Tag: Military Coup

Blame It On Pennsylvania

I was on social media as the coup in Turkey began….a short lived event saved by the very media that the Turkish president hates deeply….anyway I have been watching the news and listening to the excuse given for the coup….most of them are speculation only.

After some digging on my own I found some that are blaming….wait for it….Obama….now I believe that he can be blamed for many things but this one is for the haters only……mentally challenged……

But it is not the best one I found…..it seems that Ergodan is blaming of all  things…..Pennsylvania.

After a military coup attempt that now appears to be firmly quashed, the Turkish government is focusing its wrath on Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. The town is home to Fethullah Gulen, an influential cleric who leads a popular movement called Hizmet, and President Recep Tayyib Erdogan blames his followers for the coup attempt that left at least 161 dead in overnight clashes, the New York Times reports. “I have a message for Pennsylvania: You have engaged in enough treason against this nation,” Erdogan said early Saturday. “If you dare, come back to your country.” Gulen, a moderate Muslim cleric who has lived in the US since 1999, was Erdogan’s ally until 2013, when the leader blamed him for corruption allegations. In other coverage:

  • Vox has more on the Gulenist movement, which runs a large network of schools and supports interfaith dialogue, secular democracy, science, and a progressive stance on social issues. Gulen says he condemns the coup attempt “in the strongest terms.”
  • The AP reports that John Kerry says the US would consider an extradition request for Gulen, though nothing has been received yet and firm evidence would be required. “We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr. Gulen,” Kerry told reporters. “And obviously we would invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny.”
  • The New York Times looks at how the fallout from the coup will make the region’s politics even more complicated for the US and Europe, which saw Erdogan’s government as a stable and reliable ally. “The danger here is this could spiral out of control and turn into a full-blown civil war,” says former US Ambassador to Turkey Eric S. Edelman.
  • CNN reports on how many civilian supporters of Erdogan stood up to the coup attempt, in some cases blocking military vehicles with their cars and even lying down in front of tanks.
  • Almost 3,000 military service members have been arrested and almost the same number of judges have been removed from their duties in what appears to be a nationwide purge of Gulen supporters, the Guardian reports.
  • Reuters reports that Erdogan, who had been vacationing on the country’s southeast coast, addressed thousands of supporters after flying into Ankara’s airport early Saturday. ” This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army,” he said.
  • Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says 161 people were killed and 1,440 were injured in the coup attempt, but a government source tells the AP that the figures exclude coup plotters, meaning the true toll could be much higher.
  • Greece says it will return a Blackhawk helicopter flown to the country from Turkey, but it will examine the asylum claims made by the eight military members on board, including two majors, the AP reports.

Erdogan will use this indecent to rid himself of ALL his political opponents….does that sound familiar?  Think 1930’s…….

God I love this stuff…..Turkey will be watched closely….I feel this is not over by a long shot.

‘Seven Days In May’ Scenario

Actually a great novel and great movie starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas back in the 60’s…..the plot is that a group of military officers plan a military coup to take over the US from what they saw as a weak president….

Back years ago I wrote a post about Blackwater, a private security firm that has its own army and air force, and their time in Iraq and Afghanistan….I wrote then how I was leery of any company that employs its own military that they could be used to make the scenario treated in a movie come true…..

But would Americans really allow such a a scenario play out?

Good question?

Americans in general trust their military—and 29% of them trust so much that they can imagine supporting a military takeover of the government, according to a YouGov poll. That rose to 43% among Republicans, while just 20% of Democrats said they could envision supporting a military coup in the US. When respondents were asked if they could potentially support the military “stepping in to take control from a civilian government which is beginning to violate the Constitution,” the overall number saying yes rose to 43%, though a military coup itself wouldn’t exactly be constitutional.

