Puppet Masters
But, far from being silent and slithering under a rock to wait for the sweet embrace of death, these creatures have instead been loudly and shamelessly outspoken.
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has posted a lengthy essay by the former Prime Minister who led the United Kingdom into two of the most unconscionable military interventions in living memory. Blair criticizes the withdrawal as having been done out of "obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending 'the forever wars'," bloviating about "Radical Islam," and asking, "has the West lost its strategic will?"
A Taliban leadership official said the deadline would not be extended after President Joe Biden said US troops might stay longer to oversee a "hard and painful" evacuation.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will urge Biden this week to extend the evacuation deadline from Afghanistan, but even if one is agreed, the West will also need the approval of the Taliban, a British defense official said.
Panicked Afghans have clamored to board flights out of Kabul, fearing reprisals and a return to a harsh version of Islamic law that the Sunni Muslim group implemented when it held power.
Comment: A spokesman for the Taliban warned of "consequences" if evacuation operations continue beyond the end of the month:
Speaking to Sky News in Qatar, Dr Suhail Shaheen described the end-of-August date for the final withdrawal of US forces as a "red line" and said there was "no need" for any foreign military presence after that date.The Brits are scrambling, hoping to influence Biden to push the deadline, keep boots in Kabul Airport:
Boris Johnson will personally lobby US President Joe Biden in a G7 summit on Tuesday to extend US operations in the hope of maximising numbers evacuated from Kabul airport. It is understood that cooperation of this kind has allowed the number of evacuees processed by the UK to rise from around 1,000 to 1,800 per day in recent days. Dr Shaheen told Sky:"If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations - the answer is 'No'. Or there would be consequences. It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation it will provoke a reaction."Approximately 1,800 UK nationals still in the country and more than 2,200 Afghans who helped British forces are the "focus" of the Government's evacuation efforts.
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has called on Mr Johnson not to "cut and run" from Afghanistan."I support calls to ensure that there isn't a cut-and-run operation in Afghanistan, that Nato countries are there and meeting their responsibilities for as long as is necessary. The world has a massive responsibility towards people in Afghanistan and it's really important that that responsibility is lived up to."No 10 said it was recognised that it would be "extremely challenging" for eligible Afghans not in Kabul to get to the airport to evacuate. Those unable to leave during the current airlift would be encouraged to apply for resettlement later, either from Afghanistan or a neighbouring country.
Said the PM's spokesman:"This is the first phase of our operation, evacuating largely British nationals and those under the ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) scheme out in the time that we have. We will then move to the next phase, whereby we'll be able to resettle (people) over the coming days, weeks and months, and indeed years, as we did with the Syrian scheme. Now I appreciate that ... presents challenges for those wishing to leave Afghanistan who might not be based in Kabul, who might have to get to neighbouring countries, for example. We will continue to provide support through the Foreign Office, there's contacts both for those within Afghanistan and those outside of Afghanistan who want information about family members they may have remaining. So, we will continue to do everything possible."Defence secretary Ben Wallace made clear the British evacuation operation will end with the departure of US troops who are securing the airport:"The Prime Minister is, obviously at the G7, going to try and raise the prospect of seeing if the United States will extend. It's really important for people to understand the United States have over 6,000 people in Kabul airport and when they withdraw that will take away the framework ... and we will have to go as well. I don't think there is any likelihood of staying on after the United States. If their timetable extends even by a day or two, that will give us a day or two more to evacuate people. Because we are really down to hours now, not weeks, and we have to make sure we exploit every minute to get people out."
British minister said the flow of people outside the airport had improved as a result of the Taliban's intervention, allowing the pace of the UK evacuation to increase. The Times reported on Sunday night that RAF had already extended its own evacuation deadline with more people, including Afghan politicians and humanitarian workers, eligible for evacuation.
James Heappey, the armed forces minister, said the Taliban"were marshaling people into separate queues for the US evacuation and the UK evacuation, and that is making a big difference to the size of the crowds outside the UK gate and allowing us to process people much more quickly".Amir Khan Muttaqi, the chief of the Taliban's guidance council, said:"All Afghanistan is secure, but the airport which is managed by the Americans has anarchy. The US should not defame itself, should not embarrass itself to the world and should not give this mentality to our people that [the Taliban] are a kind of enemy."Heappey said that the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab had "made representations" to his counterpart, Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, on the issue. But the British had received no reassurances. Just over 1,900 people were evacuated as part of the RAF operation in the 24 hours to Sunday night, the largest one-day total, taking the overall figure to 5,725 since 12 August.
