A coupla things …

Henri_Rousseau_-_Mandrill_in_the_Jungle

1.  A couple of Border Patrol/ICE people tell me that the US does not effectively charge an entry fee to non-US citizen individuals seeking to enter the US legally across the southern border.  The point made by these border and immigration professionals is that the money would enable the construction and installation of more and better border barrier systems.  They make the point that where border barrier systems have been installed the flow of illegal migrants is much reduced.  Mexico evidently collects such a fee in the San Diego sector.  My question for the lawyers is whether or not such a fee would be legal if put in place under an EO or would this require legislation?

2.  We now have had Obama Derangement Syndrome (ODS),  Clinton Derangement Syndrome (CDS),  Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS),  and United States Derangement Syndrome (USDS).  I propose yet another Derangement Syndrome.  This would be the Russia/Iran Derangement Syndrome (RIDS).  In this syndrome now prominent on both sides of the political divide, the Russia of Pushkin, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, etc. disappears to be replaced altogether by Ivan the Terrible, Lenin, Stalin and the Soviet Union writ large to condemn Russia in our minds to the status of crafty inherently hostile barbarians.   Well, pilgrims, maybe it ain't so!  Ukraine?  Are we really solidly behind a coup generated government of Nazi sympathizers in Kiev?  Are we really?  Is there really evidence that Russian Army troops are fighting in eastern Ukraine?  Is there? Or is this claim just another example of Borgist (foreign policy establishment) information operations?  Do we still remember that the Crimea was for centuries an integral part of Russia, not the Ukraine, until Khruschev, a Ukrainian, arbitrarily gave Crimea to the Ukraine.  The Russians took it back?  What a surprise.  What a surprise!  That doesn't fit with the "rules based world order?"  Well, maybe there is something wrong with the rules that the Borg loves so much.  Russia intervened in Syria to prevent a  jihadi/Gulfy/Israeli/US handover of the country to the grip of a salafi satrapi of Saudi Arabia?  Well, God bless them!

3. The Borg evidently thinks it bestrides the world as the standard bearer of the aforementioned "rules," commanding from the imperial capital on the Tiber/Potomac.  A reminder of this "thought," is the statement today in the corporate media that the US "ordered" Soleimani, the IRGC Quds force commander (foreign interventions) not to leave Iran and he has had the effrontery to visit Moscow.  Tell me pilgrims, what is the sense of such a statement.  How is Soleimani a terrorist?  He carries out his country's foreign policy as do our people for US policy.  His men worked with Iraqi insurgents to fight us during our adventure in country building?  Mathis, McMaster and all that crew are so deeply embittered by war that they cannot see the foolishness of that?  They should grow up.  "We fought them and they fought us."  Germany, Japan, Spain, etc.?  Come on!  Grow up!

4.  Pelosi appears to me to be demented.

5.  "Shithole?"  Well, SWMBO and I have lived and visited in many a "shithole."  Haiti, Salvador, Yemen, and any number of African dumps closely resemble that description.  Rude?  Yes, certainly, but he is the "hard hat" president.  IMO most Americans agree with him on this. 

6.  A lot of the newer, younger people on Foxnews' air appear to be making their reportage into the new CNN.  pl

This entry was posted in As The Borg Turns, Borg Wars, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Russiagate, Syria, Whatever, Yemen. Bookmark the permalink.

113 Responses to A coupla things …

  1. TonyL says:

    Colonel,
    “5. “Shithole?” Well, SWMBO and I have lived and visited in many a “shithole.” Haiti, Salvador, Yemen, and any number of African dumps closely resemble that description. Rude? Yes, certainly, but he is the “hard hat” president. IMO most Americans agree with him on this. ”
    No. Most Americans do not agree with him on this. These countries are not shitholes. They are just poor and underdeveloped countries.

  2. turcopolier says:

    Tony L You do not write well. Your assertion is in regard to your opinion and not the opinion of “most Americann” as was my statement. i will wager that you have little real life experience of “shitholes.” In my experience the poor condition of these countries is largely the fault of their inhabitants. The US should stop propping them up and should let the world economy deal with them. pl

  3. Willybilly says:

    Your best Coupla things ever, straight to the point

  4. Joe100 says:

    Colonel –
    My recollection is that Ukraine’s Constitution provided for Ukraine to secede to Russia through a referendum, so If my recollection is correct we don’t have an argument that there was anything illegal about the transition.

  5. Patrick D says:

    Colonel,
    “In my experience the poor condition of these countries is largely the fault of their inhabitants.”
    I’ve lived in or visited many of those countries in the Middle East, South, and Southeast Asia. Strange that people there maintain nearly spotless households but treat public and outdoor spaces in general like a dumpster and latrine, no? Never really came up with an explanation I was satisfied with other than “culture”.

  6. iowa steve says:

    An apt and accurate summary of our world.
    On the “s***hole” remark–maybe he could have gotten away with using “deplorables” instead.

  7. raven says:

    The “hard hat president” who never wore either a hard and or a steel pot. Big whoop.

  8. Jony Kanuck says:

    Colonel,
    I find myself nervous this morning: Syria Deragement Syndrome!
    The attack on the Russian airbase at Hmiemem appears to be the work of the US or Israel. Putin says he knows who & how much. The non HTS ‘moderate’ rebel counter attack against the SAA offensive in Idlib has been checked. It was almost a near run thing; the headchoppers have a dozen or more SAA prisoners. The ‘moderate’ jihadis couldn’t have attacked without a huge
    delivery of ordnance; SAA has captured a Turkish APC. With a background of US troops in eastern Syria, Israeli air strikes against the SAA in Syria & Sessions announcing an enquiry into Hizbollah drug running, I’m wondering how soon there will be a (deliberate) ‘accident’. Or is it just crazy to let irrational actors; salafist jihadis, Israelis & sultan Tatip get into a
    position where they could create a confrontation between the US & Russia. Maybe I should not drink brandy & read ME news before bed!

  9. Kerim says:

    Come on, the people living in those shitholes will readily admit that they are indeed living in shitholes.
    And I agree with the Colonel that the people and their governments are responsible to a large degree for creating these shitholes.

  10. jjc says:

    I think the term “shithole” does reflect the condition of many places on this planet, and more accurately than words like “underdeveloped.” However, placing the blame on the inhabitants is a little harsh. In Haiti, for example, the last popularly elected President -who had some plans and ideas for local development – was removed at gunpoint twice, the second time leading to a UN sponsored military occupation which continues to this day. In Africa, development has been tied to IMF/World Bank schemes which have, deliberately, resulted in cycles of debt and austerity. Historically, leaders sensitive to the development needs of the people have been removed and neutralized, such as the shameful assassination of Congo’s Lumumba in the early 1960s. The Congo today – resource rich – truly is a shithole, but with a lot of outside help in keeping it that way.

