UPDATED: VIPS says its direct experience with Mike Pompeo leaves them with strong doubt regarding his trustworthiness on issues of consequence to the President and the nation.
DATE: June 21, 2019
MEMORANDUM FOR: The President.
FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS)
SUBJECT: Is Pompeo’s Iran Agenda the Same As Yours?
After the close call yesterday when you called off the planned military strike on Iran, we remain concerned that you are about to be mousetrapped into war with Iran. You have said you do not want such a war (no sane person would), and our comments below are based on that premise. There are troubling signs that Secretary Pompeo is not likely to jettison his more warlike approach, More importantly, we know from personal experience with Pompeo’s dismissive attitude to instructions from you that his agenda can deviate from yours on issues of major consequence.
Pompeo’s behavior betrays a strong desire to resort to military action — perhaps even without your approval — to Iranian provocations (real or imagined), with no discernible strategic goal other than to advance the interests of Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He is a neophyte compared to his anti-Iran partner John Bolton, whose dilettante approach to interpreting intelligence, strong advocacy of the misbegotten war on Iraq (and continued pride in his role in promoting it), and fierce pursuit of his own aggressive agenda are a matter of a decades-long record. You may not be fully aware of our experience with Pompeo, who has now taken the lead on Iran.
That experience leaves us with strong doubt regarding his trustworthiness on issues of consequence to you and the country, including the contentious issue of alleged Russian hacking into the DNC. The sketchy “evidence” behind that story has now crumbled, thanks to some unusual candor from the Department of Justice. We refer to the extraordinary revelation in a recent Department of Justice court filing that former FBI Director James Comey never required a final forensic report from the DNC-hired cybersecurity company, CrowdStrike.
Comey, of course, has admitted to the fact that, amid accusations from the late Sen. John McCain and others that the Russians had committed “an act of war,” the FBI did not follow best practices and insist on direct access to the DNC computers, preferring to rely on CrowdStrike reporting. What was not known until the DOJ revelation is that CrowdStrike never gave Comey a final report on its forensic findings regarding alleged “Russian hacking.” Mainstream media have suppressed this story so far; we reported it several days ago.
The point here is that Pompeo could have exposed the lies about Russian hacking of the DNC, had he done what you asked him to do almost two years ago when he was director of the CIA.
In our Memorandum to you of July 24, 2017 entitled “Was the ‘Russian Hack’ an Inside Job?,” we suggested:
“You may wish to ask CIA Director Mike Pompeo what he knows about this.[“This” being the evidence-deprived allegation that “a shadowy entity with the moniker ‘Guccifer 2.0’ hacked the DNC on behalf of Russian intelligence and gave DNC emails to WikiLeaks.”] Our own lengthy intelligence community experience suggests that it is possible that neither former CIA Director John Brennan, nor the cyber-warriors who worked for him, have been completely candid with their new director regarding how this all went down.”
Three months later, Director Pompeo invited William Binney, one of VIPS’ two former NSA technical directors (and a co-author of our July 24, 2017 Memorandum), to CIA headquarters to discuss our findings. Pompeo began an hour-long meeting with Binney on October 24, 2017 by explaining the genesis of the unusual invitation: “You are here because the President told me that if I really wanted to know about Russian hacking I needed to talk to you.”
But Did Pompeo ‘Really Want to Know’?
Apparently not. Binney, a widely respected, plain-spoken scientist with more than three decades of experience at NSA, began by telling Pompeo that his (CIA) people were lying to him about Russian hacking and that he (Binney) could prove it. As we explained in our most recent Memorandum to you, Pompeo reacted with disbelief and — now get this — tried to put the burden on Binney to pursue the matter with the FBI and NSA.
As for Pompeo himself, there is no sign he followed up by pursuing Binney’s stark observation with anyone, including his own CIA cyber sleuths. Pompeo had been around intelligence long enough to realize the risks entailed in asking intrusive questions of intelligence officers—in this case, subordinates in the Directorate of Digital Innovation, which was created by CIA Director John Brennan in 2015. CIA malware and hacking tools are built by the Engineering Development Group, part of that relatively new Directorate. (It is a safe guess that offensive cybertool specialists from that Directorate were among those involved in the reported placing of “implants” or software code into the Russian grid, about which The New York Times claims you were not informed.)
If Pompeo failed to report back to you on the conversation you instructed him to have with Binney, you might ask him about it now (even though the flimsy evidence of Russia hacking the DNC has now evaporated, with Binney vindicated). There were two note-takers present at the October 24, 2017 meeting at CIA headquarters. There is also a good chance the session was also recorded. You might ask Pompeo about that.
Whose Agenda?
The question is whose agenda Pompeo was pursuing — yours or his own. Binney had the impression Pompeo was simply going through the motions — and disingenuously, at that. If he “really wanted to know about Russian hacking,” he would have acquainted himself with the conclusions that VIPS, with Binney in the lead, had reached in mid-2017, and which apparently caught your eye.
Had he pursued the matter seriously with Binney, we might not have had to wait until the Justice Department itself put nails in the coffin of Russiagate, CrowdStrike, and Comey. In sum, Pompeo could have prevented two additional years of “everyone knows that the Russians hacked into the DNC.” Why did he not?
Pompeo is said to be a bright fellow — Bolton, too–with impeccable academic credentials. The history of the past six decades, though, shows that an Ivy League pedigree can spell disaster in affairs of state. Think, for example, of President Lyndon Johnson’s national security adviser, former Harvard Dean McGeorge Bundy, for example, who sold the Tonkin Gulf Resolution to Congress to authorize the Vietnam war based on what he knew was a lie. Millions dead.
Bundy was to LBJ as John Bolton is to you, and it is a bit tiresome watching Bolton brandish his Yale senior ring at every podium. Think, too, of Princeton’s own Donald Rumsfeld concocting and pushing the fraud about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to “justify” war on Iraq, assuring us all the while that “the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” Millions dead.
Rumsfeld’s dictum is anathema to William Binney, who has shown uncommon patience answering a thousand evidence-free “What if’s” over the past three years. Binney’s shtick? The principles of physics, applied mathematics, and the scientific method. He is widely recognized for his uncanny ability to use these to excellent advantage in separating the chaff from wheat. No Ivy pedigree wanted or needed.
Binney describes himself as a “country boy” from western Pennsylvania. He studied at Penn State and became a world renowned mathematician/cryptologist as well as a technical director at NSA. Binney’s accomplishments are featured in a documentary on YouTube, “A Good American.” You may wish to talk to him person-to-person.
