There are stirrings of an imperative anti-war movement in the wake of the U.S. strike on Syria, but mostly the Pentagon controlled the message, says Gilbert Doctorow.
By Gilbert Doctorow Special to Consortium News
The arguments between Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford before the Syrian air strikes, and between them and President Donald Trump and his ultra-hawk national security adviser, John Bolton, ended with “precision strikes” early Saturday morning in Damascus and near the city of Homs.
Some 103 tomahawks and other cruise missiles were launched from US navy vessels and British and American warplanes. Seventy-one of these were claimed by the Russian Ministry of Defense to have been shot down by Syrian air defense batteries. The more modern and effective Russian-manned S400 systems at their Tartus naval base and Khmeimim air base were not brought into play.
There was material damage to some Syrian military storage facilities and particularly to a research center, which the US-led coalition claimed was used for fabrication of chemical weapons. Employees at the site said they were producing antidotes to snake venom, not chemical weapons. No deaths were reported and only six people were injured. The targets were all well clear of known positions of Russian and Iranian personnel in Syria. And while the Pentagon denied Russia had been told the targets, there’s speculation that the missiles’ flight paths had been made known to Moscow.
‘Mission Accomplished?’
Mattis said the mission was over but the U.S. stood ready to strike again if Assad once more used chemical weapons, though whether he did last weekend in Duma, a Damascus suburb, has yet to be proven. The U.S.-led air strikes took place hours before a team of specialists from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were to begin its investigation at the site to determine if chemicals were used, and which chemicals they may been.
In his address to the nation when launching the
Trump: ‘Maudlin and propagandistic.’ (Screen shot from whitehouse.gov)
attack, Trump used the same unproven allegations and maudlin, propagandistic evocation of the horrors of chemical weapons that his ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, had used earlier in the day Friday when responding to specific charges of violating international law and a possibly non-existent chemical attack,which the Russian ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, had leveled against the U.S. in the UN Security Council chamber.
The narrowly focused and seemingly ineffectual nature of the strikes is unlikely to satisfy anyone in the U.S. political classes. Even those who have been encouraging Trump to stand tall in Syria and punish Damascus for the alleged, but unproven, use of chemical weapons, like New York Senator Chuck Schumer (D), gave him only tepid support for the action taken, complaining of no overall administration strategy for Syria or an end game.
Others posit that the timing of the attack was driven solely by Trump’s urgent need to deflect public attention from personal and political scandals, especially after the F.B.I. seizure earlier in the week of the papers and possibly his taped conversations in the offices of his lawyer, Michael Cohen.
For the Russians there could only be outrage. They were on the receiving end of what was a publicly administered slap in the face to President Vladimir Putin, who was named and supposedly shamed in Trump’s speech for providing support to the “animal” Assad. Putin had been calling upon the U.S. and its allies to show restraint and wait for the conclusion of the OPCW investigation in Duma.
Schumer: ‘No end game.’
Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, repeated after the attacks Moscow’s prior warning that there would be “grave consequences” for the U.S. and its allies. These were not spelled out. But given Putin’s record of caution, it would be surprising if Moscow did anything to exacerbate the situation.
What comes next?
That caution left the U.S. exposed as an aggressor and violator of international law. Since we are in a New Cold War, habits from the first Cold War are resurfacing. But the roles are reversed today. Whereas in the past, it was Washington that complained to high heaven about the Soviet military intervention in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, today it is Russia that will go on the offensive to sound off about US aggression.
But is that all we may expect? I think not. Putin has a well-earned reputation as a master strategist who takes his time with every move. He also knows the old saying that revenge is a dish best served cold. He has frequently advocated “asymmetric” responses to Western moves against Russian interests. The question of counter moves had already been on his mind since the U.S. Treasury introduced new and potentially harsh economic sanctions on Russia with effect from April 6.
In fact, Russian legislators were busy preparing to
Putin: ‘Master strategist.’
introduce in the Duma on Monday a bill empowering the Russian president to issue counter-sanctions. These include an embargo on the sale of critical components to the U.S. aircraft industry which is 40 percent dependent on Russian-sourced titanium for production of both military and civilian planes. There is also the proposed cancellation of bilateral cooperation in space where the Russians supply rocket engines used for U.S. commercial and other satellite launches, as well as a total embargo on sales of U.S. wines, spirits and tobacco in the Russian Federation.
Aside from the withdrawal of titanium sales, these and other enumerated measures pale in significance to the damage done by the U.S. sanctions on the Rusal corporation, the world’s second largest producer and marketer of aluminum, which lost $12 billion in share value on the first day of sanctions. But that is to be expected, given that the United States is the world’s largest economy, measuring more than 10 times Russia’s. Accordingly its ability to cause economic damage to Russia far exceeds the ability of Russia to inflict damage in return.
The only logical outcome of further escalations of U.S. economic measures would be for Russia to respond in the one area where it has something approaching full equality with the United States: its force of arms. That is to say, at a certain point in time purely economic warfare could well become kinetic. This is a danger the U.S. political leadership should not underestimate.
Considering the just inflicted U.S. insult to Russia by its attack in Syria, Moscow may well choose to respond by hitting U.S. interests in a very different location, where it enjoys logistical superiority and also where the counter-strike may be less likely to escalate to direct crossing of swords and the unthinkable—possible nuclear war.
A number of places come to mind, starting in Ukraine where, in an extreme reaction, Russia has the option of removing the regime in Kiev within a 3-day campaign, putting in place a caretaker government until new elections were held. That would likely lead to armed resistance, however, and a Russian occupation, which Moscow neither wants nor can afford.
The Media Reacts
The media reaction to the air strikes has been distinct in the U.S. from Europe, and even more so, naturally, in Russia.
U.S. mainstream reaction, in particular in The New York Times, The Washington Post and the cable TV networks, has been an uncritical platform for the Pentagon view of what it achieved. Both papers barely made mention that the missiles rained down as the OPCW team was about to begin its work. Parading out their retired generals, often with unmentioned contracts as lobbyists for the military industry, the cable networks resumed their cheerleading for American war and materiel.
In France, Le Monde largely followed the Pentagon line in declaring the mission a success, while in Germany leading newspapers attempted a more independent line. Die Welt discussed how the U.S. and Europe used the mission to test the battleground effectiveness of some of their latest weaponry. The Frankfurter Allgemeine called the Pentagon “the last bastion of sense” in the Trump administration and reported that the Russians want to open a strategic dialogue with the U.S. over arms control.
Corbyn: Need War Powers Act.
A commentary in the British Guardian claimed that Mattis, and not Trump, “is calling the shots.” Another piece reported on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s call for a “check on military intervention” by insisting that Parliament vote on a War Powers act.
The Times of London ran fewer articles on the Syria strike and instead led with a piece predicting that to punish the United Kingdom for its role in the Skripal case and in Syria, Moscow will unleash a barrage of hacked, damaging confidential materials relating to government ministers, members of Parliament and other elite British personalities. In response, May’s cabinet is said to be considering a cyber-attack against Russia.
The TV station Euronews, whose motto is “Euronews. All Views,” unusually for Western media, gave Russians equal time to set out their totally diametrically opposed positions: on whether any chemical attacks at all occurred in Duma, and on the U.S. violation of international law.
On Saturday Euronews exceptionally gave nearly complete live coverage to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he spoke in Moscow to the 26th Assembly of the Council of Foreign and Defense Policy. During this talk, Lavrov divulged the findings of the Swiss laboratory which had examined samples of the chemicals gathered in Salisbury in relation to the Skripal poisonings, findings which he said pointed not to Novichok, as was claimed by Boris Johnson, but to a nerve agent developed by the United States and produced also in Britain. Lavrov likened the faked attack in Salisbury to the faked chemical attack in Duma.
Letting the Russians deliver extensively their views on what happened in Syria without commentary by their own journalists might be considered extraordinary by Euronews or any other European broadcaster’s standards.
In Russia, the news channel Rossiya-1 on Saturday broadcast a special edition of the country’s leading political talk show hosted by Vladimir Solovyov. His panelists said that in Damascus, where the most modern air defenses are installed, including the latest BUK series, the Syrians shot down 100 percent of incoming missiles. This contradicts, however, the fact that a research facility in the center of Damascus was bombed. Elsewhere in the country, where there are older systems in place, fewer missiles were hit.
In the wake of the U.S.-led air strikes, Moscow has apparently now decided to supply the Syrian army their next to latest generation of air defense, the S300. It was reported earlier that because of the war, there was a great shortage of trained technicians on the Syrian side so that shipment of such equipment previously would have made no sense. However, now that the military situation of the Assad government has stabilized, the personnel problems are no longer so acute and the Russians can proceed with delivering materiel and training the Syrians to defend themselves. This will substantially change the equation with respect to Syrian defense capability should the U.S. and its allies think of returning.
