A Crisis in Intelligence: Unthinkable Consequences of Outsourcing U.S. Intel (Part 3)

Privatized intelligence operations have become a favored practice of the U.S. and other Western governments, but the tactics of so-called spies for hire are often unethical and possibly illegal, explains George Eliason. (Read part one here. Part two here.)

By George Eliason

Decades ago, philosopher Marshall McLuhan predicted a future world war fought using information. While World War I and World War II were waged using armies and mobilized economies, “World War III [will be] a guerrilla information war with no division between military and civilian participation,” McLuhan said, a prophecy included in his 1970 book of reflections, Culture Is Our Business.

We are now seeing this information war play out in real time. Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s indictment on Friday of 13 Russian nationals who allegedly attempted to “sow discord in the U.S. political system, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election” can be seen as the culmination of the intelligence community’s efforts to ferret out trolls engaging in “Information Operations” against the United States. But in some cases, this may be the product of the West’s own Information Operations – often utilizing private “intelligence” companies, or “spies for hire.”

In parts one and two of this series, we looked at the private companies serving the deep state. We have seen how the top levels of the deep state interact with smaller companies and individual actors.

Now let’s look at the unimaginable.

This is the world the predators that the government helped create and sustains through contract work thrive in.

Unlawful Combatants in the Hybrid War

Unmasking the shadowy PropOrNot outfit was a small part of showing how immoral people are using gray areas in the law to harass law-abiding citizens and strip them of their rights, income, and right to a free press through McCarthyite smear tactics. Because they haven’t been challenged, they have no problem crossing the line into criminality.

What alternative media outlets that have been attacked by criminal groups like PropOrNot don’t know is there are laws and policies in place that protect civilians, journalists, and publications.

What is needed to stop the criminal actions of the Russian troll hunters is to demand current laws are enforced and that Congress closes up the remaining gray areas of law and policy spies for hire are exploiting to destroy lives.

As you read this, understand there are no caveats. What’s needed is for people who are willing to stand up for themselves and each other to do so. Legal action is what’s needed. If Congress won’t provide more protections or the laws that are in place won’t be upheld, lawsuits are the first line of defense against this onslaught. Violence will only insulate the criminals from responsibility for their crimes.

When spies for hire attack civilians or suppress their free speech rights by mounting Information Operations against civilians, they are crossing the line into illegality.

In part two, inherently governmental actions were defined as governing, policing, policy, military activity, and intelligence work. This was further defined as activities requiring government personnel to be legitimate. When any of these activities are done extra-legally, the protections given civilians and government authorities under the law are stripped too.

According to the Federal Register, “[i]t is the responsibility of the combatant commander to ensure that the private security contract mission statements do not authorize the performance of any inherently Governmental military functions, such as preemptive attacks, or any other types of attacks. Otherwise, civilians who accompany the U.S. Armed Forces lose their law of war protections from direct attack if and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities.”

In terms of international law, guidelines in this area are set out by the Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare, which was prepared by an international group of experts on behalf of NATO. This document spells out:

  • Cyber and online operations responsibility
  • Cyber and online authority
  • Cyber and online restrictions
  • Legalities, legal limits, and defines terrorist operations by laying the groundwork for legal action

According to Rule 26.9 of the Tallinn Manual, “Virtual Online communities and people expressing opinions do not qualify as combatants.”

It is important to note that cyber and online operations are both parts of this in the definitions of legal and illegal target choices. The manual defines lawful and unlawful combatants by what they are doing or attempting to do as well as their official authority to do so.

Tallinn Manual rules that are applicable to the spies for hire attacking civilians were designed to set rules for official military actions. The reason for their applicability in this situation is simple. When unlawful combatants attack civilians, civilians have the right to defend themselves and their properties. Civilians also have a right to restitution for damages.

Rule 30 of the Tallinn Manual defines a cyber attack as a non-kinetic attack reasonably expected to cause damage or death to persons resulting from the attack. If the attacker mistakenly calls civilians lawful targets, the attack on civilians still occurred. It is a crime. This is an important consideration considering how interconnected the internet has made people.

The only part that requires further definition is the word damage. People’s ability to make income can be damaged. Reputations can be irrevocably damaged.

Tallinn Manual Rule 33 states: “If there is doubt to the status of a person, that person is to be considered a civilian and not targetable.”

This is very important going forward. It shifts the burden of responsibility to the attacker for any damages done to people. If the attacker cannot meet the legal definition of status and show governmental authorization, then it is unlawful.

According to Rule 35.5, “Gathering information for the military makes you a combatant. Journalists are prohibited targets. Once an attack is made, the retribution is legal and does not necessarily need to be in kind. A cyber attack can be met with conventional weapons.”

Rule 35.5 means that all the corporations, companies, and “one man intel operations” working outside the direct oversight of Blue Badge ODNI agency supervisors against civilians are acting as terrorists.

Rule 41 describes cyber weapons broadly as the means to carry out cyber war by use, or intended use of cyber “munitions” designed to cause damage, destruction, or death to its targets. The breadth of the rule is required because of the wide array of possible attacks through cyber means.

Spies for hire can use the software legally on U.S. citizens that may have to be labeled munitions when they export it to client states that also use it on U.S. citizens labeled “Russian trolls.” Pentagon contractors are developing lethal cyber weapons. Do you think only the military will have access to it under the current laws?

Thinking the Unthinkable

First, let’s establish that it’s common for spies for hire to assume they can take on inherently government authority and powers. Andrew Weisburd started working with the Ukrainian government publicly in January 2015, just as they announced their IO army and Myrotvorets (PeaceKeeper) which bore his signature Russian troll hunter methodology early on. Myrotvorets will become important later in the article.

According to Weisburd‘s February 26, 2015 definition of what he is doing: “I‘m just trying to do my part to help make bad things happen to bad people who are in the service of the Kremlin. And for the record, I’m not an army of one. I’m more like a one-man intelligence service.”

Weisburd’s statement and his actions over the last two decades put him squarely in the realm of unlawful combatant. But does he know what he is doing is illegal?

How about Bellingcat’s principal, Eliot Higgins, or Joel Harding?

Joel Harding developed Ukraine’s official Information Policy in 2015. He developed a cyber containment strategy for Russian media that has to be the most effective ever mounted. Crowd the Russian media out of the world’s mainstream and keep them talking amongst themselves while social media, internet, and TV news barriers were being erected to control the news and information Ukrainians see and think about.

Because of this Russians have been kept from influencing Ukrainian media, news, or people through social media this entire time.

What do people like Joel Harding, Andrew Weisburd, Clint Watts, or Eliot Higgins think about your rights? Your worth?

As Harding once wrote in regards to a question about the world’s billion-plus Muslims who do not condone violence, “The vast majority of peaceful people are irrelevant because they did not influence or stop those who committed those acts of atrocity.”

It is this type of absolutist, black-and-white thinking, which dismisses the “the vast majority of peaceful people” as “irrelevant,” that we are dealing with in the spies-for-hire community.

Spies for hire assume authority that falls under inherently government responsibilities. They consider most of the population to be insignificant, which is why they have no problems turning Americans into “Russian agents” and line items on their invoice.

Once you’ve made it on to their radar, you might find yourself receiving threatening messages such as this one that I received from Joel Harding:

“It’s been fun following you!” he wrote. “I hope you’re having fun in Donbas. So sorry NovoRossiya is being dissolved. http://toinformistoinfluence.com/2014/10/12/novorossiya-fail/
I’ve been looking forward to you publishing some more articles. But I’m curious, two months and nothing? Did you change names?”

