In his efforts to uncover the Iran-Contra plot and the machinations surrounding Russia-gate, Bob Parry was in the forefront of journalists exposing the inner workings of the Deep State, recalls Ray McGovern during our Winter Fund Drive.
By Ray McGovern
Special to Consortium News
A year ago yesterday, it became fully clear what was behind the feverish attempt by our intelligence agencies and their mainstream media accomplices to emasculate President Donald Trump with the Russia-gate trope.
It turned out that the objective was not only to delegitimize Trump and make it impossible for him to move toward a more decent relationship with Russia.
On December 12, 2017, it became manifestly clear that it was not only the usual suspects — the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank Complex, namely, the Boeings, Lockheeds, and Raytheons profiteering on high tension with Russia; not only greedy members of Congress upon whom defense contractors lavish some of their profits; not only the TV corporations controlled by those same contractors; and not only the Democrats desperately searching for a way to explain how Hillary Clinton could have lost to the buffoon we now have in the White House.
No, it was deeper than that. It turns out a huge part of the motivation behind Russia-gate was to hide how the Department of Justice, FBI, and CIA (affectionately known as the Deep State) — with their co-opted “assets” in the media — interfered in the 2016 election in a gross attempt to make sure Trump did not win.
Russia-gate: Cui Bono?
This would become crystal clear, even to cub reporters, when the text exchanges between senior FBI officials Peter Strzok and girlfriend Lisa Page were released exactly a year ago. Typically, readers of The New York Times the following day would altogether miss the importance of the text-exchanges.
Readers of Robert Parry’s article on December 13, 2017, “The Foundering Russia-gate ‘Scandal,” would be gently led to understand the importance of this critical extra dimension explaining the the media-cum-anonymous-intelligence-sources frenzied effort to push the prevailing Russia-gate narrative, and — and how captivated and unprofessional the mainstream media had become.
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Bob Parry did not call me frequently to compare notes, but he did call on Dec. 12, 2017 for a sanity check on the release of the Strzok-Page texts. FBI Agent Peter Strzok interviewed Hillary Clinton on her servers (and led that investigation); he was the hand-picked FBI agent who took part in the Jan 2017 light-weight intelligence “assessment” that blamed Russia for the 2016 election result, and he was on special counsel Robert Mueller’s staff investigating alleged Russian interference. Bob and I agreed on the texts’ significance, and I was tempted to volunteer a draft to appear the next day. But it was clear that Bob wanted to take the lead, and it would turn out to be his last substantive piece. He had already laid the groundwork with three articles earlier that month. (All three are worth reading again. Here are the links.
Robert Parry’s obituaries in the New York Times and Washington Post
Here’s how Bob began his article on the Strzok-Page bombshell. (Not a fragment of it seemed to impact mainstream media.):
“The disclosure of fiercely anti-Trump text messages between two romantically involved senior FBI officials who played key roles in the early Russia-gate inquiry has turned the supposed Russian-election-meddling “scandal” into its own scandal, by providing evidence that some government investigators saw it as their duty to block or destroy Donald Trump’s presidency.
“As much as the U.S. mainstream media has mocked the idea that an American ‘deep state’ exists and that it has maneuvered to remove Trump from office, the text messages between senior FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok and senior FBI lawyer Lisa Page reveal how two high-ranking members of the government’s intelligence/legal bureaucracy saw their role as protecting the United States from an election that might elevate to the presidency someone as unfit as Trump.”
Parry’s Cri de Coeur
Fast forwarding just two weeks, Bob had a stroke on Christmas Eve, which seriously affected his eyesight. By New Year’s Eve 2017, though, he was able to “apologize” (typical Bob) to Consortium News readers for not filing for two weeks.
In January, he had additional strokes. When I visited him in the hospital, he was not himself. What is indelible in my memory, though, is the way he kept repeating from his hospital bed: “It’s too much; it’s just too much, too much.”
What was too much?
Since Bob told me how hard he had to struggle, with impaired vision, to put together his Dec. 31 piece, and since what he wrote throws such light on Bob and the prostitution of the profession he loved so much, I include a few excerpts below. (Forgive me, but I cannot, for the life of me, pare them down further.)
These paragraphs from Bob are required reading for those who want to have a some clue as to what has been going on in Washington, and the Faustian bargain Strzok — sorry, I mean struck — between the media and the Deep State. Here’s what Bob, clear-eyed, despite fuzzy eyesight, wrote:
“On Christmas Eve, I suffered a stroke that has affected my eyesight (especially my reading and thus my writing) although apparently not much else. The doctors have also been working to figure out exactly what happened since I have never had high blood pressure, I never smoked, and my recent physical found nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps my personal slogan that ‘every day’s a work day’ had something to do with this.
“Perhaps, too, the unrelenting ugliness that has become Official Washington and national journalism was a factor. It seems that since I arrived in Washington in 1977 as a correspondent for The Associated Press, the nastiness of American democracy and journalism has gone from bad to worse. …
“More and more I would encounter policymakers, activists and, yes, journalists who cared less about a careful evaluation of the facts and logic and more about achieving a pre-ordained geopolitical result –and this loss of objective standards reached deeply into the most prestigious halls of American media. This perversion of principles –twisting information to fit a desired conclusion – became the modus vivendi of American politics and journalism. And those of us who insisted on defending the journalistic principles of skepticism and
evenhandedness were increasingly shunned by our colleagues … Everything became ‘information warfare.’ …
“The demonization of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia is just the most dangerous feature of this propaganda process – and this is where the neocons and the liberal interventionists most significantly come together. The U.S. media’s approach to Russia is now virtually 100 percent propaganda. Does any sentient human being read the New York Times’ or the Washington Post’s coverage of Russia and think that he or she is getting a neutral or unbiased treatment of the facts? … The American people and the West in general are carefully shielded from hearing the ‘other side of the story.’ Indeed to even suggest that there is another side to the story makes you a ‘Putin apologist’ or ‘Kremlin stooge.’
“Western journalists now apparently see it as their patriotic duty to hide key facts that otherwise would undermine the demonizing of Putin and Russia. Ironically, many ‘liberals’ who cut their teeth on skepticism about the Cold War and the bogus justifications for the Vietnam War now insist that we must all accept whatever the U.S. intelligence community feeds us, even if we’re told to accept the assertions on faith. …
“The hatred of Trump and Putin was so intense that old-fashioned rules of journalism and fairness were brushed aside. On a personal note, I faced harsh criticism even from friends of many years for refusing to enlist in the anti-Trump ‘Resistance.’ The argument was that Trump was such a unique threat to America and the world that I should join in finding any justification for his ouster. Some people saw my insistence on the same journalistic standards that I had always employed somehow a betrayal.
“Other people, including senior editors across the mainstream media, began to treat the unproven Russia-gate allegations as flat fact. No skepticism was tolerated and mentioning the obvious bias among the never-Trumpers inside the FBI, Justice Department and intelligence community was decried as an attack on the integrity of the U.S. government’s institutions. Anti-Trump ‘progressives’ were posturing as the true patriots because of their now unquestioning acceptance of the evidence-free proclamations of the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
“Hatred of Trump had become like some invasion of the body snatchers –or perhaps many of my journalistic colleagues had never believed in the principles of journalism that I had embraced throughout my adult life. To me, journalism wasn’t just a cover for political activism; it was a commitment to the American people and the world to tell important news stories as fully and fairly as I could; not to slant the ‘facts’ to ‘get’ some ‘bad’ political leader or ‘guide’ the public
in some desired direction.”
Robert Parry, who exposed Deep State skullduggery in the Iran-Contra affair, died on January 27, 2018. Our corrupt media, though, live on in infamy. Strokes and pancreatic cancer were the cause. But I think Bob was also a casualty of the stress caused by the Faustian media/Deep State bargain. It was just “too much.”
Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. Bob Parry was happily surprised when he learned that CIA and other intelligence analysts, as opposed to operations people, were as devoted as he was to spreading some truth around; he welcomed our input — in particular the corporate memos from Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity; the VIPS archive on CN appears at: https://consortiumnews.com/vips-memos/
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I could not agree more with Bob Parry.
Lane Hoffman
Rotterdam, Holland
p.s How do I subscribe to this newsletter?
Very well said XB. Very well said indeed!
Exactly?Praying for ppl to come out of their brainwashed trance to the real truth!?To Bob Parry????
But he was a good start to all these lies & evil exposure & it won’t be wasted. Prayers for his family and friends for comfort ???
Not ? Marks. Hands applauding where y’all see ??? Clap clap clapping!
Face it, Trump was the lesser of two evils. The deplorables understand character than all the lettered intelligentsia on the left.
When the urbane Ivy League tag team of Obama and Clinton commit genocide, nobody cares because they are one of us.
“Ad hominem (Latin for “to the person”[1]), short for argumentum ad hominem, is a fallacious argumentative strategy whereby genuine discussion of the topic at hand is avoided by instead attacking the character, motive, or other attribute of the person making the argument, or persons associated with the argument, rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself.”
Is that why anti-semitism and white nationalism are on the rise in the Trump states? Because Trump voters can see through the surface to fine character of a Richard Spencer?
Wait, didn’t you just counter me through an ad hominem attack on the hundreds of millions of people living in Trump States with different motives character, personalities and background? What proof do you have that the people living in these states are truely white nationalists and anti-semitic, a CNN/Maddow narrative? The fly over states are the home of the Evangelicals, who are very pro-Israel. Do you think they are secretly pro-Muslim? Is that why the Southern Politicians vote lockstep to support Israel’s wars for the past 3 decades, because of all that anti-semitism in the South?
I think Andrew has “ad hominem” on the brain. It’s his “go-to.” Not to mention that the popular term “deplorables” is a massive ad hominem coined by Hillary herself. I live in rural Arizona, and I’ll tell you I trust the character of any “deplorable” around here more than I trust some credentialed latte-sipper. I know where I can find real help when I need it.