Protests in the West
One must ask why there has been no anti-war protests in the West in reaction to the strike on Syria. That it lasted less than an hour may something to do with it. But the U.S. is at war in about seven nations and there is no sustained, anti-war movement. Part of the reason is the virtual collapse the anti-war Left in the West that fueled protests in America and Europe in the 1960s anti-Vietnam war movement and the 1980s protests against the deployment of cruise missiles in Europe to counter Soviet intermediate range SS20 missiles.
From the 1990s leftist political parties both in the U.S. and Europe have suffered terrible losses of voter support. What charismatic leaders emerge to challenge the centrist, global hegemony politicians have been almost uniformly categorized as extreme Right or populists. The peace movements have been nearly extinguished. So-called progressives are today notoriously anti-Russian and in step with the Neocons on what the legitimate world order should look like.
For these reasons, it is quite remarkable that early
MoveOn: Seeing the light on Russia?
reactions to the US-led bombing in Syria have come from social media and internet portals that may be loosely categorized as establishment left or progressive. Dislike for Trump, for Bolton and for the crew of madmen who constitute the administration has finally outweighed hatred for Putin, “the authoritarian,” the Alpha male, the promoter of family and Orthodox Christian values and the so-called thief who stole the U.S. election. On-line petitions now being circulated, even by the Democratic Party-friendly MoveOn.org, reveal some comprehension that the world has moved closer to utter destruction due to the U.S.-Russia confrontation.
Another sign that the antiwar movement may be stirring out of its slumber and going beyond virtual protests, is that the Massachusetts Peace Action chapter, heirs to the SANE franchise, the country’s largest anti-nuclear weapons organization from the middle of the first Cold War, called on its members to rally in Cambridge (home to Harvard University and MIT) to protest the U.S. strikes in Syria. It also calls on Congress to reclaim its War Powers.
These are admittedly small steps with little political weight. But they are encouraging sparks of light in the darkness.
Gilbert Doctorow is an independent political analyst based in Brussels. His latest book, Does the United States Have a Future? was published on 12 October 2017. Both paperback and e-book versions are available for purchase on www.amazon.com and all affiliated Amazon websites worldwide.
Why would the left be upset about these attacks which were probably cleared with Russia beforehand, when the US has been at war in Afghanistan (remember that country?) and has been bombing something like 7 countries for years now? How can writers expect ordinary people to constantly march when it is obvious by now that marching and public opinion either means nothing to the leaders, or is so fractured as to be inert? Who even dreams anymore that there is parity between the pacifists and the aggressors in political power? Aggressors don’t have to march or demonstrate. They don’t need approval for their actions.
General Strike
I don’t disagree with you, but for one aspect: What if there were no anti-war demonstrations? That would be taken as a sign that everyone approved of it. So no matter how futile they are, we must continue. At least some people might think there is an alternative to the line parroted by the mainstream news. Demonstrations are also a place to connect to the wider movement and exchange ideas. I’m still bothered that I don’t see any correction to the falsehood that no demonstrations took place. That was central to the article and the comments, and a slander on our movement.
I agree with you 100%, Oakland Pete. There’ve been protests in several US cities, including this nation’s capital. Yes, they were smaller in size, compared to protests against U.S. aggression on Iraq. One of the largest protests was in Washington, D.C. on January 18, 2003, in bitterly cold temperatures. Even then, the Zionist-owned media reduced the number of protesters to less than 15,000, when there were 100,000.
The media still ignores whatever anti-war protests that occur nationwide, whether they’re large or small, but it’s unfortunate and sad that there aren’t as many as there used to be, and that they’re smaller in size. Many people have gotten lax, watching sports and fake news on TV. They’ve forgotten there are conflicts going on in many countries across the globe. The Afghan war’s now 16 years old, and it looks like it isn’t going to end soon. In addition, most of the Mideast is in chaos, as is Africa. Remember Libya and its leader, Muammar Gadaffi? Well, a few years back, NATO bombed Gadaffi’s convoy, and the leader hid within a large pipe from the Takfiri terrorists who were searching for him. They eventually found him, dragged him from his hiding spot and tortured him to death. Libya’s been in chaos ever since.
I just scrolled through the comments and saw no corrections to the lie of Doctorow and commenters that no anti-war protests have happened. I’ve been to two in the last two days. It’s true that they were relatively small and that identity politics like pussy hats have been out of proportion to what should be at least as important, namely the increasing likelihood of Armageddon. I also mourn the demise of the left, a result of its withdrawal from the working class. But please do not insult those of us who are making the effort to stop this and other wars, like Israel’s attacks on Palestine. We do our best and do not deserve this from armchair or academic critics who don’t bother to show up or ascertain the truth.
It is about time that Americans woke up and peace activists were again resisting what Congress and the neolibs are really doing in our name. I walked in 5 protest parades to no avail against the Iraq war but no support came from DC then. What can we do to protest except these feeble efforts? Wake up citizens,,,we have a corrupt government…very inept!!
The reason we don’t see the peace protests of the ’60s is because we no longer have the Draft.
I would say that’s one big reason, but the other one is that the MSM has the majority of folks snookered. We went from live coverage in Viet Nam to embedded (read in bed with) journalists in Iraq. Teddy bear Schwarzkopf on TV with his pointer and his backboard, and Brian Williams talking about “beautiful pictures of fearsome armaments”, replaced dead burnt bodies on TV. The American public has been insulated from the true horrors of war.
We Know that the Country of Syria was at one time a French Colony.
We have seen how France and Germany Allege that they want a Peaceful Settlement of the Western Engineered War with the Purpose of regime change in Syria, https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2018/4/15/germany-and-france-push-for-new-syria-peace-effort .
Germany has said that they do Not want the Syrian President to be part of the Solution for Syria, and France wants the same thing, even if they may not admit that, and that is Colonialism by another Disguise and Pretext at https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-germany/assad-cannot-be-part-of-syria-solution-german-minister-idUKKBN1HN0S0 .
The Reason that Colonialist France and Colonialist England used Germany to say this, is because it is Obvious Colonialist Language, and England and France are Colonialist Countries.
It Could be because of the Brexit Talks, where Germany has been ‘promised’ a Special Deal from England who have Tricked Germany on Several Occasions, rather than for Germany to look to the European Union, and to set up Markets in the East for some of its Goods and Services.
Colonialist France Remembers that Syria was a former Colony of France, and wants to Puppetize Syria again, and the question of who is the Government of Syria Should be Entirely the Decision of the Syrian People.
This is because Foreigners should Not try to Influence groups to say that they have support from their Countries, either for or against any group, as to who the Government of another Country should be, because that is Entirely a matter for the Citizens of that Country.
For Foreigners to Interfere in this way, then it Could encourage certain groups that they support to try military methods to try to Usurp Power, if they Cannot win an Election.
In a Democracy, then Any Eligible Citizen has the Right to Contest that Election.
This means that, in a Democracy, then it is up to the Voters of that Country to Decide who will Serve their Country, because otherwise it is Colonialism by a different name.
There are Many People who Know that England, France, and America Lied Many times regarding Syria, and these Warmonger Colonialist Slanderers will keep Inventing New Lies to try to cover up for their Colonialist and Imperialist Nazism regarding Syria, and one of Many Unbiased Sources of Information regarding Syria, and he is an Expert on Syria, and he is a Vietnam Veteran, and he is a Senator for the State of Virginia, and he has been Interviewed several times regarding his Expert Knowledge of Syria at https://www.globalresearch.ca/virginia-state-senator-richard-h-black-syria-chemical-weapons-attack-is-a-rigged-false-flag/5636194 .
I think honoring Martin Luther King and doing something invoking Couch Potato Politics is now needed.
How hard is it:
To change ones search engine from Google to something else?
To stop buying Coke?
There is an aversion to leaving Facebook, 10% have done it. Why not leave for the additional reason of America, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UK, France destroying another Middle Eastern country, Syria?
Israel is only too aware of the impact BDS has. Why not up the game, and change our digital world……they will hear, MLK knew.
Who benefits from the US going to war with Syria?
At who’s behest has the US got into this and every other Middle East conflict?
With the answers to these questions in mind, I can’t help but to wonder if the following quotations (all of them from recognized Jewish sources) don’t have something to do with *today’s* Jews’ claim to the land of Israel and the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East:
“Strictly speaking, it is incorrect to call an ancient Israelite a ‘Jew’ or to call a contemporary Jew an ‘Israelite’ or a ‘Hebrew.’” (Richard Siegel and Carl Rheins, eds., “Identity Crisis,” The Jewish Almanac, (New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1980) p. 3.)
