On December 20, 1998, 60 Minutes aired an interview with George Soros. At one point, Steve Kroft asked the Hungarian-born speculator about his teenage years in Budapest, under the Nazi occupation. Soros freely admitted that he had been protected by a Nazi collaborator. Kroft asked: "My understanding is that you went out with this protector of yours… went out, in fact, and helped in the confiscation of property from the Jews." Soros answered: "Yes. That's right. Yes." Kroft: "That sounds like an experience that would send lots of people to the psychiatric couch for many, many years. Was it difficult?" Soros: "Not at all. Not at all. Maybe as a child you don't see the connection. But it created no problem at all." Kroft: "No feeling of guilt?" Soros: "No." Asked how he could have watched fellow Jews be sent to the slaughter, Soros elaborated: "Well, of course I could be on the other side, or I could be the one from whom the thing is being taken away. But there was no sense that i shouldn't be there, because that was–well, actually, in a funny way, it's just like in markets–that if I weren't there–of course I wasn't doing it, but somebody else would–would–would be taking it away anyhow. And it was the–whether I was there or not, I was only a spectator, the property was being taken away. So the–I had no role in taking away that property. So I had no sense of guilt."
In the early 1990s, Soros famously made a $2 billion killing in a 48 hour short-selling spree, on the breakup of the European Rate Mechanism. Asked on December 19, 1992 by the Guardian newspaper whether he had any guilty feelings about bringing ruin to a long-standing source of European financial stability. Soros answered, "I'm sure speculative actions have had some negative consequences. But that does not enter my thinking at all. It cannot. If I abstained from certain actions because of moral doubts, then I would cease to be an effective speculator. I have not even a shadow of remorse for making a profit. I did it only to make money."
This is the George Soros who is behind the financing of many of the hysterics being directed against the new U.S. President. Through front organizations like MoveOn.org, Soros bankrolled the "spontaneous" protests across the country after the results of the November elections were announced. Soros' charitable foundation (sic), the Open Society Fund, poured money into many of the organizations that turned out on Saturday to protest that Donald Trump is "not our President." Soros' main "philanthropic" passion has been to finance movements to legalize all illicit drugs in the United States.
Back in 2001, Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham founded the Reform Institute to promote their political agenda. McCain and Graham never seem to have met a war that they did not wish to promote, regardless of whether it served or damaged U.S. interests or national security concerns. McCain's top aides, including his 2004 campaign chairman Rick Davis, received hefty financing from George Soros, as did the Reform Institute itself. At least 56 of the organizations that protested on Saturday, January 21 against the Trump inauguration were on the Soros foundation payroll. Roger Stone, a long-standing Trump political adviser and confidant, told the New York Post that "while there were many sincere women there, it [the Saturday march] was also a large AstroTurf operation paid for by Soros designed to destabilize the new president."
Another Soros-funded outfit, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), has already filed a law suit against Trump, challenging the Constitutionality of his presidency, on the grounds that his hotels take in revenue from foreign governments. Soros' Open Society Foundation and the Tide Foundation, which received an undisclosed amount of Soros funding, are two leading financiers of CREW.
Soros has made a name for himself internationally by funding "Color Revolutions" in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Judging by the level of Soros-funded hysteria since November 8, Soros' next "Color Revolution" target might be right here in the U.S. by Harper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeThpbBGNQ8
https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2015/10/13/mccain-and-soros/
http://humanevents.com/2011/04/02/top-10-reasons-george-soros-is-dangerous/
“Judging by the level of Soros-funded hysteria since November 8, Soros’ next “Color Revolution” target might be right here in the U.S.”
He will certainly try to raise Cain, but I doubt he’ll meet with much success. US institutions are strong, unlike weak Arab and Eastern European states. Once captured, they’re relatively impregnable to colour revolution social technologies. The only way Trump is leaving office is through procedurally correct channels. Granted, a Soros sponsored campaign could impel certain lawmakers toward trying to impeach Trump, but the Republican base will stand firm in the same way constituents of the Party of Regions in Ukraines resisted the installed junta.
My prediction is within 12 months Trump will have brought GOP lawmakers to heel. Three days of elapsed and he has already begun to definitely act on promises made to his electorate. So levels of intense support will remain as high as they were during the campaign. Trump can turn these people on miscreant House Republicans if and when necessary. Massive demonstrations against him by by moonbats will only crystallize the friend enemy distinction which is vital to right wing mobilization. The organic connection between Trump and his base – the ultimate source of his power – will likely grow under those conditions. The riots will be put down like when Reagan sent in the National Guard.
