Embracing the Moral Low Ground for Fun, Distraction & Profit

 

Embracing the Moral Low Ground for Fun, Distraction & Profit

“A lot of people didn’t like that [‘extremely controversial,’ as Trump falsely stated] gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it.” Trump, pointing to the crown prince after a reporter asked the about the Khashoggi assassination.

As much as Trump tells the world that his former business operations are controlled by his relevant family members and never by him, you would have to be brain-dead fool to believe any of this. You think the above Saudi real estate deal, the family’s crypto empire or Jared Kushner’s multi-billion-dollar Saudi investment fund would have happened if Donald Trump weren’t President? Do you think Trump’s agreement to sell Saudi Arabia our national-security-essential advanced microchips and F-35 fighters that are seldom provided to non-NATO is good for the USA? In case you missed it, and as the above pictures show, MBS has really excellent ties with Xi and Putin. Wonder how much of our classified technical information will be reviewed by China and Russia.

Perhaps you choose to ignore a flood of clear evidence from our national intelligence agencies that the 2018 assassination and dismemberment of Washington Post reporter, Jamal Khashoggi (top right above), in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was ordered directly by the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the Saudi head of state… or the MBS greenwashing his tarnished image with unenforceable pledges of US investment, as he has attempted to do with his funding of a very obvious slathering of money to seduce PGA Golfers with the Saudi-funded LIV league. Look at this all from the perspective of LA Times writer (November 22nd), Nabih Bulos:

“Seven years ago, he was virtually persona non grata, any link to him considered kryptonite among U.S. political and business elite for his alleged role in the killing of a Washington Post columnist and Saudi critic… But when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came to Washington [on November 18th], he cemented a remarkable comeback, positioning himself as the linchpin of a new regional order in the Middle East, and his country as an essential partner in America’s AI-driven future.

“During what amounted to a state visit, the crown prince — Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader — was given the literal red carpet treatment: A Marine band, flag-bearing horsemen and a squadron of F-35s in the skies above; a black-tie dinner attended by a raft of business leaders in the prince’s honor; a U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center the next day.

“Throughout, Bin Salman (or MBS, as many call him) proved himself a keen practitioner of the brand of transactional politics favored by President Trump…He fulfilled Trump’s ask, first floated back in May during the Riyadh edition of the U.S.-Saudi Forum, to up the kingdom’s U.S. investment commitments from $600 million to almost $1 trillion.” Indeed, the only place you are likely to encounter as many garish gold fixtures and architectural embellishments in a modern building as have become Trump signature pieces at the White House, his former Trump Tower residence and Mar-a-Lago, would have to be the Saudi royal palaces all over their Kingdom.

Trump hopes that his relationship with MBS will generate a lasting peace with Israel and a complete and permanent peace between Palestinians (in Gaza and the West bank) and that Jewish state. But Netanyahu has pledged never to recognize an independent Palestinian state, and Hamas has refused to disarm, as the killing and devastation in Gaza seems to have resumed notwithstanding propaganda statements to the contrary from both sides.

Add these failures to Trump short-fuse demand that Ukraine surrender to Russia even land not occupied by Russian forces and vastly cut back their military, as Putin has consistently demanded, or else he will stop supplying weapons (already stalled) to Kyiv. Someone should tell Trump that it’s not the Nobel Surrender Prize or the Nobel Propose an Impossible Peace Prize… and right now my cat is a more likely candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize than Donald “blow boats out of Caribbean waters without proof” Trump.

And’s not as if MBS has performed on past deals as he had pledged, bringing his recent promises into question as well: “His White House visit seemed to cement his comeback, but little of what was promised is a done deal… For one, whether Saudi Arabia can pony up $1 trillion — a figure amounting to 80% of its annual GDP and more than twice its foreign exchange reserves — is an open question.

“Crucially, the prince didn’t specify when the money would be invested… Though the investment pledge is big, ‘how much and over what period of time is completely unclear,’ said Tim Callen, an economist and former International Monetary Fund mission chief to Saudi Arabia… Saudi Arabia is also pulling back on its government spending, with deflated oil prices forcing it to downsize many of its gigaprojects, Callen added… ‘The pot of money available to push out all these projects and investments has shrunk, relative to 2022 and 2023,’ he said.” LA Times.

I’m Peter Dekom, and while “things happen,” all Trump really cares about is his own wealth and power, as Majorie Taylor Greene seemed to realize way too late.