Ok Light…. 🙂
Leonid Ivanovitch (communist, VP in charge of Intl. affairs), told the following tale in front of the Douma.
A pack of hungry wolves catches a hare. Just as they are about to eat him, the hare says, Stop, I can help you! I can bring you to a flock of sheep! The wolves consider – OK they say, lead on. The hare brings them to the sheep, the wolves devour some of the sheep, and the hare as well. Satisfied, bellies full, they contemplate the leftover remains of the hare. We should bury it, the wolves say, he helped us. They bury it.
What to write on his tombstone they wonder? “Here lies our friend the hare”? No, he helped us out but was our enemy – “Here lies our enemy the hare”? Well, they say, he wasn’t really our enemy either! Unanimously they decide on:
Here lies our partner the hare.
Whole int. is worth a read.
french http://bit.ly/1SMlWvL
russian http://kprf.ru/dep/gosduma/activities/152010.html

Posted by: Noirette | Feb 25 2016 19:26 utc | 3

Review of foreign policy platforms of USA two party candidates….
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/a-2016-foreign-policy-report-card/

Posted by: Bluemot5 | Feb 25 2016 20:23 utc | 5

Angry Arab February 25, 2016
“Hizbullah and the Zionist regime of Sisi
Hizbullah has been quite favorable toward the Sisi regime, regardless of the latter vicious campaign against Gaza and the anti-Palestinian rhetoric of the regime media. There is now a Hizbullah delegation visiting Cairo and it it is not the first contact between Hizbullah and the Sisi”

Posted by: ALberto | Feb 25 2016 20:34 utc | 7

The various militia have until noon on Friday to declare their intentions. “It’s a case of saying to your interlocutor ‘I am in’ and explaining where you are, so you are not targeted”, according to one diplomat involved in the process.
With Islamic State, al-Nusra Front and two other terrorist organisations excluded from the truce under the terms agreed between the US and Moscow, the diplomat says the aim is to draw up a map “showing the co-ordinates of where the bad guys are”, so the agreed territory can be regarded as a legitimate target for Russia, the Syrian Army, Syrian Kurds and other forces to attack once the ceasefire is in place.
…
Indeed, some argue a byproduct of the terms of the ceasefire is to put pressure on rebel forces to detach themselves from al-Nusra.

Syrian militia groups set to reveal intentions over ceasefire

Posted by: virgile | Feb 25 2016 20:45 utc | 9

VT Khaled Masha’al going to be sacked
“Meanwhile, Israeli army launches a suspicious military drill near the Gaza Strip amid increasing speculations over the past days. Observers believe that Israel’s perennial threat against Gaza and the sky-rocketing popularity and strength of other Palestinian factions —who remain loyal to the Palestinian cause, e.g. Islamic Jihad—made Hamas leaders to maintain the unity and forestall the imminent collapse. To remedy the situation, it is imperative that certain controversial figure be unseated.”
source – http://www.veteranstoday.com/2016/02/24/khaled-mashaal-going-to-be-sacked/

Posted by: ALberto | Feb 25 2016 21:31 utc | 11

And MW wonders:
“It is not hard to imagine Obama secretly giving Erdogan the greenlight, and then pulling the rug out from under him as soon as his troops crossed over into Syria. A similar scam was carried out in 1990 when U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie, gave Saddam Hussein the nod to invade Kuwait. The Iraqi Army had barely reached its destination before the US launched a massive military campaign (Operation Desert Storm) that forced Saddam to speedily withdraw along the infamous Highway of Death where upwards of 10,000 Iraqi regulars were annihilated like sitting ducks in a vicious and homicidal display of American firepower. That was the first phase of Washington’s plan to overthrow Saddam and replace him with a compliant Arab stooge.”
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/02/24/regime-change-in-ankara-more-likely-than-you-think/