  11. Tom says:

    Sir
    I whole heartedly agree with you. My only squabble would be with that line: “Are we really solidly behind a coup generated government of Nazi sympathizers in Kiev?” It is not with the factual statement as such. But with the conotation. Basically the Ukrainians are the losers of history. That is why you can nowadays smear Bandera. Unfortunately his enemies were no better. I mean the death squads of the NKVD which are conveniently forgotten today.
    Having said all of that let me add that I generally don´t like the “moralistic” version of our news. That is the way those r2p people will try to badger one into interfering in some faraway country. The poor Ukrainians. And the bad Russians. In reality they are cut from the same cloth. I happen to know some of the volunteers on the Russian side and they like the Svastica no less than their Ukrainian frenemies.
    Those volunteers hate Putin. And really and honestly one of the foremost reasons why
    I hate what the West did in the Ukraine is that it forced Putin to the same side like these people.

  12. Oilman2 says:

    Colonel –
    Your point number 6 is spot on. I don’t watch MSM except when waiting in a lobby somewhere, but have been forced to do that a lot lately. This has been slowly evolving via replacing older bimbos with ever younger ones. I doubt they are vetted for much more than their looks and connections, and they are far too young to have been much of anywhere for the most part.
    I am waiting for them to begin discussing what politicians are wearing any day now…

  13. JohnH says:

    Add North Korea to that derangement syndrome list…highlighted by Sheryl Atkinson, whose ad repeatedly proclaims many times per evening that “some national security experts say that North Korea is the greatest threat to America.”
    Talk about yellow journalistic propaganda designed to prepare the people for war…

  14. Brenda Turner says:

    Colonel you would agree with Donald John Trump, Sr. Two sides of same coin. Ask the Carrier employees how he champion work class white folk.

  15. Laura says:

    The “hard hat” President…hardly. My husband wore a hard hat and he showed up for work every single work day prepared to work, having studied the plans, with clean tools in working order and with respect for all the men and women he worked with every day. Those would include the Mexican laborers who dug the trenches and moved the rocks. He actually worked for a contractor with PhD in Philosophy who ALSO respected the laborers he hired. And NO ONE in either category EVER talked about other human beings with either the intent or language of DT or they would not have lasted long on the crew.
    I don’t think DT would last 2 minutes on a typical construction job as “one of the guys”….because he isn’t. He is exceptionally NOT a regular working man.

  16. turcopolier says:

    Laura
    I did not say he is or was an actual “hard hat.” I said he was the hard hats (human collective) president. This is an artfully constructed persona designed in my opinion to insulate him psycholgically from rejection by the nouveau riche elites in NY City. The old money people are even more unlikely to have much to do with him. pl

  17. turcopolier says:

    Brenda Turner
    Thanks for the demonstration of TDS. Yes, Carrier has laid off some people and so he is obviously a liar and I must be as well. Pathetic. pl

  18. turcopolier says:

    Tom
    After my first five or six “shitholes” I learned not to get personally involved in their pain. pl

  19. turcopolier says:

    jjc
    Yes, the world screws the “shithole” locals, but they let the world screw them and are generally glad to take the money. pl

  20. SmoothieX12 says:

    No. Most Americans do not agree with him on this.
    So, that is why there are huge lines of applicants for visa and permanent residence applications in Liberia’s, Kongo’s and Botswana’s embassies? Right? There is such a thing called “voting with one’s own feet”. For some reason refugees from ME also try to get into Europe, not into sub-Saharan Africa or Haiti.

  21. turcopolier says:

    Kerim
    Yes. As an example, the area around Taiz, Yemen is potentially rich agriculturally and the Yemenis have had a lot of financial and agricultural training/advice help but they don’t want to be farmers of export commodities. Full stop. pl

  22. turcopolier says:

    raven
    Don’t be boring. I said he is the hard hats’ president. He is a fraud like all politicians. pl

  23. turcopolier says:

    Patrick D
    Yes, there is nothing wrong with them as humans, but they lack a sense of collective identity and responsibility for their communities as wholes. In a word, they don’t give a damn about what the streets look like. that is not about them, personally. pl

  24. SRW says:

    The countries that the Trumpster calls “shitholes” are rough places when compared to the US, but they send some of their most talented people to our country. From Bloomberg View an excerpt on African immigrants.
    ” According to Census data, more than 43 percent of African immigrants hold a bachelor’s degree or higher — slightly more than immigrants from East Asia. Nigerian immigrants are especially educated, with almost two-thirds holding college degrees — a significantly higher percentage even than Chinese or South Korean immigrants. African immigrants are also very likely to hold advanced degrees, many of which are earned at U.S. universities. By many measures, African immigrants are as far ahead of American whites in the educational achievement as whites are ahead of African-Americans.
    That education translates into higher household income. Nigerian-Americans, for instance, have a median household income well above the American average, and above the average of many white and Asian groups, such as those of Dutch or Korean descent.
    My gripe is that Trump equates the worth of these people with the place where they come from, probably like most of his supporters.
    https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2015-10-13/it-isn-t-just-asian-immigrants-who-excel-in-the-u-s-

  25. SmoothieX12 says:

    The attack on the Russian airbase at Hmiemem appears to be the work of the US or Israel. Putin says he knows who & how much.
    Putin plays, with Russia’s MoD, good cop-bad cop for Erdogan. It is clear that Ankara is not a coherent politically place. On the other hand, neither is Washington. But I am still leaning more away from Israel (or US) involvement. Erdogan is simply given a way out.

  26. Tosk59 says:

    Hmm, it is actually India that is the original ‘shithole’ with almost 50% of the population indulging in “open defecation.”

  27. turcopolier says:

    SRW
    He didn’t say the people in the “shitholes” were shit. The ones who are so lucky as to go to foreign universities are often quite bright. An RAF Wing Commander once said to me at a public lunch in a “shithole” that we Americans loot the world in search of talent and lure it. to our shores. I said that was true and inquired as to when he would be immigrating to the states. The room smiled and he said that was the nicest thing anyone had said to him for a long time. pl

  28. outthere says:

    You covered a lot of ground, more than i will comment upon.
    1. When I drove through Mexico on my honeymoon (long ago when it was safe to do that), the Mexican border guard asked for a few pesos. I told him that I did not see any signs or papers telling me this was a legitimate fee. He replied that it was his only pay for doing this job, and that he had paid someone in power to have the job. I told him “Oh that’s how it works, I see.” And I gave him twice as many pesos as he was asking.
    2 and 3. Just published is an essay by late lamented Ed Herman which covers not only Crimea, but many other USA actions going back to the coup of elected government of Guatemala (Arbenz) in 1953.
    Fake News on Russia and Other Official Enemies
    The New York Times, 1917–2017
    https://monthlyreview.org/2017/07/01/fake-news-on-russia-and-other-official-enemies#en24
    4. I do not think it is fair to say that the poor condition of Haiti is the fault of its inhabitants. Haitian independence had to be paid for with huge payments to France that were finally paid off in 1947.
    “The enforced payment to France reduced Haiti’s economy for years. Western nations did not give Haiti formal diplomatic recognition. Both of these problems kept the Haitian economy and society isolated. Expatriates bankrolled and armed opposing groups.” (wikipedia)
    During this period of forced payments, Haiti’s topsoil was totally depleted, its ability to sustain itself was destroyed.
    This was the cost of ending slavery in Haiti.
    And then there was the occupation of Haiti by USA Marines, and the forced changes to its constitution which allowed foreign ownership of its land.
    “This mindset allowed the marines to act highly authoritatively in Haiti and carry out atrocious acts. It has been estimated that up to 15,000 Haitians lost their lives at the hands of the occupying forces, either through armed opposition or through the ‘corvee’ system of forced labor. This system allowed the occupying forces to take people from their homes and farms, at gunpoint if necessary, to build roads, bridges, etc. Many resisted and were killed on the spot while others died working or due to disease and malnutrition while living in squalid work camps.” (wiki)
    USA troops remained until FDR removed them in 1934.
    It is certainly true that there have been despicable Haitian leaders in power, but they have ruled with the aid and support of USA.

