I really don't think he does. His pathology makes it so he's like a little kid without the sweetness: he just says what pops into his head. There's no real assessment of the situation in any depth. Just a reaction to the reaction of what he said/did previously.
He really IS crazy. He should never have had any positions of responsibility anywhere, let alone the presidency. It's literally impossible for him to behave in a way that isn't wholly self-interested.
It's endlessly horrifying to me that there are STILL people out there that think he's a genius.
As I watched him saying this today, I felt a burst of outrage rise in me. I am so tired of tfg’s rabid mob saying Biden is too old, senile, and a bumbling fool! tfg is only three years younger than Biden and he appears to be mad as a hatter! Oh please may he implode soon…
That's more horrifying to me than TFG himself, and even *more* horrifying are the people who bankroll and otherwise enable him while knowing bloody well that he's nowhere close to a genius. That would include most of the GOP -- the ones that aren't either frothing at the mouth or brain-dead.
But to tell a lie, one has to know what the truth is, right? That's why I asked the question. "La vérité c'est moi" means literally "I am the truth" (which echoes, tellingly, words attributed to Jesus). If one really is (in one's own mind) "the truth," by definition one cannot lie.
SJS, I am still thinking about your points as you are on to an important observation. I'm a JD not a MD but, I do have access to a pyscho neurologist, Phd, MD. Still working on it ....
Medical residents tell me that it is customary to name medical discoveries after their DISCOVERER. My proposal is to call this discovery " "SURGIS SYNDROME". See LFAA, thread today under 'JL Grahm' for additional clinical observations.
I'm forever messing with my own head so I'm guessing it's occasionally OK to mess with other people's heads. ;-)
It's interesting from the legal point of view too, isn't it? Someone who's incapable of telling right from wrong can use that as a defense. Right/wrong and true/false aren't the same, but IMO they are related -- someone who can't distinguish between right and wrong is probably going to have a hard time telling true from false. (And both dichotomies have a helluva lot of gray area around them.)
One thing we all must realize he try. TFG has motives, and he will say what needs to be said that moves that motive the way he desires it to move.
His main motive, as it’s been all his life, is MONEY. He hasn’t gotten his hands dirty one single day of his life. He’s been a “suit” ever since he was big enough for his daddy to put him in one. It’s been drilled into his head. Everything evolves around money. If he’s not making money off of a project, he gets rid of it. If he can’t make money off of this lie, he changes the lie. Everything he dues makes him money in one fashion or the other.
Case in point. Look at all of his past recent court appearances. On the first E. Jean Carroll case, which he lost and had to pay her $5 million dollars. His bad mouthing E. Jean Carroll right after the verdict netted him over $10 million dollars!!! His court appearances on later cases have netted him millions of dollars. All from his ‘sheep’ that he’s fleecing every single time that he opens his mouth and tells them to send money, sends them emails telling them he needs money, or his robocalls telling them his dad story and telling them to get the check in the mail/go to the website and donate, donate, donate!
That’s who’s sick, and needs a lot of help in this country. We need to lock TFG, and all his stooges up, throw away the key , and forbid them any access internet, electronics, telephones, computers, nothing. And, we need to make sure we have a lot of physiatrist trained and ready. They’ll have about 74 million patients right off the bat!
But the writers have reason to strike: “On March 14, the WGA released a report titled “Writers Are Not Keeping Up.” It details how compensation for writing has been negatively impacted by the advent (and takeover) of streaming. “On TV staffs, more writers are working at minimum regardless of experience, often for fewer weeks, or in mini-rooms, while showrunners are left without a writing staff to complete the season,” the report states. “And while series budgets have soared over the past decade, median writer-producer pay has fallen.”
Please understand, Rose, I’m not grumping about the strike. But these talk show host can’t even write their own stuff!
Geeze, I’m not a literary genius, and I can write stuff from the news for them every night. They should be able to be smart enough to write a 15 minute commentary for the beginning of their shows. Actually, throw in the commercials that 15 minutes is cut to about 7 minutes.
I had no knowledge about what the strike was all about, but these talk shows and other programs these folks wrote for have won all kinds of awards. They should be able to pay these writers. Plus give them benefits.
There’s not one excuse these desk-hugging millionaires can say. All they’re interested in is the money, and it has to be from big into their pocket. It’s ridiculous.
If he wasn't so dangerous and close to getting a 2nd term I could almost feel sorry for him. It must be hell, well deserved, to be in his head. Oh to be a psychologist! Though it's really obvious to a layperson he is really demented. Now if the veil could be torn away from his followers they would see the emporer has no clothes!!!
Oh no, he can lie just by thinking about it, the same way he declassifies documents and changes them into golf course plans. That's what was in all those boxes at Mar-a-liego
I didn't know General Milley designed golf courses! Since he claimed the papers he held were written by Milley. Maybe Milley should take that up after he retires. :-)
What is the constitutional authority for presidents with regarding to declassification of documents? What was the classification of the document in question? What does the Presidential records act say? Is it criminal or civil?
What is the history? Has anyone ever been prosecuted and if not, why? What was Comey's rationale for not prosecuting Clinton?
Why would Heather address such questions when any well-informed reader already knows the answers? You're a propagandist intent on sowing confusion, not clarity.
What a stupid comment. A historian posts about a Supreme Court decision, where she has no idea about the law, yet offers an opinion she lifted from another site.
There is no scholarship or original thought? That's a joke.
And Comey didnt prosecute Clinton as the FBI found she was innocent (twice - once right beforecthe election) . Besides, the 33000 email figure was pulled out of the air just like all REPUBLICAN'TS alternative facts and kind of pales beside the 500k+ emails that George W Bush deleted.
I actually read his book The Art of the Deal in 2015 and he says right out that he lies. In the book he negotiates by saying whatever he thinks the customer/business contact wants to hear.
NB/ I may not explain the Russian influence fully here because it gets buried under several comments.
Instead, you can subscribe to my newsletter as I have comprehensively written this issue with deep insights and notify you.
Otherwise, I always appreciate this community 🙏
The strenght of the country is dependent on the immunity of the institutions.
The country will always have individuals with twisted characters and it is upon the Constitution to stamp its authority.
Trump has always find a way to win over anything even through unconstitutional means
A case in point is the Wagner Group. It is not new to America only
The Wagner Group is a Russian private military company that has been involved in various conflicts around the world, often operating in support of Russian interests. They have been active in countries like Ukraine, Syria, and Libya, among others. The Wagner Group is known for its role in providing military support, training, and security services to governments or non-state actors.
As a private paramilitary with links to Kremlin, Wagner Group has had its footprints in Africa since 2017 and often acts as the propagator of the Russia's foreign policies. Its intention is to offer military support to some of the African countries embroiled in unendless conflicts, alongside propaganda.
Established by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a business mogul, in 2014 during Russia's annexation of Crimea, the Wagner Group is a complex network of business men with links to the Russian military. Evidence suggests that the entity has more than 5000 members comprising foreign nationals, former military officers, and convicts.
"The Wagner Group got involved in Africa for its own reasons, [such as] private money making. But more recently, the Kremlin has found this a useful adjunct to what it’s trying to do diplomatically.” Graham Thomas, the head of CFR said. Russia has always wanted to bypass the United Nations through Africa by staging its presence in the continent.
The Wagner Group started its operations in Aftican countries such as Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic, and Libya, as these countries are still engrossed in deep internal conflicts. Russia understands that these African countries have strenuous relationships with the West, especially the United States because of political differences and colonial injustices.
How Wagner Group Works
The Wagner Group often targets rebels as well as regimes, by offering them with either financial resources and asking them to concede some of the resources.
Security Support
The Wagner Group often train militaries of the vulnerable regimes as recently seen in CAR whereby Touadera hires them to provide personal security as well as training its CAR army in order to capture its coup. They were granted logging rights and access to the Ndassuma gold mines. Similarly, since 2027, the Wagner Group has been protecting the government of imprisoned Omar El Bashir by targeting those opposed to him, safeguarding mineral resources. In return, the Russian government benefited from the gold. Similarly, in Mali, the Group has granted its aircraft military to the government.
Propaganda
The Internet Research Agency (IRA) and the Association for Free Research and International Cooperation (AFRIC) are owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin and they are mostly involved in spreading misinformation. These agencies worked with individuals drawn from Ghana and Nigeria to meddle with the US 2016 elections. They have worked in African countries such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique. These agencies have as well staged anti-French protests and anti-Western unrests.
Repercussions
The Wagner Group has been accused of violating human rights and further worsening the security of the region. In Tripoli, while working with Libyan National Army carried out extra judicial killings and implanting bombs or land mines in civilian regions.
Excellent summary of the Wagner Group. They have been deforesting Africa for a while now and also becoming involved in mining.
Anyone disagrees with them? Dead.
The odd thing about the Wagner group is how long they have been on the loose with no push back or other Western interference.
Maybe the Wagner group looks a little familiar to the West? Since, we (the west) USED to treat Africa and its resources as it if we owned them, and, if you don't like it?
Mike S, if Wagner Group activities seem familiar, some of that familiarity may derive from American organizations like the Blackwater Security group, founded by ex-Navy SEAL Erik Prince, whose organization seems to keep morphing into other holding companies, shell companies and conglomerates (aka: Xe Services, Academi, Constellis Holdings) all apparently bent on profits derived from "violence for hire" kinds of arrangements.
Colette, I was about to point out that Betsy DeVos is his sister, and did her best to program public education to the detriment of our children. Thanks for pointing that out.
Thank you so much for this link. As I read, all I could think of was the extreme weaponization to which the US has transitioned. The covert aspect of the progression of this private security entity is stunning as it shifts its name, its reach and its governing with a board of directors that include John Ashcroft and other Bush era affiliated members. The depth, scope of its weaponizing and profiteering (aided by massive US government contracts) is exhausting.
My thread with Keith Wheelock alongside this community is rich with information about the Wagner Group and its operations.
Again, I am thankful to Keith Wheelock for such a candid conversation. Coincidentally, Keith Wheelock has set its foot in war-torn countries like Angola and I will find time to interview and get primary data about private military operations.
Subscribe to my newsletter to get fuller and hard-to-find information about Africa and the rest of the world.
The Kremlin has been using The Wagner Group to foster its foreign interests. As an authoritative country, its wants to have its way by masquerading as offering security in warn-torn countries. The Western has fears regarding reactions from Russia since it believes it can trigger another World War that it is not ready to do in the 21st century.
Some of you have been emailing me separately about this subject. This week, following the breaking news that the Wagner Group wanted to oust Vladimir Putin, I will deeply, detail by detail, expound on the economic, human rights, and social atrocities committed by this private military group. I will also explain how it meddled with the US 2016 elections. If you have time, you can follow my newsletter for free and get one on one engagement with my community as well plus broad perspectives🙏
My thread with Keith Wheelock is rich with information about the Wagner Group and its operations. Again, I am thankful to Keith Wheelock for such a candid conversation. Coincidentally, Keith Wheelock has set its foot in war-torn countries like Angola and I will find time to interview and get primary data about private military operations.
Subscribe to my newsletter to get fuller and hard-to-find information about Africa and the rest of the world.
Edwin, I, too, find Keith’s contributions here, based on his vast experience on the world stage, to be fascinating and interesting. He is a wealth of knowledge and brings a perspective of a “world” I know nothing about.
Keith Wheelock has been in Africa, especially Angola and CAR. He brings primary and behind-the-scenes information about the Wagner Group. I will carry out an interview with Keith Wheelock to bring more issues to light. My engagement with him is topnotch.
