nice picture! and an easter theme… happy easter everyone!!

Posted by: james | Apr 1 2018 16:31 utc | 3

How many bases has the US built? Is it more than 20 now? The US owns Syria now. Leave? Well the Donald does like to keep everybody guessing, and it seems the Russian leadership will snap up any bone he throws them.

Posted by: paul | Apr 1 2018 16:39 utc | 5

I was thinking that the US-French switch-up is actually a means of betraying the Kurds. During the time that France is “in charge” (LMFAO) Turkey will take Manjib.
When the French have successfully “failed”, the USA will return to quell the Kurdish uproar.
Just my totally random, uninformed speculation like I give a shit musings to no one in particular because cynical distrust is my default outlook due to the overwhelming deception and bullshit.
Happy Easter.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 1 2018 17:14 utc | 7

karlof1
Putin’s recent warning that a nuclear attack of any size on Russia’s allies, the Global Times recent editorial on forming alliances have, I think, been game changers.
Trump has stated a trade war, but China and NK hold the worlds known reserves of rare earths. The amounts needed for current day high tech gizmo manufacturing that Trump wants returned to the US require Chinese or North Korean rare earth minerals. Trump seems genuine about meeting KJU, so it will be interesting to see what comes of the meeting.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Apr 1 2018 17:50 utc | 9

Peter AU 1
China does not have the only deposits of rare earths. But extraction of rare earths is very expensive so China has been the one to exploit rare earths due to a cost advantage.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 1 2018 18:31 utc | 11

Trump would also have an eye on the upcoming midterm elections. Such rhetoric always helps… delivering on campaign promises, I am. And such BS. There can even be a partial pullout from Manbij to pacify the Turks, and also to put pressure on MbS to cough up some dough fast.

Posted by: meme | Apr 1 2018 18:43 utc | 13

Jackrabbit
I realize there are very minor or low grade deposits elsewhere some of which were worked previously. Possibly enough to supply US military needs at high extraction cost but not sufficient quantities for the civilian gadgets like computers, smartphones ect. I believe one or more of the minerals required for new Tesla engines or batteries comes from the rare earths and they need it in large quantities.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Apr 1 2018 19:06 utc | 15