Cooked Intelligence
Some of us served as long ago as the Vietnam War. We are painfully aware of how Gen. William Westmoreland and other top military officers lied about the “progress” the Army was making, and succeeded in forcing their superiors in Washington to suppress our conclusions as all-source analysts that the war was a fool’s errand and one we would inevitably lose. Millions dead.
Four decades later, on February 5, 2003, six weeks before the attack on Iraq, we warned President Bush that there was no reliable intelligence to justify war on Iraq.
Five years later, the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, releasing the bipartisan conclusions of the committee’s investigation, said this:
“In making the case for war, the Administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when in reality it was unsubstantiated, contradicted, or even non-existent. As a result, the American people were led to believe that the threat from Iraq was much greater than actually existed.”
Intelligence on the Middle East has still been spotty — and sometimes “fixed” for political purposes. Four years ago, a U.S. congressional report said Central Command painted too rosy a picture of the fight against Islamic State in 2014 and 2015 compared with the reality on the ground and grimmer assessments by other analysts.
Intelligence analysts at CENTCOM claimed their commanders imposed a “false narrative” on analysts, intentionally rewrote and suppressed intelligence products, and engaged in “delay tactics” to undermine intelligence provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency. In July 2015, fifty CENTCOM analysts signed a complaint to the Pentagon’s Inspector General that their intelligence reports were being manipulated by their superiors. The CENTCOM analysts were joined by intelligence analysts working for the Defense Intelligence Agency.
We offer this as a caution. As difficult as this is for us to say, the intelligence you get from CENTCOM should not be accepted reflexively as gospel truth, especially in periods of high tension. The experience of the Tonkin Gulf alone should give us caution. Unclear and misinterpreted intelligence can be as much a problem as politicization in key conflict areas.
Frequent problems with intelligence and Cheney-style hyperbole help explain why CENTCOM commander Admiral William Fallon in early 2007 blurted out that “an attack on Iran “ will not happen on my watch,” as Bush kept sending additional carrier groups into the Persian Gulf. Hillary Mann, the administration’s former National Security Council director for Iran and Persian Gulf Affairs, warned at the time that some Bush advisers secretly wanted an excuse to attack Iran. “They intend to be as provocative as possible and make the Iranians do something [America] would be forced to retaliate for,” she told Newsweek. Deja vu. A National Intelligence Estimate issued in November 2007 concluded unanimously that Iran had stopped working on a nuclear weapon in 2003 and had not resumed such work.
We believe your final decision yesterday was the right one — given the so-called “fog of war” and against the background of a long list of intelligence mistakes, not to mention “cooking” shenanigans. We seldom quote media commentators, but we think Tucker Carlson had it right yesterday evening: “The very people — in some cases, literally the same people who lured us into the Iraq quagmire 16 years ago — are demanding a new war — this one with Iran. Carlson described you as “skeptical.” We believe ample skepticism is warranted.
We are at your disposal, should you wish to discuss any of this with us.
For the Steering Groups of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity:
William Binney, former Technical Director, World Geopolitical & Military Analysis, NSA; co-founder, SIGINT Automation Research Center (ret.)
Marshall Carter-Tripp, Foreign Service Officer & former Division Director in the State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research (ret.)
Bogdan Dzakovic, former Team Leader of Federal Air Marshals and Red Team, FAA Security (ret.) (associate VIPS)
Philip Giraldi, CIA, Operations Officer (ret.)
Mike Gravel, former Adjutant, top secret control officer, Communications Intelligence Service; special agent of the Counter Intelligence Corps and former United States Senator
James George Jatras, former U.S. diplomat and former foreign policy adviser to Senate leadership (Associate VIPS)
Michael S. Kearns, Captain, USAF (ret.); ex-Master SERE Instructor for Strategic Reconnaissance Operations (NSA/DIA) and Special Mission Units (JSOC)
John Kiriakou, former CIA Counterterrorism Officer and former Senior Investigator, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Karen Kwiatkowski, former Lt. Col., US Air Force (ret.), at Office of Secretary of Defense watching the manufacture of lies on Iraq, 2001-2003
Clement J. Laniewski, LTC, U.S. Army (ret.) (associate VIPS)
Linda Lewis, WMD preparedness policy analyst, USDA (ret.) (associate VIPS)
Edward Loomis, NSA Cryptologic Computer Scientist (ret.)
Ray McGovern, former US Army infantry/intelligence officer & CIA presidential briefer (ret.)
Elizabeth Murray, former Deputy National Intelligence Officer for the Near East & CIA political analyst (ret.)
Todd E. Pierce, MAJ, US Army Judge Advocate (ret.)
Sarah Wilton, Commander, U.S. Naval Reserve (ret.) and Defense Intelligence Agency (ret.)
Ann Wright, U.S. Army Reserve Colonel (ret) and former U.S. Diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the Iraq War
The only obvious thing wrong with this letter is that it is premised on the assumption Trump is a rational person, not of a wildly erratic narcissist and sociopath, as seen on TV in his speech, Twitter in his tweets and in his yo-yo policies. The only thing Trump is consistent about is his expression of hatred towards people who are not white and ultra-right.
That said, he hasn’t started any new wars — that I know of. He’s working on it, and he’s continuing older, unwinnable offense wars, but I have to give credit where credit it due.
The only obvious thing wrong with this letter is that it is premised upon the assumption Trump is a rational person, not of a wildly erratic narcissist and sociopath, as seen on TV in his speech, Twitter in his tweets and in his yo-yo policies. The only thing Trump is consistent about is his expression of hatred towards people who are not white and ultra-right.
That said, he hasn’t started any new wars — that I know of. He’s working on it, and he’s continuing older, unwinnable offense wars, but I have to give credit where credit it is due.
December 4, 2018 Restoring the Role of the Nation-State in the Liberal International Order Remarks by Michael R. Pompeo Secretary of State German Marshall Fund Brussels, Belgium
SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you, Ian, for the kind introduction. Good morning to all of you; thank you for joining me here today. It’s wonderful to be in this beautiful place, to get a chance to make a set of remarks about the very work that you do, the issues that confront the Marshall Fund and confront our region as well.
https://cz.usembassy.gov/remarks-secretary-of-state-michael-r-pompeo-german-marshall-fund/
When I heard about the VIPS, the first thought that came to my mind is, “I wonder if Karen K is in this group?” I am pleased to see that she is. She is one awake lady.
RR, Dispensationalists like Pompeo have a detailed future history of what must happen, including war with Russia and the death of all Jews, save 144000, and other crapola. It sounds absurd to you, no doubt, but it’s part of the mental furniture of tens of million of Americans. Start with different assuumptiobs, reach different conclusions. Paul Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More, is a good, rational history of the Dispensationalist movement.
The lunacy of what is also known as Christian Zionism.