That sentence is the opening sentence of the First Chapter entitled “Identity Crisis” of the 1980 Jewish Almanac. That today’s Jews are not genetic Israelites, but merely proselytes to the religion of Judaism (not to be confused with the religion of the Old Testament Israelites) is also admitted in “The Jewish Encyclopedia,” the “Encyclopedia Judaica,” “The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia,” “The Standard Jewish Encyclopedia,” and by many of their own anthropologists and historians.
According to three Jewish encyclopedias and Flavius Josephus, the entire Edomite nation was forced into converting to Judaism and became known as Judahites at the time of the high priest John Hyrcanus (Maccabaeus):
“…in the days of John Hyrcanus (end of the second century B.C.E.) … the Edomites became a section of the Jewish people.” (“Edom,” Encyclopaedia Judaica (Jerusalem, Israel: Encyclopaedia Judaica Company, 1971) Volume 6, p. 378.)
“They were then incorporated with the Jewish nation….” (“Edom, Idumea,” The Jewish Encyclopedia (New York & London: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1904) Volume V, p. 41.)
“…from then on they constituted a part of the Jewish people, Herod [King of Judea] being one of their descendants.” (Cecil Roth and Geoffrey Wigoden, “Edom (Idumea),” The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1977) p. 589.)
“…they submitted to the use of circumcision, and the rest of the Jewish ways of living; at which time … they were hereafter no other than Jews.” (Flavius Josephus, “The Antiquities of the Jews,” Josephus, (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1960) Book XIII, Chapter IX, Verse 1, p. 279.)
We keep hearing that if we don’t bless the modern State of Israel (which America has been doing since at least 1948) that we will be cursed. However, it seems it’s been just the opposite, Since 1948, you name it, and there’s not an area in America wherein she hasn’t become worse off. Could it because America has identified the wrong people as Israel.
Today’s Jews are not the only ones with an identity crisis.
For more, see free online book “The Mystery of the Gentiles: Where Are They and Where Are They Now?” at http://www.missiontoisrael.org/mystery-of-gentiles/index.php.
Are Jews, thus not a tribe?
The Invention or the Jewish People by Shlomo Sand is an important work and any explorations that are suggested by the book. Of course, he is a contemporary and their have been other works, most by people who consider themselves Jewish delving into the same question. I understand Arthur Koestler had much earlier dealt with the issue.
Remember how Helen Thomas was pilloried for he for saying why don’t you go back to Chicago when speaking of the settlers. Well, I hadn’t read Sand at the time when Helen Thomas was banished, but her remarks have much more impact when placed beside the careful research done by Sand. She could have just as easily said if you’re looking for your ancestral home, maybe you’re looking I the wrong place.
All misses the point that Jews and Palestinians should live together in a single state and the elitism claimed by the Zionists needs to be placed in the junk heap of history.
I was struck by the following Schumer comment
“…..like New York Senator Chuck Schumer (D), gave him only tepid support for the action taken, complaining of no overall administration strategy for Syria or an end game.”
What is the end game. Clear enough. To balkanize Syria, cementing Israeli occupation from temporary to permanent, separating the oil rich sector of Syria from what might still be called Syria, replacing leaders with pro-western ones, or since that is likely unobtainable, creating a permanent state of anarchy. It would include, or course, include the removal of Russia and Iran, to assure permanent decrepitude and military weakness of what is left of Syria.
I am not a member of the NRA but I have been around guns all me life and I have never heard the phrase “lock and loaded” or “loaded and locked” before as Nimrata repeated her bosses’ words at the UN. Ms. India-Indian wanna-be Annie Oakley probably misrepresented the phrase because it makes no sense to be ready and your weapons locked. I’ve always heard “loaded, cocked and ready.” The more I see of characters such as Nimrata, Ajit Pai, Fareed Zakaria, Plyush Jindal (Bobby;Bobby and Nikki) the more I understand how 10,000 Brits could lord it over hundreds of millions of India-Indians. Thank the gods for Kshama Sawant. Nimrata is playing at macho cowboys when we are dealing with a possible WWIII.
About the 100% effectiveness of the air defenses in spite of a building getting hit, how about a few days ago the IDF announcing it had destroyed 50% of Syria’s air defenses?
There are a number of revenge items in the future. 1) The killing of over 100 Russian mercenaries. 2) The attempt to humiliate Russia in the Skripal incident. 3) The bombing of Syria. 4) The murder of the Iranian soldiers by Israel
As Mark Twain said: “Prophesy is very risky, especially about the future.” I doubt Putin will do anything before the end of the World Cup. The WC is extremely important to Russia and by the way, the West has always tried to destroy any and all major sports events in the Soviet Union and Russia. After the WC, watch out. Also, as cautious as Putin is, Khrushchev once told Kennedy when Kennedy kept pressuring him to give up more and more: “You know Mr. President, we too have our Edward Tellers.”
As cautious as Putin is or may be, the Iranians will exact revenge. Lockerbie was an Iranian revenge for the ghastly crime committed by the USS Vincennes. Do you know that the commander of that ship got a medal for that heinous crime? Remember among others, Iran killing 7 IDF soldiers after apartheid Israel had killed 7 Iranians in a gratuitous bombing in Damascus?
Happy trails.
“Ralph Kramden”
I like your moniker choice almost as well as the fellow last year who styled himself “Ivy Mike”.
“Lock and load one loose round.” — straight outta bootcamp.
I stand corrected. What does it mean? Why would I lock when I’m ready to fire and why would I lock before loading? Just asking.
I am not a veteran or a military expert, but to have a round in the chamber and not have the safety engaged is very dangerous. Semi auto pistols especially have pretty sensitive triggers, and the chance for an accidental discharge is high. It only takes a fraction of a second to flip off a safety and fire. To me it would be the most sensible state of readiness.
I often heard the term in the Army. I could be wrong but I believe “loaded” refers to a cartridge being in the chamber and “locked” to the bolt being locked in place rather than to the safety. In other words, ready for action.
I overlooked this on my first reading of the essay, and want to remark on it now. Unfortunately (from my viewpoint as an American!) the potential of Russia and China to do deadly damage to the US is not at all small. Consider these two headlines:
“Trump to ask for $716 billion in defense spending in 2019 budget: U.S. officials”
followed by
“U.S. budget deficit to top $1-trillion in 2019: budget experts”
Every single dime spent on the US Military is borrowed money. All those rockets and bombs dropped on Syria and Afghanistan – everything was bought with other people’s money! I don’t think I would be out of line to suggest that all the interest on the national debt is also being borrowed. This is crazy behavior on an unimaginable scale, and cannot be sustained. All Russia and China need to do is to accelerate our own suicidal trends by undermining the Petro Dollar, and their projects of doing that are well under way.
I don’t know much about China, but Russia’s national debt is trivial. And Putin is still piling on with his purchases of Gold. Ditto for China with the Gold. I don’t know what kind of crisis they see coming down the road, but the massive size of the US will mean nothing except for our hitting the ground harder. As a US citizen at Ground Zero I don’t like that at all. But given the current situation in the US, there is not a thing I can do about it.
Can’t run, can’t hide, and both political parties are controlled by Rich People (and Israel) for the sole benefit of Rich People (and Israel) so my vote is meaningless. Not a good thing for either the blood pressure or the ulcers.
You are absolutely correct, the US economy is a mirage, it is an Alice-in-Wonderland world of make-believe where all we do is print more and more money with NOTHING to back it up. China and Russia owe a huge portion of our debt. Russia already approached China about selling their US bonds but China refused because it would destroy their economy. However, China is actively expanding its markets to wean itself of the dependency on the US market so we see them in Africa, Latin America, other parts of Asia. The US builds military bases, the Chinese build trade. It won’t be long.
Thanks you sir for a well written summary of recent coverage of another disgraceful farce. Additional thanks for your even handed style and lack of sarcasm or adolescent dramatics that other contributors at this site give in to.
A key point not mentioned in this article, is that much of the indignation towards Trump’s illegal strike on Syria has come from people considered to be right-wing. Many people who foolishly voted for Trump based on his populist promises, myself included, have been voicing our frustration over Trump’s foreign policy capitulation to the neocons and liberal interventionists.
On Youtube, the comments section of videos from far-right and libertarian channels almost unanimously condemned the unproven allegations and the subsequent missile strikes. The same thing was seen in the comment sections of Infowars, and to a lesser extent Breitbart.
Even pundits such as Tucker Carlson and Ann Coulter have condemned the strike. Indeed, the former was practically the only full-time member of the cable news media who dared to question the rush to judgement.
It is quite interesting to see how the elements that the media refers to as far-right now seem to have become the most numerous voices calling for a non-interventionist foreign policy.
I hope for his sake Tucker Carlson has a decent bank account, for he is at risk of losing his job. I’ve got a lot of issues with right-wingers, but I can’t fault them for voting for Trump in 2016. That he might not turn out to be a lying POS was a possibility at the very least. And we all know who was running against him.
