Open Thread 2017-17
News & views ...Posted by b on April 28, 2017 at 18:10 UTC | Permalink
next page »for any canucks hanging around here.. http://johnhelmer.org/?p=17237
THE CANADIAN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MELINDA MCCRACKEN AND CHRYSTIA FREELAND – THE FIRST IS, THE SECOND ISN’T
Posted by: james | Apr 28 2017 18:41 utc | 2
and just in case anyone misses it - good">http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2017/04/the-great-game-of-radical-narrative-change-and-its-drawbacks-by-alastair-crooke.html/">good overview from alastair crooke The Great Game of Radical Narrative Change (and its Drawbacks)...
Posted by: james | Apr 28 2017 18:44 utc | 3
messed the link - sorry.. here">http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2017/04/the-great-game-of-radical-narrative-change-and-its-drawbacks-by-alastair-crooke.html/">here it is..
Posted by: james | Apr 28 2017 18:45 utc | 4
ISIS/ISIL has a new magazine out. Rumiyah.
Here the eng version of issue no 7, PDF. (Issue no 1 appeared in …heh Islamic dates mmm.. not too long ago, in 2016…)
wonderfully pro, super photos, etc. Still, awfully long. Material for study!
Seems to have replaced Dabiq which ran from 2014 or before, a monthly. (Dabiq is a town in Syria where various forces will fight it out.) Rumiyah (“Rome”) is shorter, smoother, less apocalyptic. It appears (I have read but not checked) in Eng, French, German, Russian, Indonesian, Uighur.
Posted by: Noir22 | Apr 28 2017 19:16 utc | 7
From sic semper link
"that Sunnis in Syria could [have to] live under this kind of a regime – a regime that’s backed by Iran – for a long time."
Sunnis are about 1/3 of the Syrian Army with many in command possessions. Then about the same number in the elected govt. of Syria. Just saying dr. landis might not care about the truth.
Posted by: jo6pac | Apr 28 2017 19:47 utc | 9
@6 thanks harry.. sometimes it works fine for me, and other times not.. not sure why!
@8 alagash.. yes, but that is the whole link, not shortened using html tags as seen in the page when you go to post a comment! i could have done that right away, like i did @2, with a shorter url.. thanks anyway..
Posted by: james | Apr 28 2017 19:59 utc | 10
Pentagon utilizes several British pr firms to publish fake Al Qaeda and ISIS media. Bell Pottinger was the most firm that was outed.
Posted by: Les | Apr 28 2017 20:00 utc | 11
I read a very disturbing article about Macron but because B will not let me post from my home IP address, I cannot share it with you. It seems that someone has been mentoring, if not outright pushing Macron's career since he became a banker. He basically did one deal for Rothschild Bank where he checked the excel calculations, and was named partner. The list of startling accomplishments goes on from there. I am at work so I don't have the luxury of searching for it here.
Posted by: mischi | Apr 28 2017 20:19 utc | 13
Here is that article about Macron's meteoric and mysterious rise
Posted by: mischi | Apr 28 2017 20:31 utc | 14
Subject: the rapidity of Trump’s reneging on his campaign rhetoric.
You know, the speed with which most every high level politician, after they are elected, reverses their stance and ideals expostulated during their electioneering, just astounds me. I know that some just lie and prevaricate to glean votes but some I believe were relatively honest and sincere during their stump. I could enumerate but I suspect you get my point. Of course I’m speaking of Trump in this case.
Better relations with Russia, no regime change in Syria, no to the TPP, renegotiate NAFTA etc. What happened? Was that all just calculated subterfuge to get himself elected? Or has something else happened to make or convince him to sell out to the neo-cons and Deep State?
An interesting interview with Assad by teleSUR Syria's Assad Says Trump Is Puppet of US Deep State rekindled my astonishment at the rapidly changed policies of so many over the years. It even happened here in Vermont with our last Governor who just retired. And observe Obama and all his high sounding rhetoric during his initial campaign. These two cases have something in common. Both disappeared for a week or so (vacation-but no indication of where or usual details) right after assuming power.
My tin-foil hat and conspiratorial suppositions immediately suspected a Manchurian Candidate scenario. And or some pretty 1984’ish threats; “Our way or, it’s a shame Ivanka won’t make it to see you celebrate your 71st birthday Donald”.
I don’t really have a clue, well yes, actually I do. There are some repeating patterns that can be observed over many years of watching the ways of the Empire. But really, just idle speculation.
Posted by: juannie | Apr 28 2017 20:49 utc | 15
@8 Small quibble. Donald did beautiful chocolate cake and beautiful babies. Beautiful missiles was Brian Williams.
Posted by: dh | Apr 28 2017 20:56 utc | 16
Does anyone have any new information on the US-Jordanian troops massing on the Jordan border?
Posted by: plantman | Apr 28 2017 20:59 utc | 17
Thanks James! Just as I was starting to wonder what happen to one of my stars, A.C.
I talked with a Sunni Syrian in exile today. He gives no credit to the Khan Sheykhun op. Just like another Sunni Syrian friend who's still there.
Posted by: Mina | Apr 28 2017 21:05 utc | 18
In case you missed it, the Empire's coup attempt in Macedonia last night failed miserably. It will be interesting to see Albanians' next move, with them being a clear indicator of the imperial policy for the entire region. Have in mind this is happening in Europe!
Posted by: LXV | Apr 28 2017 21:38 utc | 20
Mischi @ 14: I would add that Macron's wife Brigitte Trogneux had been married to a banker, André Louis Auzière, when she first met Macron at the high school.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigitte_Macron
From what I read in the article that you linked to, I infer that someone has been mentoring and directing Macron from a very early age, at least some time (years perhaps) before he converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of 12 years. I referred to Wikipedia for some information on Macron and found the Wikipedia article and the Liberty Blitzkrieg article do not conflict.
He is very much a "blank slate" who has led a most charmed life, a bit too much so. No surprise then that some people compare Macron to Barack Obama who also lacked much political experience before becoming POTUS, and whose career before politics didn't suggest he had any ability or talent for the job he was to take on.
Posted by: Jen | Apr 28 2017 21:39 utc | 21
American troops are being deployed to the Turkish-Syrian border after Erdo's airstrikes in Syria & Iraq against the Kurds.
Posted by: Ron | Apr 28 2017 22:04 utc | 22
Re the ISIS magazine link and professionalism.
Some time ago I thought ISIS were managed by a professional up market brand management and marketing company, perhaps based in Dubi. ISIS material - media/marketing - always seems much better quality then AQ.
like the very disjointed "evidence" on the recent CW attack in Syria, AQ/white helmet material comes across as very amateurish. Local so called activists with some Brit/US/French training?
Posted by: Peter AU | Apr 28 2017 22:12 utc | 23
Comprehensive demolition of fukt Syrian narrative by Ben Norton, cheifly employing the attacks of rashidin and khan sheikoun.
Posted by: MadMax2 | Apr 28 2017 23:44 utc | 24
@Mischi, Jen
I don't think there's a need to dive into conspiracy theories to understand that Macron serves the interests of the money elite. His political platform and 'promises' say it all. Don't forget that every successful politician has some influential people pushing her/his career - but not all make it to the top.
Of course, the same holds true for Le Pen.
The difference being that her way of dealing with dissenting views or undesired groups would be less democratic, and more brutal.
