First, let's shoot all the messengers!

By 'messengers', of course, I do not limit my injunction to just news reporters.  Actually, I have a rather fond spot for that gang of scrofulous, dandruff-ridden, down-at-heel nose-pokers who dare to go where we would balk, that is, down amongst the garbage of the 'great and the good'.  And, for reasons which are obvious, I can hardly sentence the 'new age messengers' who clutter up the internet with their pontificating blogs to an early execution.  Even so, this constant stream of truly depressing 'news' is beginning to get me down.

I read the latest example of Trumpian stupidity in which he assures us that had he been outside the school recently under attack by a mad gunman he would not have hesitated for a mini-second before rushing in, unarmed, to protect the pupils.  The stupidity of that boast/lie is beyond satire and merely stands as an example of this man's monstrous ego, especially given that he applied five times - FIVE! - to avoid being called up for Vietnam.  In the exceedingly unlikely event that he would have rushed in, what, one wonders, would he have done, except possibly to take a few bullets?  So, not only dishonest but dumb and dumber.

Then there is the sight and sound of the three-wheeled Brexit bus being driven, in ever decreasing circles, by a Tory cabinet fighting over control of the steering wheel.  I do not often find reasons to praise 'Junck the Drunk' and his apparat but I have to admit my admiration for the way they maintain a straight face.  I bet that once the cameras are off and the reporters are absent, they all lean against each other howling with laughter as the swerving, steam-driven, British charabanc chugs off with various bangs and misfires and deflating tyres.  The even grimmer news is that eventually- there will be a reckoning - and it ain't gonna be pretty!

In a sort of desperate attempt to avoid current affairs, I have been burying myself in history.  Guess what?  That's even worse!  Currently I am reading Richard Lamb's book "Churchill as War Leader".  'Health Warning': If you are of a depressive nature DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!  Churchill had his virtues and on the law of averages he had to be right some times but, oh my God, his pig-headed stupidity, repeated over and over again, is almost beyond comprehension.  Yet again, I thank that great puppet-master-in-the-sky for achieving the miracle of making Adolph Hitler even more stupid than Churchill!

 

 

Comments

[missred]

well there is this from 1991
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/donald-trump-reportedly-stopped-bat-wielding-attacker-1991-article-1.3845008
And a screenshot of the actual article within

[Bob]

Trump isn't stupid and doesn't believe the content of most of his Twitter trolling. His purpose is to blow enough smoke and dust to obscure the problems of his administration by changing the subject. Since late yesterday there are new scandals involving Hope Hicks, Brad Parscale, Ben Carson and Jared Kushner. Manafort and Page have also popped up again. More generally the extremely careless handling of security clearances and classified information, lack of response to Russian election meddling, and internal White House battles are subjects of discussion. The more cornered Trump, the more mad his tweets.

[JK]

Well Bob you're probably gonna be surprised to find me in total agreement with your "Trump isn't stupid" though probably you might be after I've opined in opposition to your "doesn't believe the content of his Twitter" which I'm betting you only bothered to add owing to David's "stupidity of that boast/lie is beyond satire" inclusion.

Y'all Bob, David, for a minute suppose it actually might be possible that, yes of course Trump could make such a boast in all truthfulness?

"Oy JK! You're off'n on Barney's and this time it looks fatal!"

To which I'd respond "Well you two are aware of who's scouting Trump's path ahead, around, behind, above of, and it wouldn't surprise me to find were there utility, water, datalines servicing tunnels (which I in a former line of work know is highly likely) there'll be exceedingly likely scouts below as well."

Then given the certainty you two'll retort, "Good Lord JK you are really off - we'll try to make your funeral but we can't vouchsafe our presence but surely you know The Boyscouts can't even be expected to enter upon an active shooter theater!"

"Well no me pals I know the Boyscouts wunt but if there's one thing ol' JK is absofuckinlutely positive of presence that'd be The United States Secret Service."

(And those folks for goddam sure ain't nothing like the Broward county Sheriff's Department!)

All Trump (might) say is, "I'll hold your coats guys."

[JK]

I'm gonna have to be doing a more thorough read of Bob's wisdom.

"[L]ack of response to Russian election meddling"

Pray tell Bob, on what date did Trump take the oath and only then assume the Presidency?

Presumably Bob the meddling you've in mind was during the 2016 election?

[Bob]

JK,

The meddling is still going on. Admiral Mike Rogers, US Cyber Command chief, testified yesterday he hasn't been granted authority by Trump to disrupt Russian hacking operations where they originate. Because there was activity last year doesn't mean Obama can be blamed forever, if that's what you're getting at. Last I checked he was no longer president.

