View From the Lair

Where does the Rabbit Hole Lead?

We’ve all seen – some have marveled joyously, others sobbed bitter tears (but not enough yet) while watching DOGE do their thing.  President Trump is rolling through the swamp like a bulldozer, spreading fear and panic among the leftist bureaucrats and congress critters alike.  News agencies have been revealed to have been supported by tax dollars through subscriptions. These aren’t simple magazine subscriptions – site access running as much as $20K per month. PER SUBSCRIPTION! Not that such largess would lead to any bias towards the woke flunky who approved of such graft.

We’re discovering that USAID spent billions – yes BILLIONS on woke Marxist causes around the world.  Some of my Facebook “friends” (yes, I do occasionally go there) are bemoaning the loss of money for all of the food and sustenance support that USAID delivers. Like support for terrorists. It’s understandable that the leftists would want the graft to continue, after all that is their whole justification for advancing their socialist agenda. Let Uncle Sugar pay for his own destruction.

But is that the only reason that congress critters and NGO’s are upset? Yes, loss of influence is important. But what if there is more?  Maybe much more? The leftists in congress are proud of the $200 billion in aid that they have sent to Volodymyr Zalenskyy for his futile war against Russia. Never mind that it could have -and should have- been ended three years ago. But Zelenskyy claims that Ukraine only received $100 Billion. So what happened to the other half of the grift? Did resident Brandon collect his 10%?  Or …maybe more?  Where did the money go?  Did Zelenskyy and his pals spirit it off to a bank in the Caymans?  Or Switzerland? Did some of it find its way back to the pockets of some well-placed government benefactors?

DOGE is finding that there were NO restraints on whomever was doling out big bucks. It didn’t matter if the recipients were terrorists, whether they had a SS number, or if they were in the country legally or not. Just pay ’em.

Resident Brandon made sure to pardon almost everyone he (or someone) could think of that might have committed an indiscretion. Except himself. But what about possible crimes committed since then? Fair game. Did Fauci benefit more than he revealed? For that matter, what has he even revealed? Did any of the money that was sent to Wuhan come sneaking back to its benefactor? Were all of the royalties he received (and what was it he did to earn them?) Was all of the taxable income reported? And paid?

How many are really upset because their gravy train has been derailed? Mayor Pete to the rescue! Finding out how much money was spent -and subverted – is extremely important. But once the funds are accounted for (as much as it can be done) then it’s time to follow that money. Both to find out who was responsible for spending it and to find out to really received it.

Ciao,

The Snark

The Impact Of A Possible Trump Victory

As usual, follow the money. Look at the corporate boards some of our current top military figures sit on. Follow the money trail as the money moves from companies that make munitions to companies that rebuild after peace is declared. I don’t mean to be cynical, but much of what goes on in the world is decided by a group of elites that are heavily invested in munitions and companies that rebuild war zones after peace is declared. President Trump is a threat to the ongoing income of this group of elites–there were no new wars while he was in office. He knew how to use economic leverage to avoid war.

On Thursday, Zero Hedge reported the following:

In a huge and surprise development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has specified and verbalized what could be a first concrete step toward ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

He told journalists in Kiev this week that both sides should mutually agree on halting all aerial attacks on energy targets and cargo ships, and that this could pave the way for negotiations to end the war.

The comments were first reported by Financial Times on Tuesday, which quoted the Monday remarks as follows: “when it comes to energy and freedom of navigation, getting a result on these points would be a signal that Russia may be ready to end the war.”

The article concludes:

And yet recent escalations appear to have made it less likely that direct negotiations would happen, at least according to public statements from officials on both sides. But on the ground in the east, in the Donbass, Russian forces are clearly on the advance, and Ukraine’s severe manpower problems have become more and more obvious and public.

Zelensky’s potential ‘offer’ of mutually halting aerial attacks on energy sites comes as he’s been promoting his five-point ‘victory plan’ – which so far has received a muted response in Washington and among NATO leaders. The quiet signals from the Western allies appear to be pushing Kiev toward winding down the conflict, at the negotiating table, as opposed to escalation which could lead to direct Russia-NATO fighting.

This is a significant turn, given that up until this week Zelensky had always rejected the very idea of talks with Putin, saying he would not negotiate with Moscow so long as the Russian strongman remains in power. That thinking appears to have changed, likely a reflection of the increasing desperation Ukraine’s armed forces are feeling.

