Posts that I especially recommend for Saturday, April 17, 2021 (abbreviated post)

• Pentagon's "COVID Detecting Microchip" For Under Your Skin? featuring Ben Swann in a 10:14m video telling us about a new microchip that the Pentagon designed to indicate only that we are infected by the coronavirus. 

• Journalists, Learning They Spread a CIA Fraud About Russia, Instantly Embrace a New One by Glenn Greenwald from his weblog at Substack. Greenwald concludes with this statement:
  

Let's express this as clearly as it can be expressed. Any journalist who treats unverified stories from the CIA or other government agencies as true, without needing any evidence or applying any skepticism, is worthless. Actually, they are worse than worthless: they are toxic influences who deserve pure contempt. Every journalist knows that governments lie constantly and that it is a betrayal of their profession to serve as mindless mouthpieces for these security agencies: that is why they will vehemently deny they do this if you confront them with this accusation. They know it is a shameful thing to do.

But just look at what they are doing: exactly this. These are not journalists. They are obsequious spokespeople for the CIA and other official authorities. Even when they learn that they deceived millions of people by uncritically repeating a story that the CIA told them was true, they will — on the very same day that they learn they did this — do exactly the same thing, this time with a one-paragraph Treasury Department Press Release. These are agents of disinformation: state media. And when they speak, you should listen to them with the knowledge of what they really are, and treat them accordingly.

 

My reaction: Over my lifetime of 85 years I have seen "state media" evolve exclusively into disinformation and propaganda agents knowing that their reports will be disseminated by career-oriented "journalists".

• Biden’s Claim to be Ending America’s Longest War Misleading by Jeremy Kuzmarov from Internationalist 360°.
  

• One Man Stands in the Way of NATO’s Run Onward to Moscow by Phil Butler from New Eastern Outlook. (Note: I spotted what I believe is an editing error in the 2nd to the last paragraph: "Is heavily involved in helping promote the EU’s Three Seas Initiative (3SI), which is an asymmetrical warfare economic platform to cut Russia off from the EU, and install the U.S. and central European powers in her place in East Europe." Because of Butler's preceding arguments, I think that "The Heritage Foundation" should immediately precede the sentence.)
  

• Three Things Most People Don't Know About Physician-Assisted Death by Rosemary Frei from her weblog. (Note: You can access an article by Kit Knightly from Off-Guardian on the possible abuses of a Right to Die law here.)
  

Posts that I especially recommend for Friday, April 16, 2021

• Vaccine Passports in a Failed State by Margaret Kimberley from Black Agenda Report.
  

• 💥The CIA Used To Infiltrate The Media. Now The CIA Is The Media. By Australian independent blogger Caitlin Johnstone from her weblog. This is a best post.
  

Back in the good old days, when things were more innocent and simple, the psychopathic Central Intelligence Agency had to covertly infiltrate the news media to manipulate the information Americans were consuming about their nation and the world. Nowadays, there is no meaningful separation between the news media and the CIA at all.

 

They not only have taken over media corporations, but they and other agents of the ruling capitalist class have set up fake left media organizations and websites (Spectre is a recent prime example) posing as left-wing organizations critical of US interests but really serving as issue gatekeepers to the ruling class. Amy Goodman and her weblog "Democracy Now!" is a prime example. Goodman does not allow anyone on her show that is critical of the government's narrative on 9/11 or the major assassinations (John or Robert Kennedy or ML King). As I've reported in 2015 Goodman and her show along with others has been generously funded by "philanthropic" organizations. Wikipedia is another example (See this, this, this, this, and this.) Also, The Intercept, owned by billionaire Pierre Omidyar, is another similar project. But probably worst of all, they've revised history books, history as portrayed in films, etc. to reflect their self-serving propaganda.

• The Hawks Who Want War With Iran Are Working Overtime by Medea Benjamin and Ariel Gold from Jacobin. My reaction: The hawks are working overtime to stave off defeat everywhere that threatens their US/Anglo/Zionist Empire--and they are threatened everywhere. Remember "America is back!" As the transnational capitalist directors of the Empire are seeing their empire go into decline, their actions speak of desperation. Because we as families enjoyed some of the stolen wealth because of residing in an empire, we citizens of the Empire are destined to go down to defeat with them.

• Contrary to What Biden Said, U.S. Warfare in Afghanistan is Set to Continue by Norman Solomon from CounterPunch. (Note: You may also be interested in an article entitled "White House Won’t Say If Special Forces Will Leave Afghanistan Under Biden’s Withdrawal Plan"). My brief commentary follows: 

The Empire's appointed leaders cannot ever tell the truth because if they told the truth we would immediately rebel. So, they continue to lie to us and we continue to believe them ... as long as enough of their goodies pour in. Ah, but there is the catch! The Covid-19 pandemic is the perfect excuse that the ruling class has for the deterioration of the economy.

