I don’t think this Skripal incident was staged. They went out for dinner. Caught very bad food poisoning. British intelligence and May’s government jumped on this incident to blame it on Russia. May’s poll number were down, and her handling of British exit from the EU was horrendous. This gave her all she needed to get back on her feet politically.

Posted by: Jose Garcia | Apr 8 2018 17:13 utc | 3

Once the Skripals have been vanished, there would no longer be any reason to keep them alive.
The Douma FF – too little too late? White helmets and the Coventry MI6 asset not working in unison. I take it the Ghouta gas attack was supposed to have occurred at the peak of the Russia=novichok meme somewhere between 12th-20th March.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Apr 8 2018 17:46 utc | 5

Whereas it’s clear that Bojo and the Tin Lady are playing a weak hand badly–and have only been spared by the appalling complicity of virtually the entire panoply of Western media as information warfare adjuncts–which is in itself a stunning and sickening display of power–it’s not clear that Russia has played a stronger hand much more ably.
In sum, the questions, criticisms and suggested avenues of response suggested here, as well as at the Off-Guardian, John Helmer’s blog, the Saker, MoA, and strategic culture.org (anyone who hasn’t seen Rob Slane’s 50 questions there really should), has been much richer and potentially more efficacious than Russia’s official demarches have so far been.
At the very least, can a writ of habeus corpus be filed? It will be clear to most of the world by now that the UK does not want the Skripals to be heard from directly unless and until their statements will not be those of “tools of the Kremlin.” (But it may be that the Russians are not so keen that they be heard from either, until what they will say can be determined.)
I would have to think that this trial balloon to have the Skripals relocated with new identities would be recognized by them as a threat (since at that point they will have been disappeared). If the Russians are hesitating about what they might say, and about having a writ of habeus corpus filed, the implied threat from the USUK might be enough to persuade the Skripals that if they have information embarrassing for the USUK (or for Russia, for that matter), they had better speak out now, before they are disappeared.

Posted by: Paul | Apr 8 2018 17:58 utc | 7

8 the “chemical attack” was part of the negotiations. Trump is talking tough but Russia made a believable threat to hit back.
Posted by: Pat Bateman | Apr 8, 2018 1:08:29 PM | 2
Yes, there is a “strategy” to pretend Russia is a criminal worse than other countries. They even mentioned the word “weapons of mass destruction” again. It is a very real campaign in a run up to war.
This here from the opcw meeting

“It is regrettable to say that our Western partners had tried to disrupt today’s session. In the beginning they offered to observe a minute of silence in memory of people killed in Khan Sheyhun, Idlib province, Syria. We proposed them to hold a moment of silence to remember all victims of chemical weapons, primarily in Vietnam, Cambodia, Iran, Iraq, and our partners somehow felt uncomfortable. [They] don’t want to remember all victims of chemical weapons,” said Shulgin.”

It has become this transparent.

Posted by: somebody | Apr 8 2018 19:01 utc | 9

Is anybody getting the shivers like I am?
Russian forces deployed in Syria, including S-400 and Pantsir-S1 air defense systems and Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighters, have been put on a combat alert, according to reports appearing from local sources in the country’s provinces of Tartus and Latakia where Russian military facilities are located.

Posted by: Maracatu | Apr 8 2018 19:24 utc | 11

If you watched Part 1 of the new “Putin” documentary by Andrei Kondrashev a couple of weeks ago, you may not know that Part 2 is now out, at the Vesti YouTube channel:
Putin 2
and if you didn’t watch Part 1, here it is too:
Putin
If you’re a fan, you’ll find these two videos very inspiring. We’ve seen numerous snippets from the past life of Putin, and anecdotes, but Kondrashev has pulled together more complete narratives and interviews, including with Putin. Kondrashev is the guy who made “Crimea – the Way Home” and was interviewing Putin in that one. They obviously have a good relationship. The scale of Putin’s achievement is almost impossible to grasp, and his sheer humanity is amazing. He came from the honest, working poor, and has never lost this connection, never stopped being one of them.

Posted by: Grieved | Apr 8 2018 20:11 utc | 13

@ConfusedPundit
Sources, pretty please.

