The newly minted presidential candidate is serving as a lightning rod for the debate about U.S. warmongering, writes Caitlin Johnstone.
By Caitlin Johnstone
CaitlinJohnstone.com
When Hawaii’s Rep. Tulsi Gabbard announced her plans to run in the 2020 presidential election, I predicted that it would disrupt war propaganda narratives and force a much-needed conversation about U.S. interventionism, but I didn’t realize that it would happen so quickly, so ubiquitously and so explosively. Gabbard officially began her campaign for president a little over a week ago, and already she’s become the front line upon which the debate about U.S. warmongering is happening.
This dynamic became more apparent than ever in Gabbard’s recent appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, hosted by spouses Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
It should here be noted since we’re talking about war propaganda that in 2009 Scarborough turned down an easy run for the U.S. Senate because he decided that he could have more influence on public policy as the host of Morning Joe than he could as one of 100 U.S. senators, which tells you everything you need to know about why I focus more on U.S. mass media propaganda than I do on U.S. politics. It should also be noted that Brzezinski is the daughter of the late Carter administration Cold Warrior Zbigniew Brzezinski, whose influential ideas about U.S. world domination, arming extremist factions to advance U.S. interests, and hawkish agendas against Russia continue to infect U.S. foreign policy to this day. Mika is part of a political dynasty, with both brothers being U.S. political insiders as well.
Aligning the Message
So if you’ve ever wondered how outlets like MSNBC keep everyone on message and fully in alignment with the U.S. war machine’s agendas, there’s a good insight into how. Combine that with the way they stock their punditry lineup with U.S. intelligence community insiders and fire any pundit who refuses to toe the military-industrial complex line, and it’s not hard to see how they’ve developed such a tight echo chamber of hostility toward any resistance to U.S. interventionism. Which explains what we’re about to discuss next.
The journalist interrogating Tulsi seems to believe that US forces in Syria are fighting Assad. Tulsi corrects her, says those troops were deployed there to fight ISIS. These people don’t even know what’s happening in the places they want the US to occupy pic.twitter.com/YWIbSVqePA
— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) February 6, 2019
Morning Joe’s pile-on began when the subject of Syria came up, and panelist Kasie Hunt instantly became agitated.
“Do you think Assad is our enemy?” Hunt interrupted during Gabbard’s response to a question about her meeting with Syria’s president in 2017, her voice and face both strained with emotion.
“Assad is not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States,” Gabbard replied.
“What do you say to Democratic voters who watched you go over there, and what do you say to military members who have been deployed repeatedly in Syria pushing back against Assad?” Hunt asked, somehow believing that U.S. soldiers are in Syria fighting against the Syrian government, which would probably come as a shock to the troops who’ve been told that they are there to defeat ISIS.
Journalist Rania Khalek summed up this insanity perfectly, tweeting, “The journalist interrogating Tulsi seems to believe that U.S. forces in Syria are fighting Assad. Tulsi corrects her, says those troops were deployed there to fight ISIS. These people don’t even know what’s happening in the places they want the U.S. to occupy.”
Journalist Max Blumenthal agreed with Khalek in a response to her tweet.
This is such an embarrassing look at the state of corporate American regime media. @kasie doesn’t know the most basic facts about Syria and along with the smug co-hosts, doesn’t care to learn. https://t.co/dEfJbVEcaD
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) February 6, 2019
And it didn’t get any better from there. After Gabbard took some time to explain to a professional cable news reporter the basic fundamentals of the U.S. military’s official involvement in Syria, Scarborough interjected to ask if Assad isn’t an enemy, would Gabbard at least concede that he is “an adversary of the United States.”
Whatever that means. What Assad is is the leader of a sovereign nation which has nothing to do with the United States and isn’t taking anything from or harming the United States in any way.
Back and Forth
Scarborough and Gabbard went back and forth about this stupid, nonsensical question before Brzezinski interjected to ask “So what would you say he is to the United States? If you cannot say that he’s an adversary or an enemy, what is Assad to the U.S.? What is the word?”
Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, 2017. (Wikimedia commons, Public domain)
“You can describe it however you want to describe it,” Gabbard responded, explaining that whether a nation is adversarial or not comes down to whether or not they are working against U.S. interests.
“Are Assad’s interests aligned with ours?” asked Hunt.
“What are Assad’s interests?” Gabbard countered.
“Assad seems interested primarily in the slaughter of his own people,” Hunt replied with a straight face.
“Survival,” Scarborough interjected, trying to save his colleague some embarrassment with a less insane response to the question of Assad’s interests.
Other Crazy Questions
Other crazy questions Gabbard was asked during her appearance include the following:
“You know there are people who will watch this have heard your previous comments who will wonder, what’s going on here? Why you met with Assad, why it looks like you were very cozy with Assad and why you’ve sort of taken his side in this argument. What would you say to that?”
“Do you think that Assad is a good person?”
“Your hometown paper said that you should focus on your job and talked about your presidential campaign being in disarray. How would you respond to your hometown paper?”
“Any idea why David Duke came out and supported you?”
“There have been reports that that Russian apparatus that interfered in 2016 is potentially trying to help your campaign. Why do you think that is?”
“Have you met with any Russians over the past several years?”
Gabbard shoved back against the various accusations of alignment with Trump, Putin and Assad, asserting correctly that those lines are only being used to smear anyone who voices an objection to endless war and insane nuclear escalations. She pushed back particularly hard on Kasie Hunt’s reference to the obscene NBC smear piece which cited the discredited narrative control firm New Knowledge to paint Gabbard as a favorite of the Kremlin, claiming that the article has been thoroughly debunked (and it has).
After the show, still unable to contain herself, Hunt jumped onto Twitter to share the discredited NBC smear piece.
Here is ?@NBCNews?’ excellent reporting on the Russian machine that now appears to be boosting Tulsi Gabbard https://t.co/QuJRuEQHOm
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) February 6, 2019
Hunt then followed up with a link to an RT article which she captioned with an outright lie: “Here is the ‘debunking’ of the NBC News report from RT, the Russian state media. You tell me which you think is more credible.”
I say that Hunt is lying because the RT article that she shared to falsely claim that the only objection to NBC’s smear piece came from Russia explicitly names an Intercept article by American journalist Glenn Greenwald, upon which the RT article is based and which does indeed thoroughly discredit the NBC smear piece. If Hunt had read the article that she shared, she necessarily would have known that, so she was either lying about the nature of the article she shared or lying about knowing what was in it.
MSNBC defended @nbcnews fraudulent "report" which was based on a "discredited cyber security firm recently kicked off Facebook for unethical MEDDLING of a state election.” Shameful "journalism." https://t.co/YjGSKKE6oR
— Tulsi Gabbard ? (@TulsiGabbard) February 7, 2019
So that was nuts. We can expect to see a whole, whole lot more of this as the plutocratic media works overtime to undermine Gabbard’s message in order to keep her from disrupting establishment war narratives, and I’m pleased as punch to see Gabbard firing back and calling them out for the sleazy war propagandists that they are. Her presidential campaign is shaking the foundations of the establishment narrative control matrix more than anything else that’s going on right now, so it looks like writing about these embarrassing mass media debacles she’s been provoking may be a big part of my job in the coming months.
Military interventionism is by far the most depraved and destructive aspect of the U.S.-centralized power establishment, and it is also the most lucrative and strategically crucial, which is why so much energy is poured into ensuring that the American people don’t use the power of their numbers to force that interventionism to end.