Thanks Skip, I live deep in latte country, so I am familiar with my prey.
Sorry, the ad hominem was accidentally retained from an earlier post, I wasn’t accusing you of that.
SAY WHAT?
Both parties are War Parties. Trump is no lesser evil. His sheer ignorance makes him extremely dangerous.
I agree that both parties are war parties, which makes them both extremely dangerous, but that says much more about our political system than it does about Trump.
But dangerously ignorant? Here is a definition of ignorant: “lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated.” And you are saying he is dangerously ignorant, how so? He does seem either dangerously or willfully ignorant about global warming, but there is so much propaganda on that subject what makes him any less susceptible to Big Oil’s marketing / bribery campaign.
He very well could be a modern day Nero, but I consider him more of an iconoclast with mafia roots. At the very least he does not seem like a CIA concoction, which is more than we can say about his predecessors.
You’re not wrong. In its ultra-rational distrust of all the shadow forces alive and well inside the Beltway, CN comes off as sympathetic to Trump – someone so narcissistic, politically naive, and historically ignorant that he actually is a threat to the system.
The system needs changing, no doubt there – but the idea that this greedy egomaniac of a fool would have a hand in making it happen is laughable.
It’s ironic, all this talk about propaganda and narrative building … McGovern’s post is utterly devoid of facts / sources. Robert Parry was great, to be sure … but ‘Putin’s all right – take my word for it’ doesn’t cut it by a long shot.
I just wanted to say I Love You, Ray Mc Govern, and thank you for your honest and sincere service to humanity through your work. Same goes for the inimitable Robert Parry. My heart breaks for our courageous brother. May we all learn from him and carry the torch he has set ablaze. I’m sure that your Master stands behind you pouring His love to and through you as you soldier on. You inspire me, help keep me sane, and I’m sure do the same for many many others. The Great Transformation is afoot. We all play our part. Peace be with you.
Thank you Ray for some truth. Bob Parry is missed by all who yearn to be free. Free of the “DEEP STATES” lies.
Let us be honest about this “DEEP STATE” business. There exists an additional very shadowy entity that seems to be firmly entrenched in this process. Those individuals who volunteer or are solicited for their opinions and whose voices are given respect out of fear of their “station in life , or wealth” and those of congress who are contacted to comment or “lobby” on behalf of CIA, especially, to get the outcome from DOJ FBI, NSA or CIA want.
I feel it is a quasi conduit of influence that allows the super wealthy, powerfully connected political establishment to use their power to control the dialog and the outcome of attempts to break through the veil of lies and malfeasance that has been endemic throughout the history of FBI CIA and NSA. The FBI, CIA, NSA and CONGRESS are some of the sources that send and receive information. This allows “THE DEEP STATE” to flourish inside government. and DOJ is the valve junction that ties the individual lengths of conduit together and controls the flow of the information. LBJ’s Nic Katzenbach appointment is a great example.
A “having a judge in your back pocket ” kind of thing.
So has DOJ become guilty of obstruction of the justice very it is supposed to meld out? I feel it definitely has.
No matter what anyone may think CIA did the bidding of many with strong influence from outside government and still do. The super wealthy elitists, the “SWETS”! Could be CIA may have come up with only one uniquely conceived operation. One no one can get the info on.
That said, you give them hell Ray!!
Yes, DOJ is substantially corrupted, like the judicial branch, and specializes in obstruction of justice and non-feasance. Their claims of patriotism are utterly hypocritical, as they are run entirely by political and tribal affiliation.
Trump has not done ANYTHING different than the last four Presidents, so I do not understand why they have this hatred. I should have more hatred toward him and I don’t, so why should they. He is doing everything in foreign policy that they could want! But they must consider him dangerous and a wild card, especially with Russia. Russia gate effectively stops any relationship with Russia. It has successfully tied his hands. They may have impeachment proceedings, but they and everyone else knows that they could never get an conviction, so why waste all this taxpayer money. It is simply to keep him in a straight-jacket with Russia.
Somehow it is imperative for these deep state people to keep Russia weak. I think Putin has the ability to make Russia strong again, and things like this gas line to Europe can help. They simply cannot allow it, and must put every obstacle in his way to stop its economic and military growth. The sanctions surely have slowed economic progress. Surrounding that country with missiles and military bases and riling up border countries helps too!
Putin has a pretty good relationship with Israel, and it is clear why he is trying to keep it, despite their actions toward Putin’s allies. One false move by us and Israel will fall into his arms, and with all their dual citizens in this country, that could be a quite a problem.
Frankly, I don’t think this country can turn back on these wars or their need for domination over the entire world. The world hates us so much, that one sign of weakness, they, alone or in unison, would go for the jugular.
Frankly, if this country ever got into a major war with a strong country and lost, we would then hear about the atrocities we have been committing all these years which would make Hitler, with all his phony gas chambers, look like a saint.
was my comment on this essay deleted? odd.
oops..just wasn’t showing, I apologize for the false accusation. I would delete the question, if it were an option.
Thank you Ray. a salute to Parry’s work.
I have a great deal of respect for your efforts with VIPS and such. Thank you for that.
I am however, surprised, by either naivete, or something else, that would imagine trump is even remotely decent, even remotely out to attempt that which his rhetoric describes. the trump vs the deep state theme is downright silly in my opinion. it infers a more sinister theme: us elections matter. that theme is laughable to me. no rogues will ever be “elected” nor tolerated.
it is my belief that trump and clinton’s are #Pals4Life . in mutual servitude to globalist agenda. that ’16 was a mockery of the people. the MSM agenda pimps created trump, enabled trump, and maintain the emo-button pushing shenanigans of the trump admin. clintons supported that pied piper approach.
I see trump is obama is bush is clinton is bush 1 is raegan . puppets. proxies. strawmen.
politicians come and go. laughable useful idiots. but generational wealth, is forever. inbred elites buy and sell policy, politicians, and governments. and illusion of participation is maintained, and the people are consumed in support of the 1% lifestyle of leisure.
#PerceptionIsACommodity – We are aggressively manipulated to “think” and “feel” about everything with repeated deceitful narratives and images. US State Media (MSNBC, FOX, CNN, ABC, PBS, NPR, WaPo, NYT, etc) manufactures “support” or “disapproval” for whatever the oligarchy choses. YOUR thoughts and feelings on any given topic are largely NOT your own.
Monopoly always was the only genuine threat to the world. Centralization of all wealth and power in the hands of the shadow government. it truly can be described as a James Bond Spectre like villain. it’s a predictable human trait. to want more, at any cost.
compartmentalization ensures soldiers will never know the plan. so soldiers manifest as the minions described in either service to trump, or opposed. soldiers squabbling over the tiny pieces of pie they are lured with. it’s always the soldiers, the surrounding sycophants to real power, that actualize the most egregious atrocities, not the power holders.
so trump reads his reality tv script, daily, the global antagonist. the goal, to destroy that “shining city on the hill” image the US once enjoyed. this will dismiss populist sympathies, when the petrodollar is eliminated, and US hegemony is ended. the clintons are in league with that agenda. again, #Pals4Life. the illusion of conflict keeps the story moving forward, the distractions as topics at the water cooler, while rome burns. there are no heroes. no messiah’s coming to save the us, or anywhere else at this point.
#HostLife – The people have been turned into “hosts” (a food source – rent payers) for the 1% inbred parasites (leeches – rent collectors) by the re-establishment of the “West Virginia Coal Mine Experience”™ (circa 1900). By incrementally monopolizing necessities (food, water, shelter, utilities), by debt expansion, and by wage suppression: we now work in their company “mines” (cube farms, whatever), live in their company housing (mortgage), shop in their company store (credit card debt), pay MONOPOLY prices for necessities. Literally, cradle to grave slavery to a small collection of “Nanny” Transnational Corporations (all owned at the top by a handful of globalist banksters)
( http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1107/1107.5728v2.pdf )
difficult times ahead friends. think globally, act locally. and good luck.
You describe the fruition of the globalist agenda fairly accurately XB, however you are amongst the many that do not see or appreciate the complete anomally of the 2016 election. The article touched on that and very accurately. I too am a sceptic like yourself, scepticism isn’t the be all, end all of not Being deceived, Try and hold onto Optimism as well or you will become a complete pessimist like our last administrator, B.O., who saw nothing but racists and idiots in the room. Sometimes a bit of Holy shit, Amazement and optimism is also needed for clarity, not neccesarily in that order. The deep state totally loosing their collective minds (some two years and counting) should be a Hindsight clue to you, that your “Pals4Life” piece of the puzzle doesn’t quite fit. Quite silly actually, that conclusion and your in between the lines disdain for the man “Trump” is probablly why you can’t acknowledge their is infact a battle between Trump and the deep State, That’s not to say that that in itself will make much difference in your perceived inevitable outcome and your plans, but I got a big grin and jolt of restored faith in my fellow man with Trumps win. It simply was not supposed to happen ? and no, Hillary is no longer a Pal of Trump. Just stop and think, for a minute, how different the Country would be two years into Socialism phase III ala Hillary. Trump is a thorn in the Globalists paw, as well as our Domestic coconspiritors, take another look around, you might see it. Too bad they are so entrenched in both houses the policies Trump ran on are sound. Messiah? Naah. Does anyone think they voted for a messiah? Maybe 44 voters, I believed they actually described him as that, Deplorable voters know the messiah won’t come from an election. I look at 45 as an anomally and a temporary reprieve, and that business as usual has had its cage rattled. That picking from the pool the “Parties” give us to choose from is no longer palatable to at least half of Americans, and won’t be for some time. That an outsider that hasn’t come up through the ranks can beat all odds, even from the party he ran on. LOL That election night will never grow old, not because I pulled for Trump from the beginning, I didn’t. Because the covers have been pulled back somewhat and the insanity is very revealing. I gleefully doubt composure will return anytime soon. Again, take another look around. We live in interesting times.