Posted by: GoraDiva | Feb 25 2016 21:58 utc | 13

Here’s the Iranian view:
“TEHRAN (FNA)- Azaz has lately been at the center of the Syrian conflict. Kurdish forces need the city to seal the last stretch of the porous Syrian-Turkish border, while the Turks, according to adviser to the Syrian government Abdul Kadir Azuz, want Azaz to be able to provide assistance to radical groups fighting against al-Assad.
The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) are reported to be staying on the outskirts of rebel-held Azaz. Turkish forces have shelled the YPG positions in the northern Aleppo province, particularly in this area, to prevent the Syrian Kurds from liberating the strategically important city.
‘Azaz is a key city on the way from Turkey to Syria, which allows Erdogan to meddle in Syria’s internal affairs,” Abdul Kadir Azuz told RT. “He wants to gain a foothold in Syria by controlling Azaz. If Erdogan loses Azaz, he would neither be able to influence the situation in Syria nor provide assistance to terrorists.’
This is the only reason why Azaz is so important to Turkey, he added. The city, according to Azuz, has no historic or economic significance.
‘Ankara provides aid to terrorist groups through checkpoints on the border with Aleppo. The Turkish government is able to provide supplies and medical aid to terrorists since it controls the checkpoints,’ he insisted.
Last week, Rodi Osman, the head of the Syrian Kurds’ representative office in Moscow, told RIA Novosti that as many as 2,000 Islamist fighters crossed into Syria from Turkey through Azaz.
Turkey has been shelling Kurdish-held areas since February 13 in a controversial move that has been condemned by Russia and the United States. Both countries view the Kurds as one of their primary partners in tackling Daesh.
Many countries have called on Turkey to seal the border with Syria to prevent Daesh and other terrorist groups from smuggling fighters, weapons and supplies in and out of the war-torn Arab country. Unlimited access to resources delivered to the battlefield through Turkey has largely been seen as key to the terrorist group’s resilience and longevity.
Ankara has so far failed to deliver on its promise, while the Syrian Kurds are close to taking the border regions under control.”
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941206000765
Does anyone have suggestions for what the outsiders really WANT as a Desired Outcome in Syria? Has any meddling outside powers ever taken a poll to find out what Syrian citizens want? [Do they care?]

Posted by: roger erickson | Feb 25 2016 22:07 utc | 15

I wonder why:
Lying Press? Germans Lose Faith in the Fourth Estate
Vollmert subscribes to Süddeutsche Zeitung, Iserlohner Kreisanzeiger and the newsweekly Focus. He buys a copy of SPIEGEL at the newsstand every Saturday. “There must be a reason why the media are losing circulation,” he says. “The average Joe has a keen sense for when he’s being taken for a ride.” Vollmert accuses the media of having lost sight of the interests and concerns of its audience. The teacher shortage, poor hygiene in hospitals and a growing number of burglaries — journalists ignore all of these issues, says Vollmert, because they have blockaded themselves in their ivory towers. “They don’t listen to what’s happening down below.”
snip
‘I’m No Conspiracy Theorist, But…’
Philipp Karger, a 33-year-old engineer, hardly gets any of his news from classic media anymore. “It’s obvious that you get your information from above,” he says, citing coverage of the New Year’s violence in Cologne as evidence. The fact that the media took so long to report on the ethnic background of the presumed perpetrators was the result of instructions from the federal government, or at least an organization affiliated with the government, says Karger. He is so sure of himself that he reacts with genuine surprise when his accusation is rejected. “I thought that had already been officially confirmed,” he says. According to Karger, the media had to respond as they did so as not to undermine Merkel’s refugee policy.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/most-germans-think-the-press-is-lying-to-them-about-refugees-a-1079049.html#ref=rss
OMG. We are damned if we trust them and damned if we don’t.

Posted by: shadyl | Feb 25 2016 22:44 utc | 17

Does anyone have suggestions for what the outsiders really WANT as a Desired Outcome in Syria? Has any meddling outside powers ever taken a poll to find out what Syrian citizens want? [Do they care?]
Posted by: roger erickson | Feb 25, 2016 5:07:08 PM | 15
As to the first question..Any outcome that denies the Syria/Iran/Russia coalition positive economic benefits from an energy pipeline.
As to the second question..The Empire cares not for the opinions of others, period!