Anyone who throws a monkey wrench in the works of this propaganda machine is going to be subjected to a tremendous amount of smears, and I’m glad to see Gabbard fighting back against those smears. From personal experience I know that smear campaigns must be fought against ferociously, because the only alternative is to allow your detractors to control the narrative about you, which as far as your message goes is the same as allowing them to control you.
Caitlin Johnstone is a rogue journalist, poet, and utopia prepper who publishes regularly at Medium. Follow her work on Facebook, Twitter, or her website. She has a podcast and a new book “Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers.” This article was re-published with permission.
One concern: what are her stances on abortion, the LGBT agenda, and immigration? My parents voted for Donald Trump out of concern with the increasing political correctness occuring during Obama’s presidency. During his two years of presidency, Trump has not done much, if anything at all, to address these issues, let alone address the country’s poverty and food waste. How much of that border wall he promised is being built?
Seer mentioned earlier about her stance towards Russia. This is also worrying for me.
Until her attitudes towards the three said issues are revealed, I’m not going to support her just yet. This will probably be the first time I’d be voting for a president (I was 17 when Trump was elected), and I do not want to exchange one bad president for another bad one.
Tulsi is a breath of fresh air. She certainly has my support, my vote, my donations for 2020. And beyond! Fortunately she’s young enough to be a major political player fo decades to come. Hawaii is lucky to have her. I’m not surprised that establishment Democrats are already lining up smears and primary challengers against her and Ocasio-Cortez — the two most threatening Congesswomen to the status quo. Enemies want to cut them down quick.
Aloha! Gabbard is not only a “breath of fresh air” she is a balmy zephyr that might just be the Zeitgeist of this congress.
I will follow you Tulsi and if you continue this trend, you will have my support and donations.
I had high hopes for this Gabbard, but she is a member of CFR
really? .. sheiza!..
If there is a place, where terra-forming reptiloids pass their orders on to their human executive class, it most certainly is the CFR and the Atlantic Council..
“There is no disputing the fact that Bashar al-Assad and Syria is a brutal dictator,”…“There’s no disputing the fact that he has used chemical weapons and other weapons against his people. There are other terrorist groups in Syria who have used similar chemical weapons and other weapons of terror against the people of Syria,” she would add. These are quotes attributed to T. Gabbard on the propaganda show, The View. Either she is owned or would like to live to be elected. At least she didn’t agree with that professional pressitute liar, Megan McCain, daughter of Traitor McCain…” he’s used chemical weapons against his own people 300 times.” Why do Americans believe such crap? I see no one in this country that I would trust as far as I could throw a bus. If this country is to change, it will have to be from the ground up, higher ups would not be where they are if they were not already compromised and are part of the problem.
… TULSI is right, because who loves and fight for his people never can be wrong … !!
Tulsi Gabbard is most appealing American politician to come along in a long time.
Not extreme enough in social/economic matters to be rejected automatically by the bulk of Americans, who are, in fact, very conservative and tradition-bound. Yet offering serious thoughts and efforts about peace.
And the courage to have actually done so basic a thing as talk to people in “the West’s” deliberately created hell of Syria.
And she even comes “packaged” as a veteran.
She would be hard to dream up. The more predictable political challenger types in America are represented by Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, both about as inauthentic as true liberals as it comes. Bone-marrow establishment, both of them.
But her chance of having any impact on the ferocious face of war America displays to the world literally is zero.
The size and resources of America’s war party are almost beyond comprehension.
Were by some miracle she to become the candidate of the Democratic Party, either of two destinies would await her.
First, the Obama destiny, where a sometimes sandal-wearing young man bravely eschews the de rigueur American flag lapel pin during his campaign but ends up bombing people for every day of his eight years and indeed ends up adopting the dumb American flag lapel pin.
Or, second, the Kennedy destiny where a man who genuinely did threaten aspects of the American death machine left a fair part of his head splattered across a street in Dallas.
Anything else is just fantasy.
These are very powerful and devious people running the show in America. Anyone with her views on their wars would quickly be made to feel as embattled and threatened as President Maduro.
They’ll let someone like Gabbard speak for a while to reinforce the happy notion that America is somehow something that it’s not. After all, that’s what the press busies itself doing twenty-four hours a day.
But to actually take power and use it for peace? That’s like expecting a miracle. And I have it on good authority that miracles never extend beyond the confines of a sweet childish imagination.
”Or, second, the Kennedy destiny where a man who genuinely did
threaten aspects of the American death machine
left a fair part of his head splattered across a street in Dallas.
Anything else is just fantasy.
These are very powerful and devious people running the show in America.”
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
— Thank You, John Chuckman, w/ a Standing Ovation !!!!
This blast from the past adds an emphatic Hell Yeah to your
.
U.S. Representative Ron Paul of Texas put it another way:
“Debt destroys U.S. sovereignty, because the American economy now depends on the actions of foreign governments. While we brag about our role as world superpower in international affairs, we are in truth the world’s greatest debtor. … Ultimately, debt is slavery.”
When it comes to an appetite for demolishing the existing order, whether militarily or economically, the Bush administration is clearly entering uncharted territory. But most Americans have thus far assumed that the decimation is to be wrought entirely abroad. They may, however, want to rethink those assumptions.
..
In his 2002 book The War Against the Terror Masters, in a rare moment of unguarded intellectual honesty, neocon guru MICHAEL LEDEEN unwittingly let slip what is probably the best two-word description of the underlying agenda that has been pursued by the neocons over the last several years and is ongoing today: “Creative destruction.”
“Creative destruction is our middle name, both within our own society and abroad. We tear down the old order every day, from business to science, literature, art, architecture, and cinema to politics and the law. Our enemies have always hated this whirlwind of energy and creativity, which menaces their traditions (whatever they may be) and shames them for their inability to keep pace. … They must attack us in order to survive, just as we must destroy them to advance our historic mission.”
Given the Bush administration’s astoundingly reckless spending habits, the retrospective knowledge of its eagerness to lie the country into the Iraq quagmire, and the neocons’ enthusiasm for tearing down the old order – “both within our own society and abroad” – is it possible that our current bind is the deliberate result of a policy of destruction?
Is it possible that it is not just the Middle East that the Bush administration, Ledeen, and the other neocons want to destroy in order to reconstruct, but America as well?
But why?
Why would our own leadership want to deliberately put our country into a position of vulnerability?
+++++++
(Creative Destruction)
The current noise-making in Venezuela is but a distractive spotlight to deflect against the more desirable and Talmudic/Zionist war to destroy Iran. The destruction of Iran would be the last “Islamist” threat to Zionist Israel in the Middle East — as Israel(Isaac) and Saudi Arabia(Ismael) are true half brothers from the same father are intrinsically/fundamentally/inbred brothers !!!
Their combined Power and Political influence By-Means-Of-Wealth & Military Might of the American/Zionist ESTABLISHMENT of an Co-Opporation Agreement (a tripartied agreement of unity for conquest and subjugation/control of the Entire Middle East.