  29. Richard says:

    I think the “shithole” comment will end up helping Trump much more than hurting him. Unless you value political correctness above anything else, you can’t help but realize that Trump’s comment was a spot-on summary of the problem with immigration policies in the USA and Western Europe. No other leader had the guts to say this out loud. That’s exactly why people voted for him.
    PS: Anderson Cooper deserves an Emmy for his crying performance on CNN last night.

  30. eakens says:

    Maybe somebody can ask the Clintons what they know about that shithole Haiti….

  31. turcopolier says:

    eakens
    The Clintons and Haiti? Yes they liked to go there on vacations to dance on a terrace at their hotel while Haitian waiters brought them cold drinks and then she later funneled relief for Haiti’s disaster to their friends. pl

  32. turcopolier says:

    outthere
    You should have put quotation mars around this. Whose article was that? Oh, the poor Haitians! Why didn’t they tell the French banks or whoever it was to stick it in their ear? No guts? Or no sense of national pride. The USN/USMC period in Haiti was the only period of decent government Haiti has ever had. Haiti is yet another example of a socially incompetent people yearning for suicidal independence. You think the Marines forced the Haitians to de-nude the country of its vegetation? My. My. Understand that I think you are not contributory on SST. pl

  33. Terry says:

    Poor sanitation practices alone make these countries literally “shitholes”. Average height is reduced and IQ as well. Over 1 billion people still go in the wild and I’ve personally been sitting a nice upscale restaurant only to have someone squat and go 30 feet from where I was eating. I recommend googling global sanitation reports. 80% goes untreated. And also googling global IQ by country.

  34. Mark Logan says:

    Oilman,
    James Murdoch has made some comments over the past year which indicate a change might be in the offing. He expressed concern their demographic was hugely elderly and implied an awareness the brand name has become something of a punchline among the younger, and un-good blip on the long-range radar. More recently he publicly criticized Trump himself. The Hill wrote something about that.
    http://thehill.com/homenews/media/367019-rupert-murdochs-son-privately-expressed-embarrassment-over-elements-of-fox
    It seems Disney is investing big in the outfit. They say it “won’t affect the coverage.” HA! The guys with the money, sooner or later, ALWAYS demand a voice.
    My ear to the ground says the majority of younger folks are turned off by the three big cable news outfits because there is almost nothing there but political gossip. It has become unwatchable for a great many. They all may be making the mistake of fighting tooth and nail for a small market.

  35. I don’t see anything wrong with charging foreigners an entrance fee to enter this country. If it was consistently applied to all foreigners at all entrance points, it would probably have a better chance of standing the inevitable legal challenges. I’m sure the tourist industry would scream holy murder.
    I don’t understand why Trump is now denying his “shithole” comment. It’s certainly not the worse thing he’s said or done and it is consistent with his nature. I agree some places are shitholes.

  36. turcopolier says:

    outthere
    IMO you are not contributory to the discussion. Yes, the Marines in the Gendarmerie d’Haiti killed people. it was a lawless, violent country that needed to be disciplined. Get lost! pl

  37. Kooshy says:

    Aren’t the visa fees the entrance fees? Or added to it? , secondly why should citizens of countries that have no visa or entrance for Americans should be charged with an entrance fee at American borders? I was in London this summer didn’t pay a Peny to get in, should or could we start charging the brits an entrance fee at LAX? Don’t make senses

  38. turcopolier says:

    kooshy
    We need the money. pl

  39. turcopolier says:

    TTG
    Charge em’all. Use the money to harden the border with my other country, Canada, as well. Charge the Brits as well. pl

  40. Umm, Laura –
    ” And NO ONE in either category EVER talked about other human beings with either the intent or language of DT or they would not have lasted long on the crew.
    I don’t think DT would last 2 minutes on a typical construction job as “one of the guys”…”
    Well, in a way I suppose that’s true. I’m afraid such as your President wouldn’t last two minutes on any building site I’ve ever worked on. Not unless he wore earmuffs.
    There were some standards observed. Seems a little sexist these days but the lads were never so free with their speech if there were women within earshot. That had the effect of rendering some of my best workers permanently dumb. Mercifully.
    I’m very happy to hear that it’s different in the States. I’m now waiting for the Colonel or TTG to inform me that US servicemen never say anything stronger than “Oh dear.”

  41. Valissa says:

    James Kunstler muses on Trump’s “shithole” remark… LOL…
    Who Moved My Xanax?
    The moral panic of “the Resistance” is back in DefCon 1 mode overnight just as the righteousness orgasm of the Golden Globe Awards was wearing off. Mr. Trump’s casual question to a couple of Senators vis-à-vis immigration policy — “Why do we want all these people from ‘shithole countries’ coming here?” — pushed the “racism” button at Resistance Central and CNN staged yet another of the orchestrated anxiety attacks it has perfected over the past year.
    The spotlight in this three-ring circus of perpetual offense, indignation, and alarm shifts back from the alleged sufferings of movie actresses to another intersectional victim group from the Dem/Prog pantheon of oppressed minorities: would-be immigrants-of-color. The President’s vulgar animus proves the charge that at least half the country is a lynch mob.
    Of course, the most interesting feature of this neurotic zeitgeist is the displacement dynamic among the political Left as its frantic virtue-signaling attempts to distract everybody else in the room from its own dark and shameful emotions about the composition of American culture. As a born-and-bred Boomer (ex-)liberal from Manhattan’s Upper East Side, I can assure you from direct experience that this group has, at best, ambiguous feelings about the lower orders of mankind — my Gawd, did he actually say that? — and, at worst, a certain unmanageable contempt that stirs deep fears of moral failure.
    ————-
    Perhaps a few of these signs strategically placed around the White House 😉
    http://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/27/4/450348543-2421915297_44022d5d59_z.jpg

  42. Kooshy says:

    From the experience of a immigrant, IMO, throughout history people have migrated for wealth and or safety, ever since early 1900s America offered both, that was the main reason many waves of Europeans at first, (apparently including Mr. Trumps own family), and later folks from many other places wanted to come to this country for this same reasons( which broth about the rapid growth of this nation). IMO, this country, if it wants to compete in markets with countries that have much lower labor wages, it needs to lower her labor force’ standard of living, or to bring in cheap labor from shithole countries. The already unaffordable construction cost/ Real estate in California will become unreachable, If it was not for cheap ununionized Latino Salvadorian and Guatemalan day laborers, IMO it is easy to stop emigration from shithole countries, perhaps as easy as stop importing cheap chines clothes and everything else sold in Walmart and Amazon, but in that case, only shitheads will be the only ones who can afford to buy anything.

