Puppet Masters

Trump admin slams Iran's human rights record, launches global effort to 'end criminalization of homosexuality'

Josh Lederman
NBC News
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 10:44 UTC

© Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa via AP file
U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell at a reception in Berlin on Jan. 14, 2019.

The Trump administration is launching a global campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality in dozens of nations where it's still illegal to be gay, U.S. officials tell NBC News, a bid aimed in part at denouncing Iran over its human rights record.

U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, the highest-profile openly gay person in the Trump administration, is leading the effort, which kicks off Tuesday evening in Berlin. The U.S. embassy is flying in LGBT activists from across Europe for a strategy dinner to plan to push for decriminalization in places that still outlaw homosexuality - mostly concentrated in the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean.

"It is concerning that, in the 21st century, some 70 countries continue to have laws that criminalize LGBTI status or conduct," said a U.S. official involved in organizing the event.

Comment: Also see: Iran's been preparing for a US-threatened war for the last 40 years

'Facebook is a private company!' shout people in favor of censoring political content

Danielle Ryan
RT
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 10:11 UTC

Once upon a time, Facebook espoused idealistic notions of making the world a more open and connected place. But when it comes to views the US establishment doesn't like, Facebook magically remembers it's also a "private company."

So when Facebook abruptly suspended pages belonging to Maffick Media - a company which is 51 percent owned by RT's video agency Ruptly - critics of RT were quick to argue the social platform could ban anyone it wants.

Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul revealed himself to be one of those people, with a tweet asking why RT feels it has some kind of right to publish content "on the platform of a private company."

Comment: The question is really whether Facebook is acting as a private platform or public forum. They can't have it both ways. For example:

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) states: "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider."

This is a good provision. It means that, for example, if you run a blogging platform and someone posts a terrorist threat in the comments section, you're not treated as the person making the threat. Without Section 230, many social media networks could be functionally unable to operate.

In order to be protected by Section 230, companies like Facebook should be "neutral public forums." On the flip side, they should be considered to be a "publisher or speaker" of user content if they pick and choose what gets published or spoken.

As I expressed to Mark Zuckerberg, as a private business Facebook has a clear First Amendment right to publish whatever it wants on its website within the bounds of the law. The company can support political causes and oppose ones it disagrees with, just like a private citizen can speak his or her mind or agitate against opposing views.

But if Facebook is busy censoring legal, protected speech for political reasons, the company should be held accountable for the posts it lets through. And it should not enjoy any special congressional immunity from liability for its actions.

As we discussed at the Senate hearing, for years it has been evident that Facebook has actively censored or suppressed conservative speech.

So when people come out saying they can do what they want, sure - but then they shouldn't be afforded protections of any sort and cannot call themselves a 'neutral public forum'. See also:

How the FBI came close to staging a coup

John Kiriakou
Consortium News
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 10:44 UTC

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, in an explosive interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," said that in early 2017, in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey, he and other FBI officials discussed the possibility of recruiting a cabinet secretary to help push the president out of office by using the Constitution's 25th Amendment

McCabe further contended that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein offered to wear a wire when he was around Trump in order to gather evidence against him. (Rosenstein denies the allegation). McCabe said that Justice Department officials believed at the time that Trump may have obstructed justice by firing Comey, and they worried that Trump was somehow under the influence of the Russian government. In the end, nothing came of the plan. Regardless of one's feelings toward President Trump and his policies, what McCabe is describing is nothing less than a coup attempt. It's something that happens in weak or nascent democracies, following interference by the CIA perhaps. It should never happen here.

Trump has long had an antagonistic relationship with the FBI, the CIA and other elements of the intelligence community. Indeed, in early 2017, when news of the FISA warrants and the private intelligence Steele dossier began to leak out, Trump began to tweet his disgust at news of impending investigations of him, his campaign, and his business dealings.

Finian Cunningham: Trump's Venezuela gamble is starting to look like 'fatal overreach'

Finian Cunningham
RT
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 10:44 UTC

Trump's bid for regime change in Venezuela is starting to look like a fatal overreach. With the South American country's military remaining firmly loyal to President Maduro, embarrassing questions loom over US' dubious game plan

It is not just Washington's reputation that will take yet another grievous hit. So too will those European states which have shamefully rowed in behind the tawdry attempt at destabilizing a sovereign nation.

US President Donald Trump was asked by reporters at the weekend if he had a "plan B" for Venezuela if President Nicolas Maduro does not stand down soon, as Washington is demanding. With his typical bluster, Trump said he had several backup options.

The Year of the Pig is upon us...literally

Andre Vltchek
OffGuardian
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 08:39 UTC

Gong Xi Fa Cai: happy year of the Pig 2019! Congratulations, the Year of the Pig has arrived!

According to the Chinese astrology, 2019 is a great year to make money, and a good year to invest! 2019 is going to be full of joy, a year of friendship and love for all the zodiac signs; an auspicious year because the Pig attracts success in all the spheres of life."

So, what is astrology actually saying? We will soon have some sort of 'brotherhood of men' year ahead of us; a year that could bring both peace and understanding between all the zodiac signs?

