Exclusive: Hundreds of thousands have pledged to take to the streets if Special Counsel Robert Mueller is removed, reflecting misplaced priorities and some fundamental misunderstandings, report Coleen Rowley and Nat Parry.
By Coleen Rowley and Nat Parry
With Democrats and self-styled #Resistance activists placing their hopes for taking down Donald Trump’s presidency in the investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, online groups such as MoveOn and Avaaz are launching campaigns to come to the Special Counsel’s defense in the event of him being removed by the president.
Robert Mueller with President George W. Bush on July 5, 2001, as Bush nominated Mueller to be FBI Director. (White House photo)
In an action alert to supporters on Wednesday, Avaaz announced plans to hold some 600 events around the country to defend Mueller in case Trump tries to fire him. “This is nuts,” Avaaz writes. “Trump is clearly gearing up to fire the independent official investigating Russia’s influence over the election — if he does, he’ll have delivered a death blow to one of the fundamental pillars of our democracy.”
Avaaz claims that hundreds of thousands of supporters have signed up for actions protesting Mueller’s possible removal, and that more than 25 national organizations support the protests. The group calls it potentially “the largest national mobilization in history.”
Considering all of the threats to democracy posed by unconstitutional overreach, unfair elections, corruption, and voter suppression – not to mention environmental challenges, economic inequality, an out-of-control U.S. foreign policy, numerous foreign conflicts that the U.S. is engaged in, and the ever-present threat of nuclear war – it is telling that the liberal establishment is mobilizing on this particular issue.
Social psychologists have long talked about how emotional manipulation can work effectively to snooker a large percentage of the population, to get them, at least temporarily, to believe the exact opposite of the facts. These techniques are known in the intelligence community as “perception management,” and have been refined since the 1980s “to keep the American people compliant and confused,” as the late Robert Parry has reported. We saw this in action last decade, when after months of disinformation, about 70% of Americans came to falsely believe that Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11 when the truth was the opposite – Saddam was actually an enemy of the Al Qaeda perpetrators.
Such emotional manipulation is the likely explanation for the fact that so many people are now gearing up to defend someone like Mueller, while largely ignoring other important topics of far greater consequence. With no demonstrations being organized to stop a possible war with North Korea – or an escalation in Syria – hundreds of thousands of Americans are apparently all too eager to go to the mat in defense of an investigation into the president’s possible “collusion” with Russia in its alleged meddling in election 2016.
Setting aside for the moment the merits of the Russiagate narrative, who really is this Robert Mueller that amnesiac liberals clamor to hold up as the champion of the people and defender of democracy? Co-author Coleen Rowley, who as an FBI whistleblower exposed numerous internal problems at the FBI in the early 2000s, didn’t have to be privy to his inner circle to recall just a few of his actions after 9/11 that so shocked the public conscience as to repeatedly generate moral disapproval even on the part of mainstream media. Rowley was only able to scratch the surface in listing some of the more widely reported wrongdoing that should still shock liberal consciences.
Although Mueller and his “joined at the hip” cohort James Comey are now hailed for their impeccable character by much of Washington, the truth is, as top law enforcement officials of the George W. Bush administration (Mueller as FBI Director and Comey as Deputy Attorney General), both presided over post-9/11 cover-ups and secret abuses of the Constitution, enabled Bush-Cheney fabrications used to launch wrongful wars, and exhibited stunning levels of incompetence.
Ironically, recent declassifications of House Intelligence Committee’s and Senate Judiciary Committee Leaders letters (here and here) reveal strong parallels between the way the public so quickly forgot Mueller’s spotty track record with the way the FBI and (the Obama administration’s) Department of Justice rushed, during the summer of 2016, to put a former fellow spy, Christopher Steele up on a pedestal. Steele was declared to be a “reliable source” without apparently vetting or corroborating any of the “opposition research” allegations that he had been hired (and paid $160,000) to quickly produce for the DNC and Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
There are typically at least two major prongs of establishing the “reliability” of any given source in an affidavit, the first – and the one mostly pointed to – being the source’s track record for having furnished accurate and reliable information in the past. Even if it is conceded that Steele would have initially satisfied this part of the test for determining probable cause, based on his having reportedly furnished some important information to FBI agents investigating the FIFA soccer fraud years before, his track record for truthfulness would go right up in smoke only a month or so later, when it was discovered that he had lied to the FBI about his having previously leaked the investigation to the media. (Moreover, this lie had led the FBI to mislead the FISA court in its first application to surveil Carter Page.)
The second main factor in establishing the reliability of any source’s information would be even more key in this case. It’s the basis of the particular informant’s knowledge, i.e. was the informant an eye witness or merely reporting double-triple hearsay or just regurgitating the “word on the street?”
If the actual basis of the information is uncertain, the next step for law enforcement would normally be to seek facts that either corroborate or refute the source’s information. It’s been reported that FBI agents did inquire into the basis for Steele’s allegations, but it is not known what Steele told the FBI – other than indications that his info came from secondary sources making it, at best, second- or third-hand. What if anything did the FBI do to establish the reliability of the indirect sources that Steele claimed to be getting his info from? Before vouching for his credibility, did the FBI even consider polygraphing Steele after he (falsely) denied having leaked his info since the FBI was aware of significant similarities of a news article to the info he had supplied them?
Obviously, more questions than answers exist at the present time. But even if the FBI was duped by Steele – whether as the result of their naivete in trusting a fellow former spy, their own sloppiness or recklessness, or political bias – it should be hoped by everyone that the Department of Justice Inspector General can get to the bottom of how the FISA court was ultimately misled.
As they prepare for the “largest mobilization in history” in defense of Mueller and his probe into Russiagate, liberals have tried to sweep all this under the rug as a “nothing burger.” Yet, how can liberals, who in the past have pointed to so many abusive past practices by the FBI, ignore the reality that these sorts of abuses of the FISA process more than likely take place on a daily basis – with the FISA court earning a well-deserved reputation as little more than a rubberstamp?
Other, more run-of-the-mill FISA applications – if they were to be scrutinized as thoroughly as the Carter Page one – would reveal similar sloppiness and lack of factual verification of source information used to secure surveillance orders, especially after FISA surveillances skyrocketed after 9/11 in the “war on terror.” Rather than dismissing the Nunes Memo as a nothing burger, liberals might be better served by taking a closer look at this FISA process which could easily be turned against them instead of Trump.
It must be recognized that FBI agents who go before the secret FISA court and who are virtually assured that whatever they present will be kept secret in perpetuity, have very little reason to be careful in verifying what they present as factual. FISA court judges are responsible for knowing the law but have no way of ascertaining the “facts” presented to them.
Unlike a criminal surveillance authorized by a federal district court, no FBI affidavit justifying the surveillance will ever end up under the microscope of defense attorneys and defendants to be pored over to ensure every asserted detail was correct and if not, to challenge any incorrect factual assertions in pre-trial motions to suppress evidence.
It is therefore shocking to watch how this political manipulation seems to make people who claim to care about the rule of law now want to bury this case of surveillance targeting Carter Page based on the ostensibly specious Steele dossier. This is the one case unique in coming to light among tens of thousands of FISA surveillances cloaked forever in secrecy, given that the FISA system lacks the checks on abusive authority that inherently exist in the criminal justice process, and so the Page case is instructive to learn how the sausage really gets made.
Neither the liberal adulation of Mueller nor the unquestioned credibility accorded Steele by the FBI seem warranted by the facts. It is fair for Americans to ask whether Mueller’s investigation would have ever happened if not for his FBI successor James Comey having signed off on the investigation triggered by the Steele dossier, which was paid for by the Clinton campaign to dig up dirt on her opponent.
In any event, please spare us the solicitations of these political NGOs’ “national mobilization” to protect Mueller. There are at least a million attorneys in this country who do not suffer from the significant conflicts of interest that Robert Mueller has with key witnesses like his close, long-term colleague James Comey and other public officials involved in the investigation.
And, at the end of the day, there are far more important issues to be concerned about than the “integrity” of the Mueller investigation – one being the need to fix FISA court abuses and restoring constitutional rights.
Coleen Rowley, a retired FBI special agent and division legal counsel whose May 2002 memo to then-FBI Director Robert Mueller exposed some of the FBI’s pre-9/11 failures, was named one of TIME magazine’s “Persons of the Year” in 2002.
Nat Parry is co-author of Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush.
Americans have short memories. All should read your analysis. Spot on. We should all be tired of being lead down the garden path. My entire life I have never been able to shake the feeling of having voted for the lesser of two evils. I am not sure which is more redundant, the politicians or the people who vote for them.
The whole thing is a planned coup, and Trump has become a hostage to their nefarious plan. This country is finished.
Avaaz !! hahahahaha when did they ever promote an investigation of uranium one or the erased 30,000 emails or the biggest breach of USA national security in history by that moron Clinton? NEVER I say leave Mueller to flog his dead donkey and appoint a special prosecuter to go after the real ‘russian’ wheelers and dealers.
Saddam Hussein was definitely not behind 911, but neither was Al Qaeda. When the truth of a matter is buried under endless lies and obfuscations – like even here in this article, where Al Qaeda is employed to validate the official revisionist version of events, the truth is hopelessly obscured. The neo-con Bush Administration and the secret overlords of the US. Military orchestrated 911 to bring about their long desired objective: perpetual war for total global spectrum dominance.
Man-O-Man, Cosmic
— Speak !
what they don’t know accuses them of complicity ….
It turns out Hillary was the Russian bribe queen and colluded with them for dirt on Trump. Now neoliberals are going into full tantrum mode. The fake snowflake coup is over.
Thank you for a very necessary discussion. The bigger problem is the national security state and the illegal surveillance that has become normalized..
It becomes clear now why the FBI did not pursue Mrs. Clinton over her classified material on her home server. The intelligence community did not want to be the cause of Mr. Trump winning the election, and event that was seen as negative for the country. Once the intelligence community went down the slippery slope of “protecting the nation from Trump”, there was no end to it. There was some movement to somehow disqualify Mr. Trump after the election, and that’s how we got to Russia-gate. Now that so many reputations are now so heavily invested in the Russia-gate narrative it’s impossible to let the story go as the narrative has a life of it’s own now. So the liberal media is on a suicide run, as it can’t let Russia-gate go, and people are turning off again. Get ready for four more years of Trump, as the Democratic party has distracted itself into becoming another brick in the wall, and is unable to perform the self-examination necessary, or is too corrupt, to field a winning political strategy for the future.
What is happening, Donald Trump is being boxed in from having any real power. He attempts to talk to Russia or Putin the left will go nuts. That’s all that this investigation is for. It will continue for as long as he is President.
The irony, powers that be wore worried that Trump wasn’t going to push forward the NEOCONS agenda. He ran on a very different platform. Wanting to normalize relations with Russia and he really called out the Bush team on Iraq. To their surprise, he’s a willing and able participant in the MIC. He now seems to believe all the intelligence briefings he receiving. Look at the actions taking place in Syria and the weapons being sold to Ukraine. To those that follow the behind the scenes action, it’s really exposed how corrupt our country has become.
I want to take this one step further. I believe our Presidents are now lied to, brainwashed with leading intelligence that force desired reaction. Imagine being President and trying to research on your own, to verify with an independent source. Imagine trying to come to a different conclusion then the one our Intelligence is briefing you with. At this point, I’m positive that our President’s are under complete surveillance. This would make it very easy to manipulate a President thinking, if in real time, you can see what he perceiving. The people aren’t the puppet, the President is.
howudothat :
“He (TRUMP) ran on a very different platform.”
Bush 41’s speech heralding “A New World Order” and a “peace dividend” after the Berlin Wall fall ushered into
Bill Clinton’s “war platform” led to the Balkanization of the former peacefully organized Nation of Yugoslavia
Foisted upon him by guilt in Lewinsky sexual exploitation as in decapitation or self/emulation in a political oppositionTrap into
United States Bombings into Sudan and Somalia and Niger and Kenya
and Head Chopping weapons into Burundi, Rwanda, Kinshasa provinces of
the so named/ “Slave Republics” of so-called “Equatorial West Africa”
as such, the Rwanda massacre was politically approved by the United States of Clinton as well as the government of France and other nations (The UN) which collectively valued the exploitative resources in the Congo/Central Africa OVER AND ABOVE THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE of that region.
Our place in the world (The United States) HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT no DEMOCRACY!!!!!!!!
