in prison for a crime he says he did not commit.
  • DA’s office: The office is starting a “preliminary review” to decide whether the case should be reopened, reports WPIX. The six-part Netflix documentary, based on the work of historian Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, unearthed new evidence about the killing.
  • Who did it? The documentary suggests that Halim and three other members of a Nation of Islam mosque in New Jersey did the shooting, reports the New York Times. Halim and Islam (both known as “enforcers” of strict church doctrine) belonged to Malcolm X’s former mosque in Harlem. No evidence tied them to the crime and the documentary suggests they could not have been at the scene when the shooting took place.
  • Booker connection: One of the accused briefly appeared in a campaign ad for then Newark Mayor Cory Booker in 2010. Booker says in the film he had no idea about the assassination connection. “What got us hooked,” Rachel Dretzin, one of the film’s directors, tells the Times, “was the notion that the likely shotgun assassin of Malcolm X was living in plain sight in Newark, and that many people knew of his involvement, and he was uninvestigated, unprosecuted, unquestioned.” That man, now dead, denied involvement to the New York Daily News in 2015. The other suspected gunmen also are believed to be dead.
  • The background: Malcolm X was shot after splitting with the Nation of Islam and renouncing leader Elijah Muhammad, notes the Washington Post. Up-and-coming figure Louis Farrakhan wrote at the time that Malcolm X was “worthy of death,” and the civil rights leader’s home was firebombed only a week before his assassination.

A bit late…..by 55 years……

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“He Said Bad Stuff”

I am as most already know that I like foreign policy and conflict management…..I have studied many forms of the execution of foreign policy but I have never heard of one that is actionable because of Rhetoric.

Most Americans know that we recently killed a top Iranian general in an airstrike…..there is a story that there were plans to attack American embassies and a couple of other reasons for the assassination.

But Trump has said now that he was killed because he said “bad things”……seriously?

President Trump has struggled with legal justifications for the US assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, failing to back up claims of an “imminent” threat, claiming that didn’t matter because of bad things he’d done. On Friday, Trump suggested to donors that Soleimani was killed not because of what he did, but because of what he said.

Trump made the comments at a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser, saying that he heard Soleimani’s comments, and asked “how much of this shit do we have to listen to?” Trump made no mention of any threats in his decision to kill Soleimani.

This is particularly noteworthy because it represents another example of the president changing his story on the controversial assassination, one which very easily could have led to a major war with Iran.

Claims of an “imminent threat,” true or not, are always made by the US military after an attack because it is one of very few legal pretexts established for carrying out an otherwise aggressive attack. Being insulted by what Soleimani was saying, naturally, is not a legal justification of any sort.

That in less than two weeks the president has repeatedly changed his justification isn’t a good sign, and that this most recent narrative was offered only during a private dinner to his donors, suggests that this was neither meant for public consumption, nor a very good justification at all.

This also came just a day after Trump warned Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to “be careful with his words” after a critical sermon. In this new context, we are clearly meant to understand that if Trump didn’t like what he said, it might easily be a reason for him to be killed.

(antiwar.com)

If they is an adequate reason to assassinate a leader then h why have we not done so for North Korea’s Kim, who has said more “bad stuff” than just about anybody?

I truly would like to know just what style of foreign policy does Trump subscribe to….that is besides the “Pasta Technique”……

I Read, I Wrote, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–17Jan20

I think most Americans agree that this Iranian general was a “bad guy”….and it is a matter opinion on whether he deserved assassination….my opinion is that he did not especially since he was carrying some peace offering to the Saudis.

There seems to be a disconnect between the officials and the American people…..a new poll shows the divide…..

A new poll from Politico-Morning Consult shows the American public substantially less on board with escalatory violence against Iran than media coverage of the situation would generally lead one to believe.

The poll showed the decision to assassinate top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani was highly controversial. Despite weeks of vilifying Soleimani, only 44% support his killing, and 38% continue to disapprove.