He continued: “I know your bandwidth there is limited, this is probably costing you many Russian rubles. Oh yeah, I hear they don’t take Ukrainian Hryvnia. The good news is that Luhansk and Donetsk will both remain with Ukraine, Russia can’t afford it.”

“By the time you return to the West, I should be in Kyiv, waiting for you,” he concluded. “You have a date with the SBU.”

The SBU is the Security Service of Ukraine, the main law-enforcement agency in the area of counterintelligence activity, which has been implicated in torture.

Harding, like every other person working for the Ukrainian government that is attacking U.S. and Western journalists, websites, and readers who leave comments on social media are not the volunteers or “concerned citizens” they claim to be.

This is important to establish because according to the Tallinn Manual, being volunteers excludes you from responsibility for some aspects of an illegal combatant activity.

If Harding never received a penny from the Ukrainian government directly (he was hired), he was still paid through the company he advertises on his website. He used to have a contact form that bragged about how they would destroy your corporate competition using these means and that they were state to state capable.

Harding helped NATO STRATCOM Centres of Excellence (COE) Latvia off the ground at the same time he was helping set up the Ukrainian Information Ministry. He wrote Ukraine’s Information Policy in 2015-2016. Harding’s IOTA Global, which offers services in “PsyOps, Media Operations, Key Leader Engagement and CIMIC as well as Operational Planning, Target Audience Analysis and Measurement of Effect” according to its LinkedIn profile, announced they were working with both STRATCOM COE and the Ukrainian government. If you look at the comments, the COE leadership appear to be gushing with emotion.

“We are delighted to have been working with the NATO Centre of Excellence for Strategic Communication, Latvia, (2015) in delivering capacity building training, in Kiev, to representatives from the Ukrainian government. Ukraine is faced with a number of challenging issues, not least the ongoing territorial dispute with Russia,” according to one comment. “IOTA Global and its partner company, SCL Ltd, were contracted by the Canadian Government earlier this year to assist the NATO COE in its vital work. This included the delivery of a 9-week intensive Target Audience Analysis course, using the Behavioural Dynamics Institute (BDi) advanced TAA methodology (TAA), to train 20 students from 11 NATO nations.”

This is important because, for the last three years, Harding has been working to destroy news and websites that disturb his narrative building and information operations. GlobalResearch.ca has been an ongoing focus for him and the other unlawful combatants named here the entire time.

Joel Harding harnessed practitioners, companies, countries, and NATO in his fight to take down GlobalResearch.ca

“GlobalResearch.ca,” Harding wrote on his blog. “Remember that name, put it on your ‘bad’ list and spread the word. They are despicable, vile, the opposite of journalists.”

According to the Globe and Mail, NATO Center of Excellence for Strategic Communication, Latvia is going after GlobalResearch.ca and their reasoning parrots Joel Harding’s.

“At its headquarters in Riga, StratCom researchers consider globalresearch.ca to be a link in a network that reposts such stories,” according to the Globe and Mail article. Donara Barojan, who does digital forensic research for the NATO COE claimed that Global Research uses techniques to boost stories’ Google ranking “and create the illusion of multisource verification.” She admitted though that they do not have proof that Global Research is connected to any government.

This focus and constant barrage have taken its toll on www.globalresearch.ca because the same people who are attacking them are trusted fact check sources for Google, which affects the site’s ranking.

This is a clear-cut case of unlawful combatants steering the ship at NATO to settle imagined grievances. Spies for hire committing illegal actions are also teaching NATO, DOD, ODNI agencies, and foreign counterparts how to go about their business. They are giving them the criteria to find enemies and engage them.

On its own, or with other websites, Global Research has the ability to counter this with a lawsuit. The apparent attack by NATO COE, Latvia is at the instigation of Joel Harding. A lawsuit could include him, Andrew Weisburd, Clint Watts, Hamilton 68 Dashboard, Bellingcat, the Canadian government, as well as others involved including NATO and every country with a part in the NATO Center of Excellence.

Spies for Hire Attack Teenagers

Are terrorists allowed to put American kids on their kill lists? If they are, watch out! Are your kids are next?

Joel Harding wrote the information policy for Ukraine. Myrotvorets is what it led to right away. This is the first product of the information policy, Ukraine’s infamous kill site. Ukraine maintains the right to kill anyone on listed on it, anywhere in the world, any time they choose to. And the Ukrainians use this to find and murder people who talk, post article links in social media, or write articles they don’t like.

Andrew Weisburd started his kremlintrolls.com website at the same time Myrotvorets came online. He taught the Ukrainians how to catch entire networks so they could be put on the list.

Eliot Higgins and Aric Toler of Bellingcat taught the Ukrainians to find the people in the networks that are on the kill list at Myrotvorets.

Ronnie Miller was 17 years old when he was put on this list. He’s never been to Ukraine before. Three out of four of these unlawful combatants are Americans working for a foreign country that is attacking Americans in United States!

Miller was interviewed by a couple websites about this. Curiously, it never reached mainstream news. One question out of Ronnie Miller’s interview with Donbass News Agency particularly stands out:

DONi: Do you feel safe in your own nation expressing your views about Donbass?

Ronnie Miller: This nation of mine preaches for freedom of the press, information, and the ability to formulate an opinion. What I support isn’t a threat to National Security. What Islamic extremists preach, is. I don’t feel safe, nor threatened. It is most definite that I am being watched or on a list of some sort. However, I am in no threat of being taken away or bribed to stay quiet.

It sounds like Ronnie Miller didn’t skip civics class and is expecting his government to honor Constitutional protections.

Instead of protecting its citizens, the U.S. government is sending weapons and instructors to the government that is putting American citizens on kill lists.

Ron Miller should consider a lawsuit against the illegal spies for hire who put him – whether directly or indirectly – on a kill list with a foreign government.

Here’s a fun fact. If you are out driving a car without insurance in a state that requires it and you get hit- it is still your fault. You weren’t supposed to be there. The spies for hire are not supposed to be able to call American kids “terrorists.” Since the UWC and UCCA both fund Myrotvorets through donations and supplied the nationalist ideology that wants to kill 17-year-old Americans, they could be sued too.

Previously, we discussed the method of operation that is used, which is staying within the developed narrative of “Russia will attack! Russia is attacking! Russia has attacked!”

What happens when spies for hire fall out of the narrative or need to get rid of each other? There is only so much of the pie to go around.

The images above and below are proof that the methodology behind the Hamilton 68 Dashboard – which purports to track Kremlin propaganda online – is severely flawed. The decidedly anti-Kremlin Bellingcat was flagged by Hamilton 68 as pro-Kremlin, indicating amusing levels of information fratricide among Bellingcat principals and Andrew Weisburd, Clint Watts, J.M. Berger, and Michael Chertoff.

Weisburd knows he needs to clear it up, try to get the egg off his face now that he’s been exposed publicly, and get the story back on point.

Eliot Higgins’ claim to fame was pronouncing Syria’s president Assad guilty of gassing his own people. The U.S. government that wants to oust Assad can’t use his story, however, because it has no facts to back it up. The U.S. government’s official position is that there is no proof.

The screenshot above is mindblowing to me. Andrew Weisburd once again admitting that his Russians aren’t Russian at all. He’s trying to cover up for his Hamilton 68 Dashboard only set on catching tweets from a few accounts that aren’t even trolls.

Both Weisburd and Higgins (British national) agree that award-winning journalist Vannessa Beeley, who reports from Syria for 21st Century Wire must be stopped before:

  • She destroys their narrative. They cannot prove Assad used gas on the Syrian people. But if she is allowed to continue, the proofs from Syria that she is providing might go mainstream soon. Beeley has been at the forefront of the story showing the ties between the White Hats and ISIS.
  • She might influence policy people around American president Donald Trump and change Syria policy.

