Frankly, my blog is aimed at an adult audience with a graduate-level college education or equivalent, capable of critical and logical thought and free from the kind of mental prolefeed the media is serving the zombified masses. So I would not normally bother posting info debunking the latest nonsensical lies of the AngloZionist propaganda machine. But since the Hegemony is vociferously insisting that a gas attack did take place in Syria and that the recent missile strike was a stunning success, I want to share with you three good sources which do a good job of addressing these fairy-tales. I hope that you will find them useful.
Robert Fisk about the chemical attack canard: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/syria-chemical-attack-gas-douma-robert-fisk-ghouta-damascus-a8307726.html (this is not the best article out there, but Fisk has a lot of street-cred, so let’s see what he has to say).
Rand Paul declares that the so-called “attack” was a false flag: https://youtu.be/K4V3jQCi8-o
Joe Quinn takes apart the “perfect strike” canard: https://www.sott.net/article/382908-About-Those-Nice-New-Smart-Missiles-And-The-Chemical-Weapons-Sites-in-Syria
Hopefully these will help you deal with some of your zombified friends and relatives (we all got them, don’t we?).
Hugs and cheers,
The Saker
UPDATE1: another good one here: Publius Tacitus on Trump’s “flop” in Syria http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2018/04/trumps-big-flop-in-syria-by-publius-tacitus.html
There is also an OANN video (cable, conservative slant on this, very Pro-MAG, Pro-Trump) but they always pursue the Truth.
Sputniknews had, Colonel Cassad carried it, and its on Politikus.ru.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804171063629688-us-reporter-douma-wa/
“Syria SITREP – three useful sources to debunk the nonsense (UPDATED)
7382 Views April 17, 2018 83 Comments
Frankly, my blog is aimed at an adult audience with a graduate-level college education or equivalent, capable of critical and logical thought and free from the kind of mental prolefeed the media is serving the zombified masses.”
-You don’t seem to have a good understanding of the western world, the higher the education, the less likely people are to think logically and resist MSM propaganda. Trump was elected despite the massive propaganda effort by MSM by the white racist “rednecks” to use the terms of the authors of this site.
Larch…..would like see you comment on web site -The last refugee
These are OANNs Pearson Sharps 3 reports on-the-ground from Douma… seems like a promising young journalist…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSXwG-901yU&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD9C9koRmro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9w8j-avq_0
(from the Moveable Feast comments)
Wow, Saker, I just have an associates degree and work in a factory, am I not educated enough to read your blog anymore? I’m sure you didn’t mean to sound as elitist as that read, right?
You tell me! After all, I wrote “graduate-level college education or equivalent”
The Saker
You tell me! After all, I wrote “graduate-level college education or equivalent
I rarely comment, but I also feel some apprehension about this statement. What is meant by “equivalent”? The events under consideration would have been perfectly clear to me when I was 15. Conversely, if someone has a graduate-level education in botany, does this in itself aid them in comprehending these political issues?
I suppose you are exasperated about people you do not count as “adult audience”, and I heartily concur with you in that exasperation. But I think it has very little to do with formal education.
The Saker,
Speaking of fairy tales……Boy Macron says to a journalist he is ” Putin’s equal”.
The Western leaders are officially insane!
https://www.sott.net/article/383155-Macron-tells-journalists-over-a-drink-I-m-the-equal-of-Putin
Cheers!
” Victoria’s Secret runway model”
Poor micron, a french translator with a sly sense of humour, translated Putin’s greeting of zdravstvuyte malchik as greetings your excellency, and it went to his head.
What was the real military reason for the missile strike on Syria ?
Why is it that Trump promised smart and stealthy missiles , and instead send older more
vulnerable missiles ?
Is it because those are cheaper to waste ? What sense does it make militarily to spend millions of dollars on a strike that will likely be destroyed ? Is it possible the strike itself is not
important , but study the electronic responses to intercepting them? Why is the Donald cook
was parking just a short distance away , and advertise itself doing nothing? What is the nature of the military exercise taking place in Israel with very large number of American
servicemen ? Could it be that they are studying every electronic signals in Syria ? Was there ever a precedent in warfare when one side allows the other side the opportunity to
gain inside into they operation , so to prevent an escalation that is unavoidable anyway ?
Is this part of the ” Art of war ” giving a helping hand to the executioner ?
Can I be a general just for a week please ?
Together with “we will target the launch platforms” and non-delivery of S300 … if you thought the Skripal case was strange then you ain’t seen nothin yet.
A game.
No its OK you can keep studying.
Why must there be a real military reason? Of course, there is information to be gathered from any military exercise and I’m sure the Americans are gleaning as much as they can from Russian signals. But why must there be a real military reason? Why isn’t enough to conclude that Trump simply wanted to show that he’s a macho man, as did Ronald Reagan in Grenada, George HW Bush in Panama (though his putative drug deals with Noriega may have influenced his decision), Bill Clinton in Somalia, Little George Bush in Afghanistan and Barack Obama in Libya and Syria. Real men don’t play around with the budget; real men kill people. Really macho men kill lots of women and children. You gotta be tough to kill babies.
As Saker noted several days ago (if I paraphrase correctly), no one in the US military above the rank of colonel understands much about war. Only toadies make it to the top. You burden your mind too much to ask questions like why must there be a real military reason behind any of America’s military actions?
If you know they’re listening to what you say, then you say what you want them to believe…all war based on deception.
With every criminal outrage the defender gets stronger…until the long war weakens the attacker by impoverishing attacker so completely that the attacker loses control…even of himself. We see this process just now as empire has almost zero options…when options become entirely zero, attacker is finished…one way or another, by defending forces.
Is classical indirect method.
Yes, is art of war.
Ha, … in height maybe. Let’s see him on the Judo mat with Putin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fT_PProJAM
(ps. I think that’s Micron in the blue up early ‘partnering’ with Putin?) ;-) lol
Haha, Macron definitely the boy in blue!
Nope Macron already Stated he wants to rule like the God Jupiter
Macron: where the Oedipal Complex intersects with the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
Yes, he is Putin’s equal, said “over a drink.” He may even be greater than Putin after a few more drinks!
Yes, trying to engage every single bulls*** is a waste of time and energies, but sometimes such kind of material is useful for starters. Over time I have been able to make some friends of mine aware of many facts with links about “basic” things. People in general do not really follow the news in depth, they just grab what they can and go ahead with their lives. People following blogs like this are people with some passion for international affairs, and yes certainly with some level of education. I really appreciate that there is a community like this, more or less anonymous, but still able to address very serious matters and make a difference. Gracias
If you search on Robert Fisk and The Independent, you can find a page with a series of his reports from E. Ghouta. I haven’t read through them, but he’s usually worth a read, even when I don’t always agree with him.
I will give Mr. Fisk credit for one thing. He is actually a journalist, the way they used to be. They hear there is a story someplace, then they go there and they write or report on what they find. They don’t just sit in their home office or bureau and write what their editor tells them to write.
If the big organs of western ‘news’ were really what they say they are, then one would think that they’d have staff’s full of people who’s resumes read write Fisk. They should have the money and the reach to recruit the best in the world. They should have reporters in places who’ve lived there for 40 years and who know the region like the back of their hand. Yet, instead, they’ve got a bunch of no names that you never heard of before they started being publicized by the big media outlets as some sort of celebrity. Sometimes its interesting to think about how thing should be, then notice the differences to how they are. It helps one to see the flaws in the matrix.
Major General Konashenkov gave us the score card on the latest U.S. cruise missile attack on Syria. We were also told that SADF (Syrian Air Defense Forces) were the heroes and Russian assets were not involved.
It’s odd (or maybe not) that no news service or “think tank” has uncovered and reported any information relative to these missiles being diverted off course via the use of EW (Electronic Warfare), not a peep that I read anywhere.
Remember this article written by Saker back on April 7, 2017 (See: /sitrep-important-update-on-the-us-attack-on-syria/ )?
Below is an excerpt from that piece:
“Now here is the really intriguing thing: it appears that only 23 out of a total of 59 US cruise missiles hit the base. The rest are unaccounted for. This could be due to all sorts of reasons, including Syrian and Russian air defenses or Russian electronic warfare. I tend to believe that the latter is the cause.”
The “latter” is a reference to Russia’s EW capability. Yet a year later during this recent attack, we read nothing about that. How come?
