Newly elected presidents often reward big donors an ambassadorship. Thanks for your $3 million, how about the ambassadorship to Sweden? Too cold? How about Jamaica?
But Donald Trump has given major posts to six of his big donors.
One of them them is Betsy DeVos, who gave $1.8 million.
The fact that most of his cabinet consists of generals and billionaires can only be seen as his love of winners. Winners like him.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Here’s the much bigger news, and the real winner in November’s election:
“Intelligence agencies have identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, including Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman…officials described the individuals as actors known to the intelligence community and part of a wider Russian operation to boost Trump and hurt Clinton’s chances…’It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia’s goal was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected,’ said a senior U.S. official…The Trump transition team dismissed the findings in a short statement…Trump has consistently dismissed the intelligence community’s findings about Russian hacking… agency officials cited a growing body of intelligence from multiple sources [that] it was now ‘quite clear’ that electing Trump was Russia’s goal…”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-orders-review-of-russian-hacking-during-presidential-campaign/2016/12/09/31d6b300-be2a-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_russiahack-745p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.4c917734dfdd
And even bigger news in the New York Times this morning that the Russians also hacked into the RNC last year but kept the emails to themselves instead of disclosing them to Wikileaks like they did the DNC info. I am assuming the RNC emails will be put to good use for blackmailing purposes once Trump is officially ensconced in the Oval Office. The Times also reports that Trump’s likely pick, from ExxonMobil, to run the State Department, has close ties to Russia, as does General Flynn.
I think I am finally getting why Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture is always featured on July 4 at the national fireworks display. Watch next year for Dark Eyes to replace Sousa’s Stars and Stripes.
Who won the Cold War? And what happened to the peace dividend?
So we get a government leader who picks a person to run the Department of Education who is a lobbyist for religious vouchers and charters. A person to run the Department of Labor who represents employers and opposes a living wage for working people. A religious zealot to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A doctor who opposes government health insurance to run the Department of Health and Human Services. A friend of the oil and gas industry who denies climate change to run the Environmental Protection Agency.
And a NSA chief, General Flynn, who broadcasts fake news with retweets, and a White House senior adviser, the hateful Steve Bannon.
I urge everyone to watch Joy Reid on MSNBC right now. She just had Senator Reid on who stated that Jim Comey was given the information of the Russian hacking to help Trump last summer and sat on it through the election.
Speculations on CIA horse manure. Nothing more.
And you base your opinion on what background in intelligence? I’m sorry, Duane, but your cynicism seems to know no bounds these days. Do you respect anyone other than dead philosophers? I know that is a low blow, but if you have given up, shut up. You have too much to offer that actually might be of value.
To answer your questions/comments:
On having been following the CIA’s machinations for over 45 years. Some of us have done quite a bit of reading and research into not only that organization but also the many other “secret” organizations that should have no place in a supposedly open democratic republic. Government secret activities such as the CIA are anathema to our country’s ideals. It is one thing for the CIA to gather foreign information to help in making decisions but the CIA has morphed into the president’s own private army out of control of any other governing structure. May I suggest you read a bit of Ray McGovern (who, as a 75 year old or so, was brutally drug from a Hillary news conference a few years back for standing up and turning his back on her, and she said nothing, did nothing to stop it.)
As far as my being cynical you are quite correct. It’s from many years of seeing all the lies and falsehoods spread throughout this country by various government and private business concerns, those in power. I’ll defer not to a dead white male philosopher but to a dead white male journalist from a century ago-Brother Ambrose Bierce: “CYNIC, n.
A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic’s eyes to improve his vision.” From his Devil’s Dictionary, it might behoove you to read it to understand how a realist sees the world (http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/)
2) Yes, one of my favorite live ones is Andre Comte-Sponville. Check out his “A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues”. And there are many others to numerous to mention here.
And no it’s not a low blow. I’ve come to expect that sort of jab here when it comes to this past election posts and the complete blindness of the sHillary supporters here (eh, Dienne!). And 2o2t, your “shut up” is just one of many instances except that it is qualified with “if you have given up”. If I had given up I wouldn’t be here attempting to discuss a better education for all amidst all the other noise.