Very true. Here’s an extremely well-done article, at a highly professional Jewish-run website, documenting the large amount of pressure to attack Iran that is coming from Israel.
“Trump’s climbdown on Iran is a defeat to the Israel lobby”
https://mondoweiss.net/2019/06/trumps-climbdown-defeat/
June 23, 2019 Trump Has a $259 Million Reason to Bomb Iran
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for his part, is staking out the position that the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force allows the administration to take military action against Iran without congressional approval, an unusual and broadly criticized interpretation of congressional oversight.
https://lobelog.com/trump-has-a-259-million-reason-to-bomb-iran/
Bolton is arguably worse. I’m surprised nobody seems to remember the time that Bolton’s boss, Colin Powell, was out of town and Bolton assembled the press corps late on a Friday to announce that Cuba was making biological weapons of mass destruction.
Powell spent the next week walking it back.
But Bolton wasn’t fired. He even remained employable by others, so having “kompromat” on Powell doesn’t explain it.
The loosest of the loose cannons ever to work in international relations in a U.S. government.
Cassandra – I think you are correct, although now we have him as an accomplice with Pompass in a one-two punch.
An excellent piece.
It’s nice to have a few well-informed details.
However, I think all of us non-experts are aware of the games played by CIA and FBI.
They occur at two levels, at the very least. First, is the kind of anecdotes you have here.
I always recall Richard Helms at the Warren Commission openly telling them he was free to perjure himself.
The other level is at a broader official level.
All of the “intelligence” by CIA and by MI6 supporting the Iraq invasion was cooked to order.
The President and British Prime Minister asked their respective services for material, and they got exactly what the asked for, whether their requests were straightforward or coded.
This is simply a good part of what intelligence services do to earn their bread and butter.
The same for the FBI. There are many examples.
It did virtually all the actual investigating for the Warren Commission, and it was all selective, twisted, and cooked. The Director knew what he wanted to be found before a single interview was conducted, and that is what they found.
Same for the endless, phony look into TWA Flight 800.
It was obvious after a while to any thoughtful outsider following events and bits of evidence what actually happened. A Navy anti-aircraft missile was launched in error, downing the airliner.
There is video of a missile trail and excellent, clear witness statements supporting that. But they were just ignored or suppressed.
But the FBI worked a long time, twisting and turning, to produce a crock of a theory about a design flaw.
It was a pathetic performance, but of course they were just doing what President Clinton asked for, again whether in coded words or not.
The truth is Big Intelligence is a dangerous institution.
It acts as a custom tailor for requests of leaders to make desired situations seem appropriate.
And, being so used to high-class lying for a living, supported by limitless resources, senior officials become quite comfortable applying them to their own needs.
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/
I’m not so sure that you’re right that most of us understand what our spy outfits are all about.
For those who would like to find out, may I recommend the following books?
“The Ghost” by Jefferson Morley, a biography of James Jesus Angleton, who directed American counter-intelligence from the OSS onwards and had his own foreign policy. From his colleagues’ quotes, it was known all along that Angleton was certifiably insane but he was entrenched until an “open mike” incident brought him down. At a Congressional hearing he was picked up saying he found it inconceivable that a security service would be obliged to obey civilian authority.
“The Devil’s Chessboard” by David Talbot, a biography of Allen Dulles, who shared Angleton’s obsessions and shaped the CIA in their image.
“Agent 110,” by Scott Miller, fills in the gaps in books about Dulles by concentrating on his work for OSS and his secret efforts to negotiate a separate peace with German generals who wanted to deliver Hitler’s head to the U.S. in return for no occupation of Germany, while the Allied policy was implacably “unconditional surrender.”
“King of Spies” by Blaine Harden introduces a little-known spy, Donald Nichols, who went from a grade-school dropout at 14, to crime boss, to the most decorated American in the Korean War, including a DSC and Silver Star. After the war he was demobbed straight into an insane asylum where he received much electroshock therapy, perhaps with the hope that it would erase his memory of the hundreds of war crimes which he witnessed or of which he was guilty.
This is very good. It is pretty clear that Pompeo is running a parallel government along side of the one Trump is the president of. He is effectively the Sec. of the Department of Defense, since there is one in that job who seems interested in anything other than transferring money to the weapons makers. Pompeo has no idea what “diplomacy” is. He is a Secretary of War and he seeks to make war anywhere he can.
As this article suggests, it is not clear why Trump tolerates him. Maybe Trump sees Pompeo and Bolton as defenses against the attacks of the media since the establishment media loves both of them. Trump probably thinks he can control them in the end.
Trump should fire Bolton and Pompeo. They are dragging him into one failure after another, as is the habit of the neo-cons. The both very clearly sabotaged Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un. They created the Juan Guaido tragic farce in Venezuela. They both need to go. But Trump seems clueless about making good appointments. Hey — what about Ray McGovern for Sec. of State??
Or Tulsi Gabbard. Ray is too old and better off being a behind the scenes advisor.
The POTUS and his White House staff are mere marionettes. At the other end of these strings are the real powers that be, the puppeteers, a cabal of filthy rich Zionists, Banksters, Petrochemical CEO’s like Mobil Oil and their troubles with Venezuela or arms manufacturers like Ratheon and their political influence to sell weapons to unsavory customers example; The House of Saud…Citizens at large have now certainly? come to realize those hidden costs and consequences directly linked to mouthpieces, like the Bolton’s of this world, always on behalf of billionaires (Sheldon Adelson), ditto for his boss Trump. If our readers still hold the belief that our fourth estate will come to the rescue, think again. Lest we forget Bill Clintons’ deregulation of the mass media, in turn now owned by the MIC’s such as General Electric’s acquisition of various television, entertainment and newsprint. So it has come to pass that the warnings of one of our greatest presidents, FDR was forgotten or overlooked; I quote him here, “The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic State itself. That, in it’s essence, is Fascism, ownership of government by an individual, by a group or by any other controlling private power” end quote.
Without true campaign finance reform and a repeal of The Supreme Court ruling that “free speech” includes money, shows that corporations too can have “free speech” with one single objection, religious grounds.This “free speech” is bottomless, where huge sums of dark money can now be funneled into all areas of the nations democratic electioneering process(es), crypto currencies will only serve to aggravate this situation. I include in this need to repeal, the two most anti democratic instruments of the “deep state” ever contrived and headed up by Dick Cheney ET Al, namely both the Patriot and the NDA Acts.