Meanwhile, Trump is going after the other two nodes of globalization – China’s predatory trade policies and Frau Merkel in Germany. Prof Stephen Cohen implied Trump may view Merkel’s Germany as a bigger threat than Russia.
Cites?
Excellent summary. Thank you.
While working with various elements of the ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) in Geneva, way back in the late 80’s, I remember contacts/friends/coworkers of various nationalities sharing the following:
“Anyone who has a Hungarian for a friend, doesn’t need an enemy.”
George Soros, call your office.
Soros is a direct threat to this country, hope the new administration is aware of it.
No pussyfooting around(no pun intended), this scourge needs to be eradicated.
Colonel – I’m not sure whether this is too far away from the topic of the article to warrant my troubling you with it, but below I copy the text of an email that, according to a commentator on the SP website, was sent out by Tulsi Gabbard.
One part of Tulsi Gabbard’s email is relevant to the section in the article that mentions methods of destabilisation, though destabilisation in other regions than Soros seems to be interested in:- “I heard testimony about how peaceful protests against the government that began in 2011 were quickly overtaken by Wahhabi jihadist groups …..”
The dangers of what now seem to be called “colour revolutions” – protest overtaken by violence that results in regime change – have been recognised for some time in Eastern Europe. Does this email from Tulsi Gabbard indicate that those same dangers are now starting to become generally apparent to us in the West? If half of the quotes attributed to Soros are genuine, it seems he is no enemy of the technique. He thinks more of grand politics, or his version of “geo-politics”, than he is worried about the human consequences.
This is the text of the Tulsi Gabbard email; I suppose she and Sahra Wagenknecht are the two most prominent of the Western politicians who are aware of the real costs of the “geo-political” thinking that lies behind such tragedies as this:-
“As much of Washington prepared for the inauguration of President Donald Trump, I spent last week on a fact-finding mission in Syria and Lebanon to see and hear directly from the Syrian people. Their lives have been consumed by a horrific war that has killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians and forced millions to flee their homeland in search of peace.
It is clear now more than ever: this regime change war does not serve America’s interest, and it certainly isn’t in the interest of the Syrian people.
We met these children at a shelter in Aleppo, whose families fled the eastern part of the city. The only thing these kids want, the only thing everyone I came across wants, is peace. Many of these children have only known war. Their families want nothing more than to go home, and get back to the way things were before the war to overthrow the government started. This is all they want.
I traveled throughout Damascus and Aleppo, listening to Syrians from different parts of the country. I met with displaced families from the eastern part of Aleppo, Raqqah, Zabadani, Latakia, and the outskirts of Damascus. I met Syrian opposition leaders who led protests in 2011, widows and children of men fighting for the government and widows of those fighting against the government. I met Lebanon’s newly-elected President Aoun and Prime Minister Hariri, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard, Syrian President Assad, Grand Mufti Hassoun, Archbishop Denys Antoine Chahda of Syrian Catholic Church of Aleppo, Muslim and Christian religious leaders, humanitarian workers, academics, college students, small business owners, and more.
Their message to the American people was powerful and consistent: There is no difference between “moderate” rebels and al-Qaeda (al-Nusra) or ISIS — they are all the same. This is a war between terrorists under the command of groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda and the Syrian government. They cry out for the U.S. and other countries to stop supporting those who are destroying Syria and her people.
I heard this message over and over again from those who have suffered and survived unspeakable horrors. They asked that I share their voice with the world; frustrated voices which have not been heard due to the false, one-sided biased reports pushing a narrative that supports this regime change war at the expense of Syrian lives.
I heard testimony about how peaceful protests against the government that began in 2011 were quickly overtaken by Wahhabi jihadist groups like al-Qaeda (al-Nusra) who were funded and supported by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, the United States, and others. They exploited the peaceful protesters, occupied their communities, and killed and tortured Syrians who would not cooperate with them in their fight to overthrow the government.
I met a Muslim girl from Zabadani who was kidnapped, beaten repeatedly, and raped in 2012, when she was just 14 years old, by “rebel groups” who were angry that her father, a sheep herder, would not give them his money. She watched in horror as masked men murdered her father in their living room, emptying their entire magazine of bullets into him.
