So we had two major pandemic exercises last year projecting almost exactly what did happen with the corona virus. First was Crimson Contagion Jan thru Aug 2019

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Contagion

Then Event 201 the international war gaming of a global pandemic almost exactly like what happened which took place only months before the real pandemic on October 2019

https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/

So why is it ok for TPTB to act like it wasn't happening or it was a complete supprise "no one could have known" and were completely unprepared?

Posted by: jef | Jun 7 2020 14:09 utc | 1

Jef @ 1
A week before the Skripal poisoning at Salisbury U.K. ‘they had a chemical warfare exercise a few miles up the road on Salisbury Plain.

Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 7 2020 14:20 utc | 2

Trump Lashes Out Over Lagging NATO Spending Regardless of what party rep makes it into the White House, the military-industrial-congressional-academic complex always wins, and the wars never stop.

Posted by: Perimetr | Jun 7 2020 14:25 utc | 3

What has happened to the internet ? (Since Trump)
Where have all the thousands of activists sites gone ?

The only ones left are the ones that suit the narrative of the powers that be !

Our lives are being script written.
The sites that are not there plus the sites that are !! That tells the truth. Welcome to trumps mind control sheeple.

Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 7 2020 14:39 utc | 4

National guard is doing the macarena now. Better than busting heads !

Posted by: Timin | Jun 7 2020 15:24 utc | 5

Towns from Washington state to Indiana have seen armed groups begin patrolling the streets after rumors spread on social media about an antifa invasion.

...That unsubstantiated finger pointing has coincided with viral rumors on social media — posts on Facebook and Nextdoor that buses filled with thousands of antifa and anarchists were on their way to loot suburban neighborhoods. Some seen by NBC News featured a screenshot of a tweet by a fake antifa Twitter account that Twitter said was created by a white nationalist group.

Url for article above:
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/klamath-falls-oregon-victory-declared-over-antifa-which-never-showed-n1226681

An actual email from: Charlene, https://thetruthaboutcancer.com

Subject of this email was: [Breaking News] 💣Antifa targeting rural Illinois farmers

So here you go!

We've actually got two news bombshells for you today, both of them compliments of our good friend, Mike Adams, “the Health Ranger.”

First, we have learned that Antifa is now branching out from the cities and targeting rural farming communities across America, all in an effort to destroy farm houses, kill livestock and terrorize "white rural" Americans...

Another bombshell! The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine have been caught red-handed publishing completely fabricated, fraudulent data in a study that claims hydroxychloroquine was dangerous.

The data came from a fake company that's a front for fabricated data, run by a science fiction writer and an adult content person, none of whom have any experience in real science. The whole thing was made up!...

Posted by: Kim Sky | Jun 7 2020 15:27 utc | 6

This also from Grayzone. Most media venues, owned by the extractive wealthy elite parasites of course, have been disseminating this Copaganda about cops joining protesters in solidarity and they refuse to retract and restate once the truth is known. This means, obviously, most media is propaganda.

This is excellent investigative reporting. It's what the press should be and sadly isn't.

Busting Copaganda: The Truth Behind Police "Taking A Knee" & "Joining Protests"

Chris Swanson, the Michigan Sheriff highlighted in the video, is a criminally insane psychopath who should be behind bars the rest of his life. If not for the law put in place to protect his criminal racketeering and human rights violations, I'd do it myself. Together, we should bring him and his ilk to justice. Give the bully boy what he deserves. His comeuppance.

Hi, I'm Feces, Let's Have A Parade

Posted by: 450.org | Jun 7 2020 15:32 utc | 7

The provinces of the Empire come out to show their support for their capital:

BTS, Big Hit donate $1 million to 'Black Lives Matter' movement

Protesters hit Tokyo and Osaka streets with rallies against racism and police brutality

Thousands across globe protest racism, police brutality to honor George Floyd

"across the globe"="London, Paris and Berlin to Tokyo, Sydney and Seoul, among others"

The Empire is alive and well. No signs of secession.

--//--

When the ship begins to sink, the rats are the first to flee:

Why Japan, Korea won’t ever replace Hong Kong

This article is fantastic and I recommend reading it in full. It encapsulates the liberal (capitalist) ideology of the post-war to the beginning of the 21st Century perfectly, in all its contradictions. I won't even post the most glaring ones because they are too much, which would result in a too big comment.

--//--

Liberals literally killing themselves:

Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen calls for reconciliation after mayoral recall vote, politician’s death

China doesn't even have to do anything: those degenerates from Taiwan are already self-destructing.

--//--

Serious news:

Highlights from white paper on China's fight against COVID-19

If you consider yourself an adult, you will read this in full. Don't be lazy, exercise your brain for once.

--//--

European ultimatum to China: give up your socialist system, or else...

China’s state-owned firms remain barrier to EU investment deal

Who said social-democrats can't play hard ball? They behave as if the likes of Friedrich Ebert never existed!

--//--

About the WHO "China censorship" story.

I read it when it first came out (in the Japan Times), and this is a nothing burger. During the first 10 days of January, some WHO officials complained they didn't have the freewheeling they had in countries like Congo (!!!) and that China withheld the genome sequencing for one week before releasing it. If they want to blow some steam, so be it, but none of the stories even mention there were documents being censored from the WHO. The Chinese would only find out the

Posted by: vk | Jun 7 2020 15:37 utc | 8

Too funny. Tragic gallows humor. Too much. Here's Entertainment tonight disseminating this Copaganda. Note it's a black reporter interviewing the criminally psychopathic insane Chris Swanson. This is how malevolent the extractive wealthy elite are. There is no better definition of evil. It's every bit as diabolical as the Nazis.

Sheriffs and Sheriffs's Departments are some of the most corrupt in law enforcement in America. They have incredible power and they weild it like Mafia Dons.

Why Flint Sheriff Chris Swanson Took Off His Riot Gear to Walk With Protestors

Posted by: 450.org | Jun 7 2020 15:45 utc | 9

The media, owned lock stock and two smoking barrels by the extractive wealthy elite, tells us Biden has a double digit lead in the polls at this point. What happens when and if Trump wins in November, if there even is an election, despite this significant lead in the polls? More #BlackLivesMatter protests? Hope Congress will investigate the matter? Blame it on Russia and rinse and repeat the last four years? Seriously, what would happen? I submit nothing besides outrage in the media to include social media will happen. America will get four more years of Trump because good or bad, America is addicted to Trump at this point. Some love to promote him and others live to decry him, but either way, they ALL need their Trump fix. Not that a "Blue" tsunami in November would change the trajectory. It won't. Dems have been in power fifty percent of the time in the last several decades and yet this fascist autocratic putsch continues unabated until we wake up in a few years and realize we're in The Handmaid's Tale.

Posted by: 450.org | Jun 7 2020 15:58 utc | 10

Martin Gugino has had a status change from serious but stable to critical. Very little information is available as he is not married to his partner.

Will they kill a 75 year old white man for nothing? Yes they will. Will they laugh about it and keep saying he tripped? Yes they will.

We are at a standoff. What the people want is the police disbanded. Preferably some thousands of cops should be locked up for their crimes, the remainder shamed, humiliated, sent to re-education camps. What is politically possible is ——nothing. Police are not so much above the law as they are a law unto themselves. They cannot and will not be restrained. Endless conflict is guaranteed. Many situations in USA are like this. No possibility of anything changing. No direction to go but into chaos.

Posted by: oldhippie | Jun 7 2020 16:02 utc | 11

The Handmaid's Tale is a documentary currently, not fiction.
Margaret Atwood somehow attained this.

Posted by: Duncan Idaho | Jun 7 2020 16:04 utc | 12

@ old hippie... and the folks who chant regularly for 'law and order' are fully behind this sickness too... seems like more then a stand off to me... seems like the authoritarians are still in control refusing any kind of change..

thanks for the week b! i don't understand how anyone could read an msm publication from the uk if that sun skripal article is any indication...
the asia times article on india-china was good... the smartest thing india could do would be to separate from the usa, but i don't think they are smart enough for that..

Posted by: james | Jun 7 2020 16:05 utc | 13

it seems to me that on the one hand you have those wanting to maintain the status quo, and on the other you have those seeking change.... some would like a middle ground, but there are a lot that are not content with some middle ground or not sure what that would look like... so, the status quo remains in effect..

Posted by: james | Jun 7 2020 16:14 utc | 14

In UK (and US, and Canada, etc.) the « US vs. THEM » (tribalism) mentality is very pervasive, and is not at all concerned with wrong and right.

In India (and Germany, and many other countries), Stockholm Syndrome has many still convinced that the West is best.

Posted by: Ti-Min | Jun 7 2020 16:43 utc | 15

Could not get the Miami Herald piece to come up from this link. A Google search on the terms of above came up with nothing. Fuck Google. Using duckduckgo found the MH article, still would not display. But, I found a very good similar article - believe it or not - on Stars & Stripes. Noted there that a reporter from the MH contributed to the piece.

Reading between the lines there, here is what the WH's "proof" amounts to: a number of protesters have been observed wearing hats and shirts, or carrying signs, that allude to Chavez, Che, Sandinistas, Cuba. Symbols or heroes of resistance always appear on some perennial protestors during protests of US policy. It is the very same thing as confederate flags, Nazi insignias, etc. do for white supremacist organizations. One, or several of such, interviewed for the article stated they had been to V recently to support Maduro supporters.