 

💥If you want to hear an important, but longer analysis and related matters by a well-known socialist, Brian Becker, you should listen to his 33 minute interview on Lee Camp's show Redacted Tonight via a YouTube video. This is a best post.

• Biden Re-Hires Trump's Ambassador to RUSSIA! featuring Jimmy Dore and company (Aaron Maté and Ron Placone) using Biden's inconsistent policy to comedic effect, but also Maté offers a serious interpretation.

• Addressing America’s Homelessness and Squalor: What We Could Do If Cared by Eleanor Goldfield from Mint Press News (based in Minneapolis).
  

• Just Like in the US, Policing in Israel is Rooted in Racist Violence by Jessica Buxbaum from Mint Press News.
  

• Australia Buries Afghan War Crimes, Toes U.S. Hostile Line on China by Finian Cunningham from Strategic Culture Foundation. My reaction: Of course, Australia being an integral part of the former British Empire, they are now an integral part of the existing US/Anglo/Zionist Empire and they follow the diktats of the transnational capitalist directors of the Empire.

• The CIA Armed Libyan Terrorists with Carlton Meyer narrating a 10:53m report from a YouTube channel "Tales of the Empire" about Edwin Wilson, a former CIA agent, who was caught supplying Libyan terrorists with explosives.
  

• Free Trade Is Code For Forced Trade by Rod Driver from his weblog Elephants in the Room.
  

• Iran & Russia set to sign comprehensive strategic agreement: TV Report from Middle East Observer.
  

• How a US-led Un-Holly Alliance is Preventing Syria’s Normalisation by Salman Rafi Sheikh from New Eastern Outlook. 

• The Silencing of the Lambs by Andrea Halewood from Off-Guardian.
  

• When We Go Extinct by Prof. (retired) Guy McPherson, an independent scientist who has focused on the climate crisis, from his YouTube channel. 

Posts that I especially recommend for Thursday, April 15, 2021

• From RussiaGate to UkraineGate: Route to Apocalypse by Oliver Boyd-Barrett from Mint Press News. 

Within three months of the ascendancy of Joseph Biden to the presidency of the United States, the world teeters on the edge of nuclear war, whether by design or accident, as Russia reports that the U.S. is placing considerable pressure on Ukraine to attack the independent republics of the Donbass for which Russia provides logistical support. The U.S. European Command has raised its alert status to the highest level and warned of a “potential imminent crisis.” 

• Western Media Eager to See Ukraine Use US-Supplied Weapons Against Russia by Dave DeCamp from Anti-War.
  

• CNN’s Blatant Disinformation About Russia-Ukraine Activity by Michael Averko from Strategic Culture Foundation. 

• The latest US moves against Russia (OPEN THREAD #11) UPDATED!!! by "the Saker" (Andrei Raevsky) from his weblog.
  

• Putin’s Ukrainian Judo by Dmitry Orlov from "The Saker" weblog. (Note: I hesitate to use Wikipedia regarding Orlov anymore since I gradually observed their corruption by other operatives (2nd article and commentary). My reaction: I think Orlov's assessment is quite accurate, and I miss his clear voice and acute judgement since he put his articles behind a paywall. However, I don't always agree with his commentaries that he is always rather too willing to share with the public. He often expresses opinions without supporting documentation. In this article he demonstrates a startling amount information regarding both Ukraine, Europe, and Putin. I thank an activist who sent me this article.

• It’s The Media’s Job To Normalize War: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix by Australian independent blogger Caitlin Johnstone from her weblog.

• China’s Deep Dark Secrets featuring Lee Camp reporting articles on horrendous human rights practices by China's government, but he "discovers" they are all about the USA (for comedic effect) in his (4:08m) YouTube channel. 

• Financial fiction part two: the new ones (SPACs, NFTs, cryptocurrencies) by Michael Roberts, a British Marxist economist from his weblog.
  

• Biden Declares Afghan War To End On 9/11 -- For Reals! featuring Jimmy Dore (from his YouTube channel) doing his comedic commentary regarding our fake democracy and Aaron Maté (The Grayzone) commenting on the announcement by Pres. Biden that the US will withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
  

• Australia’s Self-Inflicted Economic Woes Continue by Joseph Thomas from New Eastern Outlook. My reaction: Of course Australia is very much a part of the US/Anglo/Zionist Empire, The same applies to Europe and NATO, but European capitalists are looking at all the profits they are missing from playing along with the Empire, and may decide to no longer go along with Empire directives. Then it's game over for the Empire, and the directors of the Empire know it.