Posted by: smuks | Apr 29 2017 0:02 utc | 25
Came across an article on PRI (public radio) proclaiming that N Korea supplies Syria with chemical weapons. OK, My first reaction, considering the source and timing, is that they are trumpeting some research from a professor in Texas that appears to be a backstop for another string of "truth".
It's the response of a PRI staffer to a critical comment that unsold me:
Text
Allison HerreraThanks for reading PRI. In the piece written by reporter Christopher Woolf you'll notice he reference several reports including the Korean Journal of Defence Analysis which includes Bruce Bechtol's research. These "actors" as you are calling them, speak on behalf of numerous NGO's, The United Nations, US and foreign inteliigence agencies and reports from the White House-which provided intelligence on the deadly 2013 attach that killed 1400 Syrians. Our reporting on this subject is carefully sourced and we have reporters with numerous contacts all over the Middle East. I'd also like to point out that along with official reporting from intelligence agencies, there have been videos taken by civilians docmenting these attacks. To suggest that chemical attacks did't[sic] happen is untrue. As I've said before-we stand by our reporting.
link to article: Text for link
link to research paper: Bruce Bechtol For a somewhat dull laugh, check his footnotes.
Posted by: stumpy | Apr 29 2017 0:45 utc | 26
Le Pen is being vilified in the Reptilian Press as a fascist, yet she praises national sovreignty and disparages imperialism and individualism. Which makes her a person of the left in my book.
Posted by: ruralito | Apr 29 2017 0:57 utc | 27
@25 smuks,
i am reminded of a saying that a friend shared with me a few months ago.. it is from 25 hundred years ago or thereabouts.. i can't remember the author.. "isn't it strange, you're so eloquent and yet so wrong." i say this in reference to the smooth talking politicians that come across as being the ''right'' person for the gig, when in fact they just make things worse for the ordinary person.. all the wars in the middle east are responsible for many of the refugees wanting into europe... that, and the economics of some countries being less slavery oriented then others.. while i agree superficially that le pen would be as you say 'less democratic and more brutal', i have to wonder if macron signing up for the war on syria is all that more democratic and less brutal.. frankly, i don't think it is.. people are conned too easily with appearances, and i would include peoples language abilities, however eloquent, and yet so very wrong.. cheers -
Posted by: james | Apr 29 2017 1:04 utc | 28
When the people are told that they "have to vote Macron, otherwise they're fascists enabling a fascist to take power", you pretty much know that democracy is actually dead.
Then, of course, the French electoral and political systems never were much democratic to begin with...
Posted by: CluelessJoe | Apr 29 2017 1:25 utc | 29
My exposé of placebo voting / placebo democracy approaches closer every day. The truth about the fake election methods psyop will come out.
Totally false "movements" supposedly toward real democracy -- So very well faked! Supported by the Dominant Imperial Media (DIM)!
The false academics have lied too often.
Get strategic hedge simple score voting with no electoral automation!
Protest in the streets for real power!
Posted by: blues | Apr 29 2017 1:41 utc | 30
There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Trump stated, Absolutely!
So in response Kim tested another ballistic missile, and who can blame him? Imagine that you're being bullied and harassed by a neighbor who rallied all his tough friends to put on a spectacle of force targeting and corralling you, and this bully has all kinds of sophisticated weapons and thinks he's the law in the neighborhood, and gets away with everything, and you've witnessed him causing havoc, misery and destruction in the lives of a succession of other people he thinks he can force into submission.
The normal response is to protect yourself and show that bully that you're not as vulnerable as he thinks by preparing and testing your own arsenal for the worst scenario in case that lunatic bully strikes.
Trump is stupid.
You don't pick a fight with someone you already almost destroyed once. Don't impose your will by force, because you just might get the Samson option back at ya!
Here's the thing. North Korea lost close to one-third of its population in the Korean war. That kind of trauma doesn't just disappear.
Israel has amassed hundreds of illegal nukes, refuses to sign the non-proliferation treaty, and has the fourth most powerful military arsenal in the world. However, the world turns a blind eye because Zionists use the Holocaust to justify everything including oppressing and thieving from millions of Palestinians. Those nukes are in the hands of Zionist fanatics driven by religious entitlement and the U.N. and Western leadership could give a damn!
Well, North Korea suffered its own holocaust and Trump is playing with mutual annihilation - M.A.D.ness.
It's time to apply common sense!
How dare the U.S., that let the nuclear genie out of the bottle to begin with and as the only country to have nuked a population of hundreds of thousands twice, dictate with any kind of moral authority? How dare the U.S. that has successively destroyed one country after another in the past few decades and is responsible for the deaths of MILLIONS of this planet's people think of itself as the policeman of the world?
The U.S. was evil enough to create the nuclear threat on this planet being the first to unleash the monstrous genie, not hesitating to use it twice, and now we should all sit back and TRUST it won't do it again?
The U.S. is solely responsible for the proliferation of nukes and there's no reversing this catastrophic blunder. This is a fact, this is reality, SUCK IT UP AMERICA! America alone owns this reality and now courtesy of monumental American stupidity everyone on this planet has a human right to deterrence against annihilation.
This is an everyone can or no one can physics equation. That's the nature of the nuclear beast. This is a beast with no master. This is not a question of do as I say; don't do as I alone am allowed to do. Only a delusional ignoramus refuses to see this reality pretending nuclear deterrence is an exclusive right that can be controlled by an entitled few.
Actions have consequences. Sometimes they're irreversible. Letting that nuclear genie out resulted in an irreversible consequence. America's gift to the planet and civilization.
Posted by: Circe | Apr 29 2017 1:49 utc | 31
LXV @20 Thanks! Will probably go unnoticed in most media, but egg on their imperial faces always good for a laugh.
Posted by: stumpy | Apr 29 2017 2:12 utc | 32
As Ukraine continues to fall apart, the looting has extended to the formerly closed zone, where most of the guards have been laid off. Everything from highly radioactive vehicles to building materials are being removed and sold off locally and also exported. This is a large-scale, industrial process, with totally corrupt government officials facilitating it. Cranes are moved in to tear down buildings, thousands of radioactive vehicles, helicopters, barges are removed and sold. Apparently the process will soon move to Pripyat.
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/04/open-ukraine-radioactive-goods-are.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnTf-RwK7D0
Radioactive Goods Are Being Exported From Chernobyl - YouTube
The man talking about Chernobyl, Aleksandr Medinskiy, actually used to be a member of a Ukrainian nationalist organization (Dmytro Korchinskiy's "Bratstvo") ...
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
(A) = Aleksandr Medinskiy
(K) = Konstantin Zazvonov
(A) Kostya, everyone in Ukraine understands that the industry is mostly dead, so all that's left is scrapping the leftovers. Now they are getting into Chernobyl.
(K) Isn't it supposed to be closed off?
(A) It used to be "restricted" before. And even then, not guarded well. And now, it's not just lone looters. It goes all the way to the top, so restrictions no longer apply.
Moreover, most of the policemen that were guarding Chernobyl have been laid off now, so it's standing wide open.
(K) Got it. What exactly is being looted? [Irradiated] vehicles from storage areas, or building materials and infrastructure?
(A) Anything and everything of value, Kostya.
First of all... Let's show a photo here... On Google photos we can see that in 2002, this "vehicle cemetery" was completely full and by 2013, it was all taken. So first they looted the vehicles - those are the most valuable. Not every last one, but most.