Posted by: ben | Feb 26 2016 0:54 utc | 19

why am i still talking about the indon genocide in 1965 ?
how could we let it pass when 3m innocent bystanders were slaughtered like scacrificial lambs ?
the mastermind of the genocide are still at large , worse still, they’r still committing genocides with total impunity !
JOHNNIE CARSON, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS,
*CHINA IS A “VERY AGGRESSIVE AND PERNICIOUS ECONOMIC COMPETITOR WITH NO MORALS.*
————————————–
how fukus conspired to plant *evidance* and used their global media network, the socalled cia’s mighty wurlitzer to frame indon leftists for an allage armed uprising and send 3m innocent bystanders to their grisly death.
—————————————-
The techniques of the Indonesian destabilization were classic: CIA agents planted caches of arms that would then be “found” by Indonesian police under the watchful eye of the alerted media. Along with the arms would be all kinds of forged documents proving that the Communists were fomenting a violent uprising. [3]
* Two weeks before Gestapu, a story to this effect also appeared in a Malaysian newspaper, citing
Bangkok sources which relied in turn on Hong Kong sources.106 Such international untraceability is the
stylistic hallmark of stories emanating in this period from what CIA insiders called their “mighty Wurlitzer,” the world-wide network of press “assets” through which the CIA, or sister agencies such as Britain’s MI-6, could plant unattributable disinformation. [2]
the cia is known to have had a large store of chinese weapons at this time, which were used for a variety of purposes, including such “incriminating” schemes. [4]
*u.s. officials were particularly interested in linking the september 30th plotters to beijing. they helped to spread stories about china’s alleged involvement and reported on caches of weapons purportedly “discovered” by the indonesian army with the hammer and sickle conveniently stamped on them
.
[rings a bell, passports found on 911 site, passports found in get away car in the paris attack etc……?]
“we have bonanza chance to nail chicoms on disastrous events in indonesia,” green wrote the state department. [sic !]
he urged a “continuation [of] covert propaganda” as one of the “best means of spreading [the] idea of chicom complicity,” an allegation still being put forth by former u.s. officials forty years later.22 such efforts, intended or not, also encouraged attacks against indonesia’s indigenous chinese minority and businessmen* [1]
————————————
[sic !]
apparently, this is all in a day’s work for a typical murkkan *ambassador* like green !!!
[1]
http://monthlyreview.org/2015/12/01/the-united-states-and-the-19651966-mass-murders-in-indonesia/
[2]
http://www.namebase.org/scott.html
[3]
http://www.whale.to/b/stockwell_secret_third_world_wars.html
[4]
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/54b/033.html

Posted by: denk | Feb 26 2016 1:20 utc | 21

Regardless Dems or Repugs the endless wars continue….
If you think Bernie the lesser evils, think again he may be even more evils than CHANGE, CHANGE you can believe in 2008.

Posted by: Jack Smith | Feb 26 2016 1:35 utc | 23

@20 ben.. thanks ben.. it was what a few of us ( colinjames, grieved and etc) were talking about in a roundabout way on the previous thread.. i am predicting more war… wish i could see it different, but i can’t… would be nice if it went into some frozen type place which is sort of what the ukraine looks like, but i don’t anticipate that for syria.. too many first class meddlers who want to continue on with regime change under a different name.. europe continues to be f*ked under it’s present leadership and that’s not touching what the usa has in store once the election madness is over… ordinary people lose and kleptomania-cal plutocrats continue to prosper..

Posted by: james | Feb 26 2016 2:01 utc | 25

here is the lying pos at a different juncture in the video..with people like this at the top in the usa, the usa is clearly f*ked…

Posted by: james | Feb 26 2016 2:15 utc | 27

A federal appeals court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has ruled that filming the police without a specific challenge or criticism is not constitutionally protected. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-02-25/federal-court-rules-you-can-be-arrested-simply-filming-police
Personally, I don’t understand why filming cops can only be “protected” as free speech. These are public officials engaged in their public duties. Besides, don’t we begin w the idea that all behavior is permitted– unless there’s a reason not to? Absurd to say you can’t film cops unless you can construe it as free speech!
The court is actually upholding ARRESTING people for filming– outrageous!

Posted by: Penelope | Feb 26 2016 2:47 utc | 29

If you wanna more wars, Bernie is your candidate.This time replay of the 60’s and 70’s in Asia.
Over 60,000 young innocents American’s sacrifices their lives needlessly for democracy, freedom and shit for the rich and powerful. As of now 65 of the richest owe more than half of the world.
Yea, Dems, Repugs and Bernie!

