June 20, 2017


News and Views


THERE’S NO QUESTION THAT WE ARE ALREADY IN A WAR. THE TERM “A WAR OF ATTRITION” SEEMS TO APPLY. THE ENEMY HAS NO GENERAL AND NO APPARENT PLAN. SOME OF THE HITS ARE WORSE THAN OTHERS, BUT THE GOALS ARE ALWAYS THE “SOFT TARGETS,” WHICH DO CAUSE THE WORST HUMAN DAMAGE. IT’S HARD TO “WIN” A WAR LIKE THIS, UNFORTUNATELY. THIS IS TODAY’S BATTLE.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/blast-shooting-shuts-down-main-train-station-brussels-belgium-n774776
NEWS JUN 20 2017, 5:38 PM ET
Explosion, Police Shooting Shuts Down Train Station in Brussels, Belgium
by EMMANUELLE SALIBA and CORKY SIEMASZKO

The main train station in the Belgian capital was evacuated Tuesday evening after security forces foiled a "terror attack" by shooting a suspect following a small but fiery blast, the country's top prosecutor said.

Only the alleged perpetrator was hurt in the incident, which happened around 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) at Brussels Central Station, the Belgian federal prosecutor reported.

VIDEO -- Suspect Shot After Explosion at Brussels Train Station 3:58
Federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt added that "this incident is considered as a terrorist attack."

"Military personnel had to neutralize an individual," the Belgian Crisis Center reported in a tweet. "Situation is under control. Police are on the scene. Follow orders."

The condition and identity of the wounded suspect was not immediately known.

Meanwhile, heavily armed police officers and soldiers surrounded the train station and sealed off the entrances, according to witnesses and video from the scene.

The U.S. Embassy in Brussels sent out an alert urging American citizens to "avoid the area."

The Crisis Center, which monitors security threats in the country, said based on initial information it didn't see a need to raise the terror threat in the country to the highest level.

Brussels has been on high alert since March 2016 when three coordinated suicide bombings at the city's airport in Zavendem and at the Maalbeek Metro station left 32 dead.

The three suicide bombers were also killed.

Emmanuelle Saliba EMMANUELLE SALIBA TWITTEREMAIL
CORKY SIEMASZKO EMAIL
CONTRIBUTOR ASSOCIATED PRESS



YET ANOTHER POLL SHOWS TRUMP DOWN FURTHER IN THE HORSE RACE OF PUBLIC OPINION

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-voters-weigh-in-oshkosh-wisconsin-approval-rating/
By DEAN REYNOLDS CBS NEWS June 20, 2017, 7:28 PM
"Leave him alone": Trump voters weigh in on president's performance

OSHKOSH, Wis. -- As President Trump marks five months in office Tuesday, he has hit a new low in a CBS News poll.

Only 36 percent of Americans told us they approve of the job he's doing. Mr. Trump is even losing support among Republicans.

At Two Brothers Restaurant in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Trump supporters like Ken Schoenike are getting impatient -- but not with the president.

"Leave him alone. Let him do what he wants to do. The media is hounding on him constantly. I mean, really?" said Schoenike.

Trump's handling of Russia investigations weighs on approval ratings
CBSN Originals returns to Erie, Pa., to speak with Trump voters

This group of retirees backs Mr. Trump on almost every move he makes, but with one exception, according to Adolf Hendricks.

"I think I would like to see him a little more presidential, perhaps, a little more dignified," he told CBS News.

Les Talo says enough with the tweets.

"It just gives the Democrats fodder for their daily attacks on him," Talo said.

170620-en-reynolds-trump-voters.jpg
A group of retirees speak with CBS News' Dean Reynolds about President Trump's performance. CBS NEWS

Warren Thomson dismisses the big issue consuming Washington: the Russian investigation. CBS News asked the group if they ever talk about the Russia probe and if it bothers anybody.

"This whole thing -- as far as I'm concerned -- is a conspiracy… it's a total distraction," one man said.