Subscribe to my newsletter for I will talk with him.
Thank you so much Barbara Keating. Expect more experiences, knowledge, and behind-the-scenes of the African historical issues and its relationships with the rest of the world.
Edwin I read that the name of the Wagner Group related to a neo-Nazi group and Wagner was the national composer who was highlighted during Hitler’s reign.
Keith, FYI regarding the name 'Wagner'. ''A 2021 BBC investigation highlighted the suspected involvement of former Russian army officer Dmitri Utkin.'
'A veteran of Russia's wars in Chechnya, he is thought to have been Wagner's first field commander, and to have named the group after his former radio call sign.'
Yes, the Wagner bears resemblance to the German names and I think the group draws a lot of inspiration from the earliest Nazi Group. It gathers intelligence from the war-torn countries and used it to their advantage. I will write about that composer.
Pleasure to know that. But, could it be possible that they also draw inspiration from Richard Wagner, the German artist whom the Nazis used his songs to wage their anti-semitic campaign?
Why spread rumors? I think it is better to state the facts. You may be correct, but I prefer evidence as scapegoating is so common and harmful as you well know of the Nazis using it to such lethal effect.
True. I only wanted to be broad-based. Thank you for that information. I will check that Wagner signal sign and write about its meaning. Or what could it be?
I saw that as well. I had to confess that I like some of Wagner's music. There is a new book out called Monsters, which I have not read, which deals about artists, writers, composers, who were not nice people.
Actually, it is evidenced that Richard Wagner (which I believe the Russian group used, though I am not sure,) was an artist, writer, and song composer. He was an anti-semitic, but his work was only used by the Nazi regime to justify their heinous actions after he had died.
He was most known for his music and very long operas about Nordic myths. And yes, he was anti-Semitic and used by the Nazis who purged the concert repertoire of anything written by Jews. Most people would recognize The Ride of the Valkyries, used in Apocalypse Now.
Is there a nascient group like the Wagner Group in the US? If tfg is as certain that he is the chosen leader for America, would he trust the establishment military to back him? Or, is there a force being formed to ensure his will be done in the US? We do have some strong traditions in paramilitary groups and in subcontracting functions once only provided through government agnenices. Tfg was,a great admirer of Putin, his style, and other dictators who sought to have their own security or army (e.g., DeSantis, I jest).
The Wagner Group has been financed by the Russian state. Putin appears to be figuring out control of it since the splint with Yevgeny Prigozhin.
What is to happen to Wagner Group? Is Putin the one to be figuring that out now?
Below are summaries of the history and function of the Group. We do not know its future or that of Prigozhin and, perhaps, even Putin.
The following are reports covering the past year and a half, will provide a sense of it as a service as well as a tool for Putin, Prigozhin and Russia.
'What is Russia's Wagner group of mercenaries and why did it march on Moscow?'
__ 'The Wagner group was first identified in 2014, when it started backing pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. It is thought to have helped Russia annex Crimea in the same year.'
'Wagner forces have also been active in Africa and the Middle East.'
'Yevgeny Prigozhin claims he founded Wagner in 2014. A wealthy businessman and convicted criminal, he is nicknamed "Putin's chef" because he provided catering for the Kremlin.'
'A 2021 BBC investigation highlighted the suspected involvement of former Russian army officer Dmitri Utkin.'
'A veteran of Russia's wars in Chechnya, he is thought to have been Wagner's first field commander, and to have named the group after his former radio call sign.'
Mr Prigozhin boosted Wagner's numbers in 2022 by recruiting Russian prisoners.
'Where else does Wagner operate?'
'Since 2015, Wagner mercenaries have been in Syria, fighting alongside pro-government forces and guarding oilfields.'
'It also has troops in Libya, supporting the forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar.
The Central African Republic (CAR) uses Wagner to guard diamond mine. The group is also thought to protect gold mines in Sudan.'
'The government of Mali, in West Africa, uses the group against Islamic militant groups.
It is not yet clear who will now take command of these troops.'
'How does Wagner make money?'
'Russia paid Mr Prigozhin for providing Wagner troops to fight in Ukraine, says Dr Miron.
"He is one of several wealthy Russians who run private mercenary forces," she says. "Even the defence minister owns a mercenary company."
'According to President Putin, Wagner was given 86.26bn roubles ($1bn) from the defence ministry and state budget between May 2022 and May 2023 to pay wages.
He said authorities would investigate how the money paid to Wagner was spent.
Mr Prigozhin has also made money from Wagner's presence in other foreign countries, according to the US Treasury.'
'His companies are said to have profited from gold and diamond mines in the CAR and Sudan.'
'US authorities also say that an energy company linked to Mr Prigozhin was offered a 25% stake in all oil or gas fields in Syria which Wagner won back from Isis control.'
The US has announced sanctions against several of his companies
• What interests do Russian mercenaries have in Sudan?
• US sanctions boss of Wagner group in Mali (BBC) See link below
'Russia's Wagner Group in Africa: More than mercenaries'
"Wagner itself has developed over time as an organization that's gone from being a purely private military contracting entity into a multiplicity of business alliances and relations, and a network of companies. Some of them front companies across the countries in which they operate on the African continent," analyst Julian Rademeyer told DW recently at the Munich Security Conference. "It operates in this legal gray zone between illicit activities and more legal illicit activities. And it straddled those quite, quite effectively."
'Sudan: Russia's 'key to Africa'
'Sudan has long been a particular focus for Wagner mercenaries, and there are many of them there. Back during the rule of the dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was in power from 1993 to 2019, licences already went to the Russian firm "M-Invest," which is probably under the control of oligarchs, including Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. This led to Wagner members being given the job of protecting the M-Invest gold mines in Sudan.'
'According to various media reports, observers are saying that Russia is mostly concerned with securing access to Sudan's valuable resources, which include manganese and silicon, alongside gold. Russia is also particularly interested in the uranium deposits, with which
'Africa's hunger for energy is also to be assuaged.'
'Wagner Group: A vehicle for Russian influence'
'Rademeyer, who works at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), sees the Wagner Group as primarily a Kremlin military tool to boost Russia's economic and military influence in Africa. Sudan is just one of many countries where it is being employed.'
'With his colleagues at GI-TOC, he recently published a report on Wagner in Africa. "We argue in the report that the Wagner mercenary group, the Wagner private military group, is the most influential Russian actor operating in Africa today, and that its activities and the network of front companies that bolster it are a malign influence on the continent,” he said.'
'Central African Republic: Rare woods, gold, sugar and alcohol'
'International research has found that the Wagner brand is active in areas that extend far beyond security. In July, All Eyes on Wagner partnered with 11 European media outlets to uncover how the group has been raking in massive profits with precious tropical timber from the Central African Republic. According to the report, the government in Bangui granted a subsidiary unrestricted logging rights across 187,000 hectares (722 square miles).'
'The case of the Ndassima gold mine, also in the Central African Republic, is similar. Reports say that a concession was withdrawn from a Canadian mining company in favor of one from Madagascar that appears in the GI-TOC report as a Wagner subsidiary. Research by The Africa Report magazine traces how the Wagner network allegedly imported heavy mining equipment through the Cameroonian seaport of Douala. Up to three truck convoys are organized weekly from Bangui to Douala to transport the raw materials, under the protection of Wagner members with heavy weapons.'
'Follow the money'
'The Wagner Group appears to be ever diversifying its businesses in the Central Africa Republic. Trying, for example, to force French sugar company SUCAF out of the market, said Joseph Bendounga, head of the MDREC opposition party there.'
'Another example: "They are in the process of framing the French brewery Castel for supporting and financing terrorist forces," he told DW. "In all areas that bring in money, including customs and taxes, the Russians are the masters."
'The First Industrial Company, which produces beer and spirits in Bangui — and, according to the GI-TOC report, is apparently registered to a Russian businessman tied to Wagner — could benefit from this. (Deutsche Welle (DW) is Germany's international broadcaster and one of the most successful international media outlets. We provide impartial news and information, giving people worldwide the opportunity to form their own opinions, assess issues of local and global significance and participate in social debates as active and informed citizens.)
When I encounter a new source, which is informative, I check out its background and learned the following about DW.
‘Funding and regulation DW is funded through the German federal tax budget. Regulated by the Deutsche Welle Act, DW fulfills its program mission free from government influence. DW has about 4,000 employees worldwide and 16 global offices Brussels; Washington D.C.; London; Beirut; Kyiv; Lagos; Cape Town; Riga (formerly Moscow); Nairobi; New Delhi; Taipei; Bogotá; Warsaw; Jerusalem; Istanbul.'
''What we do As an international broadcaster, DW provides impartial news and information so that people can form their own opinions, assess local and global issues and participate in social debates as active and informed citizens. We produce distinctive, regionally relevant and dialogue–oriented content in 32 languages focussing on six topics: freedom and human rights, democracy and good governance, free trade and social justice, technology and innovation, health education, nutrition and environmental protection, and German and European culture.'
'Who we are We stand for human rights, democracy and freedom, especially freedom of speech and of the press. We take a clear stance against all forms of discrimination, racism, extremism and antisemitism.'
All Eyes On Wagner is another source for information.
'Open source research for accountability.'
'Our mission'
'All Eyes On Wagner is a project focusing on Wagner mercenaries: tracking their activities and verifying claims of human rights and economic abuses. We rely on open source information and witnesses accounts/leads sent to us which are collected, archived and verified. Our objective is to become a reliable source of information on Wagner mercenaries for key human rights organisations'
'Who we are'
'The project has been historically initiated by OpenFacto, a French not for profit organisation with expertise in open-source investigations (OSINT). AEOW is today independent and does not have any financial support.'
'It is managed on a voluntary-basis by a group of 8 volunteers on their free time from different nationalities and backgrounds: journalists, investigators, experts on disinformation, students, humanitarian and academics. Friends and contacts often provide an extra hand: graphism, research, editing, good advice.'
Very true. The Wagner Group has an extensive network intertwined with security military operations. It seems their target is resources to exploit based on their happenings. Their victims are vulnerable countries with rebels.
Sure. It's a typo error. It is 2017. Welcome and you can subscribe to my newsletter for free to get independent, indeph analysis. I will expound on this Wagner Group further
The Wagner Group presence in Africa comes with huge, defrauding economic concessions that have plunged African countries into poverty, and ultimately conflicts, with a point of no return.
Mali
CAR
Mozambique
Zimbabwe
Chad
Libya
Thereafter, Russia again appears in the form of security to 'support military operations ' but with exchange of material concessions.
Edwin My hunch is that Putin was delighted to spread Russian influence in Africa and elsewhere with a cohesive mercenary group. Whether it was Putin’s idea and he encouraged his puppy dog Prigozhin to implement this program we may never know.
What strikes me is the broad range of these mercenaries—from serving as Praetorian Guards to some African dictators to organizing lucrative mineral looting operations.
Publicly we have no info on how these foreign Wagner Groups are organized and operate. I doubt that Prigozhin, physically isolated in Belarus and, presuming with funds—including his own—cut off, will be running multi-national operations.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is the founder of The Wagner Group but it has since morphed into Russian military wing and incorporated a network of business men with interests in economic resources in Africa. It is the modern-day scramble for Africa but with the use of intelligence. Little is known about how Wagner operates but as days goes by, the names of other members will be known. I will try as much as possible to get that intelligence.
Edwin From my years in Congo (1960-1966) mercenary groups were relatively small—from 25 to low 200s. I discuss the largest, Colonel Michael Hoare’s. In my Amazon review of CONGO MERCENARY, in which I also add my personal commentary of my Foreign Service experiences during the 1964 Congo rebellion.