[JK]

Yeah Bob I watched Admiral Rogers too.

Give me some few minutes to haul up a transcript and I'll get back to you.

[JK]

Hows about Bob, in the interests of quickly, we start off with Claire McCaskill's "imaginary friend" bit. Highly entertaining was my impression listening to it:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4716376/senator-mccaskill-imaginary-friend

You might be interested in knowing Bob that back a couple decades ago I cast some votes for the lady - had I known then she had such, I likely wouldn't.

[Bob]

JK,

McCaskill's questions sound ditzy. Rogers' answers don't.

[JK]

Bob,

I'm experiencing a speck of difficulty fetching a transcript but I do note Admiral Roger's been at Cyber Command since 3 April 2014. Don't you reckon it might've occurred to the Admiral to ring up a superior at DoD and request a "Letter of Authority/Authorization" to "do something" (in today's fashionable language) given that, its been [apparently] widely known in Intel circles for [again apparently] years our cyber-systems were/are vulnerable?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/19/british-15-year-old-gained-access-intelligence-operations-afghanistan/

And heck Bob that kid isn't even a goldurn Russian. Good thing though it didn't occur to the kid to, instead of impersonating Director Brennan he impersonate Steven Walther?

There now Bob, you've notice not a single peep about whatshisname?

[JK]

And Bob?

Talk about my ineptitude at as I've admitted above concerning the "more thorough read about Bob's wisdom where you also included, "More generally the extremely careless handling of security clearances"?

I only just now bothered to read to the end of what the British 15-year-old managed, from the kid's (transcripted testimony look like) “This has to be the biggest hack, I have access to all the details the Feds use for background checks.”

Now since Bob that Telegraph article was only published back a mere six or so weeks ago you think it's maybe just possible - because again 'from a former line of work I know' all the data resultant from a breach must be fine-tooth-combed though for um, "possibly having been tampered with" (avoiding putting too much of a shine onit) the obviously well-intentioned and dutiful people of, for example, Cyber Command among whatever other Alphabet-Agencies whose duties/responsibilities likely include "tidying up the terabytes" might've run up against the Federal Employees Union workplace rules against Excessive Overtime?

[Bob]

JK,

Rogers said countermeasures are being taken, but operations against foreign computers require clearance from the president and he hasn't given it. The intel community won't sit around on its hands. They're probably up to more than they'll admit.

So Hope Hicks is bailing one day after admitting to House Intelligence she told "white lies" for the White House. Who do you think will be left to turn off the lights?

[JK]

Bob,

Given Roger's tenure - why only now?

Second paragraph Bob - familiar with the term "bit player"? So far as your sole question I'm thinking won't your Global Warming shtick take care of that? (Sea level rise won't it Bob, short all the circuits? Or is Washington DC just as that island ("Toodle Ooo" wassit?) out somewheres in the Pacific doing the same thing?

I remember your saying "it's complicated" - think then Bob you were only referring to Geological [perhaps Biological] processes where Toodle Ooo was concerned though Bob - of course I'm familiar with apparitions associated with volatile gases being present so I suppose (though I'd expect escape velocity) Washington DC ought exhibit similarly.

[John Duckett]

David, have you read "The turn of the tide" by Arthur Bryant?It is base on the War Diaries of Lord Alanbrooke and gives a real insight into the High Commands difficulties in containing Winston Churchills madder schemes.I am just so glad that we had such talent on our side at the time.

[mike fowle]

I've recently read Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, by Giles Milton: lots of crazy ideas but they worked and played an important part in the war. The regular army would never have accepted them, (and closed the department down as soon as Churchill was out of the picture).

[backofanenvelope]

"Trump doesn't believe the content of most of his Twitter trolling"

Says who? He is communicating with the American people over the heads of the Democrat controlled media.

As to Churchill - just look at the alternatives!

[Whitewall]

Regarding Mr. Churchill, why the rash of books, recently and not so recently, to tear down his memory and rightful place in history? He was a flawed man in a tough job at a desperate moment in British and most importantly Western History. There was no time to place a call to "central casting" for the be all and end all of wartime Prime Ministers, no ideal plans on how to survive a merciless enemy just over there.

At this rate, it won't be long before young iconoclasts demand removal of his statues and memorials if for no other reason than he was a smoker!

It is really annoying.

[Bob]

backofanenvelope,

You could be right, but if Trump believes everything he's tweeted he believes lots of contradictory, conspiratorial and bizarre things. I'm giving him the benefit of a doubt.