  43. Kooshy says:

    Colonel sir, I don’t thing border money can be anything of significant compering to the waste of money we have in this country.

  44. Richard says:

    Regarding the topic of “entry fees” into the US, here is how it currently works for people from the EU: Citizens of countries which are part of the Visa Waiver Program (the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and some other smaller highly developed countries in Asia and Europe, and Chile) already have to pay 14 USD for a so-called “ESTA registration” (“Electronic System for Travel Authorization”) which is mandatory before you enter the USA for visa-free short-term visits lasting up to 90 days each. The ESTA registration itself is valid for 5 years, then it has to be renewed for another 14 USD, and so on.
    Alternatively, you can of course apply for a “proper” visa, in which case you won’t have to do the ESTA registration but you will have to pay the visa fees at the US embassy.
    I have no idea whether the legal basis for this is an EO, a law or a multilateral treaty, but this may be a way to charge a fee to people coming to the USA from Mexico without being hampered by legal restrictions associated with “entry fees”. Just set up a “Travel Registration System” for Mexicans and charge them a “registration fee” when they enter and ka-ching!

  45. eakens says:

    I think it’s since been canned, but when I went to Argentina I was charged something like $150 fee, and I didn’t even get a single drink ticket…

  46. pl,
    Charge em’all. I agree. Maybe it’ll cut down on all them damned Québécois streaming down the Northway. Just call it a toll for entering any border crossing, air or seaport. If Disney wants to reimburse their tourists for the fee, like validated parking, so be it.

  47. SR Wood says:

    I disagree. The Trumpster is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, does not read, watches a lot of television, and probably thinks that American African immigrants are like the boat people swamping Europe or the small number of refugees we admit. As evidence from the census survey as quoted in Bloomberg View,that cannot be further from the truth. I don’t know what it takes to become an immigrant to the US from an African country but the ones coming here have the attributes and education for success (maybe someone knows what it takes to get immigrant status). Trump has never been in the military so has probably never mixed at an equal level with different races, esp. black. All that taken together makes me think he equates the immigrants from “shithole” countries with the “shithole” attributes of the country.
    As a 20 yr old I was stationed at an airbase near Oxford, England. I was dating a girl who worked at one of the colleges and she invited me to a party at the college where I was introduced to a doctor from Nigeria (I believe) who had tribal scars cut into his cheeks. My first introduction to educated Africans.

  48. charly says:

    Penny wise, pound foolish.
    It will cost more money than it generates and if you make it to high it even creates more illegal entries.

  49. optimax says:

    Parts of Mexico are shitholes. In 1980 I rented a palapa in Yelapa, a small village on Mexico’s West Coast. It was the cheapskates tropical paradise. Iwas walking with the owner of the palapa back to the village when he threw a full garbage bag down the hill. It was out of sight and he didn’t mind. Tijuana is a shithole. I wouldn’t pay to go there.
    On extended trips into Mexico the guards at the train station expected a-dollar inside your tourista card but that was a “bite” for the underpaid guard. When living in Nogales AZ we ate lunch everyday of work and never paid to enter. But that was the eighties so I don’t know what’s going on at the border these days.
    Parts of East Cleveland are shitholes and the prog politicians are letting the homeless turn Portland into a shithole. Businesses have or have threatened to move to the suburbs because employees have been harassed by junkies and they have to hose down the sidewalks to clean the feces and urine from the sidewalk.
    That’s the usual Portland rant and I’m stickin’ to it, by gum.

  50. ked says:

    gotta pay for the F-52s somehow!
    As to the shitholes of the world, growing up is hard to do. Seens to be a race between everyone trying to live like the wealthy of recent generations (hoping it’s sustainable) & dragging ourselves outta the muck of overpopulation / under-resourcing / ignorance… all in one fell swoop.
    While I’ve visited some shitholes with decent folk, even here in the USA, I’ve also met some shitheads in nice digs.
    Speaking of the prez, it’s a bit of a shame that society is inured to poor public manners. I think we may be giving up on high standards.
    It’s so much work.

  51. Annem says:

    As for the border fees and regs along the various portions of the US-Mexico border, I suspect they are part of wider bilateral agreements, including for the movement of products and produce or it could also be part of NAFTA. Important to consider re foot traffic, much of it is daily commuters from one side to the other between places of residence and employment. Adding costs to that movement of persons would have to be passed along into the economy.
    Want something to worry about? Seems McMaster and Lindsay Graham are keen to launch a limited tactical surgical strike on North Korea.
    What we think of what our president says or does is but one aspect of the consequences. We can’t lead in this world if nobody wants to follow us.

  52. Peter in Toronto says:

    Tucker is the only one worth watching on the cable news.
    He’s a natural contrarian which puts him at odds with the establishment narrative, and he’s taken an interest in credible witness UFO sightings lately, having covered the USN release.

  53. Huckleberry says:

    There is no magic dirt. Shitty people make shitty countries.
    Waving a copy of the Federalist over some African’s head won’t make them a functioning American any more than learning to eat with chopsticks makes one Japanese.
    Naive libertarianism is bad enough, but pathological boomerism has nearly destroyed the Republic. Thankfully, there are some things we can do to stave off disaster.
    We need to repeal Hart-Celler, deport ALL persons in the US illegally, reduce legal immigration to 10% of current levels (and restrict it to majority white countries with a few exceptions for white refugees from places like South Africa and Zimbabwe and truly exceptional individuals regardless of country of origin), and end dual-citizenship.
    Anyone citizen seeking to leave the US to establish permanent residence in a foreign country (like, say, Israel) should pay a hefty processing fee of, say, 90% of their assets.
    That would be a start.

  54. optimax says:

    CNN is playing up Trump’s use of shithole as a sign of his racism. Yet I’m sure some of these talking heads have used the same word for the same places. CNN portrays diversity (minority immigration) as a magical process that makes America stronger. They can’t explain how. They just want us to believe it doesn’t matter who you let immigrate they will improve the country. They show examples of immigrants with sterling character that have succeeded in business or fought in our Armed Services and believe in America. Those are exactly the ones we want and the ones Trump welcomes.

  55. The Virginian says:

    While I grimace at the rudeness of Trump’s commentary, I would say that many in the US do support that view rightly or wrongly, to include multiple generations of immigrants that originally came from such locations as they now benefit from being US citizens and do not want their gains threatened. With respect to “shit holes”, I’ve been in a few myself doing anything from humanitarian support to risk advisory and other work. How some see themselves as victims and being willing to surrender their agency to others always struck me as a core issue – hopefully we in the US do not become similarly reliant on conspiracy and historical grievance to explain away things (hmmmm, is it too late, or is the US / West just a different reflection of the same thing). As I once told a group of Palestinians in the West Bank, even if the world is against you – so what. Either continue to be victims, or take responsibility for your own actions and do the best you can for your people. When asked by a group of Palestinians and Israelis what I thought about US national interest relative to their conflict, I replied by saying it was a shame that my country had wasted so much blood, treasure and political capital on two sets of peoples that offer America little in the way of anything that enhances American interests – they were a bit upset by my comments. My view does not excuse US / Western arrogance and stupidity, but either attempt to act (and succeed or fail) or accept your fate.