What is clear is Andrew Weisburd will try to bring this up to congressional representatives who listen to him and further destroy civil rights and the First Amendment. Eliot Higgins cannot survive being wrong about the on the ground realities in regions he is supposed to be an expert on for too much longer.

The spies for hire are purposing an Information Operation to rope in U.S. policy at the executive level and rescue Donald Trump and the State Department from any facts that might get in the way of their narrative. Left to their own, they may succeed.

Vannessa Beeley’s reputation as a journalist and ability to gain access to do her work and disseminate the reports she does depends on her credibility. People who are trying to usurp the authority of government are declaring her to be an Information Operations agent. This is beyond slander.

The U.S. federal government could not get away with doing this – literally working to get a journalist censored.

However, spies for hire like Clint Watts, Andrew Weisburd, Jonathon Morgan, JM Berger, the Hamilton 68 Dashboard, the German Marshall Fund of the USA, The Alliance for Securing Democracy, Michael Chertoff, Eliot Higgins, Aric Toler, Bellingcat, The DFR Lab, Atlantic Council, UWC, and the UCCA can be enlisted to brand Vanessa Beeley as a traitor to the United Kingdom and a foreign agent.

Yet, these are all in violation of Tallinn Rule 33 and 35A which prohibit targeting people you can’t identify clearly and attacking journalists. Targeting Beeley is a criminal act on their part.

Once again the spies for hire have usurped government powers illegally.

Unconventional Warfare

If you look at Weisburd’s @webradius Russian Influence Spy Ring, it is populated by tens of thousands of people living in the United States who voted against Hillary Clinton.

This is what spies for hire do for partisan politics, money, or the company they work for. For some, nothing more than their own warped sense of satisfaction watching another human beings life twist in the wind. Many are ultra-nationalist and if you don’t agree with them, you will be made an enemy of the state.  Malignant parts of the deep state getting out of hand.

I’ve given people that play in the private sector, government, and policy a lot of exposure because they attack innocent people, journalists, and news and opinion websites.

From 2015, “Peppy Escobar and Steven Lendman are both “active measures” agents for writing about John Kerry, the State Department, RT bashing, and of course Ukraine. Blog Talk Radio host Dr. Rick Staggenborg both a veteran an d peace activist is labeled a Russian propagandist.

Professor Michel Chossudovsky and every journalist and activist who publishes at GlobalResearch.ca is on the the list including Paul Craig Roberts and Robert Parry, who are considered Russian active measures agents in the Ukraine war and every “agendized news event” they write on. Tyler Durden, connected writers and journalists are Russian propagandists. Deena Stryker, an editor at OpEdNews is noted because of her PressTV interview for saying the US is engaged in a propaganda war.

All conspiracies aside it wouldn’t feel right without adding Alex Jones and Michael Rivero. Harding developed what seems to be a fixation about Jones and company a few years back. It’s not that he hates Jones’ news sites any more than the others, but it is personal. Joel Harding’s favorite nephew rates Jones take on international events as more credible than what Harding has to say.

After writing my 5th or 6th article about what Weisburd, Watts, and Harding were doing, Harding and his growing work group were considering what to do about me. The friend he mentions is Andrew Weisburd who I had just exposed planning to attack a major opinion site.

“I still engage with Pro-Russian Trolls on a daily basis,” Harding wrote on his blog in November 2015.  “I’ve had reporters write bad stories about me on Russian Proxy ‘News’ sites. I currently have a vehemently rabid anti-Western, especially anti-American, troll trying to smear a group of Russian troll chasers I work with. He also published several stories blaming us for all his woes.”

He continued: “The difference is I have been professionally trained on how to mess up somebody’s life, permanently and forever.  Yeah, we were trained in Special Forces more on weapons, explosives, communications, intelligence, operations, tactics, and medicine, but being trained in Unconventional Warfare does give one an advantage when one desires to get nasty.”

Imagine being so brazen you could publish that threat on a public website. Andreas Umland, who is supposed to be a leading academic, didn’t think it was wrong to republish that threat on my life on his own blog.

The intelligence community cannot police itself anymore. It is out of control. If you don’t see a clear and present danger it’s because you are part of the problem that needs to be cleaned up.

My goal as a journalist is and has always been to ensure that the facts get out from Donbass. I think I’ve done that and will continue to do so. I am a firm believer that only the facts and realities of a situation can help. If you know the facts about what is going on in Lugansk People’s Republic (LNR) and Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) you won’t support the deviant and murderous Ukrainian Nationalist politic that Andreas Umland does. Unless of course you think it’s okay to murder 17 year old Americans, destroy freedom, justice, and the free press. And perhaps like Umland, you think it’s okay to murder me.

My goal is to do my part and help America reestablish her commitment to justice for all the people, law, and civility.  I hope I’m doing that. But don’t get up and react for me. If you don’t do it for you, there is no future left to worry about.

George Eliason is an American journalist who lives and works in the Donbass region of Ukraine.

64 comments for “A Crisis in Intelligence: Unthinkable Consequences of Outsourcing U.S. Intel (Part 3)

  1. Zachary Smith
    February 26, 2018 at 16:33

    login

  2. Prof. Dr. Joachim Wolf
    February 20, 2018 at 06:17

    I am a retired German professor of public international law. I never worked for the intelligence community but spend a lot of time analyzing information coming from the intelligence community in various research projects. The outcome of my research is serious cause for concern – in the United States as well as Germany. George Eliason presented an impressive description in his articles “U.S. Intelligence Crisis Poses a Threat to the World (Part I to III), consortiumnews.com February 11, 2018. I came to three conclusions in this regard:
    1. People working for a national intelligence community are state organs, equipped with specific competences reserved for state organs. It is not legal to outsource such powers and to hire private contractors as intelligence agents.
    2. All agencies of a national intelligence community have to be co-ordinated and controlled by top ranking intelligence people with the aim to evaluate information that was gathered and to decide which information is relevant for purposes of briefing the government and which not.
    3. Access to evaluated intelligence information is no privilege of the government. It has to be made accessible to all top state organs: the President, Congress, the top military admirals and generals, the higher courts and the leading people in various executive authorities.
    On the basis of these three rules, the work of the intelligence community can be considered as one of the pillars of state organisation. Accountability is central to constitutionalism, though.

  3. Lou no last name
    February 19, 2018 at 14:08

    I think the american people,is happy with the House intelligence committee investigation of the deep state corruption. keep going on the right track, get rid of the swamp
    creatures, that don’t care about our american values or our people.

  4. February 19, 2018 at 11:36

    Thanks to George Eliason, you’re doing a great service to get out truth on Ukraine amidst the nefarious activities of these warped individuals who are spies for hire.

  5. michael crockett
    February 19, 2018 at 06:55

    I think this was an excellent article from George Eliason.The takeover of the CIA, NSA, DNI etc. by private corporations is part and parcel of an agenda to take control of all Government agencies. The obvious motive is profit. So much money to loot through fraud and theft. Government employees who follow the mission statement, uphold the Constitution, and serve for the greater public good are at risk of reprisal. Contractors are commonly performing tasks that only federal employees should do. Contract oversight is weak and disappearing altogether. The bidding process is rigged in many cases. This becomes a much deeper concern when this is happening at DOD and the many intelligence agencies. Nefarious programs of psychological operations and propaganda are herein created with deep state guidance. The MSM will get the message out and keep pounding it home until the masses are compliant. This is what Fascism looks like. With that being said, I want to thank the many thoughtful and insightful readers who post comments. You give me hope. We can change the world. We can rearrange the world. It`s dying to get better.

  6. February 19, 2018 at 05:40

    Very informative article. Thanks to George for this level of detailed research.

