Sound familiar? Fits right into the “ford was assaulted but it was somebody else” meme. Coincidentally spread by the same people spouting this “rogue” bs.
“Nope. Not buying this one. From CNN:
The Saudis are preparing a report that will acknowledge that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s death was the result of an interrogation that went wrong, one that was intended to lead to his abduction from Turkey, according to two sources. One source says the report will likely conclude that the operation was carried out without clearance and transparency and that those involved will be held responsible.
Translation: One of the rogue dudes who flew to Turkey on a government plane was cleaning his bone saw when it accidentally discharged.
One of the sources acknowledged that the report is still being prepared and cautioned that things could change.
Translation: If our bullshit trial balloon fails to reach escape velocity, we’ve got 10 more waiting on the launch pad.
Earlier Monday, President Donald Trump suggested that “rogue killers” could be behind Khashoggi’s disappearance, after a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman about the case. Trump said King Salman told him “in a very firm way that they had no knowledge of it.” Later Monday, Trump said he had seen the latest media reports. But he said he did not know if the report is accurate or just “rumor.” The President said he remains eager to get to the bottom of what happened to Khashoggi. He noted that Turkey and Saudi Arabia are “working together” to determine what happened.
Translation: I must consult the orb—and the French Impressionists who keep my books—to resolve this dispute between my presidential idol who runs Turkey and my son-in-law’s sugar daddy who runs Saudi Arabia. Big, beautiful clean coal!….
It’s hard to know when and where we passed over this line, but I do know that, once, in this country, the following was national policy, and that a lot of important people pretended not to know how completely truthless it was.
These cases make clear that while many of these techniques may amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, they do not produce pain or suffering of the necessary intensity to meet the definition of torture. From these decisions, we conclude that there is a wide range of such techniques that will not rise to the level of torture.
Further, a showing that an individual acted with a good faith belief that his conduct would not produce the result that the law prohibits negates specific intent.
A defendant could negate a showing of specific intent to cause severe mental pain or suffering by showing that he had acted in good faith that his conduct would not amount to the acts prohibited by the statute. Thus, if a defendant has a good faith belief that his actions will not result in prolonged mental harm, he lacks the mental state necessary for his actions to constitute torture.
The two people responsible for this work are now employed as a professor at a respected American school of law and as a federal judge.
Safety Tip for Citizens of a Democracy: The bone saw is always loaded.”
Are Repubs correct in fearing leaving “huge” deficits for our grandchidren?
Let’s see. Deficit today equals GNP one-to-one — $20 trillion to $20 trillion. In between now and 40 years from now the economy should produce something like $1000 trillion worth of goods and services — just for perspective. 40 years (two generations) hence the economy should be producing $30 trillion a year (conservatively — and leaving population growth completely out of this). 40 years from now inflation should reduce the $40 trillion to $30 trillion: one-to-one. Nothing here that would make the Republican caused deficits seem the great national issue — like Republicans like to make it out to be — even as they rack up more and more of it.
*********************************
Imagine if India or China manufactured enough of the 99% Hepatitis C cure drug, Harvoni, to heal every American sufferer and offered to sell it to us for five billion dollars — making incidentally a billion dollars profit for themselves …
… unlike American pharmaceutical manufacture Gilead who holds the patent for the cure but wants $300 billion for it now or overtime. At the rate sales are going Gilead will get $300 billion over the twenty years its patent holds out — paying taxes for the intellectual profit in Ireland.
So, if India or any other locality or entity offered to cure 3,000,000 US Hepatitis C victims for $2,000 each instead of $100,000 each — how long would the American public take to take back it’s (VA researched) cure …
… and maybe end the system that makes US drug research the wildest, highest rolling casino in the history of the world. One-third of drug research is paid by government currently — time to make it three thirds. Same researchers.
But more immediately I would like to see some entity here (universities, local governments, activists) go through the motions (theatrically?) of making the same cure offer — promising to set up a manufacturing plant to save all suffers at once (educationally). Can’t actually manufacture the drug because of patent rights even if they did not give it away but could legally threaten to set up a manufacturing plant (just to make a point) — it’s theater; work it out.
If someone, somewhere could promise to cure US Hepatitis C overnight — instead of waiting twenty years while infection spreads, taking care of only sickest patients as we go along, more victims left at end of patent than at the start — I think changing drug patent law and drug research settings would get 90% in the polls to be done overnight. (Elon Musk? — make more sense than shooting a sports car into space)
Consider the accumulated US debt, including special treasuries is about equal to the current dollar adjusted total of US pentagon spending since 1947.
No one is suggesting, including centrist war party aka democrats, that wars of convenience along with planning on “forward defense” of the empire against new entrants who together spend less than 1/3 what US spend, while considering picking fights for east European tribes is ill advised in a time of deficits and more tax cuts………..
While Heritage squeaks about the pentagon trough not getting 7% of GDP as in 1968, the US spends in real money the same as in the height of the Reagan pentagon trough spree…….
DDD,
the German general staff of 1939 had hugely less “militarism” than the extant US military industry complex, which is in need of reform more than the Prussians after Jena.
Sound familiar? Fits right into the “ford was assaulted but it was somebody else” meme. Coincidentally spread by the same people spouting this “rogue” bs.