They are among the 72 percent of Republicans who remain in Mr. Trump's corner, according to a new CBS News poll. But that number is down from 83 percent 52 days ago. And Mr. Trump's disapproval rate among Republicans is up seven points.

170620-en-reynolds-trump-approval-02.jpg
CBS NEWS

Jennifer King, a church and school secretary, voted for Mr. Trump. We asked her what grade she would give Mr. Trump now.

"Probably a low C," she said.

"I still support him, but I would like to see some real results," she added.

170620-en-reynolds-trump-voters-jennifer-king.jpg
Jennifer King CBS NEWS

King wants tax cuts and more help for veterans, but believes Mr. Trump is too easily sidetracked.

"He is too busy fighting the media. He's too busy fighting accusations," she said.

When asked what she thinks is the problem, she answered: "I personally think it's his mouth."

But whether committed or wavering, these Mr. Trump voters believe that he hasn't been treated fairly. Most are willing to give him at least two years on the job before they would reconsider their support.



SEE YESTERDAY’S JERONIMO YANEZ MANSLAUGHTER TRIAL. I HAVE EXCERPTED ONLY THE VERY LAST FROM THIS STORY CITED HERE, BECAUSE MOST OF IT IS REPETITIOUS. IT’S A CONTINUATION FROM YESTERDAY’S STORY – SO, CUTTING TO THE CHASE, JERONIMO YANEZ IS GIVEN “VOLUNTARY SEPARATION” FROM THE FORCE THOUGH HE WAS CONVICTED, “SO HE CAN GET ANOTHER JOB.” THIS MAY NOT BE PERFECT, BUT TWO YEARS AGO, THE POLICEMAN WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN GIVEN TWO WEEKS OF DESK DUTY OR PAID LEAVE, AND THEN HE WOULD BE BACK TO WORK; AND IN THE PAST TEN YEARS OR SO, MAYBE EVEN A PROMOTION FOR “HAZARDOUS DUTY.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/philando-castile-case-squad-car-video-shooting/
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS/AP June 20, 2017, 4:01 PM
Philando Castile case: Squad car video released

Screengrab of police dashcam video released by the Ramsey County Attorney's Office June 20, 2017 in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile RAMSEY COUNTY ATTORNEY

. . . .

The city of St. Anthony announced Friday Yanez was being dismissed from its police force, despite the acquittal.

The city says it concluded the public "will be best served" if Yanez no longer works for the city. The statement says the city plans to offer Yanez a "voluntary separation" so he can find another job.

The city says Yanez will not return to active duty.



SEE THESE SEVERAL RUSSIA STORIES BELOW. THE OVERALL PHILOSOPHY OF RUSSIA IS NOT PEACE OR COOPERATION. IT IS CONQUEST. TRUE COOPERATION, TO THEM, IS FOR WIMPS. TRUMP’S INVOLVEMENT WITH THEM IS DANGEROUS IN SEVERAL WAYS, POSSIBLY INCLUDING – AN EVENTUAL MILITARY WAR, POSSIBLY NUCLEAR IN NATURE, AND EVEN OVER USA TERRITORIES RATHER THAN MERELY THOSE OF OUR MOST STRATEGIC ALLIES (WHOM DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN INSULTING); A CONTINUANCE OF THE CYBERWAR, ABOUT WHICH I’VE SEEN NO ARTICLES SAYING WE ARE WINNING; OR EVEN THEIR FAVORITE GAME OF ALL, TO PLACE A PUPPET AT THE HEAD OF A GOVERNMENT (OUR GOVERNMENT) SO RUSSIA CAN LITERALLY RULE THROUGH HIM AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME, AND MAYBE A VERY SHORT ONE. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR THE FAR RIGHT TO CONVINCE OUR AMERICAN CITIZENS THAT ITS’ DOCTRINES ARE MORE RIGHT AND GOOD THAN ARE THOSE OF LIBERAL VIEWS, CLAMPING DOWN ON INTELLIGENT THOUGHT WITH MORE EMOTIONALISM, DOGMA AND “PATRIOTISM.”

