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How does Putin keep Trump?

By VegasJessie

This is what (I think) was really behind Trump’s decision to bomb Syria.

1) Putin wants a functional president in the White House. He does not want anyone to investigate what he’s already done to get him there. He definitely does not want trump impeached because for him that would be a waste. So, the real question is: how does Putin keep trump available as a really effective mole?

2) For trump to get anything done he’ll first need a popularity ratings boost. Then he’ll need some really subtle ego-stroking. Trump also needs to divert any and all attention from ANYTHING that could even possibly result in proof of a Putin-trump collusion. Putin at first left it to trump. The buffoon enlists “Devin Nunes” who promptly bungles it. Putin gets nervous and knows that he has to take over.

3) Putin is a known supporter of Assad. More like a puppeteer than an athletic supporter. So let’s use him.

4) Putin sits down Assad and explains: Your position is safe as long as I’m happy. Most important that you keep me happy. You’ve used nerve gas and chemical weapons before and the US did nothing. Even if they did something, my people are right there and effectively will shield my armaments and radar/intercepts (that I lent you). So you lose a few planes and hangars. I can replace the planes, and hangars belong in the closet anyway. I don’t know why you leave them around and so accessible. Furthermore, your barrel bombs are so much cheaper and more effective that you really don’t need the planes anyway. Remember your prime objective is to keep me happy or you’re toast.

5) So, here’s the plan. Execute a small scale escalation. Start about a week before trump meets with President Xi. Begin with some chlorine gas (not mustard, the resulting pictures would be bad publicity, not good). Then a small scale sarin or VX attack out in the desert somewhere. Make sure it’s remote and best to involve some large scale rebel facilities that can be used for disinformation purposes. Make sure there are women and children and especially babies! You hear me: BABIES. Do it from a remote disposable base. And you must time it go off just before (1-2 days) trump-Xi are meeting. Then sit back and relax, and make no public statements other than to blame the rebels and condemn any US reactions.

Putin smiles. He can feel the old KGB vibes beginning to vibrate again.

6) Putin on secure line with trump: OK it’s all set up. Get your statement ready, make it short and read it. Nothing spontaneous. A few tears maybe, it would be like icing the vodka, but no sobs. Your people should be able to handle that. Suggest Bannon or his buddy Stephen Miller, but keep Kushner out of it, there’s too much heat from his meeting with my money launderer. Anyway, we want to use him later. Remember to curse me out! I’ll understand. But not too personal, OK! No Twitter-shit on this one, make it official with an entire room of reporters, TV would be best. I’ll do the same to you so that no-one, not even the Halo Bitch, will think you and I are buddies.

7) Continuing on the line: Timing is everything. I know you only deal with location-location-location but on this one follow my instructions. Remember to check the time zones. Things like this go best after everyone goes home from work, and has had dinner. Too bad we missed the first pitch on opening day but we can’t win them all. Remember to give my military guys some timely warning. An hour should be enough and do it officially and get it published so everyone thinks you’re playing fair and not trying to provoke a war. My guys will already have been briefed on what’s going to happen, just not when. Make sure your guys don’t hit the runway (make up some excuse for that, like crater bombs would need pilots and we don’t want any US personnel killed or worse, captured). My planes need the runways and I don’t have enough rubles to rebuild them right now. And damn it you better remember the time differences. It would be a nice touch if you had to interrupt an important meeting with Xi, so feel free to keep him waiting. I’ll add one sweetener. My Swedish guys have lined up an SUV civilian run-down. You could rework your Swedish terrorist attack tweet into real prescience, wouldn’t that make you look godlike?

Putin orgasms!