Now they've moved on to houses - taking them apart for pipes, rebar, and so on.
Here we can see how the school in Polesskoe [ghost town about 20 mi downwind from the reactor - ed.] is being disassembled into concrete slabs.
No idea where those slabs will turn up, because it is very tricky to figure out the schemes being used there.
But... I can say that, some time ago, businessmen I know personally have bought a load of used metal pipes, supposedly originating from Dnepropetrovsk.
And when the load was delivered, they were smart enough to check it with a radiation counter - the levels were off the charts, pretty much lethal.
They weren't able to find out where the pipes originated from, but it certainly wasn't Dnepropetrovsk. Somewhere within the exclusion zone, apparently.
(K) So is it sold within Ukraine, or exported? Or you don't have that sort of information?
(A) I'll put it this way. If you really look into what's happening into exclusion zone, this is a large-scale, industrial effort. They are disassembling buildings using cranes. This isn't merely a couple hobos trying to scavenge.
We can see heavy construction vehicles being moved in. We can see buildings being disassembled in a professional manner, with cranes.
We can see heavy vehicles being used to drag radioactive barges onto the shore, where they are cut for scrap. There are videos of that as well.
Where does all of this go is anybody's guess. Some of it is bought by unwary people within Ukraine. Some of the metal is probably molten down, re-cast, and then exported.
Everybody knows that, [unfortunately], our government is among the world's most corrupt ones. Thus, it is no problem to make real and proper documents verifying that these goods have "successfully passed" radiological inspection.
The real horror of the situation is that these materials can be anywhere in Ukraine now. Those radioactive pipes I told you about - they were brought to the capital!
And after those businessmen refused - where did they take those pipes? Maybe sold them to somebody else?
(K) I'd bet they didn't take them back to Chernobyl! Yeah, probably resold.
You know, in one of my future videos, I plan to talk about contraband to Poland - how cigarettes and [medical] drugs are being smuggled across the border via drones.
And about Chernobyl - how is it all transported, do you think? How do they smuggle all those vehicles and building materials? Do they do it at night, do they camouflage it, or what?
(A) Let me explain how things work here. "Illegal" smuggling isn't the main problem here, not really.
The problem is that the government officials are so corrupt, this wave of contraband is going "semi-legally" - through the checkpoints, with all the proper documentation, with knowledge of those in charge.
We'll talk about that in more detail later. As for items from the exclusion zone, they can be split into several segments.
The most basic category are the hunters, poachers, the people who hunt for meat here. As you can guess, no one checks the meat with any sort of radiation counters.
And the exclusion zone is kind of interesting. There are some patches that are relatively clean, and there are patches that are extremely radioactive.
For example, aforementioned Polesie, [where the school was being taken apart for slabs] - that area is extremely "hot".
There are people who gather mushrooms, berries, and so on - [Chernobyl] exclusion zone obviously has all of that. And then this food can go to the markets in Kiev, maybe even exported abroad, zero control for that.
Then there are the midlevel "harvesters", who cut up pipes, rebar, the aforementioned barges, and so on. They pay off the officials and transport the loot semi-legally.
And there is an even higher level. [Irradiated] vehicles aren't usually cut for scrap, unless they're completely unserviceable. And if they can still work...
There was discussion of using the remaining helicopters [from the "radiation graveyard"], some tracked vehicles - to use them in the warzone. Can you imagine that?
(K) I thought it was actually done in the end?
(A) I can not claim that it was done. I know it was discussed, that's all.
So, we can see that the "graveyards" are now empty. Where did the vehicles go...
Maybe they sold the armor to some warring African state. Or to South-East Asia somewhere - not everyone is smart enough to do their own radiological inspection of our country's exports.
(K) So you suspect UkrSpetsExport (Ukraine's arms export monopoly - ed.) could have made some money there?
(A) I don't want to make any such statements. Because we want to be... [Ukrainian word] how do you say this in Russian... We want to be objective, evidence-based.
What I wanted to tell here is that the problem exists, and that its rapidly getting worse.
Right now they're taking apart Polesskoe, then they'll move on to Pripyat - the probably already started, then they'll start taking apart the reactor building itself...
You see, that place can be looted for decades. There are construction materials, scrap metal, venison, mushrooms, and so on. It can be a serious source of income.
The problem is that the whole government system is corrupt. UkrSpetsExport is part of it, so we can not honestly conclude that it is not involved, either. Any part of the system could be.
(K) Thank you very much for your insights on [what's currently going in] Chernobyl
(A) Yes, thank you too, for raising awareness about this problem. Its being swept under the rug, not talked about, but it's actually huge. Radiation is an invisible killer.
There are many survivors of Chernobyl among the Ukrainian people, and they should know about this. Also, this problem needs to be discussed internationally. We will continue investigating this matter over here.
(K) Thank you Alex. Use your radiation counter, be safe. All the best!
Posted by: Perimetr | Apr 29 2017 2:31 utc | 33
@15 juannie
You're hitting on what to me is the key point of Trump and his reversal of position - what caused it, and how did it happen so quickly? The sheer speed of the change is what has bewildered every impartial observer throughout the world, including in the foreign ministries of Russia and China. Assad sees it all very clearly, and that interview you cite adds to his growing stature as one of the better commentators on world affairs currently, in my opinion. This is the language in which the multi-polar world converses.
I take as a working premise that Trump didn't come into the White House as a Trojan horse intending secretly to betray his entire campaign rhetoric. He simply shows no evidence of having the intelligence for that kind of subterfuge. And I don't think he would have chosen his conservative base for half a decade to share and help create his ideas, and to support him in his race, simply as a ploy. Frankly, that base is too small. He could simply have come in as a regular demagogue and gulled an even larger vote. I believe his turnaround is an organic thing rather than a contrived thing. And his naivety seems to be what we are coming to see more clearly every day - a lack of guile as supersized as everything else in his character.
Pat Buchanan has an excellent view from that conservative base at Unz Review today: The Rise of the Generals. If Trump is simply bouncing around like a pinball on the surface of the game board, in a play of rebounding kinetic forces, then we may even see him bounce back the other way when his generals have publicly humiliated themselves to an undeniable degree, and Trump is left with no policy that works. But he is hemmed in with bad actors who show a propensity to double down rather than learn. It doesn't seem obvious at present where his next ideas are going to come from.
I keep hoping that these events will reveal more of what's behind the curtain. It comes from thinking there must be at least some intelligent greed and self-interest in the background somewhere. But it could be as simple as the banality of evil acting almost reflexively, within a surveillance-glutted security state that has by now amassed an overwhelming amount of power. We shall see.
Posted by: Grieved | Apr 29 2017 3:15 utc | 34
You. Will. Notice!
The Dominant Imperial Media Apparatus ceased its headlong attack upon Trump once he began making war-moves against Syria and North Korea!
They (the CIA) are not called the "real owners" for nothing!
Posted by: blues | Apr 29 2017 3:23 utc | 35
@34
I'd kind of like to see what he's hiding in his taxes before I define Trump as guileless as opposed to thoroughly corrupt.
He's hemmed in with bad actors of his own choosing; although Kushner, a less charismatic trying to be enigmatic Zionist version of Obama, has way too much influence.
