BLOOD SPORT
I vowed to stay out of the political arena and stick with sports a few weeks ago when I changed the name of this blog from “THE WAR ON COLE” to “MIKE COLE(SELL) SPEAKING OF SPORTS”. I did it because the daily avalanche of negative news coming out of D.C., from the Kavanaugh confirmation spectacle to the Mueller Russia investigation was becoming too much to bear. However, with the recent news of the apparent death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khahsoggi in Turkey at the hands of a Saudi Arabian hit squad, after torturing him in front of the Saudi consul general and dismembering his body with bone saws before removing his remains, and our government’s reaction to the news has once again pushed me back into the arena. When I heard POTUS state that the arms deal and the American jobs it will create is more important than a human life, then sending our Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Riyadh for a photo op with the man responsible for murdering an innocent civilian, smiling and shaking his hand, while trying to promote a narrative that the alleged assassins, already identified via surveillance cameras and visas, were “rogue” members of the security force acting on their own. It was appalling to witness. This is what our government has come to represent in a period of less than two years. We now place more value on geo political alliances, i.e. Sunni vs Shiite Muslims and our economic well being than we do on human life. A well respected journalist who worked for the Washington Post was murdered by order of the Saudi government as a result of his written word criticizing the regime, and our President says and does essentially nothing but that he talked to the king and he denied any knowledge of the matter, and he tended to believe the King just like he believed Brett Kavanaugh, who was, as he was sure, telling the truth as well. To even compare the two situations in the same breath, a SCOTUS appointment vs taking of an innocent victims life, is of itself unconscionable. The Turks obviously would like nothing better than to see the Saudis humiliated on the world stage and claim to have audio evidence to prove that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, and are now attempting to find forensic evidence to back up their claim. I have no doubt they will find it. For their part, the Saudis are claiming no responsibility. There is very strong evidence that members of the hit squad were in fact members of the royal family’s security forces, including MBS. The visual evidence is overwhelming that government forces carried out the hit, and this could only have been done with the absolute knowledge of the royal family. How does it get to the point where one of our supposedly closest allies feels comfortable enough in their relationship with our President that they can openly assassinate a world renowned journalist in broad daylight inside their own consulate in Turkey? Very simple-first you shine Trump’s image on the side of a building for him and all the world to see, then you agree to spend billions with him on both a family (Jared Kushner) and national security basis for arms and favorable business terms and you take a strong signal from his many tirades against the press, labeling them ‘the enemy of the people”!! You take the calculated risk that economics will far outweigh any human rights issues with Donald Trump, and in that you would be correct. However, what the Saudi regime failed to understand when they ordered this outrageous act of international terrorism is that the free press will NEVER let this issue die until those responsible are brought to justice, be it via Congressional sanctions, cancellation of the arms deal, not participating in their upcoming so called economic forum or continuing to investigate until all the facts are uncovered. There is no cover story or narrative that can shape world opinion like the media, and they are going to have a field day with this story, as well they should. Coming just three weeks before the mid term elections, I believe Trump’s response to this entire sordid episode, as well as the tepid response of Congressional REPUBLIKANS to it, will further erode their chances of retaining the House and possibly even the Senate as well. Our prestige around the world as the shining beacon of freedom and democracy has taken a HUGE hit, and it’s going to take a long time to regain it. All in the name of money, in this case BLOOD MONEY!!!
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About Mike ColeBorn in Hamilton, OH but a proud Kentuckian since age two. One brother and three sisters. Suburban, Catholic middle-class upbringing. Attended Jefferson Community College and Pasadena Community College. Proud father of four and grandfather to seven, and most of all, a concerned American citizen! Are you??? Categories |