I believe that if President Trump is elected, he will find a way to end the war. I believe that is why Zelensky is moving in the direction he is moving. Understand that Zelensky would love to see Kamala Harris elected so that the money train will continue and never be audited. If he ends the war now, it will be the ultimate October surprise and may influence the election. Actually, if the war ends now and Kamala Harris is elected, the gravy train will continue under the guise of reconstruction and the American taxpayer will again get fleeced. If President Trump wins, the money going to Ukraine will probably be audited, and that could be very awkward. That is where we are.

A Reasonable Perspective On Ukraine

I haven’t written a lot about Ukraine because I think there is a lot of false news floating around about Ukraine and I don’t want to be misled by something that looks real but isn’t. However, I trust the Center for Security Policy, so I am posted excerpts from their article on Ukraine. The article was posted on March 3rd.

The article reports:

The courageous leader of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, faces some harsh choices. But so does Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. Russia has taken many casualties, with more than 5,000 soldiers killed already. The Russian currency has all but collapsed and there is deep-seated anger in Russia against Putin and his war. Putin needs to wrap this war up fast, or he could be replaced by his adversaries in Russia.

Both Russia and Ukraine have asked for security guarantees –from NATO. Sorting out the NATO relationship is all important.

…A solution covers four main issues. The first is the future of the Donbass area; the second is NATO membership for Ukraine; the third is the Crimea; and the fourth involves nuclear weapons.

Perhaps the easiest solution is Donbass, which the Minsk Accords saw as becoming autonomous regions of Ukraine. Since Russia has now recognized the two breakaway areas (Donetsk and Luhansk) as independent states, it is more difficult now to find a way to a solution. Nevertheless, it is possible. One formula would be for the two breakaways to remain independent only while their status as autonomous Ukrainian areas is worked out, at which point it would be politically and economically expedient for them to become autonomous parts of Ukraine.

NATO, however, is a bigger issue for the Russians and for Ukraine. Ukraine believes, rightly or wrongly, that NATO guarantees their security (even though the support they have received from NATO has not achieved that goal at all). Russia believes NATO in Ukraine is a major threat to Russian security. How to solve this problem?

The article notes that the easiest solution to end the war would be for Ukraine to give up on the idea of joining NATO. That would solve at least part of the problem. Is that the problem or is the quest to reunite the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics the real goal? I don’t know.

The article continues:

A straightforward solution is for NATO to give Ukraine a special type of membership whereby NATO would come to Ukraine’s help if it is attacked. But to assuage Russia, NATO would not put any troops in Ukraine nor any NATO bases, and would not try to convert Ukraine’s military infrastructure into the NATO system. NATO, of course, is not directly part of the Russia-Ukraine negotiations, but some sort of formula can be agreed (no NATO bases, infrastructure etc) in Ukraine, leaving aside Ukraine asking for special status under Article 5 (collective security) in the NATO treaty.

If NATO membership for Ukraine is actually the issue, that would be a possible solution.

The article concludes:

European leaders, especially Emmanuel Macron of France, have tried to find a way forward, which is more than can be said of Joe Biden, who has tried to exploit the Ukraine mess for domestic political reasons. Instead of Macron visiting Putin, maybe he should stop off in Washington and see if he can turn around thinking in the White House.

Meanwhile, Americans need to be very careful about believing what they are hearing from the mainstream media.

 

Is There Anyone Honest In This Farce?

Breitbart posted an article today about Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s testimony. The article cites an obvious lie in the official summary of President Trump’s phone call to Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The article reports:

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman admitted he made up elements of President Donald Trump’s call with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an official summary.

Prior to the call, Vindman included a discussion about corruption in the talking points provided to the president but Trump did not use them in the call.

The summary Vindman wrote after the call read:

President Trump underscored the unwavering support of the United States for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity – within its internationally recognized borders – and expressed his commitment to work together with President-elect Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people to implement reforms that strengthen democracy, increase prosperity, and root out corruption.

However, when he testified, Lt. Col. Vindman admitted that the part about rooting out corruption was not actually in the call–they were in his talking points provided to the President.

This is consistent with the actions of Lt. Col Vindman–sources have revealed that the reason he was concerned about the call was that his talking points were not followed. It is becoming apparent that the man is behaving like a spoiled child who is unhappy because someone didn’t listen to him.

Do we have to remind the entire State Department that the President is the person who sets foreign policy? I realize that a President only serves for four or eight years, but during those years, he is in charge. If State Department employees cannot grasp that concept, they need to find another employer.