These mercenary groups were foreign organized and funded [at times funding was interrupted]. CIA was a major organizer/funder, including the Congo Air Force staffed by Cubans left over from the Bay of Pigs.
None of these mercenary groups had a long life. In Angola in the 1970s there was a mercenary group engaged with the MPLA (Holden Roberto). Don’t know who funded, but it included a bunch of sadists, including some tried and executed by Angolan government.
I suspect that several of the African Wagner Group mercenaries could become self-supporting, since they have their own industries and some are paid by local dictators.
These mercenary groups were foreign organized and funded [at times funding was interrupted]. CIA was a major organizer/funder, including the Congo Air Force staffed by Cubans left over from the Bay of Pigs.
Edwin In the 1970s the intrusion of major Cuban troops in Angola and Ethiopia was a new dimension. Angola is worthy of study—-MPLA supported by CIA [Holden Roberto was a dilettante, Joseph Sivembi—an impressive local fighter—and the winning Angolans.
Yes, Jonas Savimbi is worthy of study. He and UNITA got support from China and US to seek independence from MPLA that was supported by the Soviet. So, Russia is always on the opposite side of the continent supporters
I like that you have foreign experience with Congo ( I will contact you to shed more light on this). And true CIA was the funder during that time, but it didn't last. But, currently, The Wagner affiliated mercenaries have their own resources. In fact, their intention is to oust the present-day regime and control resources for use and respond to any dissenting views by employing the Wagner Group. So, they are likely to last for many years.
Edwin My first African experience was leading a small group of college students to the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in 1954. I made the first (and only?) color documentary on Sudan north and south, since the troubles in the south exploded in early 1955.
I also co-organized the first college African conference in February, 1955. This was a period of hope for independence in Africa. I have met many of Africa’s ‘best and brightest’ through Eisenhower Fellowships over the years. Though there are some excellent individuals, my current thoughts about ‘Africa’ are not exuberant.
Incidentally, when I visited Sudan in 1954 there was only one sovereign African country—Ethiopia.
Wooow. You have deep, historical relations with Africa. I think I will contact you so that you can expound on not only this, but also other broad-based issues revolving around history and Africa.
“Publicly we have no info on how these foreign Wagner Groups are organized and operate. I doubt that Prigozhin, physically isolated in Belarus and, presuming with funds—including his own—cut off, will be running multi-national operations.”
Will his funds be cut off? I have wondered if his lucrative and less constrained work in Africa may have been the carrot that led him to want to get out of Ukraine. I suppose we won’t know (at least not very soon) how independently he can continue his plundering there. But, also I wondered if Putin, being increasingly desperate for💰 might want to keep Prig’s existing infrastructure running in those vulnerable areas? So happy to read of the Biden admin’s sanctions there!
Christy Delighted in your nick name Prig. Who knows what Prig can do without Putin umbrella and $$$.Was he like a Russian candle—high trajectory, big flash, and then fluttering to ground? I wouldn’t want to hold life insurance on Prig—nor try to get money from his various bank accounts.
Edwin, I have not yet read thru all the comments so my apologies if you have already weighed in on these sanctions on Wagner associated companies that Heather referenced in today’s letter. I wonder if you have an opinion on them, particularly, whether they might be meaningful.
You ain't late. Welcome. And Yes, sanctions placed on Wagner-associated companies can be one of the major steps towards taming their influence on Africa and Middle East. But, I am also afraid that Russia might finance them when these sanctions are place. Lessening their presence in Africa and Middle East is a multifaceted issue that needs to be dealt by different countries. It can also include involving rebels through diplomatic means.
You can correct typos and make other edits to any of your own posts: click on the three dots (ellipsis) to the right of the Reply link at the bottom of the post and "Edit" will be an option.
Thanks for following our conversation here with Keith Wheelock. I think I will contact them to derive primary data about this thread. You can subscribe to my newsletter for more detailed conversation.
Of course, Vladimir Putin has always been relying on private intelligence agencies to advance the Russian interests. The Wagner Group is a tip of the ice bag. And wherever they are present, they are not concerned with human rights. Extra judicial killings have been common in where Russia is present
Following yesterday's thread about the Wagner Group, I have prepared a special newsletter with detailed understanding of how Russia is deploying PMCs as its foreign policy tool.
Check my newsletter and subscribe to get novel perspectives about Africa and its relations with the rest of the world 🌎.
" It (referring back to the U.S. Treasury I believe) also sanctioned Industrial Resources General Trading, a Dubai-based company that has funded Prigozhin, as well as a Russian firm and a Russian national working in Mali TO FORCE THOSE STANDING AGAINST THE WAGNER GROUP OUT OF AFRICA."
force those standing AGAINST Wagner out? not force out those SUPPORTING Wagner?
In the next days, together with Keith Wheelock (since she has been to Africa with first hand info), I will interview him about The Wagner Group to further shed light on this.
I'd like to see him make that argument in court, to so accomplished an attorney as Jack Smith. But if I were the Duck's lawyer, I might not allow him to even attend court, much less testify! He will, when the time come, be the worst defendant imaginable.
Clifford, we needn't wait for "when the time comes" if one simply looks at the procession of lawyers who have resigned, been fired, thrown under the bus and/or stiffed for their fees to KNOW he is already the worst defendant imaginable!
I have been thinking that for awhile. Obviously he has some kind of mental disorder over which he can't control, maybe oppositional defiant disorder. Possibly he has obsessive-compulsive disorder or some kind of hoarding disorder. In any event, he shouldn't be allowed to run for president again due to 1/6.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is not a d/o of adulthood. Kids with this diagnosis can then be diagnosed with conduct disorder (in adolescence)which in adulthood likely becomes Antisocial Personality Disorder, which is sociopathy and/or psychopathy or both. This, along with Narcissistic Personality Disorder fit tfg perfectly. The Antisocial P.D. accounts for his committing crimes without feeling guilt (no conscience). His constant lying is also part of Antisocial Personality Disorder as well as his huge need for attention which is part of his narcissism. This is what accounts for his telling on himself in interviews. His appetite for attention is insatiable.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder. No treatment for that, it’s just who he is, likely from preschool, or at least young adulthood. But he may rewrite the criteria…
Does no treatment for this disorder mean that those afflicted can't understand they have this disorder and therefore can't try to change the behaviors?
As I understand from grad school and working in the field. Of course, that was when God was a baby. Things change, but I think chump is proof that that hasn’t.
And like Calvin and Hobbes, he can transmogrify. Can it be possible that his ardent followers have no idea of his crimes? Witnesses on January 6 still supporting him are treasonous, delirious and most probably threatened in the same way he threatened Prosecutor Smith, his family and associates. A judge warned him about that. It's time to put tfg in solitary confinement.
When Trump used the word "bravado" he meant "lying" - so when he said "if you want to know the truth, it was bravado" he meant: if you want to know the truth, it was lying.
That would seem to describe the whole republican party, such as what they define as "ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse". Certain SCOTUS judges are past masters. Scalia intimated he could channel the dead.
I don't believe TFG is clever enough to have come up with this dodge on his own. Could he possibly be taking advice from those who are (far) more aware of the situation than he is? Providing, of course, that there are any such people left in his orbit . . .
I posted in another place here today that people fall into categories of either being good, bad, terrible (or horrendous) or just confused. Question: In what category do you trump supporters fall?
I know good people that voted for Trump. It made me question their authenticity because I could not believe they would vote for a clearly racists, misogynist, criminal, dim wit to hold the most important job in America, maybe the world. I thought it was so irresponsible of them and couldn't, wouldn't speak to them for a very long time and I cut the ones that really didn't matter that much to me from my life. I did so to prove the depth of my disgust. I will never trust them ever again. I felt so deceived. But I never thought they were bad people. I just didn't like them anymore. I don't think they were confused or brainwashed. Hypocrites? Some. Without conscience? No. Many still refuse to see they did a stupid, stupid thing. Not unusual. Most have quit politics because they plan to not vote or vote Republican again, if not for Trump. Ask him about the Trump administrations policies and they can't answer you. They didn't partake in J6 but understand that those people were misinformed as to the legality of their actions and the lies Trump told.
Do I know I know bad people? What makes a person bad, some sort of mix between good and terrible? Yes I have known/know a few of those. Do I know they voted for Trump? No. I would put my money on that most of them did. I think most of the Republicans in the house fall into this category. I don't think they are confused or brainwashed. Hypocrites? Yes. Without conscience? Yes. They refuse to see the consequences of what they did and would vote for Trump again no problem.
I don't know any terrible people if by terrible you mean no redeeming qualities. That is just not my world. I would be surprised if terrible people even vote. They don't care about anything much less who the president is because that means they think beyond themselves. It is this category that disturbs me because I think several members of the house and Senate and wannabes fall into this category. You all know who I mean. Not confused at all. Hypocrisy, lying, dehumanizing people are tools of the trade for terrible people.
Saying Trump voters were/are confused let's them off the hook. I don't think any of them were/are confused. Everyone knew about pgate, melon legs, and Stormy. They gave that a pass. The only thing they disbelieved was conspiring with the Russians because you couldn't give it a pass if you believed it.
"Most have quit politics because they plan to not vote or vote Republican again, if not for Trump." The people you so aptly describe will take their bats and balls and go home. They will hide their humiliation under the guise of "all those politicians are corrupt". They will become non participants. Good.
And that is one of the ways we will win big time next year. The other tool in our tool box is the youth vote. We need to work hard to continue the strong trend of younger people voting. They don't suffer fools as easily as the Trumper Cult.
Of course, there's a sucker born every day. Just read about the momentum in RFKs campaign.
Martha Woods, As we have seen in the House, party dictates so much. The fact remains that if one caucuses with the GOP, one will be pressured into supporting many of the same policies for which Trump was just a figurehead. And it ought to be apparent that the GOP leadership are at best synchophants and at worst even more committed to repression than he was, because while they live in lofty places, they are still vulnerable. Voting for the GOP but not for Trump is naive thinking, because the group that passes the laws and confirms judges will still be in power. For myself,I think there is a difference between “nice” people and “good” people, and one of the prime differences is just how much one’s actions are rooted in concern for one’s fellow man
My question is always do they walk their talk. I have had several people express to me how shocked they were when people they thought were good supported and still support him.
Martha, I appreciate your comment. I think that (in my corner of the world, which includes a boatload of white male cops), the "tipping point" for them moving from being "conservative" to whatever descriptor can be applied to today's RepubliQan party was the 2008 election when the US elected a Black man to the office of President. The hatred and fear was palpable. Then, in the election of 2016 where the presidential choice was between a woman and tfg, the die was cast. Further, tfg gave his permission for expressing hatred and anger let loose the torrent we are seeing today. Couple that with the intentional divide in our country via the use of social media by forces from both within and outside the US, and you see the morass we're in today.
Ally House, I have said many times that when we elected President Obama it scared the hell out of white males, especially ones that tended to be insecure in the first place. Hillary Clinton was the most qualified person to ever run for president in my book but she was a woman and insecure white people (men and women) were groomed by Agent Chaos (my new name for the former guy) to hate and loath her. She still beat him by 3M votes and yet, we were stuck with him and may be again unless we get everyone to vote again! Hopefully, we can conquer the hate that he uncovered and emboldened in our country.
