He really believes most of what happens in the region is none of our business and no skin off our nose.
His totally shameless prioritizing of our business relationship with Saudi Arabia over the least interest in the domestic realities of the regime made that pretty clear, eh?
Trump Makes Surprise Afghanistan Visit, Says U.S. And Taliban Peace Talks Restarted
Showing posts with label the Khashoggi case. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Khashoggi case. Show all posts
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Friday, February 8, 2019
Leaving it in the ground
Those in the best position to estimate the damage of continuing use of fossil fuels generally urge leaving as much of them as possible unused, in the ground, forever.
But all those reserves are owned by amazingly powerful and frequently utterly unscrupulous interests.
Remember what happened to Khashoggi and how abject Trump has been and remains toward the utterly tyrannical and murderous Saudi Kronprinz (prince héritier) Mohammed Bin Salman.
It is those interests, way more powerful globally and in America than the tobacco industry ever was, I would guess, that created global warming denial and made it a key part of the toxic sludge that is the ideology of today's Republican Party.
All those interests really don't give a shit about what happens to everybody else.
They figure they can run the planet into the ground and they and their descendants will always be able to shift all the costs and damage onto us hoi polloi.
The only way we win is for some at least of the rich and super-rich who are not themselves on the fossil fuel gravy train to make common cause with the rest of us.
And that might not be enough, either.
Particularly since it seems to be uncontroversial that, the more we leave unused in the ground, the poorer all of us collectively will be, especially in the short run.
Update.
But I may never know.
I'm 70 and not in totally good health.
So, there's that.
But all those reserves are owned by amazingly powerful and frequently utterly unscrupulous interests.
Remember what happened to Khashoggi and how abject Trump has been and remains toward the utterly tyrannical and murderous Saudi Kronprinz (prince héritier) Mohammed Bin Salman.
It is those interests, way more powerful globally and in America than the tobacco industry ever was, I would guess, that created global warming denial and made it a key part of the toxic sludge that is the ideology of today's Republican Party.
All those interests really don't give a shit about what happens to everybody else.
They figure they can run the planet into the ground and they and their descendants will always be able to shift all the costs and damage onto us hoi polloi.
The only way we win is for some at least of the rich and super-rich who are not themselves on the fossil fuel gravy train to make common cause with the rest of us.
And that might not be enough, either.
Particularly since it seems to be uncontroversial that, the more we leave unused in the ground, the poorer all of us collectively will be, especially in the short run.
Update.
But I may never know.
I'm 70 and not in totally good health.
So, there's that.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Mika has changed him
Scarborough Calls Pompeo 'Disgusting,' Says He 'Debased Himself On National Television'
"The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, how disgusting. How disgusting. He debased himself on national television," Joe said.
Mika pointed out that the Fox people did their job and asked the right questions.
"All three of them were talking about the intel community. and for Mike Pompeo to lie, and we don't use that word a lot, but for Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state of the United States of America to lie, he lied through his teeth on national television, sat there and lied about a Post reporter being tortured, lured in by Saudi Arabia, being tortured and being sawed to pieces," Joe replied.
"The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, how disgusting. How disgusting. He debased himself on national television," Joe said.
Mika pointed out that the Fox people did their job and asked the right questions.
"All three of them were talking about the intel community. and for Mike Pompeo to lie, and we don't use that word a lot, but for Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state of the United States of America to lie, he lied through his teeth on national television, sat there and lied about a Post reporter being tortured, lured in by Saudi Arabia, being tortured and being sawed to pieces," Joe replied.
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
The usual senior GOP senators agree the Saudi Prince ordered the murder
Saudi crown prince 'ordered, monitored' killing of Khashoggi, Corker says
Lawmakers briefed Tuesday by CIA Director Gina Haspel accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of being responsible for the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN after a briefing with Haspel that the prince, known as MBS, "ordered, monitored, the killing" of the father of four.
Corker added, "And if he (MBS) were in front of a jury, he would be convicted of murder in about 30 minutes."
Corker was one of several lawmakers who emerged from a small briefing with the CIA director appearing convinced of the prince's responsibility for the killing.
. . . .
"I left the briefing with high confidence that my initial confidence is correct," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, who said he is highly confident that the prince is responsible for the murder.
. . . .
The Trump administration has argued there is no "smoking gun" tying the prince to the murder, but Corker said Haspel presented the senators with information they hadn't heard before.
"There's not a smoking gun," said Graham, who then referred to reports that the Saudi team included a forensic expert who arrived with equipment to dismember Khashoggi's body.