Robert Parry will have my everlasting respect for his news analysis during the run-up to the Iraq ‘War’ in 2002/3. He brought a healthy skepticism to the disgusting, prevailing pro-war atmosphere and was ultimately proven virtually 100% correct, which gave him huge credibility in my world and of course earned him the enmity-of and ostracism-by the MSM. He is greatly missed.
Wonderful pushback to Ray McGovern from KiwiAntz and Dabrowski.
The oeuvre of Trump tweets, in the final analysis, will prove his deserved place with the likes of Don Quixote, and/or Mary Shelley’s Frankenstine – ish monster whose vanity fortuned him upon a seat of power he was/is not intellectually enlightened to possess.
We have only to Catalogue his Tweets to discern his intellectual deficiencies… .
“We are well aware from which countries and through which countries the Terrorists are receiving support.
In the immediate future I shall be calling upon the leaders of these states to put a stop to this kind of activity.”
Boris Yeltsin
Revisit the history of Russians in Afghanistan, their retreat from an un- winnable war, in support of a government in pursuit of Progress for it’s people.
This requires research of the Afghan People and their aspirations to join / be apart of, the intellectual / human,economic system of the World of Human Beings, and their problems, as affects Human Race of peoples in their i.e. climate zones and challenges to food production, water resources, fertile soil, fresh water, animal predatory perplexities as relate to the common lifestyle of basically
Agrarian Peoples.
Soviet Russia made an honest commitment to the Afghan Gov’t it’s nation and peoples into a parity with the rest of the “civilized world” and that was the Russian absolute commitment until they were Forced to withdraw by USA/CIA cash & weapons initiated to foment internecine violent war of Afghans against Afghans …… /// Who supplied the weapons for this Afghanistan civil war? /tribe against tribe… ? Or, more better, who’s funding who in the mysterious Great Escape from truth // when American Operatives supply cash and weapons to both sides in their Wars for subjugation of Peoples for Their Right to Own and Control the Indigenous Occupiers of that Land or State. It’s the USURPATION of indigenous Land Rights in the name of United States Military Declaration of OWNERSHIP and CONTROL of Native Lands – by rite of United States’ Military Confiscation.
That’s Their Shit. …/ White Authority to Take your lands, your lives/ your ‘stuff’ , your wives and children, your relatives, their property, their memories of grandfathers, grandmothers, distant relatives/ all in the family, taken away by military decree of the US government.
Decades of the Heaps of dead bodies murdered and killed by rights , legal rights of All White juries and prejudiced ‘Judges’ and the televised bombing of Innocent Iraq as a nationwide display of America’s Aggressive/Destructive POWER over a nation that had been STRIPPED OF IT’S ABILITY TO DEFEND ITSELF ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
What ‘God’ would ” bless” this people ??? !!
Those that drop bombs on Dying/Sick and Starving Innocent People… ?
“We are well aware from which countries and through which countries the Terrorists are receiving support.
In the immediate future I shall be calling upon the leaders of these states to put a stop to this kind of activity.”
Boris Yeltsin
Revisit the history of Russians in Afghanistan, their retreat from an un- winnable war, in support of a government in pursuit of Progress for it’s people.
This requires research of the Afghan People and their aspirations to join / be apart of, the intellectual / human,economic system of the World of Human Beings, and their problems, as affects Human Race of peoples in their i.e. climate zones and challenges to food production, water resources, fertile soil, fresh water, animal predatory perplexities as relate to the common lifestyle of basically
Agrarian Peoples.
Soviet Russia made an honest commitment to the Afghan Gov’t it’s nation and peoples into a parity with the rest of the “civilized world” and that was the Russian absolute commitment until they were Forced to withdraw by USA/CIA cash & weapons initiated to foment internecine violent war of Afghans against Afghans …… /// Who supplied the weapons for this Afghanistan civil war? /tribe against tribe… ? Or, more better, who’s funding who in the mysterious Great Escape from truth // when American Operatives supply cash and weapons to both sides in their Wars for subjugation of Peoples for Their Right to Own and Control the Indigenous Occupiers of that Land or State. It’s the USURPATION of indigenous Land Rights in the name of United States Military Declaration of OWNERSHIP and CONTROL of Native Lands – by rite of United States’ Military Confiscation.
That’s Their Shit. …/ White Authority to Take your lands, your lives/ your ‘stuff’ , your wives and children, your relatives, their property, their memories of grandfathers, grandmothers, distant relatives/ all in the family, taken away by military decree of the US government.
Decades of the Heaps of dead bodies murdered and killed by rights , legal rights of All White juries and prejudiced ‘Judges’ and the televised bombing of Innocent Iraq as a nationwide display of America’s Aggressive/Destructive POWER over a nation that had been STRIPPED OF IT’S ABILITY TO DEFEND ITSELF ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
What ‘God’ would ” bless” this people ??? !!
Those that drop bombs on Dying/Sick and Starving Innocent People… ?
Thanks, but you must be confusing KiwiAntz with someone else.
YOU MEAN THE TWEETS SEEN BY 40 MILLION FOLLOWERS EVERYDAY BYPASSING ALL MEDIA FILTERS? …OR THE LIBERAL MEDIAS ENDLESS PIVOTING AND OBSESSING AND GETTING BAITED BY HIS EVERY TWEET? IS THAT HIS STUPIDITY?MAKING THEM DANCE LIKE PUPPETS IS HIS STUPIDITY? IS DEFINITIVELY PROVING RUSSIAGATE IS A COMPLETE AND UTTER FRAUD IN HIS TWEETS BASED IN HIS STUPIDITY?.YOUR THE DEFINITION OF a SHEEPLE….. “I TRUST THE MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS PRETENDING TO BE OBJECTIVE NEWS AGENCYS TO TELL ME WHAT TO THINK! ” OH YES YOUR QUITE THE ORIGINAL THINKER GENIUS AND PROPHET TO BOOT!. LATHER RINSE REPEAT…ALWAYS REPEAT!
A “side issue,” I suppose, but: Check the 2016 election data. Clinton got the most votes. Trump, however, got the most electoral votes. Trump is president because of our antiquated electoral college process. This fact takes the sparkle off of all the exciting anti-Russian conspiracy theories. Maybe next year, media will consider looking into the steps Trump has actually taken to instigate a war against Russia.
Oh yes, the Oh So unintelectual “Hillary got the most Votes” butthurt. LOL. Maybe if you were around over two hundred fekkin years ago you could have saved Our Founding Fathers from such a stupid Idea as the “Electoral College” LOL. That way the most populated State could call every election for two millenia! Go back to sixth grade Civics class hunny, oh that’s right, they don’t teach civics anymore. Hence the current registered Democrat voter. That, and civil service/ Government employees and Union workers (next best things to Communism in America) Oh and the reat of the D voter base illegals and welfare parasites. But hey, keep supporting the Socialist Party of America, because your party knows what’s best for every facet of your lives. ?
Thank you Ray McGovern for bringing truth to us all! This McCarthyism.2 started with the Clinton’s in the 90’s with the expansion of NATO to the Russian borders. Now we have Hilary’s excuse for thwarting the democratic process and ultimately handing the Presidency to Trump. It’s an easy sell to the American people that is led by the mainstream media and late night comedians. Where do we go from here? War? American colonialism continues and it’s support of brutal dictatorships around the world continues.
“We are well aware from which countries and through which countries the Terrorists are receiving support.
In the immediate future I shall be calling upon the leaders of these states to put a stop to this kind of activity.”
Boris Yeltsin
Revisit the history of Russians in Afghanistan, their retreat from an un- winnable war, in support of a government in pursuit of Progress for it’s people.
This requires research of the Afghan People and their aspirations to join / be apart of, the intellectual / human,economic system of the World of Human Beings, and their problems, as affects Human Race of peoples in their i.e. climate zones and challenges to food production, water resources, fertile soil, fresh water, animal predatory perplexities as relate to the common lifestyle of basically
Agrarian Peoples.
Soviet Russia made an honest commitment to the Afghan Gov’t it’s nation and peoples into a parity with the rest of the “civilized world” and that was the Russian absolute commitment until they were Forced to withdraw by USA/CIA cash & weapons initiated to foment internecine violent war of Afghans against Afghans …… /// Who supplied the weapons for this Afghanistan civil war? /tribe against tribe… ? Or, more better, who’s funding who in the mysterious Great Escape from truth // when American Operatives supply cash and weapons to both sides in their Wars for subjugation of Peoples for Their Right to Own and Control the Indigenous Occupiers of that Land or State. It’s the USURPATION of indigenous Land Rights in the name of United States Military Declaration of OWNERSHIP and CONTROL of Native Lands – by rite of United States’ Military Confiscation.
That’s Their Shit. …/ White Authority to Take your lands, your lives/ your ‘stuff’ , your wives and children, your relatives, their property, their memories of grandfathers, grandmothers, distant relatives/ all in the family, taken away by military decree of the US government.
Decades of the Heaps of dead bodies murdered and killed by rights , legal rights of All White juries and prejudiced ‘Judges’ and the televised bombing of Innocent Iraq as a nationwide display of America’s Aggressive/Destructive POWER over a nation that had been STRIPPED OF IT’S ABILITY TO DEFEND ITSELF ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
What ‘God’ would ” bless” this people ??? !!
Those that drop bombs of Innocent People… ?
“We are well aware from which countries and through which countries the Terrorists are receiving support.
In the immediate future I shall be calling upon the leaders of these states to put a stop to this kind of activity.”
Boris Yeltsin
Revisit the history of Russians in Afghanistan, their retreat from an un- winnable war, in support of a government in pursuit of Progress for it’s people.
This requires research of the Afghan People and their aspirations to join / be apart of, the intellectual / human,economic system of the World of Human Beings, and their problems, as affects Human Race of peoples in their i.e. climate zones and challenges to food production, water resources, fertile soil, fresh water, animal predatory perplexities as relate to the common lifestyle of basically
Agrarian Peoples.