Colette, I looked at the 2008 Democratic primary as an interesting experiment: who was the lesser of evils, a Black man or a white woman. The Black guy got elected to two terms; the white woman (in the subsequent non-incumbent election) won by 3 million votes, but lost in the archaic Electoral College, and I got my answer.
Yes, I agree. The election of Obama brought forth loads of racist hatred. We were in Charleston on election night in 2008. When we were in the bar having dinner and the returns were starting to come in, the white people in the bar were not cheering. At midnight, when the election was finally declared, we heard lots of people celebrating in the streets as we were at the Francis Marion hotel which is in a fairly black area. College of Charleston just around the corner and the church where the terrible murders took place on the other side of the square which of course had a big statue of John Calhoun in it. We took a couple tours of Charleston, one led by a white guy and one focused on the black heritage. Interesting what they had to say about some of the same places. We were in Savannah just before the election and heard one guy bragging that he had just voted for Sarah....remember her.
I agree with you completely. They never expected a person of color could get elected and they looked around and saw that people of color were working their way up and even dominating some fields, like medicine and sports. I did not understand that where I saw something wonderful some of my friends and co-workers (predominantly male and white) saw a threat to their way of life. As for Hillary, well my co-workers in VA were largely white women that voted for sweet Laura Bush instead of that haughty french woman. I almost fell out of my chair the first time I was told that. They didn't care about the Iraq war at all and that Republicans had fabricated a reason to invade. Heavens no. And the men thought Kerry was unacceptable because he had experienced war and said WTF while Cheney couldn't wait to invade Iraq on behalf of Haliburton. Go figure. Did you read the NYT opinion piece on what Republicans think is a lie? If it weren't true. It would be funny.
I think I would like your wife:) It is hard for people to admit they are wrong, particularly if they don't see it. Just not an easy thing to do...to see through the fog.
Sometimes I think that people who work in environments where the path to success depends on doing what bosses say they want become immune to the defects of the organization, its goals, and ways of implementing their aims. So people end up working for thugs, knowing they are thugs and knowing that their work is not for anything good, but they do it anyway. Maybe partly because they don't see alternatives, fear quitting and starting over somewhere else, and generally accept pretty shitty Faustian bargains for their labor. I've seen it in a corporate setting, which I couldn’t abide after realizing how dangerous the quicksand was to personal integrity, and quit. My colleagues were stunned that I'd leave such a 'cushy' situation and wondered where I thought I'd find something as 'rewarding'….certainly only meaning in terms of $$$. People know Trump is lying…they expect it, but for weird reasons of their own, they give it and many of his other transgressions a pass. It's a mass psychosis, in my view, but so is the 'loyalty' to other entities and their people about which/whom similar bad things have been exposed…churches, companies, rulers, sports teams?
Your assessment mirrors one which Mike S has espoused: If you grow up doing what the white man at the front of the church tells you to do, it is natural and normal for you to do what you're told to do by the white guy in charge of whatever you're in, be it church, employment, or home.
Sounds familiar….as a recovering Catholic for 60:years, I partly attribute my deprogramming from parochial school and CDC ( Christian Doctrine Classes) to my father who was a bit of an iconoclast. His pithy assessments of the people of the cloth sort of gave permission to toss it all into the rubbish heap. The rejection would have happened sooner but for trying to assuage Mama.
I am so grateful to have grown up in a “none” household….goes back to my wonderful granny born in 1898 (and extended to her progeny—now 5 generations); open-hearted, open-minded & lack of dogma of any kind….well, except to be kind, do good, pay attention, lend a hand when needed & carry your own weight as long as you are able—oh, and garden! As a kid—junior high years—went w/ friends a couple of times to their church services & although pleasant enough, it didn’t stick (would have rather been at the beach body surfing!).
I don't let any of them off the hook...I know several Rs who did not vote for him because they could see how bad he was. None of them defended him either. Those that continue to support him are those who are unhappy because they think they have lost their unmerited place as merely being white, or they loved the class clown, or they are just as racist, misogynistic, and biased against queer people who finally have a few rights. The drag queen business is nonsense because many of them love the idea of men dressing up as women. Some of them are religious zealots who want to control the behavior of everyone including what they read and learn in school. This has always existed beneath the surface or at times like the 1920s in plain sight. They love death star because he has given them carte blanche to be awful without hiding it. And they can oppose any and all government programs because helping the less fortunate and making society better for everyone is socialism.
Beth, and that’s rub many Evangelicals don’t get. Sin is sin. God doesn’t rank them; men do; and as such Men take on the mantle of God in such decision making. I’m pretty sure that was not the plan of the God Evangelicals worship
Such self-righteous glee and condemnation over the misfortune of the powerless. And always against the woman (or girl), never the other party who must never be named.
I think the majority of US bishops are republicans bc their “pre-eminent” issue has been abortion (even when the pope and others reminded them there are MANY important issues). And a few loudmouths are mad at Pelosi (woman in power, dem) and Biden for “supporting” abortion (confused with I will not impose my belief system on the country (see, for example, Alito and Thomas)).
Yes and it is not the fascist Christian Nationalism. Read some of the posts by Mormon Women for Ethic Gov. Many of their statements etc are well written & not rabid R propaganda. I am not LDS & dont adhere to their beliefs however I think that we share concerns over some of the same issues.
I think the supporters vary, and that some could become disabused of their folly. I think the architects of the big lies and treachery are legitimately evil.
I don't buy the notion that evil is somehow connect to a devil with goat horns and a tail; but personally, when I think of behavior that could be called "evil" I could also label it aggressively sociopathic, when only one's own whims are sovereign even when one actions harm others. The extreme and self -congratulatory tortures inflicted by WWII Nazis could be, in my opinion, be assigned either label.
We all "pursue" happiness and we all possess self-interest, even in heroic behaviors. But who and what else do we care about? That sphere of concern and action makes all the difference between an adult said to be emotionally "really small" and one described as having a "big heart". We tend to leave that to theologians and philosophers to puzzle out; but our survival as a species may require a better and clearer personal understanding of our own human nature.
I don't disagree, but too often their "folly" is analogous to "pushing a rope"! I'm weary of the energy, airtime, and "hope" that they might eventually get it . . .
So true JL and some were legitimately pardoned by manbaby massmurderer. Some people are just hateful bullies who believe they are better than everyone else. But "Conservative Christians" are a phenomenon I cannot understand or explain.
I detect two salient themes in religions, one hubrisitic and cruel and the other humble and compassionate. We call them both by the same name, but they are diametrically opposed. Some of the most sociopathic events in history wear a religious cover story, and there are also religiously motivated acts of kindness and sacrifice. One seeks to subjugate and the other to liberate. One to ideologically and ethnically "cleanse" and the other to bond. It's easy to find examples of both.
Excellent point!!! It does boggle the mind how opposite sides of the coin are both called religion. Glad I never dipped my toe in that world; neither did those on my family tree going back 5 generations…how they sidestepped it I never thought to ask my elders (those of my generation are the elders now) before they passed.
"when he used the word “plans” with the people in his office, he meant “plans of buildings…plans of a golf course.”
Trump can transmute the content of documents utterly, just by thinking about it.
How can you tell when tfg is lying?
His lips are moving.
Trump can lie just by thinking about it.
Haha, you made me laugh out loud. Thank you for that.
Actually, you can tell he’s lying if he wakes up in the morning!
Sill ... tfg's compulsive mendascity is stunning.
Does he even know what the truth is? With him it's "L'état c'est moi, la constitution c'est moi, la vérité c'est moi."
I really don't think he does. His pathology makes it so he's like a little kid without the sweetness: he just says what pops into his head. There's no real assessment of the situation in any depth. Just a reaction to the reaction of what he said/did previously.
He really IS crazy. He should never have had any positions of responsibility anywhere, let alone the presidency. It's literally impossible for him to behave in a way that isn't wholly self-interested.
It's endlessly horrifying to me that there are STILL people out there that think he's a genius.
As I watched him saying this today, I felt a burst of outrage rise in me. I am so tired of tfg’s rabid mob saying Biden is too old, senile, and a bumbling fool! tfg is only three years younger than Biden and he appears to be mad as a hatter! Oh please may he implode soon…
That's more horrifying to me than TFG himself, and even *more* horrifying are the people who bankroll and otherwise enable him while knowing bloody well that he's nowhere close to a genius. That would include most of the GOP -- the ones that aren't either frothing at the mouth or brain-dead.
Like those that believe in Hitler! It is totally amazing to me!
… a “stable” genius, at that.
I think he actually does believe every word he is saying, even as he makes it up out of whole cloth.
I don't think he cares if it is true. He only says what he says because he thinks it benefits him. Truth is meaningless.
I agree Susan, like all personality disorders, if it leaves his mouth it is true. He could probably pass a lie detector test.
Right, he just convinces himself it's true, because he can't possibly be wrong. It's part of his illness.
"You [tfg] don't know what the truth is".
Mendacity means lying.
But to tell a lie, one has to know what the truth is, right? That's why I asked the question. "La vérité c'est moi" means literally "I am the truth" (which echoes, tellingly, words attributed to Jesus). If one really is (in one's own mind) "the truth," by definition one cannot lie.
SJS, I am still thinking about your points as you are on to an important observation. I'm a JD not a MD but, I do have access to a pyscho neurologist, Phd, MD. Still working on it ....
Medical residents tell me that it is customary to name medical discoveries after their DISCOVERER. My proposal is to call this discovery " "SURGIS SYNDROME". See LFAA, thread today under 'JL Grahm' for additional clinical observations.
I'm forever messing with my own head so I'm guessing it's occasionally OK to mess with other people's heads. ;-)
It's interesting from the legal point of view too, isn't it? Someone who's incapable of telling right from wrong can use that as a defense. Right/wrong and true/false aren't the same, but IMO they are related -- someone who can't distinguish between right and wrong is probably going to have a hard time telling true from false. (And both dichotomies have a helluva lot of gray area around them.)
Yes, correct, yes correct, yes & visually true, alot of grey. :)
One thing we all must realize he try. TFG has motives, and he will say what needs to be said that moves that motive the way he desires it to move.
His main motive, as it’s been all his life, is MONEY. He hasn’t gotten his hands dirty one single day of his life. He’s been a “suit” ever since he was big enough for his daddy to put him in one. It’s been drilled into his head. Everything evolves around money. If he’s not making money off of a project, he gets rid of it. If he can’t make money off of this lie, he changes the lie. Everything he dues makes him money in one fashion or the other.
Case in point. Look at all of his past recent court appearances. On the first E. Jean Carroll case, which he lost and had to pay her $5 million dollars. His bad mouthing E. Jean Carroll right after the verdict netted him over $10 million dollars!!! His court appearances on later cases have netted him millions of dollars. All from his ‘sheep’ that he’s fleecing every single time that he opens his mouth and tells them to send money, sends them emails telling them he needs money, or his robocalls telling them his dad story and telling them to get the check in the mail/go to the website and donate, donate, donate!
That’s who’s sick, and needs a lot of help in this country. We need to lock TFG, and all his stooges up, throw away the key , and forbid them any access internet, electronics, telephones, computers, nothing. And, we need to make sure we have a lot of physiatrist trained and ready. They’ll have about 74 million patients right off the bat!
LOL,
Just "read his lips". Too funny. Republicans are better than a night of stand up comedy.
They'd be hilarious if they happened in some other country...maybe Mordor.
unlike Floridor, you mean?
Or Mordoristan.
Except some have legislative and/or judicial power.
And also the inspiration of many late-night comedians.
The Writers strike needs to end. We need Steven Colbert back now. He’s missed so many golden moments the last few weeks.