  7. February 19, 2018 at 01:06

    Joe, i read that quickly, and it’s from the elite right-wing think tank viewpoint. How did they think Obama didn’t go along with the playbook? His militarism opposition rolled away fairly quickly, and the nasty responses he pulled against Russia at his last term end revealed his true nature as corrupted fully in DC. We never heard much about those Russian ambassadors, 11 I think, who died within a short time period at the end of O’s time, some deaths suspicious.

    I agree with you that the anti Russia stuff (I am so sick of these **** “Gates” stuff!) is cooked up by CIA and FBI is plenty involved in the mess of violence that continues unabated! It’s worse now because 1) globalization has connected all of us; 2) population is at an all-time high and mounting, therefore must be controlled; 3) technology brought new means of control; 4) unequal wealth distribution worldwide has brought misery to huge numbers of people who are clearly getting sick of their misery.

    If Clinton had gotten in, she’d have acquiesced to MIC agenda from Day 1, including posturing against Russia and China to keep Western/US dominated imperialism on top. Since Trump didn’t make those noises, he had to be brought on board. The cooked-up Russia story works well for ignorant America, and I include Trump in the “ignorant” category. How he could have gotten the Cabinet he chose shows his level of ignorance!

    Incidentally, Joe, i discovered a book you would probably enjoy, “White Trash: 400 Years of Class in America” by Nancy Isenberg, a Professor of History (southern school, maybe Emory). Very interesting on outcast groups settling America and elitist attitudes of “founding fathers”, states’ attitudes, white poverty, slavery issues, many interesting buried tidbits never discussed, ends with current time and she says Trump not that different in long line of demagoguery.

    • Joe Tedesky
      February 19, 2018 at 10:35

      I bought the book. Your suggestion, and the great reviews, convinced me I will enjoy it. Other than that with your comment I confirmed you are you. I like the new look, dare I mention it Jessika. Joe

  8. February 18, 2018 at 21:24

    I always enjoy your commentary, Realist. Americans are so brainwashed, and they are clueless about CIA nefarious activities since days of Allen Dulles, who brought over all those Nazis with Operation Paperclip. And what else have they done, with MKULTRA and other evil deeds, Gladio, on and on? Americans hear this is all for the good and many believe it.

    I believe all this Russia hacking story is a jingoist fabrication of CIA from the start in collusion with Clinton. There’s a list of CIA meddling since 1948 at Zero Hedge yesterday; Laura Ingraham interviewed former CIA director James Woolsey on Friday, I guess, and he grudgingly admitted CIA meddling. Said it’s “for the good”! We’ve read that list on other sites, but it’s always for the good if US does it!

    • Joe Tedesky
      February 18, 2018 at 23:19

      Jessika while you ponder fabrications of the CIA, Lee Smith speaks to how CNN, MSNBC, WaPo, NYT, etc., would have been loss without the Steele Dossier. Reporter Smith also can’t understand where the media was on a couple occasions when Obama made nice gestures towards Putin, and where Obama on the subject of Assad turning over all of his chemical weapons arsenals, Smith asks to why Obama was not chastised for his stepping outside of the ‘Washington Play Book’.

      http://thefederalist.com/2018/02/15/media-stopped-reporting-russia-collusion-story-helped-create/

      Ps I think most of this Russia-Gate psy-ops was John Brennan’s creation.

  9. Realist
    February 18, 2018 at 16:08

    So, the CIA, or its patriotic auxiliary, doesn’t necessarily make office appointments with people like the author whom it wants to “cure” of thought crime but it still effectively runs a Room 101 service for its paranoid Uncle Sam. I was wrong when I said that the US has become as bad as the old Soviet Union. It is considerably worse, certainly more mean, ruthless and repressive. With the largest prison population in the world and many of the “criminals” locked up not for violent acts but social deviancy like ingesting a natural herb, who’s to say we don’t even have gulags? We certainly had “extraordinary rendition” and probably still do. Thanks, Obama, for doing the right thing and shutting down Guantanamo, even if it did cost you a little bit of political capital [sarcasm]. If you read about Joe Biden’s last speech, the American goon squad is not doing nearly enough to put the screws to Russia. He wants that nation ground into the dirt. Smilin’ Joe is one exceptional mindless Russian hater, and he dares to nonchalantly call other people racists. How can my fellow Americans stand so much hatred, hypocrisy and bigotry?

    • Joe Tedesky
      February 18, 2018 at 23:49

      Here ya go Realist, as I gingerly attach links to what I think are important articles to reference here, as I also don’t want to wear out my welcome. Here is an article which is fascinating to read. Another hint; what kind of investigation is it when the special prosecutor refuses to hear testimonies from voluntary willing witnesses? Read this, and find out….

      https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-02-18/kim-dotcom-let-me-assure-you-dnc-hack-wasnt-even-hack

      • Realist
        February 18, 2018 at 23:54

        I don’t get why my welcome should be worn, but they have been moderating me left and right even without attached links. Am getting a little piqued at the time wasted and discussions interrupted.

        • Joe Tedesky
          February 19, 2018 at 10:29

          It’s just that I have posted a lot on this article. It had nothing to do with you moderating. Joe

        • Virginia
          February 19, 2018 at 15:08

          Hi Realist —

          I always enjoy your posts.

          Re: Moderating. Me, too. Long moderations. I’ve taken to making a copy and then posting it again without any URLs. Now I realize all I need to do is post it without URLs, and then immediately afterwards post the URLs. Haven’t tried that yet; I might be wrong.

          I’d like to see fewer articles coming out in such rapid succession. Can’t read them all plus the comments, and I feel we might be missing out on dialogues with each other that we’d like to see and maybe be a part of.

      • Realist
        February 19, 2018 at 00:20

        Indeed, Joe, it does seem a bit remiss to ignore letters directed to the prosecutor stating “I knew Seth Rich. I know he was the @Wikileaks source. I was involved” and volunteering to testify and provide hard evidence before the relevant bodies in Washington. Of course, this would have more impact if published in the MSM instead of Zero Hedge. But then, the NYT or WaPo would no more entertain that notion than apparently does Mueller. This is your basic intersection of two simultaneous parallel universes passing each other like ships in the night without any meaningful interaction. Not the slightest recognition by one (the narrative) that the other (the reality) exists.

        • Joe Tedesky
          February 19, 2018 at 10:32

          Well Realist it would have more impact being posted on a MSM paper, or site, but when was the last time they told us the truth?

          Also, isn’t it weird how the prosecutor could hit two birds with one stone, the biggest espionage story of so far this century, and a young DNC workers murder. Wow, what has happened to policing? Joe

  10. February 18, 2018 at 15:53

    Lots of information which seems somewhat disjointed. Enticed me to read about the Talinn Manual. Apparently a serious attempt at looking at cyberspace and law. The author uses it to focus his article. Interestingly, there is no Russian input mentioned. It is a NATO document. That is unfortunate.

    That on top of the recent statement by McMaster that the United States and its NATO poodles have no intention of sitting down with Russia to try to curb cyber warfare

    What I take away from the series by Eliason cyberspace has no rules and freedom of speech needs to be protected in a way that punished those who subvert it.

    While the Russian citizens may have tried to influence voters, as if no other country does, what is wrong with speaking their minds about the American election. I don’t even see any reason why they shouldn’t use aliases which is common practice on the internet. The American people should welcome what Russian think. If the test of malicious slander is imposed, which is reasonable, then what will our politicians have talk about during elections. That is a little unfair to many politicians but the recent presidential election makes the point.

    All of this speaks to the larger issue of achieving peace and harmony among all people, and people of good will on both sides maknig such an effort The result may not be perfect, but the intent is there, and that is the most important thing. Trying to be objective, it is hard not to blame America for the increasing tensions. around the world.

