Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Damon Linker — America's spies anonymously took down Michael Flynn. That is deeply worrying.

This is the real issue that is largely being missed in the media.
The whole episode is evidence of the precipitous and ongoing collapse of America's democratic institutions — not a sign of their resiliency. Flynn's ouster was a soft coup (or political assassination) engineered by anonymous intelligence community bureaucrats. The results might be salutary, but this isn't the way a liberal democracy is supposed to function....
Those cheering the deep state torpedoing of Flynn are saying, in effect, that a police state is perfectly fine so long as it helps to bring down Trump.…
Down that path lies the end of democracy in America.
Sorry to break it to  you. Democracy in America ended some time ago. The United States has been a police officiallly since the post 9/11 legislation suspending constitutional liberties, "total information awareness," and the militarization of the domestic security force.

The Week
America's spies anonymously took down Michael Flynn. That is deeply worrying.
Damon Linker

8 comments:

Matt Franko said...

He could have stayed there if they wanted him to...

There was probably something in the transcript that Trump took personal umbrage to...

Matt Franko said...

What if the Russian guy said something unflattering about Trump and Flynn didnt stand up for Trump's honor?

When did Trump finally personally read the transcripts?

Matt Franko said...

The Russian guy probably dissed Trump, Flynn didnt rebuke him, so now Flynn is gone and now Russia has to give back Crimea...

Peter Pan said...

Spies or whistle-blowers, make up your mind.

Tom Hickey said...

Spies or whistle-blowers, make up your mind.

It's clear that the intelligence agencies were involved. It is known that the FBI was involved.

Whistleblowing in usually associated with revealing incriminating information that one cannot do through legally through the chain of command. Not enough is known about this case to determine whether it was the chain of command itself running the takedown operation or rogue agents down the chain. The president should find out who was responsible — it is illegal, after all — by directing the intelligence agency directors to report to him on it ASAP.

MRW said...

The Russian guy probably dissed Trump Why would the Russian ambassador diss him? The Duma cheered when he got elected and broke out the champagne at the prospect of not having to deal with Hillary.

MRW said...

now Russia has to give back Crimea...

Hunh? How many times do I have to write this?

UKRAINE CONSTITUTION CRIMEA- DR. MATTHEW CROSSTON

QUOTE
March 16, 2014 marked the day when the people of Crimea went to the voting booths to decide whether they would be part of Ukraine or part of Russia . . .
[…]
[re: Reuters, first report] On the one hand, readers were given the distinct understanding that the referendum was basically rigged, commandeered by Crimean leaders, who were nothing but sycophants to the Kremlin. But Reuters also accurately mentioned that Crimea is majority ethnic Russian, which indicates a free and fair referendum could have produced the very result reporters were already declaring as disingenuous. So which was it? . . .
[…]
Finally, the piece reported that the 1992 constitution foresaw giving the region effective independence within Ukraine. That 1992 constitution, however, was the Ukrainian Constitution and not the Russian one. It does indeed grant the Crimean region effective independence within Ukraine and the right to determine its own path and relations with others. Ukraine wrote those words in the immediate glowing aftermath of Soviet dissolution, when, quite frankly, most in the West felt the true political and economic prosperity path shone brightest for Ukraine and not Russia. Many seem to have forgotten this but any simple source search back to the time period will reveal massive Western enthusiasm for Ukraine’s prospects while being skeptical of Russia’s size, infrastructure and historical legacy. So yes, it was quite true that the constitution recklessly gave Crimea the opportunity to pursue the very path it was now pursuing. But this flawed constitution was written by Ukrainians, not Russians. This is a reality not revealed to readers. The problem, once again, is a pervasive subconscious Cold War pathology that predetermines how readers around the world learn about the situation in Crimea and therefore how they see Russia’s role there.
END QUOTE

Matthew Crosston
From: “NEMESIS: Keeping Russia an Enemy through Cold War Pathologies”

https://www.academia.edu/12650079/NEMESIS_Keeping_Russia_an_Enemy_through_Cold_War_Pathologies_Сравнительная_Политика_МГИМО_Московский_Государственный_Институт_Международного_Отношения_Moscow_Russian_Federation_No._3_19_2015_FORTHCOMING.

Crosston bio
https://bellevue.academia.edu/MatthewCrosston/Peer-Reviewed-Published-Articles.

MRW said...

Carter fired 4,000 rogue CIA agents during his term. Trump should clean house.