From this the WH jumps to the assertion that "we have evidence of the "illegitimate" Maduro regime instigating violence in US (domestic) protests. Just another page in the non-stop propaganda directed at Maduro. The last line of the S&S piece was a response from a Miami police official that "We have seen no evidence of foreign influence during the protests."

related, personal observation: The last protest I attended in DC while the Iraq war crime was still progressing, the juice had already been drained from large antiwar protests. We marshalled in Lafayette Park, and it was about 5,000. There was such a hodge podge of perennial complaints and groups that it was difficult to tell just what the purpose of the march was. When we finally did start walking, in our little several block parade, I looked up at the people watching from above from their office or residential windows. They appeared no different to me than images of same watching the revelers at Mardi Gras. I had to ask myself wtf I was doing there, and if I would ever do it again.

Posted by: vinnieoh | Jun 7 2020 17:46 utc | 16

U.S. aggression against Venezuela vs attacks by Venezuela

I've come to the conclusion that when one is doing something so obviously vile against another person or entity the more they have to grasp at straws to claim that they have a justification to do so.

We have seized billions of $ of Venezuelan assets and have imposed an embargo in order to cause maximum suffering on the civilian population of Venezuela. The theft of CITGO has denied them $16B+ a year of funds, we have deprived them of IMF funds, bank accounts, gold, anything they could use to buy civilian goods. Our attempt to block gasoline shipments from Iran is well documented. Less well known is our successful attempt to block food and water truck shipments from Mexico.https://www.reuters.com/article/mexico-venezuela-libreabordo/mexicos-libre-abordo-announces-bankruptcy-termination-of-swap-with-venezuela-idUSL1N2DD07Y?rpc=401&

Venezuela has done nothing to deserve this aggression against them, these would fall under the category of 'crimes against peace' from the Nuremberg trials.

So what is our accusation against Venezuela?
Drug trafficking and inciting riots. These charges are conveniently made after the fact of our aggression. These charges are baseless and are freely made because of a feckless, lazy, complicit MSM.

Posted by: Christian J Chuba | Jun 7 2020 18:26 utc | 17

Observation on George Floyd's murder:
Most victims being throttled lose consciousness within about two minutes and cannot resist any attack. The three officers at that time would have had complete control of their prey and be able to handcuff and control without resistance. The first reports had the officers weighing down the body for about 10 minutes which as reports kept circulating went to 9, then 8, lastly 7 minutes (maybe if the bidding continues someone will report 6 minutes). Now that the time frame has been distorted to such extent, the fact that they effectively had control of George within minutes, their acts became acts of first degree murder for the officers on George and accessory to first degree for the other at the scene. Accept no substitutes. Liquidate all legal resistance to justice for George.

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Jun 7 2020 18:41 utc | 18

Duncan Idaho @16:04 Canadians have been observing the Yanks closehand for awhile. Atwood wrote The Handmaid's Tale watching the rise of the Christian right during Reagan.

Posted by: TdeL | Jun 7 2020 19:02 utc | 19

Posted by: 450.org | Jun 7 2020 15:32 utc | 7

Thanks for Grayzone... I love Anya Parampil she hosted RT Question and left now host by Manila Chan BTW Ashlee Banks is back covering LA on Trump's riots.... she was off RT since last year.

I trust, RT, Sputnik, CGTN and XinHua. No TV in the house but laptops.

Posted by: JC | Jun 7 2020 19:23 utc | 20

Earlier this year the Skripal rumor was Australia, not NZ

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8060769/Sergei-Yulia-Skripal-desperate-start-new-life-Australia.html

So depressing that nobody in the UK has the guts to ask questions about the Skripal affair.

Posted by: Dave | Jun 7 2020 19:45 utc | 21

Posted by: Christian J Chuba | Jun 7 2020 18:26 utc | 17

"Drug trafficking and inciting riots. These charges are conveniently made after the fact of our aggression."

It's not aggression by any definition. Remember we are An Exceptional Nation. We do what please us... We will continue sanctions, frozen assets and seized properties anywhere around the world from any nations. Like it or not we are god. We even tell our Coalition of the Willing and partners to detains anyone like Meng Wanzhou and Jullian Assanga.

I really love America! since I first landed in here in the 60s. This country has changed for the better that I remembered. No more bombing Vietnam, we even becomes comrades-in-arms with a commie and enemie Japan which we dropped 2 atomic bombs and now with 5eyes to destroy China, China, China...

Posted by: JC | Jun 7 2020 19:58 utc | 22

Reflections on policing in the 1960's. David Hoffman has just released this brief compilation of interviews with senior police that he recorded in 1990. 18 minutes.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 7 2020 20:18 utc | 23

Throughout the U.K. in almost every small town or large city ther have been demonstrations against the murder of George Floyd and the following police violence!
I am proud to say my nearest city made the news on RT !
https://www.rt.com/uk/491130-bristol-slave-trader-statue/

I can report ther is a massive down playing of the extent of protest in Britain.
This is larger than eny thing seen before in Britain. I suspect the same is happening around the entire world.

Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 7 2020 20:22 utc | 24

Glen Greenwald is on France24 ripping into AmeriKKKa, the Dems, their Russia Meddling trope, and Trump. I LOVE it when AmeriKKKa insists that it's China's fault that AmeriKKKa is run by Swindlers Fools & Liars who believe all their own bullshit and delusions of grandeur.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 7 2020 20:32 utc | 25

What an embarrassment ...

“James Bennet Resigns as New York Times Opinion Editor”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/business/media/james-bennet-resigns-nytimes-op-ed.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

Posted by: DG | Jun 7 2020 20:42 utc | 26

Wall Street is a highly influential financial district but its history is rarely talked about. In order to understand the largesse of Wall Street and the system of global capitalism, it is crucial to know Wall Street’s history. Wall Street was founded on slavery and, to this day, it remains a key pillar in upholding racial inequality and economic oppression.

https://adamhudson.org/2012/01/28/wall-street-was-founded-on-slavery/

Posted by: Mao | Jun 7 2020 20:42 utc | 27

I suspect the same is happening around the entire world.

@Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 7 2020 20:22 utc | 24

Indeed, it is...and most demosntrations in Europe ended in front of the local US Embassy, what totally debunks this could be in any way organized by George Soros...These are migrant people, already national second generation migrants, and the European left, who has nothing to do with the US Democratic Party or US Deep State.
Everybody is fed up of Trump and his racist palmeros, but, mainly, imo, this is a living poll on US and its methods acceptance around the world....

https://twitter.com/ActualidadRT/status/1269675487040659457

Posted by: H.Schmatz | Jun 7 2020 20:48 utc | 28

If British tabloids are speculating that the Skripals have expressed a desire to go and live in Australia or New Zealand, or are even living there already, that narrative surely is an indication of the British MSM running interference for their masters in the political / defence / intel establishments in the US and UK. The Skripals must still be under arrest at either USAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, some other US territory on British soil (FBI branch in London or elsewhere?) or under MI5/ MI6 care - not that there is much difference among the three. They will probably stay imprisoned at least until after the 2020 US elections and Creepy Uncle Joe becomes President (at least until his Alzheimer's condition is too obvious to ignore anymore), and then they can be disposed of.

Posted by: Jen | Jun 7 2020 21:04 utc | 29

Dave #21

So depressing that nobody in the UK has the guts to ask questions about the Skripal affair.

Parliamentarians and msm are silent but there is always Rob Slane A HREF="https://www.theblogmire.com/">here for one of the more exacting research efforts by himself and his commenters. Its worth a detailed examination as he never bought the Govt fairytale from day one and has the most forensic analysis available given the erasing of all public data and cctv in Salisbury on the day and days that followed. Rob Slane lives in Salisbury and was swept up in the Skripal story from his quiet little social/christian blog. He is a legend.

Or Craig Murray of course but he would prefer to be known as a Scotland man not an englander.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 7 2020 21:05 utc | 30

ooooops apologies for the screw up here is the Blogmire

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 7 2020 21:08 utc | 31

Jef@1

There was a third exercise called Urban Outbreak in September.

How could anyone have known was also used for 9/11

a simulation of planes being flown into the Pentagon had been conducted less than a year prior to September 11, 2001 . On October 24-26, 2000, a “hypothetical” military exercise was played out featuring an airline crashing into the Pentagon killing 341 people followed by yet another May 2001 Department of Defense “hypothetical scenario” which saw hundreds of medical personnel training for a “guided missile in the form of a hijacked 757 airliner” crashing into the Pentagon.

Not to mention the Bojinka plot and novels/tv shows depicting such attacks

Anthrax? Dark Winter exercises a year before.

Riots?

2019 February 7-the US military conducted a series of urban warfare exercises in the city of Los Angeles this week. With little in the way of advanced warning, thousands of frightened Los Angeles residents awoke to the sound of low-flying helicopters, gunfire and explosions.The Los Angeles Police Department, coordinated with the military.

2018-April Training exercise by the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment in New York City leading panicked residents to flood 911 emergency phone lines. soldiers were observed zip-lining across city skyscrapers.

Boston Marathon Bombing?

2013- June military occupation drill of the city of Boston in which more than a million residents were told to “shelter in place” while machine gun-mounted armored vehicles patrolled the streets supported by an armada of military aircraft. Named Operation Urban Shield. This was not conducted until after the April Boston Marathon but training for the exercise which had been ongoing for months before the bombing was being done. Curiously the exercise and the Bombing and aftermath itself were eerily similar and both led to “Shelter in Place “ orders used for first time in USA.

Whats coning next? Keep an eye out for something like Operation Blackout exercise run in January

January 2020- simulations called Operation Blackout s for the U.S. 2020 election were held in January , organized by the company Cybereason, a firm led by former members of Israel’s military intelligence Unit 8200 and advised by former top and current officials in both Israeli military intelligence and the CIA, and partnered with Lockheed Martin. Those simulations were attended by federal officials from the FBI, DHS and the U.S. Secret Service, and ended with the elections ultimately canceled and martial law declared due to the chaos created by a group of hackers. The hackers targeted devices and appliances connected to the internet, often referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT) and which includes everything from smartphones to power grid infrastructure to city traffic lights.