8) Just think what all of the above accomplishes:

a) Trump gets a rating boost, that’s all he wants anyway.
b) Trump gets to be seen as anti-Putin: strong on principles, decisive, (i.e. everything that he is not).
c) The Gorsuch appointment gets done and all the hoop-la about changing the rules becomes irrelevant.
d) Everyone will think trump is no friend of Putin – demonstrated both by words and action. So why all the election fuss? Stop the investigations, they’re not needed anymore.
e) Nunes’ and Kushner’s transgressions get sidelined.
f) Bannon vs Kushner is all but forgotten.
g) Who cares about a wall when we’re at war.
h) Raytheon stock soars, taking the aerospace group with it.
i) Even a catastrophic Jobs Report won’t be noticed.
j) And healthcare! How can we talk about our healthcare (the best in the world) when poor defenseless babies are gasping for breath and dying?
k) Even the middle class jerks who voted for trump won’t mind foregoing a little tax cut so that we can protect those, sob, sob, poor suffering babies.
l) And to top it off, Putin gets a more functional mole.

56 comments

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  1. David Bruce

    Unfortunately, this is so far from reality, it could be classified as fake news. You have left out the Israeli connection and the fact that it was an ISIS Chemical Weapons storage unit that caused the damage, not a bomb, not barrel bombs, not cruise missiles. The earlier accusations about “barrel bombs” being used by Syrians against Syrians have not been supported by independent evidence.
    The photo of the father with twins first appeared on Yahoo News on Wednesday with a different story. The current images show black smudges on the kids faces. They weren’t there on the Yahoo News pics. It looks to me like a stitch up, similar to the “boy on the beach” pic.

    All these issues and more are covered in much more detail with witness statements, photos and video evidence at abel danger website for those with eyes to see…;

  2. Roswell

    David, this is an opinion piece, just like your comment. If this is fake news, then your comment is too.

    Opinions are opinions. Nobody has to agree with them.

  3. economicreform

    Although I don’t agree with everything written here, I do agree that the attack on the Syrian air base is all about Trump’s need to deflect criticisms of his alleged Russian connections, and shoring up his policies at a political level . The anti-Russian hysteria is of course a trumped up story (pun intended!) designed to damage the POTUS politically. In this regard it is noticeable that none of the security agencies or the Democrats pushing this story have produced a shred of evidence in support of their claims.

    And of course it is all about Trump’s political survival, so it makes political sense for him to shoot from the hip if that helps his image with a brainwashed electorate – on both sides of the political spectrum. Being an experienced con man, he is not going to allow a pesky little thing like the absence of evidence get in the way of this objective.

  4. jim

    Who are the one million people displaced in Lattakia and Tartous (Syrian governmental areas), they all speak the accent of Aleppo and they have been there for more than 3 years? Is it possible that they ran away from the brutal syrian government to stay in Syrian governmental-held area? That one is not too difficult to answer.

    Why most of the videos circulated on social media come out from AJ? The new daughter of #Aljazeera channel or MSM?

    Who has been shelling the west side of aleppo for more than three years with poisonous gas cylinders and grad rockets?ISIS thats who. Who cut the water going to the citizens in the west side so many times ?iSIS or other terrorists.

    There has never be at any time in this history- a greater source of terrorism but for Saudi Arabia and it’s extracts of crazy cannibal terrorists, It’s been 6 years of syrian war, thousands of terrorist attacks in France, Germany and usa, and the world has learned nothing. na.. not when we have Right wing corporations running the world.

    Last May, more than ten members of the al-Nusra Front were arrested in southern Turkey with what local police told the press were two kilograms of sarin.

    Export data collected by Campaign Against the Arms Trade, which dates back to 2008, provides no evidence that any chemicals were supplied to Syria in the last nine years.(UK weapons are being used in Saudi Arabia’s devastating attacks on Yemen – attacks which have killed thousands and created a humanitarian disaster).

    The Obama administration’s public claims that only the Syrian army had access to sarin were wrong. The American and British intelligence communities had been aware since the spring of 2013 that some rebel units in Syria were developing chemical weapons.

    CAAT is taking legal action to stop the sales, but every day that the government refuses to act is another day of death and destruction. As we put the arms trade in the spotlight,In England the parliament knows that as long as the UK keeps arming Saudi Arabia, we all have blood on our hands……..https://www.caat.org.uk/

  5. Steve Laing

    David – there is the evidence, and then there is the motive behind the events. There is always misinformation in war, it has long been part of the game. But there does seem to be a very strange synchronicity to these events – and the opinion piece above points out some of these.

