Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Trump and Caligula

Some time after Trump took on the upper IC’s establishment (the Brennan’s, and Clappers, and by extension the upper reaches of NatSec divisions of the DoJ and FBI), John Schindler (is a security expert and former National Security Agency analyst and counterintelligence officer. A specialist in espionage and terrorism, he’s also been a Navy officer and a War College professor. He’s published four books and is on Twitter at @20committee) mentioned that his sources inside the IC had told him that Trump would end his life in a jail cell. Being innocent I thought this meant that the IC, having crossed his path had information on him right then which would mark him for some kind of treasonous activity ..causing me to wonder why they had not destroyed his candidacy long before the nomination. After all his attitude was obvious.
But of course as we can see now, that’s not what the IC meant at all.
In 41 AD the Praetorian Guard, unhappy with the attitudes and actions of the 29 year old emperor Caligula, assassinated him, his wife and daughter, and then, themselves proclaimed and protected his successor, Claudius. Now Caligula was not a good emperor, and Claudius certainly was, but that solution, in fact, undid any idea of order in the revelation of true power, for in 69 AD, this same Praetorian Guard killed Galba (AND his appointed successors), who had succeeded Nero. There followed a long list of emperors of Rome who were abandoned, assassinated and replaced at the behest, action and influence of the Praetorians.
The inner, upper establishments of the IC, DoJ, FBI, and some in the Senate and House now represent a political class supported by donors of this class, some of the large multinationals, and some institutions of higher learning, which all serve each other by inchoate converging views of stability. A stability which serves them. Thus inequality grows.

Now read this

I don’t know if Trump is the answer to some of our problems. I support his initiatives for border security, ending free trade as we have practiced it, and his attitude that only through growth can we really do something about the debt (the interest on which, $454Bn in 2015, was $60Bn more than all the money spent in the nation on aid to the poor). But there is not that much else about him to support. In fact most else is not likable in the least.
But in my judgment, what the new Praetorian Guard, a  more diffuse, but vastly more highly entrenched version is doing is far more dangerous than anything else facing the nation right now.
We all know people who have wanted to or run for office. We all know people who have reached the top of management. We know their personas to one degree or another. It’s my opinion that every one of these people could be tied up the way Trump is being attacked right now.
One or the other parties here is more evil.
Which one is Genco Olive oil?

12 comments:

Always On Watch said...

It seems to me that what is going on is a kind of coup.

Epaminondas said...

American style, yeah.

Govt becomes the enemy paralyzed.
Issues framed by not a copliant media, but a media PART of sustaining those who want thier version of stability

Pastorius said...

I think there is more about Trump that you like than you are copping to in this article.

Do you like the way he is handling North Korea? They are now approaching the end of the war with SoKo. Is that good? Would that have happened without Trump's outlandish style?

Do you like our renegotiation with Europe's military?

Do you like that Trump is working things out with Putin? This story just began to break today. Again, could this have happened without Trump's outlandish style?

Do you like his idea of ending Islamic immigration from seven terror-exporting nations?

Do you like that he acknowledges that Jerusalem is the capitol of Israel?

Do you like that he has Saudi Arabia and Israel working together?

Do you like that China is working things out with us rather than going the route of trade war (at this point, anyway,.. jury's still out on that...)

Do you like that he got Congress to pass the tax decrease (maybe you lump this in with "groth")?

Do you like that he beat back ISIS in Syria after 8 years of Obama's ineffectual idiocy?

Do you like that he calls attention to the problem of radical Islam in Europe (as opposed to Obama's apologizing for Islam for the past 8 years)?

Redneck Texan said...

I ran into an old leftist internet frenemy the other day.

He asked me how I was liking the new lunatic in the oval office.

My reply was simply "He's certainly irritating all the right people".


..... I think all political systems are inherently evil in one form or the other. Ours was designed to encourage paralysis through partisan divisiveness.

It wasn't like the right wasn't trying to throw a wrench into everything Clinton and Obama tried to do.

The problem really lies in the growth of ideological diversity relative to our founders' more culturally homogeneous society. Especially the further away you get from an external threat to us all.

We're not just split along political ideology lines anymore ..... we hate the other side's entire value system.

It's really counter-productive for both sides to be forced to share a government.

Can you really argue that having one paralyzed government where half the people's values are not represented in policy all the time makes us stronger relative to our global competitors?

Its worked so far I guess .... but it sounds as unstable in the long run as the Roman Empire to me.



Pastorius said...

RT,
That all sounds like it makes sense, and it certainly is thoughtful, but i have a question.

If ideological diversity is the culprit, then why are we split into just two sides.

Diversity would seem to imply a plethora of viewpoints.

It seems to me we have Marx vs. the American Constitution battling it out.

That's your two sides and two value systems.