The same poll found that most people have a lot more respect for military officers than they do for civilian leaders: Some 71% said military officers put the interests of the country ahead of their own interests, while just 12% thought the same about members of Congress. But there’s probably no need to worry about tanks rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue or a Main Street near you anytime soon: The Pentagon hasn’t shown much interest in taking over the nation, and a University of Pennsylvania expert tells the Guardian that the YouGov poll, like any online poll, isn’t likely to be truly representative of the US population. (Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the State Guard to keep an eye on the military this summer.)

Does this not give a normal person pause?

I realize that some hate Obama and think is somehow in cahoots with the bad guys….but support a military coup?

Now I really would like thoughts on this…….

The Saga Of Jade Helm 15

When the military training exercise entitled as Jade Helm 15 was first announced the Moronic Right wen batcrap crazy…..people like Alex Jones started telling their idiot followers that the US military was preparing for a military takeover…….even an elected official, the governor Texas ordered the National Guard to keep tabs on the exercise to head off any attempts at a junta.

What truly worried me was that many people that I considered rational played along with the nonsense and even tried to make sense of why the government would do this.  DO what?  The military is on a training exercise something they do all the time and have been doing for decades without any hint of a coup.

Maybe the people that were most concerned had just viewed the movie “7 Days In May” on TMC……..that could explain the irrationality……

I have been sarcastically digging at the people that took this thing seriously because I am an irritating SOB…….and I want them to feel as foolish as they are…….

But what about Jade Helm 15…….what has been happening….I mean other than some non-existent coup……..

We have one report on Jade Helm………

North Carolina is not one of the states where the U.S. military training exercise dubbed “Jade Helm 15” is taking place this summer. Nevertheless, three men from Gaston County were charged with conspiring to arm themselves with illegal explosive devices to combat what they saw as a potential military takeover, according to court documents unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte.

The documents alleged Walter Eugene Litteral, 50, Christopher James Barker, 42, and Christopher Todd Campbell, 30, stockpiled weapons and discussed how to build homemade explosive devices. Litteral also allegedly tried to purchase a firearm for Barker, who is a convicted felon.

A tipster first contacted the FBI in June after becoming concerned that Litteral and Campbell were “preparing to use lethal force against United States government forces in order to defend against the imposition of martial law or other infringements on their rights,” according to an affidavit. The affidavit noted that the two men had discussed their belief that “Jade Helm 15” was actually a cover for the implementation of martial law with the tipster.

Is that it?  NOPE!  My state of Mississippi has its share of morons (more than most states)……and someone had to pull the trigger…..

For the second time this week, a gunman opened fire at Camp Shelby, a military training center that is part of the “Jade Helm 15″ training exercises, according to the Associated Press.

A man matching the same description as Tuesday’s shooter, white and driving a red or maroon pickup truck, opened fire around 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Clarion-Ledger reports. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

On Tuesday, a gunman with the same description fired at two soldiers training at Camp Shelby. Two men were taken into custody and questioned, but were then released without charges, according to the paper.

Appears that Southern meth heads and crack smokers are more of a threat then some poor soldier on a training exercise…..

 

Lindsey Graham………..Comedian

Before I start I want to say that Lindsey Graham is a douche!  (I feel better!)

We have all heard about that letter that 47 d/bag Congresspeople decided to sign then send to Iran…..and now with all the backlash staffers are saying that it was a “light-hearted” attempt to amuse……may I please see the hands of the pea brains that buy this excuse?

Continuing on the comedy tact….Graham, who has an eye on running for president,  has made a funny….at least according to staffers………

Lindsey Graham is still talking. His latest headline-worthy quote: If he becomes our next president, the very first thing he will do is deploy the military. Against … Congress. “I wouldn’t let Congress leave town until we fix this,” he said yesterday at New Hampshire’s “politics and pies” forum, referring to the budget. “I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to. We’re not leaving town until we restore these defense cuts. We are not leaving town until we restore the intel cuts.”