The collective momentum of the deep state’s alphabet policing agencies, CIA, FBI, DIA NSA in cahoots with oligarchs and illegally assigned “rights” to the corporate entity, have utterly destroyed our election processes, our freedoms and thus our democracies. I for one will not be voting again, under the thumbs of these dictatorships. Our congress must first prove that they are in charge, un-compromised, have the power and courage to repeal what must be repealed, to dismember what must be dismembered. As I’ve often written in several previous CONSORTIUMNEWS commentaries; The murder of JFK was, is, and remains, the focal point and subsequent to it, the spawn of much evil. After the (unsolved) murder of JFK, the devil left his home in Texas in the personage of one, Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ), took occupancy of the Oval Office where Lucifer’s presence now resides ever since…with but one exception, President Carter. To you President Carter I salute, tip my hat and during Sunday Mass overheard a gossiping angel say that there’s another powerful seat waiting for you, “upstairs”
Wasn’t Carter a member of the Trilateral Commission? Not sure he deserves a pass.
Matt, President Carter has so many dimensions to his personality. Former peanut farmer, nuclear physicist, submarine captain, campaigner to uplift the poorest among us, bringing to the affluent West a better understanding of the abject, daily sufferings that many millions experience, existing on less than three dollars a day. His level of personal achievement in business, formal education, and a sensitivity about the reality of global hunger puts him head and shoulders above most of our former presidents. Sitting in on a few meetings with the Trilateral Commission doesn’t alter my view, when considering the total substance of the man.
As of late, the Oval Office seems to attract the nihilistic, womanizing, greedy, clandestine planners that lead our nation into many intrigues.
What should alter your view is he was essentially a puppet for David Rockefeller appointing the heneious Bzignew Brezinski as his national security advisor and Wall Street Loan Shark banker Paul Volcker to the federal reserve which put two very important policy initiatives into play for the elite. The destruction of the manufacturing base vital to middle class economic well being and putting the Middle East in to permanent conflict for long drawn out expensive and profitable wars. That is the reality. Carter was the unwhitting pawn
Equating Volker with the diabolic Brezenski requires some evidence. Low interest rates devalue the currency and creates a society of spenders, not savers.
Freedomlover. From Elmerfudzie. I’m afraid you just don’t understand those hidden forces or dualism(s) that constantly influence the halls of government, any government. The ongoing debate has little to do with exchanging powerful and well publicized surnames however I’ve been persuaded to do just that.
This concerns an eternal struggle and I will use parables and some would argue, myths to respond. It all begins over one hundred years ago: The Evil One walzes into the Oval Office, unannounced and unfettered by thick walls or security guards…the year is 1913, He approaches one, Woodrow Wilson seated at his desk and seemingly under a hypnotic state the beast speaks to Wilson, I want CONTROL over the United States of America. After some discussion, Wilson is tricked into creating the Federal Reserve Bank. ASIDE: never enter conversations with “possessed” banksters who conspire against our freedoms on Jekyll Island.
Lucifer then leaves the Oval Office and later returns to question one, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Lucifer begins: I want innocent blood spilled and plenty of it. FDR responds, Okay, I’ll ignore warnings about the imminent Pearl Harbor attack, Lucifer ponders and replies, I will accept the burnt offerings of those young sons and daughters from the lineage of Job and Lucifer also took into consideration all the subsequent horrors, thus fully satisfied, he departs from the Oval Office but returns once again, the year is 1969 and seated at his desk is one Richard Milhous Nixon. Lucifer says, friend! I now introduce to you one, Henry Kissinger… Nixon interrupts, I don’t like him. Why, Lucifer inquires? he’s the spawn of Abraham, Issac and Jacob…his machinations can only come from the palace of King Solomon, I don’t want him. Do as I say! the devil touts. Nixon: what do I get in return? Lucifer responds, immunity from prosecution, a gargantuan home on that Island you so love and a joyous wedding at the White House, agreed? Nixon, in a trance gives an approving nod..Lucifer departs and yes, returns again, seated in the Oval Office now is one, Jimmy Carter. Lucifer approaches cautiously, please accept my suggestion and invite Bzignew Brezinski into your Good Offices. Why him Carter asks? Lucifer whispers, he has royal blood, fictional pride and knows how to Hate, you do not! besides, up and till now I have failed to completely overtake the United Sates of America so this man, Brezinski will strengthen a parallel government within America, it will run along side of yours, In return, I will insure that you will live long and further I will allow you to nurture worthless peoples now in persecution under my feet. Carter, also in a trance, agrees…
elmerfudzie, Matt, How right you are here is a new book that describes some of the “Presidential Puppetry”…
https://www.presidentialpuppetry.com
We Americans are responsible for our crimes and follies. Shouting “they made me do it!” is childish.
Response to Bob Van Noy and Matt. From elmerfudzie. I’ll continue to peruse the web for additional information about the Trilateral Commission and Presidential Puppetry. Speaking of books, I strongly recommend, tho out of print but still available? Donald Gibson’s Battling Wall Street, in particular chapter six- The Energy Crisis. I want to emphasize again, the intergenerational mindset of American oil oligarchs and how the JFK policy was in direct contradiction to recent intrigues sponsored by U.S. oil and gas exporters. I quote a passage from the author; “President Kennedy had repeatedly stressed the importance of creating an abundant and growing supply of cheap energy. By 1969, oilmen were heading in a different direction, looking for ways to drive the price of energy upward. A 1969 SoCal/Chevron study indicated that the primary impediment to higher oil prices was an abundance of oil…..to solve this “problem”- create shortages and illusions of shortages and use the fictional scarcity to justify higher prices.” End quote. I add a comment here with twenty-twenty hind sight (of course). The 1973 oil embargo, followed by the “so called” CO2 climate change nonsense, opened the eyes of the general public to cleverly disguised excuses, attempts, to rig oil prices upward. The only tool left in their box now is major war. To seize and control the spigot of specific oil fields in the middle east region and beyond. To cap wells whenever possible, bomb where ever necessary or even provoke regime changes where major oil deposits are known.
Many thanks elmerfudzie, I had never seen the contrary policy linked so well.
Wow. That is a great quote from FDR. Thanks for sharing it. I also agree about JFK’s murder. The main reason I continue to vote is that in Arizona we still have ballot initiatives; and they seem to be mostly legitimate, to the chagrin of the local oligarchy.
Pompeo is an evangelical christian who believes in the rapture.
A calm, pleasant man, serene in the knowledge that what happens in this world really doesn’t matter much – he knows what lies ahead in the next one for him and those who share his beliefs….
What could go wrong with a fellow like that at the helm?
If what happens in this world does not matter, then why be so committed to war and killing people. I think it does matter to Pompeo. He was a West Point trained soldier. He is a professional killer. That’s what he wants to do. He wants to use the military of the US to make people submit to his will.
That matters to him. Such people don’t belong in government.
Wow. It’s lucky we have you in here to straighten us out when we go errant.