    The McMaster mention above, the continuous rejection of Putin overtures in the Middle East and southwest Asia, the Pence debacle in Korea all cause many to point the finger at us. There are many more examples, of course, but they all point the finger at us.

    Need to look at the Global Research website.

    • Realist
      February 18, 2018 at 16:14

      Anything foreigners opine about American politics and foreign policy pales in comparison to the epithets and bald-faced lies American citizens cast at one another in the ongoing media “info wars.” The whining and whinging done by and at the behest of Washington is ludicrous and ought to be laughed off the stage, not enshrined in new repressive law. America has become a case study in collective sociopathy. Let the rest of the world beware.

      • Joe Tedesky
        February 18, 2018 at 22:19

        Approval, disapproval, or no opinion at all, what’s the difference who says it?

        • Virginia
          February 19, 2018 at 14:26

          Joe — I’m going to start calling you My Pal Joey! So …, here’s a little episode that would interest you I think. Not of great moment, but an aside:

          Yesterday at dinner — long table with lots of my community’s residents — the whole table was talking about the Russia hacking, the 13 indictments, etc. — bouncing this discussion off the Monitor Breakfast held with Eric Holder and reporters asking him questions. (Politico writes this up; also, found on CNN and other media sites). Many in the discussion had watched the entire breakfast video and were discussing, joyously, how Holder didn’t rule out prosecuting the President, and said: “If you’re a prosecutor, you make sure that you are building the best case. Not a technical case, but the best case, you know, that you can. …You know, the Comey firing. The outreaches to Coats and the other intel guys.”

          By this time, I’m looking around for another seat, and thinking, “Boy, am I at the wrong table!” Then I butted in and asked whether any of the reporters had asked Holder whether he felt any of the FBI or DOJ officials (who conspired, lied, leaked) should be investigated. All but one, who agreed with me, were beyond startled that I asked such a question. One said she didn’t think any reporter asked that question but the subject was sort of danced around. That at least ended that conversation, and we went on to better things. But toward the end, a man asked me if I believed Russia hacked the election. And when I tried to differentiate between spying or hacking — the DNC or generally –, he kept repeating, “Do you or don’t you?” I said, “No,” of course. Then he said, “Congratulations, you are a minority. Now 70% of Republicans believe Russia hacked the elections.” Again, I said he needed to make a distinction, etc. But alas, I’ve looked all over the Internet today and can come up with nothing remotely approaching a basis for a comment like that — differentiating or not.

          But don’t worry about me, Pal, because I just jokingly say to myself and to my husband, …it’s very lonely up here!

          What a “resort” we have here at CN! A public resort, and it doesn’t even cost that much. You don’t have to make a reservation, try to get group rates, all decide on a common destination. It’s right here. A place where we can resort to our higher selfhoods, higher thoughts and ambitions. Very desirable! And really, all are welcome!

          Good day!

          • Joe Tedesky
            February 19, 2018 at 17:03

            Virginia, I think I may have had dinner at that same exact table, was you wearing a red top with a beige skirt…just joking, but seriously your dinner party sounds very much like what I, and many others here have encountered with our travels through modern day American society’s political conversations. And yes, we here at ‘the Consortium’ do certainly help each other navigate through these confusing, and deceptive, times we live in. The good news is Virginia is that we all here are here, and for the most part we have great discussions, and often I come away a better informed citizen, not to mention I finally get to speak with people who do know what’s happening in the news.

            I started my journey in the beginning by my just having a big interest in the news. In fact I worked so hard in the 90’s I missed watching Seinfeld. So, I started reading all about the JFK assassination, then one day on HuffPo was a article written by our beloved Robert Parry and thus I linked to his site and never returned to HuffPo again, and I feel I’m the better for it, and I watched every rerun of Seinfeld I could….but the added attraction to Mr Parry’s excellent site was this comment board. So it’s good Virginia we can all share our thoughts, and get mad at the same trolls. Joe

    • Joe Tedesky
      February 18, 2018 at 22:18

      Herman part of the allure for the warmongering DC crowd to pick on Russia is that by their blaming Russians for suspected interference into our American elections, that this now gives our U.S. NGO’s the go ahead to have clear approval as to strike the Russians back, at anytime they have their own elections. Is it any wonder to why Putin kicked out of Russia all of the U.S. NGO’s?

      Herman you don’t seem like you would be the type to be easily fooled, so understand that just like all the other events we Americans have encountered together, that the hidden hand is at work subverting our freedoms and rights as we all cry out to our government to keep us safe. This is the predicament we Americans are in that it is not so much of what we do see, in as much as it is of what we don’t see as to what is going on inside of our American world, when our government does come to the rescue. Yes, there is an agenda, and no it’s not yours. Joe

      Rather than I struggle trying to make my point, I’ll let George do it for me inside of 4:15 minutes, enjoy.

      http://thefreethoughtproject.com/george-carlin/

      • Realist
        February 18, 2018 at 23:50

        When we lose a man as insightful as George, I really wish someone would find the key to immortality. Or, if good old George does continue to exist at some level, that he’s not still plagued with finding solutions to such problems.

        • Joe Tedesky
          February 19, 2018 at 02:50

          If I grow a beard again as when I did some people thought from far away I looked like George Carlin but like my wife pointed out that they knew I wasn’t the great comedian the closer they caught because they could see I wasn’t funny….then you laugh. I’m suppose to be the Martin or Abbot and play the straight guy all the time, but what my partner doesn’t know is I’m playing to the crowd…just having fun, and now paying closer attention to typo’s….that’s another story and it’s late and we got a routine.

          I’ll leave with this Carlin line… “What year did Jesus think it was?”

          • Realist
            February 19, 2018 at 04:24

            If we assume the year 2018 AD (Anno Domini) or CE (Current Era for the politically correct sticklers) is correct (but which is said by scholars to be false), JC would have said he was born in the year 3760 on the Hebrew Calendar, and passed away in 3793. Supposedly the Jewish calendar starts from the first day of creation, and they do their calculations based on the lineages and ages of the patriarchs cited in the Torah (all that “begetting” stuff). It is presently 5778 and the Messiah is due no later than the year 6000 according to prophecy. So, watch this site, he’s coming soon, if you are not a Christian. If you asked Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea at the time of the crucifixion, he’d give you a date from AUC (ad urbe condita–from the founding of the city of Rome). Since Rome was founded in 753 BC (or BCE), JC would have been born in 753 AUC (assuming the first year was called 0, 754 if called 1) and passed away in 786 AUC. It is now 2771 AUC if you are still a dyed-in-the wool Civis Romanus. Since JC always said that Caesar could keep his stuff (render to… and all that) he probably wouldn’t have pressed for the present convention which didn’t really become a thing until the 800’s, having only been first devised in 525 AD. Well, you brought it up… or maybe it was George.

          • Brad Owen
            February 19, 2018 at 06:29

            And Realist, the current year is indeed 2771AUC, according to the ruling plutocrats of three fourths of the planet, and New Rome is in The City. The City is the pivot upon which is attached its two great and powerful wings: the EU is its right wing and the Five Eyes (UK, USA, Canada, Australia, NZ) is its left wing. South America is kept in line by deploying Papal influence and Muscle from USA. Zionism is deployed to suppress any further rise of a Muslim Empire in MENA, and deployments from former colonial,masters in the now EU keeps resources flowing from Africa into the New Roman Empire(NRE?). However, atomic weapons have sparked a direct intervention from, apparently, those whose mission is to police the creation to keep things from going too far off the rails. That was the whole point of the Roswell incident happening near the World’s only atomic bomber force (CIA was formed a few months later, tasked with replying forcefully to this direct intervention…a most-wicked response). This is what is REALLY going on, post-WWII

          • mike k
            February 19, 2018 at 07:57

            Thank God Realist will make all this clear for us. One less thing to worry about……….