    1) Why would Assad suddenly decide that now is the time to try chemical weapons again? What was his motivation?
    2) Is it purely coincidence that this occurred when Trump was meeting with President Xi at his Florida country club? A convenient show of strength?

    I suspect that Putin is more fearful of China than of the US as he has much less chance of destabilising that regime. This sends out a message to the world that the US will be tough. But when China continues to boost its South China Sea presence, I don’t expect Trump will do anything. I doubt the Chinese are fooled one bit by all this posturing.

    I agree with the sentiment. Trump cares about Syrian babies who are gassed, but not about Syrian babies killed in any other way, including drowning at sea. The message that Trump is sending is very much for the folks at home rather than the rest of the world. When all else is failing, a bit of war is always gets the nationalist votes – just ask Maggie Thatcher.

  6. helvityni

    Yes, Steve Laing, both Trump and Turnbull shed tears for gassed babies, but do not care so much for those babies still alive whose parents want to bring them into safety in Oz or in USA.. Trudeau did not hesitate to take in both babies and their parents…

    As for Maggie, we lost Bishop Senior, but Michaelia is aspiring to be our very own Aussie Thatcher…she’s got her hairdo sorted, now she has to learn to be a bit more Tory- like, and smooth her rough edges, and soften her voice somewhat…

  7. michael lacey

    Thanks David Bruce you should have written the article good comment!

  8. Matters Not

    There’s Zero Hedge and there’s Abel Danger. Both great sites for those into conspiracies. And both cry ‘wolf’ far too often to have long-term credibility.

  9. Roswell

    Have to agree with you, Steve. If it is only now that Trump feels for the little children, does it mean that he’s had no idea what’s been happening in Syria over the last few years?

  10. Florence nee Fedup

    All I know, what we are hearing makes no sense. Firstly, why should Assad gas these people?

  11. Roswell

    Trump’s Russian dossier.

  12. michael lacey

    And there are people who listen to BS that gets spewed out constantly and never think to question Matters Not!

  13. michael lacey

    Sorry Kaye Lee have seen her reports and they are very credible! Footage has been faked and the white helmets have been caught out on many occasions! Children have been recycled and also dead children have been used including fake gas attack scenes!

    https://consortiumnews.com/2016/10/23/the-white-helmets-controversy/

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-wounded-boy-in-orange-seat-another-staged-white-helmets-stunt/5541662
    http://www.globalresearch.ca/no-such-thing-as-humanitarian-terrorists-analyst-says-of-the-white-helmets/5578164?utm_campaign=magnet&utm_source=article_page&utm_medium=related_articles

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/search?q=white+helmets+recue+same+girl&x=0&y=0

  14. Matters Not

    And there are people who listen to BS that gets spewed out constantly and never think to question

    And then there’s people who rely on Global Research who listen to BS that gets spewed out constantly and never think to question .

    Hello michael lacey.

    Michel Chossudovsky has another recruit who never thinks to question..

  15. burniebobthe_b_

    Taking Stock 75 Days In, Max Elbaum Friday, 07 April 2017

    The Trump administration has already pushed through numerous components of its racist and reactionary program, though it has not been able to establish the level of dominance and momentum required to roll over the remarkably wide, deep and sustained opposition. Via executive actions and winning approval for atrocious cabinet appointments, the White House has already green-lighted the Dakota Access Pipeline, ramped up anti-immigrant enforcement, gutted regulations combatting climate change, eliminated important workers’ rights protections, begun escalating U.S. wars, moved toward shifting resources from social programs to the Pentagon and more. Trump has launched a blistering propaganda assault on the mainstream media which poses a grave threat to fact-based debate and political democracy. All this while retaining the support of Trump’s mass base and the GOP coalition for the Trump-Bannon program of “racial and imperial revenge.”
    *Trump’s lies; his installation of the most financially corrupt, kleptocratic administration in memory; his undisciplined off-message tweets and his general volatility have led to a lot of GOP worry and private grumbling about his capacity to lead. Even a recent Wall Street Journal editorial slammed him for lacking credibility. But all significant factions of his coalition calculate that they will get important benefits from his presidency (or fear his wrath) and continue to defend him. At the base, polls show 85%-plus of GOP voters approve of Trump’s performance so far, and only a handful of Trump voters have been located who publicly express ‘buyer’s remorse’ despite intense media efforts to find and publicize people in that category. This gives Trump the leverage to implement more elements of his reactionary program regarding budget priorities, financial and internet regulations, police practices, immigration, foreign policy, stacking the federal judiciary with reactionary judges and more.