Biden did not name the UK on Sunday night when listing the countries whose leaders he had spoken to.
Other issues included whether there were discussions over Nato allies temporarily holding Kabul airport without US troops; whether NATO forces could ensure safe areas to provide airport access; and if there was scope for a UN operation to assist.
Lord Ricketts, a former national security adviser, said Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan and his approach to handling the retreat was "a wake-up call to allies who had nourished hopes of a return to US internationalism".
On Sunday, Hayden retweeted a post suggesting sending "MAGA-wearing unvaxxed" Americans to Afghanistan rather than sending the evacuation planes "back empty" after they deposited those fleeing the Taliban elsewhere, calling it a "good idea."
The level 4 national lockdown was extended by three days until midnight on August 27 while Auckland, the epicenter of the outbreak, will have restrictions in place at least until August 31.
"The safest option for all of us right now is to hold the course for longer," Ardern said at a news conference.
"If the world has taught us anything it is to be cautious with this variant of Covid-19," she added.
Ardern said contacts in the community by people infected with the Delta variant were reported all over the country.
There are more than 320 locations of interest linked to the outbreak and 13,000 contacts have been recorded, far more than in previous outbreaks.
Comment: Lockdowns for now, totalitarianism forever:
- Seven peer-reviewed studies that agree: Lockdowns do not suppress the coronavirus
- New Zealand concedes 'Covid zero' approach no longer viable as Delta spikes to 'astonishing' 72 cases
- New Zealand to enter nationwide lockdown after single coronavirus case found

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb speaking at the Healthy Returns conference in New York City on May 21, 2019.
Gottlieb resigned from the FDA this spring after nearly two years at the helm. During his tenure, Gottlieb advanced a number of prescription drug policies, including to push the FDA to speed up generic drug approvals and use its powers to encourage wider use of biosimilars, or copycat versions of complex and often costly biologic drugs.
Biosimilar manufacturers, including Pfizer, have complained about roadblocks stalling biosimilars from becoming widely used. Having Gottlieb to advise the company could help Pfizer, one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies, navigate the landscape
Comment: This is just one example of why the FDA, WHO, CDC are collinear with the BigPharma criminals. They don't work to help people or to promote proper fact-based science and make better and more affordable drugs. They work together on their aggressive agenda to make money and gain power and control over people's lives.
We can now clearly see one of the reasons why they are still keeping alive the false Corona pandemic and aggressively pushing mandatory vaccination. They are business partners working and helping each other to fulfill their business plans.
See also:
- Trump's pick for the FDA: Dr. Scott Gottlieb attempts to distance himself from Big Pharma
- Quality Supplements: Is this the beginning of the end?
- FDA Set to Ban Your Supplements
- Will more genetically engineered foods be approved under the FDA's new leadership?
- FDA to extend Emergency Authorization of COVID-19 Vaccine to adolescents without advice from Advisory Committee
- Pfizer whistleblower's drug fear
- Pfizer puts a halt to its drugs being used for lethal injection
- What Moderna isn't telling us about their new mRNA COVID-19 vaccine
Imagine a country where there's no separation between the government, the military, and the media. A lot of Americans would think of China, Russia or North Korea, but it's a perfect description of the United States today. And here in Washington, the think tank inside this nondescript building - Center For A New American Security (CNAS) - is the clearest example of just that.
CNAS is a premier militarist think tank in the nation's capital, especially for Democratic Party administrations. It is funded by the State Department and Pentagon and has taken more money from weapons companies over the last several years than any other think tank. On top of that, it's funded by oil companies, big banks, and right wing governments - basically the most destructive forces on the planet.
For President Joe Biden, CNAS serves as a farm, from which key positions in his administration are cultivated. In fact, at least 16 CNAS alumni are now in key positions in the Biden Pentagon and State Department.
But what's most shocking is that several national security and foreign policy reporters from elite U.S. media outlets are affiliated with CNAS - and therefore indirectly affiliated with, and likely paid by, the U.S. government and corporations - the very forces that they should be holding accountable.