• Indian monsoons becoming more chaotic from Climate & Capitalism.

• Washington could not be happier with Ecuador’s new president by Paul Antonopoulos from Brics.
  

• Self-Reinforcing Feedback Loop #6, Climate-Change Summary featuring Prof. (retired) Guy McPherson reading a summary of scientific reports via his YouTube channel.

• Climate change : The daily consequences we're choosing to ignore. This video features Dave Borlace from his channel, Just Have a Think, in a 13:56m YouTube video, commenting on recent reports from Lancet, the British renowned medical journal.

• Waves of anger | Japan's neighbors decry plan to dump Fukushima water into sea a 3:09m video from RT's channel on YouTube.
  

Posts that I especially recommend for Wednesday, April 14, 2021 (This is all the recommended news articles that I could stomach.)

• Life Insurance Unchanged By COVID? featuring Ben Swann and Bob Burnett, a knowledgeable person regarding statistics of the insurance industry. Burnett has observed no changes in life insurance rates and other death stats in this 10:43m video from ISE.
  

• 💥Big Corporations Now Deploying Woke Ideology the Way Intelligence Agencies Do: As a Disguise by Glenn Greenwald from his weblog at Substack. This is a best post. (Note: You need to substitute the Empire's capitalist ruling class in place of "big corporations" or "corporate class" to make the most sense out of this article.) My reaction: The Empire's transnational capitalist ruling classes are now appearing to know no limits in their deceitful practices to maintain their power along with profits. The Empire's secret services are wrapping themselves in social justice causes like BLM and LGBT. Greenwald starts with the practices of the British secret services, but soon describes such practice among the US's:

The CIA — in between military coups, domestic disinformation campaigns, planting false stories with their journalist-partners, and drone-assassinating U.S. citizens without due process — joyously celebrates Women’s Day, promotes what it calls The Agency Network of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Officers (ANGLE), hosts activities for Pride Month, and organizes events to commemorate Black History Month. The FBI does the same.

 

Even old-fashioned conservatives (The American Conservative) are being turned-off by these practices, and he quotes some of their criticisms. Most of Greenwald's exposé drips with cynicism at this display of current deceptive practices, but later he gets seriously straight by concluding with this statement:

 

The concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the corporate class and the ways they abuse and eliminate labor, control government, and destroy the working and middle classes will be impossible to see, as we are all blinded by the glare of their virtuous Instagram posts about racial justice and their unified campaigns against voter suppression. In an instant of swooning over their benevolent devotion to social justice, we will forget what they actually exist to do. When we work to harness their power to support our own political causes, we forget about how out of control and menacing that power is, and what it is most often used for. And that is exactly the way they want it. 

• The West Resolutely Refuses to Face the Facts in Crimea by James ONeill from New Eastern Outlook.

• Countdown to Destruction by Andrew Anglin from The Unz Review. (Note: This article, as well as recent others, is very disturbing. My reaction: Yes, as Biden proclaimed, "America is back", and is engaged in provocative actions everywhere! If we make it through the next few months, it will be a miracle.)

• Setting the Scene for Global Destruction. Now It’s the Arctic by Brian Cloughley from Strategic Culture Foundation.
  

• Intelligence Sources Say Biggest Threat To U.S. Is Actually U.S. Policy by Caitlin Johnstone from her weblog.

• The Vicious Circle: Policing and the Culture of White Male Violence by Nicholas De Genova from Spectre. My reaction: This is from a supposedly "Marxist" journal, but the author of this piece avoids the argument that the "Culture of White Male Violence" is actually capitalist culture. His reasoning doesn't remove gender from his argument. Apparently most of the article was written before the killing of Daunte Wright by Kim Potter, a female police officer. But in effect De Genov supports the gender bias of the ruling class--it's all about gender, not capitalism, the sacred cow of the capitalist ruling classes!

 

 

• Shock Therapy: How Austerity and Privatisation Destroy Nations by Rod Driver from his weblog Elephants in the Room. My reaction: I got a chuckle out of his statement that "When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, US advisors tried to persuade the Russian government that Russia could quickly change from its existing Communist system to an extreme version of capitalism." "Extreme version of capitalism" is now the new normal in the USA and much of the US/Anglo/Zionist Empire and beyond.

• Dollar’s Purchasing Power Drops Sharply to Record Low, But It’s a Lot Worse than CPI Shows by Wolf Richter from his weblog Wolf Street.