As Vox notes, the quote implies Graham would use the military to force Congress to actually pass a bill, not simply to vote on one, since his stated goal is to “restore” the cuts. Sounds like a “coup” if taken literally, writes Amanda Taub. And though Graham did, indeed, use the word “literally,” his office later clarified to Mediaite that the senator “was employing over-the-top humor to win over his audience.”

BTW, some are calling Rep. Cotton a traitor for his letter…….but Graham’s tongue is more traitorous than anything Cotton did.

All these funny guys in Congress should maybe QUIT their day jobs and start on the stand-up circuit.

Sorry this is not something humorous that a possible presidential candidate should be saying in public…….am I wrong?  At every turn Graham shows there is NO way he can be “A Man of the People”.  After that comment would you trust this a/hole to safeguard the Constitution?

How long do I need to keep pointing out that these d/bags in Congress are unworthy of calling themselves Americans, much less a representative of the people?

This also illustrates that NONE of these morons are capable of governing….they are in it for the ego rush…..PERIOD!

Another Chile?

I have been a bad analyst……spending so much time trying to make heads or tails of a pathetic election has made me remiss……and my political walk about for the last week or so has given me ample time to do what I should be doing….Paying Attention!

May I see a show of hands of those that know who Salvadore Allende was?  (Pause here for the mad dash to Google)

Allende was the first elected Marxist president and he was in Chile….after taking office he promised to nationalize most large industries and put any profit in the country’s treasury for the use on programs that would benefit the entire population……….after all his attempts the major corporations with ties to the US asked for help removing Allende and his programs……the CIA had a huge hand in the coup that brought Pinochet to power…..and with that the crack down on any dissension was pretty much rubber stamped by the US government……many people died or were maimed…….that was the short version and you can check it out…….

My problem with the whole act was that he was elected by the people and that was a mandate to what the people wanted and the programs they desired…..BTW, there was NO secret that he was a Marxist.

I often wondered if this type of thing would ever happen again……you know in Venezuela or Bolivia……but you know I never thought of the country of Paraguay…..my bad!

I ran across this article on Counter Punch when I was searching for more Syrian updates……..

In a July 22nd speech marking the one month anniversary of the parliamentary coup that overthrow left-leaning Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo, the former leader denounced that a motivating interest among the coup-plotters was a sought-after deal between Paraguay and the Montreal-based mining company, Rio Tinto Alcan.

“Those who pushed for the coup are those who want to solidify the negotiations with the multinational Rio Tinto Alcan, betraying the energetic sovereignty and interests of our country,” Lugo told supporters.

Such an accusation represents the widespread discontent among Paraguayan people toward current negotiations between Rio Tinto Alcan (RTA) and the government of Federico Franco, Lugo’s right wing replacement.

Yet shortly after taking office, Franco fast-tracked the RTA negotiations, pressuring his new Minister of Industry and Commerce to swiftly move forward with the deal. Civil society protests ensued and, as Lugo’s comments about the RTA deal suggest, the issue has become a rallying point for justice amidst post-coup Paraguay’s political and social crisis.

The views of Paraguayan engineer Ricardo Canese reflect the main concerns of citizens opposing the deal. In an article from the Paraguayan social research institute BASE-IS, Canese explained that the proposed deal with RTA would disproportionately benefit the company in that the government – through the taxation of the Paraguayan people – would be subsidizing a massive amount of RTA’s energy over a period of 30 years.

Canese further criticized the fact that the taxpayers would be spending $700 million dollars in infrastructure to allow the company to install their operations in the country. And while RTA pledges to create 1,250 jobs, the company would annually use the same amount of electricity that 9.6 million people use during the same period.

In the lead-up to the coup, Lugo and his administration resisted the use of Monsanto’s GMO cotton seeds in the country. Yet just after taking power, the Franco administration threw government critics of the plan out of office, and moved ahead to approve the use of the controversial seeds in the country.

These two relationships with multinational corporations clearly show where the interests of the Franco administration lie. They also demonstrate that, while the Lugo administration failed to fully implement its plans for land reform, justice and expanded rights in Paraguay, the Franco administration, in just one month in office, has already proven to be closer ally of corporate globalization.

