Useful idiot number one Tucker Carlson asks why he should care about Ukraine? He shouldn’t as he has never been aware of the intricacies let alone the obvious facts of international relations. We should care about Ukraine because we care about Taiwan, and the main source of computer chips today, we care about South Korea, for a host of reasons plus we have 30,000 troops there, we care about Australia, we care about Japan etc etc. US actions or inaction affect a lot more than US citizens in the USA. Putin has made it clear what Russia is all about. We need to take heed even if the useful idiots do not.

Interesting that Tucker Carlson is selling T-shirts on his Fox TV show. Shows where his head is. Money Money Money. Meanwhile he demonstrates his ignorance and ability to swallow fake news about Ukraine. Is there no thinking about posterity? I guess not. 

The days of honor in reporting are long gone where money is concerned.  The problem is that we are left thinking either he is working for the Russians (even if he doesn’t know it) or he is just plain stupid. Perhaps both.

They say words matter. So do self made definitions. Freedom is fast becoming synonymous with selfishness. ‘I want the freedom to not wear a mask and I don’t care if I make anyone else sick. Masks are not necessarily the greatest way to stop the spread of Covid but even if they help a bit no one should object to the minor inconvenience. Governments don’t impose mandates because they want to. They think it prevents disease. Meanwhile all of us accept the right of a government, elected or not to place demands on its citizens. There is no such thing as total freedom. You need a drivers license to drive a car. You are instructed to follow driving rules, speed limits and the like or you are arrested. You stop at stop lights. Taxes are required. Sales taxes are imposed. You cant cross the street anywhere you want. 

SO I object to the self described “Freedom Caravan”.  Should be called what they are. Selfish, me me and to hell with you caravans.

It seems people are on to Tucker Carlson. Is he a Russian agent? Looking more and more likely every day. I wonder how much the Russians are paying him? Either surreptitiously or directly.

It used to be that the “Useful Idiot” file was a heavily guarded secret among intelligence agencies. The last few years with the proliferation of “fake news” has changed all that. As one Russian agent quipped “who needs a file when all you have to do is tune into Newsmax or Fox and there they are in full view”/? Plus do you think Jim Jordan would believe he was on the Useful Idiot list? He would assume it was fake news and believe it. 

The real problem of intelligence these days is figuring out what is real and what is not. It has always been a problem and every intelligence agency has put out falsehoods but now those falsehoods are multiplied exponentially. It is so bad that an agency can put out what they think is a falsehood only to find out it is reality – or is it?

In the many years of conversations with my father about his exploits in the CIA from its founding through the Middle East years, perhaps the most interesting observations surrounded the directives the CIA wanted its people to look out for. Part of this came from what the CIA learned the KGB was doing as well as Israeli Mossad. Even though operatives may have been on opposite sides there was still begrudging admiration for things they got right and concepts that all intelligence agencies used. 

Recruitment of spies every agency soon learned that if you pay people and that is the motivation, you end up getting information they think you want to hear. Better is to look out for”useful idiots” that will do your bidding perhaps without even knowing they were doing so. In other words support those that push your agenda for their own reasons, not yours.       

I remember in Lebanon funneling CIA money to a politician that was vocal about his opposition to US interests and asking why the CIA would give money to someone like that. My father’s reply was; “he may hate us but he hates the USSR even more”. It was also imperative that the politician did not know where the money was coming from as that would have hurt his credibility. So secret front organizations were set up to hide the source. At the same time I learned that theBritish, French and Soviets were doing exactly the same thing with other politicians. That’s the game of espionage.    Nowadays the game is made far easier because of the internet and the willingness of media people to think more about the personal money they make more than any larger “moral” or “patriotic” duty. The lessons of Hitler, appeasement, and the like have faded from memory. The US becoming a dictatorship? Who believes that, never going to happen, so just give me the cash.     

I cannot escape from my conversations with my father so am programmed to look for today’s useful idiots. Who is working for the interests of say China or Russia today – most likely not even realizing they are doing so? Worse, that perhaps they are being secretly funded or supported by outside interests just like we used to do (and probably still do) when my father was in the CIA.  When I heard Tucker Carlson on FOX asking why the US should care about Ukraine I saw an obvious “useful idiot.” If he is not a Russian plant than he is missing out on some serious bucks. But then again, I am sure FOX is paying him well.     

Unfortunately, FOX seems to have cornered the market for “useful Idiots”. As a matter of habit I watch FOX, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, France 24 but have to admit that watching FOX is becoming harder and harder as the useful idiots have taken over the place and have no idea where it can lead. Mark Levin?  He was always crazy so I always wondered how FOX would put him on the air. And he is not the only one spouting crazy stuff they know little about and oblivious of what the effect can be. I keep hoping that someone there will realize that encouraging the division of Americans only aids the Chinese aims re Taiwan, Putin and whatever his aims are. But alas. It’s about the money and FOX gets ratings the more outrageous their people are. Long term damage? Just give me the cash!

Who Really Knows what is happening vis a vis Ukraine and US interests”Listening to John Ratcliffe, a Trump political appointee to be Director of National Intelligence who was disgraced when it became apparent he contradicted his own intelligence people when intelligence assessments differed from a Trump position and sidelined intelligence offices in the process, one can see how ignorant people can be in discussing the US-Ukraine-Russia-Europe situation. According to Ratcliffe the US should have sent troops to Europe long ago to try to head off Russian adventurism on the borders of Ukraine. What he fails to understand – and Indeed Trump himself as we see from his recent interviews – is that the problem for the US is not a Russian invasion of the Ukraine. It is keeping NATO relevant and keeping the Western Europeans understanding that Russia under Putin is actually a real threat.

Putin has made clear what he wants to happen in Europe so that is no mystery. Just like Hitler did in “Mein Kampf” announcing to the world what makes him tick. The problem has been making people believe it and want to make the sacrifices to do something about it. In this regard Putin has done the US and NATO a huge favor. The last thing the US should have wanted to do was stop Putin from doing that. Ukraine is becoming to Putin what Poland became to Hitler. A bridge too far that showed his intentions in a way that could not be denied. He has given the US and Western Europe a wake up call.     

Guys like John Ratcliffe, who was a rather stupid choice for National Intelligence Director anyway, would not understand the subtitles of the real behind the scenes issues. Just like the idiots who say the US should have been sending arms to Ukraine long ago – not realizing that the smarter move is to send the arms and keep it secret. As I learned long ago from my CIA father, there are two things going on 1. What you hear in public and 2. what is going on behind the scenes.     

The realities are that 1. Russia has never been threatened by NATO and to say otherwise is utter nonsense. NATO expanding members close to Russian borders posed no threat to Russia. Every European leader knows what Putin is saying is bullshit.  2. Russia is the big looser in an all out war so Putin knows he has to avoid that at all costs. So he has adopted the “Speak loudly and show a big stick – but make sure you don’t actually use that stick”. What he wants is to accomplish what Hitler did in Czechoslovakia. Win without firing a shot. Unfortunately for Putin we have seen this movie before. Also unfortunately for Putin he has woken up a pack of sleeping dogs.  Thank you Putin.     

Though it is not something one can say in public – there are advantages to the US if Putin invades Ukraine.  That is real politique.