Perhaps because the Russians don’t want to reveal the extent of their electronic capabilities, and conversely the U.S. doesn’t want to admit that it worked rather effectively against them and could, maybe, prove to be even more powerful if fully deployed…..?
And it maybe that the American hardware isn’t all it is cracked up to be.
The British Army had a stencil used for marking unserviceable kit ‘U/S’, it did cause some amusement when one encountered American equipment labelled ‘US’.
There IS a real possibility, and it shouldn’t be ignored, that the US arms manufacturers have sold the government nothing but crocks of, that stuff, it will come to mind in a moment I’m sure.
Poke,
since the missile attack I have begun to see your awakening to the awful truth.
Poke,
EW is fought in a very murky and foggy battle space. Neither side is going to give complete or 100% correct info as to what finally happened to the missiles. That would be giving the game away to the adversary or even interested third-party states. We’ll just have to take their word for it, General Konashenkov’s and the FUKUS spokesmen. It’ll be the same if it was the other way round. They are under no obligation to satisfy our curiosity or that of their adversary. And that’s the whole point. We won’t know if there were launch failures, guidance problems, seeker failure, and other failures that I haven’t even heard about. Sure, not knowing the fate of the missiles sucks but that’s life.
The assault was clearly telegraphed to the world by the US and thus became public knowledge. The RF General Staff only gave the briefing because the assault was of interest to the public: the Russian public (they have loved ones on the ground and on ships around the country being assaulted), and then the world at large, in that order.
In the latest case both sides agreed that >100 missiles were launched. US and the WC (‘world community’ ie UK and France), say they hit all their targets. RF and Syria say only 30% made it. Interested people like us have to choose who to believe. I don’t know about you but I’ll go with RF because (1) they’re not known to lie (granted they may not always reveal everything but they don’t lie deliberately) and they’ve demonstrated that it was doable last year. (2) the US/WC version is, frankly, ridiculous — 100+ missiles aimed at just three targets? And not one enemy soldier killed? That must be some sort of record. Further, and this is highly likely, apart from serving the public interest, the US/WC statements also have to take care of another interest: that of the shareholders of the companies that make those missiles. 70% failure rate is not a good selling point.
basil
Maybe Trump has been lied to regarding the efficacy of the missile strikes.? Maybe he is sincere when he says it was a tremendous success because he doesn’t know any better.?
Is the President of the US of A living in an information bubble.? Think about that. No one to tell him the truth.? None of his advisors on him side.?
But why speak of nice smart new missiles if not to admit the 59 let fly in 2017 had fewer than 30 hits.?
I wish it were believable he does not know but it can’t be given the nice smart new comments in the lead up to the strikes.
It is a smokescreen he is incompetent. The entertainment and column space it takes up buys time and takes critical eyes away from things and deeds screaming WAR WAR WAR
Luongo says something similar:
https://tomluongo.me/2018/04/16/the-neocons-real-plan-for-syria-emerges-from-the-lack-of-rubble/
In dealing with ‘zombified friends’ it might also be useful to note the strange preponderance of small children typically shown, almost exclusively, as ‘casualties’ to support claims of poison gas attacks by Assad’s forces … a rather peculiarly counter-productive outcome of a CW action if, as alleged, it was an attempt by Syria’s government to clear opposing forces from the area. If, for sake of argument, one accepts the main part of that accusation, it would also seem to imply that the opposing forces have been uniquely successful in using children as human shields against gas attacks.
And the mostly complete absence of any women!
Yesterday on ABC TV I heard the same propaganda: Russia blocked access to the site, and UN resolution to investigate Assad chemical attack. I guess most citizen will go along with it.
Reports today in ‘east’ media are that the investigation cadre are on sight as are more and more ‘west’ media types. Should be interesting.
Fisk, Sharp and now RT has a report up on a German tv report and also a French language report that say much the same thing.
The truth is bubbling up!!
Can anyone explaim to me what is going on with the OPCW investigation? I keep hearing the investigators are not being allowed to go to the supposed site. The reason I’m hearing is they don’t have U.N. credentials. What’s this all about? Who is preventing this? Are they suspected of being now compromised or something? Or is this more “fake news”?
Thanks.
Supposedly OPCW is now on sight as of Tuesday afternoon local time. West media is also showing up. OPCW says their security could not be guaranteed, hence their delay in arriving. MSM of course says ‘the Russians’ probably used the time to cleanse the ‘incident’ area. Figures.
The 1994 World Cup and the sacrifice of Nicole.
In 1994 the US found itself with its two dominant summer sports competition s namely those of the National Hockey League and the League Baseball off the air for months on end in the lead up to and throughout the broadcasting of the World Cup because there were players strikes underway in both at the time. The public were pissed off. The broadcast right holders were pissed off. The World Cups was about to arrive which frightened the broadcasters and the State alike. The population was vulnerable to picking up a taste for the round ball game. The world game was set to fill up the void produced by the players strikes.
Nicole was murdered on 12th April 1994.
OJ was arrested on the 17th of April 1994.
The1994 World Cup opened on 17th April 1994.
No one in the US watched the World Cup.
OJ Simpson took the wind out of every sail.
Besides which Nicole and her companion had 150 defensive wounds between them and OJ h
You are wrong! The world cup has never ever been held in april. It is always june-july.
Oops June 1994 correcting April. But none the less the thesis stands. Nicole Simpson may have been murdered and OJ arrested the way he was as a way to fixate US population on OJ rather than fall in love with the World Game.
Or it could just have been fortunate for Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League that the media were able to focus the whole nation’s attention on OJ Simpson whilst the biggest game in the world was in town and the indigenous games of baseball and hockey were unavailable for broadcast due to players strikes.
Try June 12th 1994, car chase June 17th 1994, World Cup June 17th to July 17th (Brazil champion, held in USA), NBA finals June 8th to 22nd, NHL playoffs April 16th to June 14th 1994.
Saker,
I take your point. It was well-intentioned.
But the wizened among your readers may appreciate your opinions as much as those among us who are so well-lettered.
Robert Fisk is well-known and highly respected in Britain. His discoveries and reports will carry considerable weight among the MPs in the UK. They will bring credit to the principled stand made by Jeremy Corbyn in this matter.
You are right: The Saker is a bit too offhandish with Robert Fisk.
Also, Rand Paul does NOT declare the chemical attack a false flag anywhere during that 3½ minute interview with Wolf Blitzer. Rand Paul calls into question the validity of the intelligence, which implies the POSSIBILITY, even a strong possibility, of a ‘false flag’, but he does NOT use the term ‘false flag’ at any time !!!! The Saker himself is misleading people here.
Have you actually read Fisk’s reporting on Syria? He pushes the same old “evil dictatorship” rubbish. His latest report is welcome but it is still spin. The Russian sources spoke to actual people in the hospital and it was smoke inhalation that the victims were suffering from — smoke inhalation from a bomb attack on a residential building. So “rebels” and their state backers bomb a building, get ready to film the results in the local hospital and shout “Chemical Attack”.
Fisk’s version lets the Brits off the hook, i.e. twas just a dust storm, mea culpa, mea culpa. Nope. Twas a bombing of civilians to manipulate them into thinking it was a chemical attack. The Brits have been caught on and so Fisk is on duty to blackwash the truth.
I’m glad to see so many people understand Robert Fisk is a long winded blow hard fraud.
By defintion, all well known ‘journalists’ working for UK newspapers are agents of disinformation. To be otherwise would disqualify them from the job, which is information warfare on behalf on the British gov’t. The same holds true in all traditional and most alternative sources.
Craig Murray is anothet being pushed by many UK trolls as a credible voice but he is also an agent of that gov’t. When I last checked his site he was still suggesting the Russians were among suspects in the Skirpal poisoning.
If you base your judgements on ‘trusted’ sources you will always be manipulated. Either you learn to recognize the tactics of info warriors or don’t bother reading, including for those with whom you generally agree.
Yup. Fisk is a particularly clever and cunning ghoul.
The Russians still ARE amongst the suspects until there is a proper investigation completed. Investigating properly means that you do not rule out anything until there is evidence to back your claim— evidence, not emotional guesswork.
Your broad brush statements and black/white thinking is not sufficient to uncover the truth, any truth. You are jumping to sweeping emotional conclusions way too fast. You are doing what the British government wants you to do, just on the other side of the coin. The end point destination is the same, an inability to think logically.
Your god-given brain can do better than that.