Two interconnected thoughts on US propaganda and the US Military Industrial Complex :
1) The American people are the most propagandized people in the history of history. This is done not simply through the more predictable outright lies of the mass media but also in innumerable ways including the false history of the education system, the pictures presented in commercial ads that normalize definitions of “Americanism”, lies of omission throughout the press (the liberal press is particularly bad here), the film industry, manipulation of language throughout institutions and so forth.
One of the central themes of this propaganda apparatus is to make US citizens think of things exclusively in terms of “us”, and not of “them.” US citizens may put yellow ribbons on their SUV’s to commemorate losses of US lives- (2 thousand KIA; 20K WIA), but there is little acknowledgement of The Other lives destroyed by US imperialism- (2 million dead, mostly civilians).
Americans may speak about what the war does to the IT’S countries national finances (e.g. taxes), but rarely about the destroyed infrastructures and collapsed economies of the Iraqi, Libyan, Yemeni people etc.
One of the many tragedies of modern Amerika is the complete lack of empathy with the plight or suffering of anyone who isn’t Us- a by-product of being socially isolated from others.This is not by accident. Of course the M$M isn’t going to disturb US with the truth about Amerikan capitalism or US imperialism- it’s bad, not only for business, but for ‘politics’ as well.
The vast propaganda apparatus (including virtually all educational institutions) of the US ruling class and its media accomplices is a major factor in the difficulties Americans have in identifying the reasons behind and the devastating impacts of the non-stop US imperialist wars. A significant part of this brainwashing is in how the idea is beaten into the heads of the US populace that their interests are (and should be) aligned with the interests of the US economic elites and the political class that rubber stamps these imperial slaughters for the profits of those elites.
This false identification of the American working class with the American capitalist state rather than with the global working class plays a huge role in duping ordinary citizens as to the actual and malevolent intent of those who formulate US foreign policy.
This problem appears clearly in the language that the media (including most of the lib/prog media) use in the U.S. This repeatedly seen in such language as, “Have we learned anything from My Lai?”, “We should not have invaded Iraq”, “Why are we in Afghanistan?” and so forth.
Of course ‘”we”, the American working class, did not invade Iraq e.g., that was done by the U.S. capitalist state. This is not just a matter of language. It reveals a serious obstacle, national identifications, and is utilized to whip up patriotic fervor as well as to disguise the reality that those same elites are oppressing the working class citizens here at home in a thousand different ways.
Once it is understood how the domestic repression and economic collapse in this country is directly connected to the slaughter abroad that support for these imperial crimes evaporates overnight.
=========
2) An important aspect to the US Military/Industrial/Financial/Media complex is how it operates within the political/economic system as a guarantor of large profits for the investor class due to the massive and guaranteed subsidy it receives from the US taxpayer.
There is a consistent fallacy throughout the liberal intelligentsia that has variations such as “it’s a pointless war” or “a failed strategy” or “there is no end game” and on and on, which stems from the misunderstanding of the primary functions of these imperial assaults.
Beyond the obvious reasons of plunder the US capitalists have been able to secure the US Military apparatus as a large-scale business scheme which has a large and guaranteed return on investment.
In short the investor class is investing someone’s else’s money (the US taxpayer) for their “enterprise” (Read: wholesale slaughter and theft of other people’s lands and resources) so even when there are losses those are foisted on to the public’s account. And whatever “gains” there are, they flow in the direction of the business class while the costs are extracted from the working class.Of course the political sector (your “elected official”) validates all of this through the legislative processes and it becomes what is known as “policy.”
This is not exclusive to the more “adventurous” US Military/Industrial actions such as imperial wars but also entails an entire web of activities both foreign and domestic that create “investment opportunities” for Wall St. Any and everything from massive boondoggles like the F-35 to more “modest” programs like radio systems, high frequency antennas, BMS software, data terminals, touch tablets, field service representatives, and of course all of the training for installation, operation and maintenance.
So you see all of this is done quite legally (with legality being defined within and by a corrupt system) and all of this is maintained through a massive propaganda system that hides the mechanics and realities of the how’s and why’s of what a Trillion Dollars a Year War Department really entails.

Posted by: Allen | Apr 1 2018 19:35 utc | 17

Let me be the first to propose a caption for the picture B posted!
I suggest this is the UN Security Council membership after the US, the UK and France have been ejected permanently by majority vote of all UN members for their roles in destabilising a fellow UN member state (Syria).
Remaining UN Security Council members contemplate the mess those three ex-members leave behind.

Posted by: Jen | Apr 1 2018 20:33 utc | 19

Allen @17–
Quite nice, your review; but, the cultivation of the egoism you describe’s been ongoing since the English and French invasion of North America–it’s not just a phenomenon that arose at the beginning of the 20th century.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 1 2018 21:02 utc | 21

Jen @19:
I was thinking of, “nom nom nom” for the caption.   You can thank my niece for that.   LOL
Happy Easter everyone!

Posted by: Ian | Apr 1 2018 21:14 utc | 23

A party for the friends of Syria just before the bear scattered the mice. Syria being the cheese.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Apr 1 2018 21:34 utc | 25

I see that james has been banned from SST (Sic Semper Tyrannis)! I thought james was very plucky to get out there into Colonel Lang’s choppy waters knowing full well he wasn’t wanted there and continually hit the colonel with a bit of the james jazz. It was only a matter of time. He has now banned everyone except b., who he sort of hates but respects – of course – and his usual cohorts.
I ventured in myself a handful of times, but quickly withdrew. Once, when he was discussing the deep state I wrote that I had always thought he was the deep state. This fed into his ego and he chuckled at my supposed naivety.
Lang comes from a section of the US military that might seem totally at odds with the neocons, but is it really? It is rebelling against a Zionist controlled Middle East policy, rather than an American interest Middle East policy and that is as far as it gets. Lang keeps challenging b. about why he hates America so much, as if almost fascinated about how or why someone as intelligent as b. could possibly “hate America” (his words).