Bit they are all fuming with this good material, being unused by them at any rate.
And, I’ll be so glad when these late night comedians get their added back to work. I’m tired of all these reruns due to the writers strike!
But the writers have reason to strike: “On March 14, the WGA released a report titled “Writers Are Not Keeping Up.” It details how compensation for writing has been negatively impacted by the advent (and takeover) of streaming. “On TV staffs, more writers are working at minimum regardless of experience, often for fewer weeks, or in mini-rooms, while showrunners are left without a writing staff to complete the season,” the report states. “And while series budgets have soared over the past decade, median writer-producer pay has fallen.”
https://www.vulture.com/article/wga-strike-2023.html
Please understand, Rose, I’m not grumping about the strike. But these talk show host can’t even write their own stuff!
Geeze, I’m not a literary genius, and I can write stuff from the news for them every night. They should be able to be smart enough to write a 15 minute commentary for the beginning of their shows. Actually, throw in the commercials that 15 minutes is cut to about 7 minutes.
I had no knowledge about what the strike was all about, but these talk shows and other programs these folks wrote for have won all kinds of awards. They should be able to pay these writers. Plus give them benefits.
There’s not one excuse these desk-hugging millionaires can say. All they’re interested in is the money, and it has to be from big into their pocket. It’s ridiculous.
"I'm a legitimate person." Donald Trump, 6/27/23.
If he wasn't so dangerous and close to getting a 2nd term I could almost feel sorry for him. It must be hell, well deserved, to be in his head. Oh to be a psychologist! Though it's really obvious to a layperson he is really demented. Now if the veil could be torn away from his followers they would see the emporer has no clothes!!!
And definitely 45 has no brains, but maybe his “followers” suffer the same fate.
Absolutely! : )
We need a bit of humor with the writers strike still going on. Haven’t heard much about that event.
It is not funny, it is our national tragedy.
Except for the horror.
Oh no, he can lie just by thinking about it, the same way he declassifies documents and changes them into golf course plans. That's what was in all those boxes at Mar-a-liego
I didn't know General Milley designed golf courses! Since he claimed the papers he held were written by Milley. Maybe Milley should take that up after he retires. :-)
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
What is the constitutional authority for presidents with regarding to declassification of documents? What was the classification of the document in question? What does the Presidential records act say? Is it criminal or civil?
What is the history? Has anyone ever been prosecuted and if not, why? What was Comey's rationale for not prosecuting Clinton?
Why would Heather address such questions when any well-informed reader already knows the answers? You're a propagandist intent on sowing confusion, not clarity.
Don't feed the troll. This guy is a cut and paste propagandist who pops up there parroting right wing talking points, presumably to "own the libs."
And someone paid at least $50 for him to do so
Try looking it up yourself.
AMEN !!!
What a stupid comment. A historian posts about a Supreme Court decision, where she has no idea about the law, yet offers an opinion she lifted from another site.
There is no scholarship or original thought? That's a joke.
BTW I did read the opinion. Did you?
Yes, I did. Fool. You're a condescending asshole to assume that others commenting here have not
Showing your intelligence yet again.
What did the opinion say? In legal terms?
And Comey didnt prosecute Clinton as the FBI found she was innocent (twice - once right beforecthe election) . Besides, the 33000 email figure was pulled out of the air just like all REPUBLICAN'TS alternative facts and kind of pales beside the 500k+ emails that George W Bush deleted.
Clinton did not have classified document on the server.
How can you be so stupid. Its embarrassing. Time to get out of your bubble.
I've attached a video of FBI director James Comey detailing the SPECIFICS of the classified
material found on Hillary's server. At least 110 emails including 8 that were "Top Secret", 36 contained "Secret Information".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79txF6dUBwE
The FBI believed her server was hacked because of negligence.
After the server was subpoenaed Hillary scrubbed the server and destroyed all of her cell phones.
Why infest Heather's commenting section with your "important info.".......No one is interested. Do you have no subscribers to your James's Newsletter?
Sorry. You are incorrect, but I won't accuse you of being stupid. Name calling belongs to a certain group.
What do call a person, when faced with a video of Jim Comey testifying under OATH before
Congress "that Hillary had classified emails on her server", says its not true?
Delusional? Stupid? Idiot? Take your pic. What they can't be called is truthful. Its just further proof that TRUTH is not a left wing value.
Yet again I've pasted the video of Jim Comey's testimony before Congress.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79txF6dUBwE
And you can tell what he's lying about because he accuses someone else of doing what he's really doing. Often preemptively. It's his tell.
TFG can't help it (the lying). It's congenital.
I actually read his book The Art of the Deal in 2015 and he says right out that he lies. In the book he negotiates by saying whatever he thinks the customer/business contact wants to hear.
That’s a really good one.
JL, he is such an embarrassment, not to mention an abomination.....
NB/ I may not explain the Russian influence fully here because it gets buried under several comments.
Instead, you can subscribe to my newsletter as I have comprehensively written this issue with deep insights and notify you.
Otherwise, I always appreciate this community 🙏
The strenght of the country is dependent on the immunity of the institutions.
The country will always have individuals with twisted characters and it is upon the Constitution to stamp its authority.
Trump has always find a way to win over anything even through unconstitutional means
A case in point is the Wagner Group. It is not new to America only
The Wagner Group is a Russian private military company that has been involved in various conflicts around the world, often operating in support of Russian interests. They have been active in countries like Ukraine, Syria, and Libya, among others. The Wagner Group is known for its role in providing military support, training, and security services to governments or non-state actors.
As a private paramilitary with links to Kremlin, Wagner Group has had its footprints in Africa since 2017 and often acts as the propagator of the Russia's foreign policies. Its intention is to offer military support to some of the African countries embroiled in unendless conflicts, alongside propaganda.
Established by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a business mogul, in 2014 during Russia's annexation of Crimea, the Wagner Group is a complex network of business men with links to the Russian military. Evidence suggests that the entity has more than 5000 members comprising foreign nationals, former military officers, and convicts.
"The Wagner Group got involved in Africa for its own reasons, [such as] private money making. But more recently, the Kremlin has found this a useful adjunct to what it’s trying to do diplomatically.” Graham Thomas, the head of CFR said. Russia has always wanted to bypass the United Nations through Africa by staging its presence in the continent.
The Wagner Group started its operations in Aftican countries such as Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic, and Libya, as these countries are still engrossed in deep internal conflicts. Russia understands that these African countries have strenuous relationships with the West, especially the United States because of political differences and colonial injustices.
How Wagner Group Works
The Wagner Group often targets rebels as well as regimes, by offering them with either financial resources and asking them to concede some of the resources.
Security Support
The Wagner Group often train militaries of the vulnerable regimes as recently seen in CAR whereby Touadera hires them to provide personal security as well as training its CAR army in order to capture its coup. They were granted logging rights and access to the Ndassuma gold mines. Similarly, since 2027, the Wagner Group has been protecting the government of imprisoned Omar El Bashir by targeting those opposed to him, safeguarding mineral resources. In return, the Russian government benefited from the gold. Similarly, in Mali, the Group has granted its aircraft military to the government.
Propaganda
The Internet Research Agency (IRA) and the Association for Free Research and International Cooperation (AFRIC) are owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin and they are mostly involved in spreading misinformation. These agencies worked with individuals drawn from Ghana and Nigeria to meddle with the US 2016 elections. They have worked in African countries such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique. These agencies have as well staged anti-French protests and anti-Western unrests.
Repercussions
The Wagner Group has been accused of violating human rights and further worsening the security of the region. In Tripoli, while working with Libyan National Army carried out extra judicial killings and implanting bombs or land mines in civilian regions.
Excellent summary of the Wagner Group. They have been deforesting Africa for a while now and also becoming involved in mining.
Anyone disagrees with them? Dead.
The odd thing about the Wagner group is how long they have been on the loose with no push back or other Western interference.
Maybe the Wagner group looks a little familiar to the West? Since, we (the west) USED to treat Africa and its resources as it if we owned them, and, if you don't like it?
Dead.
Mike S, if Wagner Group activities seem familiar, some of that familiarity may derive from American organizations like the Blackwater Security group, founded by ex-Navy SEAL Erik Prince, whose organization seems to keep morphing into other holding companies, shell companies and conglomerates (aka: Xe Services, Academi, Constellis Holdings) all apparently bent on profits derived from "violence for hire" kinds of arrangements.
See Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_(company)
Let's not forget that Erik Prince's sister is Betsy DeVos...and we all know who she "kissed up to".
Colette, I was about to point out that Betsy DeVos is his sister, and did her best to program public education to the detriment of our children. Thanks for pointing that out.
Thank you so much for this link. As I read, all I could think of was the extreme weaponization to which the US has transitioned. The covert aspect of the progression of this private security entity is stunning as it shifts its name, its reach and its governing with a board of directors that include John Ashcroft and other Bush era affiliated members. The depth, scope of its weaponizing and profiteering (aided by massive US government contracts) is exhausting.
My thread with Keith Wheelock alongside this community is rich with information about the Wagner Group and its operations.
Again, I am thankful to Keith Wheelock for such a candid conversation. Coincidentally, Keith Wheelock has set its foot in war-torn countries like Angola and I will find time to interview and get primary data about private military operations.
Subscribe to my newsletter to get fuller and hard-to-find information about Africa and the rest of the world.
They seem to be copying the same strategies of entering into war-torn countries and economically benefiting from the resources.
The Kremlin has been using The Wagner Group to foster its foreign interests. As an authoritative country, its wants to have its way by masquerading as offering security in warn-torn countries. The Western has fears regarding reactions from Russia since it believes it can trigger another World War that it is not ready to do in the 21st century.
Prigozhin may have overplayed his hand. US Treasury just levied the first ever sanctions against his financiers, with I believe more to come.
Some of you have been emailing me separately about this subject. This week, following the breaking news that the Wagner Group wanted to oust Vladimir Putin, I will deeply, detail by detail, expound on the economic, human rights, and social atrocities committed by this private military group. I will also explain how it meddled with the US 2016 elections. If you have time, you can follow my newsletter for free and get one on one engagement with my community as well plus broad perspectives🙏
My thread with Keith Wheelock is rich with information about the Wagner Group and its operations. Again, I am thankful to Keith Wheelock for such a candid conversation. Coincidentally, Keith Wheelock has set its foot in war-torn countries like Angola and I will find time to interview and get primary data about private military operations.
Subscribe to my newsletter to get fuller and hard-to-find information about Africa and the rest of the world.
Edwin, I, too, find Keith’s contributions here, based on his vast experience on the world stage, to be fascinating and interesting. He is a wealth of knowledge and brings a perspective of a “world” I know nothing about.
Keith Wheelock has been in Africa, especially Angola and CAR. He brings primary and behind-the-scenes information about the Wagner Group. I will carry out an interview with Keith Wheelock to bring more issues to light. My engagement with him is topnotch.
Subscribe to my newsletter for I will talk with him.
Done!
Thank you so much Barbara Keating. Expect more experiences, knowledge, and behind-the-scenes of the African historical issues and its relationships with the rest of the world.
Edwin I read that the name of the Wagner Group related to a neo-Nazi group and Wagner was the national composer who was highlighted during Hitler’s reign.
Keith, FYI regarding the name 'Wagner'. ''A 2021 BBC investigation highlighted the suspected involvement of former Russian army officer Dmitri Utkin.'
'A veteran of Russia's wars in Chechnya, he is thought to have been Wagner's first field commander, and to have named the group after his former radio call sign.'