War in the already Apocalyptically Poor country of Yemen, as the US inspired initial step was hidden by the veil of “Arab Spring” uprisings organized and paid for by US Endowment for Democracy and/or US Republican Institute “Color Revolutions” that promoted and propagated citizen uprisings, chaos, disorder, confusion and rebellion.
http://www.theneoconzionistreport.wikia.com/wiki.The_Politics_0f_%27Creative_Destruction
The Looming Threat of US-Israeli Decimation of Ancient Persia-Iran
http://theneoconzionistreport.wikia.com/wiki/Perpetual_War,_Indefinite_Detention,_And_Torture:_The_U.S._And_Israel’s_Shared_Values
The knee jerk reaction on the part of ANY establishment media to ANYONE threatening the narrative of war is both funny and sickening to me! The mainstream media IS and HAS ALWAYS BEEN like a prosecutor in a court room that doesn’t have to worry about any cross examination of his client(war)! There is NEVER another side to the flurry of lies that the MSM delivers 24/7 to the brainwashed American people. It would be self-defeating on the part of those trying to propagate wars. The mainstream media does NOT report ALL the facts and never has. The phony narratives must be maintained over time and anyone who rocks the boat, so to speak, will predictably expect some backlash and smearing from the media. How can anyone consider the USA a democracy when the people are PURPOSELY lied to? If Gabbard faces a smear storm like Trump has, mainly for bucking the establishment tide, it will be mainly from the people in her own party since it has now apparently taken up the pro-war mantra. In other words, the Democratic Party and more so now the Republican Party both bend to the will of the warmakers. Protecting and nurturing the military/industrial mafia is the REAL litmus test of candidates for the warmakers in BOTH parties. And since much of this war making is for Israel’s benefit, allegiance to Israel is another litmus test. Taking care of Americans’ needs should ALWAYS be the biggest litmus test for any American candidate, but now that seems to be a DETRIMENT to any candidate! Imagine that! In a “democracy”!
“The mainstream media IS and HAS ALWAYS BEEN like a prosecutor in a court room that doesn’t have to worry about any cross examination of his client(war)!”…well said!
CJ notes her preference for critique of corporate media propaganda; as far as I am concerned going to sites of some integrity (such as ConsNews, where CJ is presented) is a way of getting closer to the truth of the matter.
Going down the rabbit hole of propaganda and it’s maize of contradictions and depravity (not sure right word but it will do); I can do without.
But maybe we should be reminded of the ‘goul’ of corp media occasionally, that the US is using ISIS to fight its war against Syria, arming the rebels and supporting their wretched white helmets, which will vomit forth as this MSNBC program:
That the US is fighting Syria (well they are, they just don’t mention by a proxy US force, ISIS), that the US is fighting ISIS, that Assad is slaughtering his own people (he certainly is not and what a depraved response of Hunt – a brief explosion of derisive laughter), at least Gabbard shines some light with ‘in their interests’ to explode the Bush ‘your either for us or against us’, and so the motley depravity of ideology goes on.
But thankyou CJ for informing about the Brzezinski links and a while back that Blair had invited Assad to UK for a knighthood but sent packing because he would not agree to the ‘west’ oil pipeline and hence the constant demonization of Assad – and for much more.
If you want to see a real interview that covers all her views.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp9YdZwawWQ
Good for Tulsi Gabbard. U.S. foreign policy needs to be discussed. Drone attacks and bombing and regime changes dosen’t make a safer world.
To call Assad “the leader of a sovereign nation which has nothing to do with the United States” is a lie verging on Trumpian in its mendacity. Assad is a bloodthirsty tyrant who has gradually become a puppet of Iran, a regional bully obsessed with its paranoid ambitions to lead the Muslim world (although according to Pew most Palestinians consider Shias non-Muslims) and which is resorting to ethnic cleansing on a gargantuan scale in Syria, whereas Iran’s principal reproach against Israel is precisely Israel’s ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian Arabs.
Denouncing Israel’s crimes is fine, as long as you don’t cover up the far worse atrocities committed by Iran and its allies Syria, Hizballah and Hamas, not to mention those of almost every other Middle Eastern country except Oman and Cyprus, and perhaps Jordan.
Syria is a sovereign nation and Assad is the elected President of Syria. Assad’s powers and prerogatives are derived from Syria’s Constitution–adopted in 2012 as part of an ongoing process of political reform of which Assad has played a prominent role.
Assad is certainly a popular President in Syria, respected for steadfast defense of his country against an organized onslaught of terrorist mercenaries. The mercenaries, organized and fully supported by the “West”, have terrorized civilian populations–killing indiscriminately and perpetrating the most vile and heinous crimes against humanity. In contrast, Syria and Russia opened humanitarian “corridors” wherever possible, were “measured” in targeting terrorist militias due to the presence of innocents, and conducted “reconciliation” or safe-passage policies for the surrendered. Contrast this with the razing of Mosul and Raqqa.
I don’t know where you get the idea that Iran is “resorting to ethnic cleansing on a gargantuan scale in Syria”, or the Assad is a “bloodthirsty tyrant” and “puppet” of Iran– but I suspect it is you who is willfully perverting truth in order to deceive. The lies against Syria are mendacious indeed–crimes against our common humanity. So are all that lies that lead to war.
At least you admit that Israel is committing genocide. But then you do the “covering” by claiming that Iran and Syria are “far worse”.
Do you have any links to evidence of ethnic cleansing committed by the Assad regime? Do you have any evidence to suggest Assad wishes to be the leader of the Muslim world? Do you have any evidence at all to support your absurd claims??
The answer to your questions are:
No,
No, &
No.
Gregory and Andrew-
Thanks for setting Zenobia straight. I often wonder if these sheep-dipped commenters are genuine, or if they are paid trolls. I suppose that someone who gets their news almost solely from the MSM could truly believe the crap the Zenobia spouts, but I think it’s just as likely that one of our three letter agencies pays people to spout the empire’s propaganda line at sites like this one.
I saw this comment yesterday afternoon and was hoping someone else would debunk it. It gets tiresome after a while.
Sure he does. He just listens to CNN and MSNBC and idiots like Mark Warner and Lindsey Graham.
WHy do you believe the MSM lies and black propaganda: those journalists who have actually been there could see the truth, but believing MSM lies is almost criminal as you side with the liars who want to re-shape the ME country after country and you join in with it (Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, Syria..).
Despite any faults she should be supported as the only serious candidate intending to seriously challenge the existing power structure.
Another clear takedown of that repulsive attempted gang-ambush of Gabbard, one which completely backfired on Hunt and the rest of the empty, ignorant faux-journalists MSNBC attempts to foist off on the public as “progressives.” The reeking garbage heap is topped by Rachel Maddow, someone who should be ashamed to show her face in public.
Gabbard has been brilliant thus far. To my mind, she’s the best candidate in the race. And given Bernie Sanders’ repeated gaffes on Russiagate, Syria, and the 2017 election, Gabbard is probably the best candidate we’re going to see. The alternative media seems to get that, fortunately. So expect her to be a serious factor for quite some time. If we’re lucky, starting as a two-term president who will get our troops home.
As much as I despise the lying propagandist mainstream media, I despise ignorant Americans even more for their inexcusable ignorance regarding the conflict of interest of the people “reporting” news to them! A lying media has no place in any nation that has a sizable portion of its population fairly informed! Even if a candidate was able to win and get troops brought home in some of these “endless wars”, with a misinformed duped population a quick false flag will quickly get those troops redeployed to fight those “responsible for the act or “terror”(false flag). This might suffice for the warmakers, but also anyone questioning the official narrative of the false flag event will be smeared in some way. If tyranny in a nation is like a cancer and based on the degree of awareness of the people, then knowledge is like an anti-cancer force!
Tulsi handled this typical MSM hatchet-job and baiting interview with grace and humility.