Here's another angle: Trump followed his ego; got in way over his head but surrounded himself with generals as insurance to keep making him look like a commander that always knows what he's doing. So really, it's his big fat ego that made him reverse; and this is better than rationalizing hegemonic hubris and aggression as humanitarian how? And I don't see it as a reversal anyway. I see it as someone who never had any kind of conviction to begin with; except the usual: USA! USA! patriotic bullshit and lust for power.
Posted by: Circe | Apr 29 2017 4:20 utc | 36
@34 grieved
If Trump is simply bouncing around like a pinball on the surface of the game board, in a play of rebounding kinetic forces, then we may even see him bounce back the other way when his generals have publicly humiliated themselves to an undeniable degree, and Trump is left with no policy that works. But he is hemmed in with bad actors who show a propensity to double down rather than learn. It doesn't seem obvious at present where his next ideas are going to come from.
in other words, there's no 'there' there. amply attested to throughout his 'reality tv' life.
I keep hoping that these events will reveal more of what's behind the curtain. It comes from thinking there must be at least some intelligent greed and self-interest in the background somewhere.
there's nothing behind the curtain but a counterfeit of the chesire cat's smile. an absolute vacuum, filled by those who currently prevail in the endless daily contention among those consumed by 'greed and self-interest' and sucked into that vacuum, week after week.
Posted by: jfl | Apr 29 2017 4:25 utc | 37
@35
And doesn't someone own the CIA? I always thought of the CIA as Mob thugs and assassins working to keep the bosses, the real owners in power. And here's a fascist analogy: Hitler had the SS. The AngloZionist Empire has the CIA, Mossad and MI6.
Posted by: Circe | Apr 29 2017 4:30 utc | 38
No post on the French Sarin report? Any chatter at all?
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/syria/events/article/chemical-attack-in-syria-national-evaluation-presented-by-jean-marc-ayrault
Posted by: Mark | Apr 29 2017 4:56 utc | 39
juannie Greived
Can also be noted when errant vassal puppets are invited to the white house. particularly Holland after the terrorist attack - in Nice? Holland had some talk of joining Russia in the fight against ISIS. After visiting the white house, no more talk of France joining the fight with Russia. A few random bombing runs in Syria and then not much heard about the French.
Some time ago, when Wikileakes released Vault 7, there was also a so called lone wolf terrorist attack in London. Again, as seems to be common in these cases, the perp was known by and had contact with intelligence services. Made me wonder if the likes of the CIA could get into peoples minds like they do computers. I would guess the CIA have studied psychology far longer than they have studied hacking.
How long would it take for CIA to bring any winning presidential candidate into line - perhaps with a little chemical help?
Posted by: Peter AU | Apr 29 2017 5:30 utc | 40
Le Pen is being vilified in the Reptilian Press as a fascist, yet she praises national sovreignty and disparages imperialism and individualism. Which makes her a person of the left in my book.
Posted by: ruralito | Apr 28, 2017 8:57:39 PM | 27
Yep.
Nothing adds up/makes sense re the French election. The initial election result was announced 2hrs after polling booths closed and closely reflected the pre-election opinion polls. Despite the fact that counting was incomplete, there has been no update of the first-announced result (that I've been able to find).
There's no doubt that the MSM, and its preferred mouthpieces, are scared witless at the prospect of a Le Pen win. And it's simply inane for the MSM to pretend that the endorsement of Macron by such unpopular ratbag has-beens as Holland and Sarkozy will be 'good for Macron'.
According to the bottom-of-the-screen figures in the France 24 election result roundup (2hrs after polls closed), only 69.42% of eligible voters cast a vote. But there is a persistent MSM meme that is was circa 80%+. The whole fiasco is beginning to remind me of a recent epithet from psychohistorian(?) who said (words to the effect)...
"Democracy is a theme park. The levers are all in place, but they're not connected to anything."
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 29 2017 5:36 utc | 41
Add to... Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 29, 2017 1:36:18 AM | 41
The significance of muddying the facts about the % of voters who bothered to vote in Round 1 is that the MSM is attempting to transform ppl who don't bother to vote in Round 2 into a legitimate bloc called 'abstain'. With the difference in reported Round 1 turn-out being anywhere from 69% to 83%, that makes the (flexibility of) the phantom 'abstain' vote a powerful tool for manipulation of the true result.
Imo.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 29 2017 5:56 utc | 42
Peter AU 40
Always remember how viscious the M S M were towards Hillary- if I remember early 1980's - but I recall how overnight she became the 'pin -up' girl - of the moment. I thought she must have sold out, in some way , come under control. This was in the Australian press but I assumed the Australian media was forming their song line overseas.
Posted by: ashley albanese | Apr 29 2017 6:02 utc | 43
Mark @ 39:
"Damascus claims France involved in staging Khan Sheikhoun chemical attack"
http://tass.com/world/943520
"Moscow demands OPCW explain how White Helmets emerged unharmed in Syrian sarin attack"
http://tass.com/world/942326
Russia now pressuring the French on how they obtained the samples they claim prove Syrian culpability in Khan Sheykhoun CW attack.
The National Evaluation (in English) is rather coy as to how the French obtained the samples:
"... France has deployed the required resources to obtain its own samples from the alleged sarin attack on 4 April 2017 in Idlib Governorate ..."
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/syria/events/article/chemical-attack-in-syria-national-evaluation-presented-by-jean-marc-ayrault
Did the French have any people on the ground? Or is it likely that the samples were provided to them by none other than the jihadists themselves?
Posted by: Jen | Apr 29 2017 6:07 utc | 44
@Hoarsewhisperer 41
Official results here (governement site), or here (France TV).
77,77% voted. Micron: 24,01%, MLP: 21,30.
Posted by: Philippe | Apr 29 2017 6:38 utc | 45
Jen 44
France have the @24 network in Jihad controlled areas of Syria.
I have the impression that French operations in MENA are at times somewhat independent of US/UK operations.
Posted by: Peter AU | Apr 29 2017 7:14 utc | 46
Re post 46
Even a French 24 Kurdistan. Had been unaware of that. Take a look at the site and check the 'about us' page I have linked.
http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/aboutus
Posted by: Peter AU | Apr 29 2017 7:26 utc | 47
Does it really matter whether trump came to his warlike ways because he has always felt that way or because he got leaned on? The glass half full people can live in hope that he will revert to the views he propounded b4 his slide into warmongering all they want but I've seen enough of his ilk to know that is never going to happen.
Trump doesn't believe he has to justify himself at all for him to go back he would have to admit he is wrong now and that is never gonna happen. A trump doesn't reflect - a trump is and in his own mind he will already have told himself that he is the big swinging dick of the MIC and always has been.
To revert would be an admission of weakness - a public humiliation that he was played or, that he was once wrong - it just ain't gonna happen; the trump game is all about self confidence and owning a mistake is an anathema to the sort of self confidence it takes for a four time bankrupt to boldly state he is in fact a billionaire. Which he will become long before he leaves the prez gig even a "Thanks rubes" is too much to expect because he will have wiped all that isolationist jibber-jabber as if it were a bad copy on an old tape. His psyche simply won't permit him to recall any contradiction.
Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 29 2017 7:39 utc | 48
Debsisdead 48
Does it matter? perhaps not. Perhaps yes. As I see things, US has to be brought down, either by military means or, by Russia/China warding off US attacks until US implodes.