Yes, the Wagner bears resemblance to the German names and I think the group draws a lot of inspiration from the earliest Nazi Group. It gathers intelligence from the war-torn countries and used it to their advantage. I will write about that composer.
Edwin, the name 'Wagner' was chosen by Wagner's first commander, who named it 'Wagner' after his radio call sign.
Pleasure to know that. But, could it be possible that they also draw inspiration from Richard Wagner, the German artist whom the Nazis used his songs to wage their anti-semitic campaign?
Why spread rumors? I think it is better to state the facts. You may be correct, but I prefer evidence as scapegoating is so common and harmful as you well know of the Nazis using it to such lethal effect.
True. I only wanted to be broad-based. Thank you for that information. I will check that Wagner signal sign and write about its meaning. Or what could it be?
This was looked into by the BCC, so I am not making any request of you concerning the matter. Thank you.
Name of 'Wagner' looked into by the BBC. Sorry for the typo.
Thank you for that info. I will research that deeply. It must be interesting.
Please do not do any work on my behalf.
I saw that as well. I had to confess that I like some of Wagner's music. There is a new book out called Monsters, which I have not read, which deals about artists, writers, composers, who were not nice people.
Actually, it is evidenced that Richard Wagner (which I believe the Russian group used, though I am not sure,) was an artist, writer, and song composer. He was an anti-semitic, but his work was only used by the Nazi regime to justify their heinous actions after he had died.
He was most known for his music and very long operas about Nordic myths. And yes, he was anti-Semitic and used by the Nazis who purged the concert repertoire of anything written by Jews. Most people would recognize The Ride of the Valkyries, used in Apocalypse Now.
Wilhelm Richard Wagner who is most famous for The Ring of the Niberlung operas, was born in1813 and died in 1883.
While he was undoubtedly antisemitic he lived long before Hitler and is remembered mainly for his glorious music.
Is there a nascient group like the Wagner Group in the US? If tfg is as certain that he is the chosen leader for America, would he trust the establishment military to back him? Or, is there a force being formed to ensure his will be done in the US? We do have some strong traditions in paramilitary groups and in subcontracting functions once only provided through government agnenices. Tfg was,a great admirer of Putin, his style, and other dictators who sought to have their own security or army (e.g., DeSantis, I jest).
The Wagner Group has been financed by the Russian state. Putin appears to be figuring out control of it since the splint with Yevgeny Prigozhin.
What is to happen to Wagner Group? Is Putin the one to be figuring that out now?
Below are summaries of the history and function of the Group. We do not know its future or that of Prigozhin and, perhaps, even Putin.
The following are reports covering the past year and a half, will provide a sense of it as a service as well as a tool for Putin, Prigozhin and Russia.
'What is Russia's Wagner group of mercenaries and why did it march on Moscow?'
__ 'The Wagner group was first identified in 2014, when it started backing pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. It is thought to have helped Russia annex Crimea in the same year.'
'Wagner forces have also been active in Africa and the Middle East.'
'Yevgeny Prigozhin claims he founded Wagner in 2014. A wealthy businessman and convicted criminal, he is nicknamed "Putin's chef" because he provided catering for the Kremlin.'
'A 2021 BBC investigation highlighted the suspected involvement of former Russian army officer Dmitri Utkin.'
'A veteran of Russia's wars in Chechnya, he is thought to have been Wagner's first field commander, and to have named the group after his former radio call sign.'
Mr Prigozhin boosted Wagner's numbers in 2022 by recruiting Russian prisoners.
'Where else does Wagner operate?'
'Since 2015, Wagner mercenaries have been in Syria, fighting alongside pro-government forces and guarding oilfields.'
'It also has troops in Libya, supporting the forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar.
The Central African Republic (CAR) uses Wagner to guard diamond mine. The group is also thought to protect gold mines in Sudan.'
'The government of Mali, in West Africa, uses the group against Islamic militant groups.
It is not yet clear who will now take command of these troops.'
'How does Wagner make money?'
'Russia paid Mr Prigozhin for providing Wagner troops to fight in Ukraine, says Dr Miron.
"He is one of several wealthy Russians who run private mercenary forces," she says. "Even the defence minister owns a mercenary company."
'According to President Putin, Wagner was given 86.26bn roubles ($1bn) from the defence ministry and state budget between May 2022 and May 2023 to pay wages.
He said authorities would investigate how the money paid to Wagner was spent.
Mr Prigozhin has also made money from Wagner's presence in other foreign countries, according to the US Treasury.'
'His companies are said to have profited from gold and diamond mines in the CAR and Sudan.'
'US authorities also say that an energy company linked to Mr Prigozhin was offered a 25% stake in all oil or gas fields in Syria which Wagner won back from Isis control.'
The US has announced sanctions against several of his companies
• What interests do Russian mercenaries have in Sudan?
• US sanctions boss of Wagner group in Mali (BBC) See link below
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60947877
'Russia's Wagner Group in Africa: More than mercenaries'
"Wagner itself has developed over time as an organization that's gone from being a purely private military contracting entity into a multiplicity of business alliances and relations, and a network of companies. Some of them front companies across the countries in which they operate on the African continent," analyst Julian Rademeyer told DW recently at the Munich Security Conference. "It operates in this legal gray zone between illicit activities and more legal illicit activities. And it straddled those quite, quite effectively."
'Sudan: Russia's 'key to Africa'
'Sudan has long been a particular focus for Wagner mercenaries, and there are many of them there. Back during the rule of the dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was in power from 1993 to 2019, licences already went to the Russian firm "M-Invest," which is probably under the control of oligarchs, including Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. This led to Wagner members being given the job of protecting the M-Invest gold mines in Sudan.'
'According to various media reports, observers are saying that Russia is mostly concerned with securing access to Sudan's valuable resources, which include manganese and silicon, alongside gold. Russia is also particularly interested in the uranium deposits, with which
'Africa's hunger for energy is also to be assuaged.'
'Wagner Group: A vehicle for Russian influence'
'Rademeyer, who works at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), sees the Wagner Group as primarily a Kremlin military tool to boost Russia's economic and military influence in Africa. Sudan is just one of many countries where it is being employed.'
'With his colleagues at GI-TOC, he recently published a report on Wagner in Africa. "We argue in the report that the Wagner mercenary group, the Wagner private military group, is the most influential Russian actor operating in Africa today, and that its activities and the network of front companies that bolster it are a malign influence on the continent,” he said.'
'Central African Republic: Rare woods, gold, sugar and alcohol'
'International research has found that the Wagner brand is active in areas that extend far beyond security. In July, All Eyes on Wagner partnered with 11 European media outlets to uncover how the group has been raking in massive profits with precious tropical timber from the Central African Republic. According to the report, the government in Bangui granted a subsidiary unrestricted logging rights across 187,000 hectares (722 square miles).'
'The case of the Ndassima gold mine, also in the Central African Republic, is similar. Reports say that a concession was withdrawn from a Canadian mining company in favor of one from Madagascar that appears in the GI-TOC report as a Wagner subsidiary. Research by The Africa Report magazine traces how the Wagner network allegedly imported heavy mining equipment through the Cameroonian seaport of Douala. Up to three truck convoys are organized weekly from Bangui to Douala to transport the raw materials, under the protection of Wagner members with heavy weapons.'
'Follow the money'
'The Wagner Group appears to be ever diversifying its businesses in the Central Africa Republic. Trying, for example, to force French sugar company SUCAF out of the market, said Joseph Bendounga, head of the MDREC opposition party there.'
'Another example: "They are in the process of framing the French brewery Castel for supporting and financing terrorist forces," he told DW. "In all areas that bring in money, including customs and taxes, the Russians are the masters."
'The First Industrial Company, which produces beer and spirits in Bangui — and, according to the GI-TOC report, is apparently registered to a Russian businessman tied to Wagner — could benefit from this. (Deutsche Welle (DW) is Germany's international broadcaster and one of the most successful international media outlets. We provide impartial news and information, giving people worldwide the opportunity to form their own opinions, assess issues of local and global significance and participate in social debates as active and informed citizens.)
https://www.dw.com/en/russias-wagner-group-in-africa-more-than-mercenaries/a-64822234
When I encounter a new source, which is informative, I check out its background and learned the following about DW.
‘Funding and regulation DW is funded through the German federal tax budget. Regulated by the Deutsche Welle Act, DW fulfills its program mission free from government influence. DW has about 4,000 employees worldwide and 16 global offices Brussels; Washington D.C.; London; Beirut; Kyiv; Lagos; Cape Town; Riga (formerly Moscow); Nairobi; New Delhi; Taipei; Bogotá; Warsaw; Jerusalem; Istanbul.'
''What we do As an international broadcaster, DW provides impartial news and information so that people can form their own opinions, assess local and global issues and participate in social debates as active and informed citizens. We produce distinctive, regionally relevant and dialogue–oriented content in 32 languages focussing on six topics: freedom and human rights, democracy and good governance, free trade and social justice, technology and innovation, health education, nutrition and environmental protection, and German and European culture.'
'Who we are We stand for human rights, democracy and freedom, especially freedom of speech and of the press. We take a clear stance against all forms of discrimination, racism, extremism and antisemitism.'
All Eyes On Wagner is another source for information.
'Open source research for accountability.'
'Our mission'
'All Eyes On Wagner is a project focusing on Wagner mercenaries: tracking their activities and verifying claims of human rights and economic abuses. We rely on open source information and witnesses accounts/leads sent to us which are collected, archived and verified. Our objective is to become a reliable source of information on Wagner mercenaries for key human rights organisations'
'Who we are'
'The project has been historically initiated by OpenFacto, a French not for profit organisation with expertise in open-source investigations (OSINT). AEOW is today independent and does not have any financial support.'
'It is managed on a voluntary-basis by a group of 8 volunteers on their free time from different nationalities and backgrounds: journalists, investigators, experts on disinformation, students, humanitarian and academics. Friends and contacts often provide an extra hand: graphism, research, editing, good advice.'
For question regarding our publications/ right of answer: Sophie Gawner – sophie@alleyesonwagner.org
Website host – WordPress by Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States of America
https://alleyesonwagner.org/
Very true. The Wagner Group has an extensive network intertwined with security military operations. It seems their target is resources to exploit based on their happenings. Their victims are vulnerable countries with rebels.
i suspect that by “Since 2027” you meant 2017. Thanks for this helpful summary, Edwin.
Sure. It's a typo error. It is 2017. Welcome and you can subscribe to my newsletter for free to get independent, indeph analysis. I will expound on this Wagner Group further
The Wagner Group presence in Africa comes with huge, defrauding economic concessions that have plunged African countries into poverty, and ultimately conflicts, with a point of no return.
Mali
CAR
Mozambique
Zimbabwe
Chad
Libya
Thereafter, Russia again appears in the form of security to 'support military operations ' but with exchange of material concessions.
Edwin My hunch is that Putin was delighted to spread Russian influence in Africa and elsewhere with a cohesive mercenary group. Whether it was Putin’s idea and he encouraged his puppy dog Prigozhin to implement this program we may never know.
What strikes me is the broad range of these mercenaries—from serving as Praetorian Guards to some African dictators to organizing lucrative mineral looting operations.
Publicly we have no info on how these foreign Wagner Groups are organized and operate. I doubt that Prigozhin, physically isolated in Belarus and, presuming with funds—including his own—cut off, will be running multi-national operations.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is the founder of The Wagner Group but it has since morphed into Russian military wing and incorporated a network of business men with interests in economic resources in Africa. It is the modern-day scramble for Africa but with the use of intelligence. Little is known about how Wagner operates but as days goes by, the names of other members will be known. I will try as much as possible to get that intelligence.
