Puppet MastersS


Eagle

The Abyss of Disinformation Gazes Into Its Creators

Department of State
He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Friedrich Nietzsche
The other day the U.S. State Department published "Pillars of Russia's Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem". The report should have a disclaimer like this:

Everything you read in the NYT or hear Rachel Maddow say about Russia is true: Putin is a murderer, a thief and a thug, he shot down MH17, poisoned the Skripals, elected Trump, invaded Georgia and stole Crimea. If you question any part of this, you are controlled and directed by Russian Disinformation HQ.

Freedom of speech does not entitle you to doubt The Truth.

The methodology of all of these things - this is one of several - is uncomplicated. Paul Robinson has commented on the dependence of so much comment about Russia, and this report in particular, on the myth of central control.
  1. Anything anywhere on Russian social media, whether sensible or crazy, was personally put there by Putin to sow discord and weaken us. All social media or websites based in Russia are 100% controlled by Putin.
  2. The Truth about Russia is found in the West's official statements and in the "trusted source media". Anyone who questions it benefits Putin, who wants to bring us down, and is therefore acting as a servant of Russian Disinformation HQ.

Bulb

Best of the Web: Chilling commentary from Tucker Carlson that we should all listen to

covid fake crisis
The narrative on COVID-19 is about control. The conspiracy thinkers appear to be correct in this.

Let us demonstrate some insanity: What would you say if I told you that the CDC is uncertain that masks provide any protection at all from the coronavirus?

Does that sound crazy to you? We finally see President Trump wearing a mask here and there, and his opponents Joe Biden and Kamala Harris look like bad renditions of Old West bandits as they campaign for President (not Vice President, but President and handler).

Well, watch this presentation by Tucker Carlson. You will also see that the coronavirus is being connected to climate change of all things and that there is indeed an enormous power play making use of this very mild pandemic disease. Tucker notes the CDC doubt at timestamp 7:00. See for yourself.


Control Panel

We're All Serfs of Big Tech

Big Tech
What do you call an economy of monopolies without competition or any regulatory restraints?

An economy of monopolies that controls both the buying and selling in the markets they control?

Monopolies with the power to commit legalized fraud and the profits to buy political influence?

Monopolies whose black box algorithms are all-powerful but completely opaque to public scrutiny?

Call it whatever you want, but it certainly isn't Capitalism, which requires competition and market transparency to price capital, labor, risk, credit, goods, services, etc.

Black Box Monopoly is the death of Capitalism as it eliminates competition and market transparency.

Bad Guys

Might Belarus become the next Syria?

lukashenko
Okay, I admit it, the title is rather hyperbolic :-) But here is what I am trying to say: there are signs that Russia is intervening in the Belarusian crisis (finally!).

First and foremost, we can see a truly radical change in Lukashenko's policies: if his initial instinct was to unleash a brutal repression of both the violent rioters and the peaceful demonstrators, now he has made a 180 and the outcome is quite amazing: on Sunday there were large anti-Lukashenko demonstrations yet not a single person was detained. Not one. Even more amazing is this: the Polish-run Nexta Telagram channel (which is the main medium used by the Empire to overthrow Lukashenko) initially called for a peaceful protest, but at the end of the day a call was made to try to take over the main Presidential building. When the rioters (at this point we are dealing with an illegal, violent, attempt to overthrow the state - so I don't call these people demonstrators) got to the building they were faced with a real "wall" of riot cops in full gear: this (really scary) sight was enough to stop the rioters who stood for a while, and then had to leave.

Second, Lukashenko did something rather weird, but which makes perfectly good sense in the Belarusian context: he dressed himself in full combat gear, grabbed an AKSU-74 assault rife, dressed his (15 year old!) son also in full combat gear (helmet included) and flew in his helicopter over Minsk and then landed in the Presidential building. They then walked to the riot cops, where Lukashenko warmly thanked them and which resulted in the full police force giving him a standing ovation. To most of us this behavior might look rather outlandish if not outright silly. But in the context of the Belarusian crisis, which is a crisis primarily fought in the informational realm, it makes perfectly good sense.
  • Last week Lukashenko said that no other elections, never mind a coup, will happen as long as he is alive.
  • This time Lukashenko decided to show, symbolically, that he is in charge and that he will die fighting along his son if needed.
The message here is clear: "I am no Ianukovich and, if needed, I will die just like Allende died".

Comment: See also:


Arrow Up

China and US resume trade talks, agree to 'push forward' phase one deal

china trade port
© Pixabay
Top Chinese and US negotiators spoke on the phone Tuesday and agreed to "push forward" their phase one economic deal, amid soaring tensions between the two sides on several fronts.