There was a lot more unity on the response to Iran’s retaliation for the killing, with 71% approving of not responding militarily to that, and only 14% disapproving. It seems further escalating the conflict is something almost nobody wanted.

(antiwar.com)

That said….the president and his boyz have said that the US embassies were in danger is one reason he was taken out…..okay but so far their explanations have been far short of convincing…..and since their story has fallen apart the Pentagon has decided that Congress does not need that briefing they were promised…..

The State Department’s cancellation of two classified congressional briefings to address embassy security and Iran policy sparked lawmakers’ ire in Wednesday, according to Politico.

“This briefing is required by law every month, and today’s was the most important we’ve had scheduled in a long time,” a House aide told the publication. “The State Department has given us no explanation whatsoever.”

Several senior Foggy Bottom officials — including Brian Hook, special envoy for Iran, and David Schenker, assistant secretary of State for the Middle East — were scheduled to brief the Senate Foreign Relations Committee prior to the cancellation, Politico reported, citing a Senate aide.

Initially the embassy security briefing was to address conditions in the East African nation of Burundi, but the topic was broadened to general facility security amid U.S./Iran tensions following the U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike.

The White House initially claimed the strike was in response to an unspecified imminent threat posed by Soleimani, but President Trump later told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that Soleimani was plotting attacks on four U.S. embassies, which contradicted a briefing that administration officials gave lawmakers in the aftermath of the strike. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday conceded that he had not seen intelligence showing an imminent embassy attack.

(thehill.com)

Just thought you might like to know the rest of the story……

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

OH The Barbarity!

Closing Thought–11Sep19

Awhile back the big story was the assassination of a NY Times journalist, Khashoggi, and the BS the president came up with as to not criticize his buddies in the Saudi monarchy……the world has condemned the royals for their brutality….and now a transcript of the assassination has been made public…..

Jamal Khashoggi’s murderers tried to force him to send a message to his son, according to Turkey’s Sabah newspaper, which says it has obtained recordings from the day the Saudi journalist was murdered inside the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate. In transcripts published by the newspaper, a forensic expert tasked with dismembering the dissident’s body discusses cutting up bodies with another member of the Saudi hit squad less than 15 minutes before Khashoggi arrived at the consulate on Oct. 2, 2018, to obtain a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancée. “I’ve always worked on cadavers. I know how to cut very well,” the doctor says. “I have never worked on a warm body though, but I’ll also manage that easily. I normally put on my earphones and listen to music when I cut cadavers. In the meantime, I sip on my coffee and smoke.”

According to the transcripts, the killers told Khashoggi he had to return to Riyadh because of an Interpol order, the BBC reports. They ordered him to send a text message to his son, telling him not to worry if he doesn’t hear from him, but Khashoggi refused, saying: “How can such a thing take place at a consulate? I’m not writing anything.” Saudi hit squad member Maher Mutreb tells Khashoggi: “Help us so we can help you, because in the end we will take you back to Saudi Arabia and if you don’t help us you know what will happen eventually.” Khashoggi was then drugged and had a plastic bag placed over his head, Sabah reports. His final words, according to the transcript, were: “Don’t cover my mouth. I have asthma, don’t do it. You’ll suffocate me.” The newspaper says the recordings were obtained from the country’s intelligence agency, reports the AP.

This is good now the whole affair can be heard by the world…..and maybe the Saudis will lose some of their prestige in the world of geopolitics….but I doubt it.

Cash will buy them a lot of respect and tolerance……even though  they behead people almost daily (another act of barbarity).

Any thoughts?

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Rasputin….Rasputin…..Let Down Your Hair

Or was that Rapunzel?

This post is not a nursery rhyme instead about the history of Russia early 20th century…..and one of my favorite figures in Russian history.