What worries me is if the Democrats engineer another Hillary-Ugly candidate to ensure the reelection of Trump. Or the first elected term of Pence. It’ll be a problem for all of us if in 2020 we have a virtual rerun of 2016 with candidates “Horrible-Beyond-Words” and “Worse-Than-That”.
The April 15 Bezos Post had a very friendly article about Mike Pence and his South American trip. It carried on about his sympathy for the “people that are struggling under the weight of tyranny”, meaning he’d open the borders again for Big Everything to keep wages depressed and bust unions.
“struck a compassionate tone”
“described the suffering”
“moral obligation to help others”
“morally right” to bomb Syria
No protests for Pence, he played kissy-face with Mexico’s president, wants Venezuela government overthrown and Assad gone.
The piece was a drooling endorsement of Pence. Anybody suppose Pence isn’t a dream President for Big Everything and Israel?
No links to the Bezos rag.
It would not take a much worse Repub to drive the sheeple majority to the Dems at this point.
If Dems produce another warmonger for fashion issues and identity perks, third parties may prosper.
The change awaits economic collapse, likely a series of worsening cycles.
History suggests that the peaceful side will be ineffective until joined by a militant wing.
But economic collapse and embargo by BRICS may not be far off.
They may provide the economic pressure for budget reform.
Then the Repubs & Dems can jump off a cliff by spending on weapons instead of the people.
Remember the millions who protested the invasion of Iraq (both times)? Didn’t make a difference. So in addition to the reasons others have proffered, I’d add discouragement that public protests can make a difference. We need to find new ways to throw a monkey wrench into the war machine. I admire those who continue raising their voices, but I don’t see any paths forward at the present time.
I suggest a countrywide shutdown, and I mean everything comes to a sudden halt. No planes departing or arriving, empty highways and roads, only the bare essentials of using our utilities, all boycotting of retail and fast food outlets, no watching commercial television, and no nothing of whatever else maybe added to this list… a complete shutdown. How often? As often as it will take to get the establishments attention.
Good ideas; strikes that affect the rich are a peaceful force, although getting concessions is difficult.
The MSM will say that it worked, and “someday” might even produce some results.
Ghetto riots of the 1960s made the rich pretend to respect MLK enough to get the Civil Rights Act.
Boycotts of MSM and retail may help, but strikes are met with force, and firing when unions are weak.
So the police and National Guard must be disabled by sympathy with strikers despite MSM scams.
Sympathy may require a long-term issue, collapsed economy, and legendary attacks against strikers.
A society where few suffer has few with sympathy, and few moral leaders.
Oddly enough, suffering brings community, even when caused by nature.
General Strike the most powerful populace weapon in history.
Protesting only works if there is a reasonable expectation the media will report it fairly. Today protests are ignored or reported in a biased fashion to the detriment of the protesters.
There is also the real risk of paid agitators to turn protests violent and have law endorcement get involved.
Needless to say, the country has never had a population as thoroughly brainwashed with untruths and propaganda as it has today. Even alternative media dare not speak truths on certain subjects and social media is increasing censoring these truths.
Governments well publicized capabilities to monitor discussions also serves to mute these truths. To this end Snowden and Assange have done their job well.
For the few who are aware, its obvious the battle for truth has been lost. As one old lady said indignantly when told a certain truth , “I would not want to believe it even if it were true”
Most Americans are satisfied with choosing upon the various approved illusions that are on the menu by their masters. Anything else is considered a conspiracy theory. Collectively the most ignorant group of Americans in history. Those who know the least are most confident they are right. LOL.
The protests I referred to in my missive at the bottom of these comments was the lead story on the local news channels. So the deniers like Doctorow, Drew Hunkins, and Pft need to do a little fact checking.
The reason the UK/US/France made sure to only blow up a few buildings far away from any significant targets is thanks to Russia’s promise to retaliate if any Russian military personnel are killed. In other words the deterrence worked. Of course the Trump regime will never admit this and the truly despicable western media is already calling for more “robust” action to be taken against Syria.
To: Independent Comment
These are your income (war) tax dollars at work. Try a decentralized form of Edgar Feige’s APT tax with limits on extreme inheritance instead, say about, “Right Now”.
The latest for international sale is the S400. Only the Russian Military can have “the latest development”, the S500. Iran has received the S400 and India, and others, will be.
The S300 is what was used in Syria, upgraded. S400 is what Russians have around their Syria bases. No S400 anti missile weapons were fired, as the U.S., et al, did not target these.
Syria will now, probably receive boatloads of the S400. There won’t be bird that gets by those protection systems if that situation develops.
@ John Durham: “The S300 is what was used in Syria, upgraded. ”
No. From the Russian Defense Ministry:
Pantsir – 23 hits with 25 engagements,
Buk-M2 – 24 of 29,
Osa – 5 of 13,
S-125 – 5 of 13,
Strela-10 – 3 of 5,
Kvadrat – 11 of 21,
S-200 – 0 hits with 8 launched missiles.
hxxp://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/04/syria-pentagon-hides-attack-failure-70-cruise-missiles-shot-down-.html
I thank you for this article, Gilbert Doctorow, and we see how vicious the lies have become at this point, especially the arrogant, groveling, little Napoleon Macron (i love Realist calling him “Micron”, has a shrunken head), and the nasty attack she-bitch Nikki Haley (wears very high heels to kick people!).
I really feel that we should refrain from messages that there will be no protests. The antiwar movement was partially rolled-up by the expense of increased cost-of-living that started escalating during the Reagan era and have only continued since. Actually, to me from reading Black Agenda Report it appears the Black community are stirring more than the White. No doubt people have been brainwashed and zombified over the past decades, but we cannot give up! We have to break through the lies of the lapdog press, who have abandoned watchdog roles they were intended to be.
I know I’ve posted this missive before, but it just irritates me to no end:
We see tens of thousands of protesters and activists fill the streets of D.C. for Pussy Hats, executive crotch grabbing, and guns but when it comes to Washington-militarist/Zionist international lawlessness — that could lead to the annihilation of the human species — the streets of the capital, not to mention the Apple, Bay Area, Chicago, Boston, etc., are eerily and deadly quiet.
Where are the rebels among us? Have they all been neutered by the great diversions of the day? Is it that easy for the warmongers in our ruling class?
See my reply to WC above. Things are happening.
Drew, they seem not to have the facts due to immersion in mass media. I am astounded to hear intelligent people echo propaganda, ready to attack all who question it. The majority hide in fashion causes and identity politics.
They need experience with the truth to suspect disinformation, and a strong personal motive to overcome the desire for stability through conformity. Otherwise they retreat in fear and hope for safety in tribal loyalty.
It is the thinkers, the angry poor, the unusually experienced, the misadventurers, who read and eventually speak out. They are rare, most have no power or money, and not many of them are leaders. The ones who can inspire and lead are wonderful people. They await the collapse, the draft, the atrocity, that exposes the propaganda. Then they may emerge as leaders of a rebellious generation.
“The majority hide in fashion causes and identity politics.”
— Agree. Look at the clueless Madonna (a paragon of virtues, the US style) and other big-mouth celebrity that all had a sudden amnesia with regards to Hillary’ crimes in Libya (listen to her cannibalistic “ha-ha-ha!”) and Ukraine (see a civil war and the rise of Ukrainian neo-nazism there), and before that, the “righteous” Madeleine Albright convictions that killing 500.000 (five hundred thousands) Iraqi children “worth it.”
PBS dragged old Maddie out from under her rock the other night to spew her usual vicious garbage opinions. If I had a gun I think I would have shot my TV.
I had to laugh at that, recalling a farmer said to have shot his TV in Pennsylvania about 1960.
AlsoThe Honduras Albatross is around H’s neck.
Drew Hunkins – I think of it every day too. That is what happens when the Finance, Media and Entertainment industry is completely controlled by the Group, you wrote about in your comments yesterday. The majority of the population has been conditioned, brainwashed, sort of hypnotized – completely. Media is the key. The only information people get is from TV, Movies, documentaries etc. and the people who control it knew it long time ago; it did not start overnight. Most of the once progressive, media and social organizations have been co-opted, a part this new “War Loving Left” now.
Even the Unitarian Church here close to us are into identity type politics these days. We used to be part of this Unitarian Church for quite a few years. A very activist church one time, they are more interested these days in rehearsing for gay pride parade events, and identity politics speakers and talks. I have not read anything about the Catholic Church either raising their voice against all these wars, destruction, refugee crisis, and human suffering going on in ME.
Christian churches in the US are training the sheeple for oligarchy domination by Our Lord in Wall Street. Of course zionists are part of the oligarchy itself, as are the tribalists of all stripes.