I met a boy who was kidnapped while walking down the street to buy bread for his family. He was tortured, waterboarded, electrocuted, placed on a cross and whipped, all because he refused to help the “rebels” — he told them he just wanted to go to school. This is how the “rebels” are treating the Syrian people who do not cooperate with them, or whose religion is not acceptable to them. Although opposed to the Assad government, the political opposition spoke strongly about their adamant rejection of the use of violence to bring about reforms. They argue that if the Wahhabi jihadists, fueled by foreign governments, are successful in overthrowing the Syrian state, it would destroy Syria and its long history of a secular, pluralist society where people of all religions have lived peacefully side by side. Although this political opposition continues to seek reforms, they are adamant that as long as foreign governments wage a proxy regime change war against Syria using jihadist terrorist groups, they will stand with the Syrian state as they work peacefully toward a stronger Syria for all Syrians.
Originally, I had no intention of meeting with Assad, but when given the opportunity, I felt it was important to take it. I think we should be ready to meet with anyone if there’s a chance it can help bring about an end to this war, which is causing the Syrian people so much suffering.
I return to Washington, DC with even greater resolve to end our illegal war to overthrow the Syrian government. From Iraq to Libya and now in Syria, the U.S. has waged wars of regime change, each resulting in unimaginable suffering, devastating loss of life, and the strengthening of groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.
I call upon Congress and the new Administration to answer the pleas of the Syrian people immediately and support the Stop Arming Terrorists Act. We must stop directly and indirectly supporting terrorists — directly by providing weapons, training and logistical support to rebel groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS; and indirectly through Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and Turkey, who, in turn, support these terrorist groups. We must end our war to overthrow the Syrian government and focus our attention on defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS.
The U.S. must stop supporting terrorists who are destroying Syria and her people. The U.S. and other countries fueling this war must stop immediately. We must allow the Syrian people to try to recover from this terrible war.”
Harper,
You included a quote by Roger Stone, taken from the page six gossip section of the NY Post, a Murdoch property. Judging by his fashion blog, stoneonstyle.com and his regular visits to Alex Jones’s website, he is an alt-right provocateur, not even a remotely credible source.
Robert
Robert
“Roger Stone, a long-standing Trump political adviser and confidant, told the New York Post that “while there were many sincere women there, it [the Saturday march] was also a large AstroTurf operation paid for by Soros designed to destabilize the new president.”” So, you dispute Soros’ funding in this case? pl
Harper,
Great piece.
This action against Trump is nothing new for Soros. “On November 11, 2003, in an interview with The Washington Post, Soros said that removing President George W. Bush from office was the “central focus of my life” and “a matter of life and death.” He said he would sacrifice his entire fortune to defeat Bush “if someone guaranteed it.”” [snip from wiki page on Soros]
Yet Soros failed to remove Bush. In fact, Bush was re-elected despite Soros’ efforts.
The man is going on 87 years old. How much longer can he remain in the game, let alone be an effective player? Does he have heirs or other beneficiaries that would not like to see the fortune squandered in an all out war against Trump? IMO, the Soros influence has a year, at best, before it fades out entirely; especially if Trump is fighting back hard.
The Macedonians–who have had some experiences with Soros-backed color revolutions–have just start up a new campaign, called “Stop Operation Soros” (SOS): https://www.rt.com/news/374241-stop-operation-soros-movement-macedonia/
Not surprisingly, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty characterizes the crusade as a “witchhunt”: http://www.rferl.org/a/george-soros-macedonia-witch-hunt/28243738.html
Thanks for making me aware of Tulsi’s email!
I searched Google News to see what kind of spin the MSM was giving this story. The main focus of the MSM articles was pointing out that Tulsi met with Assad, and then criticizing her for that. The substance of the email you provided was not shared, which means there was no greater context for explaining her visit.
Finally found a site with the full copy of Tulsi’s email about her Syria trip here (and a few other places, none in MSM)…
The Syrian People Desperately Want Peace https://www.sott.net/article/340722-The-Syrian-People-Desperately-Want-Peace
Lemur,
Lincoln, McKinley and Kennedy did not leave office via “procedurally correct channels.” More than 50 members of the House boycotted the “procedurally correct” transfer of power to this administration.
No I don’t dispute it, that wasn’t why I commented. More that gossip and entertainment websites are now legitimate reference sources, across the political spectrum. It would nice if Stone could offer up something towards backing up his claims.
Is the State Dept part of Soros’ OpenSociety project ?
I’m joking of course
Soros is “persona non grata” in Thailand and Malaysia, I think the Malays might even have a price on his head.
Robert, Stone is an experienced and able political operative. Take a look at his wikipedia entry.
All–Who are you going to blame when the old man dies?