          • Joe Tedesky
            February 19, 2018 at 10:28

            I’ll have to get back to Realist I have lots to do redoing my calendar, and you can be sure you will be the last person I ask for the time. Other than that I’ll watch what I bring up in the future. Joe

          • Realist
            February 19, 2018 at 16:38

            Just remember, Joe, the correct usage is “Romani ite domum” if a centurion should punish you by making you re-write your misspelled graffito on the wall C times.

          • Joe Tedesky
            February 19, 2018 at 17:06

            Gee Realist hanging out with a guy like you a fella may get super smart. Joe

          • Realist
            February 19, 2018 at 21:47

            Smart? I dunno. I just happened to remember that comedy routine from Monty Python’s “Life of Brian”–the story of how a guy named Brian born at the same time and in the same place as JC happens to get caught up in the religion-crossed geopolitical whirlwind of the age. The Pythons were as perceptive and unforgettable commentators on religion and politics as was George. They assumed that the idiocy transcends historical era.

      • February 19, 2018 at 10:52

        Joe, thank you for your thoughtful and kind comments. I think the people on this website make our comments in the hope that they will make a difference and yet I am aware of the growing skill and tools of those in power at mind control, at moving us to support any agenda they come up with. .

        Take the recent confrontation involving Russian troops in Syria. It is described as an attack on Americans when in fact the Americans have no right to be in Syria and Russia is assisting Syria to get its country back. Russians bad guys, Americans defending our freedom.

        The people on this website are just too cantankerous to accept stuff like that.

        George Carlin does make the point but I am happier thinking things can change.

        A cliché but hope does spring eternal. .

        • Joe Tedesky
          February 19, 2018 at 17:22

          Herman you may never meet a bigger purist at heart, and wishful thinker, as myself. I sing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ like it’s my own personal national anthem. So I’m right there with ya buddy.

          About the U.S. being in Syria illegally Herman you may want to research old articles on ‘the Consortium’ and read the comment section, because there are many here who do agree with you on the status of the U.S. being in the sovereign nation of Syria illegally, and I’am one of them who agree with you.

          One of the things I overlook to some degree, is I don’t expect every author who post an article on this site to fall in line with my philosophies or opinions. In fact, sometimes I wish I were reading more opposite opinions of mine, but that’s another story. It is always smart to study the other sides strategy. I also don’t expect all the comment posters to think as I do, but it is nice when they do, but diversity is key in a country with a democracy, that is if you can still find a country with one.

          But you know what’s most important Herman? It’s that you have finally arrived here, so enjoy yourself old boy, and talk to me when you wish at anytime you feel the urge to do so. Welcome. Joe

    • Skeptigal
      February 18, 2018 at 22:25

      It is a Canadian website based in Montreal. I love this website because of the variety of articles. Most are well written and informative. Unfortunately there is no commentary section at the end of the article.

  11. Clif
    February 18, 2018 at 14:28

    Parts 1&2 were good, this needs editing.

    • Anon
      February 19, 2018 at 08:39

      Yes, it needs a better progression of logic and better structure on each point.
      1. The source for the otherwise unknown “Tallinn” statement of international law is in Russia;
      2. The webpage snapshots use too much space and badly disrupt short paragraphs;
      3. Reference to the Federal Register should note that it refers to federal contracting regulations DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) parts 212, 225, and 252) and DoDI No. 3020.41;
      4. The story about the teenager being put on a “kill list” by US contractors may be too prominent in that nothing happened yet, and he does not even feel at risk, so it should not have large illustrations.
      These and other issues give one the impression of being bounced around and forced to reorganize the article to come to an understanding. The issue is very important so editing would be worthwhile.

      • Paolo
        February 19, 2018 at 17:55

        I totally agree – except about Tallinn which is the capital of Estonia and therefore not Russia (anymore)

        The Tallinn manual «is an academic, non-binding study on how international law applies to cyber conflicts and cyber warfare» https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallinn_Manual

        What the author writes is interesting and scaring, but the article is so confused that it is hard to imagine that many will stand up to fight for this. Bad or poorly written articles make people yawn.

  12. J.D.
    February 18, 2018 at 13:17

    If the Ukrainian Government has really adopted totally inept and shallow “National Information Strategy” that Joel Harding allegedly wrote for them (at least he boasted of it on his LinkedIn profile before got permanently kicked out there for repeated violations of the User Agreement – harassment and libeling other users, misreprenting re his credentials) they must be just of the same intellectual level as Harding, and his level is best exposed by his own social media trolling practices and utterly stupid and heavily embedded with grammatical and factual errors mendacious posts. https://russia-insider.com/en/politics/brig-gen-joel-harding-natos-troll-king-and-neo-nazi-extraordinaire-part-iii/ri16370 The best they could do is prohibiting Russia media, social networks and even Yandex search engine. Which Ukrainians easily surpass by using proxy servers and VPN. ))

  13. Den Lille Abe
    February 18, 2018 at 12:54

    Cool article! But who will heed it’s advice. So I am considered a Russian troll, according to the definitions that the US applies. This is certainly new to me. Maybe I can ask the Kremlin on a contribution to my household?
    The Zombie nation of the US is exposing itself to the world, it is almost a “stiff” already.

  14. Dr. Ip
    February 18, 2018 at 12:13

    I recommend reading XIII. THE USE OF SPIES in Sun Tzu on the Art of War.

    These disinformation spreaders are just spies in sheep’s clothing. They are not civilians. Their main job is to convert the opinions of possible activists against their cause. When opinions cannot be swayed to their favor, all forms of attack are considered allowable. This extends from “ruining” lives to extinguishing lives. The message delivered by these methods is the same one the Mafia has delivered since it came into existence: Do as we say or you are dead.

    The war against fascism has been on since October 1922 when Mussolini marched on Rome. It’s not over yet. And, my friends, we are not winning!

    These modern black shirts and brown shirts have studied the Art of War and Marx and are doing their best to delay and, if possible, derail the downfall of their authoritarian worldview. These people don’t just fade away. Either they die of natural causes after a long grip on power, or they are removed by a violent uprising. So, you can be patient or be active. Either way, it certainly will not be easy. Your job is to retain an appearance of irrelevance and do what all good spies do, sow confusion and uncertainty in the ranks of the enemy. Do unto others as is being done to you!

    Are you then still a civilian?

  15. Joe Tedesky
    February 18, 2018 at 12:11

    All I kept thinking while reading this fine article by George Eliason was that his narrative stressed that the pen is mightier than the sword. It would appear that what a good citizenry needs to combat the evil forces of our modern day world is not to be found so much in the way of bullets but in the way of lots of ink, and some legalese to pursue this task.

    • Joe Tedesky
      February 18, 2018 at 15:49

      Listen to Professor Stephen F Cohen and learn within 12 minutes to just exactly what got destroyed in Russia with this Russia- Gate psy-ops. Here’s a hint, it’s the last thing we Americans would have wanted to lose.

      http://therealnews.com/t2/story:21038:Russiagate-is-Dangerous,-Will-Washington-Get-the-Memo

      • Realist
        February 18, 2018 at 16:31

        I swear, Joe, you are a total maestro when it comes to ferreting out relevant stories, many from rather obscure sources that most people (even amongst this readership!) never find their way to. Moreover, you must be a voracious speed reader to consume them all before passing them on to the rest of us. If this blog gave out stickers to put on our “helmets,” like the Buckeye football team does for exceptional contributions, your headgear would be covered, nay layered, with gold stars.