Perhaps understanding if Trump was simply part of a US establishment psyop, or was a target of a US IC pysop would go a long way to understanding what is happening.
Posted by: Peter AU | Apr 29 2017 7:48 utc | 49
They are so full of it its tragic.
Washington Post: Watch Out, Russians Are Using Humor to 'Undermine the West'!
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/washington-post-watch-out-russians-are-using-humor-undermine-west/ri19698
Posted by: Anon | Apr 29 2017 8:25 utc | 50
Posted by: Philippe | Apr 29, 2017 2:38:27 AM | 45
Thanks for updates and sources.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 29 2017 8:39 utc | 51
Peter AU #49
I have little doubt trump was leaned on or whatever but I also believe that he will never acknowledge that to himself let alone anyone else, as others have surmised it makes no sense for him to campaign as something that made it (winning) more difficult if he planned on reneging soon after.
As for bringing amerika down - well while Russia and China have little reason to go out of their way to support amerika against their own interests, the same applies the other way. That is neither nation is going to risk the problems that would arise from a flat out face tank of amerika unless the rewards clearly outweighed the risk and that could be a very long time coming if ever.
What I'm hoping for (although a/ I prolly won't be around to see it & b/ it with be an extremely costly situation in terms of blood and treasure) is for amerika to do what all such entities do when shit goes bad.
Stuck between a rock and that hard place unable to feed the voracious maw by bleeding it's self-created enemies, amerika will eventually have no choice but to turn on its alleged 'friends'; it is likely that many of them won't initially believe that is what is happening they, (being in the main 5 eyes & NATO partners) will try to convince themselves 'this isn't really happening' but the penny will eventually drop and amerika will discover that nothing can be taken for granted - that is about the time when amerikans will also be forced to acknowledge that it is over, humans realise they outnumber the security guards and the monster will self destruct from - how to put it - internal combustion.
Any other way especially another nation getting into open conflict and defeating amerika will likely result in destruction of everything and worse, will create an even bigger meaner and thoroughly nastier monster.
Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 29 2017 9:10 utc | 52
@44
"Did the French have any people on the ground? Or is it likely that the samples were provided to them by none other than the jihadists themselves?"
Jen ,
The exact same thing happened back in 2013. Somehow France,Turkey, and the U.K. managed to get their people in to Syria to collect samples and then return home , heads still firmly attached. For the proper officials to do this, following proper chain-of-custody procedures and such , was just not possible. Wierd , isn't it?
Some of the "collectors" for France were journalists from Le Monde (!). Rebel-friendly journalists,I think we can safely assume.If you'd read the article below before the KS event,the "deja vu" feeling now would be intense:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/04/syria-nerve-agent-sarin-uk-france
Posted by: Marko | Apr 29 2017 9:13 utc | 53
Who also thinks that the recent Russian withdrawal of jets reflects a concern on the part of the Russians, that if the usa launches a massive missile attack, they could lose a substantial number of jets?
Posted by: Michael | Apr 29 2017 9:53 utc | 54
I'm not saying any of these folks were 'saviours', but at least they offered some hope for a more sensible, realistic political discussion in (Western) Europe, some hope of an increase in (Western) European political 'sanity'.
Alexis Tsipras (Sold out), Norbert Hofer (lost), Geert Wilders (lost), Marine Le Pen (up against it), Jeremy Corbyn (huge outsider), Beppe Grillo ? - Italian Elections by May 2018.
After next year's World Cup, will Putin have anyone in Europe to talk to who treats him with a little respect? Takes a minute to understand the very reasonable Russian point of view?
Is the maverick comedian Beppe Grillo Europe's last chance for sanity?
I suspect he is - but I also suspect he's most likely to be a Tsipras 2.0 sort of character.
So then we get to mid 2018, Putin is re-elected, the very successful FIFA World Cup is run and won, and does Putin have anyone to talk to in Europe? Nope. Of course not. It was too much to hope for, but it was worth trying anyway.
So at that point, with no prospect of any meaningful leadership changes in any important European countries until 2022 - another 4 years away - what is the point of waiting any longer?
Well not much, so that's when I believe Putin's legendary patience will start to run down - there's no doubt, this untenable situation has to be resolved before Putin hands over power in 2024 - best to get to work asap on making sure that's a successful handover.
That's why I believe Putin is likely to sanction sales of gas to Europe perhaps late 2018 and really start to drive a hard bargain at that point.
Until then I suppose we can hope one of these feckless Europeon politicians wakes up to themselves!!
So I ask again - is Beppe Grillo Europe's last chance for sanity?
We'll know by July anyhow. July this year on all the others, and July next year on Grillo.
/~~~~~~~~~~
@35
And doesn't someone own the CIA? I always thought of the CIA as Mob thugs and assassins working to keep the bosses, the real owners in power. And here's a fascist analogy: Hitler had the SS. The AngloZionist Empire has the CIA, Mossad and MI6.
Posted by: Circe | Apr 29, 2017 12:30:01 AM | 38
\~~~~~~~~~~
Well in fact my assessment is that the real western power lies not merely with the big owners, nor with activist ziocons, but more precisely with __a hegemonic-sociopathic, mafia-financial cryptoapparat_. Centered on a hidden operational branch of the CIA.
Posted by: blues | Apr 29 2017 11:20 utc | 56
Re: Posted by: Michael | Apr 29, 2017 5:53:45 AM | 54
If true that's absolute bullshit. It's a war - no doubt jets are going to be destroyed.
If you are not prepared to lose a few jets there is no hope in hell you will ever win this war. Period.
If the jets are destroyed that is the perfect pretext to destroy whatever destroyed the jets.
If you aren't prepared to do that, you may as well just surrender now. I mean seriously.
Who fights a war expecting to keep all their toys intact!!
Only idiots.
CNN is warmongering again. Right now I am trying to get #CNN to tell the truth:
https://twitter.com/RepPress/status/857630971880976384
.@willripleyCNN @cnni @CNN @cnnbrk Please post full Sok Chol Won interview online. People have right to know #NorthKorea's words. #gothere
Sok Chol Won didn't mention any specific acts of US aggression? Where is full interview? Did u edit out anything he said? Only short clips?!
And if Sok Chol Won didn't mention any specific acts of US aggression then WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU ASK?! What kind of BS journalism is this?
24hrs later, no reply: @willripleyCNN @cnni @CNN @cnnbrk Please post full Sok Chol Won interview online. People have right to know #gothere
U should inform the public about the repeated offer of North Korea ending the nuclear missile testing in exchange for U.S. ending #FoalEagle
https://twitter.com/RepPress/status/857990111446872064
#NorthKorea has a right to be concerned! Anyone looking objectively at U.S. actions can see there is a real concern:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL25050A0D4BBB69E2&v=7D7rRK_dbbE
Posted by: Tom Murphy | Apr 29 2017 11:47 utc | 58
@ Julian | Apr 29, 2017 7:36:03 AM | 57
Syria is moving its jets to Russian bases because they are protected by S-300/400 anti-air missiles. Maybe some Russian jets are leaving to make room for the Syrian jets?
Posted by: blues | Apr 29 2017 11:57 utc | 59
The issue of Russia withdrawing some of its fighter planes has been discussed in another thread. IIRC Russia is rotating planes through Syria as a training rotation as, thus far, Russia has been running it's air defense on the airforce existing operational budget. Plus of course fighters are not really what Syria needs - fighter bombers with ground attack capability are much more useful.