  56. TonyL says:

    Colonel,
    Yes sir. I see. If the word “shithole” is taken literally, as you said, then I’d agree. I’ve been to many countries with poor sanitation and habit.
    However, in the setting and context where DJT said this, I believe it was meant to be a metaphor (i.e. denigration, putdown…).

  57. LondonBob says:

    Probably because he didn’t say it, not that I would have a problem with him doing so.
    Democrats had thought Trump was going to move forward with the DACA deal, but it got leaked that he was going to oppose it. So they planned a Character Assassination on Trump by claiming he called Africa a shithole. They also leaked talking points to media companies to stick by. Durbin is sore because he has been begging Trump behind closed doors to pass a clean DACA bill, not realising Trmp was stringing him a long. So Durbin lied to cover his stupidity and failure on DACA.

  58. Adrestia says:

    I always considered visa costs at entry fees, and depending on the corruption in government more subcharges are added when entering or leaving.
    That said it usually works that once a country asks visa or entry fees, the affected country reciprocates. People will also avoid that country and prefer to go to another country. Turkey also started asking ‘entry fees’ and as a result less tourists are going there which costs the economy much more than the visas/fees generate.
    This is an artfully constructed persona designed in my opinion to insulate him psycholgically from rejection by the nouveau riche elites in NY City.
    I’ve started reading ‘Fire and Fury’ of the Great White Leader and my initial subjective impression as an outsider is that the book is plausible. DJT strikes me as a person who avoids negative information about himself by avoiding it and imagining a working ground, self-made background. A quote:
    “What is this ‘white trash’?” asked the model.
    “They’re people just like me,” said Trump, “only they’re poor.”

    My 2 cents of diy psychological assessment.

  59. Barbara Ann says:

    So much discussion of what Trump said yesterday and so little about what he actually did. Given what he did was contrary to all previous threats and against the wishes of the Rep. neocon fringe & Borg, perhaps it was convenient to have everyone’s focus elsewhere.
    This man has spent his life playing the media like a fiddle to generate the right kind of publicity for his various enterprises. Yet now we are to believe he is simply a gaff-prone moron. Not buying it.

  60. turcopolier says:

    TonyL
    I never said that “shithole country” had anything to do with sanitation. Try to get your quotes right. The term is entirely intended to be denigrating and to suggest a country (state with recognized boundaries)in which society as a whole has proven itself to be incapable of sustained economic development, public administration, reasonably fair legal procedures and the like. People in such places may be quite educated in elite institutions of long existence and may flower into magnificence if trans planted to Switzerland, Canada, France, etc. but the society from which they came really sucks as a place to live. I will ask again – how many of such countries have you lived in? pl

  61. turcopolier says:

    Brenda Turner
    Is that a name from a comic strip, something like “Little Orphan Annie?” I seem to remember a strip called “Brenda Starr.” I visualize you as a frantically leftist woman student. Did you stamp your sneaker clad foot, cry and seek shelter in a safe zone after writing me a love note? pl

  62. Bill H says:

    LBJ many times said thing far more crude than calling several countries a shithole, but I don’t recall even one newspaper or television talking head going into hysterics about his language or demeanor. Nor do I recall any person in a closed meeting running to the press in outrage to rant at great length with regard to a word used by LBJ in that closed meeting.

  63. J says:

    How do we get rid of the Borg? Which shit hole should we stuff the Borg into once they’re removed from the levers of influence and power?
    I know a really good outhouse that the Borg would fit nicely inside its shit hole.

  64. Oilman2 says:

    I think this fits in with the whole CIA dominance of news, with their plants in most outlets distributing talking points and unsourced stories. Langley has long term goal of controlling news and made public and the government has vetted by law. Not much to be done other than simply switch it off – it’s been this way a long time, but much more since 9/11.
    I use overseas outlets for much of what I want to follow, because even if they are also state run, their focus and delivery of their facts indicates a lot, and much of the current news isn’t international anyway – hence useless. With a completely shared viewpoint and bias, US outlets are just not credible, not to mention all the fabricated news. Pundits are clown shows…
    I honestly don’t think MSM will survive the next few years if there isn’t any change – they are a complete echo chamber for existing policies and solutions – which are patently not working, as we all know. If CNN were not paying to be displayed in many locations, they would already be under.
    I just got no idea what they will do as their viewer base continues to erode and their content becomes more and more gossip and trivial to what people want to know. As of now, there isn’t another option out there, and the money needed to get into that sector is huge.

  65. J says:

    Colonel,
    What do you think of the outhouse Rub’ al Khali shit hole for the Borg’s permanent residence? I think they would fit nicely there , but we’d need to make sure they had several quarts of oil to drink when they got thirsty. We know that water would rust their Borg pipes.

  66. A. Pols says:

    Well, well..
    This thread really brought out the “fainting couch” subset.
    However crude people might consider Trump’s pithy language, it is the exact language that huge numbers of Americans would use in private conversation or semi public bar room conversation to describe awful dysfunctional countries full of awful dysfunctional people. His use of “shithole countries” totally resonates with people and the expression itself is so beautifully succinct and subsumes within it so much of the obfuscatory language that certain people use to tap dance around reality.
    And, of course why would we want millions of people coming from those places bringing all their baggage with them?

  67. Flavius says:

    “The fault, Dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in ourselves
    If we are underlings…”
    If the people, or the Nation, or the neighborhood aren’t responsible for the place they make for themselves, then who is?
    A shithole by any other name is still a shithole. I’ve been in shitholes around the world, in our country, and within 5 miles of the town in which I live. New York City calls displacing population in order to turn a shithole into not a shithole gentrification and feels better about itself. One can be sure that Mike Bloomberg or Bill DeBlasio would never say that anywhere a vote may lurk was a shithole – neither would either venture alone into shithole for love, money, or even a vote. Cops are required for venturing into shitholes, especially after dark.
    It’s a good word for those who can face up to it.