Posted by: Lochearn | Apr 1 2018 21:44 utc | 27

28
And nobody else is capable of logging into that account? Most of the photos of her plus three photos of them dining out together on three separate occasions, I think would have come from that account.
An entity called east2west news have been providing the photos, so I would guess that is who accessed the account on the seventh. It was also March 7 when news headlines first stated the Skripal’s had been poisoned by Russia.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Apr 1 2018 22:29 utc | 29

Report about a new resistance group specifically formed to attack Imperial forces within Syria. The game is changing. This group will certainly give a push to Trump’s wish to withdraw Imperial forces. Will its existence be reported by the west’s Propaganda System?

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 2 2018 0:08 utc | 31

More on the rise of resistance groups from Canthama:
“As mentioned many times in the past 2 years on Raqqa and Hasaka Province, as soon as the locals feel the Syrian Government would gain the upper hand on the war of aggression against the Syrians, they would start to revolt, slowly at the beginning against the occupiers and against any form of Government not aligned to the central Syrian Government. The past few days we have seen events happening in eastern Deir ez Zour and Raqqa that may indicate an organized movement is in progress, the US and British soldiers killed near Manbij, the shelling of Brigade 93 in Raqqa, occupied by the US regime, the check points captured south of Raqqa city from SDF etc…many activities that leads us toward the conclusion that a organized popular movement is in progress. We will hear much more of this in the up coming weeks and months, locals not aligned to the US/SDF project, and they include Syrian Arab, Kurds and Assyrians will be slowly taking action to their hands.”

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 2 2018 0:29 utc | 33

Allen @ 17: Nice take, I agree, thanks..
b said:”But the only reason why Iran is playing a security role in Syria at all is the attack on and occupation of that country by foreign forces. When the attacks stop and the occupiers leave Iran will no longer have such a role. The real intent of those who argue otherwise is ‘regime change’ in Syria and in Iran.”
Right on target b..
Mid-term elections coming, and the empire’s latest puppet WILL initiate a new war to bolster his appearance as a “war time” leader ala Thatcher, Clinton, Reagan and both Bushes. And, the dumb asses in the U$A will fall for it…

Posted by: ben | Apr 2 2018 1:25 utc | 35

news headline:
Graham: US leaving Syria would be ‘single worst decision’ Trump could make — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday cautioned President Trump against pulling American troops out of Syria, saying that doing so would be “a disaster in the making.”
Which means it’s probably a good idea. The claim in Washington is that Obama made a mistake in pulling troops out of Iraq. In fact, he had no choice because Bush-II had signed a treaty (w/o Senate advice & consent) to pull out in December 2010. So it was done. Obama had no choice.
Syria isn’t the same, but it’s similar. Again the US has supported anti-government forces and invaded a foreign country, destroyed part of it while killing, injuring and displacing millions of people. The locals want the US out. Wouldn’t we?
I’m reminded of what Mike Hastie said. “One day while I was in a bunker in Vietnam, a sniper round went over my head. The person who fired that weapon was not a terrorist, a rebel, an extremist, or a so-called insurgent. The Vietnamese individual who tried to kill me was a citizen of Vietnam, who did not want me in his country. This truth escapes millions.” –Mike Hastie, U.S. Army Medic, Vietnam 1970-71

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 2 2018 1:52 utc | 37

Rob Slane has 20 more questions on Skripal:
Here’s #4:
In her statement to the House of Commons on 12th March 2018, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May stated the following:

“It is now clear that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia. This is part of a group of nerve agents known as ‘Novichok‘. Based on the positive identification of this chemical agent by world-leading experts at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down” [my emphasis added].