I don't claim to be any war expert but I do know that western media beats up issues where there are none and there has been nothing to suggest Russia is backing off. International law is with the Russian defense of Syria and while it may not be the USSR superpower, Russia is enough of a power that amerika cannot ride roughshod over it as it and the rest of fukasi love to do to the unwhitefella nations.
Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 29 2017 12:10 utc | 60
Michael @ 54, Julian @ 57:
Looks like this withdrawal must have been agreed in advance with Syria and Iran, and that it would take place after certain strategic goals had been met. Several of the jets withdrawn also require maintenance checks.
"Russia has withdrawn almost half of its aviation group based on Hmeymim airbase in Syria"
http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12120736@egNews
Russia has withdrawn almost half of its aviation group based on Hmeymim airbase in Syria, stated Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy in his speech at the VI Moscow Conference on International Security.
"The number of terrorist groups in Syria has decreased that has allowed us to take this step," said Sergei Rudskoy and added that "the Russian Aerospace Forces since the beginning of the operation in Syria have conducted more than 23,000 sorties and about 77,000 strikes on terrorists".
He also said that Syrian government troops had eliminated more than 7,000 insurgents of the 10,000-man strong grouping of militants in Hama with the support of Russian Aerospace Forces. They have been pushed from the city by 15 kilometers.
Posted by: Jen | Apr 29 2017 12:11 utc | 61
LXV 20
Bismarck said, "One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans" He was right but I think he was also pointing to the foolishness of allowing the area to draw in the rest of Europe (or the world) to fight over it or try to fix things.
Posted by: Curtis | Apr 29 2017 12:12 utc | 62
mischi 14
Good crticism of FP praise for Macron. It sounds like the Establishment (TPTB, etc) has adopted an "anyone but Le Pen" attitude. The electorate winds up with someone they didn't really want in the first place (like McCain for the GOP in 2008 vs Obama) and a lesser of evils acceptance from many that only continues the evil.
Posted by: Curtis | Apr 29 2017 12:17 utc | 63
Julian @ 55
the anti-establishment Movimento 5 Stelle is the first real threat to the status quo here in Italy since WW2 (yes, there were the communists, but their leaders sold them out). as such, political panic is palpable. but the powers that be are particularly well ensconced, and political dysfunction, being their want(it's now 2 or 3 years that they've been 'trying' to write an electoral law), is clearly intended to divide and weaken the M5S.
but at the moment they're enjoying something like 40% of the electorate...
yes, i know, another of The Great Devides.
Posted by: john | Apr 29 2017 12:27 utc | 64
I'm not so sure that Mr Corbyn is the total outsider that englander media claim him to be. Yes he has a tough row to hoe, but there is nothing thus far to suggest Labour voters plan on deserting him on masse.
I expect him to do better than Milliband in the Midlands & further North. Probably hold his own in London and much of the South. The real question is - how much of the young person vote can he get?
May has got no hope winning any of that and while 18 to 30's profess support for Labour, they also have a habit of not voting. However both Mr Corbyn and his offsider Seamus Milne have been planning for a spring '17 general election since at least the beginning of the year and say they have the infrastructure in place to give the election a good go. Remember it was no big secret that about 25 tory MPs would have to resign their seats once the report on expense fraud came out so of course May was gonna call an election to negate that before the report was published. Corbyn & Milne knew that and have been acting on it.
If the combination of crooked media polls and the fact that standard polling fails to capture young voters which is still most done by phone & circuit switched phones to boot, then it is likely he is closer than most people think.
The media talk of a one horse race is, like the fact terri mayhem shortened the campaign time down to 6 weeks, an attempt to prevent Mr Corbyn from gaining momentum, but altho it's certainly not going to be easy, there is not reason to give up. If anyone can pull it off Mr Corbyn can people genuinely like him as a human being and as we have seen in the two leadership contests, they ignore what the assholes tell them to do/think when it comes to Corbyn
Of course the media are gonna talk his chances down for the same reason
Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 29 2017 12:27 utc | 65
@ Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 29, 2017 8:10:21 AM | 60
@ Posted by: Jen | Apr 29, 2017 8:11:46 AM | 61
Another contributory tho mundane reason is heavy combat aircraft, especially supersonic jets, have a fixed finite airframe life in terms of total cumulative flight hours per individual airframe. Cumulative microscopic stress fractures & airframe 'fatigue' ultimately render an individual aircraft 'End-of-life' re safe operational use, and are therefore meticulously logged. Hence, individual aircraft are removed from sustained flight Ops, returned to RF, and if/when needed, further aircraft, tho not the 'same/previous' actual airframes/aircraft are simply ferried in as replacements, as needed. Hence, routine 'sharing' across total qty airframes fleet in each class re total cumulative actual flight hours flown. Not cost-effective to simply prematurely 'burn-out' a fixed set of airframes needlessly. Just sayin'
Tax Lessons For Donald Trump https://dailyreckoning.com/tax-lessons-donald/
George Carlin – Political Correctness is fascism pretending to be Manners… http://wsenmw.blogspot.com/2017/04/flashback-george-carlin-political.html
Do We Understand the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Employment? http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2017/04/understand-impact-artificial-intelligence-employment.html
Posted by: Rawdawgbuffalo | Apr 29 2017 12:45 utc | 68
Until the U.S. is knocked back on its hind foot; the world will continue to go in the direction of hell...
In fact, there is little more to be said!
Posted by: V. Arnold | Apr 29 2017 13:03 utc | 69
Eliot Higgins... do i like em? sometimes i do sometimes i don't but he has tackled theodore postel and i'd like to hear folks thoughts
again I don't love bellingcat but they're actively attacking postel whom this site references so... thoughts? was a major blunder on postels part no doubt regarding the conflating of two different c. weapons attacks.
Posted by: Au | Apr 29 2017 13:52 utc | 70
Turkey blocks Wikipedia under law designed to protect national security -(Guardian)Users trying to access online encyclopaedia via Turkish internet providers receive ‘connection timed out’ error message
Turkey has blocked Wikipedia, the country’s telecommunications watchdog said on Saturday, citing a law that allows it to ban access to websites deemed obscene or a threat to national security.
The move is likely to further worry rights groups and Turkey’s western allies, who say Ankara has curtailed freedom of speech and other basic rights in the crackdown that followed last year’s failed coup...
@mischi
"Here is that article about Macron's meteoric and mysterious rise"
Funny that cuz Jeffrey Epstein has had a very similar rise from obscurity. Ended up setting up Lolita Island for both personal perversions and as covert Mossad blackmailing op.
What will Macron set up for Rothschild's Mossad?
Trump: major conflict with North Korea is possible. Absolutely. Big, big conflict. Very absolutly. Absolutamente.
Step one toward the absolute conflict: looting own allies/subject. South Korea should pay one billion in tribute. Perhaps, as in old days, Korea should send grain, tea, silk and other craftwork, plus 100 pure maiden for the imperial pleasure? (Chinese emperor had a particular taste for Korean girls, tribute from Tibet, Vietnam etc. had no such requirement.)
Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 29 2017 15:10 utc | 73
@14 mischi.. thanks for sharing that.
@33 Perimetr.. thanks for sharing that as well.. scary!