  68. Degringolade says:

    As I drink my tea, I am also rummaging around in my brainpan for something to write about. Might take a bit, because the first cup of tea is not completely consumed and I am reading while I am typing.
    Ahh, I found it, People-From-Shithole-Countries.
    Now, lets not imagine for a minute that I look down on the folks who want to immigrate to the US from the aforementioned shithole countries. I can categorically state that when my forebears came over from Italy in the 1890’s, England in the 1680’s, and Germany in the 1840’s, you may rest assured that they were from shithole countries.
    My travel experience has led me to quite a few shitholes. I love and respect my friends that I have met in each and every one of these places, but let’s not imagine that these countries are differing flavors of tropical paradise that only produce virtuous folks fresh out of their successful audition for “Noble Savage”. Nope, that dog won’t hunt. There are any number of countries that are completely fucked up and anyone with a lick of sense (a fair percentage of any population) will move heaven and earth to escape.
    No, in the spate of the vapors currently being experienced in the land-o-the-free, there is much emphasis and hand wringing about the ninth and tenth words in the phrase used by Dickweed. In the world occupied by the folks currently having the vapors, we are not providing positive words and attitudes toward other peoples and are thusly bad people who should no longer be invited to book clubs and cocktail parties. Fair enough.
    But truth, lets look at the whole statement. Trying to actually find an unvarnished and unspun version of the actual quote has failed, so I will present this as the best approximation:
    “Why do we want all these people from ‘shithole countries’ coming here?”
    Now, let’s imagine for the sake of argument, that Dickweed was an adult. and he asked instead:
    “Why do we want all these people coming here?”
    Now you have a question with some meat to it.
    Look, we are full up. We can’t seem to keep the folk here in America happy and employed and enjoying the possibility of some kind of future. Recent college graduates struggle in barista jobs and there is little or nothing in the trades. Manufacturing jobs are vanishing. The medical schools, dental schools, and business schools already closely resemble the makeup of the UN General Assembly.
    To quote the Colonel:
    “An RAF Wing Commander once said to me at a public lunch in a “shithole” that we Americans loot the world in search of talent and lure it to our shores.”
    If we are looking to recruit quality stock to improve the overall population, then by all means, lets have a go at it. But I think that ought to be made plain to all. But I think that the primary responsibility of the immigration policy should be outlined in detail and be reconciled with the needs of citizens and permanent residents already here.
    Allowing immigration because you feel sorry for people and it assuages your conscience isn’t a good enough reason for me. If you are filching the best talent from shitholes, aren’t you subtracting the best chance of that country fixing itself? If you take the less qualified from a shithole, aren’t you compounding our own problems.
    Immigration policy serves the same purpose as a vacancy/no-vacancy sign on a hotel.
    I do believe that we are full.

  69. turcopolier says:

    J
    Somewhere uncomfortably cold or hot with little chance of creating a university. pl

  70. Babak Makkinejad says:

    Recruit quality stock to improve the overall population?
    Would that include encouragement, nay, the requirement of each male immigrant having 4 or 5 native wives/concubines?

  71. Thomas says:

    “How do we get rid of the Borg?”
    No need to, they have been in self destruct mode since the Babylonian Queen lost her coronation bid. And the end may be near by the panic shown over past couple of weeks. For all of us, we need a soft crash landing.
    The important thing is to hold accountable those in authority that created this mess.

  72. blue peacock says:

    This thread really brought out the “fainting couch” subset…..Trump’s pithy language, it is the exact language that huge numbers of Americans would use in private conversation….the expression itself is so beautifully succinct and subsumes within it so much of the obfuscatory language that certain people use to tap dance around reality.

    The problem that we have is that the PC crowd dominate media and the coastal liberal elite enclaves. For them it is all about how you appear, your mannerisms and your speech, which is always patronizing towards their “shitholes” who are not pretentious like them. Trump drives them so intensely crazy precisely because he is so un-PC both in his behavior and his speech.
    But what these folks don’t get is their utter hypocrisy. Take for example the paragon of virtue Oprah and all those Hollywood glitterati wearing black, and tweeting hashtags. That is the extent of what they think that matters. Oprah wants to completely white-wash her close association with Harvey Weinstein for so long and for these #MeToo hash-taggers to expect anyone to believe that none of them knew about the predatory nature of Hollywood studio bosses for decades on out, is to assume that those who use unPC language are just uncouth idiots, which is exactly the kind of condescension that we see from them.
    This is exactly the problem that I have with the evangelical crowd on the right too, who push their morality on the rest of us acting all so righteous but behind that facade they are more depraved than anyone else.
    No one wants to talk about real immigration reform. I happen to agree with Trump that we should move to a merit based system and end the familial-based system that gives priority to brothers & sisters, grand-parents, uncles & aunts. Spouse is understandable but the rest of the family? Yes that means we only take in doctors and carpenters from Haiti and not someone who can’t read or speak any English and the only skill they bring is as day labor. We can have a guest worker program for them where they come to the US for a temporary period and are rotated out to bring in another group.

  73. Kooshy says:

    I totally agree with the colonel’, this is not about sanitation, is about how much one cares about his/her country, politicly, economically as well as adopting to modern world.
    Societies like languages must become dynamic otherwise they will die down like old unspoken languages. But IMO, even rich, modern countries become lazy and careless let their country become subdued by other interests. There are many example of this kind of eventually letting a shithole to surface-up , Europe has became lazy and tired and has let US to take over her security for no fee, as matter of fact Europe will have to let go of some of her other interests to keep her free American security. Or US got lazy or overjoyed after WEII and her political and judicial institutions were taken over by a group who cares for their ideology more than that of US citizens interests.

  74. jonst says:

    Your nuts. Nuts. Most Americans, including, often, people from those countries being called shitholes, do feel that way. And they spend impressive amounts of money, and/or emotional capital making that very argument to gain permission to stay in this country. Now does that mean they don’t have fond ice cream parlor, or park, or some such place? A found relative? Sure….but they still don’t want to live in those nations, and more importantly, they don’t want to raise their kids there. I see nothing to be gained by rubbing their noses in this reality. But it is bullshit to argue it is not reality.
    And another truth is–which you apparently firmly resist, many Americans are asking the same questions Trump is crudely asking. And so are a ton of Europeans, too asking it. Japanese and Chinese, India, and Vietnam, and so on and so and, and the Saudis, lets us not forget, do NOT ask the ‘why are they here question….because they don’t let them in. Period.

  75. jonst says:

    Look Brenda, in the world of the blind the one eyed man is King. If all Trump ever did was start the PUBLIC conversation (it has been going on in private for a long time now), among presidential candidates, that ‘trade agreements were bad’, NAFTA was bad, loss of manufacturing jobs is bad, money was wasted in the ME, so was blood, the Elites in our Nation have been looking out for themselves, rather than the Nation, and so on and so on….if all he ever does stops that, whether he means it or not, the fact of the matter is, he will have done more for working class people (of all colors) than other pols in America have done…recently. Trump, whether calculatingly or not, *intuitively*, senses, what the Case Deaton Research documents and he has used it for his personal benefit. Hypocritically or not. And that is precisely why he got the votes in the Mid West. Not because those people are racists…or deplorables, or the Russians made them vote that way. They voted that way because they loath and fear the Bi-Coastal Elites.

  76. Kooshy says:

    I hear CNN’ prime night viewers ( not meaning listeners, fallowers ) average to 50k including airport and sport bar lunges . Apparently Fox viewers are more and more loyal.

  77. jld says:

    Since when is the Guardian representative of “around the world”?

  78. I’d have to agree with those who point out that while the term Trump used is not “Presidential”, it’s definitely the way people talk, at least in the lower classes (and probably every class in private.)
    As for whether it is accurate, I have never been to various countries that might be so described. But I think everyone has seen or read enough reports of living conditions, political conditions, economic conditions and health conditions in some of these countries to agree with the designation.
    Now as to WHY those conditions exist, I think one can’t point to “culture” as the reason without also accounting for things like history, lack of natural resources, infliction of colonialism for decades or centuries, and other factors on a country by country basis.
    Blanket referring of all Third World countries as “sh’tholes” is probably neither accurate nor helpful.
    I do agree that it’s not the United States job to rehabilitate these countries. Neither it is the US job to contribute by militarism and economic oppression to the state of these countries.
    From an individual’s standpoint, if you live in one of these countries, it’s definitely better to get out than try to reform them.