And Trump is the final nail in the coffin of this last imperialism.
at the end of the day, one must analyze just WHY the russians would
prefer trump as president over hillary.
the russians maintain an enormous vault of “kompromat” against the
clintons…….consider the foundation, the pay-for-play state department,
bill’s trips to lolitaland, and of course uranium one.
and mustn’t forget that the russian intel service (and numerous other foreign
AND domestic agencies) had complete access to hillary’s non-secure
bathroom server. they do indeed have those 33,000 yoga schedules.
so one would presume the russians would prefer a candidate who could
be bought or pressured…..which would be clinton.
and if what has been revealed recently is true, then it was the clinton;s
via fusion/steele who were being aided by kremlin officials.
Seems as if all I have left to do in life at 68yrs is laugh at the progressive/liberal tools. They slithered into grade schools, colleges and universities to indoctrinate our youth into their cult of insanity. America finally awoke to it. Illegal immigration. America has awakened. The filth that dares call itself “mainstream media”. That hurts my head. Anyway. Good luck democrats this November your going to need it. I’m sure you will cheat.
Hmmm?This article seems to miss the real point. IF Trump is removed most of the problem mentioned here as being ignored will almost automatically go away.
Hang Meuller and Comey for treason.
Nuts’ indeed. Before raising the temperature over the Russiagate, first. shave off the Pentagon budget!
Nuts’ indeed. Better shave the Pentagon budget in the first place. Force,by law, Trump to show his tax return.
No reason for foul language, doesn’t enlighten just plays into the already coarse society we have. Colleen Rowley in the past has written on Mueller’s harmful coverups of FBI behavior including 9/11 collusion with Bush to ignore Saudi complicity, if I remember correctly.
Yet another “analysis ” of russia-gate without mentioning organized crime. The trump cronies are mobbed up from top to bottom, and the right is shocked they would be looked at by the FBI. Talk about snookered. Then the author, denigrates FISA, blames liberals, but doesn’t mention the lockstep GOP vote to continue it, or, the majority of dems who opposed….check your own cognitive dissonance at the door before you sit to “write” again.
BOOM!!!
— Dave Sullivan — Your words are True and hit the Heart of the matter!
What makes the American Citizenry so perversely obdurate .. ?
… what is it?????????
mueller is a obama scrotum licker fucks sheep just like panty sniffing fag obama
So far these “liberals” have not dug their own graves, because media supports their position now despite having primed Trump for winning during campaigning. I maintain that having only two political parties is the crux of the problem, and clearly both are corporate. People don’t get how they are being played. A quote attributed to Mark Twain I just read: “It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they are being fooled.”
The so called liberals tried to redefined the left away from working class to LBGT, Black Lives Matter, abortion rights, etc and , in the process, dug their own graves.
dee
What those people actually did, right or wrong, was stand up for the Civil Rights they believed were theirs as American citizens.
Well, there was middle last year a nationally organized “March for Truth” which called for investigation of Trump and any Russian ties. The march by newspaper reports got “hundreds” in Chicago and NYC. I saw a live stream of the Portland march. Maybe just maybe cracked a hundred. Basically the march attendees looked like older party partisans. I would expect the same for any pro-Mueller rallies in that they will be pretty much be democratic party rallies. As the leadership of groups like Planned Parenthood, unions, and other organizations are aligned with establishment democrats, I am not sure they can convince their bases to march.
On the electoral side. Sure some people will show up, and show up in democratic dominated cities, but in the rest of America, more of a yawn. Establishment democrats think that Russiagate will win them elections. I think not.
I was actually hoping that with Trump taking over the reigns of the war machine that the left would once again mobilize and oppose our wars and the spying state that walks all over our civil liberties. Trump certainly gives them enough legitimate areas of concern that they have plenty to go on. Sadly this really does show the power of the press to manipulate public opinion and the left-wing media loves Russia Gate.
For myself personally, I see the threat of a confrontation with Russia as the #1 concern. We have now entered into a new cold war with all the massive spending, proxy wars and yet again the very real chance of it leading to a hot war that could be the end of all of us. Sadly the “left” in this country has once again fallen for the endless propaganda, their hatred of Trump is only part of this issue.
With or without the Mueller investigation the Russia hatred will go on. Mueller could exonerate Trump tomorrow and the anti-Russian propaganda will continue. It was already ramping up well before our elections and much of it was targeted at the left then as well. Remember Pussy Riot? Remember the stories about how homophobic Russians are? The left has been primed to hate Putin for a long time by this propaganda and they fell for it well before Trump ran for office. Think about it this way, before we had the American “Deplorables” we had “Russians”. They were shown as nothing but drunken, wife beating, homophobic, Religious, white, gun nuts, etc. etc. etc. This Extreme form of stereotyping was meant to invoke hatred by the left and it worked.
Brad you got it right. Yes, the Dem’s are wasting valuable time chasing after these Russian hackers who weren’t there. Brad you also got it right, that these so called liberals are blinded by their hatred of Trump, and in my estimation these kool-aid liberals are passing up any golden opportunity they may have to go after Trump for what they should be going after him for. Talk about misdirected, the Dem’s aren’t even close. Joe
Is it a diversion?
From what?
It is obvious that Israel & Trump are on a roll.
Bombing Syria on the skirtings of Iran – “oh joy of joys, one step closer,” – to doomsday.
Elsewhere i have recommended the Palestinian people exit Palestine ASAP.
Foolhardy Israel is only the size of a postage stamp, 4 time the size of Hiroshima.
when nerves fray … hey!
One of the supreme ironies of our age is how the McCarthyesque focus on Russian interference in our electoral process has completely obscured the domestic politicization of our own institutions of government, that is the damage our now rabid placement of political party party above the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of the American population.
Corporations have taken over our legislatures under the guise of “free speech”, and the country’s foreign policy is controlled by a military-industrial-security complex that sees perpetual war as the answer to domestic economic well being and American world hegemony.
While Russians have no doubt used the internet to sow dissent here via “perception management”, as we no doubt have done there and elsewhere around the globe, what we Americans as masters of Madison Avenue techniques have done to ourselves pales in comparison. Can we come to grips with this and then get on to building a more cooperative world? It’s a cause worth fighting for.
Well said, Howard Mettee.
Our slow descent into the present National Chaos might well’ve been birthed under McCarthy antics as cloak&cover for Operation Paperclip. One could rightly label his actions “political theater” or straight subversion. — Whatever, US actual history is a Disappearing Act with imperious propensity. We, as a nation, have always been imperious and domineering, just as were our British forefathers.
The present personification of our historical arrogance is this trenchantly self-approving / self-adoring Trump; (Mala Mens Malus Animus), whose wanton path of destruction is largely more perverse than any of his predecessors. His path of DECONSTRUCTION is the portent of a free-radical DISORGANIZATION of the world structure as we’ve known it. ( Poe aptly depicted this in his short story, “The Descent Into The Maelstrom”)
The foreboding actions from Mr. Trump foreshadow Perilous Times predicted first in First Timothy 6: 9-10, Trump as forerunner and Second Timothy 3: 1-5 — either and both apt descriptions of Donald Trump.
– – – – – – “mala mens malus animus”
Great article, but too bad about the polygraph reference, it just perpetuates the myth that they are useful
https://antipolygraph.org
Robert Mueller is leading an open-ended investigation that can cover any potential crime uncovered during the course of the investigation. He has unlimited resources, no deadlines, and no oversight. He can’t be fired, except by the President. He reports to noone. His targets have no idea what their crimes may be. His team is stacked with partisan hacks. He uses heavy-handed tactics intended to break his adversaries, even if they haven’t been charged with a crime. He refuses to consider contrary evidence or to examine the DNC computers. He won’t interview witnesses. The Constitutional and human rights abuses are alarming.
The thing about liberals is, they’ll only accept one result in the Mueller probe. If Trump removes him, he’s hiding something. And if Mueller exposes Dem corruption instead of Rep corruption, they’ll say its fixed. They want the process to play out, but they’ll only accept one result, that of Trump/Russia collusion. They are blinded by their own hate.
Remember when the Dem’s hated Comey? Boy, those were the days, weren’t they?
I believe the public is getting played on Mueller. Little hints keep dropping about Trump firing him. Then the media and the left goes into a frenzy, demanding Saint Mueller stay. Mueller has literally become the symbol of hope for the left.
Imagine Mueller now coming out and clearing Trump completely while exposing what his real investigative objective was: revealing the deep state. Remember NBC and CNN mentioning Mueller began investigating the Podestas? Then they dropped that story as fast as possible.
I think we’re witnessing the absolute genius of the deep state getting taken down. My hunch is that Mueller is part of the team and the media is getting outsmarted.
One can only wonder to where all of this may go. Read this….
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-02-08/fbi-informant-testifies-moscow-routed-millions-clinton-foundation-russian-uranium
The nefarious results of the Left propaganda: CRUSH THE TRUTH AND THE SHEEP WILL SWALLOW
so the democrats are going for mob rule now? and they have willing accomplices in liberals who have no idea why they hate Trump, they just know they are supposed to hate Trump. well I say take to the streets then! give it your best shot! cry and scream and threaten your little butts off. when you have no real idea why you are doing something, it won’t take long before you realize how stupid you are and will stop listening to those who encourage you from the sidelines to attack american principles but aren’t actually on the streets with you. its ok for you to take that bullet but they sure as hell won’t be taking one for the cause.
The Iranians do this too. Bringing out their sheep to counter real protests. If these people hit the streets its proof they are the same scum that we have in govt. They are pawns for communists. Dangerous pawns.
Is George Soros behind all this its stated he pays 25 bucks per hour interesting its a known fact that George Soros does not like president Trump the ear has it Black lives matter. Charlottesville. me too Berkeley. EMILYS List and other activist groups are paid by George Soros and his new world order. one bank one government one currency one Dictator to take over the WORLD. What can we do little except be prepared to support your President Trump to take action if and when required.
Give the Clinton right wing credit for achieving what the Republicans had long hoped, but failed, to do. First, they split apart the Dem voting base in the 1990s, middle class vs. poor, and the Obama years served to confirm that this split is permanent. Then they apparently plagiarized old Joe McCarthy’s playbook, launching their anti-Russian crusade, splitting apart those who are not on the right wing. Divide, subdivide, conquer.
“his actions after 9/11 that so shocked the public conscience”
If Rowley is making such broad assertions then she owes the reader a thorough explanation of the Mueller actions to which she is referring. This reads like Rowley has an “axe to grind”. Or Rowley’s “liberals” are those who fail to genuflect when Sean Hannity speaks on FOX.
How about about a cease & desist from labels such as “liberals” Interestingly Rowley, for whom I have great respect is as “liberal” as they come.
We live in a hall of mirrors. This is yet another example of how easily most Americans are manipulated, dumbest populace on the planet apparently. I see no hope for us at all.
Liberals getting behind the most
racist government agency in a pathetic display of supporting the
“enemy of my enemy” Donald Trump
gives further proof they are as
unprincipled as any of history’s
other “national socialists”.
What the hell is this endless repetition of the word “Liberals”? Try “Corporate Democrats” and you’d be a LOT closer to reality.
To be sure. The other biggest mischaracterisation is to call the ring leaders of this witch hunt “the left” or “leftists.” The genuine left (what little still exists of it) are the few who rail against this nonsense, largely on this or similar sites (e.g., ICH).
I completely agree, Zachary. The true democratic party adherents – which includes lot of us – should have split from the Corporate Democrats long ago during Clinton presidency.
The article mentions “perception management” and I think it is well to generalize. Ever since 9/11 the permanent government has kept the population in line by playing on their fears, in Trump’s case fear of fascism. (And quite possibly the events of 9/11 were planned and executed for this very purpose.) As it turned out the perception management was all too effective and by now most of the population is freaking out, in one way or another, and our society is disintegrating. Personally I am cheering it on. Goodbye USA Thank God!
To a liberal, the worst possible scenario was the election ofTrump – especially because they are “liberals”. That cannot be difficult to see. They rightly see that Russian inference in the election could have made a significant difference in the swing states.
Whether that is true or not, is irrelevant. There cannot be closure without the investigation going forward. That Russia meddled in the US election is certainly without question. Whether Trump colluded or not still needs to be answered.
Finally, future election need to be safeguarded against foreign powers attempting to influence our system of democracy. Russia had a lot to gain potentially helping to elect Trump. Trump had a lot to gain by colluding. We need to find out the truth.
“swing states” – do you suppose that Hillary taking several of them for granted had anything to do with “influencing” the election?