IN THE LIGHT OF THESE, PONDER TRUMP’S OPEN FLIRTATION WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN, ALLOWING YOURSELF TO CONSIDER WHY HE IS ACTUALLY DOING IT. ANOTHER THOUGHT, WHO WOULD BENEFIT MOST STRATEGICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY FROM GLOBAL WARMING? I WOULD SAY, RUSSIA. THEIR SPY SHIPS HAVE BEEN ON OUR WEST AND NORTHERN COASTS A NUMBER OF TIMES IN THE LAST THREE YEARS SINCE I’VE BEEN COLLECTING NEWS ARTICLES. THERE’S NO LONGER MUCH NEED FOR ICEBREAKERS IN THE ARCTIC, SO THEY CAN GET CLOSER FROM THAT DIRECTION. THAT’S VERY UNNERVING TO ME. THE FROZEN ARCTIC OCEAN WAS A BARRIER WHICH IS NO LONGER THERE. IN ADDITION, THERE IS THE THREAT BY RUSSIA, PER BUSINESS INSIDER, TO PUT NUKES IN KALININGRAD WHICH BORDERS POLAND. CHECKMATE? I HOPE NOT.

https://www.quora.com/How-far-is-Russia-from-the-United-States

Brian Fey, Founder / Director at Bosque Village (2004-present)
Updated Apr 26

Surprisingly close!
The United States and Russia are just a few kilometers apart!

The island of Big Diomede is in Russian territory, and not far away is Little Diomede, which is part of the United States.

At their closest points, the two islands are about 3.8 km (2.4 mi) apart.

If you could handle the cold water, you could swim from the USA to Russia!

See the Google map here:
Google Maps

Wikipedia: Diomede Islands

The Diomede Islands are located in the middle of the Bering Strait between mainland Alaska and Siberia, with the Chukchi Sea to the north and the Bering Sea to the south. 9.3 km (5.8 mi) to the southeast is Fairway Rock, which is generally not considered part of the Diomede Islands. Because they are separated by the International Date Line, Big Diomede is almost a day ahead of Little Diomede, but not completely; due to locally defined time zones, Big Diomede is only 21 hours ahead of Little Diomede (not 23 hours ahead - which is a common misconception). Because of this the islands are sometimes called Tomorrow Island (Big Diomede) and Yesterday Isle (Little Diomede).



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/armed-russia-jet-comes-five-feet-us-military-plane/
CBS NEWS June 20, 2017, 10:13 AM
Armed Russia jet comes within five feet of U.S. military plane

An armed Russian jet came within five feet of a U.S. reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

A U.S. official said Tuesday that the Russian aircraft came within five feet of a wing tip for a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance plane.

The Russian jet then passed under the U.S. aircraft and came up near the other wing tip.

A member of the Russian air force's Knights aerobatic team performs in a SU-27 jet during a test flight ahead of an airshow in Zhuhai, China, on Nov. 10, 2014. JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The U.S. Air Force considers the incident to be an unsafe intercept, Martin reports.

The incident took place 25 miles northwest of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, which is located between Lithuania and Poland in northern Europe.

A U.S. RC-135 electronic intelligence collection aircraft takes off on a mission from the U.S. Air Force base in Kadena on the Japanese island of Okinawa Feb. 27, 2003. GETTY IMAGES

The incident comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia after the U.S. downed a Syrian jet on Sunday. Washington and Moscow are backing different sides in Syria's civil war, which has dragged on for more than six years.

The U.S. coalition said a Syrian regime SU-22 fighter jet dropped bombs close to U.S.-backed forces on the ground southwest of Raqqa, the de facto capital for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, CBS News correspondent Holly Williams reports.

The U.S.-backed forces are fighting against ISIS, and they are supported by U.S. troops. The bombs were so close the U.S. sent an F-18 to shoot down the Syrian jet - the first time that's happened during the Syrian civil war.