The US and China signed the accord in January, bringing a partial truce in their lingering trade war and obliging Beijing to import an additional $200 billion in American products over two years, ranging from cars and machinery to oil and farm products.

But the Covid-19 pandemic has put pressure on the agreement and China's purchases of those goods have been lagging.

The two countries confirmed the talks in separate statements.

Washington said the parties "addressed steps that China has taken to effectuate structural changes called for by the agreement".

Black Cat

Will failed presidential hopeful Tikhanovskaya become Belarus's Juan Guaido? Exiled candidate meets Mike Pompeo's deputy

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya belarus president
© Global Look Press / Darius Mataitis via www.imago-imSvetlana Tikhanovskaya, failed Belarus presidential candidate
If the route to ultimately toppling Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko goes through Moscow, as most serious analysts believe, then Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, runner up in this month's disputed election, has taken a considerable diversion.

On Monday, in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, she met with US Deputy Secretary of State, Stephen Biegun in a move that will have raised concern in the Kremlin. Russia has been asking Western states to keep out of the situation in Belarus, which is Moscow's chief military and political ally.

In a statement, the State Department said Biegun had discussed "strengthening democracy and human rights in the country" with Tikhanovskaya in Vilnius. The bulletin described her as "opposition leader" and continued by "affirming the US commitment to Belarus' sovereignty and territorial integrity and to the sovereign right of its people to elect their own leaders and determine their own future."

Comment: Cue the familiar rhetoric of the Color Revolution™ machine:
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, officially the losing candidate in this month's contested Belarus election, has told members of the European Parliament that her country has gone through a "peaceful revolution."

She says the opposition is now ready to speak to the current government to negotiate the terms of a new election.

Tikhanovskaya expressed her belief that the country's opposition movement now consists of a majority of the country, and rejected being drawn into a geopolitical struggle.

"It is neither a pro-Russian nor an anti-Russian revolution. It is neither an anti-European Union nor a pro-European Union revolution. It is a democratic revolution. It is the striving of a nation to decide for itself," she said.


Mass protests began in Belarus on August 9, after the country's Central Election Committee announced that incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko had won re-election with 80% of the vote. According to the official results, widely believed to be falsified, Tikhanovskaya won just 10%. As thousands of people took to the streets, Belarusian security forces met demonstrators with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Tikhanovskaya noted how many Belarusians who took part in the protests were arrested and went missing, with "at least six people killed."

On August 14, she announced the creation of a Coordination Council to assist in the transition of power from Lukashenko. The body's is made up of seven members, including Svetlana Alexievich, a Nobel prize winner, and Pavel Latushko, a former Belarusian Minister of Culture.



Laptop

Despite Western hysteria over Russian hackers, up to 75% of global cyberattacks originate from US soil - top Moscow security chief

hacker
© Getty Images / xijian
The lion's share of cyberattacks around the world originate from the US - a fact the West avoids mentioning too often. That's according to a high-ranking Russian official, citing research conducted by cybersecurity companies.

Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Oleg Khramov said in an interview that the majority of hacks are conducted utilizing American IT infrastructure.

From 2016-19, 40 to 75 percent of all attacks were launched from US territory, while Russia was home to no more than two to seven percent of such cases, Khramov told the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty. This "clearly demonstrates to any sensible person" that the West's painting of Russia as a "global threat to cyberspace" is baseless, he said.

Although Khramov didn't name the companies he was referring to, in June 2019, the National Computer Incident Response & Coordination Center (NCIRCC) announced that up to 71 percent of cyberattacks against Russian IT systems came from the US and only three percent were of domestic origin.

Ambulance

'Merkel's guest': Army ambulances, 'deliberate disinfo' at airport reveal details of Navalny's arrival in Germany UPDATES

Navalny convoy
© Reuters/Fabrizio BenschConvoy of vehicles escort Alexey Navalny on route to a hospital in Berlin.
Prominent Russian anti-corruption campaigner Alexey Navalny was officially made "the guest of the chancellor" when he was airlifted to Berlin for medical treatment and transported in a military ambulance truck.

The motorcade carrying Navalny, whom Bild newspaper described as "the patient the world is watching," included several emergency vehicles, police buses and patrol cars.

The activist, who remained in a medically induced coma during the journey, was transported to Berlin's renowned Charite Hospital inside a Bundeswehr intensive care ambulance truck. The vehicle had military markings and a special license plate showing a code starting with the letter Y, which is used exclusively by the German military.


Comment:
UPDATE 24/8/2020 German colleagues congratulate Russian doctors for their efforts:
Anatoly Kalinichenko, the deputy director at the emergency clinic in Omsk, explained that "poisoning" was one of the initial suspicions when Navalny arrived there. That was why the activist was moved to the toxicology unit, [but] the final test results from two laboratories that found no toxic chemical substances that could be called poisons, or their residues.