You might enjoy my comment on that notion:
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/2019/06/17/john-chuckman-comment-the-many-forms-of-human-lunacy-american-pompeo-style-fundamentalism-obsessed-with-death-has-no-more-business-serving-in-high-office-than-a-drunk-being-put-in-charge-of-missile/
Good review here by Marjorie Cohn:
https://truthout.org/articles/iran-had-the-legal-right-to-shoot-down-us-spy-drone/
Trump the peacenik. We’re all doomed.
Trump mostly wants submission and flattery. Pompeo, wants the Rapture, the Second Coming. Bolton? Heaven knows, perhaps an Iranian woman in aburqa to whack his buttocks with a stick. Something perverse, I’m sure.
American people in general want constant wars against colored people in far off countries, wars with all kinds of cruelties. If we didn’t, why have we done them for the last 400 years? :-(
Israel.
Let’s get the US to stop with the starvation sanctions too please!!!
I am campaigning for President Trump to hire the VIPS to do his intelligence. He could appoint Binney as NSA head, Larry Johnson as ODNI and Ray McGovern as DCI, and they could do the job of cleaning out these agencies.
The following strongly recommended (also recommended in the comments below)
This analysis indicates the story so far is inaccurate–Trump asked Iran to indicate which targets he could strike and was turned down:
Excerpts:
“. . . the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC – now categorized by the USA as a terrorist body) yesterday shot down a US Navy drone, sending two clear messages. The first message is that Iran is ready for an all-out war, no matter what the consequences. The second message is that Iran is aware that the US President has cornered himself; the embarrassing attack came a week after Trump launched his electoral campaign.”
“According to well-informed sources, Iran rejected a proposal by US intelligence – made via a third party – that Trump be allowed to bomb one, two or three clear objectives, to be chosen by Iran, so that both countries could appear to come out as winners and Trump could save face. Iran categorically rejected the offer and sent its reply: even an attack against an empty sandy beach in Iran would trigger a missile launch against US objectives in the Gulf.
“Iran is not inclined to help Trump come down from the tree he has climbed and would rather keep him confused and cornered. Furthermore, Iran would love to see Trump fail to win a second term, and will do everything to help oust him from the White House at the end of his mandate in 2020.”
https://theduran.com/iran-and-trump-on-the-edge-of-the-abyss/
It’s a little bit like the boy sent to the principal’s office because he’s been breaking the school rules, but now comes the System’s rules extending way beyond how to be a good little boy.
I submit the essential given for these people is that they believe THEY make the rules, and can overcome everybody else’s rules, on their way to greater glory. Without a world order, such as the UN, we thereby resort to the jungle.
It now turns out this story originated at Reuters, and has not been acknowledged by Iran. More fake news, apparently.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201906241076034675-oman-message-iran-us-downed-drone/
Further, as supplement to this appeal to Mr. Trump?
Jimmy Dore:
Pompeo at 3.44 “I was the CIA director, we lied, we cheated we stole . . .”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKFnsUuqpww
.and he still thinks he’s going to be ruptured to the best seat in heaven. What a religion!!!!!
I’m looking forward to seeing Jimmy Dore live this weekend in Portland. Jimmy makes me laugh, adding much needed levity to an always grave situation. Thanks for posting his links. Some are classics.
Here’s an extremely well-done article, at a highly professional Jewish-run website, documenting the large amount of pressure to attack Iran that is coming from Israel, directly and indirectly. At some point soon Israel’s malevolent influence will no longer be tolerable.
“Trump’s climbdown on Iran is a defeat to the Israel lobby”
https://mondoweiss.net/2019/06/trumps-climbdown-defeat/
Mondoweiss is an OK site, pro-Palestinian, but they consistently overlook the Protestant Religious Right and its commitment to Dispensationalism, which is like ignoring Marxist in Russia, 1915. No matter how unpleasant it may be to admit, we Americans are responsible for what our government does, not Russia, Israel, or the Man in the Moon.
I hope I am wrong, but, I believe the “Agenda” of the war criminals is a war on Iran.
Because this is what happens:
“When Gangsters Are In Control”
When gangsters are in control, endless wars slaughter millions of souls
And countries are destroyed by the hit men of the gangster ghouls
The unethical money changers finance their dirty depredations
And corporate cannibals profit from the bloody confrontations
Government by gangsters is now “the rule of law”
And “justice” is in the hands of criminals and outlaws
The language is twisted and debased
To suit these evil demons of the “human race”
Fancy titles and Houses of ill repute
Is where these villains consort and debut
Making “laws” to screw the masses
Yet, people continue to vote for these asses
If there really was “law and order”
These gangsters would be charged with genocide and murder
Instead these war criminals parade on the world stage
When they should be in a big enormous prison cage
They sell arms and weapons to bloody head choppers
They don’t know the meaning of improper
Grovelling and saluting financiers of terrorism
They are in bed with the dictators of barbarism
Such is the sick state of the world today
And much, more could be said, of the gangsters’ way
Evidence abounds of these criminals roles
That’s why we know gangsters are in control…
[more info at links below]
http://graysinfo.blogspot.com/2017/01/when-gangsters-are-in-control.html
http://graysinfo.blogspot.com/2015/02/when-nukes-start-flying.html
The gangsters are just the foot-soldiers. The people calling the shots and paying the gangsters keep a low-profile…
https://www.mintpressnews.com/ebay-founder-pierre-omidyar-is-funding-a-global-media-information-war/255199/
The above link is very worth while reading. It also describes the acquisition of the Cyrillic language bots used for “Russiagate”.
Gangsters have been in control of the USA since at least 1950, then, maybe since 1789 or 1607.
I hope one of you guys can get on Tucker Carlson’s show. The NYT says Trump has met him over 30 times, likes him and watches every night. You will be sure to get that invite. Anyone know Tucker?
Thank you for your voice of sanity.
Has the VIPS or Mr. Binney published a response to the July 2018 article from ComputerWeekly that is referenced in Mr. Binney’s Wikipedia entry. Judging from this and previous VIPS memos, they completely disagree. But I don’t know enough to do the evaluation. If something has been published, could someone help locate it.
I have found all of the VIPS memos informative and of great help evaluating what is going on in this whacky world of intelligence and world politics.
Trump placed known zionist neo cons into his cabinet because thats what Sheldon Adelson
a known Israel firster paid him to do…note that Trump pulled out of the Iranian nuclear
deal just months after Bolton was appointed…then moved the American embassy to Jerusalem…
now the mossad has pulled an obvious false flag attack on some oil tankers…Trump really
needs to stop making Israel great again by flushing the zionist neo cons from his inner circle
before they start WWIII
“mossad has pulled an obvious false flag attack on some oil tankers.” More likely a US false flag operation.