Well, I felt it was a bit of a low blow because I appreciate your input on education issues. I get frustrated with the sometimes seemingly relentless cynicism. Intelligence agencies of all kinds have been tasked with doing things I find detestable. Ultimately, the responsibility falls on the executive branch for most of the skulduggery. That is not to excuse bad actors within the various agencies but to weigh the evidence that is leaked or made public from several intelligence sources before declaring that of course we can’t believe anything said by the CIA. To expect that much if anything will come directly come from them unless specifically called for by those who have the authority is silly. To expect transparency from the intelligence gathering community is silly. I wish that we had a few intelligence experts on the blog at times like this. Lloyd gives one vet’s perspective on some issues that I think is critical to hear even if we don’t always agree with his conclusions. Too often I think we are limited by too narrow a range of perspective, mine included.
2o2t,
“I wish that we had a few intelligence experts on the blog at times like this.”
Perhaps that sums up a bit of our differences in one sense. I refuse to defer to “experts”, especially self-proclaimed ones. The term itself is in line with America’s fascination with superlative comparison, i.e., something being #1 and only #1 counts.
A dentist I met from Denver had a fluorescent sign for his home basement bar that displayed “Second Sucks Bar” (coming from him being a Bronco fan I can see why he might have thought so). That “second sucks” philosophy is all well and good in sports but as a guiding philosophy in life it can be oppressive, mean-spirited and elitist as one strives to be #1, to hell with everyone else.
And, yes, I also see a certain “limiting perspective” being displayed here. And that is okay to a degree as it is impossible to be all things all the time, but at times I’ve seen some vicious verbal attacks on those who don’t agree with the perceived “wisdom” as espoused here.
Be that as it may, for a little more on what the CIA has been/is about may I suggest you start with this:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/12/12/historical-structural-reasons-for-skepticism-of-cia-claims-remaining-agnostic-on-claims-of-russian-hackers/
Take care 2o2t, as your thoughts are almost always spot on in my book. I wish the best for you and your loved ones not only for the holiday season but for all of the time.
Duane “That “second sucks” philosophy is all well and good in sports ”
Not good there either. Many great athletes never won at Olympics exactly because all they thought about is winning.
The important thing is a great competition, a great game. Losing a great game is not a disaster.
At the Olympics, you hear reporters ask all the time “You must be disappointed to get only a silver.”, and if the athlete dares to say, she is happy with the silver, the reporter is in complete disbelief.
Correct! My ability to write facetiously is infamously second place to many others.
One of the things I despise in league sports is the concept of not allowing ties. And then determining the winner with some bastardized form of the sport-see NHL 3 on 3 OTs or soccer/hockey pks or shootouts. A great game can and should end in a tie sometime. Except baseball where they play until there is a winner but they don’t change the game to do so. And that is what makes baseball a great game. Now if they would only get rid of the designated hitter. . . .
3-on-3 OT is the bomb.
If one is going to have such crappy rules then the rules should be: Each team must play the three players with the least amount of playing time in regulation. The back up goalies are in the net. And those 8 players play until a goal is scored. Oh, and allow the goalies to cross the center line and get into the play. No shots on goal from outside the blue line allowed to be a goal.
http://www.foxsports.com/nhl/lists/the-19-biggest-rule-changes-in-NHL-history-031715
Thanks for that one, F L E R P !
The picture with #4 shows what looks to be an exhibition game between NHLers and the Soviet CCCP team early to mid 70s. Definitely Tretiak in goal as he wore #20 (probably one of the top three goalies in ice hockey history). And it looks like the ol’ Phil “Jesus saves but Esposito scores on the rebound” with the puck in the front of the net and with who looks to be Garry Unger trailing (head shot of him).
About 10 years before my time, but I’ve seen all the Summit Series games on YouTube.
I got to see the Red Army Team play in St. Louis at the Arena (great old barn that it was-played there a few times myself for the state high school hockey championship tournament) when I was in high school. It was not part of the “Super Series” games. It was the first time that the Soviet team “toured” North America playing various teams, but I don’t think they played any NHL teams at the time. It was probably 71 or 72 or so.
Ah, I was thinking of the series between the Soviet and Canadian national teams, i.e. the “Summit Series,” particularly in 1972. There’s a good documentary on it, unfortunately only on YouTube.
Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out. It sounds like the right year.
Self proclaimed experts? Always a bit dicey, to say the least. People who have spent lots of time working in a field are different. Like, Dianne. She has knowledge and experience in the field of education that I respect. I’m looking for that kind of input. Incidentally, Did you see this blog entry?