Grigory Rasputin…..a Russian monk that became the center of Russian foreign policy……the story goes that he was so hated that a few Russian military officers invited Rasputin to a party knowing he would not resist because of his love of drink and fast women…….Rasputin got drunk and the officers poisoned him, stabbed him, shot him and eventually drowned him…..any way his influence over the tsarina was eliminated……

But his life until his death was fascinating……

Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin (1872-1916) was the infamous ‘holy man’ whose ability to heal the Tsar and Tsarina’s son Alexis led to his being adopted as a supreme mystic at court.  Growing in influence to the point where he effectively dictated policy he was eventually assassinated by a group of court conspirators in December 1916.

Born in 1872 at Pokrovskoye in Siberia to a peasant family, Rasputin’s limited education left him without the ability to either read or write. Even at a young age he earned himself such a reputation for devoted debauchery that his actual name of Grigory Yefimovich Novykh was replaced with the surname ‘Rasputin’ – Russian for ‘debauched one’.

https://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/rasputin.htm

His life is interesting but the circumstances around is death and damn well fascinating……

The mysterious Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, a peasant who claimed powers of healing and prediction, had the ear of Russian Czarina Alexandra. The aristocracy held negative views about a peasant in such a high position, and peasants disliked the rumors that the czarina was sleeping with such a scoundrel. Rasputin was seen as “the dark force” who was ruining Mother Russia.To save the monarchy, several members of the aristocracy attempted to murder Rasputin. On the night of Dec. 16, 1916, they tried. The plan was simple. Yet on that fateful night, the conspirators found that killing Rasputin would be very difficult indeed.

The next time you play Triaval Pursuit and the hstory question is….who in history was strangled, stabbed, shot, poisoned and finally drowned?  You will know the answer.
History is just great stuff…..plus it is always good to learn stuff…..
A New Year and more history to delight some and dismay others……
Class Dismissed!

Those Lying Eyes

First the big guns came to town….SecDef and SecState and waltzed in front of the US Senate and lied their asses off…..that may not be fair….they were told what to say to Senators (The Trump Line)……and apparently it was all bullsh*t.

To their benefit I will say that some Senators were put off because the CIA head was not in line to brief and they, Senators, wanted to know why…..

Their threats and bitching got the CIA director a trip to brief a few Senators……

Last week’s Senate briefings surrounding a challenge to the Yemen War were less about the limited testimonies of Mike Pompeo and James Mattis than about the conspicuous absence of CIA Director Gina Haspel. That, and reported admissions from the secretaries that she was forbidden from attending the closed door briefing, fueled a lot of anger in the Senate, and by extension growing resistance to the Yemen War.

In a sign that the White House fears losing the war vote outright, they’re now letting Haspel hold her own briefing Tuesday, for a very limited audience of what the administration believes are “key” senators, mostly committee leaders.

The focus of this briefing will be Saudi Arabia’s murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and the CIA’s assessment that the Saudi Crown Prince was involved. The murder is adding to pressure in Congress to stop supporting Saudi wars, and Yemen would be the obvious choice in that regard.

Letting Haspel testify is a concession to the Senate, but the big question will be what she says. Clearly the whole reason she wasn’t allowed in the first place was fear she’d back the CIA’s assessment and hurt the Saudis. If she still does that, it would be strange to think it would placate any senators.

(antiwar.com)

After the briefing the Senators came before the cameras and made the case of MbS being a killer……

Senators came out of a closed-door briefing with CIA Director Gina Haspel on Tuesday with some pretty unequivocal opinions about Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s involvement in Jamal Khashoggi’s October death. What you need to know:

  • Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker put it like so: “If the Crown Prince went in front of a jury, he would be convicted in 30 minutes.”
  • NPR points out that when senators were briefed by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week, Mattis said there was no “smoking gun” that showed the crown prince’s hand in the murder. Sen. Lindsey Graham picked up that thread Tuesday, saying there may not be a smoking gun, but there is a “smoking saw,” a reference to the bone saw allegedly used to dismember the journalist in Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul. He added there is “zero chance” the crown prince, whom he described as a “wrecking ball,” didn’t play a part, reports the AP.
  • And the New York Times has this from Sen. Richard Shelby: “All evidence points to that, that all this leads back to the crown prince. This is conduct that none of us in America would approve of in any way.”
  • The Washington Post’s take: “Senators put themselves in direct opposition to the White House, making clear that the evidence they heard had convinced them beyond the shadow of a doubt.”
  • And while they were fairly united as it relates to Prince Mohammed, the Times sees senators as being much less unified when it comes to where to go from here, on the heels of last week’s vote to consider ending the US’ involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The Hill has much more on the efforts and sticking points around the legislation here.
  • The AP reports that vote set up debate on the resolution, but when, or even whether, that will happen is unclear, as senators are considering whether to amend the measure, and, if so, how.
  • As for who was allowed to participate in the briefing, the Post reports only Senate leaders and the ranking senators on select committees involved in national security and Saudi policy as it relates to Yemen were included.

Politico reports Rand Paul didn’t number among them, and he wasn’t pleased with that, saying all senators should have heard Haspel’s testimony. “There are eight people in Congress who get briefings on intelligence. That is not democracy. That is not democratic representation nor is it democratic oversight. I think the very definition of the deep state is when the intelligence communities withhold information from Congress.”

My apologies to Haspel for I thought that her time away from first briefing was that the admin was trying to get all lies to confirm their, the admin, position.

And now that the “rest of the story” has been told there seems to be a “showdown” in the Senate brewing….

The Senate is barreling toward a floor brawl over how to respond to Saudi Arabia’s role in the slaying of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Senators took a significant step this week advancing a bipartisan resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, marking a sharp break from President Trump, who has stood by Riyadh and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, even in the face of reports that the prince personally ordered Khashoggi’s death.

But now, lawmakers need to figure out what a final bill will look like as they prepare to take a next step of bringing the resolution up for debate — and a potentially raucous floor drama. The war powers fight is uncharted waters for a Senate that has repeatedly rejected attempts to challenge the White House’s war authority.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/419214-senate-headed-clash-over-saudi-arabia

It will be telling by the conclusion of this Senatorial fight……admin and Senate at odds…cannot end well for either side….but will win this battle?

To Kill A President

Almost from the very beginning there have been those that have thought that killing a president would solve all the problems…..and unfortunately this president is no different…..

A North Dakota man has admitted stealing a forklift as part of a bizarre plot to kill President Trump last year. US Assistant State’s Attorney Brandi Sasse Russell says Gregory Lee Leingang, 42, stole the forklift and made his way to the motorcade route before Trump arrived to speak at a refinery in Mandan on Sept. 6. 2017, the Grand Forks Herald reports. “The intent was to basically try to get to the limo, flip the limo and get to the president and he wanted to kill the president,” Sasse Russell told a federal court Friday. As part of a plea deal, Leingang admitted attempting to damage government property and “attempting to enter or remain in a restricted building and on grounds while using a dangerous weapon.”

Leingang was arrested after the forklift became stuck in a gated area. Public defender Michelle Monteiro told the court the Bismarck resident was “suffering a serious psychiatric crisis during this incident” and his mental health has improved after seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist in prison. She said Leingang pleaded guilty in state court to stealing the forklift and setting two fires the same morning. He received 15 years for those crimes and 5 years for an unrelated burglary charge. Leingang will be sentenced on the federal charges Feb. 15, and Sasse Russell says she is considering making the federal sentence concurrent to the time he is serving on the state charges. (In 2016, a British man who admitted plotting to kill Trump was sentenced to a year and a day in federal custody.)

That puts Trump in good company (something he is not too fond of doing in person….I mean finding good company)……

From Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama, a look at presidential assassinations and failed attempts.

http://timelines.latimes.com/us-presidential-assassinations-and-attempts/

Notice as we get into the twentieth century the presidents involved in assassination attempts have gone up…..I wonder why that is?  (Geez!  That was sarcasm people!)

This has always been there and I guess it will continue to be so……

Always Go With The Good Customer

I see that nothing matters to this president…he will always go with the customer….and I am not necessarily talking about our booming weapons industry……

Trump refuses to state the facts that the intel agencies have handed him about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi……..