Only those who have suffered something have sympathy, so the US has few moral leaders.
I doubt if the S-400 would be very useful against the low-flying “cruise” missiles, and even if it were, it’s like shooting a battleship gun at a fishing boat. Overkill can be darned expensive, and as an example witness this headline from a while back:
“A US ally shot down a $200 drone with a $3 million Patriot missile”
Nobody cares to speak the name of the nation which supposedly pulled this stunt, for the US is on the verge of outlawing even laughing at a certain little outhouse criminal gang.
What happened in the recent attack seems to have been a combination of electronic jamming and use of the short-range systems like Pantsir-S1. The whole system isn’t supposed to cost more than half a dozen of the super expensive attack missiles. By way of contrast, one reason I’ve heard for the Russians to be developing the S-500 is because the S-400 is so darned expensive to buy. I’d imagine that’s one reason why they keep upgrading the S-300 with all its variants.
Dusting off the ol’ tinfoil hat for a moment, yet another reason for the attack could be a Deal that if Trump follows instructions precisely, he’ll be guaranteed a pardon by President Pence. News stories suggest him and his lawyer may be up to their ears in some substantial criminal activities. The lawyer may have taken notice of Libby’s pardon, for he was all but spitting in the face of a judge recently.
Ah, the internet! A week ago I didn’t know Boeing got finished titanium parts from Russia, yet now I’m trying to write about it. Seems Boeing is working with other suppliers to “print” the titanium parts instead of using Russia’s complex forgings. If Russia is looking at losing the business down the road, immediate cut-off of the business would appear to be feasible. But I’d wager the financial loss would hurt. Space-X is now making big rockets. How reliable they are, I couldn’t say, so getting some publicity from an engine supply cut-off might cost little or nothing.
Russia attacking Ukraine – I’d give very long odds it won’t happen. That nation is Europe’s self-inflicted wound, and why should Russia bail them out at an enormous cost to itself? I would predict a ferocious reaction if Ukraine is foolish enough to use its rebuilt army against the breakaway regions.
Hadn’t thought of that angle, and at first glance it looks like a winner. The Brits seem to have an unusually corrupt and degenerate upper class, and if so would be highly vulnerable. If I were running the operation, I’d use the leverage to humiliate some people. Like, order the release of Assange – Or Else – would be the very quiet instructions. Israel isn’t the only “nation” holding reams of dirt on the Rich and Famous to make them bark on command and otherwise act like trained seals.
A most interesting essay!
If Putin can help free Assange, then let him do so – yesterday!
The outlaw Israeli thinking on display.
Assange is on the territory of the UK that is a sovereign country.
It is only MOSSAD that has no qualms about murdering people (particularly scientists) in various countries.
Add to that Obama’s killing list (extrajudicial executions) — his great legacy of a “constitutional scholar.”
On the timing of the attacks, I highly recommend reading Elijah Magnier’s article here: hxxps://ejmagnier.com/2018/04/15/the-us-secret-plan-on-damascus-foiled-the-russian-role-before-and-after-the-us-uk-france-attack-revealed/
He has it that the U.S. had planned a large scale action to topple Assad, to be launched by a false flag attack in Ghouta, initiated by a large scale “rescue” attack from Al Tanf into and through Eastern Ghouta to take all of Damascus and bring down the Assad government. That the Russians spotted the preparatory movements in the Al Tanf area and persuaded the Syrian Arab Army to freeze its then-current attack on Idlib and rush its troops to take Ghouta as quickly as possible. That maneuver succeeded and destroyed the planned U.S. maneuver using proxy troops (and presumably U.S. air support) to take Damascus.
That does not account for the particular timing of the false flag “chemical” attack or the cruise missile attack. It is conceivable to me that the U.S. decided to do a cruise missile strike to do away with the Syrian Air Force and had the proxy forces in Ghouta simulate a chemical attack as justification. The U.S. then vetoed a Russian UNSC resolution to have the OPCW investigate because such an investigation would find nothing. But OPCW has independent authority to do its own investigations and accepted the Russian and Syrian invitation to investigate.
That put the U.S. in a bind because if the Russians or Syrians had gathered any environmental samples for testing, they would almost certainly have been stored at the Barzah Research and Development Center, Syria’s agricultural research center, which happens to be where OPCW hangs its hat when it is doing investigations in Syria. (Agricultural research centers are typically equipped with analytical equipment to test for the presence of pesticides and other chemical pollutants.)
OPCW was set to begin its investigation on Saturday, so Friday night was the latest the U.S. could strike and destroy any samples at the Barzah center without risking injury or death to OPCW investigators.
That’s just a hypothesis. Time may tell the truth.
I found the piece to be quite plausible, and read enough of his other essays to conclude the guy isn’t a crackpot. He tied together an awful lot of loose ends, and totally accurate or not, the story has a ring of truth to it.
Thanks for the link which is now bookmarked – I can’t believe I hadn’t found the site myself, considering how much time I spend reading stuff on the Internet Tubes.
Not sure why you would think that: the entire global political class (the professional parasite classes: politicians, their cronies, and all the Little Eichmanns who enable them) is corrupt and degenerate.
In fact, I would argue that you cannot advance to any position of power – political or bureaucratic – unless you have shown yourself to be willing to put your reputation in the hands of the organisation that backs your advancement.
It’s a trope we have all seen depicted in portrayals of private-sector organised crime, where aspirants must take part in a ‘hit’ and hand over the weapon – with their fingerprints on it – to the higher-ups… thus guaranteeing that conviction of a capital crime is the least-worst outcome if they betray their team.
Public sector organised crime – political parties and their machines – are no different.
The way that this has been done historically, is by identifying aspiring politicians when they are still students (e.g., Blair, May, Hague, Hoon, Cameron, Brown, Gillard, Turnbull, Howard, Rudd – all were student politicians) and holding out the prospect of membership of the Inner Ring… invitations to events that degenerate into, e.g., drunken and drug-fuelled orgies, with the whole shebang caught on camera.
Those who decide not to participate, simply do not progress to the next layer of the onion: their political aspirations are dead in the water, even if they are not aware of it when they make the decision.
Those who progress, are on the primrose path, and must further degrade and debauch themselves to advance to further layers.
By the time anyone gets the level of preferment required to have a genuine shot at candidature for high office, they will have done things that are unambiguously illegal – and someone else will have irrefutable evidence of it.
Does nobody recall how Philby, McLean, Blunt and Burgess were recruited by the Soviets? A standard honeypot operation, which gave the Soviets evidence of their homosexuality (which was, at the time, illegal in the UK).
Aldrich Ames was an easier get: because he was a drunk and a womaniser, and was dumb enough to use cash paid to him for lifestyle expenditure that was inconsistent with his salary. But the ‘hook’ was a homosexual interaction that happened when he was in Mexico (he was blackout drunk, but that would not have exculpated him).
The same is true for J Edgar Hooveer: he was controlled for half his career by the Mob, because they had the goods on him… because he was a closeted homosexual.
I don’t want to harp on the homosexual angle too much: however at the time, and in the professional contexts, it was a career-killer (and in the UK, grounds for imprisonment, loss of security clearance, and forced chemical castration – see Turing’s last few years for evidence of that).
So anyhow… if you’re curious as to why the political class do not betray one another: it’s all down to a balance of terror (since information flows across party lines – these people’s class consciousness trumps party loyalties).
And there’s the problem (for them): they have large, leaky, insecure repositories of incriminating information that they rely on to blackmail their peers into staying in line.
Those are the explicit, specific targets of people that I work with – with some success (in particular, a hack of the database of a global paedophile network, details of which helped out a former UK politicians… sadly, posthumously). The overarching aim, is to undermine public trust in government institutions, government pronouncements, and bureaucracies… to the extent that they don’t do so themselves as a result of their incompetence and wastefulness.
“Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, repeated after the attacks Moscow’s prior warning that there would be “grave consequences” for the U.S. and its allies. These were not spelled out. But given Putin’s record of caution, it would be surprising if Moscow did anything to exacerbate the situation.”
point: Bravado is never a good idea.
point: As long as Putin’s caution isn’t collution, it’s welcome.
That should have been collusion.
Also, That a huge, unprincipled anti-war Left may be stirring doesn’t inspire me.
Hey Dude, ¯\_(?)_/¯
You need to remove the WWW in the link to your website because as it currently stands when I click on your name I get the Google “Your connection is not private” page, but If I remove the WWW then it works.
Good point about the unprincipled anti-war left. Unless liberal groups such as MoveOn take responsibility for their role in the breakdown in U.S. Russian relations with their demonization of Russia, and the demonization of those who questioned the demonization of Russia as “Putinbots” MoveOn and others like it will never get my support.