Posted by: Jack Smith | Feb 26 2016 3:48 utc | 31

Greece is done

Posted by: Nick | Feb 26 2016 4:23 utc | 33

@33 Jack Smith
What do you propose Jack? I want to get rid of private finance and neuter inheritance/ongoing private ownership of property. What do you think needs to change and how do we get there from here? All I read from you is None of the Above. Who/what floats your boat?
My rational on voting for Bernie if it comes to that is the lesser of the evils, pure and simple. I do not want to live in a world led by Donald Trump and those like him.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Feb 26 2016 4:50 utc | 35

A@34
Surprisingly Kerry was challenging the idea of a US manned safe zone in Syria by posing the question to the Senate committee ‘Now are you ready to authorize that?’ referring to the required 30,000 US troops.
The Republican controlled Senate is not yet willing to commit US troops who would be the prime targets of the Islamic State even if Russia and Syria agreed to this nonsense.

Posted by: Wayoutwest | Feb 26 2016 5:35 utc | 37

ben | Feb 26, 2016 12:41:44 AM | 38
Thanks for the great link; filled in some blank spots in my understanding of history.

Posted by: V. Arnold | Feb 26 2016 6:25 utc | 39

Denk @ 21… Back in 1965…
Because there is clear and unequivocal evidence of US War Crimes
for which no one has been held accountable….
IF you have a robust constitution, watch the movie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Act_of_Killing.
Its a horrifying confirmation to the links you posted

Posted by: DavidKNZ | Feb 26 2016 8:12 utc | 41

Jack Smith | Feb 25, 2016 10:33:47 PM | 30
The U.S. has shit its nest as regards Thailand. The last three U.S. representatives (they were/are not diplomats) in Thailand have/had serious foot in mouth disease. Thai/U.S. government relations are at a historic low.
Thailand and China are about to partner in H.S. rail systems and weapons systems. Thailand has previously bought American, but will not order U.S. fighters (F-16’s) and is looking elsewhere for other procurements.

Posted by: V. Arnold | Feb 26 2016 8:33 utc | 43

This explains well why SyrPer was off line for a while
http://www.activistpost.com/2016/02/saudi-generals-sign-secret-letter-to-monarch-and-govt-warning-against-invasion-of-syria.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ActivistPost+%28Activist+Post%29

Posted by: Mina | Feb 26 2016 8:50 utc | 45

43
Thai military junta/U.S. government relations are at a historic low.
—
There, fixed it for you. Thailand is not a democracy. Anyone wondering about the outcome of the Thai:China deal for the Thai people should Google Sukarno and Timor, or Marcos and Mindanao. China and the USA are butt buddies when it comes to hegemonic Tibetanization.

Posted by: Chipnik | Feb 26 2016 9:44 utc | 47

35
You already are. The difference is whether you want to be stuck listening to Bernie Sanders and Dick Gregory chewing their sweaters every night on TV, and selling you into the arms of the Zio Death Merchants and Climate Chains Hucksters as a ‘shiney object’ distraction.

Posted by: Chipnik | Feb 26 2016 9:48 utc | 49

Bernie Sanders backs the prosecution of Edward Snowden
http://www.greanvillepost.com/2015/10/21/bernie-sanders-backs-the-prosecution-of-edward-snowden/
“… In fact, the Vermont senator’s arguments were essentially similar to those of the other four candidates on the Las Vegas stage, all of whom sought, in one way or another, to distance themselves from the widely hated NSA programs while at the same time reaffirming their support for the military-intelligence apparatus.
“The argument that Snowden’s courageous stand is a crime deserving of punishment reveals far more about Sanders than his rhetorical denunciations of government spying…”
Sanders’ call for leniency in the case of Snowden rings false, since once in the clutches of the American criminal “justice” system, he would face the full vengeance of the state machine. And there are clear warnings. Chelsea Manning was tortured while in military custody, and is currently serving over three decades of jail time for leaking diplomatic documents to the whistleblowing website…..”

