I do not watch news - ever. However, at designated times during the week, I may quickly browse the goings-on in the world. Winners focus upon things they can control - and ignore everything else. However, we all need a little entertainment now and then, so, here goes.
In any dispute, in trying to find out the truth, onlookers must first ask the classic question, "Qui Bono?" Who benefits?
Apparent facts:
- A Boeing 777 crashed in Eastern Ukraine.
- The place of the crash is a war zone.
- The territory of the crash is in the hands of Ukrainian rebels.
- The flight plan of the plane was over war territory.
- The 777 was a passenger jet carrying just under 300 people.
All other facts as far as I can tell are disputed.
Qui Bono
Let us examine the question of Qui Bono. If the plane was indeed "shot down" who benefits?
Russia? No. Russia has no reason to blast a civilian plane out of the sky.
Ukrainian rebels? No. They have no military or non-military reason to shoot a plane out of the sky either.
Ukraine? Well, from a cynical perspective, if they can blame it on their adversaries, there can be an argument for this. But, this would take a lot of resources to pull off, and a lot of people would have to be in on the job. I do not think they are dumb enough or capable of pulling something like this off.
United States? The CIA is known for doing stupid things throughout its history, but this sounds really far-fetched that they could have planned such an operation.
Responsibility
Assuming it was a Buk Missile System, they are indeed capable of shooting up to 15.5 miles high. So, someone with a Buk could have shot the plane out of the sky.
The most likely scenario is that some dumb-ass pulled the trigger before identifying the aircraft. Americans have shot down American helicopters with fighter jets in military accidents where there was a mis-identification.
It is extremely stupid to claim that Russians wanted to shoot down a civilian plane. Putin is one of the smartest guys in the world, so, that holds absolutely no water. I think it is somewhat far-fetched to claim that even the rebels in that territory would try something so dumb.
I would venture to speculate that if some dumb-ass pulled the trigger, the Russians have probably shot the idiot in the head by now for being so stupid. I would even venture that if the rebels found out who did this, they would shoot the guy in the head also.
Malaysian Airlines may be responsible in this case, or perhaps European flight controllers. How stupid is it to fly a 777 jet over a war zone full of passengers? Think about that for one moment.
Strange Political Posturing
From NPR:
At the Pentagon, Kirby told reporters that he didn't have any
specific information that the SA-11 system, known as a "Buk," had
"transited" the Russian border, "but we are not ruling anything in or
out.
"We don't directly know who's responsible for firing that
missile," he said. However, if the separatists are involved, it "would
be strange credulity to say they could do this without some level of
Russian assistance," he said.
Seriously? It would be very strange indeed if they
had Russian assistance in shooting down a 777! Why is the even Pentagon suggesting this? Information warfare?
NPR again:
"Privately, U.S. officials say they suspect separatist rebels were
behind the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17," Dina reports. "U.S.
officials say they are still analyzing the audio. They are also using
algorithms and mathematics to pinpoint where the missile was fired
from."
No crap, Sherlock! A disorganized, perhaps incompetent militia pulled the trigger on something they thought was military. It turned out it was not. But, then again, that is common sense, and we all know common sense is not very common.
Now, Reuters:
U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry laid out what he called overwhelming evidence of
Russian complicity in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 as international horror deepened over the fate of the victims' remains.
Russian complicity in shooting down a 777? I say bullshit.
Reuters again:
Kerry demanded that Moscow take responsibility for actions of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine
whom Washington suspects of downing the jet with a missile, and
expressed disgust at their "grotesque" mishandling of the bodies.
Let's see. Some rebels shot a 777 out of the sky. It was on Ukrainian rebel territory. A Malaysian flight flew over a war zone. So, logic dictates that it was the Russians! America has some really smart people at the helm!
More bullshit from Reuters:
In Washington, Kerry criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and threatened "additional steps" against Moscow.
"Drunken
separatists have been piling bodies into trucks and removing them from
the site," he said on NBC television on Sunday. "What's happening is
really grotesque and it is contrary to everything President Putin and Russia said they would do."
So, if we need cooperation from the Russians, we are going to just say they killed 300 civilians, you know, just out of fun. That will make friends really fast, you know. Like I said, America has some really smart people at the helm!
Finally from Reuters again:
European Union ministers should be
ready to announce a fresh round of sanctions at a meeting of the EU's
Foreign Affairs Council this week, said a statement from British Prime
Minister David Cameron's office, issued after telephone calls with
French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"They
... agreed that the EU must reconsider its approach to Russia and that
foreign ministers should be ready to impose further sanctions on Russia
when they meet on Tuesday," it said.
The leaders also agreed to press Putin to ensure investigators had free access to the crash site.
So, Western leaders are threatening sanctions against Russia because of something that happened in some other country. This sounds really smart.
There was once a country called Iraq, where the United States supplied them tons of weapons in the Iran-Iraq war. How many Americans did the Iraqis kill during Iraq War One and Two (1991, 2003)? Thousands! Much more than 300, dude.
///
America is a declining power. We will need all the friends we can get in the next 20 years. Do not be surprised if China places military equipment in places like Panama, Nicaragua, Cuba, or even Mexico in the next few years. Russia may be happy to help them if we piss them off too much.
Our leaders need to think carefully about what they are doing. Sometimes it is best not to run our mouths, as we Americans are prone to do. More often than not, we are looking weak and foolish with the rapid decline in leadership experience and capability.
This is scary.
Freddy