Mueller is trying his darnedest to link Tulsi to Trump… that trip to Trump Tower…
Tulsi is a major thorn in the side of the Democratic Party leadership that must be removed before the election because she speaks and acts in accordance to her principles and convictions. You may not like her foreign, fundamentalist Indian sponsors and fundraisers, but she is one of the few true “peace” candidates who will call out deep state, MIC intentions (NATO, pentagon, perpetual warfare) and other hypocrisies in our bought for the highest bidder government. The matrix is desperate to get her out of the way.
I think Tulsi Gabbard’s links to Hindu fundamentalists have been overblown, largely work of MSM since her trip with Dennis Kucinich to meet Assad in 2017. As a congress woman, her trip to India and picture with Prime Minister Modi has been displayed in the Media too often as a proof of this. In the same vein, they cast doubt on her ancestry too. This last Tuesday on PBS’s finding your roots show, which my wife watches religiously, three persons were Rubio, Paul Ryan, and Tulsi Gabbard. She is about 87 percent West European. Her paternal great grandmother was Polynesian.
It seems like that raised in a home in an eclectic environment, Tulsi Gabbard does dabble in different religions and did marry in a Hindu ceremony few years ago. What is wrong with that? From my wife’s side I have been attending Church weddings here for almost half a century now. Recently I attended wedding of my second cousin with Hindu ceremony followed by ceremony in our religion which is a slight variation of Hindu ceremony. I liked the Hindu ceremony, the meaning of it. Amazingly, I had never attended a Hindu marriage ceremony before though I grew up in the village in Northern India where one third of the population was Hindu.
I have opposed Hindu Nationalism since very young age. The same Hindu Nationalist Party was the darling of U.S. and the West until the turn of the century. The Hindu nationalist party was anti-Soviet and anti-communist. The ruling Congress Party under Nehru and then Indra Gandhi was neutral and friend of the Soviet Union. The policy of the West is hypocritical, it always has been.
The fundamental question facing humanity is War and Peace. If Nations do not solve it through diplomacy and compromise, there is no hope for human survival. Tulsi Gabbard is the only candidate who has raised that issue. And she is principled. She can not put her neck out on every issue as many of wish her to do. I agree with you, she is the best candidate we have.
Tulsi has already earned my vote – and I am a Republican! Keep up the pressure on the insane warmonger idiots.
Tulsa Gabbard is a incredibly dangerous candidate from the point of view of the Power elite, that the mainstream of the vanilla flavored yellow journalism such as morning Joe and Mika Brezinski are now taking up the cudgel is only because such extreme Zionists such as Bari Weiss of the New York times have already fallen on their face. The possibility of picking up a truly antiwar candidate is absolutely too good to pass up, Tulsi Gabbard could easily attract Trump supporters not to mention a the majority of Democratic voters, the only thing she truly needs is the support of a major party which is just not going to happen, this is the perfect opportunity for a cross party alliance, if Rand Paul or Dennis Kucinich could step in as Tulsi running mate she would be on beatable even against Donald Trump.
Don’t get me wrong, in some alternate universe watching Trump destroy Hillary all over again would be truly magical if for no other reason then to see the liberal media in tears over it all over again but let’s face it weather Donald Trump is actually sincere about his anti-interventionalisom and is just being thwarted by the deep state or he’s just pulling everyone’s chain and screwing with us while he robs the place, at some point one of our idiot generals or CIA nut bags is going to get us involved in something that is just going to get out of hand, this clown show has got to and soon if we are going to get out with our skins intact, Viva Tulsi, thank you miss Johnstone great article!
I really appreciate this article on Tulsi Gabbard. I’ve been wondering why all other ‘news’ outlets are ignoring here candidacy. Beside the obvious, stand against the Mil. Ind. Complex. Do you have a podcast or can you refer a podcast that is aligned with you reporting?
Keith, consortium does have a podcast but it is very infrequent though, for a decent antiwar perspective I would check out the Scott Horton show if that’s the interest you’re going for anyway, good luck man, peace.
Here’s a YouTube broadcast from Joe Rogan that’s fairly comprehensive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIb2lmHgd5s
Here’s a site that covers her positions on a myriad of issues:
https://www.tulsigabbard.org/
I wish that Gabbard would have spoken out in defense of Omar. Other thing that has me a little nervous is her association with CFR. She does’t seem like she’s under AIPAC’s control, but I worry that it might not be necessary when tied into the CFR.
I really do like Tulsi and I feel that she has the most of what it would take to get elected. There are others that I’d like more but their chances are closer to zero.
I have to disagree, Caitlin.
Tulsi is not driving the MSM crazy.
The insanity was there before she entered to race for POTUS, which is part of why her participation in the election is so important.
All wars are won or lost at home. The enemy confronted each other in this case on the screen.
Tulsi’s war objective need not be to get elected POTUS, but to direct the narrative. The more she can be noticed or heard, the more she wins. The more desperately she is attacked, the louder her message becomes.
The war at home has long been NOT Dem vs Rep , but demrep establishment vs a realistic alternative.
Gabbard’s ties to Hindu nationalist fanatics, support for drone wars, approval for torture, support for Israeli apartheid, support for brutal dictators murdering their Muslim population confirm that she’s a horrible candidate.
I’ll take Omar or Tlaib if I want a real progressive candidate not a regressive islamaphobic bigot who sounds Republican like trash Tulsi.
Nice try. GS Uddin. The bigot is you. Gabbard is no more supporting brutal dictators of ANY religion than John F Kennedy was taking orders from the Pope. Your brand of religious blindness has no place in a rational political conversation.
Come on GS, take the blindfolds off…
Rick Sanchez has a good take:
http://youtu.be/jyL8ClSUZgw
I’ve pushed for and written about Tulsi ever since she quit the DNC of Hillary and her MIC/CIA handlers to back Bernie. The American public is suffering from serious domestic issues, but the entire world, us most of all from the regime changes our neofascist empire builders have vainly tried to build for 60 years.
Of course, that move has painted a bulls-eye on her back from Hillary and the entire Deep State Establishment and the DNC will not let her be the Presidential candidate as a result. My criticism of every single candidate of the party is that each and every one of them avoids the core problem of our regime change policies. When they even mention the rest of the world it’s on the basis of economics or our adversarial stance regarding the nasty people who kill their own citizens who we then proceed to kill and starve either directly or via surrogates.
At last she’s being heard even if she’s not the candidate this round, but she’s the only candidate I’ll actively support, because her mind has a rounded presidential grasp the others lack.
I’ve supported Kucinich, Nader and Ron Paul. What did/do they all have in common? Anti-imperialists! I even felt that there was a better chance with Trump than Clinton in this regard (though I would never vote for either). This is also how I’m seeing Gabbard.
Caitlin Johnstone is insanely jealous of Tulsi for both her brains and looks. What an incredible display of American hubris and ignorance on Morning Blow. This binary, good/bad, friend/enemy, thinking is what plays to the MagaMorons but is not the way for America to win influence and further our true interests. Those interests are a peaceful world filled with people who are not living in fear.
An obviously false insult to Caitlin Johnstone, for which you offer no evidence or argument at all. Perhaps you misunderstood the article.
Daniel Cullen: You got that from the article? How?
“Those interests [America’s] are a peaceful world filled with people who are not living in fear.”
Stop it, Daniel, your killing me! Did you ever consider doing stand-up?
I think you mean Hunt, not Johnstone.
Why would anyone who is not on the right wing, bother with MSNBC?