It seems Alexander Soros will take up where his father leaves off.
http://theduran.com/george-soross-son-alexander-donated-big-time-to-democrats-and-the-hillary-clinton-campaign/
The Kroft interview is ghastly. It’s difficult to distinguish Soros’ stance from Eichmann’s, he’s just following orders.
Eric,
Soros has billions and his influence will last as long as his money – in tax exempt NGOs – will last.
“U.S. must stop supporting terrorists who are destroying Syria and her people”
Yes, one would wish that the European Union and the United Kingdom – All-Bleeding-Hearts, All-the-Time, would do so as well, not waiting for the United States of the Gulfies.
I know it will not happen; EU and UK do not have it in them to against the Gulfie Agenda or the US Agenda.
I don’t know enough if you also can add Nixon, which was not the normal procedure.
First color revolutions are not something new (two old examples or the Belgian war of independence and the American revolution). It are revolutions in which not the underclass or and ethnic group revolts but the middle class and if you spend a few billion than they will rise up. Just make sure that Trump is a failure in the eyes of the middle class.
so they admit that soros is a witch?
I wonder if this was done to avoid internal investigations – ex employees can avoid testifying without a court issued subpoena.
The recent successful vote in the British Supreme Court to force parliament to have a vote on Brexit was instigated by a previously unknown individual Gina Miller. She is well suited for her role because firstly she is partly black and entirely female, so that all those who oppose her are automatically racist and sexist, and a millionairess.
However, her financial backers in bringing this case – for which a lot of moolah is required – have conveniently remained anonymous. A case was brought to try and identify these individuals who are trying to overthrow a democratic vote – but unsurprisingly the law has ruled they are entitled to their anonymity.
What’s the betting George Soros is one of the backers?
Here is a list of organizations funded by Soros as of March 2016.
Organizations Funded By George Soros’ Open Society Institute http://www.blacklistednews.com/Organizations_Funded_By_George_Soros%E2%80%99_Open_Society_Institute/49706/0/38/38/Y/M.html
Given how yuuuge this list is, Soros death would only possibly effect their budgets, not their missions. Are any of his children or relatives (beneficiaries of his will) involved in his political change efforts and therefore going to continue his work after his death?
Each of the organizations he funds has a leader (can find them by clicking on the org names in the above link), and those people won’t be going away any time soon either. There appear to be plenty of wealthy liberals who could continue funding these orgs as well.
The man is 87 y.o. so it’s got to be mostly his minions that are implementing his plans.
OTOH, you have people like the Koch brothers and other .01%-ers on the right funding their own groups/networks which are pushing their own agendas. I don’t think most of those groups will die with their death either.
Soros and the Koch brothers have more ‘brand recognition’ than the minions they each have leading their respective efforts, and therefore get scorn & blame heaped on them by members of the opposing team.
Rich and powerful people attempting social engineering via politics and ‘good works’ is not new. It is a timeless ‘feature’ of the human condition.
As Eric pointed out, Soros tried hard to remove Bush or to stop him from being reelected and failed. Just because powerful individuals or groups try to influence situations does not mean they will be successful.
Re: “My prediction is within 12 months Trump will have brought GOP lawmakers to heel. Three days of elapsed and he has already begun to definitely act on promises made to his electorate.”
True, he has begun to act on his promises. However whether he can actually produce significant results on the economic front for his electorate is open to question. This is because the actions he will have to take will bring him into direct conflict with Congress over two of the ideological shibboleths held most dear the GOP lawmakers to whom you refer: 1) Government spending is bad,except when it is for the national security establishment or beneficial to the One Percent. 2) Government spending for anything other than these two exceptions is especially bad if it requires deficit spending.
For Trump to make a significant difference for the “Deplorables” in Flyoverland he will have to pump $$ into the economy in such a way that it broadly increases demand in the communities in which his electorate lives. Paying for it with tax increases is out of the question for the GOP controlled Congress unless such increases are limited to the bottom 90%, in which case they’d be counter-productive. Think robbing Peter to pay Paul. Same thing if the Congress critters demand that existing spending programs be cut dollar for dollar to compensate for new spending. In short, I don’t expect the GOP caucuses to be in any hurry to declare themselves apostates regarding these central tenets of neoclassical theonomics, especially since these same tenets are also dear to the hearts of the FIRE sector of the Borg which owns most of them.
OT, but I expect this news will please many 😉
Trump administration asks top State Department officials to leave http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/26/politics/top-state-department-officials-asked-to-leave-by-trump-administration/index.html
Patrick Kennedy, who served for nine years as the undersecretary for management, Assistant Secretaries for Administration and Consular Affairs Michele Bond and Joyce Anne Barr, and Ambassador Gentry Smith, director of the Office for Foreign Missions, were sent letters by the White House that their service was no longer required, the sources told CNN.