If, with a proper investigation you do not rule out anything, why are the terrorists ruled out? The FUKUS allies refuse to even consider that possiblity.
Craig Murray re Skripal: I have now received confirmation from a well placed FCO source that Porton Down scientists are not able to identify the nerve gas as being of Russian manufacture, and have been resentful of the pressure being placed on them to do so. Porton Down would only sign up to the formulation “of a type developed by Russia” after a rather difficult meeting where this was agreed as a compromise formulation.
Source: https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/03/19/porton-down-scientists-under-extreme-pressure-confirm-nerve-gas-russian.html
You still maintain your statement?
Have you actually understood Fisk’s report The Saker links to? If you had you would realise that the point is not “whodunnit” but theat “there was no chemical attack”. The Saker even refers to that in his intro, saying his links debunk the “there was a chemical attack” and the “success of the FUKUS attack”.
Fisk attempts to maintain the fairytale, but he’s almost honest – the evidence overwhelms him…so he tells a partial truth… I do not respect him enough to bother with his work…and seldom read it.
At one time journalists went to highschool, then got a job on a newspaper…the essential quality for them was a “bullshit-detector” and meeting deadlines..
A journalist/writer Hemingway is example; one of many. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway
He did not go to college…he went to war…another sort of education. Somewhat more difficult…
essay on bsd https://criticalsnips.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/neil-postman-bullshit-and-the-art-of-crap-detection/ http://thinkexist.com/quotation/develop_a_built-in_bullshit_detector/204440.html
The people reading here include the un-named cogs in the empire’s gears…and they mostly go to college…
So, I agree with Saker’s choice of rhetoric…if you complement the audience they listen better…he is stroking their college-educated egos… good idea. The rest of us ought to get over the imaginary “insult”…I am a high school dropout…well, they were teaching nothing but BS…then I dropped out of college for the same reason, then law school because empire (even then!) ignored even internal law…and went to war…where the senses become sharpened..and the smell of bs becomes so familiar that one discovers even the slightest whiff…
In US most college graduates never read a book after college, and have few, if any, on their shelves. They are unbelievably ignorant, but cunning enough. They believe almost anything because they have nearly no knowledge of fundamental science…electronics, maths, chemistry…all a mystery to them…
Is divide and rule system. real education does not have a serious existence in usa
As cogs see war they slowly learn to detect bs… weakens aggressor…then they work to rule…ie get zero accomplished while staying safe… as MIC does, make useless expensive output. takes time…we at 17 years now…
Perhaps this will help:
https://mobile.twitter.com/IntheNow_tweet/status/986323069336735745/video/1
I’m still hoping for Theodore Postol (MIT) to weigh in on this. He has been a thorn of truth in the side of the government lies for decades now.
It seems fairly obvious that some of the missiles let fly by the Tripartite Terrorists were aimed at Assad’s administrative and residential quarters given the clip leaked online of Assad walking to his office the morning after the attack and given the UK and France have subsequent to their attack avowed that their attack did not intend harm to Assad or his overthrow. So yes the UK and France are lying. The 104 missiles were an attempt at decapitation.
It is funny but I did a little test in cognitive dissonance.
I posted some links to Scott Adams blog (Dilbert fame but also does political blogs) they were brushed off as “that’s RT and Sputnik, they are just Russian propaganda”.
So I tried other links to places like Zerohedge and other alt news sites and they were brushed off as “conspiracy nonsense” sites.
So I put up others from some Reagan era folks like Pat Buchanan, David Stockman, Ray McGovern and Paul Craig Roberts. All brushed off as old or irrelevant and nit picking over minor details.
The trolls are out in force to squelch the debate as they know they will lose. They still think they can shout down all the voices opposing them.
For some nothing you give them will make them think much less change their minds. The stupid is strong with them but their hubris is their undoing. They are being laughed at for the previous WMD lies and yet they keep lying.
Where did you post these links?
Saw this surprising article from cbs at ICH (note what I put in bold lettering):
Scientist gives tour of smoldering site of missile strike in Syria
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/syria-airstrikes-brazeh-complex-damascus-2018-04-14/
“Apr 14, 2018 6:19 PM EDT CBS Evening News
By Seth Doane / CBS News
DAMASCUS, Syria — One of the targets of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in Syria was still smoldering late Saturday afternoon, reports CBS News’ Seth Doane, the only American network correspondent inside Syria. The U.S. military says the Barzeh complex in Damascus was a “center for the research, development, production and testing of chemical and biological weapons.”
Scientist Sayed said his office was there.
“Yes, where you see the smoke,” he said. He’s been here for 38 years and said he cried when he saw this place Saturday — his life’s work destroyed.
He said it’s “totally incorrect” that chemical weapons were being developed there. “The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) visited here and didn’t report anything wrong with this place.”
Syrians are adamant that this was not a place to develop chemical weapons but rather a place of learning – a research institution where they developed things like pharmaceuticals. What’s clear now is that it’s gone.
Before Syria could calculate the losses – which they claimed were limited – the government was portraying itself as confident, releasing video, first thing this morning, of Syrian President Bashar Assad appearing calm and unfazed.
A package on the side of the road is anti-venom, which Sayed says is what they were producing. Sayed told us this airstrikes took his livelihood.
It’s a big institution, but Sayed said it isn’t possible that things were going on that he didn’t know about.
CBS News looked into the OPCW report from Barzeh and it noted the Syrians had delayed the visit for security concerns, but didn’t find any red flags. The Pentagon says destroying the facility sets the Syrian chemical weapons program back several years.”
“the only American network correspondent inside Syria”
Regarding the US MSM, that right there says it all.
PCR speaks to this problem of the acute decline of American journalism:
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/04/16/upon-time-long-ago-truth-important/
” my blog is aimed at an adult audience with a graduate-level college education”
I have been reading [& commenting lightly] here for a while. I come here to catch stories totally ignored by western media and though I started my adult life as a day laborer in construction, in due course, I did obtain BS Degree from a top 5 engineering school.
A modest achievement to be sure, but are you sure it marks me as not having the intellectual chops to follow you?
You tell me! After all, I wrote “graduate-level college education or equivalent”
The Saker
Perhaps you are right, or, perhaps you need to consider a wider set of POV’s? The following video, while perhaps over-dramatizing the point of one’s self importance…is, I think, instructive.
https://youtu.be/KvRYd8U7qGY
Thanks for the good laff!
Katherine
Joe Quinn’s account on the actual “successful” hits tallies with another, very trustworthy source (thesiriusreport).
Hits were few and far between (JQ stated that his hit count was generous, and that was probably true).
However, there is one notable difference: there were many more launches planned than only 105..
A high number of missiles (which could easily be in the douzens) was unable to get airborne due to successul jamming, a la Donald Cook. And 19 JAMMS missiles (launched from aircraft) were electronically intercepted, too..
A total effing disaster!
And, again, you have to wonder how any true militaryman is able to lie about such a disaster with a straight face. Those generals must be taking far more lessons in acting than in any matter related to defense, weaponry etc.
What a pitiful, disgusting show. In my home country Germany when an officer was caught lying about anything he was expected to shoot himself. Case of honor!
Those genderbender **merican fellows are a far cry indeed. I guess Patton was the last true soldier they had.
Simple, you get an order and you follow it. Regardless of its truthfulness. Besides, the military has to feel upbeat, or else you lose before the start of the conflict. It’s particularly important, for the people to believe the story repeated at nauseam “We are the best in the World”
These are not the ethics a true soldier, who works from his conviction and a deep identification with the country he stands for, would operate from. There comes a time when following orders from an obviously deluded politician becomes a soldier’s duty.
Don’t they swear an oath to the constitution, rather than on some person in particular?
Is it not obvious to a soldier that it is wrong to blatantly lie on a significant issue, and thereby destroy a basis of confidence, even if ordered by some dumbass superior?
Remember German officers in WW2. They had sworn an oath to Hitler personally, not only to a constitution or country. I understand why they had qualms to just blow the guy up (some tried nevertheless). And still, they got much flak. But a Mattis? a Bolton?
I think it is the very least we can expect from an officer, especially a general, that in such situation he have the guts to say no. Won’t do it. Sorry. What’s a career, after all? Especially if he would probably be vindicated after the fact.
But sure, I know the reality is different. These guys have families, too, and mortages to pay off.
