Puppet MastersS


Bizarro Earth

The world has enough trouble

James Howard Kunstler
Clusterfuck Nation
Fri, 24 Feb 2023 00:00 UTC
old house/flag
© Lesley Becker"Mourning in America"
"[This] is what happens when you invent your own reality. You end up bamboozling yourself.
— The Sirius Report on Twitter
If you think about it at all, can you come up with any good reasons why our country has involved itself in the Ukraine war? To defend democracy, many say? An emptier platitude does not exist in the vast slippery lexicon of spin. To thwart Russia's imperial overreach? You apparently have no clue about Ukraine's history, ancient or modern. To incite an overthrow of the wicked Putin by his own people? The Russian president is more popular there now than even John F. Kennedy was here in 1962.

There actually are no good reasons for what we are doing in Ukraine, only bad reasons. Mainly, stoking the war there diverts Americans' attention from our own problems, which is to say the titanic failures of America's political establishment. The USA is falling apart from a combination of mismanagement, malice, and negligence. Our economy is a tottering scaffold of Ponzi schemes. Our institutions are wrecked. The government lies about everything it does. The news industry ratifies all the lying. Our schoolchildren can't read or add up a column of numbers. Our food is slow-acting poison. Our medical-pharma matrix has just completed the systematic murder and maiming of millions. Our culture has been reduced to a drag queen twerk-fest. Our once-beautiful New World landscape is a demolition derby. Name something that hasn't been debauched, perverted, degenerated, or flat-out destroyed.
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Network

Meet the partisans who wove the censorship complex's vast and tangled web

Margot Cleveland
The Federalist
Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00 UTC
Yoel Roth
© Screen Shot/C-Span/YouTubeTwitter's Yoel Roth (center)
While federal funding is not solely responsible for the rapid expansion of the Censorship Complex, it is the most troubling because our government is using our money to censor our speech.

While the "Twitter Files" and the Washington Examiner's coverage of the Global Disinformation Index have revealed an expansive Censorship Complex that seeks to silence Americans for money, politics, ideology, and power, much still needs to be unraveled.

A search of government contracts and grants for the eight fiscal years from 2016 through today for the keywords "misinformation" or "disinformation" reveals 538 federal government grants and 36 contracts were awarded to a wide range of academic institutions and non-governmental organizations.

Mapping out the connections among the various award recipients, the government, and the pro-censorship left will require more work. But this simple snapshot confirms taxpayers' money is funding the expansion of the Censorship Complex, as the prior eight fiscal years, from 2008 to 2015, reveal the federal government awarded only two federal contracts and seven federal grants for "disinformation" or "misinformation" research.

Likewise, an initial investigation into the nonprofits and academic institutions mentioned in the "Twitter Files" reveals government grants, donations from other liberal nonprofits, and money from leftist billionaires funded the expansion of the Censorship Complex. Research also shows the non-governmental organizations pushing the disinformation narrative are uniformly directed and run by former government employees, left-wing media types, and left-leaning or anti-Trump individuals.
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Footprints

Vanguard CEO abandons ESG investing alliance: "Not in the game of politics"

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Tue, 28 Feb 2023 06:55 UTC
Buckley
© UnknownTim Buckley, Chairman, CEO of Vanguard
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) has been a hotly debated topic over the last few years.

The seemingly unquestioned march towards corporate utopia has met with resistance among those who oppose the idea that government oligarchs should dictate the affairs of private business firms. The long-term effects of the ESG movement are largely ignored by the mainstream.

As Tom Czitron previously commented, ESG is largely justified on the basis that corporations and financial institutions should be socially responsible. They should work obsessively to address the perceived menaces of climate change, racism, sexism, and a host of subjects. Our benevolent political and economic elite define what is virtuous and what is not for a grateful public.

But, as of late, there are some naysayers that dare to stand up to the socialism-by-stealth promoters with Tim Buckley, chief executive at Vanguard, perhaps the biggest name yet to buck the ESG orthodoxy.
"Our research indicates that ESG investing does not have any advantage over broad-based investing," Mr. Buckley said in a recent interview with the Financial Times.
Matching word to deed, his comments came after he had withdrawn his firm from the $59 trillion Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, an organization that is part of the $150 trillion United Nations-affiliated Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.