All four, career officers serving in positions appointed by the President, submitted letters of resignation per tradition at the beginning of a new administration.
The letters from the White House said that their resignations were accepted and they were thanked for their service.
… Victoria Nuland, the State Department’s assistant secretary for Europe, was also not asked to stay on.
———-
It is too early in the day to celebrate, but I look forward to toasting to Nuland’s departure tonight!!
It will be interesting to see who Tillerson replaces them with.
This was published today as a Op Ed in our local paper (Honolulu Star-Advertiser).
Color me skeptical that Soros’s funding was significantly responsible for 3 million marchers showing up to Protest Trump. You think he has 3 mil employees on his payroll? Put another way: if he had not funded a cent, you think the protests would not have happened?
Soros represents many things, but his support for the protests is a red herring if you’re interested in viewing a clear picture of what he’s up to. I’d be interested in reading about that.
DC
You don’t send your “employees” to things like this. What you do is provide enough money to the activist organizations for them to grease the process. pl
Thank you, Harper!
Soros’s comments map closely to the sociopathic behavior studied my Martha Stout and documented in her book “The Sociopath Next Door.” (http://amzn.to/1W51Yv3)They are also disturbingly similar to comments made by the imprisoned subjects interviewed by Lonnie Athens as described in the book “Why They Kill: The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist” by Richard Rhodes. (http://amzn.to/1KA0Kj3)
As for “Maybe as a child you don’t see the connection,” BS! In the late 1970s I recall overhearing my then 3 year old son lay into a neighbor boy who was about two years older when he saw him mildly harassing a small frog. Even at that early age he was in no way empathy-challenged.
One of the things Stout discusses in her book is that MRI-based experiments reveal that there are specific brain regions associated with empathy, and that in most people who routinely exhibit sociopathic behavior these regions do not “light up” when the person is exposed to images that typically evoke that emotion. A few are behind bars, but many are not. Like 4% of the population, IIRC. Perhaps Soros should be tested.
All,
I wish he had been stopped years ago.
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/stop-operations-soros-initiative/
Valissa,
Good news, however a bit scary that he’s so paranoid and purging so many.
Don’t be picky, Colonel, you know I’m correct: the Soros money made little difference to the particular outcome under discussion. I’m more interested in circumstances where Soros has tangible effect on domestic political outcomes. He certainly bet a bad horse in HRC, as an example of one of his failures.
George Freidman posted an interesting article on your thought. Trump enters office with a 37% approval rating. The lowest in history. It is the same approval rating GBII left office with. His point was that if the Senator thinks their reelection will be impaired by Trump, then Trump might not have an easy time with anything.
Good points Peter and Fred. Seems that old George’s “truth” could go marching on long after he’s moldering in the grave; especially with a son that is a believer.
It’s very sensible of Trump to accept their resignation letters. Those people were all Hillary or Kerry loyalists. This purge is necessary if new FP directions are intended.
I’m sure Tillerson will want to staff up with his own trusted allies.
Thank you for the link. There was also a CNN interview:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID223ToMVxM
Why does no one remember Garfield?
With your permission I would continue” I know it will not happen; EU and UK do not have it in them to against the Gulfie Agenda or the US Agenda” even when they know it’s not in thier long term interests. One can only wonders why?
Any chance you could be mor specific abut Soros funding these things. For example, it was claimed above that Soros funds a lot of organizations. On the list is the ACLU. Yes, he has contributed to the ACLU, but there are many organizations that have contributed more. So, does saying Soros funded an effort mean he contributed to an organization once, is an ongoing contributor or is the sole funder?
Steve
charly,
I know this is hard to believe but nobody shot Nixon.
All
I think we are confusing politics and economics. According to this CounterPunch article,
with this tidbit,
and finally
I am concerned that we are over simplifying our analysis by limiting of our sources to those with whom we agree, and by doing so we are missing the bigger picture. An interesting perspective on Syria for those of you inquisitive enough to know what the “left” thinks about the American policy and implications there.
Via AntiWar (about as libertarian a site as you can find,) Seymour Hersh is interviewed by the Intercept, an outfit which tends to aggravate both political parties and their multiple ideologies, depending on which way the wind happens to be blowing, on any given day.
