[Magdalen] IANAP

[Sally Davies]

I think, FWIW, that the Russians did two things...they tried to get
intel/kompromat on politically influential Americans and especially once
they realised Trump was serious about running for office. This was easy as
they already had business dealings with him and because he's so easily
bowled over by their showy displays of wealth on the one hand and
untrammelled violence on the other (including violence towards women and
suppression of free speech).

When I say "they" I don't mean Russians in general, but the particular
clique of super rich, morality free oligarchs that are closely tied to
Vladimir Putin in all kinds of ways that are possible in a fake democracy
like the Russian Federation, which still has so many of the trappings and
dreams of a military superpower and is tolerant of all kinds of abuses of
that power.

They may look like they are buying property in the USA but they are also
buying people, and have a long history of being astute in building up
portfolios of collaborators and spies (which reminds me, when will another
season of The Americans come on TV?? I used to think that show was far
fetched but not any more!)

Then secondly I think they tried to meddle in the US elections in all sorts
of ways, attempting to corrupt data, manipulating the discourse in social
media, and so on. Also tried elsewhere with limited success but in the US
they hit pay dirt.

In both cases it seems to me that their success was not only unprecedented
but largely unexpected.

The Russians must be watching the house of cards collapse with
astonishment, delight and awe. Someone, somewhere is being richly rewarded
for this.

No mistake, they are enemies; not because they hate the USA (they
apparently do not) but because anything which stands in the way of Russian
power and influence in the world needs to be brought under control and
failing that, brought down.

Trumps puerile admiration for "strong men" like Putin is what makes him
dangerous as well as his intellectual weakness. He is the weakest link at
the point of greatest tension.

No one in the Western world or any true democrat anywhere, could possibly
rejoice in what's happening no matter how much we long for Trump to fall
and fall hard. The USA may be a flawed democracy but it's been the centre
for so long, it's hard to imagine a world without that strong leadership.

The Russians are also waiting to buy up South Africa, once the current pack
of hyenas has finished chewing up Treasury. One thing is clear: moral
bankruptcy will soon turn into the other kind and the middle classes will
erode, mostly into getting-by poverty.

Unless we see what is happening and work as hard together to stop it, as
our parents, grandparents and great grandparents had to work to establish
social justice in their day.

Sally D

On 24 July 2017 at 00:02, Ginga Wilder <gingawilder at gmail.com> wrote:

> Trump terrifies me.  I have no clue what he will do, but I believe he is
> doing grave damage to USA.  I pray the mess he makes will not be
> irreparable.  I confess that I sit in front of an MSNBC tuned television
> and watch our values come apart bit by bit.  I am confident that Trump will
> obstruct investigations to protect himself and his family, and my brain
> awfulizes all manner of behaviors he may express.
>
> God help us.
> Ginga Wilder
>
> On Sun, Jul 23, 2017 at 1:24 PM, ME Michaud <michaudme at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > It occurred to me this morning (in church):
> >
> > the Russians now have our President
> > in the same grasp
> > he so colorfully described
> > on the Days of Our Lives bus (in 2015).
> >
> > And with that I shall withdraw.
> > -M
> >
> >
> > On Saturday, July 22, 2017, Roger Stokes <roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I agree that the Russians probably have such information but I do not
> > > expect them to release it. They want to keep Trump in the Oval Office.
> > >
> > >
> >
>