Without Question! This sounds very much like a religious belief to me. Something like this 1950 declaration by the pope at the time:
Change a few words in that, and we’d have the Tragedy of Saint Hillary.
And how do you suggest this “safeguarding” happen? Shut down the internet? Imprison anyone who says a favorable word about Russia?
Zachary
HRC was the second worse candidate in US history – just behind Trump. She is definitely the one most responsible for her loss in the election. None the less, very few votes separated a significant amount of electoral votes so the Russian influence could have made a difference. If you view all of the evidence beginning when US intelligence first identified Russian-related hackers in 2015, followed by Crowdstrike in 2016 (and at least five other cybersecurity firms which confirmed Crowdstrike’s conclusions) , social media and the obvious reasons that Putin favored Trump over the anti-Russia candidacy of HRC (motive), then it becomes much more logical that Russia meddled. Assange served the Russian government as well (mostly with the aid of the Russian government-funded RT). He clearly looked to undermine the HRC candidacy despite his denials (lies).
The Daily Beast does a nice job with the time line in the current Mueller investigation (Trump-Russia Isn’t About the Cover-Up. It’s About the Crime. http://thebea.st/2slKBBE?source=twitter&via=desktop via @thedailybeast) and Marcie Wheeler (at Empty Wheel) also does a good job presenting evidence of Russian perfidy. Mueller probably knows a lot more than he is sharing so it’s just a matter of time before the evidence becomes much more difficult to ignore.
That Russia “meddled in the US election” is totally without foundation and you know it. Any such attempt by them would be pointless, ineffective and detrimental if ever found out. If we had really found out any such thing, we’d all know about it rather than being fed bullshit based upon absolutely no real evidence. America would not be subjected to a year and a half of shenanigans by a thoroughly-biased politically-motivated special prosecutor given a hunting license by a frustrated deep state, a bitter political opposition and a raucous media in the service of both.
What’s the point in dragging out the process if the object is justice and the removal of a putative pretender to the presidency? The aforementioned insurrectionists cannot pull off their desired miracle because the evidence doesn’t exist and it doesn’t exist because the purported crime was never committed.
Both the Democrats and the Republicans undoubtedly each cheated to win the election in their own ways, but not in any way involving the Russians who have just served as unwitting targets by our own domestic villains. Russia has gained NOTHING by seeing Trump in office. During the election Putin would not even play favorites, stating the obvious: that he could not predict the future and that he would have to deal with whomever was elected. Your scenarios are all delusions, Gilroy.
Realist – Excellent summation of this whole false, delusionary, bizarre concocted drama being enacted on the American people, and on people beyond in the World.
the so called liberals need god on their side so they can tear down the constitution (at least what is left of it) and then put trump’s head on a pike. the most fearful thing in this country is watching ignorance in action.
Yes! Stop and think about the consequences of a COUP of a legitimately ELECTED U.S. President by the Deep State and his political opponents. It’s a dangerous game and a slippery slope. It’s frightening to imagine where this could go.
“[I]t should be hoped by everyone that the Department of Justice Inspector General can get to the bottom of how the FISA court was ultimately misled.”
Is the IG even looking at this? The current investigation by the IG, the one due to report soon, is looking at the investigation into Clinton’s email server. I’m not aware of an IG investigation on this matter. It would certainly be a good idea – assuming that the IG is not compromised, which is a big assumption.
Maybe wishful thinking on my part. The Grassley-Graham referral regarding Steele’s potential violation of Title 18 Section 1001, lying to the FBI, may or may not be prosecutable depending upon where the “lies” took place and the likely lack of extra-territorial jurisdiction if they occurred in Rome. But even if no criminal violation could be prosecuted, I would think the IG should still investigate the matter for potential administrative discipline.
I’m hoping you and the other authors writing about this keep plugging away on the issue. There is so much disinformation being peddled by so many born liars that us non-specialists are in danger of drowning in the BS.
:)
Yeah, what Zachary said.
“This is nuts” is a great headline for our current problem.
Many years ago in my early 20s I read ‘Guns of August’ that described support for the coming WWI. What was so striking about that period was how the public in every relevant European was hell bent on war. Among the major players — Germany, France, UK, Russia and Austro-hungary — their populations were demonstrating in the streets and assemblies for war. How was it possible for all of those people to eagerly lust for war that within a few years led to the destruction of the German, Russian and Austrian empires, the deaths of millions of their citizens and multidecade impoverishment for the survivors. The costs of the war resulted in the effective bankruptcy of the UK and French colonial empires as well as millions of dead and traumatized survivors.
I never was able to see how so many people then could be so incredibly foolish. In the last two years I have gained some insight. Many of my respected, but now previous, political associates have just gone totally nuts over Russiagate. There was some kind of psychic break in their minds when Hillary lost and they are now little more than raging primates trapped in a cognitive dissonance loop. Not just that, but these are people who are on the verge of supporting war against Russia.
Reading other comments here it seems my experience has been shared by others.
Yes ToivoS, many of us here have been watching our family, friends, and fellow citizens lose their minds in mass over the election of Donald J Trump. It’s with his Electoral College win that I noticed the psychic break in many a citizens mind. So now here we are, where this psychic break has moved good thinking people to the side of the field where the Deep State, or National Security State if you will, has replaced critical thinking people by turning them into ‘useful idiots’, if that is enough of a suitable label to pin on these stray pseudo liberals.
These misguided liberal thinkers ought to move out of the way, drop this Russia-Gate travesty, and allow the real Left to emerge so as justice maybe served upon the Trump Administration. And if these limousine liberal hacks don’t wish to travel a different avenue, as to confront what the Trump team does, then for the love of mike please dear almost liberals quit getting so cozy with the National Security State. This kind of stuff gives reason to believe that ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ was a documentary, as Freddy Krueger is a nice guy in real life. Now I’m afraid to go to sleep….take care ToivoS. Joe
Regarding Guns of August, it’s a book I won’t be reading. Anything by Barbara Tuchman connected with WW1 is automatically suspect with me. I’ve kept many of her other history books, but will maintain a distinct level of skepticism while reading them. That’s necessary because she was a fanatical Zionist, and lying about Israel-related issues is just something that type does.
The term psychic break I think is dead accurate. It made me think of Naomi Klein’s “Shock Doctrine” in that people who are traumatized by natural or man made disasters are taken advantage of by powerful interests intent on imposing policies that are against the public interest.
People who are in a state of shock are not equipped to make rational decisions. Trump’s surprise (at least to Clinton voters) win left Democratic Party voters in shock leaving them vulnerable to the Establishment’s agenda of increasing tensions with Russia. Enter Russia-gate which serves many purposes at once. As we have seen, it worked like a charm. Those falling for the psy-op have left all reason behind. They are singularly focused. It is virtually impossible to introduce evidence that contradicts the narrative. It’s as frustrating as talking to a religious fanatic.
In an ironic twist, Naomi Klein today has completely lost her mind due to Trump Derangement Syndyome.
Oh dear. It’s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
The Ottoman Empire was also destroyed, with the UK subsequently claiming Palestine as a piece of their own empire.
Both MoveOn and Avaaz get major funding from George Soros.
As a foreigner, looking from the outside, it seems Mueller will not find anything on Russia. He already found something on Israel, but he doesn’t pursue that. If Americans rally, then it seems you should rally to make an objective and fair inquiry, to nail Israel for what they seem to have done.
Now your talking. Good idea.
As the people protest, they might wish to read about how the SF police department worked with fascists to ID antifascists.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/09/california-police-white-supremacists-counter-protest
The cognitive dissonance is deafening. The FBI is a criminal organization.
Trump and his cohorts are here to stay. If you think you can change the direction of failing America, best to organize a socialist party.
What is Mueller going to do about this?”
The opioid epidemic, alcohol abuse and suicides are leading causes of death in the US. The rate of fatal drug overdoses rose by 137 percent from 2000 to 2014. In 2015 alone, more than 64,000 people died from drug overdoses, exceeding the number of US fatal casualties in the Vietnam War. The suicide rate rose by a staggering 24 percent between 1999 and 2014.
These “deaths of despair” have disproportionately affected white Americans, including adults aged 25-59, those with limited education, and women. The sharpest increases have been in rural areas.
As to why the rise in mortality has been greatest among white, middle-aged adults and some rural communities, the editorial points to possible factors, which all relate to class issues. They include “the collapse of industries and the local economies they supported, the erosion of social cohesion and greater social isolation, economic hardship, and distress among white workers over losing the security their parents once enjoyed.”
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/02/09/pers-f09.html
Nothing. The problem is capitalism. Wake up from a sorry nightmare.
This is the cost of the ruling elite’s doing business.
“Social psychologists have long talked about how emotional manipulation can work effectively to snooker a large percentage of the population, to get them, at least temporarily, to believe the exact opposite of the facts. These techniques are known in the intelligence community as “perception management,” and have been refined since the 1980s “to keep the American people compliant and confused,” as the late Robert Parry has reported. We saw this in action last decade, when after months of disinformation, about 70% of Americans came to falsely believe that Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11 when the truth was the opposite – Saddam was actually an enemy of the Al Qaeda perpetrators.”
Cognitive dissonance, lack of critical thinking, reliance on authority, in this case a former head of a criminal organization called the FBI.
People have no class consciousness. They have no idea who their enemies ar or how to organize.
This is the sad case of liberalism melting like warm butter while the fascists congeal.
Nicely put.
“Social psychologists have long talked about how emotional manipulation can work effectively to snooker a large percentage of the population, to get them, at least temporarily, to believe the exact opposite of the facts. . .”
Yes. On any bar counter, just start some conversation with the person sitting to you. With all this bizarre drama – Russia-Gate, Iran, memos, dossier . . . going on TV, and in Washington being enacted knowingly by the the Powers who rule – both, so called Liberals and Conservatives – one can see how this emotional manipulation has worked to snooker just about most of the population. I just had the experience today during lunch at a bar counter. In our conversation, the person sitting next to me was ready to nuke Iran, N. Korea, and go after Russia; and go after Hillary too.
Population in the country was very poorly informed any how. And now, they, The Ruling Establishment which includes Media, have completely messed the people up – making them compliant and confused.
Does any body have idea how they are going to bring an end to this completely concocted bizarre drama?
Dave the same stupid asses you speak of will still be the same stupid asses long after these foreign affairs take any turn for the better. The dumb butts are easy to control. It’s like you point and say bad, and these morons growl, as their faces contort in macho anger. Although, if one day the U.S. should make friends with Iran, N Korea, or Russia, these silly little stupid puppies will just go back to work. If you tell them it will be exciting to play the Russians at hockey, well this might get them going a little bit again, but not to worry because it’s just hockey. Oh, easy on the beer, and make sure the refreshment stands have plenty of nachos and tip. The jackasses like to eat and drink a lot, what can I say? Joe
Have a look at the less than vigorous investigations run by Mueller into BCCI (Bush crime family “intelligence” op) pre 911. Mueller can run coverups or smear campaigns. Wonder what his corporate offshore bank accounts look like
bank accounts. good question.
I would support any measure that tends to an impeachment of a crazy, impulsive and retarded president. This president is a misfortune for the US and for the world. One can criticise the actions to support the current investigations in the Russiagate. But if it helps to get rid of a mentally ill clown then why not!
Good reasoning, but it fails to consider what’s next? Believe it or not, there will probably be a lot worse in store for us than President Donald Trump. Things just tend to get worse and worse in a collapsing empire…………..
What’s next is a good question. I hope that Clinton leave finally the political world. She was one of the main reasons that many of voters elected the bad option instead of the worst option. Collapsing of the system can not be an option. But Trump is well under way to shake the political system and polarize the civil society more than ever before…
That’s what Susan Sarandon foresaw as the “good” outcome of a Trump victory–the collapse of the system would be advanced. However, how do we benefit from that opportunity for change when the only announced candidates for Trump’s job are the same ilk (Clinton, Biden, Kerry) or their even shallower accolytes (Booker, Harris…) that caused all the damage in the first place? All those idiots are still about fooling and fleecing the American public and warring upon the rest of the world–friends and foes alike. They offer no peace, no prosperity, and no future whatsoever, only a bleak struggle for existence in a nuclear winter by the few survivors of their promised handiwork. You nailed it, Mike, things will only get worse because our leaders (from both of these two abominable parties) insist upon it.
“Why not ?” Because such ‘measures’ only serve to destroy what little remains of our
democracy. Here’s a thought experiment for you : would you support similar ‘measures’
if they ‘tended to an impeachment’ of crazy, impulsive, mentally ill Hillary had she been
elected ? (As co-president with Bill, who she promised to ‘put in charge’ of the economy).