How much was said about Colin Powell, the officer par excellence, and much admired? He blew his reputation forever by making a trumped-up case which helped rape Iraq, and kill millions in the process. He could have stood up but chose otherwise, allegedly out of reverence for the presidency as an institution. Well, countries and people happen to be more important than institutions if an asshole is in charge. Powell was utterly despicable. Not a soldier, and much less an officer. Such man is a piece of shit, plain and simple. As is that slimeball-general “shoot-iron-in-the-air-it will-come-down-somewhere” McKenzie.
Patton si hoc videret in sepulcro rotaretur.
don’t they swear an oath…
yes. to constitution, us basic law…
But they are delusional… see this (entire) essay…scary!
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/04/14/attacking-syria-thumbing-noses-at-constitution-and-law/
“..An experience I had teaching a class at the Naval Academy in Annapolis 12 years ago suggests that students at U.S. military academies are led to think that Article II supersedes Article I. Lecturing to a third-year class of about 50 students about political/military events, I referred innocently to the solemn oath required of military personnel and asked what that oath was all about. “Well, it is an oath to the President, of course,” said the first student who threw up his hand, with several others nodding assent. I said that was quite wrong. And it turned out to be like pulling teeth to find one student who knew that the oath was to defend the Constitution…”
They believe that the oath says what it precisely does not say…
I have heard Senate Testimony from civil servants that also make it clear that many employees also believe that the oath is to the person.
Now That’s Propaganda!
Oath of Commissioned Officers
Oath of Commissioned Officers Download Poster
I, _____, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.” (DA Form 71, 1 August 1959, for officers.)
Sadly, that oath has now been revised by law:
See: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/502 .
10 United States Code
§502. Enlistment oath: who may administer
(a) Enlistment Oath.—Each person enlisting in an armed force shall take the following oath:
“I, ____________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
(b) Who May Administer.—The oath may be taken before the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary of Defense, any commissioned officer, or any other person designated under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense.
Here POTUS has been added without qualification, unlike superior officers who are required to act in accordance with the UCMJ.
They must have learned from the 3rd Reich!!
The US Code of Military Justice is studied by every regular soldier and it states that the soldier has a duty to refuse an illegal order. Most western militaries have similar codes, originally drafted after Nuremburg.
None of them can say they didn’t know. ‘Just following orders’ ain’t acceptable any more, but then what does law matter these days?
Today (indeed not just from today: it existed also in the past, but due to the today technological advancements was not so diffuse and permeating) it exists a new disease.
It has no external, physical manifestations on the body, or on the skin, as irritations, boils, sweating, it does not produce increase of the body temperature, or gives join pain or headache…. nothing of all that.
The people hit by such a disease appear perfectly normal, a part, perhaps, some tendency to have slightly dilated pupils as if trying to focus on to something that apparently does not appear to exist.
This disease causes that the one affected no longer realizes the reality around and, instead, exchanges for real facts not what see, but what is proposed on the screens of mobile phones, TVs or the photos on newspapers and magazines.
People suffering such a disease, for instance, go out of home in the morning dressed in warm clothes and rain coats even if outside is a full, shinning, dry and hot Summer, simply since they have read and trust what TVs and mobile phone social media said… that outside is cold and raining and windy.
This disease, called “zombification” has today a mass spread, and is very very dangerous: but has an important feature.
Any person hit by it, can heal instantly, without having to take any medicine, in a simply way with the help of some dear friend or relative: just open his/her eyes and (re)start to think.
Well said, but: The problem lies in the one’s refusal to open one’s eyes. One of the most famous Greek singers Kazantzidis had/has a song dedicated to precisely this problem. Today we call them “Zombies”, but the sad thing is they are not even aware of the degree of zombification that inflicts them.
Even some establishment figure in UK doubt the chemical attack narrative. Retired British Army General Jonathan Shaw— who was formerly in charge of the Non-Proliferation of Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Weapons Policy of the MoD— appeared on Sky TV and was cut off by the newscaster when he started saying the Assad Chemical Attack story was likely untrue. See video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFnbLPQOdrc
Separately, the former head of the British Royal Navy, retired Admiral Alan West was reprimanded by a BBC newscaster for also expressing his doubts about the Assad Chemical Attack narrative. The female news anchor actually told him that UK was in an “information war” with Russia and that it was a bad idea for him to openly doubt the UK government’s story !! See video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foj29LIXpy4&feature=youtu.be&t=4m3s
I gave up on trying to inform my ex friends in US the truth of what is going on back in late ’14. I hadn’t been back since early August of ’08 when I found I had to go back in ’14 to tie up some loose ends. The good thing about that trek was I did get the ends tied and I met Saker personally, he and his wonderful family, who opened their hospitality and their house to this unusual old man who goes by one name.
I went to the old pub in the city I used to live in that many of my friends and I went to several evenings a week before I moved east. I had informed no one that I was returning for a short visit although I had kept in contact with just about all of them after I left. One of the regulars was at pub when I walked in and within half an hour all the gang was there thanks to him calling them. It was pretty good at first, we all talked of how our lives had progressed and/or changed since I last was there 6 years before. I said not a word about what had happened in Sevastopol from late ’13 to that day, I don’t generally discuss such things with friends beyond replying when they asked via email during the crisis that we were fine and things were calm in our little city.
After about 45 minutes the alcohol kicked in, it was like someone flicked a switch, and let me tell you, I had my eyes opened yet again in my life within minutes. These were people I had known for 20 years and ran the gamut from skilled tradesmen, who are not fools by any stretch of the imagination, to ‘well educated’ mid level business men, and two women, who had the world’s information at their fingertips. For about 20 minutes the vitriol steadily increased even though I said nary a word after it started and had still not said one word about what happened in my little city. Suffice it to say it got to the point that I motioned the barmaid over, whom I had known for a good decade before I left, and quietly asked for my tab. She mentioned that she should have warned me but didn’t and she also mentioned that perhaps I should pay up and leave and probably not return. I paid, turned and looked at my ‘friends’, said not a word and left.
My point of relating this tawdry little story is this group of people had known me for years and I thought I knew them. None of them were fools per se and just about all of them were educated better than me, formally educated, that is, and to a man and woman they bought the MSM bovine scatology hook, line and sinker. Not a one asked me to tell them what I saw in Russian Spring of late ’13 and early ’14, not a one asked the reasons for what happened, they just attacked. This is what we who know the truth are up against, in essence a supposedly well educated and informed society that has the common sense and reasoning ability of an amoeba crawling through protozoan mush, hence my reasons for stopping the effort to enlighten anyone west of my city about anything. I will add that I never said or say anything about the situation here or anywhere else to anyone unless they ask and then I keep it mild and in generalities. Strident I ain’t and never will be.
Still and all, I’m done with The West. I’ll sit here in our pleasant little valley as long as I and She can as our pleasant little backwater city grows exponentially, then we’ll look for a piece of land a little further out, build a new house and move. We’ll never leave Sevastopol. Never. And we’ll never have friends in The West beyond those we have, those who are like all of us here on Saker. It just ain’t worth the effort to do anything else but enjoy our life here, take care of our ‘children’, I’ll continue to write and do articles for Saker and She will do her embroidery and flowers. Reality is it don’t get much better than this, does it?
Auslander
Author
Never The Last One https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGCY8KK A Deep Look In To Russia, Her Culture And Her Armed Forces
An Incident On Simonka https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ERKH3IU NATO Is Invited To Leave Sevastopol, One Way Or The Other.
Well said, from Oz. And I had a similar experience towards the end of 2017 with an old boarding school friend after a 20+ year gap in meeting. All fine until “Putin” was mentioned then the glaze came down over his eyes and the establishment recording started. I occasionally responded with suggestions for a more balanced and nuanced perspective but this was clearly dismissed. Coffee over, we soon went our separate ways and agreed to meet again in due course. Doubt it will occur. No blame, just no real connection any longer. It is not the different opinion I find difficult, it is the strident insistence that is clearly not backed up by any deep or serious research. There is something weird gong on it seems. One or two words out of place in the standard discourse and one may as well be a Negro at a Klan meeting.
Auslander
You have my sympathy. I can relate to that experience, somewhat.
I once asked an old colleague from my past work life what he thought of the 911 attack. The reason I asked him is that he was highly educated, quite a deep thinker and also because he had opened my eyes to much office politics that I was oblivious to while we were both busy at our jobs. To my surprise, he acknowledged that 911 was an inside job despite the MSM’s rhetoric over the years.