  16. Kaye Lee

    Globalresearch is an anti-“Western” website that can’t distinguish between serious analysis and discreditable junk — and so publishes both. It’s basically the moonbat equivalent to Infowars or WND. Whenever someone makes a remarkable claim and cites GlobalResearch, they are almost certainly wrong.

    http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Globalresearch

    For example…

    “North Korea, a Land of Human Achievement, Love and Joy”

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/north-korea-a-land-of-human-achievement-love-and-joy/5344960

  17. Matters Not

    cites GlobalResearch, they are almost certainly wrong.

    But maybe not. The odds are, that with their scattergun approach, they will prove to be insightful (in retrospect) in some instances.

    But who in their right mind would cite them as ‘proof’. Seems to me that one can use them to entertain ‘possibilities’ but to rely on such sites as ‘proof’ says much about those who would so do.

    As to why Assad would use chemical weapons on this occasion, at this time, remains a mystery. For me.

    As to why Trump reacted as he did also remains a puzzle. I linked to a ‘right wing’ site recently that entertained 10 possibilities.

    I expressed attraction to the notion that Trump is nuts.

  18. Alan Baird

    Theories and more theories. I do not have inside knowledge. When an outrage occurs in Russia it could be an Uzbek terrorist or it could be someone hired by Putin to blow up something to blame on an Uzbek terrorist. The Syrian thing could be anything. The variables are more numerous than the number of participant countries X number of participant countries. The accusations from all sides use up only some of the variables. All sides/onlookers we know from experience are capable of lying. Even if only on television and not on line yet. Could be really messy…

  19. Matters Not

    Theories and more theories

    Indeed! But are there other possibilities?

  20. Kaye Lee

    We know that Assad had a stockpile of chemical weapons. That is not in question.

  21. nurses1968

    I love my job :-D.
    Just accompanied my boss {daughter] on a trip to Alaska Canada and Washington for 3 days in each and in Washington thought it would be fun to go to a Trump supporters rally on 4/4.
    A friendly cop advised us against going as us being “foreigners” could be a problem
    Trump opponents were also rallying and some violence was expected
    Saw a Trump supporter with a gun clearly visible in his waistband arguing with Trump opponents so got out of that area quick smart
    I was surprised that a couple of thousand turned up and this was only one of many being held that weekend.
    Dons support base are loyal and as the speakers down for the rally we intended to go to included a Muslims for Trump speaker a Latino/Hispanics for Trump, a Gays for Trump and a few other unlikely band of misfits .
    One bloke with a KKK T shirt on reckons they don’t give a damn about Trump and Putin as Russia isn’t the danger, the Middle East is .
    Both of us were surprised by the number of young people and women heading for the rally .
    We also learnt if you want to make money, invest in camo clothes or something with American flags on them.
    I did see on the News over there that a survey that 80 +% of GOP/Republics think Trump is doing a good job.
    I guess him bombing Syria would only strenghten his appeal among his base

  22. Michael Taylor

    I’m not into conspiracy theories, but something seems a bit odd.

    Six months after the US election the Americans are still trying to find out if the Russians interfered. Yet within hours of the gas attack they say they know it was Assad. It may well have been Assad. He’s denied it, and the UN is still trying to find out who did it. Only two groups know: the perpetrators and Team Trump.