Good one, again, Caity. Tulsi is as great as you
Great follow-up article Caitlin. My question is how do these dumb people get to be showcased on national TV as respected reporters. Kasie is obviously being driven to the MSNBC studio in a short yellow bus. I’m surprised she isn’t wearing her helmet
Trump is POTUS, I think that says everything about the MSM.
The U.S. is in Syria to fight Assad. ISIS is primarily a pretext. Gabbard is wrong here because she is a strong believer in the concept of the War on Terror. She cares not a whit about non-Americans. She is an America Firster, whose concern is reducing American casualties. She favors the “War on Terror” conducted by air, including drone, and also publicly favors the use of torture. She is not anti-war. She is only for reducing American casualties.
MSNBC, along with the other MSM, is indeed a propaganda organ for American imperialist. But you are totally wrong in portraying Gabbard as anti-imperialist. She is strongly imperialist, which is why she joined the military and stays in the military. It is just that she thinks there is a safer way to carry out our imperialism than the consensus of the imperialist establishment.
You seem to have been taken in by Gabbard’s anti-war rhetoric which masks her true views, which are easily fund in what she has said and written. You need to look deeper. This piece is as shallow as most MSM journalism.
This remark is ASSinine.
This comment should be deleted as unsupported ad hominem insult.
Why not argue that point with links and quotes?
Many would wish to know if this is the case.
Excellent points. Gabbard supports drone wars, torture, is a big supporter of Zionism (attended Adelson meetings eith CUFI), covered up the war crimes of Modi and his hindu fanatics.
Dems can do better than Tulsi. Everyone is better than that war pig!7
Where do these absurd and unsupported, unsourced attacks come from?
I love the idea that Gabbard is more dangerous because she has served.
We’ve done so well with the current and previous three presidents who did not serve and knew nothing of war.
I have heard nothing from Gabbard to make me think she’d level a county for its oil or other resources.
If the only wars we fight are truly defensive, we wouldn’t have been in any wars after 1945 and would be unlikely to fight one in this century. I will gladly take her over the idiot neoliberals, centrists, and even Sanders, who seems increasingly befuddled about international affairs.
Feel free to point out any actual legislation (in US Congress) that she has been involved in/voted on that supports your assertions. I’m open to facts.
Here’s something that I find disturbing (has she shape-shifted on this?):
https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-tulsi-gabbard-russia-must-face-consequences-continued-aggression-ukraine
In my mind this is making me walk back from being optimistic about her (her judgement).
Don’t be a hater just yet. Let us hear what she has to say on other issues and read some policy positions from her. I would also remind you that anyone in either the Democratic or Republican Party that runs for President is going to support the concept that the USA is the “Indefensible Nation” and accept that we have the right to do whatever we want whenever we want to. Pax Americana. There are only Shades of Grey. She has a warmer tone in general with more room for truth/facts to be acknowledged on Regime Change, Endless War and Global Warming as well. Let’s hear what she has to say on Infrastructure, Debt and the Defense and Intelligence Budgets. In all probability someone much worse than her in all ways will become our next President so I suggest that you really don’t have much to be concerned about. Chill out homeboy.
Bill Samuel: I saw your comment when it came up several days ago. If your remarks were based solely on the content of this piece by CJ, then I can understand, because as I said earlier I had to find and watch the entire interview to understand exactly what Gabbard was saying. When she stated that “US forces are in Syria to fight ISIS” it was a very clever and knowing tongue-in-cheek parody of US Syrian war propaganda. That is what I believe that I saw and heard. The remainder of her responses and comments convince me that that was exactly the intent of her remarks.
Perhaps you know more about, and have followed more closely Ms. Gabbard, and that was the basis of your comments. Also, as I said earlier, I’ll have to find out much more about her. I will be surprised, and disappointed, if she is indeed as you characterize her. From what I saw though in just that 15 minutes or so, I will be VERY surprised if she is as you say.
I happened to catch this interview with Tulsi. I was incensed by the questions being thrown at her in Joe McCarthy style fashion, as if willingness to talk to Assad and not supporting endless wars were the most extreme anti-American positions you could possibly have. It was shocking to see how shocked they all were, as if the thought of ending endless wars had never crossed their minds. Unfortunately, the MSM has so much power, they will mostly likely help defeat Gabbard by ignoring her, not giving her Town Hall chances and other air time. I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt it.
I’m still smiling over, “orcification.” Thank you, you mean & nasty girl you!
Thanks to all for finally getting the wind up! For Gabbard, for comments and for Consortium.
You go Tulsi, and take Ilhan Omar as your VP! We must address the two elephants in the room (unending wars of aggression and the Israel über alles mentality).
“Damascus and its Russian and Iranian allies have demonstrated that ISIS can be permanently defeated. With ISIS supply lines running out of NATO-territory in Turkey and from across the Jordanian and Iraqi border cut off – Syrian forces have managed to sustainably suppress the terrorist organization’s efforts to reestablish itself west of the Euphrates.
“The very fact that ISIS persists in the sole region of the country currently under US occupation raises many questions about not only the sincerity or lack thereof of Washington’s efforts to confront and defeat ISIS – but over whether or not Washington is deliberately sustaining the terrorist organization’s fighting capacity specifically to serve as a pretext for America’s continued – and illegal – occupation of Syrian territory. ”
The US Syria Withdrawal and the Myth of the Islamic State’s “Return”
By Tony Cartalucci
http://landdestroyer.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-us-syria-withdrawal-and-myth-of.html
I had to follow some of the links to get the full flavor of Rep. Gabbard on that Morning Joe show (and eventually found a video of the entire interview.) I guess I hadn’t seen or listened to her before, and have to say that she seems very formidable, and so a much larger target gets painted on her for elimination. No offense to Caitlin, but this piece alone gave me an incorrect understanding of the depth and nuance of Tulsi’s responses, and I almost posted a long and ill-informed comment on her and her remarks. There is no perfect candidate. There are, in my limited opinion, 3 major issues the US faces: war, health-care corruption, and of course climate change. The first, her declared thrust, could ease the way to address those other concerns.
She must of course be destroyed. The status quo cannot abide her, or the truth she so deftly exposes. I’ve been waiting for a candidate, experienced veteran or not, to stake out this position on militarization. Bernie in many regards was too timid or too compromised to stand where Tulsi does. I’m going to learn all I can about her, and for this issue alone, support her. Haven’t heard any US pol yet so cleverly expose the fraudulent uses of the US military – and the supporting establishment – in US policy, as she did.
To this, a few million people would add “our poverty crisis.” What remains of the middle class just didn’t notice it yet.
Embarrassing. Pathetic. Who watches that crap let alone is “influenced” by it.. William F. Buckley Jr. couldn’t even go this low. Will there eventually come a moment when some one , like Gabbard or anyone else that is in a similar situation counters, “…. Have you no shame?” as someone did in the final act of Senator Joe McCarthy. I think that moment is a long ways off. I will vote for Tulsi Gabbard if the California Primary if she is still in the race but she will never be allowed to be the Democratic Presidential Candidate, she isn’t a phony.
I saw that show and loved the “Angry Birds” frown on Kasie Hunt. Later I wrote to NBC news and suggested a Time Out for her.
Tulsi, who has courageously been leading a fight in the House against regime change, is getting simply a tiny taste of what President Trump has been subjected to for over three years since he appeared on the radar of MI6. She should join him in seeking to shut down the Mueller coup and bring to justice those operatives, including those of British Intelligence such as Christopher Steele, who have perpetrated this fraud on the American people. Meanwhile her voice against “endless war” is a welcome counterpoint to the hawkish wannabees of the Democratic Party.