"There's a smoking saw," Graham said.
The Duce's favorite Secretary of State, ex-CIA boss Mike Pompeo, still sides with nitwit and liar Donald Trump, pretty much ignoring reality and the clear and firm position of the agency he used to head.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis traveled to Capitol Hill last week without Haspel for a closed-door briefing on Yemen for Senate lawmakers at which they emphasized the strategic importance of the US-Saudi relationship and defended the administration's response to Khashoggi's murder.
Pompeo said after the briefing that there was "no direct reporting" that connected the prince to the killing.
The CIA has concluded that the crown prince personally ordered Khashoggi's killing, according to a senior US official and a source familiar with the matter.
Lawmakers briefed Tuesday by CIA Director Gina Haspel accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of being responsible for the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN after a briefing with Haspel that the prince, known as MBS, "ordered, monitored, the killing" of the father of four.
Corker added, "And if he (MBS) were in front of a jury, he would be convicted of murder in about 30 minutes."
Corker was one of several lawmakers who emerged from a small briefing with the CIA director appearing convinced of the prince's responsibility for the killing.
. . . .
"I left the briefing with high confidence that my initial confidence is correct," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, who said he is highly confident that the prince is responsible for the murder.
. . . .
The Trump administration has argued there is no "smoking gun" tying the prince to the murder, but Corker said Haspel presented the senators with information they hadn't heard before.
"There's not a smoking gun," said Graham, who then referred to reports that the Saudi team included a forensic expert who arrived with equipment to dismember Khashoggi's body.
"There's a smoking saw," Graham said.
The Duce's favorite Secretary of State, ex-CIA boss Mike Pompeo, still sides with nitwit and liar Donald Trump, pretty much ignoring reality and the clear and firm position of the agency he used to head.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis traveled to Capitol Hill last week without Haspel for a closed-door briefing on Yemen for Senate lawmakers at which they emphasized the strategic importance of the US-Saudi relationship and defended the administration's response to Khashoggi's murder.
Pompeo said after the briefing that there was "no direct reporting" that connected the prince to the killing.
The CIA has concluded that the crown prince personally ordered Khashoggi's killing, according to a senior US official and a source familiar with the matter.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Trump tries to deflect
Top Republicans slam Trump for statement backing Saudi Arabia
Top Senate Republicans slammed President Donald Trump for his statement backing Saudi Arabia in the wake of the death and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker, tweeted Tuesday, "I never thought I'd see the day a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia."
The criticism follows an official statement the White House released Tuesday, under the subject line "Statement from President Donald J. Trump on Standing with Saudi Arabia."
. . . .
Later in the day at a news conference, Trump said he was "not going to destroy the economy of our country" over Khashoggi's death by giving up arms deals to Saudi Arabia.
Of course, nobody has asked him to do that.
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote in a series of tweets Tuesday, "One thing I learned during the Obama years is that when you look the other way regarding problems in the Middle East, it seldom works out."
Graham said former President Barack Obama "chose to look the other way as Iran took increasingly provocative actions," and said, "Each time it led to even worse Iranian behavior and created even larger problems for the future."
"Likewise, it is not in our national security interests to look the other way when it comes to the brutal murder of Mr. Jamal #Khashoggi," Graham continued.
That bullshit drive-by shot at the Obama administration is standard Trumpist shit from a guy who has more and more become a mini-me for the asshole in the White House, doubtless aimed at diminishing the anger his criticism will arouse in the Duce.
Of course, the issue is not the arms deals and not the close cooperation of the Saudis and the US in the Middle East, but the prince in particular and his criminal leadership.
The US should freely and fully criticize him and such features of the Saudi regime as the following.
Saudi Arabia tortured activists including women, rights groups claim
Saudi Arabia has tortured, sexually harassed and mistreated several human rights activists detained since May this year, including women, two leading international rights groups have alleged.
Activists were repeatedly tortured by electrocution and flogging, leaving some unable to walk or stand properly, with marks on their bodies and uncontrolled shaking of the hands, Amnesty International said, citing three separate testimonies.
One of the activists reportedly tried to take her own life repeatedly inside the prison, according to the testimonies, Amnesty said.
"In one reported instance, one of the activists was made to hang from the ceiling, and according to another testimony, one of the detained women was reportedly subjected to sexual harassment, by interrogators wearing face masks," the rights group said in a statement Tuesday.
Top Senate Republicans slammed President Donald Trump for his statement backing Saudi Arabia in the wake of the death and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker, tweeted Tuesday, "I never thought I'd see the day a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia."
