A Political Murder

As I seem to be Facebook's official Bolshevic, I'd like to say something about the recent political murder in Kiev of Denis Voronenkov, former Duma member who fled to Ukraine and has been variously described as wanted for fraud and an anti-Putin rebel. First, I have no opinion whether the charges are correct. It's too early to tell. Masha Gessen has written plenty about Putin's alleged murders of journalists, dissidents, and other acts of corruption. This would fall in line with past allegations, so it must be taken seriously.

Now the fun part. Investigators talk about three things: Means, motive, and opportunity. Did Putin have the means? Yes. He has the FSB at his beck and call. Motive? You could say yes, though there are other, non-lethal ways to discredit a detractor. Opportunity? See point #1.

Of course, similar things have been said about the Clintons. They allegedly have a trail of bodies behind them. We discount those as spurious attempts to discredit the Clintons, all but forgotten today. This certainly must be considered in this case. Putin has his enemies who will seize any opportunity to discredit him. As President of Russia, Putin is undeniably ruthless. I may approve of some of the things he has done, and will always point that out, but I still don't entirely trust him. He's a politician, after all, which can be much worse than a warrior. I just refuse to automatically believe something without proof just because it caters to my prejudice. False conclusions lead to false actions. False actions sometimes lead to war. I don't like war. Stick to politics. Putin may be ruthless, but he's not stupid. Neither am I.

And there is one more consideration: Qui bono. Who benefits? Does Putin benefit from this murder? Well, that's unclear. Russia is doing very well on the world scene today. Their economy is improving, they are defeating ISIS in Syria, and they are supplanting the US as the major partner in the Middle East. They are an exporter of food and technology. They have a successful diplomatic mission that has negotiated several agreements with other countries. They are becoming a World Player. Just wait and they won't need us at all.

Why stir the pot? They are accumulating allies and business partners around the world, what do they need this cloak and dagger stuff for? The United States had Boris Yeltsin as our puppet in the Kremlin in the 1990's. Do they really need a troll doll in the White House today? What for? We're already doing his job for him! Maybe we should spend some time cleaning up our own house instead if looking for someone else to blame? Just a thought.

Also, why this way? In broad daylight? In a public place? In Ukraine's capital, Kiev? The FSB doesn't know how to make it look like an accident? They supposedly used a poison soaked titanium ball shot into Alexander Litvinenko's calf from an umbrella gun in London. They couldn't come up with something creative here? You're phoning it in, Vlad. My stage manager sense is tingling! I smell a false flag!

A few years ago Boris Nemtsov was assassinated near the Kremlin in what appeared to be a mafia style drive by shooting. Nemtsov was a Putin detractor who had very little sympathy among the Russian people. He was barely worth shooting. This 'Putin did it' accusation was so absurd that it quickly dropped from consciousness. I'd be ashamed to be accused of that assassination. Give a commie a little credit!

We reject the claims of Clinton murders as slanderous but immediately accept the claims of Putin murders as fact. No proof either way. That's sometimes called a Conspiracy Theory. Well, it could be one here, as well. Sauce for the goose. Time will tell and we shouldn't jump to conclusions. Let's see just how it plays out. But there's a saying in Propaganda: First to the finish line gets the mantel of truth. I just made that up. Actually, Thucydides said that. People believe the first account of something that they hear, regardless of later, more compelling information.

Could he have done it? Sure. Would he have, this way at least? I don't see why he would. No matter how evil you think he is, he has demonstrated himself to be immensely more clever. Why not let's be clever, as well? I'll wait for the truth and not allow myself to be hypnotized by all the troll yodeling.

Don't underestimate your enemy. And don't fall for sabre rattling from your friends.