Russia, which backs the Syrian regime, retaliated by saying that it will track all U.S. coalition aircraft as targets. Russia also said it would shut down cooperation to prevent midair collisions, though U.S. Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Monday that the two countries were still communicating, and he warned against hyperbole.

Last month, a Russian fighter jet flew within 20 feet of an American spy plane over the Black Sea, but the U.S. Navy called it a safe encounter.

The Russian jet intercepted the U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft in international airspace as it flew a course toward Russian territory, according to Russia's military.

RUSSIFICATION ....

http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-it-is-like-in-russias-exclave-on-the-baltic-2015-3
Russia controls this vital strategic exclave in the heart of NATO-allied eastern Europe Jeremy Bender
Mar. 23, 2015, 2:25 PM 28,485

The Russian exclave of Kaliningrad is a political and geographic anomaly. Separated from Russia and situated on the Baltic Sea, the region is surrounded by NATO-member states Poland and Lithuania. It's closer to Berlin and Prague than it is to Moscow and St Petersburg.

Until 1945, Kaliningrad was known as Königsberg, the former capital of East Prussia. But after its World War II victory over Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union annexed the city and the surrounding area, which served as a strategically vital warm-water port on the Baltic. The Soviets mounted a policy of Russification, and what was once an overwhelmingly German quickly took on its current, Russian character.

Throughout the Cold War, Kaliningrad was as a dagger pointed at Scandinavia and Central Europe. That part of the Baltic coast was one of the most heavily militarized regions in the USSR. The exclave still has great military and strategic value for Moscow, especially given Russian president Vladimir Putin's appetite for stirring up trouble with his neighbors.

Russia's new military doctrine named Kaliningrad as one of three fronts for militarization and Moscow sent nuclear capable missiles to the region as part of war games last week.

Annexed in 1945, Königsberg's primarily German population either fled or was deported after World War II in a policy of Russification.

kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport city and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. Google Maps/Amanda Macias/Business Insider

The city was soon renamed Kaliningrad in honor of Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin, who was one of Stalin's top lieutenants. His statue still stands in the city.
Kalinin statue kaliningrad
sludgegulper

Statues of Lenin also decorate the city. Here's one posed in front of a former German Baltic resort building in Kaliningrad.
Lenin Statue Kalininingrad
www.flickr.com

Other statues celebrating Mother Russia and the Russian space program also stand throughout the city. Here's a statue of a cosmonaut.
Kaliningrad cosmonaut memorial

themactep

“Until the widespread destruction of the city during World War II and its subsequent annexation, Kaliningrad was strongly German. Old German buildings still stand in various places throughout the city.”

[THIS WORD THEMACTEP IS AS MYSTIFYING AS KOUFEFE. I FINALLY FOUND A WEBSITE WHICH DOES SEEM TO BE ABOUT THE SAME WORD AND MEANING. IT IS RUSSIAN, AND MEANS MASTER.” GO HERE AND READ IT IF YOU WANT TO. I THINK PAUL PHILIPPOV MAY HAVE WRITTEN THIS CLIP ABOVE IN COMPARING THE FORCEFUL RUSSIFICATION OF KALININGRAD AFTER WWII FROM ITS’ ORIGINALLY GERMAN CULTURE AND HISTORY – AND COMPARING IT WITH RECENT RUSSIAN MOVES WITH THE PRESUMED GOAL OF OPENING UP A “CORRIDOR” FROM KALININGRAD TO RUSSIA PROPER.]

https://themactep.com/feedback . “themactep: THE collection of miscellaneous projects of Paul Philippov” --


Kaliningrad
Maks Karochkin

Philosopher Immanuel Kant, a lifelong resident of Kaliningrad, is also buried in the city beside the Kaliningrad Cathedral.
Kaliningrad Cathedral Kant's tomb
en.wikipedia.org

Kaliningrad's ultimate strategic value to Russia is that it functions as a warm-water port ...
Kaliningrad
REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

... As well as a staging area for military exercises.
Russian exercises Kaliningrad
REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin

Russia has held frequent exercises in the region and Moscow has often threatened to place nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad, which borders multiple NATO states.
Russian military exercises Kaliningrad
REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin

Immediately after the collapse of the USSR, Kaliningrad became one of the most economically depressed regions of Russia. Organized crime, drug use, and the prevalence of AIDS skyrocketed.