May 1, 2020- President Trump issued an executive order declaring a national emergency over threats to the U.S. power system, taking steps to defend the grid against cyberattacks and foreign interference. 

Posted by: Kay Fabe | Jun 7 2020 21:08 utc | 32

Maryland police have charged a cyclist with second-degree assault after he was caught on video assaulting a group of people putting up signs demanding justice for the police killing of George Floyd.

Anthony Brennan III, 60, of Kensington, Maryland, was arrested and charged with three counts of second-degree assault, Maryland-National Capital Park Police said Friday.

Police said in a press release that Brennan was identified after police asked the public for help identifying a cyclist who was seen in a video arguing with and ramming his bicycle into young adults who were posting flyers along the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda, Maryland, on June 1.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8394007/Cyclist-charged-assault-hes-caught-video-grabbing-girl-posting-George-Floyd-flyers.html

Posted by: Mao | Jun 7 2020 21:18 utc | 33

Jen #29

They will probably stay imprisoned at least until after the 2020 US elections and Creepy Uncle Joe becomes President (at least until his Alzheimer's condition is too obvious to ignore anymore), and then they can be disposed of.

Exactly that, disposed of. From the tiny glimpses and reports since their incarceration on the fateful day, one gets the impression that they are under serious imprisonment and won't be seeing the light of day for a long time. Perhaps they will both unfortunately get covid-19 and be cremated but "oops we lost the paperwork" so don't bother asking.

Sometimes I surmise that if they were swapping info in exchange for a favour to return, that part ended up a success and the two "Russian lads" (the bait) or some other link (the switch) took the info home. As soon as the MI6 lads wised up it was too late so they took the Skripals out and covered their rs by inventing an Ugly Russian fairytale.

There can be no other reason to have confiscated the entire cctv from the village. Bear in mind this is one of the most high security villages in the UK with Porton Down nearby and a crowd or resident 'foreign agents (turncoats)' in kept houses. So the official fairy story is badly compromised by whatever was recorded on the cctv that day.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 7 2020 21:24 utc | 34

Powell on Sunday aimed a broad critique at Trump’s approach to the military, a foreign policy he said was causing “disdain” abroad, and a president he portrayed as trying to amass excessive power.

“We have a Constitution and we have to follow the Constitution, and the president has drifted away from it,” Powell said. Trump also, he said, “lies about things.”

Trump responded swiftly on Twitter, mocking Powell and calling the retired four-star general “a real stiff” who got the U.S. into wars after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S.

Colin Powell, a real stiff who was very responsible for getting us into the disastrous Middle East Wars, just announced he will be voting for another stiff, Sleepy Joe Biden. Didn’t Powell say that Iraq had “weapons of mass destruction?” They didn’t, but off we went to WAR!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2020

Posted by: Mao | Jun 7 2020 21:28 utc | 35

H Schmatz @ 28
Your comment is right on target, and respect to you for all your comments!
What we are witnessing is much more than a mere protest. This is a groundswell of revoltion toward the exposed
Attitude and violent culture of these US cops.
That attitude has beyond doubt been fostered by Trump him selve. This situation will not end until Trump is ‘removed’
The sooner that is done the sooner the world will return to peace.
Remember Trump and his thugs in uniform or out, are scared ! And justifiably so considering their crimes.
Trumps power is an empty illusion!

Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 7 2020 22:00 utc | 36

Where's that sneaky Fauchi? We need to beat some truthiness into the Minnesota ME. This from George Floyd's autopsy report.

The decedent was known to be positive for 2019-nCoV RNA on 4/3/2020. Since PCR positivity for 2019-nCoV RNA can persist for weeks after the onset and resolution of clinical disease, the autopsy result most likely reflects asymptomatic but persistent PCR positivity from previous infection. 6/1/2020

Wait... not just antibodies but enough RNA that it shows as positive on COVID19 PCR tests? He tested positive NINE WEEKS ago. Doesn't the virus know about CDC guidelines? Banned on FaceBook!

Posted by: PavewayIV | Jun 7 2020 22:06 utc | 37

Credit when credit is due, Trump is completely right when he says Powell is an complete hack and fraud who helped scam the US people into the Iraq war. Years after his UN appearance Powell's own chief of staff Lawrence Wilkerson, admitted that he and Powell knew that the fix was in to attack Iraq and the information they were presenting to the UN was falsified, i.e. they knowingly lied to the UN to start a war, a war crime (was of aggression)! Rather than do the honourable thing and resign in protest and go public with the truth they stayed quite and obey their illegal orders, presumably reasoning that a competently managed crime would be less damaging then an incompetently managed crime. As it turns out though, Powell was an utterly incompetent Secretary of State who was outmaneuvered at every stage of the conflict by the mad dog crazies in the administration that he thought he was controlling. in the end, all Powell's shameful behaviour accomplished was to destroy his honour and leave him forever known as a war criminal (even if the UN is too cowardly to charge him as such). So, seeing Powell and the lamestream media try to croon about him as some sort of moral authority is laughable and Trump is right to rub all of Powell's crimes right in his face.

Posted by: Kadath | Jun 7 2020 22:08 utc | 38

Mao #34

Yep the military critics have some mansplaining to invent. Speaking of which Trump's team of bumper-uppers and towel boys are in a real lather about James Mattis. See this vent by Steve. This man can vent - I expect he will have an on screen stroke soon. Can't wait for his vent on Colin Powel.

One of the redeeming things about keeping occasional tabs on these guys is they can't help but drop handy gems from time to time. It was Steve and his comenters that placed USA covid-19 dates way back before the Chinese reports. Handy data finds odd quarters.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 7 2020 22:22 utc | 39

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Jun 7 2020 18:41 utc | 18 Most victims being throttled lose consciousness within about two minutes and cannot resist any attack.

A properly done blood choke puts the victim out in about ten seconds and must not be held longer than that or risk brain damage and death. Some police forces are getting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training in order to learn the proper technique, although similar techniques have been taught to cops for decades. If it takes 7-9 minutes to put someone out, that cop is either incompetent or simply trying to strangle or torture the victim.

As we've heard, the knee on the throat is an Israeli method and presumably causes both blood and breath choke effects. But in comparison to a properly executed martial art choke, it is presumably far more dangerous since there is little control using the knee as compared to the hands. It's next to impossible to control the knee in the same manner as the hands and arms used in a martial art choke.

All of which establishes the technique as more a torture/murder technique than a legitimate control measure. It's the sort of thing you'd expect from the Israeli fascists.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 7 2020 22:26 utc | 40

Police killings vs killing Police the numbers with no spin
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database
An interactive database for police killings 2016:
Great website if you are a truth seeker or a cunning liar. A total 1093 killings with 176 people unarmed. I'm not going to delve into race. This website allows you to slice and dice to your content.

Killing Police https://www.odmp.org/search/year?year=2016
Warning: Liar alert, claims 181 police died in the line of duty by counting 9/11 related cancers, accidents, and heart attacks, and other dubious items. Hmm ... didn't say how they handled suicide, that might even cut into their gunfire deaths. If you just count gunfire and vehicular assaults you get a total of 106. Perhaps you think I am being unfair, fine, just warning you to take a second look at these numbers til they meet your satisfaction. Btw I didn't realize how many cops are killed by being run over by cars, that really does suck.

Israel turning our police into golems?
Icky metaphpor for an icky subject, https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/minnesota-cops-trained-israeli-forces-restraint-techniques
But until someone comes out and says where this cop learned the kneel on neck technique I'll ask the question before FOX interviews someone who claims that Hezbollah operatives infiltrated U.S. police depts and did this. Who am I kidding, we can blame heat waves on Iran and our MSM will believe it and turn it into a case for war. I'm ticked off because a federal judge just held Iran AND Syria accountable for a U.S. citizen being killed in Israel because allegedly both countries support Hamas. The U.S. citizen was stabbed by a Palestinian in the West Bank. So there you go, Iran is uniquely responsible for providing knives to Hamas. Tired of this double standard. Using this twisted logic one could easily sue Israel for George Floyd's death. BTW I am 100% against that.

No country should be able to sue another country in their own courts. You cannot conduct a fair trial. It degrades that country's justice system.

Posted by: Christian J Chuba | Jun 7 2020 22:26 utc | 41

#30 Uncle Tungsten

John Helmer at Dancing with Bears has also written some fine pieces on the Skripal's. His latest piece brings light to the Wiltshire Police report that states

"On July 4 – that is four days after Sturgess and Rowley had been admitted to hospital – the Wiltshire police published the conclusion from their investigation, their roundup of witnesses, and from the hospital evidence that the drugs Sturgess and Rowley had taken were Class A criminal and contaminated. Detective Sergeant Eirin Martin was explicit. “We believe the two patients have fallen ill after using from a contaminated batch of drugs, possibly heroin or crack cocaine.” The evidence was so strong, Martin acknowledged that publishing details of the crime was an “unusual step… we are also asking anyone who may have information about this batch of drugs… we just need to know how these people came to fall ill and where the drugs may have been bought from and who they may have been sold to.”