My friend also told to me of an awkward exchange he once had when he casually brought up his view of the events of 911 with a former work colleague of his… he got back a sharp response of the type, “I don’t care about politics, I’m here just to do my work!”. From that point, my friend never dared to talk to persons about things, which he opined, could get one killed.
Unfortunately, some people do react aggressively to some ‘news’ or plain facts which are freely accessible online, which paint the antics of the West in a less than favorable light, although, I am never really sure why people behave is such a manner unless they thought that they were duty bound to ‘act patriotic’.
Quite right, Auslander. The situation is so dire that I decided to post on my FB page the whole Syrian Chemical weapons story and how it was obviously, as I put it, a farce and a fairy tale. Out of the woodwork came an old colleague, who lived by Fox news and at one point asked me what the US should do about the 911 committing Taliban. At the time, in 2003, I said, “You know, I really don’t know how to respond”. That is, the guy’s so out to lunch it’s useless to try.
So after 15 years he saw my post and, as a former Mormon missionary, tried to save me but, alas. “You are so far out of reality, it is impossible to bring you back”. Truth being that I was glad to be done with him back then.
But the worst part is that my own sister commented on my being so “anti American”, and I should stop “preaching”. As if an impending nuclear war based on decades of black propaganda is not something to be challenged.
It is really shocking to see how degraded people’s minds are, reminds me of the scifi movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Fortunately, a guy I know here in Thailand sent a positive comment and acknowledged my speaking truth to power, if only on my pathetic Facebook page that nobody looks at anyway.
From what I can see, only one of my old friends really gets what’s going on, and wants to leave but health prevents it. The last hope of humanity is consciousness and it looks to me that for the most part, in the USA, the lights are out.
I could see their anger if I was ‘in their faces’ but I was anything but. As stated in the post, for the first half hour or so all was normal, we just talked about life in general and I asked most of them how were things with work, wives, houses etc etc. The vitriol just came out of the blue and was somewhat aggressive and pointed.
I’ve been on this rock for a long time and I’ve been stabbed in the back more than once, had close comrades die in my arms and lost those who were close to me, but I was simply a little taken aback by the sudden and unprovoked attacks. Heck, a couple of them were arguing amongst themselves as to who was more ‘anti Russian’! Go figure.
Auslander
That’s why I never go to the pubs.Not like Leon,only milk, some coffee too.
But I like your story, even it’s a bit sad.
All the best.
I lived in the ‘historic district’ and the pub was a local watering hole, not ‘genteel upper class country club’ but not a Saturday Night Fights hole in the wall bar. Years of, when I was in country, pleasant and quiet evenings of good talk, good food, laughter and jokes with friends and acquaintances. Sad? No. A chapter in the never ending education of life and people? Yes. I’m too old to take such things to heart, reality is reality, and current reality is a wonderful wife who has just fed the children and joined me on the balcony for the evening wine and whine session. It’s so quiet here at this time of evening we can hear our children gently breathing as they sleep in the soft spring air. It don’t get much better than this.
Auslander
Sounds like your children are ducks or dogs or cows or something Mr Sevastopol blessed Auslander.?
Cover photo is one of our small herd, double blue merle. The only real name in this little tome is the black and white girl, Ye’katarina, all the rest including ‘Annya’ are ‘pen names’. We have no ‘two leg’ children and you will understand ‘two leg’ if you read the preview or the reviews on Amazon.
Blue Cloud https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0797XJM91 A pleasant little adventure of a young collie, told in her words.
Auslander
” had close comrades die in my arms and lost those who were close to me, but I was simply a little taken aback by the sudden and unprovoked attacks. ”
I’ve never been to Russia,my parents yes, Saint Petersburg,Hermitage museum…I’ve got married very young,now I play with my grandkids,lots of them. Back in time,in my country,I used to live in a city by the Black Sea,maybe i get a glimpse of your ” evening wine and whine session “.
sherlock
Thank you for sharing that incident, Auslander. I sometimes get to feeling so lonely, but now I won’t feel so all alone.
It doesn’t even seem to matter what the topic is, I have trouble connecting with people in America anymore. I haven’t been back to the States since January 2013, but keep in touch with a few relatives via e-mail. There are only four with whom I try to discuss politics, off and on. Really frustrating. The conservatives are easier to deal with. The liberals, you struggle to make a point with, and the next thing you know they’ve been re-indoctrinated. I always wondered how a society goes really bad. Now I guess I get to find out.
Aus, join the club. As it happens, my son is married to a lady with “Ukrainian” heritage. I stopped now, but for two years since late 2013 I have been passing “non-MSM” info to my son, so his wife could pass it along to her father’s family. I could never get clean answer as to where in Ukraine they are from, it seems South-Western. I never had any feedback regarding my passing the info-to them, but interestingly enough, her father one day said to me that his aunt speaks Russian, which made me go: hmm, why am I not surprised.
Auslander! Hello! Just wanted to say how much I always look forward to your very informative and insightful posts. We’ll never meet, but you have an 80 year old friend in the Ozark Mountain region of the state of Missouri, United States. Thanks for your valuable input. Barry
Dear Auslander, yep, that’s the way of it. Most people here are busy with daily life and the conflicts with Russia are remote and abstract. Russia has had the role of boogeyman here for at least 70 years and is an easy target for paranoia. Look at the depictions by Hollywood and in Video games. Russophobia is part of the culture. Very few people have real world experience with Russia or Russians. The Russian expats who came in the 80s and 90s were fleeing the collapse of Soviet Russia and the severe economic hardships of those times. They are rarely fans of VP’s Russia .
I work in a University environment with many educated but relatively uninformed folks. The only people I can discuss foreign affairs with comfortably with are a Russian colleague and a Syrian man, Christian, who was born in Aleppo and with whom I have travelled to the ME. Most of my colleagues simply regurgitate the narratives being spread about in the ‘news’.
Travel and interactions with “normal” folks abroad is a great antidote but it is not possible for most people. I have been lucky to have been able to travel to Russia, Ukraine and Krim, the ME, and Asia for work or other reasons. I would prescribe such for others if it was within my power.
“I’m done with the West.” I think I actually said that to my wife not long ago.
Thank you very much for your wise and informative comments. I always read them. I too live in a very pleasant valley rurally and it’s wonderful having family and friends close.
Last summer my wife and I took a road trip driving south to see my brothers and sisters in the four corners area. During a drive from a hike in the San Juan mountains, my brother, a PHD’d seminarian said slightly derisively about someone commenting on the geopolitical situation: “he thinks it’s apocalyptic!” I ejaculated (as it were) a surprised “it is apocalyptic!” and that unleashed from me a veritable landslide of “how could you?” kinds of statements in reference to Libya, the Ukraine, and Syria. It was over an hour’s drive from the hike back to Pagosa Springs and my brother and brother in law got a tirade. My brother in law said “I didn’t know you were so passionate about it!” I said later to my brother: “it’s not that I’m passionate about it, it’s who I am!”
I felt bad about it, but ever since I went AWOL to Canada after Viet Nam I’ve been warning them and saying Russia and China are going for a multipolar world . And Canada! Gee Whiz! Outrageous subservience to empire! Shocking!
I’ve got my back to the medicine line and am facing north.
When someone writes “bovine scatology” instead of “bullshit”, that is the mark of a gentleman. No, I am not joking. Auslander’s style is a very important part of his message.
2014 would be early; sometimes the truth takes years to seep through the propaganda. I remember that in 2003 practically everybody in the West supported the invasion of Iraq, but by 2005 or so, most people had turned against the lies (and the liars).
My advice is to give it time. I think one reason for the rush to lob 100+ missiles at Syria is that the liars know their time is running out, and they are desperate.
Your mileage may vary. Here is my similar story. I recently took a job at a very large mega high profile company. They make really big things and everyone has heard of them. Day 1 on the job. I was standing in a group of 10 or so people. Engineers and technicians. The subject came up. Every single one of them knew everything. They knew about this site and all the other good sites. And they just opened up and talked about it. I didn’t open the conversation, they did. They eased into it with me, but I didn’t play dumb and told them I was hip to it.
I was shocked. Some people know.
I personally know several university professors that are blind to the truth….and I know several waiters and cleaners who know the truth better than those with university degrees.
Knowledge without the truth is deceiving. It can even make people arrogant.
To penetrate the truth you have to be true to yourself and have a clear heart and conscience…..knowledge alone is not enough.
To speak and spread the truth is completely another level….