        Here’s where you say: ah, shucks, tweren’t nothin’. But it is!

        To get back to the story, Joe Biden’s recent remarks just underscore how true this whole Russia-gate story is and how dangerous the American government has become to the survival of civilisation itself. Our leaders have set their monsters from the Id loose, and we know how that ended in the McCarthy-era movie (Forbidden Planet) wherein one man’s thoughts prevailed and even incipient dissenters were quickly destroyed.

        • Joe Tedesky
          February 18, 2018 at 21:33

          What bothers me most about those anti-Russian remarks of his, is that Old Man Joe is probably laying down Democrates talking points for future elections. I think we citizens would do ourselves well to check the water reservoirs in our nation’s capital, because I swear someone spiked it with some very sour and evil kool-aid.

      • Realist
        February 18, 2018 at 16:45

        And this, Joe, is the take-home lesson that needs to be made clear to the American public. These are the most impactful consequences laid bare by Professor Cohen of the mindless pursuit and relentless escalation of “Russia-gate.”

        “Meanwhile, I would add because it’s not reported here, that people in Moscow who formed their political establishment, who surround Putin and the Kremlin, I mean, the big brains who are formed policy tankers, and who have always tended to be kind of pro-American, and very moderate, have simply come to the conclusion that war is coming. They can’t think of a single thing to tell the Kremlin to offset hawkish views in the Kremlin. Every day, I mean, this list of oligarchs and the rest. Every day, there’s something new. And these were the people in Moscow who are daytime peacekeeping interlockers. They have been destroyed by Russiagate. Their influence as Russia is zilch. And the McCarthyites in Russia, they have various terms, now called the pro-American lobby in Russia… This is the damage that’s been done. There’s never been anything like this in my lifetime.”

        The fools in Washington are not just intimidating Russia, they are egging them on to war. They are deliberately provoking the actual hard liners and diminishing the moderating influence of Putin and his allies.

        • Sam F
          February 18, 2018 at 19:30

          Exactly, the US warmongers seek to build up the right wing of Russia and China through provocations, to generate the incidents they need to pose with the flag as false patriots, to demand domestic power and accuse their moral superiors of disloyalty. Standard procedure for tyrants since Plato.

        • Joe Tedesky
          February 18, 2018 at 20:53

          Realist & Sam F thanks for the kind words Realist, as coming from you it really, really, means a lot. I will add one more thing though, and that is this comment board has been one of the greatest learning platforms for me since I arrived here at ‘the Consortium’ a few years ago, because of all the brilliant commenters I had the advantage and luck to learn from. I would add that visiting this comment board is a mind safer, as in today’s America it is next to impossible to find very many like minded people who you may discuss, or debate, with our current events of today. I won’t say, ‘it takes a village’ because that cliche has already been taken. Coming here to ‘the Consortium’ is like visiting the sane, and well read on today’s news, and with that ‘the Consortium’ becomes a rest stop, a safe haven of sorts.

          The part where Professor Cohen sadly describes the Russians we loss during these times of Washington’s intimidation of all things Russian, and especially Putin, is so bad on so many levels it’s hard to find a good starting point to further discuss it.

          Okay, so big deal that the Russians who leaned towards a friendly relationship with the U.S. are now being peeled away with one American accusation after another. So some in DC see this as causing Putin a headache of somekind, as these same Washington instigators would jump for joy to cause the Russian leader this agony. Let me explain, that anyone who would find this loss of Russian support as no big deal, I would warn them to think a little longer about that unwelcome status.

          Yes, your imagining these supportive Russians just merely loss some praising America talking points, but look at it from another perspective. Imagine how Russia’s Right Wing warhawks now have a clear uninterrupted task ahead of them, as to urge the Russian government to become more confrontational and stronger acting against the U.S.. Think of Tulsi Gabbard losing out against John McCain, and how this would leave the sanity candidate out on the rails, while the insane warmonger takes control of the bridge. If you can picture this in your mind, then picture when the warmongering captain (this is a metaphor) gives the command to ‘all ahead full’ …..with that order this is a ship fueled by propaganda heading to it’s destruction of everything and everybody if this should go that far. So you don’t want to lose a Russian insider ally, as they are America’s only advocates in Moscow if we can still retain them.

          One other thing, Washington may miss these American leaning Russians, and that is very regrettable. Although think again, as to if certain other members inside of our American government are not only not sad about losing these faithful Russians, but they are seriously jumping up and down with joy, that now no one in Moscow will stand in their way of creating more war. It’s like the American warring crowd wants war with Russia… are the warhawks in DC insane? Yes, and if you doubt me,then tell me of what thing that is going on in our nation’s capital which doesn’t come off as hair brained or insane,

          Americans need to come to their senses, and see this Russia-Gate psy-ops for what it is, and that it is just one more insult towards the world’s second most powerful nuclear armed nation. We Americans without a doubt have loss our Left Wing of persuasion, and with this Mueller allegation latent announcement of Russian election interference it would appear that Russia also loss their Lefty’s by default.

          We all better hope Putin can rise above all of this, or we will directly go to war. Maybe not tonight, or tomorrow morning, but with only Russian and American generals in charge it will come to that eventually, and probably when you would less expect it…. because that’s how Nuclear Armageddon works. Joe

          • CitizenOne
            February 19, 2018 at 01:17

            Good comments all; Joe, Realist, Sam F,

            We are in a state where we are being influenced by the MIC to go to war with Russia. Mueller’s Investigation and the recent indictments have had the effect of putting Trump in a box although these allegations were not linked to Trump they are clearly aimed at boosting the claims that Russia has had an undeniable effect on our election process. They want sanctions and they want to align us all on the supposed criminal intent of Russians to influence our election processes.

            So be it. We are undoubtedly and inexorably tied up in cyber warfare for better or worse. The United States engages in cyber warfare just as much as out perceived enemies are involved in exploitation of the free and ubiquitous internet.

            The biggest news is that Mueller did not indict a single member of Trump’s campaign.

            That should be proof enough that Trump did not collude with Russia. The media is ripe with backstories about how Mueller’s investigation is not finished yet James Clapper himself has stated that there is little likelihood that there is another shoe to drop in the investigation. CNN has reported that the likelihood of evidence for collusion coming forth is most likely not to be forthcoming. There is just no evidence for it. Mueller had a whole year to come up with something and yet his investigation only revealed some independent Russian sources of an information campaign to attempt to sway the election not related to Trump.

            But what we see in the fake media is that Trump still is accused of something to he has to hide because he “acts” like he has something to hide.

            This is not on the legal framework of a democratic nation at all. In a democratic nation like the USA we examine facts and evidence and decide if there is a conspiracy or not which might violate law.

            In the case of the Mueller investigation we are left with two possibilities. Either the Mueller probe which has gone on for a full year has come up empty handed despite the enormous power of the intelligence agencies to unearth the vast spying technologies employed by our intelligence agencies or we are going to be bombarded with “news” stories about how Trump is missing the Big Picture.

            The very fact that the FBI, Main Stream Press and the Intelligence agencies are shifting their stories about how Donald Trump doesn’t care about the meddling by Russia is a sign of their defeat. The very fact that they say he does not care about Russia and how that is a condemnation of his presidency is the same logic that would prevail in a courtroom where the defendant was found to be not guilty but was instead blamed for not signing up to swearing an oath for the prosecution’s evidence that although the defendant was not indicted by the prosecution that there were other available means with which the defendant could have used to fight the allegations which the defendant chose not to pursue.

            It is simply a one and done jurisprudence law which does not seek to blame the defendant for the actions of others who acted independently from himself. This is basic Law. What we are seeing is an abdication of the notion of law.