Okay, before I take any flack…I am NOT saying that the CIA was involved, but if you know anything about the agency, it is not impossible……another point…does Monsanto sound familiar?  If it does not, you have NOT been paying attention…….

Anytime a duly elected representative is taking out of office by any means other than by the people that put them there is BS!

But wait there is more!

Via: ABC News / AP:

Investors can begin construction in six months on three privately run cities in Honduras that will have their own police, laws, government and tax systems now that the government has signed a memorandum of agreement approving the project.

An international group of investors and government representatives signed the memorandum Tuesday for the project that some say will bring badly needed economic growth to this small Central American country and that at least one detractor describes as “a catastrophe.”

The project’s aim is to strengthen Honduras’ weak government and failing infrastructure, overwhelmed by corruption, drug-related crime and lingering political instability after a 2009 coup.

The project “has the potential to turn Honduras into an engine of wealth,” said Carlos Pineda, president of the Commission for the Promotion of Public-Private Partnerships. It can be “a development instrument typical of first world countries.”

The “model cities” will have their own judiciary, laws, governments and police forces. They also will be empowered to sign international agreements on trade and investment and set their own immigration policy.

Congress president Juan Hernandez said the investment group MGK will invest $15 million to begin building basic infrastructure for the first model city near Puerto Castilla on the Caribbean coast. That first city would create 5,000 jobs over the next six months and up to 200,000 jobs in the future, Hernandez said. South Korea has given Honduras $4 million to conduct a feasibility study, he said.

“The future will remember this day as that day that Honduras began developing,” said Michael Strong, CEO of the MKG Group. “We believe this will be one of the most important transformations in the world, through which Honduras will end poverty by creating thousands of jobs.”

Does anyone else see the old “company store” coming back?  Does anyone think that a private city is a good idea?  Please speak up!

What Could Be The Final Outcome?

Tunisia is still smoldering….Egypt is on fire…..the rest of the Middle East is tense…..should Mubarak go or should he stay?  Should the army jump into the fray?  What will happen at the end of the saga?

WaPo and Glenn Kessler gives us a look into the future (the possible future, that is)………

The Iranian outcome

Iran’s Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, like Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak today, was an anchor of U.S. power in the Middle East who maintained relations with Israel. He was socially progressive, with a largely secular approach. But when he was ousted in a popular revolution, a theocratic clique led by the long-exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power and smothered a movement originally led by students and moderates. Moreover, the outcome was deeply damaging to the United States, with Iran the major backer of anti-Israeli militants in the region.  (Not likely…there is NO one waiting to be the face of the revolution as was in Iran)

The Indonesian outcome

In 1998, President Suharto’s 32 years of authoritarian rule came to an end. He was another longtime U.S. ally whose departure was deeply feared in the White House. But in the end, the world’s most populous Muslim country made a messy and long transition to democracy – and remained a key partner of the United States.  (This one is more likely, as it is today…..but who knows for sure?)

The Romanian outcome

Romanian revolutionaries overthrew dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989 – and killed him – but within months the military and Communist elite had engineered their survival, with the designated president, a former ally of Ceausescu’s, winning 85 percent of the vote in a May 1990 election

Egypt’s security services – army, paramilitary, National Guard and the like – are about 1 million strong. It is quite possible that the country’s ruling elite would slowly squeeze the life out of the opposition by making Mubarak a transitional figurehead and enacting a few cosmetic reforms that give the illusion of change. State control of the media would not be lifted, and elections would still be manipulated to ensure the election of a president beholden to the current power structure…….( This is the Middle East and the whole violent coup with the death of the leader is still quite possible…….the US may have a hand in preventing this….but then it will depend on how we handle any attempt to seize power)….

Like I said….this is the Middle East and anything is possible……there is someone waiting and hiding in the shadows and after today the culprit may be unmasked….who will it be?