Soviet Russia made an honest commitment to the Afghan Gov’t it’s nation and peoples into a parity with the rest of the “civilized world” and that was the Russian absolute commitment until they were Forced to withdraw by USA/CIA cash & weapons initiated to foment internecine violent war of Afghans against Afghans …… /// Who supplied the weapons for this Afghanistan civil war? /tribe against tribe… ? Or, more better, who’s funding who in the mysterious Great Escape from truth // when American Operatives supply cash and weapons to both sides in their Wars for subjugation of Peoples for Their Right to Own and Control the Indigenous Occupiers of that Land or State. It’s the USURPATION of indigenous Land Rights in the name of United States Military Declaration of OWNERSHIP and CONTROL of Native Lands – by rite of United States’ Military Confiscation.
That’s Their Shit. …/ White Authority to Take your lands, your lives/ your ‘stuff’ , your wives and children, your relatives, their property, their memories of grandfathers, grandmothers, distant relatives/ all in the family, taken away by military decree of the US government.
Decades of the Heaps of dead bodies murdered and killed by rights , legal rights of All White juries and prejudiced ‘Judges’ and the televised bombing of Innocent Iraq as a nationwide display of America’s Aggressive/Destructive POWER over a nation that had been STRIPPED OF IT’S ABILITY TO DEFEND ITSELF ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
What ‘God’ would ” bless” this people ??? !!
Those that drop bombs on Dying/Sick and Starving Innocent People… ?
Go back to the goat paths in your sixteenth century utopia and dont let the red white and blue door hit you in the derierre.
Russia-gate trope or concept was and is a distraction-to take the spotlight off Corporate America`s greed for profits–they call it jobs–no matter what the costs to the rest of the world–Example–US/Saudi genocide in Yemen—The US House of Rep. is complicit—It just voted to continue support for Saudi war in Yemen—-Bob Parry told both sides of the story—-What happens if no one plays the game ?—-We will have peace ?
Good article Ray, thanks for reminding us of all the past facts and incidents that precede what is happening today.
I’m really writing because I was notified today of William (Bill) Blum’s death by his ex wife who has stood by him all through his illness. I’m truly depressed by the death of another extraordinary writer and purveyor of truth. Bill had kidney failure as probably most readers here know. Apparently he had a bad fall in his apartment some weeks ago and no one found him for several days. He was taken to a hospital, and everything was done that could be done, but the dehydration and the kidney failure ultimately did him in.
I hope Consortium will write a eulogy. He deserves to be remembered; like Bob Parry he was an exceptional man who spent his life trying to keep the truth alive.
I second your suggestion. Losing people like Bob Parry, Ed Herman, and now Bill Blum makes it a less enlightened world.
The multitudes who are influenced by MSM propaganda. We are appalled by the Lemming spectacle, but there comes a time when we must consider the far more interesting and relevant phenomenon of those who actually DO NOT rush blindly to their own demise.
I see the same misguided focus in almost every field –
The solution to the problem of cancer is not in the study and treatment of those who suffer and die from it, but in the study and appreciation of those who DON”T.
The problem of poverty is not solved by trying to make poor people rich, but by studying and understanding those poor who do not suffer from it.
I keep saying we must prepare for the lemming spectacle. Many of our friends will perish in the stampede to join the mainstream.
“The problem of poverty is not solved by trying to make poor people rich, but by studying and understanding those poor who do not suffer from it.” That comment mystifies me. Since we ended basic welfare aid in the ’90s, the overall life expectancy of the US poor fell below that of every developed nation. Deprivation of basic human needs results in suffering. The poor never sought wealth. They prayed for enough to get by on.
Get a job, Or learn how to file for welfare aid, it didnt “end in the 90’s” hunny, it has expanded exponentially. Sheesh
With all the evidence coming out, 19 arrests, the Russian Spy girl…are you still on Trumps side? We dont need a journalist to feed us propaganda, anyone with a brain celll listening to Trump….know the man is unfit for President. yes, Russia was involved to elect Trump.
You’re confusing economic crimes of individual business people with some vast political conspiracy to… what? Russia has its hands full with rebuilding following the collapse of the Soviet state, strengthening their borders, etc. Putin was well-aware of Trump’s hostilities toward Russia AND his megalomania. Same with Clinton’s. Since Trump took office, he has taken several measures to worsen relations and arguably incite a war against Russia, from reinforcing economic sanctions against Russia to increased US “meddling” in Ukraine.
Agreed. I find CN’s sympathy for Trump inexplicable.
It’s not sympathy, Andrew. It’s called, “reporting factual evidence.” – not spin, not distortion, omission, and outright lies. Don’t you get it? The vast majority of us here abhor Trump, a repulsive, malignantly narcissistic con man who got elected through our undemocratic Electoral College. But that is NOT the point. Geez, please learn to evaluate and critically think through the information presented by unbiased sources. And stop accusing people, falsely, of “sympathy” for the devil.
Well I hope you’re right, but I really get the sense that many here genuinely like Trump and think he’s some kind of rebel against the DS. I understand the contempt for Hillary, but those here who think Trump is any better are deluded.
Certainly the coverage of Trump at CN has been generally limited to skeptical takes on Russia-gate. What about Trump’s immigration, pro-Israeli, pro-Saudi policies and his anti-ACA, anti-labor, pro-Plutocracy domestic stances? They get very little coverage here. I assume that is because CN is sympathetic to Trump, but I hope I’m wrong.
No one is on Trump’s side. This has to do with exposing the deep state and their mad push for war and the war machine supported by both the neocon right and the neoliberal left. If you remember Trump campaigned on ending regime change wars and cooperation with Russia and China where our common interests lie such as jointly fighting crime and terrorism and mutually beneficial trade. This scared the hell out of the deep state. Trump has failed so far to live up to his promises but the deep state remains uncovinced he will continue to tow the line. Remember also that should Trump be removed we will have a Russophobic and warmongering President potential far worse then Trump or Hillary Clinton. If you are against Trump be against him for the right reasons not the neoliberal/neocon establishments reasons.
what is the girl’s crime? really
Failing to disclose that she was a paid foreign agent. She pretended to be just an ordinary student with love of guns.
I would have thought on CN just being pro-NRA would be considered something of a crime.
I think this article is a lot closer to reality about our “Russian spy girl”.
http://thefederalist.com/2018/08/01/maria-butina-russian-spy-terrible/
Incompetence is ubiquitous, it’s no legal defense.
Is “The Federalist” really considered reliable by the CN crowd?
Read it and judge for yourself. It is largely anecdotal. I don’t do column A and column B.
Elizabeth Allen,
Nowhere has Ray McGovern ever expressed being “on Trump’s side.” Quite the contrary. He has openly stated that he thinks Trump is the worst POTUS of all time.
Unfortunately, you are too blinded by your Trump Derangement Syndrome to notice that it’s possible to despise Trump and not give up the ability to think rationally. If you refuse to see the bill of goods you’re being sold about Russiagate, there’s no hope for you.
“He has openly stated that he thinks Trump is the worst POTUS of all time. ”
I missed that, could you give me a reference?
In any case, McGovern continues to push the line that Trump must be defended against the DS. If the DS is against Trump, then I can only applaud it for finally acting nobly and unselfishly; Trump’s policies, including peace with Russia, could only be good for Plutocracy’s bottom line.
And construing the Strzok- Page love letters as a DS plot is insane. It saddens me that Robert Parry evidently agreed.
Andrew-
It took me about ten minutes to find this. If you can find the energy to watch it, you only need to view the first few minutes.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-domaindev-st_emea&hsimp=yhs-st_emea&hspart=domaindev&p=Ray+McGovern+on+Donald+Trump#id=2&vid=f267f326d41d6cf500e9068ffb639624&action=view
Thanks for the link, I was looking through his articles on CN.
That was interesting, I hadn’t seen McGovern interviewed before. I now believe he really hates Trump, but I’m also convinced of his political naiveté.
He seems to think that it should be easy to impeach Trump for damaging the environment, imprisoning immigrant children, or cutting taxes on the rich, but those are political impossibilities (moreover Pence is just as bad on those issues). But if Trump is guilty of collusion with Russian hackers, that’s something that would give even Senate Republicans pause.
The separate issue of whether Trump really is guilty of that I see as currently undecidable. I have no inside information, but neither does McGovern. I don’t understand why he doesn’t take an agnostic stance, especially considering his readiness to condemn the Strzok- Page romance. Taking that as conclusive evidence of an FBI plot against Trump, while ignoring the mountains of financial evidence of Russian involvement, makes me wonder just what is going on in McGovern’s head.
Andrew-
You need to read and see more of Ray McGovern’s stuff. He has a website. I doubt it is naivety. It is more likely idealism. And he has enough “inside info”, along with Bill Binney and other VIPS members, to know that RussiaGate is a nothingburger. As for Strzok, he stated there is no there there about RussiaGate. And there is a lot more about Strzok than just those text messages.
Bwaaaahahah The “brain cell” comment kills me! Russia, Russia, Russia! Oh the Irony! ?
My comment to another post is relevant here as well. (Please excuse should you come across this in both spots.)
The Russophobic campaign elements include, of course, such UK-based propaganda campaigners as “Integrity Initiative”.
Two of those names found in II’s UK “cluster” – Vadim Kleiner and Bill Browder (both of Hermitage Capital) – are among those propagating the Magnitsky myth.
At https://jaccuse.news/page4.html and other pages on “J’Accuse News” I’m contributing what I know to exposing this harmful scam.
Together we can stop these folks from doing ever more damage.