No wonder the bottle of Novichok wasn't discovered during the first search of Rowley's flat. MI6 hadn't planted it there until some time later.

http://johnhelmer.net/british-coroner-hides-british-police-evidence-in-the-novichok-case-as-bbc-prepares-to-broadcast-new-lies/

Posted by: Tom | Jun 7 2020 22:26 utc | 42

Tom #41

Thank you and I forgot John Helmer. He is a legend on this and other matters of our times. The Sturgess/Rowley story was pure D grade vaudeville. If there is one event that confirms the ignorance of the englander power elite and its running dog media, it was the Sturgess/Rowley fubar. LMAO at that one PLUS the utter BS about the 'novichok contaminated' hotel room that the two 'Russian Lads' stayed in.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 7 2020 22:35 utc | 43

like flipping a switch
the mask came off
like pulling a trick
we forgot the cough

fever now will
burn for Floyd
against the pink
of caucasian bois

was it a dream
the Covid-19?
is the show done
until a sequel comes?

wearing us down
shifting our gears
a new set of clothes
and a new set of fears

we think we’re resisting
by playing our parts
we want some justice
while they eat our hearts

Posted by: lizard | Jun 7 2020 22:36 utc | 44

I see from Al Masdar News that the U.S. military has just illegally entered Syria again...Another large convoy of armored vehicles and weapons is moving toward the oil fields. How many other convoys will be "permitted" to illegally enter Syria?

Posted by: donten | Jun 7 2020 23:40 utc | 45

PavewayIV @ 36

Try doing a search on Kary Mullis, creator of the PCR process. He died last year so we can only go by past statements. He always stated that PCR was completely inappropriate and meaningless for diagnostics or for any other clinical purpose. CDC guidance on PCR until earlier this year was that doctors do diagnosis, not laboratories. Doctors were allowed to consider PCR results as a factor, cautioned not to rely on them. In current situation PCR results are the definition of COVID. If the test is allowed to run too many cycles any sample will test positive. And it is never entirely certain how many cycles have elapsed, clock does not tell exactly what the RNA is up to.

Posted by: oldhippie | Jun 7 2020 23:59 utc | 46

Not to forget (as a Vietnam Vet, I can't) that Maj. Colin Powell - after a cursory investigation into the massacre at My Lai - drafted a response on Dec. 13, 1968 stating - among other lies - that "[it] is the fact that relations between Americal soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent" while denying any pattern of wrong-doing.

Powell was simply protecting other murderous gang members (especially his bosses) from justice, thus becoming another un-indicted accessory to murder. The gods are not interested in justice, though, and he roams free.

Posted by: Trisha | Jun 8 2020 0:16 utc | 47

Wow I wish I had know that little tidbit back then when I watched the full uninterrupted UN broadcasts from the Security Council before the war. He pretty much managed to get the US a free pass with his testimony of lies. I believed him and so did a lot of other people. Now his whitewash of My Lai is even on his Wikipedia page. Thank you Trisha.

Several years earlier I got to know about My Lai during relatively brief military education (non-US but NATO) on the rules of the Geneva Convention, it was used as the prime example of when to resist and disobey unlawful orders (I have to wonder if it still is).

If there had been a free press they should have shouted this little fact at the top of their lungs while mocking the US, maybe someone somewhere did but I never heard any mention of it, not even from any of all the people I knew that were opposing the war and who never seemed to have anything substantive to say (a bit like BLM: who isn't against murder and particularly murder committed by "cops"? There's a serious communication problem going on).

I find this so strange that I'm starting to wonder if I have an extremely selective memory. Did anyone here learn about this at the time? Not counting anyone who already knew it well before that time.

Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jun 8 2020 2:09 utc | 48

vk@8 . cn reach white paper site any possibility it can be captured as a pdf and given access from some other place.. ?

Information lock down and website site closure has been happening since Trump was elected, but lately I see a massive array of shut downs every truth revealing information source has viewer access issues..

Seems the Floyd autopsy report has brought from passive to active millions of persons, to help the PTB avoid investigations into the true source of the SARS Covid 19 virus?

Posted by: snake | Jun 8 2020 2:16 utc | 49

oldhippie@45 - Thanks, but they never really planned on using PCR for COVID19 diagnostic reasons. It's primary purpose is to separate tax cattle into one of two public safety groups: CULL NOW (FEMA quarantine camp for dissidents) or CULL LATER (shelter in place for compliant sheep). It just hasn't been fully-deployed yet, but Kushner is all over it. The refrigerator-sized PCR 'machines' (at least in the U.S.) don't do a thing with the samples. The machine just transmits your Social Security Number to the NSA, who replies with your MAIN CORE 'likely to be a troublemaker' score. If it's above some secret threshhold, then you got COVID. Homeland Security is automatically notified, giving them ample time to plan the most fuel-efficient collection routes. BEEP, BEEP! The DHS bus to Camp FEMA is here. Enjoy your vacation.

Posted by: PavewayIV | Jun 8 2020 2:23 utc | 50

@ Posted by: snake | Jun 8 2020 2:16 utc | 48

There's a link at the end of the article I linked, which has another link to the .doc file. Those are the official sources, I don't know if they can be found anywhere else for now because I didn't need to search further.

Posted by: vk | Jun 8 2020 2:44 utc | 51

? to the bar.

Who is doing the policing in US? Who are these military-grade-vigilante-type-no-badge-needed-heavily-armed personnel?

"We don't need no stinking bachess!"

Any documentation on these?

Posted by: Sakineh Bagoom | Jun 8 2020 2:49 utc | 52

Posted by: james #14

it seems to me that on the one hand you have those wanting to maintain the status quo, and on the other you have those seeking change.... some would like a middle ground, but there are a lot that are not content with some middle ground or not sure what that would look like... so, the status quo remains in effect..

It's understandable that the so-called middle class and those above would want to "maintain the status quo" because they see it as being in their interest to do so, i.e. they believe it is the surest way to preserve their lifestyles, etc. human nature being what it is. You probably just need something like 50% of the population to be in this socio-economic group, or think they're in this group, or are trying to get into this group, and the status quo will self perpetuate.

Posted by: krypton | Jun 8 2020 2:54 utc | 53

Sunny Runny Burger #47

Did anyone here learn about this at the time? Not counting anyone who already knew it well before that time.

That is news to me and I followed that event closely (I thought).

I guess that to rise as high in the US military as Powell did,
you must have hosed down a lot of blood,
have good knowledge and tight lips of a major financial scam,
never have rammed a container freighter with a mere destroyer,
never set fire to an aircraft carrier and almost sunk it right on the eve of a critical 'war ending' (ho f'ing ho) bombing run,
have three preceding generations of warmongers in the family,
have substantial friends in Wall street,
OR
know the whereabouts of Ghislaine Maxwell.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 8 2020 3:10 utc | 54

There is an article on AP about how the Minneapolis council will vote to de-fund the police. Sounds exciting! Several conservatives saying its a terrible idea and predicting a mass exodus.

My first thought was: that's an interesting experiment. Let them do it. Some commentators have made a good case that there is too much policing going on anyway, so maybe try less and see what happens. If the experiment fails, they can always reverse course, and everyone in the country gets to know the answer to the question "what if we try...?"

It turns out its actually much less exciting and probably not worth arguing about. Its just an administrative shuffle.

New Jersey disbanded its city police force and the role was taken over by the county police. So not exactly abolishing "the Police", so much as a bureaucratic shift from one police organisation to another. The same thing is contemplated in Minneapolis.

Maybe it gets rid of some entrenched corruption; maybe its just window dressing; anyway, not the revolutionary change the headline made it seem (so good job AP editor! you tricked me again)

Posted by: Deltaeus | Jun 8 2020 3:12 utc | 55

I watched all of the Netflix series on Epstein-- "Filthy Rich" last night. I'd be interested in others' perspectives. It focused on the victims' stories, did a good job on revealing how young, poor girls who are psychologically scarred through family breakdowns, predatory adults and neglect are then easily exploited during their teen years by sociopaths.Very revealing.
However, there was not one mention of Israel. Whitney Webb's work including her recent interviews with Maria Farmer are essential:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADRRgaPwWeo
Watch them both-- the Netflix series and Whitney Webb's.

Posted by: migueljose | Jun 8 2020 3:27 utc | 56

Looks like the military is calling up Trump for his cowardly antics.
Elijah Magnier has this tweet.

Perhaps the deep state prefers a demented marionette rather than a golden haired one. This strengthens my surmise that the Biden Vice Presidential ferret will be a special forces or CIA veteran. The democrazis have been stacking the congress with these low life clones for the past few years so there are many to choose from.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 8 2020 3:42 utc | 57

migueljose #55

Thank you for that post and can you give us a spoiler or two about how Netflix framed Ghislaine Maxwell and Les Wexner. Did those two come across as the boss of the outfit or just some people vaguely connected? Was the entire blame dumped on Epstein or was it a shared criminal enterprise?

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 8 2020 3:47 utc | 58

re donten | Jun 7 2020 23:40 utc | 44
It is tough to tell exactly what is happening just about anywhere in the ME at the moment but it does seem as though Syria whose oil resources are quite limited has been sacrificed in order to carve up Libya whose energy resources are huge and high quality, between Russia & Turkey with amerikeuro involvement/exploitation.
Syria is rendered energy impotent as amerika grabs the hydrocarbons, the gangsters holding Occupied Palestine grab a few more choice chunks in the South , while Turkey controls (with Russian aid & assistance) Syria's Northern border.

Meanwhile Turkey & some euros grab western Libya, that way allowing Turkey's Mediterranean energy grab, although probably not in its exact current form as amerika will insist the zionists get a slice. Russia, whose mercenary soldiers have been pulled outta the now loser Haftar's force have been transferred to East Libya.

The recent Haftar al-Sisi cry for a ceasefire will be treated by the GNA with the same contempt that Haftar showed a few months back when the GNA requested the same. Al-Sisi has really screwed the pooch on this one - pretty much like everything else he has touched, and whatever comes next, Egypt is not going to get a piece of the pie.

