From time to time I write for a couple of other sites….mostly on current affairs or international relations…..I appreciate their confidence in me to allow me to write for them.
This is an op-ed that I wrote for Ace News Room……
In the last week there has been a wealth of reports about our spy agencies….CIA, NSA, DNI, etc……
It appears that our new wielder of power has a hard on for our intel community….during the transition word came out that he would revamp the agencies…..
Has anyone here seen the Manchurian Candidate….the original not the cheesy re-make…? You should watch it then this post would make more sense than just a rant…..
We all have heard the back and forth by all sides about the “hacking” in the last election…..Trump is saying not so fast more info is needed but one of his advisers, James Woolsey, does not totally agree…..
Senior Donald Trump adviser James Woolsey says that despite the president-elect’s skepticism, he believes Russian hackers really were involved in election-related skulduggery. “I think the Russians were in there, but it doesn’t mean other people weren’t, too,” Woolsey tells CNN. “It’s often not foolproof to say who it is because it is possible and sometimes easy to hide your tracks. There’s lots of tricks.” Woolsey, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations and was CIA director under Bill Clinton, admitted that Trump is an ” expert in weaving around” issues like this, and there is a chance that he could just be playing the media with claims to “know things that other people don’t know” about the hacking allegations.
The original movie is about a “sleeper” agent planted in the country that will effect the election…..
There are some similarities in life as in the movie….the closeness of some to Russia and the possibility of some sort of “coup” to put Russia in charge…..
An interesting article….(please I do not agree but it is a interesting point….that is if one takes the time to read it)…..
Donald Trump’s transition from U.S. President-elect to taking power recalls nothing so much as a forgotten Hollywood genre: the paranoid melodrama. Perhaps the greatest film of this type, “The Manchurian Candidate,” concerns a communist plot to use the brainwashed son of a leading right-wing family to upend the American political system. Given the fondness that Trump and so many of his appointees seem to have for Russian President Vladimir Putin, life may be about to imitate – if not exceed – art.
To be sure, the attraction for Putin that Trump and his picks for secretary of state and national security adviser ― Rex Tillerson and Michael Flynn ― share is not the result of brainwashing, unless you consider the love of money (and of the people who can funnel it to you) a form of brainwashing. Nonetheless, such Kremlinophilia is ― to resurrect a word redolent of Cold War paranoia ― decidedly un-American.
Source: Trump and ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ Are Too Similar for Comfort | The Huffington Post
There are just so many thoughts about what to expect and the possibilities after 20Jan17…..a day that will live in…… (you insert the term )…….
Everyone that visits IST regularly knows that do enjoy my history and dropping a bit of historical perspective from time to time.
So how can I change that in this New Year.
Since the “hacking” by the Russians there seems to be a bit of interests in the spy game as they say…..so let me drop some more history on you guys about the spying by the Russians over the decades…..
From sleeper agents in suburban America to an assassination in London and hacking of the US presidential election, the list of alleged activities by Soviet and Russian spies abroad is long.
Following US accusations that Russian spies tipped the vote in President-elect Donald Trump’s favour — by stealing Democratic Party information — here are some of the most brazen operations in the West.
Source: Flash – From dead drops to hacking: Moscow spies on world stage – France 24
Come on…..a beautiful redhead…..make me write bad checks….
I admit it….in my younger days was a huge fan of James Bond novels and a pulp fiction spy named Sam Durell…..spy novels were fun and even entertaining…..but are they anything like real life?
To this day I still enjoy a good spy story….only these days they are more fact than fiction…..
Awhile back I wrote a post about the death of a Russian dude in Washington D.C. I provide a link below on the subject of modern day spies……
Source: Spies Like Us – In Saner Thought
I thought that it was interesting that a former KGB dude was poisoned and awhile later some Russian ex-pat was also killed “mysteriously”.
Then a couple of years ago the FBI and other counter-intel groups had a big coup when they uncovered a pack of modern day spies operation in suburbia….one was a hot red head name Anna Chapman…..
I recall the big deal that the media made out of the ferreting out of these spies and the damage they could have caused….the media played their scenario for hours about the spies and what it took to discover their existence……
And then I found the rest of the story…….
Russian intelligence officer, Aleksandr Poteyev, who was sentenced for treason in absentia by Russia after blowing the cover of a spy ring in the US, has reportedly died. Moscow, however, is not confirming the news or taking the defector of its wanted list.
Source: Russian ‘traitor’ who exposed Anna Chapman’s spy ring dead in US – reports — RT News
Another person with a “mysterious” death…..that makes 3 the number of people connected to Putin…….this would make a great spy novel or a TV show….wait….wait…I think they already have one…..”The Americans”?
Another Saturday and another weekend begins…..