I’m not saying anything about it’s veracity, but it says some things that spoke to me.
Thanks for your understanding and kindness. May the holiday season be a time of sweetness for you and yours, too.
That’s a good one, 2o2t! Thanks for sharing!
A president has the right to select anyone he chooses to serve in his cabinet. I am particularly impressed with Dr. Ben Carson, for Housing and Urban Development. He has lived in publicly-funded inner city housing. He has a first-rate intellect, and I believe he will serve with excellence.
Cema4by,
You just lost all credibility with your praise of Ben Carson. A great pediatric neurosurgeon who has zero knowledge of HUD, other than living in a house.
Carson himself admitted that he was not qualified to run a federal agency. And yet this yahoo ran for president?!? That does not compute. This has to be a nightmare, it can’t be real. Oh wait, it’s a real nightmare.
Truth or Fake News? pol
I don’t see the United States as a legitimate institution anymore.
DeVos said yesterday in Michigan we have to learn what it’s in her “heart”.
These people. They’re absolutely insufferable. It’s not my job to “know her heart”. They have this incredibly grandiose notion of our relationship to them.
Here’s what she can tell me- how much is she planning on hurt public schools? I’d like an opportunity to defend against this political operative’s attacks on our school.
It’s not enough I’ll be paying the salary of an anti-public school public employee and her giant staff. I’m also ordered to discern what’s “in her heart”.
No one cares about your noble mission, Betsy. Just stick to the facts.
DeVos is a lobbyist
DeVos also ordered the public to accept her with an “open mind”
Has the Trump campaign met with a single public school leader, employee, student or parent? Someone might want to notify the team 50 million kids attend the public schools they’re planning on destroying. Trump described public schools as “horrible” yesterday. I have no idea how he knows this- I would bet money he doesn’t know a single person who is a student, teacher or parent at a US public school.
They met with Rhee and Moskowitz, both of whom lobbied for charter money.
Are public schools banned from input or consideration in DC ed reform circles? I’m supposed to pay for these people for this?
50 million kids deserve an advocate in DC. I want at least one adult in the federal government who works on their behalf. I’m sick of having no political representation for our schools. I demand it from DeVos because I don’t work for her- she works for me.
I remember when I was invited to a secretive meeting about a “business opportunity” being told to have an “open mind”. Only after I got there was I told that it was Amway.
And the voters that Trump sees as losers voted him in. What those voters don’t know, is that Trump was born into a wealthy, powerful NY family, and his wealthy, ruthless, powerful, obviously racist father made sure he was successful even after several failures in his early years as an alleged adult. Daddy kept bailing him out and when daddy was gone and Trump failed again, he turned to his family who bailed him out again.
Trump does not know what it is like to be working class, to be poor, and depending on a job being there that pays a livable wage or even poverty wages.
Probably all presidents are guilty:
Bell raised $2,101,635 for President Obama’s re-election efforts.
…
Another of the president’s picks, Colleen Bell, who is headed to Budapest, could not answer questions about the United States’ strategic interests in Hungary. But could the president really expect that she’d be an expert on the region? Her previous gig was as a producer for the TV soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/02/us-ambassador-picks-103242
WE CANNOT JUST SIT STILL. Ralph Nader for one has spoken out about fighting back. If we do not democracy as we know it will cease to exist. And yes, even the planet as we know it will cease to exist.
Don’t just complain. Get active. Get people together of a like mind and fight, fight, fight.
“And yes, even the planet as we know it will cease to exist.”
Can’t agree with that statement. Even if all homo supposedly sapiens were wiped off the face of the earth tomorrow, the earth as we know would keep on keeping on. As I am wont to say “Ol’ Mother Nature always wins in the end!”
I read an interesting piece a few years ago about what would happen to the earth if our species destroyed the environment that supports our survival. About 10,000 years after our species is extinct, there will be little or no sign that we were ever here and Earth will have evolved its environment into something different just like it has done sevearl times in the last few hundred million years.
A different eco system will flourish with new species taking the place of the old.
Exacto.
So the earth as we know it WOULD cease to exist. I’m with Gordon on this one. I like my world with Medicare, social security, Obamacare, teacher tenure, unions, pensions, nuclear nonproliferation, and a still small chance to reverse climate change.