President Trump made clear in a statement Tuesday that he has no intention of cutting ties with Saudi Arabia over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event—maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump said, referring to Mohammed bin Salman. Trump, however, pointed out that King Salman and the prince “vigorously deny any knowledge” of the murder, per the Washington Post. “We may never know all the facts,” he added, but “in any case, our relationship is with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Trump rejected the idea of “foolishly” canceling military contracts, saying that would only benefit Russia and China, reports Reuters. The US, he said, “intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia.” As for critics in Congress who want to punish the Saudis: “I will consider whatever ideas are presented to me, but only if they are consistent with the absolute security and safety of America.” (The CIA is reportedly pretty sure that the crown prince is behind the murder.)

Our Dear Supreme Leader has stated that he has talked with MbS on at least 5 occasions and he has said he was not involved…..and Trump even dispatched SecState Pompeo to Saudi to “get some answers”…..

Really?  Or did he go to Saudi to help the prince with his lies?

During his trip to the kingdom last month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly provided Saudi Arabia with a detailed plan on how to make sure Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was protected from the fallout over writer Jamal Khashoggi’s murder—and possibly pin the killing on an innocent person. Middle East Eye reports Pompeo delivered the plan during a meeting with Saudi King Salman and and the crown prince last month in Riyadh. The U.S. State Department strongly denied the existence of the plan. The “roadmap” allegedly includes an option to pin the murder on an innocent member of the ruling family to avoid blame falling on those at the top. That fall guy has not been chosen, according to the report, and Saudi leaders are said to be reserving that plan in case the criticism of the crown prince intensifies. “We would not be surprised if that happens,” a source told the Middle East Eye. The U.S. State Department called the allegations “a complete misrepresentation of the secretary’s diplomatic mission to Saudi Arabia.”

(thedailybeast.com)

I wish I could say something nice but all I can do is think of what did MbS promise Trump to get him lying in support of the prince?  What is the price of a human life?

Besides….just what do we get from Saudi Arabia?  They have been a supporter of terrorism, they have done nothing to help with the Palestinians, they work on total self-interests not caring one way or the other about the US……again just what does the US get from the Saudis?  I think the Trump family gets more than the country does.

The Saudis owe us not we owe them!  And yet this president spends time on his knees before these barbaric murderers…….why?

Saudis Show Their Disdain

Now that the world knows for certain that the Saudis are responsible for the assassination of a WaPo journalist they have hit the airwaves to show how little they care about the world’s opinion……

Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat said Saturday that the global outcry and media focus on the killing of a Saudi journalist earlier this month has become “hysterical” as he urged the public to wait for the results of an investigation before ascribing blame to the kingdom’s top leadership, the AP reports. Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed by Saudi agents at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. “This issue has become fairly hysterical,” Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said. “I think people have assigned blame to Saudi Arabia with such certainty before the investigation is complete.” Some of those implicated in Khashoggi’s killing are close to Prince Mohammed, who is the kingdom’s heir apparent.

His condemnation of the killing as “heinous” and “painful” has so far failed to ease suspicions that such a high-level operation could have been carried out without his knowledge. Al-Jubeir addressed the mounting skepticism around the crown prince’s alleged involvement. He was speaking in response to questions from Western journalists at an annual conference of international officials, including US Defense Secretary James Mattis, in Bahrain. “We have made clear that we are going to have a full and transparent investigation, the results of which will be released,” he said, adding that the kingdom has also put in place mechanisms to ensure this does not happen again. “We know that people exceeded their authority and we know that we’re investigating them,” he said

They tried to get a chuckle and to make light of the assassination.

To counter their barbarity they use Iran as an example……

Saudi Arabia and key ally Bahrain said on Saturday that Gulf states are playing a critical role in maintaining stability in the Middle East by combating Iran’s “vision of darkness”, as Riyadh faces its worst political crisis in decades, reports Reuters.