            What we are seeing is the abdication of the rule of law in order to continue to investigate a story and an allegation that Russian officials and Trump conspired to flip the election minus evidence and to turn the investigation into indictments against unaffiliated operatives into a indictment of Trump.

            This is not justice. It is a perversion of justice. Either make the connection between Trump and Russia or go home and sleep it off.

            I am amazed at how there is a uniform strategy in the main stream press to continue the narrative that Trump has “something” to hide despite the recent indictments after a year of investigation that found no evidence of collusion.

            Collusion was what the investigation was all about but I can safely predict that there was never any evidence of collusion and this is all political theater designed to smear Trump for his honest desire to stop the official investigation which was pure BS and to derail his presidency because he is not one of them.

          • Joe Tedesky
            February 19, 2018 at 02:25

            CitizenOne good take on our American Reality. With Woolsey’s CNN proclamation of how when the U.S. interferes, why he didn’t just come out and the say the CIA well, apparently since Russia does it we really need to step it up in that interference department. So in other words to the wind of Mars begone with international election laws, Jimmy do ya hear me, we are going to make international voting interference the new war on terror. So there Vladimir, while Putin says, ‘what I do partner? Although Putin is always a prop.

            I’m wondering to if this Rosenstein/Mueller 13 Russians, and something I forgot, die down and go to sleep, but if it is, should we include all associated FBI investigations to 2016 with the most popular vote Hillary Rodham Cliton? It has been said, I’m just telling what I heard, but the #metwo movement doesn’t want to see, or listen to Bill…they are done with him.

            CitizenOne it sounds like your saying, that after all has been said and done with this Russia-Gate psy-op exercise that the Pentagon won, well then I agree. In so far as our screwball MSM and I mean all of them are loss, I doubt they will give up on beating Donald the prez Trump….I mean he’s so beatable, fun to pick on, plus he almost always deserves it, or at least a frown and a scrug..well with the MSM it’s all about ratings, and Trump is to the good in their corporate MSM bottom line brains, plus it’s the greatest when it comes to American Reality TV brought to you by the MIC written by CIA and on and on. Joe

          • Joe Tedesky
            February 19, 2018 at 02:39

            Clinton… that seriously was a typo, ugh sorry. Joe

        • Dave P.
          February 19, 2018 at 05:25

          Realist, Joe, Sam F. – All very thoughtful comments.

          A year ago, many of us thought that this Russian Hysteria is something temporary and will go away. But it is becoming worse, and it is getting extremely unnerving to watch any TV network News or read these Corporate Newspapers like L.A. Times – which is a ritual in our home. The whole leadership of the country seems to have lost their minds, completely out of touch with reality. And this madness is beginning to affect the population in the country. People, especially those who are retired are getting very addicted to watching whole day this Russia Hysteria drama being played every day nonstop on all channels.

          The other day McMaster said in his speech at the Munich Security Conference that “Russia’s interference in U.S. 2016 Election” is an inconvertible truth. Russia is almost under full scale attack by The West – economic sanctions, cyber warfare, troops on their borders, the warships patrolling Black Sea, Sea of Japan . . . At least It should be a matter of concern to the leaders in Academia in the Universities. But there is not even a murmur coming out of Academic Institutions. Like in Nazi Germany, they are all in lock step with the Ruling Power Structure.

          Tulsi Gabbard used to raise her voice. But I think she was taken to the woodshed after her visit to Syria with Dennis Kucinich in Jan. 2017 where they met Assad. And she is very quiet since then – going along with the Democratic Leadership.

          • Joe Tedesky
            February 19, 2018 at 10:23

            Dave have you not noticed the new trend of bringing back old tv hits. Like, Will & Grace, Rosanne, Murphy Brown is coming back on the air, and so is ‘Cold War II’. I’m telling you Dave I swear with the MSM going on all the time about Trump the script has been perfected, and now we have ‘American Reality TV’ starring as U.S. President that amazing super star of ‘the Apprentice’ Donald J Trump, and brought to you by those fine manufacturers of military killing machines the MIC. We are officially now a TV Nation. Joe

      • Virginia
        February 19, 2018 at 13:54

        Joe — Thanks for the link. Cohen starts at about minute 2:00 on the video. Then, if you scroll down, there are comments and most of them from the liberal side, condemning Nunes and taking what Cohen said very lightly, so everyone, your comments might help give a balance there. Cohen mentioned he had an article on this topic (Russia, cold war) in The Nation recently.

        • Joe Tedesky
          February 19, 2018 at 16:49

          The pseudo limousine liberal Virginia has done their job, and we should all be grateful for the job they did. These half wits looked the other way all the while Hillary & Debbie were robbing the ever popular Bernie of his chance to win the primary. Then these same tired excuses for liberalism stayed ever so close to their warmongering Hillary, all the while they ignored the fly over country folks who wanted détente to prevail with Putin’s Russians. Now these lame thinking so called lefty’s want Trump out of the White House, but God don’t they realize that they are the same exact ones along with Hillary & Debbie who put President Hair do into the Oval Office? Nothing makes sense anymore, if it ever did, and America has no liberal left. Thanks Virginia I’m now going to read for myself the comments on the site where Professor Cohen was, as I keep reminding myself of how the Left has vanished in our America. Joe

  16. Tim
    February 18, 2018 at 11:35

    I read Part 1 but I’m missing Part 2. Can anyone give me a link to it?

  17. Michael Kenny
    February 18, 2018 at 11:27

    Suddenly, the author is on America’s side! Or so he claims! But in fact, as was obvious from the first part of this series, his intention is merely to discredit anything or anybody that opposes Putin.

  18. February 18, 2018 at 10:03

    George Eliason: How do you do ‘legal’ regime change of a democratic state?

  19. john wilson
    February 18, 2018 at 08:51

    The author seems to be implying that outfits like PropOrnot are somehow operating under the radar of government law enforcement agencies. Nothing could be further from the truth. These clandestine outfits are simply and arm of the deep state and the last thing deep state agencies want to to is rock the boat for the PropNots of this world. In my opinion these shadowy internet sites operate on behalf of the state in the same way that some countries (including my country, England) provide rendition services to carry out abhorrent torture programmes.

  20. February 18, 2018 at 08:43

    “The vast majority of peaceful people are irrelevant because they did not influence or stop those who committed those acts of atrocity.”
    …I guess Harding can’t see atrocity in the mirror. I’m going back to bed…I don’t think I want to be “relevant”.

  21. john wilson
    February 18, 2018 at 05:58

    There have been spies since men fought with swords and bows and arrows and most likely, long before that. The fact is, spying is about gathering information, usually about one’s enemies and information as we all know, is POWER. Your enemy maybe better armed than you, but if you know what he’s going to do before he does it, well………….. In the past spies were real people who took great risks to gather information on the ground, but today any smart teenager can break into government secrets with a cheap laptop. Governments themselves can just about look up one’s rsole with their massive computing power. Perhaps this is a good thing because everyone can see at the click of a mouse what everyone else is doing or planning and so be forewarned. At the very least it does make clandestine military planning for an attack much more difficult.

    • geeyp
      February 18, 2018 at 06:55

      Awesome, all-encompassing work from George Eliason. The ground covered renews my suspicion regarding the threats to sites like g. research.ca and other individuals. I wonder if this Harding is any relation to the author of “Collusion”, Luke Harding? This also is disinformation written with permission from “The Guardian”. Ahh… the evil threats egged on and stemming from the USA spy vs. spy agencies. Once again, making the world safe from democracy. Please do take care, George, and thank you.

      • Virginia
        February 18, 2018 at 17:30

        “…keep the world safe from democracy!” Good turn of phrase, Gyeep.

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