Posted by: laserlurk | Apr 8 2018 20:41 utc | 15

@11 Yes, Maracutu, shivers are pretty much a daily thing for me in these times. An “accidental” bombing of Latakia was the spark that finally set off WWIII in the old, but still popular, nuclear apocalypse novel Alas Babylon.
@ all Meanwhile, as all the Mad Magazine “Spy vs Spy” nonsense spins out in the UK, the Empire is keeping busy on the other side of the pond. In late March, a couple of nice folks from the US Southern Command paid a courtesy “friendship” visit to Ecuador:
https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/266769-ecuador-funcionarios-comando-sur-eeuu
Also, we apparently have US troops in Ecuador once again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2nClTjCs3I
During his term as President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa had (not very) politely and very firmly invited US military personnel to go home (or at least elsewhere than Ecuador) and he shut down the US base at Manta. His successor, Lenin Moreno, has proven to be some kind of neoliberal mole who wormed himself into the Alianza Pais and has completely betrayed the Citizens’ Revolution. In less than a year in office, he has wrecked most of the progress slowly and steadily made under 10 years of Correa’s leadership. In the past month or so, there have been three “terrorist” attacks on the Colombian border. These are supposedly connected with FARC. There had been NO troubles with FARC under Correa.
So far, I have not found any English-Language media talking about any of this. I have not found mention of how many US troops are involved. I have seen that there are now 500 additional ones in Peru to help with security for some summit Trump is going to. Of course, the ones in Ecuador are only there to be “helpful” to the country.
Also: RIP Nash Van Drake and his guinea pig siblings (has anyone heard what their names were, if any?). The murder of these pets may just be a weird side story to this madness, or it may have been to cover up and destroy evidence. The explanations for their deaths seem very suspicious to me. Some years ago, I had a male cat whom I let outside sometimes. He got himself shut in the neighbor’s garage one afternoon. I looked everywhere, placed want ads, etc. No luck. Having basically given up, I discovered by accident he was in there after a week. I called the neighbor, who came out late at night and opened the garage up and I coaxed him out. Cat was very happy to be home and glad to see his food and water dish, but he was hardly malnourished. He essentially was no worse for wear, physically.
It takes quite a long time without food for a healthy, well-fed house cat to become “severely malnourished,” unless perhaps there are some other special health problems already or special needs. I don’t know the timeline of when they went in and found him. Two weeks? Three? Even then, look at all the videos out there of sick, malnourished cats rescued and nursed back to health.
I know a lot less about guinea pigs, but similar with them. If they had a bottle waterer mounted on the side of their cage, it was probably kept refilled pretty often. Even if already down by half, it should have lasted a while. How much water would they drink in normal house temperatures in the UK in late winter?

Posted by: PrairieBear | Apr 8 2018 21:04 utc | 17

b: . . . The Skripal’s are apparently alive and well
I don’t think we should assume that that is true.
Wouldn’t their pets have been treated better if the authorities expected them to live?
– if they participated in the farce, they would have given some thought to their pets;
– if they were attacked or simply used for propaganda purposes, the authorities would care for their pets so as to not further offend them.
Yulia’s phone call was weird. Why would she tell her cousin that she won’t get a visa? Now the British are arranging for the Skripal’s to disappear into witness protection. Will the Skripal’s ever be allowed to make a public appearance and face questions from reporters? It appears that that they won’t be allowed to. Either they are already dead or the British fear what they might say if they make a public appearance.
Some mentioned on one of MoA’s Skripal threads that we have to be careful about what we believe and what we assume given that the authorities and press have proven to be biased. Sounds like good advice.
It seems clear that escalation in Syria direct public attention away from Skripal’s /Salisbury. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch (given all that has happened) to think that that was planned for.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 8 2018 21:34 utc | 19

@ 17 — There seem to be lots of weasely things being said about the fate of the Skripal pets. The big, fluffy black cat with amber eyes should in no way whatsoever have suffered such depletion of calories that he had to be put down. I fear he was sent to Porton Down to be “studied,” and then “put down.” If there was a water source –dripping faucet, water closet, most houses have some place a pet can drink from other that his water bowl– a cat can survive weeks. My Maine Coon disappeared, but showed up about 3-4 weeks later, ragged coat, unkempt, very thin, but, when given saline solution by the vet, immediately began to act more normal. Took a while to get her muscle mass rebuilt, but she survived.
An article from The Sun, dated April 5th, has a photo of Nash Van Drake (what a pretty cat), and states the specialist chemical weapons investigators did not gain access to the Skripal residence UNTIL APRIL 4TH!!! We know from photographs that lots of folks wearing moons suits were around for weeks — why was nothing done to care for the pets?
I can’t find it now through google, but I read a comment or tweet from a vet who had made repeated offers to care for the pets. These pets should never have suffered to the extent they did.
Someone in power did not want anyone outside those with enforced silence agreements to see those pets.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5983643/skripals-beloved-cat-nash-van-drake-had-to-be-secretly-put-down-following-the-poison-attack/