There are a few questions which remain unanswered. First what is going on with the Russia/Wagner Group hiring of Syrian soldiers out of Homs to fight in Libya? We know that russian mercenaries, MIG 29s and Su-24s have were relocated to Bani Walid, a regional center about 100 miles South of Tripoli, before being shifted once more when the GNA attacked & invaded Bani Walid over the weekend. Why were they there if they have stopped supporting Haftar?

My view is Russia is trying to achieve two aims, 1) To ensure Russians & Turks aren't publically seen to be killing each other, which would have unfortunate consequences vis a vis the Syria sell out. 2) To discourage al Sisi from doing anything rash like sending troops across the border into Eastern Libya.

If 2) is indeed the case, WTF are Russia doing in Libya at all? They're allegedly there for the same reason as Egypt, aren't they - to back Haftar? No. IMO Russia & Egypt's involvement is purely for Russia's (& Egypt's) own ends.
Haftar is a dead man walking; Lavrov knows this so now the issue is what deal did Russia/Turkey cut during those negotiations which were claimed to be "about Syria" .

I reckon Libya is going to be hacked into two, maybe 3 pieces.

There has always been conflict between the two regions (East & West) although colonel Ghadaffi put a mob of effort into patching that up, the traditional leaders of those eastern gangs who had always dominated and oppressed the west, managed to keep the ashes smouldering on the down low for decades. This was also nurtured by amerikeuro and it was the former oppressor families' leaders amerikeuro did business with when Butcher Clinton made her move to destroy Libya.

There are a few choice oil & gas field in the East and oil & gas is the Russian family business, so I believe if Turkey & Russia have a deal that both can/will stick to, Turkey gets the western fields and the Mediterranean prospect and Russia cops a share (a big 'share' natch) of the existing eastern oilfields.

That leaves the south which is currently being exploited, but is alleged to have great prospects as yet untapped. The colonel believed Libya should only ever sell as much as they needed to sell each year, leaving the rest for the future, which is why he had to go. The South is currently trying to be keeping on keeping on, although a major regional centre Murzuq has been getting strafed, bombed & droned since August last year. Haftar has been copping the blame for this because his LNA forces had occupied much of this region, until local tribesman who amerikeuro as well as Haftar, always term Chadian opposition fighters, chucked the LNA out.
Pretty hypocritical if one considers the GNA attacks upon the civilians of Murzaq which happened when Haftar had control of the region. They're all arseholes who need to get right the fuck outta Libyan business.

It has been alleged that the planes which most recently strafed Murzaq were french airforce, who certainly only operate in the best interests of France, so that collection of whitefella greedies can continue to steal the bulk of Africa's resources.
IF you scroll this down a ways you will see France has split with the EU on Libya & is going with al Sisi in backing Haftar. They had hoped to secure a better share of what they regard as their colonies in North Africa than a EU based share of the grab would grant. We can be certain that Macron will be stirring up all sorts of trouble in order to improve the French robbery of Africa once more.

The truth is the Chadian opposition fighters are Toubou, nomadic tribesman whose traditional lands encompass parts of both Libya & Chad. Once again, split 'em up and then they can be oppressed & exploited with much less hassle.

Or you could be like colonel Gaddafi and resource & encourage the Toubou nomads regardless of which side of the border they happen to be at any time.
Tuareg & Toubou have been fighting, another conflict the colonel had put to bed. An internecine conflict between nomadic tribes of Southern Libya, plays directly into the hands of amerikeuro creating the space for Africom to stick its greedy snout into this rich prospect.

Pay no attention to Libya if you have no interest in watching the worst imaginable behaviour from a slew of the globe's most undeservedly self righteous players.
The crimes perpetrated by the assorted 'sides' in Libya get SFA attention from media because none of the foreign backers instigating the destruction of what was the most peaceful, best educated, most advanced society in North Africa or the Mid East, want 'outsiders' to comprehend how evil all of them are behaving.

Posted by: A User | Jun 8 2020 4:09 utc | 59

Pretty good site for thought provoking background articles on international politics : https://unherd.com/

As usually: don't swallow everything blindly.

Posted by: Antonym | Jun 8 2020 4:13 utc | 60

@ Posted by: Antonym | Jun 8 2020 4:13 utc | 59

From the highlighted front page of the website you linked:

The case for national Hobbitism

I can already imagine mr. Roussinos' ideal UK: year is 2,665. A bunch of naked druids circle, dance and make countless human sacrifices to a series of mysterious aquatic monuments, known only as "Trident". They don't know why, or how those ancient artifacts work - they only know they are the idols sent by the Gods that are keeping the UK from complete extinction (apocalypse).

Posted by: vk | Jun 8 2020 4:36 utc | 61

@ 52 krypton.. just random speculation on my part, but i think that happy dynamic will change next year.. i continue to believe the usa is on a downhill slope...

Posted by: james | Jun 8 2020 5:07 utc | 62

@ 8 vk

Re that report in Asia Times on the potential decline of HK as financial center:

I can see that the author is a great believer in the financialization of the economy, globalization and corporatization. They point to Japan as refusing to cut the corporate tax to HK levels and giving financial giants enough subsidies to enact what I consider high crimes and misdemeanors against the population.

It is interesting to read from the viewpoint of the finance peddlers, the ones that buried the world economy in obscene levels of inequality, and turned America's economy into trashy banana republic.

It is beyond unfortunate that the US economy is as dominated as it is by FIRE (Finance, Insurance, real estate). If anything, those are the very sectors that need to be taxed to kingdom come, if we ever want the real economy to return.

I am actually proud of the resistance displayed by japan and South korea to the evil forces of Finance and globalization, including the willy nilly importation of labor, which the writer of this article advocates.

Not everything in the article is obscene, of course, there is obviously a certain favoritism towards Taiwan and a bias against China's way of doing business (China believes that centralized economy is the best way to serve its citizens, as opposed to globalized rampant looting by the multinationals). These are not obscene because this attitude is so commonplace as to be just something in a day's work.

Still, I thanks you for bringing this article because it actually provides an excellent window into the mind-frame of the global financial elites. Indeed, if one were to exercise proper "mirroring", I'd say that it provides a great laundry list of all the things we should be against. We, meaning - the non-Asians, and non hong kongers.

China will have to treat both carefully and competently to maintain HK as an Asian hub. After all, China is not free from either globalization or financialization or corporatization - the triple evils of the apocalypse. They just want to do it their own way, while perhaps slowly taking the shadow banking off on an on-ramp.

Posted by: Merlin2 | Jun 8 2020 6:23 utc | 63

Uncle Tungsten # 31,32. Thanks for reminding MoA readers of the excellent research on the Skripal case carried out over the last 2 years by Salisbury resident Rob Slane and the relentless commenters at his blog 'theblogmire.com'. Recent posts there have been on the subject of the Covid-19 virus, but Rob provided a detailed summary of the Skripal-Sturgess scandal in early March this year at theblogmire.com/the-salisbury-poisonings-two-years-on-a-riddle-wrapped-in-a-cover-up-inside-a-hoax/

Posted by: Coldish | Jun 8 2020 6:33 utc | 64

In 2009 Khadaffi Told the World About the Pandemic Business, He had everything right
https://www.veteranstoday.com/2020/06/05/in-2009-khadaffi-told-the-world-about-the-pandemic-business-he-had-everything-right/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1LUguzOvQo

Posted by: Mao | Jun 8 2020 6:40 utc | 65

@A User #58:

…it does seem as though Syria … has been sacrificed in order to carve up Libya … between Russia & Turkey with amerikeuro involvement/exploitation.

And this theory of yours is based on what, exactly? You never provide any evidence for your claims that Russia is “betraying Syria”, “sacrificing Syria”, etc.

Syria is rendered energy impotent … while Turkey controls (with Russian aid & assistance) Syria's Northern border.

Wow, really? Turkey controls Syria’s northern border with Russian aid? You will have to come up with better lies.

Russia, whose mercenary soldiers have been pulled…

The soldiers are either “Russia’s” or mercenaries. Can’t be both. Look up what the word “mercenary” means.

We know that russian mercenaries, MIG 29s and Su-24s have were relocated to Bani Walid…

No, we don’t know that MiG-29s and Su-24s are Russian. Soviet-/Russian-made? Yes. Russian? No evidence of that.

To ensure Russians & Turks aren't publically seen to be killing each other, which would have unfortunate consequences vis a vis the Syria sell out.

There is no “Syria sell out”. You are pulling things out of your ass and trying to pass them as “facts”, hoping that no one will notice.

WTF are Russia doing in Libya at all? They're allegedly there for the same reason as Egypt, aren't they - to back Haftar?

Russia has repeatedly stated that its main goal in Libya is ending the conflict as soon as possible and returning to doing business with it. There are many Libyan–Russian contracts that were suspended because of the war (not just in the energy industry). Russia is talking to both sides, GNA and LNA. Russia recognizes GNA as the legitimate government of Libya (Putin greets Fayez al-Sarraj and his wife at the 2019 Russia–Africa Summit). The main backers of Haftar are Egypt, UAE and France.

…oil & gas is the Russian family business…

“Family business” is a term used to describe the main line of economic activities of a criminal organization. You are using it to paint Russia as a criminal enterprise (typical Western propaganda trope).

You can’t deny that the West is evil, but since your “prime directive” is idolizing the West/hating Russia, your only recourse is to attempt to prove that Russia is “just as bad”. It’s not. The West blocks medical supplies to Syria—China and Russia send aid. The West sabotages Syrian economy—Russia sends 75,000 tonnes of wheat. Etc.