Not that I particularly want to defend B&S but when Scarborough says can you at least call him an adversary, my first thought was ‘you idiot, why do you have to see everybody else in a binary friend/adversary role’? Then I thought, ‘yeah, this is how you get mission creep – by redefining who the enemy is’. Then I thought ‘you fool. We went into Syria intent on “regime change” so kinda by definition we’ve made Assad our adversary.’. So in response to Scarborough, I’d probably say ‘yeah, we decided to make him our adversary. Weather or not he wants that role is another question.’
“He would stand like a lopsided column, And forever, big lies would work fine!” — F. G. Sanford
(Speaking of lopsided columns and hocus pocus military schemes, please excuse and forbear the below)
Valentine’s Day Ode to POTUS TRUMP;
Like a dog chasing a rabbit
Frivolity is a wasteful habit
But Oh the pleasure of dreams’ delight
Keeps the target within my sight…
Concrete or steel, Stolidly Erect
My Border Wall, Affectation of Wonder
A Grand Artifice & Long Living Symbol
Of an Hysterically Neurotic Desire
To Own Standing Symbols of My
Arrogant Fixation w/Structures
That Proclaim The NAME TRUMP !
Watching the Democratic Party leadership, the Republicans, the pundits, and MSM all become apoplectic when dealing with Tulsi is quite refreshing. By simply stating the truth she reveals for all to see that “the empire has no clothes;” in that our nation funds and supports jihadist terrorists we publicly claim to be fighting while we illegally regime change governments with complete disregard for international law. When Tulsi introduced to Congress her Stop Arming Terrorists Act the MSM attempted to ignore her rather than risk more of the American public becoming aware that “jihadists R US.” Now that she is running for president MSM are torn between confronting her and looking like the idiots they are, or pretending she doesn’t exist as many Democratic Party media sites appear to be doing.
I haven’t voted for a Democrat or a Republican for president in 30 years, but if Tulsi stays true to her positions I’ll keep making small financial donations and I’ll beat the streets doing public outreach to support her campaign as it moves forward. One aspect of her campaign transcends the question of whether she can win the presidency, and that is that as a grass roots campaign we have the opportunity to do a great deal of public education on the issues of illegal wars and our immoral support for our jihadist buddies that MSM continually tries to cloud and deceive the public about. That alone is worth supporting Tulsi, even though we know the powers that be will move heaven and earth to try to keep her out of the White House.
Great comment, Gary. I think Gabbard’s real test will be (for me, at least) whether she perpetuates the tradition of subservience to the Zionist entity and its barely-legal US lobby.
Precisely my concern. She seems to talk out of both sides of her mouth on this issue.
And perhaps even more than just that. There is also this:
https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-tulsi-gabbard-russia-must-face-consequences-continued-aggression-ukraine
Remember how Obama was painted all up, a community activist (GOP never promotes this kind of thing, only the Dems), a Nobel Peace Prize winner?
No mention of Omar’s statement/treatment. AIPAC threat?
She was engaged in the “Russia is hacking our elections” idiocy:
https://www.tulsigabbard.org/tulsi-gabbard-on-russia
[complete contents]
Tulsi Gabbard on Russia
Key Points
Tulsi has been a strong advocate for free and fair elections in the US and around the world.
In January of 2017, Tulsi cosponsored one of the first legislative initiatives to investigate Russian influence on the 2016 election. (See also Secure Elections.)
Tulsi strongly believes the United States and United Nations have a duty to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine from Russia. Russia’s invasion, occupation, and further threats are an extreme danger to Ukrainian self determination.
Tulsi strongly opposes illegal C.I.A. funding, training and weapons for extremist rebels in Syria, who are fighting both the Syrian government and their ally of Russia. The U.S.’s illegal war to depose Assad in Syria bring the U.S. into direct conflict with Russia and simultaneously empowers extremists in Syria.
Continued U.S. military involvement in Syria can potentially escalate conflict between the U.S. and Russia, which is extremely dangerous and unnecessary.
Legislation
H.R.356 – Protecting Our Democracy Act: calling for an independent investigation of the Russian interference in January of 2017, shortly after the 2016 election.
H.R.3364 – Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act: adoption of further sanctions against Russia for selling arms to Syria, cyber attacks, human rights abuses, and evasions of previous sanctions.
H.Res.499 – Condemning the violation of Ukrainian sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity by military forces of the Russian Federation: A bill which addresses the Ukraine crisis and the responsibility of the United States and the United Nations to protect Ukrainian sovereignty and minority populations in Ukraine.
H.R.4278 – Ukraine Support Act: Voted in favor of the act which condemns the Russian annexation of Crimea, and imposes visa sanctions on those who have a direct or indirect involvement in the invasion of Ukraine.
Tulsi’s Statements/Video
“One thing we do know about Russia’s ads is that they were part of an effort to create division, fighting, partisanship, conflict, and fear. https://twitter.com/tulsigabbard/status/918167316654903297?lang=en
“Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: Russia Must Face Consequences for Continued Aggression in Ukraine” https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-tulsi-gabbard-russia-must-face-consequences-continued-aggression-ukraine
Rep Tulsi Gabbard: “The consequences of standing idly by while Russia continues to degrade the territorial integrity of Ukraine are clear.”
https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-tulsi-gabbard-statement-joint-session-congress-ukrainian-president
Putting Russia’s election meddling in context: “Tulsi Gabbard: Why Russia?” https://youtu.be/mkigREtfAT0
3rd Party Links
CNN: “Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Warns Against War With Russia If US Overthrows The Syrian Gov” https://youtu.be/xCiSskNkhWQ
“Rep Tulsi Gabbard discusses the risk of direct US-Russia war in Syria”
https://youtu.be/ffjbxyJ4ZHE?t=226
CNN: “Tulsi Gabbard – War with Russia?” https://youtu.be/co4tkKz7GIM
Cody: I simply couldn’t resist the desire to sit around and jaw with an American.
…
Fred C. Dobbs: We’re full up. No vacancies. .. Understand? And in case I don’t make myself clear, I think you’d be doin’ yourself a favor by packin’ up and gettin’ out of here tomorrow morning. Go back where you came from. Take our blessings with ya. … [..Howard, he hands Cody a plate for grub..]… …Help yourself. We don’t mind ’cause we don’t let guys starve to death. Tonight you’re our guest. But tomorrow morning, look out – no trespassin’ around here. Ya know – Beware The Dogs. .. Get It?
~ The Treasure of the Sierra Madre – 1948
Mike Perry, pull up a two hour chair and listen to this intently, you hear a fine researcher document a fraud. It’s worth cheese and crackers…
https://phibetaiota.net/2019/02/jim-fetzer-the-russia-hoax-comes-apart-at-the-seams-video-15918/
Bob Van Noy: I listened to the guy at the site you offer…you called him a “fine researcher” until I realized he was a nut job first class. Yes, Russiagate is a hoax and was begun by Hillary for two reasons…1) she couldn’t believe she lost and needed a face-saving excuse, and 2) to distract from what was actually in those infamous emails. However, I had to leave off when I realized the guy was insane…Michelle Obama is not a man and the second amendment has been abused by the NRA for forever. Gees, if you are going to site good research, it’s not this guy.
What happened to my reply to Bob Van Noy?
Sorry to disagree Rob Roy, looks impressive to me…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_H._Fetzer
.. (Bob, I had to relaunch the CN, because this first response did not seem to be properly connected with their server. I do apologize if this re posting is a duplication.)