The sickly mog was transported to the Ministry of Defence res­earch laboratory at Porton Down to be tested, where he was found to be severely malnourished.
The lab’s top veterinary officer ruled the pet was in so much pain he should be put down.
His body was then immediately incinerated to avoid contamination from the deadly nerve agent Novichok.
Sergei’s guinea pigs were also destroyed at the top secret military research facility.

(If there is a hell, may these animal abusers end up there with long and miserable afterlives.)

Posted by: jawbone | Apr 8 2018 22:01 utc | 21

@22
The VT site is really slow, but it works. It looks explosive if true.
It links to this video in arabic which shows chemical weapons made in Germany and England (Salisbury!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=0&v=oEhUk73t8BA

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 8 2018 22:22 utc | 23

re krollchem 18

The UK and France are in deep economic trouble

Britain is, France isn’t. Britain destroyed its industrial sector under Thatcher, and has nothing to offer faced with Brexit. France has a vast agricultural sector which they can fall back on. The French like revolutions, that’s why the present troubles. Here’s a video declaring revolution, from my university, if you can cope with the French, note the dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHaV3Hm5g2A.

Posted by: Laguerre | Apr 8 2018 22:31 utc | 25

@ 22 rest of text
The Americans are still being held along with Israeli’s while British prisoners are being negotiated for. Sources in Damascus told us that representatives of Oman in Damascus approached the Russian Office of Reconciliation on behalf of Britain for the return of British chemical warfare personnel.
The shells in the above video are identified as VX gas from British stockpiles.
Russian officials in Syria informed Britain through Oman that they would have to directly deal with Syria for the return of their personnel. We have received no further information since, Damascus has remained silent on how or if negotiations were proceeding.
We do know that US Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a US Army combat veteran of Iraq, met with both President Assad and Donald Trump, in order to arrange for covert exchange, for substantial financial consideration, of captured Americans.
Initial introductions for this meeting were done by VT.
Israel bought back a Brigadier General (they claimed he was a colonel) in 2015 that we know about.
The recent gas attack in Syria, timed as the last terrorists were surrendering for relocation inside the Douma region of the Ghouta pocket, was planned personally by nominated presidential advisor John Bolton and President Donald Trump personally, according to highly placed sources.
Our sources in Russia, highest level, told us the attack was coming based on information they received from US and Israeli prisoners taken in East Ghouta after an evacuation attempt failed.
US casualty announcements in this effort have been released over the past few days as happening in other areas to cover US complicity in terrorism. This dishonors families of the dead, not just in the misuse of service members to support terrorism but in lying to families about combat deaths. This shame goes directly to coward Trump!
“The Marine Corps identified four Marines killed on Tuesday in a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crash near El Centro, Calif. The Marines were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 465, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
“The loss of our Marines weighs heavy on our hearts,” Maj. Gen. Mark Wise, commanding general of 3rd MAW, said in a statement.
“Our priority is to provide support for our families and HMH-465 during this critical time.”
The four Marines killed in the crash were Capt. Samuel A. Schultz, First Lt. Samuel D. Phillips, Gunnery Sgt. Derik R. Holley and Lance Cpl. Taylor J. Conrad.”
Other US casualties were listed as a US Air Force F16 that allegedly crashed at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and up to 6 Americans who the US claims were killed by “Kurdish forces” in the north of Syria.
All died in a failed combined US/Israel rescue operation to remove not only communications and command personnel but also chemical weapons operations teams as well.
Last week, VT Damascus received evidence that Americans, US Army Special Forces along with Israeli chemical weapons officers had been captured in East Ghouta. We were told that not only was a command facility captured with modern weapons but a stockpile of British made 81mm poison gas mortar shells, numbering in the hundreds, was seized as well.
Video’s were viewed by former MOD weapons specialists who identified the green stripe on the shells seized in East Ghouta as VX gas from British stockpiles.
The Obama administration investigated alleged chemical attacks in 2012 and 2013 and advised Syria to turn over chemical stockpiles as a way of discouraging terrorists from continuing to stage chemical attacks to blame on Damascus.
Most efforts had their roots in Britain’s MI6 and its affiliates, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the White Helmets.
The US is currently facing combined military operations against its occupied zone in Syria by Iraq, Syrian and Russian forces. The US has been told to remove forces from Syria or face a wider conflict.
The US and Russia have been at war against one another inside Syria for about a month now.
More coming…