In the judgement at the High Court on 22nd March on whether to allow blood samples to be taken from Sergei and Yulia Skripal for examination by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), evidence submitted by Porton Down to the court (Section 17 i) stated the following:

“Blood samples from Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal were analysed and the findings indicated exposure to a nerve agent or related compound. The samples tested positive for the presence of a Novichok class nerve agent or closely related agent” [my emphasis added].

So the Prime Minister said that Porton Down had positively identified the substance as a Novichok nerve agent. The statement from Porton Down says that their tests indicated that it was a Novichok agent or closely related agent. Are these two statements saying exactly the same thing? . .here

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 2 2018 2:22 utc | 39

@27 lochearn… thanks! lol too! pat is so attached to america is great, he is kind of fumbling at this point given the circumstances he knows full well the usa is responsible for, especially with regard to syria.. and he knows israel is an influence that the usa can’t seem to get out from under… on some basic level he seems very unhappy to have spent his years supporting the very same structure he realizes is rotten to the core… i suppose i would be too if i was him, but i have lived a life very different from his.. i respect his knowledge on military matters, but in terms of understanding a complex issue like life – he is out of his depth – like most people, myself included.. the major difference though is he unwillingness to acknowledge this, or be humble with regard to what he thinks he knows… people who think they know a lot have to be very careful as it is most often a trap they can’t escape…

Posted by: james | Apr 2 2018 3:47 utc | 41

For the Tesla batteries, that is.

Posted by: integer | Apr 2 2018 4:09 utc | 43

integer 42
Nope. Tesla’s electric motor shift to spur demand for rare earth neodymium
Had to look it up again.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Apr 2 2018 4:19 utc | 45

@43 debs.. i agree.. any police report is immediately suspect… i would just completely skip with this bullshit, but it makes for good conversation apparently… as jen here at moa has been prone to say – much more likely food poisoning or something dropped into their food and made into a story to frame russia.. the coincidence of this happening within the uk toxic dagger chemical”>https://www.gov.uk/government/news/exercise-toxic-dagger-the-sharp-end-of-chemical-warfare/”>chemical warfare exercise as i mentioned @8 and as i have mentioned in the past few weeks, is just too too coincidental to not look like a complete frame up on russia on 100 porton down coordinate type bullshit…

Posted by: james | Apr 2 2018 4:49 utc | 47

from my link @44
This shows the price rise when China banned rare earth export.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Apr 2 2018 4:59 utc | 49

Peter AU 1 @ 44
Fair enough. Your reference to batteries was what led me to make the assumption that you were probably referring to lithium, which is another material for which shortages have been forecast.

Posted by: integer | Apr 2 2018 5:17 utc | 51

@DDProfit 16
God told the Pope to tell the Catholics that He just did away with Hell.
You want to kill the messenger?

Posted by: FSFF | Apr 2 2018 6:32 utc | 53

oh god hes pathetic, this is what he have to say when israel is murdering kids:
Bernie Sanders on Gaza Violence: ‘Israel Overreacted’
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/04/01/bernie-sanders-gaza-violence-israel-overreacted/

Posted by: Anonymous | Apr 2 2018 8:07 utc | 55

Allen @17:
“… the idea is beaten into the heads of the US populace that their interests are (and should be) aligned with the interests of the US economic elites …”
The preceding is the norm in all capitalist states. And it’s also the norm in all aggressive military imperialist states for the working class to identify with that military imperialism when working class jobs and relative prosperity seem boosted by that. Some of the examples are Britain, Japan, Italy, Germany in addition to the US. Your “the US is especially x” argument needs more thought, I think. But I don’t wanna discourage you: I think you’re onto something …

Posted by: fairleft | Apr 2 2018 9:42 utc | 57

Anonymous @ 55
Apart from Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn, have we heard from any other US/UK/European politicans and self-claimed humanitarian VIPs, such as G. Clooney and A.Jolie, criticising Isreal’s killing of Palestinians?
Only silence.