Hi Bob,
Thank You so much – and that is quite a resume of Dr Fetzer’s! He has a very long and distinguished career, and he has certainly dedicated himself to some of these mysterious events that have greatly shaped/steered our society in these recent decades. I ‘am working a project/job right now with a friend that is demanding lot’s of overtime, but I do have the Russia piece booked marked for this weekend.
It should be any day now, but I ‘am also still waiting for those dvd’s that we were talking about. And, do you have a copy of Raoul Peck’s, ‘I am Not Your Negro’? I have an extra copy of this as well – and it’s a real good one. .. And, I can’t wait for you see some of this Peter Watkins material. That is some very rare cinema. (..Smile..)
Bob, Thanks Again So Much! Always Great Stuff!
Best Regards, And Talk Soon,
Mike
This might be a tad OT but not by much because it underscores the complete, the absolute, the utter slime and filth that is DC and our “govt” such as it is:
Former trump atty Dowd gave an interview yesterday with ABC: bottom line is Mueller was finished with his “investigation” in March 2018 and this circus since then was carried on to provide cover to DOJ and FBI criminal/coup plotters!
Complete and utter fraudulent investigation!
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/02/12/dowd-nails-it-former-trump-attorney-outlines-insufferable-behavior-of-mueller-and-rosenstein-in-perpetrating-political-russia-hoax/
Hang in there, Tulsi-you be slimed by these slime merchants 24/7!
I wrote this back in the spring of 2017. A lot of what happened then has gone down the memory hole. William Binney’s work, published here in ConsortiumNews, dovetails nicely. Take a look: https://caucus99percent.com/content/okeydoke-americans-were-supposed-get
Estoy de acuerdo con la candidata espero queque sea elegida
(I agree with the candidate I hope she is chosen – Consortium Admin )
I posted this comment a few days ago over on “Medium”, where all of Caitlin’s articles can be found.
MSNBC is clearly a US Intelligence Agency asset. They’ve got the entire network. If I remember correctly it was the network that canned Phil Donahue for speaking up against the Iraq war. The smearing of Tulsi will continue, and I doubt they will give her much more air time to defend herself. The late Robert Parry’s “Mighty Wurlitzer” will be at full volume. The USA is the most propagandized nation on the planet. Tulsi’s got an uphill fight ahead of her, I hope she has a good plan. BTW, she needs to rethink her support for RussiaGate. She is about to become its next victim. To the war machine, no one can seek peaceful coexistence in a multi polar world except a “Kremlin Stooge”.
Yes, Tulsi will be “Cohenized*” by the media if her deconstruction of its false narratives begins to catch on.
If she becomes too popular in spite of blanket suppression, she can accidentally suffer an aircraft malfunction. That happens surprisingly often with populist politicians.
*After Stephen F. Cohen.
Think of Cohenisation as the Pasteurisation of the media, to kill select ideas rather than target bacteria.
The Leaning Tower of Oswald, On the cover of Life Magazine- Never mind that his posture was odd-balled, Any doubt was considered obscene! Bari Weiss said that Gabbard was toady, Joe Rogan asked, “What does it mean?” Poor Bari got kind of implode-y, It’s a question she hadn’t foreseen! Mika once got very testy, Real experts had deftly explained- She objected with banter quite zesty, There are alternate facts, she maintained! Tom Brokaw said they must work harder, Latinos must try to fit in- The “Greatest Generation” had ardor, And they never committed a sin! Dan Rather was waxing mendacious, When he told what Zapruder had shot- Geraldo was clearly audacious, The film didn’t prove what we bought! The memo from DIA languished, But everyone knew what it said- The terrorists wouldn’t be vanquished, We had probably helped them instead! Mika was proud of her Daddy, His plan helped the Mujahideen, Hekmatyar was a certified baddy, All that blowback was never foreseen! Mackinder and chessboards were floated, Regime change was doctrine to spout- Brzezinski admonished and gloated, Angry Muslims were there to farm out! The public will buy any story, We can kick out Assad in a pinch- He’s got gas in his big inventory, White Helmets will lie, it’s a cinch! We’ll bomb and invade to protect them, Democracy means nothing less- Of course it will cause lots of mayhem, But Assad is to blame for this mess! It worked out so well with Ghadafi, Slave markets have been introduced, Hillary’s cackle was chaffy, But look at the good she produced! The pundits can wantonly lie, They got courage from Life Magazine. It worked on the very first try, That “great generation” would preen. They saw what the public would swallow, That cut and paste picture would work, Lots of fraud and false flags were to follow, The pundits complied with a smirk. The Tower of Oswald stayed standing, Lying eyes were deemed staunch, patriotic- Common sense would expect a crash landing, Any fool can’t be that idiotic. But the Tower of Oswald was solemn, Believers saw something divine.
He would stand like a lopsided column, And forever, big lies would work fine!
And, I’m off to enjoy a delicious helping of green eggs and ham, like the true blue American that I am!
I simply love your writing and wisdom F.G. Sanford. Many Thanks!
Um, is there more where this came from I wonder?
How I love perspicuity’s thunderclap plunder!
@ FG Sanford~
Took me a while to recognise your comment was meant to be prose, or was it stylised poetry?
Might it be reasonable and realistic to suggest that the minatory presence of the Main Stream Media, domestically, here in Exceptional Homeland, is not unlike that of the US Military on its many, even a considerable number unknown or uncounted, “bases”, with its countless bombers, fighter jets, and drones, its warships and submarines, its nuclear tipped missiles and “mother” bombs spread all over the globe?
The purpose of the media and the military is quite simple.
To maintain and expand the $tatus quo.
To ensure that US political and corporate corruption which benefit power and wealth is not challenged in any meaningful way.
Now there are those who believe and insist that this is something new. It is not.The US has intended World domination since before the 19th century became the 20th, and to pretend otherwise is to embrace prurient mythology and ignore a history which is quite intentionally obscured by the media, by the political class and, by Academia.
Just as Gabbard is savaged, so too are thoughtful voices intentionally excluded from the MSM, one thinks of Nader, of Hedges, of Cohen, even of Chomsky among far too many others.
Consider how our educational system squirms away from encouraging students to become aware of this nation’s savage history, from the beginning, and avoids discussion of any meaningful sort about any US “war” since the so called “good” one, World War II, because those wars, and the clandestine destruction of other nation’s political economies or forms of governance, far too many to mention here, are considered “controversial”.
Most US citizens know virtually nothing about what happened in the Koreas, know nothing about what the US Military did during that “police action” which allowed “liberals” to clamor, to this very day, that “something must be done” to upstart North Korea, “because it is run by a madman who threatens the world with nuclear weapons”.
Really?
When it is pointed out that the US has the largest nuclear arsenal and, in fact, is the only nation to have ever used nuclear weapons, and may not always have the most stable or honest of rulers, the screeching that ensues is quite a sight to behold. Clearly, the US public has been well indoctrinated.
When George W. Bush intoned, “You are either with us or against us!” – not one person pointed out that the phrase he used is the classic expression of what the Romans, and the Greeks before them, both recognized as a form of fallacious argument, known as Argumentum ad baculum, in Latin, or Argument with a big stick. The purpose of such “argument” is to end discussion, to end debate, it does so with the use of threat.
Few dare challenge power when it resorts to threat, as being a “good” citizen requires one to accept the official line.