Agreed. I don’t expect them to admit their hypocrisy any time soon though.They have brainwashed and propagandized for far too long.
The unprincipled are the majority on all sides. The responsibility taking may come as they learn.
The left’s energy is still needed, if they can get away from MSM and learn more about the world.
“As long as Putin’s caution isn’t collution, it’s welcome.”
— Is this a new orthography from the old Hillary guard?
Those small steps Gilbert wrote about where the dormant “left” seems to be “snapping out of it” is largely due to the people on sites like this one. This is what has been happening: The “liberal pro-war left” has been belittled and made to look fools incessantly on platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and also in the comment sections of countless websites. They have been incessantly been put down and laughed at. This has been going on for many months by the real progressives who link to authentic news material like Consortium News and similar sites to prove their points, while making the “liberal pro-war left” supporters look more and more foolish and being used by the neocons and wealthy exploiters. That strategy is starting to work, the “liberal pro-war left” and I mean those who are not simply worker bees for whatever political party or intel org, are becoming more and more embarrassed to be seen siding with the political aims of those clearly political groups.
Sergei Lavrov’s 15 minute speech is available online on vesti news (here in France, I hope in the US/UK!) All the repeated “secrets” of irrefutable evidence of Assad’s gas crimes from Macron, plus the Skripals and the lab.
How anyone can still believe the month-long Salisbury/Theresa May/Boris/”Defence Minister” story, with the “victims” incommunicado and the only deaths two guinea pigs and a cat, amazes me. All a lead-in for the brave mighty military attack on Syria for a false flag, I suppose.
Yes, the story is “Of a type developed by liars” as Craig Murray describes the Salisbury CW story, at antiwar dot com/craig_murray/2018/03/16/of-a-type-developed-by-liars/
You don’t need to suppose, you know in your gut that they’re are lying their cheating butts off and not just this time but almost every time.
And, and, the poor guinea pigs and the cat starved to death. I mean, these inspectors Clumsous (I know CLouseau) who never miss anyone or anything couldn’t see the critters needed feeding?
While attention is given to the “media reaction” to the attack, little attention is given to the role of the media – especially “First Draft” propaganda coalition “partners” – New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, BBC, and especially the fake “online investigations” site Bellingcat – in promoting U.S. military attacks.
Leading propagandists include fake “citizen investigative journalist” Eliot Higgins and fake “chemical weapons expert” Dan Kaszeta of the Bellingcat disinformation site.
Higgins and Kaszeta are long-time propaganda launderers for Al Qaeda terrorist-affiliates and their White Helmets allies in Syria.
The “Bellingcat method” uses signature phrases “appear to show”, “appear to depict”, “appear to be” to purportedly “verify” video and photos supplied by the terrorist-affiliated groups in Syria.
The latest example is Bellingcat’s “open source survey” on the 7th April 2018 incident at Douma
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018/04/11/open-source-survey-alleged-chemical-attacks-douma-7th-april-2018/
On 14 April 2018, ABC News reported that the United States Government “Assessment” was supplied to Congress by the National Security Council, now under the direction of rabid pro-Israel Lobby figure and terrorist supporter John R. Bolton.
The ABC News report stated: “In the moments after President Donald Trump ordered coordinated attacks on chemical weapons facilities in Syria, the White House sent a briefing document to members of Congress prepared by the National Security Council outlining the thinking behind its air strikes.”
ABC News “obtained a copy of the document, sent to at least one senator”.
The ABC News report quotes a segment from the published Government “Assessment” claim concerning the April 7, 2018 incident.
According to ABC News, in response to arguments made by the Syrian and Russian governments that the April 7 attack was fabricated by Western governments, the NSC memo stated, “Such a widespread fabrication would require a well-organized and compartmented campaign to deceive multiple media outlets while evading our detection.”
Like so many statements in the U.S. Government “Assessment” of alleged “chemical use” in the Syrian conflict, the NSC statement is merely an assertion with no direct evidence to support it.
The official U.S. Government “Assessment”, reflected in the NSC memo to Congress confirmed by ABC News, is based on nothing other than so-called “public information” supplied by “social media users, non-governmental organizations, and other open-source outlets”.
The Government “Assessment” emphasizes “reporting from media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other open sources”.
The U.S. Government “Assessment” only mentions “Reliable intelligence” once, but presents no further information regarding the specific form of the alleged “intelligence”, nor how its “reliability” was determined, nor whether it came from a foreign nation.
Israel, for example, has a long history of supplying the U.S. with dubious or obviously false “intelligence”.
It now appears that the U.S. Government relies almost entirely on media and non-governmental agencies to “verify” information.
“It now appears that the U.S. Government relies almost entirely on media and non-governmental agencies to “verify” information.”
Scary that those 17 USA intelligence-gathering agencies have all been “scooped” by internet surfers.
Agency director mission is limited to having “confidence” in the best-paying story of “gathered intelligence.”
Bellingcat: Tool of Information Warfare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro1byfe5vUM
In several notable episodes, the United States has used a strange document called a “Government Assessment” as a pretext for aggressive sanctions and, more recently under Donald Trump, direct military attacks:
– the August 2013 Ghouta incident in Syria
– the July 2014 crash of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH-17 in Ukraine
– the April 2017 Khan Shaykhun incident in Syria
– the April 2018 Douma incident in Syria
As Ray McGovern pointed out in “Propaganda, Intelligence and MH-17” on Consortium News (August 17, 2015):
“The key difference between the traditional ‘Intelligence Assessment’ and this relatively new creation, a ‘Government Assessment’ is that the latter genre is put together by senior White House bureaucrats or other political appointees, not senior intelligence analysts. Another significant difference is that an ‘Intelligence Assessment’ often includes alternative views, either in the text or in footnotes, detailing disagreements among intelligence analysts, thus revealing where the case may be weak or in dispute.
“The absence of an ‘Intelligence Assessment’ suggested that honest intelligence analysts were resisting a knee-jerk indictment of Russia, just as they did after the first time Kerry pulled this ‘Government Assessment’ arrow out of his quiver trying to stick the blame for an Aug. 21, 2013 sarin gas attack outside Damascus on the Syrian government.”
In every one of the “Government Assessment” episodes mentioned above, the one person in common who generated what McGovern accurately described as “pseudo-intelligence product, which contained not a single verifiable fact”, was U.K. blogger and mainstream media darling Eliot Higgins.
The purpose of deception operatives like Higgins and Bellingcat is to provide a channel for Western propaganda to more effectively reach the public and be perceived as truthful.
Thank you for the summary. This information is anathema to Israel-firsters.
Unless the American Jewish Community finds its moral fiber (badly weakened by tribal solidarity, despite the facts of the ziocons’ criminality), the mass slaughter in the Middle East will go on.
Up to date, the American Jewish Community — all the 52 major Jewish organizations in the US — are perceived as the promoters and cheerleaders for the mass slaughter in the Middle East. The slaughter has been going on in accordance with Oded Yinon plan for Eretz Israel and PNAC, a ziocon manifesto for world domination. Four million human beings died in the Middle East since 1999 because of the implementation of the Oded Yinon plan and PNAC
@ “Such a widespread fabrication would require a well-organized and compartmented campaign to deceive multiple media outlets while evading our detection.”
As though the CIA is incapable of executing such a “well-organized and compartmented campaign to deceive multiple media outlets.”
I am somewhat baffled by the BBC portraying a girl from the Duma-video which effectively confirms the claims in a RT video protraying two medical staff from the hospital in Duma: http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-43776015/syria-chemical-attack-girl-seen-in-hospital-video-speaks . She fortunately survived obviously unscathed but mentions nothing about a chemical attack although the BBC is suggesting that in the headline. This confirms of what was shown on RT tow days earlier when they had two of the hospital’s medical staff speaking and claiming there was no chemical attack, it was a fake: https://www.rt.com/news/424047-russian-mod-syria-statement/ . I even wonder how and where this girl was interviewed, in Duma or was she brought over to Idlib? If the latter then it is clear that there really was no chemical attack.
the article at link below is a must read
———————————————————————-
http://www.chris-floyd.com/mobile/articles/alchemical-reactions-transmuting-death-dealing-dung-into-pr-gold-14042018.html
Paul Craig Roberts asked the same question on his site. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
Yes, a worthwhile article as always from Chris Floyd, although he writes less often nowadays.
Are the U.K. serfs getting restless?
———————————————————-
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/14/syria-missile-raid-may-faces-anger-trump-declares-mission-accomplished
There will be no mass protests like in the 1960’s. The status quo is so totally, completely and absolutely in control they are not even bothering to change the script for their actions.