Posted by: Jack Smith | Feb 26 2016 10:15 utc | 51

Rachel Corrie’s parents speak on 10th anniversary of her death (VIDEO)
http://www.canadianprogressiveworld.com/2013/03/16/rachel-corries-parents-speak-on-10th-anniversary-of-her-death-video/
Mar 16, 2013. by Obert Madondo
“…Rachel Corrie, a US peace activist, was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip as she tried to block the demolition of a Palestinian home. Her parents, Craig and Cindy, speak on the 10th anniversary of the killing of their daughter……

Posted by: Jack Smith | Feb 26 2016 10:21 utc | 53

Rachel Corrie Foundation
http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/
Please shares, reposts and never forget those who had sacrifices their lives and exposed Bernie the lesser of evils…..
And the endless wars continue……..

Posted by: Jack Smith | Feb 26 2016 10:29 utc | 55

@Chipnik # 54
I am sorrie for you too. You know so little of China’s history. China have never invaded or conquered any countries since ancients times except skirmished with Vietnam after the Vietnam war.
The South China seas is Chinese domain since ancient time. Admiral Zheng He a Muslim eunuch (1371–1435) during China’s early Ming dynasty. Zheng He commanded expeditionary voyages to Southeast, South Asia and Western Asia, Mogadishu, Maldives, Horn of Africa, Arabia.. and East Africa from 1405 to 1433. His larger ships stretched 400 feet in length (Columbus’s Santa Maria, for comparison, was 85 feet).
Zhen He voyages 4 times to Malacca, Malaysia, The well he dug still existed today and I’ve seen it with my own eyes,

Posted by: Jack Smith | Feb 26 2016 11:08 utc | 57

And the latest insult to intelligence to a docile inebriated American citizenry who don’t apparently understand the candidates are preselected, their delegates are independently made for the most part, and the final vote is by a bought and paid for electoral college, comes the ‘grading’ of the candidtes, such as you might do in a grade school play.
Considering that Clinton ran her 2008 campaign -$35M into the red and ‘left the White House broke’, she should receive an A for grifting Karzai $5B stolen from US aid to Afghanistan by herself and Milliband, deposited directly into his Bank of Kabul in the interim during which Clinton made five trips shuttling courier bags of baled $100s back and forth to Kabul, before announcing her net wealth was $15,000,000, and an ‘anonymous donor’ paid off her bankrupt -$35M campaign debt.
And she should graduate Summa cum Laude for pulling off this grift while a Federal Cabinet member, without a single person other than her soon-to-be-dead Special Envoy to Afghanistan saying a word. None dared to call it treason, I guess. You wouldn’t want to end up like Holbrooke, dead on a slab at GWU of aortic dissection, in essence, his throat cut.

Posted by: Chipnik | Feb 26 2016 12:13 utc | 59

@ Jack Smith
Found an interesting link about the possible discovery of the Americas by Zheng He;
http://www.economist.com/node/5381851

Posted by: V. Arnold | Feb 26 2016 12:20 utc | 61

Re 3: “Here lies our partner the hare.”
An appropriate Aesopian tale for a Party (not just Russian) which habitually followed popular fronts to power, only to fall on its partners having once achieved it.

Posted by: Emil Pulsifer | Feb 26 2016 12:58 utc | 63

Re 13:
Frankly, I don’t know why any foreign groups or powers would trust Washington, which has a long history of using and double-crossing its foreign policy tools, from the Cold War (e.g. Czech uprising) to Iraq (Shiites encouaged to revolt against Saddam Hussein, only to be left to twist in the wind after taking VOA and other American assurances at face value).
My reading of the mess in Syria is this: that the United States had nothing to gain by a decisive resolution in either direction, but everything to gain by prolonging an indecisive conflict.
If Assad was deposed, his replacement would likely be an Islamist government hostile to Washington. If the rebels were conclusively defeated, the Assad regime and its regional allies, all also hostile to American interests, would be able to stabilize and turn to the working of mischief.
So Assad was not deposed; nor were the rebels provided with the arms they needed to conclude the civil war. Instead, they were provided with enough assistance to keep it going, but not enough to win. The sudden profligate provision of anti-tank weapons, only after the Russians intervened, shows what really motivates Washington’s geopolitical calculus.

Posted by: Emil Pulsifer | Feb 26 2016 13:25 utc | 65

7;AA is a commie,he hates religion.Hezbollah must play all sides,it is a designated terror org by the West.
Gerson at Wapo says Trumps nationalism is dangerous.
The scum Zionists,hypocrites to the last,as Zions nationalism is sacrosanct.

