It’s a couple of weeks now since something along the
lines of a coup d’etat happened in Turkey. It was all, at least, very coup
like, while it lasted. It was quite dramatic, but the aftermath has been much,
much higher on the drama scale. Perhaps a thousand percent higher.
The coup itself was defeated almost immediately, and
the actions that the plotters took did not seem likely to achieve the desired
results. Within minutes of the event, the strongman who was the target of the
coup descended like the hordes of hell on a vast list of Turks in a great many
different fields. Way too fast, he descended. And I’m not the only one who
thought so.
Over in old Europe, Johannes Hahn, the EU’s Enlargement
Commissioner, said, “I mean, (that) the lists are available already after the
event indicates that this was prepared and at a certain moment should be used.”
An infelicitous sentence, that, but I’m pretty sure he meant to say that it was
most suspicious that the lists of people to be snatched had obviously been
drawn up before the coup, so why and how were good questions.
My sentiments, exactly. Who benefits? That’s always a
good question. It’s clearly the strongman who will benefit here. (I say
strongman, because I won’t dignify the guy by using his proper title, of which
he has long since made a mockery.)
So, how many people have been
arrested/detained/suspended/or removed, Johnny?
Detained: 7,500 people, including 6,000 soldiers and
800 judges and prosecutors.
Suspended: 8,000 police; 30 provincial governors; 47
district governors.
Removed: 2,800 judges.
Something has also happened to about fifty journalists,
but I don’t know what category they fall into. All of these are old figures by
now. I decline to update them. They’re from a day very soon after the coup hit
the fan.
None of this is really out of character for the
strongman. He’s been moving in this direction for years. How did all of this
come to happen? Good question. It’s a shame that no one seems overly
interested. The way it has disappeared from the news is a puzzlement in itself.
(Unless it hasn’t disappeared. I do try to ration my daily news intake. Got to
watch that blood pressure!)
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