If you put academic knowledge and truth together, you have a powerful combination.
To recognize a fraud then remain silent about a fraud is to be a co-conspirator.
It is unethical.
Your comment reminds me of a pearl of wisdom once dropped into my consciousness when I was a very young therapist attending a psychoanalytic conference on ‘Creativity’:
“Knowledge without humanity is like a donkey loaded with books”
@ Harry_Red
I also know several PhDs who teach at universities and seem to have been mostly hoodwinked by the propaganda channeled through the MSM. Their positions on politics and US foreign policy have become pretty much the same as what you can hear on CNN.
I once tried to engage one of them on why he still reads/believes the New York Times, given the obvious support for imperialist foreign policy. He became visibly uncomfortable with this, and said something I found interesting: “even if I don’t agree with the position of the NYT, I feel that I have to invoke an ‘official’ media outlet when in discussion with my students, and especially when discussing sources with them, because otherwise they would just start citing all kinds of random web sites on the internet, and trying to use those to support claims in their essays.”
The take-away for me was that many academics have been backed into a corner. They cling to the idea that there should be some ‘official’ media that has a “correct” highbrow view of the world. They may concede that the NYT disseminates propaganda in service of the empire, but the alternative media represents a kind of free for all that they can’t handle. A lot of it comes down to them not wanting to deal with what many undergraduate students are actually reading on the Internet, and so taking the side of “official” media is kind of a firewall against that coming into their classrooms. But a side effect of this position is that their diet of news and information ends up being mainly highbrow propaganda, and so they end up believing it.
The fantasy of war:
-final decisive blow rhetoric – dream of blitzkrieg
-downplaying own losses, exaggerating losses of enemy
-almost religious believe in smart weapons
-repeating endlessly half truths, myths, legends and lies
– inability to understand political chances and diplomacy
– lack on realize own limits
-underestimating the power of resistance when bill of all warfare has been sent to taxpayers
– ignoring the fact that with few exceptions (psychopaths) people don’t really want to kill each others
Yes, we all have them… zombified friends and relatives, and lost them, like Auslander lost his friends in the bar (2:44 UTC).
A lonesome friend of me wrote to me: “You and I are one of the few (in The Netherlands) who follow the alternative news sources, but the rapidly growing segment of the population who are pensionados has long given up. When I look around me, to my friends and former colleagues (all from academia), I see they just read the newspaper and watch the news hours and are happy with what they are fed. So I just shut up, because when I raise an issue, their judgement is immediate: the man suffers from conspiracy theory or paranoia. A case for the psychiatrist. When I happen to meet old colleagues from Anthropology (just in passing by in the street, I have given up visiting them) they all say, almost in triumph, that they are no longer involved, happy to be rid of it, they have even stopped boasting about their own brilliant articles in the science journals. Just enjoy retirement. Disinterest in everything, even their old metier. Some say that today what they enjoy most is having their grandchildren around, no more worries. The perseverance of the Saker (and our friend Peter) is admirable, an act of bravery.”
For the same reason I just recently declined an invitation from former class mates to have a reunion at the 50th anniversary of our graduation. I politely explained that the prospect of sitting together in the morning in an electric boat floating in the Biesbosch, participating in the planned group game for the afternoon and joining a Spanish ‘tapas’ snack was not entirely appealing to me and that I could not stand ‘tapas’, because of the high porc content.
But the real reason is, of course, that this reunion coincides with the horrendous massacres perpetrated by the Zio state in Gaza, re. the images of blowing up legs and arms of Palestinian children with exploding bullets fired by Zio- snipers lying on their bellies on the hill. And at the same time we witness the war crimes perpetrated by the triple Zio-vassals in Syria and have to hear the lies about so-called ‘revenge bombing’ in the Dutch media that are being read by these pensionados. The prospect of me spending a day together with these pensionados, who believe these lies and condone these crimes, while anxiously avoiding any comment to avoid being called a conspiracy theorist or a paranoid filled me with horror.
yeah ,why get into the wishing well of, hoping that truth will be plain to see, when the inmates hold all the keys.Who are the inmates…….oh that is easy,…the POLITICIANS of all colour and creed,,main mass MEDIA,,VATICAN,MUSLIM brotherhood,UN,BIS they have a plan for us and it aint about breaking free!they weave a web true to the native indians prophecy .
Exactly, people will look at you strangely and you will be accused of being excessively paranoid.
Your description reminds me of a statement made by Volker Pispers, while performing one of his shows (he is a comedian): “Der Stacheldraht geht mitten durch die Köpfe” – Barbed wire runs straight through the mind [of the people].
Excellent analysis by Thierry Meyssan :Washington forces its allies to accept a bipolar world
It is interesting that, recently, I read an article (sorry, but I do not have a link to it) saying that the west was doing everything they could to avoid a Cold War.
If you think in retrospect, the MSM did present the possibility of a Cold War as something very bad! Was it because, if it happened, the west would have to admit that Russia was as (or more) powerful as they were?
It seems that Russia has indeed planned for this to happen, all the way.
I’m still skeptical at this point but would most definitely welcome the views if true.
If true, maybe the balance has swung courtesy of the new advance in weapons systems from Russia and China?
No doubt about it, the Russians really know how to poke the empire in the eye
https://www.rt.com/usa/424435-russia-us-carrier-overflight-extension/
This doesn’t look to me like poking in the eye;
This looks to me like trying to make nice.
I don’t understand why Russia doesn’t use the importance of these overflights to get a quid pro quo.
No one cares about looking “nice.” Maybe Russia cares too much what (the wrong) people think. Wrong, becuase these people just accept the benefits and continue to sanction, demonize, etc.
They are not going to stop and advertise: You know what, the Russkies really are pretty nice after all! Look what they just gave us!”
No, the world will not hear from greedy aggressive scumbags that Russia just gave them a big bennie.
I do not understand the Russians!
Katherine
Saker
What do you make of reports where the US weapons are lagging behind those of Russia and China? Is it the new reality or are the US being uncharacteristically modest in their admissions?
https://sputniknews.com/military/201804181063665867-russia-china-hypersonic-weapons-observed-usa/
https://sputniknews.com/military/201804181063670317-norad-russia-strategic-weapons-norad/
I’m hoping that these weapons are a game changer in that they would sink every ship within firing distance of the Syrian coast without the ships getting the chance to fire a shot. Or is my hope just a bit extreme?
Some missiles were launched, and some holes in the ground appeared. The number of holes seen is far less than the claimed missiles fired:-
1 Were they really fired?
2 Did they really hit?
3 Did they get jammed or destroyed?
Who knows?
But the US is getting very annoyed. More sanctions – Rusal made the news.
The weird thing is the US is trying it on with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea at the same time.
The only thing that might get solved is North Korea but that would require apeace treaty and withdrawal of US troops in exchange for nuclear limitations. I don’t think the US will win against all four.
Well, I read somewhere that USofA has a thing about practicing multi front conflicts, as they believe that being a Hegemon requires this approach, just like the Western Romans used to do. Which kind of makes sense.
This video on YouTube is a brilliant clear summary of the whole Syrian War. With details up to the present. It is another good red pill to prescribe to those starting to awake from brainwashing:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wHsfc49Y_Fk
Interesting developments down in Pyramid country (if correct) – adds some alternative perspectives on what Trump’s U.S. strategy on getting out of Syria possibly means: — more than likely slinking out the back door before a white flag surrender is raised by the new Arab fall-guy club. Egypt is clearly not having anything to do with it — $$$s, or no $$$s.
http://www.egyptindependent.com/egypt-to-decline-any-request-by-us-to-send-troops-to-syria-former-intelligence-official/
Also an interesting ZH angle on a double false flag strategy. Possible but unlikely, imo. But makes for a nice alt-meme.
“Maybe Russia was behind the chemical attack it predicted, knowing that Trump and the interventionists would take the bait and respond with one-shot theatre that did no real harm to Russian or Syrian assets. Most importantly to the Russians, it keeps the US involved in Syria. There will be no talk of withdrawal now. This though the Syria-Russia-Iran-Hezbollah alliance has secured most of the country. It’s one thing to have your enemy waste resources on a losing war. It’s a stroke of genius to have the enemy continue to do so on a war they’ve already lost.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-04-16/maybe-russians-did-it
On German alternative alternative news Nachdenkseiten I came across some interesting article. It’s a must read: Pentagon acknowledges US contractor presence in Syria for first time (https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/04/pentagon-acknowledge-us-contractor-presence-syria-iraq.html).