Posted by: dahoit | Feb 26 2016 14:02 utc | 67

@69
“Isn´t it about time to write something b? Just anything really. Write about your dog or the matzo balls you eat, anything!!”
Amen to that! I´m so boooored i just cleaned both mine and my neighbors toilet just to have something else to think about. Then i popped in here again for the umpteenth time to check out the scene.Booooring, come on now b, our lives depend on you man!

Posted by: rufus magister | Feb 26 2016 14:50 utc | 69

@15 Roger asked, “Does anyone have suggestions for what the outsiders really WANT as a Desired Outcome in Syria?”
This isn’t clear but here is my take
1. Removing the sovereignty issue. Syria is a sovereign nation. You aren’t supposed to bomb/invade sovereign nations without permission and, looking into the future, Russia would likely veto at the UN. Perhaps better to see Syria smashed back into the stone age like Iraq & Libya. There are fewer rules about bombing a bunch of stateless rebels, quickly re-cast as the bad guys, at one’s whim. More of an intermediate goal then an end-point until you consider…
2. Israel. Israel has been very quiet but they could be the big winners from all of this. They gain big-time from point (1); no more Syrian Arab Army to worry about to their north; free bombing runs against the rebels if they get too close to the fence; Hezbollah isolated from Iranian supplies. Then there is the Golan which they would acquire in perpetuity (no more Syria to press a competing claim). Obviously US efforts follow from the equation interests of US congress = priorities of Israeli lobby.
3. Turkey. I don’t see this as such a biggie but Turkey also stands to acquire territory and to suppress the Kurds a bit. Turkey is the “great white hope” for the middle east, secular-ish, obedient-ish. Throw them a bone and call the favour in later.
4. Oil pipelines etc. I’m really not an expert. Maybe?
What somewhat confuses me is the attempt to push the Sunni-Shia equilibrium strongly in favour of the Sunnis: one of the reasons why the Saudis need the yanks is for protection; no threat, no need for protection.

Posted by: maff | Feb 26 2016 14:52 utc | 71

Already before the proposed ceasefire comes into effect, a number of participants in the conflict have announced their joining the truce regime, the foreign minister said.
“The Syrian government has already done it,” he said. “I am confident that those who are fighting in Syria at the invitation the legitimate authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic will do the same,” he added.
“The Democratic Union Party and other groups of Syrian Kurds have already done this,” the minister continued. “This has already been done by many groups from numerous units of Syrian opposition in the east of the country, including Sunni groups that have contacted Russian military,” he added.
source – http://www.veteranstoday.com/2016/02/26/lavrov-no-progress-in-syria-talks-over-opposition-figures-their-sponsors/

Posted by: ALberto | Feb 26 2016 15:03 utc | 73

So, why is Afghanistan so important to the Corporate Empire?
http://therealnews.com/t2/component/content/article/178-more-blog-posts-from-james-stafford-/2653-electric-car-war-sends-lithium-prices-sky-high-
http://news.discovery.com/earth/afghanistan-minerals-lithium.htm

Posted by: ben | Feb 26 2016 15:35 utc | 75

@Jack Smith | Feb 26, 2016 4:44:59 AM | 48
Jack Smith, given the large number of comments you write here, you should show some consideration to b and the rest of us by using HTML links rather than pasting raw links into your comments. Creating an HTML link is really quite simple, and there’s an example you can use, just above the box where you enter comments (it reads “Link to ACLU”). Thanks!

Posted by: PhilK | Feb 26 2016 16:23 utc | 77

If you simply want to know what is going on in the US Presidential race, this is a very good read: UNLESS THE DEMOCRATS RUN SANDERS, A TRUMP NOMINATION MEANS A TRUMP PRESIDENCY.
Many here are conspiracy theorists, and I agree there is an overarching conspiracy to keep the rich in power … But in a nation (and Western world) firmly under control by and for great wealth — macro control, so to speak — bad ‘micro’ ideas like ‘Hillary Clinton, Presidential Candidate’ can occasionally stress the system. Makes you think maybe there is some free will, but it’s just the Clinton egos and the lack of a need to control every detail. After all, whoever wins, even Bernie, capital has complete control of major media, Congress and the Supreme Court, which will successfully protect the wealthy from a Bernie presidency. Bernie’s naivete especially on imperial policy would also help, because I would guess the imperialists would make sure he was bogged down in foreign policy artificial crises immediately and continuously.
Nonetheless, I’d probably vote for him if he were running against any of the Republicans. If he won, the thoroughgoing resistance to Bernie by capital and its lackies would create many excellent teaching moments for millions of Americans. Things are moving rapidly in the States, and all that teaching and learning might soon be practically useful.