Because “We came, we saw, he Died” Hillary is arguably even farther off the rails than
The Donald. And probably more dangerous for many reasons, not the least of which is
that so many people look at her and see someone ‘sane’.
Crooked Hillary was never be an option. And Trump is definitive not fit for the oval office. Trump will bury the democracy finally. Damages to the reputation of the US in the world community is immense. With Trump there is no chance to make a real change. Quit in contrary the US will face serious social, economic and security challenges without a glimmer of hope to change the things. My father said that a great ship could be sunk. And if it sinks it will be just slower than a little one. Trump is not an option anymore to steer the ship.
They don’t want Trump, they want Russia. That’s why Trump was “elected”. So they could use Trump to get to Russia. In 2020 Clinton will finally get elected and everyone will be begging for WWW3 against the Russian Threat. Another false Pearl Harbor is coming. Syria, N.Korea, Iran or Ukraine are all potential flash points. We’re sheep being led to slaughter.
In one ponit you are wrong. The orange clown is uninhibited in starting a war. Read just the new disclosure that pentagon had been resisting requests from the White House to provide military options for Iran. In his first speach in the UN Trump has threatened to destroy North Korea totally. This crazy man doesn’t deserve to be the president of the US!
Mostly correct, but the Deep State emphatically did NOT want Trump elected. Too unpredictable. The DS thought Hillary had a lock on the election. Just goes to show that the DS is not as smart as they like to think they are.
For sure, Mike, the DS pulled out all the stops to help Hillary both before and after the election to no avail. They are still doing it. The most influential insiders in America couldn’t alter the results of the election, yet they would have you believe that Putin merely snaps his fingers, “meddles in our democracy” and has his way. Yet most people cannot see the absurdity of that claim because the corporate media, which is part of the real conspiracy orchestrated by the DS, spews nothing but propaganda full bore 24/7 changing apparent reality right in front of your own lying eyes.
Now the History Channel is coming out with an extra special demonisation of Putin extravaganza!!! Be sure to watch if you wanna stay free! These people could rehabilitate Hitler if it suited their purposes. The American people are putty in their hands. There is no opposition but those few of us who fail to be hypnotized by the svengalis that represent the interests of the string puller elites on the boob tube and internets, who and which they totally own and control. There are so few of us who can still see the truth, I suspect they could house us all in a single detention camp if it comes to that.
I couldn’t suppress a derisive laugh reading an above comment about Putin’s ability “to work his will on any issue or election of interest.” Yep, those snapping fingers are rife with ability…not to mention speculation about Putin’s desires. What a mad genius he must be!
Snookered and bamboozled, the show must go on.
Damn the people in this country are easy to manipulate. Pathetic.
If the activists of the last generation could see the sellout pieces of garbage that call themselves democrats today, they’d roll over in their unmarked graves they were dumped into by the same alphabet agencies of oppression the stooges are standing up for.
Late stage empire in decline.
Amen.
Let’s take a step or two back and try to see the current state of chaos in a broader perspective. People are angry. The Trump administration is without question aberrant. Where is true leadership today? Certainly not with Trump or his administration. The real issue isn’t specifically ”Russiagate”, but what lies beneath.
We have been mislead, lied to, manipulated by virtually every administration to greater and lesser degrees. Of relevance here is that both Nixon and Reagan manipulated the American people through their backchannel negotiations with foreign powers prior to inauguration.
While this Consortiumnews article can shine some light on potential abuses which takes place through the FISA court we must recognize that we form an imperfect union. This particular article seems to be like arguing for changes to the fire codes while Rome burns!
Any mobilization of the “liberal establishment” is far more about the egregious threats to our democracy than whatever “Russiagate” means. An imperfect Mueller seems to represent our best way forward to finding the hidden truths behind all of Trump’s malfeasance. Let the people be heard!
The people have been heard! They voted for Trump…………
I hate the term derangement syndrome but some people surely do have Trump derangement syndrome. It’s beaten into them every day on TV and certain internet sites. I believe they want Trump removed using any means possible, including illegal means. Their derangement syndrome includes the mistaken belief attempting to enforce the law regarding Clinton emails and the frauds perpetrated on the FISA court are nothing more than an attempt to obstruct justice for Trump. Even though there is no evidence Trump has done anything wrong. It’s a shame actually.
Russia-gate has nothing to do with the real Russia.
It is entirely a Team Hillary attack on Trump. It is an attempt to deny the election. It is rage at losing, looking for excuses to express itself. If not Russia it would be Comey, or many other things. It has been most convenient to use Putin at the pinata, but that is a matter of internal US politics, not Putin at all.
And luckily for us, Putin not only groks that dynamic but has been brave enough
to say so in public.
What’s with all the new-name trolls here today ?
Best not to lose sight of this fact: there is no liberal cause, especially the incipient climate disaster, that is not negatively affected by Trump and the legal coup-d etat achieved by the Republicans. Anyone working to stymie that,whether sinless or simon pure deserves support. Also, re Russia, Garry Kasparov the Chess Master says it would be naive to think that Putin whose life work is spying would not use his current sophisticated apparatus to work his will on any issue or election of interest.
“legal coup d’etat?” That’s a new one on me, on the other hand the whole loony scene in Washington is illegal – so what the hey! Still, removing a sitting President on the basis of phony charges against him for colluding with Russia would really kick over the chess board and empower the crazies to do their worst. Or is there anybody still out there who believes the Russiagate nonsense has a shred of truth in it? I hope not, but I am afraid I am in danger of overestimating my fellow citizens……….
As for Gary Kasparov, he should rest on his fading laurels as a chess master, and stay out of politics. If he had his way Russians would raise Yeltsin from the grave, and turn their country back over to the international capitalists.
The story says: “Considering all of the threats to democracy posed by unconstitutional overreach, unfair elections, corruption, and voter suppression – not to mention environmental challenges, economic inequality, an out-of-control U.S. foreign policy, numerous foreign conflicts that the U.S. is engaged in, and the ever-present threat of nuclear war – it is telling that the liberal establishment is mobilizing on this particular issue.”
Yes, it is “telling that the liberal establishment is mobilizing on this particular issue”. Except it’s not just this issue. Remember that Al Capone was convicted of crimes other than the crime he was arrested for. It seems that on an almost daily basis evidence is discovered that the President is/was involved in crimes other than Conspiracy and/or Obstruction of Justice. As new evidence is uncovered, it may lead the Mueller investigation in another direction, and apparently, it has. If that is the case, Mueller is doing his job. The job that The People hired him to do. If Trump were to fire Mueller, it could very well be because of newly discovered criminal activity that Trump is, or was involved in, and Trump is nervous about. Our Nation is a Nation of laws, and no one, even the President is above the law. This President has a long-standing proven reputation, of difficulty with the Truth. Based on that alone, if Mueller is fired by Trump, people would be justified taking to the streets, in protest.
A riot to back up the putch against Trump? Not likely, but a disaster if performed. Is this how some dream of a new US government? It will take something much deeper and wiser to accomplish that. Again not likely, but if one has to dream, why not something truly positive?
“Putin’s life work is spying”? You seem to have a rather shallow estimate of someone who stands against those in the US determined to turn our planet into an ashy corpse.
The undead hands of those two zombie neocons, HRC and John Brennan, reach out from the boneyard of U.S. politics to drag democracy down with them.
The neocons’ ultimate target is Russia, together with anyone who dares to utter the truth about Russia. They are drunk with power and will stop at nothing, not even nuclear war, to eliminate any rival for global domination. They are so reckless and arrogant that they think a nuclear war is winnable.
Megalomania much?
Goebbels boasted that he could play the German public like a keyboard. The neofascist neocons are using the same tactics with the so-called U.S. left, which, measured by international political metrics, corresponds to the traditional imperialist right. American so-called liberals are allowing themselves to be played, like the German public was played by the Nazis before WWII. They are attacking Trump from the reactionary right, not from the left. In their feckless hysteria, they can’t even tell the difference.
Fascist tactics bring fascist results. There are multitudinous grounds to oppose Trump democratically. Impeaching him based on ginned-up, right-wing, smears would tear this country apart at the seams.
“American so-called liberals are allowing themselves to be played, like the German public was played by the Nazis before WWII. They are attacking Trump from the reactionary right, not from the left. In their feckless hysteria, they can’t even tell the difference.”
I’m afraid you are right.
Democrats are not “the left.” Have they ever really been? That’s why you said “so-called left” I realize. It makes me laugh when mainstream media calls it such.
Unfortunately for those very many invested in the Russiagate nonsense, the cold reality is that doubling down on crazy doesn’t somehow magically produce sanity. We’re watching the Western power structure fracture before our eyes as their propaganda operations have become not simply unbelievable, but now have entered into the world of the totally outlandish and absurd. The notion that “reality” requires some kind of rational connection to observable events in the physical world seems to have totally lost any meaning in this current climate of reality meltdown. Quite amazing to witness actually.
“doubling down on crazy doesn’t somehow magically produce sanity.”–Great phrasing!
Off topic.
What looks to be an outstanding brand new film is coming out soon. It’s entitled, “The Young Karl Marx.” This movie looks like a must-see.
The following link is to the two minute trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVTDoZLssg8
(If the link doesn’t open, merely punch into the YouTube search engine “”The Young Karl Marx” trailer”.)
Thanks!
Looks good!
“Liberals?” Just another name for war mongering liars these days. “Conservatives?” Just another brand of liars and thieves. People who put stock in, and vote on the basis of these baseless tags are the real suckers that enable our whole doomed evil empire. If you vote for anyone who uses either of those labels, you are a fool, and a dangerous one at that. Come to think of it, if you vote at all you are an idiot endorsing a corrupt process.
Thank you Ms. Rowley and Mr. Parry for reporting honestly. If certain factions can set-up a POTUS, what can they do to “we the people”? Mr. Parry, your father would be proud of you!
Why all the criticism of MoveOn?
I think it’s great that they are calling for massive rallies against the rape of our democracy by the one percent. It’s great to see them rallying hundreds of thousands of us to protest the state of endless war. It’s nice to see them putting all that muscle into the streets to oppose US foot-dragging on climate change.
Oh wait, I must have misread the article.
On a serious note, we need to see these FISA abuses only as the tools of tyranny. Far more important is who is wielding them … and why.
Though my instincts tell me there are many more people who are willing to sign a petition than to actually get out on the street, I might be proved wrong in this particular instance.
After signing a couple of petitions for this or that, in the forlorn hope they might bring about change, I began to realize they were mainly designed to make me feel good about myself; that I was doing something very important to make the world a better place.
Even worse, I saw I was being treated as nothing more than another fish in the net. My signature had hardly enough time to reach its destination before my inbox was deluged with requests to sign more petitions, each of which invited me to donate towards the great effort it takes to think up a petition and put it on the internet. For some unexplained reason, the process seemed to require highly-remunerated executives, and an awful lot more money than all the real work needed to run something as work-intensive as Consortium News.
After signing two, I’d already given up the idea of signing more petitions by the time I was urged to sign one for a no-fly zone over Syria to save hundreds of thousand of lives. With anti-Russian propaganda being heavily pushed by the corporate media at the time, it was obvious people who had no idea what a no-fly zone entailed were being manipulated.
We live at a time where, for most people, touchy-feely means engaging with the world through a screen. No man is an island being far from the state of affairs, all men have become islands. Far from bringing us together, the internet is being increasingly used to keep most of us farther and farther away from each other, and the information we need to form opinions based on facts.
Which leads me to ponder how on earth we arrived at a point where of hundreds of thousands of people are preparing to come out on the streets to demonstrate their support of an organization, which just happens to be one of several intelligence agencies, trying to remove their right to come out on the streets to demonstrate? I hope I’m not the only one who finds it perversely ironic and extremely disturbing.
Do those intending to demonstrate on the FBI’s behalf even realize that one of that agency’s most resource-intensive and mission-critical tasks is to record, identify and profile demonstrators?
“I am marching for my right to be surveilled. Democracy means Dossiers for All! FISA = Freedom. I’m guided by the beauty of my shackles. Liberty is Liability. Truth is Treason.”
And Insanity is Virtue. Well played, overlords: you have set the stage well – but for the hubris you can’t shake off. Lofty as you are, you don’t float above the law of unintended consequences. Or that of gravity, either.
Love your comments, The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
My experience with AVAAZ is similar. They petition for many good causes and seem to achieve quite a lot, but then there appear a slice of the petitions that are political and naive, like the no fly zone. Inherent problems in their brand of activism. They should probably reconsider their scope of issues.