I do not list and link to promote these sites, you may have many of your own sites of diverse views, only to promote the idea that a complete picture is not possible under the best of circumstances, and we do not live under those circumstances, so my apologies to the Colonel beforehand, only to, as the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, to encourage one and all to widen themselves out. I think you will find that the American left and right are more cohesive than our partisan and mainstream media outlets can either discern, or more likely, are willing to report.
Soros may be more of a symptom than the disease.
I sure am glad the Tea Party wasn’t like this:
“According to publicly available IRS records, the five essential pillars of just such a Tea Party movement network were all funded and in place by that spring of 2009—the Sam Adams Alliance to direct grassroots efforts; the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity to direct propaganda efforts in state capitals across the United States; the State Policy Network to coordinate funding and free-market policies at state-based think tanks; hundreds of grants from the Koch foundations to American universities that were linked in through SPN; and, of course, CSE’s successor, Americans for Prosperity, built to coordinate the effort nationally.
All of them saw their budgets expand significantly as Obama ran for the White House and then took office—months or even a full year before the Tea Party movement erupted into public view. This explains why the Tea Party movement was able to mobilize, spread, and network so rapidly, as if by magic.”
I think it only prudent, given the vehemence and extent of the actions against him put into motion before Mr. Trump even became President Trump, that he would do his best to deprive the NeoCon moles dug into the State Department of the power to suborn the policies and initiatives he favors through merely accepting their proffered resignations. After all, the individuals at this level serve at the direct pleasure of the head of the Executive branch, and consequently this is not strictly speaking a purge.
Based on all the people I know who marched, I don’t think the process needed to be greased that much. Maybe when it came to transporting marchers to DC but not for people who marched in their own cities and the like.
A story by feminist Trump supporter Asra Nomani about Soros’ funding of the marches appeared on the Women in the World section of the New York Times website. It appears to be the source for claims by some websites (not this one!) that mischaracterized her story by saying that “part of that funding went straight into the protesters pockets.”
She was interviewed by Politifact about that. Here’s what she told them:
“I definitely do not conclude that most of the people marching were paid to do so. I believe that most of the people were motivated by sincere political and ideological beliefs. I do believe that most of the participants in the march had genuine concerns. It is not factual that they were paid to march.”
But what about the role Soros money paid in making the marches happen at all?
Nomani said, “The march organizers have not yet revealed their funding sources, so it is unclear who directly funded the march.”
Politifact looked at Nomani’s list of march partners and says it’s unclear exactly how many groups currently receive foundation support and the amount of money they may have received.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/jan/25/blog-posting/pants-fire-george-soros-money-womens-march-protest/
raven
Yes, all the a—–s are not on the left. Make a suggestion and I will ask someone (perhaps you) to write a piece like the Soros piece but on the right. pl
The demonstrations last weekend and others no doubt being planned going forward have another purpose, but it’s an unmentionable one: To divert the attention of the Democrats who voted in this election from their Party’s colossal institutional failure under the tutelage of the New Democrats, that is the people who took over the party leadership as a result of the election of Bill Clinton in 1992. For the Borg, and especially for its FIRE sector wing, this failure is a feature not a bug. Bill Black, who was the head of enforcement for one of the federal regulatory bodies that referred over a thousand people to the DoJ regarding malfeasance during the 1980s S&L scandals and is now affiliated with the University of Missouri – Kansas City, put up a post addressing exact issue at New Economic Perspectives a couple of days ago. It’s been reposted elsewhere since.
http://neweconomicperspectives.org/2017/01/not-4-sale-principle-slogan-real-democrats.html
I often wondered too; is it their committment to the Enlightenment Project – raisez l’infame! – is it Racism – is it Christianity against Islam – is it the Cult of Shoah?
One starts to wonder: they waged an economic war against the whisky-drinking secular-oriented Mossadegh – whom Ayatollah Khomeini had called a non-Muslim – and 50 years after that they were waging another economic war, this time against a religious government.
Thanks Harper.
I felt he was suffering from some sort of trauma but hadn’t known the scope. It seems that somehow he has channeled his from Hitler to Russia. Stalin left deep scars in people. I can’t hate him for that, I pity him.
Zbigniew is another example in my mind. He is capable of good thinking but I doubt he will ever manage to bring it to bear on Russia, like George he will always look at that place and see Stalin. I suspect Ayn Rand as an extreme example of this PT”S”D. Certainly the Israel Firsters see Hitler everywhere. The struggle to free our minds from their (our?) own conditioning must be an unending one.
Ms. Gabbard appears to have the makings of another JFK. (Meant as a positive appraisal).