Cindy Sheehan’s Women’s March on the Pentagon is in the process of organizing for October.
https://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/2018/02/join-womens-march-on-pentagon-by-cindy.html
I went to a planning meeting in Boston last week. My group who attended are also going to be meeting with someone from Mass Peace Action to start a group in Western Mass. Don’t mourn organize! There are people ready to get us out in the streets, but they can’t do it alone. Get out there and meet them.
Very true and good advice. Perhaps even now women more often “get out there and meet” and spread the word and the courage among men afraid of losing jobs or friends. I turn out on the rare occasions when I discover an event of real significance. More events on more essential national issues, and more invitations may help. Colleges are good recruiting grounds for events; strong-willed and motivated men and women are the best march leaders.
March, don’t tweet, might be a recruiting slogan.
And I applaud your efforts. Ralph Nader says the only way to claw back control from the oligarchs is from a grass roots movement.
Time to accomplish this is my only concern. Bill Gates came out today saying it’s ‘a certainty’ we will have another financial crisis like 2008. Gates would know the financial system has been on life support since 2008 (QE 1, 2, 3, financial shenanigans from the TBTF, record low interest rates, stock buybacks, etc.) so why give the sheep this news at this time?
The recent rash of war mongering is also a tell with respect to the time-line. The worse this gets the less time we have.
As the Aussies would say Good on ya Lois. At least you are doing something. :)
An economic collapse is just what the US needs to motivate activism, even though it impedes action.
Luxury leads to selfishness and apathy; suffering leads to sympathy.
A collapse will also reduce the ability of US warmongers to bully the world.
It will also strengthen Russia and China and India against the US.
It will push US corruption by economic power another stage along its tragic course to the future.
Besides the almost half billion$ fireworks display in Syria, I see a collapse that can’t be avoided. It’s not if anymore it’s when. How much more can this military budget black hole absorb before it sucks everything down into oblivion. Timing is everything. And by the way there are ant-war people still here. The rest are still entranced to post selfies or waste time on mindless video games.
Historically most peaceful revolutions succeed when a critical mass of citizens are economically suffering and the security forces stand down.
Thanks WC. While the march in October will take time to plan for, we can find like minded people right now and do some local actions. No doubt with the way things are playing out, we are going to have to do that. We are discussing using street art and street theater as opposed to just standing on street corners holding signs. It’s more disruptive to people’s insulated routines. We need to start shoving some reality into the public sphere to counter the propaganda. Once a few people show some courage, more will feel safe joining in.
As Lee Camp always says at the end of his show, keep fighting!
I hope that this time around, the anti-war crowd will unite around a specific change in the Constitution to end foreign wars rather than the diffuse message in the Viet Nam War days that deflated into no substantive change once the draft was interrupted — not even outlawed.
Too discouraging! It is the optimist like Lois who has the connections when the mood swings her way.
Absolutely correct concerning the lack of a Protest movement to rival the folks in the 60’s? Since the protest movements of the 1960’s, the American Deepstate have infiltrated the Educational system & taken control of any dissenting voices & re-educated the masses to be compliant & non- dissenting & obey the status quo! The creation of a “Ministry of Truth”in the US Govt, State Dept & in league with the Intelligence Agencies, & the Mainstream Corporate Media which it completely owns & controls, as George Orwell stated in his novel 1984, they now can control the “official narrative”? The brainwashing & dumbing down of the American people has been stunningly effective, judging by the lack of protest response from the American people? Being purposely made dumb, stupid & ignorant, & distracted by severe economic stress, the adults are only worried about their bottom line & what Stormy Daniels & the Kardashians are up to & their kids are hooked on Internet porn, opiates & Zuckerberg’s timewasting, social media, data mining facebook & also instagram, to the extent that they are incapable & too stupid to protest? With the obsession with self over the collective good, they also waste any other limited time, money, because they’ve to busy taking selfies & watching stupidass YouTube videos of cute kitty cats? Welcome to your Big Brother,1984 future, you’ve got the Govt you voted for & the Govt & President you deserve?
But KA, while there are many who support or cooperate with the corrupt USG, it is installed by corruption more than by public support, and the support it has comes from corruption of the mass media by money, as you observe. Those who see this are the solution not the problem, so it is better to identify the problems (as you do) but not blame them as in your last sentence.
But KA…
You forgot to mention that the Establishment made sure, that the military people are treated as heroes, who constantly protect our freedom and democracy. You cannot go to a sport event without the military is being praised for doing such a great job of protecting us, by bombing the “country of the month” for no reason. The Establishment learned the lessons of Vietnam and made sure that the media and people will fall in line and only speak praises for the military. If you dare to speak against our military, you might be lynched right on spot by the “dumb, stupid & ignorant”…
And no, we did not vote for the ones we deserve, we have voted for the government and president that the Establishment allowed to be voted on. Get your facts straight… /s
They learned their lessons well after the ‘Nam. We were treated to the horrors of war(the ‘Nam) during dinner along with the Huntley&Brinkley commentary on the US’s “progress”. Since then they only release family friendly G rated heroes getting medals or magnificent shows of explosive display. No carnage in sight. That’s what we need to stir the spark again and perhaps a draft, which I abhor.
General Strike is the most effective weapon. The Demos smothered the General Strike Occupy attempted to initiate. Occupy was a real chance at revolution. Obomber was instrumental in destroying Occupy.
Makes me wonder if main stream media, which most Americans seem to be addicted to, has some sort of linguistics (subliminal) programming going on because I just can’t figure out why everyone isn’t in the streets and working towards impeachment of the entire swamp….
“Mission Accomplished” is an Israeli military phrase.
Israel “verifies” that a “target” houses a “nuclear program”, a “chemical weapons facility”, an “arms depot”, or a “terrorist compound” by bombing it. No other “evidence” is necessary.
With Bolton back behind a desk at the NSC, the pro-Israel Lobby is approaching nirvana with the administration of “1000 percent” Israel Firster Donald Trump.
“We love Israel. We will fight for Israel 100 percent, 1000 percent.”
VIDEO minutes 2:15-8:06
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiwBwBw7R-U
The “arguments” of the eminently fireable Mattis and Dunford are slender reeds standing between Trump’s next pro-Israel Tomahawk Tweet and an end to Russian patience.
“Mission accomplished” has been around longer than the apartheid state, much, much longer than.
Sure, Ralph.
https://twitter.com/idfspokesperson/status/496571365281898496?lang=en
And when it comes to those Israeli-Saudi-U.S. Axis “Honeymooners”, it’s perfectly clear who’s the “King of the Castle” in the “Special Relationship” between Israel and the United States
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8BrYoDq8qM
Members in US politics who hold dual US/Israeli citizenship:
December 4, 2014 by IWB
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June 2013
Past and Present:
1.Attorney General – Michael Mukasey
2. Head of Homeland Security – Michael Chertoff
3. Chairman Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board – Richard Perle
4. Deputy Defense Secretary (Former) – Paul Wolfowitz
5. Under Secretary of Defense – Douglas Feith
6. National Security Council Advisor – Elliott Abrams
7. Vice President Dick Cheney’s Chief of Staff (Former) – “Scooter” Libby
8. White House Deputy Chief of Staff – Joshua Bolten
9. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs – Marc Grossman
10. Director of Policy Planning at the State Department – Richard Haass
11. U.S. Trade Representative (Cabinet-level Position) – Robert Zoellick
12. Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board – James Schlesinger
13. UN Representative (Former) – John Bolton
14. Under Secretary for Arms Control – David Wurmser
15. Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board – Eliot Cohen
16. Senior Advisor to the President – Steve Goldsmith
17. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Christopher Gersten
18. Assistant Secretary of State – Lincoln Bloomfield
19. Deputy Assistant to the President – Jay Lefkowitz
20. White House Political Director – Ken Melman
21. National Security Study Group – Edward Luttwak
22. Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board – Kenneth Adelman
23. Defense Intelligence Agency Analyst (Former) – Lawrence (Larry) Franklin
24. National Security Council Advisor – Robert Satloff
25. President Export-Import Bank U.S. – Mel Sembler
26. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families – Christopher Gersten
27. Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Public Affairs – Mark Weinberger
28. White House Speechwriter – David Frum
29. White House Spokesman (Former) – Ari Fleischer
30. Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board – Henry Kissinger
31. Deputy Secretary of Commerce – Samuel Bodman
32. Under Secretary of State for Management – Bonnie Cohen
33. Director of Foreign Service Institute – Ruth Davis
Current members as best I could find:
Senate:
•Senator Barbara Boxer (California)
•Senator Benjamin Cardin (Maryland)
•Senator Russ Feingold (Wisconsin)
•Senator Al Franken (Minnesota)
•Senator Dianne Feinstein (California)
•Senator Herb Kohl (Wisconsin)
•Senator Frank Lautenberg (New Jersey)
•Senator Joe Lieberman (Connecticut) (Independent)
•Senator Carl Levin (Michigan)
•Senator Bernard Sanders (Vermont) (Independent)
•Senator Charles Schumer (New York)
•Senator Ron Wyden (Oregon)
House of Representatives:
•Representative Gary Ackerman (New York)
•Representative John H. Adler (New Jersey)
•Representative Shelley Berkley (Nevada)
•Representative Howard Berman (California)
•Representative Steve Cohen (Tennessee)
•Representative Susan Davis (California)
•Representative Eliot Engel (New York)
•Representative Bob Filner (California)
•Representative Barney Frank (Massachusetts)
•Representative Gabrielle Giffords (Arizona)
•Representative Alan Grayson (Florida)
•Representative Jane Harman (California)
•Representative Paul Hodes (New Hampshire)
•Representative Steve Israel (New York)
•Representative Steve Kagen (Wisconsin)
•Representative Ronald Klein (Florida)
•Representative Sander Levin (Michigan)
•Representative Nita Lowey (New York)
•Representative Jerry Nadler (New York)
•Representative Jared Polis (Colorado)
•Representative Steve Rothman (New Jersey)
•Representative Jan Schakowsky (Illinois)
•Representative Adam Schiff (California)
•Representative Allyson Schwartz (Pennsylvania)
•Representative Brad Sherman (California)
•Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Florida)
•Representative Henry Waxman (California)
•Representative Anthony Weiner (New York)
•Representative John Yarmuth (Kentucky)
zatetic June 2013
jewishcurrents.org/the-112th-congress-3476
All the jews in congress are democrats or independents (basically democrats) except one, Eric Cantor. He may be the highest ranking Tea Partier elected lol.