Posted by: oldenyoung | Apr 8 2018 22:35 utc | 27

@jawbone 21
I can’t stop thinking about the curious affair of the pets, as it does seem to sum up the entire story — if for no other reason than that it reflects a wild carelessness with all the reporting, as though everything was being hurriedly improvised. It’s all vague and incomplete, and no one in the media seems to ever bother seriously following up to try and make sense of the mess.
It was unequivocally reported on March 17 that the pets had been reported to the authorities by the vet immediately after the incident and that the animals had been taken away to be assessed. Then the story surfaced last week, after official Russian questions about the pets, that the pets had instead been left to die from neglect in a sealed, poisoned home. It was then suggested by some that the first report was a lie — but in the present cyclone of propaganda, who’s to say which story is the lie? Both maybe? Ditto for all the shifting stories about the nature of the “poisoning” and when and how it occurred.
The only thing that can be said with 100% confidence is that there has been disgraceful and despicable malpractice on the part of professional “journalists.” Maybe, as evidenced by the Skripals and Russiagate, we are living in a “post-journalism” era where journalistic standards of skepticism, critical thinking, and fact checking are simply as dispensable as truth itself. Still, I can’t quite accept that answer. Truth has always had a rough time of it fighting to be recognized in our political systems and I think a lot of us have long understood that the fight is *ours*. It’s just that I don’t recall having such a hard time believing a single word coming from the press. You have to accept some minimal accuracy in the information you’re reading just to get a toehold on what’s happening. That’s downright paradoxical when at the same time you have to treat “journalists” with the same unadulterated distrust as…well, politicians.

Posted by: Emily Dickinson | Apr 8 2018 23:24 utc | 29

“For Russia, how far is it prepared to defend its allies’ apparent use of chemical weapons when its own apparent use of a nerve agent in the UK is subject to so much global condemnation?”
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43691291

Posted by: Ninel | Apr 9 2018 0:28 utc | 31

In case you missed it, photo of the Persian Nash van Drake.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 9 2018 0:57 utc | 33

The Russia military exhibits an inventiveness in military strategy that is impressive, for example the expulsion of fighters tied to a prisoner turnover, a thinking outside the box that would probably be punished in the US military. I “blame” Putin, for lack of a better target.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 9 2018 1:26 utc | 35

@oldenyoung
VT is pure fiction. In the pictures they show a smoke canister, a chlorine gas bottle (industry rather than munition) and the assortment of captured arms. The Americans Brits Israelis have been supplying weapons, some their own, much sourced from eastern Europe since the start of or before the start of the Syrian war. Apart from the Chlorine gas canister it is a haul of captured conventional weapons rather than CW.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Apr 9 2018 1:59 utc | 37