Comment: Built on a lie, the climate change debacle has 'deep roots' and far-reaching ramifications, including control of how finance is run and by whose authority. 'Accountability' is termed as adherence to restrictions and compliance to agenda, not savvy economics.

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Arrow Up

Russia allies facing 'unprecedented pressure' from US - security chief


RT
Wed, 01 Mar 2023 09:51 UTC
Maduro
© Twitter/Nicolas MaduroVenezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and Russia’s Security Council head Nikolay Patrushev during a meeting in Caracas.
The US will use any means necessary to force countries to cut ties with Moscow, the head of Russia's Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, said during a visit to Venezuela. He also warned that Washington is intent on preserving a unipolar world order.

Patrushev held security consultations with his Venezuelan counterpart Jose Adelino Ornelas Ferreira and other high-ranking officials in Caracas on Tuesday. The Russian security chief argued:
"All sovereign states are currently experiencing a moment of truth when they have to make a choice either to defend the freedom to select their path, their own values and identity, or to submit to the dictate of the so-called collective West, led by the US."
In their attempts to preserve the unipolar world order, Patrushev said:
"Washington and its allies resort to political pressure, military blackmail, financial enslavement, economic sanctions and, of course, deceitful propaganda. Moscow's international partners have faced unprecedented pressure from the US, which is trying to force them to cut any ties with Russia, no matter how close and beneficial they may be.

"Russia is 'grateful' to Venezuela for resisting those attempts and backing Moscow. We appreciate the Bolivarian [Venezuelan] leadership's public condemnation of the destructive policies by the West and NATO, as well as the aggression unleashed against Russia."
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Arrow Up

EU nation backs Chinese peace plan


RT
Mon, 27 Feb 2023 22:04 UTC
Orban
© Attila Volgyi/Xinhua/Global Look PressHungarian PM Viktor Orban
Hungary's government supports Beijing's peace plan for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told parliament on Monday. The 12-point plan released by China last week calls for resuming peace talks and respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations while condemning unilateral sanctions.

Orban, in his half-hour-long speech, told lawmakers:
"We also consider China's peace plan important and support it. The ongoing conflict was bad for Ukrainians, Russians, Hungarians, Europe, and it is becoming increasingly clear [that] it is bad for the whole world."
The prime minister then maintained that Budapest should stay out of the conflict, as was decided through a "national consultation."
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Dollars

Zelensky and his cronies are trying to cover up (yet another) major corruption scandal in Ukraine - what role is the US playing?

Petr Lavrenin
RT
Wed, 01 Mar 2023 18:43 UTC
Ukraine Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov corruption scandal
© Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesUkrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov
The purge in Kiev was expected to culminate with the defense minister's resignation.Why didn't it happen?

Last month's shockwave of resignations among top Ukrainian officials, caused by numerous corruption scandals, ended as quickly as it began. At the start of February, it seemed that Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov would become the ultimate victim of the purge. His imminent departure was openly discussed in the Ukrainian parliament and hints were even dropped by the President's office.

His possible resignation was also discussed in leading international media. However, just two weeks later, the threat hanging over Reznikov disappeared when the politician met with Western leaders and plainly stated that he had no intention of leaving office.

How did Reznikov avoid being culled, what role did the visit of US inspectors to Kiev play in the process, and what was the big corruption scandal in the Defense Ministry of Ukraine all about?
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Bad Guys

Zelensky aide explains why Ukraine won't let men leave


RT
Mon, 27 Feb 2023 03:53 UTC
Ukrainian refugees
© Omar Marques / Getty ImagesFile photo: Families crossing from Ukraine into Poland at Medyka, March 08, 2022.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's TOP AIDE has defended Kiev's decision to ban men from leaving the country, saying otherwise they could "run away." Fleeing the draft means wanting the country to be destroyed, Mikhail Podoliak told the German state outlet DW

"Let's be blunt here. No need to speculate. What does the restriction of rights mean? Do people in Ukraine not have obligations also? Or are we just talking about rights?" Podoliak told DW in an interview making the rounds on social media on Monday.

"The state has a duty to provide things, let people travel, let people live as they wish. Yes, in peacetime," he continued. "But in wartime, that's not a question to raise. Do you want to cross the border? That means you want Ukraine to stop existing, because you crossed the border."

"Because when you say 'Open the borders for men,' that means opening the border so they can run away from the manly choice. And they want to run away," Podoliak said.