I would posit, the "diversity" is not diversity. It is a widening chasm, as the left becomes more and more honest about what they really want.

Redneck Texan said...

The 2 party system forces odd bedfellows into their tents.

And I've been a proponent of the 2 party system in the past.

I think a multi-party system wouldn't work here.

But that leaves people like McCain, Susan Collins, Jeff Flake, and Lindsey Graham in my tent. I have very little in common ideologically with them.

I have almost nothing in common with a Marxist, or most issues in either party's broader platform.

I'm lucky I guess, in that my State and Federal elected officials do reflect most of my values. At least they are not targeting me for disenfranchisement.

Thing is, as much as I dont want to be forced to live under a federal government that a Marxist would support, I equally dont want to force a Marxist to live under a Government I would support.

I think perhaps one of the most evil things about our Constitution is that it intentionally lacks a provision for States to legally withdraw from the Union should the Union no longer have the State's best interests at Heart.

The problems arise when a Federal law works better in some states than others but has to universally enforced. Texans have no problem with assault rifles, New Yorkers do. Alaska doesn't have an immigration problem, Border states do.

I dont know man ..... I dont really have any well thought out solutions ..... just know that I'm fairly happy with my State's current government, but on the Federal level, even when my "side" is in power I am always dreading the next election.


Pastorius said...

Hah.

I have the opposite problem. I live in California. The fact that we DON'T live by Federal Laws pisses me off.

Another problem in California is, whatever stupid law the Federal Government comes up with, we usually started it, and double down on it when the Fed makes it law also.

Ie Transgenderism and Gayball Warming.

Epaminondas said...

I really want to asnwer but I am away and my fricking laptop keeps shutting off ..I actually did answer but it croaked

Epaminondas said...

okay ...
I don't care about Jerusalem that much
I really wonder what will happen between the AL Saud and ISR if success is achieved and the mullahs go bye bye? WHich will NEVER happen because Trump v Russia is not being handled well at all. ie. - SYRIA.
We should:
1) Be telling Ru that ANY action interfering in anyw ayin our elective process IS casus belli and we will be talking to Congress about legislation in thei rgd (call the dems on their bullshit)
2) Be telling Ru that what is going on now in SYR will end on the best case in a nuclear war between ISR and Iran, and in a worst case, the end of the world, so if you want assad, ok , kick Iran the fuck out of their and divide SYR otherwise, you are fucked, and PS we aren't bothering with sanctions, we are going to pump oil (40% of your GDP) until you have to sell it at $20/barrel to export it.
3) Norks-as far as I am concerned nothing not verified is done. Them agreeing to freeze missile tests (which are just provocations since their proven technology is what Iran, Syria etc all use) does not impress me. Anything short of verified denuclearization achieves nothing
4) I'm not really sure what we have achieved in limiting immigration from terrorist nations. I was willing to shut off all immigration in the argument of 'fairness' until we figured out how to screen
5) Radical Islam in Europe is GROWING as is the migration issue, unsolved, but that is not our problem to solve
6) ISIS is still there, and unless we stick it out, will 100% come back. But stick it out for what? We have no enunciated strategic goal. Kurdistan? Broken up Syria?

I think Trump's policies are satifactory to this point considering he IS dealing with a rolling coup, but there's more to be desired because personally, his qualities repel to one degree or another. The refusal to control his need to win any argument around him, even when it's not about him is a real negative. He can be very successfully baited. WHatever is going on with wimmin over time is going to cost votes. VOtes that will hurt programs coming to fruition, so he must act in a manner to get done what the programs require, not win ego battles.

This is interesting.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/04/19/trumpism-without-trump-218013

Pastorius said...

That article from Politico is a wish.

It is not true.

I am not saying that Trump is not changing the landscape to some degree. But let's face it, the whole DC swamp wants to get rid of TRUMP for a reason ... because he means what he says.

Reagan went away and no one came along like him. Al those who rode his coattails turned out to be compromising brownosing swamp scum.

I don't trust anyone. I barely trust Trump.

But he is real.

The reasons I don't trust Trump are pretty close to your reasons.

Epaminondas said...

Frankly I think the divide in the nation into tribes is nearly if not past resolution. And this issue is now bigger than jihadism, Russia, China or anything else, and I don't think the political class has a clue what might be coming

Pastorius said...

Tribes. That's what they wanted. They didn't want us to believe in America and it's Constitution anymore.

60 years of Television-fed Gramscian decadence, and collusion between the government, the media and academia, and they won. They have destroyed our nation.

Splintered it into Tribes.

And imported so many third worlders that it is hard to find anyone who even recognizes the problem you name, much less cares about it.

To them, this place is better because ... money and sex and whatever ...

Yes, we have well and truly fucked ourselves.