Saudi Arabia is the lynchpin of a US-backed regional bloc against growing Iranian influence in the Middle East but the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. has prompted a global outcry and strained Riyadh’s ties with the West.

“We are now dealing with two visions in the Middle East. One is a (Saudi) vision of light … One is an (Iranian) vision of darkness which seeks to spread sectarianism throughout the region,” Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a security summit in Bahrain.

https://theantimedia.com/saudi-arabia-beacon-light-iran-khashoggi/

What CRAP!  Who wrote this script for them….. Israel?

The Saudis are pulling out all stops to make the US forget their crimes against their people and against humanity.

Any American investing in anything Saudi should do the right thing and pull their cash from under their, The Saudis, feet.

Screw the Saudis!

Limp Dick Penalties

I need to apologize for my internet is spotty at best today….I am posting in between brown outs and such…..hopefully these toads will get it right some time today.

Now for the news of the day (well yesterday)……

We have been waiting for all the information to trickle into the White House so that Our Dear Supreme Leader can flex American muscle and make the Saudis pay for the gruesome murder of a WaPo journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

After all the semi-tough talk from Trumpy Boy (I could not use “Trumpy Bear for it is a registered trademark) Trump has decided and Pompeo stepped forward and as usual gave his limp dick verdict.

The Trump administration revoked the visas Tuesday of some Saudi officials implicated in the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi in its first punitive measure against its longtime Middle East partner, as President Donald Trump denounced the kingdom for one of the “worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups.” Shortly after Trump made the comment, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration was moving to revoke the visas of Saudi government and intelligence agents suspected of involvement in the death of Khashoggi. Visa records are confidential and Pompeo was not more specific about who the revocations would affect, but the State Department later said 21 “Saudi suspects” would have visas revoked or would be declared ineligible to enter the US, the AP reports.

Revoking thew visas of minor Saudi players that were working under orders….cannot get more Limp Dick than that.

To be honest Pompeo did say that there is the possibility of further consequences…….

“These penalties will not be the last word on this matter,” Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. The administration “will continue to hold those responsible accountable. We’re making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, with violence. Neither the president or I am happy with this situation.” Members of Congress have demanded that sanctions be imposed on Saudi Arabia. Trump has resisted calls thus far to cut off arms sales to the kingdom and Pompeo stressed the strategic importance of the US-Saudi relationship. But in his remarks to reporters at the White House, Trump derided the initial Saudi denial of any wrongdoing and efforts to conceal what happened to Khashoggi. “They had a very bad original concept,” he said. “It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups. Somebody really messed up and they had the worst cover-up ever.”

It should be very telling when further penalties are announced ….if ever.

How about putting some teeth in this decision…..first, an international investigation for the Saudis will do nothing and Turkey is probably up to something….second, NATO should expel Saudi ambassadors….third suspend arms sales (do not believe the hype they will continue to buy our weapons they have a war in Yemen that needs the armament)…these would be the bare minimum of penalties for now.

But as was predicted the Saudis will get a free ride for their actions.

A closing statement…..Khashoggi’s bodily remains may have been located….

Three weeks after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and never emerged, Turkish officials are reporting that journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s body and personal effects have finally been found. The circumstances once again support the idea that a Saudi kill-team that arrived at the consulate at the same time indeed killed and attempted to dispose of him.

Though Turkish investigators are so far not confirming or denying it, top Turkish official Dogu Perincek is reporting that Khashoggi’s body was found cut-up and disfigured, and dumped in the well in the garden belonging to the Saudi consul general.

This all supports the audio recording of Khashoggi’s murder, in which the then-consule general objected to the kill-team killing and cutting up Khashoggi in the consulate, saying he’d “get in trouble.” He’s been fired, and recalled to Saudi Arabia for an investigation.

(antiwar.com)

Now ask yourself why are we not more strict on the Saudis?  It is not the oil for we have more than they do and we could make up any short fall if they, Saudis, want to retaliate……arms deals?  They need us more than we need them they will continue to buy our implements of destruction….so just what is the reason that we feel we must continuously give them oral sex?