Joe Biden is being blamed for his "lack of plan", even as Democrats try and shift the blame to Trump who first decided to pull the US out of Afghanistan over 18 months ago.
Meanwhile, the press are reporting dozens of stories about the humanitarian crises, refugees fleeing the new regime, the fate of women under the Taliban, and "shocking videos" of desperate people.
That's the official story. But what's really going on?
Comment: A refreshing, but actually more damaging look at current events and the tales being told.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin • Afghan citizens inside USAF transport
Hamid Karzai International Airport • Kabul, Afghanistan • August 15, 2021
"would fall in 11 days. It was very difficult to predict with accuracy. This all occurred in a span of about 11 days. Nobody predicted that, you know, the government would fall in 11 days."Austin said assessments he reviewed prior to the insurgent group's takeover estimated it could be several months or one to two years before the Afghan government fell.
He told Raddatz that U.S. officials saw Afghan military forces surrendering and "just kind of evaporating" as the Taliban began to make gains.
Comment: Ah, sorry. You can only do the stuff the US predicts. Blinken, in this interview, does a pathetic job of back-peddling to cover Biden's derriere. The administration's spin-doctors need a raise.
Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday pressed Secretary of State Antony Blinken on statements from President Biden that appear to contradict reporting surrounding the evacuation of Afghans and U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
Wallace pointed out that since the Taliban took Kabul, Biden has said there is no threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Wallace noted that reports from the United Nations have indicated that al Qaeda has a presence in at least 15 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. Wallace also asked Blinken whether Biden is fully aware of what is occurring on the international front.
The poll comes after the administration has faced widespread criticism, as well as backlash at home and abroad over its disastrous pullout of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. A reporter said to Biden:
"A new poll out today shows Americans wanted to withdraw from Afghanistan, but they disapprove of the way you've handled it. The poll also found that based in part on what's transpired in the last week, a majority of Americans, and forgive me, I'm just the messenger, no longer consider you to be competent, focused, or effective in the job.""I haven't seen that poll," Biden immediately responded. "It's out there," the reporter responded. Biden responded by shaking his head no and laughing. WATCH:
Comment: The stage is being set to do unto Biden what they tried to do unto Trump. It is only a question of 'how soon'?
Obviously, this is not what Daniel Johnson had in mind. His view is the opposite of mine. He claims that the conservative government is an enemy of freedom and all those who oppose it are freedom fighters. If one could imagine a text that could be constructed solely of anti-Polish and anti-PiS stereotypes and falsehoods, Daniel Johnson's is a perfect illustration. We learn that Poland is ruled by one man who after the death of his brother even increased his despotic power. He and his government ignore and dismiss the criticism and warnings from all over the world, and in particular from the EU, the US, and Donald Tusk. The government conducts socialist economic policies and is far-Right, anti-western in culture. The government betrayed the ideas and principles of the Solidarity Union; freedom and the rule of law are "embattled". The Poles collaborated with the Germans (who are now called the Nazis) in the Holocaust and now the conservative government wants to whitewash Polish history. They also refuse to compensate the Jewish heirs of the victims of the Holocaust for the property lost or destroyed on the Polish territory.
All this, to say mildly, is not true. It would require a long text to dispel falsehoods, half-truths, and caricatures. Let me say that the spectrum of opinion in Poland is larger than in any other EU country, that in Poland you can say and write things for which you would be punished in France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, etc. As elsewhere in Europe, the dominant orientation in the media, corporations, and universities is Left and liberal, critical of and even hostile to the government. What makes Poland exceptional in Europe is the existence of conservative media, about 30 per cent of the entire market: an unheard-of phenomenon in the world in which the Left practically has the monopoly. Poland did not collaborate with the Germans in the Holocaust. The Polish government in exile and its representatives in German-occupied Poland ruled that the denouncing of the Jews to the Germans was punishable by death. The percentage of anti-Semites was certainly not higher than in France or elsewhere in Europe. The Polish government in exile did more to help the Jews during the war than other governments, certainly more than the French, British or American governments. Today's Poland is one of the few countries in Europe that has been consistently pro-Israeli, particularly on the conservative side of Polish politics.













Comment: "The saner our society becomes..." but it isn't becoming more sane, and the divide is widening. But she's right. There won't be forgiveness nor a return to parity.