Posted by: fairleft | Feb 26 2016 16:47 utc | 79

@PhilK #78
Appreciate your well-intended comments with thanks. I’ll try the next time. 🙂

Posted by: Jack Smith | Feb 26 2016 17:39 utc | 81

Sorry if some others have already linked to this on this or other threads, b and all.
‘Newly Translated WikiLeaks Saudi Cable: Overthrow the Syrian Regime, but Play Nice with Russia’, February 25, 2016 by Brad Hoff
http://levantreport.com/2016/02/25/newly-translated-wikileaks-saudi-cable-overthrow-the-syrian-regime-but-play-nice-with-russia/

Posted by: wendy davis | Feb 26 2016 18:20 utc | 83

Allepo supply road was cleared from ISIS, now mop-up and demining operation under way. ISIS lost a lot of elite soldiers, but so did SAA. Iranians and Hezbollah also participated in de-blocking of the vital road, one Iranian IRGC colonel died as well.
http://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/2636101.html

Posted by: Harry | Feb 26 2016 18:36 utc | 85

virgile @87
Holy Shiite! Wonder what the Pentagramagon & their CIA bosses think about the 1,000,000 man march in Baghdad?
“BAGHDAD, Iraq—Nearly one million Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad Friday morning to protest against corruption and the government’s backtracking on reform plans, as called by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.”
source – http://www.veteranstoday.com/2016/02/26/shiite-cleric-sadr-leads-1-million-man-anti-govt-demonstration/

Posted by: ALberto | Feb 26 2016 19:20 utc | 87

@80 Posted by: fairleft | Feb 26, 2016 11:47:44 AM
Bernie has got to get over the hurdles of moneyed insiders in the Democratic Party first. All the daylight robberies like super-delegates and fixed coin tosses might somehow still steal the candidacy to Shillary “we came, he died” Clinton.

Posted by: Get_Quenched | Feb 26 2016 19:41 utc | 89

@70 Posted by: rufus magister | Feb 26, 2016 9:50:42 AM
Hear hear, b’s silence is deafening in a world dominated by cacophonous lyingstream media noise.

Posted by: Get_Quenched | Feb 26 2016 19:46 utc | 91

re 92
No, b’s silence is not “deafening”. He’s been pretty regular, since he gave up his temporary abandonment of the blog some years ago. I still have the CD of the blog he sent out at that time. I guess he managed to make a deal in his life that permitted him to take it up again. We’re all grateful. Still, people have lives, and you can’t complain if sometimes posts are scarce.

Posted by: Laguerre | Feb 26 2016 20:26 utc | 93

someone complaining about b – troll… that is a dead give away.. stealing others names – another dead give away..

Posted by: james | Feb 26 2016 20:51 utc | 95

@ ALberto
Shias are historically progressive and revolutionary. They always follow the religious leader that they chose for his religious and political credentials. Sunnis are warriors and merchants historically ruled by religiously conservative and authoritarian family dynasties.
That’s the difference we still see now between Shias and Sunnis.
This is why there has been a enduring revolution in Iran but there will never be a revolution in Saudi Arabia as it is stuck in a rigid and obsolete system with no way out.

Posted by: virgile | Feb 26 2016 21:03 utc | 97

Here is a ZH link about the latest in saber rattling
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-02-26/caught-tape-us-test-fires-nuclear-icbm-warns-we-are-prepared-use-nuclear-weapons
War criminal Obama who came into office boasting about reducing nukes is now planning for spendy upgrades of the US nuclear arsenal.
At what point does the rest of the world stop buying our debt for war pron and tell them to hold a bake sale? It can’t come soon enough, IMO

Posted by: psychohistorian | Feb 26 2016 21:18 utc | 99