© Unknown
There is no way to prepare for what you are about to see.
Puppet Masters
There is no way to prepare for what you are about to see.
© Xinhua Photo - Liang Shun
GULF OF ADEN -- A marine observes the situation on the sea at the dock landing ship “Jing Gangshan” of the 15th Escort Taskforce of the Chinese Navy in the Gulf of Aden. This is the first implementation of the joint convoy mission of the 14th and the 15th Escort Taskforce of the Chinese Navy, Sept. 2013; the first ever buildup of the Chinese Navy in the middle east.
GULF OF ADEN -- A marine observes the situation on the sea at the dock landing ship “Jing Gangshan” of the 15th Escort Taskforce of the Chinese Navy in the Gulf of Aden. This is the first implementation of the joint convoy mission of the 14th and the 15th Escort Taskforce of the Chinese Navy, Sept. 2013; the first ever buildup of the Chinese Navy in the middle east.
Moreover, these demands are harmful to US security interests - redefining US anti-ISIS mission to one of anti-Assad mission - and thereby potentially drawing in Eurasian powers of China, Russia and Iran into open military conflict against the US.
Presently the Beijing-Moscow-Tehran axis is actually tacitly supporting the US-led coalition, and Assad is allowing US use of its airspace to strike ISIS and other Islamic extremist groups.
Comment: The Beijing-Moscow-Tehran axis are playing it very cool, very smart, and very sane right now. They do not want war but they can also see the writing on the wall given the patterns of the US-led coalition's actions.
Now, Ankara, Riyadh and Doha's obsession on removing Assad and hoping to replace him with a proxy Islamist regime is throwing a monkey wrench into coalition efforts. With Islamist strongholds spanning from Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and Egypt, this risks turning the Eastern Mediterranean into an Islamic Lake, a threat shared by Israel as well as EU members Cyprus and Greece.
This is also a threat to US' Noble Energy, Italy's ENI, Korea's KOGAS, Russia's Gazprom, and other stakeholders such as Jordan, Egypt, and Asian consumers interested in the newly discovered natural gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean.
As such, removing Assad for a probable Islamist replacement that will also persecute the Christian, Kurdish, Druze and Alawite communities in Syria; escalate the conflict by drawing in two nuclear powers of China and Russia; harm development of hydrocarbons in the Levantine Basin and further regional instability, is not in US or EU's security interest.
And it is definitely not in China's interest.
© AFP Photo / Kassig Family handout
Kassig, 26, was captured on October 1, 2013, by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants on his way to the city of Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria.
After conversion during captivity, Kassig took the name Abdul-Rahman.
The footage reportedly shows Jihadi John murdering Kassig. This comes despite earlier reports that the extremist, who has executed other UK and US hostages, was wounded in an airstrike on a top-level extremists' meeting in Iraq last week.
The video showing Kassig's death is part of 15 minutes of footage, which depicts IS militants beheading several other men. The victims have been identified as officers serving under the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
In the video the extremists deliver warnings to the US, UK and other countries.
Islamic State militants first showed him in the video of the beheading of UK aid worker Alan Henning, who shared a prison cell with Kassig. After Jihadi John, an IS executioner with a London accent, killed Henning, he also threatened Kassig would be next.
Comment: Looks like IS is ramping up the fear during the G20 summit.
Video claiming to show a Syrian boy rescuing a girl amid heavy gunfire lauded as heroic chronicle of resistance now revealed as 100% fraud - filmed in Malta. Just one of many lies perpetuated by Western media.
One must wonder just what else has been peddled before the public by the Western media as authentic or "believed to be" authentic, when in reality being a complete, 100% fraudulent production. Fox, the London Telegraph, and the Daily Mail all published articles promoting a video claiming to show a Syrian boy rescuing a young girl amid heavy gunfire during Syria's ongoing conflict.
One must wonder just what else has been peddled before the public by the Western media as authentic or "believed to be" authentic, when in reality being a complete, 100% fraudulent production.
© money.cnn.com
Former Congressman Ron Paul
Former Congressman Ron Paul
Some were critical of my comment that, "Republican control of the Senate equals expanded neo-con wars in Syria and Iraq. Boots on the ground are coming!" But unfortunately my fears were confirmed even sooner than I thought. Shortly after the vote, President Obama announced that he would double the number of US troops on the ground in Iraq and request another $5.6 billion to fight his war in the Middle East.
The President also said on Wednesday that he would seek a new authorization for the use of force in Iraq and Syria. He said that a new authorization was needed to reflect, "not just our strategy over the next two or three months, but our strategy going forward." That sounds like boots on the ground in an endless war.
Comment: "Ideas are what really count. And that is where we are winning!" Winning? Really? Is there anything in the forecast above that indicates WINNING??? Or, for that matter of fact, IDEAS? While Dr. Paul is one of the more (and few) original thinkers, in comparison to the mainline rubber stampers in Congress, he has a soft approach to his politicking rhetoric that allows the bulldogs to dismiss and ignore his wisps of wisdom and observation. If Dr. Paul indeed has his finger on the pulse of the congress, he must know that the truth artery is clogged, the greed vein is throbbing, and if congress actually has a heart, it is due for a massive coronary! Such is the physical, emotional and mental state of this patient when left to pathocracy as the way forward. What can the public expect? More sheep dip and "Baa" humbug.
Several European governments believe Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is flouting EU values by drifting into the Kremlin's orbit but are unsure how to respond.
At a time when most EU states are isolating Moscow and turning their thoughts to stiffer sanctions as Ukraine's ceasefire crumbles, Orban has alarmed many of his peers by establishing closer ties with Russia.