  23. Freethinker

    I guess that many poeple remember this collateral damage which was not repudiated by Americans friends.
    Of course if the Americans have done it is not a crime.

    At least 210 civilians reported killed by coalition bombs in battle for Manbij
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/29/us-airstrikes-isis-death-toll

    Do not forget “Operation Allied Force”

    The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), found Isis killed 119 civilians in Syria in March, including 19 children and 7 women, with Russian forces believed to have killed 224 civilians in the same month, including 51 children and 42 women.

    The SNHR found the international coalition forces, led by the US, killed 260 civilians, including 70 children and 34 women.

    I can go on and on, there are not angels in both sides, USA and Russia.

  24. Matters Not

    MT, not into (grand) conspiracy theories either but there are a number of questions that need to be addressed. First, why would Assad use chemical weapons at this point in time – knowing full well the likely reaction in the West? (A reaction that was so predictable, and I work on the assumption that Assad is not a dill.) Second, why would he authorise the use chemical weapons when his conventional weapons were already proving to be quite effective? (Perhaps he didn’t (personally) authorise use of same – he didn’t have personal ‘control’. Happens all the time in war. Look at Vietnam for examples)

    Then there’s Trump’s rationale. Again there are a number of possibilities.

    1. To prove that he is no stooge of Putin and the Kremlin.
    2. To keep the war in Syria going, at the behest of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
    3. To keep the war in Syria going, at the behest of the Military Industrial Complex.
    4. To keep the war in Syria going, at the behest of the Deep State and intelligence agencies.
    5. To prove his claim that America will act with surprise and decisiveness.
    6. To please the Democrats and get them off his back.
    7. To please the Republicans and especially the neocons…and get them off his back
    8. To please the mainstream media, who (like with Iraq WMDs) love pushing US wars in the Middle East.
    9. To actually support ISIS and Al Qaeda.
    10. Because maybe after all, the liberal left, snowflakes were right about one thing…Trump really is stupid.

    Lot’s of questions as to ‘motivations’ on all sides. Seems silly to rush to judgement, particularly when we are reliant on ‘sources’ that have their own agendas.

    What I am confident of is the judgement that when it comes to ‘International Law’ the US and Australia significantly transgressed.

  25. Freethinker

    Matters Not, anything it is possible including that the Syrian army can undisciplined or some of the generals are ignoring orders from above.

  26. Matters Not

    Freethinker – yes anything is possible in war and it’s courageous to sheet blame home to the one at the ‘top’. I draw your attention to the My Lai Massacre in particular:

    was the Vietnam War mass killing of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968. .. committed by U.S. Army soldiers from Company C … Victims included men, women, children, and infants. Some of the women were gang-raped and their bodies mutilated. Twenty-six soldiers were charged with criminal offenses, but only Lieutenant William Calley Jr., a platoon leader in C Company, was convicted. Found guilty of killing 22 villagers, he was originally given a life sentence, but served only three and a half years under house arrest.

    Was the Commander in Chief ever accused? Was it ever suggested that he should be?

    Not suggesting a close parallel but indicating that a rush to judgement is unwise – as is sheeting blame at this point.

    Put simply, contributors to this blog don’t ‘know’. But I believe that going to ‘conspiracy sites’, particularly, those with poor records for accuracy, is fraught.

  27. VegasJessie

    This is totally an opinion piece and hypothesis. Why so serious and testy folks? Lighten up. There’s not a goddamned thing we can do because this piece of human excrement is our ‘president’ and he can commit crimes with impunity, lie, steal etc and the Republicans are all on board. So let’s just enjoy the shit show and combat the lies from Murdoch’s empire of evil. Okay?

  28. Michael Taylor

    Hi Jessie. I’m surprised that people viewed this as a conspiracy theory. It isn’t. It’s like you say, it’s an opinion piece.

    I’m not into conspiracy theories, and neither are you. They’re just a few ideas put forward that because they could be true, people who don’t think they’re possible pounce with “fake news” or “conspiracy theory”.