Some more background information on Avaaz at: https://consortiumnews.com/2016/04/14/duping-progressives-into-wars/
Thank you!
Yes, thank you for the link. I had forgot about that. It’s very important that we understand NGO’s roles & who they are working for.
Lethal Weapon: NGO Soft Power
“Along with military invasions and missionaries, NGOs help crack countries open like ripe nuts, paving the way for intensifying waves of exploitation and extraction” ” ~ Stephanie McMillan
“”The NGO ‘soft power complex’ is now one of the most destructive global forces. It is employed as an interface between civilians of a target nation, with government, economic or military structures of the colonialist force intent on harnessing any given nation’s resources or undermining its geopolitical influence. The Democratization process, or the path to regime change is facilitated by these undercover government or corporate proxy employees who, once embedded into a society, set about producing the propaganda that will justify intervention, either economically, politically or militarily. NGO propaganda will often employ slick social media marketing which is underpinned by advance applied behavioural psychology and advanced NLP-based ‘social enterprise’ sales pitches.
A recent piece by researcher Eva Bartlett entitled, “Human Rights Front Groups [Humanitarian Interventionalists] Warring on Syria“, provides a detailed insight into how this new breed of weaponized politics is being deployed right now in the Middle East.
The perception of a ‘non profit’ complex who purport to be “working for the betterment and improvement of humanity” can be a difficult nut to crack, but it must be done. In the west. charities, not-for-profits and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are seen as “do gooders” and so they rarely fall under public scrutiny. Western governments know the general public has an inherent faith in their perceived integrity and this provides an ideal cover for western government and intelligence agencies to operate through their NGO and aid organisations.”
-Vanessa Beeley,
https://www.globalresearch.ca/syrias-white…/5485128
Being a mere paycheque away from disaster, most Americans cannot afford to take to any streets. The Powers That Be know and exploit this, having orchestrated their captives’ dire straits, all along.
So, whence shall cometh these threatening troops from Camps AVAAZ and MoveOn? By process of elimination, from the minority well-enough-heeled and the Soros-paid.
FISA’s Footsoldiers. Mueller’s Mobs. Comey’s Creatures. Hillary’s Hordes.
Slavery is Freedom! War is Peace! 1984 was a cookbook; we’ve been reading Orwell all wrong.
My chuckle for the day was “1984 was a cookbook.” Reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man” which should be the motto of capitalists everywhere.
“We serve the workers” [to our Distinguished Diners.]
As the episodes star character Michael Chambers is taken away by the Kanamits for meal time on their far away planet, Chambers looks at the audience and says, “How about you? You still on Earth, or on the ship with me? Really doesn’t make very much difference, because sooner or later, all of us will be on the menu… all of us.”
Yikes how true. Great comment johnnieandroidseed. Joe
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=De4u1Zz7Yt4
That was so cool. Thanks Gregory. Joe
The liberals are reacting this way because of the constant lies they are fed by the mainstream media. The corporate and CIA control of the media must be exposed and put to an end.
FAKE NEWS has been used to snooker the Aemnrician people and as it is gobbled up and digested and spit back with investigation or corroboration it turns decent folks into FAKE PEOPLE. Mueller is no choir boy and the mess in Washington is not going away sometime soon. As for damaging democracy, the 2 party system has taken care of that very nicely but channeling anger into something positive just wont’ be allowed to happen as the media are controlled by huge moneyed interests.
Thank you, Nat and Coleen, for this article — as well as continuing and furthering Consortium News’ reputation as one of the few remaining independent outlets that can be considered trustworthy. In this age, where even Common Dreams has lost its credibility (and posts by Caitlin Johnstone have to be taken/guarded with grains of salt) it is still a refreshing rarity.
In overall relation, the following Review is shared as representative:
Robert Shetterly’s “Americans Who Tell The Truth.org” continually express, show, and Speak Truth to Power. During our times of First Draft Coalition[s], where we are subjected to 98% (?) Controlled Narratives, a predominance critically desires to hear/see those sides which are purposely and collusively repressed, banned and/or censored. In these exponentially-escalating periods of secret laws based on secret memos, secret courts acting with secret evidence (which will not be revealed to the accused), absolute torture to the point of insanity (and death) as a means of interrogation until one gives predetermined answers (truthful or not), worldwide surveillance on every inhabitant (without probable cause) that can be (and is) used as a means to instill fear, to threaten, tarnish, oppress, and silence even peaceful dissenters of basic causes while (resultantly) turning back history 500 years, we need those with (the ability of) absolute courage to Stand Up Now (more than ever).
Evolution: from Total Information Awareness (which started long before 9/11) to Total Information (and Population) Control (as a goal in the present).
The spectacle of the Democratic Part and even the Black Caucus rallying to support the FBI is truly a wonder to behold. Have they forgotten the FBI’s past in blackmailing presidents and political leaders including JFK, Robert Kennedy and Matin Luther King? Have they forgotten its Operation Frugmenschen, which means “ape man” in German to target Balck politicians and activists, or the threatening dirty tricks letter sent to MLK urging him to commit suicide? Are they prepared to see through an illegal coup against an elected president who dared suggest a positive relaitonship with Russia and China, ensuring that no future president will dare “step out of line” lest the secret files be pulled to create a cripling scandal?. Apparently not, as the Demcratic Party we knew appears quite dead, perhaps lethally shot on Nov 22, 1963 and finally buried in 2016 with the nomination of a craven Wall Street puppet and warmonger.
Thank you for this piece!!
We saw how powerfully the Clinton “New Democrat Party” gained “influence” over the media marketed to middle class liberals, from MSNBC to online publications, pulling them well to the right. The Democrats’ anti-Russian crusade does, indeed, mimic Bush’s lies about “Iraq’s stockpiles of WMD.” What is truly “nuts” is that so much of the liberal media promote the right wing agenda while wearing their “bold progressive” lapel buttons.
The most disconcerting and heartbreaking thing I’ve witnessed in my 30 plus years of studying the politico-economic scene is the manner in which otherwise decent liberals have fallen for (or of course have been more than willing propagandists for) the hoax Russia-gate narrative. Sure, with the Schiffs (D-Israel), Schumers (D-Israel) and others in the corporate DNC, it’s all to be expected, and no semi-intelligent CN fan would consider them to be otherwise decent liberals. But to see good domestic populist liberals sell this dangerous snake-oil has been illuminating and dismaying. For crying out loud — on this particular issue Sean Hannity is better than Rachel Maddow!
It demonstrates more than any other issue the lock that Official Washington and its military driven empire builders along with the blood soaked mass media have on virtually our entire political spectrum and social discourse.
The recent Nuclear Posture Review just comes out — putting the world closer to complete annihilation and total Armageddon — and there isn’t much of a hue and cry from the smart and most important people in our media-industrial complex. Frightening.
An additional layer of disappointment is the fascist ideology seen in the liberal anti-Israel campaign. We really don’t all agree that a “fair partitioning” in the Mideast would be: 100% for the Arabs, 0% for the Jews. For those who don’t know, Israel is a tiny country (roughly the size of New Jersey). It’s the sole Jewish nation, surrounded by vast, oil-rich Arab countries. Jews are, indeed, indigenous to that bit of land. Those called “Palestinians” are Arabs who are recruited to work toward the destruction of Israel, establishing a 100% “pure” Moslem Mideast.
“An additional layer of disappointment is the fascist ideology seen in the liberal anti-Israel campaign.”
Set up a strawman much?
What you describe is a very, very marginal phenomenon in the Palestinian justice movement, marginal enough to be totally insignificant. It’s interesting that you bring this disinformation into CN. The Zionist power configuration in America can be relentless, no doubt. Hasbara is ubiquitous.
Israel’s a criminal state and international pariah bent on wiping out any independent pro Palestinian nation-state in the Middle East and subverting and destabilizing any independent pro Palestinian head of state. Bloodthirsty Tel Aviv militarists mow the grass in Gaza by killing and maiming roughly 2,000 women and children every 6 or 7 years. And no, it’s not a “fascist ideology” to point any of this out.
Read Gilad Atzmon, Norman Finkelstein, James Petras, Mearsheimer and Walt and a few others I’m forgetting at the moment for the real dope.
I think D.H. just ran a Zionist commercial on ‘the Consortium’. Should we run a pro-Palestinian commercial, just to be ‘fair and balanced’?
I’ve noticed the dishonest Zionist was trying to act like a “normal” person a few times recently. Probably the thought was that this would gain “credibility” for BS like this “Zionist Commercial” you speak of.
Zachary it’s interesting to listen to a Zionist using the same talking points that would describe the horrible plight of the downtrodden Palestinian, and do it so easily without any conscious effort to hide the truth, of what’s really going on. Joe
I’ve seen this troll on other progressive sites using the same exact wording.
Troll alert: please do not reply to DHF comments. This is an attempt to derail the discussion and debase the participants, a extreme zionist attack, on a site known for more cautious and fair commenters.
Maybe we should aim our conversation to this maddening frustration over all things Russian, to better describe America’s relationship to the Zionist Bibi Netanyahu. Do you hear me, Robert Mueller? Can you Mr Mueller lean heavily onto Flynn’s Israeli heavy lifting, and why Flynn was serving the needs of the Israeli’s?
Yes, this comment is so out of touch that it must be a troll looking to discredit this site.
A previous comment making the same statement was it seems removed. Israel must be a very sensitive issue in the US.
It is beyond belief how sensitive it is. You have no idea. However, now it actually isn’t as subversive and contentious as it was just 15 to 20 years ago. So there has been a small amount of progress, long way to go though.
There’s an elephant in the room; and it’s stomping on everyone’s feet. But anyone who mentions it is an anti-elephant.
Hey Fabian I have some refugees here so I’m taking your land for them. Pack your trash and move on.
The solution is simple: Allow all Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to vote in Israeli national parliamentary elections. Only then could Israel call itself a ‘true democracy’. This I believe results in about a 50-50 split in the electorate on religious / ethnic lines so you could even get a Muslim leader of Israel, or at least a balanced parliament.
This of course raises the issue of the military and executive and judicial structure of Israel; land ownership and immigration policy would have to be changed so that any citizen could own land, and non-Jews would be allowed to emigrate back to the region (i.e. the Palestinian diaspora would have the same rights as the Jewish diaspora).
An even more tricky issue would be the Israeli nuclear weapons program; the first step there is for the state of Israel to publicly admit its existence and allow for IAEA inspections of the program.
Many thanks Coleen Rowley and Nat Parry. Drew Hunkins, I think your comment about “otherwise decent liberals” is prescient but I’ll bet that we could have a long, extended discussion on The illiberalness of this generation of democrats (please note the small d).
I would argue that with the inception of the Clinton/Blair “Third Way” that the Democratic Party separated itself from its historic roots. In fact I think the very label of liberal opposition here used is disingenuous.
These people The Clintons and their Neoliberal constituents have never represented the Democratic Party in act or deed. The Neocons switching sides prior to the last election cycle underscored their illiberal attitude. In fact classic party alignment has little to do with this issue of criminal behavior, it is just the vehicle of divisiveness being utilized in this instance…
Points well taken Mr. Van Noy.
Most of the Dem Party has been a complete dumpster fire since corporate Clinton, “New Democrats!” and DLC completely took over the entire infrastructure.
Sadly, those decent liberals you speak of also fell for the Clinton/Obama hoax. They are a big part of the problem—phonies.
A big part of the problem for sure. Support for the Democrats on the basis of “liberal causes” is blind, phony. or both. We have suffered soaring housing and health care costs. Investment in Social Security has been marginalized at the same time war costs are put “off the books” and deemed a “necessity” of National Security. Public schools are now “standardized”, but standards are lacking and the quality of “higher”education has taken a hit too while leaving graduates in piles of debt. The safety of our drinking water is suspect and other environmental concerns take a back seat as well while “fracking” and “drill baby drill” get passes. Civil liberties are under assault and the war drums beat on. So where are the liberal Democrats? Taking “contributions”, hiding under rocks, or snickering through 3-martini lunches with their Republican cohorts…but they certainly haven’t been “liberals” for a long time now. Bill Clinton and Obama were nothing of the sort.