I agree with the gist of this missive that military action against Iran may service the motives of other individuals and countries, it is not romotely in the best interests of the USA. However, it reads like something Alex Jones or QAnon might write. Most (not all) of the signatories are not people of high enough stature experience-wise to have participated in strategic planning (i.e., meta-analyses) in the sense of solving complex international intel puzzles.
As a retired Navy Captain who has had oversight of Studies and Analysis programs and personally conducted a few my impression of this missive is that it contains needless, even trivial, factoids that speculate rather than elucidate. As an example, the Russian hacking digs create a side track conspiracy that borders on irrelevance from the main point – apparently just to impune a few people who may or may not have had anything to do with Pompeo, Bolton or other jingo-prone WH advisors. Your reader has the attention span of a puppy, and a similar level of impulse control. Thus, a missive with tangents will likely result in POTUS missing your main point – which is what? Fire Pompeo? You do not even say…..
those “russian hacking digs” are not just to impugn a few people. they form the historical public genesis of the “russian collusion” narrative once the data was leaked. these events demonstrate gross mishandling by the fbi and the cia and form early items on the long list of solid proof for the discharge of pompeo.
that the fbi never looked at the dnc servers is the simplest proof of the corruption of the deep state, though that hoax “shooter” video from nz comes close.
“Russian jacket gangs” demonstrated that Team D’s fans are just as eager to believe crap & nonsense as Team R’s fans. Russiagate = Birther gate in the Ann ls of stupidity. :-(
Just as in any powerful nation, you always have contending viewpoints with, in this case, going over to bomb Iran.
Given the US is owned largely by very powerful corporations, Wall Street and Big Banks, it makes common sense, SOMEONE from that arena is talking long & loud to Trump about the financial, world markets that would be heavily damaged if these neo-con villains get their say in the matter. Maybe it’s Steve Mnunchin, or Warren Buffett who are taking steps to, hopefully, nullify these neo-con idiots.
After all, if the US attacks Iran, it’s likely Iran would immediately close their portion of the Hormitz (sp) Strait. That tactic could cause a virulent uptick to the price of oil that would shake the financial markets clear around the globe. While Pompeo, Bolton are disturbing characters, it’s the greedy Financial Folks that may have the final say.
Thank you Tomonthebeach for this: “Your reader has the attention span of a puppy, and a similar level of impulse control.”
You hit the nail on the head and I was also worried about the length and complexity of this otherwise important Memo to the President.
I was, therefore, hoping that the VIPS could add some bullet points and also avoid pointing out that William Binney is a scientist.
Trump seems to be at war with scientific proofs if they conflict with his impetuous, self serving, agenda.
e.g. some bullet points that come to mind:
1. Don’t trust the sleazy Pompeo.
2. Don’t trust Yosemite Sam AKA John Bolton
3. The MICIMATT is indeed alive and well as you, Mr President, have said, calling it the MIC.
4. The “Rusher (Russia) thing” as you have called it, Mr President, was indeed politicized from the beginning, in part to explain away Clinton’s loss. And the American public has not yet been provided forensic proof of what really went on.
5. William Binney could cut through the crap for you, Mr. President, to explain the difference between a hack and a leak and the likelihood of either one.
6. Julian Assange is the fall guy for the wrongdoers. Nothing smells right when the wrongdoers are let off while the truth tellers are hidden.
You may not agree with any or all of these bullet points, Tomonthebeach, but I appreciate your comment and expertise as a retired Navy Captain who has had oversight of Studies and Analysis programs and personally conducted a few – whereas I, admittedly, may have included points as yet unproven but should be investigated, IMO.
Thanks and cheers!
Who or what is behind the likes of Pompeo and Bolton? The answer to this common question ner goes further than “the Neocons”, and/or “the #MIC”… suggestions?
the likud mossad and their long-time supporters the rothschilds.
“Who or what is behind the likes of Pompeo and Bolton? The answer to this common question ner goes further than “the Neocons”, and/or “the #MIC”… suggestions?”
Who? Lots of powerful entities: the US Military/Armaments Complex.
The very powerful Jewish lobby/Aipac.
Israel
Mainly Israel. Notice how it is not mentioned much?
Trump just said he would obliterate Iran when we start a war there. I think that means he’s totally on board with all the neocon lunatics he hired to include Pompmess, self declared president Bolton and bloody Gina. Trump should be held to account for his own words-he just threatened Iran with genocide. What kind of nation is the US when the president is saying they will obliterate another culture?
People always claimed Obama didn’t really mean to save the bankers or start seven wars or command immigrant detention camps or keep Gitmo open for business. Guess what, he knew what he was doing.
Trying to appease Trump’s genocidal instincts by palming them off on his staff, is one approach. Maybe it’s even a good one because it gives him a coward’s out. However, I wonder if people should just take Trump at his word, look at many of his cruel and sadistic actions and actually oppose him. That would mean getting out in the streets or protesting in whatever way one is able to do.
Sorry for this post but I’ll add this and then shut-up…
I’m convinced that this is the single best analysis yet that has been presented by TV based media concerning our Federal predicament:
https://therealnews.com/stories/will-trumps-instincts-win-him-a-second-term
Many Thanks To All. My personal endeavor for years now was to follow Robert Parry’s lead to the truth. I’ve met the most courageous, brightest, most dedicated lot of individuals both American and from around the entire world here at this amazing island of truth and honor. This was another necessary step to enlightenment. Ray, Joe Lauria, Commentors, and regular readers, we have much more work to do but it has been a great lifetime experience being with All of You…
Generally, This:
https://off-guardian.org/2019/06/21/wake-up-damn-it/
And, This:
https://therealnews.com/stories/trump-may-stumble-into-war-with-iran-over-belligerent-incoherent-policies
A good and timely letter, well directed; you might credit Mr. Binney further from his name on the alphabetical list.
The underlying problem is likely the 2400-strong NSC surrounding the President, the mindless tribal climate of DC, the social and financial dependency of leaders on their parties. Replacements for Bolton/Pompeo would serve the same interests, as would even the Dems. Any real change requires the restoration of democracy, which is unlikely with all of its tools controlled by oligarchy.
I’ll second that! But perhaps, those who have common sense, reason, experience and impartiality in judging defense assessments would not make the cut. They would probably call for a new, 2019 NIE, create new possibilities for a dialogue with Israel, ask them to disclose their nuclear arsenal, and end the business of regime change. Those power groups who make up this complex web of relations MIMC (added the Media) is truly unknown to the plebes, and any sensible person who happens to become Secretary of State.