  29. Kyran

    Like the author and many commenters, I seem to have more questions than answers.
    Syria signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 and has been subject to inspections through the OPCW since then. Syria traditionally used chlorine, the ‘rebels’ traditionally used ‘mustard gas’. This attack was, allegedly, sarin gas.
    The UN Security Council was scheduled to meet on the 5th April to discuss Syria. Why would Syria launch such an attack the day before such a crucial meeting?
    As a signatory to the CWC, Syria is subject to inspections. There have been inspections already this year. The OPCW indicated it would launch an inspection within two days of this attack, to which Syria responded by saying it would accommodate the request.

    https://www.opcw.org/special-sections/syria-and-the-opcw/

    Why was there a need for the US to launch a pre-emptive strike? Why did they telegraph the strike to the Russians? Why were the missiles so inaccurate?
    The last time such a scenario arose, we invaded Iraq. A situation wherein facts were ignored and political expediency reigned supreme.
    How did that go for us?
    And the big question is ‘who were the winners?’
    Well, there was the AWB. It looks like that one has finally been put to bed. Flugge was dealt with yesterday, the AWB has been exonerated (by way of incompetence, rather than evil intent!), and none of the rules governing corporate governance in such circumstances have been changed.

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-10/awb-trevor-flugge-fined-banned-iraq-food-for-oil-scandal/8430032

    Business as usual. And it’s ok for business to profit from misery.
    How about our weapons industry? Well, we increased the spend by way of commitment to % of GDP without need for planning or oversight.
    Remember the $50bill spend on submarines? The tendering process was watered down and the decision was ultimately left to politicians. We ended up gifting $50bill to a French company, DCNS, which is widely reported as corrupt. Our politicians still can’t say how much of the build will happen in Australia.
    Having established this as the new norm, the whining poodle announced yesterday he would spend $2bill on missiles, from Raytheon Australia no less, without tender or oversight.
    “Some of the world’s largest defence companies have expressed disappointment at Australia’s decision to award a lucrative multi-billion-dollar missile contract without a full competitive evaluation process.”

    “Mr Pyne has acknowledged the move towards a limited tender process may increase with future defence projects.
    “This is the first time we’ve used the limited request for tender (LTM) under the Smart Buyer process for such a large acquisition, and we have over many announcements in the last few years been very open to a wide tender,” Mr Pyne told reporters in Adelaide.
    “With this one, we very clearly decided that we wanted this product to protect our troops and that’s why we have released in this particular way.””

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-10/government-awards-$2b-missile-contract-without-competition/8430974

    Having a similar disregard as Mr Taylor for conspiracy theories, I have a high regard for collusion. The politics and the needless killing of civilians are merely smoke screens. Whilst most will follow the politics, posing numerous theories of varying credibility, few will follow the money.
    Going back to the WMD thingy, there was a cartoon depicting two ‘suits’ talking. The first asked “How do we prove Saddam has WMD’s?” to which the response was “I can find the receipts if you like”.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_Weapons_Convention

    Check out the “known production facilities” section. Whilst Syria is one of them, inspections to date seem to corroborate chlorine as their main weapon. Maybe we should just ask the other producers what they are producing and who they are selling it to?
    The needless killing will continue. Whilst the conversation will largely involve who did what to whom, the suits will continue to amass obscene wealth, without scrutiny or oversight.
    Conspiracy theory, pffft. My theory is collusion!
    Thank you VegasJessie and commenters. Take care

  30. Michael Taylor

    Nurses, that’s a frightening comment. Much to be afraid of, me thinks.

  31. Michael Taylor

    Btw, I’d believe VegasJessie any day before I believe what comes out of the White House.