Orban, 51, has said the EU "shot itself in the foot" by imposing sanctions on Russia; he signed a deal with Moscow to build a nuclear power plant; he stopped shipping gas to Ukraine and he wants to accelerate work on the Russian-backed South Stream pipeline that Brussels opposes.
"We do not want the sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU to be undermined," Gunther Krichbaum, Christian Democrat President of the European Affairs Committee of the German lower house of parliament, told Reuters.
At a time when most EU states are isolating Moscow and turning their thoughts to stiffer sanctions as Ukraine's ceasefire crumbles, Orban has alarmed many of his peers by establishing closer ties with Russia.
Orban, 51, has said the EU "shot itself in the foot" by imposing sanctions on Russia; he signed a deal with Moscow to build a nuclear power plant; he stopped shipping gas to Ukraine and he wants to accelerate work on the Russian-backed South Stream pipeline that Brussels opposes.
"We do not want the sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU to be undermined," Gunther Krichbaum, Christian Democrat President of the European Affairs Committee of the German lower house of parliament, told Reuters.
Wasn't this [Australian] government all about stopping boats?
How exciting was it last night when the news came through that Russian warships were steaming towards Australia!
Clearly our Prime Minister's hardline approach to making hollow threats had awoken a sleeping giant, right? What hell hath this shirtfronting wrought!
Social media exploded with Red Scare terrors worthy of the Cold War, and as recently as this afternoon a certain other news outlet was still declaring that "A convoy of heavily armed Russian war ships, including at least one high powered missile cruiser, are cruising international waters to Australia's north, Defence has confirmed."
But before you start rushing for the fallout shelters ahead of Red Dawn Down Under, it's worth pointing out a couple of teensy-tiny things.
One is that the "convoy of heavily armed Russian war ships" is actually a destroyer, a cruiser, a supply ship and a tug: armed, yes, but not exactly an invasion fleet.
Secondly, the reason they're going past is twofold: the cruiser and destroyer are doing live-fire drills in the South China Sea, and the other two ships were berthed in Jakarta as part of the Indonesian Defence Expo. Indonesia, you might recall, is to our north.
Thirdly, they're transiting through international waters and Australia's defence forces were alerted of their passage and have been monitoring 'em. It's not like they've just appeared over the horizon.
© Presidential Press Service, Alexei Panov
Clearly our Prime Minister's hardline approach to making hollow threats had awoken a sleeping giant, right? What hell hath this shirtfronting wrought!
Social media exploded with Red Scare terrors worthy of the Cold War, and as recently as this afternoon a certain other news outlet was still declaring that "A convoy of heavily armed Russian war ships, including at least one high powered missile cruiser, are cruising international waters to Australia's north, Defence has confirmed."
But before you start rushing for the fallout shelters ahead of Red Dawn Down Under, it's worth pointing out a couple of teensy-tiny things.
One is that the "convoy of heavily armed Russian war ships" is actually a destroyer, a cruiser, a supply ship and a tug: armed, yes, but not exactly an invasion fleet.
Secondly, the reason they're going past is twofold: the cruiser and destroyer are doing live-fire drills in the South China Sea, and the other two ships were berthed in Jakarta as part of the Indonesian Defence Expo. Indonesia, you might recall, is to our north.
Thirdly, they're transiting through international waters and Australia's defence forces were alerted of their passage and have been monitoring 'em. It's not like they've just appeared over the horizon.
Comment: In fact, The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! is the name of the critically acclaimed, Oscar nominated and Golden globe award winning comedy made in 1965.
Ironically, the cold war hysteria that is masterfully depicted in this half-a-century-old political comedy is being repeated in our modern day reality.
© RT.com
Antonio Fallico
Antonio Fallico
© REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Has Russia reached the limit of its diplomatic tolerance of the US and its NATO allies? The announcement this week that Moscow is to begin deploying long-range bombers in the Gulf of Mexico - America's own backyard - suggests so.
The move may seem like a reckless ratcheting up of tensions between the old Cold War rivals. The Tupolev Russian strategic bombers in question are nuclear-capable, and as expected the decision to patrol the Caribbean seas sparked a stern response from Washington, warning Moscow of risks.
But the first point to note is that Russia is not doing anything illegal. It has a legal right to fly its warplanes in any international airspace it chooses, as do all nations, to perform training maneuvers.
Even Washington officials have begrudgingly acknowledged Russia's legal right to do so. The Christian Science Monitor quoted Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren as saying, "Russia has a right to fly in international airspace".
However, we can be sure that the hawks in Washington will be fuming at what they see as Vladimir Putin's "audacity" to order warplanes within striking distance of the US. For the de facto American War Party of Republicans and Democrats, the latest Russian move confirms their accusations that President Putin is trying to flex "Soviet-era muscles". Or, as American NATO commander General Philip Breedlove put it, Russia "is messaging us that they are a great power".
Comment: Sad that it has come to this but probably inevitable. There seems to be no amount of reason, or logic, or compromise, or statesmanship that can get through to the ruling elites in the West. They are simply hell-bent on having their way no matter the cost to their public, or to themselves. In order to be a viable nation Putin's Russia is in the unenviable position of having to take a stand against the monstrosity that is U.S. world hegemony. And as the article indicates, this state of affairs is going to get much worse before it has a chance of getting any better.
The Borg collective, with Vladimir Putin exiled to the far left.
Comment: If it seems like the U.S. has entered into a maniacal and suicidal attempt to impose military and economic power over some of the largest and most independent nations on the planet, it is because they are.