Below the previous link that I recommended I discovered a comment hinting at 1800 captured rebels in E. Ghouta. In order to get some additional information I looked for further information and came across the following video: Syrian Army captures large underground tunnel in E Ghouta https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgGqwAwJL5M The video footage makes me wonder about the capabilities of the “rebels”. The tunnel system looks quite sophisticated and professionally done (by rebels …).
don’t run for the hill yet…more info needed prior to removing the tin foil hat.
https://www.exopolitics.org/was-trump-missile-attack-part-of-secret-plan-to-end-syria-conflict-prevent-war-with-iran/
One may choose to “debunk the nonesense”, butit may turn to be a futile exersise; one should rather focus in debunking the fundamentals, the pesudo-facts that over time has been accepted by the sosiety as truths – for example:
– the world talks about “democracy” and “sovereignity” as if the two are not exclusive,
– the treatment of the leaders(as well as the elite) of any country as if they are royals,
– the world has accepted that the life of an average policeman is infinitely more important than the life of a ordinary, nominally misguided youngster,
– the right to protest suddenly became a “privilege” and one need to ask the local government for permit.
– one would not dare to spark a revolution – o, no, that would be labeled terrorism, and dealt with accordingly…
– all the governmens have awarded themselves the ultimate monopoly of force, while declaring that monopoly in all spheres of life is illegal
– and the ultimate in demagoguery – rule-of-law does not exist, conviniently replaced by arbitrary rules – one set for civilain citizens, one set for the military and one set for the governments – and I am not even mentioning International Law, as that, I see is just a superset of the individual National Laws, as arbitrary as they come…
Just few examples I thought about, I am sure many more are known to good people, yet no one is fighting them…
–
Very good points. Difficult to discuss with brain-washed people.
Well… Yes the Douma incident as provided by the MSM is far from certain. But it is not as conclusively a “false flag” as the esteemed Saker thinks it is.
Here, for one, is one voice that begs to differ. Juan Cole is an esteemed Middle East Scholar and he is not your mainstream academic with hawkish views on the Middle East. He is anti-establishment but also vastly knowledgeable on the Middle East.
Juan Cole thinks the Panthers division of the Syrian army was taking heavy casualties from the Douma insurgents therefore they used the gas to save the dwindling ranks of this very important division.
You don’t have to agree, but it is plausible.
https://www.juancole.com/2018/04/syrian-holdout-enclave.html
“Juan Cole thinks the Panthers division of the Syrian army was taking heavy casualties from the Douma insurgents therefore they used the gas to save the dwindling ranks of this very important division.
You don’t have to agree, but it is plausible.”
LOL, I guess when it comes to zionazi disinfo, any old nonsense will do. Cole promoted the Iraq war for a year, then switched to being a critic when it became untenable. He is a low order opportunist and propagandist.
Definitely disagree and it is barely plausible. To counter the sniper fire they would just employ more artillery,armor, and air strikes.
JR Cole was also 100% for Libya invasion, one of the most vocal advocates amongst scholars at the time. His arguments then was that Libya entered a “revolution”. When facing how wrong and circumvoluted this idea was, he doubled down :”revolutions are messy” by definition. In the same vein of intellectual contortions promoting the last “Assaddidit” narrative is no surprise (and this Juan Cole is so dangerous that I prefer the JR in his real name by the way).
In that case where are the bodies of the male combatants, SAA soldiers and insurgents?
We have yet to establish that there were any child casualties from this ‘chemical attack’, let alone their mothers who would have been close by.
Now we have killed and wounded soldiers on both sides vanishing into thin air, where’s Ruth Rendell when you need her? She at least knew what a plausible plot-structure looked like, even when the narrated events were implausible, if not downright fanciful.
My fear is that this missile strike was a test to see how well Syria defenses would work before the real strike and ground invasion!
The useful source to debunk the nonsense is to read PC Roberts blog. In his The Crisis is Only in its Beginning Stage he is the only one beside me who blames Russia for not blocking U.S. terrorist attack on their supposed ally Syria, ” Nobody try to block it… ” He does not go deeper in his analysis what a dirty game Russia plays, neither the other scribes. They stay within their format to secure their income and not to get in trouble. Keep on.
Maybe the Russians want to keep you and Paul Craig Roberts alive.
“what a dirty game Russia plays, neither the other scribes. They stay within their format to secure their income and not to get in trouble. Keep on.”
How Russian and American Oligarchs Benefit from Mutual Demonization:
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=18030
or
https://youtu.be/LL7qmnahf6M
If indeed missiles were shot down, then Trump knowingly lies. Surely prior to launch,
Trump would be briefed on what the targets were. If the targets included Syrian Air fields are other targets, that would have been explained to Trump prior to launching (If Trump wasn’t even told what we were going to shoot, things are even worse than imagined). So after the fact when everyone said the only targets had been the chemical facilities,Trump would immediately realize something amiss. And now he inexplicably has postponed new sanctions?
Gareth Porter published an interesting article today pointing out that an alternative explanation for the Skripal mystery is that the Skripal’s were poisoned by private individuals:
consortiumnews.com/2018/04/17/an-alternative-explantion-to-the-skripal-mystery/
It’s Mayhem May’s state broadcaster admonishing an ex-admiral for telling the truth:
“…led the BBC’s Annita McVeigh to suggest that truthfully stating his position and posing questions risked “muddying the waters” in an ongoing “information war with Russia.””
https://www.rt.com/uk/424508-bbc-information-war-west-syria/
Truth is very dangerous
Amongst all this- a Color Revolution attempt is underway in Yeveran. The usual ‘liberal students’ and thugs doing the work of the Empire. Armenia as a pro Russian, Orthodox nation is always going to be a target for them.
Perhaps a youtube video on: “Propaganda and Manipulation: How mass media engineers and distorts our perceptions” would be useful.
This is a second video on the psychology of propaganda and to date has been viewed by over 275, 000 people. Prof. Kroth reviews five major techniques for how American mass media manipulates and twists the view Americans have of their world. The seriousness of the distortion, and our progressive loss of contact with reality is dramatic. We are increasingly living inside a media-induced trance without knowing it. Children believe Ronald MacDonald is more real than Abraham Lincoln. From Coke to Carl’s Jr., Hip-hop to the Iraq war, the role of subliminal propaganda in our lives is unveiled and exposed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfo5gPG72KM
Please read the moderation rules. Using all-capital letters is considered shouting and is a “no-no”. I re-typed it for you. Mod.
The Syrian war is dangerous for the world: Disaster only missed at the last minute.
https://ejmagnier.com/2018/04/17/the-syrian-war-is-dangerous-for-the-world-disaster-only-missed-at-the-last-minute/
Questions: Suppose none of the 103 missiles had been intercepted and that they had hit the 8 or more sights indicated in the Russian MOD report.
1. How much damage damage from the strike would the Syrian Military have suffered?
2. Was the intent of these strikes to cripple the Syrian military, test the air defenses, save face, or combination of these.
”Hopefully these will help you deal with some of your zombified friends and relatives (we all got them, don’t we?).”
I don’t think you should cast pearls before swine. It will forever let you down, and absent any successes whatsoever you will end up in a very miserable mood. It’s outright counter-productive. Hence, I am more than happy to share my ”dirty little secret” how you could have a fabulous good time while addressing the very same problem:
I never get tired of my nasty habit of having fun at the slobs’ expense. Thinly veiled contempt in the form of refined amusement never fails to make them lose their deluded self-confidence, despite their ”solid majority opinions”. So, for example, when a former workmate of mine regurgitates by rote the horseshit about Putin wielding unchecked power, I instantly reply that I’m very glad to hear him say that. Since Putin is extremely intelligent, his power will be put to very good use as we saw in Crimea and now in Syria. What’s your problem?
Anyone who had made the attempt knows that trying to enlighten clueless friends and relatives is like trying to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time. And it annoys the pig.
It helps to realize that the brainwashed are in a cult-like system. Cults operate by bypassing the intellect. The cult rewards and can punish. Those in a cult want approval so badly that they’ll drink the Kool Aid and sternly disapproved of anyone who doesn’t.
The moral obligation to speak the truth is not a mandate to shine a bright light directly into eyes that are comfortable in darkness. You’ll be called something like a Russia loving anti-American conspiracy theorist. And you’ll never have a chance to awaken that person.