Kaliningrad

A man arrives at a hostel for immigrants from the former Soviet Union at a former Luftwaffe airbase in Kaliningrad February 19, 2008.REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

In response, Russia made Kaliningrad a free-trade zone. In return, citizens in the region were given easier access to neighboring Lithuania and Poland. By 2007, the economy was in a full recovery.

Kaliningrad

Victory Day celebrations in Kaliningrad.Zaytsev Artem

Today, European influence is steadily growing in Kaliningrad as its approximately 1 million citizens can freely visit and shop in the surrounding NATO states. But the standoff between Russia and NATO-allied Europe has only heightened its strategic value to Moscow.

Kaliningrad
Dima Bushkov

SEE ALSO: Why Lithuania is preparing for a Russian invasion



THIS BUSINESS INSIDER ARTICLE ON LITHUANIA BRINGS UP SOMETHING THAT I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT ALSO; THAT PERHAPS OUR AMERICAN ALL VOLUNTEER ARMY IS TOO SMALL AND TOO GUNG HO TO BE ETHICAL -- AND THERE ARE ETHICS ABOUT HOW WAR IS CONDUCTED. FOR INSTANCE WE RECENTLY BOMBED AN ISIS CENTER IN AFGHANISTAN WHICH DID HAVE AT LEAST SOME CIVILIANS IN THE AREA AROUND IT WITH A MOAB BOMB. THE CIVILIANS REPORTED BROKEN WINDOWS AND CRACKED WALLS FROM THE BLAST OF AIR. 600 TO 800 ISIS MEMBERS WERE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN ON THE GROUND, AND MAY NOT HAVE SURVIVED SUCH A POWERFUL BLAST AND SHOCKWAVE OF AIR.

IT’S CALLED A “BUNKER BUSTER,” AND PEOPLE WHO HAPPEN TO BE AROUND ARE VERY LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN KILLED. THE GUARDIAN ARTICLE HERE SAID THAT AROUND 100 BODIES WERE PULLED FROM THE BOMBED TUNNELS. SPICER SPOKE IN DEFENSE OF THAT, BUT THOUGH IT MAY BE AN EFFICIENT USE OF TROOPS, IT IS VERY DESTRUCTIVE OF HUMAN LIFE. HE STATED THAT “ALL NECESSARY” PRECAUTIONS AGAINST CIVILIAN DEATHS WERE TAKEN.

I HOPE THAT IS TRUE. http://nypost.com/2017/04/13/us-says-nearly-800-isis-members-on-ground-when-mother-of-all-bombs-dropped/
SEE ALSO: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/14/it-felt-like-the-heavens-were-falling-afghans-reel-from-moabs-impact. I BRING THIS UP, BECAUSE TO SAVE AMERICAN LIVES WE ARE USING OUR MOST FEARSOME WEAPONS. IT’S A MATTER OF WHICH HUMANS WE’RE SAVING, I GUESS.


LITHUANIA -- PREPARATIONS FOR A WIDER WAR

http://www.businessinsider.com/lithuania-preparing-for-feared-russian-invasion-2015-3
Why Lithuania is preparing for a Russian invasion
Jeremy Bender
Mar. 16, 2015, 2:51 PM

The three Baltic States are fearful of a possible Russian invasion, although Lithuania may have particular reason for concern.

Wedged between Russian ally Belarus and the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad, Lithuania is worried that it could be the next target of Russian aggression following invasions in Georgia in 2008 and Crimea and eastern Ukraine last year.