Laguerre | Apr 8, 2018 6:31:57 PM | 25
RE: “The French love a revolution”
I disagree with your statement and would rather see it edited to say that the French would rather respond to dictatorship or tyranny by going to the barricades even if it leads to a revolution.
Macron is a neoliberal globalist who dreams of vassalizing France to the EU and the US as part of a “plantation economy”. As the French say, he is the opposite of Robin Hood. Macron takes from the poor to give to the rich (for example, the sale of Alstom that he oversaw and made millions on the sale). For more on the Plantation economy see:
https://thedailycoin.org/2017/02/10/loving-servitude-americas-plantation-economy/
Your perception that the French socio-economic situation is “great” is a myth propagated 24/7 by the French media. This media is controlled by the nine oligarch families of France who installed Macron as their puppet. These families get richer and richer by the day while the average French loses his social and health benefits after each Jupiterian dictate and move one step further toward homelessness.
Yes, there still is an agricultural sector in France that is falling victim to EU/CETA edicts and dumping of US produce and contamination by GMO crops and Glyphosides. If you get out of Paris once in a while you will note that farmers are having a hard time keeping their farms and some choose suicide or leave for Russia to start again. There are also reports of hospital workers who commit suicide after their patients die of a lack of supplies and medical equipment. I do not have to refer you to the videos of the Macron visits to hospitals where he was verbally attacked (chahute and hue) by doctors and nurses.
In his quest to impose himself as a “great leader” in the eyes of the international community Macron will shed French blood on US led coalition battlefields all over the world. See his troop deployments in Syria and Mali in support of the US neo-colonialism. He also supports the rapid creation of the Schengen Military Project to control any rebellion within the EU member countries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf114pWNxs8
In view of all this, it is understandable for all sectors of the French society to contemplate the barricades and the revolution. Since you write like a loyal LREM supporter, you should well remember that Manuel Valls, when he was still Prime Minister under Hollande, spoke about the civil war that could very well erupt in France.
The link you sent concerning the call for action at Tolbiac is misleading. The students were wearing masks to protect themselves from fascists (Action française étudiante ?) who have beaten protesting students at other universities in France. What is happening at Tolbiac, Montpellier and Lilles is reminiscent of the violence of the Action française group, which was an influential right-wing antirepublican group in the 20th century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Fran%C3%A7aise
I seriously follow the developments in France and despise Macron’s Jupiterian personality and his actions. I agree with those who believe in and act according to the French Constitution. Furthermore, Macron and his administration are illegal and that his edicts border on high treason according to Mr Serges Petitdemange a retired French navy officer (in French) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNL7-SyS6uw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKV3fQ1_9Yc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EElVX44TebU
For specifics on the high treason see “Macron doit être renversé.”
“on haute trahison par une oilgarchie” (in French)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An-NCoprALE
Discussion on the political situation in France discussing a totally disconnected Macron (La Republique En Marche… Arriere) Administration (in French):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRqo7-k_zBg
Those who wish to learn more about the state of French society and how Macron is destroying it can refer to the websites of Jean Luc Melenchon, Francois Asselineau, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Olivier Besancenot, etc.

Posted by: Krollchem | Apr 9 2018 2:13 utc | 39

Posted by: Krollchem | Apr 8, 2018 10:13:41 PM | 39
Thank you, your information is most informative.
I am reading that the French air force is involved in the attack on Syria that began this evening, by any chance could Macron have exceeded his powers, and if so could the French rid themselves of him on this basis?

Posted by: frances | Apr 9 2018 2:34 utc | 41

@41 frances
If it was the French, then it’s of a piece with the UK nonsense. Proxy fighting has lost, and all that’s left of theater now is puppetry.

Posted by: Grieved | Apr 9 2018 2:47 utc | 43

@ gome with the ZH link about recent Syria attack
I read the posting and expect a Russian response soon, if it hasn’t happened already…..that or the bully has succeeded again.
Yeah, WWIII is clearly underway. Lets hope it is not extinction oriented but evolutionary in nature.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 9 2018 3:16 utc | 45

The attack on T4 looks to be Israeli planes launching missiles from the Lebanon border.
Eight missiles shot down apparently.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Apr 9 2018 3:38 utc | 47

Russia/Syria continue to maintain the strategic advantage, but there is a major threat of a concerted effort by France, Israel, UK, USA to hit hard. Russia might be forced to either strike back, or wait and see while allies take major casualties.
I hate to say it, but WW3 might be the ultimate result of this. The level of cravenness from the West may not be negotiable, and a point of no return lies somewhere amidst all of these provocations. The problem is there are lots of people in decide positions that may actually want Thermonuclear war to happen, I think

Posted by: aaaa | Apr 9 2018 3:51 utc | 49

somebody @ 9 said:”It is a very real campaign in a run up to war.”
At the very least, a run up to increased profits for the MIC community..

Posted by: ben | Apr 9 2018 4:09 utc | 51

“Trump Fought Fire Safety Laws And Never Installed Sprinklers on Residential Floors of Trump Tower”
From Alternet:
https://www.alternet.org/trump-trauma/trump-fought-fire-legislation-and-refused-install-sprinklers-residential-floors-trump

Posted by: ben | Apr 9 2018 4:15 utc | 53

From Consortium News:
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/04/05/gaza-protesters-murdered-by-israeli-forces/
And nary a peep from American MSM.