  79. Frank says:

    As regards whether Russia has combat troops fighting in the Donbass, my own experience is of sharing flights between Rostov and Moscow with very out of shape and overweight volunteers/irregulars, (Wagner?), travelling economy, carrying much of their own equipment into the passenger section, and usually numbering all of one or two per flight. Heaven help the Ukrainian “Anti-terrorist operation” if there were three.

  80. SmoothieX12 says:

    There are some regulars in Donbas–volunteers from regular units, but their numbers are fairly limited and there are NO any units, let alone formations, of Russia’s Armed Forces fighting there as a force.

  81. kgw says:

    Manipulators gotta manipulate…

  82. turcopolier says:

    kgw
    “Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly …” You are paraphrasing the racist George Gershwin? pl

  83. Fred says:

    Outthere,
    You forget to mention Papa Doc, Baby Doc and the Tonton Macoutes. I guess they really didn’t drive all those good Haitians to leave home. Since it’s really a great place I can’t wait for all the good Haitians here to go home.

  84. Degringolade says:

    Babak:
    You seem offended by my choice of words. I chose them for the effect.
    The immigration policy of the US is at best poorly thought out. My choice of words is an attempt to ask, in a forceful way, what the hell does the US think that it is doing?
    How does the Colonel’s phrase of concerning the looting of talent differ in any sense with what I said? Do you think that once a person comes to the US that they only marry into their “own kind” and the potential for talent is closely held in tight racial enclaves?
    The US at it’s best is a melting pot. Hybrid vigor is a real phenomenon.
    Looting the world for talent does exactly this.
    As for the 4-5 wives crack, I come from Utah, I got no issue here.

  85. Jay M says:

    damn we’re damned
    but from the sanitation end of the notorious malapropism,
    can validate Kunstler’s little comment upon the state of SF public streets
    haven’t heard washing down like San Diego because Hep
    hard to know why, though

  86. Ranger Ray says:

    Guess I should add my two cents just for fun. “Shit holes” may be a bit crude, but rather accurate IMHO. I lived and worked in many of them during an extensive career in the US Army and as International Security Manager for a major oil company. I can vouch that most African countries in which I have had the “pleasure” of working would fall into that category. Had a very experienced retired US Army Colonel working for me as security manager in a West African country some time ago. He had been in-country only one week when he emailed me and stated emphatically: “Now I remember why I swore I’d never come back here!” As others have said, this description applies to the countries in question and not necessarily their inhabitants – – although the latter are responsible for the former.

  87. Croesus says:

    Yer right James; Americans don’t like potty mouth dialogue unless they’re paying to hear it on TeeVee or movies.
    Get a grip on your pearls.

  88. Croesus says:

    I’m spending the evening with head wrapped in hot flannels and weak tea (with whiskey) to soothe nerves after participating in an “Anti Racism Training.”
    Most participants were white, mostly female; two participants were non-White, one of whom was a PhD clergyman, the other was a repeat participant in such Anti Racism Trainings. “Facilitators” were predominantly non-white, all had at least professional credentials — minister, psychologist, lawyer –two were PhDs. Not a shithole in sight, the venue had carefully marked doorways, handicap ramps, signage, emergency devices — everything a fully PC accredited institution could desire except common sense and authenticity.
    We participants, from the hoi polloi were herded, manipulated, and shamed to contemplate our “prejudices” and “bigotry” and “privilege”; recognize the victim status of the Other, and resolve to shed our privilege to redress their victimhood.
    Deary me to god, the Christian churches are not the solution, they are the problem.
    One Facilitator ministers at a church in the Colonel’s part of the world. Said Facilitator said with disgust that “92% of that congregation is White.” So it’s doubly curious that the same Facilitator was equally disgusted with Trump’s comment. Presumably, the Facilitator derives purpose-in-life from dealing with those of the Haitian set rather than his congregation’s Bigoted Prejudiced Privileged Whites.

  89. iowa steve says:

    Currently, a non-immigrant visa to visit the US as a tourist costs $160 for Mexicans, and many other nationalities as well. A border-crossing card which allows access to US border towns also costs $160.
    The cost to an American for a non-immigrant tourist card to visit the interior of Mexico is zero.
    I have paid perhaps a few pesos in a toll to cross Rio Grande bridges as a pedestrian, but that’s it. I’ve never been shaken down for any money beyond a posted toll.

  90. charly says:

    Overpopulation(as in high population density) is a key signal for being a wealth area in the future. Another is being under-resourced and writing a language Americans can’t understand.

  91. Larry Kart says:

    You mean Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote that lyric from “Showboat”; Jerome Kern wrote the music.
    In his act, Martin Mull used to sing: “Birds gotta swim, fish gotta fly…”
    LK

  92. Blake says:

    Nice take down colonel… Eviscerated Ms. Turner!
    You are right that those shit hole countries get what they deserve. Like in the Congo… what kind of idiots would have deposed Patrice Lumumba to get decades of pillaging by Mobutu? Or Arbenz in Guatemala… or Sukarno in Indonesia?
    Really… what kind of people would support kleptocrats like Mobutu, Suharto, Duvalier, or the Somozas for decades? Monsters.
    I’ve been reading your writings for many years and I want to know: Do you think that most people in the American military/intelligence apparatus share your feelings? Just curious…

  93. mikee says:

    So Laura, How is your husband at digging trenches? In this day trenches are normally dug with backhoes (a machine not a sexist slur) not Mexican laborers. As for the language spoken at such job sites, IMO you are totally effin clueless. It might be better to let the man of the house speak for himself next time, Sugar.

  94. mikee says:

    I haven’t watched CNN or Fox in over a year. There is nothing of value on either one.

  95. Cortes says:

    On entry fees: I was charged both entry AND exit fees in US dollars in Panama (I was there for work) and Argentina (tourism). Maybe an exit fee could be unpopular, but what about confiscation of money from illegals who get deported?