@44 jen.. your last sentence - that seems a complete given, if indeed they had anything..one would have to be friendly with the headchopper cult to be able to access it.. i see @53 marko has also responded to you here..
@71 outraged.. i have to admit wikipedia is a bit of a prop shop..
Posted by: james | Apr 29 2017 16:15 utc | 74
@74 Wikipedia is great for some things. The facts are flexible when it comes to issues like Palestine, Tibet, Kosovo, Ukraine etc. then it becomes part of the battleground.
Posted by: dh | Apr 29 2017 16:27 utc | 75
Posted by: ruralito | Apr 28, 2017 8:57:39 PM | 27
Le Pen is being vilified in the Reptilian Press as a fascist, yet she praises national sovreignty and disparages imperialism and individualism. Which makes her a person of the left in my book.
No, it does not. Fascism disparages individualism too, the term fascism comes from the word fascia, which means a bunch - referring to a bunch of stalks that individually you can break, but when bunched together become unbreakable. Umberto Eco wrote an excellent essay about fascism and how to recognize it by comparing a political doctrine or system against a list of characteristic features.
But, if you really want to grok fascism, Alberto Moravia's book 'Conformist' is the best one IMO. Goes straight to the fascist soul. That is not dark, but void.
Posted by: hopehely | Apr 29 2017 16:44 utc | 76
Tom Murphy @ 58: Good luck Tom, apprising CNN
of anything true. It's like pissing into the wind, therapeutic, but, never ends well.
Posted by: ben | Apr 29 2017 17:21 utc | 77
Sadly, even George Monbiot is drinking the kool aid, virtually blaming Assad for the chemical attack, bringing Theodore Postol's integrity/competence into question.
http://www.monbiot.com/2017/04/27/disavowal/
Posted by: spudski | Apr 29 2017 18:43 utc | 78
@75 dh... yeah - that is basically how i see it too.. i don't trust it fully, and i don't trust it any on certain topics..
Posted by: james | Apr 29 2017 18:52 utc | 79
@78 spudski... that moonbat, or monbiot dude seems like a first class bullshite artist to me.. "They ignore a mountain of compelling evidence".. i guess moonbat likes the compelling evidence as supplied by the jihadis at jihadi central - Khan Sheikhoun, Syria... good to know... dismissed..
Posted by: james | Apr 29 2017 18:55 utc | 80
re mischi 14
"Here is that article about Macron's meteoric and mysterious rise"
That article seemed to me to be by an American who doesn't understand the French elite system. It's a rather closed self-perpetuating caste, who all know one another. It's because of the entry competitions (concours) to the Grandes Ecoles, which ensure that only nice white boys and girls get in, and then receive a highly privileged education, including well-financed scholarships. Very few of recent French politicians have university degrees, but are rather products of ENA, Ecole nationale d'Administration. I wouldn't say that Macron is exceptional, nor necessarily a poodle of the banksters. He is known to be exceptionally personally ambitious. I imagine that therefore he has managed to worm his way up rapidly, using people right and left. That rather than being used by others.
By the way, I think the system may be beginning to break down. A number of recent ministers actually have university degrees (universities are free entry). Notably Emmanuel Valls, the recent prime minister, but also Sarkozy at one stage of his career. France is unusual in having a double system of tertiary education, Grandes Ecoles and universities, which may have originated in 19th century conflicts between the government and obdurate professors of the Sorbonne. An expensive pleasure, the government is trying to get them to amalgamate, but it's going slowly, academics being what they are in defending individual institutions.
Posted by: Laguerre | Apr 29 2017 19:19 utc | 81
@Mischi 14, @Jen 21, @smuks 25, @Curtis 63,
@Taxi 72, @james 74, @Laguerre 81
Does not Liberty Blitzkrieg suggest the attack on the USS LIBERTY in 1967 ? ...a poll of MOA readers would be interesting. (Coincidentally, the title of the Wikipedia article for this is "USS Liberty incident". Whether mistaken or not it WAS an attack that killed 34 and wounded 171, not a mere incident.)
The writer at https://libertyblitzkrieg.com gives no elaboration of the website title, but we may assume that after dropping out of a successful career on Wall Street, all his writing is now a blitzkrieg for liberty.
See: https://libertyblitzkrieg.com/about-2 and the video at the end.
and: Michael Krieger-Complete Collapse of Everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuaOfCl4EhM
Posted by: EdMOA | Apr 29 2017 20:53 utc | 82
There was a very interesting item on France 24 a few minutes ago, in the wake of Le Pen's nomination of her PM (if she becomes Prez). In a segment labelled French Connection, the hosts discussed the powers of the French President and the way those powers vary depending on how 'unanimously' the Government and President were elected.
The hosts made the point that a Le Pen government won't qualify as 'unanimously' elected (her PM will be from a different political party, not FN) and therefore the PM will share some of the powers normally exclusively wielded by the President in a 'unanimous' government.
The net result of this will be that a President Le Pen will be obliged, by Constitutional Convention, to be more 'consultative' than would be the case if the Parliament was dominated by members of the President's party.
Perhaps Philippe (@ #45) would care to share musings/thoughts on this?
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 29 2017 21:02 utc | 83
Spudski @ 78:
Here you go: Tim Hayward's open letter to George Monbiot on his Disavowal post at his blog regarding the Khan Sheykhoun CW attack incident:
https://timhayward.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/george-monbiot-about-syria/
Strange how he puts his faith in the French "investigation" when the French themselves do not say in their report who were their sources on the ground (the jihadis and the journalists embedded with them) who supplied them with the samples from the crater and other areas in the site, yet castigates others like Theodore Postol.
Posted by: Jen | Apr 29 2017 21:21 utc | 84
South Korea rejects Trump’s call to pay for THAAD system
maybe that will end up killing the deployment?
Posted by: jfl | Apr 29 2017 22:54 utc | 85
@84 jen.. thanks for that... your comment is exactly what i question in moonbats conclusion... what are the sources in jihadi country where it happened? apparently that is too difficult to answer, but we must trust those sources anyway, lol.....
Posted by: james | Apr 29 2017 23:09 utc | 86
Posted by: jfl | Apr 29, 2017 6:54:54 PM | 85
(SK/THAAD/$$$)
One has to wonder what The Swamp thinks about Trump arousing the SK's indignation at being told they have to pay for some Yankee junk they didn't want, need, or ask for?
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 29 2017 23:32 utc | 87
@83
French presidents (under the 5ieme république) never had that much power to begin with: the president sets the foreign policy and nominates the prime minister. And of course the president puts forward the general policy he/she wants to achieve (the “Grandes Lignes”). The prime minister must be approved by parliament, and chooses the ministers in consultation with the president, although I think that is more of a custom than anything, just to keep the whole show workable. Thus the need for a majority in parliament. Most French presidents since Mitterand where forced into some coalition cobbling game (look for “cohabitation”). Even the presidents before Mitterand had some coalition governments (alliance between the various moderate right parties). Mitterand started with the “Front de la Gauche“ - Socialists + Communists, later he had to settle for a right wing prime minister - Chirac, the 1st cohabitation). Hollande stared with an alliance between Socialist party + Green parties.
MLP would’ve a very difficult situation, the FN‘s parliamentary presence is really quite small – and she doesn’t have much support inside the top levels of the bureaucracy. Micron would have the same problem, fwiw. It might be easier for him, as he has the nominal support of the both Socialist and Center right parties.