As another commenter asked, what are we to do with the knowledge of the Deep State, such as Robert Parry’s work has helped to reveal? I hope more and more folk are asking that question in deadly earnest. The French have found a powerful response in the Yellow Vests movement which I hope spreads across the world to the U.S. and swells to a tsunami that could wipe out the Deep State, whose tentacles go far deeper than most of us have any idea of. Rather than come to grips with the nature and extent of the thrall we are under, as Parry sought to do, precious time and energy is squandered by progressives in demonizing Trump and his supporters. It seems clear to me that another Faustian bargain has been offered up in the form of: “Indulge in your unmitigated hatred of all things Trump in exchange for the possibility of challenging the DeepState, whose evil is beyond “too much.”
Too late here. It’s the proverbial “masses” — those who are not on the right wing — who have successfully been divided, pitted against each other, by class. Middle class vs. poor, workers vs. those who were already phased out of the job market.
You seem to believe that Trump does not represent the DS. That is true only insofar as plutocrats differ from kleptocrats, which I regard as an internecine battle withing the DS rather than a fundamental challenge to it.
Trump isn’t a player in the Deep State. He’s a bizarre outgrowth of decades of nonsense and ignorance that the Deep State has made almost inevitable. If he were an insider, they wouldn’t be working so hard to rid themselves of him.
“If he were an insider, they wouldn’t be working so hard to rid themselves of him.”
He’s one of them in essence, just dangerously incompetent. Do you think Trump really cares about the working class, or anything at all beyond golf, food, and sex?
Couldn’t help but notice the obviously intentional photo op of CIA Director Gena Haskell followed closely by John Brennan as she went to testify to the Senate regarding the direct role of Saudi Viceroy MBS in the recent assassination of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Embassy in Turkey. . That should be be seen as evidence of the Deep State in action and definite disrespect of Trump in particular. After all, Brennan has been barred by law from having access to CIA Info at this time. . What was he doing there? Why was his presence warranted? . IT WAS NOT> Sad. PS.. Robert Parry’s dedication to Journalism is missed.
I very much doubt that Trump’s appointee Haspel shared any classified info with Brennan. Simply being in the same room at the same time is not evidence of a DS conspiracy.
If you read “The Devil’s Chessboard” by David Talbot it may reduce your doubt about the possibility of Haspel sharing classified information with Brennan. Brennan is in basically the same situation Alan Dulles was in after JFK fired him. And Brennan is just as evil and powerful as Dulles ever was. Don’t forget, for people like Brennan, the rules are for the “little” people.
My admiration for Ray McGovern and Bob Parry is enormous. And, the story we have been fed about “Russian interference” being the key factor in Trump’s election is transparent nonsense. However, I have to question the importance attributed to the Strzok/Page emails. They sound too much like two romantically involved people just trying to reassure each other that, to quote the great Frank Zappa, “it can’t happen here.” The FBI’s effort to go after Trump really only began in earnest after he was elected. I remember reading that Comey only reopened the Clinton emails investigation when he realized that Jim Kallstrom was going to do it, and very publicly, if Comey didn’t. What was the effect of this? No one knows. But, what is forgotten is Kallstrom’s role in the deep-state coverup of the TWA 800 tragedy. Kallstrom is deeply complicit in that coverup, undertaken to protect Bill Clinton’s re-election chances. He has defended the indefensible investigation, and its false conclusions, like the good deep-state functionary he is. But it had been gnawing at his conscience, I am confident, for years. Never mind that it would have been ridiculous to blame the President for the imbecilic actions of the US Navy in running its maneuvers with live ammo in the middle of the busiest air space imaginable. He would have been blamed, and so all of the enormous evidence that the US Navy was responsible for the catastrophe had to be ignored, repressed and buried for good. The victims, their families, and even TWA had to be thrown under the bus to protect Clinton, because he would have been blamed, however wrongly, and in 1996 the deep state worked at least in part for him. The reopening of the Hilary emails investigation was Kallstrom’s attempt at atonement. Comey’s hand was forced. The deranged hysteria about Putin being the font of all evil was and continues to be a deep state article of faith, pounded day in and day out by a media which cares not a whit about objective truth. Trump’s interest in Russia, which is only an adjunct of his only real interest, which is lining his pockets, was a convenient way to get the investigation started, as the Dems and GOP have been on the same page always regarding him or any other foreign leader who refused deep state control. Why start the investigation at all? First, because any incoming president who seems less than enthusiastic about the deep state commitment to world domination is dangerous to them. What is the media’s interest in it? It is good business, just like it was good business to give Trump billions in free publicity from the day he announced his candidacy. A sin some of them may be trying to expiate. And, of course, it would not do at all for the Democrats to have to face a lot of questions about their role in fixing the nomination for Hillary and doing all they could to make sure Trump was her opponent. And, finally, to make sure no one talked about another undeniable fact-the election WAS fixed. Of course, Putin had nothing to do with it . The GOP did it. Not for Trump. For whoever their candidates were,for president, senate, governor, us house, state legislators, everybody. Another great journalist, Greg Palast, made a damned movie about it. He released it in 2016. To the deafening silence of Hillary, the Dems, and the entire media. It wasn’t until 3 weeks before the 2018 election that Palast rated an appearance on MSNBC, regarding the theft of the Georgia election. Not in time to stop it, of course. And that “narrative” has been dropped by the media like a lead balloon. And the Dems? Aside from their courageous candidate for Governor if Georgia, I have heard not a word from any of them. God give rest to the great Bob Parry. Thank God for Ray McGovern and Greg Palast. God damn the deep state and its courtiers. And God help the rest of us.
“Corageous Candidate for Georgia” LOL ? “Gop fixed the election” ?. Just stop. Put down the tin foil!
So Richard, is it fair to describe you as a Paleo-Conservative?
Another great article by Ray & with Bob Parry’s insights into this travesty called “Russiagate”! You both, really get to the heart of the matter regarding the Deepstate’s primary motives of this fake & false narrative to demonise Russia! But the one thing that grates my wheels is this? WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THESE MORONS & STOP THIS NONSENSE? Knowledge is power, but without action it’s really pointless harping on about all this stuff? My opinion is that the yellow vests movement & it’s example in France is the key to stopping the excess of a Govt or Govts that doesn’t listen to its people, but would American Citizens get out of their comfort zones & participate in mass protest & civil disorder to emulate the French examples to stop its out of control Government & it’s suicidal deathcult mentality? Because this dangerous attitude by this arrogant, ignorant American Empire is leading its people & the Planet to WW3? And American War Strategists have predicted that the US would lose any future War, if they came up against Russia & China! With the utter gaslighting of the American people who are so brainwashed by Patriotism propaganda & American “exceptionalism” with flags hanging outside every door, how do you counter this false narrative of Russiagate & it’s massive implications of leading the Planet into another World War? Any suggestions?
I resonate with what you write, and the all important query concerning what we are to do with our knowledge of the unmasking of the Deep State, such as Robert Parry’s work has helped to reveal. I too hope that the Yellow Vests movement spreads across the world to the U.S. and swells to a tsunami that could wipe out the DeepState, whose tentacles go far deeper than most of us have any idea of. Rather than come to grips with the nature and extent of the thrall we are under, as Parry sought to do, precious time and energy is squandered by “progressives” in demonizing Trump and his supporters. It seems clear to me that another Faustian bargain has been offered up in the form of: “Indulge in your unmitigated hatred of all things Trump in exchange for the possibility of challenging the DeepState, whose evil, as Parry saw, is beyond “too much.”
i think what moved macron was the increased mentions of guillotines
@ Bob Parry: “On a personal note, I faced harsh criticism even from friends of many years for refusing to enlist in the anti-Trump ‘Resistance.’ The argument was that Trump was such a unique threat to America and the world that I should join in finding any justification for his ouster.”
Some people brainlessly fall hook, line, and sinker for lesser evilism campaign slogans. But a choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton should have resulted in either a vote for a third party candidate or for sitting out an election.
In the hellish times we have descended, calling for a boycott of an election will now get you suspended or removed from the social media.
“Chop the top” (in reference to the ballot) as the Late Paul Robeson, Jr used to advocate for an election where the two primary candidates were indistinguishable–meaning to not vote for the most important office–will get you blacklisted.
> But a choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton should have resulted in
> either a vote for a third party candidate or for sitting out an election.
Which it did! Remember that the proportion of the U.S. electorate that chose “none of the above” was greater than the proportion that voted for Killary or Chump…
“Remember that the proportion of the U.S. electorate that chose “none of the above” was greater than the proportion that voted for Killary or Chump…”
I don’t think that’s anywhere near correct. Trump got 63M votes, Hillary got almost 66M. Are you saying there were another 67M who voted 3rd party?!
He is saying that a majority of eligible voters either voted third party or sat out the election.
Oh, I see. Never mind.
There’s no way to know, but I really think Clinton was the lesser evil. I promised myself I would never vote for Hillary after she voted for the AUMF in 2003, and if she had run against any Repub except Trump I would have kept my promise. Trump is taking the USA into banana republic territory.
I agree that sometimes one has to have the courage to vote third party. I did so in 96, 2000, and 2012. The only one of those I regret in retrospect is voting for Nader in 2000; if Gore had been elected we might have avoided 9/11 and almost certainly never entered Iraq. Sometimes one evil is sufficiently lesser than another to be salient.
Andy, can you articulate exactly how Trump is leading America towards a third world economy? I didn’t think so. Blinded with hate and empty rhetoric, exactly like every orher Trump Hater I have met. Indoctrinated by MSM. Feel free to answer the question though. I highly doubt you will. Perhaps some insulting remarks instead ehh? Yeah, we got all yeer numbers. Nothing new to see here.
“Andy, can you articulate exactly how Trump is leading America towards a third world economy? I didn’t think so. Blinded with hate and empty rhetoric, exactly like every orher Trump Hater I have met. Indoctrinated by MSM. Feel free to answer the question though. I highly doubt you will. Perhaps some insulting remarks instead ehh? Yeah, we got all yeer numbers. Nothing new to see here.”