  32. nurses1968

    Michael Taylor.
    It seems the fanatical fringe are empowered by Trumps election and are quite brazen in their speech and actions.The cops advised against us going too close to the rally but a number of loonies spoke to us within ear shot of the cops.A group of about 6 wearing “Pest Patrol” t shirts explained to us that they intended to wipe out cockroaches. It was later we found out “cockroaches” is the term for Muslim Sudanese and Somalians.
    They still believe Obama is a Muslim and seem to have a hate for everyone other than Americans.
    We did learn from a cop that there were 250,000 reported hate crimes in the USA last year and one cop thought it likely that would double now.Big fans of the wall getting built.
    The shocker for me was the number of young people,women,quite a few Hispanics and African Americans heading for the rally wearing Trump regalia, and some of the signs and banners were a crime in themselves with the message.
    My first trip to America and LAST

  33. Michael Taylor

    Carol and I were in America in February but we didn’t have any run-ins with Trump supporters. We didn’t see too many of them at all, but in general conversation with people we certainly met many who opposed him. Mind you, we went with the intention of not discussing politics with anybody unless we knew them personally. On other occasions our ears were open but our mouths were shut.

    And what did we hear? There’s a lot of worried people in America. Lots of scared ones too. Recent events show they have every reason to be scared.

    Nonetheless, we’d be happy to go back.

    Mind you, we went to Nevada only.

  34. Freethinker

    Nurses you are describing Brasil!
    It is incredible how the domestic social/political unrest is is so similar in countries with different culture.

  35. Roswell

    VegasJessie has been around for years, and I’ve always enjoyed her articles.

    Btw, I’m American-born. No intentions of ever returning there to live.

  36. Roswell

    Let’s use science to get to the bottom of this.

    We know that Assad has Sarin gas. We also know (from the UN inspectors in 2013) that the rebels have Sarin gas.

    Assad says he didn’t gas the civilians. The Americans say he did. The Russians are suggesting that Assad’s attack on the rebels may have hit a factory where the rebels were making the Sarin gas.

    According to the UN inspectors the Sarin gas produced by the rebels is less sophisticated than Assad’s (which contains an extra component). As such, the chemical footprints left on the victims of the respective gases differ.

    This is where science comes in: let’s study the footprints. Studying the footprints should determine whether it was Assad’s gas or the rebel’s that killed those poor civilians.

  37. Freethinker

    Roswell, good idea as long as the ones that are doing the study and publish the results are not bias.
    Not an easy thing to expect from both sides

  38. Roswell

    That’s the worry, isn’t it, Freethinker?

  39. Freethinker

    Sorry to be pessimistic but at 71 after seen so much I just do not trust no one politician or media outlet.
    I guess that we have to wait and see and hope for the best.

  40. Kaye Lee

    Freethinker,

    veteranstoday is another VERY dubious site.

    Michael, could you tell me your source for saying 40 missiles missed the target?

    As for Raytheon stock, his holdings are miniscule, listed in the range of $1,000 – $15,000 bringing him an income of $201 or less in 2015 and between $1,000 and $2,500 in 2016 which included capital gains which would indicate he sold some. I really doubt that sort of money would cause him to bomb another country.

    http://www.snopes.com/trump-raytheon-stock/

  41. Freethinker

    Thank you Kaye for let me know.

  42. Michael Taylor

    That was the early reports I’d heard, Kaye, but it has been disputed. I should have put “allegedly” in my comment. I’m glad you filled me in on the stock holdings.

    My comment was stupid and not thought through. I’ll delete the first bit.

  43. Kaye Lee

    Roswell,

    “We also know (from the UN inspectors in 2013) that the rebels have Sarin gas.”

    Do we?

    “The evidence available concerning the nature, quality and quantity of the agents used on 21 August indicated that the perpetrators likely had access to the chemical weapons stockpile of the Syrian military, as well as the expertise and equipment necessary to manipulate safely large amount of chemical agents,” the U.N. investigators said in the report.

    “Concerning the incident in Khan al-Assal on 19 March, the chemical agents used in that attack bore the same unique hallmarks as those used in al-Ghouta,” it said.

    Chief United Nations investigator Ake Sellstrom, who led a team of inspectors to Syria, said in January that it was “difficult to see” how the opposition could have weaponized the toxins used.