I have no particular expertise on Soros other than to say that his reported behaviour as a scavenger for the Germans in WW II turned my stomach on hearing about it the first time. Then I tried putting myself in his shoes in that situation and realized I could not say that I would have behaved more honorably. He could have been executed post haste, no?
Only thing to add is that Soros has become something of a goto bogey-man in the media these last few years. An all purpose bad guy to mention when in need of launching or buttressing essentially paranoid and uninformed rants. Got along fine without knowing who the hell he was. Now that I know something about him it hasn’t added or subtracted anything of importance from my life. I already knew that very wealthy sc*mbags existed.
Pardon the expression, but I would not cross the street to p*ss on him if I managed to determine that he was on fire.
I thank Harper for the informative summary.
Mark Logan
Many of the eminent scientists who emigrated to the US from eastern Europe during the early to mid twentieth century were indefatigable Commie haters as I recall, as my dad worked extensively with them. Very understandable, to say the least.
So Soros comes along and matures, and guess what? Hitler, the ruler of the gang who fucked Soros and his people over is dead — nothing to be done there. So what you say makes sense, especially since he had displayed inclinations not to mind the Nazi atrocities enough to keep himself from profiting therefrom. So he directed his hatred toward Stalin and a totalitarian oppression in full bloom.
Seems he was / is very intelligent and would not have fallen for the Shoah obsession given that the Jews were no longer a persecuted people as he entered early adulthood.
Col,
I would suggest somebody writes about the Koch brothers.
Would Asra Nomani, writing at nyt live, be a more suitable source?
Someone on an earlier post linked to her thoughtful reflection.
http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2017/01/20/billionaire-george-soros-has-ties-to-more-than-50-partners-of-the-womens-march-on-washington/
You’re absolutely right Steve, but Soros is perfect to hang Langley’s dirt on, it gives added plausible deniability on many fronts…..
not surprising given the level of propaganda against him. Note that they’re rising now according to the new Morning Consult polling
If they shoot Trump we could be looking at at civil war, or a breakdown of authority of the Federal government.
Let’s remember there’s a mid term in two years, and Trump’s carrot and stick are extremely influential. Trump is also backed by the military and Big Oil wing of the Deep State, which have defected from the some of the Washington Consensus. Just today we saw Paul Ryan accept his position on taxing Mexican imports.
IMO the burden of proof of ‘Trump will never’ arguments are now on those making them. I don’t think people get just how incredibly powerful Trump is.
Trump WILL bring the GOP to heel. The executive branch has far more weight now then in the days of yore, and it has always been buttressed by its additional function as a bully pulpit.
It is interesting what you say. Regarding Israel, they seem to be caught up in their own private little world. I have a niece who is an editor for the Times of Israel and I swear every article is about some bizarre “angels on pinhead” nuances of the Orthodox practices or never ending articles about the holocaust. It is tiresome to keep reading this stuff but as a dutiful uncle I try and keep up and give support. What is strange in all of this is the religousocity of Israelis who the majority are not practicing Jews yet do a lot of the minions even though they are not believers. I suspect this extends to zionistic Jews outside of Israel as well so it is paradoxical. I think the Israel firsters might repr sent something different though and perhaps they have different goals.
Tony L
I will have someone do that. pl
With regard to Soros’s actions while Hungary was under Nazi occupation, or as a financial speculator, I find it easy to imagine why he would do these things – to stay alive, to become even wealthier, respectively. I would like to understand Soros’s motivation for his social change “philanthropy” – what are his values and goals, why is he doing what he is – how will the world be a better place, from his perspective, if the efforts he supports succeed?
mistah charly Ph.D.
How do you account for the willingness of many of the soldiers here to sacrifice their well-being for the greater good? Stupidity? pl
Nuland is gone. From the Wash Post yesterday:
“Victoria Nuland, who had been the top diplomat in charge of U.S. policy in Europe and Eurasia, resigned ahead of the inauguration. Her last day was last week, and her State Department biography page no longer works. She is also retiring from the Foreign Service after a career that included stints as ambassador to NATO and department spokeswoman, as well as foreign policy adviser to former vice president Dick Cheney.”
I’m not a Trump fan, but he gets big ‘atta boys for draining the swamp at State and deep sixing TPP. Not a bad first week.
It looks like the color red is being seen over at Nakedcapitalism. Lots of meltdown in action on Day 7 of the Trump administration. Reads like a nice push piece. Apparenlty the age old question “who, whom” is not being asked.