Next time a Democrat calls him/her self a “liberal”, they ought to have to express a true idea of just what that’s suppose to mean. And then explain what happened the last quarter-century and what in the hell their current “resistance” is really about. Don’t worry…there won’t be any straight answers forthcoming, and likely nary a hint of embarrassment either. They are shameless traitors or fools…
Nicely done Gregory Herr. The democratic party talks a good game but manages to Never Deliver the goods. The party hierarchy (DNC) doesn’t deserve support…
Simply vote for a candidate that delivers. And, never donate to the party…
This tendency among so-called “liberals” (“progressives”?) is nothing really
new.
My Dad in another political era (40’s, 50’s) took the same bait. The more
anti-communist he(qua “liberal”) was, the better it would be to push
certain other goals both legislative and in the public at large.
That makes for many “liberal” neocons etc.
Of course, the logic doesn’t hold as Drew Hunkins eloquently points
out.
Full disclosure: My Dad was great and I was a little boy then.
I wonder why so many of us spend so much time on Mueller.
Just another name to me. Let us address the issues
themselves.
—Peter Loeb, Boston, MA, USA
This article does point to no doubt one of our nation’s most evasive, and spookiest courts, which is FISA. Yet, on tv hardly is this subject ever brought up, while instead reissuing every 90 days for permission to monitor Carter Page gets talked about to no end. So far hardly has there been, to when at least I’ve viewed the anchors and pundits, do they ever discuss the unconstitutionally, or break down of our democratic values, that this FISA court represents.
Meanwhile so far what has Robert Mueller come up with? Well, we know that Manafort may be guilty of money laundering with his dealings with foreign officials, which is an easy obstacle splinter to uncover due part and parcel to his trade. We do know that the young up and coming politico operative George Papadopoulos would do well to learn a lesson from his past barroom experience of possibility talking to much to strangers, and skip the bar talk. In many ways it’s hard to see to what exactly Lt General Michael Flynn is guilty of. Maybe Flynn as the newly appointed National Security Advisor is guilty of discussing the sanctions imposed onto Russia, or was he guilty of representing Bibi Netanyahu? Probably the former is prosecutable, but of course never the latter for protecting dear sweet Israel in America no matter what is the right thing to do. Protecting Israel may in some people’s eyes even seem quite patriotic, as far as that goes, but talking to Russian diplomats, nay, never.
What this Russia-gate investigation has rot among so many other things, is that it has taken the weakening Left and showed it for what it is. It was one thing when the Clinton’s moved the Democrates over into the Wall Street column, but now with this organized Left push to support the Mueller Investigation the Left has been moved into the police state category whether these poorly misguided liberals even realize this fact. This would be akin to Albert Einstein marching behind a Nazi flag, or his standing next to Joseph Goebbels to help usher in the sheep to slaughter under the guise of democracy, and everything that’s right.
Wake up America.
“This article does point to no doubt one of our nation’s most evasive, and spookiest courts, which is FISA. Yet, on tv hardly is this subject ever brought up”
Great point Mr. Tedesky. This creepy police-state court is rarely criticized at all in our free [sic] press and establishment media.
Thank you Mr Hunkins, I’ve read many a comment post of yours, and hardly do I ever disagree with you. To bad there are not more of us voices for sanity, but with that there go I. Joe
I just saw this on the Duran. Duran reporter Jim Jatras details some very interesting angles of the likes you don’t very often hear in regard to Russia-Gate. Be notified Mr Jatras has a typo where he says Mac Blumenthal he really means the father of Max who is Sidney.
Jatras also points to the same circumstance where many Russians assumed Hillary would be our next president, so the attraction to sabotage Hillary’s campaign seemed to a fruitless proposition. I remember our own beloved Robert Parry making the same observation.
http://theduran.com/steele-dossier-full-russian-dirt-or-british/
The last sentence sums it up. Any former member of the left who supports this (they became former once they supported this obviously flawed fascistic phony investigation the implications of which threaten the rule of law and the stability and sustainability of life itself) has gone zombie and can be compared to Einstein backing Goebbels.
I’m still having a hard time accepting this pseudo Left swing to the National Security State/Deep State. Nothing in life should surprise me by now, but seeing what calls itself the Left in the U.S. go the way of the CIA/FBI/NSA is hard to swallow.
The Democrates are soon going to regret spending all of this valuable time wasted on this Russia-Gate craziness, and then what will they blame? Of course they will blame Trump, and still invoke Putin’s name, because that’s what sells tv ratings. In the end the Democrates may wake up to the realization that they blamed Trump,for all the wrong things that should have mattered. This distraction for their bend obsession with all things Russian, is what will have sunk their boat in 2018, and unless the Dem’s wise up this unneeded shadow will hover over them even into 2020. Joe
“It is telling that the liberal establishment is mobilizing on this particular issue.”
“Social psychologists have long talked about how emotional manipulation can work effectively to snooker a large percentage of the population, to get them, at least temporarily, to believe the exact opposite of the facts.”
Ain’t that the truth. Most Americans want to believe anything that authority tells them to believe. They are not worthy of the great democracy they inherited. Thank you Colleen. You are the opposite. We need to see you more often.
These organizers are arms of or provocateurs for the failing and flailing Democratic Party.. They have staked their very lives on the Russia-gate nonsense and removing or just crippling Trump.. It’s all very sad since they could be embracing the current political climate and reforming the once great Democratic Party. The unfortunate reality is that many people, including good hearted people, are falling for it.
Hell, I know a lot of people who were pretty excited about Hillary Clinton and not a one of them are going to the barricades over this spook
I agree, electing a woman as president reflects a fundamental value of womens equality. Violent protest in support of a white, male from one of our creepy. deep state agiencies in today’s world seems highly unlikely.
Well done, Coleen and Nat,
Against the background of the excellent article Coleen wrote last June on Mueller:
https://consortiumnews.com/2017/06/06/russia-gates-mythical-heroes/
and one I wrote earlier, having had a chance to question Mueller personally before a large audience at Georgetown University:
https://consortiumnews.com/2017/05/18/how-nsa-can-secretly-aid-criminal-cases-2/
… well, in the Bronx, we would call Mueller a crook; in Manhattan, a white-collar criminal.
Given the state of the law and the Russia-gate cheerleading media — both mainstream AND progressive — Mueller’s demonstrable malfeasance of the past has not yet put a dent in the “universally respected” honorific the New York Times has bestowed on him. Not yet.
What may do him in, rather, is the same tragic flaw that did in the main actors of the Greek tragedies of two and a half millennia ago. The Greeks called it hubris.
That Mueller picked Dumb-Strzok and his mistress, senior FBI attorney Lisa Page — not to mention so many other widely known supporters/defenders of Mrs. Clinton — to run his investigation is a perfect example of the overweening, unbridled arrogance that led to the downfall of many a Greek hero.
Appearance of bias be damned.
And did no one notice how Mueller’ best friend forever Comey immediately admitted that the reason he had one of his sidekicks leak sensitive information to the NY Times was that he wanted a special counsel picked toot sweet. And who would that, toot sweet, turn out to be? … his old joined-at-the-hip partner in crime, Bob Mueller (thank you, Jesus!)
The supreme irony is that the “universally respected” Robert Mueller is now hoisted by his own petard of hubris. The newness about Nunes — and rowdy Gowdy — is their willingness to take on Mueller’s closest friends, despite media charges that Republicans are trying to sabotage his investigation. In reality, Mueller has done a pretty good job of that himself, thank you very much.
I’m not a politician; cannot gauge whether it a good or bad idea that Mueller, Rosenstein, et al. be fired for cause (with respect to Rosenstein, signing deceptive FISA applications is a felony). I would guess it would be best politically to leave Mueller there to stew in his own juice.
In my view, if Mueller had an ounce of integrity, he would resign — if only because of the incredibly partisan way in which he staffed his investigation. Is he perhaps waiting for his old FBI buddies to dig up some dirt on Nunes and Gowdy? I would not put that past him, given his checkered career (see, again, Coleen’s excellent article of last June).
Be prepared for things to get still uglier.
Once again, hats of to Coleen Rowley — and Nat Parry. Like father, like son.
Ray McGovern
Mr. McGovern I was just reading some of Fletcher Prouty’s on-line posts from the past. I have long admired him. Your background and ethics remind me of his. Many thanks…
For those unfamiliar with Fletcher Prouty, here is the link that I was reading…
https://ratical.org/ratville/JFK/GoD.html
Fletcher Prouty’s suspicions re Kennedy’s assassination were later confirmed by Chauncey Holt before he died(there are several versions online). His recorded testimony proves the CIA/MAFIA connection(without knowing who gave the order). Historically the 9/11 Commission seems to mirror the same CIA infiltration as the Warren Commission did.
More on topic… the MSM deification of Mueller reminds me much of their similar glorification of J Edgar Hoover at that time.
Nice Bob H., Thanks.
“Hoisted by his own petard of hubris”–great line. We can only hope.
Does anybody ever talk about the failures of capitalism anymore or just about people and politics?
Your point is NEVER off-subject. Soros may fund one branch of the Capitalist Party and Singer the other; but they both and all the rest of their ilk, belong to the same Brotherhood.
Ray, thanks for not being like most politicians (and journalists) who carefully test which way the political winds are blowing to decide whether something is a good or bad idea. You do what you think is right, based on considerations more important than your career (gasp!).
Yes, but clearly he doesn’t, and therefore he won’t. He will drag out his neocon-sponsored witch-hunt as long as possible in order to do the maximum damage possible to all those who don’t toe the neocon line. The very existence of Mueller’s unholy inquisition constantly forces the president ever-further to the right in an effort to appease his neocon tormentors. That is, further away from détente with Russia and closer to nuclear Armageddon.
The neocons’ goal is to kill two birds, U.S. democracy and Russia, with one stone—the Mueller “investigation.”
Mueller and his co-conspirators, with all their lies and smears, have been subverting our democracy long enough. Fire him already and oppose Trump democratically instead.
Nice summary. I can’t really think of anything to say to improve on that title remark of “This is Nuts.
Ray, Mueller should resign (“…if Mueller had an ounce of integrity, he would resign — if only because of the incredibly partisan way in which he staffed his investigationar the investigation”) because there is no there there. Just close the investigation and let Americans get on with our lives.
yes i agree that mueller will be exposed (before congress ?) but not in the mainstream media. as long as that dog has a bone he will run with it. where’s a dog catcher when you need one??
Thanks Ray,
Way to little truth out there and a whole bunch of characters involved in some modern day Shakespearean tragedy.
” I– I am on record as saying I support Bob Mueller 100 percent. I think you would have a Russia — look Russia tried to interfere with our election in 2016 with or without a dossier. So you need an investigation into Russia. You need an investigation into Trump Tower and the Cambridge Analytica email, separate and apart from the dossier. So those are not connected issues to me. They may be for other Republicans, but they’re not for me. I say investigate everything Russia did.” – rowdy Gowdy, feb 4, CBS Face The Nation
Just goes to show the Republicans are just as invested in the Russiagate contoversy just they don’t want Trump to go down for it.
I’m not all that familiar with the group Avaaz, but I am familiar with the tactics of Move-On, and although they would deny it, represent the democratic party. They actually called me up asking for money to create mayhem at Trump’s rallies during his run for the presidency. I told them I wouldn’t give them a nickel since not only did I see it as undemocratic and contentious, but psychologically idiotic. Idiotic in the sense that the people who supported Trump perceived themselves as victims of a corrupt system who cared little about their needs, and turning Trump’s rallies into mayhem would portray him as a victim as well, which would cause his supporters to more fully identify with him, and more committed to getting him elected. I discontinued my support for Move-on as a result of these kind of antics. Those I know who were viciously anti-Trump lost total perspective during his presidential run, and all supported Clinton whose policies they knew little about. They were hooked into mainstream media, and none investigated alternative news sources even though they are computer literate and could have done so. All were hooked into Russia-gate from the beginning, and have never waivered in their position. I think we have to begin to look at these people not as liberals, or progressives, but for the most part they are democrats who see their party as representing liberal causes. None I know who would support this march participated in any anti-war movement, and were basically silent on Obama’s militarism, which informs me these so called liberals when it comes to war their position is more dependent on who’s doing the killing.
Your comment on how these ‘liberals’ ignore war and war-making are much appreciated.
Great post, Annie.
Disheartening, isn’t it? How “they” so thrive on this hatred is beyond understanding!
yes, excellent post, Annie!
Annie, you are spot on! You’ve perfectly described the rank-and-file’s disillusion with Washington DC …. and my little personal path out of the Democratic Party.
Annie I found this statement of yours a very interesting perspective… ‘and turning Trump’s rallies into mayhem would portray him as a victim as well’. All this noise coming from the left is never analyzed from the perspective of what would the average Trump supporter think. Yet, you did this. Pretty good analytical take on these attacks against Trump.