All ad hominems all the time here on CN. I wish the site owners would enforce their guidelines.
Trump wants to turn the US into a strong man state like Hungary, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Russia. He thinks trade wars are fun and easy to win, which demonstrates an infantile level of understanding of economics. He is dead set against universal health care, labor rights, progressive income tax.
Andy, You Leftist are so predictable in your empty diatribe. Yee mock the late George Bush as weak. Then a man gets elected on the most transparent and defined platform in decades and sticks to his guns and yee try and paint him as a Fekkin Dictator because he staunchly fights to deliver on promises made. Pure Hypocrisy! That is your one trick pony! Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy on every issue that your party is oposing, with reels of film archive to prove it, yet your only retort is in empty denial. So predictable and just plain feeble. On trade, you don’t even recognize all the acomplishments in such a short time! You simply stomp your feet as if he failed and in your circles everyone nods in agreement, affirmed by the deep state media on your living room boob box every day. Meanwhile in the real world Nafta has been rlegated to the ash heap of history, the naysayers Canada and Mexico folded like accordians. China is following suit. The Nigel Farage/Trump model, of Sovereignty is spreading, much to the dismay of open border Globalists. You tout The Socialist system of Healthcare as a shining Pearl that trump is somehow misled in being against it. That shows an infantile understanding of Socialist healthcare. Fact is, quality of services decline and costs go up. Labor Rights? Please show me the atrocities in the American Labor force. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Naahh you will condescendingly dismiss any request to back yer diatribe up with facts. Your M.O. is to double down with empty rhetoric, as if it were “settled science” Pulleaseee! Again, in your Leftist bubble of existance you may get the solemn nod of agreement and move on oh so gracefully in your parotted misnomers to great applause, however the B.S. meter simply pins to the Left, on empty, with realists. Hmm, progressive taxes that is original, lol, complete with reams of loopholes that shoots that title to pieces. A consumer tax would be more practical, omitting all income tax, works quite well on a State level.
“The demonization of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia is just the most dangerous feature of this propaganda process…”
Ray, you really have to address the Moscow apartment bombings, because if those accusations are true then any such demonization is amply justified.
I’m afraid that Parry towards the end of his life had fallen into the same binary trap that he had fought effectively against earlier. He, and many of the commenters here, seemed to think that because the neon-cons were wrong about Russia then Putin must be good guy. I believe Putin is a thug but that military action against Russia, including the reckless expansion of NATO, is a terrible idea, and I think I speak for most liberals here.
There are no good guys on the world stage these days, just greater and lesser evils. It’s clear now that Trump is a pretty major evil.
Andrew if Putin is a thug, what does that make your Leaders & POTUS in comparison? I don’t see Putin or Russia sanctioning the World in Economic warfare! I don’t see Russia in 80 Countries around the Globe with 300 military bases? I don’t see Russia meddling in every Nation on Earth in order to steal resources for its Empire! I don’t see Russia threatening others with missiles, bombs & drones like the US does? WHO ARE THE REAL THUGS HERE? And it ain’t Putin or Russia!
Did you not see this?
“There are no good guys on the world stage these days, just greater and lesser evils. It’s clear now that Trump is a pretty major evil.
KiwiAntz,
VERY good points. Thanks.
Ray
Ray, you disappoint me. Those were not very good points, rather they reveal an inability to think outside of binary alternatives: because the USA is bad, Putin must be good.
“We are well aware from which countries and through which countries the Terrorists are receiving support.
In the immediate future I shall be calling upon the leaders of these states to put a stop to this kind of activity.”
Boris Yeltsin
Revisit the history of Russians in Afghanistan, their retreat from an un- winnable war, in support of a government in pursuit of Progress for it’s people.
This requires research of the Afghan People and their aspirations to join / be apart of, the intellectual / human,economic system of the World of Human Beings, and their problems, as affects Human Race of peoples in their i.e. climate zones and challenges to food production, water resources, fertile soil, fresh water, animal predatory perplexities as relate to the common lifestyle of basically
Agrarian Peoples.
Soviet Russia made an honest commitment to the Afghan Gov’t it’s nation and peoples into a parity with the rest of the “civilized world” and that was the Russian absolute commitment until they were Forced to withdraw by USA/CIA cash & weapons initiated to foment internecine violent war of Afghans against Afghans …… /// Who supplied the weapons for this Afghanistan civil war? /tribe against tribe… ? Or, more better, who’s funding who in the mysterious Great Escape from truth // when American Operatives supply cash and weapons to both sides in their Wars for subjugation of Peoples for Their Right to Own and Control the Indigenous Occupiers of that Land or State. It’s the USURPATION of indigenous Land Rights in the name of United States Military Declaration of OWNERSHIP and CONTROL of Native Lands – by rite of United States’ Military Confiscation.
That’s Their Shit. …/ White Authority to Take your lands, your lives/ your ‘stuff’ , your wives and children, your relatives, their property, their memories of grandfathers, grandmothers, distant relatives/ all in the family, taken away by military decree of the US government.
Decades of the Heaps of dead bodies murdered and killed by rights , legal rights of All White juries and prejudiced ‘Judges’ and the televised bombing of Innocent Iraq as a nationwide display of America’s Aggressive/Destructive POWER over a nation that had been STRIPPED OF IT’S ABILITY TO DEFEND ITSELF ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
What ‘God’ would ” bless” this people ??? !!
Those that drop bombs on Dying/Sick and Starving Innocent People… ?
I doubt Ray is very concerned about disappointing YOU. And it is amazing to me that you talk of being trapped by binary alternatives. The pot thinks the kettle is black.
” And it is amazing to me that you talk of being trapped by binary alternatives. The pot thinks the kettle is black.”
Well, you might have a point there, but since you contented yourself with an ad hominem rather than exploring the issues, we’ll never know.
Andrew-
I have tried to explain this to you before, but none of my criticisms are “ad hominem”. If I were to call you an “m-f’er”, that would be ad hominem. All of my judgements regarding your character are clearly supported by the text of your comments.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem
You know nothing of my character.
Andrew-
I judge a man by his words and his deeds. I have read enough of your posts to know your character.
Andrew-
Did you even read the wiki definition you linked me. Ad hominem is listed as one of several “logical fallacies”.
To help refine your understanding, let me give you an example.
Say I’m being robbed by a 400 lb man. It is not ad hominem for me to call him a crook. It is a logical character assessment, based on evidence, and pertinent to the issue at hand. If however I said, “You’re the fattest crook I’ve ever seen” that would be ad hominem because even though it is true, it is a personal insult not pertinent to the issue at hand.
Hope this clarifies things a bit.
First sentence of the article:
“Ad hominem (Latin for “to the person”[1]), short for argumentum ad hominem, is a fallacious argumentative strategy whereby genuine discussion of the topic at hand is avoided by instead attacking the character, motive, or other attribute of the person making the argument, or persons associated with the argument, rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself.”
Are you arguing that because thuggery is normal we need not oppose it?
Maybe you can explain to us why Putin is bad a thug? Helped to free Syria from a terrorists invasion and is negotiating for peace in the region. Reduced the poverty rate in Russia from over 20 percent to 11 percent currently. Upping spending on public works and reducing military spending in other words making life better for his citizens. If that makes him a thug perhaps we should elect a few here in the US
Google “Moscow apartment bombings”.
Andy, Andy, Andy? Quote: “It’s clear now that Trump is a pretty major evil.” End Quote. Andy please articulate how Trump is Evil. Should be easy, since it is so clear (LOL) to you. Did he enable a nuclear Iran? Did he Murder the leader of the most afluent Country on the African Continent? (Pretty big continent too) whilst arming the Taliban (we were fighting them in Iraq) to complete the overthrow, resulting in Muslim Brotherhood Control of Libya? Brill! Did he drone a United States Citizen? (That would be atrocious, I mean bombing people, or even seven countries, probabbly disqualify a Nobel Peace Prize ehh?) Did he Double the National Deficit for your kids and Grandkids? Or did he run guns to Mexican Drug Cartells used to kill hundreds of Mexicans and even a US border enforcement Officer? Terrible Evil! Maybe it was leaving an American Ambassador and soldiers high and dry while hostiles closed in and tortured, raped, dismembered, and desecrated them, oh and then look the familys in the eye over closed caskets and lie to them about what had happened. (<My personal favorite). Please Andy, do tell! I mean about Trumps Evil. SMH ???? The Hypocrisy knows no bounds with you leftists!
> Ray, you really have to address the Moscow apartment bombings,
> because if those accusations are true then any such demonization is amply justified.
Which ones?
And even all the accusations were true, that would merely put the Russian government somewhere in the middle of the field as far as the behaviour of great powers is concerned…
Well I think a false flag operation targeting one’s own citizens is really a different level of evil, like killing a stranger versus killing your own child. I agree it’s least debatable.
But the more important point is that if the Putin is no better or worse than the USA’s DS, then he must opposed just as strenuously; even more strenuously, since his personal interests align even less with ours the DS’s do.
What I’ve gathered, from various You Tube sites, is that Putin is in alliance with Trump and their respective militaries, and some uncorrupted portions of their respective ELECTED STATES, BOTH AGAINST the DS (which is GLOBAL), which is the IC (an import into the USA, in the post-war forties, via Operation Paperclip, ratlines, etc…, of NAZI IC assets, on behalf of the Globalist Banksters, whose first mission was to undermine the USA, making the rest of the World thus easier to take down thereafter), the “too big to fail” banking community, the corporate TransNats, and their various merc and proxy armies, terrorists, covert op assets, etc… President Xi may also be in this alliance, and China is also riddled with DS actors too. This is sort of a global Civil War. The primary battlefield is here in the USA. If we fail HERE, the rest of the World will also fall. If we gain the victory HERE, the rest of the World will be thus saved. It happens HERE, and there is probably MORE than one reason for Army deployment on home soil, besides “caravans” approaching the southern border. I expect to see MASS arrests of many high-profile figures from politics, government, business, hollywood, etc…real soon.