Sam F and Tim Jones, you’re at the very heart of this matter. It seems clear that a major reset is necessary. What if we could get an honest review of our “times” by say: Daniel Ellsburgh or some non- partisan young intellect, in an effort to educate the general population. If my take on Vietnam is generally accurate, this was what Robert McNamara was trying to do to convince the joint chiefs that the War rationale was wrong?
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pentagon-Papers
Yes, McNamara was displaced from SecDef to World Bank for advocating better understanding of Vietnam. His later efforts included setting up informal debates between his own DoD colleagues and their NV counterparts, to admit their own mistakes toward the end of their lives. That is essentially the purpose of my proposed College of Policy Debate, to represent every policy view in moderated textual debates, allowing the public to see every viewpoint presented with all challenges, responses, and comments, with mini-quizzes for the public and scores for politicians. This would expose the war rationales as hollow, and hopefully reveal the inconvenient diplomatic solutions that would otherwise emerge long after disastrous wars. That was an ideal that Congress has not fulfilled since at least the 1820s, when it became a circus of intransigent factions able to compromise but not solve or even get to the heart of problems.
What If legislation was passed that required all lawmaker in H and S to disclose their investments in the Defense industry and in the long run, force lawmakers to divest any financial connections with the Defense industry. The rationale would be that it’s a conflict of interest that would further cloud their judgements.
Yes, all politicians and their associates and relatives must be monitored for financial and social influences for life, as the essential guarantee to the people of their impartiality. Substantial economic influence should be treated as conspiracy to corrupt government, or economic war upon the US, which is treason.
As always, my deep appreciation Sam F. For those visual minded individuals, please consider watching Errol Morris’s film “Fog Of War” it added insights for me that were stunning…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fog_of_War
Yes, the structure of oligarchy power is hidden and complex, and attacks dissenters or supports opportunists by any means to any extent. Any reform party must include an army of well-connected units able to descend upon and control the subsystems of oligarchy. That army has to move in decisively to destroy the oligarchy power structure and command the tools of democracy for the people. That was once the left-center party but now they are both sold out, and none push for the essential reforms of mass media, elections, and judiciary.
To take it a step further, the last guy at the top who wasn’t a complete puppet was JFK. Trump is in survival mode and took a big risk in calling off the Iran attack. The dogs of war are nipping at his heels.
There are grounds for that inference, although Carter didn’t seem directly controlled. Sometimes it is hard to tell how much influence is coercion, vs. selection for agreement, but the effect is much the same.
Boy that’s true Sam F. Carter brought us Brzezinski who started this Russia, Russia, Russia business or at least fostered it, and likely was Obama’s puppet master at Columbia U.
Thanks, I had not known the Brzezinski-Obama connection. Obama was skeptical of a 2009 “surge” in post-Brzezinski Afghanistan, demanded a clear argument that it would work, but when the JCS/NSC stiffed him he gave in; whereas Hillary was all for more attacks right off, and Biden’s mild dissent disinvited him from the daily NSC WH meetings (Woodward’s The War Within.)
I wonder if the dogs of war are truly nipping at his heels, or if it is all just theater. The reality is that war with Iran would be devastating for the world economy. There would be no winners. The empire has to be careful in how they go about achieving their aim of global hegemony. They continue to act like the craziest player in the game, but I think they are just testing the resolve of their adversaries. They constantly push the boundaries, but I think they know they can only go so far without igniting WWIII.
I wonder why focus on Pompeo, since we know that it’s Bolton and Pompeo who lead on this insanity? Those “Bombzie Twins” (as David Stockman calls them) share equally in this malign stupidity. Bolton, I have read, has dual citizenship with Israel. How is that acceptable in his position? Pompeo is a simple-minded (intelligent?) beLIEver in what some evangelicals call “The Rapture”. Where’s separation of Church and State? Trump should use his trademark term, “You’re Fired” on both, equally. I’ve called the White House on getting rid of Bolton, didn’t figure Pompeo was the key to this. They’ve both got to go, but I’d take Bolton’s firing first. Tucker Carlson of Fox–which Trump watches–has focused on Bolton, shows Bolton’s photo and mentions Bolton’s name.
Wasn’t it M. Bundy’s role in the Bay of Pigs that secured JFK’s humiliating debacle?
Yes and Dulles and Cabell and many more…
I applaud this VIP’s effort as I do all of them. Thank you for putting yourselves out there and doing what you can. The rest of us need to follow your example.
Agreed, we should all support these principaled and brave people who have the courage and fortitude to speak truth to power and in many cases suffer the unjust and illegal persicution that said powers has employed against them.
You are and example to us all, I thank you for your outstanding work, please keep up the great work!
Its difficult to know whether or not Pompeo have the same agenda given that Trump makes up his agenda as he goes along… Trump lacks the attention span to absorb the information he is given and he doesn’t trust anything or anyone, but his “gut”… Trump will never have the same agenda as anyone but his own instincts, which are unpredictable at best…
While I agree with you here I think that if Pompeo had told Trump that information showing how Russia did not hack the DNC computers then he would have told the country just to prove that he isn’t Putin’s puppet.
Unless he is in the know about the upcoming war with Russia and is going along with it. I think it’s more likely he does know that it’s a farce because Fox News has had lots of people on that shows it is.
Oligarchs stick together,all else is theater.
Pompass should have no agenda, except what the American people require. Pompass was never elected to anything. President Trump was elected and wonders why (privately) he ever got Pompass involved. Just read some of the quotes from Pompass over the last year or so. He quests for fame, unlike true statesmen.
Bolton & Pompeo will get their War with Iran, its just matter of, not if, but when? Unless Trump grows a pair & fires these two psychopaths running his Foreign Policy debacles, Trump will be sleepwalked into a War he claims he doesn’t want & he will have to OWN IT? Iran has stared down Trumps, maximum pressure bluff, with the shooting down of the expensive $120 million dollar US drone & sent a message to America that Iran’s patience & tolerance to American terrorism has a limit? Iran also informed the World the truth rather than US lies, that it was the Americans who violated Iranian airspace with its drone & also a US Spy Plane with Personnel on board. It’s patently obvious that Bolton & Pompeo where hoping that Iran would br suckered into shooting down the Spy plane to justify a Military attack for killing Americans but Iran choose wisely not to swallow Revolton Bolton’s bait & fall into this trap, by to warning off the Plane & deciding to take out the Drone instead! Trumps backed himself into a corner by violating & then sabotaging the JCPOA Nuclear deal & his maximum pressure strategy has failed miserably! What happens next is anyone’s guess because Trump changes his mind, every second of every minute, but what’s become blindingly obvious is America’s waning influence to bully & pummel others into submission such as with China, Russia, Venezuela & Iran is on the way out? These Nations have proved that they have redlines & limits & will not tolerate anymore US terror by staring down & calling out America’s bluffs & threats with actions such as what happened with this US drone? America is on notice now that the Worlds had enough of its War mongering & murder in order to steal oil & the ball is in Trump’s court!