I thought when Trump honored the ‘Natve-American code breakers’ that by his doing this function while standing underneath a picture of Andrew ‘Trail of Tears’ Jackson was very telling. Although seen properly by many who may have a good sense of history, I thought that this was purposely done, and done to insight the Trump supporters who’s racist attitude were served quite well with Trump’s staging of this honorable affair.
The Left (which isn’t really Left) is wandering around trying to bring down Trump, while at the same time the American Left ignores what a Trump supporter may think. Both groups of American citizenry would do well to quit with all of this name calling, and derisive contempt for each other, and they should begin with a dialog which could eventually bring them together, in order to create a more perfect union.
Then that’s where you come in Annie, as to reassure they keep their eye on the ball, and to what is most important to remember, and that is because we are all together in this big crazy thing called America. We Americans should bridge our difference into making the U.S. a better nation for all to live in, and relieve the world from fears of American bombs falling on their heads.
Good take on the anti-Trump movement Annie. Joe
Good comment, Joe!
RE: “The Left (WHICH ISN’T REALLY LEFT)”
ain’t that the truth!
Unless you believe that liberals are the left. Of course they aren’t, and when progressives buy into liberalism/capitalism they are adopting the ideology of the oppressor.
I’m a life long Democrat that could not bring myself to vote for Hillary in 2008 or 2016. And though I hold some regard for her, something just didn’t feel right to me. Maybe just tired of Clinton family drama. But after this last 14 months of “resistance” I have found myself wondering just who these resistance people are. The more I find, the more distant I feel to Democrats.
To further learn about the Democrates mindset, read what Paul Street has to say;
“Last Tuesday night, the corporate Democrat and apparent presidential hopeful Hapless Joes Biden (who was considered too old to run three years ago) got along warm interview with Democratic cable news host Chris Cuomo (son of longtime Democratic New York governor Mario Cuomo) on CNN. After the Cuomo-Biden lovefest, the grammatically challenged liberal CNN commentator Dana Bash told liberal CNN host Anderson Cooper that “One of the interesting things that he [Biden] said to Chris Cuomo was defending his rabid liberalism….” Cooper interjected to say, “he described himself as a progressive.” Bash responded: “Exactly, however, he also said ‘that doesn’t mean I can’t talk to working-class voters.’”
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/09/we-the-people-trumped-by-constitution-and-capitalism/
Rob Urie points to the FBI’s use of COINTELPRO so as to discredit Martin Luther King’s rise, that now the Left is being led by the nose with the same exact program.
“The question for the Left is why liberals and progressives would align themselves with Hayden, Clapper, the FBI, CIA and NSA, and suspect organizations like Propornot and the German Marshall Fund when most have spent their entire existences trying to undermine and shut down the Left? The (near-term) cynical brilliance of the Democrats’ strategy is through revival of the Cold War frame of national interests that was always a cover for imperial business schemes. As the Intercept articles (links above) have well- uncovered, this is all just business for the Democrats anyway. Can you say class warfare?”
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/09/why-russian-meddling-is-a-trojan-horse/
Also Urie leaves lots of links to browse through.
Because of their blind support for Hillary. This is why they now think that the FBI and the CIA are their friends. Add in their hatred for Trump and nothing anyone says will dislodge them from their beliefs that Trump could only win with outside help. Rachel has totally sold out her integrity by her strongly pushing the propaganda.
As the article states, the PTB knew that people were used to the propaganda used for setting up reasons for wars, so they came at this from a different direction.
Abby, I picture somewhere within the National Security State otherwise known as ‘the Deep State’ hangs a very boastful sign on their wall, declaring of ‘How the Left was Won’. This pseudo Left’s march towards the Stasi is a Pied Pipers dream come true for the ever clever Deep State minstrels, as they gather these confused liberals by the bunch’s as to unseat a sitting President other than Hillary.
Abby, for all we know Trump’s coup masters would have done this to anyone who would have won the U.S. presidency, as to retaliate against Hillary’s loss. We also know of how the DNC put the screws to Bernie, which makes this revenge tactic seem all the more plausible by it’s overwhelming devotion to Hillary.
We should never lose sight of the compromise positions, as this puts a new White House administration under the spell of the Deep State. Imagine the dynamics of blackmailing a U.S. President, and then imagine it again, because this is what it’s all about achieving power. If the Deep State can’t get Trump impeached, then the next best thing is to delegitimize his presidency under the pretext of Russian espionage out of fear over losing our so called democracy. To get a true feel of how bend this mindset is read that last sentence I wrote over again, previous to this sentence, and you will come to see just how stupid this whole affair is. Joe
trusting Mueller, the NSA and the CIA folks to save them and teaching them to hate Assange and that Snowden fellow is a major coup on the part of the security state, but lots of people get that, and of course Trumpkin gives every indication of being a hopelessly compromised and dangerously unpredictable moron. Kind of makes it hard to decide which cop is the bad one and which is the good one; but most intelligent adults can make a choice without surrendering to the other. One hopes the neocons won’t really nuke anyone who can nuke back and that they might eventually be done away with via peaceful means. With Trumpkin…you just don’t know. One should consider though,whether might be on the same team…an unwitting Mutt to Mueller’s Jeff
Joe I would direct you to read an piece currently posted in Russia Insider by the Saker commentating on a presentation by prof. of Russian studies Steven Cohen of New York University on the Real Vladimir Putin as compared to the propagandized western media Putin. One of the comments I found quite striking was how Putin views enemies/adversaries. First turn adversaries neutral. Then turn Neutral nations in to collaborators.Then turn collaborators in to friends. And finally turn friends in to allies. No wonder Putin and Lavrov have been so patient with their dealings with the US and NATO. We could all learn a thing or to.
Thanks freedom lover for directing me to the presentation made by Professor Stephen F Cohen, as I have seen this article out there, and with your comment urging me to listen to the good Professor that now I have finally done that.
It would be great for if every American would step outside of the MSM bubble, as to discover what the real Vladimir Putin is really all about. I say this, because with all of this demonizing of the Russian leader it’s no wonder that Americans have a bad opinion of this man Putin. In fact, why would anyone try and unseat Putin from his office, not knowing who or what type of order would replace Putin.
Putin’s patience may be all that is stopping the world at this moment from a bigger, and more devastating war. We Americans would do ourselves well, if we were to settle down, and join the rest of the world towards building a better earth. Joe
https://russia-insider.com/en/review-prof-stephen-cohens-excellent-recent-talk-about-real-putin-video/ri22479
As Lincoln once said, “The best way to destroy your enemy is make them your friend”
Are we close to war with Russia, well then see this situation from Russian eyes.
http://theduran.com/american-hysteria-over-russia-will-lead-to-nuclear-war/
“and turning Trump’s rallies into mayhem would portray him as a victim as well’. All this noise coming from the left is never analyzed from the perspective of what would the average Trump supporter think. Yet, you did this. Pretty good analytical take on these attacks against Trump.”
Actually, it’s hardly a novel idea. Stephen Miller successfully used this technique at various campus speeches to catch Session’s eye, but he’s far from the first. Not sure getting beaten up by Trump supporters on TV was such a great strategy but it doesn’t have all that much to do with the widely held perception that firing Mueller would be a step too far, not only as obstruction (that not even Clinton dared during that whitewater bullshit), but the likely point at which we might lose any vestige of civilian control of government. Whether this is a valid concern or not, one would hate to err on the side of possible losing that control. it turns out that a lot of things we took for granted as being concrete limits of political behavior have been breached by Trumpkin and his people without any consequence. however you view our current state of affairs in the US, a loss of certain constraints and traditions are likely to have very bad effects upon us and the world at large. it’s amazing that people sit here commenting in all smugness about who’s right and who’s wrong while ignoring the essential fact that this shit ain’t normal and the train is very likely to leave the tracks in ways in which Muller’s whitewater rehash can’t possibly compete . Doesn’t mean protesting Mueller’s firing will be effective or even the right thing to do, but if you’re not worried about this shit, you’re not rational…or you like the idea of a little SHTF. Lots of conservative do.
The nothing new, is reminiscent of Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch that took place in Munich Germany in 1923. I also was trying to point out that the average Trump supporter hears messaging coming out of Trump, say much different than a non-supporter does, that’s all.
I regret you find my comments as being smug. I’m not even going to confront that remark, because you can read my comments, as there are many, and then you will know to just exactly where I stand. Another thing is, I’m not sure to just exactly what point you are trying to make. It’s me no doubt who’s the dense one, but feel free will to comment back, and possibly I’ll understand you better.
It’s more me than you will, so reply back, if you feel the need to. Joe
VICTIMHOOD
Victimhood is a quintessential part of aggressive authoritarianism.
Think Hitler and the victimized Germans (after Versailles) and
indeed as a “race”
Think Israel (or Zionism): Their claim of total rule of
Palestine is based (especially in the US) on the victimization
of “Jews” over the millenia.
Think the US: As victims of—-you can name it!
—Peter Loeb, Boston, MA, USA
I will do that Peter, and hope you are doing well. Joe
Thanks Joe. As always, I seek to learn and where appropriate to share.
—–Peter
two points: trump shouldn’t fire mueller. he, trump, is doing just fine now and the doj i.g. investigation should be more of the same.
and mueller’s work on 9-11 would be good to reinvestigate at a later date. this uncovering of malfeasance at the highest levels of the fbi, cia and doj is preparing people for the cognitive leap that seeing through the 9-11 hoax demands, as its only real genius was the epic magnitude of its evil.
Moveon was started by Soros and they are anti leftist.
Good points: I always thought those individuals who were protesting-causing a ruckus- at Trump rallies were being counter productive by reinforcing a sense of victimhood and solidarity among the Trumpsters.
And why are these people not protesting the voter suppression methods, gerrymandering, cross check, voter id’s, of the Repugnant party; all established facts instead of the Russian meddling disinfomation.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-propaganda-war-against-syria-led-by-avaaz-and-the-white-helmets/5479307
More background on Avaaz (and its hypocrisy) at: https://consortiumnews.com/2016/04/14/duping-progressives-into-wars/
Thanks, Colleen. I was going to go look for something about Avaaz. Devious critters!
This is Jimmy Dore’s take on the left falling for Russia-gate and aligning itself with the FBI. As he says, they are reacting to Trump with their lizard brain which makes them easy prey for being led to their own political slaughter. He does become more foul mouthed towards the end. I understand his increasing frustration with this insanity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYAvvAQopmQ
This post amplifies the original article which reveals the Orwellian zombification of former progressives into fighters for a regime which has shown itself factually to be a dangerously nihilist fascist regime supporting the final elimination of the rule of law and rationality. If it degenerates to actual street fighting I’ll support those resisting the faux fascist “resistance.”
The reason we are in the pickle barrel is exactly the reasons stated in the article and by Annie. We are exposed to exactly what they want to show us and are blinded by other narratives which do not support the group think. It is as if the politicians, the intelligence community and the media are all involved in a conspiracy. Remember that word means a plan by two or more people. No tin foil hat required. But anyone suggesting conspiracy is instantly branded a nut hence the universal use of the term conspiracy nut as a derogatory term to label anyone with a different message that somehow captures the attention of a wider audience. It is not so much that all Holly Wood stars are liberal socialists. They are a diverse group. However they all have one thing in common which is they have the public’s ear. They are also not on point with the approved messaging and so must be continuously branded as conspiracy nuts and socialist subversives. We all have seen the 24/7 bashing of these folks. Control is the reason.
The “Newspeak” we experience is straight out of Orwell’s 1984. From Wikipedia: Newspeak is the fictional language in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, written by George Orwell. It is a controlled language created by the totalitarian state Oceania as a tool to limit freedom of thought, and concepts that pose a threat to the regime such as freedom, self-expression, individuality, and peace. Any form of thought alternative to the party’s construct is classified as “thoughtcrime”.
It is truly scary how Orwellian our current situation has become reminding me that there are always two two takeaways from any story or historical record. Those that view it as a cautionary tale and those who use it as an instruction manual.
I am appalled by how the media at first put Trump in the game in the first place for economic gain (see Les Moonvies article) and then created another fictional fantasy which serves the goal of permawar and control of the citizenry through fear, confusion and ignorance. We are all exposed to the Daily Two Minutes of Hate another Orwellian concept. From Wikipedia: The Two Minutes Hate, from George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, is a daily period in which Party members of the society of Oceania must watch a film depicting the Party’s enemies (notably Emmanuel Goldstein and his followers) and express their hatred for them for exactly two minutes. The difference is we can find it 24/7 on our technological wonder machines.