Those now pushing, or towing, that line are the majority of members of the duopoly parties, and one should note the silence of many “liberals” and “progressives” as regards Venezuela, noting further that “silence is assent”, the MSM and the vast majority of the media’s tame “experts”, the military/corporate/financial “complex”, and a tongue-tied Academia, whether benifitting from “defense” spending or not.
Indeed, the only time Wee Donny Trump is lionized is when he shoots off missiles, threatens regime change, or ups the defense budget and calls for more nukes.
It might surprise many USians, a term to be preferred over “Americans”, simply because there are other Americas even if “we”, generally, consider all but one of them to be beneath us, not merely on the world map, but in terms of their own self-determination.
Again, that notion is nothing new.
One applauds Tulsi Gabbard for annoying the war and fear mongering classes and wishes her the very best in that endeavor, in these most interesting times.
One hopes she might have the stamina to continue.
Further hopes include a growing awareness among USians that many other humans around the world have come, quite reasonably and rationally enough, one considers, to see the US as among the gravest and even the greatest threat to humanity in three specific areas that constitute nothing less than existential catastrophe: Environmental destruction, nuclear confrontation, and the undermining of international law which tears away any remaining pretense of civilized behavior.
Domestically, greed and the lust for power, which drives the three potential calamities just mentioned, are destroying whatever claims we may still maintain of civility, justice and, most absurdly, of democracy.
At a time when critical thinking, especially on the part of the many, that they may clearly grasp how they are manipulated and abused, is most necessary, it is maligned, attacked, belittled, and never rewarded.
Only conscious conscience may change that.
It might also keep us from self-imposed extinction.
It is a long shot, but it likely is about all that genuine humanity has to work with, beyond that is, the recognition of the common humanity of all of us.
Let us wage relentless peace on the world and each other.
Hi DW-
Good comment. Yes, let us wage peace.
FYI- The saying is “toe the line”. It originally referred to troops lining up for inspection, and is a very appropriate description of our so-called “representatives” who serve only the powerful.
I think it’s better known as a false dilemma. The Bush Administration spent effort tying a false sense of patriotism to support for the Iraq War. This black-or-white thinking meant that moderate voices (the American patriots who opposed the war) were censored/blacklisted as America-haters. When France announced its refusal to join the Iraq War, they were pilloried with accusations of ingratitude and cowardice just for the crime of refusing to fight a war that was a fool’s errand from the beginning.
This quote from the article is telling:
“It should here be noted since we’re talking about war propaganda that in 2009 Scarborough turned down an easy run for the U.S. Senate because he decided that he could have more influence on public policy as the host of Morning Joe than he could as one of 100 U.S. senators, which tells you everything you need to know about why I focus more on U.S. mass media propaganda than I do on U.S. politics.”
That is so true. I have come to the conclusion that the lack of an independent media is more destructive of American polity than the current crop of parasites in public office.
There was also the possibility that he didn’t want to discuss the aide who showed up dead on his office floor a few years back after suffering two head injuries falling on a table as I recall. Gary Condit’s missing aide – who was later found dead – was getting all the coverage during that time. We remember her name but not Scarborough’s possible victim. (Klausitus perhaps?)
So now ask yourself who controls the media….
As often happens, Johnstone is working in behalf of the truth being known. I saw the interview and will never forget it because Tulsi Gabbard was so good, strong, graceful and keen. I disagree with some of her policies, but she made the MSM crew of parrots look absolutely ridiculous, especially Kasie Hunt. I think both Joe and Mika admired Gabbard and were afraid to try and attack her.
I think Tulsi Gabbard is another point at which the force of ethics is growing and coming into its own and scaring the hell out of our very wealthy countrymen and their privileged servants in the media.
So-called main-stream-media (MSM) is so completely and utterly full of **it. They are not worth wasting words on. (Although I suppose I just did with twenty of them wasted on this very post).
Right on, as always. I merely add that anyone who hasn’t watched Tulsi’s full announcement speech is missing what may be the defining moment of our time but also the most refreshing breath of fresh air I can recall in 50 years.
Not that it should matter but, who among Gabbard’s MSNBC Morning Joe inquisitors ever served? If so there were veterans sitting on the panel of chicken hawks who grilled Tulsi Gabbard then why did they not display their first experienced lesson of war and advocate for a peaceful world alongside Tulsi’s ambitions? It all looks great from a tv studio where pundits and news anchors marvel at all those glorious bombs going off in mid air. In a true democracy democracy would rule over capitalism and, there would be no war for the lower 1% to fight them. The other higher end 1% of our social economic strata would be more like the 5% and they’d still be rich. It’s time some people join the greater majority and experience the ups and downs of this worldly life with the rest of America’s humanity.
Many Thanks Joe, Yes!, it’s all about actually serving! It doesn’t take but an instant serving in the military to understand what it’s all about. The problem is: once in, dissent is all but impossible. At least during the draft, the military got a truer mix of the population. Still, it was mostly us deplorables because the special people used their connections to avoid serving. We could use a National Service Program for everybody that was Not Military… Thanks Joe.
And please spare me the Brzezinski’s, the Kissinger’s, The Newlands, the Freeland‘ s Of Canada. We’re considered proxies for their ancient European battles that we can only be vaguely aware of! Thank you Caitlin Johnstone, end of rant..
Here’s Glenn Greenwald’s take:
http://opensociet.org/2019/02/06/nbc-news-relies-on-firm-just-caught-fabricating-russia-data-for-the-democratic-party-to-claim-russia-supports-tulsi-gabbard
At the end of any empire the efforts of the war mongers reaches a frenzied pitch thinking that more war is the only thing which will save the empire. Its very blatant and crude. The US empire has obviously reached this milestone.
The piling on that Ms. Johnstone describes, not surprising but infuriating and chilling. That the vetting process of screening out essential dissidence is likely to work before a confused and casual audience makes me all the more supportive of Ms Gabbard. I hope she can stay in and there are enough people with integrity and money that will help her do it.
Anyone that had the daring and insight to talk to Assad when lies were flying around deserves support.
The permanent war party. They affect to hate Trump, except when it comes to subverting internationsl law, anti-democratic regime change, record military spending, blind support of Israel… It is a damning indictment of our liberal intellectual class that it continues to take these jokers seriously.
Quite. I would only question the appellation: “intellectual class.” Neanderthals likely had more refined and attuned intellects than the present western MSM and “think” tank squaddies. Well, more ethics and morals, anyway.
The American MSM was criminally insane long before it ever encountered Tulsi Gabbard. But, I’m glad she sticks in their craw. They deserve to be embarrassed no end.
“‘What are Assad’s interests?’ Gabbard countered.
‘Assad seems interested primarily in the slaughter of his own people,’ Hunt replied with a straight face.”
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. They must send these people to specialized schools to make them that dumb.
David G – The ending of your post brought a grin David. My mother, a devote first generation Polish Catholic, when pushed to her absolute limits in dealing with the the behavior of moi, and my two younger brothers, would every once in a while erupt with the exclamation “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” Which would stop my younger brothers and I dead in our tracks because we knew at that point mom wasn’t going to tolerate whatever behavior we were engaged in much longer. :) Thanks for that blast from the past and a little trip down memory lane for me. I haven’t heard that phrase in many decades.
And we didn’t have You Tube back in the day so you could refer her to this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe-er9FqhYA
As your last act on earth.
(All in good fun, eh?)
A strong woman, she needs to be. This war machine will use every last drop of power to try and crush her. It’s time the masses threw their support behind anti war leaders. Anti war movements have to rise again after being destroyed by the puppets. Bushs, Clintons and Obama. There is very little time left.