Posted by: ben | Apr 9 2018 4:20 utc | 55

“”Massive Explosions” Heard Above Syria Amid Reports Of Fighter Jets Aistrikes; Pentagon Denies …” (ZH)
Sounds more like some more public ‘sock and bore’ wing-jockey sound-barrier antics in progress.
We need to remember that it’s not just a war going on … it’s also an exorcism in progress (at a regional & global scale).

Posted by: imo | Apr 9 2018 4:33 utc | 57

More optimism if you want it from M K Bhadrakumar. A ‘dream come true’ seeing India and Pakistan cooperating on security concerns at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/author/bhadrakumaranrediffmailcom/

Posted by: fairleft | Apr 9 2018 5:04 utc | 59

@60, I feel like the Daily Mail, having the reputation of a tabloid, can get away with publishing stuff like this from time to time that Guardian or BBC would never publish, as the Daily Mail itself isn’t taken seriously anyway.

Posted by: George Lane | Apr 9 2018 5:33 utc | 61

You’d hafta fancy the israeli butchers as being the most likely culprits of this attack. If it were from US ship or plane then Russia shooting it down, blowing it out of the water will be deemed to be fair enough by all, but the ethnic cleansers will get a pass from the UN especially if they do the usual lie routine they’ve become so notorious for.
Then it will be “poor little israel – see what those mean Russian bullies have done”. and of course Russia has its own zionist problem. Russian zionists will create a furor if Russia retaliates.
That will be the coalition of the incompetent’s thinking at least

Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 9 2018 5:48 utc | 63

Is the growing deluge of Fake News in the Christian (Colonial) World about to surpass the Biblical Proportions benchmark?

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 9 2018 6:03 utc | 65

Russian prosecutor publishes correspondence with Theresa May as Home Secretary on Russian Exiles

Posted by: somebody | Apr 9 2018 9:45 utc | 67

Grieved says:
I believe with all of my reasoning that this is evolution and not extinction
well, aside from the extinction of 200,000 (and counting) SAA soldiers and god knows how many Syrian civilians, you could be right. but then, the view you take is so long and so draped with biblical bunting, that it winds up in the realm of prophesy.
i mean, what was it you were telling us a few months back? i’m paraphrasing, but it was something like, “the meek shall inherit the earth,” and i thought, gosh, haven’t i heard that one somewhere before?

Posted by: john | Apr 9 2018 11:01 utc | 69

I’ve had it with the SOHR
How does the SOHR know how many Iranians and Hezbollah members were killed at the T4 airbase this morning by Israel?
How does the SOHR know how many civilians were killed in Ghouta or people killed in an alleged chemical attack in Douma?
They must have an army of field correspondents to get such precise numbers and in real-time. This just shows how the MSM just craves numbers from an authoritative sounding agency. I can’t believe the MSM falls for this. Why not claim that Korean nuclear engineers were among the casualties since they are pulling numbers out of their rear end.
I wish I could call myself the OSSC ‘Official Syrian Scoring Corp’ and have the MSM hang on my every word.

Posted by: Christian Chuba | Apr 9 2018 11:59 utc | 71

I will never get used to how easily sentiment can be stirred up by propaganda (America) against some victims of geopolitical violence (Syria) and almost completely occlude others (Palestine). we are a sick and twisted people. so I make what I can in response: https://youtu.be/FS2XBqZQtQQ

Posted by: lizard | Apr 9 2018 12:48 utc | 73

@CC 71
The SOHR is a one-man show, a clothier in Coventry here. Forget him.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 9 2018 13:20 utc | 75

NATO is being threatened from within, according to one observer. “The mounting authoritarianism in Hungary, Poland, and Turkey likely poses the greatest internal threat to the nato alliance in its history.”. . .here

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 9 2018 13:30 utc | 77

We see this sort of headline now….
“Kim Jong Un willing to discuss getting rid of North Korea’s nukes, US says”
..but actually what Kim wants to discuss is “denuclearization.”
The difference is explained here. In a nutshell, Kim reportedly is committed to denuclearization. But when he does so, he is not offering to abandon the bomb, at least not without very big changes like the withdrawal of American troops from the Korean Peninsula and the signing of a peace treaty.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 9 2018 13:48 utc | 79