Posted by: mali | Apr 2 2018 10:10 utc | 59

News is Propaganda
Except for here, of course.
Posted by: Perimetr | Apr 1, 2018 12:38:08 PM | 4

Wicked! Fabulous video!

Posted by: William Bowles | Apr 2 2018 11:13 utc | 61

@Julian 62
We will leave Syria to you and you let us take care of Iran.
And exactly how would the US “take care” of Iran, in a way that would allow Israel’s survival?

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 2 2018 12:52 utc | 63

Who would lose? Europe, who has lots of interests there. The UK is making it sure that Russia has no heart to help the EU.

Posted by: Mina | Apr 2 2018 13:22 utc | 65

About the photo: rabbits look like pigs to me, I guess because their ears are round. But I must admit they are cute.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 2 2018 13:38 utc | 67

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 2, 2018 8:52:02 AM | 63
Trump has just proposed to meet Putin in Washington according to RT.
If Russia does not protect Iran it will be protected by China.
But the US will not attack as long as Iran has plenty of US installations nearby to choose from should they wish to retaliate.
I think the US are out of viable strategies – economically and militarily.

Posted by: somebody | Apr 2 2018 13:40 utc | 69

@64 Let’s not judge the colonel too harshly. He raised his right hand etc. Comments from b are not bound by the oath of loyalty.

Posted by: dh | Apr 2 2018 14:16 utc | 71

72
:-)) They are trying to rerun the Reagan ‘Star Wars’ initiative.
Russia cried uncle the end of the first cold war, the US will cry uncle the end of rerun.
Or someone help us all.

Posted by: somebody | Apr 2 2018 14:43 utc | 73

@J Swift 74
Yes, and my personal belief is that the iniquities of the “entities wielding the power of one’s nation” including the murder of foreigners AND citizens, the lawlessness, and the corruption, has carried over to troubled citizens who then wield THEIR power, which we read about daily in the news.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 2 2018 15:05 utc | 75

recent news from Manbij, Syria where US and allies are facing off with Turkey and allies.

Master Sergeant Jonathan Dunbar was one of two service members killed March 29, 2018, in Manbij, Syria, by an improvised explosive device.

from a Jenan Moussa twitter feed (good read on Manbij):

Until now unclear who was behind #Manbij attack. No claim of responsibility. Some suggest ISIS or pro-Turkey group but not backed up with evidence. Also we don’t know what coalition was doing in narrow streets of isolated neighborhood at midnight. (curfew starts at 2300 hrs). Also what I learned is that 2 female Kurdish fighters were injured in the attack on coalition forces in #Manbij. They are currently in the hospital.

I know. 🙂

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 2 2018 15:33 utc | 77

on Pat Lang– 76
I tend to cut Lang some slack. He was a young officer involved in Operation Phoenix, the Vietnam CIA/SF assassination and torture program, which would take its toll, and nevertheless subsequently served honorably in military intelligence, Middle East. It’s his blog, he’s a smart guy, he’ll do it his way. Many blogs have no comments, or paywalls, or “comments moderated.” I just quit one of the latter. Nobody moderates my comments (free speech).
You can read of Lang’s positions regarding the Iraq War here
Personally, I blogged at SST for a time. I was castigated by Lang for a comment, who then apologized (really), and I never went back. Lang strongly favors agreement with himself.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 2 2018 15:48 utc | 79

@74 J Swift: “Once you see, you cannot unsee.”
If blogger comments allowed for signatures, this would be mine 🙂