Edwin From my years in Congo (1960-1966) mercenary groups were relatively small—from 25 to low 200s. I discuss the largest, Colonel Michael Hoare’s. In my Amazon review of CONGO MERCENARY, in which I also add my personal commentary of my Foreign Service experiences during the 1964 Congo rebellion.
These mercenary groups were foreign organized and funded [at times funding was interrupted]. CIA was a major organizer/funder, including the Congo Air Force staffed by Cubans left over from the Bay of Pigs.
None of these mercenary groups had a long life. In Angola in the 1970s there was a mercenary group engaged with the MPLA (Holden Roberto). Don’t know who funded, but it included a bunch of sadists, including some tried and executed by Angolan government.
I suspect that several of the African Wagner Group mercenaries could become self-supporting, since they have their own industries and some are paid by local dictators.
I recommend that you read my 2014 review of CONGO MERCENARY.
These mercenary groups were foreign organized and funded [at times funding was interrupted]. CIA was a major organizer/funder, including the Congo Air Force staffed by Cubans left over from the Bay of Pigs.
This part summarises what's happening
Edwin In the 1970s the intrusion of major Cuban troops in Angola and Ethiopia was a new dimension. Angola is worthy of study—-MPLA supported by CIA [Holden Roberto was a dilettante, Joseph Sivembi—an impressive local fighter—and the winning Angolans.
Yes, Jonas Savimbi is worthy of study. He and UNITA got support from China and US to seek independence from MPLA that was supported by the Soviet. So, Russia is always on the opposite side of the continent supporters
I like that you have foreign experience with Congo ( I will contact you to shed more light on this). And true CIA was the funder during that time, but it didn't last. But, currently, The Wagner affiliated mercenaries have their own resources. In fact, their intention is to oust the present-day regime and control resources for use and respond to any dissenting views by employing the Wagner Group. So, they are likely to last for many years.
Edwin My first African experience was leading a small group of college students to the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in 1954. I made the first (and only?) color documentary on Sudan north and south, since the troubles in the south exploded in early 1955.
I also co-organized the first college African conference in February, 1955. This was a period of hope for independence in Africa. I have met many of Africa’s ‘best and brightest’ through Eisenhower Fellowships over the years. Though there are some excellent individuals, my current thoughts about ‘Africa’ are not exuberant.
Incidentally, when I visited Sudan in 1954 there was only one sovereign African country—Ethiopia.
Wooow. You have deep, historical relations with Africa. I think I will contact you so that you can expound on not only this, but also other broad-based issues revolving around history and Africa.
My email is dwinkiptoo@gmail.com. we can communicate thereafter
Keith this is exactly what I am curious about:
“Publicly we have no info on how these foreign Wagner Groups are organized and operate. I doubt that Prigozhin, physically isolated in Belarus and, presuming with funds—including his own—cut off, will be running multi-national operations.”
Will his funds be cut off? I have wondered if his lucrative and less constrained work in Africa may have been the carrot that led him to want to get out of Ukraine. I suppose we won’t know (at least not very soon) how independently he can continue his plundering there. But, also I wondered if Putin, being increasingly desperate for💰 might want to keep Prig’s existing infrastructure running in those vulnerable areas? So happy to read of the Biden admin’s sanctions there!
Christy Delighted in your nick name Prig. Who knows what Prig can do without Putin umbrella and $$$.Was he like a Russian candle—high trajectory, big flash, and then fluttering to ground? I wouldn’t want to hold life insurance on Prig—nor try to get money from his various bank accounts.
Edwin, I have not yet read thru all the comments so my apologies if you have already weighed in on these sanctions on Wagner associated companies that Heather referenced in today’s letter. I wonder if you have an opinion on them, particularly, whether they might be meaningful.
You ain't late. Welcome. And Yes, sanctions placed on Wagner-associated companies can be one of the major steps towards taming their influence on Africa and Middle East. But, I am also afraid that Russia might finance them when these sanctions are place. Lessening their presence in Africa and Middle East is a multifaceted issue that needs to be dealt by different countries. It can also include involving rebels through diplomatic means.
You can correct typos and make other edits to any of your own posts: click on the three dots (ellipsis) to the right of the Reply link at the bottom of the post and "Edit" will be an option.
Thanks so much, I will. Happy to have a community with you.👏
You're welcome! This is an awesome thread. Thank you and Keith Wheelock!
Thanks for following our conversation here with Keith Wheelock. I think I will contact them to derive primary data about this thread. You can subscribe to my newsletter for more detailed conversation.
Great information. Thank you.
Welcome @kathy Clark. Expect great conversation soon. I love this community.
You then need to click Refresh to see the corrected version.
Pirates for hire.
Of course, they were hired to disrupt peace and get material possession in return.
He is a championship devil in human form. Like Hitler, like so many leaders that stupid humans let run stuff.
Of course, Vladimir Putin has always been relying on private intelligence agencies to advance the Russian interests. The Wagner Group is a tip of the ice bag. And wherever they are present, they are not concerned with human rights. Extra judicial killings have been common in where Russia is present
Thank you for this.
Welcome @susan troy
I will interview Keith Wheelock to get extra information about the Wagner Group since she has been to Angola and CAR targeted by The Wagner Group.
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Hello community 👋
Following yesterday's thread about the Wagner Group, I have prepared a special newsletter with detailed understanding of how Russia is deploying PMCs as its foreign policy tool.
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I'm confused. Is there a typo here?
" It (referring back to the U.S. Treasury I believe) also sanctioned Industrial Resources General Trading, a Dubai-based company that has funded Prigozhin, as well as a Russian firm and a Russian national working in Mali TO FORCE THOSE STANDING AGAINST THE WAGNER GROUP OUT OF AFRICA."
force those standing AGAINST Wagner out? not force out those SUPPORTING Wagner?
Please help.
thank you anyone
Likely a typo. Welcome
In the next days, together with Keith Wheelock (since she has been to Africa with first hand info), I will interview him about The Wagner Group to further shed light on this.
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I'd like to see him make that argument in court, to so accomplished an attorney as Jack Smith. But if I were the Duck's lawyer, I might not allow him to even attend court, much less testify! He will, when the time come, be the worst defendant imaginable.
S.P. J. Smith no doubt has a witness who saw the Classified Documents markings & said as much during their interview with him.
Baby Trump will presumably find himself way out of his depth.
TFFG is being weighed down by his own poop filled diaper.
Where’s that Baby Trump balloon when needed?
Clifford, we needn't wait for "when the time comes" if one simply looks at the procession of lawyers who have resigned, been fired, thrown under the bus and/or stiffed for their fees to KNOW he is already the worst defendant imaginable!
Guilty but insane?
Preparing the ground for an insanity plea?
I have been thinking that for awhile. Obviously he has some kind of mental disorder over which he can't control, maybe oppositional defiant disorder. Possibly he has obsessive-compulsive disorder or some kind of hoarding disorder. In any event, he shouldn't be allowed to run for president again due to 1/6.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is not a d/o of adulthood. Kids with this diagnosis can then be diagnosed with conduct disorder (in adolescence)which in adulthood likely becomes Antisocial Personality Disorder, which is sociopathy and/or psychopathy or both. This, along with Narcissistic Personality Disorder fit tfg perfectly. The Antisocial P.D. accounts for his committing crimes without feeling guilt (no conscience). His constant lying is also part of Antisocial Personality Disorder as well as his huge need for attention which is part of his narcissism. This is what accounts for his telling on himself in interviews. His appetite for attention is insatiable.
Thanks for the education. How many with the same psych profile are in prison? The public needs to be protected from this sick man.
It's also called the "I was trained by Roy Cohn" disorder.
Randy And Steve Miller was Roy Cohn without as law degree.
I assume you are referring to Stephen Miller, and not Steve "Fly Like An Eagle" Miller, the musician. ;)
Ooooohhhhh….yeah, NEVER conflate those two!!!!
That too!
Or “My dad was friends with Roy Cohn” disorder.
I don’t know the statistics, but I would guess that many with Anti-Social Personality Disorder run into trouble with law enforcement.
Maggie Haberman has a thorough picture of the personality and motives of this man. As well as his niece, Mary.
Thank you! Spoken like an expert!
EXACTLY.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder. No treatment for that, it’s just who he is, likely from preschool, or at least young adulthood. But he may rewrite the criteria…
Malignant narcissistic personality disorder. Read an interesting article on that.
He is the very definition of malignant. How we avoid malignancy in everything else, and the cult embraces it.
Oooh I must look this up! THX!
Does no treatment for this disorder mean that those afflicted can't understand they have this disorder and therefore can't try to change the behaviors?
Yes. His niece, Mary Trump (a psychologist) talks about it some.
As I understand from grad school and working in the field. Of course, that was when God was a baby. Things change, but I think chump is proof that that hasn’t.
I pray for Trump to be the candidate in 2024. It's a small risk, but it may be the only way Biden can get re-elected.
Incompetent to stand for trial might work.
I think his lawyers would certainly LIKE to do that, but I don't think his ego would ever allow it.
I love it, Peter! Don't put it past him.
And like Calvin and Hobbes, he can transmogrify. Can it be possible that his ardent followers have no idea of his crimes? Witnesses on January 6 still supporting him are treasonous, delirious and most probably threatened in the same way he threatened Prosecutor Smith, his family and associates. A judge warned him about that. It's time to put tfg in solitary confinement.
Yesterday would not have been soon enough!
Trump has always been dodgy: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910/
HA! You nailed it! What a soothsayer good ole Fake 45 is.
When Trump used the word "bravado" he meant "lying" - so when he said "if you want to know the truth, it was bravado" he meant: if you want to know the truth, it was lying.
It's the Sydney Powell defense; I'm an obvious liar. The judge wasn't buying it.
JL, as he transmutes the meaning of words in real time to sycophants not used to comprehending the concept of dictionaries
Yeah, he can transmute words “just by thinking about it” (to quote his methodology).
That would seem to describe the whole republican party, such as what they define as "ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse". Certain SCOTUS judges are past masters. Scalia intimated he could channel the dead.
Shock and awe!
Appropriate. And I thought I was shocked and awed by the unmitigated gall of W/Dickie
I don't believe TFG is clever enough to have come up with this dodge on his own. Could he possibly be taking advice from those who are (far) more aware of the situation than he is? Providing, of course, that there are any such people left in his orbit . . .
Is Putin still on board?
🤣👍
I posted in another place here today that people fall into categories of either being good, bad, terrible (or horrendous) or just confused. Question: In what category do you trump supporters fall?
I know good people that voted for Trump. It made me question their authenticity because I could not believe they would vote for a clearly racists, misogynist, criminal, dim wit to hold the most important job in America, maybe the world. I thought it was so irresponsible of them and couldn't, wouldn't speak to them for a very long time and I cut the ones that really didn't matter that much to me from my life. I did so to prove the depth of my disgust. I will never trust them ever again. I felt so deceived. But I never thought they were bad people. I just didn't like them anymore. I don't think they were confused or brainwashed. Hypocrites? Some. Without conscience? No. Many still refuse to see they did a stupid, stupid thing. Not unusual. Most have quit politics because they plan to not vote or vote Republican again, if not for Trump. Ask him about the Trump administrations policies and they can't answer you. They didn't partake in J6 but understand that those people were misinformed as to the legality of their actions and the lies Trump told.