  96. Grazhdanochka says:

    Whose Flights do you speak of?
    And indeed how do you tell if they are Volunteers for any such Organisation?
    I work for AFL (Aeroflot) and from Rostov…. I know how ‘Slovenly’ many our Passengers can dress, but my Suspicion would be that many fly other Airlines if they are doing as you speak of….
    Personally I suspect most if any travel via Train for its obvious practical benefits…. It also speaks of ‘Home’ for many Russians in Service..
    Neither obviously detracts from Ukraines obvious Domestic Issues

  97. Grazhdanochka says:

    The most we see of Russias Military is obviously that of «Severnyy Veter» whose presence like that of many Cinema Villain is that of limited appearance and at most dramatic Events….
    Unlike Hollywood this is very obviously real, and with very obvious Point…. The ‘Good Guys’ do not get a reprieve in this case instead the Uruk Khay defeat the Rokhirrim….
    The Results is to be decided in each future Encounter but I think merits Questions about how this is percieved…
    There is also that of permanent Russian Presence in Donbass, which is limited and is about liason, leadership etc…. These exist but do not by the same Token )
    (In future examples Orks can be placed on the Jihadists for their obvious visual similaritiy)

  98. Tel says:

    “This is an artfully constructed persona designed in my opinion to insulate him psycholgically from rejection by the nouveau riche elites in NY City. The old money people are even more unlikely to have much to do with him.”
    I agree that Trump is on a trip to prove himself, so if anyone in NY yanks his crank he can just ask, “So how many times were you President of the USA?”
    But, don’t look at it that way… the whole idea of offering a position of great prestige is to tempt someone to push themselves further than they would otherwise do, and get out there, prove themselves, while achieving something in the process. I’m sure this works in business, and also in the military and in other walks of life. Trump could have sat in Trump Tower, enjoyed his growing family, put a little bit more gold plate on his bathroom and said, “Life is good” but instead he wanted to butt heads with the “deep state”… because he needed to prove himself.
    I’m glad he made the effort, because in the same position I would have stayed home.

  99. LeaNder says:

    You covered a lot of ground, more than i will comment upon.
    outthere @29, concerning Ed Herman, yes odd, to watch a standard theme of left complaints surface on the right as seemingly new nutshell coinage or neologism: Fake News*. The same happened with anti-globalization shifting from left complaint to the right as central theme.
    But can Herman’s article really serve to deal with 2 and 3 in Pat’s no doubt provocative list: pro-European Ukrainians (Tom asks should they be reduced to Nazi-sympathizers?)**, the Borg, the Empire on the Potomac as new Rome, empire resistant Iran. Did I forget anything?
    * admittedly news coverage in the US post 9/11 was one of my earliest obsessions…news standards, facts versus opinion and so on.
    ** interesting question. … Should Europe finance Ukrainian debts out of his diverse pots, as Soros suggested? What about Greece et al’s debts? Who should pay for those debts however elegantly indirectly? European taxpayers, just as in the 2008 banking crisis? They seem to prefer to revolt just as in the US. …

  100. turcopolier says:

    Blake
    You cleverly write of deposed political figures that the Left loves and treasures in memory. In Leftworld the CIA deposed all these saints and replaced them with the “monsters.” Clever fellow you are. The trouble with that theory of history is that the “monsters” did not make these countries poor. These countries are, or were poor and hopeless because of the collective malaise built into the mentality of the masses there. pl

  101. turcopolier says:

    Blake I have no idea if people in the military share my opinions. I have been retired a long time and do not communicate with active duty people. pl

  102. turcopolier says:

    Larry Kart
    I thought it was from “Porgy and Bess.” Sorry. pl

  103. charly says:

    For what reason would you confiscate money that illegals earned in a morally right way? Especially because it is a problem that is easily solved by illegals by using an underground bank.

  104. Wunduk says:

    To complete the List of inconsistencies with regard to Crimea: These who cry Foul Play conveniently forget the Kosovo – in ohne Part of Europe it is good to Separate some Territory from a State deemed unable to Governors it justly and to the Benefiz of the local Population in another Part this is unacceptable.
    I think you are right about questioning the myth of fighting russian personel in Donbas, Not the presence.
    On soleimani : he is under un sc Travel ban until 2020 But he Visited moskow in 2015, 2016 and 2017. pointing out inconsistencies in the implementation of Chapter vii Resolution is fair for all. The Arms Embargo against ISIL should get same amount of Publicity.
    http://www.conflictarm.com/download-file/?report_id=2568&file_id=2574

  105. LondonBob says:

    The rebels did get some regular help at the battle of Ilovaysk, but have been largely uneeded otherwise, from what I have read.
    So Perdue are and Cotton are both saying Durbin is full of shit, like I said Trump never said it.

  106. turcopolier says:

    LondonBob
    If Trump had said “hellhole” the reaction would have been the same. BTW if a lot of these places were not what Trump called them these people would not be desperate to come here. pl

  107. C Bridge says:

    From my experience usually trackhoes(edit tried to turn it to francophones).Sometimes backhoes,but a lot of manual labor wherever we came from.

  108. LondonBob – I think we’re throwing stones from inside the greenhouse.
    You’ll remember the opening scenes of Tom Wolfe’s “Bonfire of the Vanities” in which an American driving in New York takes a wrong turning and finds himself in quite a different world. I’ve gone wrong driving in London once or twice and have seen much the same transition. Scary, if you’ve got family with you. I think it’s much the same in parts of some other English cities.
    That’s setting aside the squalor of the drug areas in our cities, towns and villages. Pavement areas of cafes with addicts applying tourniquets and injecting in plain view as they sit at the tables. Runners back and forth. Dealers waiting outside schools for the children to come out. Notices on village greens warning parents not to let their children play unsupervised because needles are left lying around. Then there are our cardboard cities and the surprising number of people who can find nowhere to sleep but in shop entrances or on the pavement. Add to that the vandalism one sees here and on the Continent – shattered windows or phone booths, overturned benches and the like – and there’s a lot to pretend isn’t happening if we’re to think ourselves much different.
    It’s off topic but weren’t both sides in the Ukraine helped from outside? Advisers, “volunteers”, mercenaries, war tourists, intelligence, equipment, and sometimes it seems, as in Debaltsevo and in LLovaisk, direct Special Forces or artillery support.
    As far as meaningful assistance went the Russians came late to the party in the Donbas and it was always clear they were prepared to do no more than assist in holding the fort. It’s less obvious what our side thought it was up to. Granted, the initial resistance must have taken Western military advisers by surprise, but after the early disasters it must have been obvious that the Ukrainian Army, regulars or street fighting Neo-Nazis, wasn’t up to the job and wouldn’t be. Yet the carnage continued, with our encouragement, and presumably under our direction or at least advice.
    Either our people didn’t have competent military there who could assess the situation, which is surely unlikely, or they didn’t give a damn as long as they could prolong the crisis. We tend to focus on the suffering of the Novorossians, but the many thousands of Ukrainian casualties are more eloquent testimony to either the incompetence or the callousness of our people who were involved. As far as the proxy war component of the conflict went, and I believe it went quite a way, then in plain terms we screwed up our own proxies more than we did the opposition.

  109. LondonBob says:

    I was reliably informed at the time that the French and Germans wished to see a peaceful negotiation, whilst it was the US administration that pushed for the ATO and got their way.

  110. London Bob – presumably we did not add our voice to that of the French and the Germans?

  111. ” I have seen precisely zero evidence of any involvement of the regular Russian military in Novorossia.”
    Since you lived in the Ukraine you’ll have much better knowledge. The SST search engine shows no comments from you at that time so might I ask if you have further information?
    There were assertions that there was artillery fire across the border on one occasion, and that there were Russian Special Forces in Debaltsevo. Advisers on both sides. Claims that young Novorossian volunteers were sent to Russia for training in the early days, leaving the older men with at least some military experience for the fighting.
    Might I ask, is clarifying such details going to have to wait until later, or are the facts now securely established?

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