In a nutshell, Kim reportedly is committed to denuclearization. But when he does so, he is not offering to abandon the bomb, at least not without very big changes like the withdrawal of American troops from the Korean Peninsula and the signing of a peace treaty.
Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 9, 2018 9:48:19 AM | 79
Importantly, that position is exactly what China wants, and Russia would have nothing against it either. Both neighbor powers were not particularly pleased with the energetic nuclear + missile program of DPRK, but now Kim can be on the same wavelength with them. So Boltonian ideas of forcing DPRK to submission by isolation and threats loose even modicum of plausibility. Trump has to chose between the “crazy hawk” friends (some to old for neo- prefix) and a chance for a historic achievement. Chances for positive development are low, but with Trump unexpected may happen. Someone quipped that we need to wait few months for another change at top diplomatic and security positions.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 9 2018 14:21 utc | 81

b,s readers might be interested in learning that his entry about the scheme of poison gas accusations is on the front page of antiwar.com. Unfortunately the comment thread is messed up with long running sentences and broken righhand margin, on Safari at least. I thin in entry too. It’s a shame that this problem repeatedly happens because it discourages readers from following the blog only because of a few idiots who refuse to conform to the rules, I suppose, about adding links. b, can’t you do something about getting this people to change their asocial behaviour or blocking them? I come here every day, more than once, and have admiration for your ability to collect information and interpret it.

Posted by: Quentin | Apr 9 2018 15:02 utc | 83

Craig Murray’s latest“Government Propaganda Now Totally Bizarre.”
The notion to rename them The Celtic Isles has great merit. After the antics by UK government, how can Scotland and Wales stay within the Union and retain a sense of decency?

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 9 2018 15:21 utc | 85

Media Warn of ‘Russian Bots’—Despite Primary Source’s Disavowal
https://fair.org/home/media-warn-of-russian-bots-despite-primary-sources-disavowal/

Posted by: Anon | Apr 9 2018 15:36 utc | 87

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 9, 2018 11:21:37 AM | 85
Also carried by The Daily Express. Things are coming to a pretty pass!
See: REVEALED: The bombshell Russian message intercepted on DAY of Skripal poisonings

Posted by: Carrie | Apr 9 2018 15:49 utc | 89

@Posted by: Carrie | Apr 9, 2018 11:49:47 AM | 89
UKC (UK Column News – 9th April 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrRwxGBd3nk
Patrick Henningsen and Mike Robinson comments briefing with Professor Piers Robinson on the latest Russian message intercepted….

Posted by: OJS | Apr 9 2018 16:49 utc | 91

The stock market is booming. Totally oblivious to the war clouds.
Maybe the psychopaths will hit the T4 airbase since that meets the Israelis did it and it did not trigger a response from Russia because no Russian personnel were there, or maybe the psycopaths will try to do one better than Israel and trigger a war?
When a country has gone mad with pride, self-righteousness, and a feeling of invincibility, anything is possible.

Posted by: Christian Chuba | Apr 9 2018 17:09 utc | 93

Russia seems to be very upset with Israel. No, not that Israel committed yet another heinous act of war against Russia’s friends and allies, Syria and Iran. No that doesn’t seem to bother Russia at all. Nope, Russia is upset that Israel didn’t give Russia a proper headsup. I guess Putin will have to suck up to Netanyahu a little more, if he really wants to get the respect he deserves. A lot more.
Iran and Assad need to be watching their backs.

Posted by: paul | Apr 9 2018 18:37 utc | 95

Veterans Today – Gordon Duff 40% False Information
“About 30% of what’s written on Veterans Today, is patently false. About 40% of what I write, is at least purposely, partially false, because if I didn’t write false information I wouldn’t be alive. I simply have to do that. I write…anything I write I write between the lines.””
https://archive.org/details/GordonDuff.FalseInformationControversy
article plus recording of Duff admitting this.

Posted by: Laura Roslin | Apr 9 2018 18:49 utc | 97

@ laura thanks for the link…astounding that he admits it…
@jayc thanks for the coroboration on Duff///
regards
OY

Posted by: oldenyoung | Apr 9 2018 19:50 utc | 99