By William Skink
I had this post ready to go, for the most part, a week ago, but wasn’t able to get it posted before leaving the States for a glorious week with the family in Mexico. Now that I have returned to the cold (and Cold War 2.0) I see nothing much has changed. Here is the post, with some additional info on the 13 indictments that offers a different perspective. Here we go.
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The two main partisan blogs in Montana—Montana Pos(t) and Moogirl—have lost their shit over Russiagate. They delude themselves that the FBI is beyond reproach and any evidence of corruption within the FBI (and DOJ) is nothing more than a campaign to discredit the investigation.
Here is one example from Moogirl, I mean, “Montanan”:
We are living in a world of circular logic. We have white supremacists, Nazis, and Russian bots creating online propaganda with hashtags to release a Congressional memo that is simple regurgitated BS from white supremacists, Nazis, and Russian bots. Then the sane people in this country from John McCain to Jeff Flake and folks of all political persuasions try to hopelessly explain the complexities of the legal system, while the right-wing media machine of far-right radio, suspect websites and a certain “news” channel that report on a meaningless memo elevating it to be meaningful somehow.
And here is some hyperventilating from sometimes Pos(t) contributor, COMBAT Vet Josh Manning:
Yes there are important people who are showing us the dangers ahead and that have transpired. Robert Mueller has access to the blueprints of why we are where we are and he almost alone has the power to lay those out. But he will not end this by himself. We have to protect him yet we cannot think that he is our savior. We cannot think that individual senators or representatives are any more powerful than Mueller.
In the end, this is about us. Each of you has to figure out what you will be willing to do to prevent America from becoming the cherry on Moscow’s political cupcake. It demands not only being informed and talking with friends and neighbors but also whether you are willing to join a national sit-in near the White House when Trump cronies fire Mueller (spoiler alert: it is coming), if you will not be silenced or intimidated by being called anti-patriotic when you oppose the “major event” of a war with North Korea meant to boost Trump’s approval at the cost of millions of lives, if you will join in local demonstrations against these authoritarian actions, or if you simply watch Maddow and yell at the television. I will be at events one and two. I will make them happen. I need you all to help. If we whither and die as our nation crumbles then that will be our fate. I did not serve in the military to watch my nation dissolve after I returned from far away wars.
Well Josh, I am informed, but not in the way you and your fellow partisans would hope. The post-9/11 authoritarian nature of this country is in its second decade of development and its evolution has been midwifed by both Republicans and Democrats. Only a partisan can deny this reality.
For those suffering from partisan memory loss, Obama presided over the extrajudicial killings of US citizens without due process, which sounds pretty authoritarian to me. Where was Manning’s outrage then? Maybe he was too busy shooting at Iraqis and Afghans in America’s imperialist wars of choice to notice a Democrat acting the authoritarian role of dear leader, unhindered by constitutional constraints, which of course makes his concern about Trump disingenuous.
The amnesia on display from these partisans regarding Mueller and the FBI is both convenient and very concerning. To counter that amnesia, Consortium News (now without Robert Parry, who passed away recently) has an article that reminds us what Mueller and his sidekick, Comey, were doing after 9/11:
Setting aside for the moment the merits of the Russiagate narrative, who really is this Robert Mueller that amnesiac liberals clamor to hold up as the champion of the people and defender of democracy? Co-author Coleen Rowley, who as an FBI whistleblower exposed numerous internal problems at the FBI in the early 2000s, didn’t have to be privy to his inner circle to recall just a few of his actions after 9/11 that so shocked the public conscience as to repeatedly generate moral disapproval even on the part of mainstream media. Rowley was only able to scratch the surface in listing some of the more widely reported wrongdoing that should still shock liberal consciences.
Although Mueller and his “joined at the hip” cohort James Comey are now hailed for their impeccable character by much of Washington, the truth is, as top law enforcement officials of the George W. Bush administration (Mueller as FBI Director and Comey as Deputy Attorney General), both presided over post-9/11 cover-ups and secret abuses of the Constitution, enabled Bush-Cheney fabrications used to launch wrongful wars, and exhibited stunning levels of incompetence.
Mueller and Comey are both cogs operating in the cesspool of DC. And who is Josh Manning? Is he someone who believes Americans have the right to know what the military he proudly served has been doing in theaters like Iraq? No, he does not. Not when he hallucinates big, scary Russia behind any unwanted development threatening the establishment he shills for.