Posted by: S | Jun 8 2020 6:44 utc | 66

Posted by: snake | Jun 8 2020 2:16 utc | 48
(Information lock down and website site closure...)

Yeah. Last week I Googled a well-written 3-part article from pre-2010 Asia Times called Germany - The Re-engineered Ally, authored by a German defense big wig under the pen-name Axel Brot. But not only could Google not find it, in the first 2 pages of the search result, it deliberately misinterpreted the search by offering results based on words in the search term taken out of context. After several attempts to rephrase the search, I gave up on Google and used Duck-duck-go.

Links to two parts of the article appeared at the TOP of the D-D-G search result - which is what used to happen with Google, once upon a time. However, Duck Duck Go also made connections between the article and remarks I had made about it in an MoA thread several tears ago - despite the fact that I didn't request that sort of info.
Which suggests that Search Engines do a hell of a lot more searching, and connecting, than we ask them to do...

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 8 2020 6:46 utc | 67

Posted by: S | Jun 8 2020 6:44 utc | 65
So you would deny the easily available evidence that Russian mercenaries, MIGs and air transport were fighting on Haftar's side in Libya right up until Turkey sent its soldiers to fight on behalf of the GNA.
Pitiful. Considering the world with one eye does nothing for those who labour under the yoke of imperialism. evidence for a deal between Russia & Turkey is that swap combined with the weak arse attitude Russia is demonstrating in relation to ridding Syria of Turks & headchoppers up around Idlib. All advances to reclaim Idlib have ceased despite the fact it is summer. In fact no advances have been made since Russia & Turkey sat down late last year. AFAIK big chunks of the jointly patrolled (Russia & Turkey) the M4 highway remain closed to Syrian troops.

But don't mind me, stick to the lie that Russia is a white hat not just another greedy opportunist like amerika, england & israel. I cannot be bothered arguing the toss with blind fools any longer, not when the truth will reveal itself over the next few months.
Although I must say your claim that Russia has been supporting the GNA, not Haftar's LNA is quite the whopper.

Posted by: A User | Jun 8 2020 8:11 utc | 68

Mark 4

Where have all the thousands of activists sites gone ?

Propornot still lists them, they provide a good reference service.

Posted by: DeQuincey | Jun 8 2020 8:29 utc | 69

De Quincey @ 68
Nice try !
https://newspunch.com/propornot-cia-ukrainian-operation/
Are you CIA
Are you scared now

Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 8 2020 8:40 utc | 70

@16
We see USA projecting their propensity to instigate violence in other countries
notably Venezuela ; while claiming sand evidence Venezuela does .
That’s basic sociopathic behaviour

Posted by: Brian | Jun 8 2020 8:52 utc | 71

@67
A user : russia is a quasi villain for not doing what A user wants.
Russia isn’t USA to go into countries and kill people to fulfill an agenda

Posted by: Brian | Jun 8 2020 8:57 utc | 72

A User #67

Thanks for that post and let me support for your proposition regarding Russia's geopolitical objectives and the misery of Syria. Whilst I do not think Russia is malign in its role in Syria it is mighty frustrating to see Turkey AND Israel getting away with bloody murder on Syrian people. I am sure Russia has very clear and ambitious global objectives.

Clearly no nation state when confronted with the mendacity of FUKUSAI can be laissez faire or complacent to threats and Russia and China and Iran and .. and .. and .. are all in that position. Cuba has been there since Fidel Castro started the Cuban people's revolution.

I gather that dancing with Turkey is a mighty dangerous past-time especially as one is constantly subjected to twists and turns and one dare not be found with the Turkish dancer at your back. And so it is for Russia in Idlib because at the drop of a hat Erdoghan will drop a kerchief and the USA will rescue it for the Turk. Bad form all round. Turkey has enormous coercive power over all and seeks to gain much much more.

The Syrian Arab Army is about to advance in Idlib and much preparation has been done from what I can read. I gather they intend to push well north and clear the remnants in Latakia and those mountains along the Turkish border in western Idlib. The last few months has given Turkey time to climb down from from its daft perch that it got to a few months ago. The head choppers were given time and opportunity to withdraw and they (of course) did not.

The Russian manoeuvres are further complicated in Libya where Russia finds itself crudely opposed to Turkeys territorial ambitions there as well as in the (so called)Kurdlands of Syria. Libya presents a very awkward space for intervening governments on any side. And there is little to be gained as the USA has achieved its ambition on crushing global oil production in an attempt to elevate home prices, keeping Russia bottled up in difficult military skirmishes and clearing the path for territorial expansion by Israel's mendacious government.

Given that Trump now has the support of the Biden wing of the one party US congress and deep state he seems enabled to continue his anti Russia, China, manoeuvres. Perhaps though the home scene will stymie him somewhat with coronavirus rampant, anger in the streets and the clear global rebuttal of the murderous policing rampant in the USA for the past few centuries. I wouldn't bet on it as I read it now as crash or crash through for the class of 1986.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 8 2020 8:57 utc | 73

Hoarsewhisperer #66

However, Duck Duck Go also made connections between the article and remarks I had made about it in an MoA thread several tears ago - despite the fact that I didn't request that sort of info.

Best typo award to Hoarsewhisperer: several tears ago :)) weeping over g..gle is futile comrade.

Startpage is not a bad search engine and I meander between that and DDG.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 8 2020 9:27 utc | 74

@ Richard Steven Hack | Jun 7 2020 22:26 utc | 39

Thanks for the reply but before my point gets lost, that the police (and the state) lost their legitimacy the moment the police went past the point they could control their quarry without further harm. As possibly interesting as your minutia might be in speedy dispatch, the record is still held by the good Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin's marvellous machine (remarkably irreversible too).

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Jun 8 2020 10:02 utc | 75

A Cult Of Deat - Il Pedante

"To try and understand how and why the general public has been so willing to pay such a high price to address a single risk, we can make use of an analytical tool introduced by philosopher Vladimir Giacchè in La fabbrica del falso (“The factory of the false”). In this work, he coined the expression “false synecdoche” to describe an expedient technique of manipulation of public opinion that utilizes the delivery not of false information exactly, but rather of selected details, which in the absence of all the rest come to represent the entirety of the matter at hand in the perception of the receivers. In this way, it is possible, for example, to unleash hate towards a hostile government by exposing its few misdeeds and omitting its many merits, or to delegitimize a peaceful demonstration of thousands of people by reporting only the violent actions of a few. Since reality is always contradictory and multifaceted, the risk of “false synecdoche” is inherent in any selected narrative. However frequently it is used maliciously, its mechanism finds support in the objective limit of human cognition, and the technique becomes dangerous insofar as the abundance of information creates in its targets the illusion of genuinely grasping the truth in its totality. In effect, a scarcity of neuronal resources permits only a finite elaboration of the facts, so this partial reality is extrapolated to fill in the gaps in the surrounding information, in a process of analogy and synthesis conditioned by prejudices and desires."

Posted by: guidoamm | Jun 8 2020 10:06 utc | 76

S and A User

I must add this: The Russian state has been immersed in the geopolitics of the middle east for centuries and has had 'on again - off again' relations with every state therein and in many of their manifestations.

I was profoundly influenced by Peter Hopkirk The Great Game 1990 as it describes a landscape/politicoscape in extraordinary depth and precision. To get just a smidgen of sense of the region and the players, this book is a must read.

I do not believe for one minute that Russia has malign intentions but rather self preservation intentions foremost and regional stability secondly. Russia's western border is being persistently badgered and skirmishes persist especially from the Polish frontier. I firmly believe that Poland is in exactly the same belligerent, war triggering position as is Israel. Now that is a dangerous circumstance if you are Russia.

Add to that the recent shenanigans of the USA in Kazakhstan and Afghanistan and Pakistan and you might begin to appreciate why Russia spends the immense effort to save Syria from drowning. That move also (to some extent) saves Lebanon from being smashed by Israel as well.

It sure is not a game for the impatient. A long play over decades is needed to move steadily toward securing surrounding regions, building trade alliances and developing succession strategies for a durable peace.

But do read Peter Hopkirk to gain an insight into the acute sensitivities felt by Russia toward circumstances in the middle east. William Dalrymple strongly recommends "Florentia, Lady Sale, author of A Journal of the Disasters in Afghanistan 1841-2 (1844). Lady Sale was perhaps the only Briton to come out of the First Afghan War with her reputation enhanced".

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 8 2020 10:09 utc | 77

re Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 8 2020 6:46 utc | 66
I'm pleased that you and uncle tungsten are also noticing that there is something very wrong with duck duck go.
I noticed this last week when those browsers I use which feature duck duck go as their start page prevented that particular browser from accessing a vpn which had installed a 'plugin' on that browser. (yeah I know, convoluted but that is what occurred).
In the last few days, maybe week & a bit duck duck go has taken to installing a firefox addon called "privacy for firefox' which is anything but private as it claims to utilise an encryption scheme which unfortunately' just happens to negate whatever encryption a user may have chosen to install themselves. We have only duck duck go's word that their encryption is impenetrable, a claim that is fatuous when considering that as an amerikan based corporation ddg is required to grant access to any amerikan government entity which requests access.

Too few people comprehend that duck duck go is just a google piece on the side which tries to convince us all it strips all indications of who we are when we make a DDG request.
Lack of privacy is only one issue about google. DDG which gives exactly the same fascist weighted results as google had only one plus. That is its entirely unproven claims to protect our privacy.
The introduction of 'privacy search engine', 'privacy for firefox' and 'Privacy Browser App' - for android & IOS, addons IMO gives lie to that claim.

'privacy for firefox' the app which negated my vpn encryption tunnel installed itself with no affirmation from myself.
As suspected ddg is just another cheap-arse silcon valley scam this is what I am currently using, but that is not a recommendation, just an acknowledgement I have yet to uncover their scam.