Lithuania's is Moscow's biggest obstacle in developing a a land bridge between Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia.

“They [the Kremlin] need a corridor from Kaliningrad to mainland Russia,” Marius Laurinavicius, a senior Lithuanian analyst at the Eastern Europe studies center in Vilnius, told Reuters. “Just like they need one from Crimea to Donbas [in eastern Ukraine].”

The fear over a Russian invasion runs deep through Lithuania, which suffered under Soviet Rule from World War II until 1991. In January, Vilnius published a manual advising its citizens how to best respond to an invasion and occupation.

"The examples of Georgia and Ukraine, which both lost a part of their territory, show us that we cannot rule out a similar kind of situation here, and that we should be ready," Defence Minister Juozas Olekas told Reuters.

Vilnius is so concerned over possible Russian aggression that the state is currently voting on a bill to reinstate military conscription. The move would introduce approximately 3,000 new soldiers into the Lithuania military.

Concern over Russia invading Lithuania from Kaliningrad has increased since the Russian annexation of Crimea in March 2014. Since then, Moscow has increased the scope and number of snap military exercises along the Russian border with the Baltic States.

The Telegraph reported on February 20 that General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, deputy commander of NATO forces in Europe and one of Britain's most senior generals, warned that Russian snap exercises could serve as cover for a possible invasion of NATO territory.

kaliningrad

Kaliningrad is a seaport city and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. Google Maps/Amanda Macias/Business Insider

Bradshaw warned that the drills could be used “not only for intimidation and coercion but potentially to seize NATO territory, after which the threat of escalation might be used to prevent re-establishment of territorial integrity."

In May 2014, Russia unilaterally suspended a 2001 agreement with Lithuania that allowed Lithuania to inspect all of Russia's forces in Kaliningrad in exchange for Russian inspections of military sites in Lithuania.

“Such a move by Russia demonstrates Russia’s unwillingness to ensure mutual trust and can be deemed another move towards the destruction of the mutual trust and security system in Europe,” a statement from Lithuania's Ministry of National Defense noted after the treaty was suspended.

Lithuania is a part of NATO and any attack on the country would trigger NATO's mutual defense alliance. But Moscow could rely on the belief that NATO would not risk a full-scale continent wide war for a small Baltic nation.

“Putin,” Laurinavicius told Reuters, “does not believe NATO will defend such, in his view, unimportant countries, risking nuclear confrontation.”

SEE ALSO: Expert: Putin is engaged in 'an existential struggle' with the West


WHAT EXACTLY DOES OBLAST MEAN? IT JUST MEANS ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION, ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA. FOR A VERY FULL AND INTERESTING HISTORY OF KALININGRAD, GO TO wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliningrad.


http://www.msnbc.com/for-the-record-with-greta/watch/stabenow-this-is-a-war-about-whether-people-have-healthcare-971483203509
FOR THE RECORD WITH GRETA 6/19/17
Stabenow: This is a War About Whether People Have Healthcare


http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/bernie-sanders-on-secret-health-care-bill-i-m-speechless-971538499600
ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES 6/19/17
Bernie Sanders on secret health care bill: 'I'm speechless'
'I will do everything humanly and legally possible to make sure this horrendous piece of legislation…never sees the light of day.' Duration: 5:40


http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-news/watch/who-is-the-real-jared-kushner-971483715982
FOR THE RECORD WITH GRETA 6/19/17
Who is the Real Jared Kushner?
Journalist David Freedlander shares his insights about Jared Kushner, the president’s son in law and senior advisor, with Greta Van Susteren. Duration: 2:29

http://www.msnbc.com/hardball/watch/ad-in-georgia-election-ties-dems-to-scalise-shooting-971479107831
HARDBALL WITH CHRIS MATTHEWS 6/19/17
Ad in Georgia election ties Dems to Scalise shooting
Greg Bluestein of the Atlanta Journal Constitution says that over 140,000 voters have cast their ballots in the Georgia Special