We all wish that it could be possible. But we all have doubts that this is what is actually ahead of us!

*

So, where does the world stand, as the most populous nation on earth - China (but also Vietnam and several other countries) - celebrates the New Year?

To be honest, the world does not 'stand' at all - it lies in the gutter. It appears to be in coma.

Comment: Excellent summation. Let's hope that this year will be favorable towards those standing for truth and keeping up the good fight against the lies of the empire.

Six Thoughts On Bernie 2020

Caitlin Johnstone
caitlinjohnstone.com
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 00:01 UTC

Bernie Sanders has announced his 2020 Democratic primary run for president of the United States, to predictable sighs of relief from his supporters and equally predictable vitriolic shrieking from Democratic Party centrists. I've been asked by my readers to give some thoughts on the matter, so here they are in no particular order:

1. The DNC can still rig its primaries.

Russia and China are containing destructive US policy to reshape the world order

Federico Pieraccini
Strategic Culture Foundation
Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:00 UTC

Fortunately the world today is very different from that of 2003, Washington's decrees are less effective in determining the world order. But in spite of this new, more balanced division of power amongst several powers, Washington appears ever more aggressive towards allies and enemies alike, regardless of which US president is in office.

China and Russia are leading this historic transition while being careful to avoid direct war with the United States. To succeed in this endeavor, they use a hybrid strategy involving diplomacy, military support to allies, and economic guarantees to countries under Washington's attack.

The United States considers the whole planet its playground. Its military and political doctrine is based on the concept of liberal hegemony, as explained by political scientist John Mearsheimer. This imperialistic attitude has, over time, created a coordinated and semi-official front of countries resisting this liberal hegemony. The recent events in Venezuela indicate why cooperation between these counter-hegemonic countries is essential to accelerating the transition from a unipolar to a multipolar reality, where the damage US imperialism is able to bring about is diminished.

'Anti-semitism': A highly lucrative scam in Washington

Philip Giraldi
The Unz Review
Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:00 UTC

"An anti-Semite used to mean a man who hated Jews. Now it means a man who is hated by Jews."- Joe Sobran

In his novel 1984 George Orwell invented the expression "newspeak" to describe the ambiguous or deliberately misleading use of language to make political propaganda and narrow the "thought options" of those who are on the receiving end. In the context of today's political discourse, or what passes for the same, it would be interesting to know what George would think of the saturation use of "anti-Semitism" as something like a tactical discussion stopper, employed to end all dispute while also condemning those accused of the crime as somehow outside the pale, monsters who are consigned forever to derision and obscurity.

The Israelis and, to be sure, many diaspora Jews know exactly how the expression has been weaponized. Former Israeli Minister Shulamit Aloni explained how it is done "Anti-Semitic"..."its a trick, we always use it."

Comment: Se also

ODNI and NSA impede lawmakers review of Obama admin 'unmasking' requests

Sara Carter
SaraACarter.com
Tue, 19 Feb 2019 15:37 UTC

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Security Agency still have not granted access to Republican lawmakers to review hundreds of unmasking requests made on Americans by Senior Obama Administration officials, SaraACarter.com has learned.

Despite an order from President Trump more than a year ago, ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes, R-CA, on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said his committee has been stymied in its investigation into the unmasking requests that rocked Washington D.C. when discovered in 2017.

The ODNI and NSA were ordered by President Trump to make available the highly classified documents for congressional review. In order to make those classified documents available the ODNI needed to set up a secured repository for lawmakers on the committee to review the documents, added Nunes.

After Israeli anchor calls out brutality of 'occupation', political leaders land hard on her

Jonathan Ofir
MondoWeiss
Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:00 UTC

Oshrat Kotler

This is a big story in Israel. On Saturday, Channel 13 anchorwoman Oshrat Kotler commented on a case of sadistic Israeli soldier beatings of a Palestinian father and son in occupied territory, saying:

They send children to the army, to the territories, and get them back human animals. That's the result of the occupation.

The response was immediate. Thousands of expressions of rage streamed in from audiences, and many leaders on the right were condemnatory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted:

Ehret an idiot beyond belief

smertzasmert

.. .. are wheel barrel sales are up too?

Jibrish

I doubt any pureblood would object to the "vaccinated" being masked, but if they (the "vaccinated") still feel unsafe then maybe their problem is...

HashAttack2

I said this would happen...now they are looking to mandate companies with less that 100 employees...shits getting real, people[Link]

Bezel Bub

it's all a lie ! :O

cracker

Puppet Masters

Trump admin slams Iran's human rights record, launches global effort to 'end criminalization of homosexuality'

'Facebook is a private company!' shout people in favor of censoring political content

How the FBI came close to staging a coup

Finian Cunningham: Trump's Venezuela gamble is starting to look like 'fatal overreach'

The Year of the Pig is upon us...literally

Six Thoughts On Bernie 2020

Russia and China are containing destructive US policy to reshape the world order

'Anti-semitism': A highly lucrative scam in Washington

ODNI and NSA impede lawmakers review of Obama admin 'unmasking' requests

After Israeli anchor calls out brutality of 'occupation', political leaders land hard on her

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