Most of the media are actually controlled by 5 or 6 huge corporations not known for favoring Democrats or anything else that might regulate them or limit their profits:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_cross-ownership_in_the_United_States

[backofanenvelope]

"if Trump believes everything he's tweeted he believes lots of contradictory, conspiratorial and bizarre things."

Personally, I think he has two aims. One is to tell the voters what he is doing. The other is to keep his opponents off balance. At the moment he is shooting their fox by proposing gun control measures. But he won't do anything concrete to annoy his supporters.

[Bob]

backofanenvelope,

You just made my point that he doesn't believe everything he tweets.

[JK]

Really Bob? BOE's made your point?

Isn't it still the House Bill first gets formed up, screwed up and down after which however many times its required the House screwed Bill after which Bill has to go to the Senate to submit to, though they're fewer hardly anybody disputes "Senators really pack" a right-good-gangbang then the House and the Senate reconcile with Bill and only then Bill gets to the White House to receive the official "Stamp of Approval"?

Tweet of No Tweet?

Of course there are EOs - but I seem to recall those are "supposed to" have an expiration date.

[Bob]

JK,

You're going kind of far afield there. A summary of my first comment is Trump isn't stupid, he doesn't believe all his tweets and some are diversions from things he'd rather not have the media talking about. backofanenvelope restated that in terms slightly more favorable to Trump.

Btw, it was "now" that Rogers was asked the question at the hearing, that's why. Also, the White House will be put on stilts or suspended by dirigibles if need be. At taxpayer expense. That is, us little taxpayers who didn't just get a gigantic corporate tax break.

[jimmy glesga]

Trump was elected by the historical USA voting system. It seems to me that we have elites worldwide who tend to get upset when the voters do not vote for the Gospel according to them. We have it here in the UK where the elites were shocked at the Brexit vote but not me.
I wish Trump well and surprisingly he has not initiated a significant war unlike Kennedy, Clinton (Bill) and Obama (Democrats). No doubt his time will come and the Democrats will oppose him.

[JK]

A slight digression from what I only returned here for:

Shall we Bob, always in future include the "Admiral" whenever its useful to name Rogers? That way Bob, we can keep our foreign hosts informed as we argue that the guy we're talking about is a high ranking active duty military type? (Yes I recognize your [probable/maybe] desire that we not.)

Anyway Bob whattaya reckon our Constitutionally stipulated "civilian representative government dependent on the not-civilian military high ranking officers to do above all else?"

In a word Bob - Anticipate! So here we got an Admiral (warming a chair or?) heading up what even an old-fashioned type uninformed person is likely to at least vaguely "feel" has probably got something of "The Strategic" about it. Maybe not in the pulse-quickening keep your eyeballs glued to it way say, being in charge of some specific piece of hardware like either an SSBN or a B-52 nuke carrying airplane might be but patience my compatriot.

Anyway Kemosabe wouldn't you like to take comfort in the full confident knowledge that the guy (or gal) driving the nuclear submarine is anticipating that he might collide with a whale or that the B-52 driver is anticipating he might collide with an extraterrestrial mother-ship?

Now the two machine drivers we can probably mutually agree didn't get their respective nuclear submarine or B-52 drivers licenses freshly sprung from graduating sixth-grade can we not? Matter of fact I'm betting we both are fully aware that before either the sub skipper or the pilot-in-command got to be where they are there'd been a helluva lot of "anticipating" went on on a whole buncha command levels?

Now we come back to Cyber Commands' driver. You're telling me Bob that after driving that machinery since very early in 2014 it's only just a couple days since some civilian Senator asked him if he knew (figuratively) there was likely to be hazards out on the info superhighway that he might have to tap the brakes for he couldn't have anticipated that in less than four years?

Good thing we don't have to worry Admiral Rogers and Captain Bull Halsey aren't likely to timeslip commands and Bull winds up in a comfy chair meantime Admiral Rogers has the Imperial Japanese Fleet out looking to sink his ass.

[JK]

I'll have to get back to ya Bob, I've lost "the mood."

[Bob]

jimmy glesga,

It's not in my nature to wish, but I have no ill will toward Trump and it wouldn't matter if I did. He won according to the rules as far as we know. I also don't have much use for the global elite who have made life so hard for so many people with their self-dealing. Trump probably indicates some kind of major political change for the US, though at this point it's not clear exactly what it might be.

[Loz]

Waiting to see what the Maybot's "mixing desk Brexit" means later today.

Turn the whole of Blighty into a freeport.

Problem solved.

But like the hoi-poloi and pols would ever go with that.

SoD

[backofanenvelope]

For once SoD, I agree with you. I think the voters could be persuaded, but the politicians never. We could just offer the EU free trade with current arrangements and leave it up to them.