Lt Col. Vindman was/is an infantry officer (crossed rifles on his lapels, light blue bands on his hat and rank bars on his shoulders) who has language skills and was seconded for diplomatic service at the Moscow and Kyiv embassies, and then staff jobs as an Eurasian area specialist. In addition to the medals on his uniform he has metal in his body from an IED. He was sent to serve on White House National Security Council because he was judged to be the best available officer. Because of his foreign birth he received an extra dose of paranoia in his background. He is Jewish and he knows what a “pogrom” is so his attachment to the Ukraine is going to be tempered by history. His father didn’t emigrate because life was so wonderful in the Soviet Union.

Funny thing… I mentioned to my newly minted Shrink a few weeks ago in our first appointment that Military training, especially the intense training specialists receive, isn’t easily forgotten. Especially when at least some of it is muscle memory or so deeply ingrained it becomes instinct rather than memory. I used situational awareness/threat assessment a lot. It became automatic & still part of me. Just walking down the street or entering a new office. She asked how that works & I described her office I’d just entered 10 min’s earlier. A painting on the wall behind me, clock & other items on a cabinet, furniture, what she was wearing… That she was more nervous than I was. 😆 (I told her that was OK & understandable. If I hadn’t been in combat several times and had 3 times the life experience she’d had, I’d have been as nervous, and it was OK.) She relaxed as I intended & we went well after that. She asked some interesting questions & made good comments. But as a good shrink should, listened and made notes. I like her, that’s important. I have my 3rd appointment tomorrow. Should be interesting. And yes, I will behave & not be a wiseguy! 😜 Her assessment is important, especially regarding how the new AD’s are working. Doc doubles the dose a Month ago… I’m not sure what’s happening, even if anything is. As I said to her the first meeting, that’s what I’m relying on her observations for. SA/TA isn’t really that useful as a self-assessment tool! Can be a hindrance in fact.😒🤷🏾‍♂️

Well… This is one the GOP/Dotard are really scrambling to discredit! But that’s a wasted effort, given the badges, ribbons, medals on his chest. I’d be proud to shake his hand (I’d salute him if it was appropriate for me to do so).

https://twitter.com/Kryten_42/status/1189393080182427650

Yeah, if it doesn’t feel right, experience says it probably isn’t. You develop a sense of the situation and it keeps you alive.

I was paid to be paranoid. I saw conspiracies everywhere! And most turned out to be true, those I dealt with (if/when/as I could and was ordered to do so, of course). 😆

I said a week or two ago the wheels are coming of the Trumpelstiltskin bus… They’re off I think! The only supposed Trump ally amused by this, was his wife!😈👍🏾 (No surprise there — She got what she married him for). I expect more rats to jump ship.

https://twitter.com/DougProchilo/status/1188831760835960837

And no flies on this Bishop! He’s neither fooled nor amused. Nice! 👍🏾 😀
https://twitter.com/Kryten_42/status/1189159007761514496

I’ll sleep well tonight. 😊👋🏾

The trademark is pending, but it is nice that the professionals are getting involved to combat lies and propaganda. As they point out, if it isn’t based on facts, it isn’t news. Twitter and Facebook think that whatever a politician spews is news. They should treat everyone equally – violate the TOS and you’re gone.

The thing is just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean no one’s out to get you. Trump didn’t beat Clinton; Trump, the Russian Intel services, US media services, and a lot of people who still wanted Bill Clinton impeached beat Hillary Clinton. Clinton’s campaign paid no attention to the Midwestern states that the Russians targeted because they were assumed to be in her corner.

That said, it is very possible the the Trumptanic will take the GOP with it. There are already Republican Congresscritters retiring who would have been in line for chairs of committees if the Republicans retook the House. Trump’s base are the dregs of the GOP and the US electorate.

Here… You deserve a laugh (and I will be laughing all week if these Canadians pull this off!)

https://twitter.com/Kryten_42/status/1188387606205091840

Actual item is here (if you’re in a harry) 😉
A Calgary Agency Just Trademarked “Fake News” So Trump Can’t Use It Anymore

Here… this popped up on my feed earlier today… And got me thinking. SO I posted a “conspiracy theory” comment! And you know I avoid those like bubonic plague! but I did have to wonder… What say you, knowing one! 😉 😀

https://twitter.com/Kryten_42/status/1188389405007835138

Jeff Bezos owns Amazon and the Washington Post. Trump hates the Washington Post because it doesn’t cover him like Pravda covered Stalin, so he tried to get the US Postal Service to raise the rates it charged Amazon. Trump won’t approve any government deal that might enrich Jeff Bezos.

Trump is angry because Bezos is a real “self made man”, who may be the wealthiest person on the planet at personal assets of $100+ billions, who graduated summa cum laude from Princeton and a Phi Beta Kappa key. Bezos is everything Trump aspires to be, but is too incompetent.

I wouldn’t trust M$ or Oracle with my pocket change. They would screw up and cause my being arrested for crimes that don’t exist and I couldn’t have committed if they did. Either would be out of step in a one-man parade. Yeah, IBM on penalty kicks. The Defense Department followed the path of least resistance.

Saw this in The Guardian… What do you make of it?

Pentagon awards $10bn cloud computing deal to Microsoft, snubbing Amazon

From a purely technical perspective, I wouldn’t award such a contract to either M$ or Oracle. Of the four… IBM by a nose. Least worse of the bunch. At least it might actually work & be somewhat secure.🤷🏾‍♂️😕

The big difference is that I was required to maintain a minimum of impartiality, while you had to determine right from wrong in an instance, and act. You got to defend yourself while I was often set up to be a target to generate a response. We were both bloody crazy to do what we did, but we believed the risk was worth it.

Turkey doesn’t see ISIS as a threat and has a racist hatred of Kurds. Russia wants to protect its Med base and to create as much chaos as possible for everyone else. Trump has done an amazing thing – he has Turkey and Russia cooperating after centuries of war. They are going to slice and dice Syria and use Assad as their puppet.

The House should neuter all of those who illegally entered a secure area with recording devices. They should lose committee assignments and be censured. Expulsion would just eat up too much time.

https://twitter.com/KevinWhitelaw1/status/1187062531950559233