Yes, there is a “Deep State”.
No, it doesn’t stop with the military-industrial complex (intelligence agencies and defense contractors), nor with Trump, whom has been placating that same M-I-C.
The largest defense contractors (including Boeing, Lockheed, and Raytheon) are all largely owned by the same largest insitutional shareholders.
Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street, Fidelity (FMR), Invesco, JP Morgan, Wellington Management, Geofe, Capital Research, T Rowe Price, are among the largest money-management and investment firms, whom collaborate with each other (even serving as the largest shareholders of each other).
They have formed virtual monopolies, amongst the largest “competing” corporations in most every single indsustry, via large share holdings.
(sources include morningstar.com, Yahoo business, and NASDAQ).
These are also among the same largest shareholders of the largest banks, including Deutsch Bank (a Trump staple partner).
These are the firms largely owned by, and thus controlled by the .001 percent.
This is the same group of elite that Trump’s tax (and other) policies have helped to further enrich (you know, the same elite he purported to fight).
This is the same group of elite all presidents have helped empower & enrich.
This is the same group that own most of the corporate media (including Fox, CNN, MSNBC, even outlets like Huff Post).
The narrative of Trump being a target of the “Deep State” is nothing but a FALSE FLAG, PR propagandist tactic.
As this article accurately states: “No, it was deeper than that.”
Much deeper, indeed.
So I ask, if the true “Deep State” is so deep, and so powerful, and owned by the same groups being supported and enriched by Trump himself, wouldn’t it make sense to use Trump as a means of propaganda?
If the “Deep State” were trying to divert attention to their own deep & vast influence and activities, would they not be smart emough to install a president whom purports to fight said “Deep State”, yet covertly supporting that “Deep State”?
The Author of this piece of garbage obviaouly ain’t all that bright.
As Edward Bernays, the “Father of Spin” and Author of the book “Propaganda” wrote: “The best defense against propaganda: More propaganda”.
In other words, yo uuse more propaganda to fight the charge or revelation of propaganda.
Thus is the role of the “Great White Knight”, Mafia Don.
Donald Trump serves only as an Entertainer, one whose role is to fool the mindless masses by promulgating the “Myth of the Good King”.
He exists to divert and distract from the true vast complesity and convolution of the true “Deep State”.
He supports Israel and Saudi Arabia (and other terrorist governemnts) as much as his predecessors have.
He supports the military/intelligence/security agencies as much as his predecessors have (minus a couple careless Agents).
He has called for the worst possible punishment for whistleblowers like Assange and Snowden, just like his predecessors.
He continues to support the same .001 percent secret-ruling elites as has his precedessors.
His end-goals have, in fact, differed quite little than those of his predecessors.
.
I appreciate the works and revelations of Robert Parry, but they in now way exonerate Mafia Don.
If anything, they show how truly complex and all-encompassing the true “Deep State” really is.
If those controlling the TENS OF TRILLIONS of dollars really wanted Mafia Don out of the picutre, they posses the power to do so.
Ray McGovern is an establishment Bureaucrat.
His seeming goal to continue the absolute facade of the “democracy” of the wholly corrupted two-party system.
:Partisan” politics have become that same propagandist means to divert and distract from the realities of the completely manipulated and corrupted system.
MAFIA DON (just like Hillary) CARES ABOUT NO ONE BUT HIMSELF AND HIS CRONIES, THE .001 PERCENT.
THIS IS HOW EFFECTIVE PROPAGANDA WORKS.
“In almost every act of our lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons […] who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world. ”
“Who are the men, who, without our realizing it, give us our ideas, tell us whom to admire and whom to despise, what to believe about the ownership of public utilities .. about immigration who tell us how our houses should be designed, what furniture we should put into them, what menus we should serve at our table, what kind of shirts we must wear, what sports we should indulge in, what plays we should see, what charities we should support, what pictures we should admire, what slang we should affect, what jokes we should laugh at? ”
“Propaganda is the executive arm of the invisible government.”
-Edward Bernays- Propagnada
Brilliant. Thank you, Thom Stines. I am copying this ‘reply’ to be able to read it later, as things continue to unravel. We are all in this boat and I am not sure how to get out.
Bravo.
You offer no grounds to disparage Ray McGovern; that is carelessness. He could not be much further from being an apologist for the DS.
Well, I thought Thom made it clear that he regarded Russia-gate as just another edition of the Punch and Judy show Dems and Repubs have been putting on forever. That is, political entertainment played out by both sides to distract from the economic and environmental looting that continues. If that’s the case then McGovern is being counterproductive by feeding it.
I don’t know that it _is_the case, but there’s at least as much evidence for it as for the hypothesis that the DS is trying to take Trump down, so it deserves consideration on CN.
Just another complete pessimist. Nothing good to see here! LOL Trump aint all bad, he aint all good. He has done more good for middle class Americans than anyone since Reagan. That, I can take to the Bank! You shoulda cashed your chips before the midterms. LOL Hope yeer happy Higher taxes Chucky and Nonsense Nancy are back in the saddle. Roll eyes ?
The Greedy, Swindling, Narcissist, Trump hasn’t been exposed by the “Deep State” – but by his own Criminal Acts.
” The arc of Justice… .”
Pancreatic cancer? That’s something that is normally easily caught on a blood panel. But to the man himself… He has made my life amazingly difficult. I have come to the “alternate media” late in life and at this point can tell the difference between a whackadoodle like Alex Jones and Consortium News almost instinctively. Unfortunately, I have six daughters and they are in the thrall of the MSM propaganda machine (this is hard for me to believe, ’cause that’s not how I raised ’em). But now, when I point out the sort of stuff that Ray is writing about, they just think the old man’s off his rocker. And since the youngest is like 32, I can’t just sit them down and lecture them either. I’d love a way out of this conundrum.
I think that Bob’s death is suspicious. Critics of the deep state or the US who strives to make the planet safe for billionaires seem to get cancer at an unusually high rate. Is it such a stretch to think that the CIA or an even more secretive US murder machine is not responsible for some of these premature deaths?
Hugo Chavez 58, Jack Layton 61, Fernando Lugo 67, Lula da Silva 66, Fernandez de Kirchner 65 and Castro who they tried to kill numerous times
Oh please, get your head out of Marvel comics, this is embarrassing. The CIA did not assassinate Robert Parry any more than they did Steve Jobs.
Umm, Fernando Lugo and Lula da Silva are alive and well. So is Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. It is her husband Néstor Kirchner who died early of a heart attack. The CIA did try to kill Castro many times, but he died at a ripe old age of natural causes.
Provide them with proper intelligent reading material, maybe
Great piece Ray… Bob Parry was the epitome of what it means to be an investigative journalist… probably the best since the 1970’s versions of Woodward and Bernstein… today’s MSM “reporters” are mere talking heads reading from a script… guys like Chris Cuomo and Joe Scarborough are no different than their 1980’s “VJ” counterparts that first appeared on MTV, while having the same substance… not lost on me is the fact that the entire MSM jumped all over Bush’s death, splashing headlines of his great legacy, blah blah blah, etc… and I don’t seem to recall barely a peep from them when Mr Parry recently passed … typical of the “media” today… hype the criminal elite that have done nothing but help cause the further decay of our society to enrich themselves, while at the same time they say little to nothing about a true American patriot whose contributions to historical truth are on a level the Mainstream Media simply cannot comprehend(obviously)… I can’t thank Robert Parry for all that I have learned through his efforts! … Journalism at its BEST!
Lovely tribute to an honorable man, Ray -not many of those left in the world. We all miss Bob acutely, especially as the anniversary of his untimely death approaches. May you and all whistleblowers worldwide, each of you my heroes, have a very happy Winter Holiday Season.
The idea that an exchange of indiscreet private e-mails between an FBI agent and his girlfriend is “proof” of some dastardly “deep state plot” is just laughable! As Mueller’s net closes in on Trump and Putin makes mistake after mistake, Mr McGovern is clutching at straws!
Agreed, McGovern takes two love-struck FBI agents to be proof of a conspiracy, while ignoring mountains of circumstantial evidence against Trump. He refuses to address Trump’s dubious financial ties with Russia, or the Moscow apartment bombings.
I respect McGovern, but I question his judgement.
Thanks Ray. Robert is sorely missed. :-(
“The U.S. media’s approach to Russia is now virtually 100 percent propaganda.”
Thank you Ray, Nobody could cut through the murk, even with distorted vision, like Robert Parry. Please everyone support this wonderful site…
Related: A wonderful article at Off Guardian here, describing The French Revolution II…
https://off-guardian.org/2018/12/13/the-indiscreet-charm-of-the-gilets-jaunes/
So-called long ago “galloping cancers” were, it is said curated and weaponized – by you know who…
See “Dr Mary’s Monkeys”
Bob, like Fidel and Hugo, got a dose? Well yeah!
Thanks Ray. Robert Parry quite accurately described what has become known as “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” We should probably shorten it to TDS since it has become so prevalent, even here in the comment section of CN.
Until we address the “Deep State” problem it will not matter who is president. The evil ones have controlled the foreign policy of the USA for virtually my entire life. I think our only hope lies in unraveling the utterly corrupted two party system as a first step. Bill Binney’s 9000 Samurai would probably be a big help too.
Being that Trump himself is seriously deranged, the expression “Trump Derangement Syndrome” is fatally ambiguous. You yourself have called him a sociopath, so are you suffering from TDS also?
Andrew, snappish comments are sophomoric and unhelpful. Please be more cautious and comment only when you have something to add.
Skip Scott has in fact called Trump a sociopath, so I’m genuinely confused as to why he accuses others of TDS.
Btw, don’t you think blanket accusations of TDS are “sophomoric and unhelpful”? That’s what I was responding to.