An example of this can be found in a recent Zerohedge piece. Apparently the fact Chelsea Manning is running for office is just another evil Russian plot. Remember, Chelsea Manning is the whistleblower who exposed some pretty heinous acts committed by members of America’s armed forces.
The first tweet, from foreign policy and strategy consultant Molly McKew, starts of the conspiracy theory with this:
A little too convenient that Chelsea Manning will primary @SenatorCardin, one of most active Senators on foreign policy & leader in making policy/legislation to respond to Russian aggression, for MD Senate.
Guess that’s what Dem Tea Party is going to look like: Snowden party.
Then Josh Manning chimes in:
Senator Cardin authored and released a 200 page masterpiece on Russian influence in western elections. Suddenly he has a primary from Kremlin stooge Assange’s Wikileaks primary source Chelsea Manning. The Kremlin plays the extreme left to swing elections. Remember that.
And then Glen Greenwald adds this great jab to Josh Manning:
Oh my god: this is how deranged official Washington is. The President of the largest Dem Party think tank (funded in part by dictators) genuinely believes Chelsea Manning’s candidacy is a Kremlin plot. Conspiracy theorists thrive more in mainstream DC than on internet fringes
And to put the Greenwald cherry on top of this xenophobic conspiracy theory here is more from GG:
This conspiracy theory mocks itself.
The idea that Vladimir Putin sat in the Kremlin, steaming over Benjamin Cardin’s report on Russia, and thus developed a dastardly plot to rid himself of his daunting Maryland nemesis – “I know how to get rid of Cardin: I’ll have a trans woman who was convicted of felony leaking run against him!” – is too inane to merit any additional ridicule.
But this is the climate in Washington: no conspiracy theory is too moronic, too demented, too self-evidently laughable to disqualify its advocates from being taken seriously – as long as it involves accusations that someone is a covert tool of the Kremlin.
The most recent development in the Russiagate investigation (insurance policy?) is the indictment of 13 Russians. Once again the resistance is hyping this latest development as further evidence of Russia influencing America’s election.
For a perspective you won’t get from either MSM echo chamber, Moon of Alabama has a very interesting take in a post titled Mueller Indictment – The “Russian Influence” Is A Commercial Marketing Scheme. Read the whole post, it’s compelling.
I linked to MoA’s post on Montana Post’s Facebook page, and the reaction was predictable. I’m accused of watching Fox News and the actual substance of the post was of course totally ignored. At one point in the comments whoever is running MP’s Facebook page said this:
Putin is a dictator who influenced our election. The way to defeat him is sanctions. Trump won’t implement them.
To which I asked “how did Putin, the dictator, specifically influence the election? Where is the evidence that directly implicates the Kremlin?”
And this is the response I got:
The internet is a magical place. Enjoy exploring it Travis. You can find information that fits any bias you have. It takes a rational person to find the facts, analyze them and make conclusions. I hope you enjoy your journey in cyberspace.
I will conclude this post with the final comment I made to this ridiculous non-answer:
After a year and a half of scapegoating Russia there is no direct evidence, that is the sad reality you partisans refuse to acknowledge, but it doesn’t stop you from making the same unsubstantiated accusations. Trump’s regime is disgusting and corrupt, but Russiagate is not going to be the impeachable scandal you hope it is. You are wasting time and sapping energy by continuing to promote your xenophobic, anti-Russian conspiracy theories.
Like Vonnegut said, And so it goes…
JC
The MoA article is great stuff, especially as he documented so much of this stuff months ago — and was totally ignored then. I’ve tried to bring this stuff up with some of my more militant democrat friends (meaning willing to go to war with Russia over this stuff) and they are unwilling to even look at and discuss the evidence and alternative narratives.
But what from I know about milking social media for clicks and ad bucks, the Internet Research Agency is nothing more than another business trying to make (millions of) bucks off of click bait. Of more concern to me now is all the interest given to James Risen’s 4-part series of articles just starting over at the Intercept. He makes all these unfounded claims, takes leaps of faith and speculation, and comes to the pre-arranged “conclusion” (er, opinion) which the militant dems love, feeding the McCarthyist frenzy.
FWIW, half of the comments I’ve made at the MT Post’s FB farce get deleted. Don’s done a great job of sanitizing comments to his content by shuffling it off his blog where he no longer has to defend it and attack his detractors.
William,
Your post has two main streams: (1) the FBI and Justice Department are corrupt, and (2) Russiagate is either a false narrative or not worth pursuing.