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2017/01/james-f-on-hatred-in-our-divided-nation-anger-at-flyover-country.html
Morongobill,
The planet.
https://www.sott.net/article/295896-George-Soros-The-hidden-hand-behind-color-revolutions
Tunde,
If any of them were suspected of such they have been removed!!
Bye Vicky Nuland!!
Mark,
I suspect Ayn Rand as an extreme example of this PT”S”D
Interesting that you say this. Rand lived on the govt when young, depended on Medicare and Social Security when sick and elderly. Paul Ryan lived on SS when he was young too and both of them hate that same system that helped them and don’t want it to help others.
Actually, no. As a descendant of the old Polish nobility, Zbig sees Russia at least through the lens of seventeenth-century Polish dreams of empire.
I agree, my husband and I marched and have no involvement with Soros or any of his organizations. We went because we believe in the issues addressed in the marches.
Perhaps they can test Trump at the same time.
Cee,
I can see why it seems odd, but it’s based on a notion that she retained the hopeless idealism of Stalin’s system while envisioning one which is his… precisely inverted. We all manage to rationalize or compartmentalize away our own hypocrisies to some degree so to me that doesn’t mean much, and her mind was exceptionally given to tedious rationalizations.
Valissa,
Yes. Good move. I had a moment when I trusted fake news hysteria.
Edward,
I don’t think the women were paid to march. I do think the violence instigators during the inaugural events were.
Col. Lang,
to quote Katharine Lee Bates:
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
I do not doubt that Soros, like the soldiers, is capable of devotion to something larger than self. What I want to develop a clearer understanding of is what higher cause he seeks to serve, and what he views as a better world – the changes he seeks to bring about, and his view of who would benefit in what way (which may not be the same as my own view of what the result of such changes might be).
The “Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy” of George Soros…
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/jan/25/blog-posting/pants-fire-george-soros-money-womens-march-protest/
If Soros or anyone else thinks that civil disorder would be an effective strategy for bringing down Trump, they are badly mistaken. All it’s ever accomplished over the past 50 years has been polarization in the opposite direction. When the Black Power movement of the post-Civil Rights era attempted to capitalize on the race riots of the late 1960s, they ended up as foils for Nixon and Wallace. The gulf between the power Nixon’s opponents thought they had, largely through their own vehemence and Nixon’s low favorability ratings, and the power they actually had, manifest in 1972, was enormous. Feminists had the illusion of popular support, but at the end of the day the Equal Rights Amendment was defeated. More recently, we’ve seen how civil disorder worked out for Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter. When OWS got taken over by the professional protester types, the movement lost support. In liberal Oakland, the Mayor got unseated in part due to her mushy response to the crazies that had taken over OWS. The BLM riots and police killings last summer moved the needle towards Trump right when everyone thought he was dead and buried.
Warpig,
A good point. HIs VP did a decent job in office.
Harper,
Here’s another piece on Soros.
https://www.city-journal.org/html/connoisseur-chaos-14954.html
What is behind the wave of demonstrations protesting Trump?
Surely Soros is a part, but there are many other factors.
Here is one that seems significant:
“Inside the protest movement that has Republicans reeling”
A group of former House Democratic staffers wanted to channel their post-election grief. They never imagined what would happen next.
By Elana Schor and Rachael Bade
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/protest-movement-republicans-234863
[The following are some excerpts from that article.]
Hill Republicans are openly accusing liberal mega-donors of bankrolling the tide of local protesters storming their offices.
…
Angel Padilla, a co-founder of the group organizing the demonstrations that have spread across the country in a matter of weeks, had this to say: You’d better get used to it.
“We want to pressure these members of Congress for as long as we have this president,” Padilla said.
Dubbed “Indivisible,” the group launched as a way for Padilla and a handful of fellow ex-Democratic aides to channel their post-election heartbreak into a manual for quashing President Donald Trump’s agenda. They drafted a 26-page protest guide for activists, full of pointers on how to bird dog their members of Congress in the language of Capitol insiders.
,,,
Its handful of senior leaders count about 100 contributors to their national organizing work but insist that all are working on a volunteer basis. They know conservatives are spreading unfounded rumors that their success is being driven by wealthy donors like George Soros, which they flatly deny.
“It doesn’t matter who we take money from — we’re always going to get blamed as a Soros group, even if we don’t take money from Soros,” said Padilla, now an analyst with the National Immigration Law Center. “That’s one of the attacks and that’s fine.”
…
Indivisible’s guide has spread at the grassroots level at an unpredictable speed this year, with the help of other liberal groups amplifying its message. Less than two months after the group launched its website, 225,000 interested participants have registered to learn more
…