PS - It is a tradition that soon after the presidential elections, elections are held for parliament; the party of the president usually fares quite well.
Posted by: Philippe | Apr 30 2017 0:51 utc | 88
@james
I'm most certainly no fan of Macron, but imagining that Le Pen would *not* wage those same wars in Syria, Libya or wherever is hopelessly naive. In addition, she would reduce personal liberties and curtail the rights of various minorities.
And of course, she would break her promise of improving the lives of 'original/ indigenous' French people.
Macron represents the (neo)liberal form of the rule of capital - Le Pen the authoritarian/ fascist form.
Posted by: smuks | Apr 30 2017 0:52 utc | 89
spudski ... well are there criticisms against postel fair and logical? can you rebut them? I want to believe theo postel but am trying to let the facts play out here and am waiting for push back on my post @70 regarding bellingcat's critique.
B i really really hope you're on this one!
Posted by: Au | Apr 30 2017 1:12 utc | 90
@87 hoarse
could just be the rump shooting off his mouth again. so it may just disappear. but it does give the koreans in the south the opportunity to back off the missile deployment. to do so would certainly be in their interest. a us anti-missile missile bringing down a test missile fired from north korea might bring on retaliation ... and then retaliation for the retaliation ...
The fighting on Ongjin began around 3 or 4 A.M. on June 25; initial intelligence reports were inconclusive as to who started it. Later on, attacking elements were said to be from the 3rd Brigade of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Border Constabulary, joined at 5:30 A.M. by the formidable 6th Division. At about the same time, according to the American official history, KPA forces at the parallel south of Chorwon assaulted the 1st Regiment of the ROKA 7th Division, dealing it heavy casualties; it gave way and the 3rd and 4th KPA divisions, with an armored brigade, crashed through and began a daunting march toward Seoul.South Korean sources asserted, however, that elements of the 17th Regiment had counterattacked on the Ongjin Peninsula and were in possession of Haeju city, the only important point north of the 38th parallel claimed to have been taken by ROK forces.
Roy Appleman, America’s official historian of the war, relied on James Hausman’s heavily sanitized account of the war’s start on the Ongjin Peninsula. Hausman later told a Thames Television documentary crew that his good friend Paek In-yop (brother to Paek Son-yop) was the commander on Ongjin, “and when the war broke out as you know he was there not only defending his line but counterattacking” (that is, across the parallel).
As for “those who think that the South may have started this war,” Hausman went on, “I think … I think they’re wrong.” Another Thames interviewee, Col. James Peach, an Australian who was with the UN observer group, reported that the Ongjin commander, Paek, was “a get-going sort of chap” who led the “twin tiger” 17th Regimental Combat Team:
“I, I never quite knew what went on. There’s a bit of a mystery still about Haeju, I think it might have been Paek and his merry men, the 17th Regiment, attacking it … We didn’t hear anything about it until the war had been going for a while, and I never quite knew what went on. It’s been said that they attacked there and that the North Koreans responded.”
Peach went on to say that he didn’t think this version held much water. (Note also that if the South Koreans attack, it is “Paek and his merry men”; when the North Koreans do the same, it is heinous aggression.)[7]
[7] I [Bruce Cumings] discuss this episode at greater length in War and Television: Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War (New York: Verso, 1992).
Posted by: jfl | Apr 30 2017 1:17 utc | 91
FYI: I won't post links to dodgy sources, but I've just started seeing reports headlined "8 White Helmets Rescuers Killed in Syrian Airstrike".
FWIW, the story at the Voice of America site* stated, "It was unclear late Saturday who had carried out the attack." *I know, that's why the "FWIW".
Too soon, perhaps, to see whether this story has legs or other body parts.
But I fervently hope that Ivanka doesn't see this story and go boo-hooing to Daddy about it. Those beautiful White Helmets!
Posted by: Ort | Apr 30 2017 1:34 utc | 92
@au 70
looks as though Postol has been confused in his work, again. he must be working alone, surely there are meteorologists at mit who know how to read the conventional wind directions given in weather reports; and on the basis of an incomplete excerpt from this report, it is made clear in that report that the french are referring to an incident that rook place in 2013 at saraqeb. seems likely that he is isolated at that munitions factory.
but these errors do not affect the points he and others have made previously concerning the 'gas attacks' of 4 april 2017 in Khan Sheikhoun. the white house story doesn't hold up. and now neither does the 'new' french story - the provenance of their samples, hence of their whole confabulation, is woefully underspecified. probably the same as the turks.
the burden of proof lies with the accusers. certainly they have not made a case for assad 'gassing his own people' with sarin ... or with any other substance. and circumstantial evidence points to much darker goings on within al-cia-duh, who are in possession of Khan Sheikhoun, and of many 'infidel' captives to sacrifice as assad's 'massacre victims'.
Posted by: jfl | Apr 30 2017 2:11 utc | 93
@93 au
the rump is like obama's third term, with a 'radical' cosmetic makeover. but we knew that before he was elected.
Posted by: jfl | Apr 30 2017 2:16 utc | 94
@70 au
i don't think that postol is a flake. i think he jumped into the 'elementary' analysis of this patent setup in an effort to do what he might to forestall his real worry about its possible outcome. his analysis there is not undertaken so 'recklessly'.
Posted by: jfl | Apr 30 2017 2:51 utc | 95
@95 jfl
Postol has just published a corrected report on the French intel :
Posted by: Marko | Apr 30 2017 2:52 utc | 96
Further Evidence Continues to Emerge That White Helmets Are UK and US Funded Murderous Terrorists Who Conduct False Flag Attacks in Syria
Western Media Cover-up: Well-Known White Helmet Terrorist Was Present at Rashideen Bus Bombing That Killed 126 Women and Children on April 15, 2017
Looking for some good folks to share these important posts on Reddit if possible.
Posted by: Liam | Apr 30 2017 5:16 utc | 97
@89 smuks.. thanks.. i guess i am naive! macron is clearly working for the financial industry which always seem to align themselves with the war industry.. he has openly stated he is in favour of all the bad shit - a continuation of destabilizing or upending syria, and who knows what next - all based on dubious unsubstantiated allegations.. i haven't heard pen holding to the same.. i would be voting le pen if i lived in france..
@90 au.. i tend to see it like @95/96 jfl.. over at sst it continues to be explored.. i do think the onus of proof lies with those bombing and making allegations.. how did they get access to headchopper land so easily? inquiring minds want to know! it just strengthens the view i have held for a very long time that turkey and the headchopper cult have a open running line between idlib and turkey that has yet to be closed... for all i know they could have got the sarin like substance the same way they took it out.. folks don't ask enough questions as i see it..
@92 ort... see @99 liam for better insight on that.. it seems the white helmets and terrorists are in the same camp getting the same financial support from us/uk and etc... @99 links clearly nails this..i doubt very much those pics are fake..
Posted by: james | Apr 30 2017 6:03 utc | 98
Canada Planning for War with North Korea
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/04/29/cank-a29.html
"The Liberals' Korea policy underscores once again the essential continuity between the Harper Conservatives and the Trudeau Liberals in ruthlessly asserting Canadian imperialism's global geopolitical interests..."
Posted by: John Gilberts | Apr 30 2017 7:16 utc | 100
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Hello !
Posted by: Curious | Apr 28 2017 18:41 utc | 1