tinyurl.com/m3wdevf
YoungAmerican, please refrain from posting your “facts” on ConsortiumNews until you learn how to use credible news sources you find on the Internet. Your list of dual Israeli/US citizens is wholly inaccurate on the face of it, and there is no need to do any research to verity this fact. Yes, there are some very key government players in this list who are. Most of them, however, are in no way “dual citizens.”
That said, if you do keep reading ConsortiumNews with a genuine appreciation for the professionalism this site offers, I bet your ability to separate the wheat from the chaff will grow tremendously over time. So, unless you are just a troll with some kind of ulterior motive, or someone incapable of becoming more educated and discerning when it comes to what you read
on the internet, then you should certainly stick around and learn from some of the best you will find.
Once again: this is NOT just another half-baked “news” site! Please do not help drag down the quality of Consortium News with more posts like the one you just made. I’ve found that CN offers the work of independent journalists who are dedicated to reporting truthful news on a higher and more sophisticated level than virtually any other site out there. And if you do spend more time reading the reports here, and still cannot understand this fact, then I respectfully suggest that you should just consider finding other sites with lower standards when it comes to accuracy.
Thanks, and best wishes to you.
Hasbara propaganda troll “YoungAmerican” pops back up out of the hole with the “dual US/Israeli citizenship” canard.
The “dual citizens” canard is Inverted Hasbara (false flag “anti-Israel” / “anti-Zionist”, and fake “anti-Jewish” / “anti-Semitic”) propaganda that gets ramped up whenever needed by Israel, but particularly when Israel wants to rain bombs on its neighborhs.
Like Conventional Hasbara (overtly pro-Israel or pro-Zionist) propaganda, the primary purpose of Inverted Hasbara false flag propaganda is to divert attention from Israeli military and government actions, and to provide cover for Israel Lobby activities.
The “dual citizens’ Inverted Hasbara propaganda canard came into prominence after the Israel-initiated war Lebanon in 2006.
Israel’s shaky military performance, flooding of south Lebanon cluster munitions, use of white phosphorus in civilian areas brought censure. Further Israeli attacks on Gaza brought increasing pressure on the neocon-infested Bush administration for its backing of Israel.
A Facebook post titled, “List of Politicians with Israeli Dual Citizenship,” started circulating. The post mentioned “U.S. government appointees who hold powerful positions and who are dual American-Israeli citizens.”
With the change of US administration in 2008, new versions of the post appeared with headlines such as “Israeli Dual Citizens in the U.S. Congress and the Obama Administration.” Common versions included 22 officials currently or previously with the Obama administration, 27 House members and 13 senators.
Hasbara troll “YoungAmerican” has posted a version that appeared after Israel declared “Mission Accomplished” in its 2014 attack on Gaza.
All these “dual citizens’ Inverted Hasbara propaganda posts are for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the misrepresentation of Israeli nationality law.
Israel does allow its citizens to hold dual (or multiple) citizenship. A dual national is considered an Israeli citizen for all purposes, and is entitled to enter Israel without a visa, stay in Israel according to his own desire, engage in any profession and work with any employer according to Israeli law. An exception is that under an additional law added to the Basic Law: the Knesset (Article 16A) according to which Knesset members cannot pledge allegiance unless their foreign citizenship has been revoked, if possible, under the laws of that country.
The Law of Return grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel and almost automatic Israeli citizenship upon arrival in Israel. In the 1970s the Law of Return was expanded to grant the same rights to the spouse of a Jew, the children of a Jew and their spouses, and the grandchildren of a Jew and their spouses, provided that the Jew did not practice a religion other than Judaism willingly. In 1999, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled that Jews or the descendants of Jews that actively practice a religion other than Judaism are not entitled to immigrate to Israel as they would no longer be considered Jews under the Law of Return, irrespective of their status under halacha (Jewish religious law).
Israeli law distinguishes between the Law of Return, which allows for Jews and their descendants to immigrate to Israel, and Israel’s nationality law, which formally grants Israeli citizenship. In other words, the Law of Return does not itself determine Israeli citizenship; it merely allows for Jews and their eligible descendants to permanently live in Israel. Israel does, however, grant citizenship to those who immigrated under the Law of Return if the applicant so desires.
A non-Israeli Jew or an eligible descendant of a non-Israeli Jew needs to request approval to immigrate to Israel, a request which can be denied for a variety of reasons including (but not limited to) possession of a criminal record, currently infected with a contagious disease, or otherwise viewed as a threat to Israeli society. Within three months of arriving in Israel under the Law of Return, immigrants automatically receive Israeli citizenship unless they explicitly request not to.
Hasbara propaganda troll “YoungAmerican” started popping up out of the Hasbara hole in September 2017.
“YoungAmerican” typically vomits Inverted Hasbara (false flag “anti-Israel” / “anti-Zionist”, and fake “anti-Jewish” / “anti-Semitic”) racist epithets, rants about “farcical religion”, and generally spouts easily debunkable nonsense like the “dual citizens” canard.
See the CN comments at
https://consortiumnews.com/2017/11/01/israel-set-to-block-palestinian-unity/
Here’s how the Hasbara propaganda game works:
Inverted Hasbara (false flag “anti-Israel” and fake “anti-Jewish”) propaganda trolls post fake “anti-Israel” rants and easily debunkable garbage like the “dual US/Israeli citizenship” canard.
Then…
Conventional Hasbara (overtly pro-Israel / pro-Zionist) propaganda trolls start howling about “hate” and kvetching about “this site”.
But the Hasbara propaganda game isn’t working so well here at Consortium News because CN readers are alert to both Conventional Hasbara and Inverted Hasbara propaganda tactics.
The pernicious influence of the pro-Israel Lobby, Israeli meddling in American electoral politics, and Israeli interference in American foreign policy are all matters of fact.
The “dual citizens” canard is one of many Hasbara propaganda tactics aimed at diverting attention from damaging facts about the US-Israel “special relationship”.
Wolfowitz, Perle, Ledeen and Feith were caught spying for Israel while they were working at the Pentagon. NetanYahoo was involved in the smuggling of nuclear triggers stolen from the USA and smuggled to apartheid Israel. Arnon Milchan openly brags about spying against the USA. Jonathan Pollard walks free but Assange, Mumiya, Leonard Peltier, Snowden are in jail, exile or under house arrest. Lovely.
I posted list like that a few years ago and was not only called anti semite, but received hate calls from Israel! What I discovered was its not just democrats its pukes Who do you think the evangelicals are supporting Trumpolini…they believe the world is ending in their life time…and it will begin in Israel, which is why Erdogan said, “all the christian crusaders” are coming to the middle east.
I have been thinking for days why the public have not marched to insist that Julian Assange be set free this is where the fight must be fought.It is.a Bloody outrage that we are expected to except this crap from them …idiot blantant lies the honey trap nonsense.But you may have given me my answer ..heartbreakingly sad.But I still say we should get Julian freed first he represents what’s most important in this fight.
Send a postcard of encouragement to Julian:
Julian Assange c/o
Embassy of Ecuador
Flat 3b, 3 Hans Crescent, London SW1X 0LS
Will a letter with cash get there? I see on Google that this is indeed the Ecuador embassy address.