Head Doctor Alexander Murakhovsky said that Omsk medics continued to treat Navalny and allowed his transportation to Germany only after his condition had stabilized. Omsk clinic "saved Alexey Navalny's life due to its great efforts, there is no doubt about that. The activist remains in stable but 'serious' condition. Our German colleagues are very grateful and also have no doubts that the patient's life was saved [by the Russian team]."
UPDATE 24/8/2020 German government is still suspicious Navalny was poisoned:
Berlin believes there's a 'certain probability' that Russian anti-corruption campaigner Alexey Navalny was poisoned and that he requires personal protection. "We are dealing with a patient where there is a certain probability that he was poisoned," Steffan Seibert told a press conference.

However, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas sounded a note of caution, warning that it's necessary to wait for a statement by the doctors treating him before making judgements. Maas added that many facts relevant to the case are still missing. "I am one of those people who bases my views on facts," Mass said during a news conference. "Many facts are missing in the case of Navalny: medical and also likely criminological. We must wait for those (facts)."

German doctors are expected to talk about his condition later on Monday.
UPDATE 24/8/2020 Indications of poisoning:
A medical examination of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a German hospital has found indications of poisoning, the Charite hospital said on Monday.

"The team of doctors examined the patient in detail after his arrival. The clinical findings indicate poisoning by a substance from the group of active substances called cholinesterase inhibitors," the hospital said in a statement.
UPDATE 24/8/2020 No definitive answers yet from the German medical team:
The specific substance involved remains unknown. "Alexey Navalny's prognosis remains unclear; the possibility of long-term effects, particularly those affecting the nervous system, cannot be excluded."
UPDATE 24/8/2020 Chancellor Merkel and FM Maas demand Russian investigation and find those responsible:
A statement signed by Chancellor Merkel and FM Heiko Maas:

"According to a statement from the team of doctors at Charite, data from clinical studies indicates that Alexey Navalny was poisoned. Taking into account Navalny's prominent role among the political opposition in Russia, Moscow should thoroughly look into the exact circumstances in the case and "those responsible must be identified and held accountable."

The intervention may not go down well in the Kremlin, where it could be perceived as an ultimatum. Indeed, sources in Moscow suggest it could even be counterproductive, as Russia is notoriously prickly about external interference in its domestic affairs. It is also worth noting that Putin's press secretary has already promised a "full investigation" if it turns out Navalny has been poisoned. Doctors in Omsk had claimed that two different laboratories in Russia found no poisons in his system.
UPDATE 24/8/2020 Russian doctor is being threatened, targeting his family:
The deputy chief medic at the clinic in Siberia where Moscow protest leader Alexey Navalny was hospitalized last week says he received "dozens of threats" on social media, some of the more sinister ones even targeting his family. However, Dr Anatoly Kalinichenko says he bears no ill will toward Navalny. "This did not affect anything, we treated a man, and these [threats] were not his fault."

The hospital's Chief Medical Officer Dr Alexander Murakhovsky said that while he wasn't personally the victim of threats, his office received over 1,000 phone calls in about two days [and] disrupted normal functioning of the hospital, he claimed. "There were very many people, ambulances sometimes had a hard time getting through, everything was blocked. They filmed patients, brought in by the ambulance, which is unacceptable under any circumstances."
See also:


Light Sabers

Australia's answer to Mao wants to extend his state of emergency for another year

australia lockdown
© REUTERS/Sandra SandersSigns on a window at a public housing tower under lockdown in Melbourne, Australia July 10, 2020
Victoria's Dan Andrews has brought in some of the most draconian Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on the planet and now wants the right to keep them in place for a further 12 months. This public health tyranny needs to be stopped.

I regret to report that Melbourne's answer to Mao Zedong has decided that he really rather enjoys being able to tell people exactly what they have to do and has no intention of stopping any time soon. Chairman, sorry, Premier Dan Andrews of Victoria is trying to railroad a bill through the legislature that would allow him to keep the current state of emergency going for another 12 months.

Comment: See also:


TV

Russiagate, televised: 'The Comey Rule' miniseries shows it's always 2016 for the American establishment

The Comey Rule
© YouTube/Showtime/screenshot
The neverending obsession of the Democrats and their media allies with Russiagate, as evidenced by the latest miniseries based on the memoir of disgraced FBI director Jim Comey, shows they never got over the 2016 election.

The trailer for the upcoming Showtime miniseries 'The Comey Rule' dropped Monday, right at the start of the Republican national convention. The 140-second clip is the Hollywood distillation of the 'Resistance' narrative of the past four years - which is not surprising, given that it's based on Comey's self-serving 2018 memoir, A Higher Loyalty.