“Nope. Not buying this one. From CNN:
The Saudis are preparing a report that will acknowledge that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s death was the result of an interrogation that went wrong, one that was intended to lead to his abduction from Turkey, according to two sources. One source says the report will likely conclude that the operation was carried out without clearance and transparency and that those involved will be held responsible.
Translation: One of the rogue dudes who flew to Turkey on a government plane was cleaning his bone saw when it accidentally discharged.
One of the sources acknowledged that the report is still being prepared and cautioned that things could change.
Translation: If our bullshit trial balloon fails to reach escape velocity, we’ve got 10 more waiting on the launch pad.
Earlier Monday, President Donald Trump suggested that “rogue killers” could be behind Khashoggi’s disappearance, after a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman about the case. Trump said King Salman told him “in a very firm way that they had no knowledge of it.” Later Monday, Trump said he had seen the latest media reports. But he said he did not know if the report is accurate or just “rumor.” The President said he remains eager to get to the bottom of what happened to Khashoggi. He noted that Turkey and Saudi Arabia are “working together” to determine what happened.
Translation: I must consult the orb—and the French Impressionists who keep my books—to resolve this dispute between my presidential idol who runs Turkey and my son-in-law’s sugar daddy who runs Saudi Arabia. Big, beautiful clean coal!….
It’s hard to know when and where we passed over this line, but I do know that, once, in this country, the following was national policy, and that a lot of important people pretended not to know how completely truthless it was.
These cases make clear that while many of these techniques may amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, they do not produce pain or suffering of the necessary intensity to meet the definition of torture. From these decisions, we conclude that there is a wide range of such techniques that will not rise to the level of torture.
Further, a showing that an individual acted with a good faith belief that his conduct would not produce the result that the law prohibits negates specific intent.
A defendant could negate a showing of specific intent to cause severe mental pain or suffering by showing that he had acted in good faith that his conduct would not amount to the acts prohibited by the statute. Thus, if a defendant has a good faith belief that his actions will not result in prolonged mental harm, he lacks the mental state necessary for his actions to constitute torture.
The two people responsible for this work are now employed as a professor at a respected American school of law and as a federal judge.
Safety Tip for Citizens of a Democracy: The bone saw is always loaded.”
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a23830272/saudi-arabia-jamal-khashoggi-lies-donald-trump-bush-torture/
Are Repubs correct in fearing leaving “huge” deficits for our grandchidren?
Let’s see. Deficit today equals GNP one-to-one — $20 trillion to $20 trillion. In between now and 40 years from now the economy should produce something like $1000 trillion worth of goods and services — just for perspective. 40 years (two generations) hence the economy should be producing $30 trillion a year (conservatively — and leaving population growth completely out of this). 40 years from now inflation should reduce the $40 trillion to $30 trillion: one-to-one. Nothing here that would make the Republican caused deficits seem the great national issue — like Republicans like to make it out to be — even as they rack up more and more of it.
*********************************
Imagine if India or China manufactured enough of the 99% Hepatitis C cure drug, Harvoni, to heal every American sufferer and offered to sell it to us for five billion dollars — making incidentally a billion dollars profit for themselves …
… unlike American pharmaceutical manufacture Gilead who holds the patent for the cure but wants $300 billion for it now or overtime. At the rate sales are going Gilead will get $300 billion over the twenty years its patent holds out — paying taxes for the intellectual profit in Ireland.
Once the intellectual component started showing promise in the Veterans Administration research division our VA crew smelled money and pulled the research out to take it out for their own profit and took it all the to Ireland to avoid US taxes.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/va-cant-afford-drug-for-veterans-suffering-from-hepatitis-c/
So, if India or any other locality or entity offered to cure 3,000,000 US Hepatitis C victims for $2,000 each instead of $100,000 each — how long would the American public take to take back it’s (VA researched) cure …
… and maybe end the system that makes US drug research the wildest, highest rolling casino in the history of the world. One-third of drug research is paid by government currently — time to make it three thirds. Same researchers.
But more immediately I would like to see some entity here (universities, local governments, activists) go through the motions (theatrically?) of making the same cure offer — promising to set up a manufacturing plant to save all suffers at once (educationally). Can’t actually manufacture the drug because of patent rights even if they did not give it away but could legally threaten to set up a manufacturing plant (just to make a point) — it’s theater; work it out.
VA finally got 75% discount and now all vets cured in one year.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnlamattina/2018/03/01/the-va-will-eliminate-hepatitis-c-in-veterans-by-year-end/#4de8e0ef7d12
If someone, somewhere could promise to cure US Hepatitis C overnight — instead of waiting twenty years while infection spreads, taking care of only sickest patients as we go along, more victims left at end of patent than at the start — I think changing drug patent law and drug research settings would get 90% in the polls to be done overnight. (Elon Musk? — make more sense than shooting a sports car into space)
Consider the accumulated US debt, including special treasuries is about equal to the current dollar adjusted total of US pentagon spending since 1947.
No one is suggesting, including centrist war party aka democrats, that wars of convenience along with planning on “forward defense” of the empire against new entrants who together spend less than 1/3 what US spend, while considering picking fights for east European tribes is ill advised in a time of deficits and more tax cuts………..
While Heritage squeaks about the pentagon trough not getting 7% of GDP as in 1968, the US spends in real money the same as in the height of the Reagan pentagon trough spree…….
DDD,
the German general staff of 1939 had hugely less “militarism” than the extant US military industry complex, which is in need of reform more than the Prussians after Jena.