Posted by: A User | Jun 8 2020 10:10 utc | 78

A User #77

re duck duck go etc... I have no problems using DDG and was unaware of the links to gargle that you suggest.

Startpage is a goodie too but I suspect a tad limited so either that or ddg. I use it first and foremost in line with a recommendation from James Corbett of Corbett Report.

I tried qwant but it is an invasive turd and every time I get an update in jumps into my home screen and demands priority: I executed it at sunset one day. It performed well but I have no idea of its links to gargle.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 8 2020 10:21 utc | 79

uncle tungsten I just checked out qwant, google, DDG and startpage which was a fav of mine on my last box b4 I built this current one which until recently featured DDG.

In light of my concerns this evening I entered "Libya news' in all 4 search engines.
DDG, google & startpage were close to identical while qwant only shared about 50% of the same links as the other 3 which ran at about 90% the same.
What does this mean? I dunno, but I do know that it is often very difficult to find interesting links on the first coupla pages if one uses something other than qwant,

Yeah the attempt to force code is aggravating for me but not as much as DDG is when it delivers the same links as google does.

I'm pretty sure that none of them are truly private, so IMO it comes down to results.
However I'm an old man who hasn't shot an amerikan imperialist for many decades, so my priorities are somewhat skewiff, if I was still properly fighting the fuckers I would not trust any of the accessible sites, especially not any which happen to be amerikan based since amerika was so unashamed of its stickybeak carryon that when this inexcusable act was made law, headlines spelling out the fed's ability to grab any data on a server that had any amerikan ties could be issued with an ex parte warrant to seize all data, along with an addendum that if the company concerned notifies their customer of this warrant, the officers plus board would be liable for prosecution would be more than enough motivation to use none of them.

Now I reckon that was an oblamblam law, but it could have been George 'the shrub' Bush, FWIW who can tell which fibber is sometimes truthful in a world chocka with lying politicians.
I accept I won't see the day when the fork tongued pols all cop their comeuppance, but I have zero doubt that day is coming.

Posted by: A User | Jun 8 2020 11:14 utc | 80

Has anyone got a view on yandex ?
I find their search results ten times better than google, especially for activist / political stuff.
As to browser confidentiality I wouldnt know and don’t care !
But I’d be interested none the less.
———————-
We’re witnessing a major capalist push on all fronts! ——-
On the streets, internet, MSM, Syria, Libya. All interconnected, now is not the time for news fatigue.

Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 8 2020 11:41 utc | 81

Has anyone got a view on yandex ?

I've used Yandex for political stuff for some time now, but for
commercial stuff I still use Google, Yandex seems to have a lot of scammers you must watch out for if money is involved.

Posted by: SwissArmyMan | Jun 8 2020 11:50 utc | 82

https://archive.org/details/ajournaldisaste01dickgoog
Lady Sale
Journal of the Disasters in Affghanistan, 1841-2
(free pdf since out of copyright)

Posted by: Mina | Jun 8 2020 12:00 utc | 83

tungsten @57
The Netflix series on Epstein was definitely focused on Epstein and Maxwell. There's so much detail and depth to reveal in how they functioned-- their manipulative and predatory behavior along with how they basically evolved a sex pyramid which allegedly (according to the women)included "thousands", the vast majority of whom have not gone public. There were good interviews of people who knew him, hired him in the 80s. They painted him more as a whacko sociopathic manipulator than a team player. Netflix, to me, is a part of the liberal entertainment complex. I don't think they will connect Epstein and Maxwell with the British/US/Zionist gang.
Webb does. She drills deep and is spot on every time. That's why it's important to view both: The Netflix series is valuable in how they show the psychological aspect of a predator which includes sex. Webb has featured Maria Farmer lately, one of the victims, and they are connecting lots of dots.

Posted by: migueljose | Jun 8 2020 12:04 utc | 84

Tungsten
I forgot you asked about Wexner in the Epstein series on Netflix. I saw the series and then watched the latest (hour long) Whitney Webb report so I can't remember if the Netflix series had much of Wexner. Webb does. a lot. Maria Farmer reiterates "He's the head of the snake." Farmer also talks about the Rothchilds and Webb ties them in with more detail, along with a fair amount of history (and pictures) of Maxwell's dad and Ghislane's account of growing up around the royal family, including stuff on Andrew, Dianna, Furggie...

Posted by: migueljose | Jun 8 2020 12:15 utc | 85

Re: Covid19 - leaked German report on 'global false alarm'
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/05/29/german-official-leaks-report-denouncing-corona-as-global-false-alarm/
Posted by: Nancy | Jun 4 2020 15:30 utc | 2 (previous open thread)

@vk re Nancy’s comment.
Here is the leaked report in German. I don’t know if this is fake or not but here it is
https://www.ichbinanderermeinung.de/Dokument93.pdf
Posted by: DG | Jun 4 2020 16:15 utc | 14

Thanks for the lead on that Nancy, and the link to the leaked report DG, which has since been confirmed to be genuine by the Interior Ministry.

This is a real *** HOTTIE ***

You have to go to the German texts to see what it is all about though - the strategic culture article unfortunately is just a damp squid compared to what comes out of the German texts.

Really worthwhile is this (in German)

If you go through the leaked report, it is a highly professional, thoroughly researched cost-to-benefit analysis of the German government's policies against Covid-19. I haven't read the whole report, but as far as I have seen it doesn't deal with the financial costs at all, but only the costs the fabric of society, concentrating mainly on deaths caused as collateral damage by the anti-Covid measures, effects on health of cancelled/postponed non-Covid interventions, long term effects on health of the economic fallout, effects on health of resultant unemployment, future decline in life expectancy, dramatic future drop in quality of health care, etc, all as collateral damage from the anti-Covid measures (not from the virus itself). As the report emphasises, you don't apply a treatment when the treatment is worse than the disease itself.

The report is an official Interior Ministry report by a department created some years ago by former Minister de Mazière specifically to address a lack of capability to form risk assessment for threats to key structures in society (such as health infrastructure, which is addressed in this report), resulting from diverse and difficult to predict threats such as pandemics, terrorist threats etc. The department was specifically instructed to produce reports either on request or on the department's own initiative. This report was compiled by the head of department Stephan Kohn, who was subsequently the leaker after he was sacked for doing his job. The research and analysis was supported by an external team of top level scientists, doctors and virologists.

The report estimates that collateral deaths from untreated cancer, heart disease and other major causes of death directly resulting from the anti-Covid measures would be many orders of magnetude higher than the total deaths from Covid-19. In addition, millions of people's life expectancy would be substantially reduced by the catastrophic fall in quality of life and quality of medical care, for decades to come, and many other substantial costs to society. This is exactly what I have said many times in relation to the UK's Office of National Statistics figures, but it is far far worse than I had imagined - and this is Germany not the UK, where the consequences are certainly far worse than Germany.

Posted by: BM | Jun 8 2020 12:16 utc | 86

Oops, sorry about the bold!

Posted by: BM | Jun 8 2020 12:18 utc | 87

@83, I watched it last week and your sentiment is my sentiment. Another aspect of this is the follow-the-money aspect. Epstein was allegedly in command of billions and yet no one has been able to provide an investigative analysis of the source of this billions and what's come of it now that Epstein has been properly eliminated.

It's so obvious Epstein was Mossad, it's laughable. The surveillance system in the Manhattan mansion was a state of the art intelligence operation. It was constructed and implemented to procure blackmail material on every easily-blackmailed VIP Epstein could lure into his web, and obviously there was no shortage.

Here's a pic of Epstein's "control room."

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DvnPgkRX0AEu6rT.jpg

Remember, Barr's father Donald, a Jew before bizarrely converting to Catholicism, hired Epstein, a college dropout, before leaving the Dalton School. Is it coincidence that Epstein nearly forty years later is murdered in an institution that is under the purview of Donald Barr's son, Bill Barr?

Posted by: 450.org | Jun 8 2020 12:21 utc | 88

SwissArmyMan @ 81
Thanks for the input agree on your points.
I don’t tend to go much on to much confidenteality ! It can flag up your attempting to hide something, which I am not. The best place to hide a tree is in a woodland !

My list @ 80 should have included the virus!

Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 8 2020 12:23 utc | 89

To Chris Swanson, meet Malcolm X, a black man who spoke truth to power, and truth period, like no other. Malcolm X would have said to you, "get out of my face, this is not a parade, and you are not my friend or our friend. You are a provocateur and the enemy." What do you think, if he were alive today and in his prime, Malcolm X would say about Chris Swanson's publicity ploy? I know what he would say. What would he say about Barack Obama? I know what he would say. About Al Sharpton? I know what he would say. About most "negro leaders?" I know what he would say.

This is the kind of stuff that makes Pat Lang blow his top and froth at the mouth like a rabid fucking fascist dog.

Malcolm X’s Fiery Speech Addressing Police Brutality

Malcolm X On Liberals

Posted by: 450.org | Jun 8 2020 12:39 utc | 90

Another follow-up and last comment on the Epstein series and also Whitney Webb's work. Epstein and Maxwell's evil can and should be a path for us to study human weakness. The girls who were drawn into that hell were non-Jewish, mostly Euro-Americans who came from what we like to call "disfunctional families, a broad and almost useless term. Many poor and almost poor families do bad, impulsive, sometimes predatory things. Children who are hurt look for a way out. Epstein and Maxwell developed a niche wherein they made contact, groomed and then trafficked the pretty young "trash" to the rich. Rich families have lots of "disfunction" too but they grow up to be top line predators. As Webb and Farmer keep saying, the Epstein stuff is still going on.
The mating dance is hard wired in us. We need to understand how to do it in a way that is honest, humble, and respectful and hopefully with the guidance and counsel of our elders. Teach your children, nieces and nephews about this. It will make them stronger. It will make your family stronger.

