Ocean’s Thirteen and the Trump Collusions
In my past life as a theoretical particle physicist, I was keen to finding links between many phenomena that might point to an underlying theory. I still go to weekly seminars to hear the far more clever theorists explore possible new connections.
Last night, I watched Ocean’s 13 (2007), where three of Hollywood’s most handsome actors, George Clooney (Danny Ocean), Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon, pull off a complex Las Vegas Strip casino-hotel heist. Of course, they did not do this alone, but with a total crew of 13, carefully chosen and exactly placed to operate at the right moment.
Thus it came to mind this morning, why are so many top people in Trump’s orbit being investigated for criminal behavior? Were they part of Trump’s or New York City’s “gang”, or were they all just independently attracted by the power, special interests, and the profits to be had by selling influence, or being rewarded for it later by lobbyists?
My conclusion is that its Trump’s “I know the best people”, plus standard political operators (Paul Manafort), plus standard special interests are all contributing. Dominant are fossil fuel interests, starting with Harold Hamm, leading to Pruitt and Zinke. Pruit acted like a natural born crook, and Zinke seems to know no bounds. Hundreds of the top agency political appointees are neck deep in industrial special interests. Trump’s proposed budget, and Supreme Court and Justices list, comes from the Koch brother’s fossil fuel funded Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society, respectively.
What’s with Zinke calling environmental groups “terrorists”? Is there any Congressional Committee or Dept. of Interior Ethics Office with the guts to condemn that and impeach Zinke? Remember Sarah Sander’s appeal to be kinder, and the First Lady’s campaign to “Be Best”?
Being Best, I won’t step into the swamp of estimating the total number of people under investigation or being charged, or having pled guilty, or cooperating.
While the press and public is far more focused on the alleged collusion with Russia in the campaign, environmentalists are focused on the day by day, agency by agency, degradation of the US and world environment by this administration and its congress.
One odd reflection, was that Trump also happens to own a Vegas Strip hotel and casino, and must have watched all of the Ocean’s movies with extreme self interest.