    President Bashar al-Assad agreed to destroy his chemical weapons following global outrage over the sarin gas attack at Ghouta in August, the world’s deadliest chemical attack in 25 years. It drew a U.S. threat of military strikes that was averted after Assad pledged to give up his chemical arms.

  44. Kaye Lee

    Michael,

    It is not “stupid” at all to question what has gone on. None of it makes any sense. I am not on any side here other than trying to get to the facts, which of course, sitting here in my jammies, is impossible. It is a matter of reading conflicting reports and trying to assess their credibility.

  45. Roswell

    Kaye, I’ll see if I can find the YouTube clip of that UN inspector who has the hard-to-understand accent. (Nerve gas is nerving gas). I heard it on there. Give me a day or two.

  46. nurses1968

    Freethinker,
    Pretty much what you reported is confirmed here on Indicter by Prof Marcello Ferrada de Noli, chairman, Swedish Doctors for Human Rights – SWEDHR.

    Swedish Doctors for Human Rights: White Helmets Video, Macabre Manipulation of Dead Children and Staged Chemical Weapons Attack to Justify a “No-Fly Zone” in Syria
    by The Indicter | posted in: March 2017 issue | 0

    http://theindicter.com/swedish-doctors-for-human-rights-white-helmets-video-macabre-manipulation-of-dead-children-and-staged-chemical-weapons-attack-to-justify-a-no-fly-zone-in-syria/

  47. Freethinker

    Kaye that site that you believe it is dubious is quoting Professor Marcello Vittorio Ferrada de Noli, who is the chairman of the non-governmental research association “Swedish Doctors for Human Rights” (SWEDHR).
    Is that organisation bias or dubious?
    He and his colleagues studied the actions of the “rescuers” of the chemical attack victims and concluded that: the children shown in the video are more likely to be under the influence of drugs than poisonous substances; epinephrine injection is also done incorrectly and can lead to the death of the child. According to Swedish doctors, the White Helmets activists don’t rescue, but purposefully kill children, so that they can be misrepresent as the victims of the Syrian army.
    Is that believable in your opinion.
    I asking not to dispute your comment but I just started reading about this event and the best that I know about the sources of information the better to have a better opinion about it.
    Have you read Joel Skousen?

    Thank you

  48. Roswell

    Sounds familiar, Kaye. It was a 2013 video.

  49. Kaye Lee

    She was a lone wolf in her comments. From the link above:

    ” the commission stressed that it had “not reached conclusive findings” as to their use by any parties. “As a result, the commission is not in a position to further comment on the allegations at this time,” a statement added.

    The BBC’s Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the statement was terse and shows that the UN was taken by surprise at Ms Del Ponte’s remarks.”

    And these….

    Former war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, who is currently probing rights abuses in Syria, on Monday backed Russia’s air strikes on “terrorist groups” in the war-torn country.

    “Overall, I think the Russian intervention is a good thing, because finally someone is attacking these terrorist groups,” Del Ponte told Swiss public broadcaster RTS, listing the Islamic State group and Al-Nusra among the groups targeted.

    But Del Ponte, a member of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, quickly added that the Russians apparently “are not distinguishing enough between the terrorists and others, and that is not as good.”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3437674/Russian-air-strikes-Syria-good-thing-Del-Ponte.html

    Carla del Ponte, a member of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, told Swiss TV there were “strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof,” that rebels seeking to oust Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad had used the nerve agent.

    But she said her panel had not yet seen any evidence of Syrian government forces using chemical weapons, according to the BBC, but she added that more investigation was needed.

    Damascus has recently facing growing Western accusations that its forces used such weapons, which President Obama has described as crossing a red line. But Ms. del Ponte’s remarks may serve to shift the focus of international concern.

    Ms. del Ponte, who in 1999 was appointed to head the U.N. war crimes tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, has sometimes been a controversial figure. She was removed from her Rwanda post by the U.N. Security Council in 2003

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/6/syrian-rebels-used-sarin-nerve-gas-not-assads-regi/

  50. Roswell

    Thanks, Kaye. You’ve saved me a bit of work. I’ll dismiss her comment and move on.

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