In my youth I was a big fan of spy fiction….Ian Fleming’s James Bond and a pulp fiction series about a CIA spy Sam Durell…..I have always liked spy thrillers….I enjoy the series The Americans, it is about spies in the 70’s in the US……
So back about a decade ago when that Russian was poisoned in London renewed my interests in the spy game…..and there was the Russian spies found here in the US especially the extremely nice looking red head……
And then I read another story and once again the whole spy then became all too important……
Russia-watchers—or readers of spy novels—may be unsurprised to learn that the sudden death of a former Vladimir Putin aide in a Washington, DC, hotel last fall now appears a little fishy. Mikhail Lesin, the former Kremlin press minister who helped set up Russia Today and spent more than a year as chief of the powerful Gazprom-Media group, was found dead in the Dupont Circle Hotel in November. Russian media reported at the time that the 57-year-old heavy smoker and drinker had died from a heart attack, but the DC medical examiner’s office announced on Thursday that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, the Guardian reports.
Police haven’t said whether they suspect a crime was committed, though it’s not clear what else would explain the blunt force injuries to the Russian’s head, neck, torso, arms, and legs. Moscow says it’s seeking “clarification from Washington and relevant official data on the progress of the investigation,” reports the BBC, which notes that some US lawmakers had been calling for an investigation into Lesin and the vast fortune he amassed while working as a civil servant in Russia, including $28 million in Los Angeles real estate.
Was this an assassination? Maybe the Russian mob is behind it……maybe he forgot who he owed his loyalties to for favors of the past…..
Any ideas?
I have said numerous times that the US Senate is a worthless body of egocentric toads…..they are elected to do NOTHING but raise money and slow the legislative process down to a crawl (if that fast)……
Recently I wrote about the intel that NSA had uncovered in their intel gathering on Israel……(in case you need to refresh your memory)…..
Source: NSA: Did You Read The News? | In Saner Thought
It seems that the info may be spot on……especially against the idiot freshman Senator from Arkansas, Tom Cotton…….you remember him….he was the loudest opponent of the new Iranian nuke deal….he even wrote a letter (although with the big words in it someone else had to write it for him)……
“I’m pretty sure Bill Kristol (the owner of the Emergency Committee for Israel) did write this letter,” American geopolitical commentator Dean Henderson told Press TV at the time.
Any way when I read the report about the intel I said then that anyone working as an agent for Israel needed to be BBQed as a foreign agent….and it looks like we need to start with Tom Cotton…….
A Republican lawmaker at the US Senate was bribed one million dollars by Israel to try sabotaging negotiations between Tehran and the world powers, including the United States.
Source: PressTV-‘$1m from Israel to sabotage Iran deal’
If all this is true then the American people need to demand that he and any of his buddies that participated in the sabotage of American foreign policy be prosecuted after they are forced to resign in public….these people are COWARDS that work against the best interests of their country for money…..and they condemn Benedict Arnold….they are NO better!
I have written many times about those people with dual citizenship that choose to fight for the other country…….I think these people are traitors and should be dealt with harshly. Then there are those Americans that spy on this country for another country……these people should ROT in prison or better yet ….shoot the bastards.
This brings me to the meat of this post…….Jonathan Pollard….and American that was convicted of spying for Israel against his country……
The US is getting ready to release one of its most high-profile prisoners. The Wall Street Journal reports that Jonathan Pollard, the former Navy analyst who is serving a life sentence for spying on behalf of Israel, could be released in a matter of weeks. The 60-year-old was convicted in 1985 and is up for parole in November for the first time. The Journal‘s sources say he may be released even before then, in part to soothe Israel’s anger over the Iran nuclear deal.
There’s no official confirmation, and after several similar media reports surfaced earlier this month, the Times of Israel spoke to one of Pollard’s attorneys, who sounded skeptical. “We have not received any word, and I would expect that either I or my client would be the ones who would be notified,” said Eliot Lauer. Pollard got caught passing along classified information to Israeli operatives and eventually pleaded guilty. Supporters say his health has been deteriorating recently.
I say screw his…..he is a TRAITOR and deserves no0thing but to rot in prison…….even if he was working for our ‘friend’ Israel…..matters not…..he should receive the harshest punishment we are allowed to administer.
Here is a thought for you to chew on……this is a screen grab from FOX News that was later deleted…….
This from our “good friend” in the Middle East!
Let Pollard rot in prison and shut down the access that Israel has in this country. This is a false flag friendship…….I want NOTHING to do with these people…..PERIOD!
Enough Said?
I have written many times that Israel is NOT our friend…..what we are is a tool they need to do whatever they want with impunity in the Middle East. So far their plan is working expertly. They have our politicians in a nut vice with campaign funding…..they have the media in their pocket and they have a mislead public in the US firmly on their side….for whatever reason whether Biblical or just ignorance.
There have been many cases where Israeli intelligence has spied on the country that was their friend. The most notable is this guy name pollock who was caught then convicted for spying on the US for Israel….he was an American spying on his own country….what would you call him?
Then most recently it has come to light that Israeli intelligence was listening in on Sec. Kerry’s phone conversations during the last failed Middle East peace talks….and so far the US has only called Israel out in the smallest of terms….