Posted by: migueljose | Jun 8 2020 12:41 utc | 91

@87 totally agree. I didn't know that about Barr's dad converting. I first read about Barr in Terry Reed's book about Mena, Ark. titled "Compromised, Clinton, Bush and the CIA". I got it from my local library in 1998, doubt it's there now. Reed ties Barr into Iran Contra and nails him as a top level "fixer" for HW Bush. Webb and Maria Farmer maintain that Epstein was "middle management", and that Wexner was/is much higher Mossaad.

Posted by: migueljose | Jun 8 2020 12:50 utc | 92

@ Posted by: Merlin2 | Jun 8 2020 6:23 utc | 62

Actually, considering South Korea and Japan not financialized is one of the fallacies of the author. Both countries are highly financialized.

That the author considers those countries not financialized enough is one glaring example in the article of modern American worldview. A completely different opinion from an American 45 years ago.

--//--

@ Posted by: BM | Jun 8 2020 12:16 utc | 85

If people with cancer went untreated in Germany because of the pandemic, then the Germans employed the wrong policy.

No country abandoned cancer patients' treatments. Even in Brazil it was made clear from day 1 that cancer patients (and patients with heart problems) would still have absolute preference over Covid-19 patients. Either way, Covid-19 demands ventilators - a treatment that doesn't overlap cancer treatment; the only conflict is in surgeries, where ICU's are needed.

The report, albeit being in "professional" language, is still an educated opinion of a politician or team of politicians and officials from the German government. The problem lies in the fact that they don't have a way to gauge a parallel Germany where no lockdown was ever enforced. They don't know - and don't have the means to know - if this alternative universe Germany would fare better than the really existing Germany.

Posted by: vk | Jun 8 2020 12:51 utc | 93

Five ways New Zealand can keep Covid-19 cases at zero

Funny how nobody is contesting New Zealand's claim it zeroed its Covid-19 cases. Completely opposite reaction to when China announced the same thing, even though New Zealand effectively copied China.

Lockdowns work. Absolute lockdowns work wonderfully. But that hurts the petite-bourgeoisie profits, so "it can't work" - hence they stick with fake treatments like hydroxycloroquine: plausible deniability when the working class beings to die en masse.

Posted by: vk | Jun 8 2020 12:57 utc | 94

regarding Epstein,

I started the Netflix documentary, but within seconds turned it off when it opened with Vicky Ward, the Vanity Fair witch who told Ghislaine Maxwell that Maria Farmer had gone to the FBI.

if you know the basics of the Epstein case you don't need to waste your time with Netflix propaganda. Whitney Webb's conversation with Maria Farmer is something everyone should listen to. Farmer even mentions seeing satanic symbolism, which caught my attention, considering I think the religious beliefs of the global elite are worth better understanding instead of just dismissing because talking about that facet of this evil enterprise makes us sound silly.

I recently listened to Ed Opperman interview Nick Bryant. Bryant wrote a great book on the Franklin scandal and said William Barr was involved in that coverup, along with covering up Epstein's mess. Bryant was the guy who got Epstein's black book out to the public. he said when he was pitching his stories to editors about Epstein that not ONE editor would consider taking the story.

Posted by: lizard | Jun 8 2020 13:01 utc | 95

WHO story is a nothing burger.
Posted by: vk | Jun 7 2020 15:37 utc

If you ask me, "burger" is a tasteless patty with nutritional values to match, some people like it because they got used to it. Now there is research to reproduce the taste (!?) of this crap without meat. Thus WHO story is pretty much like actual, "genuine", burger.

China delayed some information for a whopping week! And what would other countries do with it?

As we know, neighboring countries took many measures probably watching what China is doing. You do not need full RNA sequence of the bug to figure out that it is as virulent as SARS and MERS, so you quarantine all travel and impose a bunch of measures (selected locally, but judging on results, better than nothing). In the meantime, in the land of free and the home of the brave...

There was a story that an American producer of protective masks had four production lines that they could open if they were given funds from the agency that could do it. The problem is (I am reconstructing) that this is unprofitable business. At ordinary times, whatever price you offer to hospitals (main customer), Chinese producers can make it a bit cheaper, and because of that whopping one cent on a mask, American buying organizations go for that. Hence closed production lines. Temporarily, China (back in January) stopped export, and were ordering from abroad -- during an epidemic the demand may increase by a billion. The American producer started to ship to China. Opening production lines only to close them once the epidemic is over could be a big loss (remember, in January nobody knew how long it will take, few weeks? a year?). But the head of the agency had to get a permission from the head of Department of Health (and something else), a political appointee who clearly detested cheeky underling, so nope.

As a result, the mass use of proper masks by residents of USA was delayed by "precious several weeks".

This is one of many examples how USA and other countries could waste extra week if they got some "precious information" earlier.

One must also know how open USA is. USA never agreed to inspections of their laboratories related to defense, be them chemical, biological or designing fabled toilet seats for military planes.

My recommendation for discussing the issue of COVID-19 response is to bring Iran. Iran was hit hard and earlier than the West. The dire consequences gave basis to articles how mediaeval theocracy is unable to handle modern challenges. On the other hand, the percentage of people over 70 in Iran is three times smaller than in USA. So if the number of victims in USA (per million of people) is less than three times the number in Iran, one could argue that USA did better. However, the numbers of victim per million are 340 for USA and 100 for Iran. In short, USA is doing "almost as well" as a mediaeval theocracy.

More seriously, in Middle Ages Persia was one of the most "developed countries", and as Iran emulates mediaeval ideals, they stress the role of science, technology and arts. But surely they faced the epidemic in the midst of a deep economic crisis engineered by Trump administration, while USA boasted minute unemployment rate and other indicators of prosperity. And yet, USA is doing "almost as well, but not quite".

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Jun 8 2020 13:06 utc | 96

VK @92

"They don't know - and don't have the means to know - if this alternative universe Germany would fare better than the really existing Germany."

That, of course, cuts both ways and you have, effectively, conceded the argument to BM.

Posted by: ADKC | Jun 8 2020 13:15 utc | 97

I agree that Ixquick/Startpage etc are only google clones, and totally implausible in their pathetic claims of alleged privacy. There might be some advantage compared to direct Google in limiting Google's interference with your computer, but the search itself is a pure Google search anyway.

I am surprised A User claims to get Google search results from a DDG search - I have never had much success with DDG, i.e. absolute crap searching ability. I don't know where the difference lies - maybe DDG uses cookie information to tie in with hooks on Google? I've no idea. I have very strict browser security and cookie policies, maybe that's why I can't get searches on DDG that find anything. Do you allow cookies A User? I'd be interested on other peoples' thoughts on this question. I find Yandex absolutely crippling also, maybe for the same reasons. With Yandex I get pretty poor searches, better than DDG but very hard to find anything useful, and the searches seem pretty much based on Google but much more restrictive, plus masses of Russian language stuff mixed in. Then the killer - the very second search, every single time, brings an anti-Robot-questionaire claiming there have been a suspiciously large number of searches from my IP address! At which I usually immediately close Yandex in disgust. I tried installing Quant one time, immediately had software problems and suspicions of a trojan, and de-installed it.

I've been banging my head against the wall on search engines ever since about 2003 or so (after 2000 anyway, before 2004) I don't know of an adequate solution. In China I found it even worse, unless you can read and write Chinese, because western search engines are blocked and Baidu only works in English. Even Yandex is scarcely functional in China, surprisingly (perhaps because of links to Google?)

I did find a Firefox addin recently called Google Search Link Fix - it is supposed to disable the Google conversion of real links to Google-controlled links through which Google does its mischief. I haven't tried it yet, I don't know if it works.

@Mark
The issue is not about hiding from the authorities - you can't. Firstly and foremost it is about trying to be free from censorship and active manipulation. Secondly it is about personal safety - that should matter to you Mark. Thirdly it is about privacy from commercial trade in private information - if that doesn't matter to you then you are a nutter, but that's your problem. Fourthly it is about basic level protection from scammers and hackers (including and especially state-sponsored ones). If you really have something to hide from the authorities, then you'll probably be alright, they will help you, as long as you do what you are told.

Posted by: BM | Jun 8 2020 13:17 utc | 98

BM @ 85

thanks for that! i've been following the story to the extent that i can; i linked to the Strategic Culture article when it came out, but....and even to this story back in April, but....

something stinks in Germany, but i think pretty soon what a few of us have been saying from the beginning is going to be undeniable.

Posted by: john | Jun 8 2020 13:23 utc | 99

Piotr Berman@95
Surely the point is that society cannot rely on capitalist production which is for profit rather than need.

The pandemic has reminded us that the real job of the economy-of work, socially organised- is to satisfy the demand for necessities. For food, energy, shelter, clothing and the means to maintain our physical health. But capitalism regards such production to be no more than a by-product of the search for profit. It will not invest in the production of masks, ventilators, medicines unless it can make more money than it can get by producing dildos and haute couture.

So society is left with the decision as to whether to preserve capitalism-at the annual cost of millions dying of preventable diseases and malnutrition, in a world awash with waste- or to organise the satisfaction of its needs, and the allocation of economic duties, rationally, fairly and consistent with the impact our activities have upon the environment in which we live.

Coming up with an answer to this question ought not to be beyond the capacity of the combined brainpower of seven billion people, or even the few hundred who discuss matters on this blog.

Posted by: bevin | Jun 8 2020 13:27 utc | 100