Either Donald Trump has more luck than just about any person ever to lead our country, or he actually has a sound anti-war policy. He has managed to keep us out of war so far, and he has nether repeated nor escalated the hysterical anti-Russian charges made by large numbers of people from both the Democrat War Party, and the Republican Party. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that some of those close calls/misses in that Syrian Cruise missile strike were really not so accidental. Keep the Rottweilers on their leashes. Steady as she goes Mr. President!
The documentary, “A Good American”, about Bill Binney and Thin Thread, linked at the end of this article, is a must watch, must consider, presentation.
I hope that all who comment on this thread, as well as any who may read the article and not comment, will take the time to learn about a number of things, and people, well-deserving of our focused attention.
DW
For an expansive interview:
https://youtu.be/3owk7vEEOvs
Writing a letter to Trump makes me wonder for who will read it to him. Possibly a audio cd would have been better but at last it’s good to hear the sway of the VIPS. I find it most interesting how the VIPS swung the Russiagate Investigation towards Pompeo’s corner. And yes where was or is Pompeo when it comes to serving his Commander and Chiefs best interest? The only interest I see Pompeo serving is that of APAC and Sheldon Adelson. Here is where the levers of power reside in Washington DC and in Jerusalem as well…oh and did I mention the Zio-Christians, well now I did.
” We are concerned that you are about to be mousetrapped into war with Iran. You have said you do not want such a war….”
Appealing to the better angels of Trump’s nature is a fool’s errand. There are none , and anyone who’s watched Trump’s actions rather than just listen to his words should know this by now. He’s appointed rabid junk-yard dogs for every position surrounding him , from foreign policy. intel , and defense to education and the environment. He recently pleaded for a notoriously vicious such dog , one whose services he dearly missed : “Where’s my Roy Cohn ?”.
There’s no pony buried in that huge pile of orange crap. Stop wasting time looking for it.
Proof’s in the pudding. Trump ran an THE anti-war candidate, and he has talked common sense in the past regarding Russia and other important matters. There is no evidence he is not using Bolton and Pompeo as a couple of threatening hammers, but not much more than this… My faith is in Trump. And let me guess–you voted for HRC, who played major roles in the cold war restart with Russia (she appointed Kagan’s wife Victoria Nuland to head European affairs), destruction of Libya, US support for bombing of civilian Gaza, and pushing of Saudi Jihadist war to bring down the lawful government of Syria. Yes, Trump’s orange hair is simply awful.
Do you not think Lucius, that because someone did not vote for Trump that by default, they must have then voted for HRC? Voters despising both candidates could have voted Stein, written in Sanders, sat it out, or written in their faithful dog’s name. Comprende? I’d wager not too many good folks here voted for HRC. Two terrible candidates. Two awful choices. Will next time be better? Doubtful.
If your faith is in 45,why would he announce strikes against Iran in the first place? If it was just a game of chicken, that’s much too much of a Thermo nuclear war crisis risk. If he wants war so bad to appease the corrupt warhawks,tell him to send his own spoiled kids to die,not yours or mine.
“My faith is in Trump. And let me guess–you voted for HRC….”
On the first part , as Trump himself would say : SAD ! On the second part , you’re just wrong. I wanted Bernie over HRC in the primary and then I voted for Stein in the general.
Saying Trump is better than HRC is like saying that having gangrene of the arm is better than having gangrene of the leg. It may be , but no sane person would opt for either condition if they had another choice.
There’s no telling what the faith-based deciders might choose , however.
I was forced to compare the value of cow-flop to that of horse-flop.
Don’t often spend so much time on unacceptable alternatives.
Decided on horse-flop for minor speculative reasons.
Neither Sanders nor Stein was trustworthy on Mideast policy.
Although it did not start that way. He had a good national security advisor in general Michael Flynn and we see how long he lasted, then replaced him with a very mediocre McMaster only to replace him with Bolton. He had a somewhat decent secretary of state with Tillerson and replaced him with the fat louse Pompeo and replaced Pompeo with tortureress Gina Haspel. The real question is why?
A good letter but trump is Pomp_Ass’s boss. He is not the victim. The buck stops with trump
Pompeo’s a Christian Zionist. Christian Zionists are arguably the most brainwashed segment of the entire global population.
As most CN readers are familiar with — they actually believe Israel will be an eventual site of a “rapture” in which anyone who doesn’t convert to Christianity, including Jews, will forever burn on earth for eternity, the true Christians will be whisked off to a blissful heaven. Prior to Israel becoming this golden land of rapture it must first become a totally Jewish state, hence the rabid support for Israel in certain sectors of the Christian right.
This is what we’re dealing with, Pompeo’s one of these cretins. This clearly isn’t the world of rationality, it’s a world of superstitious nonsense that can easily bleed over into contemporary violence and mayhem, putting all of our lives at stake.
Much truth there, but I doubt that many Christian Zionists (or Christians or Zionists) who seek power are at all convinced of their declared ideology: it is just the tribal narrative that brings them power.
The tribes create social and economic dependencies that induce fear in their members of dissent from the dictates of the tribal leaders. That is the essential opportunity for demagogues to ascend to dictatorship. Tribal demagogues always claim to seek gains for their tribe, usually at the expense of others, which in fact they distribute to their opportunist supporters, leaving any member gains in the advertising budget. If any of them had any of the good intentions they claim to possess exclusively, they would recognize that religions are at best languages of moral expression and analysis, differing primarily in tradition, and they would unify to advance moral goals, rather than fight each other for tribal gains. But believers are the fools of demagogues, and a society of tribes can never be better than a squabble of factions. In an unregulated market economy, with institutions controlled by money power, the squabble is not of factions in a functioning democracy, but of gangs.
Terrific memo.
A Good American
http://agoodamerican.org
Executive producer: Oliver Stone. With Bill Binney, former NSA technical director, VIPS member.
Thanks jag, for the link. Will watch tonight.
Thank you jmg.
Superb missive!
I hope it may be speedily guided to its intended target.
It would a supremely wise move on President Trump’s part were he to read and ponder what you have laid out here, in clear and succinct form.
Still wiser would be to invite Bill Binney to the White House for a candid wee chat.
My continuing appreciation to all members of VIPS and to Consortium News for providing a platform where critically important communication, such as this, may be shared with those who value the power of words to reveal the truth, especially words which have the capacity of launching paradigm shift,
DW