Comment: These are not the words or deeds of a strong nation winning a just war. They're the words and actions of weak, ineffectual, and desperate tyrants.

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No Entry

Hungary, Serbia warns of potential terror attacks at southern gas pipelines - Orban


TASS
Mon, 27 Feb 2023 12:00 UTC
Viktor Orban
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Hungary considers the act of sabotage at the Nord Stream gas pipeline a terror attack and will pool its efforts with Serbia to prevent such incidents at pipelines running across southern Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Monday.

In his speech at the opening of the parliament's spring session, he touched upon problems of energy security and stressed that the Nord Stream blast was an act of terrorism. He pledged that the Hungarian authorities, together with Serbian partners, will take measures to prevent such acts of sabotage at the "southern pipeline," obviously referring to Turk Stream's branch running via Bulgaria and Serbia and feeding Hungary with Russian gas.

Comment: MRIYA reports:
Orban: South Stream explosion cannot be "sweep under the carpet" as they did with the Northern

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline is a terrorist attack, and Hungary and Serbia made it clear that in the event of such a failure of the gas pipeline in southern Europe, the perpetrators will not be able to get off lightly and "sweep everything under the carpet." It is reported by RIA Novosti.

"I would like to remind you that the southern interconnector, through which gas is supplied to Hungary, has become a striking force for the Hungarian economy. The explosion of Nord Stream, which, as you know, happened was just a terrorist attack, no matter who committed it, it was a terrorist act, " Orban said.

He added that "if it was done in the north just to prevent gas from Russia from reaching Europe, then it can be done in the south as well."

Earlier, Orban said that the country's government considers the sabotage on the Nord Stream gas pipeline a terrorist attack and, together with Serbia, will do everything to ensure that nothing like this happens again on pipelines that are laid in southern Europe.
More refreshing honesty from Orban: PM Orbán: If 2022 was the most difficult year, then 2023 will be the most dangerous year since the fall of communism

See also: Germany finally admits it's 'open' to the idea the West could be responsible for Nord Stream sabotage, 'with aim to blame Russia'

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Bad Guys

US sanctions blocking entry of direly needed Russian fertilizers to earthquake hit Syria, US loots 34 tankers of Syria oil over border to base in Iraq


Al Mayadeen
Tue, 28 Feb 2023 23:35 UTC
Lattakia Port
Lattakia Port
Russia is expecting that the US takes the necessary steps to unblock the flow of fertilizers to the country since the majority of Syrian agricultural lands are under US occupation, the official noted.

The Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Tuesday that humanitarian efforts to deliver direly needed Russian fertilizers to Syria have been hindered by US-led sanctions on the country.

"Because of the American Caeser Act, even with the UN's efforts in Damascus, humanitarian supplies of Russian fertilizer can't be carried out from fertilizers that are impounded in EU ports," Polyanskiy said before the Security Council members.

Comment: SANA reports on the relentless theft of Syria's oil:
The US occupation forces have continued to loot Syrian oil as a number of tankers loaded with stolen oil have departed from Syrian territory over the past hours heading to the Iraqi territory.

Local sources from al-Yarubiya countryside told SANA reporter that the US occupation forces stole a new quantity of oil from the fields of al -Jazeera and the eastern region of the country and transferred it by 34 tankers to its bases in Iraq through the al-Mahmoudiya illegal crossing to the far eastern countryside of Hasaka on the Iraqi border.
Meanwhile US ally Israel not only continues to bomb earthquake racked Syria, but it's also threatening to bomb any Iranian aid that might try to make its way to the country.

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Megaphone

Mali's PM credits Russia for turning the tide in its fight against terrorism and being a reliable partner - 'Russia does not double-deal'


RT
Tue, 28 Feb 2023 21:37 UTC
Choguel Kokalla Maiga
© Michele Cattani / AFPMalian PM Choguel Kokalla Maiga
Russia has helped to turn the tide in Mali's fight against terrorism and has proven that it does not have ulterior motives in its involvement, the African nation's acting prime minister has said.

"The terror has moved to the other camp. Terrorists no longer instill fear in Malians. On the contrary, the Malian Army scares the terrorists," Choguel Kokalla Maiga told RIA Novosti.

He credited Russian military assistance for this change in the interview published on Tuesday, and praised Moscow's approach in dealing with his government. Russia "is a reliable partner and does not double-deal," he said.
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