The criticism follows an official statement the White House released Tuesday, under the subject line "Statement from President Donald J. Trump on Standing with Saudi Arabia."
. . . .
Later in the day at a news conference, Trump said he was "not going to destroy the economy of our country" over Khashoggi's death by giving up arms deals to Saudi Arabia.
Of course, nobody has asked him to do that.
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote in a series of tweets Tuesday, "One thing I learned during the Obama years is that when you look the other way regarding problems in the Middle East, it seldom works out."
Graham said former President Barack Obama "chose to look the other way as Iran took increasingly provocative actions," and said, "Each time it led to even worse Iranian behavior and created even larger problems for the future."
"Likewise, it is not in our national security interests to look the other way when it comes to the brutal murder of Mr. Jamal #Khashoggi," Graham continued.
That bullshit drive-by shot at the Obama administration is standard Trumpist shit from a guy who has more and more become a mini-me for the asshole in the White House, doubtless aimed at diminishing the anger his criticism will arouse in the Duce.
Of course, the issue is not the arms deals and not the close cooperation of the Saudis and the US in the Middle East, but the prince in particular and his criminal leadership.
The US should freely and fully criticize him and such features of the Saudi regime as the following.
Saudi Arabia tortured activists including women, rights groups claim
Saudi Arabia has tortured, sexually harassed and mistreated several human rights activists detained since May this year, including women, two leading international rights groups have alleged.
Activists were repeatedly tortured by electrocution and flogging, leaving some unable to walk or stand properly, with marks on their bodies and uncontrolled shaking of the hands, Amnesty International said, citing three separate testimonies.
One of the activists reportedly tried to take her own life repeatedly inside the prison, according to the testimonies, Amnesty said.
"In one reported instance, one of the activists was made to hang from the ceiling, and according to another testimony, one of the detained women was reportedly subjected to sexual harassment, by interrogators wearing face masks," the rights group said in a statement Tuesday.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Is this claim premature?
Trump team reportedly helped Saudi Arabia cover up murder of US journalist
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hand-delivered a plan to the Saudi royal family to help the crown prince get away with ordering the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a bombshell new report.
Citing a senior Saudi source, Middle East Eye reported Monday evening that Pompeo devised a plot to help shield Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (“MBS”) from the fallout following the highly publicized murder of Khashoggi, who was brutally killed in the Saudi consulate in Turkey on October 2.
Pompeo reportedly discussed the plan with Saudi Arabia’s king during a visit to the country’s capital city, Riyadh, two weeks after Khashoggi’s murder.
Friday, November 16, 2018
What? The Duce didn't just shrug off the CIA's opinion and denounce the deep state, WAPO, and CNN for spreading fake news?
CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi's death, official says
The CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, despite the Saudi government's denials that the de facto ruler was involved, according to a senior US official.
The senior US official told CNN on Friday the conclusion is based on a recording provided by the Turkish government and other evidence, including American intelligence.
Investigators also believe an operation such as the one that ended in Khashoggi's death would not have happened without bin Salman's knowledge given his control of the government, the senior US official said.
. . . .
The Washington Post was first to report on the CIA's assessment.
According to the Post, US officials have high confidence in the CIA's assessment.
. . . .
The CIA also examined an audio recording from inside the Saudi consulate provided by Turkey and a phone call placed from inside the consulate after Khashoggi was killed, according to the Post.
Maher Mutreb, an alleged member of the Saudi hit team and a security official for the crown prince, placed the phone call to a top aide for bin Salman informing the aide that the job had been done, people familiar with the call told the newspaper.
The CIA does not know the location of Khashoggi's remains, according to the Post.
. . . .
The Trump administration on Thursday imposed penalties on 17 individuals over their alleged roles in the killing of Khashoggi.
Khashoggi's assassination has created a crisis for the Trump administration and drawn attention to President Donald Trump's business ties to Saudi Arabia and the relationship between bin Salman and Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.
The CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, despite the Saudi government's denials that the de facto ruler was involved, according to a senior US official.
The senior US official told CNN on Friday the conclusion is based on a recording provided by the Turkish government and other evidence, including American intelligence.
Investigators also believe an operation such as the one that ended in Khashoggi's death would not have happened without bin Salman's knowledge given his control of the government, the senior US official said.
. . . .
The Washington Post was first to report on the CIA's assessment.
According to the Post, US officials have high confidence in the CIA's assessment.
. . . .