And now with the Snowden hack job of the NSA more has come to light about our good friends in Israel…….as reported in Newsweek…
Israel was singled out in 2007 as a top espionage threat against the U.S. government, including its intelligence services, in a newly published National Security Agency (NSA) document obtained by fugitive leaker Edward Snowden, according to a news report Monday.
The document also identified Israel, along with North Korea, Cuba and India, as a “leading threat” to the infrastructure of U.S. financial and banking institutions.
In a section of the document headed “Foreign Intelligence, Counterintelligence; Denial & Deception Activities: Countering Foreign Intelligence Threats,” Israel was listed as a leading perpetrator of “espionage/intelligence collection operations and manipulation/influence operations…against U.S. government, military, science & technology and Intelligence Community” organs.
The term “manipulation/influence operations” refers to covert attempts by Israel to sway U.S. public opinion in its favor. In this, Israel has dubious company, according to the NSA: Other leading threats were listed as China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, France, Venezuela and South Korea.
Now ….with a friend like this who needs enemies.
Israel is NOT the friend that most Americans think they are…..and have shown they will step on anybody to get what they want regardless of the tactics and the good old US of A is high on their list.
All this blind obedience to Israel needs to come to an end….they are NOT the friend and ally you thought they were……time to stop treating them as if they were something special….they are not and never were.
Of course you are…..we all, well most of the country, was pissed to learn that the NSA maybe spying on citizens of the US. Old farts like me were not surprised at all….we have been the subject of many spy programs from the 1960’s and 70’s……but No one remembers those days they just think that their little lives are the only ones that will be effected…..
And then there was the revelation that the US may be spying on our allies like Germany…..and that started a whole other conversation…..why should we be spying on our closest allies? Right?
Dumb question! That sort of thing has been going on long before the NSA tapped into Germany’s little lives…..then we ask why would we do such a thing? Laughable at best. It goes on all the time…..for example….the US closest ally has been spying on the US for decades……
Who? ISRAEL, that’s who!
(Newser) – It seems that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t spy oncell phones: During the frenetic and doomed Mideast peace talks last year, John Kerry was furiously working the phones to both Israel and the Palestinians—and as der Spiegel reports in an exclusive that cites “reliable sources,” he had an audience. It seems that at the height, Kerry made some calls using unencrypted satellite phones, and Israeli intelligence—along with “at least one other intelligence service”— listened in and used the intel to their advantage.
The talks fell apart in April, but Israelis may not have liked what they heard: As Spiegel notes, relations between Benjamin Netanyahu and Kerry appear to have soured, and Kerry is taking no small amount of criticism from Israel in the current crisis. Neither the State Department nor Jerusalem would comment. But then again, it’s not that unusual, right, Mr. Secretary?
And that is just the most recent …….Ever hear of a guy named Pollock?
An American citizen that is currently in prison for espionage………he was spying on his country for Israel…….
And question what? There is NO outrage that Israel is doing this……why does Israel seem to always get a pass on whatever it is they do? I think the US should pick its allies more consistent with our national interests.
I have heard No one pissing and moaning about this breech of trust…..have you? With that said, why is Israel allowed to function unchallenged? Yes, money has a lot to do with it, but I think there is more to it than that……I just have not been able to pinpoint the reason…..as of yet.
I have been reading blogs….listening to news reports…..and reading lots of news…..all in an attempt to get an handle on this Snowden dude…..
We all have our opinions about this Snowden dude….the guy who worked for NSA for 2 weeks and took abounch of info that he has released through a journalist enabler……I have heard him called a patriot because he exposed the NSA and their dastardly techniques of checking for terrorists…..and then there is those that think him some sort of traitor for his antics……but that is for the individual to decide which Snowden is….the patriot or the traitor.
There are a few things to consider….one Ellsberg released the Pentagon papers and stood up for what he believed…Snowden ran away to hide and then released his so-called information. Manning, you know the Army PFC that got and then released a bunch of Pentagon stuff on line….he stood and faced the consequences….Snowden ran to China another bastion of democracy and freedom (sarcasm, in case it was missed)…….
Then there is the report that Snowden had 4 laptops with information and he allowed either China or Russia to check out the hard drives……that is right….RUSSIA…..(another bastion of freedom and democracy…sarcasm once again……..). That does not sound like someone that has the concern of American’s public best interests…..does it to you?
The story says that Snowden has gone from China to Russia then on to Cuba and finally to Ecuador……his final destination because of the extradition that is non-existent……any time a person allows state secrets fall into the hands of foreign entities then that person is a traitor! No matter how one tries to justify the actions….a traitor is a traitor!
Sorry….none of that sounds like a patriot…..but it does sound like a traitor on the run looking for a safe haven!
No amount of justification can turn this act into something patriotic.
If Manning is a traitor….then Snowden is worse….why? He was a coward and fled…..he could not be bothered with standing on principle….my guess is that he, Snowden, is looking for the most lucrative spot to settle down……
Let us hear from the public….is this guy a….patriot or traitor?