Another Orwellian concept is The Ministry of Truth: The Ministry of Truth (in Newspeak, Minitrue) is the ministry of propaganda. As with the other ministries in the novel, the name Ministry of Truth is a misnomer because in reality it serves the opposite: it is responsible for any necessary falsification of historical events. From Wikipedia: As well as administering truth, the ministry spreads a new language amongst the populace called Newspeak, in which, for example, “truth” is understood to mean statements like 2 + 2 = 5 when the situation warrants. In keeping with the concept of doublethink, the ministry is thus aptly named in that it creates/manufactures “truth” in the Newspeak sense of the word. The book describes the doctoring of historical records to show a government-approved version of events.
We are also controlled through Doublespeak another Orwellian concept. From Wikipedia: Doublespeak is a language that deliberately obscures, disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Some common examples are the branding of liberals by pundits in the media as Fascists in order to eliminate the historical understanding of exactly what that word refers to. Another example is the appearance of the term Alt Right which is used to confuse and obscure the true nature of these groups. A great example of the doublespeak the media exercises in service to the state is the instantaneous adoption of the term Alt Right and nary ever a mention of its former names such as White Supremacist, Neo Nazi, Racist, Hate Group etc. They just rename these movements and hide all the other terms from sight. Another example is scapegoating the same group of people but under a different term. Today the term is Liberal but in the past, the Nazi movement called them Jews, Communists, Intellectuals etc. Whatever the term, the target of these attacks are always the ones that threaten the Power Structure.
Joseph Goebbels was in charge of the war propaganda for the Nazis during WWII. He said: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
If these things seem eerily similar to what is going on today then we probably have a power structure which is a grave threat for peace. Okay, we do have a power structure that is a grave threat to peace but oddly not democracy. Noam Chomsky wrote about propaganda stating, “it’s the essence of democracy” This notion is contrary to the popular belief that indoctrination is inconsistent with democracy. The point is that in a totalitarian state, it doesn’t much matter what people think because … you can control what they do. But when the state loses the bludgeon, when you can’t control people by force and when the voice of the people can be heard, you have to control what people think. And the standard way to do this is to resort to what in more honest days used to be called propaganda. Manufacture of consent. Creation of necessary illusions.
The folks who contribute here on this website are few indeed and what lies beyond the haven of the oasis is a vast barren dessert filled with scorpions, snakes and a whole bunch of lies.
Well said for Annie and the authors.
Democracy may be the ultimate tool of control of the masses.
More wisdom from Goebbels:
* Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their own free will
* A media system wants ostensible diversity that conceals an actual uniformity.
* We are striving not for truth, but effect.
* The worst enemy of any propaganda, it is intellectualism.
* For the lie to be believable, it should be terrifying.
* A lie repeated thousands of times becomes a truth.
* Some day the lie will fall under its own weight and the truth will rise.
I like that last one a lot but unfortunately it will not come to pass until things get bad.
Link to article: http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-trump-moonves-snap-htmlstory.html
Citizen One – You have beautifully & precicely nailed the means ( “how” ) the USA has gotten in such a mess : Newspeak, Daily Two Minutes of Hate, The Ministry of Truth, DoubleSpeak and the way and why of how Propaganda actually works. George Orwell was a seer.
AND now it would be helpful to understand “why” the USA has gotten in such a mess. The polarity of American politics tells a very long story …but in short, polarity means there are only two ways …and when the going gets tough, each way is in the extreme – the right way or the wrong way, it flips depending on each individual’s political persuasion. When the going gets tough the extremes become the tail that wags the dog.
So my question is : WHY after the seemingly happy years under Obama did the going get so tough so fast?
My pet theory is that Trump threatened to “drain the swamp” which was understood – seemingly now quite rightly – that he was going to expose some very significant wrong doing in very high places. I believe that he was on “NYC/DC” friendly terms with the Clintons and both parties knew each other for the true devil they were. Thus the big red flag he waved in her face brought about what is turning in to a multi billion dollar ongoing attempt to discredit him in the eyes of the people, in the eyes of the World and in the eyes of the highest courts “… America be damned”.
And politically this is quite necessary because she is not only an icon of all that is American,”apple pie and motherhood”; she is to the under 45 age group the great white mother of democracy via Democrat rule. And the bad part of that iconography is that if she goes down so does the party. It was also critical for her to win because of all the swamp people who had chosen to compromise their life’s work, thus had to continue in that compromise in the hope that they would come out clean since they believed that both Trump and the ordinary American were so naive, thus would be easily played for fools.
So all this crap to destroy Trump is about saving her hide to save the party. Things are so desperate now because there is nothing yet in place to replace her in the mind’s eye of the Democratic half the voting public. All who might have been in 2nd place were kept diminished to raise her higher. It now is quite obvious that she has been told to shut up and lie low, to come out only when she is in safe company – as at the Golden Globes. So the big picture today as is being painted and hyped to intensify mass hysteria is that Mueller needs to be protected from Trump… where really what is needed are the names and numbers to be called on for more $$$, more social media propaganda pages and to vote in November 2018.
Why only that? Because Trump is not going to fire Mueller; remember Mueller was a Bush man and so was Comey. They have a long history of going both ways. Survival is tricky business – especially in DC. The scapegoats are already cornered; possibly the new “lie” is already in draft form. Remember – “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
It is going to be an interesting next few months!! But we can hope that, from this one of many previous American political exercises in democracy, the ordinary defenders of those democratic values (the voters) will learn some significant truths about governance, transparency and the rule of law. The guys at the top are not gods and are not above the law; they must not only do right but be seen to do right.
The only thing I can tell you is that the conspirators who concocted Russia Gate have figured out all the pieces to the puzzle of how to control events via the means I mentioned and many other means. We are as manipulated as a light switch. One way we are all fired up about some BS and flip the switch and we are all calm and mellow. Hopefully if you follow the threads here you will find out a lot of alternative information much of it thoroughly researched by highly respected and qualified individuals who are in a position to know the truth.
The only thing I can tell you is that the conspirators who concocted Russia Gate have figured out all the pieces to the puzzle of how to control events via the means I mentioned and many other means. We are as manipulated as a light switch. One way we are all fired up about some BS and flip the switch and we are all calm and mellow. Hopefully if you follow the threads here you will find out a lot of alternative information much of it thoroughly researched by highly respected and qualified individuals who are in a position to know the truth.
I think your theory is correct about Obama. Obama was our “Cool” president.. He played lots of golf, insisted on bipartisanship which meant he was no threat to the establishment and actually did manage yo get some things done in a divided and polarized government. Where Obama was corralled was exactly where Trump was corralled by the intelligence agencies who have become the puppet masters of the politicians including presidents to do the bidding of the war machine we call MIC or military industrial complex. A nexus of government, military and media operatives which forms an Iron triangle or a circle of profit.
Step one: Military reports/creates threat.
Step two: Politicians are forced to react in ways the circle of profit desires. The defense spending plan to counter the threat materializes
Step three: The media never report negatively about a politician as long as they tow the party line. But if some politician missteps then all hell is coming down.
It is understandable that Trump did not know this. He had absolutely zero political experience.
But it doesn’t take much to set the wheels in motion when you try to upset the apple cart like Trump did and like Clinton did. Each of them committed a cardinal sin of attempting to downsize the MIC.
So that is pretty much it. I have nothing more to say on the matter. Seems like an open and shut case.
“Obama was our “Cool” president..” While this may be true for media and Washington insiders it certainly is untrue for American citizens. 2016 was a watershed year in many respects a public rejection of the established order not just here in the US but around the world with Brexit and the Vote in Italy, the very successful anti-establishment campaign of Bernie Sanders and the election of an unqualified socially boorish Donald Trump over a heavily favored Hillary Clinton who promised essentially an Obama II administration. Obama is constantly mis-characterized as a dove when in fact his administration was nothing more than a continuation of the disastrous Bush policy of regime change and confrontation with Russia albeit a different style (lead from behind vs. with us or against us). Hillary vowed to go back more toward a Bush style after Obama was roundly criticized by the Neo-con press for not attacking Syria (Truth be told Obama had little choice but to accept Putin’s offer after both Congress and Great Britain rejected his call for war).
I agree with you wholeheartedly. They call themselves “liberals” in fact they are “new liberals.”
Alas, these false (“new) liberals” are very well represented by the Obamas, the Clintons, the Trudeaus, the Macrons and so on.
If you truly believe in the “left” and call yourself “progressive” you couldn’t stand for useless and pointless wars, period.
Spot on!
I have friend, a “liberal” who lives on the Upper West Side of New York.
Very intelligent.
She is totally committed to this Russia-Gate thing.
She thinks this investigation is of paramount importance, Putin is running Trump, as far as I know she gets her news from the NYT, Daily Kos, and maybe NPR. Where to begin??
It is very disheartening how intelligent people are putting their energies into this issue.
I have a small list and circulate quite a lot of articles on various subjects of greater import than Russiagate in the sense of the perils that the world currently faces, but this is the only topic that gets a response/rebuttal from her.
And in one sense Russia gate IS the most important issue facing our country becasue it has become the preoccupation of a lot fo intelligent people who therefore are not paying attention to a lot of more important things. Their hatred of Trump has blinded them to everything else beesides Russia-Gate—including, weirdly, the much worse issues that Trump raises, such as ballooning military budget, gutting Medicare and SS, not to mention the nuclear race.
It goes to show how dangerous a little virtue and self-conviction that one is of course right can be.
” They actually called me up asking for money to create mayhem at Trump’s rallies during his run for the presidency.” ?
Prove it.
What has happened in America is eerily similar to the color revolutions in targeted countries which leads me to believe the organizers of such revolutions looked at the biggest prize of all and said “Why not.’.
Herman.I think you are right. These things are being cooked up–orchestrated to serve the current power block. The mainstream propaganda media plays a big part in that. And sadly, Americans cannot wake up fast enough.
“power block” – a fine use of 2 plain words to frame it! Thanks, Tower of Babel!
I was about to suggest that the proper term would be ‘power bloc’ , but I think I know what ToB meant here : “Block” is short for “a bloc of blockheads” , thus a (power)(bloc of blockheads) is usefully reduced to ‘power block’.
Nice work , Tower of Babel. I’m going to use that one , if you don’t mind.
A compelling insight and, yes “Why not” To the Empire, the US, on one level, is just another nation state to subjugate.
Another aspect, in light of your observation, is why do the powerful forces and people want Mike Pence to be president?
Trump is the ultimate “loose cannon”; whereas, Pence iis adummy robot on wheels. He can be rolled anywhere and willperform whatever tasks his owners put before him – without question or hesitation.
Babyl-on, the real question is what will America’s military police force do if there are really big demos? As far as I can see the American police treat demonstrators like the enemy within, but if they don’t treat the demo planned (if Trump acts to get rid of Mueller) like they have done most other demonstrators, then you know there is something rotten in the internal working of the American regime.
Babyl-on…Pence’s selection as VP is reminiscent of Reagan choosing Bush, who we all now know is a globalist, and not 3 months into his presidency an attempt was made to assassinate Pres. Reagan. I’ve never been able to find a reason why Trump chose Pence. I’m wondering if he made a deal with the GOP – support in exchange for selecting Pence. I’ve read disturbing things about the VP, long before he was chosen and since then as well.
because mike pence, like most members of congress and, until trump, all presidential and vice presidential candidates, has been vetted by aipac, etc. regarding his views on israel and related subjects. jeff gates’ book, guilt by association, details how aipac, etc. vets and controls political candidates by offering and withholding campaign contributions and, if necessary, running opponents in primaries. most of this information is hidden in plain sight.
Or, why the military industrial complex can’t stand the idea of peace with anyone? A vestigial organ that with its organization could fulfill a million other excuses to exist, like a crack rescue force, an infrastructure repair force, a worldwide crisis response force in the face of fires, floods, quakes and storms. But Peaces itself would render useless a world-dominance force that just can’t find an excuse to quit. North and South Korea’s move toward peaceful integration as dramatized at the Winter Olympics had them pushing out “war with China! ” headlines to day and yesterday, doubtless meant to have us cowering in abject fear in come closet.
That’s why Hillary, Bill and others were wearing Purple the day after they lost the election…with those smug smiles on their faces.
Let’s see how smug they look marching to prison.
Please take a selfie and publish it when they don’t.