Do I know I know bad people? What makes a person bad, some sort of mix between good and terrible? Yes I have known/know a few of those. Do I know they voted for Trump? No. I would put my money on that most of them did. I think most of the Republicans in the house fall into this category. I don't think they are confused or brainwashed. Hypocrites? Yes. Without conscience? Yes. They refuse to see the consequences of what they did and would vote for Trump again no problem.
I don't know any terrible people if by terrible you mean no redeeming qualities. That is just not my world. I would be surprised if terrible people even vote. They don't care about anything much less who the president is because that means they think beyond themselves. It is this category that disturbs me because I think several members of the house and Senate and wannabes fall into this category. You all know who I mean. Not confused at all. Hypocrisy, lying, dehumanizing people are tools of the trade for terrible people.
Saying Trump voters were/are confused let's them off the hook. I don't think any of them were/are confused. Everyone knew about pgate, melon legs, and Stormy. They gave that a pass. The only thing they disbelieved was conspiring with the Russians because you couldn't give it a pass if you believed it.
"Most have quit politics because they plan to not vote or vote Republican again, if not for Trump." The people you so aptly describe will take their bats and balls and go home. They will hide their humiliation under the guise of "all those politicians are corrupt". They will become non participants. Good.
And that is one of the ways we will win big time next year. The other tool in our tool box is the youth vote. We need to work hard to continue the strong trend of younger people voting. They don't suffer fools as easily as the Trumper Cult.
Of course, there's a sucker born every day. Just read about the momentum in RFKs campaign.
Martha Woods, As we have seen in the House, party dictates so much. The fact remains that if one caucuses with the GOP, one will be pressured into supporting many of the same policies for which Trump was just a figurehead. And it ought to be apparent that the GOP leadership are at best synchophants and at worst even more committed to repression than he was, because while they live in lofty places, they are still vulnerable. Voting for the GOP but not for Trump is naive thinking, because the group that passes the laws and confirms judges will still be in power. For myself,I think there is a difference between “nice” people and “good” people, and one of the prime differences is just how much one’s actions are rooted in concern for one’s fellow man
My question is always do they walk their talk. I have had several people express to me how shocked they were when people they thought were good supported and still support him.
I HOPE they're going home and refusing to play. Not so sure, though.
That guy is totally off the wall and has been for a long time.
Martha, I appreciate your comment. I think that (in my corner of the world, which includes a boatload of white male cops), the "tipping point" for them moving from being "conservative" to whatever descriptor can be applied to today's RepubliQan party was the 2008 election when the US elected a Black man to the office of President. The hatred and fear was palpable. Then, in the election of 2016 where the presidential choice was between a woman and tfg, the die was cast. Further, tfg gave his permission for expressing hatred and anger let loose the torrent we are seeing today. Couple that with the intentional divide in our country via the use of social media by forces from both within and outside the US, and you see the morass we're in today.
Ally House, I have said many times that when we elected President Obama it scared the hell out of white males, especially ones that tended to be insecure in the first place. Hillary Clinton was the most qualified person to ever run for president in my book but she was a woman and insecure white people (men and women) were groomed by Agent Chaos (my new name for the former guy) to hate and loath her. She still beat him by 3M votes and yet, we were stuck with him and may be again unless we get everyone to vote again! Hopefully, we can conquer the hate that he uncovered and emboldened in our country.
Colette, I looked at the 2008 Democratic primary as an interesting experiment: who was the lesser of evils, a Black man or a white woman. The Black guy got elected to two terms; the white woman (in the subsequent non-incumbent election) won by 3 million votes, but lost in the archaic Electoral College, and I got my answer.
And the church does not have as much power when democrats win.
Why the Extreme court decision is so important for 2024. Now to change or do away with the electoral college so we the people's vote matters
Yes, I agree. The election of Obama brought forth loads of racist hatred. We were in Charleston on election night in 2008. When we were in the bar having dinner and the returns were starting to come in, the white people in the bar were not cheering. At midnight, when the election was finally declared, we heard lots of people celebrating in the streets as we were at the Francis Marion hotel which is in a fairly black area. College of Charleston just around the corner and the church where the terrible murders took place on the other side of the square which of course had a big statue of John Calhoun in it. We took a couple tours of Charleston, one led by a white guy and one focused on the black heritage. Interesting what they had to say about some of the same places. We were in Savannah just before the election and heard one guy bragging that he had just voted for Sarah....remember her.
I agree with you completely. They never expected a person of color could get elected and they looked around and saw that people of color were working their way up and even dominating some fields, like medicine and sports. I did not understand that where I saw something wonderful some of my friends and co-workers (predominantly male and white) saw a threat to their way of life. As for Hillary, well my co-workers in VA were largely white women that voted for sweet Laura Bush instead of that haughty french woman. I almost fell out of my chair the first time I was told that. They didn't care about the Iraq war at all and that Republicans had fabricated a reason to invade. Heavens no. And the men thought Kerry was unacceptable because he had experienced war and said WTF while Cheney couldn't wait to invade Iraq on behalf of Haliburton. Go figure. Did you read the NYT opinion piece on what Republicans think is a lie? If it weren't true. It would be funny.
So true....
Martha,
"Many still refuse to see they did a stupid, stupid thing."
For sure, when I do something dumb Martha, especially if my wife is there to observe it, I never admit to it.
:-)
I did not vote for Trump though. She would have kicked me out.
I think I would like your wife:) It is hard for people to admit they are wrong, particularly if they don't see it. Just not an easy thing to do...to see through the fog.
Sometimes I think that people who work in environments where the path to success depends on doing what bosses say they want become immune to the defects of the organization, its goals, and ways of implementing their aims. So people end up working for thugs, knowing they are thugs and knowing that their work is not for anything good, but they do it anyway. Maybe partly because they don't see alternatives, fear quitting and starting over somewhere else, and generally accept pretty shitty Faustian bargains for their labor. I've seen it in a corporate setting, which I couldn’t abide after realizing how dangerous the quicksand was to personal integrity, and quit. My colleagues were stunned that I'd leave such a 'cushy' situation and wondered where I thought I'd find something as 'rewarding'….certainly only meaning in terms of $$$. People know Trump is lying…they expect it, but for weird reasons of their own, they give it and many of his other transgressions a pass. It's a mass psychosis, in my view, but so is the 'loyalty' to other entities and their people about which/whom similar bad things have been exposed…churches, companies, rulers, sports teams?
Your assessment mirrors one which Mike S has espoused: If you grow up doing what the white man at the front of the church tells you to do, it is natural and normal for you to do what you're told to do by the white guy in charge of whatever you're in, be it church, employment, or home.
Sounds familiar….as a recovering Catholic for 60:years, I partly attribute my deprogramming from parochial school and CDC ( Christian Doctrine Classes) to my father who was a bit of an iconoclast. His pithy assessments of the people of the cloth sort of gave permission to toss it all into the rubbish heap. The rejection would have happened sooner but for trying to assuage Mama.
I am so grateful to have grown up in a “none” household….goes back to my wonderful granny born in 1898 (and extended to her progeny—now 5 generations); open-hearted, open-minded & lack of dogma of any kind….well, except to be kind, do good, pay attention, lend a hand when needed & carry your own weight as long as you are able—oh, and garden! As a kid—junior high years—went w/ friends a couple of times to their church services & although pleasant enough, it didn’t stick (would have rather been at the beach body surfing!).
I don't let any of them off the hook...I know several Rs who did not vote for him because they could see how bad he was. None of them defended him either. Those that continue to support him are those who are unhappy because they think they have lost their unmerited place as merely being white, or they loved the class clown, or they are just as racist, misogynistic, and biased against queer people who finally have a few rights. The drag queen business is nonsense because many of them love the idea of men dressing up as women. Some of them are religious zealots who want to control the behavior of everyone including what they read and learn in school. This has always existed beneath the surface or at times like the 1920s in plain sight. They love death star because he has given them carte blanche to be awful without hiding it. And they can oppose any and all government programs because helping the less fortunate and making society better for everyone is socialism.
I know the majority of the people I know who voted for him are or were raised Catholic. Abortion being the greatest sin ever.
Most evangelicals claim that they hate sin. My smart Trump friends are wealthy and don’t want to be taxed “to support lazy people.”
Beth, and that’s rub many Evangelicals don’t get. Sin is sin. God doesn’t rank them; men do; and as such Men take on the mantle of God in such decision making. I’m pretty sure that was not the plan of the God Evangelicals worship
They made up their own idol, me thinks
for them he is the anti-christ
More likely the second coming…
Such self-righteous glee and condemnation over the misfortune of the powerless. And always against the woman (or girl), never the other party who must never be named.
Actually, surveys show Catholics are quite divided about Trump. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/02/23/u-s-religious-groups-and-their-political-leanings/
FWIW, the most Republican leaning church affiliation is Mormon, according to Pew research.
I think the majority of US bishops are republicans bc their “pre-eminent” issue has been abortion (even when the pope and others reminded them there are MANY important issues). And a few loudmouths are mad at Pelosi (woman in power, dem) and Biden for “supporting” abortion (confused with I will not impose my belief system on the country (see, for example, Alito and Thomas)).
I think you are right on.
Excellent assessment.
In Whitehead & Perry's book & based on the Brennan Center research, the LDS as a Christian Church was less likely to adhere to Christian Nationalism.
Carole, the LDS has it's own in-house white male nationalism.
Yes and it is not the fascist Christian Nationalism. Read some of the posts by Mormon Women for Ethic Gov. Many of their statements etc are well written & not rabid R propaganda. I am not LDS & dont adhere to their beliefs however I think that we share concerns over some of the same issues.
Evil.
I think the supporters vary, and that some could become disabused of their folly. I think the architects of the big lies and treachery are legitimately evil.
not evil, self serving and greedy
And add "willfully ignorant".
I don't buy the notion that evil is somehow connect to a devil with goat horns and a tail; but personally, when I think of behavior that could be called "evil" I could also label it aggressively sociopathic, when only one's own whims are sovereign even when one actions harm others. The extreme and self -congratulatory tortures inflicted by WWII Nazis could be, in my opinion, be assigned either label.
We all "pursue" happiness and we all possess self-interest, even in heroic behaviors. But who and what else do we care about? That sphere of concern and action makes all the difference between an adult said to be emotionally "really small" and one described as having a "big heart". We tend to leave that to theologians and philosophers to puzzle out; but our survival as a species may require a better and clearer personal understanding of our own human nature.
I don't disagree, but too often their "folly" is analogous to "pushing a rope"! I'm weary of the energy, airtime, and "hope" that they might eventually get it . . .
So true JL and some were legitimately pardoned by manbaby massmurderer. Some people are just hateful bullies who believe they are better than everyone else. But "Conservative Christians" are a phenomenon I cannot understand or explain.
I detect two salient themes in religions, one hubrisitic and cruel and the other humble and compassionate. We call them both by the same name, but they are diametrically opposed. Some of the most sociopathic events in history wear a religious cover story, and there are also religiously motivated acts of kindness and sacrifice. One seeks to subjugate and the other to liberate. One to ideologically and ethnically "cleanse" and the other to bond. It's easy to find examples of both.
Excellent point!!! It does boggle the mind how opposite sides of the coin are both called religion. Glad I never dipped my toe in that world; neither did those on my family tree going back 5 generations…how they sidestepped it I never thought to ask my elders (those of my generation are the elders now) before they passed.
conned
He is so much like a toddler, weaving fantasies to stay in the center of attention, yet out of trouble.
What a fool. Anyone who listens to the tape, including jurors at his trial, will know he's lying.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