Posted by: Lozion | Apr 2 2018 16:06 utc | 81

The US, having failed at winning wars against small defenseless countries [….]
Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 2, 2018 10:19:42 AM | 72
This slander is a prime example why social media get reputation for fake news. Off the bat, I can cite three examples of successes against small defenseless countries: Grenada, Panama and Haiti (sending president Aristide into exile). This is one reason why I advocate documenting the vileness of the government of Tuvalu (15 k inhabitants, navy consisting of one speed boat, a handful of policemen making up the ground forces), and engage in regime change there.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 2 2018 16:13 utc | 83

a british soldier died today from an engineering regiment
the bbc said he died in the uk an underwater accident they did not say he was on or off duty swimming in a local pond or some such.
caterpillar state of the art tunneling equipment costing 10s of millions of dollars have been found all over syria
a multi billion dollar swiss engineering company had been contracted to dig for takfiri probably the same freaks that did that weird ritual in the swiss tunnels last year.
home of satanist at cern no wonder syriana has tunnels the way venice has canal.
every day british and american soldiers are having accident at home not in syria i repeat not in syria.
who where these folks digging for
why does putin always let special forces,cia,mossad,and mi6 go home
what a gentleman and a diplomat
does he think he will not be gadaffied knifed given half a chance.
gouta seems to have many secrets
most will be masonicked kept hidden
they call it the rules of the game when gadaffi signed up i am sure he did not sign up for a bayonet up the bum

Posted by: monty bloom | Apr 2 2018 16:18 utc | 85

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/18/294871/Books/Book-review-After-the-liberation-of-Mosul-and-Raqq.aspx

Posted by: Mina | Apr 2 2018 16:33 utc | 87

@83 – Piotr, would you care to tell me what’s slanderous about the article you quoted?

Posted by: Bevin Kacon | Apr 2 2018 16:34 utc | 89

@BK 89
I’m as sarcastic as the next person and probably more so, but I tend not to use it in comments because readers come from all over, and have different standards, and may not understand a sarcastic comment, as in this case. Then it becomes a waste of time and blogspace.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 2 2018 16:40 utc | 91

@89 Piotr has a rather dry sense of humour probably not appreciated by all readers. Personally I find it amusing but it’s the old teacher’s dilemma…..should one aim high or go for the middle ground.

Posted by: dh | Apr 2 2018 16:51 utc | 93

@54 john gilberts… thanks for helmers link.. it is an international scandal of large significance..
@64 morongobill… pat lang has lost it… being the gemini he is, he will probably flip flop again, but at this point sst is irrelevant..
@71 dh..not harsh, but seems like he’s putting himself out to pasture… i agree with hoarsewhisperer @76, especially his last line.
@78 dh..lol… that last comment istrue for me… it’s a bit like teasing an old geezer who has mostly lost the script..
@79 don bacon.. i have cut pat lang a lot of slack.. what you say here is very true “Lang strongly favors agreement with himself.” and if one doesn’t agree with him, he reminds others it is his blog and he can do what he wants with it… showing his infantile personality is a part of it too!
@84 peter.. yes to all that..
@86 augustin… “acute American solipsism”.. i had to look that word up!!! that’s an interesting way to contextualize it!

Posted by: james | Apr 2 2018 17:16 utc | 95

@james 95
Lang isn’t infantile, he’s military, a land of singular thoughts in which Lang has been successful.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 2 2018 17:38 utc | 97

Why would the OPCW just verify that the Skripal’s were exposed to Novichok ‘related’ compounds without comparing it to the registered formulations from the U.K. and other countries? If it was Russian in origin than it should not match any of those samples. To simply say, they were exposed to such an agent does not say much.
Operation Phoenix
Yikes, just read a brief synopsis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Program, even if the allegations of torture and killing of prisoners is not true, an assassination program based solely on local informants is ripe for abuse. It sounds like you could be targeted just for living in a village and shooting off your mouth in a careless manner. 80,000 arrested or killed with about half being killed. I wonder what Nikki Haley would think of such a program.
How is this different from the VC going into a village and killing suspected govt loyalists?
(BTW I’m not commenting on Col Lang’s involvement, I do not know anything about that, I was just curious about the program. Looks like what we accuse Assad of doing.)

Posted by: Christian Chuba | Apr 2 2018 18:16 utc | 99