You can just walk away, but again the result is no chance to awaken anyone. If you remain engaged in a friendly way then maybe some day the sleepwalker will show signs of awakening. Be gentle and go slow if so.
”Anyone who had made the attempt knows that trying to enlighten clueless friends and relatives is like trying to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time. And it annoys the pig.”
Ha ha, actually that may depend! I think I’ll give it a try, like so:
”I have come to see the light as of late. Vladimir Putin is evil, George Soros is our saviour. Sing along with me, please: Soros, Soros über alles. Über alles in der Welt…. Really, the physical beauty of George Soros alone gives me goosebumps.”
For those screaming Russians to reveal how poorly US did with cruiser missiles attack or for those asking pictures of shoot down missiles, read and read very carefully:
Colonel Patrick Lang:
“I understand the reluctance of the U.S. military leaders to admit the truth about this debacle. It would undermine the confidence of the American people is our supposedly invincible weapon systems and would embarrass and enrage the man child that inhabits the White House. Better to tell him lies and let him believe the fantasy. But this is a very dangerous game. So far the Russians have not pursued significant PR efforts to expose the U.S. lie about the missiles. Maybe they are choosing to keep quiet, like a good poker player, and not tip their hand to the American public. One of these days Trump and company will over bet in trusting the Russians not to punch back (and punch back hard) and the American people will be in for a rude awakening. They will discover that the Russians have a decided advantage over us when it comes to air defense.”
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2018/04/trumps-big-flop-in-syria-by-publius-tacitus.html
Perhaps some of you have played poker?
Reportedly (Tass) the Syrians have reconered 2 intact missiles and they have been delivered to Russia.
https://sputniknews.com/world/201804191063709970-moscow-us-russia-unfriendly-moves/
Russia is expecting more unfriendly moves…maybe
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804191063705014-another-syria-provocation-certain-soon/
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804191063703821-syrian-militants-plotting-chemical-attacks/
And oh so ready the MIC to press the agenda…very happy to sell the latest weapons to usa government
https://sputniknews.com/military/201804191063702745-lockheed-martin-ready-missiles-strike/
https://russia-insider.com/en/secret-cable-spells-out-saudi-policy-overthrow-syrian-regime-play-nice-russia/ri23221
Well worth a read…
“Now, certainly salt this report to taste but there is a major kernel of truth uncovered by it. The U.S. intended to knock out a major portion of the Syrian Air Force with this strike and failed spectacularly.
Assad’s air force has been one of the most effective parts of the war against the insurgents in Syria. They are doing what the U.S. leadership says is their goal in Syria, to end the threat of ISIS.
So, it makes less than zero sense for them to then attack Syrian air fields to show Assad it will not accept his using chemical weapons in doing so.
Something doesn’t add up. And, of course, we’ve known this from the beginning, but now the Russians and Syrians are providing proof of these inconsistencies if only the American people will engage with them.
If the U.S. didn’t do this to just knock out Syria’s CW capability then it must have had a much, much larger goal.
And that goal is Iran.
War Without End
The hope is that Syria will go on long enough and cost the Iranians enough that it will destabilize the country and force an overthrow of the Mullahs. There comes a point where guns meet butter.”
Extract
https://russia-insider.com/en/lack-rubble-settles-real-plan-syria-revealed/ri23198
Note that oil prices have surged in wake of Syria strike. A big plus for Russia and a deterrent to further escalation.
On a less positive note, some are claiming that the missiles used in strike were old and not nearly as effective as the latest cruise missiles. Implication being that strike with latest missiles would have been much more effective.
I find it nothing short of amazing that a Russian heavy-cargo airliner (Volga-Dnepr) is being chartered by NATO since who knows when, to move heavy military equipment around for NATO. Including, I suppose, to places where NATO is openly harrassing Russia and undermining her interests, like Syria or Ukraine. Imagine an American air cargo company being used to transport military equipment for Russia.
Apparently, Volga-Dnepr has now decided to stop doing that, but not until January 1, 2019 !!! God forbid that NATO might feel excessively inconvenienced by this move. This is just astonishing.
https://twitter.com/Dmitriy62248938/status/986645560840073216
https://zemlyaki.name/rossiya/205329-rossiya-prekraschaet-sverhtyazhelye-aviaperevozki-dlya-nato.html
Some reports in English language sites:
https://aircargoworld.com/allposts/volga-dnepr-to-exit-an-124-nato-charter-agreement/
Volga-Dnepr to exit An-124 NATO charter agreement
In another sign of rising tensions between Russia and the West, Russia-based Volga-Dnepr Group is withdrawing from the Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS) agreement, under which Volga-Dnepr and Ukraine’s Antonov Group provide charter service for certain NATO and European Union countries aboard An-124 aircraft.
Under the SALIS charter agreement, Volga-Dnepr and Antonov have provided six An-124 aircraft in total for charter services to certain NATO and partner nations, primarily moving military and humanitarian goods. According to the French publication Challenges, Volga-Dnepr will cease supplying the An-124 aircraft under SALIS by the end of 2018.
While Volga-Dnepr has not issued a statement about its decision to exit SALIS, internal communications from the French military indicate that the move is due to plans the United States government had to impose additional sanctions against Russia, Challenges reports. However, after additional sanctions were announced on April 15 by Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, they were quickly walked back the next day by President Trump and members of his administration.
Volga-Dnepr’s official reason for leaving SALIS is reportedly an internal shift in policy to no longer carry military equipment and to move its focus to transporting civilian, commercial and humanitarian goods. Such a move is in line with the group’s announcement late last year that it would launch a new airline based in Leipzig, Germany, using at least three of its An-124s, which would first be refurbished. Volga-Dnepr Airlines operates 12 of the aircraft in total.
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201804181063674808-russia-nato-planes/
Moscow to Call Time on NATO’s Use of Russian Jumbo Jets – Reports
Moscow has yet to comment on media reports about the alleged move that’s been described by a French magazine as a countermeasure to Western sanctions imposed on Russia.
Russia’s air cargo hauler Volga-Dnepr will stop making its Antonov An-124 Ruslan planes available to NATO before the year is out, the French weekly business magazine Challenges reported, citing its own sources.
According to the publication, the decision to pull the plug on the planes’ delivery was Russia’s response to new sanctions imposed on it by Washington.
Volga-Dnepr AN-124
© Wikipedia / Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Hartman
Russian Air Transport Group Volga-Dnepr Agrees to Buy 20 Boeing Freighters
Volga-Dnepr has used 17 Ruslan jumbo aircraft to move around outsized cargoes for the Western defense alliance.
The article warns that Volga-Dnepr’s decision will come as a serious blow to the French military, which relies heavily on the Ruslans to transport helicopters and tanks.
In 2006, Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines and Russia’s Volga-Dnepr companies joined forces as part of the Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS) project to deliver An-124-100 services to NATO members and other EU countries to support peacekeeping and humanitarian programs all over the world.
The An-124 Ruslan was developed by the Antonov aircraft design bureau in the early-1980s, jointly with leading Soviet research institutions, enterprises and ministries.
Early this month, the United States unveiled a new batch of sanctions against Russia targeting several leading businessmen, companies, banks, as well as a number of senior officials.
Antonov An-124 Condor/Ruslan strategic airlifter
© Sputnik / Vitaliy Belousov
Aging Russian-Ukrainian An-124 May Be Replaced With Russian Cargo Jet
On April 15, Washington’s envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, said that the US planned to impose additional sanctions on Russia, but, according to several sources, President Donald Trump has decided to put them on hold.
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, NATO has been expanding eastwards with ten former Warsaw Pact countries having now joined the Alliance.
NATO troops have engaged in regular military exercises in close proximity to Russia’s western borders.
Dear Saker,
despite the fact that I do not conform to your target audience I still read your blog daily. By American standards I am totally uneducated. I have only a German GED, two airline transport licenses (US and German), 15 000 Hrs of flying time in about 100 types makes and models of aircraft, maintenance test pilot; in the great wide world of finance a series 7, 3, and 24. And I am fluent in 2 languages, German and English.
Thanks God I have never been subjected to an American college education ( gigantic fraud in my and others opinion) I will for the future continue to read your blog and try to stay. Besides, I am on the lookout for a good photograph of a Saker Falcon.
“my blog is aimed at an adult audience with a graduate-level college education or equivalent, capable of critical and logical thought”. lol
You were not educated in the US, were you ? lol