The CIA also examined an audio recording from inside the Saudi consulate provided by Turkey and a phone call placed from inside the consulate after Khashoggi was killed, according to the Post.
Maher Mutreb, an alleged member of the Saudi hit team and a security official for the crown prince, placed the phone call to a top aide for bin Salman informing the aide that the job had been done, people familiar with the call told the newspaper.
The CIA does not know the location of Khashoggi's remains, according to the Post.
. . . .
The Trump administration on Thursday imposed penalties on 17 individuals over their alleged roles in the killing of Khashoggi.
Khashoggi's assassination has created a crisis for the Trump administration and drawn attention to President Donald Trump's business ties to Saudi Arabia and the relationship between bin Salman and Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Trump - OK, his man Pence - asks the Saudis to investigate a crime they are accused of?
Why not?
He asked Putin whether the Russians messed with the 2016 elections, and took their word over the word of "the deep state" and the lying media.
He asked Kavanaugh whether he sexually assaulted Ms. Ford and took his word over that of his accuser.
He expects us to take his word ("No collusion!") over that of Mueller, if the latter ever accuses him.
He asked Putin whether the Russians messed with the 2016 elections, and took their word over the word of "the deep state" and the lying media.
He asked Kavanaugh whether he sexually assaulted Ms. Ford and took his word over that of his accuser.
He expects us to take his word ("No collusion!") over that of Mueller, if the latter ever accuses him.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Ah, well put
Trump aptly likens accusations of Saudis to accusations of Kavanaugh, both being guilty and the guilt of both being denied by him.
Donald Trump has defended Saudi Arabia against mounting international condemnation of the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, warning against a rush to judgment as his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, headed to Turkey to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The US president in an interview with the Associated Press, compared the case of Khashoggi – whom Turkish officials say was murdered in the Saudis’ Istanbul consulate – to allegations of sexual assault levelled against the supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.
“I think we have to find out what happened first,” Trump 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 said.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Clash of the uglies
Will the oafish admirer of autocrats who calls his adversaries in the press "enemies of the people" and has abused his power in seeking to do some of them harm really pursue "severe punishment" of the reformist autocrat who has apparently ordered the murder of an annoying critic in the press?
He is very clear he won't cancel the arms deal.
But what if they do, in response to something he does by way of "punishment"?
Saudi Arabia Rejects Trump Comments, Threatens Retaliation For Any Punishment
Turkish officials say they fear Saudi agents killed and dismembered Khashoggi after he entered the consulate, saying they have audio and video recordings of it that they have not released.
The kingdom has called the allegations “baseless,” but has offered no evidence the writer ever left the consulate.
Hmm. A pattern emerges.
He can't say there was Russian interference because Putin and the other Russians deny it.
He rejects charges against Kavanaugh because Kavanaugh denies them.
He saying the claims the Saudis killed that fellow might well be false because the Saudis deny them.
This from a man whose own vehement denials are so often so egregiously lies.
By the way, one of his and other Republicans' current campaign charges is that Democrats want to turn America into Venezuela.
That, of course, is just another lie.
Democrats want to turn America into Denmark. Or maybe Norway. Or Sweden.
Well, at least Canada.
Medicare for all, you know.
Right up until Kavanaugh and the conservative majority of the Supremes tell us that not only Medicare but Social Security and every other progressive creation all the way back to the New Deal, or even McKinley, is unconstitutional.
He is very clear he won't cancel the arms deal.
But what if they do, in response to something he does by way of "punishment"?
Saudi Arabia Rejects Trump Comments, Threatens Retaliation For Any Punishment
Turkish officials say they fear Saudi agents killed and dismembered Khashoggi after he entered the consulate, saying they have audio and video recordings of it that they have not released.
The kingdom has called the allegations “baseless,” but has offered no evidence the writer ever left the consulate.
Hmm. A pattern emerges.
He can't say there was Russian interference because Putin and the other Russians deny it.
He rejects charges against Kavanaugh because Kavanaugh denies them.
He saying the claims the Saudis killed that fellow might well be false because the Saudis deny them.
This from a man whose own vehement denials are so often so egregiously lies.
By the way, one of his and other Republicans' current campaign charges is that Democrats want to turn America into Venezuela.
That, of course, is just another lie.
Democrats want to turn America into Denmark. Or maybe Norway. Or Sweden.
Well, at least Canada.
Medicare for all, you know.
Right up until Kavanaugh and the conservative majority of the Supremes tell us that not only Medicare but Social Security and every other progressive creation all the way back to the New Deal, or even McKinley, is unconstitutional.
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