Dead Drop: September 16

DON’T GO NEAR THE WATER: We have mentioned many times the proclivity of Russians who have gotten on the wrong side of Vladimir Putin, who then find themselves on the wrong side of open high-rise building windows.  Well, it seems there is more than one way to knock off an oligarch. Business Insider says that Ivan Pechorin, a top Russian energy executive and long-time friend of Putin, died under mysterious circumstances after “falling overboard” from his boat on September 10. His body washed up two days later near Vladivostok.  The hits just keep on coming.

DON’T DRINK THE WATER:  If you have watched any cable TV in recent weeks, you have likely seen several of the advertisements from multiple law firms looking for people who lived or worked on Camp Lejeune between 1952 and 1987. Apparently, the water on base was toxic and might lead to serious health issues in later years.  But the ads have been so ubiquitous – that it has us wondering if some of these outfits aren’t trying a bit too hard.  There was one advertisement (that seems to have disappeared) featuring a gray-haired “former Marine captain” appearing in full uniform urging fellow formers to sign up with a particular ambulance chasing firm. Veteran activist, Paul Rieckhoff, also noted that he is seeing lots of “disingenuous, manipulative and exploitative ads” targeting him and other veterans online. Government officials around the country are also warning about misleading ads. “The TV ads are harmful to veterans and leading them down the path of misinformation,” Herm Breuer, the Trumbull County (Ohio) Veterans Service Commission’s executive director, told a local paper. “Some of the ads are deceiving. We’re seeing a broad brush with people on TV. Attorneys can be predatory on TV. They said, ‘If you were in Camp Lejeune, you’re eligible and you can get money now.’ We’ve received hundreds of calls since the commercials started.”