You may be right, but you don’t provide any evidence. You claim that Mueller and Comey “presided over post-9/11 cover-ups and secret abuses of the Constitution, enabled Bush-Cheney fabrications used to launch wrongful wars, and exhibited stunning levels of incompetence.” As members of the Bush administration, was it their fault that Bush and Cheney lied about reasons to go to war? How exactly did they “preside” over Bush-Cheney cover-ups and “secret abuses of the Constitution”? It seems to me you’re attributing to Mueller and Comey way more power than they ever had.
You’re obviously trying to discredit those leading the enquiry into the behavior of the Trump campaign. I wonder why. Is Trump, whose administration you correctly call “disgusting and corrupt,” worth defending?
The idea that there is nothing to Russiagate is no longer sustainable. You cite someone at Moon of Alabama who apparently considers the Mueller indictment against 13 Russians and one American “a commercial marketing scheme.” I haven’t gone to M of A (I’ll check it out later), but it looks like another attempt to discredit the Mueller investigation, just another effort to protect Trump.
The details in the Mueller indictment – the identity thefts to finance on-the-ground pro-Trump rallies, the multi-millions of dollars spent on the operation in Russia, the revealing e-mails announcing the the conspirators’ intentions – add up to real criminal acts. They’re not imaginary or made up.
Your discussion of Chelsea Manning’s candidacy for senate was eye-opening to me. I really like her, and I certainly like her better than Cardin. I had no idea people were accusing her of being a Russian puppet.
To me, Trump is worse than disgusting. His policies are endangering our country. I’m especially concerned about what his stooge at EPA is doing to our environment. And I’m concerned about his successful efforts to cut social programs and divert obscene amounts of money to the Pentagon.
So I don’t look kindly on the efforts of some to protect him.
I don’t believe Skink is trying to protect Trump, it’s just that this whole thing is so “Trumped up” that it flies in the face of facts.
John Helmer, probably the most well-informed and least read journalist out of Russia, does a great job of dissecting the Mueller indictments, basically finding that there is “no there, there.” Those who doubt his veracity should read his bio. He is not Putin apologist, and brings the most in-depth analyses of corruption among the Russian and eastern European oligarchs to a western audience. Here’s just a snippet from his long and detailed look at Mueller’s indictment:
I am concerned where it’s going, precedents being set, and I am very concerned about what is being ignored. I believe your legitimate worries are being exploited by equally disgusting people, and some of those people are close to home.
JC, you probably already saw it, but this exchange is priceless considering how much shit we’ve received for writing under pseudonyms. first, the suggestion I got from whoever is writing under “The Montana Post” on FB:
that comment is obviously in reference to this post. I think it’s relevant to know who is behind that comment, considering Josh Manning is mentioned in this post in relation to Glenn Greenwald, and also a contributor to The Montana Post. so I responded with this:
I think it’s pretty convenient those hypocrites can now hide behind anonymity.
LOL! Yeah, the hypocrisy drips out of there. I really find it funny that they suggest that people quit reading and then condescendingly suggest they’re ignorant. Classic disinfo campaign.
Hold on guys. Mia Farrow has it all figured out.
https://twitter.com/MiaFarrow/status/964586847224594433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fsarahd-313035%2F2018%2F02%2F16%2Fyou-cannot-be-this-stupid-mia-farrow-aims-for-trump-and-misses-big-time%2F
Those whom Trump would destroy, he first drives mad.
Love the new Montana Pos(t) moniker, Skink — real mature but then you’ve always been a class act. You’re also possibly the greatest partisan person I’ve ever read — a anti-Democrat partisan. The Dems can do no right. You’ve got a out-of-control man child in White House and you’re fixated on Obama drone strikes. I see a Swede/Skink bromance in the future.
Pretty brave move Pete, stepping out of the restricted speech zone.
I hardly ever visit this site anymore, Swede, since there’s an incredible amount of important stuff to be paying attention to. In Skink’s world, though, it’s what The Montana Post is writing about. I should know better and just leave this little circle jerk alone.
thank you for providing your condescending commentary under your real name. it appears your fellow bloggers may be too chickenshit to do likewise. have a nice day, Pete.
I’m sure you visit here often Pete, yearning to be free from the Matrix.
Take the red pill Pete.
I see your fellow mature blogger used the term Principal DoucheRocket, is that the kind of maturity you are talking about Pete?
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