I also called you a sociopath, and I explained both positions to you already. I think of TDS as an inability to see past Trump to the true cause of our problems. Trump is a symptom, not the disease itself. And to prefer the Deep State to Trump is sinful, or at the very least, stupid and shortsighted.
You don’t think it’s important to remove a sociopath from the presidency? If we wait for remedies for the “true cause of our problems” we’ll be waiting for a very long time, in the mean time the White House is on fire.
Andrew-
Obama was also a sociopath, given his love for drone strikes without regard for the many innocent victims. Should he have been removed from office?
Yes.
Andrew-
Were you as vehement about the need to remove Obama from office while he was in office? Furthermore, the common element in both cases is their being manipulated by the Deep State.
To be clear, I think Obama deserved to be impeached and didn’t vote for him in 2012. But I don’t think he is a sociopath, a word thrown around here much too freely. I believe Obama made some terrible decisions, but I think he really cared about the about consequences of those decisions, while Trump gives no evidence of caring about anything but himself.
I believe Trump is much more dangerous than Obama, you evidently believe the reverse. I think we can both agree the country is in a bad state.
Andrew-
So you really think that Obama feels shame and remorse over his drone strikes? His glibness was quite apparent when he said, “turns out I’m really good at killing people”. Look up the definition of sociopath. What evidence do you have that he “cared about the consequences of those decisions”?
I don’t “think the reverse”. The common denominator in both the case of Trump and Obama is control by the Deep State puppet masters. People like John Brennan. That is why I keep harping on the dire need to abolish the deep state. It is the only way to stop the evil.
While Americans focus on their own views of Donald Trump, here is an interesting look at how the world views the Trump Presidency:
https://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-global-perspective-on-america-part.html
While Donald Trump has not particularly scored well on an international level, the level of confidence in his presidency has actually risen in some nations.
“While Donald Trump has not particularly scored well on an international level, the level of confidence in his presidency has actually risen in some nations.”
Yeah, notably Israel and the Philippines.
Andy, you are so blinded by tds that you dont acknowledge Trump is a strong leader. And whilst you bask in reafirmation from MSM the world Stage does see Trump as a Strong Leader, and have hope in him, beleive it or not. Don’t believe me. Check for yourself! Yes of course our Strongest (and onlyj Ally in the Middle East, Israel is fond of Trump, especially after B. Hussein O. tried to influence the Israeli elections and throw Netanyahu under the Bus. The Chinese call Trump Powerfull Grandpa. They also hope Trump will help end Communism in China. (Wouldn’t that be something) Trump amazingly has good dialogue with Rocketman where previous administrations couldn’t or wouldn’t, and not because he went on an “Apology Tour” he has been stern, only then did he possibly sell peace to N. Korea, much is hopefull on that peninsula, directly attributed to Trumps Foreign policies. Trade? They said he’s got it all wrong, they were wrong again. The French and are chanting “we want Trump” for crying out loud. Trump kicked the Paris climate according to Gore’s accord to the curb! LOL and the wise are following suit! Immigration? Trump is the only one that has it right and that has the balls to fight for it. See any more Caravans?! I don’t think so! Besides hating Trump and Israel, got any solutions? Maybe Hillary did huh? Pffft
You know, the MSM isn’t the only bubble chamber in the world. You seem to get all your news from Fox.
If you are opposed to carbon regulation and in favor of Netanyahu, why don’t you take those issues up with Ray McGovern?
Robert Parry was performing at the height of his journalistic abilities when he was taken from us by an indifferent universe. His work was especially critical since most of the rest in the profession of news reportage had sold out to the shady actors pulling the strings behind the scenes years ago. That fact must have impacted his impression of all the outrages publicly going down in the international arena as being “too much, just too much” for him to stand and not despair.
It gets me down too, how every day a newly fabricated steaming pile of lies appears in the media justifying ever escalating tensions with Russia, China, and at least half a dozen other nations against whom this country’s military is now kept on a hair trigger alert–or actually fighting, either directly with American GI’s, by proxy or using mercenaries. Every clear-thinking literate person ought to know that the rhetoric dispensed by Washington and its media mouthpieces is bunkum, yet the complete cadre of Western “independent and democratic” “leaders” inevitably end up engaging in the same belligerent policies of group-think imposed by the neocon maniacs running the show in DC. You might be excused for thinking they were all reading a script imposed at the barrel of a gun–or under threat of severe economic sanctions.
I mean, it’s just laughable for Frau Merkel to concur yet again, after the usual charades of “deep deliberation” on the matter, that Russia deserves (guess what?) another round of economic sanctions for its (inevitably purported) aggressive actions against several totally blameless Ukrainian military vessels in the Kerch Strait, just out innocently cruising around and not responding to well-established protocols and commands, as any thoroughly co-opted NATO regime could clearly see. Every day it is some new absurd fallacious premise that is dispensed by the Washington deep state and then followed by some provocative new demands and/or penalties. And no one, except those condemned to perceive only the truth, as Robert Perry did so well, catches the disconnects. No one in the MSM, with all their Pulitzers and other prizes and their advanced degrees from distinguished schools of journalism, seem to ever discern any of the abundant clues of false narratives, the lack of evidence, the contradiction of facts or the application of faulty logic. To them, there is never any coercion by Washington, no vassal status for any of these rubber-stamp regimes; rather, everyone simply comes to the same implausible interpretation of events, based on zero objective evidence, and the necessary countermeasures, obviously because they are all just freedom-loving, enlightened, Western liberal thinkers out to help Amerika save the world and always instinctively have the right answer. Just trust them.
Very true; we have few “clear-thinking literate” persons.
The rest watch “the cable” and believe nearly everything.
Wonderful!
Some of the most honest and insightful commentary on the operations of the intelligence agencies against the Trump campaign can be found not in the ultra-Right conspiracy media like FOX, Breitbart, etc but the corporate mouthpiece Wall Street Journal, whose Business World columnist has done a good job at unpacking exactly what the agencies did in 2016. It seems to me that there wasn’t a personal bias against Trump, but rather a very dangerous and overreaching idea of “national security” that proscribes certain foreign policy positions. In a democratic country, a change in foreign policy could not be seen as treasonous, but then the US is not a democracy. THIS is what the “Deep State” is. Because Trump acted buffoonish on the campaign trail and threw out a bunch of anti-interventionist rhetoric (in stark contrast to his neocon foreign policy in office), the FBI and CIA considered this worthy of investigation. There is an Establishment assumption both in the US and in the UK (witness attacks on Corbyn) that the foreign policy cake is “pre-baked” and that any attempt to cook a new one is “meddling.”
To reiterate, this was never a “conspiracy against Trump,” but rather a conspiratorial idea about what constitutes treason and/or collusion. Recently talk of “political synergy” has been raised. If that is taken to mean that both Trump and Putin are far-right populists and might form an alliance, how is that treason? I’m a socialist and a communist who disagrees with Putin- but this is the same as if the French or Italian communist parties were seen as illegitimate and treasonous in the 1950s-1980s
The comparison to European communist parties is interesting. But if Trump really did collude with Russia to help him get elected, that is a serious issue. Whether that was the case no one can say till the Mueller report is released.
How naive.
Please explain.
It may be that the deep state’s “dangerous and overreaching idea of ‘national security’ that proscribes certain foreign policy positions” including “anti-interventionist” lead to a “personal bias against Trump.”
Yes, I would say that it was Trump’s campaign positions of detente with Russia, bilateral trade agreements, and returning manufacturing jobs to the US, that the Deep State saw as conflicting with THEIR National Security interests, which mainly amount to retaining all power and wealth for the Oligarchy.
“…Trump’s campaign positions of detente with Russia, bilateral trade agreements, and returning manufacturing jobs to the US, that the Deep State saw as conflicting with THEIR National Security interests…”
This is predicated on Trump ever having been serious about those campaign positions, which the DS is much too smart to have believed.
Moreover the modern Plutocracy understands that more money can made through peace than war, so detente with Russia would no more raise the ire of the DS than Nixon’s original version did 45 years ago.
Andrew-
I would say that there is evidence that Trump is concerned with those issues, at least in his “carnival barker” sort of way. He got really POed about GM layoffs recently, and talked of removing their subsidies. He did renegotiate NAFTA. The wild fluctuations in the market seem to indicate that they take him seriously, and are worried about his possible nationalist tendencies.
Anne~
Do you mean this fellow Holman Jenkins at the WSJ? I haven’t read his stuff before…
https://www.wsj.com/news/author/5469
Re; “How elitists turn away their noses from the smell of working class people at Walmart” 12/13/17 article—Look over here Ma-Walmart got “deodiant” let`s git some so we don`t smell so bad –That`s why people don`t talk to us “
Thank you, Ray, for your attempt to bring the readers here, up to speed, concerning this “Cold Civil War” we are in. The brigades of citizen-journalists on You Tube need help from the big guns such as yourself and the late Mr. Parry. Our Republic has arrived at our “Era of Cincinnatus” and we are probably about to learn what the REAL implied meaning of “Society of the Cincinnati” is, as we will probably witness admirals and generals moving to fulfill their oaths to defend the Republic against all enemies foreign AND DOMESTIC, (which, BTW, the deployment of our military on the southern border is the first SENSIBLE deployment of military force since WWII).
God bless Robert Parry. Thank you Mr. McGovern! Authentic patriots.
Thank you Ray, and the Parry family! Robert Parry ruled!
Thanks for reposting this, which inspired me to make a contribution the next day. Always enjoy your pieces Ray and hearing you now & then conversing with Per on KBOO’s “Fight the Empire”.
It’s really encouraging to see consortiumnews carrying on Bob’s good work. It continues to be my favorite site (along with the intercept & global research). I will of course support your winter fund drive.
Intercept is no good, billionare’s vanity project, even Glen isn’t particularly clear eyed.
Craig Murray, Jonathan Cook, John Pilger, Chris Hedges, only other rock solid, aggregator, comparable to Consortium is Truthdig